Our friend ~superheroarts has created some new fanart for our last chapter, available now on our DeviantART (~bringerofdeathDBZ)!
Android Saga – Part 10: Déjà Vu
"Is it really over?" Krillin asked, his jaw hanging open.
The charred frame of android 21 lay motionless on the ground. Super Saiyan Gohan still stared angrily at its form. His green eyes were piercing; fierce enough to frighten a grown man, but his power was no longer needed. The android was dead.
Gasping, Gohan released his grip on the power, collapsing on his knees. The golden light faded from his hair and aura. The strain on the young boy's body had been immense; he had been overcome not only with power but with the emotional turmoil that accompanied the transformation. Piccolo quietly landed beside him, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"It's all right, Gohan. You were amazing," said his mentor softly. Gohan still stared at the ground, as if he was in a different time and place. Finally, as if he was suddenly waking from a dream, the boy blinked and turned towards Piccolo.
"Wh…what happened?" His eyes were drained, but he was sighing with relief. He remembered what had just taken place, but it felt like a dream or a vision rather than reality. He asked, needing to hear someone confirm that it wasn't just his imagination. He had dreamed of becoming a Super Saiyan so many times – only to wake up in his own bed, still ordinary and weak. Had it really happened this time?
"I mean, Mr. Piccolo, did I?"
"You did, Gohan. You became a Super Saiyan. I want you to know just how proud of you I am." His mentor's deep voice was comforting and strong. The Namek stood tall again, turning his head north as something piqued his interest.
"What is it, Mr. Piccolo?"
"It just that I don't feel much energy from either Vegeta or Trunks. Neither of them are fighting yet, which means there may be a chance the other androids haven't been activated."
The other two fighters turned their attention north as well at Piccolo's remark, but suddenly looked behind them. The Bringer of Death was descending rapidly, its external lift engines kicking up a cloud of dust from the scorched and flat ground.
"Looks like we had an audience," quipped Krillin, grinning. Most of the Z Fighters had become accustomed to the ship's presence. Vegeta used its chamber exclusively for gravity training, but Oniya had begun using it often when he did not require its amenities. Its speed and spaciousness made it the vehicle of choice for picking up Chi-chi and others when everyone was going to meet. To Gohan, Piccolo, and Krillin, the sleek ship had become nearly as inviting as Capsule Corporation—though the decomposed skulls of both Frieza and Cooler, still mounted to the hull, were constant reminders of the vessel's true nature.
Oniya and C47 stepped out of the ship's side, the robot's gears whirring and chirping. His red eyes glowed brightly as he approached Gohan.
"Astounded observation: Your efficient and ruthless execution of this inferior creation is most impressive! Though you still lack the cold and calculated cruelty of the master, your imagination makes you quite appealing, for a meatbag."
"Conclusion: For the first time, I find myself experiencing a sense of optimism regarding your race. If only more organics were like you, Gohan."
The boy smiled at the droid's remarks. Though Trunks still held the robot in contempt, most of the other Z Fighters – Gohan included – were simply amused at its antics. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment, C."
The droid's red eyes flashed in affected annoyance at hearing Gohan use his nickname, but he quickly shrugged, the gears in his shoulders whirring. He turned to the burnt-out shell of Android 21.
"Aesthetic critique: Your appearance seems as pathetic as your abilities. Though I would generally prefer that we mechanical beings achieve supremacy, I daresay your destruction was for the best. Beings like yourself only reinforce my consciousness of the immense inferiority of everybody else."
Gears and ratchets clicked and rattled, and the blaster on the robot's arm snapped down, extending toward 21. C47's eyes glowed brightly as he riddled the android's carcass with blasts.
"Cut that out, 47," snapped Oniya as she walked closer to 21's broken body. "I'd like to take a look at these parts."
"Annoyed response: As you wish, though I don't know why you refuse to let me practice my talents."
Oniya bent low over the still-smoking chassis, examining it carefully. "The absorbing mechanism seems interesting. 47! Please carry these remains into the ship's laboratory. I'm taking them back to Capsule Corporation once the battle is completed. Maybe we can give you some upgrades."
Tien, annoyed by the delay, spoke up. "Look, I still can't feel Vegeta and Trunks beginning to fight. We should hurry to leave. Are you okay to fly, Piccolo?" Tien had received the last remaining senzu bean; the rest of their supply had been destroyed when 21's blast incinerated Gohan's shirt. The Namekian's regenerative abilities had repaired his injuries, but he wasn't at full power.
"Don't worry about me, Tien. Let's just get moving."
Krillin was still standing off to the side. "Uh, guys, do you think we can even make a difference? I mean, we barely managed to beat this one…if not for Gohan, we'd probably all be dead. Trunks said the other androids were much stronger."
"I didn't come all this way to turn back now," Tien snapped.
"Well, I guess you're right. I'm just worried – we fought so hard against this one, and now we're off to fight even more of these blasted machines." His attempts at reasoning with the rest of the group fell on deaf ears.
"Tien's right," Piccolo said firmly. "We have to go, even if we're outmatched. If we don't do everything we can—if we aren't willing to sacrifice everything we have, even our lives, then we don't deserve to win. This is our one chance, so let's make the best of it."
With the inspirational words from Piccolo, the Z fighters stood and flared their auras. Then, following the lead of the Namekian, they took to the air. The Bringer of Death rose high above them, ready to continue surveying the battle.
Age 783
"So you're leaving already, Goku?" Bulma asked, walking swiftly up the stairs after him. Goku had finally thrown on a pair of Trunk's pants and one of his black shirts, choosing to return to the past at least modestly clothed. She had burned the gi he was wearing when he arrived, worried that it might carry remnants of the virus.
"Well, time is of the essence, I guess. You said if I didn't return quickly, Trunks could be in trouble. I want to get back and help everyone as soon as possible, Bulma."
Smiling, she eyed her childhood friend with admiration. "Oh, Goku…always rushing off to save the day. I was only asking to see if you'd want a hot meal before you go. I was just cooking dinner, and you haven't eaten anything but what little soup I could pour down your throat since you got here. The time machine is all fueled up and ready to go – I built an extra battery just in case – but you must be famished."
LUUURRGH. Right on cue, Goku's stomach rumbled, reminding them both of the very reason he had gotten into this trouble in the first place. But he was starving, after all. It wouldn't hurt to stay and eat.
"Actually, now that you mention it, Bulma…that sounds like a great idea," said the hungry Saiyan. He lifted his shirt, looking down at his navel innocently as if he half-expected his malnourishment from the disease to show visibly. Laughing, Bulma led him into the kitchen where she had several pots of food cooking.
