The Enemy

Time waited for no one. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

Blue seas surrounded the island, waves lapping at the shore. A small pink house stood quietly on the island.

The sky was clear, and the sun made the ocean shimmer. A gentle sea breeze carried a pleasant warmth, rustling the coconut trees.

Son Gohan had come to visit Kame House. He lounged in a deck chair, leisurely reading a magazine and soaking up the sun.

Yamcha and Krillin were sparring out on the water.

"Uncle Krillin, after you launch your Destructo Disc, try not to let it go out of control, like Uncle Yamcha's Spirit Ball."

"With six blades, your Destructo Disc can block six directions at once and attack repeatedly in midair. That'll inflict much greater damage on your opponent."

Master Roshi lay in another deck chair, engrossed in a picture book. Every so often, he let out a snicker, then tossed out a perfunctory reply:

"Gohan, with you coaching them, I can take it easy."

Over the past year, all the Z Fighters had spent two years training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

Their strength had undergone a tremendous change, but they had reached a bottleneck. To break through again, they would have to endure brutal battles.

"Grandpa Roshi, what do you think of the gifts I brought you from space?" Son Gohan leaned over and asked in a hushed voice.

"Wonderful, wonderful! I've never seen beauties from space before!"

Master Roshi treasured Son Gohan's gift. He had lost count of how many times he'd had a nosebleed.

While on Yardrat, Son Gohan had first learned Instant Transmission, then secretly traveled to many planets on his own.

Each time he returned, he brought back a number of carefully selected picture books and packed them into a large box. By the time he left Yardrat, he had several large boxes.

Once, aboard the spaceship, Krillin had tried to take a look at the books Son Gohan had brought back, but Gohan hurriedly stopped him.

Son Gohan told him they were learning materials from different civilizations, meant for him to study when he became a scholar. Krillin lost interest as soon as he heard that.

After returning to Earth, Son Gohan gave the several boxes of books to Master Roshi.

They couldn't understand the language, and they didn't recognize the writing, but that didn't get in the way of enjoying the pictures.

"Grandpa Roshi, don't tell anyone I gave these to you," Son Gohan reminded him again.

He had bought them to suit Master Roshi's tastes and honor an elder. He'd never even opened them himself.

"Don't worry. I understand." Master Roshi shot him a knowing look. Krillin had shown his appreciation the same way when he became Master Roshi's student.

Son Gohan gazed at the blue sky and thought, I'm eight years old. I'm finally almost grown up.

"Hm?" Son Gohan suddenly sat up. He sensed powerful ki battling far away.

"That's Tien and Chiaotzu's ki!" Krillin and Yamcha stopped sparring and stared solemnly in one direction.

"Come on. Grab my shoulders!"

Son Gohan leaped into the air, taking Krillin and Yamcha with him as he used Instant Transmission to travel far away.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The moment they appeared, they heard a continuous barrage of explosions.

The ground had caved in, leaving a broad, deep, rectangular pit. Broken rocks and dust churned through the air as the pit continued to grow wider and deeper.

Tien unleashed Neo Tri-Beams one after another, precisely hammering the same spot as if he meant to drill through the planet.

"Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha—you made it. I knew you'd sense my ki when I let it all out."

Tien looked relaxed and even had time to greet them.

"Are you fighting the androids?"

Krillin peered into the pit and saw two people struggling to fly upward. Whenever they nearly reached the rim, Tien's Neo Tri-Beams slammed them back down to the bottom.

Boom!

"I don't know who they are." Tien continued focusing on the pit.

"Chiaotzu and I were training when two people suddenly appeared. They didn't say a word before attacking us. They were trying to kill us."

"When they fought, I couldn't sense their ki at all, but they were terrifyingly strong. I could barely keep them pinned down with Neo Tri-Beams. I couldn't defeat them."

Chiaotzu nodded, his face deathly pale. "Good thing Tien was here."

Son Gohan recognized the two people in the pit at a glance. They were Android 19 and Android 20, and their battle power was on par with that of early-stage Super Saiyans.

It was already remarkable that Tien had managed to suppress both of them by himself, even if only briefly.

But weren't these two supposed to appear on an island in the southwest of the southern region three years later?

"Uncle Tien, take a break. I'll deal with them." Son Gohan had plenty of questions and wanted to capture the androids and interrogate them thoroughly.

"They can't kill me." Tien finally stopped, a hint of pride in his voice.

Chiaotzu was right beside him. He fed Tien a Senzu Bean, and Tien was instantly full of energy.

"A year ago, when Chiaotzu and I were on our way to train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, we passed Korin Tower. Korin gave us quite a few Senzu Beans."

"If you guys hadn't shown up, I could've kept them pinned down all day."

Son Gohan covered his face with a rueful smile. Tien really had managed to make a packet of Senzu Beans last as long as a pack of cigarettes.

At that, Tien looked around, puzzled. "Everyone should've been able to sense my ki when I unleashed it."

"Why are only you three here? Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, and the others should've arrived by now."

"Yeah, there's no reason Goku and the others wouldn't come!" Yamcha slapped his thigh, wholeheartedly agreeing.

Son Goku and the others could all use Instant Transmission. Even if someone had been delayed, surely at least one of them would have shown up by now.

Son Gohan frowned. Something must have happened that none of them had anticipated.

Android 19 and Android 20 flew out of the deep pit. They dusted themselves off and looked at everyone coldly.

Despite Tien's continuous Neo Tri-Beam attacks, both androids were unharmed. They didn't have a single scratch.

"Son Goku and the others aren't coming. Someone's already gone to kill them," Android 20 said with a sinister smile, his aged face grim.

His beard and hair were pure white, his body gaunt. Two red R's marked his hat—the emblem of the Red Ribbon Army.

As soon as Android 20 finished speaking, powerful ki suddenly erupted in the east and west. Someone was clearly fighting fiercely.

"Dad, Uncle Piccolo, Uncle Vegeta, and Trunks—why are there so many powerful enemies?!"

Son Gohan sensed carefully, but he couldn't feel his father's opponents' ki. They were likely all androids.

"Huh? How is that possible?" Krillin stared in stunned disbelief, unable to accept it.

Son Gohan found it hard to believe too. It would be incredibly difficult for their enemies to ambush all four of them at once.

After training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Trunks's strength had surged, and Vegeta had successfully become a Super Saiyan. Son Goku had even reached Super Saiyan Full Power.

And with Piccolo, who could match a Super Saiyan 2, how could the androids possibly be this powerful?

Even Perfect Cell couldn't have managed it on his own, could he?

Watching their horrified, bewildered faces, Android 20 burst out laughing. "You have no chance of winning. I spent a full fifteen years preparing to take revenge on Son Goku!"

"I know the strength of every single person around him."

Son Gohan smiled too. He had spent two and a half years training to deal with the androids.