What-If Bardock Convinced the Sayains: Season 2, Chapter 14
Sanity Lost? Kudza's Powerplay
"Absorb ener—ARRGH!" Piccolo couldn't finish that sentence.
17 began his rampage once more. However, Piccolo could only keep his guard up as he started to get smacked around by an unyielding 17.
16 looks on, perturbed. "17 is acting more maniac than before." He looks down at 18. "Is this a common occurrence with this Overclock feature?" he asked, monotoned.
18 looks up at the big guy and shakes her head. "Not sure. This is the first time I've ever seen it in action."
18 began to think. This mysterious, so-called benefactor that had given them these upgrades, the one that had claimed to have killed Dr. Gero while in their sleep, why would they give them this?
She looks down at the red glass beads embedded in her hands. "Would I end up like 17 now if I'd absorb energy?"
16 narrowed his eyes at 18, then looked back to 17. Who looked to be slowing down after ten minutes. But unfortunately, 17 also noticed his condition.
A desperate look comes on the Androids face, and he looks at Piccolo with a craving. "Get over here!" 17 lunges at Piccolo, grappling him hard from the front.
"Wha—What are you—" Piccolo could feel his energy drain away. "NRRRG—Let go!" he gave a heavy elbow from above to 17's shoulder, causing his grip to loosen, giving Piccolo the chance to throw him off.
Piccolo gets some distance away from 17. "So, you do absorb energy," he retakes his fighting stance. "Strictly close quarters then, while keeping you at the end of a short leash, simple."
17 on the ground looks up at him, furious.
17 turns to 18. "Need some help over here!" he yells.
18 blinks. For a moment, 18 hadn't heard the desperation in her brother's voice.
"NOW!" 17 yells in a harsher tone.
"R-right!" 18 now jumps into the fray.
A cheeky smile creeps across 17's face as he jumps at Piccolo, throwing him back into the metaphorical frying pan.
Piccolo could handle one Android but now has to deal with two. "This is going to be a tough ride." Piccolo thought.
The battle continues, and Piccolo has successfully repelled 17 out of sight for the moment. Leaving 18 pushing the assault from the front.
Piccolo could find the time to counter, continuing to guard as 18 throws attack after attack at him. Both were in a perpetual stalemate as neither of them could progress in taking each other out. That is until 17 returned.
In a flash, 17 darts up behind Piccolo, giving Piccolo a cracking kick to his spine. Piccolo goes into paralysis as he begins to fall from the sky. He would have continued to the ground, but 17 had caught him from behind.
As 17 held him, he clasped his hands tightly on Piccolo's chest.
Piccolo winces and pants as he feels his energy drain once more. A few seconds pass, and 17 begins laughing again.
"Oh, yeah! What a rush," 17's eyes leered toward his sister. He jerks a weakening Piccolo towards 18. "C'mon, sis! You gotta get a taste of this sweetness."
That look in 17's eye sent a shiver down 18's spine. She started to move forward to 17, but as she did 18 started to notice more and more of how unstable 17 was. Beads of sweat were dripping down his face, his body was shaking, and his eyes that were trained on her looked like they were vibrating. It scared her.
18 jumped back from her brother, leaving him confused. "Wha—What's up with you?"
"You! You're what's up, 17," 18 said as if it were obvious. "Can't you see what's happening to yourself right now?"
17 raised his eyebrow egregiously. "What's happening?" 17 spreads out his arms wide, letting go of Piccolo. "What's happening, 18, is ME!" A tremendous amount of pressure exudes from 17. " I feel like I can bench press the world! Don't you want a piece of that action?!"
18 cringed. "You are acting more like yourself than usual. Too much more, actually."
The two begin to argue, and Piccolo falls to the ground shuddering. With Piccolo subdued, 16 looks on, watches, and ponders.
All this time, the only target he had in mind was Son Goku but thinking on it more and the experiences that he has had with 17 and 18, 16 realized they've been very lenient to his desires over their own. Even after 13's destruction, they have still ventured out to complete it.
Was it a subconscious desire? Leftover from Dr. Gero's design? He couldn't tell.
But looking at this development between the siblings, he can't help but feel concerned. Recognizing 18's plight at the moment.
16 is about to head up to mediate tensions when a voice suddenly calls up to the twins.
"Hey, kids!" Kudza, who's been silent the whole time, is now holding two condensed energy blasts. "You need a pick-me-up?" He tosses them up to the Androids.
17 unwittingly accepts this incoming drink while 18 dodges out of the way, as her intended ki blast goes off into the distance.
Discontent is seen on Kudza as he tightens his face.
Piccolo gets a knee under him and looks up to Kudza. "Kudza, what are you doing?!" Piccolo shouts.
