After another week has come and gone, it's time to get back into the action with the Son Squad. The androids are about to square off agianst Goku, but will it go the way everyone expects it to? Find out, now.

Before we get started, I just wanted to thank you all so much for your continued support. Last week's reviews really got me thinking about what's to come for the later chapters coming and I can't wait to share that with you guys. Anyway, on with the show!

Son Squad Ch.35

The area chosen to face the androids off at was barren and had rock formations going out in every direction. Not a person or living thing was anywhere in sight. It seemed like an excellent spot to go all-out if the need arose, and Chiyo thought the need would indeed come considering what these things were capable of. However, along with Piccolo, she noted that the rock formations would be the right place for them to hide if things got too much for them. She kept that in mind.

Before anyone started fighting though, Chiyo also noticed how out of breath her dad was. They were just flying, and he was already winded? Had punching the android done something to her dad? Maybe it's all the adrenaline pumping through his body, Chiyo reasoned with herself. That's the only thing I can think of.

Meanwhile, Gohan, Krillin, Chinku, and Yamcha tried to figure out where the others had gone off to. They all were suppressing their power in an attempt to hide it from the androids. However, in doing so, it hindered the others from getting to the spot and warning them about the androids' secret technique. Not to mention the fact that the four with the androids had no senzu beans to counter the effects of the energy-draining. This was turning into a disaster.

"How are we supposed to find them now?!" Yamcha grunted in frustration. "They have no idea what's coming!"

"If only we could communicate with them or something!" Krillin shouted, clutching the bag of senzu beans in his hand. "Dang it, Goku! Why don't you have a phone like a normal person?!"

That's when it hit Gohan like a ton of bricks; if Chiyo was with his dad and the others, then that meant he could get a message out to her through their psychic link! "I hope Chiyo isn't too far," Gohan said aloud, catching the attention of the others.

"You say something, kid?" Yamcha questioned as Gohan tried to concentrate on finding Chiyo.

As he did, Krillin was suddenly reminded of how the twins had told him about the psychic link they had worked on while going to Namek. They told him about it after he had been wished back to life for the second time, and it confirmed to him that he wasn't going crazy when he thought the twins were reading each other's minds. Now he knew for sure that that was precisely what they were doing. "We might just be in luck, Yamcha!" Krillin declared.

"Will someone, please tell me what's going on?!" Yamcha shouted.

"It's a psychic link, Yamcha," Chinku stated like it was a matter-of-fact situation, slightly freaking him out. "Gohan and Chiyo can talk to each other through their heads. It's not that big a deal."

Yamcha wasn't sure how to take this. He was seriously debating going back to his baseball career after all of this was over with. If these kids could pull off things like that and he was struggling to keep up with the androids, what was the point of him even being there?

Chiyo, can you hear me? Gohan spoke through the link. He did his best to concentrate on his sister with all the noise around him. He had to keep a clear mind and focus; otherwise, the technique wouldn't work. Come on, Chiyo. Say something!

Suddenly, Chiyo let out a small gasp when she faintly heard her brother's voice in her head. She realized he was trying to contact her while the androids explained how they knew so much about the Z-fighter's escapades. She closed her eyes and tuned everyone else out so she could concentrate on her brother. Gohan, what is it? She asked, hoping she could get a message out just as much as he could get one out.

As soon as Gohan heard his sister reply, he let out a sigh of relief. I'm glad I got a hold of you. You guys need to be careful, Gohan warned Chiyo. Yamcha says these androids can steal energy if they grab hold of you. Whatever you do, don't let them touch you. Got it?

Got it, Chiyo replied. I'll let everyone else know.

Good. We'll be there soon with the senzu beans. Stay safe until then.

With the message given, Chiyo gave herself a moment to digest what Gohan had reported to her; these things could take energy if they grabbed you? How could they counter that? Would Super Saiyan be enough? Had that happened to her dad without her knowing? It would explain why he looked so winded after flying there. No, she would've remembered if one of the machines had grabbed him.

"….And sadly, Dr. Gero is no longer with us," The old android finished up, catching Chiyo off guard. That was the one drawback of using the psychic link over a long distance; you would have to block out everything else to get a good signal out. It was better for closer combat because you could coordinate attacks much more clearly without someone knowing what they were saying.