"We haven't always had a ton of food available, but lately we've been getting by pretty well. Trunks was able to help me plant a vegetable garden just outside, and he went fishing often enough to keep us fully stocked."
Goku had zoned out immediately upon hearing the word "fishing", thinking only of eating the world's largest salmon. Realizing that her old friend had checked out, Bulma snapped her fingers in the Saiyan's face.
"Oh, sorry, Bulma. I guess I'm hungrier than I thought."
The two sat down together as friends, each eating, telling stories, and reminiscing about their adventures together. Before too long, Bulma began to tell him about the future. Her story was different than the one that Trunks had told.
Her tale was one of helping others, struggling to restore hope to both herself and those she came in contact with, and trying to find a way to help people survive when so many cities and industries had been destroyed. Food now had to be home grown in most places. 90% of the world's power plants had been destroyed or deactivated within the first few years; individual generators quickly ran out of fuel.
With the help of a few other scientists, Bulma had worked to find an alternative source of energy – one that even the average refugee would be able to use. It took them a few years, but they eventually stumbled on research published by none other than Doctor Gero – some early patents on a mysterious limitless energy reactor. Though Gero's designs were miniaturized, Bulma and the other scientists collected palladium from useless vehicles and adapted the design to be used in portable home generators.
At first, the androids hadn't even messed with West City—in fact, it was one of the last places they attacked. But slowly the world had descended into anarchy as governments fell and martial law became the rule. Some of the cities that were hit first even rebuilt, only to have their spirits and efforts crushed when the androids returned. Human resolve was trampled.
Military and militia resisted the scourge of the machines at first, but they were slaughtered by the thousands. The world's best weapons turned entire countries into radioactive wastelands, but did nothing against the vicious androids. Earth's military had been completely extinguished within the first year; King Furry was killed publicly by Gero's abominations.
Still, many who had fled into the mountains and had found a discreet lifestyle were perfectly untouched. Though two thirds of the world's population were dead, entire communities scattered about had survived. Bulma had been able to get in contact with a few of them, wanting them to accept refugees, but those that came feared that their gathering would draw too much attention. Entire communities became hostile to outsiders, provoking battles and infighting between factions.
One mayor, a Mr. Barbonne, had even overtaxed his citizens in order to build a protective dome-shaped shelter. It had turned out very poorly for him and the poor fools who had sought sanctuary with him, as the androids eventually found him—the shelter was completely useless against their kind of power.
Soon, humankind turned against itself out of fear, throwing off its compassion and mercy and truly embracing a survival-of-the-fittest mentality. The two remaining Z Fighters, Gohan and Trunks, did their best to prevent such behavior, easily stopping fights and disputes. They did their best to make sure that basic human kindness would be afforded to any and all survivors of the android attacks. In time, the world began to improve once again. But the two androids responsible for plunging the world into darkness still roamed free and unchallenged.
Bulma had been able to formulate a plan to go back and change all that.
After countless months of studying and running calculations, she had finally discovered the key to time travel. It still took her several years to test and perfect it, but eventually she was confident that they could save at least one world from the androids. There was still a lot of planning and scheming about how they would go about it—Trunks had been too young to remember much of how it all started, so she formulated the plan herself based on her own memories.
Initially, she wanted to go back herself and plead with Vegeta not to kill Goku, but she worried her pleas would be futile. When he was old enough to be a part of the plans, Trunks suggested that they bait King Cold into traveling to Earth in order to accomplish their goal. His Saiyan side, perhaps a lingering tendency passed to him by his dead father, somehow told him that only rash action would get his dad's attention. Bulma was initially resistant, but eventually she came around. The risk was so huge and there were so many ways everything could go wrong, but in the end Trunks won out.
The last time she saw him, that day when he had gone back in time to begin his crazy plan, Bulma had nearly melted down. Though she maintained hope for her son, she was more terrified than ever before. If she lost Trunks, the last of the Z fighters and the only remaining person capable of slowing down the androids, there would be nothing left for her. The first several days after he left were filled with tears and nightmares as she awoke with uncontrollable shivers in the middle of the night. For months it continued this way, getting only a little better each day. But just when all hope seemed lost, the time machine finally returned. Only, rather than carrying Trunks back home with good news, it brought a sick Goku. Still, it was exactly what she needed—a new purpose, taking care of her friend. Plus, having Goku himself still around was plenty to keep her hope alive.
"Wow, Bulma. You sure have been through a lot. I knew it was bad from how Trunks described it, but hearing it from you and being here myself really puts it in a whole new light," Goku said, a rare note of solemnity sounding in his voice.
"I won't deny that it hasn't been easy. The androids really are THAT bad…in fact, they're probably out there even now, hunting down innocents like it's some sort of game." Bulma was used to complaining about the androids to Trunks all the time, but that's all it was—talking. Her son knew better than to let himself get angry. Goku, however, was different.
"Well, then. How about I put an end to them right now?"
"WHAT? Listen, Goku, that's crazy!" Bulma grabbed the table, suddenly alarmed. She couldn't allow her friend to get himself killed. "You can't take them both on by yourself!"
"Sure I can. I'm a lot stronger than Trunks was when he first came back." Goku grinned. "Besides, it's a challenge! I'm sure Vegeta and Trunks will take care of the ones in my past…so this is really my only chance to fight them."
The way that Goku just exuded confidence, even if it was completely insane, was admirable to see. Bulma missed that about him so much, how even in the face of the greatest danger, the most hopeless situations, the Saiyan raised on Earth never lost his self-assurance. Not even Vegeta had displayed that level of composure—though, in retrospect, future Goku had died against the prince while still exuding his hopeful spirit.
Scared, Bulma stood from her chair and started to nervously pace across the room. "You wouldn't even know where to find them if you wanted to, Goku. They don't have energy levels that you can sense."
"I know, but you said they could be out there attacking innocent people right now…" Goku replied.
"Well, they probably are, but don't do anything crazy, Goku. If you really want to fight them, deal with the ones in the past and then come back with Trunks. Seriously, Goku, if you go now…I mean, what if something happens to you?"
But the messy haired hero had his mind made up. He was already concentrating, scanning far and near for any sign of fading life signs. Finally, he found what he was searching for.
"Don't worry, Bulma. I'll be fine. See ya!"
Instantly, Goku vanished into thin air, leaving behind a stunned Bulma. She had never even seen instant transmission, as Goku had died before he ever had the chance to demonstrate his special technique learned in space. Though stunned, she was sure Goku had gone off to fight the androids—now all she could do was hope for the best.
