Post by Krillin on Nov 10, 2010 1:03:38 GMT -5
Chapter 37:
No Match for the Androids
18 shot at Vegeta, launching a punch. The Saiyan blocked it, then blocked an elbow she sent at him.
The two began trading blows, each blocking the other's before they could make contact. Finally, 18 managed to force Vegeta to back off slightly. Throwing a punch, Vegeta dodged it, her hand getting stuck in the cliff. Vegeta grabbed her and threw her against the top of the cliff.
"For your sake I hope you can do better than that!" shouted 18. I may have to increase my strength to full power.
Vegeta shot at the android, taking a swipe. She vanished right before it made contact. Vegeta darted upwards, delivering a direct blow to the android's face.
"Look at that," said 17. "Dr. Gero's information was wrong. Vegeta is much stronger than we thought." 17 smirked. "But could he win? I doubt it."
-DBZ: SGTW-
"It feel's like Vegeta's powered up!" shouted Gohan, sensing the Saiyan's power increase. "He must be fighting one of the androids."
He stopped. Trunks turned to Gohan angrily. "What are you doing? We need to move!"
Gohan flew forward and put his hand on Trunk's shoulder. "This is much quicker."
Piccolo came forward and put his hand on Gohan's shoulder. Krillin grabbed on to Trunk's other shoulder, and Tien grabbed on to Piccolo.
"Right. Everybody ready?" asked Gohan. He raised two fingers to his forehead. The five vanished.
-DBZ: SGTW-
18 flipped over, recovering from the blow.
"Ooh, for someone made of metal," said Vegeta, "you move pretty fast. If you give up now, I promise I'll turn you into something practical, like a toaster! Or a washing machine!"
He is really starting to annoy me, thought 18. She smirked, then flew off. Vegeta followed 18 as she set down on top of a semi truck.
"What's wrong?" asked Vegeta. "Batteries getting low?" He charged at 18, launching a flurry of punches and kicks. One of Vegeta's kicks got through, knocking her off the semi. She smashed into the front of another car.
She hopped off, Vegeta charging after her. She landed on top of a different car. She moved out of the way just as Vegeta threw a punch, which then went through the top of the car.
Vegeta looked up at 18. "That's the last time you get away from me!" He shot after her. The two landed back with 16 and 17.
"Look, they've come back!" said 17.
"Did you enjoy the ride?" asked 18 to Vegeta.
"Your warranty ran out with me a long time ago," said Vegeta. "So you're going to be recycled." He raised one of his hands so it was pointing at the android. "Now, be good and be still. I'm going to wipe that smirk off that pretty little face of yours. You've laughed at me for the last time, android."
"Take your best shot." Vegeta did. She jumped out of the way, and the blast continued on, smashing into a semi truck.
"Now that's what I like to see," said 17. "Destruction."
"That was just so poor," said 18, landing behind Vegeta. "Your aim was off by ten degrees."
Vegeta turned to face 18. "You can be very quick when you need to be, android. But your speed won't save you from me for long."
"Don't worry, Vegeta," said 18. "I don't plan on running from you anymore. Face it, I'm a lot stronger than you'll ever be."
"I doubt it. You're so weak I won't even have to break a sweat."
"For your information I've been taking it easy on you. I know how fragile you flesh-and-blood types can be."
"Oh really? Well don't do me any favors, because I guarantee you I won't be showing you any mercy."
"Well, okay," said 18. Suddenly, she shot at Vegeta, head-butting him. Vegeta had no time to even think of blocking.
Blinking some blood out of his eye, the Saiyan charged at the android, raising a fist for a punch. She raised one knee, and he smashed into it.
"Tell me, Vegeta, I'm curious," asked the android. "What is it like to feel this kind of pain?" She punched him, sending him head-first into the cliff side. "I know I'm being hard on you, but it's the only way you'll learn."
Just then, Gohan and the others appeared. They took up a position between 18 and the other androids. Trunks turned towards the hole Vegeta had made. "Are you alright in there, Vegeta?"
"Of course I am!" came the muffled reply. "Why wouldn't I be?" He came walking out of the hole, a little cut up, but otherwise relatively unharmed.
"You're all right!" said Trunks, grinning.
"Of course. That was just a lucky punch." Vegeta glared at the others. "What are you doing here? I told you I don't want your help."
"Look at that!" said 17 from where he was watching. "Vegeta's friends have come to his aid. Android 18 can take care of them all by herself, but maybe I should help her. That is, unless you want to. What do you say, 16, you up for a fight?"
"No," said 16. "I will not fight them. I will only fight with Goku."
"Alright then," said 17, walking forward. "Have it your way, pal. But I suggest you loosen up before you rust."
"Hey, guys," said Tien. "We've got another android approaching from 12 o'clock."
"It's time to get out of here," said Trunks. "We should leave now and come back when Goku is better. Then we'll fight them."
"What is wrong with you?" asked Vegeta. "Run away? I'm staying."
"You should listen to your friend," said 18. "He's the one who'll have to clean you off the highway."
"Are you kidding me? You want me to leave now, when we're just getting to know each other? You won't be so lucky. I fight alone. I don't need the help of anyone, and that includes these Earthlings, the Namek, and most of all, Kakarot and the brat! I am the most powerful Saiyan who has ever lived. I fear no one, especially not this android."
Just then, there was clapping from behind the others. They turned to see 17. "A beautiful speech," said the android. "I can see it now. You truly are a prince of a royal bloodline."
"Stay out of this one, android," said Vegeta. "I'll deal with you soon enough. Once I'm finished with her."
"Well, I hate to deny you the opportunity to test your strength against 18, so I'll make a deal with you. I'm willing to stand aside and let you fight, as long as you fight alone. But if any one of these friends of your try to assist you in any way, I'll be forced to step in."
"You don't have to worry about this group," said Vegeta. "They're a bunch of cowards. They won't risk their lives for me. I agree to your deal."
"Then let's continue?" asked 18.
"Bring it on," said Vegeta.
18 shot at Vegeta, smashing him in the face with a punch. He rebounded off the top of the cliff, then shot at the android. He moved behind her, and hammered her into the cliff. He raised one hand and shot an energy wave at the android, who was unable to move out of the way.
Vegeta shot down into the smoke. When it cleared, they saw 18. Her clothes were a little torn up, but otherwise she was unharmed. "What's the matter?" asked the Saiyan. "You look a bit ruffled."
"Yes, well," said 18, taking her wrecked jacket off. "Looks aren't everything. You fight quite well for being such a little man. It's impressive, even if you are a Saiyan."
"I know. There are very few willing to train as intensely as I did to achieve this kind of power."
"How sad," said 18. "To work so hard for so little."
17 had returned to 16. "Obviously, Vegeta is Vegeta, three-eyes is called Tien, the one with the shiny head is Krillin, and the Namek is Piccolo. But who are the other two? I do not recognize either of them in my files."
"I have no data on the taller one," replied 16. "But the younger one is the one called Gohan, the son of Goku. The appearance is exact except for the hair and eye color. But Vegeta is also different in this regard."
Vegeta shot at 18, launching a kick that she blocked. He launched a flurry of attacks, but every one was blocked.
I never knew my father was this strong, thought Trunks. He's fighting that android one-on-one.
"Vegeta can't win," said Gohan suddenly. The others looked at him in shock. "She's just making him burn up all of his energy, then she's going to attack!"
"Every move is taking it's toll," said Piccolo. "Vegeta's getting weaker while the android still stays strong."
18 launched a kick at Vegeta's feet. He hopped out of the way, and she punched him in the face. He launched at her, but she blocked the punch with one hand. He threw a second punch with his other arm, but she blocked that one too. Finally, she kneed him in the stomach, then punched him in the face.
Vegeta flew backwards into a rock, screaming in pain.
