"I'll explain, and then I'm leaving," Jaco said, making it clear he had no intention of volunteering for the fight himself. "All three of them are dangerous, but Seven-Three is the one you really need to watch. He has a Copy Ability."
Krillin glanced toward him. "Copy?"
"If he gets hold of the back of your neck, he can steal your abilities and use them himself for thirty minutes."
Piccolo immediately saw the danger. "So it isn't like switching bodies or controlling someone's mind. He stays himself and simply gains everything the other person can do."
"Exactly. And Seven-Three was already powerful before you add that ability."
"What is he, anyway?" Krillin asked. "Another alien?"
"No. He's an artificial life-form created by an advanced civilization. He doesn't have normal emotions."
That reminded Krillin that Earth had its own share of artificial fighters. "We still have a few Androids around here too. We could probably get them to help if we need them. How long until those three arrive?"
Jaco thought about the route Headquarters had calculated. "About ten days."
"Ten days gives us plenty of time to train." Krillin looked toward Piccolo. "Not that you ever stop training."
"I don't."
Their ten-day preparation period lasted approximately another few seconds.
A distortion opened directly above the Lookout, warping the air into a dark passage. Seven-Three, Shimorekka, and Yunba emerged from it together and landed on the platform as though they had simply stepped through a doorway.
Krillin stared at them, then slowly turned toward Jaco. "Ten days?"
Jaco looked just as horrified. "Why are you asking me? I didn't know they were going to find a shortcut!"
Shimorekka laughed at their confusion. "We got lucky. That planet we stopped at had someone who could make wormholes. Saved us days of flying."
"And this Earth isn't even the same one we were heading toward," Yunba added. "Seven-Three had to use two wormholes to get us here."
That explained how they had crossed the passage between universes so quickly, but nobody on the Lookout was particularly happy about it.
Seven-Three's attention soon settled on the cage nearby. "Macareni Siblings located."
The three newcomers started toward the prisoners, only for Jaco to force himself between them.
"H-Hey! Stop right there!"
Shimorekka paused and looked him over. "Aren't you Galactic Patrol? What was your name again?"
"Jaco," Seven-Three supplied.
"Right, Jaco." Shimorekka grinned. "What are you doing here? Did you capture those three? Not bad."
Jaco straightened immediately now that someone was finally giving him credit. "That's right! I caught them, and if you're here to rescue them, I'm not letting that happen!"
Krillin gave him a long look. Piccolo had captured all three by himself, but apparently correcting Jaco in front of the enemy wasn't worth the effort.
Pasta grabbed the bars of the cage excitedly. "Shimorekka! You guys got here fast. Hurry up and get us out!"
Instead of opening the cage, Shimorekka stopped in front of it and raised one hand.
"Actually, Moro-sama sent us with a message. He doesn't need traitors who run around acting on their own."
Energy began gathering in his palm.
"So we're here to get rid of you."
The smiles disappeared from all three Macareni Siblings. Shimorekka was about to fire when a hand closed around his wrist from behind and stopped him.
Piccolo's voice was cold. "You're not killing anyone on the Lookout."
For once, the prisoners were very happy to have Piccolo standing nearby.
Shimorekka yanked his arm free and glared at him. "Stay out of this."
"You invaded Earth, and now you're trying to execute prisoners on the Lookout. Leave before I make you."
Shimorekka answered with a glance toward Seven-Three.
The artificial warrior vanished.
Piccolo sensed the movement too late. Seven-Three reappeared directly behind him and clamped one hand around the back of his neck, his fingers locking into place before Piccolo could throw him off.
Jaco's warning flashed through Piccolo's mind immediately.
He reacted with a violent backhand that knocked Seven-Three away, but the damage had already been done. A small image of Piccolo appeared within the crystal on Seven-Three's forehead, confirming that the Copy Ability had finished its work.
Piccolo touched the back of his neck and glared at him. "What did you just do?"
Jaco's face fell. "He copied you."
Shimorekka grinned. "Seven-Three, show him."
