Chapter 12 – Goku's Test

Chi-chi snapped her head at the bed where Goku lay. He had stirred! She rushed over to the bed with a damp cloth and put it on Goku's forehead. His eyes opened and he groaned.

"Oh, Goku!" cried Chi-chi through tears. "You're awake! I was afraid you were never going to wake up!"

"Chi-chi," said Goku groggily. He threw the covers off of him and began to get dressed.

"Oh, Goku, you shouldn't be going out now! You just woke up! Have some food, sit with me for a while!"

"I'm sorry, Chi-chi," said Goku, now wide awake. "Goten and the others need me. I'll be back soon, then I promise we'll spend some time together." He turned Super Saiyan 2 and flew off without another word.

Chi-chi was puzzled. He doesn't seem quite the same, she thought. He's a lot more serious now. Did that coma do something to his head? Super 17 laughed out loud. He was enjoying himself immensely. 18, Krillin, and the Super Saiyan Goten were using the full extent of their power, and with each passing minute it was growing easier for 17 to bat them off. They were in a hopeless situation.

"Aaaargh!" yelled Goten angrily, as he zoomed in circles around 17 at top speed, only to be caught by 17's outstretched hand and flung toward the water. Krillin and 18 were trying to dodge everything and get in an attack where they could. Unfortunately, each proved a liability to the other, as they would lose concentration whenever the other was hurt.

Krillin rushed in for hit to Super 17's back, while 18 went for an attack from above. 17 had just blasted Goten with a burst of energy, but he turned around just in time to smack Krillin with the back of his hand. 18's eyes darted to Krillin right before she hit, and 17 took the opportunity to kick straight upward, sending her sprawling through the air. 17 dashed to her and slammed her down onto the island. He found Krillin and Goten and did the same. All three of them were down.

Super 17 laughed again. "Come on, are you really tired out already? I'm feeling as good as new. Maybe we should call it a day, hmm?" He began to form two huge balls of energy in his hands. "When I release these, you'll all be dead. Then I'll take care of Son Goku. Are you ready? Here they…hm?"

Goten was on his feet, his hands cupped at his sides. Krillin was as well, his hand over his head. 18 was in a position to fly at a moment's notice.

"Are you trying some kind of last stand?" asked 17. "You do know I'll just absorb your attacks and make your deaths all the more painful, don't you?"

Krillin's eyes narrowed. "It's better than doing nothing," he said. The Kienzan formed above his hand as Goten recited, "KA, ME, HA, ME..."

"Fine, you idiots," said Super 17. "You obviously have some kind of plan, and I assume it involves 18 over there. So, do it already. Let's see what you've got."

Goten threw his hands forward. "HAAAA!" he yelled as the Kamehameha burst forth, straight at 17. He floated in the air, ready to counter whatever 18 was going to do. Before the beam hit him, however, Krillin cried "KIENZAN!" and threw the disk at him. The Kienzan reached the Kamehameha just as it came to 17, and cut the beam in half. The two halves shot off in two diagonal directions, past him.

"What...?" said 17, turning in confusion. As soon as his face turned, Goku punched it with all his might. "Oof!" yelled 17 as he was thrown backward. 18 flew upward and kicked his back. Goku slammed his fists into 17's chest and he flew toward the ground. Krillin flew up, grabbed 17 by the legs, and swung him around into Goten, who met 17's head with his foot. Goku finished it off with transformation into Super Saiyan 3 and a flying kick. Super 17 crashed straight into the island, flooding it with a large amount of water. Meanwhile, Dr. Myuu had been running as fast as he could toward Super 17's location. "Stupid android, he didn't even take me with him!" he cursed. He checked his small device. "I should be there soon, at least," he said. "Hopefully he's killed Son Goku by now." Goku stared down at Super 17, arms folded, while Goten, Krillin, and 18 looked at him. "Dad," said Goten. "You're awake. But how did you get that boost in power?"

"I had a little emergency training, Goten," replied Goku, his eyes still on the island. His response left Goten wanting more, but Goku waved a hand in silence and waited for Super 17 to get up.