"It's time to put an end to this game, don't you think?" asked 18, walking towards the Saiyan.
She's been toying with me the whole time! thought Vegeta, his eyebrow twitching in shock. He shot at her, attempting to trip her, but she jumped over him and kicked him in the jaw. As he stumbled forward, she kicked him in the arm, breaking it.
Vegeta collapsed to his knees, holding his broken arm, screaming in agony.
"We've got to help him!" shouted Gohan. He and Trunks shot off towards Android 18.
Within seconds, 17 had taken to the air. He hammered both half-Saiyans into the ground. "You seem to have forgotten our agreement. No interference."
"You should have kept your little friends out of this, Vegeta," said 18, grabbing the Saiyan prince and throwing him against the ground head-first. Vegeta's hair turned black as he lost conscious.
Piccolo and Tien shot down after Gohan and Trunks, who were just climbing to his feet. The four of them faced the androids, assuming a defensive position.
"We never agreed to let Vegeta die," said Gohan. "If you want to kill him, you're going to have to deal with us first. And I'm stronger than Vegeta."
"In case you haven't realized, boy," said 17, "you are still no match for us." The two androids shot into combat against the four.
Tien and Piccolo were quickly overwhelmed, knocked unconscious before they could put up a fight. The two androids launched at Gohan and Trunks.
Gohan shot into the air, 17 on his tail. Turning he raised his hands. "Masenko-HA!" he shouted, the energy wave hammering into the android.
Trunks launched a kick at 18, who blocked it easily, then launched one of her own, catching the half-Saiyan in the head. Trunks feel to the ground, unconscious, his hair turning lavender again.
Gohan fended off an attack from 17, who had flown through the energy blast. Drawing his sword, he swung it at the android. It made direct contact, but the only result was the sword cracking. Gohan threw it to the ground, realizing that it was just dead weight in this fight.
18 shot into the air, moving behind Gohan. The two androids started throwing blow after blow, and Gohan was unable to defend himself. He took a vicious blow to the head, his hair turned black, and he fell to the ground, unconscious like the rest.
"How curious," said 17, landing. "Those three's hair has changed color."
"And those strange glows have vanished again," said 18. She turned to Trunks. "I have no files on this one. Do you?"
"No, and neither does 16. It doesn't matter. He is no threat to us. But they are all stronger than Dr. Gero anticipated. Must have been a human error in the calculation."
"The miscalculation on the boy is immense." 18 nudged Gohan with a foot. "He is the most powerful of all of these. The only real challenge to us. If we had not fought together, he may have been able, though the chance was slim, to defeat one of us. Should we eliminate him?"
"No. Why should we kill the only Saiyan we could actually have fun with?"
Krillin backed away. "Oh no! I'm on my own now!" He hadn't gone tearing after the others. He'd been too frightened. "Maybe if I stay quiet they won't notice me."
Just then, the two androids turned to face Krillin. He screamed and backed against the cliff.
"You look scared," said 17, landing in front of Krillin. "Just relax. You are not the one we're looking for. We want Goku." Krillin backed away in fear. "This one seems to be at a loss for words. Come on, 18. Let's go find Goku."
The two androids began to walk away, moving to rejoin 16. "And just why didn't you ask him where Goku was?" asked 18.
"We could have forced it out of him, but then we wouldn't have the fun of finding Goku ourselves."
"Really, I don't see why you insist on behaving so foolishly, 17."
"What's so foolish about wanting to have a little fun?" The two reached the third android. "What are you looking at, 16?" asked 17, noticing that the big android was staring off into the distance off the roadway.
"You two were too loud," said 16. "You scared the birds away."
"Birds?" asked 18. "Is something wrong with you, 16? We're supposed to be looking for Goku, not birds. Are you ready to begin our search?"
"Yes," said 16, nodding.
"NO, STOP!" shouted Krillin, running up to the androids. "Goku's sick! You can't fight him now! And he hasn't done anything wrong to you! Why are you after him?"
"16 has been programmed to destroy Goku," said 17. "So that's what we're going to do."
"Why? You don't have to do that."
"We're only following Dr. Gero's master plan."
"Just listen to yourselves!" shouted Krillin. "Did you forget? Dr. Gero is gone! You took care of him!"
"Yes, I hadn't forgotten," said 17. "But you see, this is just a game. And finding Goku is a part of the game. That's why we did not ask you where he is."
"Please! Don't go after Goku! I beg it of you."
"No," said 16. "I am programmed to destroy Goku."
"There you go," said 17. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have work to do. Stop worrying about Goku. Take care of your other friends. They look like they could use some Sensu beans."
18 walked up to Krillin. Bending over, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck." The three took off, flying towards a more populated area, where they'd be able to get a car.
Krillin stared at them for a moment. Then, he hopped down to the others. He ran over to Gohan, and pulled the bag of Sensu beans off the half-Saiyan's sash. Taking one, he put it in Gohan's mouth.
Gohan swallowed without complaint. Then he stood up. "They're a lot stronger than I thought they would be," he said. "We didn't stand a chance."
Krillin ran over to Trunks. "Yeah, they're too strong for us to deal with," agreed Krillin, feeding a bean to Trunks. "We need to wait for your dad. Maybe he'll be able to help us."
Within moments, the rest of the Z-Fighters were up and ready. "So they even knew about the Sensu beans," said Piccolo.
"They were just toying with us!" said Tien. "They could have finished all of us off."
Vegeta twitched in rage. He shot off into the sky, heading off.
Trunks made to follow him. "Trunks, wait," said Gohan. "Let him go. Ever since he became a Super Saiyan, his ego's been out of control. First challenging and being defeated by me, then this, and his pride has been severely wounded. He just needs time to cool off."
Trunks walked back over to the others.
"We worked so hard," said Tien. "But they were still stronger than all of us put together."
"I'm sorry," said Krillin. "I should have been fighting right alongside you guys."
"Don't sweat it," said Piccolo. "Trunks is a Super Saiyan, and it only took one kick to knock him out of the fight."
"And if you'd joined us," said Gohan, "nobody would have been able to revive us using the Sensu beans."
"I don't get it," said Trunks, thinking out loud. "It's strange. These androids are much stronger than the ones I fought in my timeline."
"Wait, Trunks," said Piccolo as they all looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"The androids I fought were stronger than me, but not this much stronger. The kind of strength these new androids have is off the charts."
"So now what?" asked Krillin. "We're doomed!"
"You four go to Goku's and move him somewhere save," said Piccolo. "It's obvious we're going to need all the help we can get to beat these androids."
"But what are you going to be doing?" asked Gohan.
"I... don't know."
"Come on, Piccolo," said Krillin. "We know you have some scheme. Tell us what it is!"
"Do me a favor. STOP ASKING QUESTION!" snarled Piccolo. "This is something that I have to do ALONE!" He blasted the ground around the others, then shot into the sky. "I'm leaving, and anyone that tries to follow me is going to be sorry! Just find Goku, and forget about me!"
"What's with him?" asked Tien. "Did I miss something here? I haven't seen Piccolo act like that since back in the old days."
"Don't worry, Tien," said Krillin. "Piccolo's just got a lot on his mind. He's still one of the good guys." He turned to face the others. "This is one fight we cannot afford to lose. And we're going to need everything we've got. Piccolo is just doing what he thinks he has to do to win. He'll be okay."
"What do you mean he'll be okay?" asked Tien.
"You saw Piccolo fly in that direction." Krillin indicated by pointing. "Try and guess where he's going. He's going to Kami's place! They're one and the same. Piccolo is the embodiment of all the negative energy inside of Kami. Master Roshi told me a long time ago that if they hadn't split in two, they'd be the strongest being in the universe! You get it? Piccolo's going to join with Kami! They'll become the ultimate Namek warrior! Piccolo is stronger than he's ever been before, so he'll be an unstoppable force! They'll become a Super Namek!"
