Vegeta's Speed-Eating

Seeing the three of them leave while completely ignoring everyone, Ye Bai followed after them as well.

"They... they just left? That's great." Krillin let out a sigh of relief.

"What exactly are they trying to do? Where are they going?" Tien Shinhan was somewhat bewildered too.

"From the looks of it, they don't seem to be heading to North City to cause trouble. They're going in the wrong direction," Piccolo said, equally puzzled.

"Goku! Are they going to Goku's house? Think about it—wasn't Dr. Gero's goal to defeat Goku, the one who destroyed the Red Ribbon Army?" Krillin suddenly realized.

"But they don't look like they'd obey Dr. Gero's orders," Tien Shinhan said.

Elsewhere, Android 16, Android 17, and Android 18 descended from the air to the ground. Ye Bai was a little puzzled by this, but he stayed hidden in the sky and watched them.

"17, why did we suddenly land?" Android 18 asked.

"Let's enjoy ourselves while we head over there! Rushing along isn't any fun," Android 17 answered.

"You mean we're walking there?" Android 18 asked gently.

"We'll drive. Someone should be coming down this road in a car soon enough. We can hitch a ride in theirs," Android 17 said.

"Men really do pointless things. I didn't expect you to still have a little humanity left," Android 18 remarked.

"You know, don't you, 16? You were modified from a human male into an android too," Android 17 said, turning to Android 16.

"No. I was born from 'nothing,'" Android 16 said.

"You weren't modified from a human?"

"Then you're basically different from us." The two of them were a little surprised to hear that.

"Well, well! I didn't expect you three to still be wandering around here. What a surprise." At that moment, Vegeta appeared and landed in front of the three.

"Your aura is different from before," Android 17 said as he looked at Vegeta in his Super Saiyan form.

"It's more than just my aura. Tell me, where are you planning to go now?" Vegeta asked confidently.

"To find Son Goku! Our goal is to kill him," Android 18 replied calmly.

"So I was right. But you won't be seeing him, because you'll die by my hand first." After Vegeta said that, Android 17 and Android 18 looked at each other, merely smiled, and then turned back to Vegeta.

"Is that funny? This is the only time you'll be able to laugh," Vegeta continued with a confident grin.

"Being overly arrogant must be a Saiyan trait. Son Goku is the same. People who lack the strength but insist on playing hero usually don't live long." Android 17's contemptuous words enraged Vegeta.

"Shut your mouth! You're nothing but puppets, yet you dare spout such nonsense! I'll leave every last one of you without a corpse! Who wants to die first? You smug brat? That woman? Or that big guy? Or should I send all of you straight to hell at once?" Vegeta roared furiously.

"Hehe, how funny," Android 18 said, smiling at Vegeta as though he were a clown.

"16, I want to see what you can do. You handle him!" Android 18 said, turning to Android 16.

"I refuse," Android 16 said softly.

"This guy is pretty clear-headed. My strength has already scared him," Vegeta said with another confident smile after hearing Android 16's answer.

"He's strange. He actually refused," Android 17 said as he turned toward Android 16.

"You're seriously overestimating yourselves! Fine, then I'll do it!" With that, Android 18 could only step forward herself.

"I'll warn you first: even though you're a woman, I won't go easy on you. Though, now that I say it, you aren't really a woman at all. You're just an android." Vegeta assumed a fighting stance after speaking.

Seeing there was more entertainment to watch, Ye Bai decisively landed beside Android 16 and even poked his skin. It actually felt just like the real thing.

Android 16 turned and saw an exceptionally handsome man poking the back of his hand. Since he had been noticed, Ye Bai greeted him.

"Hi!"

Android 16 was somewhat wary as he looked at Ye Bai's tail, but he did not move away. He saw no hostility in the man's eyes, and his attention was quickly drawn to a sparrow nearby.

Android 17, however, turned around and looked at Ye Bai with some wariness. Android 18, who was preparing to fight Vegeta, also turned to look at Ye Bai.

"Ye Bai, I found these androids first. You're not allowed to interfere," Vegeta said, thinking Ye Bai had come to steal his opponents.

"Don't worry, no need to look at me so cautiously. I'm just here to watch the show, haha." Ye Bai smiled after saying that.

After exchanging a glance, Android 18 and Android 17 turned back and continued preparing for their battle with Vegeta. Android 18 launched the first attack, while Android 17 watched the fight and kept guard against Ye Bai. Upon seeing Vegeta's strength, he commented in an even tone.