Age 767
"Well, hello there," said the smooth, even voice of Number 17. His eyes drifted over the newly-released android 16, wondering if their decision to release him was even worth the trouble. This other android certainly was tall and muscular – he even had body armor – but 17 really just wanted to know if he would make an interesting companion. When the red haired giant didn't return his salutation, 17 continued. "Is anybody home? I said hello."
The cyborgs glanced at each other, puzzled. "You know, 16, Dr. Gero ordered us not to release you—he claimed we were all doomed if we did," said 17.
Number 18 walked over and put her finger on its chest, which she then drug seductively across his body and up his chin. "Yeah, so what's that about?" She paused. "Everything okay, big boy? Did Doctor Gero disable your speech functions or something?" she asked, batting her eyelids.
There was still no reply from the titan, who stood motionless in front of the other two. He was clearly aware, as his eyes followed their movements, but he remained silent. Number 17 spoke up again. "Come on, 18. Doctor Gero wasn't smart enough to shut us up. Maybe this one just has different behavior programming than us."
The blonde shrugged and turned back to her brother. "Whatever. Let's just get out of here. I'm so sick of this lab! I never want to see it again."
Her brother smiled. "Well, I can certainly agree to that. This place is a dump."
"EHEM!" the prince cleared his throat, annoyed. "As amusing as it is that you two seem to think you can just leave whenever you want, I came here to do battle—and no one is leaving here without a fight." Vegeta spoke confidently, as if he was perfectly calm, but inwardly his blood was pumping fast. Battle was his true call, and it was finally time.
"There goes that mouth of his again, 17. Let me shut him up." The melodic tones of android 18's voice were mixed with her threatening unpredictable side.
"Fine by me, 18. But first let's get out of here. This is no place for a fight."
With a smile, 17 lifted his eyes to the ceiling, releasing two energy beams. Neatly and efficiently, he removed not just the ceiling of the lab, but the entire top of the mountain with it. With his left hand, 17 lifted the tons of mountain structure into the air and then violently launched it straight up. With his other hand, he released an invisible kiai that accelerated it rapidly, sending it on an escape trajectory into space. A strong breeze of cool northern air swept into the lab, sending notes and design schematics all over the floor.
"There," a satisfied 17 said. "That's much better." Both 17 and 18 were formerly humans, so they much preferred to be out in the open than to stay cramped inside a tiny cave. The boy and girl rose into the air simultaneously, moving about a hundred yards away onto a level plateau which overlooked the icy North Sea. Vegeta and 16 followed.
"So, will it be the little lady to fight me first? That hardly seems fair," Vegeta mocked. He could care less which one he fought first, as they were all artificial anyway. But he was beginning to get upset at how nonchalantly they were treating him. His insults, he was sure, would incite the stronger of the two to fight first.
"Oh, please. According to the data, 18 is strong enough to take on ten warriors your strength, Vegeta," 17 chuckled. "Really, I don't know why you persist in provoking us. You can still run away if you want."
Normally, Vegeta would have exploded in rage for being addressed with such disdain, but for the moment he didn't feel the need to prove anything. These android children were obviously just that, inexperienced robotic punks with no real fighting sense—and he would not allow himself to lose his cool to a smooth-talking punk with long hair.
"Oh I'm sure I could if I wanted to, there's no doubt. You three, however, wouldn't make it ten feet without my wrath overtaking you as you turned your cowardly backs to flee. There will be no escape rope for you to cling to today, fools."
Finally, the prince had succeeded in angering – or, at the very least, bothering – the three robots. 18's face turned from an apathetic smirk into an annoyed look of contempt. 17, however, was still quite casual and contained.
"That's quite enough, Vegeta. Go ahead, 18, and teach him a lesson," said 17 confidently.
The prince didn't let his satisfaction show. He much preferred provoking his opponents to allowing himself to be provoked first. He uncrossed his arms and let them hang loosely at his sides. He had begun powering up, but carefully, not letting his aura show.
"Alright, loud mouth, are you ready to eat your words?" android 18 taunted, flipping her hair behind her right ear so as to not get in her way while fighting. She clenched her fists at her sides, eager for battle.
"Wait, 18. I recommend against engaging Vegeta." The silent giant had finally spoken. The other two turned, surprised that he had said anything at all and even more so that he was cautioning against fighting.
"Well well, look who knows how to talk after all," 17 said. "Surprise, surprise."
18, on the other hand, was alarmed. "What do you mean, you recommend against fighting him, 16?"
"Yeah, answer us!" 17 added, but the tall android remained quiet. "Perhaps he means he wants to fight Vegeta himself." 17 turned to red haired droid. "Personally, I'm curious what you're capable of, 16. Go ahead, you take him on."
"I refuse to fight anyone but Goku," replied the giant.
"Oh really. Hmm, Doctor Gero must have written his programming very strictly—he really may not be able to fight anyone but Goku." 17 mused. "Well what then, 16? Why the caution?"
Vegeta quickly interrupted. "It's because he's the only one among you with any inkling of what you're up against. He's afraid to fight me and he doesn't want the girl to either. So I guess it's you and me, punk. Unless you're the type of weakling who lets a girl fight his battles for him…"
"Hmmph," grunted an amused and annoyed 17. "Number 18 is quite capable of doing this on her own, but since you're really asking for it I think I'll handle you myself."
"But, 17, I can do this. Stay out of my way," complained the girl.
"Sorry, 18, maybe next time. I'm taking down Vegeta myself."
The prince smiled that finally they were arguing over who got to fight him. It wasn't quite the respect he wanted, but the attention was finally on him and he was ready.
Age 783
ZIP! Earth's greatest hero, clad in the baggy pants and simple black tank he had borrowed from Trunks, appeared with a shimmer right in the midst of a series of explosions. All around him, people were running...screaming...dying.
BLAM! BLAM! A slender, dark teenager was hovering in midair, holding a small black pistol at arm's length. He grinned sadistically as he picked off the fleeing refugees one by one.
"Ready to end this, 17?" shouted his companion, a golden-haired beauty with the same cold blue eyes. "Or do you want to keep wasting ammunition on these insects? You know you're almost out. I don't know why you insist on using a gun."
Her brother blew smoke off the tip of his pistol. "Fine. Go ahead and finish it. I know you want to."
PHOOM! Without warning, a massive ball of energy exploded from 18's palm. Goku barely had time to raise his arms to shield himself from the blast, cursing himself for not trying to stop them. The energy wasn't enough to injure him, but he knew that everyone in the city had been instantly killed.
"You didn't have to do that!" shouted Goku at the top of his lungs, glowering at the two cyborgs that floated above him.
