Chapter 87 – Chief Scientist of the Red Ribbon Army: Dr. Gero

Early the next morning, Yamcha bid farewell to Gohan and his grandfather.

"So that's the history between the Turtle and Crane schools, huh..." Old Gohan muttered to himself as he watched Yamcha walk away.

Yesterday, upon learning Yamcha was from the Crane School, Gohan introduced himself as part of the Turtle School. However, Yamcha warned him not to do so in the future, even if he recognized someone from the Crane School.

If he had met Tien or Chiaotzu instead, a fight would have been inevitable. The Turtle and Crane Masters had been rivals for centuries, never seeing eye to eye. They constantly tried to one-up each other—even in something as ridiculous as whose fart was smellier.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, it was better not to make a big deal of such encounters.

Back in the small one-room house, Gohan looked at the still-sleeping Goku lying in bed and gently murmured, full of affection,

"Goku, starting today, you'll train with Grandpa."

"When you turn twelve, I'll send you to Master Roshi to study under him."

Meanwhile, Yamcha piloted his newest jet with a great mood. The trip had been fruitful—not only had he been promoted to colonel and gained more influence within the Red Ribbon Army, but he had also met the future main characters, Gohan and Goku, ahead of time. On top of that, he had obtained something very valuable.

In his palm lay a small yellow capsule.

Inside it were technologies not of Earth—Saiyan tech, or more precisely, tech from the Tsufuru people (the ones who supplied the Frieza Force):

A spherical space pod and a scouter.

Owning a spaceship meant interstellar travel was now a possibility.

However, Yamcha wasn't in a rush to use it. For one, he didn't know how. More importantly, using it might draw the attention of the Frieza Force. Who knew if the device had hidden backdoors that could trigger a disastrous chain reaction?

Even a low-ranking soldier from the Frieza Force had a power level of 1,000—far beyond what Earth could currently handle. The strongest deity on Earth only had a power level of 260.

If he wanted to study the tech, he'd do it in another world.

But that wasn't even the most important part. The biggest gain from this trip was Yamcha's clearer understanding of his own power. Being able to defeat a Great Ape with around 100 power level meant his own strength had surpassed that threshold.

This was a qualitative leap.

A power level of 100 might not mean much in the universe, but it was undeniable proof that his hard work paid off. His training across different worlds and under different masters was not in vain.

Plan A was a success!

That was what made Yamcha happiest.

If he couldn't become stronger no matter how hard he tried, he would have had to resort to Plan B: turning himself into a cyborg. Not ideal, but a possibility. Plan C would be to wish upon the Dragon Balls to gain a Saiyan body. Plans D through G, all the way to Omega, were also lined up.

But he had chosen Plan A because he wanted to reach the top of the world as a human from Earth.

Clearly, that goal was achievable. Once his "Puzzle Plan" was completed, the gap between Saiyans, Frost Demons, and Earthlings would no longer matter.

"There are still a few challenges to overcome…"

With one hand on the controls and the other stroking his chin, Yamcha analyzed his next steps.

Others might not know, but Yamcha was aware of what lay ahead in the canonical Dragon Ball storyline. Even excluding Dragon Ball Super, the original timeline's Big Three—Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu—were no pushovers. Especially the last one, who couldn't even be defeated by the Supreme Kai.

Of course, those were long-term goals.

The short-term goal was to surpass the Saibamen. He never wanted to experience that classic defeat again.

He pressed the jet's acceleration button, pushing it to its max speed, heading straight back to base. There was no need to worry about crashing; his current reflexes were enough to handle any sudden danger.

Time was incredibly tight.

Meanwhile, in the Red Ribbon Army's top-secret lab…

An elderly man with graying hair and a shadowy gaze casually read through the data handed to him. One item caught his eye.

"Guard robot from the pirate base?"

He muttered to himself, "A purely mechanical unit strong enough to suppress an entire squad…"

His eyes sparkled slightly, as if a new idea had struck him. He pointed to the file and ordered his assistant:

"Bring me the remains of this thing."

"Yes, Doctor."

The assistant swiftly obeyed. Soon, a strange alien skeleton robot—with its head control center destroyed—was delivered to the lab.

With astonishing speed, the old man began dismantling it, as if he had assembled it himself. His movements were incredibly skilled.

In just over ten minutes, only a pile of parts and a few palm-sized chips remained.

"Crude, rudimentary construction."

The doctor scoffed, looking down on the original design.

"But surprisingly powerful. It's given me a bit of inspiration for my android project…"

As he spoke, a fanatical gleam appeared in his eyes. He began tinkering with the pile of parts while calling for more materials.

"If I change this part to fit here… and move this section over there…"

After working for most of the day, Dr. Gero successfully reassembled the alien robot, although it now looked entirely different—far more aggressive.

The original machine guns were replaced with cannons. Numerous mini-missiles had been added to its limbs, and a powerful bomb was installed at its core.

"If my concept is correct, this machine will be able to wipe out a small army."

The old man looked at his masterpiece with great satisfaction.

If the original was just a guard robot, this was a pure killing machine.

Of course, it still couldn't operate.

It was only a prototype, and its core had been destroyed. It would take more time to make it fully functional.

"Oh, right! I need to record all this."

The doctor muttered as he scribbled in his notebook.

"Just give me a little more time to study, and I swear I'll give Commander Black a pleasant surprise!"

His crazed expression was just like that of a mad scientist from a novel.

And in fact, he was a scientist—Dr. Gero, chief scientist of the Red Ribbon Army.

(End of Chapter)