Chapter 16
21´s base - secret basement
"By the way Number 21, I think you should now take care of our intruder," Doctor Gero´s voice - coming from the computer and the cloned brain - said.
"Kill him."
"No - I don´t want to," she exclaimed.
"Do it."
No-... Yesss - I think this will be fun," she suddenly said, changing her opinion as soon as her other personality took over.
Piccolo turned around and flew back as fast as he could. His feet had moved from the ground and he was floating a few centimeters above the floor.
After a few seconds he had returned to the hole close to the base entrance he had burned into the floor earlier. He jumped threw it and then to the outside.
"Piccolo! Where are youu...?" he heard 21 shouting in a twisted way behind him. "I know you are here. I will consume you and you will taste really good. And you will make me even stronger."
But Piccolo had already flown up into the sky and was heading with full speed towards West City to meet the others.
He had still been able to hear some of 21´s last words. It was clear that she had gone completely crazy.
xxxxxxx
Capsule Corp - West City
"Okay - please tell me if something else happens. Do everything you can to help them."
Bulma heard the voice of a horrified sounding woman on her phone. It was just a few minutes ago that she had made a call to Seventeen´s wife to tell her what had happened to her husband.
"And promise that you will take this madman out for good this time," Ruby said in a more angry and bitter sounding tone.
"I promise you - we will," Bulma replied.
Damn Doctor Gero, she thought.
Piccolo had just informed them all a few minutes ago via telepathy what he had found beneath 21´s base. And that he was right now on his way to Capsule Corp. He should arrive soon.
Trunks and the younger Goten were also still out there. They should have already returned.
They heard in the news about a fight that had been going on in the town close to Tien´s dojo, between some kind of blue skinned men and a group that included two golden haired fighter. This had to be them.
She cold only hope that they were alright. Bulma thought about what happened to the older Goten and was afraid. She knew Trunks was one of the strongest being that existed.
But so were their opponents.
Assembled here right now were Goku and the Universe 6 saiyans, Gohan, Freeza and Cooler, Krillin, Future Marron, little Marron, the Pilaf Gang and Bulma herself and her parents.
"I will go now," Goku stated. "Maybe I can stop this before something terrible happens."
Standing behind him were the three Universe 6 saiyans, Cabba, Caulifla and Kale, who had made it clear that they intended to help him.
They all were not sure if this was a good idea if even Gohan and Freeza had barely survived.
They had also already made contact with Vegeta. He had told them however that he was right now at a critical (very critical) point with his training and asked them to wait a few more hours.
xxx
"Trust me Kakarot - these few hours will be worth the wait," Vegeta had said to him.
On the planet Yadrat the same Vegeta was right now sitting in front of a very tall native of the planet.
"Now - tell me more about this technique you want to tell me," he told the Yadrat who was training him.
xxx
It was then, when they saw the newscast on TV... about a mysterious figure that had suddenly appeared in a town close to South City. A person that was floating in the air in a low altitude above the town.
So far this person had not done anything. But given everything else that had been going on this day, the attack on West City, the fight of flying beings in that off-site town, the people were getting in panic.
He looked different. Nearly as if it was actually someone impersonating him. (And in a sense that might actually be the truth.)
"Seventeen," Krillin said as he saw the figure on the screen.
"What happened to him?" Future Marron asked.
"The Clone Androids...?" Bulma questioned.
"Fusion..." Gohan realized.
"He had merged with the copy into a single warrior," Goku said.
"That means they will now be even stronger. But obviously the copy is still in control," Gohan concluded.
"Maybe not completely," Goku stated.
"He is just hanging in the air," Krillin mentioned. "As if he doesn´t quite know what to do."
"Will the same happen to Mom?" Little Marron said.
Krillin was looking at her worriedly.
Future Marron had the same thought. She and Goten had come to this time to somehow prevent the disasters that had happened in their time. But now Goten was dead (at least for now, she thought of the Dragon Balls) and their appearance in this time had caused a chain-reaction that made things even worse.
21 and Doctor Gero had somehow turned her mother and her uncle into their most dangerous opponents.
"I hate to admit it, but I fear we are outmatched here," Cooler stated.
Freeza, standing next to him, just frowned. But he didn´t say anything.
"I fear the same goes for me," Gohan stated.
"You maybe," Caulifla´s voice cut in, "but with our new fused form Kale and I will defeat them."
"No-," Son Goku spoke up, "you are wrong."
