Chapter 88: A Call from Another World

A few days later, still inside the Red Ribbon Army's research institute.

"Colonel Brown,"

In his personal lab, Dr. Gero carefully examined the central device that Yamcha had pierced through using the Dodon Ray technique. "An attack similar to a laser… It's hard to believe this was caused by human effort."

"I'd love the chance to study what's different about these martial artists."

With that, he casually set the central device aside.

The proposal had already been submitted to headquarters for review, and the plan had been completed.

"The current mission is... Androids."

Leaning back in his chair, Dr. Gero's voice gradually faded, eventually becoming a quiet murmur as he slumped into a deep sleep.

In order to capture that sudden flash of inspiration in his mind, Dr. Gero hadn't slept for days.

On the desk lay the proposal document, and boldly written on the cover were the words:

Android No. 1 Activation Plan.

At the Fire Mountain Base, after completing a day of training, Yamcha was listening to reports from his subordinates.

The Great Desert Base had mostly been remodeled, and along with the old pirate sea cave, Yamcha now controlled three bases.

However, due to a limited number of subordinates—and Yamcha's philosophy of "quality over quantity"—he hadn't aggressively recruited people. So he mainly stayed at the Fire Mountain Base, with only a few troops stationed at the pirate cave.

As for the Great Desert, he had other plans.

"Colonel."

A sergeant with a sea lion head reported the recent updates to Yamcha.

It had to be said: compared to pure humans, beast-like humans had significantly higher crime rates. Most members of the Red Ribbon Army were beast-type humanoids—physically stronger than average humans, equipped with claws and fangs.

"My deepest apologies, Colonel. Even with the latest world map updated from headquarters, we couldn't locate the Penguin Village you mentioned."

The sergeant glanced nervously at Yamcha, fearing punishment for his failure.

Penguin Village...

The village where the protagonist lived in Akira Toriyama's earlier work Dr. Slump.

It was a peaceful, whimsical place where nearly everything was alive, and animals could talk—a world completely unlike reality.

Logically, a place like that wouldn't exist in a more action-focused series like Dragon Ball.

However, in the official Dragon Ball timeline, young Goku once passed through the village while chasing the Red Ribbon Army. In Dragon Ball Super, Dr. Slump's Senbei Norimaki even participated in the World Invention Contest, defeating Bulma to win first place. Arale even fought Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta, earning Vegeta's classic line: "I'm never fighting a gag manga character again."

Yamcha had two reasons for seeking Penguin Village:

First, he wanted to recruit Dr. Norimaki—the creator of Arale—as a scientific advisor. Second, he was curious about Arale's power. If he ever faced an unsolvable crisis, maybe she could help.

Android (Arale) VS Android (Cell) — it might just be an interesting showdown.

"I understand. You're dismissed."

Yamcha nodded blankly, signaling his subordinates to leave.

Just because the Red Ribbon Army couldn't find it didn't mean Penguin Village didn't exist. After all, it did appear in the official timeline. Maybe there was some other reason—it's worth noting that Penguin Village's residents called themselves "country folk."

As Yamcha got up to leave, he suddenly froze.

That feeling… it's back again.

Woosh... woosh...

Suddenly, he heard waves crashing and ebbing in his ears, as if hitting a shoreline. His vision blurred, as though he were staring at a vast ocean.

But this sea wasn't the familiar blue—it was as dark as ink.

Countless whispers surrounded him, in an incomprehensible language, as if many lives were praying.

This wasn't the first time it had happened—it had been recurring lately.

It felt like something was calling out to him.

What would you do in this situation?

Yamcha had always decisively refused the call.

Who knew what was on the other side? What if it was dangerous?

Rushing in unprepared would be extremely unwise.

Still, curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to know what those voices were praying for.

So, he slowly pulled a gray mochi-like item from his pocket—already prepared.

Translation Konjac.

You could also call it a universal translator. So far, there wasn't a language it couldn't interpret.

He popped it into his mouth.

Instantly, the once-garbled prayers became clear:

"Dear God, please save your people!"

"Our power has been sealed by a dark light… we are enslaved by a black, monstrous tower."

"Your people need your help! Please grant us a miracle!"

Even though he could now understand the words, Yamcha still didn't know who was speaking, or what kind of world it was.

He hesitated because logic told him not to rush in. But deep down, he felt that something he needed was on the other side.

It was a premonition—a sixth sense. And Yamcha trusted those feelings.

So, would he accept the call?

Of course not.

Answering a mysterious summons blindly would be reckless.

He would go there on his own terms.

"For safety's sake, let me first take a look at the place."

A pink, spherical Stand appeared behind him.

Yamcha stepped forward into the world—and then:

"Za Warudo!"

The sound of gears stopping echoed in his ears.

He tossed a camera and immediately retreated. The entire process took just 0.2 seconds—he didn't even have time to look around before returning to the Dragon Ball world.

A while later, he went back using the same method.

" Za Warudo!"

This time, he retrieved the camera.

He sat in front of the computer and played the recorded footage.

Of course, to be safe, he had thrown the camera far away from the location where the mysterious beings were summoning him.

As the video played, it showed blue skies, white clouds, and a grassy land—not so different from his own world.

But what kind of creatures lived there?

Soon enough, a native lifeform appeared on screen.

It was a pink creature.

Its body was round with just a head, two antennae-like appendages on top, huge eyes taking up half its face, and the other half dominated by a wide mouth filled with sharp teeth.

Seeing the creature, a familiar name immediately sprang to mind.

(To be continued)