-Gohan-
His expression hardened as his eyes narrowed on the Android before him. He couldn't help but notice the completely shocked expression on Seventeen's face. His eyes were wide with surprise, his mouth slightly agape in a face that told him that his very presence had stunned him.
"...You're supposed to be...dead…?"
Gohan's eyebrow rose slightly at that comment. He was supposed to be dead? What did that mean? Gohan's mind returned to over a week prior when he'd seen Eighteen hovering over his broken and battered body. She'd denied him death in that moment, flown off to Kami-knows where and in the process spared him.
I still don't know why she spared me...but now at least I know that it hadn't been agreed on. Eighteen lied to Seventeen...or at least, he'd expected her to kill me, and she hadn't corrected his assumption…
Gohan wanted to take a moment to reflect on this new information, perhaps let his mind process what this could possibly mean, but he knew now wasn't the time.
"The only one dying today is you Seventeen. I've gotten stronger since the last time we fought." The Saiyan fell into his usual fighting stance, stealing glances left and right as he let his senses spread out across the city. "Prepare to feel what you've tormented these people with for years Seventeen. Prepare to know that you are going to die." His words were just that, words. He was using his speech to buy time for his senses to further stretch out across the city to get an accurate read of his surroundings, and where Android Eighteen might still be lurking. That, and to see how careful he had to be in that moment. He had to make sure that no one got caught in the crossfire due to him leveling a building or firing a ki blast the wrong direction.
He could feel the mass mayhem, panicked, fearful energies rapidly fleeing from him, or rather, the Android.
But no energy sources disappearing…?
A second confusing piece of information. Typically when he encountered one of the Androids alone, it meant that the other was close by, unaware of his arrival and still slaughtering like the monster they were. The fact that he couldn't sense any power levels disappearing...did that mean…?
Is Android Eighteen not here?
The Saiyan rid the idea from his thoughts as soon as it had arrived. It wouldn't make sense for one to be without the other. They always came together, he'd never encountered one alone, and the few times he had come to that conclusion had only lead to the other appearing and ambushing him, a punishment for letting his guard down.
He saw the look of shock slowly bleed away from the Android's face, his lips contorted into a vicious snarl as he pushed himself out of the small crater his body had formed upon impact. His fingers curled into fists as he rose to his feet.
"Are you really that stupid? Or did I actually hear you threaten me as if you could actually hurt me Goldielocks. You're a damn cripple! What the hell do you think you're going to be able to do to me."
"How about we find out." The half-Saiyan spoke with a coldness to his tone he'd learned from years of hearing it spoken to himself.
Even if Eighteen is playing a game and trying to ambush me, I need to push this opportunity as much as I can. A one on one fight is fairer than two on one.
Immediately, power flashed alive in his hand before he shoved it forward with a roar. A blue explosion of energy erupted from his palm, surging towards Seventeen with such a speed that it appeared that the attack had engulfed him.
Gohan wasn't so gullible.
He heard the whistle of something splitting the air heading straight for the side of his face before he ducked low, allowing the heel of Seventeen's shoe to sail harmlessly over his head before swinging back with a violent back hand. The bones in Gohan's arm rattled as he felt the Android's ready forearm stop his attack inches away from his cheek.
Gohan didn't see the punch aimed for the back of his head before it was too late. The Saiyan grunted as a flash of pain rang out through his skull, followed by a sharp intake of air as the Android drove his heel directly into the man's gut.
Knowing he didn't have time to nurse his wounds, Gohan forced himself to ignore the pain, his head still ringing as he caught a glimpse of a fist heading straight for his nose. Slipping to the side, Seventeen's attack struck air before a wild haymaker connected with the Androids cheek echoing through the streets from the impact.
Seventeen's head whipped involuntarily to the side, his body attempting to spin with it had it not been for the Android resisting the momentum.
Now's my chance!
Despite knowing that Seventeen and Eighteen seemingly never tired in battle, he knew that they weren't impervious to pain and being dazed if hit hard enough in the right place.
Gohan drove in, leading with a knee that rocked the Androids head back with a sickening CRACK. The impact threatened to send Seventeen flipping back had it not been for Gohan's hand shooting out at the last second and catching him by the foot.
"Son-of-a-bitch!" Seventeen cursed in pain as Gohan yanked the ebony haired teen back towards him. Seventeen's body ragdolled before Gohan's arm came down towards the Earth below, driving the Android deep into the stone with a deafening BOOM.
An explosion of dust erupted from the ground, surrounding the two as Gohan's eyes narrowed to slits to fight back the debre.
The Saiyan's hand shot forward, aiming for where he'd last seen his opponent before firing a bright flash of energy into the ground. The dust parted immediately from the force, revealing an empty crater where Seventeen had once been.
Where did-
His head snapped to the side as a fist made impact with his cheek. Gohan felt his teeth rattle from the pain, blood pooling from the inside of his mouth just as he felt a second fist bury itself deep into his abdomen.
Blood erupted from his lips as he processed the injury, his eyes wide in pain.
Shit!
Seventeen's body shifted, twisting before his leg shot out in an attempt to take Gohan's head with it. The Saiyan reacted quickly, ignoring the pain in his stomach as he brought up his forearm at the last second. The two limbs collided with a boom that would be expected if a speeding car slammed into a brick wall.
Gohan grunted as he felt his arm nearly buckle before he shoved the leg back, the Android staggering for a second.
The Saiyan saw his opening at that moment.
Seventeen threw out a wild, desperate haymaker as he took an awkward, unbalanced step back . Gohan slipped past it easily, dropping beneath the Android's guard before rising with a fist that caught the twin directly beneath the chin.
Seventeen shot straight into the sky, his body flipping uncontrollably from the impact.
Snarling, the teen righted himself, his eyes snapping towards the ground as he spat. "You little sh-"
The rest of his sentence was lost as Gohan appeared at his side, driving an elbow into the Android's cheek. Before he could respond Gohan was on top of him, delivering a flurry of vicious blows to his body before performing a single flip that ended with his foot driving into the top of the Android's skull.
Seventeen shot back to the Earth with a roar of anger and pain.
Gohan watched his opponent rocket back to the ground, realizing that he was feeling something new for the first time.
He was actually enjoying this fight.
Usually all he felt in a fight was agony and frustration; Anger at the fact that he was losing again.
But this time, he wasn't losing.
This time, he was actually able to fight! Not dodge attacks coming from both directions, anticipating one target only to be struck by the other. He didn't have to compromise for what damage he could do before the other attacked, he didn't have to ignore blatant openings in one Android's guard in order to counter the other. He didn't have to divide his attention, or be constantly looking over his shoulder. It'd been so long since he'd been able to fight seriously against a single opponent. It felt refreshing to say the least, it felt like he could actually do something this time...it felt like...
