This is a cool chapter, in my humble opinion. At least it's one of my favorite, anyway. Keep your head about you at the end, because if you have trouble following stories, you might get lost. But I doubt most of my readers (those that I know, anyway) will have trouble with that.
On another topic, I have a Trigun fanfiction still going and the beginning of a Matrix one. Both of these will be updated regularly as well, and I'd much appreciate it if you read either.
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Episode XXVII:
Creeping carefully around the edge of the Core, 23 modified the Power Core slightly. Keeping his ki down, he stepped silently and hoped Dark Goku didn't sense him. Almost everything hinged on this moment, and whether or not he could pull this off. Finishing the modifications, 23 began manually climbing the side of the chamber to where he had been before.
Dark Goku was growing bolder, and 23 wasn't sure how long Dark Goku would be content to work with him. In any case, 23 shared power with no one, least of all a dark copy of his former nemesis. It was almost certain that after the other two were defeated, Dark Goku would threaten to destroy the Power Core. But now, of course, he had prevented that from ever happening. If Dark Goku even touched the Core, it would destroy him as completely as possible. If all went well, by the end of this he would be the only one of them left.
He had barely gotten back into position when Dark Goku appeared again.
"I was looking for you," Dark Goku said, his eyes unreadable behind the dark glasses. 23 forced himself to make no visible response.
"Sorry. What about?"
"I have to wonder, are you really the 23 that the old Goku fought before?"
Normally, 23 would never have answered him, or told a lie. But now, however, he was already under suspicion, and Dark Goku might be able to sense his lie. Oh well, once Dark Goku was destroyed, it would hardly matter what he knew.
"One and the same."
"Did you die?"
"I did, but I had been prepared for that. The shattered remnants of my being were returned to this dimension, where they slowly knit themselves together. It took months, but eventually I was reborn."
"Good as new, eh?"
"Better. What the old Goku didn't realize is that I had taken a small sample of his blood when I cut him. With the genes in that sample, I rebuilt myself better. I am an android saiyan now. Ever wonder why I had a ki?"
"So that's the reason." Dark Goku smiled and applauded noiselessly. "I congratulate you on your stroke of genius. It takes a sharp mind to out-think you, doesn't it?"
"No one out-thinks me." 23 smiled, thinking of how easily this would be. "No one."
Just then the floor melted away as Light Goku and 18 shot through it, landing in front of them.
"Now!" 23 screamed. "Cast the spell now!"
Dark Goku did something, but there was a violent backlash of power.
"I can't!" he called back. "Light Goku has a way of blocking it. We'll have to beat them!"
Light Goku was already attacking, and Dark Goku barely defended himself. The two swirled in a blur of black and white as both warriors attacked. Identical styles clashed, and identical skills did their best to defeat the other. 23 glanced sideways at 18, who hadn't attacked yet.
"What do you say we postpone our fight until we have a victor of this one, no?" he proposed. "If you agree to those terms, I promise I'll keep the rest of this clean."
18 glanced at him, but didn't attack, so 23 took it as agreement and turned aside to watch.
Leaping sideways, Light Goku avoided Dark Goku's punch. Returning with his own, Light Goku grazed Dark Goku, who fell back, but managed to keep a hold of Light Goku's arm. Being pulled forward, Light Goku was hit directly by a knee. He flew backward swiftly and launched a ki blast, which Dark Goku deflected. They crashed again, and Light Goku managed to push one of Dark Goku's blows down, giving him enough time to kick his opponent.
Crashing backward, Dark Goku agilely bounded off the metal below, leaving Light Goku to plow into it. From above, he launched a blast of dark ki and sent the saiyan down. An instant later, Light Goku rushed up, uppercutting Dark Goku perfectly. Flipping backward, Dark Goku nearly clipped Light Goku, who weaved to the side and attempted to elbow him. Dark Goku caught the elbow and kicked, but was blocked.
Both fired blasts of ki point blank at the other, and the blasts knocked them both apart. Dark Goku used Instant Transmission to put himself nearer to his opponent, but Light Goku ducked the kick he knew was coming and attacked upward. Blocking that attack, Dark Goku struck downward, only to be blocked as well.