Kudzu smirks. "Do you need a little more downtime, Piccolo? Because I can lend a hand if you want."
Confusion, anger, and a new sense of danger came over Piccolo. Piccolo was suspicious before, but now what Kudza just did had confirmed it. Or, at the very least, made the situation that more unpredictable.
Nevertheless, Piccolo is back on his feet, and his attention is now solely on Kudza.
Kudzu can see the fury in Piccolo's eyes, and he simply points up above Piccolo. Not noticing 17 coming down like a missile, Piccolo is slammed into the ground! A bowl of dust picks up, and in it laughs a manic 17 who continues to pound Piccolo deeper into the earth.
"Let me know if you need help, buddy!" Kudzu calls out. He then returns his attention to his tablet.
"Not much longer now," Kudzu looks over to the now idle 18 hanging in the air. "For one at least."
On Kudza's tablet, it shows what could be a message board.
Kudzu begins typing. "ITS_NEARLY_TIME_,_BE_CLOSE_AND_READY_._MORE_PROGRESS_MUST_BE_MADE_ON_THE_GIRL_."
Kudzu switches the tablet to another screen that displays headshots of 17 and 18. Both with progress bars next to them. 17's is near completion, while 18 remains only a quarter full.
16 looks on at Kudza. Though he may be helping his friends, to 16 eyes, he can't help but feel an ominous aura from this man. 16's guard is now up.
Another ten minutes go by, and the sky turns orange from the sunset. Whenever it seemed like 17 would be running out of steam or was being pushed back by Piccolo, Kudza would throw another Ki-blast towards 17, getting him back into his Overclocked form.
As this was going on, 16 and 18 were monitoring Kudza.
What was he aiming for in all of this? 16 was certain now that this individual had an agenda, but he couldn't figure out what or why. 18 after minutes of watching this guy constantly dope up her brother, well, she had just about had it.
She flies down and marches up to Kudza. "Hey! What's your deal? Why are you doing this to my brother?!" 18 demanded.
Kudzu looks over to 18 with an innocent look. "I'm only trying to help him out with the fight!" Kudzu bats his eyes. "Can't I do that?"
18 raises an eyebrow. "Are you some kind of kid or something?"
Kudza smiles. "I am technically 12... Or 14? I always get the dates wrong. Wow, I have been busy for the past decade!"
18 couldn't get a read on this guy. Not sure if he was being serious, but she brushes it aside with anger. "Stop messing with my brother!" She said with force.
Kudza looked surprised and mystified. "It seems like he's having fun, though! And besides—" Kudza drops the jovial tone with a more serious one. "I have an invested interest in you and your brother's performance." Kudza looks back down at his tablet.
"What the hell does that mean?" 18 snapped. She then looks at what Kudza's been holding.
Then in an unexpected move, 18 attempts to grab Kudza by the arm, holding his tablet.
"What are you even looking at—AHH!"
Kudzu returns in kind by backslapping 18 away.
18 falls to the ground, and 16 rushes over. 18 rubs her cheek. It was alarmingly numb.
Kudzu wags his finger at 18. "Nuh-uh-uh! No peeking."
But this little distraction was enough for Kudza to just catch 17 about to take Piccolo out of commission.
17 stands over Piccolo, panting heavily, and prepares a ki blast to finish off the Namekian. "You did a good job keeping me entertained, but I'm getting bored. Have a nice time with all the other green guys in hell!"
Kudzu's eyes go wide. He takes a glance at 17's progress bar, 90%. He still needed more, and Piccolo looked to be out of gas. So much for Plan A… Unless.
In a flash, Kudza leaps forward at 17 and kicks him away into some rubble.
Piccolo just looks up at Kudza, now standing above him. "Who are you?" he said with anger and caution.
Kudzu gently says. "All will be revealed in time." Kudzu then looks up at the sky and shouts out. "Krillin! I think it's about time for Piccolo to get one of those Senzu Beans, right?"
Away and behind some foliage, Krillin stirs. How did he know Krillin? Looking on, he just looks at this man, not understanding his motive along with everyone else. But Piccolo needed him, and this was a chance to heal him.
Krillin sits up and steps out into view where everyone can now see.
Kudzu looks over, smiles and steps away from Piccolo with hands out in presentation towards him.
Krillin gulped but didn't move closer. For the past day and a half, he's experienced nothing but terror from these Androids, but until recently, he's begun to have mixed feelings. Was it because of these Androids' willingness to play along with his suggestion earlier? Of letting Gohan, Vitella, Chi-Chi, and Baby Kholba go? Or was it because of 18's flirty nature that had gotten to him?
In fact, watching 18 getting knocked back by this Kudza guy really got him mad—no!