"What?" she called out.
"He is right," Cabba commented. "You have seen how strong Freeza had become. And I have seen how strong your new Fusion is."
"You have improved a lot," Goku stated, "but there is no great difference between you fused and him. And if he had lost..."
"Yes yes - I get it," Caulifla said. "But we should still try."
"Bulma - you have mentioned this chamber Vegeta had you working on," Gohan questioned.
"Yes - the Blutz-Wave-Chamber," she responded. "It can create concentrated simulated moonlight."
"I will try to use it," he said.
"Maybe we should do it too," Cabba suggested.
"I don´t think it would even have any effect on you," Bulma answered. "After all you were all born without a tail and never transform in the moonlight, right?"
The Universe 6 saiyans admitted she was right. But it could not hurt to try the effect of the chamber anyway.
"But it could work on you," Gohan stated, looking at his father.
"Maybe," Goku replied. "But then it might be too late. Seventeen could snap and just destroy this town any moment."
"I will go now." He rose up into the sky, transformed to SSB and flew away with incredible speed.
Cabba, Caulifla and Kale looked at each other and then followed him.
xxxxxxx
Meanwhile in the World of the Kaioshin, he and Kibito were just getting a message from Whiz about the events currently happening on Earth.
"I see," the Kaioshin said, "the Androids and this Doctor Gero. So...?"
"As far as we can tell Seventeen and Eighteen might already be stronger than a God of Destruction now," Whiz replied.
"But as you know we are forbidden from directly interfering. Or we risk disappearing forever. Meerus had said the same thing before he left Earth. But it seemed he would have certainly liked to," he said with a small smile.
"It is on Son Goku and the others. By what Meerus had said, he had made incredible progress."
"If that is true and they manage to bring Seventeen and Eighteen back to normal," the Kaioshin replied, "then we might actually have a chance against Demigra and his followers."
"Yes - that might be the only good thing about this entire matter," Whiz commented drily.
xxxxxxx
At the same time Seventeen was looking down at the town full of humans.
Destroy them, something in him said. They are worthless. Doctor Gero had commanded it.
But something else was holding him back. One part of his new mind wanted to raise his hand and blast them apart, the other didn´t let him.
In that moment Son Goku appeared in the sky above the city, moving towards him very fast.
A smile formed on the Android´s face, for two reasons. One half of him was excited because his primary target was now once again right in front of him, the other was glad because he was now facing maybe the only one able to stop him.
"Seventeen," Goku called out, when he arrived just a few meters before him in the air. "What has happened to you?"
"Son Goku," he responded. "You could say I am not longer the same man. And this new one is all too happy about this chance to finally destroy you."
"So it is really the copy of 17 who is in control," Goku stated.
"You can call me Neo-17 or Super 17, now that we have merged," the Android replied.
"Where is Eighteen?"
"She is preparing. For the Fusion to work efficiently, she should be as strong as possible after all. So you should better act quickly if you want to have any chance. Not that you have any," Super 17 commented casually.
Goku understood. He powered up to SSB Kaioken times 20 right away and charged forward.
Seventeen responded in kind and their fists clashed with each other high up in the air.
xxxxxxx
The Dimensional Rift
The Demon Lord Demigra was waiting. Like he was for most of his time. Like he had been for billions of years. Only interrupted when some new developments happened.
Like now. One of his Servants appeared next to him, inside to the repycla of his old palace that they had created inside the dimensional rift, where he was sitting on a throne like chair.
"Lord Demigra," he said.
"Saek," he replied, greeting the Fallen Angel.
"As you ordered I was monitoring events in Universe 7 and there is something happening," Saek reported.
"Does it involve Moro, who Towa wanted to use as an agent?"
"No - by what we last heard, he is still preparing himself and absorbing more power. It is the being named Son Goku. As it seems he is fighting someone, but we can not detect a second energy. So it might be one of the artificial beings we have observed."
"Good possible," Demigra commented. "Is there more?"
"The power that Goku displays surpasses that of a God of Destruction," Saek stated.
"And so his opponent´s might as well," Demigra concluded.
"Yes," he responded a bit hesitatedly.
"I see," Demigra said.
xxxxxxx
Goku and Super 17 had exchanged a few more strikes.
Behind them, Cabba, Caulifla and Kale were just arriving.
"Lets do it. As long as we are in a save distance," Caulifla said.
"Okay," Kale replied.
