What-If Bardock Convinced the Sayains: Season 2, Chapter 8
Bloody First Round, The Return
Well, things couldn't have gotten worse for our band of fighters.
In the terrifying visual of Androids 13's swelling body into this blue hulk, the one thought that everyone shared is what's going to happen next?
"Okay… So, he's a little bit bigger." Kholba started. "Still, he's only nuts and bolts, right!?"
Kholba shouts out, letting loose a torrent of energy as she flies forward, giving the first blow straight into the Androids skull. Unfortunately, this didn't faze him in the slightest.
Unmoving and undeterred, the Android threw his giant hands out and clasped them around the girl. Kholba, suddenly realizing her place in this new hierarchy, lets out a small nervous squeak before being charged straight down into the ruined city below, with her yelling out in defiance along the way. A few moments later, the impact could be felt all across the island.
Kholba lays in the rubble on the brink of unconsciousness.
Super 13 looms over her with an outstretched hand, preparing a ki blast to finish the job. It would've worked if it wasn't for a meddlesome boy with a sword suddenly flying in.
Trunks kicks the Android's arm upwards at the moment of the blast's discharge. But, even still, Super 13 is left unmoved by his interference.
Trunks readied his sword and slashed forward, expecting to cut 13's gut open, only for the sword to shatter at the moment of impact at the Android's side. He was in shock, looking down at his shattered weapon then back up to Super 13, who looked down at him with a grin developing. The Android thrust his hand out and grabbed Trunks head. Pulling him up and over his shoulders, then finally plunging the boy down into the earth behind him with a crackling boom!
Trunks is out of commission.
Super 13 looks back into the sky to set his sights on Goku, only to find him much closer than he realized. Charging the Android at full speed, Goku rams into 13's torso pushing him back through the dirt and away from his downed allies.
Goku begins to wail on the blue hulk, trying his best to faze him, but much like before with Trunks, 13 still stands unmoved. Finally, Super 13 grabs Goku's leg, lifts him up, punches him in the Dragon Balls, and throws him across the rubble and through the concrete of the wasted city.
In the dirt, Goku struggles to his feet with high-pitched winces. However, he didn't have time to recuperate. Ahead of him, Goku saw 13 coming at him in a full sprint, his stomping cracking the earth beneath him.
Not enough time to dodge and not enough time to counter with Goku still stumbling around, he needed help. Luckily, there are still three fighters on his side, ready to back him up.
Jumping in front of Goku landed Piccolo. He thrusts his arms out, stretching forward, and wrapping around this charging bull. Piccolo didn't have the strength to stop 13, but he did have momentum. So he throws him into the air having Super 13 flying over their heads skyward.
Piccolo spins, with all his attention on the sky, "NOW!" He yells out.
As 13 hurtles through the air, he gets into the crosshair of Raditz and Kami. With their hands lowered to their sides, charging ki-waves.
Both fighter's eyes locked on 13 as they thrust their arms forward.
"HARMONY'S CRASH!" They both yell out. "DOUBLE SUNDAY!"
Both immense beams charge at each other, with Super 13 caught in the middle, and as they make contact, an explosion envelopes the Android drowning him in a sea of light. Shockwaves tremble throughout the island below, causing fissures to erupt, and the sea surrounding the island kicks up in a wild dance of waves in response to both powers of the Saiyan and Namekian.
A cloud of smoke stands where Super 13 was, but both Kami and Raditz stand their ground, remembering what kind of enemy they face.
Moments pass as the cloud begins to disperse slowly. Then, suddenly, without warning, 13 appears in front of Kami, riddled with burn marks. As Kami looked up in shock, the Android brings his head down, slamming it into Kami's skull, sending him careening down below.
Super 13 turns his head towards Raditz now. He disappears and reappears in front of Raditz but doesn't dispatch him quickly. Instead, the Android lets the terror sink in for the Saiyan. Raditz floats their frozen. If he was nervous before, he was aghast now. 13 brings his right arm up without breaking eye contact and smirks menacingly.
He brings his hand down and backslaps Raditz down into the earth.
When all was done, 13 brings his attention back down towards Goku, and by circumstance Piccolo.
