Under the night sky of Mount Paozu, the four of them sat around the edge of the ruined training ground.
Goku sat cross-legged on the ground, his complexion a little better than before, but Son Gohan noticed that the hand he used to hold his cup was still trembling slightly. The price of a twenty-times Kaio-ken would not fade that quickly.
"We can't just sit around and wait," Goku said, his voice hoarse but firm. "Seventy-two hours. We have to do something."
Piccolo leaned against the trunk of a tree caught in the battle's aftermath, arms folded. "What do you have in mind?"
"The main node," Vegeta cut in first, his tone cold and hard. "Don't wait seventy-two hours. Go now. Strike first while it still hasn't finished evolving."
"Idiot." Piccolo immediately threw cold water on it. "The main node has a complete defense system. A rash attack will only alert it, and might even stimulate it into evolving faster."
"So we wait until it's ready, then let it come kill us?" Vegeta snorted coldly.
The two of them were at each other's throats, the smell of gunpowder growing thicker.
Son Gohan did not join the argument. His hand clenched unconsciously, the tremor in his fingertips reminding him that the aftereffects of 420 million were still there. He had not even fought one vessel just now, yet his fingers were shaking, and he did not dare fight at full strength.
Ridiculous, isn't it? Son Gohan sneered inwardly.
"Split up," Goku finally said. "Vegeta, Gohan, go scout to the southeast. Piccolo and I will stay at Mount Paozu to provide support."
Piccolo frowned and wanted to object, but Goku raised a hand to cut him off. "Waiting is more dangerous. We can't hand all the initiative to Cell."
The corner of