Uchiha Hikari wasn't exactly a tech expert.
So, after getting a rough sense of Dr. Gero's current research progress, she shifted the conversation to another topic.
"Dr. Gero, have you ever heard of the Saiyans?"
"?"
The answer, of course, was no.
Hikari didn't beat around the bush. "They're a race from space known as the 'warrior race,' born with incredible fighting talent. Some of their best can even transform into Super Saiyans under extreme anger… and those Super Saiyans are Frieza's only weakness."
"!"
At the mention of "Frieza," Dr. Gero's expression turned serious. "You mean the one who destroyed the Red Ribbon Army?"
"Yep."
Hikari nodded slightly, then placed a few test tubes containing Goku's blood samples on the lab table. "These contain Saiyan blood and tissue samples, along with an analysis report. Take a look and see if you can figure something out."
The analysis report, naturally, came from Dr. Brief.
Back during her first Dragon Ball hunt, Hikari had collected Goku's blood samples and handed some over to Dr. Brief for study.
Dr. Brief had conducted a thorough analysis, identifying seventeen types of cells unique to Saiyans, distinct from humans. Nine of them had energy-activation properties, enhancing physical capabilities, while four others promoted rapid regeneration, speeding up wound healing.
But which of these were the "S-cells"? That was still unclear.
The so-called S-cells were the ones tied to transforming into a Super Saiyan.
Right now, Goku was just a twelve- or thirteen-year-old kid, still over a decade away from becoming a Super Saiyan.
In those years, Goku would drink Ultra Divine Water, get hit by a Special Beam Cannon, die once, suffer near-fatal injuries multiple times, and witness Krillin's death twice. All those experiences would affect his body, altering the number and activity of his cells. Trying to analyze the S-cells' composition and mechanics from his current, unchanged blood sample was no easy task.
But…
It wasn't a big deal.
Dr. Gero and Dr. Brief were both top-tier scientists in the Dragon Ball world, and both had independently discovered and theorized about S-cells. Point them in the right direction, and results were just a matter of time. At the very least, they could identify the S-cells years ahead of the original timeline.
As for how to use these cells…
Maybe they could engineer an artificial Super Saiyan through cellular modification?
If the Naruto world could use Hashirama's cells to grow artificial arms, there was no reason the Dragon Ball world couldn't do something similar. Even if a full Super Saiyan transformation wasn't possible, using S-cells to boost physical activity and recovery should be doable.
Next, Hikari pulled out blood samples from Daki and her brother, Eri, Xia Mi, the East Sea Cloud Dragon, and others, placing them on the table. She gave a brief explanation, assigning Dr. Gero his next research tasks.
Well, the capable ones always get more work, right?
So far, Hikari had recruited three scientists across three worlds.
Orochimaru had the heaviest workload, juggling over a dozen projects. Even with helpers like Yakushi Nono and Karin, he was swamped.
Dr. Stylish had fewer tasks, limited by his academic expertise, focusing on alchemy, super-dangerous species, and Imperial Arms research.
Dr. Gero, however, was the most accomplished of the three and had a solid team, with Vomi nearly matching his skill. It only made sense for him to take on a bit more.
As for the Uchiha clan's blood samples…
After some thought, Hikari decided not to hand them over to Dr. Gero.
After all…
Dr. Gero's loyalty came from her ocular techniques.
Though unlikely, if he studied Uchiha blood and cracked the secrets of the Mangekyō Sharingan, he might notice something off, leading to unexpected complications. Better to play it safe.
While Dr. Gero and Vomi quietly discussed their workload, Hikari glanced at the nearby robot and suddenly said, "Oh, by the way…"
"I've been meaning to ask… can you tweak the appearance of that robot?"
"Tweak? You mean…" Dr. Gero looked puzzled.
To be fair, Dr. Gero was a genius in weapons development, but his aesthetic sense was… questionable. Most of his androids, except for 17 and 18, who were based on humans, were downright ugly. His mechs weren't much better.
This pilotable robot had decent specs but looked hideous. You'd probably feel like a total dork sitting inside it.
So…
"Gimme some paper."
Hikari grabbed a sheet of paper and quickly sketched a mech design, then handed it to Dr. Gero. "Can you build a mech that looks like this?"
"…Sure."
Dr. Gero studied it for a moment and nodded. "The color scheme's a bit odd, but replicating it isn't too hard. Does this design have some special significance to you?"
"Heh."
Hikari chuckled. "You wouldn't get it."
The design she'd drawn was none other than the Strike Freedom Gundam.
Sure, she already had Susanoo, which was just as powerful—if not more so—than most mechs, but…
Who could resist the dream of piloting a Gundam?
In the Akame ga Kill! world, Hikari had already fulfilled her dream of being a dragon rider. Though the East Sea Cloud Dragon couldn't travel between worlds with her yet, she'd at least earned the "Dragon Rider" title.
So, in the Dragon Ball world, chasing the dream of "launching in a Gundam" wasn't too much to ask, right?
With that, Hikari had pretty much wrapped up the tasks she wanted to assign Dr. Gero.
Over the next few days, she thoroughly looted the Red Ribbon Army's fortress.
The haul was impressive.