"Dad, be careful!" Chiyo chimed in, catching everyone's attention. "These guys are real trouble. They can steal your energy just by grabbing you. That's what happened to Yamcha!"

The three older z-fighters gasped a bit when they heard these, and both android 19 and 20 were taken aback as well, probably even more so even if they tried to hide it. There was no way for her to know about that at all. "How could you possibly know about that?" Android 20 questioned Chiyo. "While it is one thing for you to know that we are androids, the fact that you are aware of our energy siphoning is another. How could you possibly know that, child?"

"It seems you don't know as much as you think you do," Chiyo replied in an almost cocky manner. It was just enough of a sassy comeback for everyone else to take notice of it coming from the normally quiet young lady. (Watch out folks; here comes sassy Chiyo. Lol).

"Hold on, how the heck could she know about the androids being able to do that?" Tien quietly questioned Piccolo, who just replied with a smirk of confidence.

I knew teaching those two that technique would come in handy, Piccolo thought to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest. Not only is it useful in combat, but it's also great for communicating when separated. Perfect for just such an occasion as this.

Goku took what Chiyo had to say and kept that in mind for later. "Got it, Chiyo," Goku said before turning his attention back to the two androids. "I'll keep that in mind. Good job."

This was definitely one of Chiyo's prouder moments. She may not have had the strength, but being able to help out in any way was good enough for her. She tried to hold in her excitement though considering the situation they were all in.

"How you acquired that information matters not in the grand scheme of things," Android 20 said with a glare. "You fools will die just the same."

"One last thing before we do this," Goku stated. "You mentioned how you've been watching us for a while now. Answer me this; did you see my fight with Frieza on Namek?"

"Negative," Android 20 responded. "By that point, we had acquired enough data to calculate even for an increase in power as you have been known to achieve. We calibrated for anything you could possibly achieve."

Oh, were these androids in for a rude awakening. If they weren't there for Namek, they were in for a big surprise. (I mean, you can't just skip a whole saga like that, people!) This was a bit of a boost for the z-fighters though in knowing these machines had no clue about super saiyan and what that entailed.

"Hate to break it to you, but you don't know anything if you just know about me before I went to Namek," Goku confidently stated, making Android 20's eyes widen ever-so-slightly.

"Take my word for it; you're in for a shock when you see what Super Saiyan has to offer," Piccolo told the androids.

"Super Saiyan?" Android 20 questioned.

As if he had to show them what he meant, Goku powered up into Super Saiyan right in front of all of them to show off to the androids what exactly he had to bring to the table. It was always an absolute spectacle to see Super Saiyan up close and personal like this. The power emanating off of Goku really did make this form seem like it was something from legends.

Dad is so cool, Chiyo thought with a big grin on her face.

"I want you three to stay out of this," Goku instructed the others. "Sounds like I'm the one these guys are looking for. I'll take care of this."

This was definitely a change of pace. Usually, Goku came in to save everyone, but now he was going first in dealing with the bad guys? What could possibly go wrong?

"New data," Android 19 spoke up. "Present technique is different from Kaoi-ken."

"Even so, his strength is in a measurable parameter. The threat is negligible," Android 20 assured 19, even though neither of them seemed the least bit worried.

With that said, Goku quickly went to charge at Android 19, and the two began their fight. Both moved at quick speeds and delivered blows that shook mountains and stirred up dust. It was interesting to see an android move so fast. How a machine could move with the speed of a fighter was something else. As they fought, Chiyo couldn't help but wonder how this Dr. Gero guy could manage such a feat of strength and create beings who could do something like this. The wonders of technology.

However, something was definitely off. Not with the android, but with Goku himself. Something about the way he was moving just seemed all wrong for him. He was definitely hitting the android, but it just didn't seem right. Am I seeing things here? Chiyo thought to herself.

Gohan, Chinku, Yamcha, and Krillin soon arrived onto the scene as Goku continued to wail into android 19.

"Woah, Goku's mopping the floor with him," Krillin remarked when he saw his friend busting up some moves against the android. He was starting to feel more at ease about things working out for them.