...It feels like...I can actually...win?
Gohan didn't let his hopes grow too large. He still didn't know where Eighteen was, or if she planned to pop out later…
He felt that doubt creeping up into his chest again, the internal confusion over the fact that he was actually gaining ground in this fight. It'd been a short exchange, but it spoke volumes.
But...could he actually...destroy one of the Androids?
The concept was almost foreign to him, like a distant dream he'd never actually expected to come true. He'd never genuinely thought he could do it, he'd said it plenty of times sure...but after so many years…
It was the same feeling that had swelled into his chest the last time they'd fought, the reason his rage had fled from him, the reason he'd pictured a world without the Androids, but never envisioned actually killing them himself.
But beside that feeling, was something new.
The opportunity to finally achieve what he'd been fighting for all this time was staring back at him, ready to be taken, ready to be obtained.
Was he going to waste this chance?
Gohan's hand tightened into a tight fist, hope swelling in his chest. For one reason or another, Eighteen wasn't involving herself in this fight, which meant he had a chance.
A confident grin pulled at the corner of his lip as he watched Seventeen's body slap against the hard pavement, sending even more cracks shooting out from his indent in the ground.
He could see it, see the frustration, the grimace, the pain.
He watched as Seventeen rose to his feet, a cold fury boiling beneath the surface of his tight lipped scowl. Ice cold blue eyes locked onto onyx ones, a look of hatred so pure and unyielding written across Seventeen's features that Gohan knew that his attack had hurt him.
"Ready for more?" He taunted, looking down on Seventeen with a sneer that felt good to replicate after seeing it stare back at him for so long.
"I'm ready to tear your smug face off that lopsided body if that's what you mean." His words were dripping with venom.
Gohan's grin faded as his face turned serious again. "Let's see you try."
-Eighteen-
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-
She knew that repeating that single word over and over in her head wasn't helping the situation, but at the same time it felt like the only appropriate response for the current circumstance.
How the fuck did I wind up in this idiotic situation!?
She wanted to fly off, shoot off towards where she could for the first time feel the fight going on. Well, she couldn't feel her brother's Ki persay, what Gohan had said was correct even for her. She and her brother's Ki signatures were invisible even to each other, but she could sense Gohan's at least.
And boy was it intense.
It was burning with an incredible fury that Eighteen couldn't find the appropriate words to describe it accurately. There were so many conflicting emotions there paired with the Ki, fear, nervousness, aggression, rage, especially. So many chaotic feelings that Eighteen knew that was what it must feel like to be in a fight to the death.
The only problem with flying off towards the fight was that one way or the other, it would give away her lie. If she did try to fly off now, Trunks would likely try to follow her concerned for her safety, leaving the woman with one of two options. One, fly slowly as she should be considering that she'd only just recently 'learned' how to fly. This suggested that Trunks would be able to easily follow her to where Seventeen and Gohan was locked in combat and thus raising suspicions surrounding her true identity. Or two, blast off at a speed that she knew Trunks would be unable to keep up with, and almost certainly give away that this entire interaction had been nothing more than an act.
Which means…
She was stuck.
She had to go along with this for the time being or risk being found out.
Is keeping up this stupid persona really worth risking your brother's life Eighteen?
Her mind roared at itself. A large part of herself was screaming at her that no, it was obviously not worth the risk just so that Trunks and Gohan kept believing that she was in fact 'Videl', the normal girl just interested in learning a bit about Ki and being surprisingly good at it.
Another part of her however...told her that she would get another chance to escape, that the fight would last long enough for her to figure a way out of this mess without having to give away her true identity.
It was a much smaller voice, only barely a whisper when compared to the rest of her mind telling her to take off immediately.
She didn't know why.
But she'd decided to listen to that tiny voice.
She was walking up to a large, dome shaped building now, the lavender haired boy leading her towards it with a grim expression on his face.
She watched him turn on his heel, forcing a smile as they paused at the door. "This is it!" He gestured towards the structure, a forced enthusiasm to his voice. "I know that these aren't ideal circumstances for seeing my house for the first time but...well," He sighed, the act bleeding out of him.
She could see the worry in his features, the tension in his shoulders, the hurt look in his eyes.
He was worried.
She couldn't blame him.
So was she.
"You'll be safe here." He said in a dry, lukewarm tone as he unlocked the door and stepped inside, holding the door as Eighteen followed.
I don't have to be here. I could leave now, fly off faster than the kid could follow and make sure Seventeen makes it out alive.
She reminded herself for what felt like the thirteenth time in the last five minutes.
But was it Seventeen she should be worried about? She didn't know how Seventeen compared to Gohan in a solo fight. She couldn't sense his power, she didn't know how strong he was by himself since every time Gohan got the edge on one of them, the other would step in before it could ever get serious. That was just how they fought, they were one entity, the Androids, not the Android.
Was Seventeen stronger?
Did that mean that Gohan was going to lose this fight like he'd lost against them so many times before?
Wouldn't that be better? Seventeen was her brother after all, of course she would prefer if Gohan lost.
But at the same time…
A part of her didn't like either option.
Eighteen snapped out of her thoughts as she heard a set of feet running directly towards them. Her head whipped towards the sound just as a head of blue hair shot past her.
"Awk! Mooom!" Trunks complained as the woman in blue plowed into her son, wrapping him up in a tight hug.
"Oh thank Kami! I heard the attack on the radio and thought for a second that you'd followed Gohan off to fight the Androids again!" Eighteen watched emmused as the woman-or rather, Bulma Briefs she assumed, pulled her son's head towards her and planted a kiss on the teen's forehead.
"MOM!" Trunks shouted mortified, pulling himself free of his mother's grasp, his face a tomato shade of red.
"What? I was just wor-" Her eyes snapped to Eighteen, widening as if she'd only just noticed her presence.
I guess now is when I'm supposed to introduce myself…
She pushed a hand towards the woman in blue. "Hello, I'm Videl, I'm the recent student your son spoke about." She tried to push back the anxious thoughts rampaging through her mind and flash a smile. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Bulma smiled back before taking the hand. "Bulma Briefs, It's nice to finally put a face to the name. Trunks talks about you a lot." A devious grin pulled at the woman's lips. "But he mostly just gushes about how pretty you are."
Eighteen blinked.
"MOM!" Trunks shouted a second time, his eyes wide with embarrassment.
"Yes son?" Bulma turned a head towards the teen with a smile that clearly told Eighteen she knew exactly what she'd done.
"You- you don't just-" He stammered, the color in his face not dispersing any time soon. "I- you, why would-" finally he just let out an exasperated sigh, burying his face in his hand and walking away. "I'm going to the vault."
Bulma's smile faded as she watched her son walk down the hallway and around the corner. There was an emotion there that Eighteen couldn't identify. There was exhaustion...but also something else she couldn't quite figure out.
