Chapter 048 - Search for Twenty
The group had split over the craggy landscape in their search for the missing android. Corset thought it wise to stay near Piccolo so she did. Her eyes carefully scanned the area below her searching for anything out of the ordinary or for any sign of the android. Part of her cursed him; his clothes were coloured similarly to the rock terrain below so they seemed to provide him with decent camouflage in this setting, all close to earth colours. It would make it more difficult to distinguish him between the rocks.
The same feeling of dread had come over her; it was almost like they were searching the city again. The lack of ki for her to sense just put her on edge further. She couldn't see much detail from where she was right now and came to the conclusion she'd need to look closer. Corset descended towards the ground and began to fly through the narrow canyons of rock.
As more time went by she grew more and more nervous. The android could be anywhere; he could be right behind her and she wouldn't even know! "... I hate this..." She mumbled quietly to herself, peering through a small crack in the rocks to a lower level.
The sudden sound of feet scraping against the ground almost made her scream. On edge she slowly turned around and tried to figure out what direction it was coming from.
"Oh, hey!"
Corset glanced up, heart thumping in her ribs threatening to break through them! "... Krillin! You scared me…" She exhaled in relief.
Krillin chuckled; he was on the edge of a rock overlooking where she stood. "Sorry about that; you scared me too you know!"
"Any luck yet?" Corset asked.
"Nah, nothing yet..." Something caught Krillin's attention and he looked up. Corset did the same, spotting her father was hovering not too far from them.
The energy ball forming in his hand sent a wave of fear through her as she realised what he was about to do! "... Is he gonna...?" She spluttered.
"He is! S-Stop!" Krillin cried up towards the Saiyan. "We're down here too!"
"Dad - don't!" Corset bellowed.
Vegeta either hadn't heard or ignored them; either way the energy ball was suddenly shooting down towards the ground.
All Corset could do was watch in horror; she wouldn't be able to reach it in time! They would all be blown to smithereens!
A flash in the corner of her eye caught her attention and she gasped in shock – the android! In an instant he was standing before the energy ball, hands held out in front of him. The beam struck and was sucked into the two devices in his palms, vanishing in a matter of seconds.
"That's for the recharge you fool!"
With little thought, Corset raced forwards towards the android, much against Krillin's calls for her to stop! She had to grab him while he was distracted; her father was tearing through the sky towards him too!
In an instant the android had gone. Corset slammed on her heels and came to a stop, inches from her father who'd just landed. He seemed furious!
"Where'd he go?" Corset asked, desperate to spot any sign of him.
Vegeta dashed off into the rocky outcrops without a word, gone as fast as the android leaving Corset alone, much to his daughter's annoyance. '... Am I invisible or something?' She grumbled in her head.
"Hey, did you see where he went?" Krillin asked running up to her.
Corset frowned, "No... and Dad completely ignored me when I asked him..."
"Damn it..." Krillin gritted his teeth. "... Well I guess all we can do is to keep on searching! I wouldn't worry too much about your father, Corset; he would have ignored all of us if we'd been in your shoes! Let's just keep searching and hope when we do find him, Vegeta or Piccolo are nearby."
"Okay," Corset nodded.
The search continued for what felt like forever. Since the sighting alongside Krillin and her father, she hadn't seen the android. It was beginning to get on her nerves; she didn't like not being able to sense him and didn't like that he'd chosen to hide in such a brilliant hiding area!
Corset reached a rock face; a dead end. The only ways were back around or up. Up sounded better. With relative ease she began to climb up the rocky wall reaching the top in under a minute. She had a decent view of the whole area up here yet still no sign of the android! She had no idea where else to look and was growing tired of all this looking around.
'He could be anywhere!' She groaned in her head. 'This feels impossible!'
Suddenly a drop in Piccolo's ki grabbed her attention. Corset tracked his location hurriedly; it had to be the android! Piccolo's ki was falling dramatically! Without any more thought over the matter, Corset took to the skies and flew straight for Piccolo's location worried she'd be too late to save her mentor!
A spike in Gohan's energy confused her but it quickly became apparent what had happened as she spotted them down below. Gohan'd struck the now falling android, Piccolo inches from both fighters. Gohan stood in front of Piccolo defensively.
"Nice shot!" Corset smiled as she reached them, joining Gohan's side.
Piccolo was short on breath, "... Thanks Gohan..."
The android glared back up at them; his hat had once again fallen. Corset was curious over what she saw on the top of his head and gulped; was that a brain she could see covered by what looked like a clear lid? Dr. Gero was creepy!
Almost simultaneously Krillin, Tenshinhan and Vegeta converged on the four, completely surrounding the cornered android. At least everyone was now here.
"Krillin, give Piccolo a senzu bean!" Gohan cried.
"Right!" Krillin reached into the bag and tossed a senzu bean up to Piccolo.
From the looks of it, Vegeta was challenging the android to battle. Corset gulped and clenched her fists, hoping this time her dad would do what he'd done to the other android.
