Walnut-chan - Chapter 103: The Cat Master Visits Home

"No. I can't eat people."

She muttered to herself, her voice tight with struggle.

But a second later, her eyes flushed red again and the corners of her mouth curled up. "Don't eat? Then how am I supposed to gain power?"

"Playing the saint now, are you? Hypocrite. Don't you want to eat?"

"I don't!"

"You can lie to others, but you can't lie to me!"

"I'm not lying. I just want to live a normal life. And if I could have a family of my own, even better."

"Hmph. What a stupid fantasy..."

The two voices traded places for a while, until the red-eyed persona finally gained the upper hand.

She walked into the lab's storeroom, picked up a pile of parts, and tinkered with them for a moment.

Before long, she had put together something like the Dragon Radar Bulma had built.

Then she powered up a large repair pod beside her.

A tall android lay inside it.

Orange hair, green armor, a calm face. Android 16.

The repair fluid slowly drained away, and Android 16's eyes opened.

"Who are you?" He sat up, his voice low.

The woman smiled. "I'm Android 21. Android 16, I need you to do something for me."

Android 16 looked at her and didn't answer right away.

Android 21 handed him the Dragon Radar. "Help me collect the seven Dragon Balls."

"You have no presence, so you shouldn't alert the fighters on Earth. Keep a low profile."

Android 16 said nothing for a few seconds, then nodded. "All right."

He took the radar, stood up, and shot into the sky.

He didn't waste a moment. He moved so fast that he left only a white streak through the clouds.

On the Dragon Radar's screen, seven points of light were scattered across Earth.

Android 16 started his search in the northern hemisphere. One Dragon Ball lay deep in a snow-covered mountain, and he broke through the ice to retrieve it.

Another sat in an undersea canyon. He ignored the water pressure and dove straight down.

A third was buried three hundred meters beneath the desert. He punched through the bedrock with a single blow.

In just half a day, all seven Dragon Balls were gathered.

Android 16 carried them back to the lab and set them down on an open stretch of grass.

Android 21 stood before the Dragon Balls and recited the incantation.

The sky suddenly darkened. The Dragon Balls blazed with golden light, and Shenron emerged from the pillar of radiance.

"You who have gathered the seven Dragon Balls, speak your wish."

Android 21 raised her head, her blood-red eyes locked on Shenron. "Revive everyone who was killed by Goku and his gang. The minimum requirement is a Power Level above one."

Shenron fell silent for a moment, then spoke, his voice like thunder. "This..."

"What? You can't do it?" Android 21 challenged.

Shenron explained. "Those who have been dead too long and have already been reincarnated cannot be revived. The rest can."

"Fine. Then revive them!"

"As you wish!"

Shenron's eyes flashed red, and golden light swept across the entire land.

Strange presences rose all over Earth, as though many rifts had been torn open by force.

The people who had once brought calamity to the world appeared, one after another.

Frieza stood in the wilderness, looking down at his own hands in mild bewilderment.

He flexed his tail, and a smile slowly spread across his face. "I'm alive again?"

He clenched his fists. The thought of that thicket of flowers filled him with shame and fury.

"Damn Hell... Damn it all... damn those little pests, damn those wild monkeys..."

Cell walked out of a patch of woods, his wings unfolding gently, wearing that same irritatingly composed smile.

He closed his eyes and felt the air of Earth. "It seems someone on Earth has revived me. I wonder what they're after?"

The corners of Cell's mouth curled, revealing a faint, villainous sneer. "Whatever it is, they're playing with fire!"

Bojack and his men stood by the sea, the ocean breeze stirring against his orange skin.

He looked up at the sky, grinning. "Earth is still so beautiful. It's good to be alive!"

Tarble stepped out from behind a rock, still holding a piece of fruit. He took a bite and frowned. "Earth's fruit is too sour. It's nowhere near as good as the fruit of the Tree of Might."

Farther away, the entire Ginyu Force had assembled.

Ginyu struck his signature pose, and Recoome roared with laughter. "The Ginyu Force takes the stage once more!"

At the same time, Android 21 had also created a huge number of clones.

There were clones of Goku, of Vegeta, of Oryon, of Frieza, of Cell, and even of Piccolo.

They poured out of a dark mold like shadows and appeared one after another all across the globe.

Some tore down buildings in cities. Some set off explosions in the wilderness. Some attacked vehicles and villages.

Despair and chaos quickly blanketed the skies of Earth.