"A Super Namek, huh?" asked Gohan. "We could use that."
"But if they join," said Tien. "Kami will disappear and so will the Dragon Balls!"
"It's no better than if Piccolo is destroyed by the androids," said Krillin. "But if Piccolo is thinking of uniting with Kami he must be desperate. They really don't get along."
"We can't forget about my fath- uh, Vegeta," said Trunks.
"There's no reason for you to hide it anymore, Trunks," said Krillin. "We all know Bulma and Vegeta had a baby. You're their son, right?" Trunks nodded, shocked. "I guess Vegeta's the only one who doesn't know," continued Krillin. "But he'll be back once he cools down."
"We should probably get to my house," said Gohan. "We have no idea how long it will take those androids to get there."
"I'm going to go and get Chiaotzu and resume my training," said Tien. "I'll see you guys later." He took off, flying towards Kame house.
Krillin and Trunks placed their hands on Gohan's shoulders. Gohan raised his fingers to his forehead, and the four vanished.
-DBZ: SGTW-
Will Gohan and the others manage to keep one step ahead of the Androids, or will they be caught up with? Will Piccolo's plan work? Find out in the next chapter of DBZ: Son Gohan the Warrior!
Chapter 38:
Unwelcome Discovery
Chi-Chi was sitting in her living room when all of a sudden Gohan, Krillin, and Trunks appeared.
"Gohan!" said Chi-Chi, surprised. She ran forward to give her son a hug. "You're OK!"
"Where is dad?" asked Gohan, hugging his mother. "Is he alright?"
"He's back here," said Chi-Chi, leading the way. The other four followed her.
"Hey guys," said Yamcha, standing up. He'd been watching over Goku while Chi-Chi had been relaxing. "Did you beat the androids?" he asked, noticing how Gohan's gi was was rather torn.
"We beat the two that we fought," said Gohan. "But three more were activated, and they're far more powerful. We were defeated quickly."
Yamcha visibly paled. "So now what are we going to do? If you're no match for them, then none of us are!" He then noticed Trunks. "Hey, it's the guy from the future!"
"His name is Trunks," said Krillin. "He's Bulma and Vegeta's son from the future. And two of these new androids are the ones he's been fighting."
"Almost the same," said Trunks quietly. "They're more powerful."
"We need to leave here," said Gohan.
"Why?" asked his mother. "Your father is in no condition to be moved. He's still very ill."
"Those three androids are on their way here to kill dad," said Gohan. "If we don't move him, hide him, they'll find him, and we won't be able to stop them."
Chi-Chi stepped back in shock. She pulled out a Capsule for a heavy cargo plane. She handed it to Yamcha. "Get it ready. We've got no choice." She turned to Gohan. "Go and get changed. You are not walking around like that." She too had noticed the state of Gohan's clothing.
Gohan nodded reluctantly. Moving to his room, he changed into a brand new gi, exactly like the one his father wore, with no symbols.
When he walked out, they'd carried his father to the plane. Gohan grabbed a load of luggage, and set it on the plane.
"All right, guys," said Chi-Chi, getting a bit bossy. "Get on. We're leaving."
-DBZ: SGTW-
Kami and Piccolo stared at each other. Piccolo had arrived at the lookout moments before.
"So, old man," said Piccolo. "You know why I'm here."
"Yes, I know," said Kami. "Of course I do. The bond we share is of the mind as well as of the body, remember? I know exactly what's on your mind, Piccolo."
"Good, that saves me some time."
Kami smiled. "What an unexpected honor this is. I never thought that you and I would be united again."
Piccolo frowned. "Stop smiling. I'm not doing this because I want to. I'm doing this because I need our combined powers. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure how I'm going to tolerate being so close to you. Your presence sickens me. Trust me. I'd have preferred it if I never had to look at you again."
Kami gripped his cane tighter. Piccolo's attitude angers me. But I can't blame him. He's a part of me. I have watched him fight one formidable enemy after another, and he's beaten the odds every time. "Perhaps my time as Guardian of Earth has come to an end."
"No, Kami!" shouted Mr. Popo. "The Earth still needs you!"
Kami turned to his assistant. "You are too kind, Mr. Popo. But I must act for the good of the Earth. This is about the continuing struggle between good and evil. And the danger that looms over us now poses a threat greater than anything we have faced in the past. Even Vegeta and Gohan, with all of their strength, were no match for these androids. Super Saiyans or not, they were tossed aside like rag dolls. These androids will be difficult to beat. Even if Goku recovers from his illness, he will provide little resistance against these powerful new foes. In our combined form, Piccolo may be the only one strong enough to win this fight."
"We agree," said Piccolo. "The force that threatens Earth is bigger than both of us. But at least when our powers are united, we still stand a chance. And no matter how slim that chance is, we must take it."
"Hold on," said Kami. "I haven't agreed to anything yet. Time may still be on our side. I would like to let things play out further before I make my decision."
Piccolo raised a fist. "YOU WANT TO SEE HOW THINGS PLAY OUT?" he screamed. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?"
"Sometimes things are not as they appear to be, Piccolo. And I am not entirely convinced that the aim of these androids is to destroy the Earth."
"Is this a joke? You've stood here and watched everything that's gone on below, and you're still willing to let it continue? Don't you remember what Trunks said? The future will be destroyed by these androids!"
"Yes, but Trunks made a mistake. He told you that the androids you encountered today were not the same ones he fought in the future!"
Piccolo laughed. "Yeah, right," he said, the sarcasm dripping off his tongue, "these androids are a real great bunch of guys once you get to know them."
"I'm serious," said Kami. "I know you may not agree with me, but I still need more time to make up my mind."
"Have it your way," said Piccolo. "You're scared. I know." He crossed his legs and assumed a meditative position. "I'll be waiting right here."
-DBZ: SGTW-
"So these androids are more powerful than the ones you've been fighting in the future?" asked Yamcha, who was flying the plane.
"Yes," said Trunks. "I don't understand why."
"They're strong," said Gohan, turning away from the window, "but not unbeatable. I might be able to take one in a one-on-one, but if they double team me like they did last time, I won't stand a chance."
"You really think you can take one of them?" asked Trunks, surprised.
"You forget I'm half-Saiyan. I gain strength after every battle. The more I'm hurt, the better. Even you're a little stronger, and I'm guessing Vegeta's stronger too. Maybe it pushed us to where we need to be."
Trunks nodded. "I hope you're right," he said, looking at Goku.
Suddenly Chi-Chi jumped. "What was I thinking?" she said. "We don't have a moment to waste!" She opened one of the bags and pulled out a stack of books. She set them down in front of Gohan. "You're going to study, mister."
Trunks's eye started twitching in shock. The entire world is threatened, and she's more concerned about Gohan studying? I remember my master saying his mother was always on him about studies, but I thought in this time line she wasn't nearly as bad about that.
"Mom!" protested Gohan. "We need to make a plan! After this whole situation is over, I won't train until I get caught up on my homework! I promise!"
Chi-Chi sighed. "Fine. Only because you promised." She put the books away.
Gohan stared at his mother. She's never willingly let me take time off studying before. Dad being sick must have gotten to her more than I know.
Just then, Goku started screaming in pain. Chi-Chi pushed everyone aside and held up the bottle containing the antidote. She dropped one of the pills into her husband's mouth. Within moments, his screaming stopped, and he started breathing easily again.
"Even in his dreams he's fighting," said Trunks, staring at the Saiyan.
"Yeah, that's Goku for you," said Krillin.
"Hey, we're going to be at Master Roshi's in no time," said Yamcha. "But shouldn't we tell Bulma what we're up to?"
"Yeah, I guess. Wait, are yous saying I should call her? No way!"
"I'm flying the plane, man!"