"Hey, who-" Number 17 fell silent as his jaw dropped in amazement. "But...you're...GOKU!?"
Number 18 was equally shocked. "Woah, you're right,17…where did he come from?"
Goku rose higher, his glare growing angrier and angrier by the second. "Trunks told me about you two. He told me that you were cold-hearted and cruel and ruthless, that you delighted in causing senseless destruction and death. Inwardly, I refused to believe anyone could be as evil as he said...but I was wrong. You won't get away with killing for the fun of it! You hear me!?"
"Hah! I always though Dr. Gero exaggerated Goku's supposed 'good-heartedness' in our memory banks, but you really are that ignorant, aren't you?" laughed the android. "So, where did you come from, anyway? And how could you possibly know that loser Trunks? You were supposed to have been killed by Vegeta ages ago."
The Saiyan clenched his fists. "It's true that the Goku from this time is dead. I'm from the past where I met Trunks—he came back in a time machine to warn us about you two. But all that matters now is I'm here, and while I am, I'm going to make this world a better place!"
A light dawned on the blonde woman's face. "Well, how convenient for us. All these years I've had to deal with this frustrating leftover programming to kill you, but since you were already dead I couldn't exactly get it out of my head."
"I know, 18. We can finally finish the mission Doctor Gero originally created us for," grinned the heartless number 17.
Goku interrupted. "Well, you won't have to worry about that anymore, because it's about to end. So, either the two of you give up your murderous ways this instant, or I will destroy you both. I'm not kidding."
17 crossed his arms. "Yeah, right. We've been through this before with all your friends, Goku. The only thing that ends here is your life."
"I wouldn't be so sure," snapped Goku. "You don't stand a chance against me. I'm a true Super Saiyan, and I won't hold back. This is your final chance to repent."
18 laughed coldly. "A 'true' Super Saiyan? Dear, dear. I'm afraid you're in for a bit of an unpleasant surprise. You see, we've killed Super Saiyans. Like that arrogant prince Vegeta—the fool even wept before he died, but I guess our power is just thatoverwhelming. And then that preachy idiot Gohan, too – he was your son, right?"
"That's ENOUGH!" roared the Saiyan, immediately exploding with golden light as he assumed his transformation. It was completely natural for him now - the flow of intensely hot energy, the golden aura around him, the incredible strength. His blue-green eyes stared down his two opponents, showing nothing but anger. Without even pausing, he launched himself toward the blonde cyborg.
"So you have some fight in yoooo-" THUMM! 18 suddenly found herself spinning uncontrollably through the air from Goku's kick. She barely had time to look up before a powerful fist slammed into her jaw, smashing her down in an arc against the ground. Above her, the Super Saiyan hung in midair, shaking with rage.
Stunned, 17 moved to attack, coming behind Goku with his leg pulled back for a kick. It never connected. Instead, Goku snapped his elbow back, catching the cyborg in the ribs, and then twisted around with his own spinning kick. With the momentum of a full rotation behind it, the kick caught 17 hard in the gut, launching him in a nearly flat trajectory for almost a hundred yards.
17 straightened up. "But...how?" He wasn't injured, but he was suddenly breathing very, very heavily. He hadn't felt pain since...farther back than he could remember.
His sister pulled herself out of the rubble on the ground, nursing her bruised jaw. She, too, was stunned by these developments. Vegeta had been a challenge for her, so many years before...but she had won out fairly easily. This was unexpected.
"Stay out the way, 18," the other cyborg ordered. "I'll handle Goku myself."
Age 767
"Come on, then. Face me like a man," Vegeta smugly said as he stared down the cocky Number 17.
"Oh, I will," the cyborg replied confidently.
17 kicked off the ground effortlessly, launching himself 30 feet into the air. The wind rippled through his long black hair and he raised his hands above him, charging a red sphere of energy. Strangely enough, the attack emitted no ki signature, yet it was clearly both real and powerful.
"Try this out, Vegeta!" 17 smoothly said.
He hurled the blast straight down, the prince of Saiyans smiling below as he bent his knees in anticipation. Vegeta then swung his left arm at the blast, fingers fully extended, and swatted the attack away with a simple backhand.
POW! Just as the prince finished deflecting the attack he was hit hard in the face by the android's first punch. The surprised Saiyan was knocked onto his back and skidded about ten feet, but quickly hopped back up.
"Shrewd," said the prince as he rubbed his cheek.
"Hah, you haven't seen anything yet," retorted 17.
The cyborg flew directly at Vegeta this time, his right elbow ready to hit the prince in the jaw. But the prince anticipated and countered with a forearm block. The two fighters were suddenly locked against one another, pushing at the other to try and knock them off balance. To the android's surprise, Vegeta seemed to be holding his own quite well.
"Hey, not bad, Vegeta," he said with a note of real interest.
The Super Saiyan then twisted his feet, spinning with his back to the android and causing 17 to stumble forwards. Then, with his continued momentum, Vegeta landed a hard kick into the cyborg's lower back. This time it was the cyborg who was knocked to the ground, skidding face first through the dirt for several yards.
"Woah," observed android 18. "Vegeta's quite a bit stronger than Doctor Gero's data indicated. Is this what you were warning me of, 16?" the blonde beauty said, turning to the silent titan beside her. "Look, he may be stronger than the data said, but I could still crush him. And 17's only toying around. I don't see what the big deal is."
The giant, however, did not respond. He merely watched, closely following each strike. After 17 had gotten up, Vegeta charged him again, but the android ducked and then vanished. Chasing him through the air, the prince's golden aura zipped from spot to spot in a zigzagging trail of yellow. What made his opponent particularly difficult to follow, though, wasn't his speed, but the fact that he had no energy signature to follow. Each time he nearly caught his opponent, 17 dodged at the last second—smiling with the amusement of a child.
"You're pretty spry for a guy made of spare toaster parts," said the prince.
"Big talk, Vegeta. Did you think of that all by yourself?"
Rather than angrily lashing back, the prince began to laugh. He couldn't believe how blindly this android had been convinced that he was superior. He, himself, would have probably felt the same way had it not been for King Cold making an appearance on Earth several years before. Seeing the true power of Frieza's father had been a harsh awakening for the prince—especially since he had always been led to believe that the legendary Super Saiyan was the most powerful being in the universe. After he had fulfilled the prophecy, he honestly believed that he would never be challenged again…yet strong foes kept appearing one after another to undermine that belief. As hard as it was to admit, being a Super Saiyan didn't make him invincible. As a result, he was no longer the overconfident fool he used to be. Though confident, he was also cautious.
