Gohan shivered as he tied the red sash around his waist. He glanced at his desk, where a thin calendar rested above his pile of workbooks.
May 12, Age 767.
"The first day of the apocalypse," Gohan thought grimly. "And the last day to end it."
After pulling on his brown, Namekian fighting shoes, Gohan proceeded down the stairs as if in a trance. He felt his stomach clench with hunger, yet he felt nauseous at the same time.
"Hey, there you are, Gohan!"
Goku sat at the dining room table, his cheeks puffed with breakfast. Gohan gave his father a small wave in response before taking his own seat. Chi-Chi had just finished cooking, and joined her family to eat.
"Good morning, Gohan," she said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "Did you sleep okay?"
"Is she… nervous?" Gohan thought. He'd seen her hysterical plenty of times, but such a timid emotion didn't belong on his mother's face. He forced a smile back. "Yeah, I even slept in a little."
"That's good, honey."
The only Son oblivious to the palpable tension, Goku inhaled his breakfast with his usual gusto. And as usual, he was not only the first to start eating, but also the last to finish.
"Ah, good as always, Cheech!" He sighed, finally leaning back in his chair. "I'm gonna go stretch."
The mother and son watched silently as he sauntered out the front door.
Chi-Chi accepted her son's help with the dishes without a word, and the pair finished cleaning the pile in record time.
As Gohan patted his hands dry on a clean dish rag, his mother's small hands settled in his shoulders.
"So how are you really doing?" she asked in a quiet voice.
He swallowed. "I'm just nervous," he lied. "I'll be fine."
She looked him over thoroughly, as if inspecting him for something. When she didn't reply, he asked: "Are you sure you still want to come along?"
She scoffed. "I know it's hard to believe, but I was nearly on par with your father once upon a time," she said. "I'll be fine- I'm just there to watch your back. Just in case."
He smiled, genuinely glad to have so many people in his life who cared for him. Yet the strange weight in the air around him didn't lessen. Something big would happen, either today or very soon.
He knew because his last vision was over a year and a half ago.
The Z-Fighters waited, many of them growing restless.
"I can't believe that kid," Yamcha scowled. "Was he just messing with us?"
"Jeez," Bulma said, rolling her eyes. "So what if it's a little past ten o'clock? Don't be so literal."
"I'm inclined to agree with Yamcha," Krillin butted in. "We should've sensed their energy by now."
Just moments later, an explosion lit up the sky.
"Up there!" Piccolo shouted. "It's the Androids- I see them!"
Two humanoid specks floated through the explosion, not weary in the slightest. They descended into the sprawling city below, their forms fading into the distance.
The jet plane they had blown up fell into the ocean, the energy of the pilot already eliminated from the Androids' initial attack.
"Where'd they go?" Yamcha gushed.
"They moved so fast," Goku said, his voice full of disbelief. "I didn't even sense their power levels!"
"Wait," Gohan said. "If they're both Androids… they're basically robots, right? So maybe… they don't have any energy to sense."
A growing sense of panic swelled within the close-knit group.
"That's crazy!"
"How are we supposed to fight them when we can't find them?"
"Oh, man, this isn't a good start…"
"We'll just do this the old-fashioned way, then," Piccolo mused. "With our eyes. Let's split up."
"Chi-Chi, stay close to me," Goku commanded. "Gohan, stick to Piccolo. Got it?"
The fighters hovered, pausing slightly before scattering off into different parts of South City.
Just minutes later, Yamcha's energy fell first. His comrades arrived on the scene just as the flow of blood stilled to a slight trickle.
The city burned behind them as a pale, heavy-set man shot laser beams at the newcomers. Android Nineteen just barely managed to avoid hitting any of the warriors, but the civilians were not as lucky.
Hearing the screams of agony in the distance, Goku flew forward and decked the perpetrator, stopping the rapid fire.
The Android, pushed back slightly by the force of the punch, merely grinned. Though his cheek looked slightly discoloured now, he remained in top condition.
Furious, Goku roared, "You monster!" Head bent low, his dark eyes never left the face of his enemy. "You just murdered thousands of innocent people. Why, damn it?"
"You wouldn't have fought us otherwise," Nineteen stated. "Now you don't need to worry about any… collateral damage."
The Saiyan shook with outrage.