"Do you see how fast this two are moving?" Cabba said in shock.
Both Goku and Seventeen seemed to just appear and disappear. Not even they, being Super Saiyans themselves, could follow their movements.
The people in the town below them had now fallen into a full blown panic.
"We will see about that," Caulifla stated confidently.
They landed a few kilometers away from the two fighters and she and Kale begann the fusion-dance.
The resulting warrior who was standing next to Cabba a moment later looked very similar to the Kefla he remembered from the Tournament, but still somewhat different.
"Well - you better stay back Cabba and leave this to me. You are only just one man after all," she said grinning.
"If you put it like that," he remarked slightly annoyed. "How shall I call you anyway?"
"Well - I guess... Ah - screw it, I am made from the same people, so it is still Kefla," she declared. "And now we will see what I can do."
She blasted off to the fighting Super Seventeen and Goku.
xxx
Seventeen was falling back right now, gaining distance.
But Goku knew this was only tactic. Especially after one of Seventeen´s barriers formed right in front of him, blocking his way. He nearly crashed into it and just managed to stop in time.
At the same time 17 landed on another barrier that he had formed in mid-air and was using as footing... and fired a giant blast at Goku, which he barely managed to dodge.
The barrier that had been blocking Goku had disappeared for the split-second that the blast was fired, but then Seventeen errected it right again.
Goku responded with his Dragon Fist technique that he had created. He concentrated all his energy into his right fist and managed so to shatter the barrier.
But the next moment 17 had already formed three more barriers between Goku and him.
He realized Seventeen could do this the entire day if he wanted. For every barrier Goku crushed, he would simply form a few new ones. He had to do something else.
"Kamehame..." Goku begann, taking position. To bring all three barriers down at once, he had no other way...
... but before he could fully form the blast, his opponent had already dissolved them once again and was charging at him with full speed.
Goku just managed to bring his arms up in time to block the incoming punch.
But the sheer force of the blow was enough to send him 200 meters backwards. His lower arms were hurting where he had been hit.
Goku knew his opponent was only toying with him so far. He had no other choice than to use Ultra Instinct.
xxxxxxx
21 was now standing in front of a small town full of humans. She had just been looking for Piccolo, but he had too quickly gotten away.
Much to her suprise however, she also saw a being that was clearly an Android standing between the small crowd of people that had assembled since they saw her landing.
... an incredible old model.
This was nothing else but Jingle Village, the same place where Android 8 had been staying all these years.
The old Android was incredible primitive, 21 thought. Being both an Android herself and a researcher as well, she was propably the best person to judge this.
It´s power and technology was laughable. It was barely better than a well trained human martial artist without ki. And according to the data she received, it could not even fly.
"Can we help you?" an old man at the front of the crowd asked. Probably the mayor.
"What a primitive model," she murmured. "We really came a long way, didn´t we?"
Yes - this model was practically a neanderthal compared to her. She started to laugh wildly.
"You-you are an Android too?" Eight exclaimed unsettled. That and her behavior did not exactly make her look trustworthy.
Before anyone of them could say or do anything else, 21 had raised her arm and formed a strange sort of energy. What she unleashed however was not artificial ki, but a form of magic... what she had inherited from Buu´s cells.
At the same time her skin turned pink, the same color as Buu´s and her eyes became red irises on black orbs. Just like Majin Buu´s most agressive forms.
The magic shot from her hand towards Android 8... and one moment later he had disappeared and turned into a small bisquite. Which 21 picked up and ate.
"Ahh - only artificial energy. Only hard to absorb," she said disappointed.
The people were just starring at what just happened in complete disbelieve. A few in their houses were already using their phones to call for help.
"What have you done to Eight," the red haired woman named Suno shouted at 21.
Twenty One just reacted by turning her into a piece of cake and eating her as well.
Right then however, she was suddenly receiving a message from Doctor Gero. Or more precisely his copied brain.
"Twenty One - do you hear me?" it said. "Where are you? Return to the base. You need to continue your work on my new body. And the base is completely unguarded. You need to return."
"Yes I need..." she started. "No!" she suddenly called out. "I need to feed first. I need more energy. More and better."
With a shout she rose up into the air and disappeared, heading in the direction where her sensors told her the highest energies were.
"Damn it," Doctor Gero´s voice exclaimed. "Eighteen - respond, return to base right now and protect it."
xxx
Miles away, still standing at the beach of Seventeen´s island, the two Android 18´s had just finished their power-up process.