"Sorry about that." The blue haired woman said with a sigh. "I know the situation is serious and that there's another attack going on. I"m not trying to make light out of it…" Her head turned towards the door, almost as if she was expecting someone else to walk through the door as well.
Eighteen felt she had an idea who.
"I know Gohan is off fighting the Androids again...and that he's risking his life in doing so...it's just…" She let out a sigh. "Trunks is such a serious child. With all that's happened, he especially hasn't gotten to enjoy his childhood. it's nice to see that he's still a kid from now and then." A sad laugh escaped her lips. "It feels good to have an opportunity to tease my son again, sometimes it's those little moments that you have to cherish…"
Eighteen's took this time to study the mother before her. The woman was wearing a dark blue jumpsuit like what a mechanic might wear while working on a car. Her hair was loosely pulled back into a ponytail, her face aged passed its years with stress lines and dark circles under her eyes.
For a moment, Eighteen pondered why she looked so tired, so aged.
Then it hit her.
Trunks was spending almost his entire week every week training to challenge the Androids, training to one day face the two beings that had personally laid waste to the entire world.
How could a mother not lose sleep over something as serious as that?
...I wonder if she'd stayed awake worrying over Trunks when I beat the boy unconscious a week ago...
She found her gaze lowering. She'd done a lot more to him than just beat him unconscious. Shed crushed his hand so badly that it had actually surprised her to see him back to normal after only a few days. Although, not that much of a surprise given she'd seen Gohan miraculously recover from nearly fatal wounds in a matter of days before.
She wondered if perhaps the woman before her was the one responsible for these miraculous recoveries. The files Dr. Gero's computer had implanted in her admittedly didn't have much on the personal matters of Bulma Briefs. His spy bots had chosen to primarily focus on Goku and his fighting companions over some simple bystander. But that didn't mean that Eighteen had been completely unaware of the woman before all of this. She was, or rather, had been the owner of arguably the richest and most successful company in the entire world before she and her brother had turned up.
Of course, that company hadn't lasted long following the rise of she and her brother's reign on the world.
Eighteen didn't know exactly what had happened. She'd never been big on following politics or the actions of multi-billion dollar corporations, but she'd learned enough from the little she'd heard to gain a vague idea of what had happened to the woman's wealth.
Eighteen had thought it strange that shortly following many of her and her brother's initial attacks that the cities they'd destroyed would miraculously rebuild, sometimes in only a matter of days after the initial event. New buildings, new roads, new cars, new businesses, it was as if overnight it all flashed back into existence as good as new. For a day or two Seventeen had even said that maybe magic actually existed and was granting wishes.
Eighteen had later learned on the News what was actually going on since magical wishes were obviously not possible. Capsule Corp had stepped in and provided the new homes, structures, and infrastructure for absolutely free. Sure, it had cost them millions to achieve, but when a company had as much money as Capsule Corp had, a few million Zenni was a drop in the bucket for them. They had the money, the resources, and the technology to rebuild the cities Seventeen and she'd torn down so easily.
What's more, Eighteen had found out that it had been incredible publicly for the company. A multi-trillion Zenni company stepping in and providing homes for all the victims of such brutal attacks? The entire world revered Capsule Corp and Bulma Briefs for their charity, holding them up as heroes for their work. They became an even bigger icon than they already were, not only for their incredible advancements in modern technology, but for being a good and empathetic industry willing to help the entire world with its products.
But then, the attacks didn't stop; They continued for years and years following the first.
It eventually became expected of Capsule Corp to step in and rebuild the cities so regularly destroyed.
Eighteen hadn't heard much of the company after that. They'd basically fallen off the map, and eventually she'd stopped finding their brand in stores.
The company had gone bankrupt from what Eighteen could gather, with investors pulling out after discovering that the owner of the Capsule Corp brand had no intention of stopping their charitable work and rebuilding what needed to be rebuilt in the Cities so regularly decimated. Regardless of the what the world thought of them, if you were giving away millions of Zenni worth of product nearly every week, it would be hard to turn a profit.
Eighteen idly wondered if maybe Bulma Briefs could have still been in business today had she chosen to make some different financial choices. It couldn't have been an investor's decision to continue handing out such ridiculous sums of money to the public for the sake of the greater good. They were a business after all, and that meant that they wanted to make money.
But a young mom who knew the fear of almost losing her child to the monsters that plagued their world?
Eighteen could imagine that person making the decision to continue to help those affected regardless of what it did to their career.
"So, would you like something to drink? Maybe a little food? I know that training with Gohan can leave you with quite the appetite if Trunks is anything to go on." The woman laughed lightly at her own joke.
Eighteen blinked rapidly, her mind being pulled away from its own thoughts. "Um, no that's quite alright." Her eyes wandered around the facility. "Infact, you don't need to worry about me. I'm sure I'll be alright if I head home now."
Seventeen and Gohan are still fighting after all
Even if she'd decided that she didn't want to give away her true identity, she did still need to excuse herself of this place before she could actually get over there to help the situation.
Bulma's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Nonsense, you don't need to be polite when it comes to the Androids." She patted a single hand on the Android's back. "I promise there's no safer place than here. Please, follow me. A friend of Gohan's is a friend of mine."
Without another word, Eighteen felt herself being pushed deeper into the house, the door to outside growing smaller and smaller as she was lead through the long hallways of what she figured must have at one point been a lavish home but now…
Eighteen looked over towards where she could see cracks in the wall and a seemingly recently broken window.
"Oh, haha, don't mind that. I plan to fix that tomorrow." Bulma said sheepishly having noticed her staring at the broken home. It was still nice, it was clearly well lived in but had obviously seen better days.
Eighteen internally struggled to come up with a good excuse to leave the Brief's residence. She knew that she needed to hurry or else something might happen that she would regret...one way or another. Despite knowing this, apart of her was admittedly...curious.
She was standing in the previously multi-Billionaire Bulma Briefs residence, and not as Android Eighteen, monster to be feared and cowered before, but as a guest being willingly led to what Eighteen had to assume was a safe room,or 'Vault' as Trunks had called it. It was a bizarre experience to say the least. She was being led to the very room designed to keep her out. They were about to willingly trap themselves with one of the only two beings on the planet that they were afraid of them.
I could slaughter them if I wanted to.
The Android blinked with wide eyes as the violent thought entered her mind. It felt odd to consider since she'd committed to not killing so recently ago. Despite this, she couldn't deny that it almost made sense to do so.
It would be easy. Just snap her neck and leave without another word. Trunks would be easy too, I could kill him and then Gohan would never find out that Videl was actually Android Eighteen. I'd just say that it was Android Eighteen who killed them, that Seventeen had served as a distraction and that I barely made it out alive as Trunks fought her off.