As they all looked up at the fight happening in the air, Chinku began scratching her head in confusion. She squinted as she looked up at the battle not because she couldn't see, but because something was off about the way her Father was fighting. "Daddy's not doing good," Chinku suddenly spoke up, catching the attention of Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien.

"You noticed it, too, then?" Piccolo questioned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What are you two talking about?" Yamcha asked. "You guys are watching the same fight like us, right? Goku's pounding him."

"They're right, Yamcha," Gohan added in. "Dad's not fighting the way he should be. He's giving it his all right off the bat like he wants to end the fight really quickly."

"Well, of course, he does," Yamcha tried to reason, trying not to let the idea that things were going wrong sink in. "Goku heard about the horrible future, so he wants to take these guys out before they can do even more damage."

"No, this is different, though," Chiyo commented, slightly messing with her braid a bit. "This looks…..well…."

"Sloppy," Piccolo finished. "His technique is just completely sloppy right now!"

"How can you say that?" Tien questioned. He knew Piccolo was tough, but how could he say that the guy who had reached a legendary form was sloppy? "Goku's not hurt; the android's overwhelmed; how is that sloppy?"

"Because he's a super saiyan!" Piccolo snapped. "He should've finished the fight by now!"

Meanwhile, Goku was panting up above after delivering a heavy blow to Android 19 that sent the machine to the ground. A massive cloud of dust formed after he was slammed through a mountain, and everyone, other than the Son kids and Piccolo, was sure that the mechanical fighter was done for. Turns out, that wasn't the case at all; Android 19 stood up and looked up at Goku like nothing had happened to him. Sure, he was covered in bruises and dust, but he was good none the less.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Yamcha and Krillin shouted at the same time.

"I guess androids can't feel pain," Tien theorized.

Goku found himself to be in quite a pickle. This android looked like it could go a few more rounds, at least, while he was struggling to breathe right. He couldn't understand what was wrong with him. He was fine earlier, and now it felt like his body was attacking him. I gotta…end this soon, or my body will give out on me, Goku thought to himself. Not seeing many options left, Goku charged down at the android and tried throwing some more kicks and punches its way. As he tried doing that, the android started dodging him at a faster rate compared to before. Hold still! Goku thought as the umpteenth punch missed the android by a few inches.

As his fist swung by the android's face, it smirked and quickly kneed Goku in the gut before quickly grabbing Goku's upper arm. With Goku momentarily stunned, Android 19 siphoned as much energy as he could from the Saiyan in the brief moment before releasing him to dodge a kick going for his head. That certainly wasn't helping Goku's condition one bit.

"Not good!" Krillin remarked after Goku was released. "That thing stole some of his energy!"

"Damn it!" Piccolo hissed through gritted teeth. "He was too careless! If he wasn't so sloppy, the android wouldn't have grabbed energy from him!"

"But that's not what caused him to be tired, to begin with, right?" Gohan questioned. "That was the first time he got grabbed by the android, so what's really causing him to be so slow?"

Looking over at their dad, the three son kids couldn't bear to see their Father like this. He was panting heavily at this point with blood dripping down from his mouth from being kneed too hard. On top of that, he was gripping the left side of his che- wait a minute.

"That's it!" Gohan suddenly shouted. "It's Dad's heart! Something's wrong with his heart!"

A sudden chill ran down the other fighters' spines as they heard Gohan suddenly proclaim this. It couldn't be the virus the Trunks and Chinku from the future had warned them about, could it? If it was, it showed up at the worst possible time in the history of bad timing.

"Gohan, tell me you're joking," Krillin stated. The last thing he wanted to think about was the idea that Goku was suffering from the heart virus. After all, they got the medicine from the two from the future, so he should've been fine. "How can he be sick with the virus if he took the medicine before?!"

"Actually," Chiyo chimed in, a look of horrible realization crossing her face. "Dad never got sick, so he never took the medicine. He saw no point in taking a cure when nothing was wrong with him."

"He what?!"

Suddenly, Goku dropped to his knees and gripped his shirt tightly. He could barely move. Every breath he was taking was so forced and labored that the others weren't sure how much longer he would last. W-Why now? Goku thought to himself. Of all the lousy times for this to come up, it had to be now.