"You might not want to let him lie there, Goku," Krillin whispered. "He's constantly absorbing energy from all around, so you're just letting him get stronger."

"I know," said Goku. "But I want to test myself."

All three of them looked at him again. "Well, that's Goku for you," said Krillin apprehensively. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry," said Goku. "This will just be part of my training."

Goten opened his mouth to say something, but it was cut off by a deep rumbling coming from the island. In a gigantic explosion of rock, water, and energy, Super 17 shot up into the air. His eyes were narrowed in disgust and his muscles had bulged slightly; he was breathing hard.

"So you caught me off-guard," he said. "Nothing to be proud of. Now you'll pay. Come at me, all of you, right now! I'll take you all on." There was a murderous glint in his eye.

The four of them exchanged glances. "What do you think, boys?" asked 18. "Should we attack him?"

Goku was restless. "I'm going," he said. He shot at 17 with all his strength and speed before the others could react. He impacted 17, hard, but 17 was prepared for him. His arm shot up to block against Goku's strike, and he countered with a punch to the face. Goku dodged with his head and shot his open hand into 17's stomach. He began to charge a ki blast.

"Goku, what are you doing!" yelled Krillin in dismay. "Are you trying to put yourself in danger?"

Goku released the blast. It flowed into 17's body; his eyes and muscles bulged, and he was thrown backward a few feet. He absorbed the entire blast and came back to his senses. "Wow," he said after a beat. "Thank you so much for that energy, Son Goku, and for proving what an idiot you truly are. Now—" At that moment, 17's body gave an involuntary twitch. "What...?" he wondered aloud, feeling the back of his head. Goku could see a small fizzle of electricity sparking from it. 17's muscles began to relax and his eyes unfocused.

"What...what happened to me?" asked 17 groggily. "I don't...something must have...why am I dressed like this?" He examined himself in disgust. "Who gave me this idiotic hairstyle?"

The others flew over to see what had caused the sudden halt. 18 cried out in joy. "17, is that really you? Are you back!"

"I...I think so, 18," he said. "I can't really remember what happened...something about a weird blue alien."

"Alright!" cheered Krillin. "The force of our attacks must have erased the reprogramming!"

"The reprogramming malfunction has nothing to do with you, you fool!" called a voice from another island below. "It needs to be reactivated once every two hours, or Super Android 17 reverts back to his original state of mind!"

Goku gaped. "It's you!" he yelled. "You're responsible for this!"

"It's been a little while, Son Goku!" called Dr. Myuu. "Unfortunately, you won't be seeing much more of me when you're in hell! Reactivate!" He pressed a button on the device he was holding. 17 screamed and clutched his head. After a few seconds, he lifted it up again; the murderous glint had returned.

Super 17 turned to Dr. Myuu. "It seems you didn't fill me in on a few things, Master," he said. 18 winced at the word "master." "Is that controller necessary for my staying the way I am?"

"Quite the opposite, Super 17!" said Dr. Myuu. "I need this device to keep your new programming under control. If anything were to happen to it, you would go into overload, with no modulation of your powers, and no way to revert from overload!"

Super 17 thought for a moment. "But, what about just now? I almost forgot who I am. Such a weakness could make me vulnerable to Son Goku."

"It's a possibility," agreed Dr. Myuu. "But as long as I'm here, we won't have to worry about it!"

"No," said 17. "It's too great a vulnerability. Sorry, Dr. Myuu, but the elimination of that controller is essential to the success of my mission." He extended a hand and shot an energy blast at the controller. It was immediately vaporized, along with the one who was holding it. Goku and the others were in shock.

Super 17 grinned maniacally; he began to shake and smoke extremely rapidly. There was a tremendous explosion, which caught them all in its radius. Krillin and 18 were immediately knocked out and thrown to nearby islands. Goten could hardly move, and collapsed momentarily into the water. Only Goku held himself together long enough to see the dust clear. Only he saw Super 17's new form: gigantic, bulging muscles, the flesh of his arms stripped off to reveal metallic parts underneath, and electricity crackling all around him.

"I guess this is what Master Myuu meant by overload," he said. "Can I show you my true, unrestrained power now, Son Goku?"