"What's the matter, Vegeta. No more of your clever retorts?"
"Hahaha, You fools don't get it, do you? You're so certain that your strength is superior that you aren't even paying attention."
"What are you talking about? I'm the strongest there is. You don't honestly think you're a match for me?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying, android. If you weren't so busy bragging on yourself I think you'd have noticed it by now."
Vegeta suddenly vanished, appearing behind 17 and swinging his arm into a hard chop on the side of the cyborg's neck. With a snapping crunch, 17 lurched over in surprised pain. Unlike the others, he and his sister were once human; they could feel. 17 braced himself against the rocky ground, rolling over and trying to avoid a stomp from the prince's boot. He barely dodged as Vegeta struck at him, but was unable to make it to his feet as the prince chased him relentlessly.
'Why am I running from him?' the cyborg angrily thought. 'This shouldn't be happening!'
17 grit his teeth and turned, welcoming Vegeta's head on assault. Yet even bracing himself didn't prepare him for the ferocity of the prince's incoming attacks. Vegeta rammed his fist into 17's gut, stomped on his foot, then caught him in the jaw with a hard backhand. As 17 fell backwards, Vegeta swept his legs, preventing the android from bracing himself. Then, the prince jumped and dug both his legs into 17's torso, driving him deep into the rocky ground. Lifting gracefully into the air above, the prince smiled as he looked down into the fresh crater.
"Well, well. What do you have to say now, machine?" he yelled.
The blue jean-wearing cyborg was slow getting up, but within a few seconds he had risen to his feet. Silently, he was gazing up at the prince in contemplation.
'This isn't going at all like I expected. At first it was exciting that Vegeta was much stronger than expected, but each time I raise my speed and strength he matches me as if it's nothing. Still, he's only an organic being. He'll tire out eventually, but not me—I can do this all day long.'
"Hey, 17, are you all right?" his sister yelled. She hadn't been worried until just moments before. Their last bout had been faster than she was capable of moving, and though she knew that 17 could handle more than her she was still concerned. "Listen, let's just take him on together!"
"No way, 18," her brother replied, still somehow maintaining his composed smoothness. "Vegeta is mine. Nobody treats me like this and gets away with it!"
"But—" her protest was suddenly interrupted by a hard kick to the side of her head. She flew directly into the crater and crashed on top of her brother.
"I've got dibs on that one, father."
Age 783
Android 17 flew higher, never taking his eyes off Goku. The angry Super Saiyan maintained his stance.
"HYAA!" The cyborg charged, firing a rapid burst of energy blasts directly at Goku. It was fortunate he finally had the opportunity to fulfill his one directive – the one artifact of Gero's programming he had never been able to fully let go of. He had no real reason to kill Goku…he recognized that. But it would be extremely satisfying nonetheless.
The Saiyan never moved, deflecting each of the energy attacks in turn with one hand. He could tell the cyborg was fast, but not as fast as he had expected. His Saiyan instincts flared up inside him as 17 got closer, and he grinned. He was going to enjoy this.
THUMM! Goku met 17's first punch with a hard block – much harder than the cyborg had expected. Twisting effortlessly, the Saiyan caught his arm and flipped him over, swinging his enemy down and into his own knee. 17 gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of him.
He looked up at Goku, his eyes flashing with hatred. "You'll regret this!"
The Super Saiyan punched him twice in rapid succession, then kicked him up into the air. The teenager could barely regain his bearings before Goku appeared above him again, slamming down with a double fist. 17 managed to block it, but it hurt. Hurt was still a new sensation for the immortal cyborg. Not even during the battle with Vegeta nearly two decades before had he felt real pain. Goku merely laughed.
Number 17 had no idea he had weakened considerably over the years. There was no such thing as infinite energy – not when he made no effort whatsoever to perform maintenance or updates to his cybernetic implants. Slowly but surely his internal reactor was losing power. And Goku was far, far stronger than any fighter he had ever faced.
Grimacing, he raised his hand and fired a series of narrow beams from his fingertip – beams that would have pierced straight through the Z Fighters and killed any ordinary human instantly. Surprised by the sudden flurry of attacks, Goku only managed to block a few of them. The rest caught him in the chest and legs, detonating in a blinding flash.
"Not laughing now, are you?" shouted the cyborg. There was no way this arrogant Saiyan could possibly manage to challenge him for long.
"If that's the best you can do, then I'm afraid this won't last very long." Goku had crossed his arms and was hovering directly behind 17. Stunned, the cyborg spun around. Goku's clothes had been torn by the beams, but he remained mostly unscathed.
Even more angry now, 17 rushed Goku. His palm struck the Super Saiyan in the side of the face, hard. His other hand, balled into a fist, slammed into Goku's gut and doubled him over. Though furious, 17 was fighting more seriously. He finished off his assault by slamming his elbow into Goku's back and kicking him away.
Goku flipped end over end a few times before righting himself. To 17's surprise, he didn't seem the least bit wearied by the blows. Grinning savagely, the Saiyan pulled his hands back to his side. "Kamehameha!"
The blue beam came fast – too fast for the stunned cyborg to dodge. Panicked, he raised his arms. "Barrier!"
The energy wave detonated against the shield, its shockwaves knocking number 18 several yards back. She was amazed – how could Goku be so powerful?
Age 767
The brother and sister had to crawl off of each other just to stand, and neither were very composed anymore—particularly number 18. As she stood, her angry eyes scanned up to find her attacker. The son of Vegeta, clad in grey baggy pants and wearing black body armor over his chest, was angrily glaring right back at her. For him, it was just the same as staring down Gohan's killers—he didn't stop to think that these two had yet to murder anyone.
"I hope you don't mind my interrupting, father, but I say one for each us seems only fair," the young man said assertively. He was tired of playing around. He hadn't yet noticed android 16; since it had no energy signature, there was nothing to distract him from destroying 18.
"Check your math again, boy!" 17 said, putting his hand on his sister's arm to hold her back; she was barely able to contain herself. "Have you failed to notice that we have another friend? Not that we need his help or anything."
Trunks turned, his eyes bulging in fear at the sight of yet another android he didn't know about. 16 didn't look back at him though. Strangely enough, the giant was cradling a squirrel in the palm of its hand.
"All right, Trunks," Vegeta suddenly interrupted. "You may do as you wish with the girl, but I get the other two, understood?"
The young Super Saiyan nodded. "All that matters to me is that we destroy these abominations here and now." Whatever resolve he had lacked before, his fear of facing the real cyborgs, had completely left him. Now, with the moment of truth finally before him, Trunks was fearless.
