Lazuli

Mount Paozu.

Son Gohan landed at the door, pushed it open, and called into the house.

"I'm back!"

Chi-Chi poked her head out from inside. Just as she was about to speak, she spotted the delicate blonde, blue-eyed girl standing behind Son Gohan.

Chi-Chi froze for a second, the clothes hanger in her hand suspended in midair.

"Gohan, this is...?"

"Mom, this is Android 18," Son Gohan said bluntly.

Chi-Chi's face went deathly pale.

"Ah—! Why did you bring an android into the house?!"

Instinctively, she pulled Son Gohan behind her and stared at Android 18 warily.

She had heard Goku talk about the androids before. He said they were killing machines created by Dr. Gero, coming to kill Goku.

So why had her son brought one home instead?

"Mom, don't panic." Son Gohan patted Chi-Chi's hand. "She isn't an android who was manufactured.

She was originally an ordinary human. Dr. Gero kidnapped and modified her when she was little.

She's had a hard life, if you think about it. No one ever treated her like a person, so she doesn't really understand human relationships. But she isn't bad by nature."

Chi-Chi was stunned for a moment.

She looked again at Android 18's cold yet delicate face. She really didn't seem vicious. Chi-Chi's wary gaze gradually turned sympathetic.

"So that's how it is..." She released Son Gohan and walked over to inspect Android 18. "You're a poor child too."

"Mm." Son Gohan nodded.

"You haven't had dinner yet, have you?" Chi-Chi's tone immediately softened. She reached out, linked arms with Android 18, and pulled her inside without giving her a chance to refuse. "Come on, come in. Don't stand around outside."

Android 18 was clearly unaccustomed to such warmth. Her body stiffened, and she instinctively tried to pull her arm back, but Chi-Chi held on tightly, making her hesitate for half a second.

Chi-Chi dragged her straight into the living room and pressed her down onto the sofa.

"Just sit here. Auntie will stir-fry a couple of dishes." Chi-Chi tied on her apron as she headed for the kitchen, already muttering, "This child is so thin. She definitely hasn't been eating properly out there."

Son Gohan leaned against the doorframe, watching with an amused smile.

Chi-Chi went all out in the kitchen.

The spatula flew, oil crackled and splattered, and waves of fragrance drifted out.

In the living room, Android 18 sat on the sofa, absently pinching the hem of her clothes as her eyes surveyed the house.

A wooden table, an old sofa, a family portrait hanging on the wall, and half a cup of cold tea on the coffee table.

As Chi-Chi cooked, she chatted with Android 18 from the kitchen doorway.

She learned from Android 18 that her real name was Lazuli.

"Lazuli... what a lovely name." Chi-Chi turned to look at the girl in the living room. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"No one ever asked. And no one's called me that in a long time." Android 18's tone was flat, as though she were describing something that had nothing to do with her.

Chi-Chi's heart clenched painfully.

"It's okay." She brought the finished dish to the table, wiped her hands on her apron, and looked seriously at Android 18. "From now on, I'll call you Lazuli."

"It's a beautiful name, and you're beautiful too."

Lazuli's expression shifted ever so slightly. It seemed no one had treated her this way in a very long time.

Dish after dish was brought to the table.

Chi-Chi had pulled out all the stops today—braised pork, sweet-and-sour ribs, steamed fish, roasted beef shank, miso soup, and a huge plate of fried rice.

Steam rose from the feast, and the rich aroma was enough to make anyone drool.

Lazuli sat at the table with restrained movements. She picked up her chopsticks and took a small bite of sweet-and-sour rib.

After chewing twice, she was inwardly stunned. How could it be this delicious?

Then her chopsticks began moving faster.

Ribs, braised pork, steamed fish, roasted beef shank—she tore off a huge piece of beef, dipped it in sauce, and stuffed it into her mouth.

Her cheeks puffed out as she chewed rapidly, while her chopsticks were already reaching for the next dish.

The cool, alluring mature beauty from earlier completely fell apart before the food.

Son Gohan froze with his bowl hanging in midair.

"Hey, hey, hey—leave some for me!"

