Very soon, everyone arrived above the islandādirectly over the town where the explosions had happened.
"The blast came from over thereā¦"
"There aren't any suspicious people around."
"From start to finish, we didn't sense any powerful ki at allā¦ so it's almost certainly the Androids."
Piccolo said in a low voice, "If we can't sense their kiā¦"
"Then we use the most primitive methodāour eyes."
Goku glanced at Piccolo, worry flickering across his face.
He remembered that in the original timeline, Piccolo and Gohan were practically father and son. When the Androids appeared, it was Gohan's bond that indirectly saved Piccolo.
But in this world, Gohan was only four years oldāand he hadn't trained with Piccolo at all.
Right now, Piccolo was truly alone.
And if Piccolo diedā¦
the Dragon Balls would vanish instantly.
Goku couldn't afford that.
"Piccolo," Goku said seriously, "maybe you shouldn't take part in this."
"Leave the search to us."
Piccolo's eyes flashed with cold ferocity.
"Son Gokuā¦ don't think just because you became a Super Saiyan that you're untouchable!"
"After three years of trainingā¦"
"I have also grasped the essence of transformation."
"And you Saiyans aren't the only ones who can transform!"
Goku froze.
"Transform?"
Piccolo's mouth curled up with pride.
"That's right. I can transform too."
"And once I do, my power increases drastically."
"I'm not even weaker than your Super Saiyan."
"When this Android mess is overā¦"
"Come fight me one-on-one."
Not only Goku, but even Krillin and the others were stunned.
"Whatā¦ Namekians can transform too?"
"How come we never saw that on Namek?"
Goku didn't respond to the challenge. Instead, he frowned.
"Piccoloā¦ can we see it?"
The others also looked at Piccolo with excitement.
Piccolo smirked.
"If you all want to see itā¦"
"Then I'll let you witness it."
"Just don't get scared by my strength!"
He roared.
A golden aura erupted from his body.
In the next instantā
his skin began to turn gold.
A frightening pressure surged outward like a shockwave, whipping the air into a violent gale.
In this form, Piccolo's green skin shifted into a yellow-gold tone, and even the markings on his body faded away.
His powerā¦
was in a completely different league compared to before.
But once the transformation stabilized, Piccolo reined in his aura.
The gale died down.
Nothing below was damaged.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at him.
"Piccoloā¦ you're insane!"
"No wayā¦ the 'Super Namekian' legend we heard about on Namek was real!"
"Soā¦ are you basically a Super Namekian now?!"
Piccolo basked in their shock, thoroughly pleased.
Especially when he saw Goku standing there speechlessāPiccolo's face twisted into an expression of smug satisfaction, almost like Vegeta's trademark look.
But he quickly realized he'd lost control, and forced his face back into seriousness.
Goku had been stunned for a different reason.
He remembered watching a Dragon Ball movieāCell Max.
In that movie, Piccolo had his potential awakened by Shenron and became a golden form first.
And later, he awakened even furtherā¦
unlocking an even more terrifying formāorange skin, subtle facial changes, and those eerie reddish eyes.
But Piccolo hadn't had Shenron unlock his potential in this world.
So how did he reach this stage?
Then Goku remembered something from Namek.
Right!
Back then, while the Grand Elder was still alive, Piccolo had visited Namek.
He never fused with Nail, butā¦
the Grand Elder did unlock his potential.
Then after returning to Earth, he trained hard for years.
So reaching this golden form was actually reasonable.
And if he ever stacked Shenron's divine power on top of thatā¦
maybe Piccolo truly could unlock that tougher, orange form later.
Since the golden form drained stamina, Piccolo returned to normal.
"I'm already as strong as Frieza was back then."
"So you don't have to worry about me getting instantly killed by the Androids, right?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Krillin laughed. "You kidding? Besides Goku's Super Saiyanā¦"
you're basically the strongest one here. Who would worry about you?"
Piccolo nodded. "Good."
"Then let's move."
Everyone looked toward Goku.
Goku nodded. "Alright."
"Split up and search, but don't chase too deep."
"If anything happens, notify everyone immediately."
The group shot out as streaks of light, scattering across the town in every direction to search.
Chi-Chi was about to leave too, but Goku stopped her.
"Chi-Chi, don't try to push yourself."
"These last few years, your training progress has fallen behind everyone else by a lot."
"The Androids might be far stronger than Frieza."
Chi-Chi nodded.
"I know, Goku. You be careful too."
