Tenshinhan stood still, waiting for his opponent to make the first move. Because the three-eyed combatant could sense his opponent's Ki, he had no clear indication of how powerful his opponent was. Despite getting no input from his enemy, Tenshinhan was cleverer than to assume that his opponent was utterly unskilled in hand-to-hand combat. Even ordinary humans had a minor Ki signature, whereas this man had absolutely none. This was enough of a red flag to take him more seriously than a mere ordinary military officer.

The moment that Android One-Six began bobbing and weaving toward Tenshinhan in a rather slow and methodical but heavy advance, Tenshinhan realized his opponent was someone who could handle and would demand the full extent of Tenshinhan's skills. The towering man shuffled in up to Tenshinhan, throwing a rush of shots at him. The three-eyed man weaved around them, but then a knee-splitting crack of pain made Tenshinhan's eyes go dull.

One-Six's fist thudded against Tenshinhan's knee that supported half of his body weight and his retreat. Tenshinhan grunted in pain, but he didn't have many options to evade the follow-up attacks. One-Six hooked him up with a left cross to the side of Tenshinhan's head, an attack that almost folded the martial artist right up. The Android's right dug deep, extending to full length as the burly bruiser leaned down and drove his fist into Tenshinhan's gut, stumbling and opening his opponent up again.

It was as if One-Six had glided through the air, sliding like a water strider across the dirt and paved road with a hook to Tenshinhan's jaw that sent him flying and crashing through buildings and sent the civilians into a state of petrified panic. They hadn't seen martial arts of this caliber before. The best that they've seen martial arts being capable of was when Tenshinhan and his students helped seal up an active volcano nearby.

"Alright, folks, line up and take your paste nice and cool. Make sure to brush your teeth in front of one of our soldiers..." a military officer stepped out from behind a line of soldiers, approaching the civilians, but he froze up when his superior raised his hand to stop him.

"My opponent is not defeated yet." Android One-Six alerted the officer. "I had not had the chance of facing Tenshinhan in my previous life, but our data suggests that he is an incredibly tough opponent. Do not interfere before our fight is over."

Tenshinhan dived right back into the fight, blasting off the small capsule house that collapsed over him with the expulsion of an airwave that flung the surrounding debris aside and off of him as Tenshinhan snapped right back in his opponent's face, thrusting a handful of sharp thrusts with his palms positioned as the head of a snake, aiming at the upper section of his opponent. Android One-Six covered up his head with a block. Even if he absorbed the first few thrusts rather well, Tenshinhan's arms exploded into a fusillade of chain strikes that overwhelmed even the towering Android and forced him to grunt in pain and drop his guard.

"Got you!" Tenshinhan proclaimed, shooting a palm thrust up into the Android's chin and launching him upward. A clear, white aura enveloped Tenshinhan as he dashed afterward, hitting One-Six with a cross of his own right into the side of his jaw before skillfully dismantling his opponent's desperate attempts at defending himself with precise and discipline chops and kicks. Tenshinhan positioned his body above his opponent's and thrust his open palm downward, driving his opponent down.

One-Six shot his arms out and stopped his fall up over his head, propelling himself in a hand-assisted backflip and stopping himself from crashing down. Tenshinhan swooped down to his grounded position, and the two martial artists charged at one another again. One-Six spun around, leaving Tenshinhan's fist to slip off of One-Six's back while the Android winded up his fist with a leisurely spin and turned around in a blink, cracking his shot right into Tenshinhan's jaw.

As his opponent gargled up blood and teeth, Android One-Six winded up his fist again, spinning and flexing his shoulder and gathering speed and momentum for another crushing blow. A shot to the gut forced all air from Tenshinhan's body and left him breathless to mount any semblance of counterattacks while the full force of One-Six exploded in an uppercut that lifted Tenshinhan's body off the ground. One-Six began walking onward, all the while relentlessly swinging his fists with a juggernaut-like advance as he pummeled Tenshinhan with all he had until reaching the end of the line and putting his entire body weight into an uppercut to Tenshinhan's ribs that sent the martial arts master flat on his back and left him lying.