Oryon sensed it first.

He had been drinking tea with Bulma in the courtyard. Suddenly he set his cup down, his expression strange.

"What's wrong?" Bulma asked.

Oryon stood up. "So many kis. Some feel familiar, and some feel like our own."

Bulma tensed too. "Trouble again?"

"There are a lot of them. Stay home. I'll have Android 18 stay with you while I go take a look."

Android 18 walked out of the house. "Who is it this time?"

Oryon shook his head. "I don't know yet. You stay here and protect them."

Android 18 looked at Oryon seriously and nodded gently. "Understood. Be careful out there."

Oryon kissed her on the cheek and flew out of Capsule Corporation.

Goku wasn't home. Or rather, he wasn't on Earth.

Gohan and Goten were eating at Mount Paozu. They dropped their chopsticks and shot into the air.

Vegeta came out of the Gravity Chamber, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

The group met in midair.

Gohan scratched his head. "What a mess. There are kis everywhere. There's Frieza, there's Cell, and there's one that feels like mine. Are they all bioengineered fighters?"

"I don't care who they are," Vegeta said coldly. "Smash them all and be done with it."

Oryon joined them too.

"Split up and wipe out the clones first. Be careful not to chase them into the cities," he said.

Vegeta, thoroughly impatient, picked a direction and left.

Oryon spread out his ki to sense them, then used Instant Transmission to appear in front of a clone that was attacking a city.

It was a clone of himself.

It looked almost identical, except for a strange mark carved into its chest.

Oryon didn't bother with words and threw a punch. The clone crossed its arms to block and was knocked back more than a dozen steps.

Oryon followed up with a barrage of attacks and drove it out into the wilderness.

A kick to the head finished it. The clone collapsed, its body gradually breaking apart.

These clones can't even copy the real strength, Oryon thought.

Vegeta ran into a clone of Cell. He sneered, and his golden aura burst outward. He gave the opponent no chance to counter and punched straight through it.

The clone toppled over, leaking fluid, and turned into a puddle of gray-black sludge.

But there were far too many clones, and mixed among them were villains they had killed before.

For a while, they couldn't tell which was which.

They cleaned up until midnight, and the world still wouldn't settle down.

Meanwhile, Android 21 quietly made her move in the midst of the chaos.

She tracked down clone after clone and drained their energy.

The clones had no power to resist her. They were like spare parts being reclaimed by their owner.

She devoured one after another, and the hunger inside her finally eased a little.

But the clones were like dry rations, nowhere near as delicious as the powerful originals.

She licked her lips and gazed toward the far reaches of Earth.

"I've got some strength now. Time to eat something tasty!"

With that, she flew toward the most delicious-smelling direction.

Frieza and Cell met in the north of Earth.

Frieza sat on a jutting rock, his tail tapping idly against the stone, a haughty sneer on his face.

"Now that I'm back, this planet needs a new master. Cell, you'd better stay out of my way."

Cell sighed softly. "Hmph. Giving me orders?"

"Frieza, your strength isn't worthy of talking like that in front of me."

Frieza narrowed his eyes. "Are you challenging me?"

Cell didn't answer. The ki around him erupted.

Frieza's face twitched. He took off, his tail lashing out like a whip.

Cell didn't move. He caught the tail in one hand and flung Frieza downward.

Frieza slammed into the ground, and dust and smoke billowed up.

He struggled to his feet, a streak of blood across his face.

Panting, his eyes burning, he snarled. "Cell, you worm!"

Cell dropped down and planted a foot on Frieza's chest. "You're too weak, Frieza.

But right now, I have a more troublesome problem to deal with first."

The moment he finished speaking, a soft laugh drifted over from far away.

Android 21 walked slowly toward them in a white coat.

Her long gray-white hair drifted in the night like seaweed.

"Cell, who did you just say you were going to deal with? Am I a troublesome problem?"

Cell turned, his gaze turning serious. "Who are you?"

Android 21 tilted her head. "I'm someone who came here to eat."

She vanished. In the next instant she was at Cell's side.

Cell threw a punch, but she ducked under it and drove her fingers into his abdomen.

Cell was horrified.

In front of this woman, he was almost completely helpless.

"Turn into a cake!"

With that, Android 21 pointed a finger, and a beam shot into the weakened Cell.

"Bang!"

Cell turned into a little cake.

Android 21 picked up the cake and swallowed it in one bite.

Frieza stared, dumbstruck.