They were now just as powerful as the 17´s had been before their fusion.
"Yes Doctor Gero," both Eighteen´s said at the same time.
Just before they, just like the Seventeen´s, were merging into a single being.
xxxxxxx
Satan City
It was a hectic day in the greatest TV studio in the city.
The world had been send into shock and fear by the fights between obviously super-human beings and the destruction at several places around the globe.
Mister Satan had declared that he wanted to make a life announcement to the entire world. And of course they did everything to fulfill the wish of the World Champion and Savior as quickly as possible.
Especially since the announcement he was going to do was obviously about what he planned to do about this disaster.
This was the greatest thing since the Cell Games (or at least what most of the world knew of, with threats like Buu being forgotten and Freeza never really known about).
xxx
What very few people knew was that a short time before, he also had a private conversation with King Furry. Much to Mister Satan´s surprise however, the King reacted to the things he admitted to him in private calmly and without great surprise.
Had he already suspected? Mister Satan asked himself.
"So it was actually how I thought the entire time," Furry said quietly to himself in his office.
He was in this moment rewatching old video recordings. One was of the Final of the 23rd Budokai and the fight of Son Goku and the fighter who had identified himself as the son of King Piccolo.
The other were the video feats of the Cell Games. He had just watched how Cell had, seemingly easy, backhanded Mister Satan and send him flying out of the ring and into a rockside close by.
"Now the Cell Games beginn," the monster announced in the recording.
He had not even considered him a true opponent, the King thought - and announced it for the entire world. But nobody had listened.
Son Goku, he thought as he saw the picture of the first golden haired warrior entering the ring... and his son Son Gohan.
xxx
The preparations were done and Mister Satan was ready to appear on Life TV.
Standing right next to the stage were his daughter Videl, with her daughter Pan at her hand. Gohan was, as they knew, currently going through some kind of special traiing. Otherwise he would probably be there as well.
It begann.
"Good evening people of the world," Mister Satan begann. "I am here to inform you of the reappearance of a terrible old enemy that is threatening us all," he announced.
The creator of Cell has returned. Doctor Gero - former head-scientist of the infamous Red Ribbon Army and one of the most dangerous and evil criminal masterminds who ever lived.
The founder of a vile secret project to create intelligent artificial beings meant to create slaves and super-warriors for the army, using even living people as test-subjects. Gero continued even years after the army itself had been destroyed.
While some of his creations, like Cell, followed his path of destruction, others rebelled against him and broke free, seeking nothing but a normal life."
In the studio itself and everywhere around the world, people were stunned by this revelations. The man who created Cell? They had never realized that Cell had been a artificial being.
"For a long time Gero had been thought dead. Killed by one of his own creations that rebelled," Mister Satan continued. "But now it turned out thathe had survived. He is back and his creations had become even more dangerous."
He had discussed earlier with Goku, Bulma, Gohan and the others what exactly to say to the public.
The difficult part however was still coming.
"But you will still be able to defeat this dangerous menace, aren´t you Mister Satan?" the moderator questioned.
Now this was it, he thought.
"No - I am not," Mister Satan admitted... shocking and terrifying the audience.
"As much as I hate to admit it, I am not longer the fighter I was 14 years ago. I am getting old. And I have old injuries that never completely healed." That part was actually true. The kind of abuse he had taken had not been without consequences.
"I am not longer strong enough to deal with this threat..." he stated,
"... but I know others who can."
xxxxxxx
Capsule Corp
Gohan was standing inside the chamber that Bulma had been working on for the last week.
Like they had planned, he was now subjected to the concentrated moonlight.
And something inside him seemed to react. It was a feeling that he barely remembered, but that still seemed incredible familar to him. The wild rage and energy building up inside.
But till he did not longer have his tail he would not longer turn into a giant ape, even under moonlight that was much stronger than the regular one. At least they believed so.
`Concentrate - don´t loose control,´ he told himself. `Think about Pan and Videl. About Mom and Dad. About Goten. About your friends. Don´t let the rage take over.´
Suddenly he was being surrounded by a green shimmering aura... and his dark eyes were turning into shades of yellow and red.
Here is the new chapter. Goku´s fight with Super Seventeen had started and Gohan is just gaining a new form.
Mister Satan´s speech here will be continued in the next chapter. His claim to not `longer´ be able to face a threat like this has several reasons that will be explained later.