To hers and everyone else's surprise, Piccolo suddenly vanished from behind her, descending down towards the android. "Piccolo!" She called.
The Namekian fighter removed his turban and weighted cape, tossing them aside. "Stay out of this Vegeta! Don't interfere!"
"What? Piccolo's planning to fight?" Corset gaped in disbelief. "Can he win?"
"I dunno; he just had his energy absorbed by the android..." Gohan mumbled back to her; he didn't sound too pleased with it either.
"... I don't care if you get yourself killed but won't you just be giving him more energy?" Vegeta snorted.
Piccolo didn't say anything as he put up his guard. From a little distance back Corset watched her mentor alongside Gohan, nervous and apprehensive. She knew Piccolo was strong but she wasn't sure with how he'd fare up against an android. She'd got the impression Android Twenty was the boss of the duo; did that mean he was stronger than Nineteen? Past experience would have suggested this was the case but she couldn't be sure. Piccolo seemed confident in himself to have challenged the android...
Before she knew it, Piccolo kneed Twenty clean in the jaw; the startled vulnerable android shooting past Vegeta into a cliff face and through it!
"Well well..." Vegeta muttered with a smirk.
Android Twenty slowly dug himself free from the rocky rubble and floated forwards a little. In a sudden burst of movement he lunged forwards, Piccolo seeing him coming and decking him in the head with his elbow, the android falling and vanishing into a cloud of dust and displaced rock with a loud crash.
"Piccolo's attacks are working," Corset smiled enthusiastically. "The android hasn't been able to touch him yet!"
The battle continued with Piccolo dominating the overwhelmed android. Each attack Twenty made was counteracted or anticipated and Piccolo's fast, strong hits were too much for him to handle. Once more the mechanical man was tossed down into the ground, swallowed by the dust and dirt scattered high into the atmosphere. Piccolo hovered above waiting for his opponent to once again show himself...
Twenty shot from the dust hand reaching up for Piccolo; the dust surrounded the two blocking everyone's view.
"He grabbed him!" Gohan cried.
Corset anxiously peered through the dust trying to spot them. It didn't take long before their silhouettes appeared; was Piccolo ok?
"... No, wait!" Gohan mumbled. "Piccolo grabbed the grabber!"
"He's too fast for that android," Corset smiled in relief.
Piccolo had indeed gotten a tight grip over Twenty's arm, who was struggling to move. In a sudden move Piccolo lifted the android and slashed across with a chop, cutting Twenty's arm clean off and reducing it to nothing. Twenty backed off slightly; oil and mechanics draped from the end of his mechanical arm.
"You could have put this arm to good use... what a waste of technology." Piccolo sneered, crushing the arm with his hand with relative ease. "Just remember this; we can amplify what you call energy in one tremendous burst. What you stole from me now was nothing..."
"We won!" Gohan cheered confidently.
"Piccolo, you're awesome!" Corset called excited.
Android Twenty defiantly went on the move once more, Piccolo hot on his heels and continuing to deliver a pounding. Each strike was effective for the Namekian and once again Twenty was sent crashing through the rocky caverns.
"We were supposed to be killed by you two androids," Piccolo continued, "but whether you weren't as tough as you were meant to be, or if we just became too strong, the end result is the future has been changed."
The android had risen back to his feet but this time, hadn't gone to attack. Corset looked down at him and smiled; perhaps he now knew that he could ever win against Piccolo! It was true what her mentor had said; the past had been changed! It looked like everyone was going to live after all!
"We did it, we beat them without Goku," Krillin grinned.
"I don't like seeing Piccolo or Vegeta so powerful but for now it's good," Tenshinhan added.
"Piccolo, finish him off!" Vegeta jeered. "... Or do I have to step in?"
"No thanks," Piccolo replied, "I began as evil incarnated, pulled away from Kami... I'm not soft like Goku!"
The mood instantly changed as an approaching ki was picked up by the fighters. Corset looked over to the direction it was coming from; who could it be? She didn't recognise it at all. Rapidly the approaching person grew closer and closer, finally coming to a stop a couple hundred metres away from them. To their shock it was the boy from the future!
"No way... he's back!" Corset exclaimed surprised, completely missing what Piccolo had muttered and subsequently missing out on finding out his name!
"Yeah..." Gohan nodded.
The boy mumbled something inaudible from how far back they were, whatever it was he said it seemed to stun her father and Piccolo.
"... These aren't the androids?" Piccolo asked.
Corset gasped; had she heard that right?
"What did he say?" Krillin mumbled. "These aren't... the androids?"
"Th-Then who are they?" Tenshinhan gaped.
She had heard that right! How? How were they the wrong androids? It didn't make any sense! They'd arrived just when the boy had said they would and had indeed started to destroy that city! They bore the Red Ribbon Army emblem, they were made of machines and their energy was undetectable! How could they not be the androids he was referring to?