In the rubble, a hand bursts out.
Raditz struggles to get himself back up. When he finally got some ground under his feet, he buckled back down onto his knees. He was lucky that slap didn't snap his neck, but his face was still numb, and his head was still ringing.
He was a Super Saiyan! One of the warriors of legend! How could this blue, overgrown garbage-compactor match not only him but FOUR other Super Saiyans at once with little to no effort?
Raditz shakes his head.
No, no, hopefully, his brother is doing a decent job, right? After all, he's grown far beyond what he and even his father expected from him. So surely he's holding his own, right?
Raditz looks up to his brother's battle, hoping to see him do better, only for his confidence to sink and writhe. Instead, Raditz was looking at a massacre.
Off to one side laid Piccolo, unconscious with both his arms torn off, and on the other side was Goku getting absolutely pummeled.
Super 13 held him by the head off the ground and continually punched Goku in the gut, each of his screams worse with every blow. Eventually, 13 stopped but only to follow up by pounding Goku's head into the earth repeatedly.
It looked as though 13 was taking his time, and even a distance, Raditz could see the same satisfied smirk streaked across the Android's face. The same look when he dispatched Raditz.
Raditz… He wanted to jump in and try to at least do something! He wanted to get the blue hulk off his brother. He wanted to lay in all the damage and chaos that he inflicted upon himself and his colleagues. He wanted to repay that backslap and finish him off with his Double Sunday, but… Raditz only found himself frozen on the ground.
What's worse, with each tremor Raditz felt in the earth from his brothers bashing skull. He felt his courage crumbling and the fear rising up the back of his spine. Then finally, the shame of not being able to get back up.
Raditz hung his head low towards the ground, looking away from his brother, and only trembled.
Back with Goku, he was barely holding on. He felt broken in the most literal sense. How much longer will this thing keep bashing his head in, he kept thinking.
Sure enough, at this exact thought, Super 13 let go of Goku's head. However, this did not reassure him. 13 got up to his feet, took a step back, and raised his arm at Goku. He was preparing his S.S. Deadly Bomber.
The ki blast in his hand was getting bigger and bigger until it began to push into Goku, searing into his flesh and pushing him even deeper into the ground creating a crater. The ki blast was now 3-times the size of Super 13. He was getting ready to wipe this island off the face of the Earth.
Super 13 grunted out two words. "Objective: Completed."
The S.S. Deadly Bomber was glowing in greater intensity, getting ready to detonate at any moment.
"—HAAAAAAAAAA!" Two streaks of blue ki-waves blast into Super 13, disrupting his focus and causing the S.S. Deadly Bomber to dissipate. He was pushed back and away from the crater Goku was in.
Krillin jumps in out of nowhere and grabs Goku. "I've got you, buddy!" Then, they split from the scene, back towards where the two Kamehameha's came from.
In the distance stood both a panting Gohan and Vitella at each other's side with their arms outstretched ahead of them.
Vitella looks over a Gohan with a half-crooked smile. "See? How's that for a first try?!" She chimed with pride.
Gohan smiled back. "Pretty good, V!"
With a half-dead Goku, Krillin lands at two kids' side with a thud and immediately puts Goku on his back. Krillin frantically goes through his gi and pulls out the bag of Senzus, prepared to give Goku one, but even with the seconds of calm, it wasn't enough to keep 13 away.
Krillin was inches away from putting a Senzu into Goku's mouth when the Android immediately appeared right above them, casting a foreboding shadow above them.
The three didn't have the time to look up, as Super 13 was ready to end this with no further distractions with his arm held back and a ki-blast clutched in his hand.
Unfortunately, however—"GALICK GUN!"—fate has other plans.
Super 13 looked up in sudden shock before getting blasted away in a purple ki wave.
In an instant, Krillin, Gohan, and Vitella weren't sure at what just happened—only looking above to where Super 13 would've been.
A familiar and arrogant voice from behind them began to approach. "Seriously? Is this what's been causing all your power levels to flare up?"
The trio looked up behind them to see the Prince of all Saiyans floating down, with an armada of Saiyans and spaceships sitting idle in the sky behind him. "Because if that's seriously the situation, then you've all must've been laying around in the three years."
