Gohan spoke up first, "Uncle Piccolo should be one of them."
Goku followed, "Android 18 is also very strong. We can count her in, along with Androids 17 and 16."
After saying this, Goku looked at John Doe.
John Doe nodded helplessly and said, "I'll convince Android 18, but you'll have to convince Androids 17 and 16."
"No problem," Goku said confidently. "Just tell me where they are, and I'll take care of the rest."
John Doe had been in contact with Androids 17 and 18 all along. When Android 17 got married, he and Android 18 even attended the wedding.
John Doe told Goku about the location of Androids 17 and 16's workplace and said, "Goku, currently, Androids 17 and 16 are working as forest rangers on a small island in a wildlife sanctuary. If you want them to join, you'll need to find replacements for their jobs, or they won't leave their post."
Goku nodded, indicating that he understood.
With Androids 18, 17, and 16 included, the total number of participants reached eight.
At this moment, Gohan spoke up again, "We can also invite Buu to join. He's very strong."
John Doe and Goku immediately nodded in agreement. Indeed, Buu's invulnerability and magical abilities, which could help restore everyone's energy, made him extremely useful.
John Doe asked, "Where is Buu now? Is he still at your house?"
Goku turned to Gohan and asked, "Oh, Gohan, I haven't seen Buu in a while. Where did he go?"
Gohan smiled and said, "Buu is currently at Mr. Satan's house, Videl's father."
"Previously, Mr. Satan participated in the Budokai, but he was afraid of being defeated by other contestants. So, he approached me and wanted me to compete on his behalf, asking me to win against the other contestants and then lose to him, so he could maintain his champion's honor."
"But how could I agree to throw a match for him? Yet, since he is Videl's father, I couldn't refuse. So, I asked Mr. Buu for help."
"Unexpectedly, Mr. Buu and Mr. Satan hit it off immediately. Now, Mr. Buu lives at Mr. Satan's house, and Mr. Satan is responsible for taking care of him."
"Not bad, not bad at all. It's not that difficult, right? We already have nine contestants now, don't we?" Beerus said happily. "We just need one more. Any suggestions?"
John Doe and the others looked at each other, and Goku said, "If all else fails, we can call Krillin or Tien Shinhan. At least we'll have the numbers."
Vegeta frowned and said, "I think it's better to call Raditz or Nappa instead of them."
"I contacted them recently, and they can also transform into Super Saiyans now. They should be stronger than Tien Shinhan and Krillin."
Hearing the two names Vegeta mentioned, Beerus immediately asked, "Are these two also Saiyans?"
Vegeta nodded and said, "Yes, Lord Beerus. They, along with me and Kakarot, are among the few remaining pure-blooded Saiyans."
Beerus nodded and said, "Good. We'll choose the last contestant from these two."
"It's not difficult to gather ten people, right? It's not that hard. This proves that I, as the Destroyer God, am doing a decent job."
"You guys quickly go and convince the contestants you've chosen. I'll wait here for everyone. Remember, we only have forty-eight hours, and almost two hours have passed already."
So, they split up. John Doe went to convince his wife, Android 18; Goku went to convince Androids 16 and 17; Gohan went to convince Piccolo; and Vegeta went to convince Raditz or Nappa.
John Doe arrived at the neighboring island, where Android 18 was playing with their two-year-old daughter at home.
John Doe's daughter was named Lazuli. He originally thought she should have the same surname as him and Axel Doe, and then they could choose a name.
However, Android 18 strongly objected because she found the names John Doe and Axel Doe too ugly and didn't want her daughter to have the same name.
So, Android 18 gave her daughter her old name, Lazuli.
John Doe felt helpless about this but could only agree.
When Android 18 saw John Doe enter, she asked, "How did the competition go? Did you win?"
John Doe proudly said, "Of course, with me on the team, victory is guaranteed."
Android 18 glanced at John Doe and said, "Then who was it that was almost beaten by Cell and lost all confidence?"
Hearing Android 18's words, John Doe's face showed embarrassment. His performance against Cell had become a sore point that Android 18 often brought up.
Whenever John Doe boasted, Android 18 would mention this incident.
After playing with his daughter for a while, Android 18 saw that he was free and immediately asked, "Come on, is there something you want to discuss with me?"
John Doe quickly said, "Android 18, Zeno is organizing a universe-wide martial arts tournament, and we need to gather ten contestants from Universe 7. I hope you can participate."
"I don't want to participate. I don't want to do something without any benefits," Android 18 said.
John Doe continued to persuade her, "Although there may not be any direct benefits, losing the tournament would be terrible. Zeno will erase the losing universes."
"There are eight universes and eighty contestants in total, and only the winning universe will be spared. The other seven universes will be erased."
Hearing John Doe's words, Android 18 also frowned and said, "Is this Zeno the little guy who appeared during your match with Universe 6?"
"Yes, that's Zeno. Although he's small in stature, his power is extremely terrifying. I suspect we exist in a world he created, which is why he can casually erase universes."
"Or perhaps he and all the universes were created by the same creator, but the creator gave Zeno the power to erase universes at will."
"But this is too arbitrary, erasing universes without any reason!" Android 18 said, dissatisfied.
"Android 18, we have no choice. When our strength is insufficient, we can only endure and follow his orders. But I believe that one day, my strength will surpass that of these twelve universes. At that time, we will no longer need to listen to Zeno, and no one will dare to command us," John Doe said firmly, holding Android 18's hand.