Two fingers rose to Seven-Three's forehead.
Piccolo recognized the stance before the energy had even finished gathering.
A spiraling beam ripped across the Lookout.
Piccolo threw himself aside as his own Makankosappo tore through the platform where he had been standing, boring a blackened hole straight through the structure.
Shimorekka looked delighted. "That's a pretty useful technique."
"You weren't kidding," Piccolo muttered.
Seven-Three demonstrated another stolen ability immediately. His arm stretched across the platform like rubber and punched Jaco squarely in the face, launching the Galactic Patrolman over the edge of the Lookout.
"Jaco!"
Piccolo dove after him while Shimorekka and Seven-Three gave chase. Krillin tried to follow, but Yunba caught him by the ankle before he could leave the platform.
"You're staying with me."
Krillin twisted around just as Yunba's foot slammed into him and sent him plummeting from the Lookout in another direction.
Below, Piccolo caught up with Jaco before he hit the ground. Flames burst from the patrolman's boots as he corrected his fall and managed to stabilize himself, allowing both of them to land on a rocky ledge instead.
Piccolo looked at the small thrusters. "You can fly?"
"For a little while."
Jaco immediately turned the conversation back on him. "More importantly, I literally just explained how Seven-Three's ability works! How did you let him grab your neck?"
"I got careless," Piccolo admitted, already regretting it. "Tell me exactly what he copied. Does he have all of my abilities now?"
"Yes. Everything."
Piccolo considered the worst-case scenario. "Including transformations?"
Jaco blinked. "Transformations?"
Piccolo's body began to change before his eyes. His frame expanded enormously as his skin shifted into a deep orange hue, the transformation bringing out a level of power far beyond his normal state.
Orange Piccolo stood over Jaco.
The patrolman recoiled. "What is that face supposed to do, scare him to death?"
Piccolo ignored the comment. "Did he copy this power too?"
"If it's one of your abilities, then yes! I told you, he copied everything. Whatever boost that transformation gives you, Seven-Three has access to it too."
Piccolo stared toward the approaching ki and silently recalculated the fight.
"So I'm essentially fighting myself."
"Except he also has his own advantages," Jaco reminded him.
Piccolo was about to ask what that meant when Jaco pointed toward the sky.
"They're here!"
Jaco pulled his blaster and opened fire as Seven-Three descended toward them, but the artificial warrior ignored the shots and stretched both arms down at Piccolo. Orange Piccolo answered in kind, extending his own arms until their hands locked together high above the rocks.
The moment they made contact, Piccolo knew Jaco had been right. Seven-Three wasn't merely imitating his techniques; the strength behind those arms was almost identical to his own in Orange Piccolo.
He had copied the transformation's power too.
And this thing was only one of Moro's underlings.
The thought made everything Jaco had said about Moro considerably easier to believe.
Piccolo and Seven-Three pulled against each other until both suddenly released the tension and rushed forward along their extended arms. Their foreheads collided with a brutal crack that left Piccolo's vision swimming, while Seven-Three momentarily staggered as streams of machine data flickered across his sight.
They recovered almost simultaneously and traded punches at close range. Every blow Piccolo threw was met by the same strength, the same reach, and the same regenerative body he normally relied on to overwhelm opponents.
Jaco tried to support him from below, but Shimorekka streaked past and snatched the blaster directly out of his hands.
"Looking for this, Galactic Patrol?"
He landed on a nearby cliff and waved the weapon mockingly.
Jaco stared at his empty hands in outrage. "You stole a Galactic Patrolman's blaster! Do you have any idea how important that is?"
Shimorekka laughed and jumped away as Jaco charged after him, forcing the patrolman into a humiliating chase across the cliffs.
Above them, Piccolo and Seven-Three unleashed blasts at almost the same instant. The two attacks collided between them and exploded with enough force to send shockwaves rolling across the surrounding landscape, but neither fighter gained any ground.
Piccolo's concern deepened. The power was still nearly identical.
Jaco happened to glance toward the fight and suddenly remembered another important detail.
