Following Dr. Gero's memories, Kaito found the replacement parts he had prepared for Lapis and No. 18.
Among them were chips meant to modify memory and control behavior — those were immediately destroyed by Kaito.
He had no idea what would happen if those chips were implanted. If they ended up turning into androids with the same personalities as those from another timeline...
No. 18 grew visibly tense upon seeing the parts, so Kaito gently patted her shoulder a few times, then motioned for Lapis to come closer.
Lapis obediently walked over. Kaito turned to No. 18 and said,
"Relax. The reconstruction process won't hurt at all. Watch closely."
As he spoke, his eyes flashed briefly as he focused on Lapis's arm.
A power transmission module on the table instantly vanished — and a piece of Lapis's skeletal structure appeared in its place.
Lapis's eyes widened in shock. He quickly flexed his newly modified arm; the motion felt perfectly natural, without the slightest discomfort.
He threw a punch toward the ground, creating a small crater in the shape of his fist.
But immediately afterward, he winced in pain, pulling his hand back to find it swollen and red.
With teary eyes, he looked at Kaito and asked,
"Brother-in-law, what's going on?"
Kaito shook his head helplessly.
"I only replaced a small part of you just now. You still need to soak in the cultivation fluid later — why are you in such a rush?"
According to Dr. Gero's memories, even implanting all the mechanical components was only half the process. The most crucial step was soaking in the cultivation fluid — it drastically strengthened human cells.
Otherwise, a normal human body could never withstand the terrifying energy output of an eternal energy core.
...
Kaito then gestured with one hand, giving precise instructions. Within moments, he had successfully implanted and replaced every part on the table into Lapis's body.
Lapis jumped up experimentally — nearly hitting his head on the ceiling — but he was too excited to care. To him, he already felt like the stuff of legend: a superhuman.
No. 18, on the other hand, had no such craving for power. As a woman, what made her nervous wasn't desire — it was the thought of the procedure itself.
After witnessing her brother's seemingly playful reconstruction, her anxiety completely faded.
Stretching out her arms toward Kaito, she struck a "ready for harvest" pose.
Kaito didn't hesitate. After another round of focused operations, No. 18's transformation was complete.
However, the replacement parts used for her were significantly more advanced than Lapis's — meaning that her future strength would also surpass his.
No. 18 flexed her hands experimentally. Instead of testing her power on the surroundings like Lapis, she turned and lightly punched her brother in the stomach.
Boom!
Lapis instantly curled up like a shrimp, clutching his belly and groaning in pain.
"Are you trying to kill me?!"
No. 18 nodded in satisfaction. No matter how much she changed, her authority as the elder sister could not — and would not — be weakened.
The truth was, neither of them yet understood the extent of the power they had gained.
Even without their physical bodies being fully strengthened yet, the two of them were already capable of crushing Goku and the others — even the soon-to-arrive Vegeta wouldn't stand a chance.
Without Kaito, whether they turned into Androids or not would've been entirely up to their whim.
But given their personalities, that was unlikely.
Just like in the original anime, the 17 and 18 who retained fragments of their humanity — thanks to Gero releasing them prematurely — never truly lost themselves.
The most "criminal" thing they did was snatch a few outfits.
They never killed a single ordinary human.
And since Kaito hadn't altered their memories in any way, they remained who they truly were — only far more powerful than before.
...
Once everything was done, Kaito led the siblings into a hidden chamber.
Inside stood two glass pods, each large enough to fit one person perfectly.
Kaito stomped lightly on the floor, causing a wall of earth to rise up and divide the two pods.
Lapis and No. 18 were long used to Kaito's absurd abilities, though they still couldn't quite figure out why he'd separated the pods.
Without explaining, Kaito turned to Lapis.
"Lapis, take off your clothes."
"Huh!?"
Lapis's eyes went wide, disbelief written all over his face.
"Brother-in-law! I'm your little brother-in-law!"
"...I know. But I need you to get into that glass pod. Once I fill it with cultivation fluid, do you really want to soak in there fully clothed?"
"Ah? Oh, right, that makes sense..."
Lapis didn't waste time arguing. Within seconds, he stripped completely, while No. 18 had already turned her head away — they might be siblings, but they were both adults, and some things were better left unseen.
Completely naked, Lapis stepped into the glass pod, took a breathing mask from the base, and strapped it over his face. Then he nodded at Kaito.
He looked as if he'd read one too many sci-fi novels — utterly unfazed by the scene, almost as if he'd been through it before.
Kaito smiled faintly, walked over to the control panel, and pressed a button.
A flood of pale green liquid surged into the pod, quickly submerging Lapis entirely.
No one knew exactly what this liquid was made of. Lapis floated there, wide-eyed with curiosity.
Kaito's voice came through the intercom inside the glass.
"You'll be asleep for a while. When you wake up, everything will be complete."
Lapis nodded vigorously under the liquid. A few beeps sounded from the top of the pod — and then he slowly closed his eyes, sinking into a deep sleep.
Kaito turned toward No. 18. Her face flushed red, but she didn't tell him to turn away.
Instead, she quietly removed her clothing, standing bare before him without a word.
Kaito, in turn, showed her respect. No stray thoughts crossed his mind. With pure sincerity, he stepped forward, gently embraced her, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Go on in. When you wake up... you'll be the true No. 18."
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