"Fine," said Krillin, walking to the phone. "No offense, man," he said to Trunks, "but your mom's hard to deal with sometimes."
Trunks laughed. "Believe me, I know what you mean."
"Capsule Corp.," said a woman's voice.
"Yes, this is Krillin. I was wondering if I could speak to Bulma."
"Hold on while I transfer your call."
They waited a moment. "Krillin, what's wrong? Is everyone alright? Talk to me!" Both Krillin and Trunks tensed up at the tenseness in her voice. "I've been so worried, where are you calling from? I've tried calling Gohan at his house, and there's no answer. It just rings and rings! By the way, is my son from the future there?"
"Uh, yeah," said Krillin, turning around. "He's right behind me."
"Put him on the line."
"He can hear you on the speaker, so say whatever you need to say, Bulma."
"Well, tell him we received a call from this guy who lives out in the middle of the country, somewhere to the west of here. He claims he found some sort of weird abandoned vehicle and he wants to keep it. But he doesn't know how to fly the thing, so he phoned us and asked us if we knew. He tried to explain what kind of vehicle it was, but he didn't make any sense. We didn't know if it was one of our products or not, but he swore to me it had Capsule Corporation written right across it. So we asked him to send us a picture of it. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. It was the time machine Trunks came here in, and it was a wreck."
"But I put it back into it's Capsule when I landed," said Trunks, pulling out the box he held the Capsules in.
"He says the time machine's right here," relayed Krillin to Bulma.
"The time capsule in the picture," said Bulma, confused, "it's the same, but it does look like it's been sitting there for a while. It's completely overgrown with moss and stuff. So exactly how many time machines did we make in the future?"
"Well, we barely managed to make one," said Trunks.
"That's strange. I'm sure this is a time machine in the picture. Hang on, I'll send you a copy of the picture through the fax."
The printer beeped, and a slip of paper popped out. Krillin handed it to Trunks.
"That's my Capsule," said Trunks. "There's no mistaking it, guys, that's the one I came back in. What's going on here? Krillin, ask her if she knows where this is."
"Hey, Bulma," said Krillin. "This Capsule, where did you say it was?"
"It looks like it's somewhere out in the West 10-50 area," said Bulma. "You going?"
"Yes," said Trunks. "I've got to check this out."
"Alright, then, I'm going to. I'll meet you there." She hung up.
"Are you positive your time machine is one of a kind?" asked Yamcha.
"Yes, I'm sure of it," said Trunks.
"I'll go with you," said Gohan. "You'll be able to get back faster if I go with you, and you might need my help."
Trunks nodded. They opened the door to the plane and hopped out, flying towards where Bulma had told them the time machine was.
"Hey Trunks," said Gohan. "Remember when you were talking about your world in the future? Did the androids really destroy everything?"
"Yes," said Trunks. "They've decimated nearly the entire population. A few of us managed to make it out of West City, but now the only way to survive is to hide in our secret base underground."
"Maybe once we find some way to stop them in this time, my dad and I will go with you back to your time and help you defeat the androids there."
Trunks looked at Gohan in surprise. "Really? Why would you guys do that?"
"You helped us save our time. The least we can do is help you fix yours. But for now we'd better focus on this time."
Trunks checked his watch. "Alright, we're approaching the West 10-50 area," he told Gohan. "Let's go see if we can find the time machine."
The two separated, searching for the time machine. The first to spot it was Gohan. "Hey, Trunks!" he shouted. "I found it!"
Trunks zipped over. "Yeah, that's definitely it. Good work, Gohan." The time machine was overgrown with moss and there was a huge hole in the canopy.
The two heard a plane approaching. "I bet that's Bulma," said Gohan, taking off again. "I'll go tell her where we are." He shot to meet with Bulma.
A few moments later, Gohan landed, Bulma's jet landing right behind him. She climbed out. "Hi, Trunks! I'm back! Did you miss me?" She walked over to her future son. "So, what do you think of the younger version of your mother? Pretty cute, huh?"
Trunks blushed. "Well, I'd say, you really haven't changed... that much..."
"You mean... I'll keep my girlish looks for another ten years? Oh, this is great!" She put her hand to her head. "This is so embarrassing."
Gohan just stared at her. Trunks seemed to be trying to keep his eyes averted.
"So, anyway," said Trunks, reaching into his pocket, "look at this." He pulled out a capsule. Pressing the button, he threw it, revealing another time machine in much better condition.
"As you can see, this is the time capsule I came here in."
"Which means the other capsule isn't yours after all," said Bulma.
"No, they're both mine. Remember, I said we only managed to make one time machine in the future. The two capsules you see here, they're actually one and the same."
Trunks scraped a bit of moss off the wrecked time machine, revealing a hand-written "Hope!" marking over the 1. "You wrote it just before I left from the future. And you'll find the exact same thing written on that other capsule."
"But then what happened here?" asked Bulma. "The old capsule looks like it's been here for a pretty long time."
Trunks and Gohan flew up to investigate the hole in the canopy. "How weird," said Gohan. "It's melted, but the blast came from inside. Why would someone want to do that? It doesn't make sense."
"So... so Trunks," asked Bulma. "What do you think made that big hole?"
"Honestly, I wish I knew," said Trunks. He pressed a button, opening the canopy. Looking inside, he noticed two pink bowl-shaped objects. Trunks picked them up, examining them. "What's this?"
"It looks like some kind of egg shell," said Gohan, taking one of the bowls from Trunks.
"Let me have a look!" shouted Bulma. Trunks handed the other bowl to Gohan, who flew down to Bulma, handing them over.
"I think you're right, kid," said Bulma, putting the egg shells together. "They're definitely some sort of egg. But what came out of them?"
The three of them turned, examining the hole in the canopy. "Maybe whatever came out of that egg made that hole in the Capsule Canopy," concluded Gohan.
Trunks sat down and started pressing a few buttons. "There's not much energy left," he said, powering the ship on. "I'd better work fast." He kept pressing buttons. "Come on, don't give out on me. I think I've figured out when the capsule landed here. It looks like it was three years ago. No, wait. It came here four years ago. That just might explain a few things. By the time Gohan and I battled Frieza three years ago, whoever used this other time machine had already been here for a year!"
Trunks flew out of the time machine and landed next to the others. "Is is possible he's the one who changed history? I don't see any other explanation." He walked forward and pressed a button on the side of the old time machine, capsulizing it.
Gohan walked over to the other one and capsulized it, tossing it to Trunks.
"I'll take the weird egg-shell thingies," said Bulma.
Just then, Gohan caught sight of something in the bushes. He flew over to it. "Hey, guys," he shouted to the others. "Come here, quick!"
Bulma and Trunks ran over as quickly as they could. Bulma drew back at what she saw. "Is it... alive?"
It looked like some giant creature. Trunks walked forward to examine it. "No, it looks like whatever it was, it shed it's skin and left. It might be what hatched out of the shell we found inside the capsule."
"Right," said Gohan. "I bet it grew up then molted out of it's skin. But how did it get here in the first place? Did someone send it back in the time machine, or did someone come with it?"
"Regardless of where it came from, it's totally revolting." He stuck a hand in the skin. He pulled back quickly, his hand covered in some sort of slime. "Whatever it is, it's still close."
"We'd better get out of here," said Gohan. The three ran back to Bulma's jet.
She climbed in, looking scared out of her mind. "I'll see you guys later," she said. She took off, getting out of there faster than the others believed.
"We'd better be getting back to Master Roshi's," said Gohan.
"Right," said Trunks, placing his hand on Gohan's shoulder. The two vanished.
-DBZ: SGTW-
What does this new discovery mean for our heroes? And what about the Androids? And I know you already know what everything means- why would you be reading my story if you hadn't watched Dragon Ball Z? Well, just read the next chapter of DBZ: Son Gohan the Warrior!