"That gave me a scare. His strength far exceeds the data Dr. Gero gave us!"

"That's right. The information Dr. Gero collected was from a very, very long time ago. He underestimated the Saiyans' rate of growth. A Saiyan who finds the right training method sees their battle power rise in a straight line."

"But Vegeta is still a little short. He can't beat 18 right now," Ye Bai chimed in as he watched the battle in the sky.

"Oh? Are you saying you can beat us, then?" Android 17 turned to look at Ye Bai.

Ye Bai merely smiled without answering. By then, Android 18 and Vegeta had fought farther and farther away. Before long, they fought their way back and landed on the highway.

"Tch. They're like puppets—when you punch them, you can't even tell whether they've been hurt." Vegeta clicked his tongue as he spoke. Android 18 gave a slight smile, folded her arms, and waited for Vegeta to attack.

"Then I'll just tear you apart directly, so you'll never be able to smile again." Vegeta extended one hand toward Android 18.

At that moment, a large truck came around the bend. Seeing the two people standing in the middle of the road, the driver slammed on the brakes, then frantically honked and cursed from inside the truck.

"You'd better laugh all you want while you're still alive!" Vegeta said to Android 18.

"You're welcome to try." Android 18 stood in front of the truck, paying no heed to the driver's shouts. The two of them ignored him completely.

Vegeta fired an energy blast at Android 18. She dodged it, and it continued flying toward the truck.

Boom!

After a thunderous crash, a section of the mountain and highway vanished. Ye Bai carried the large truck to the other end of the road, set it down, and told the driver to leave quickly. The terrified driver immediately sped away and disappeared in a flash.

"You'd better finish this fight quickly." Ye Bai returned to where he had been and looked coldly at the two of them.

Seeing this, Vegeta dared not delay any longer. He went all out and flew at Android 18 first, throwing a punch at her abdomen. The two seemed frozen in place, but on closer inspection, Vegeta's punch had missed. Android 18 had driven her knee into his stomach instead. Vegeta spat out blood, and Android 18 straightened his hunched body before punching him into the mountainside right in front of his eyes.

Just then, everyone arrived at the scene. Trunks sensed Vegeta's energy from the hole nearby and hurriedly asked, "Are you all right, Vegeta?"

Android 17 said, "Look at that. They even called in a whole bunch of helpers. It might be a little much for Android 18 to deal with all of them alone. No helping it—I suppose I'll lend a hand too. Or should you help, Android 16?"

"No, I won't help." Android 16 replied calmly with a smile.

"You won't help? You really don't fit in at all! I honestly can't understand why you were created." Android 17 said helplessly.

"I already said it. I was born to defeat Son Goku." Android 16 answered in his programmed manner.

"I really envy how carefree you are." Android 17 said as he walked toward the battlefield.

"Hey! That android called Android 17 is coming this way!" Tien Shinhan hurriedly warned everyone.

"If you want to run, do it now. I have absolutely no interest in people who run away." Android 18 said calmly.

"What are you talking about? I was just about to take all of you down in one go. Why would I run? I'm warning you."

"Rather than fight alongside those Earthlings, Namekians, or even Kakarot, I'd rather fight alone. Even if I die, I'll accept it!" Vegeta declared proudly.

Android 17 walked over while applauding. "Those are truly moving words! Judging by the way you fight, you really do have the pride of a Saiyan prince."

"Pah. Puppets like you have no right to criticize me. You brat who still reeks of milk." Vegeta turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Then let me offer you a piece of advice. This is a one-on-one duel between Vegeta and Android 18. I assume no one will interfere?" Android 17 said.

"Let Vegeta fight. Don't worry, no one will interfere in their duel." Ye Bai walked over, looked at the others, then spoke to Android 17.

"Xiaobai, why didn't you stop this when you were here?" Krillin hurried forward upon seeing Ye Bai.

"Let Vegeta fight. Otherwise, he won't accept it." Ye Bai looked at Vegeta after speaking, signaling that he could continue.

Seeing this, Android 18 asked Vegeta, "Do you still want to keep fighting?"

"What a stupid question." Vegeta replied confidently.

"You've got spirit." With that, Android 18 instantly appeared in front of Vegeta and punched him flying, then immediately followed after him.

Vegeta flew backward toward the top of a cliff, did a backflip to adjust himself, planted his feet against the cliffside, and launched himself back down. His headbutt struck Android 18 squarely in the stomach. He then flashed above her, clasped his hands together, and smashed them into her back, knocking her down onto the cliffside. A huge crater formed as rocks scattered everywhere. Before Android 18 could get back up, he thrust out both hands and hit her with an energy blast.