It would free her up to go to where she knew Seventeen and Gohan to still be fighting in a matter of minutes. It wasn't as if she needed these two for anything important. Gohan was the one teaching her about energy, and Trunks being the student wouldn't know anything that he didn't. Bulma was just some random woman that she'd only just met, it wasn't like she was crucial to anything.
If I kill them then Gohan would be crushed. He'd be too emotionally damaged to do anything but grieve!
Her brow furrowed.
And then her eyes widened.
That would actually work for her in this given moment. She'd already established herself as a friend, if Gohan lost these two...then he would turn towards those that were still in his life wouldn't he? It was hard to assume given she'd never actually mourned the loss of anyone, it wasn't like there was anyone besides her brother that was important to her.
It made sense though. If Trunks and Bulma died...that would push Gohan to come to her wouldn't it? As long as she made it clear that she was there to support him...she could imagine Gohan turning to her in his grief. Then she'd get even more opportunities to learn from him, to get questions she had answered and finally gain enough to maybe actually find a way out of this ridiculous nightmare she'd been living.
"Watch your step! The stairs are steep haha, you can blame me on that one. I couldn't hire a proper carpenter since those are in such high demand so I had to do it myself."
Bulma had led them to a single door which she pushed open to reveal a thin descending staircase that spiralled around itself as it went. The walls were rough and clearly a more recent addition to the rest of the house, feeling much less professionally done then what Eighteen had seen prior.
It was clear to the Android that this addition had been formed by hand by the woman in front of her taking each step slowly.
She might have been impressed had it not been for the fact that she was considering the option very seriously.
She stared at the back of Bulma's neck intensely.
I could just reach out and snap it before she knew what had happened. She wouldn't feel a thing, wouldn't know what had happened until it was all over.
She momentarily questioned why it had mattered to her that the woman's death didn't hurt.
It had never mattered before.
I could finish her and Trunks off in a minute, two at tops. Then I could go and stop Seventeen from finishing off Gohan. Gohan would be more willing to come to me for support, and I could finally figure out what I need to do to get Seventeen to actually listen to me.
The Android found her arm slowly raising, her open hand gradually making its way towards the oblivious woman's neck.
She hesitated for a moment. She'd told herself that she was going to refrain from killing from now on. She knew that if she continued killing that it would become a slippery slope. She'd made good on that promise to herself so far, was she going to break it now?
It would only be two. And besides, it would be so that I could eventually convince Seventeen not to kill anymore, then no one would die by our hands ever again...wouldn't that be worth it then?
She frowned. It wasn't like she had many options. She was only getting further and further into this place and soon she would be locked in a safe room where she'd be helpless to stop the ensuing fight going on.
Her hand slowly reached up, drawing only inches away from the mother's neck.
If it means that I'm sparing thousands of others...isn't it worth the sacrifice of just two lives?
-Seventeen-
Well, this certainly sucks ass.
Seventeen thought to himself as he was forced to backpedal, narrowly avoiding a strike meant for his face before leaping over a roundhouse kick.
I need to get a hold of Eighteen!
He didn't know what had happened, or why Blondie was still alive, but Eighteen obviously didn't know that Blondie was still around otherwise she would have been here already, backing him up, aware of the fight. She'd have heard about the attack on the radio or the News or something, and came rushing to his aid, knowing that she'd spared Blondie and that she should be helping her brother beat up this shit stain on their otherwise perfect life.
Seventeen felt a smile pull at his lips at that realization.
At first he'd assumed that Eighteen had for some reason betrayed him, left Gohan alive to spite him for some reason. But he knew his sister, she would never do that!
...right?
Not like I need her though, I can take care of Blondie myself!
He cocked a fist, driving forward only to realize too late that Blondie had deceptively led with one kick as a mask for a second spinning kick. Seventeen hissed as he felt Gohan's shin connect with his cheekbone and send him flying off to the side head first.
"Fuck!" He spat as he smashed through a brick wall only to have it tumble on top of him. His head felt like it was spinning as he forced himself back to his feet, pushing broken bits of brick off of his already ruined outfit.
And I liked this outfit!
The teen snarled as he glared at Blondie's rapidly approaching form.
Seventeen shot forward to meet him, the ground beneath him breaking from the impact of his foot kicking off.
Their forearms slammed against each other, neither side willing to give ground as they pushed against one another, their aura's flaring as their powers raged against each other. Seventeen was first to break this stand still as he shot out his other hand, counting on the fact that Blondie was missing such a limb to defend.
Lopsided bastard!
It only served to further deepen his hatred of the man when his attack was met with nothing but air, Gohan's head having tilted to the side narrowly avoiding it's impact.
The Android was forced to defend as he saw a knee rushing towards his abdomen, threatening to double him over in pain had he not met it with his own knee first.
The two fell into a flurry of blows, their limbs blurring with speeds so fast that the winds around them began to thrash wildly. It was a familiar routine, or at least, Seventeen thought it should be.
The two had been battling for years. They knew each other's tactics, were familiar with each other's fighting styles and habits. There were no tricks for one side to use that the other wasn't already familiar with. It was almost a dance between the two of them, one that was executed with such expertise that it was clear it had been rehearsed hundreds of times before.
Except...this time the dance was different.
What the fuck is going on here!?
Seventeen thought as he slipped to the side, raising his guard in preparation for the left hook that he would so frequently defend against for such a maneuver.
Seventeen blinked in confusion before realizing his mistake, his eyes drawing to his opponent's left side, where an arm was supposed to be.
Damn it!
That millisecond of delay was all it took for Seventeen to feel an elbow impact with his throat.
"Urk!"
The Android hovered back clutching his neck with both hands, his torso doubling over in pain.
His eyes wide with anger, he could see Gohan moving in out of the corner of his eye.
Not a fucking chance!
The twin drew back, desperate to create space he flared his aura to surround him as he shot back faster than a blink of the eye.
Only to feel a fist nearly impale itself into the center of his back, violently forcing his body to come to a halt.
The Android gagged as his eyes bulged out of their skull. His spine bent violently backward to yield to the fist firmly burying itself into the Android. His head slowly turned to look over his shoulder, his mouth agape in shock.
His eyes met with Gohan's, a teal rage burning behind them with such an intensity that Seventeen thought he might melt.
How!?
Was all Seventeen could think before a swift kick to the side of his face sent him barreling towards the ground below. His body bounced once against the pavement before entering a scraping slide which he transitioned into a roll back to his feet.
How the Hell am I losing this fight!? He's fighting me with one arm for Kami's sake, that should make this easier!
He snarled as he stared up at his opponent. His hatred for the man before him had never been greater, never been more viscous until this point.
He didn't understand it, no couldn't understand it. It made absolutely zero sense. How could he be losing right now? The fight against Mr. one-arm last time had been easier than before, they'd beaten him with time to spare.
