"Recruit him?!" General Naoiki exclaims. "If he wants for anything, he can simply take it! Hell, a good chunk of our people have started worshipping him! How can you--"

"Silence, General!" King Furry interrupts. "Let the man explain himself! Let's see... you're... Dr. Flappe, correct?"

"Yes sir." he confirms.

"Well then, as inappropriate as General Naoiki's outburst was, I can't help but agree with him. How exactly do you plan on recruiting Raditz?"

"This 'Raditz' has proven to be an extremely dangerous man, uncaring for the authority our government should have over our airspaces. The good General is correct in his belief. If Raditz wants something, he can certainly take it, and there is nothing we can do to stop him... for now, at least."

"For now?" the King asks, intrigued.

"I'm sure you're aware of my talents, King Furry, but for those of you who are unfamiliar with me... my name is Dr. Flappe, and I have spent the majority of my life working for the Red Ribbon Army. In particular, I was one of the heads of the Red Ribbon Army's Android Development Program, along with my colleague, Dr. Gero. I've left that life behind me, but I still have all of the knowledge I gained during my many years of research."

"So you plan to build these 'Androids' to deal with the Saiyan?" Naoiki asks. "If it were that easy, then the Red Ribbon Army would surely have taken over Earth years ago."

"You are correct yet again, General, but please allow me to explain." Flappe says calmly. "Although we called our creations Androids, it is more accurate to say that they were Cyborgs. We would combine humans with technology, creating warriors far more powerful than they had any right to be. When we parted ways, Dr. Gero and I were working on an Artificial Energy Generator to further power our creations. Theoretically, they would have infinite energy."

"I-Infinite energy?!" a scientist yells in shock.

"In theory. I doubt that we'd ever be able to achieve something like that in practice, but I believe that, if given sufficient resources and aid, I could lead a team of scientists to finish what Dr. Gero and I started. We could take an average human and give them power greater than anything we've seen... or at least, we could allow them to fight against Raditz without instantly dying."

"That is a bold claim, Flappe, but if you can do what you say you can... then it seems like our only hope." the King says, folding his hands in his lap regally. "But if we could potentially create an army to fight against Raditz, then why would we bother to recruit him? It seems far too dangerous to leave a loose end like that."

"There are two reasons. The first is that I cannot create an army to kill him. The resources it would take to create one Android is immense... I don't believe that our planet has enough to create an entire army."

"Then why suggest this in the first place?" the General says in exasperation. "If your creation can't beat him, then he can still take whatever he wants from us. He has no reason to work for us."

"General, I detailed what would happen if I took an average person and made them into an Android... I don't plan on using an average person."

"Explain." King Furry orders.

"None of the students of the Crane or Turtle Hermits can match Raditz, nor could King Piccolo. I sincerely doubt that they would agree to be turned into an Android, and the Ki experts our army possess are, frankly, not talented enough to pose a serious threat to him, even if they were Androids. I propose that, with your permission, we organize another World Martial Arts Tournament, but forbid anyone who has learnt to use Ki from participating. We will then take the finalists, which will be those who have the most strength on Earth barring the use of Ki, and turn them into our Androids. I am confident that they will be more than a match for Raditz. He will have no choice but to work for us."

"That... is not a terrible idea." General Naoiki admits. "But how do you plan on controlling these Androids? Even if you can control them, why on Earth are you so adamant on recruiting him? It is both easier and safer to simply kill him."

Dr. Flappe sighs, answering in a slightly regretful tone. "We... I have already considered your first question. When I worked for the Red Ribbon Army, I came up with the idea to implant bombs inside our Androids. With a simple push of a button, we could detonate the bomb, instantly killing the Android. If we connect a bomb to our new Android's Artificial Energy Generator, the resulting explosion would have more than enough power to deal with them..."

"And what about my second question? Why not kill the bastard and be done with it?"

"I am good friends with the Briefs family. As a matter of fact, I've visited Capsule Corporation recently, and met Raditz for myself. Although our interaction was brief, I found him to be a funny, enjoyable man to be around. But on--"

King Furry interrupts the man, speaking in a harsh tone. "So you want to spare one of the men who wiped out East City simply because... he was nice to you?! You would be willing to let such a dangerous man run around because you found him funny?!"

"No sir!" Flappe quickly says. "I have my reasons. I was just about to explain before... before I was interrupted."

"Then by all means, continue."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Yes sir... as I was saying, one thing that stood out to me when I met Raditz, beyond his personality or his overwhelming power... was his ability to create objects out of his Ki. During our talk, he created a glass cup, filled it with ice, and then filled it with Cola. He claimed to be capable of creating anything, although it is far easier to create things he has studied in detail."

For the second time today, the room practically erupts with noise as dozens of politicians, billionaires, and scientists shout out in disbelief.

"What?!"

"Impossible!"

"That's... that's outrageous!"

"He must be lying!"

The King, surprisingly, doesn't yell for silence. As a matter of fact, he doesn't yell at all. He, unlike his subjects, sits in stunned silence. After several minutes of chatter, the majority of the room has quieted down.

"Even if that is true... would that not make him far, far more dangerous?" the General calmly questions. "Our currency is based on gold. If he can create whatever he wants, he could crash our economy by flooding the markets with gold."