"I am no longer the brawler that lost to Son Goku or General Blue's pushover." Android One-Six declared to his opponent, who writhed on the ground and scrambled to recover back on his feet. "My fighting style may be simplistic, but it is effective. It will be better for everyone if you acknowledge my strength and surrender. Right now you are the one thing standing in the way of us curing these people."

"Curing them?" Tenshinhan wheezed out, returning on wobbly legs. "What are you talking about? You're from the Red Ribbon Army, aren't you? You used to hire my master to kill people for you. You cannot be up to anything good and I will stop you from hurting these people."

"You are misinformed," Android One-Six explained with a stoic expression. "Humanity is about to be decimated by a heart virus. Android 21 is the only one trying to save the world from it by administering the cure through our paste. The nanobots inside of the paste will enter your body through contact with your teeth and use your blood vessels to reach your entire body, preparing it against the virus."

"So that's it, huh?" Tenshinhan flexed his joints. He hadn't met a challenge like this in a long time, even if he's been training and pushing himself all these past few years. He wasn't doing it as hard as he would have if he knew that a powerful threat was still out to threaten the Earth. There was nothing like the real deal to shake a man's system up and wipe off the rust. "Then why such a strange delivery mechanism? Haven't you heard of vaccines or pills?"

"Android 21 wishes to save as many people as possible. Having met Son Goku, how many people do you think will go to the hospital willingly and trust Artificial Humans and soldiers to deliver them a vaccine? And yet, everyone brushes their teeth. All we're asking for is that you brush your teeth with the right materials and save your life in the process as well." Android One-Six explained, entering a boxing stance in preparation if Tenshinhan didn't buy his medicine and lashed out.

"I see..." Tenshinhan closed his eyes and gently pressed his hand against his ribs to ease some of the pain from the wear and tear from the incomplete clash with the Android. "In that case, leave your paste here and leave this village. Can't you see that your reckless military caravan is destroying it bit by bit? It won't make the people trust you any more, you know."

Android One-Six looked around, seeing the handful of totaled buildings from where his platoon had entered it with its rumbling heavy machinery, at the dirty roads completely ravaged by the footprints of military boots and tracks of tank rollers. Then to where he had knocked Tenshinhan aside and an entire handful of buildings reduced to rubble from their exchange of blows.

"You may be right." Android One-Six admitted. "You will have to forgive me. I am not used to peaceful intervention missions. As a colonel of the Red Ribbon army or the commander of the Silver Army, the operations I led were much more destructive, and we didn't care who got in our way. Perhaps the intimidation approach was wrong in this case, after all. We will stay here and make sure that everyone is converted then."

"Converted?" Tenshinhan muttered to himself, raising an eyebrow.

"The heart virus? That's it, the heart virus!" Someone in the crowd yelled out, stepping out into the clear. "My wife. My wife died three days ago. One day she just felt tired and started sweating and had a fever like nothing else. She then collapsed and died in just a few days' time. By the end, she was clutching her chest screaming... This must have been the heart virus... Guys, we have to take this paste, these soldiers might be the real deal."

The man ran up to the confused soldiers, who just flopped a heavy chest down on the ground and flung a capsule forward. The capsule popped and released smoke, revealing another chest full of medicinal paste tubes. The man grabbed one and ran off to his friends and remaining family. Emboldened by the man's decision, more and more people began approaching the soldiers and taking the tubes from their hands.

"Hmm... It appears that you were right, Tenshinhan." Android One-Six admitted. "I did not factor into my calculations that these people might want to be saved. Because of your help, I will stray from the protocol and Android 21's direct orders and leave the supplies for this village to spread amongst themselves. We were meant to ensure that all the villagers take the paste, but it appears that they will do so without our watchful eye."

"Hey, what did you mean when you said... Convert?" Tenshinhan looked at the tall and bulky Android who just looked down at his opponent's eyes.

"As I've said before, this paste is filled with nanobots. Those nanobots do not combat the virus, however, their purpose is to transform living tissue into a bio-mechanical organ performing the same purpose. The part of the victim's body that the virus would affect shall become partly artificial, a bit like ours." Android One-Six explained. "You should take the paste too, Tenshinhan. Not even martial artists or Saiyans are immune to the heart virus' effect."

"I hope it's okay with you if I check it in with Bulma first before taking such unnatural measures." Tenshinhan gave the military commander a challenging glare, but the towering Android closed his eyes and gave in.