Grabbing Dark Goku's foot, Light Goku flung him toward the nearby wall of the Power Core. Before he let go, however, Dark Goku used his other foot to slam him in the face. Shaking himself, Goku recovered too late to avoid Dark Goku's strike from above, which sent him tumbling down into the power core. There was a rush of energy, and then nothing. The only sound was Dark Goku's laughing.
"I knew he'd win," 23 smirked. "They might have been equals in power, but Dark Goku had that killer instinct that Light Goku would never have."
A second later 18's strike imbedded him into the far wall. He would have fallen victim to another shot, had not Dark Goku flown into attack, batting 18 backward. She pivoted in midair and launched two blasts that struck both, but they shrugged them off and kept coming. Of course, 23 had lied when he said he'd keep it fair.
23 rushed forward, falling victim to a blast head on. As he tumbled down, however, 18 realized Dark Goku was unaccounted for. She felt his ki a second before he struck her from behind. Turning, she delivered a series of devastating moves to him which he failed to block, sending him down again. By this time, 23 was on his feet, and fired a large blast. Putting up a shield, 18 responded with a kick that was easily blocked. The two struggled for some time, neither getting a blow past the other.
Jumping away from the conflict, 18 avoided the blast she knew Dark Goku would launch. It hit 23 in the gut, and he made a dent in the side of the wall. Pulling himself out of that, he arrived in time to see Dark Goku fall from the fray. His own attack made contact, but at the same instant one of 18's did as well.
Landing, 18 rose to her knees in time to see Dark Goku's hand aimed at her, a massive amount of energy gathering in it. She froze, trying to collect herself in time to avoid a point blank shot. 23 got to his feet and began laughing at her. He floated down beside Dark Goku, who looked at her expressionlessly behind dark glasses.
"So at last you have lost," 23 chortled. "I knew you would fail. Dark Goku, don't kill her, I might have other uses for her after all this. But for now, finish her."
In response, Dark Goku laughed, and the sound was a dark one. Both of them flinched, neither understanding what was going on. Shaking his head, Dark Goku lowered his hand, letting his ki dissipate. 18 tensed, but waited to attack until she understood this development.
"What are you waiting for?" 23 asked, his voice commanding. "Attack!"
"You, my friend," Dark Goku turned to him, "are a fool."
"What?"
Again, Dark Goku merely laughed. Suddenly he drove his hand into 23's gut, sending the android against the far wall. He lowered a hand to 18 to help her up, and she reluctantly took it. To her surprise, he gently raised her to her feet. From the far wall, 23 shook off the dust and watched them closely.
"Have you gone soft?" he asked, glancing between them. Dark Goku merely glanced to the left.
Floating up from the Power Core, Light Goku arrived at their level. In his hands he held a small black box. The sight of it made 23 gasp, because he recognized it as the self-destruct trigger for the entire Power Core. But, the shield should have prevented him...
"You've been played for a fool," Light Goku spoke, and 18 realized he was truly unharmed. 23 looked like he was about to move, but Light Goku's hands tightened on the box and 23 halted instantly.
"Would you mind explaining all of this to me?" 18 asked, glancing at both Gokus with a puzzled look. They turned as one and smiled, one a kind smile and the other dark. Somehow both were comforting.
"23 made a fatal error in judgement," Light Goku began.
"He assumed that because we were split between Dark and Light, that one of us was good and the other evil," Dark Goku continued. "And he could not have been more wrong."
"While our natures may be different," Light Goku explained, "both of us have the same values, the same goals, and the same friends."
"You mean, you were working together?" 23 asked, incredulous. Both Gokus laughed.
"Indeed," they said it as one.
"After we were split," Dark Goku continued as he turned back to 18. "I went to the barrier that Ebony had erected. It kept out anything light, but I was completely dark."
"And after he broke it," Light Goku went on, "I joined him. From there, we destroyed Ebony."
"From that, we learned about the true nature of this dimension, and that if we could unbalance it enough, it would be completely destroyed."
"It was my idea to come here, and Dark Goku manipulated 23 so the battle took place here."
"I knew that 23 intended to betray me, but Light Goku held none of my darkness and could thus take the self destruct mechanism without harm. Of course, my 'shield' did nothing to stop him, just like the fake spell."