Demanding that the impending fight be relocated, Goku led the pack away. En route, Chi-Chi fed Yamcha a senzu bean while Krillin helped support the man's body. Breathing normally again, Yamcha warned the others about the Android's unique, energy-draining ability.
Landing lightly in an open field, Goku stepped forward. After a moment of glaring, he asked, "What do you want? Why are you here?"
Two more figures emerged from the skies, dropping to either side of the fat Android.
Gohan reeled back, shocked by the sight of the newcomers.
The young woman Gohan had seen several years ago stood before him now, her straight, blonde hair drifting sideways In the breeze. A male version of her stood on the other side of Nineteen, the movement of his black hair mirroring her's.
"Isn't it obvious?" the teenage boy spoke in a deadpanned voice. "We're here to kill you, Goku."
"Dr. Gero has been watching you all for years, Goku, studying your forms and attacks," his sister continued, speaking in turns.
"You may have destroyed the Red Ribbon Army, but you didn't destroy his research," the young man said. "And thus, the spy bots were born."
"And later on… us," the woman finished.
Gohan blanched. She was an Android? They were all Androids?
"There were only supposed to be two!" he thought. "What's going on?"
"This is Android Seventeen," the heavy Android said, gesturing to the man beside him. "This is Android Eighteen," he continued, gesturing to the woman. "And I am Android Nineteen. We are the best of his creations."
"Hey, wait a second. You didn't happen to send a spy bot to Namek with us, did you?" Goku inquired.
"No," Nineteen replied. "Our bots attempted to follow you into space, but it seems they were destroyed upon leaving the planet's atmosphere. But that does not matter. We know exactly where you stand in terms of power, Son Goku."
Goku chuckled. "You underestimate me," he said, darkly. "You underestimate all of us. And that is your downfall."
"What?" the Seventeen asked.
With a small smile of victory, Gohan relaxed. Beside him, Piccolo eased as well. "Then you don't know what a Super Saiyan is," the Namekian said, almost sounding amused. He, too, had a secret weapon- his fusion with Nail.
"Super Saiyan?" Nineteen asked, testing the words on his tongue. Lights flashed behind his eyes as he searched his database for the phrase.
All while training, Goku and Gohan had stayed in their base form. They reasoned that if Super Saiyan was a type of energy magnifier, that they would be better suited to handle the power if they were stronger in their weakest forms. And if Dr. Gero hadn't seen them on Namek, there was no way the mad scientist could know about the power of a Super Saiyan.
Taking control of the situation, Goku's energy skyrocketed, and a scream escaped his thin lips. As soon as Gohan's power rose in response, Piccolo gripped the boy's shoulder tightly. Sensing Piccolo's intention, Gohan stood back as his father finished transforming by himself.
"Don't show all your cards at once," Piccolo warned, his voice echoing in Gohan's head via telepathy.
Goku stood in his golden aura, taking a moment to catch his breath. Sweat beaded down his face.
Looking at his father closely, Gohan could tell something was amiss. He turned to look at his mother, standing slightly behind the group. She felt it, too. Something was… off. His father's energy seemed to be strained.
"Everyone," Goku called. "This is my fight. Don't interfere. How about it, Nineteen? Just you and me?"
"Impressive," Nineteen said flatly. "But it will still not be enough to defeat me."
Seventeen and Eighteen stepped away, as did the Z-Fighters.
"Show me what you got!" Goku yelled, charging into the leading Android.
Dancing around Nineteen, Goku blocked and parried every attack. Gohan watched carefully, noticing that despite his father's great defence, he seemed unable to land an attack of his own. The Android seemed to be on high alert, his reflexes just as sharp as the Saiyan's.
The Android manifested an energy blast, and just as he released it, Goku phased out of sight. Reappearing behind his opponent, Goku slipped through the Android's guard and landed the first solid hit. Fist digging deeply against the Android's back, Goku shoved him away forcefully.
Determined not to lose, Nineteen attacked with a vengeance that shouldn't have been possible for a machine. The blows increased in speed and frequency, and Goku pushed himself harder.
The two remaining Androids watched the fight with growing impatience. They itched to join the fray. Despite feeling no guilt about breaking a deal, they both decided to wait for the best time to strike.
Giving the Android a thorough thrashing, Goku flew back a few feet, regaining some distance to recuperate. Only minutes had passed, yet he was already short of breath. His chest felt tight, and his lungs couldn't properly fill with air.