17 spoke up from below. "It's all very amusing to me that whoever you are, 'Trunks', you seem to think you can take on 18. I don't seem to have any data at all on you, but you don't know what you're up against." The cyborg turned to the prince. "And as for you—we're just getting started."
"And I find it very amusing that based on your logic I could say the same thing about you. You know nothing about me, but I know all there is to know about you two. And trust me when I say that it all ends here!" Trunks was more brazen and bold than he'd ever been.
"Enough idle talk," said the prince.
Simultaneously, 17 charged Vegeta and 18 charged Trunks.
"I'll teach you to blind-side me, boy!" Number 18 swung hard at Trunks' face, but the Super Saiyan reached up his hand and caught it. Twisting her wrist hard to the right, he bent the beautiful cyborg over and kicked her hard in the face. She caught herself against the ground, looking up angrily at her foe. Uncertain of what to do next, she took off, Trunks pursuing her.
Android 17 had been more tactical in his approach. "Time to get serious!" he shouted. Quickly he delivered a right palm to Vegeta's face then with his left hand swung a hard blow to the prince's stomach. With the prince in shock, he reached around and elbowed him in the upper back just below the neck. Then, as Vegeta toppled forwards, he reverse sweep-kicked him higher up into the air. Dashing after him, 17 readied an even harder double fist, raised above his head.
Just in the nick of time, Vegeta's ki exploded around him and he accelerated rather than reversing. At his top speed he was staying ahead of the pursuing cyborg. Best of all, he was in perfect position. Spinning his body around in midflight to face 17, Vegeta put his right hand out and fired.
"Big Bang Attack!" The intense ball of blue energy shot out of the prince's palm with extreme speed. 17's eyes bulged wide as he realized his mistake, quickly throwing up his arms to block—there was barely time to react as he flew full speed into the attack.
PHOOM! The explosion was deafening. The shockwaves from the blast were so intense that the other two who were doing battle were both thrown backwards. Then, from the debris cloud, the dark and hazy form of the cyborg started to fall. Crashing with a light thud, his body kicked up a small cloud of dust.
So far, Trunks was completely untouched. It was almost too good to be true—that he was really fighting against one of the androids and holding his own. What he couldn't quite understand, though, was how android 18 seemed to be even stronger now than she was in the future. With the Z fighters it was just the opposite, as they would undoubtedly become stronger over time. Whatever the reason, he still undoubtedly had his hands full.
"Come on, you monster. Is that the best you can do?" Trunks yelled as he relentlessly began to punch android 18 again. She was extremely sturdy and it even stung a little bit to punch her, but he didn't care about the pain. All that mattered was the taking out his anger, channeling his desire for revenge into the moment—into causing pain.
"You really need to learn better manners, boy." She was fighting hard, but not quite at full capacity. She had just enough strength saved in reserve to give her the confidence to still smooth-talk the young man. "You seem like you're under a lot of pressure. What do you have against us, anyway?"
Trunks couldn't believe that 18 was actually wanting to talk during their fight. All that mattered to him was seeing her torn apart and recycled. He swung a hard right jab; she blocked it and kicked back, but he ducked easily.
"You two are murderers—you made the world I'm from into a living nightmare!" Even as he said the words, he could hear the voice of Goku inside his head correcting him—saying 'since they haven't done anything wrong yet, I guess it's only fair that we give them a chance to choose a different path.' But Trunks immediately blocked the words from his consciousness. The thought that the androids might even be capable of changing was foreign to him, so was the thought of showing any mercy.
"My, my, you have some imagination, kid. The only one here who has killed anyone is Vegeta—but you seem quite ok with all the deaths he's caused." Number 18 had just struck a nerve.
"YAAAA, Burning Attack!" he screamed in rage. The blast collided with 18 head on, but detonated differently than it should have. When the smoke cleared, he realized why. An oval blue energy shield surrounded the blond cyborg; it had protected her completely from the effects of the blast.
"Woah," she said to herself. "He sure means business. That attack might have even destroyed me."
"Come on, android. Pick yourself up, you're a disgrace." Vegeta laughed as he waited on 17 to stand. He was sure he was winning, as he had only taken a few minor hits, but the android strangely seemed to be just as fresh as always. Luckily, while the two seemed about equal in speed, he definitely had an advantage in strength.
Standing and brushing dirt from his shirt with two pats, 17 smirked up at Vegeta. "You honestly think you're winning, don't you? Maybe this time you're the one who should be paying attention. Haven't you noticed yet? My power is infinite—I never tire out. But you, you can't keep this up forever. Face it, Vegeta, you're through."
For the first time so far, the prince allowed himself to get angry. "What did you say!?" The truth was he had noticed, he was just trying to figure out a way to win before he lost too much of his strength.
"Come on, Vegeta. You're tough, but my design is simply superior. But come now, let us reason together. As difficult as you might find this to believe, the truth is I really have no desire to kill you."
Now the prince was irate. 'How did things manage to suddenly slip out of my control? Or is android 17 really just so good at playing games with my head that it only seems that way? How dare he actually suggest that he could kill me if he wanted. The fool—I am the prince of all Saiyans, and I will prove it now by defeating him!'
"You think YOU could actually kill me? So far you've barely scratched me, android! Really, you don't even have near the raw strength of a Super Saiyan—my son, here, punches harder. So go ahead, if you can finish this right now then do it. Give me your best shot!" Vegeta smiled and braced. If there was one thing he was good at it was taunting his opponents into attacking on his terms.
"Fine, then." Number 17 smiled and rolled up the white sleeves of his undershirt to his elbows, then took to the air. Angling his body sideways, he fully extended his right arm at Vegeta.
"It was nice knowing you, Vegeta. Just remember, you asked for it…"
Goku was on the offensive again, pounding Number 17 again and again. The cyborg was outclassed in speed, strength, and skill – no matter what attacks he tried, he simply couldn't damage the Super Saiyan.
17 waved his arm, releasing an invisible kiai. Goku braced himself for a blunt impact, but the wave exploded on contact. The heat scorched his skin. But the Super Saiyan wasn't even slightly cowed.
THUDD! The golden warrior's elbow slammed into the teenager's back, sending him spinning downward. Now livid, he clenched his fist. His eyes flashed. A ball of electrons began forming in his palm, compressing to a single glowing point and then suddenly expanding outward under quantum degeneracy pressure. A golden ball of light encompassed his hand. "PHOTON FLASH!"
The prince twisted his left boot from side to side, digging it into the dirt to brace his footing ever so slightly. He then flared out his golden aura, increasing its width around his body by several inches and causing it to pulsate even faster than normal. Forming in his own two hands were two spheres of golden light, which glowed so brightly they grabbed the attention of both Trunks and android 18.