Boom!

Smoke and dust billowed everywhere. A massive chunk was missing from the enormous mountain. When the smoke cleared, Android 18 stood where she had been. Aside from looking somewhat disheveled, she appeared completely unharmed.

"Hmph, you look this pathetic after only that much damage?" Vegeta landed in front of her and said.

"This is truly unexpected! Whether you're an alien or not, I never thought a flesh-and-blood body could reach this level."

"Do you think that man called Son Goku is stronger than you?" Android 18's voice remained gentle as she removed her tattered blue jacket.

"Don't make me laugh. He surpassed me once, but I've returned to normal now. Logically, he should be weaker than me." Vegeta was brimming with confidence.

"Is that so? Then none of you are very strong." Android 18 brushed aside the hair blocking her vision.

"What did you say?" Enraged, Vegeta launched an attack. His fists and kicks came one after another, but Android 18 blocked every single one. As time passed, Vegeta gradually began to fall into a disadvantage.

Finally, one of his punches was easily blocked by Android 18. When he swung with his other hand, she caught that one as well. Android 18 drove her knee into Vegeta's abdomen, lifting both his feet off the ground. Then she released his hands and punched him in the face, sending him flying.

Trunks was about to step in when Ye Bai stopped him. Then Ye Bai stared at Trunks with icy eyes and said, "Let Vegeta suffer a little. If you can't resist interfering, go back to your own timeline. Don't ruin what I'm doing."

Trunks looked at Ye Bai in confusion. He could not understand why Ye Bai, who clearly had the ability to resolve this, insisted on dragging things out until the end. Ye Bai saw through his thoughts and said, "If I solve everything, how will Goku and the others grow? With your father's personality, he needs to suffer a little."

"If you can't resist stepping in, go back first. I can handle things here. Don't interfere too much with the development of this timeline. I don't want them all to become useless."

After saying that, Ye Bai ignored him. If Trunks still refused to listen, he would have no choice but to knock him out.

Android 18 slowly walked toward Vegeta, who was lying on the ground. Vegeta got to his feet, powered up, and rushed toward Android 18 with a swift kick. Android 18 leaped over it, then spun around and drove a roundhouse kick into him, knocking Vegeta back again. Before he could regain his footing, she leaped up and kicked him in the side, breaking Vegeta's left arm.

Vegeta clutched his dangling left arm and fell to his knees. Seeing this, Trunks powered up and prepared to rush forward. Ye Bai had been watching for this all along. He knocked Trunks unconscious with a chop to the neck, then handed him to the astonished Krillin nearby.

"Didn't expect you to be this trustworthy." Android 17 said as he watched from a distance.

Ye Bai glanced at Android 17, then continued watching the battlefield. Once Android 18 approached, Vegeta, still kneeling on the ground, suddenly fired an energy blast at her. She dodged it, then struck his left cheek with an elbow and knocked him to the ground. Android 18 rushed forward and kicked upward, launching Vegeta into the air. He crashed into the mountainside and collapsed face-down on the ground, where Android 18 jumped down and stomped on his lower back.

Android 18 removed her foot and stepped back twice. When she saw Vegeta trying to get up again, she kicked him in the stomach and sent him sprawling across the ground.

"Looks like it would be safer if I made your other arm unusable too." With that, Android 18 stepped forward and stomped on Vegeta's other arm, breaking it as well. Before long, the golden light around Vegeta faded, and his hair gradually turned black again.

Seeing this, Android 18 flew back and said to Android 17, "His hair color returned to normal. Strange, the golden glow disappeared too. This phenomenon is truly incredible."

Android 17 glanced at Vegeta and said, "Forget it. That isn't important."

After saying that, Android 17 prepared to leave with Android 18 and Android 16.

Seeing this, Ye Bai said to Krillin, "Take this kid back. Once he wakes up, have him return to his own timeline first."

"Xiaobai, what are you going to do?" Krillin asked.

"I have my own matters to deal with. Don't worry about me." With that, Ye Bai left alongside Android 17 and the other two, leaving everyone else staring at one another.

"Forget about him. Ye Bai has always been mysterious. Krillin, hurry up and give Vegeta a Senzu Bean." Piccolo said.

Only then did Krillin snap out of it. He handed Trunks to Yamcha and flew toward Vegeta.