He watched as Gohan slowly lowered himself back to the ground, his eyes never leaving Seventeen's, his glare never softening. The man in orange lowered himself into a modified variation of the stance Seventeen had memorized from years of combat.
Then it hit him.
The reason he was struggling so much against this opponent.
...He's changed his style, he's had to change it to fight us off. He's been training without an arm for almost a month now...while I'm still used to fighting him with the arm…
It was an odd thought to consider. He imagined that Blondie had been forced to learn an entirely new fighting style, and entirely new method of combat to compensate for such a substantial handicap. Seventeen was looking for attacks that would never come, strikes that could no longer be delivered.
What was worse, he didn't have Eighteen with him this time. He'd never realized it until this moment how dependent he was on Eighteen's help in a fight. He'd gotten used to her presence, realient even to the point that he'd realized that he could fight sloppy in some areas because Eighteen would cover him where he would otherwise falter, just as he would for her. He could attack wildly, leaving himself open to attacks knowing that Blondie couldn't retaliate because otherwise Eighteen would be given a free opportunity to, as she liked to put it: 'Wreck his shit'.
Now he was fighting without Eighteen and still using tactics that he would with her presence. Not only that, he was fighting what was practically an entirely new opponent that just so happened to know exactly what his fighting style was with entirely new methods to combat him.
They were both fighting with a handicap.
But only one of them had managed to adapt to that handicap.
Seventeen swallowed, beginning to finally feel a nervousness flood his system. His eyes twitched as understanding filled him.
He needed Eighteen to win this fight.
Otherwise…
Seventeen scowled, his snarl for once not directed towards Blondie, but inwardly at himself. He didn't know how strong he was power wise due to Dr. Gero's incompetence, but he'd always firmly believed that he was stronger than Blondie was. They'd fought one on one before, not for long intervals albeit, but long enough for Seventeen to feel confident in his ability to take the orange clad idiot by himself if it ever came down to it.
Judging by this exchange however…
The image of Gohan hovering in the air above him shuddered, an afterimage disappearing in a blink of the eye.
A moment later, Seventeen startled as he narrowly avoided a slicing kick meant to take his head off.
The teen snarled as he rose from his crouched position, using the fact Blondie had over extended with his kick to land a powerful uppercut to the man's chin. He watched with satisfaction as Gohan grimaced in response, his head snapping back as he grunted with audible pain.
Following up on his opening, the Android thrusted both hands forward, building golden light emerging from them before letting the energy explode out from him.
The wave of light engulfed the man in orange, the last Seventeen saw of him had been the look of shock registering on his face before the yellow light overtook Gohan.
Seventeen let his energy pour into the attack, shoving as much as he could as he felt his curcates pulsing from the strain. The beam flickered out from him like a torrent of water, like a river going over a steep cliff and crashing into the pool below.
A confident smile pulled at Seventeen's lips in that moment, the previous doubt washing away in this monstrous display of power.
"How's that, asshole!? Think you can even stand after an attack like that!?" Seventeen shouted out over the sound of his roaring eruption of golden energy surging forward and carrying so far that Seventeen couldn't see the end of it. Several buildings unfortunate enough to be in the way of the energy had crumbled to its force, the Ki blast tearing through them like they had been nothing more than tissue paper.
"...Ka-"
Seventeen's brow raised.
Did I just hear something?
"Me-"
Seventeen's eyes widened in surprise. He'd definitely heard that.
"Ha-
The Android growled in frustration. It sounded like Blondie was still inside his energy beam. How the Hell was he still alive in there!? He pushed harder, his beam of energy expanding even further, his entire body tinted yellow in the reflected light.
He heard a grunt of pain from within his beam, clearly that had done the trick.
Seventeen's smile returned.
"Me-"
Seventeen's mouth went slack for a moment, his eyes now wide with shock. Finally content to let the energy beam finish, Seventeen dropped his arms to his sides, his hands tightening into balls of absolute fury.
His eyes were unblinking when the light from his attack finally faded.
Standing there in the middle of what was a carved dip in the street, a flickering energy shield surrounding him was Blondie himself. He was breathing heavily, a gleam of sweat running down each visible part of his body, but otherwise he appeared physically fine.
Did he just eat my blast like it was nothing!?
Well, even Seventeen had to admit that wasn't entirely true. It was clear that the man had strained himself to keep the shield powered for as long as he had. It would have taken an equal force in power to keep such an Earth shattering amount of energy from hitting him. Seventeen knew that the man had needed to expend at least the same amount of power as he'd output to accomplish such a task. All in all, it should have been a better trade for him considering Seventeen knew that he would never tire from expending his unlimited supply of Ki.
But that wasn't what was terrifying the Android at the moment.
Cocked back in Gohan's only arm, was the dangerous glow of an attack Seventeen knew all too well.
"HA!"
Fuck!
Was all Seventeen could think as he saw a beam of energy even larger than his own come surging towards him barely a few feet away. The Android had only a millisecond to bring his Ki to his front, surrounding himself in an energy shield much as his opponent had moments before.
Then the beam hit.
The power boomed as it struck Seventeen's energy shield, washing over him like a tidal wave and fully engulfing the Android in blue light. Seventeen felt himself being pushed back, his feet digging into the damaged asphalt as he was slowly forced to slide back against the force of such a massive attack.
Seventeen snarled as he felt his system surging with as much power as it could push out at any given time. Sure, he had endless reserves, but that didn't mean that he could bring it all out at once.
"Damn it!" The Android growled as he felt his energy giving way. His golden shield was slowly being eaten away by the blue energy, the roaring power filling his ears as his unlimited power struggled to push out enough to compensate for how much was being eaten away.
He could feel it, knew that if Blondie kept this up for much longer, his shield was going to break.
How!? How is this possible!? How does he have this much power!?
For a moment, Seventeen could feel the stress of Gohan's energy beam on his shield ease, beginning to lesson with intensity.
Seventeen's cocky smile returned, although it was discretely hidden within a grimace of strain. That had been tough.
Regardless of that fact, Seventeen knew he had won. He couldn't imagine Gohan having any more reserves to fight with after releasing an attack that even overwhelmed his own power supply, if only for the briefest second.
"Finally feeling tired eh one-armed-wonder? Well, don't worry, buddy. You'll get plenty of rest once I gut you like a pig and smear your entrails across the corpse of that punk you like to bring around so often." Seventeen snarked as he watched the beam begin to dwindle, its radius reduced to a point that he could once again see Gohan's strained, exhausted expression.
Their eyes met.
And Seventeen could see the look of surprise and panic on Gohan's face.
Seventeen's smile only grew.
This fight is done.
"What was his name again?" Seventeen continued to gloat, feeling the force of Gohan's attack weaken more and more as time went on. "Oh right, it was Trunks wasn't it?"