Vitella sprung up to her feet. "Vegeta! You're here?"
Vegeta spread his arms out by his side and closed his eyes. "In the flesh, girl," he said smugly.
"And you brought reinforcements too! Good, cause we're going to need everyone we have right now." Gohan said while watching the direction to where Super 13 was plunged off to.
Vegeta looked down at Gohan, slightly amused and irritated. "Oh, they won't be needed." Vegeta simply said, grabbing the now shocked attention of the trio. "They're only here to bear witness to my ascension." Vegeta brings his thumb up, pointing at himself. "As the new King of the Saiyans!"
Krillin raised an eyebrow at Vegeta and then turned his attention back to Goku, still half-dead on his back. "Eat up, Goku, cause I think we'll be needing you." He brings a Senzu Bean into Goku's mouth.
A moment later, Goku lets out a few coughs and gets himself upright. "Thanks, Krillin." Goku turns to the Height of Arrogance. "Vegeta, don't be fooled. You can't sense any power from him because he's not a living being like us! There's no telling how powerful he is!"
Vegeta folds his arms and scoffs. "Hmph! A worm can decipher that logic, Kakarot! And it didn't stop you!" He then looked ahead. Vegeta's tone suddenly shifts to disdain. "Or at least one of you anyway."
Goku tilted his head, then followed the prince's gaze down into the broken city below them to see Raditz in the distance shuddering in the dirt.
Goku gasps and melancholy fills his voice. "Oh no, Raditz."
In the distance, the crumbled mountain begins to shake. Boulders and debris begin to float off the ground and vibrate to pieces from the rising anger that Super 13 is having. Finally, he's about finished with the distractions that keep hindering his objective. So, for this moment, he looks up and has his sights dead set on Vegeta, now determined to remove any obstacles that could distract him.
Vegeta looks on to Super 13's display. "Ooooo. So the Tin-can wants to show me his rock collection?" He remarks. Vegeta readies himself in place. "Well, he's going to need something harder than rocks to kill me."
Vegeta begins to howl as a rush of energy begins to overflow from within him—causing the building they're standing on to collapse beneath them. Then in a final yell and golden flash, a fifth Super Saiyan is now present on the battlefield.
With the hellish training that he had undergone to fight Nappa back then, Vegeta's power now far exceeded what Goku or Raditz could produce as a Super Saiyan. So it makes sense that he'd be stronger.
But would it be enough? In the next few moments, everyone will see.
Super 13 is the first to make a move, lunging forward with intense speed towards Vegeta. Everyone's expecting Vegeta to be hit, but at the last moment, he slides to the right and brings up a kick to the back of the Androids neck, sending him back into the ground.
A roar of hearty cheers erupts from the Saiyans above. "Hail King Vegeta!" They all chanted.
Vegeta put on a small smirk before returning his attention to the dust cloud he created below him.
Without looking, he spoke out to Goku. "Kakarot, you might as well go and get that shivering mess of a brother you have out of the way. He's cowardly but still a Super Saiyan, a resource that can be immensely useful to me."
Goku scowled but went along with it anyway, and he went down to his brother's side.
"Raditz?"
He didn't respond.
Goku put his hands on Raditz's shoulders and gave him a shake. "Hey, Raditz!"
"Huh, what?" Raditz looked up to his brother. "K-Kakarot? How are you—"
Raditz was cut short with an explosive roar from the dust cloud ahead. In the middle stood Super 13 with violent orange ki raging off from him. He looked as though he was about to take off again, but Vegeta suddenly appeared with a ki-blast in hand and slammed it into the Android's face, burying him into the ground once more. Fissures of blue energy erupt from underground and begin to collapse the ground surrounding both of them.
Raditz hadn't been paying attention for a good five minutes and was going to ask when Vegeta got here, but Goku suddenly grabbed him by the arm. "We have to get away from here!" Goku prodded.
Raditz nodded shakingly, and the two fly off and away from the battlefield.
While flying back to Krillin and others, Goku couldn't help but look at his brother. "So, back there, what happened?"
Raditz's eyes go wide for a moment before going into a grimace. He turns his head away.