Sensing an opportunity, the Android struck Goku. Goku grabbed the outstretched fist and instead threw his enemy to the side, sending Nineteen crashing to the ground.
Now heavily panting, Goku descended to see Nineteen walk out of the crater unscathed. The Saiyan stumbled as he hit the ground, and stood rather off-balance. His chest rose with every laborious gasp.
Building up a ball of energy in his hands, Goku began to chant.
"Ka-me-"
A chorus of cries interrupted him.
"Goku, stop!" Chi-Chi screamed.
"Dad!"
"Something's wrong with him," Yamcha announced, and Krillin nodded in agreement.
His energy dissipating, veins bulged in Goku's neck and forearms. He fell to one knee, clutching the left side of his chest.
"I can't… I can't lose," Goku breathed. This battle was too important for him to back down!
Escaping Krillin's tight grip on her wrist, Chi-Chi ran to her husband. "Goku!" She yelled.
"Mom, no!" Gohan cried out. Piccolo immediately clutched Gohan around his waist, intent on not letting the boy throw himself into danger.
Nineteen, clearly amused, threw an energy blast at Chi-Chi. She managed to deflect it with both arms flinging the blast into the air, but at the cost of leaving her torso exposed. With a swift kick, Nineteen launched her out of the way.
The seconds blurred to Goku as he felt the Android attack him once more, now fully taking the beating. With a hard punch to the chest, Goku fell out of his Super Saiyan state. Falling on his back, Goku barely saw Nineteen pounce on him. But he certainly felt the metallic hand wrapped around his windpipe.
Chi-Chi was up and running again, a thin trail of blood streaming from her clavicle.
Krillin, deciding that this had officially become a battle royale, flew toward Nineteen as well. Seventeen and Eighteen, now jealous of the fun, decided to strike.
All hell had broken loose, the chaos only magnified when a new figure emerged, crashing into Nineteen, knocking the Android off of Goku.
Vegeta stared at the Android in disgust. "Tell me," he said in an eerily calm voice. "Does an Android like yourself feel fear?"
And for once, Gohan couldn't have been happier to see Vegeta.
His mother rushed to Goku's side once more, and she fed him a Senzu bean. Not seeing his condition improve, she shouted, "I'm getting him out of here!" She tried to fly off with the larger man limp in her arms, but the twin Androids phased in front of her.
A brilliant flash of light temporarily stunned all of the warriors, organic and Android alike.
"He's a Super Saiyan, too?!" Yamcha yelled.
Gohan had never been so, so glad to see Vegeta.
Miles away, the Mastermind behind the Androids began to pace back and forth.
"Failure is not a possible outcome," Dr. Gero growled. "It's not a scenario I have accounted for, and it never will be... I will defeat Son Goku, and I will take my rightful place as King of the World!"
He brought his fist down hard on the steel table in front of him, nearly breaking a few knuckles in his blind rage.
Dr. Gero stalked toward the darkest corner of his hidden laboratory. He turned into an alcove, almost completely obstructed from view due to the lighting. A hole sat in the carved, stone floor, with a metal ladder leading to a downward path. Reaching the end of the mysterious tunnel, he walked for several minutes. Finally, he reached a pair of steel double doors, and pushed them open. They slid back without so much as a squeak, and Gero paused in front of the culmination of his life's work.
Floating in a giant, fluid-filled incubation chamber, was Cell.
At first, Gero had considered simply ending his espionage after Goku's first fight with Vegeta. Yet he decided to humour his nemesis by resuming the spy bots' operation. And so, shortly after Goku had returned to his home in the mountains, the spy bots gathered visual data once more, along with basic energy readings.
"I am a genius," he chuckled. To combat Goku's ever-growing power, he had worked tirelessly to speed up Cell's growth process. Cell would now awake years earlier than originally planned, and he would be stronger than the doctor had ever thought possible. The mad scientist was confident that his creation could defeat Goku without much trouble- even with this strange new blonde form of his.
He pulled the scanner from his pocket once more. Android Nineteen was completely offline- presumably destroyed. Androids Seventeen and Eighteen appeared to be engaged in combat. His eyes narrowed. This was one battle he couldn't afford to lose.
With a few last minute preparations, Dr. Gero drained Cell's growth chamber. The green, medium-sized creature within stirred in its induced slumber. With one last password entry, the reinforced glass encasing his last resort slid down.
The monster took its first breath.