"Yeah."
After searching for a while, they still couldn't find the Androids.
Every time another incident happened and someone rushed to the sceneā
they were always too late.
All they could see were victims.
Never the enemy.
Frustration started building in the group.
But Goku felt an odd sense of relief.
From the destruction patterns and the way people were harmedā¦
it was likely the Android 19 and 20 type.
They were draining energy from humans.
If it were 17 and 18, with their overwhelming power, they wouldn't be hiding like rats.
They had infinite energyāthey wouldn't need to absorb anyone.
In one corner of townā¦
Android 19 and Android 20 (Dr. Gero) finished draining several people.
Their energy had grown noticeably.
And they became bolder, draining anyone they could grab.
Panic erupted.
Soon, Yamcha flew toward the area.
Dr. Gero and Android 19 exchanged a look.
"I found him," Dr. Gero said. "A high-energy target is approaching."
Android 19 nodded. "I detected it too."
"Only oneā¦ should we leave?"
Dr. Gero narrowed his eyes.
"Based on our energy calculationsā¦"
"We should be able to defeat him."
"You restrain him."
"I will absorb him first."
"If we absorb just this one, it'll be worth more than ten thousand ordinary humans."
Android 19 nodded.
"Understood, Android 20. I will assist you."
"Then the next oneā¦ you assist me."
Dr. Gero smiled. "Agreed."
"But after absorbing this oneā¦"
"We may not even need to play it safe anymore."
Yamcha landed.
He looked around at the ruined buildings, smashed cars, and the scattered bodies.
"They're nearbyā¦"
"Where are they?!"
He saw someone peeking out from a building window.
Yamcha shouted, "Hey! Did you see who did this?! Did you see them?!"
The man panicked.
"I-I didā¦ a fat man and an old man. They lookedā¦ weird!"
Yamcha's eyes widened. "Where are they now?!"
"I-I don't knowā¦ they were here just nowā¦ then suddenly disappeared!"
But the man's expression instantly changed into sheer horror.
He stared at Yamcha like he'd seen death.
Yamcha frowned. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Do I look scary or something?"
Before he could finishā
a thick, greasy hand clamped over Yamcha's mouth from behind, cutting off any chance of calling for help.
And in the next instantā
a dry hand shaped like a knife pierced straight through Yamcha's chest.
Yamcha's ki plummeted.
His energy was drained violently in an instant.
After absorbing everything, Dr. Gero tossed Yamcha aside with satisfaction.
"Excellent."
"What a massive amount of energyā¦"
"To think one human could provide this muchā¦ what a surprise."
Android 19 suddenly warned, "Android 20ābad news."
"I sense multiple powerful energy sources approaching."
"We must hide!"
Dr. Gero sneered. "With this energyā¦ I'm not afraid anymore."
Android 19 shook his head. "No."
"Each of them is not weaker than this one."
"Don't get arrogant."
"We hide and ambush them one by one."
"That is safest."
"According to my calculations, even after absorbing himā¦"
you still can't handle so many at once."
Dr. Gero glanced at Android 19.
Android 19 was built to support his own future modificationsāits brain was like a precision computer.
If it judged that way, it was likely correct.
Dr. Gero nodded.
The two hid again.
Less than a minute laterā
Goku, Krillin, Piccolo, and the others arrived.
Krillin's pupils shrank the moment he saw Yamcha's body.
"Yamcha! Are you okay?!"
Krillin rushed over and crouched down.
When he saw the terrifying blood hole through Yamcha's chest, his face went pale.
Chi-Chi quickly reached into her pocket, pulled out a small pouch, and took out a Senzu Bean.
"Hurry! Feed him, Krillin!"
His chest had been pierced clean throughāKrillin wasn't sure Yamcha could even swallow.
But he took it, trembling, and fed it to him anyway.
Yamcha was barely aliveā¦
but after years of harsh training, his vitality was terrifying.
He managed to chew and swallow.
And the next momentā
the hole healed completely.
Chi-Chi and Krillin lit up with joy.
"Thank goodness!"
"You're okay!"
Yamcha sat up, still shaken.
"Thankā¦ thank Godā¦ I'm alive."
"I can't believe itā¦ with my strength, I still got taken down in one move."
"That's humiliatingā¦"
Krillin demanded, "What did the Androids look like?"
"How strong were they to do this to you silently?"
Everyone stared at Yamcha.
Yamcha said bitterly, "A fat guyā¦ and an old man."