Before he had time to think, Android 19 seized the opportunity to go on the offensive against the battered warrior. He charged straight for Goku, who did his best to try and get away, only to be smacked and kicked around like he was nothing. No matter how hard he tried to fight back, Goku's body wasn't letting him do squat. He was forced to endure the pain in his chest and the beat down full-force.

At one point, the android grabbed him by the leg, twirled him around in the air, and then threw him down to the ground so hard that it created a large crater in the ground. The force from the attack also almost knocked the others off of their feet. The others could only stand there stunned as Android 19 came back down to the ground and walk towards Goku.

"Oh no, Daddy," Chinku said, clenching her fists and looking ready to try and go another round with 19 herself.

Meanwhile, Goku did his best to try and crawl away with what little strength he had left. However, Android 19 soon pounced upon Goku and threw him away from his friends that he had tried to crawl to. This throw sent him through two medium rock formations before he came to a heavy plop on the ground. That seemed to be the straw to break the camel's back because before anyone could do anything, Goku dropped out of his super saiyan form entirely.

As Goku tried to sit himself up, Android 19 pinned Goku down by sitting right atop the fallen saiyan's chest and used his feet to keep him from swinging his arms. Then, taking both of his hands, Android 19 gripped Goku by the neck and began to drain him of his power and choke the life out of him in the process. Goku let out loud screams of utter pain that made the Z-fighters and the kids all shiver. Goku, the Earth's hero, was letting out screams that made it sound like he was dying.

All of them quickly tried rushing towards 19 and Goku to stop this madness, but Android 20 soon appeared in a flash and blocked their way. "Stay where you are," 20 warned the warriors. "If any of you dare to interfere, you will be struck down." A wicked smirk did come to his face, though, as he taunted, "Care to try?"

Piccolo did. He made a quick remark about trying but was struck down with a simple eye-beam that went through his chest's upper portion. He soon fell out of the sky and hit the ground with a loud thud.

"PICCOLO!" Gohan and Chiyo shouted before rushing down to their mentor. This couldn't be happening, not again! They couldn't possibly be losing both their Father and mentor again!

Meanwhile, the others glared at Android 20, who gave them a look that seemed to be goading them to try and pull the same thing Piccolo just did. Goku's screams were dying down at this point, which made everyone more unnerved than when he was shouting at the top of his lungs.

Chinku began clenching her fists so hard that small drops of blood were coming from her hands. She couldn't stand by and let this go on anymore. If no one else was going to step up, she would. Screw it all! Before she could try to charge Android 20, Krillin put up his left arm to block her. "Krillin-" She started.

"If you do that, you're just going to get yourself killed," Krillin slightly snapped at her, causing Tien and Yamcha to become shocked. Chinku was also very taken back by Krillin's interference. She understood why Krillin was stopping her, but not on the deeper level of understanding. Krillin still remembered the promise he made to Goku that day Raditz came to Earth. He still remembered how he promised his best friend; he would make sure nothing terrible happened to his kids. The situation was different now, but he intended to keep that promise to his friend even if he couldn't directly help Goku as he lay on the ground dying.

As all hope seemed lost, someone suddenly appeared and kicked Android 19 right off of Goku. Everyone looked to see who had come in for the rescue and gasped when they saw who it was: "No piece of scrap metal is going to steal my thunder. The only who's vanquishing Kakarot around here is me!" Vegeta proudly declared, showing up on the scene at the very last possible second.

Great, Vegeta was here. As if things couldn't get any worse. Krillin even expressed this sentiment when the prince of all Saiyan loomed over Goku's weakened form. Still, it was better than hearing Goku wailing out in pain.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I never thought I'd be kinda relieved to see him again," Chiyo remarked from the ground while crouching next to Piccolo's fallen form.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Piccolo declared with his eyes now wide open, "Are you kidding me?!" and sat up like he hadn't been shot through the chest by Android 20! (Gosh, Piccolo, give your students more of a heart attack, why don't ya?!) Of course, the twins were glad to see Piccolo up and moving again, but the least he could've done was warn them that he was playing possum with the Androids.