Dr. Flappe nods his head. "That's true... but the benefits far outweigh the costs. Remember, the reason I can't create an army of Androids is because of the sheer amount of materials it would take. According to Raditz, his ability to create materials is a technique. If we have him working for us, then we could force him to teach that technique to others. With a dedicated team of Ki users constantly creating materials, we could potentially turn everyone on Earth into an Android... or at the bare minimum, end world hunger."

"Everyone on Earth... I assume we'd be the first in line to be turned into Androids? After all, the people will need strong, wise leaders to lead them when this groundbreaking, life-changing technology is revealed to the world..." one of the businessmen says with a crooked grin.

Murmurs of assent echo throughout the room as dozens of people stare at Flappe expectantly. The scientist nervously gulps at the excited, greedy gazes.

"I... uh... that's not my choice to make." he quickly says. "The decision rests with our leader, King Furry."

Everyone's attention is immediately on the King, who is still sitting in his chair at the head of the table in silence.

"And I assume all of you wish to be turned into... 'Androids', as Dr. Flappe calls them?" the dog-man says with a complicated expression on his face.

A round of "yes sirs" spread throughout the room, causing the King's expression to grow grim.

"...I see."

He sighs, standing up from his chair.

"I desperately wish that you all of you weren't so greedy. Frankly, it sickens me, but I suppose the idea of unheard of power and a mechanical, unfailing body is far too appealing for your morals to contend against. If it were up to me, I'd simply have a single Android built... maybe 2, if I wasn't confident in their ability to defeat Raditz, then I'd send the Androids to recruit him... but I can see that it isn't up to me."

He turns towards Dr. Flappe as he speaks.

"Flappe, for such an intelligent man, you obviously don't know how those in power act, nor how they got that power in the first place. If you knew, I doubt you'd have ever suggested this idea in front of so many people."

"Um... sir? What do you mean?" the confused man asks.

"Look around. Look at how greedy they are, at how much they desperately want the sort of power you're offering. They want to become Androids, and it's painfully obvious that if I refuse, I won't be King for much longer."

"Hehehe... he's right, you know." a businessman says, grinning proudly.

"Even if I were to order my troops to kill everyone in this room, I'd be willing to bet that the information you just revealed would be leaked, somehow, someway." the King continues, ignoring the hostile looks he gets from those around him.

"I can just refuse them myself." Flappe says dismissively. "They can't force me."

One of the many scientists in the room scoffs. "Now that we know it's possible, we could easily raid your home and old Red Ribbon Army bases to secure old Android technology and blueprints. With a bit of study and a lot of effort, we can work it out from there. We don't need you. Your help can speed the process up significantly, yes, but if you refuse, we can always get rid of you and continue ourselves."

Some of the scientists in the room shift uncomfortably at the words, but nobody speaks up, causing Dr. Flappe's expression to fall.

"Oh..."

"'Oh' is right, Flappe. Given that I have little choice in the matter... I've decided that we'll go with your plan, with the condition that, upon securing Raditz's cooperation, you will begin to turn the various leaders of Earth's cities, along with any influential businessmen and scientists, into Androids."

"...Yes sir..."

Cheers ring out through the room at Flappe's answer as almost everyone in the room begins to celebrate. In the midst of their joy, they seemed to have forgotten one thing... the entire plan hinges on whoever wins the World Martial Arts Tournament being able to defeat Raditz...

Unseen by anyone, a small, camouflaged robot sits in the corner of the room, silently recording every detail of the meeting, and sending it far, far away...

"IDIOT!" Dr. Gero roars, pounding his fist on the table in front of him. "UTTER BUFFOON!"

The elderly scientist stares at the large screen in front of him, watching with shock and anger as Dr. Flappe details his plan to deal with Raditz.

"What the hell is he thinking?!?! Making an offer like that in front of so many people... I can't believe he'd be so STUPID!"

Gero's fists clench in fury as the video continues on.

"This... this ruins all of my plans... how am I supposed to take over Earth if those bastards have already done so?! How are my Androids supposed to kill them all if they're also Androids?!?!"

He curses his misfortune, holding his head in his hands as the cheers of the group he's spying on echo through the screen's speakers. Before he can continue ranting further about the foolishness of Dr. Flappe, one of the many screens in his room suddenly goes freezes, showing a still image of a long-haired, one-armed man.

"AND I STILL DON'T HAVE ENOUGH DATA ON THAT DAMNED SAIYAN!" he shouts as Raditz destroys another of his spy robots.

He stares at the mocking image of Raditz, imagining all the ways he can make that Saiyan pay... all the ways he'll make Earth's leaders pay. The malicious thoughts calm his fury, allowing him to think rationally.

"...No... no, all hope isn't lost. They'll go for quantity, but I'll go for quality... yes... if they want to steal my hard work, my years of effort and research, then I'll just have to make them regret ever daring to try. Let's see here... South City, North City, East City, West City, Capital City, and of course, Orange City. I currently have plans for four Androids... maybe five, if I count the bio-Android, but what if I were to make more...?"

"An Android for each of those cities, to destroy everything they hold dear at the same time, and a few extra for Son Goku..."

He trails off, wiping a stack of papers off his desk, before he busies himself with writing down ideas and designs.

"Those bastards hope to copy what I've worked so hard on, but copying will take time... time I won't give them. Androids 13-20 will be my instruments of vengeance... maybe I'll even turn myself into an Android, and deal with Goku myself... and of course, let's not forget you."

With a wicked smile, Dr. Gero stares at the frozen image of Raditz on his screen, already thinking about the ways he'll torment his enemies before their inevitable demise...