Seventeen remembered Blondie shouting the name once or twice in one of their previous battles.
The Android sneered as he watched the look of despair cross his opponent's features. A deep rooted realization that they'd both come to at the same time.
Seventeen watched as Gohan understood that he'd lost.
And then...something odd happened.
Seventeen had lowered the intensity of his shield, dropping it to match the power output of the attack splashing helplessly against his barrier.
He saw the slightest grin pull at the corner of Blondie's mouth.
Then, his world turned white.
W-What?
His mind flooded with confusion as for a second time he was overwhelmed with sheer, raw energy. The beam of Ki grew so large that Seventeen had to squint from it's undeniable intensity. The previously blue hue transitioned into a pure white energy, an energy so powerful, so erupt that Seventeen realized in that moment that he didn't have the time to push his own Ki into his shield to rival it.
He watched helplessly as his shield deteriorated, and the energy came rushing towards his features.
His mind raced, confused, bewildered, trying to find an explanation, trying to find a solution to what appeared to be his impending doom.
He knew what had happened as he felt the energy wash over him, the magnitude of the attack finally touching his skin, finally impacting him with such a force that Seventeen felt like his chest was about to cave in as a result.
Blondie had tricked him.
He'd had enough energy all along, had been waiting for his moment to push it all forward, he'd brought Seventeen's guard down just enough to ensure that this push would make it through.
...No!
The Android didn't have the strength to fight it, didn't have the power to push back as he was carried off his feet and sent flying back. His skin burned away as he felt the power surge over him.
His eyes went wide with fear.
-Eighteen-
Her body was tense, her gaze hardened as he focused on the boy before her. Nearby, Bulma's limp form lay still in the corner of the room.
"SNORE-"
A sheepish, embarrassed smile pulled at Trunks's lips. "Sorry about mom. She doesn't get a lot of sleep...sometimes she just...well...collapses without realizing it." He sighed, clear pain in his eyes. "I wish she would sleep more often…"
Eighteen provided an understanding nod in response. The mother had told them that she was just going to lie down for a moment. That had soon transitioned into a deep slumber in a matter of minutes. Eighteen imagined that the woman probably fought off sleep more often than not considering how much she must have worried for her son and potentially Gohan.
They were in a relatively small room, no larger than an average bedroom Eighteen had determined. The walls were composed of what she could only figure to be some type of steel, although it's strange composition led the Android to consider that it may be something else. The woman was a genius after all, it would make sense if she'd composed a potentially stronger version of steel, or so she assumed.
She and Trunks were sat across from each other at a simple wooden table with a deck of cards between them. Trunks had offered to play a simple card game, but their interest in the game had soon faded as their focus drifted towards the fight they could both feel still raging.
In the corner of the room were two simply designed beds with metal frames and a hammock like material to support the occupant in the center. Eighteen imagined that they would be the same type of beds provided to large masses of people during some type of natural disaster at an emergency center. Not ideal, but comfortable enough for people to rest in.
The rest of the room was relatively bare, with only a fridge in the corner with enough food to last a week or so and a door leading to a restroom Eighteen was content with ignoring for the time being.
Eighteen still didn't quite understand why she hadn't chosen to kill the two. She could feel Gohan's power waning, feel that the battle was coming closer to its conclusion, and she knew that she needed to leave soon or otherwise accept a fate she could have prevented.
A part of her hated that she could sense energy now, it made sitting here waiting that much more unbearable
. It was almost like she could feel every attack, every impact. She could feel each time Gohan suffered an injury, the way his Ki jolted, the way it pained for just a moment, before depleting as he retaliated in ways she could only imagine.
She felt her fingers tighten, gripping the table tightly in frustration. She hated the knot of nervousness forming in the pit of her stomach..
Then she felt a hand rest itself on one of hers.
She looked up confused, meeting Trunks's sympathetic gaze.
"It'll be alright." She watched as the boy attempted a smile for her sake, although it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Gohan is strong. He'll make it out alive."
She couldn't tell if he was trying to convince her or himself.
She found that a part of her was hoping the exact same thing.
The Android felt another question boiling within her. "...Do you think he's strong enough to win?"
It was a foolish question. Of course he wasn't strong enough to win against both of them.
Then again, it wasn't both of them that he was going up against, was it?
But Trunks didn't know that. He thought that Gohan was out there, fighting off both the Androids like he always did. Eighteen so deeply wished that was the case now.
She watched a frown pull at the boy's features, his hand pulling away as his gaze did the same. "I...I want him to be."
It was obvious why he'd phrased his answer that way. Eighteen could see the confliction in his eyes as he studied the floor with a betrayed trust. Eighteen had learned early on how much the teen looked up to Gohan. He saw the older man as his mentor, his friend, and his hero. But at the same time, Eighteen knew that Trunks wasn't stupid. He knew as much as she did that Gohan was no match for both she and her brother. He didn't want to say that Gohan was weaker, he was too loyal for that, but at the same time...
Her eyes widened, an idea rushing to her.
"...What if...we could make him stronger?"
She watched the teen shoot her a curious gaze, his lips pulling into a tight frown.
"Gohan strictly said that if I tried to fight the Androids again that he would stop training me. Besides, I'm not ready to fight either of them in a fight Videl… I've learned that first hand."
Eighteen struggled not to wince as she watched the teen pull his hand to his chest protectively. The same hand she'd completely crushed what felt like only days ago.
He continued,"I know you probably feel pretty strong now that you've learned how to shoot an energy blast and fly, but trust me when I say that you've only scratched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to power. It takes a whole lot longer to get strong, I've been learning for months now, and even I am still too weak to make a difference against the Androids." He shook his head. "It'd be a death wish for us to go out now and try to fight the Androids off." He sighed, clearly wishing that wasn't the case. "We need to stay here."
Eighteen shook her head, her mind racing with the new idea. "I'm not saying that we should go out and fight. I'm saying that we could literally make Gohan stronger."
Trunks raised an eyebrow, clearly not following her.
"Earlier today Gohan showed me that it's possible to push your Ki into another person. Now...I don't know exactly how this all works, but what if we could do that for Gohan from a distance?" She didn't know if that was possible, she'd literally only been shown that Ki could be transferred less than an hour ago. As far as she knew, it could only be done by touch, but if it could be done by touch, who was to say it couldn't be transferred via other means?
It was a shot in the dark she knew, but at this point, Eighteen was willing to accept anything to get her over to that fight.
Please please let this be possible.
She watched the teen's eyes grow wide.
Her excitement tripled in magnitude.
"That…that could actually work…"
Eighteen couldn't restrain her smile. "We could fly in, stay hidden, and discretely transfer our power to him as he fights. I know that we're not nearly as strong as he is...but every little bit helps, right?"