Over with Vegeta, he scowled as he looked down at Goku's heavily-breathing form. This was still his greatest rival of all time and he was on the verge of death all pulling a stupid stunt of going super saiyan. "What were you thinking going super saiyan like that?" Vegeta growled at Goku, who seemed to be in too much pain to actually reply to the situation. "Like the fool you are, you pushed your body knowing something was wrong with it. Didn't you think that by doing so you'd only accelerate the disease?" Vegeta shook his head in annoyance. "I think you're trying to die to just get out of our rematch, aren't you?"

Goku gritted through the pain as he tried to open his eyes to get a look at Vegeta. However, try as he might, he couldn't find the strength to do it. The pain in his chest was just too much for him.

Vegeta scoffed at Goku's little attempt and kicked him over to Piccolo, who easily caught Goku before placing him down on the ground. As soon as he did, the others quickly crowded around Goku, hoping he would say something to them. The kids were especially concerned at seeing their Father's weakened state. He looked ready to kill-over right there in front of them, something Chiyo did not want to see a second time.

"Now one of you take the little rag-doll home and shove that miracle cure down his throat," Vegeta ordered of the z-fighters. He wanted Goku alive just a bit longer so he could finish him after finishing the tin-cans.

Seeing how bad Goku's health was deteriorating, it was decided that someone would have to rush Goku back to Mt. Paozu in order to get the medicine he needed. Yamcha volunteered to do it since he thought he would be useless in fighting these Androids. Before he left though, Chiyo suggested Chinku go with him.

"Why?" Chinku questioned. She was not about to be sidelined. "I can help here."

"Someone's gotta make sure that Dad's safe while we deal with these guys," Chiyo stated to Chinku. "Yamcha will need help if these Android try to give chase." There were other reasons, ulterior ones, as to why Chiyo was suggesting Chinku go back home; for one, she didn't want her little sister to get hurt. After the situation back in the city, Chiyo pieced together that her Dad wasn't feeling right about letting Chinku stay and fight, especially after being so reckless; and two, gosh forbid things turned out like the two from the future suggested and everyone died there, at least Chinku would still be alive. She would be around long enough to protect their Father and then help him deal with the androids. (At least Earth would have some form of defense left, even if it wasn't much).

Sensing his twin's intentions for wanting Chinku off the battlefield, Gohan chimed in as well; "She right, Chinku; you gotta make sure Dad stays safe while we keep the Androids busy. Think you can do that?"

Chinku could see what was happening. She may have been six, but she wasn't an idiot. She could tell when she was being told, even if it was in a nice tone, that she was being told to go home. Still, there really wasn't much time to argue when her Dad needed to get out of there. "…Okay, but promise you'll kick the Androids' butts for me!" Chinku told the others.

"Will do," Krillin told the young child of Goku. He was relieved she was leaving, too. That would be one less kid to watch.

"And remember, the condition is caused by a virus, so it would best be wise to take some of that medication just to be on the safe side," Piccolo advised Yamcha and Chinku.

"Got it," Chinku nodded to her teacher. When he had said that, he looked right at her, telling her the same thing that her brother and sister had; Go home, kid.

With that, Yamcha and Chinku set off towards Mt. Paozu with an unconscious Goku. As they flew through the air, Chinku looked back one last time at the others before turning back to the direction of home. She felt so ashamed for not being able to do anything. How could she be relegated to this position? She trained just as hard as everyone else and she was being told to go home all because of one mistake? At least, that's the way she interpreted it. She tried not to cry but she sure felt she was going to start balling at any moment.

Now before you all get upset that Chinku is being sent home, let me explain a bit. You see, Chinku is, I want to say, about the level Gohan and Chiyo were after fighting Vegeta, so she's about the strength of the twins when they first went to Namek. She's no slouch, and yes, she had gotten training from Goku and Piccolo, but her problem is opposite of Gohan and Chiyo's problem when they first started fighting; she charges in without thinking too much while they thought too much about it. Power is one thing, but charging in willy-nilly will just end up causing more harm than good. Don't worry too much; she's not out of the game, yet.

Anyway, now that that's all squared away, what will happen next? Will the androids be in for a surprise now that Vegeta has joined the fray? And where's Trunks? Will he be there soon with some backup? Let me know what you guys think in the reviews below and thank you for the continual support! Have a good day and remember to wash your hands!