Shen, together with Launch, gets out of the underground prison. The others in the prison tag along with the two. Earlier, they had neither tried to stop the man or confront him, nor do they plan to do so in the future.

This is because, knowing that Shen was probably the one responsible for all the chaos happening in the base, they didn't dare make a move against him.

Another reason is that they suspect the man has already destroyed all of the Red Ribbon Army. No one wants to provoke such a monster for a dead cause. They were never explicitly ordered to do so, and in the first place, their loyalty to the organization wasn't even that great.

Now outside, Shen asks Launch for further clarification about her situation and how she got to this place.

Saying Shen is surprised by the answers would be an understatement.

"So you only have memories from two years back and don't remember anything about yourself from before that?"

"Yeah! Why do you ask?"

"Just curious…" While he speaks, Shen looks around, noticing the people who followed him.

Now that everyone is outside the dark prison, he's able to have a clearer look at their faces, and sure enough, he feels like he knows these people.

'They are also familiar faces: isn't this guy, who was inside another cell, Android 7? And the one guarding him, that's the other robot from Muscle Tower, Major-. . .-whatever his name was.'

'The boy with a mohawk, he looks like a Chad... a blatantly recognizable facial feature. not sure, but I think I've seen him before, too… maybe later, I should personally ask him.'

Shen lets the matter rest for now. He has a more pressing concern at the moment.

"You said Dr. Gero was the first person you met after awakening?. Were you his experimental subject? If so, do you know what he was researching?"

"Umm! I don't remember much, but during the time I stayed in his lab, he frequently talked about merging different people into one and combining their cells, or something like that."

"That explains it…" Shen blurts out. In the original Dragon Ball, Launch was supposed to have double personalities: one being gentle, while the other was aggressive.

Naturally, the Launch he is currently with is the latter.

'Explains it?' the blonde Launch wonders what he meant.

Simultaneously, Shen also thinks to himself, 'This girl had such a history… unbelievable.' Not only him, but this is also the exact kind of thought playing in the heads of all the individuals around him.

Gevo, being the son of Dr. Gero, is the most taken aback by the revelation. 'Father was doing such research, huh! hope he didn't harm innocent people.'

"By the way, do you happen to have a split personality?" Shen again questions the girl, surprising her.

"You sure know a lot, huh? Who are you, really?"

"Me? People know me as Crane Hermit, but my real name is Shen. I'm also called Master Shen, founder of a famous school called Crane School."

"Hermit? Aren't those kinds of people supposed to be ancient old fogies?"

"Well, things happened, leading me to what I am today. However, now's not the time for that. What are you going to do now that I've released you from the prison?"

"Heh! I'm gonna rob a bank, of course! I've always wanted to do that while I was stuck in prison. Hey, you wanna join me? We could make a great team together."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Shen hits his forehead with his palm. "Why did I even ask? Let's forget about what you just said. I have a different proposition for you, Launch-san… if you don't mind, how about staying with me at my school? There, you can stay as long as you want. You don't have to rob anything, and the place is huge."

Shen inviting Launch isn't out of any grand intention. 'I was such a big fan of her character. It's a shame to let her disappear into obscurity, like how it happened in the series… poor girl. She lived such a sad existence. She would go on to be ignored by her only love and forgotten. If she just stays at the hideout, I can at least train her. She's got a lot of potential to grow. maybe she could become a great character, one day.'

Still, Does the girl share his views?

"Y-you! Who do you think you are? Hmph! Getting so willy-nilly with me. we aren't partners—yet... Don't get ahead of yourself!"

Shen sighs, thinking it was just a lost cause. He was already wondering about the prospect of kidnapping her, but—

"But I suppose it won't hurt to stay with you for a while."

"Ehhh! What? You're willing? Do you really agree? I thought—"

"Are you making me say it twice, you bastard?! It's only because you saved me from that prison. Don't think I'm like this with just anyone. Be thankful…"

"Haha, Miss! It is a pleasant surprise. It's wonderful to have you with us at the Crane School… let's get along…"

Shen reaches out his hand.

Launch was a little hesitant at first, by the unexpected gesture, but she musters up her awkward self to shake the man's hand.

Seeing such an accepting Launch, Shen is lost for words. 'Was the aggressive Launch always this easy to talk to…? Well, whatever, not that it matters.'

______________________

After his talk with Launch, Shen, leaving her with the others, proceeds to roam around the Headquarters. He had deliberately avoided doing any major damage to the place while fighting the enemies, as he plans to take over all the research facilities and other useful objects left behind.

Shen had just started searching for anything noteworthy, and something instantly catches his attention. He senses the presence of a large number of people at the far-back of this place.

"That must be some sort of secret facility of the Red Ribbon Army. I should check it out."

.

.

.

'An underground bunker!! It seems these people really like digging. What, or rather who, are they hiding here?'

Convinced there must be an important secret buried below, Shen blasts open the heavy steel door of the bunker with his ki.

With a bit of caution, he walks down the concrete stairways, encountering yet another steel door, this one a lot less heavy than the first.

Beyond the door, small figures murmur amongst themselves. They can hear the continuous echoes of footsteps as they anticipate in fright for something to creep inside.

Suddenly, as the sound stops echoing and they hear nothing, the door before them starts to melt, seconds later creating a ghastly hole.

Right when the melted metal cools off, emerging from the now-ruined door is a villainous-looking man… none other than Shen.

"Children? But they have the ki of above-average martial artists."

Intrigued, he carefully inquires the 100 or so children about their identities. He was trying not to accidentally scare them.. Yet, to his surprise, they easily comply with him.

Even though they are children—the oldest no older than 15—they strangely have an air of professionalism about them.

The mystery surrounding them doesn't last long, as one of the children, a red-headed boy of around 12 years of age, steps forward to explain themselves.

"We are Colors, elite trainees of the RRB, who will, in the future, serve under the various units of the army. We are being trained from a young age to join the predetermined units assigned to us."

According to the boy; every kid at this hidden bunker is named after a color, and there are apparently different units in the Red Ribbon Army, each representing a specific color. Some examples are the Blue Unit, Silver Unit, White Unit, Violet Unit, etc...

Later on, when these young Trainees are of the right age, all of them will go on to be part of a unit that specifically matches their given names.

.

.

.

"So which color are you?"

"I am Silver."

"Hmm!.. Well, to tell you the Truth.. I have already destroyed the Red Ribbon Army." Shen tells them directly. He doesn't attempt to placate their hearts.

As expected, the children become silent at the reveal... they were somewhat expecting this.. having long thought of the possibility… Shen's confirmation isn't so surprising.

"Aren't you all angry at me for it?"

"Angry for what, sir?" Silver plainly asks.

"Angry because I destroyed the Red Ribbon Army—your home."

"We have been taught to respect authority. Now that you have destroyed the army, you are the authority." The boy says with a dead-serious face.

"Is that right?... So basically, what you mean is I have to take responsibility for my actions?"