"Very well, because you did not make it difficult for yourself and us, you may speak to Bulma. Be advised that the heart virus is out there already, killing people, and its rate will only pick up as days go by. In a year's time, anyone not already converted would be dead. In about a month, the virus will become widespread in the big cities. We're headed from North City right now, making small stops in settlements on our way as we move south. Your master used to work with the Red Ribbon Army. We understand you are no longer your master's student, but we aren't the Red Ribbon Army anymore, either. We could use some of your help." Android One-Six extended an arm for a handshake but Tenshinhan turned around and gazed at the blue sky with accumulating cottony clouds over his head.

"We'll see..." Tenshinhan muttered before lightly elevating above ground.

"Master, you're taking off?" Tenshinhan's students moved through the rowdy crowd, rushing toward the supply of paste as looked up at their master.

"Yes, I must settle this business. After we're done, I'll be back in the dojo and picking up what's left. You are free to do what you want for now. Convert yourselves or not, I will not order you around. I've taught you a lot about what I know, don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in, and fight injustice where you see it. Don't forget, if your heart is pure, you can always win." Tenshinhan said and left his students as he took off, heading toward West City and the Capsule Corps building.

*****

"Puri!" a sharp yet masculine tone resonated throughout the North City while the skies gently pelted the city landscape with soft chunks of snow. Yet not even these elegant petals of frozen water could ease Bardock's anger as he seethed over the Puri & Co headquarters building. "Come out here, you bitch, or I'll blow up this whole shack of yours to pieces!"

"My, my... What a rude old man..." a smooth masculine voice made Bardock turn around after widening his eyes in shock that someone snuck up on him. Just like the fighters in the Northern Region, these two were completely absent of any signs of Ki. "What do you think he wants, Lazuli?"

"You idiot, he just told you. He wants Android 21." A woman dressed in a striped top and a sleeveless denim jacket and skirt ran her hand through her silver hair. "He seems awfully mad at her. Probably because she played Bulma for a fool all these years."

"You guys work with her, with Dr. Puri, right? Bring me to her, I don't have time to waste on lapdogs like you, my wife is dying and Dr. Puri needs to scoop up her own shit, or else I'll blast her right down to hell!" Bardock clenched his fist so hard that it shook from the violence it carried within and bent the surrounding light in ripples, like a mirage.

"What do you think we should do, Lazuli?" Lapis pressed his finger against his cheek, thinking. Having changed out of his suit into a white top and a black T-shirt over it and an orange bandana around his neck, the young man looked more like a bratty teen than Dr. Puri's business associate now. "Should we bring him to Android 21?"

"Why the heck should that old hag all the fun? Didn't you hear what she said? We can do whatever the heck we want, right? It's Son Goku and Chayote who wrecked the Muscle Tower and killed the old geezer. If he hadn't, we'd have had all that time playing around in his lab with his toys and getting free candy. If nothing else, it's their fault that 21 had to take us in and sit us through those boring lessons and her stupid plans..." Lazuli closed her eyes and tsked her tongue in frustration.

"So, you brats are out to kill my son, huh? Isn't ruining my life and nearly killing my wife enough for you robo-freaks!?" Bardock tensed his entire body up, genuinely having second thoughts as to who he wanted to scrap first right now.

"Nearly? Just when did she start having the first symptoms? You know, the virus works really fast, you may want to be with her and say goodbye and all that, old-timer..." Lapis noted, pointing at him as if trying to give him some sage advice.

"A damned toaster won't lecture me!" Bardock growled, taking a fighting stance.

"Do you want to take this, or should I?" Lapis turned to his sister.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Lazuli put up her knuckle for the childish game to settle it.

Before the two could begin, Bardock's punch dug into Lazuli's cheek, blasting her off aside and leaving Lapis a bit stumped for a second before he began cackling to himself and turned to the wreckage of buildings where Bardock had flung his sister off to.

"You really shouldn't have done that, she's gonna get real cranky if you ruin her outfit, you know." Lapis turned to Bardock, who looked taken aback by how little care these supposed siblings had for one another. "Then she'll be everyone's problem."