A moment ago, he'd been pinned under Cell's foot. Now the one who'd been stepping on him had been turned into a cake and eaten by another woman.

He made up his mind instantly. He stomped hard on the ground and shot into the sky at top speed, broke through the atmosphere, and fled into the depths of space.

Having eaten Cell, Android 21 underwent a strange transformation. Her presence surged wildly, and many purple spots appeared on her soft pink skin.

Her overall complexion darkened considerably.

She turned around, her eyes glowing a vivid red.

"Just eating Cell made me this much stronger. That feels amazing..."

She licked her lips and laughed. "The next meal is Goku, Vegeta, those guys. I wonder how much stronger I'll get!"

She began to sense the presences of other powerful individuals.

But in that very moment, another consciousness inside her began to resist.

"No more eating... Stop it."

"Shut up. We worked so hard to get this far."

"I don't want to become a monster."

"A monster? We were made for exactly this purpose."

The two voices alternated, and her body began to shake violently.

Her gray-white hair was soaked with sweat. She dropped to her knees, clutching her head in both hands.

Suddenly, a beam of light split away from her body.

Two identical women stood in the wilderness.

One had red eyes and an eerie smile.

The other had clear black-and-white eyes, full of fear and gentleness.

"You... you split away?" Evil Android 21 stared at Good Android 21 and sneered.

Good Android 21 shook her head. "I won't let you hurt innocent people anymore."

Evil Android 21 licked the corner of her mouth. "You're such a hypocrite. Don't you want to eat too?"

"I don't..."

With that, she flew off, leaving Good Android 21 kneeling on the ground, her face pale.

Good Android 21 took a few deep breaths and stood up.

She gazed toward Mount Paozu.

Dr. Gero had always targeted Goku, and that was the whole purpose behind creating the androids.

She knew that perhaps only Goku and his friends could stop this madwoman.

She flew into the sky and headed straight for Mount Paozu.

Chi-Chi opened the door and was startled to find a strange woman with gray-white hair standing there.

"Who are you?"

"I'm looking for Mr. Goku."

Chi-Chi shook her head. "He just left. I think he went to King Kai's place.

I can't reach him. Do you need him for something?"

Good Android 21 lowered her head, as if thinking.

"He's not here..."

Chi-Chi suddenly said, "Why don't you go to Capsule Corporation and find Oryon? If it's something to do with fighting, he'll do just as well."

"Oryon?"

"Yes!"

Good Android 21 nodded and flew off toward Capsule Corporation.

When she arrived, Oryon had just come back after clearing out a batch of clones.

Bulma was looking into the distance through a pair of binoculars, and Android 18 stood guard on the roof.

Good Android 21 landed in the courtyard, and Bulma jumped. "You look so familiar. Wait...

Are you the same person as that white-haired woman they've been showing on TV?"

Between the clones running wild and Evil Android 21 devouring people everywhere, the TV had already been reporting on it.

Good Android 21 waved her hands. "No, please don't be afraid.

I split off from her."

Bulma's pupils trembled.

Split off?

Could this woman be like Majin Buu, with a good side and an evil side?

Judging by her skin, it looked just like Buu's.

Android 21 explained. "I came to tell you what's been happening.

She created lots of clones, and she revived many of the villains you've killed.

Now she's absorbed a great deal of energy, and next she wants to go after Mr. Oryon and Mr. Goku."

Oryon looked at her and nodded. "I know. I've already fought her clones. You came looking for me because you want me to stop her?"

Good Android 21 nodded. "She's become very strong. She'll keep getting stronger as she devours more. Right now, you're the only one who can stop her."

Oryon frowned.

He couldn't just leave. Bulma, Lunch, Videl, and the kids were at home.

Android 18 was strong, but against Evil Android 21, she might not come out on top.

"No, I can't go. If I leave, who's going to guard the house?"

Android 21 heard that Oryon wanted to stay and protect Bulma and the others.

She wasn't angry. Instead, her heart was moved.

When she was created, her biggest wish had been to experience life.

To have a home of her own, a husband, children...

As for the evil half, it only wanted to eat.

So the two personalities had been arguing nonstop, fighting for control of the body for a long time.

Seeing Oryon standing in front of them, Bulma naturally understood what he was thinking.

Then something occurred to her. "Darling, I've got an idea! Why don't we just invite Beerus and Whis over for dinner?

With them here, who would dare come looking for death?"

Oryon's eyes lit up. "You know, that's actually a good idea."