"We had only to fake my loss to allow me to get the mechanism, and 18 assisted by distracting 23 in the meantime as Dark Goku pretended to fight."
"Now as soon as I destroy this control, we remove this world from existence, and thus remove Ebony's breeding ground of hatred."
"It also destroys 23's empire. Very efficient."
Dark Goku floated above the core beside Light Goku. It was an odd sight, the two of them so opposite, and yet so alike.
"Wait!" 23 called, frantically attempting to think of a way out of this situation. "If you destroy me, you'll have no way to become one again!"
"I've already considered that," Dark Goku responded calmly.
"At this place, the nexus of this false dimension, I am capable of fusing us into one again. Could you hold this?"
Light Goku tossed the small box to 18, who caught it easily. She was still slightly awed at how much 23 had been duped. While it was weird discovering nearly the entire conflict had been staged, she understood their need for secrecy. Holding the box carefully, she waited as Light Goku began muttering under his breath.
Soon Dark Goku's words joined his, both voices working in unison. In an instant, there was a blinding flash of light and darkness, and then it all collected in the center of the chamber in a brightly glowing form. Eventually the light faded, and 18 saw Goku fused once again. He now had Light Goku's gi, tied with Dark Goku's black bands and glasses. The affect was strange, but she easily felt the new wave of ki from him. Once again, Goku was the strongest warrior in the dimension.
"Thank you for your help." He nodded to 18. "What do you say we finish this?"
Smiling, she threw the box back to him. 23 rushed forward, but Goku batted him aside as if he were of no concern, then crushed the box. The Core exploded, sending material everywhere. White light covered everything, but instead of fading it increased, as more and more matter was sucked into oblivion. 18 found herself flying along the tunnel of rings again much faster than her first trip. Behind her, she saw an all encompassing white just behind her, consuming all in its path. A second later, Goku emerged from it, matching speed beside her.
"What's happening now?" 18 asked him from across the passage. He smiled.
"After I disrupted the energy flow, the dimension collapsed. Now anything from other dimensions is being pushed back to where it belongs, and this tunnel will be forever closed off."
"So I suppose it's mission accomplished?"
"Definitely. Thanks for all your help."
"Sure. What is that?"
Goku glanced where she pointed and saw a white ring ahead of them.
"The end of this part of the tunnel. At that point we cro-"
There was a snap as they crossed it, and Goku's gi and sun glasses were ripped away from him, replaced with the orange one he had worn when they first entered the portal. He gazed after them slightly sadly.
"As I was saying, we cross the dimension line there, and all foreign matter stays there to be destroyed."
"I see."
There was a moment of darkness that stilled all further conversation, and then they landed on the ground, back in their own world once again. What surprised both of them was that a moment later another object shot from the portal and plowed into the ground a ways away. Seconds later, the portal closed silently. Both of them ignored it and focused on the shape that had also come out of the portal.
Android 23 slowly staggered to his feet, and stared at both of them, hate in his eyes.
"Why is he here?" 18 asked. Goku shrugged.
"He shouldn't be. Unless he's from our dimension...."
"You have that right." 23 spat. "I've been from here all along."
"Who were you then?" Goku asked. Surprisingly, 23 answered him.
"You probably wouldn't know me. I was in the Red Ribbon Army, one of their greatest scientists."
"Did you work with Gero?"
"Yes." 23's teeth clenched. "I was always in his shadow. No matter what I did, he would always end up with the praise for it. If I discovered something, he would instantly snap up the idea. Of course, you destroyed the entire Red Ribbon Army, and then it hardly mattered. Together we worked to destroy you, and for a while our differences were set aside. And then I created 16. Dr. Gero recognized what my genius had created, and he feared me."
"You created 16?"
"Some of him. I never got to finish his programming, or give him a personality. I'm sure Gero bungled that completely. He probably did a bunch of things to it to make it stronger, completely ruining my work. He always was into working with human subjects, and he was good at it, but purely mechanical androids were always my strong point.
"In any case, he managed to get me alone in a room and he gassed the chamber. I might have died then, I'm not really sure, but whatever happened, I found myself elsewhere. Suddenly I was in a dimension where we had won. There, I created a new, android body for myself and plotted my revenge. I knew Gero created more androids, but I had no way of knowing how, or what they were.