"Oh, right! I forgot to mention something. Seven-Three doesn't get tired, so don't try to win by dragging the fight out!"
Piccolo nearly lost focus.
"You forgot that?!"
That was not a minor detail. Piccolo was burning through his own stamina every second he maintained Orange Piccolo, while Seven-Three could keep matching that power without wearing himself down.
Jaco dodged another attack from Shimorekka while shouting back, "The copied abilities only last thirty minutes! Just survive until then!"
"Thirty minutes is the problem!"
Piccolo rushed Seven-Three before the artificial warrior could take advantage of the distraction, and the fight immediately returned to its brutal stalemate. They traded blows across the cliffs, stretched their arms around one another's defenses, and eventually separated just far enough for both to raise two fingers to their foreheads.
Two Makankosappo screamed toward each other.
The spiraling beams collided and fought for dominance, cutting into the ground beneath them as Piccolo poured more strength into his attack. Seven-Three never tired, never hesitated, and never lost concentration. Inch by inch, the balance began shifting against Piccolo.
He couldn't keep this up for thirty minutes.
The opposing beam finally broke through.
It tore across the earth in a blazing line, carving a trench that stretched toward the horizon. Jaco looked toward the devastated battlefield and could no longer see Piccolo anywhere.
"Piccolo?!"
Seven-Three scanned the area as well, but Piccolo had not been destroyed. At the last possible moment, two new arrivals had pulled him clear and carried him to a distant cliff.
Gohan supported Piccolo by one arm while Kale stood beside them, already watching Seven-Three carefully.
"Piccolo, are you okay?"
Piccolo steadied himself. "Yeah. You two got here just in time."
Jaco finally spotted them from below and immediately recognized Gohan. "That's Goku's son!"
"Sorry we took so long," Gohan said. "Who are these guys?"
"There's no time for the whole story. Just remember one thing: don't let Seven-Three touch the back of your neck. He can copy everything you can do for thirty minutes."
Gohan's expression tightened. "Everything?"
Piccolo looked at Kale.
"And especially don't let him touch her. If he copies Kale, we're in serious trouble."
The comment left Gohan momentarily speechless. Apparently he had just discovered exactly where he stood in Earth's current pecking order.
Piccolo noticed his expression but had more immediate concerns. "Ken, Goku, Vegeta, and Broly are all away. As things stand, Kale is the strongest fighter we have on Earth."
Gohan couldn't exactly argue with that.
Kale stepped forward. "Gohan-nii, I'll handle him."
Yellow-green ki erupted around her, thick bolts of lightning snapping through the aura as she transformed into Legendary Super Saiyan Two. The leap in power was immediate enough to make even Piccolo tense.
Kale disappeared from the cliff.
Seven-Three barely had time to register her approach before her hand clamped over the top of his head and drove him straight into the ground. The impact split the earth apart, but Kale kept hold of him and dragged his face through the shattered surface before hauling him up and burying a fist in his chest.
Black machine fluid sprayed from Seven-Three's mouth.
Kale still wasn't finished.
She caught him by the ankle and smashed him from side to side hard enough to crater the ground with every impact, then finally threw him into a distant cliff and buried him in rock.
Gohan couldn't help smiling. "Nice one, Kale!"
Piccolo watched the wreckage in silence.
Seven-Three had copied Orange Piccolo closely enough to fight him almost evenly, yet Kale had just treated that same power like it barely mattered.
Legendary Super Saiyan really was in a different category.
Shimorekka, on the other hand, was no longer smiling.
"Seven-Three!"
Kale brushed him off with a dismissive look. "Weak."
Piccolo felt that one more personally than he wanted to admit.
Gohan landed beside her with Piccolo. "That was incredible."
"He wasn't anything special," Kale said with an easy smile.
Piccolo decided not to dwell on what that implied about his own performance.
"Don't relax yet. He's still active, and until those thirty minutes are over, he still has everything he copied from me."
Kale nodded and turned back toward the rubble.
"Then I'll finish it."
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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