Goku suddenly sprang to his feet.
"Oh no! The wall's wide open—Bulma, quick, grab the coats!"
The cold wind rushed in, making Krillin and Chi-Chi shiver uncontrollably. While the two girls were still dressed—though lightly—the monster was entirely exposed.
At that moment, the fluid on the monster's skin began to freeze. The gusting wind quickly turned its pink flesh icy and solid.
Not wasting another second, Bulma grabbed their coats from the capsule and handed them out. Moments later, everyone was wrapped in thick cotton jackets.
As for the monster—it had turned into a solid block of ice.
Goku didn't hesitate. He smashed his fist into the frozen creature, shattering it into icy shards.
Chi-Chi let out a breath. "So its weakness… was the cold!"
Krillin chuckled nervously. "Lucky us! Total accident!"
But Bulma didn't look amused. She turned sharply to Krillin, face dark with fury.
"Krillin, your Destructo Disc almost killed me!"
Krillin winced. "I-I didn't mean to, Bulma…"
"If Goku hadn't saved me, I'd be in two pieces right now! You think 'I didn't mean to' fixes that?!"
Krillin backed away, his fingers twisting anxiously. "Really, I swear, it was an accident..."
Goku stepped in to defuse the tension.
"Alright, alright, let's not blame Krillin too much. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have found the monster's weakness so quickly. But hey—the monster's down… we still haven't dealt with Muscle Tower's big boss!"
Bulma's anger faded. "Oh, right! Let's go find him!"
Goku turned to Android 8. "Hey, do you know who's in charge here?"
8 thought for a moment. "His name's General White. I've never seen him in person—I don't know where he hides."
Goku frowned. "Figures..."
Bulma tapped her chin. "Do you at least know where the village chief is?"
"Yes!"
"Then take us to him. Once we rescue him, let's just demolish this whole place!"
Krillin and Chi-Chi nodded enthusiastically.
With 8 in the lead, they made their way toward the village chief's holding cell.
Just outside the door, they spotted the remains of a cigarette smoldering in an ashtray, and a monitor still displaying the aftermath of their battle. Wind howled through the gash left in the wall by the Destructo Disc.
Bulma narrowed her eyes. "Looks like he watched everything… and ran."
Krillin clenched his fists. "Tch. We let him get away. What a waste."
"Once we destroy this place, nobody'll come back anyway," Bulma muttered.
Just then, Chi-Chi pulled open the cell door and freed the chief.
But from her angle, she caught sight of something through the window.
A green helicopter with the Red Ribbon Army insignia was flying off in the distance.
Chi-Chi pointed. "There! He's escaping by helicopter!"
Goku looked up, eyes narrowing. Without hesitation, he assumed the Kamehameha stance.
Within two seconds, a brilliant beam surged from his palms and soared into the sky.
BOOM!
The chopper exploded midair, raining fiery debris.
Goku peered through the window at the now-empty sky. "Didn't see a body. He's probably toast."
Krillin snorted. "You turned him into dust, Goku. Bone dust."
Chi-Chi grinned. "Nice shot, Goku!"
With the chief in tow, they made their way out of Muscle Tower.
Before leaving, Goku turned back and blasted the entire structure to rubble.
—
Night fell.
A few lights still burned in the village nearby.
In a modest home, Goku, Krillin, Chi-Chi, and Bulma sat around a steaming table, feasting.
Their host was a red-haired girl named Snow.
To thank them for destroying the Red Ribbon outpost, promising to revive the slain villagers, and saving the chief, Snow had spent the entire day cooking with help from neighbors. They even brought gifts in gratitude.
But since their guests were all kids, no one touched the alcohol—just food, laughter, and warm conversation.
"Mmm! So good! More, please!"
Goku had become a bottomless food-consuming machine.
He'd been starving, and now nothing else mattered but eating.
Snow stared at the growing pile of empty bowls beside him and couldn't help swallowing nervously. She leaned toward Krillin and whispered, "Sorry, but... has he not eaten in days?"
Krillin laughed. "Don't worry. Goku's always had a huge appetite."
"Just a big appetite? He won't burst, will he?"
She eyed the empty bowls stacked taller than Goku himself.
Krillin nodded. "Nope. He's built for it. What he's eaten so far? That's just the appetizer."
Snow blinked. "I-I see… Wow, he really does have a bottomless stomach. I'd better go steam another pot of rice—fast!"
"Hahaha!" Goku grinned, mouth full. "Thanks so much!"
Hearing Snow's plan to cook even more made Goku cheer, and the others—Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Krillin—burst out laughing.
One villager stood up. "Thanks to you all, our village is finally safe. We're truly grateful."
Another added, "Everyone's so happy! We don't even know how to thank you enough."
"You're our heroes—our saviors!"
Hearing those sincere words and seeing their simple smiles, Bulma froze for a moment.
Their awkward efforts to express gratitude, paired with the sight of Goku devouring food without a care in the world, struck something familiar.
Her eyes sparkled with memory.
In the original timeline, Goku hadn't brought her to Muscle Tower. He'd destroyed it alone, then later came to West City to have her repair the Dragon Radar.
From then on, she and Krillin had joined him on the journey against the Red Ribbon Army.
She glanced at Goku again, hunched over his bowl, focused only on eating.
A wild child. Fierce appetite. Simple, pure heart.
And yet, this simple boy had saved so many lives—so many futures.
This... this is the Goku I remember.
Simple. Pure. And somehow, always making the world a better place.
She turned to Android 8. "So… what'll you do next?"
8 lowered his head awkwardly. "I… I'm not sure."
Goku paused mid-bite. "He may be an android, but he's a good guy.
He likes peace, hates violence, and wants a quiet life.
How about letting him stay here? What do you think?"
The room fell silent.
Goku shoveled in another giant mouthful of rice as he waited for a reply.
Then the chief spoke. "Why not have 8 stay with us?
My wife and I are old. We have no children.
8 could be like our son—and help out around the farm."
8's eyes widened. "R-Really? But I'm… I'm an android."
The chief chuckled. "So what? There are plenty of bad humans in the world.
If they say you're a good person, then I believe it.
It's settled."
Bulma, Krillin, and Chi-Chi all smiled warmly.
"Congrats!"
"Yeah, 8! You've got a home now!"
Overwhelmed, 8's eyes welled with tears.
"Thank you… thank you all! I'm so happy!"