Goku sighs and looks ahead. "Let's get back to the others and see how this plays out."
During the three years of training, Raditz had often joked on the prospect if Vegeta ever achieved Super Saiyan. Speculating that if he ever did with his full base power that he'd be a nightmare for anyone to handle, this appears to be the case now.
A solid half-hour had passed, and hope seems to return as Vegeta appears to have Super 13 on the backfoot.
With the island city in ruins now and a good portion of its inhabitants evacuated via boats, things were about to hit its climax.
Super 13 comes in with a punch, but Vegeta dodges and kicks him behind his kneecaps, causing the Android to buckle down to his knees. Vegeta roundabouts and throws a right hook into the Androids temple slamming him again into the ground!
"I have to hand it to the Earth Doctor that created you; he created one mean punching bag!" Vegeta gloats.
Super 13 growls and tries to get back up, only to be met again with Vegeta's fist. "Good show you've helped put on, Android!" Vegeta rises off the ground. "But I think nows a good time to end it." He raises his hand at the Android.
A blue ki blast develops in his hand. "BIG BANG ATTACK!" Vegeta yells as he lets it loose down on the Android.
In a blinding blue explosion, the island finally begins to crumble in on itself, and when the dust finally settles, there only stands Vegeta on top of the rubble. The armada of Saiyans above all roar out in victory and cheer out their new king's name.
A smile of satisfaction comes across Vegeta's face as he basks in the praise he's been waiting for oh so long.
The remaining Z-fighters were also surprised. With Kholba managing to get out an unconscious Trunks, Kami recovered a mortally wounded Piccolo, and Yamcha and Tien getting up in the air before the chaos ensued. However, now slowly creeping in was a foreboding sense of uncertainty of what comes next with this new "king" of the Saiyan Race.
Gohan furrowed his brow and looked up to his father. "Dad, did Vegeta really do it?" he asked.
Goku is still steadfast. "Time will only tell Gohan."
Back high above the island were still the three remaining Androids.
17, feeling cheated, knitted his brows. "Well, this wasn't in the script."
18 looked over to her brother. "Hey, lighten up." She began to lower her hand down at the island. With a ki blast beginning to develop. "We can still take them out from here."
"That won't be necessary." said 16 from behind them.
The twins turn to stare at the goliath. "Why's that big stuff?" said an intrigued 17.
16 looks down on the pair. "Firstly, even with both your combined strength and energy absorption upgrades, you would find it a challenge to dispatch the individual Vegeta. For his strength, speed, at battle prowess may outstrip yours."
17 laughs. "Didn't know you were capable of jokes, big man!" 17 then began to glare. "No one is stronger than me."
16 was unperturbed, simply continuing. "Secondly, Android 13 still functions according to my scans.
17 then retracted his glare and turned it into a raised eyebrow of confusion. Finally, he turned back to the island below to see what will unfold next.
In the midst of his basking, Vegeta hadn't noticed the rubble beneath him begin to give in somewhat when suddenly a large arm bursts out and grabs Vegeta by the shoulder.
Vegeta looks down in shock to see in the ground a twisted smile before feeling the intense pain of his shoulder being crushed by the Androids hand. Vegeta screams out in pain, dropping into his base form as Super 13 climbs out of the rubble, still having a firm grip on his shoulder.
Super 13 raises Vegeta to his face. "Puny King." he punches Vegeta in the chest with a deafening crack and throws him out to the freshly made rubble.
Everyone is in shock as a once victorious uproar turned into a deafening silence.
Super 13's sight now squared in on Son Goku in the distance above.
"Dad?" asked a scared Gohan.
In an instant, Goku powered back up into Super Saiyan, getting ready to charge back into the fray. He turns to everyone. "It's after me! You all need to get out of here, NOW!"
"B-but, Goku!" Started Kholba.
"I don't want to hear it right now!" Snapped Goku. "You all need to get to the Lookout, there's still something that we can try, but I'll have to stall him for as long as I can." he turns to Raditz. "Raditz, I need you to—"
Goku stops himself. He sees a horrified look on Raditz's face while witnessing Vegeta's fall.