Krillin shakes his head. Reminding himself that these Androids have the same capacity for destruction as those three others back on Amenbo Island. Letting them roam free like this won't help anyone!
Krillin looks over to 18, who also looks at him as if waiting to see what he'll do.
"You can't risk everything over a girl you just met." Krillin thought.
He closes his eyes and is about to step forward, but Piccolo is the one to stop him by yelling out to him!
"Krillin, stay back! I don't know what this man is thinking, but it can't be good for anyone. I was foolish enough to allow him to help me find the Androids, and look where we are now! So don't play into whatever game he's planning!"
Any uncertainty had vanished. Krillin takes a moment and then tightens his gaze at Kudza, taking a step away.
Kudza looks on, now disappointed, and sighs to himself. "Plan B it is then." he raises his hand up towards the orange sky and shoots out a ki blast as a flare.
Everyone now holds their breath, nervous about what this means.
Then, Piccolo, Krillin, and 16 eyes go wide as they sense a dramatic rise in power from all four directions surrounding them. Powers that close in quickly.
From the treeline burst out four… Super Saiyans?!
The kicked-away 17 finally emerges from the rubble created from his last assault and sees what's happening.
Even with all this excess energy running through him, he can't help but be lost as well. "What is going on?"
17 then notices two buffed-out Super Saiyans charging at him. While the other two looked to be going after 18 in the process.
17 regains some clarity for that moment. "18! GAAGRH!"
However, in this moment of distraction. 17 is pounded back into the ground by a Saiyan with an undercut hairstyle. "Should be more focused on yourself, brat!" He grabs 17 by the hair and holds him up.
The Saiyan begins punching 17 repeatedly in the face and the other one accompanying him floats down beside him in a sitting position. He wore a doubled-eyed scouter on his face.
He looked over to his partner. "So do you need any—"
"Nope!"
"Okay, you keep punching away while I… wait over there, I suppose." He drifts off and onto a nearby cliff. His eyes trained on his associate.
Back with the other two, they are on top of 18, who is just as bewildered as everyone else.
18 barely dodges a giant fist from a grizzled old man that had slammed into the ground. "Hmmm, I am going senile."
"Don't sweat it, old timer!" The other one, whose half his head was shaved and had darker skin, appeared out of nowhere behind 18 and delivered a double hammer fist to the side of her head. "Leave this to the man-hunter! Or should I say… Droid-hunter? Ahhh?!"
The older Saiyan sighed. "Keep focused, child. She is still dangerous."
18 was disoriented from that last attack but knew not to be there! So she speeds upward into the sky and shakes away the ringing in her ears. But, unfortunately, she couldn't take too long of a break because those two were already back on her. Eager to lay in some hits.
Kudzu looks up at these simultaneous attacks and finds himself amused. "I knew they'd come in hand, but to think they're really putting up a fight with these two is astonishing. Guess that last year I left them alone really paid off!"
It was just then that Kudza's amusement turned into pondering. "Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something—" Kudza couldn't finish that thought as he was suddenly knocked away by 16, who had clearly distinguished the real enemy at this moment!
Kudza was skidding across the ground, clearly rattled from that surprise lariat. He immediately gets back on his feet and sees the charging 16 ready to give another heavy hit. But Kudza doesn't react immediately.
He allows 16 to get closer before saying these words. "Override Code: Gevo."
16 stops in his tracks, his face going expressionless.
Kudza chuckles to himself before continuing. "Command: Recognize New Handler. Code: C43XQ 997. Handler Name: Kudza. Execute."
The fury that had existed before in 16 had vanished.
16's eyes flash momentarily before he straightens himself back up and addresses Kudza. "How may I be of assistance, sir?" Kudza grins and only says.
Kudza grins and only says. "Just keep close to me for a moment. And when I tell you to, I want you to get your siblings and bring them to me."
While all this was happening, Krillin used the chaos to his advantage and pulled Piccolo out of the fray.
Krillin pulled the big green man up to the base of a tree for him to lean on. "I might be a little out of the loop, so please fill me in on what's going on?!" Krillin frantically asked.
Piccolo explains his story.
"So this Kudza guy claims he's from the future like Kholba and Trunks?" Krillin said while giving a Senzu Bean to Piccolo."
"Yeah," Piccolo munches on the Senzu Bean and gets back up to his feat. "But that might've been a lie as well. I'm not sure. But whatever the case may be, we now have four new super factors to this whole mystery!"
Krillin takes a hard look at the four Saiyan brawling it out with 17 and 18, then goes pale. "I think I can shed some light on that, actually." He said nervously. "I've only seen them once together on New Vegeta before leaving, but that's Starcha Squad. A Saiyan Elite Hitsquad."