Word Count: 6,297
No Match for the Androids
18 shot at Vegeta, launching a punch. The Saiyan blocked it, then blocked an elbow she sent at him.
The two began trading blows, each blocking the other's before they could make contact. Finally, 18 managed to force Vegeta to back off slightly. Throwing a punch, Vegeta dodged it, her hand getting stuck in the cliff. Vegeta grabbed her and threw her against the top of the cliff.
"For your sake I hope you can do better than that!" shouted 18. I may have to increase my strength to full power.
Vegeta shot at the android, taking a swipe. She vanished right before it made contact. Vegeta darted upwards, delivering a direct blow to the android's face.
"Look at that," said 17. "Dr. Gero's information was wrong. Vegeta is much stronger than we thought." 17 smirked. "But could he win? I doubt it."
-DBZ: SGTW-
"It feel's like Vegeta's powered up!" shouted Gohan, sensing the Saiyan's power increase. "He must be fighting one of the androids."
He stopped. Trunks turned to Gohan angrily. "What are you doing? We need to move!"
Gohan flew forward and put his hand on Trunk's shoulder. "This is much quicker."
Piccolo came forward and put his hand on Gohan's shoulder. Krillin grabbed on to Trunk's other shoulder, and Tien grabbed on to Piccolo.
"Right. Everybody ready?" asked Gohan. He raised two fingers to his forehead. The five vanished.
-DBZ: SGTW-
18 flipped over, recovering from the blow.
"Ooh, for someone made of metal," said Vegeta, "you move pretty fast. If you give up now, I promise I'll turn you into something practical, like a toaster! Or a washing machine!"
He is really starting to annoy me, thought 18. She smirked, then flew off. Vegeta followed 18 as she set down on top of a semi truck.
"What's wrong?" asked Vegeta. "Batteries getting low?" He charged at 18, launching a flurry of punches and kicks. One of Vegeta's kicks got through, knocking her off the semi. She smashed into the front of another car.
She hopped off, Vegeta charging after her. She landed on top of a different car. She moved out of the way just as Vegeta threw a punch, which then went through the top of the car.
Vegeta looked up at 18. "That's the last time you get away from me!" He shot after her. The two landed back with 16 and 17.
"Look, they've come back!" said 17.
"Did you enjoy the ride?" asked 18 to Vegeta.
"Your warranty ran out with me a long time ago," said Vegeta. "So you're going to be recycled." He raised one of his hands so it was pointing at the android. "Now, be good and be still. I'm going to wipe that smirk off that pretty little face of yours. You've laughed at me for the last time, android."
"Take your best shot." Vegeta did. She jumped out of the way, and the blast continued on, smashing into a semi truck.
"Now that's what I like to see," said 17. "Destruction."
"That was just so poor," said 18, landing behind Vegeta. "Your aim was off by ten degrees."
Vegeta turned to face 18. "You can be very quick when you need to be, android. But your speed won't save you from me for long."
"Don't worry, Vegeta," said 18. "I don't plan on running from you anymore. Face it, I'm a lot stronger than you'll ever be."
"I doubt it. You're so weak I won't even have to break a sweat."
"For your information I've been taking it easy on you. I know how fragile you flesh-and-blood types can be."
"Oh really? Well don't do me any favors, because I guarantee you I won't be showing you any mercy."
"Well, okay," said 18. Suddenly, she shot at Vegeta, head-butting him. Vegeta had no time to even think of blocking.
Blinking some blood out of his eye, the Saiyan charged at the android, raising a fist for a punch. She raised one knee, and he smashed into it.
"Tell me, Vegeta, I'm curious," asked the android. "What is it like to feel this kind of pain?" She punched him, sending him head-first into the cliff side. "I know I'm being hard on you, but it's the only way you'll learn."
Just then, Gohan and the others appeared. They took up a position between 18 and the other androids. Trunks turned towards the hole Vegeta had made. "Are you alright in there, Vegeta?"
"Of course I am!" came the muffled reply. "Why wouldn't I be?" He came walking out of the hole, a little cut up, but otherwise relatively unharmed.
"You're all right!" said Trunks, grinning.
"Of course. That was just a lucky punch." Vegeta glared at the others. "What are you doing here? I told you I don't want your help."
"Look at that!" said 17 from where he was watching. "Vegeta's friends have come to his aid. Android 18 can take care of them all by herself, but maybe I should help her. That is, unless you want to. What do you say, 16, you up for a fight?"
"No," said 16. "I will not fight them. I will only fight with Goku."
"Alright then," said 17, walking forward. "Have it your way, pal. But I suggest you loosen up before you rust."
"Hey, guys," said Tien. "We've got another android approaching from 12 o'clock."
"It's time to get out of here," said Trunks. "We should leave now and come back when Goku is better. Then we'll fight them."
"What is wrong with you?" asked Vegeta. "Run away? I'm staying."
"You should listen to your friend," said 18. "He's the one who'll have to clean you off the highway."
"Are you kidding me? You want me to leave now, when we're just getting to know each other? You won't be so lucky. I fight alone. I don't need the help of anyone, and that includes these Earthlings, the Namek, and most of all, Kakarot and the brat! I am the most powerful Saiyan who has ever lived. I fear no one, especially not this android."
Just then, there was clapping from behind the others. They turned to see 17. "A beautiful speech," said the android. "I can see it now. You truly are a prince of a royal bloodline."
"Stay out of this one, android," said Vegeta. "I'll deal with you soon enough. Once I'm finished with her."
"Well, I hate to deny you the opportunity to test your strength against 18, so I'll make a deal with you. I'm willing to stand aside and let you fight, as long as you fight alone. But if any one of these friends of your try to assist you in any way, I'll be forced to step in."
"You don't have to worry about this group," said Vegeta. "They're a bunch of cowards. They won't risk their lives for me. I agree to your deal."
"Then let's continue?" asked 18.
"Bring it on," said Vegeta.
18 shot at Vegeta, smashing him in the face with a punch. He rebounded off the top of the cliff, then shot at the android. He moved behind her, and hammered her into the cliff. He raised one hand and shot an energy wave at the android, who was unable to move out of the way.
Vegeta shot down into the smoke. When it cleared, they saw 18. Her clothes were a little torn up, but otherwise she was unharmed. "What's the matter?" asked the Saiyan. "You look a bit ruffled."
"Yes, well," said 18, taking her wrecked jacket off. "Looks aren't everything. You fight quite well for being such a little man. It's impressive, even if you are a Saiyan."
"I know. There are very few willing to train as intensely as I did to achieve this kind of power."
"How sad," said 18. "To work so hard for so little."
17 had returned to 16. "Obviously, Vegeta is Vegeta, three-eyes is called Tien, the one with the shiny head is Krillin, and the Namek is Piccolo. But who are the other two? I do not recognize either of them in my files."
"I have no data on the taller one," replied 16. "But the younger one is the one called Gohan, the son of Goku. The appearance is exact except for the hair and eye color. But Vegeta is also different in this regard."
Vegeta shot at 18, launching a kick that she blocked. He launched a flurry of attacks, but every one was blocked.
I never knew my father was this strong, thought Trunks. He's fighting that android one-on-one.
"Vegeta can't win," said Gohan suddenly. The others looked at him in shock. "She's just making him burn up all of his energy, then she's going to attack!"
"Every move is taking it's toll," said Piccolo. "Vegeta's getting weaker while the android still stays strong."
18 launched a kick at Vegeta's feet. He hopped out of the way, and she punched him in the face. He launched at her, but she blocked the punch with one hand. He threw a second punch with his other arm, but she blocked that one too. Finally, she kneed him in the stomach, then punched him in the face.
Vegeta flew backwards into a rock, screaming in pain.
"It's time to put an end to this game, don't you think?" asked 18, walking towards the Saiyan.