"Let's finish this, android." Vegeta grunted, his tensed muscles causing his voice to be much more like a growl.
"PHOTON FLASH!" 17 yelled as his yellow energy wave blasted out from his hand. It was narrow, its densely compacted power deadly.
"FINAL FLASH!" the prince released the power of his strongest beam, which now took considerably less time to charge than when he had used it against Cold several years prior.
The two golden beams met in the center with an enormous clap of thunder and suddenly began to shake the entire area. A large yellow ball of power was coalescing in the middle as the excess energy from the beams shot both up, down, and around the sides trying to circumvent the other's blast and reach the intended target.
Goku couldn't sense the release of energy, but he sensed the air immediately in front of the cyborg suddenly turning to plasma. He rolled back and fired a Kamehameha straight into the sky, pushing himself toward the ground with all of his energy. The relativistic electron beam tore past him mere inches away—too close for comfort, but nonetheless he was unaffected.
VRUUUUM, sounded the constant rumbling of the two clashing beams.
"Is that all the power you have, android? Surely, if you have limitless energy, you can keep this up indefinitely, right?" the prince goaded as he forced more of his stored energy into the final flash—the resulting impact edging the blast wave closer and closer to 17's position.
"As a matter of fact, Vegeta..." number 17 began to get strangely excited. "…I can!" The cyborg unexpectedly added his left hand to the blast as his supposedly infinite power began to pour forth from it as well—doubling the golden beam's intensity while maintaining the same size.
The concentrated, limitless power of the cyborg's energy beam suddenly pierced through the front of Vegeta's Final Flash. Golden light filled the prince's vision as he stared into the blast like headlights zooming towards him on a dark road. Gritting his teeth, he instinctively created a wall of ki at his feet and sprang to his left. The beam disintegrated his shoulder guard and tore away his cape completely.
Goku teleported forward and slammed his elbow into 17's face, crushing his nose. A snap kick sent waves of pain through the teenager's leg. Goku raised his hand, and a golden ball of energy caught 17 full in the chest, sending him spiraling to the ground.
The cyborg looked down. His bandanna and part of his shirt were torn away. The blast had ripped through his upper arm, revealing the gleaming metallic implants that Gero had given him. His eyes wide, he turned to his sister. "A little help here, 18?"
Vegeta stared silently at 17's blast as it sped past him, close enough for him to spit at it. Apparently, the machine really did have perpetual energy—a stark contrast of brilliant ingenuity compared to the weak absorption types which seemed to be constantly losing even the ki they had stolen from others. Yet even as he watched the yellow stream of photons crash into the sea behind him, the explosion sending walls of water hundreds of feet high into the air, the prince smiled—this was a worthy opponent after all.
An oceanic spray, not rain but rather cold seawater kicked up from the blast, suddenly doused the four fighters. Vegeta and Trunks' golden auras still pulsed so violently that each individual drop of water turned to steam it grazed against the yellow light; the cyborgs, however, got soaked.
But Trunks continued angrily eyeing 18, whose distraction by the blast had left her open once again. He was truly ruthless—he possessed absolutely no mercy for the beautiful cyborg, not after all she had done. It didn't even enter his mind that this version of 18 had not yet committed even one wrong act.
'I'm not going to let her faked innocence fool me. No matter what she says, I know she's the same hardened killer as the one from my time—if not now, only because she hasn't had the opportunity. All these androids are the same, and I know all too well the piece of shit she'll become!' The boy was far past anger—what he was feeling was blind unadulterated wrath.
Suddenly, on the horizon, there shone four bright sparkles of energy—each approaching the battle rapidly. Piccolo, Tien, Gohan, and Krillin were there in a flash. The foursome landed on the bluff, their backs to the sea, and stood battle ready as they viewed the scene with curious eyes.
"Well, what do you know…it's a regular party now." 17 said as he scanned each of the Z fighters in turn. He knew each one well, though he assumed that his data on them was likely outdated—Dr. Gero's calculations had been so far off regarding Vegeta after all.
But Trunks hadn't even turned to notice them. He had thought about it long enough, and now it was time for him to end this. No kindness would be shown to the androids, no second chances—or even first chances. A thick vein bulged in and out from the stress in Trunks' head as his teeth bit hard into his bottom lip. His tight fists suddenly began to glow with energy as he raised them towards 18.
"It's all over, android!"
Well there you have it folks—our 38th chapter so far. This chapter was a little difficult; there were so many different things we wanted to convey. I hope they made it through to you. I really wanted to show that the androids (or cyborgs, depending on what you call them) of the past were very different from their future counterparts. Both 17 and 18 express that they aren't even interested in fighting Vegeta or Trunks; they wonder why the Super Saiyans insist on fighting them. There was a chance for them both to be redeemed in DBZ canon, and it seems as if they might not be entirely evil here either. However, Trunks is completely blinded by wrath—he seems more resolute than ever. He is intent on punishing the androids for what their future counterparts have done, destroying the machines before they ever have the chance to become evil.
How will Trunks becoming the self-proclaimed judge, jury, and executioner of Number 18 affect the future? And what of 16? Will he step in and save either of the cyborgs, or will some other being step in and interrupt instead? I hope you're asking yourself these questions. If so, we were successful. We look forward to your reviews and to answering any further queries you might have!
Another important note is that we need to make mention of the fact that in the past few chapters we have incorrectly referred to the present as Age 763 when it is in fact Age 767. We have since corrected our mistakes and hope you forgive us for any accidental confusion.
David and I really enjoyed tag-teaming the battles close to the end. We went back and forth, paralleling the two fights in the same way that Goku and Vegeta were fighting the same cyborg simultaneously...it was a lot of fun. We both contributed to each fight, but one of us mostly wrote the fight in the present and the other mostly did the fight in the future. We'll give a special mention to anyone who can guess who did which side!
Also, I wanted to let future Bulma have the opportunity to tell her side of the story—all we really know from canon was Trunks's story. I hope you enjoyed the extra details there and that it helped to round out the future world. David borrowed a little from the Terminator franchise in his descriptions; there seems to be a nice parallel there.
The difference between the power levels of future and present 17 and 18 was explained the exact same way as Salagir did in Dragonball Multiverse. Most of you are familiar with this theory already, but for those of you who aren't – it is generally understood that the cyborgs decrease in strength over time if they don't train or undergo maintenance. That's why, in canon, Future Trunks expressed surprise at how strong they were; he had been fighting weakened versions for all those years.