"Shut up! I'm done with fate and games and similar bullshit! I'm a Super Saiyan! A warrior of Saiyan legends! I only allow fists to settle my destiny, not some childish games." Bardock pointed to Lapis while his sister slowly hovered from the wreckage, completely unharmed, with her hands on her hips.

"I guess you picked for me, old-timer." The young artificial woman said in a somewhat grumpy tone. "Now get ready, you better be fun to play with."

Bardock prepared to challenge the two young adults standing in the way of him, facing Dr. Puri. The only woman in his mind that could have treated his wife or knew how anyone could go around doing that. The woman that may have gone to cause this mess to begin with.

*****

"The Ultimate Solution? What do you mean by that?" Krillin wondered.

"She clearly means the Ultimate Dragon Balls." Chayote said, looking irritated that the wish-granting orbs that had once been twelve days short of destroying the world were now brought back up as a potential way of saving it.

"Wha! Bulma, wait! Those things are really dangerous!" Yamcha exclaimed.

"The... Ultimate Dragon Balls?" Future Trunks scratched the back of his head in confusion. His head began letting out a sharp-pitched noise, similar to that of a calculator as feeble, yellow light began seeping through the cover of Trunks' hair. "I see... A set of Dragon Balls created by the original Namekian before Piccolo and Kami split. I was not aware of such an artifact. The historical records state they will destroy the planet on which they are used within a year's time."

"Historical records?" Yamcha turned to Trunks, wondering what he was on about.

"Did you really think that I'd be traveling around the past without having access to everything known about it? Also, it comes in handy when facing 21's converted Androids to know what their fighting style used to be when they were human." Future Trunks moved the side of his hair, concealing his cybernetic half of the face, and revealed his eye full of yellow digits and numbers running down.

"So all the Artificial Humans will also be outfitted with that technology too?" Chayote wondered.

"Correct, likely even more advanced since they are fully converted. The Androids will be able to tell who you are, your history, read all about your techniques and fighting style, and adapt their own style to better combat you. They'll be able to update the information in real-time so that their successors have an updated profile on you. They're like a hive mind that way." Future Trunks explained.

"Like bugs." Chayote smirked.

"Can we get back to the fact that Bulma wants to destroy the world for those Artificial Humans? Since when do the bad guys try to save the world while we're trying to destroy it!?" Krillin grabbed hold of his head as he began losing it to the panic that set in.

"Calm down. If we use the Ultimate Dragon Balls to delete the heart virus from existence, we can then set you guys out all at the same time to fish the Ultimate Dragon Balls back. I've already made the Ultimate Dragon Ball radar before. It'll take no time at all to build it into the spaceships Capsule Corps already uses for space tourism." Bulma said.

"I thought we had already ruled out using the Dragon Balls out." Future Trunks turned to Yamcha.

"The Ultimate Dragon Balls are way more powerful. Apparently, they can accomplish something far beyond that what the normal Dragon Balls can do, that's why their negative energy destroys the planet they were used on if they're not gathered to balance it out again." Yamcha explained something Trunks might not have found on the archives.

"Huh... This could actually work, but... We would leave the Earth completely undefended. Even if we don't waste any time on the spaceships and the radar and even if we all go out at once, it'll still take weeks for us to gather the Ultimate Dragon Balls again." Chayote said.

"We don't have to send everyone after them, just the lazy ones that didn't train at all so that they can train up and catch up. The rest can work on sending Puri's goon squad back packing to their boss," Bulma pointed out.

"Ugh..." Yamcha smacked his face in self-pity. "Why do we always get the slack for this? The world was peaceful, Frieza was over with and Goku had become a Super Saiyan. There was no use in intensive training anymore. The world had been peaceful for years, so we began living a peaceful life."

"And there'd have been no problem with it if the need for you to fight hadn't come again. You're only a lazy bum if we need you to be strong, but you aren't!" Bulma wagged her finger up and down over Yamcha's head in a lecture. "Now, we can't waste any time, let's head out to God's Temple."

"My purpose is to find Mecha Frieza and his control module. I will not be leaving for space on a scavenger hunt, just for the record." Future Trunks pointed out while everyone prepared to set out after sitting on their butts for entirely too long.

"Huh, you still don't much care about what happens in this timeline, huh?" Chayote turned to him.

"I do, but my priorities still lie with my own timeline." Future Trunks pointed out.