She's been toying with me the whole time! thought Vegeta, his eyebrow twitching in shock. He shot at her, attempting to trip her, but she jumped over him and kicked him in the jaw. As he stumbled forward, she kicked him in the arm, breaking it.
Vegeta collapsed to his knees, holding his broken arm, screaming in agony.
"We've got to help him!" shouted Gohan. He and Trunks shot off towards Android 18.
Within seconds, 17 had taken to the air. He hammered both half-Saiyans into the ground. "You seem to have forgotten our agreement. No interference."
"You should have kept your little friends out of this, Vegeta," said 18, grabbing the Saiyan prince and throwing him against the ground head-first. Vegeta's hair turned black as he lost conscious.
Piccolo and Tien shot down after Gohan and Trunks, who were just climbing to his feet. The four of them faced the androids, assuming a defensive position.
"We never agreed to let Vegeta die," said Gohan. "If you want to kill him, you're going to have to deal with us first. And I'm stronger than Vegeta."
"In case you haven't realized, boy," said 17, "you are still no match for us." The two androids shot into combat against the four.
Tien and Piccolo were quickly overwhelmed, knocked unconscious before they could put up a fight. The two androids launched at Gohan and Trunks.
Gohan shot into the air, 17 on his tail. Turning he raised his hands. "Masenko-HA!" he shouted, the energy wave hammering into the android.
Trunks launched a kick at 18, who blocked it easily, then launched one of her own, catching the half-Saiyan in the head. Trunks feel to the ground, unconscious, his hair turning lavender again.
Gohan fended off an attack from 17, who had flown through the energy blast. Drawing his sword, he swung it at the android. It made direct contact, but the only result was the sword cracking. Gohan threw it to the ground, realizing that it was just dead weight in this fight.
18 shot into the air, moving behind Gohan. The two androids started throwing blow after blow, and Gohan was unable to defend himself. He took a vicious blow to the head, his hair turned black, and he fell to the ground, unconscious like the rest.
"How curious," said 17, landing. "Those three's hair has changed color."
"And those strange glows have vanished again," said 18. She turned to Trunks. "I have no files on this one. Do you?"
"No, and neither does 16. It doesn't matter. He is no threat to us. But they are all stronger than Dr. Gero anticipated. Must have been a human error in the calculation."
"The miscalculation on the boy is immense." 18 nudged Gohan with a foot. "He is the most powerful of all of these. The only real challenge to us. If we had not fought together, he may have been able, though the chance was slim, to defeat one of us. Should we eliminate him?"
"No. Why should we kill the only Saiyan we could actually have fun with?"
Krillin backed away. "Oh no! I'm on my own now!" He hadn't gone tearing after the others. He'd been too frightened. "Maybe if I stay quiet they won't notice me."
Just then, the two androids turned to face Krillin. He screamed and backed against the cliff.
"You look scared," said 17, landing in front of Krillin. "Just relax. You are not the one we're looking for. We want Goku." Krillin backed away in fear. "This one seems to be at a loss for words. Come on, 18. Let's go find Goku."
The two androids began to walk away, moving to rejoin 16. "And just why didn't you ask him where Goku was?" asked 18.
"We could have forced it out of him, but then we wouldn't have the fun of finding Goku ourselves."
"Really, I don't see why you insist on behaving so foolishly, 17."
"What's so foolish about wanting to have a little fun?" The two reached the third android. "What are you looking at, 16?" asked 17, noticing that the big android was staring off into the distance off the roadway.
"You two were too loud," said 16. "You scared the birds away."
"Birds?" asked 18. "Is something wrong with you, 16? We're supposed to be looking for Goku, not birds. Are you ready to begin our search?"
"Yes," said 16, nodding.
"NO, STOP!" shouted Krillin, running up to the androids. "Goku's sick! You can't fight him now! And he hasn't done anything wrong to you! Why are you after him?"
"16 has been programmed to destroy Goku," said 17. "So that's what we're going to do."
"Why? You don't have to do that."
"We're only following Dr. Gero's master plan."
"Just listen to yourselves!" shouted Krillin. "Did you forget? Dr. Gero is gone! You took care of him!"
"Yes, I hadn't forgotten," said 17. "But you see, this is just a game. And finding Goku is a part of the game. That's why we did not ask you where he is."
"Please! Don't go after Goku! I beg it of you."
"No," said 16. "I am programmed to destroy Goku."
"There you go," said 17. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have work to do. Stop worrying about Goku. Take care of your other friends. They look like they could use some Sensu beans."
18 walked up to Krillin. Bending over, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck." The three took off, flying towards a more populated area, where they'd be able to get a car.
Krillin stared at them for a moment. Then, he hopped down to the others. He ran over to Gohan, and pulled the bag of Sensu beans off the half-Saiyan's sash. Taking one, he put it in Gohan's mouth.
Gohan swallowed without complaint. Then he stood up. "They're a lot stronger than I thought they would be," he said. "We didn't stand a chance."
Krillin ran over to Trunks. "Yeah, they're too strong for us to deal with," agreed Krillin, feeding a bean to Trunks. "We need to wait for your dad. Maybe he'll be able to help us."
Within moments, the rest of the Z-Fighters were up and ready. "So they even knew about the Sensu beans," said Piccolo.
"They were just toying with us!" said Tien. "They could have finished all of us off."
Vegeta twitched in rage. He shot off into the sky, heading off.
Trunks made to follow him. "Trunks, wait," said Gohan. "Let him go. Ever since he became a Super Saiyan, his ego's been out of control. First challenging and being defeated by me, then this, and his pride has been severely wounded. He just needs time to cool off."
Trunks walked back over to the others.
"We worked so hard," said Tien. "But they were still stronger than all of us put together."
"I'm sorry," said Krillin. "I should have been fighting right alongside you guys."
"Don't sweat it," said Piccolo. "Trunks is a Super Saiyan, and it only took one kick to knock him out of the fight."
"And if you'd joined us," said Gohan, "nobody would have been able to revive us using the Sensu beans."
"I don't get it," said Trunks, thinking out loud. "It's strange. These androids are much stronger than the ones I fought in my timeline."
"Wait, Trunks," said Piccolo as they all looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"The androids I fought were stronger than me, but not this much stronger. The kind of strength these new androids have is off the charts."
"So now what?" asked Krillin. "We're doomed!"
"You four go to Goku's and move him somewhere save," said Piccolo. "It's obvious we're going to need all the help we can get to beat these androids."
"But what are you going to be doing?" asked Gohan.
"I... don't know."
"Come on, Piccolo," said Krillin. "We know you have some scheme. Tell us what it is!"
"Do me a favor. STOP ASKING QUESTION!" snarled Piccolo. "This is something that I have to do ALONE!" He blasted the ground around the others, then shot into the sky. "I'm leaving, and anyone that tries to follow me is going to be sorry! Just find Goku, and forget about me!"
"What's with him?" asked Tien. "Did I miss something here? I haven't seen Piccolo act like that since back in the old days."
"Don't worry, Tien," said Krillin. "Piccolo's just got a lot on his mind. He's still one of the good guys." He turned to face the others. "This is one fight we cannot afford to lose. And we're going to need everything we've got. Piccolo is just doing what he thinks he has to do to win. He'll be okay."
"What do you mean he'll be okay?" asked Tien.
"You saw Piccolo fly in that direction." Krillin indicated by pointing. "Try and guess where he's going. He's going to Kami's place! They're one and the same. Piccolo is the embodiment of all the negative energy inside of Kami. Master Roshi told me a long time ago that if they hadn't split in two, they'd be the strongest being in the universe! You get it? Piccolo's going to join with Kami! They'll become the ultimate Namek warrior! Piccolo is stronger than he's ever been before, so he'll be an unstoppable force! They'll become a Super Namek!"