"That was why I went back with the others. I was trying to find and destroy his creations completely. What I never anticipated was that Cell creature, or you."
"So then you fell to your back-up plan to rebuild yourself." Goku nodded, understanding slowly coming. "I see."
"You never saw anything," 23 spat. "You're the reason any of this happened."
"What is your real name?" Goku asked, catching 23 off guard. He closed his eyes, then opened them, hate blazing within them second only to Dr. Gero's.
"It hardly matters. I don't really care anymore. Whatever it was that made me survive took a good deal of what I once was. But that doesn't change anything, because I am far greater than I ever was before. You destroyed my world!"
"It was never yours," Goku said calmly. "Gero created that world out of his own hate. If you would have been allowed to stay in this dimension, you might have even created another one of your own. But in either case, I assure you the world did not truly exist."
"Now is the time for reckoning," 23 went on, ignoring him. "I will cleanse this stain on the Red Ribbon Army's honor. I will destroy Dr. Gero's false android. I will prove myself better than him!"
"Don't you understand?" Goku asked, eyes almost amused. "Without him you would be nothing. If not for his hatred, your spirit would have died in that room along with your body. He was the one who sustained that hatred all of those years. It was his androids that wrecked his so-called revenge. Whatever you can do pales in comparison."
"No." 23's eyes lit with a dangerous light, one gleaming with a new intelligence. "You are right. Gero was better than I. He always was. No matter what he may have done, I am alive and he is not. But now I couldn't care less, because you will be destroyed. I didn't steal your saiyan genes for nothing, Goku, I know how to make full use of them."
Throwing back his head, 23 let out a primal roar and energy flooded around him. Silver power burst off everything as the ki within the column of light increased. Goku realized how foolish he had been the next second and gritted his teeth. Even after all this, 23 had managed to stall enough for his energy to regenerate. Watching 23 power up, however, he slowly began to smile. While 23 may have tricked him once, his trick could be made useless in the face of what he had failed to consider.
23's silver hair stood up on end, forming a eerie image of a super saiyan. An aura formed around him, and energy crackled all about him. With another yell, he pushed his power yet higher. Slowly, his hair shivered and began growing longer. Bit by bit it grew, until his silver locks flooded down his back. Cutting off the extended scream, 23 smirked with the new power that flooded through him.
"I can become more of a Super Saiyan than you can," he laughed. "I'm a better saiyan than you are yours-"
His voice suddenly cut off as he realized the only person he was talking to was 18. She smiled slightly at him and brushed aside a lock of hair. Before he could think to act, a beam of pure energy ripped through him from behind. Goku had been far from idle while 23 had powered up. Even now his completely charged Special Beam Cannon tore through the android.
Letting the blast go, Goku dropped his hands. 23 slowly fell, consciousness barely staying near him. He had failed. Somehow, he had failed. Now there was no backup plan, no way to turn the tide of events rushing against him. The pain seemed to be far away, attached to someone else, even though he knew the wound was mortal. It was odd, the things he thought of so near death. Since he was an android now, did he have any sort of spirit? What about the thing that had made him survive long ago, did it rescue his spirit as well? Maybe he would soon awake in the Afterlife, or maybe there would be nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Goku and 18 stood there for a long time, contemplating what had happened. Of course, Goku had long ago cleared up what remained of 23, but he remained staring at the place where he had lay for some time. Things had moved so fast, events changed so quickly, assumptions challenged and new realities discovered. Somehow, both of them just needed time to catch up. Eventually the sun began to set, and Goku realized that their worlds were out of synch in time. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he flew into the air back toward home, and 18 followed.
The cool wind whipped through his hair, and he found himself wondering what 18 was thinking. It must have been odd, seeing a world entirely full of androids. Almost as odd as if he had been on Planet Vegita when it was in its prime. Her face was a mask, but he didn't sense any sort of pain behind it. Good. He didn't ask what she was feeling, it was probably better left unsaid.
When they arrived home, they went to their rooms and fell asleep with barely a word. This night, both of them slept long and deep.
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So ends this particular saga, and two of my favorite characters (Light and Dark Goku). Shame to see them go, but there are other things that must yet be done.