She watched the teen grow excited, excited to act, excited to finally make a difference for a change. She watched the boy shoot to his feet, before his eyes drifted to the corner of the room.
He frowned.
"But...what about mom…?"
Eighteen had to contain the annoyed expression that was threatening to consume her features.
"We're not going to put ourselves in danger, Trunks. We'll stay far away enough that we can get out easily if we need to. It's not like the Androids can sense energy, right?"
"...That's right…" The boy's eyebrows knit together. "Wait a sec, how do you know they can't sense energy?"
Shit!
Eighteen internally thought to herself as her mind raced for an excuse. "Uh...I think Gohan told me in our training or something. He'd never seen them track him by his energy signature I think he mentioned.."
She watched the teen contemplate her answer for a moment before shrugging and nodding. "Makes sense."
The Android breathed an internal sigh of relief before standing and beginning to make her way towards the door. "We should get a move on before it's too late."
She leaned over and snatched the small backpack she'd brought with her, strapping it to her back tightly.
She'd made it across the room to the large, several feet thick door that separated them from the outside world before noticing that Trunks hadn't followed her.
She turned back only to see that the lavender haired teen was still standing rooted to the spot he'd been before, his eyes looking towards his mother resting peacefully in the corner of the room.
"Trunks." Eighteen hissed quietly, not wanting to wake the sleeping woman up. "We need to go."
The boy hesitated a moment longer before his eyes steeled over with a determined resolve and he followed her towards the door.
He shot her one nod before he started to enter the pin necessary to open the large metallic gateway to the outside world. It almost reminded her of a typical bank door with how thick and sturdy it was.
"Let's go." The teen said sternly as the door slowly creaked open.
Eighteen nodded as she followed behind, listening as the door came to a slow shut behind them.
Internally, Eighteen's mind raced as she continued to focus on Gohan's energy, trying to gauge how the fight was going between her brother, and someone who she was quickly beginning to feel was her friend.
Just hold out until I get there Seventeen...and Gohan.
She frowned when she was sure that Trunks wasn't looking.
This is going to be an absolute shit show.
-Seventeen-
...Ow…
His entire body felt like it'd just been sent through the sun, his skin felt charred to the point that his nerve endings were numb. As he slowly opened his eyes, he could even see faint tendrils of smoke drifting off his severely cooked body. There was a constant faint stinging sensation across his whole frame, except for the parts where nerve endings had seemingly completely burned away in which case were entirely numb.
...where am I?
He could vaguely make out that he was still in the city, but he couldn't tell just how far he'd been carried by that asshole's blast. He was almost completely buried in rubble. Jagged rock and broken cement dug into his already tender and stinging skin. His shirt was little more than a single strand of fabric loosely hanging off his torso, his pants only just barely surviving enough to provide cover for his genitalia and little else. His head pounded with pain, forcing the Android to grimace as he began to push himself out of the debris. The dust and smoke surrounding him made it nearly impossible to make out more than that he was currently in a broken building.
Then he fell back, his right side so numb that he couldn't feel his arm properly.
The twin scowled in frustration.
C'mon body, we still have a cripple to beat up.
He chided as he attempted to push himself up to a sitting position for a second time, only to fall to his side again.
He rolled to his right, realizing that his right arm appeared to be struggling to cooperate with him. It felt like it was limp at his side, most likely still in shock and attempting to recuperate much like the rest of his body was.
Come on, arm! Let's get up now!
He focused his attention on the limb, willing his systems to redirection their efforts towards it.
He waited to get feedback from his arm, a response telling him it was good to move again as his legs and left arm had done several moments prior.
Nothing.
His brow furrowed.
He reached his left arm across his body, feeling for his bicep to try to rub some sensation back into the limb..
His hand slapped against his ribs.
...What?
Panic began to set in. Eyes wide, his left arm began to reach up and down where his other arm should be, before it reached up and felt at his shoulder.
His mouth went dry.
There, he could feel loose circuitry awkwardly sending power to where his right arm used to be.
Slowly, his eyes turned to his shoulder. The smoke and dust slowly settled, revealing what Seventeen had already known to be true.
His arm, his right arm, was entirely missing.
The Android remained motionless, his eyes locked onto where his right limb had once been, his voice was silent as he slowly began to process what he was seeing.
...my arm...is gone.
He slowly blinked.
My arm is gone!
Seventeen's remaining limbs scrambled at that moment, forcing him to a standing position while his eyes never wavered from his severed shoulder. Waves of pain signals were rushing to his brain, pulling his lips into a tight grimace.
He stood there, motionless, unable to move, unable to react to what his eyes were telling him.
...No…
He couldn't understand it. It didn't make sense! How could his arm be gone!? Sure, he'd pulled it over his head to protect himself at the last second, but that didn't mean- it shouldn't justify that his arm was...what?
His mind raced as he stared at the missing component to his person.
Finally, his mind snapped back into place as his body trembled with emotion.
"NOOO!"
He bellowed as his remaining hand clenched into a tight fist. The Android fell to his knees in that moment, his mouth stammering with unintelligible nonsense as he tried to rationalize to no one in particular that this could not be happening.
"Wha- how did- you- it can't be-" His head slowly shook side to side in denial.
His form stiffened as he felt a familiar glow fall upon him. Turning his head forward, he saw a face he knew all too well, golden flames reaching out and casting a yellow light on his shape.
Blondie was staring at him, but not with the usual tight lipped grimace that Seventeen hard learned to expect so often, but with a look of genuine surprise.
It would have been funny had the situation been anything but.
Judging from his wide eyes and generally stunned demeanor, Seventeen could tell that even he hadn't expected this.
For a moment, Seventeen felt fear. Fear from the person who'd just wounded him in a way so drastic that he didn't know if he could ever recover from it, fear from the person who'd just managed to overwhelm his very own energy output, fear from someone who'd actually managed to hurt him.
Then, his face tightened, and the Android snarled.
No, he wasn't afraid, he was livid.
"You sack of absolute dog shit!" Seventeen spat as he glared at the man responsible for taking his arm. "I'm going to rip you apart limb from limb and beat your bloody bean body with your own legs until you're nothing more than a black and purple dead potato person!"
It wasn't his best insult admittedly, but he was too overwhelmed by rage to try and think up anything better.
Without a moment of secondary thought, the Android shot forward cocking his remaining fist back, his snarl baring teeth.
-Eighteen-
They were flying painfully slow to her standards as they made they're way towards where they could sense the battle still raging. As they grew closer, Eighteen could see fewer and fewer buildings still standing, eventually, rubble became the new norm with rising fires and dust clouds littering the view.
Then they saw it.
A beam of energy so large, so bright that it almost made the sky appear dark by comparison. Eighteen found herself shielding her eyes as Trunks did the same. It carried on for several seconds longer before eventually dissipating. Eighteen could sense that Gohan's energy was reaching a critical low now, barely at a quarter of what it had been at the start.