"A Super Namek, huh?" asked Gohan. "We could use that."
"But if they join," said Tien. "Kami will disappear and so will the Dragon Balls!"
"It's no better than if Piccolo is destroyed by the androids," said Krillin. "But if Piccolo is thinking of uniting with Kami he must be desperate. They really don't get along."
"We can't forget about my fath- uh, Vegeta," said Trunks.
"There's no reason for you to hide it anymore, Trunks," said Krillin. "We all know Bulma and Vegeta had a baby. You're their son, right?" Trunks nodded, shocked. "I guess Vegeta's the only one who doesn't know," continued Krillin. "But he'll be back once he cools down."
"We should probably get to my house," said Gohan. "We have no idea how long it will take those androids to get there."
"I'm going to go and get Chiaotzu and resume my training," said Tien. "I'll see you guys later." He took off, flying towards Kame house.
Krillin and Trunks placed their hands on Gohan's shoulders. Gohan raised his fingers to his forehead, and the four vanished.
-DBZ: SGTW-
Will Gohan and the others manage to keep one step ahead of the Androids, or will they be caught up with? Will Piccolo's plan work? Find out in the next chapter of DBZ: Son Gohan the Warrior!
Chapter 38:
Unwelcome Discovery
Chi-Chi was sitting in her living room when all of a sudden Gohan, Krillin, and Trunks appeared.
"Gohan!" said Chi-Chi, surprised. She ran forward to give her son a hug. "You're OK!"
"Where is dad?" asked Gohan, hugging his mother. "Is he alright?"
"He's back here," said Chi-Chi, leading the way. The other four followed her.
"Hey guys," said Yamcha, standing up. He'd been watching over Goku while Chi-Chi had been relaxing. "Did you beat the androids?" he asked, noticing how Gohan's gi was was rather torn.
"We beat the two that we fought," said Gohan. "But three more were activated, and they're far more powerful. We were defeated quickly."
Yamcha visibly paled. "So now what are we going to do? If you're no match for them, then none of us are!" He then noticed Trunks. "Hey, it's the guy from the future!"
"His name is Trunks," said Krillin. "He's Bulma and Vegeta's son from the future. And two of these new androids are the ones he's been fighting."
"Almost the same," said Trunks quietly. "They're more powerful."
"We need to leave here," said Gohan.
"Why?" asked his mother. "Your father is in no condition to be moved. He's still very ill."
"Those three androids are on their way here to kill dad," said Gohan. "If we don't move him, hide him, they'll find him, and we won't be able to stop them."
Chi-Chi stepped back in shock. She pulled out a Capsule for a heavy cargo plane. She handed it to Yamcha. "Get it ready. We've got no choice." She turned to Gohan. "Go and get changed. You are not walking around like that." She too had noticed the state of Gohan's clothing.
Gohan nodded reluctantly. Moving to his room, he changed into a brand new gi, exactly like the one his father wore, with no symbols.
When he walked out, they'd carried his father to the plane. Gohan grabbed a load of luggage, and set it on the plane.
"All right, guys," said Chi-Chi, getting a bit bossy. "Get on. We're leaving."
-DBZ: SGTW-
Kami and Piccolo stared at each other. Piccolo had arrived at the lookout moments before.
"So, old man," said Piccolo. "You know why I'm here."
"Yes, I know," said Kami. "Of course I do. The bond we share is of the mind as well as of the body, remember? I know exactly what's on your mind, Piccolo."
"Good, that saves me some time."
Kami smiled. "What an unexpected honor this is. I never thought that you and I would be united again."
Piccolo frowned. "Stop smiling. I'm not doing this because I want to. I'm doing this because I need our combined powers. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure how I'm going to tolerate being so close to you. Your presence sickens me. Trust me. I'd have preferred it if I never had to look at you again."
Kami gripped his cane tighter. Piccolo's attitude angers me. But I can't blame him. He's a part of me. I have watched him fight one formidable enemy after another, and he's beaten the odds every time. "Perhaps my time as Guardian of Earth has come to an end."
"No, Kami!" shouted Mr. Popo. "The Earth still needs you!"
Kami turned to his assistant. "You are too kind, Mr. Popo. But I must act for the good of the Earth. This is about the continuing struggle between good and evil. And the danger that looms over us now poses a threat greater than anything we have faced in the past. Even Vegeta and Gohan, with all of their strength, were no match for these androids. Super Saiyans or not, they were tossed aside like rag dolls. These androids will be difficult to beat. Even if Goku recovers from his illness, he will provide little resistance against these powerful new foes. In our combined form, Piccolo may be the only one strong enough to win this fight."
"We agree," said Piccolo. "The force that threatens Earth is bigger than both of us. But at least when our powers are united, we still stand a chance. And no matter how slim that chance is, we must take it."
"Hold on," said Kami. "I haven't agreed to anything yet. Time may still be on our side. I would like to let things play out further before I make my decision."
Piccolo raised a fist. "YOU WANT TO SEE HOW THINGS PLAY OUT?" he screamed. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?"
"Sometimes things are not as they appear to be, Piccolo. And I am not entirely convinced that the aim of these androids is to destroy the Earth."
"Is this a joke? You've stood here and watched everything that's gone on below, and you're still willing to let it continue? Don't you remember what Trunks said? The future will be destroyed by these androids!"
"Yes, but Trunks made a mistake. He told you that the androids you encountered today were not the same ones he fought in the future!"
Piccolo laughed. "Yeah, right," he said, the sarcasm dripping off his tongue, "these androids are a real great bunch of guys once you get to know them."
"I'm serious," said Kami. "I know you may not agree with me, but I still need more time to make up my mind."
"Have it your way," said Piccolo. "You're scared. I know." He crossed his legs and assumed a meditative position. "I'll be waiting right here."
-DBZ: SGTW-
"So these androids are more powerful than the ones you've been fighting in the future?" asked Yamcha, who was flying the plane.
"Yes," said Trunks. "I don't understand why."
"They're strong," said Gohan, turning away from the window, "but not unbeatable. I might be able to take one in a one-on-one, but if they double team me like they did last time, I won't stand a chance."
"You really think you can take one of them?" asked Trunks, surprised.
"You forget I'm half-Saiyan. I gain strength after every battle. The more I'm hurt, the better. Even you're a little stronger, and I'm guessing Vegeta's stronger too. Maybe it pushed us to where we need to be."
Trunks nodded. "I hope you're right," he said, looking at Goku.
Suddenly Chi-Chi jumped. "What was I thinking?" she said. "We don't have a moment to waste!" She opened one of the bags and pulled out a stack of books. She set them down in front of Gohan. "You're going to study, mister."
Trunks's eye started twitching in shock. The entire world is threatened, and she's more concerned about Gohan studying? I remember my master saying his mother was always on him about studies, but I thought in this time line she wasn't nearly as bad about that.
"Mom!" protested Gohan. "We need to make a plan! After this whole situation is over, I won't train until I get caught up on my homework! I promise!"
Chi-Chi sighed. "Fine. Only because you promised." She put the books away.
Gohan stared at his mother. She's never willingly let me take time off studying before. Dad being sick must have gotten to her more than I know.
Just then, Goku started screaming in pain. Chi-Chi pushed everyone aside and held up the bottle containing the antidote. She dropped one of the pills into her husband's mouth. Within moments, his screaming stopped, and he started breathing easily again.
"Even in his dreams he's fighting," said Trunks, staring at the Saiyan.
"Yeah, that's Goku for you," said Krillin.
"Hey, we're going to be at Master Roshi's in no time," said Yamcha. "But shouldn't we tell Bulma what we're up to?"
"Yeah, I guess. Wait, are yous saying I should call her? No way!"
"I'm flying the plane, man!"