"They had no ki."
"They pretended to be normal people and got behind me without a sound."
"One covered my mouthā¦"
"and the other pierced my chest with a knife-hand."
"Then I felt my energy being drained insanely fast."
"I tried to burst my ki to warn youā¦"
but the draining was too fast. I lost my strength immediately."
"Butā¦ they thought I was dead."
"They didn't finish me off."
Krillin nodded grimly.
"That's because your training paid off."
"Your body was tough enough to survive."
"If you were a normal humanā¦ you'd be dead already."
Yamcha gave a bitter laugh.
"How ironic."
"I trained for yearsā¦"
and the only thing it gave me wasā¦ surviving slightly longer when someone kills me."
Chi-Chi snapped, "Don't say that!"
"They used dirty tacticsāan ambush!"
Tien's eyes sharpened as he processed the report.
"So it really is bio-Android techā¦"
"No ki signature."
"Expert at hiding and acting in the shadowsā¦"
"Even if they're not overwhelmingly strong, this kind of enemy is extremely troublesome."
Piccolo looked at Goku.
"What do you think?"
Goku quietly inhaled.
"I thinkā¦"
"I underestimated them."
"They absorbed Yamcha and still hid instead of fleeing."
"Our plan was wrong."
"They're still gathering energy."
"And their energy sourceā¦"
"is absorbing humans."
"That means searching like this won't work."
He looked around the group.
"More importantlyā¦"
"Our ki is a massive meal to them."
Everyone paused, stunned.
Krillin asked, "Then what do we do?"
Goku said calmly,
"We suppress our ki to normal-human levels."
"Then we change clothesāno martial arts uniforms."
"And we move around the island like ordinary people."
"Walk the streets. Shop. Eat. Anything."
"Spread out and blend in."
"They can't detect how strong we areā¦"
"So they'll treat us like prey."
Everyone immediately agreed.
"That's brilliant!"
"Nice one, Goku!"
Goku laughed. "Stay with Bulma long enoughā¦"
and you learn how to use your brain, hahahaā¦"
Chi-Chi clapped her hands. "Alright thenālet's move!"
Everyone nodded.
Then someone coughed awkwardly.
"ā¦Chi-Chi. Lend me some money."
Chi-Chi: "..."
She pulled out a Capsule, took out cash, and distributed some to everyone.
Then they separated.
A short while laterā¦
Krillin changed into a hoodie, holding a slushie in his left hand and chips in his right, strolling around like a local street punk.
Tien walked with Chiaotzu like a father and son duo, wandering the snack streetāChiaotzu holding two skewers of candied hawthorn.
Piccolo bought a bottle of water and sat in the shade watching old men play chess.
And Chi-Chi walked hand-in-hand with Goku like they were a couple in the honeymoon phase.
Goku wore sporty clothes like a student uniformāeasy to move in.
Chi-Chi wore a refined blouse, a short skirt, and high heelsā¦
Like a poor boy walking with a rich young lady.
Goku looked speechless. "I feel like you're dressed to go on a date."
Chi-Chi giggled. "Gokuā¦ do I look pretty?"
"Pretty."
"Then kiss me once."
"I'll wear black stockings for youā¦"
"Stop messing around, Chi-Chi."
"Don't forget why we're here."
"If you dress like this, you can't fight properly!"
Chi-Chi pouted.
"I brought a special wristband."
"Bulma made it for me."
"One press, instant full-body outfit swap."
"If there's a fight, I can change instantly."
Goku blinked.
Is that like Gohan's Great Saiyaman transformation device?!
Just as he was still surprisedā
a car accident happened nearby.
Goku and Chi-Chi looked over.
A fat man and an old man had stopped a vehicle.
A crowd gathered.
And thenā
those two started grabbing people and draining them.
Whoever ran first got drained first.
Not a single one escaped.
Chi-Chi's gaze sharpened.
"Gokuā¦"
"They're here."
Goku's eyes turned cold.
"We have to kill them immediately."
"But there are too many civilians here."
"If we fight openlyā¦ people will get hurt."
Chi-Chi said, "I'll take the fat one."
"You take the old one."
Goku shook his head.
"You stay hidden as a normal person."
"I'll handle both."
"If they realize we're not aloneā¦"
they might run."
Chi-Chi nodded.
"That makes sense."
"I'll watch for anyone trying to escapeāif one runs, I'll chase."
Goku nodded.
"Good."
"Let's do it."