She set aside a small portion for Dr. Gero's research funding and stuffed the rest into her Capsule Corp capsules.
During those days, a few groups of Red Ribbon soldiers returned to headquarters from outposts.
And then…
Esdeath casually took care of them.
As for the ice sculptures she'd made earlier, they still stood untouched around the fortress. Given the high latitude, even in summer, they showed no signs of melting, scaring off several Red Ribbon squads that came to investigate.
"…It's been this long, and Tao Pai Pai still hasn't shown up?"
"And those scattered outpost members—haven't they noticed something's wrong with headquarters by now? It's been ages with no contact. They've probably realized the situation and bolted."
Since Dr. Gero's lab equipment was too bulky to move, and the fortress had enough food reserves to sustain his team for a year or two, Hikari asked Esdeath to create a massive hemispherical ice wall, sealing off the surrounding dozen miles. Then, she personally set up a large-scale concealment barrier—a trick she'd learned from Kikyo. After spending time together in the Inuyasha world, and with her Sharingan, picking up practical barrier techniques wasn't hard.
Now, even if Red Ribbon remnants approached, they'd be stuck outside, unable to do anything.
Early that morning, at the Red Ribbon Army fortress gates, Hikari gave Dr. Gero her final instructions. "…That's the gist of it. Adjutant Esdeath and I are heading out to track down 'Frieza.' We might be back soon, or it could take a while. In the meantime, I'm counting on you and Dr. Vomi to work on the tasks I've given you."
"You can count on us," Dr. Gero said firmly. "The one who destroyed the Red Ribbon Army is my enemy. I'll develop even stronger weapons to take him down and avenge our fallen comrades!"
Hikari smiled and patted his shoulder encouragingly.
Though, well… the ones who actually destroyed the Red Ribbon Army were standing right there—her and Esdeath.
She couldn't help but wonder what kind of expression Dr. Gero would have if he ever learned the truth…
"Let's go, Esdeath."
"How about a walk in the forest before we head back to Bulma and the others?" Hikari suggested.
…
[Bulma @Nameless: Hikari, how's everything going on your end? Need any help?]
[Bulma: Tanjiro, Yamato, and I have left Kame House and are heading to the World Martial Arts Tournament venue. It's at… If you're done, you can come straight there and meet up with us.]
[Nameless: Almost done. Just a few more things to wrap up, then I'll head back. Are Eri and the others there too?]
[Little Monster: Yep, we're here! Can't wait to see you, Hikari!]
[Brand: It's my first time in Miss Bulma's world. I never imagined there'd be so many things I've never seen before… It feels so magical.]
At that moment, hundreds of miles above Kame House, a sizable airship was cruising at high speed.
Bulma was at the helm.
In the rows of seats behind her sat Yamato, Eri, Kikyo, Brand, and Yorushiko Yotsuya. Aside from Hikari, who was at the Red Ribbon headquarters, and Minato Namikaze and Yuji Itadori, who couldn't make it for various reasons, the other seven group members were all present, excitedly chatting and gazing at the sky outside.
Yorushiko Yotsuya was the most thrilled.
Among them, she had the least interaction with the group, having only met Hikari and Kikyo in person before. Her impressions of the others were limited to text chats, so this was her first time meeting them in the flesh.
Plus…
In her own world, the cycle of reincarnation was broken, leaving restless spirits and ghosts everywhere. Arriving in the Dragon Ball world, where not a single ghost was in sight, brought tears of relief to her eyes.
Not far from the airship, in another part of the sky, Master Roshi was piloting a small plane carrying Goku, Krillin, and blue-haired Launch, also heading toward the tournament venue. He glanced over at Bulma's airship, his expression a mix of curiosity and concern.
"Where did that girl Bulma find so many friends?"
"And they all seem pretty strong…"
As a veteran champion of the World Martial Arts Tournament, Master Roshi had a good sense of the competition's level and where his two new disciples stood.
To put it simply…
Based on the past dozen or so tournaments, there might be a few fighters capable of beating Krillin, but almost no one could reliably defeat Goku.
If the Crane School didn't show up and Roshi himself didn't compete, Goku was likely to take the championship, with Krillin at least making the top four.
That was why Roshi had considered entering under a pseudonym—to give Goku a dose of humbling defeat to temper his edge and help him grow.
It was also why he'd pushed for Hikari and Esdeath to join, hoping they'd serve as additional challenges for his students.
But now…
Roshi was starting to second-guess himself.
A little setback was one thing, but…
With this tournament's lineup, could Goku even make it to the top four?
Among Bulma's friends alone, three or four were stronger than Goku. Add Roshi himself into the mix, and… what if the setbacks were too much and ended up breaking the kid?
"This is giving me a headache…"
Roshi scratched his head with one hand, looking a bit worried.
That afternoon, Bulma and Roshi's groups landed in the city hosting the tournament and booked a few hotel rooms.
As an event that had been running for nearly a century, the World Martial Arts Tournament was wildly popular.
With days still to go before the event, the city was already packed. Hotels were fully booked, and the streets were filled with martial artists in all kinds of outfits, eagerly preparing for the big day.
Amid this lively atmosphere, Hikari and Esdeath used "Shangri-La" to teleport in, reuniting with Bulma and the others.
(Chapter End)