"Fine," said Krillin, walking to the phone. "No offense, man," he said to Trunks, "but your mom's hard to deal with sometimes."
Trunks laughed. "Believe me, I know what you mean."
"Capsule Corp.," said a woman's voice.
"Yes, this is Krillin. I was wondering if I could speak to Bulma."
"Hold on while I transfer your call."
They waited a moment. "Krillin, what's wrong? Is everyone alright? Talk to me!" Both Krillin and Trunks tensed up at the tenseness in her voice. "I've been so worried, where are you calling from? I've tried calling Gohan at his house, and there's no answer. It just rings and rings! By the way, is my son from the future there?"
"Uh, yeah," said Krillin, turning around. "He's right behind me."
"Put him on the line."
"He can hear you on the speaker, so say whatever you need to say, Bulma."
"Well, tell him we received a call from this guy who lives out in the middle of the country, somewhere to the west of here. He claims he found some sort of weird abandoned vehicle and he wants to keep it. But he doesn't know how to fly the thing, so he phoned us and asked us if we knew. He tried to explain what kind of vehicle it was, but he didn't make any sense. We didn't know if it was one of our products or not, but he swore to me it had Capsule Corporation written right across it. So we asked him to send us a picture of it. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. It was the time machine Trunks came here in, and it was a wreck."
"But I put it back into it's Capsule when I landed," said Trunks, pulling out the box he held the Capsules in.
"He says the time machine's right here," relayed Krillin to Bulma.
"The time capsule in the picture," said Bulma, confused, "it's the same, but it does look like it's been sitting there for a while. It's completely overgrown with moss and stuff. So exactly how many time machines did we make in the future?"
"Well, we barely managed to make one," said Trunks.
"That's strange. I'm sure this is a time machine in the picture. Hang on, I'll send you a copy of the picture through the fax."
The printer beeped, and a slip of paper popped out. Krillin handed it to Trunks.
"That's my Capsule," said Trunks. "There's no mistaking it, guys, that's the one I came back in. What's going on here? Krillin, ask her if she knows where this is."
"Hey, Bulma," said Krillin. "This Capsule, where did you say it was?"
"It looks like it's somewhere out in the West 10-50 area," said Bulma. "You going?"
"Yes," said Trunks. "I've got to check this out."
"Alright, then, I'm going to. I'll meet you there." She hung up.
"Are you positive your time machine is one of a kind?" asked Yamcha.
"Yes, I'm sure of it," said Trunks.
"I'll go with you," said Gohan. "You'll be able to get back faster if I go with you, and you might need my help."
Trunks nodded. They opened the door to the plane and hopped out, flying towards where Bulma had told them the time machine was.
"Hey Trunks," said Gohan. "Remember when you were talking about your world in the future? Did the androids really destroy everything?"
"Yes," said Trunks. "They've decimated nearly the entire population. A few of us managed to make it out of West City, but now the only way to survive is to hide in our secret base underground."
"Maybe once we find some way to stop them in this time, my dad and I will go with you back to your time and help you defeat the androids there."
Trunks looked at Gohan in surprise. "Really? Why would you guys do that?"
"You helped us save our time. The least we can do is help you fix yours. But for now we'd better focus on this time."
Trunks checked his watch. "Alright, we're approaching the West 10-50 area," he told Gohan. "Let's go see if we can find the time machine."
The two separated, searching for the time machine. The first to spot it was Gohan. "Hey, Trunks!" he shouted. "I found it!"
Trunks zipped over. "Yeah, that's definitely it. Good work, Gohan." The time machine was overgrown with moss and there was a huge hole in the canopy.
The two heard a plane approaching. "I bet that's Bulma," said Gohan, taking off again. "I'll go tell her where we are." He shot to meet with Bulma.
A few moments later, Gohan landed, Bulma's jet landing right behind him. She climbed out. "Hi, Trunks! I'm back! Did you miss me?" She walked over to her future son. "So, what do you think of the younger version of your mother? Pretty cute, huh?"
Trunks blushed. "Well, I'd say, you really haven't changed... that much..."
"You mean... I'll keep my girlish looks for another ten years? Oh, this is great!" She put her hand to her head. "This is so embarrassing."
Gohan just stared at her. Trunks seemed to be trying to keep his eyes averted.
"So, anyway," said Trunks, reaching into his pocket, "look at this." He pulled out a capsule. Pressing the button, he threw it, revealing another time machine in much better condition.
"As you can see, this is the time capsule I came here in."
"Which means the other capsule isn't yours after all," said Bulma.
"No, they're both mine. Remember, I said we only managed to make one time machine in the future. The two capsules you see here, they're actually one and the same."
Trunks scraped a bit of moss off the wrecked time machine, revealing a hand-written "Hope!" marking over the 1. "You wrote it just before I left from the future. And you'll find the exact same thing written on that other capsule."
"But then what happened here?" asked Bulma. "The old capsule looks like it's been here for a pretty long time."
Trunks and Gohan flew up to investigate the hole in the canopy. "How weird," said Gohan. "It's melted, but the blast came from inside. Why would someone want to do that? It doesn't make sense."
"So... so Trunks," asked Bulma. "What do you think made that big hole?"
"Honestly, I wish I knew," said Trunks. He pressed a button, opening the canopy. Looking inside, he noticed two pink bowl-shaped objects. Trunks picked them up, examining them. "What's this?"
"It looks like some kind of egg shell," said Gohan, taking one of the bowls from Trunks.
"Let me have a look!" shouted Bulma. Trunks handed the other bowl to Gohan, who flew down to Bulma, handing them over.
"I think you're right, kid," said Bulma, putting the egg shells together. "They're definitely some sort of egg. But what came out of them?"
The three of them turned, examining the hole in the canopy. "Maybe whatever came out of that egg made that hole in the Capsule Canopy," concluded Gohan.
Trunks sat down and started pressing a few buttons. "There's not much energy left," he said, powering the ship on. "I'd better work fast." He kept pressing buttons. "Come on, don't give out on me. I think I've figured out when the capsule landed here. It looks like it was three years ago. No, wait. It came here four years ago. That just might explain a few things. By the time Gohan and I battled Frieza three years ago, whoever used this other time machine had already been here for a year!"
Trunks flew out of the time machine and landed next to the others. "Is is possible he's the one who changed history? I don't see any other explanation." He walked forward and pressed a button on the side of the old time machine, capsulizing it.
Gohan walked over to the other one and capsulized it, tossing it to Trunks.
"I'll take the weird egg-shell thingies," said Bulma.
Just then, Gohan caught sight of something in the bushes. He flew over to it. "Hey, guys," he shouted to the others. "Come here, quick!"
Bulma and Trunks ran over as quickly as they could. Bulma drew back at what she saw. "Is it... alive?"
It looked like some giant creature. Trunks walked forward to examine it. "No, it looks like whatever it was, it shed it's skin and left. It might be what hatched out of the shell we found inside the capsule."
"Right," said Gohan. "I bet it grew up then molted out of it's skin. But how did it get here in the first place? Did someone send it back in the time machine, or did someone come with it?"
"Regardless of where it came from, it's totally revolting." He stuck a hand in the skin. He pulled back quickly, his hand covered in some sort of slime. "Whatever it is, it's still close."
"We'd better get out of here," said Gohan. The three ran back to Bulma's jet.
She climbed in, looking scared out of her mind. "I'll see you guys later," she said. She took off, getting out of there faster than the others believed.
"We'd better be getting back to Master Roshi's," said Gohan.
"Right," said Trunks, placing his hand on Gohan's shoulder. The two vanished.
-DBZ: SGTW-
What does this new discovery mean for our heroes? And what about the Androids? And I know you already know what everything means- why would you be reading my story if you hadn't watched Dragon Ball Z? Well, just read the next chapter of DBZ: Son Gohan the Warrior!
Word Count: 6,297