Power levels for this chapter:
Future 18: 185 million
Future 17: 195 million
SSJ Goku: 210 million
Present 18: 200 million
SSJ Trunks: 203 million
Present 17: 210 million
SSJ Vegeta: 210 million
Android 16: ?
As always, our Q-and-A:
Q: I did not understand the title. The story seems to revolve around Vegeta so a reader cannot help but feel the title is being spoken out by Vegeta. But I did not find any implication towards the word "BEAST".
A: The title was both a direct quote from Gohan and an overarching theme for the entire Z fighters. As opposed to the mechanical, artificial power of the androids, Vegeta, Gohan, and the others are living, breathing creatures. Simply put—they are contrasting themselves with the androids who merely operate based on cold calculations. Also, Gohan was pretty beast last chapter so it was earned.
Q: I was wondering how do you guys pick which comments you respond to is it based on the quality of the comment or the overall topic or is it simply the ones that attain your interest?
A: I usually just look through all the comments on Monday and respond to the ones that ask a legitimate question I feel I could actually answer. Obviously, I have to skirt questions that ask for spoilers, and I tend to skip over questions with undecipherable grammar or bad spelling. Also, if a question is repeated I'll only answer it once. If the question has already been answered or was answered explicitly in the chapter, then I don't usually address it. Of course, if someone is a regular poster I try to get in at least a short answer to them.
Q: It's not like Gohan to finish the fight quickly, though. I guess he just didn't bother because 21 is just a machine and can't really feel pain or fear?
A: As when he turned SSJ2 in canon, Gohan lost himself to emotion a little bit. He got ahold of his rage and didn't let go until it was over. This chapter showed a little more of how he felt afterwards. You are right, though; 21 being completely mechanical and unorganic made it easier for Gohan to kill him without hesitancy. Also, 21 was still a threat. Gohan couldn't risk having his power absorbed.
Q: You put android 20 at 75 million and piccolo at 85 million. The gap dosen't seem to be big enough for piccolo to beat the shit(or in this case metal) out of 20 like he did in canon.
A: A 6-7% advantage in power level translates to a pretty noticeable advantage in terms of combat, especially between a resourceful warrior like Piccolo and a machine like Gero. In the manga, Piccolo said that he was suppressing his power greatly when Gero tried to drain his energy, and so the doctor didn't get much energy at all.
Q: Is it just me or is 21 based on tyrants from RE? When he was completely smashed and stuff i could only imagine mr x after falling to the "lava" and kind of losing it's nose and stuff.
A: Sorry, but I have no idea who "tyrants from RE" even are. So, no.
Q: What a terrific chapter. It's been awhile since I have given a review, but both of you have come such a long way since the beginning. Bringer of Death is quickly becoming the best DBZ fanfic made so far.
A: Thanks, man. We've missed seeing you around! But thanks for the support. David and I work very hard to keep this thing going and making it an exciting story. Especially with the future of DBM uncertain, we want to keep this thing going in order for everyone to enjoy!
Q: I see that you've stated that goku is stronger since being healed from the heart virus. Is this a possible zenkai or has the heart virus been slowly decreasing his strength over time. I always felt that goku was stronger than vegeta in canon by the time the androids arrived but was limited due to the heart virus IMO. Just wanting to hear your thoughts.
A: My theory is that the virus weakened him a whole lot. In canon, Piccolo notes how Goku should be MUCH stronger against 19 than he was. I blame the heart virus, and after it had passed he was stronger than ever. It wasn't really a zenkai though, as those have lessening significance over time. Still, though, Piccolo was the one who said Vegeta might actually be stronger than Goku. We just don't know if Piccolo was saying that about the weakened Goku or Goku at full strength. Personally, I think Vegeta was stronger by a small bit. But in our story, as you saw above, they are tied. Things are already a lot different than they were in canon!
Q: Will Android 16 actually fight someone other than Cell this time though or is he still the peace loving guy we all know from the show?
A: Good question. You'll have to wait until next time to see!
Q: Oh you, David! You must be like "lol tricked you" huh? I actually thought Gohan was about to die, that was good ad man. Nice job. Lol
A: I think David was just a little bit happy that he led people to that conclusion, yes. He was also excited about that whole scene in general, as we wrote it to be very iconic in many ways.
Q: Whats the business with the time between timelines? One second in one timeline corresponds to one second in other timeline despite the no connection and not even the same date? If you travel after the "now" of other timeline its OK but if before the "now" you mess things up? wtf? Auh my head, here is that I favor the block universe of eternalism. Which for the effects of time travel, time travel always creates a new time line (if its not a consistent history like in All you Zombies, for instance). Dont worry, I dont like it but quite easy to focus in battles.
A: We're really just using Bulma's uncertainty about time travel as a plot device. She isn't quite sure what is safe, so they are using a lot of caution right now. They don't want to create multiple timelines. If you message David, he can explain the timelines in canon a little more clearly.
Q: So by your logic, Gohan will become the strongest?
A: I'm not sure how you drew that conclusion based off of that chapter or what we possibly said to make you think that. Just wait and see how things go.
Q: it said here that it took goku several weeks to recover. why is that? In canon it only took him a couple days unless I'm mistaken.
A: Sorry, but in canon it took 10 days for Goku to fully recover from the virus. In BoD we said a couple of weeks. It took about the same amount of time—nearly two weeks.
Q: Question 1. How do you and David get the characters power levels so realistically accurate at the earlier stages of the story? Becuase when I lookup on .com, They don't fully so the power levels of all the other characters and some are confuseing ( Such as it says that Cooler in his 5th form has the powe level of 470,000,000).
Question 2. When it comes to the Zenkai ability, does the sayian's strength double everytime when they get a major beatdown or the stronger they get the more the zenkai mutlipes they're power increases?
Question 3. Is it possibly for Goku to use kaioken while in Super Sayian form?
A: Answer 1. David has ran a LOT of numbers trying to figure out what is most realistic and useful.
Answer 2. The size of a zenkai depends on how injured a Saiyan is, how quickly he recovers, the difference between his strength and his potential, how many times he has received a zenkai in the past, and how close he is to a power plateau. So there are a lot of variables.
Answer 3. If you're referring to Super Kaioken, which was used by Goku in the filler Otherworld Tournament after the Cell Saga, then no. The Super Kaioken is non canon and we don't endorse it as a possible ability. Kaioken is a way of multiplying base strength artificially for short periods of time; Super Saiyan is a massive reservoir of power that is added to base strength. There's no way to combine the two.
Q: Why was the security code 5201? Was it significant or random?
A: That's the actual code Gero used in the TV show. It's the real one, so that's why.