He hurriedly sat down, grabbed his chopsticks, and joined the battle.

They both reached for a roasted beef shank at the same time.

Son Gohan got it first, but after taking just one bite, Lazuli had already torn away the meat from the other half.

The two exchanged a glance, sparks flying in their eyes, then both lowered their heads and continued shoveling down rice.

Chi-Chi sat beside them, holding her bowl as she smiled at the two youngsters fighting over the dishes.

She placed a piece of fish belly into Lazuli's bowl, then served Son Gohan another bowl of rice.

"Eat slowly. There's still more in the pot."

Steam curled through the room as the sky outside gradually darkened.

Inside the little house on Mount Paozu, the lamplight stretched the shadows of the three of them long across the floor.

Meanwhile, in the ruins of West City.

Vegeta planted one foot on a chunk of rubble and looked down at Android 17, who lay sprawled on the ground. A sneer like he was looking at trash hung on his lips.

"What's wrong? Is that all an android can do? You're this easy to beat?"

Android 17 gritted his teeth and tried to get up. He had already lost count of how many times he had been thrown down. Every time he had just gotten to his feet, he would be knocked flat again the very next second.

That short Saiyan was clearly doing it on purpose. He was not going for the kill, but every punch hurt to the core.

"Vegeta, let me have a turn." Son Goku stepped forward.

Vegeta shot him a sidelong glance but did not object, turning away instead.

Son Goku and Android 17 stood facing each other.

Android 17 assumed a defensive stance. His face was bruised, but defiance still filled his eyes. Son Goku, meanwhile, grinned as he rolled his shoulders.

"Come on, come on. How about you and me have a little match?"

As soon as the words fell, both figures vanished at once.

Dull bursts of air echoed through the sky. Shockwaves from their clashing fists and kicks exploded among the ruins, sending broken stones flying.

Son Goku fought at a probing pace, not attacking at full strength. He was more interested in testing Android 17's speed and reactions.

The two weaved through the air in a tangled fight, trading blows back and forth.

Vegeta stood on the ground and looked up at their battle when he suddenly sensed an unfamiliar presence.

His brow furrowed as he turned around.

A figure emerged from the shadows of the ruins.

Green, spotted skin. A bizarrely shaped head. An insect-like carapace growing from its back.

Its entire face looked like the traits of several creatures had been stitched together, a living patchwork monstrosity.

It was Cell.

"So you finally showed yourself." Vegeta's lips curved upward.

Cell stood in the middle of the ruins with a meaningful smile on his face, making no move to attack immediately.

Vegeta took up his stance.

Cell suddenly raised a hand.

"Solar Flare—!"

A blinding white light erupted.

Vegeta's vision swam. He instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes, but it was already too late.

His entire field of vision turned stark white.

Then Cell appeared in front of him, fists and kicks raining in from every direction.

A punch struck his jaw, a kick slammed into the side of his knee, and another fist smashed into his temple. Every sneak attack landed cleanly.

Cell seized the opportunity to unleash a barrage, his fists and kicks falling as densely as rain.

Vegeta staggered back several steps.

Then he regained his footing.

As his eyes adjusted to the light and his vision cleared again, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Cell with a wicked grin.

"A sneak attack? Not bad."

Golden aura burst forth, lightning crackling around him.

Vegeta vanished from where he stood, appearing before Cell the next instant.

His fist slammed brutally into Cell's abdomen, the force piercing through muscle and organs. Cell vomited a mouthful of sour fluid.

Before Cell could even bend over, Vegeta raised his right elbow and smashed it into Cell's back, wrapped in golden aura.

BOOM—!!

The ground exploded into a massive crater, and Cell's entire body was slammed into it.

Vegeta grabbed him by the back of the neck with one hand and hauled him up, striking left and right with a series of heavy blows to the face.

After beating him for a while, Vegeta stopped.

He looked down at Cell lying on the ground. Not a single part of that stitched-together body was intact, and his breathing was ragged.

"This is all you've got? Boring." Vegeta turned away. "This ends here."

"Wait—!"

Cell crawled out of the crater, his voice urgent.

Vegeta stopped and glanced back at him from the corner of his eye.