Goku closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, then sighed. He looks at his brother dead in the eyes. "Get the kids out of here." And without another word, Goku charges in.
It takes a moment for it to register with Raditz, but the moment Goku lept back in, he knew what to do. He went for Gohan and Vitella and put them under his arms.
Vitella is the first to protest. "Hey! What're you doing?!"
"We can't leave!" Cried out Gohan. "Not without dad!"
"I failed you on the battlefield. I will NOT fail you in protecting these two, brother." Raditz muttered under his breath.
While Raditz was carrying away the two younglings, Trunks had regained consciousness in Kholba's arms. "What? I—Nng!" Trunks grabbed his throbbing pain.
Kholba looks down at Trunks, suddenly realizing. She immediately turns to Krillin. "Krillin, Senzu's, NOW!"
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you!" Krillin quickly goes over to the pair.
While Trunks was chewing his bean, Kholba started to talk to him. "This was not how it was supposed to happen." She said in a grimace.
After that, Trunks was able to fly on his own. "Yeah… Well, we need to back him up, right?"
Kholba nodded in agreement, and they both begin to charge back in. Leaving the rest of our fighters that are still idle.
"Bah!" grunted Tien. Then, not knowing what they can do to help now, he turns to Kami. "Well? What's the plan?" he asked with what almost sounded like desperation in his voice.
Kami was only staring at Piccolo in his arms before responding. "Goku's right! We must retreat for now." Then, without another word, Kami turns and begins to fly off.
Tien reluctantly follows from behind.
Krillin's still left in the air, looking onward at his best friend's fleeting efforts.
Yamcha comes over and puts a hand on his shoulder. "C-come on, we have to trust them, Krillin." he tried to reassure.
"...yeah," he said reluctantly.
They both begin to turn, and that's when the screaming started.
Yamcha and Krillin spin around to see below that Super 13 was now crushing Goku in his arms. Kholba and Trunks then come in with a fury of punches, trying their best to get the Android's grip loosen on Goku.
Still not enough. Super 13 stood like a mountain.
Unfazed.
As it always seemed.
Back with a retreating Raditz, Vitella has had just about enough.
"Let—" Vitella is able to get her arms free. "—GO!" Vitella elbows Raditz in the chest, causing him to let go.
Then, in a flash, Vitella rockets upwards towards the Saiyan Armanda that's currently sitting in fear of witnessing their new king's downfall.
Vitella stops and takes a deep breath. "HEEEEY!" She screamed out.
She manages to catch the attention of a Saiyan floating in the front of the armada. He appeared to be a commander of sorts.
Vitella didn't have the time to be choosing, so she took what she could get. "ARE YOU GONNA SIT THERE AND LET THIS GO ON? DO SOMETHING, YOU SPINLESS MONKEYS!"
That seemed to spark something within the commander. He takes a moment before finally turning to the armada. "All Saiyans! Go forth and focus all fire on the blue thing!" he yelled out.
In moments Saiyans started to pour out, all of them gathering at their commander's side with their arms out, charging ki blasts.
Back below, Super 13's eyes flash for a moment.
He lets Goku drop on the ground and punches both Kholba and Trunks out of the way before turning his sights towards Saiyans above.
He brings his arm down without looking away with a glow developing in his hand and brings it up fast, swiping it up across the sky towards the Saiyans.
In an instant, there was a flash that hit the armada. Dozens upon dozens of Saiyans scream out before being disintegrated before their ships have the chance to explode.
Vitella was far enough not to get caught up in the destruction, but the force of the explosion was enough to knock her out midflight.
Unconscious, she began to fall. Thankfully Radtiz swooped in to catch her, but nothing was left of the Saiyan Armada.
With that out of the way, Super 13 looked down at Goku on the ground feet and begun to bring up his foot.
There was no one left.
The arrogance of a Prince put him one step towards the grave.
The fear and cowardice returned to a Saiyan who had thought he'd conquered them.
Then to top it all off, the Saiyan raised on Earth was about to be squashed.
Was this the end?
...No.
A yell and a flying kick from nowhere meets the side of Super 13's head.
His assailant? A scarred Saiyan garbed in a familiar green armor.
Bardock has arrived.