Have to move quickly.
She thought to herself as she noticed Trunks pause ahead of her. He turned back to her, a nervous expression on his face before extending a single open hand towards her.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Give me whatever energy you can spare now and get out of here. Bringing you here was a bad idea. You're not experienced enough yet to be in a fight like this."
She snickered. "What, and you are?"
She watched him bristle at the comment before frowning. "Look, I'm being serious here. You're practically new to all this energy stuff. Give me what you can spare, and I'll make sure Gohan gets it along with my own energy." The boy took a deep, shaky breath; obviously nervous, but unwilling to back out now. "Please, just listen to me."
Eighteen eyed the teen for a few seconds longer, her mind forming new plans as she considered what she would need to do next. A reluctant smile eventually pulled at her lips.
"Alright. But you get out as soon as you can you got that?" It sounded like the right thing to say in this situation.
Much to her surprise, it had come naturally.
He nodded, a weak smile playing at his lips. "Of course."
She reached out and took the boys hand, absentmindedly noting that it was the same hand she'd crushed not two weeks prior.
The last time she'd been holding this hand, she'd been shattering it.
This time, she was helping it.
Huh, ironic.
She closed her eyes as she began to slowly replicate what she'd felt Gohan do for her less than an hour ago, before stopping immediately.
Wait…my energy isn't my energy…
The Ki she had to offer didn't feel like real Ki, in fact, it was so artificial that neither Gohan or Trunks could even sense it if they tried. What if she attempted to transfer some of it, and it immediately gave away the fact that she wasn't who she claimed to be, what if she pushed her energy into Trunks and he detected that she was an Android?
What other options do I have!?
It wasn't like she could just refuse and leave all of a sudden.
...there is that little bit of energy that isn't from Dr. Gero…
It was her 'human' half as far as she could tell. In comparison to what she really had to offer, it was pitiful to say the least. A tiny speck in comparison to the powers being tossed around her, like a single droplet of rain hitting a massive lake.
Well...I guess I am 'new' aren't I?
She reached out and took control of that speck of energy that she could recognize as herself. It was harder than she'd expected it to be to draw upon it, but eventually she did and pushed it forward, channeling it through her arm and forcing it out of her body and into the boy's hand.
And much to Eighteen's surprise, she actually felt exhausted from the act.
What the-?
Her vision began to cloud with dark spots as suddenly her head felt too heavy for the rest of her body. Before she knew what was happening, she found herself rushing towards the ground below before a set of arms caught her.
...what?
Her vision returned to her moments later, the dizzy feeling rapidly leaving her before she looked up and realized that Trunks was currently carrying her.
The woman immediately scrambled out of his arms.
"Hey! Careful! You'll exert yourself too much!" Trunks reached out, trying to steady her by the arm as the two floated in the sky.
"I'm...fine…" She responded as she took flight again, feeling Dr. Gero's programming take over for her. "Really, I'm okay." She pulled her arm out of the boy's grasp.
She watched him study her for several seconds longer, his eyes concerned as he stared.
"Aren't you supposed to be helping Gohan right now with our energy?"
Boy did that feel weird to say.
"Right." He turned away from her. "Stay safe." He shot her one final glimpse before taking off in the direction they'd seen the massive beam of Ki.
Eighteen watched him go, waiting for a few moments longer before turning and moving at her true speed towards where she could see most of a building still standing.
The ceiling had caved in, but that only gave the woman an easier time entering as she set down. Immediately, the woman slipped the backpack off her shoulders before reaching inside and claiming its contents. Inside were her 'normal' clothes, a dress attire that would make sense for her normal self to wear. Her signature denim jacket with the sleeves torn off and skirt paired with tights and a long sleeve undershirt.
She quickly got dressed, knowing that each second she wasted would be that much longer Gohan would have to survive against her brother. If the fight was still going on now, that meant that Seventeen had to be winning considering that he would never tire.
She closed her eyes, reaching out to sense Gohan's energy.
It was low, dangerously low in fact. It was barely a quarter of its typical self, and Eighteen knew that he would likely only lose more as the battle progressed.
She began to slowly rise out of the building before hesitating. Her entire plan had been centered on getting here, but now that she was here, she realized that she had no idea what she was going to do when she finally got involved.
I need to somehow convince Seventeen that we need to retreat...or maybe I could give Gohan an opening to escape?
Over the many years of battle, the one thing she knew about Son Gohan was that he was excellent at slipping out of their grasps at just the right time.
Ofcourse, that's assuming that if he does get the chance to get away, he'll take it.
Their last fight had ended...less than spectacularly for the young man. She'd noticed how he'd been so much more aggressive in their past fight, it looked like he'd spent everything he had in that effort. It had been a far departure from his typical tactics, and one that had thrown her for a loop initially if she was being completely honest.
Was that the case here? Was he throwing himself at his enemy with reckless abandon again? Eighteen wasn't so sure. The fight had been waging for some time now, and due to only now learning how to sense life energy, she couldn't tell if this was typically how low Gohan's power would be in a fight lasting this long.
She stretched out her senses a second time, this time searching for Trunks instead.
She scowled.
The boy was making slow progress towards the fight, clearly proceeding cautiously assuming that Gohan was fighting two opponents instead of just one.
Get your ass over there you little punk!
She growled as she continued to wait. That would be the plan. She would wait until Trunks was able to deliver the power and then she would rush in. The boy's Ki was barely anything compared to the power Gohan was throwing around, but it was still something, and in order for her to make this look convincing, she needed Gohan to be as strong as he could be.
Speed it up kid, I need to wrap this fight up quick.
Author's Notes:
~Sigh~
Alright I'll address this first because I know that there are those of you planning to write me a review about this 'mistake'. I know that in the original Manga it was stated that Seventeen was stronger individually than Gohan was. Now, in my defence, when the Anime special adapted it this fact was left out and the fights always left the impression that Gohan was fractionally stronger than one Android but was overwhelmed by two. Like how during the short one on one between Seventeen and Gohan it appeared that Seventeen was taken aback from Gohan's strength before deciding to let Eighteen jump in. I always prefered this basis for the power scaling of these characters to each other, and for the purposes of this story, that will be the canon for this fanfic. also, its kinda already been established in this story that part of the reason Gohan keeps losing is he doesn't see himself winning. But when the task has just been cut down to half its typical size...well that would boost anyone's confidence wouldn't it?
I hope that satisfied those of you who felt the power scaling for the characters was off.
Not much else to say here. Writing out Eighteen in such an internally stressful situation was very interesting for me to write. Writing out Seventeen's revelation that his arm is gone was also particularly fun for some reason. Please post a comment if you want to praise or insult me! I love both!(not equally, but I still love em both!)
I will personally respond to each and every comment