Good evening, ladies and gentle-men, and welcome to the last leg of this particular story. To start, we have two sizeable samples of fisticuffs, so let's not delay.

Dragon Ball is © Akira Toriyama

Chapter 8:

The Art of War

Goku and Android 11 both threw their punches at the same time. Their fists collided, sending out a shockwave that shook the snow around them. Goku pulled his hand back, shaking it painfully. His opponent, a feeling-less fighting machine, followed through with another blow. Goku barely ducked under it in time, jumping back to avoid a sweeping kick.

As Goku threw another punch, Android 11's fist caught it in vice-like fingers. "Impressive," he sneered, releasing at the same time as he kicked Goku in the chest and sent him flying back.

"12!" he shouted behind him, "you're missing out!"

The young woman behind him hesitated. "This is wrong," she said quietly.

"Do you want the doctor to hear you talking like that?" 11 barked, "attack him!"

Android 12 flinched. Then she moved. It was too quick to be seen; one second she was on the ground, the next, she was in midair. She pushed one palm forward, and just as Goku looked up, a blazing wave of energy shot forth. Goku jumped the blast, watching it burn into the snow beneath him.

"Whoa! That's one heck of a-" he didn't even have time to finish his thought before Android 11 swept in and kicked him in the chin. Reeling from the blow, Goku flipped over backwards in time to dodge another attack. Then he swept to the side as another blast from Android 12 struck the ground.

Darn it, he thought angrily to himself, I can't keep dodging this guy forever, but I move, the other one will roast me! Wait…

The plan crystallised in an instant. Goku might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he had his moments, especially when it came to a good fight. And this was a good one. If he had the time, he'd enjoy the bout for longer. But Chi-Chi and his child were in danger. There was no time for games.

He leapt up, above Android 11's next blast, and positioned his hands at the sides of his face. Then he pointed his face up at Android 12 and shouted: "Solar Flare!" Everything between them was filled with a blinding light, and Android 12 squinted, shielding her face until it faded. She looked down, blinking until the spots in her vision faded…

"Where is he?" In the space where Goku had been, there was empty air and undisturbed snow beneath.

"KA…ME… HA… ME… HAAAA!"

Android 11 turned round just in time to face the metre-wide blast of energy released from Goku's hands. He chuckled, and, with one sweep of his arm, knocked the blast aside and sent it smashing into the sound of the mountain.

"Your parlour tricks won't work here," he grinned. "I am programmed with a thorough knowledge of all your techniques, which means I know the exact spot to strike a Kamehameha-wave in order to deflect it. You might as well give up now."

***

Everyone looked up when they heard the explosion from outside.

"What's that?" Krillin asked urgently.

"The other one must be back," Yamcha said. "Is Piccolo done in there?"

"No idea," Bulma said frantically.

"We'll keep her in there," Tien said. "Tell Piccolo that whatever he's doing, he needs to hurry."

Bulma hadn't even made it into the room when the wall exploded inward. Android 10 stepped in, a superior smirk on her face as the rubble settled around her feet.

"I hope you don't mind my dropping in," she smiled, "but I couldn't wait to see the new baby."

"You're not getting in there," Yamcha warned. "Not until you get past us."

Android 10 surveyed her targets. Krillin. Yamcha. Tien. Chiaotzu. Yajirobe. Roshi. "All six of you against little me?" she smiled coyly. "Hardly seems fair. Unless, of course, you consider the talent my creator programmed me with…" she flicked her hands, and from six of her hands, the nails detached and settled on the ground.

Before the eyes of the astonished Z-Fighters, each of the nails burst into a puff of smoke, billowing out until each was six inches high.

"Bulma, you'll recognise Capsule Corporation technology," Android 10 smiled sweetly. "My creator built a capsule into each finger… just in case I was ever outnumbered." The mist cleared, and in the place of each one stood a blank, silvery, and vaguely feminine metal figure. "Meet Android 13.1, 13.2… you get the idea. Now, my beauties…" she commanded, pointing one hand forwards, "rip them to pieces!"

The backup androids shot forward with cold, mechanical precision. Each Z-Fighter blocked the first blow and responded expertly. Yamcha knocked his opponent right back with a fearsome kick. Chiaotzu ducked under the blow and smashed his forehead into the robot's chin. Tien simply elbowed his enemy in the face. Krillin parried a blow and flipped himself over backwards, kicking the robot in the stomach. Yajirobe attacked with his sword, and Roshi with his walking stick.

None of the backup Androids would last long. Then again, they didn't need to. Android 10 was at the door already.

"Oh no you don't!"

Bulma swung the wrench at the back of the Android's head, but it was no good. She could the object and, with a flick of her wrist, send Bulma hurling backwards. Then, with a single, solid kick, she sent the door falling from its hinges.

On the other side of the room, Chi-Chi sat, her back against the wall, clutching a tiny bundle of cloth to her chest. Android 10 grinned and sailed forward, her fingers extended ready to wrap around her throat…

Then they stopped, an inch away from her. Piccolo's fingers tightened around her wrist, hard and unmovable. He turned his dark eyes to her, his cape fluttering from the sudden movement.

"I don't think so," he said flatly.

With a single motion of his arm, Piccolo hurled Android 10 upwards. The roof and floor smashed before the impact, then the next floor, and the next, until finally she sailed upwards out of the top of the building. As she turned in the air, Piccolo looked up through the upwards tunnel of damage, took aim, and moved two fingers to his forehead.

"Special Beam Cannon!"

He pointed the fingers up, and a thin stream of energy, miniscule tongues of lightning surrounding it, shot up with the speed and accuracy of a sniper bullet. Android 11 turned and looked down just in time for it to drill into her chest, emerging out the other side and carrying on up into the air. Her body went still as the thin beam dissipated.

Then she exploded in mid-air, a cloud of billowing fire and smoke the size of the entire Capsule Corporation facility. When it was gone, there wasn't a trace of her left.

Piccolo calmly moved his hand back to his side. In the other room, each of the Z-Fighters looked on in amazement as the robots in front of them shut down.

***

The blast struck the mountainside and released a massive, swirling cloud of red light. When it faded, the snow settled into a rough, white sheet.

"Gone again," Android 11 snarled. "Where did he go?" he asked, descending onto the snow and looking around.

Android 12 looked down. She saw something stir. Part of her smiled.

The snow exploded upwards behind Android 11. When he turned round, both of Goku's hands were an inch from his face. Too close to block. He'd lost.

"Kamehameha!"

The blast covered Android 11's head, sending it reeling backwards; the rest of his body could do nothing but follow. When the blast faded away, only his bottom half and part of his right arm remained, their edges still smoking and sizzling with heat.

Goku sighed from the effort, then immediately turned his attention to Android 12. "You can give up now," he offered. "I don't want to fight you. My family has nothing to do with this."

"You can't leave," Android 12 said coldly.

"Please! They haven't done anything-"

"If you leave, Doctor Gero will be able to make his wish," Android 12 said as she landed. "We can't let that happen."

"But- wait, what?" Goku stared. "You want to stop him?"

Android 12 stared back at him. She raised one hand and slipped off the glove that covered it. "You know I'm not an Android," she said.

"I could sense your power level. But… what are you?"

"I am… I was human," Android 12 said. She placed her left finger and thumb on her right hand and pulled. The skin came away. Goku shivered when he saw the raw, red flesh and the gleaming, metal skeleton underneath. "And what I want is to kill the man who did this to me."

To Be Concluded!

Yeah, I doubt there's anyone who didn't see that coming. Hopefully the fights were satisfactory, at least; I know they could have been longer, but it always kind of annoyed me when the show really dragged them out. Anyway, I certainly hope Piccolo's victory communicated the badassitude of the character, since I've been dieing to write that scene.

Next Chapter: Android 12's history is revealed, the final showdown with Dr. Gero, and of course, somebody's got to make a wish… but who, and what?

All Reviews Welcome!