Yamcha couldn't believe what he had been hearing so far. It sounds like Gohan's had quite the adventure this past week. He knows quite a bit about the androids, even knowing it's weaknesses. "Gohan, did you go to The Future?" Yamcha asked. Gohan nod
Yamcha couldn't believe what he had been hearing so far. It sounded like Gohan had quite the adventure this past week, knowing quite a bit about the androids, including their weaknesses.
"Gohan, did you go to the future?" Yamcha asked.
Gohan nodded, "Yeah, I did. I went in that time machine that boy used."
"The one from three years ago?" Yamcha pressed.
"The very same, though the future I went to wasn't his, but another version of ours," Gohan explained.
Yamcha scratched his head in confusion. "Another version? What does that mean?"
"It's a long story, but defeating the androids in this timeline won't save the timeline that boy's from, sad as that may be," Gohan admitted.
Yamcha looked to the android before him. "So this guy here, are you suggesting he's not the android we're supposed to worry about?”
"No, he never existed in the future that boy warned us about, at least not like this. But he existed in another timeline, though not for another three weeks. I'm a little concerned he came early, but for now, the only thing to do is stop him here and now," Gohan said.
Gero backed away, feeling very worried about his plans. This boy apparently found a means of time travel, but how? To his knowledge, it shouldn't exist. Then again, since it's time travel, it likely exists in the future, but how was it made?
"Tell me, boy, who created this time machine?" Gero asked.
"Bulma Briefs from Capsule Corporation," Gohan said.
"Bulma Briefs? So she's every bit the genius her father is; how meddlesome. No matter, once I unleash Numbers 17 and 18, you'll all be dealt with!" Gero declared.
"You think we'll just let you?" Yamcha asked, visibly agitated.
Just then, Gohan felt the ki from the others approaching. "Wow, took them long enough. They should have been here already."
Krillin, Tien, and Piccolo arrived at the area, each surprised to see Gohan had returned.
"Whoa! Gohan! You're back!" Krillin exclaimed.
"Is that really you? Where did you go these last few days?" Piccolo asked, also awestruck.
"Yeah, we were worried about you," Tien said.
"Long story, our focus right now is—" Before Gohan could finish, Gero blasted the ground near them, creating a cloud of smoke and escaping.
Once the smoke cleared, Gohan looked around for the android scientist. "Damn! He's escaping!"
"That was one of the androids, right!?" Krillin asked, bewildered.
"Yeah, he came to town with another one, but he's been taken care of already," Yamcha said.
"Wow, really? So there's only one left?" Krillin asked.
"For now," Gohan floated into the air. "But if we don't stop him, he might have more! Let's hurry!"
The warriors nodded and launched into the sky, flying after Gohan.
As they swooped through the air, Krillin was the first to speak about this unusual reunion. "So Gohan, mind explaining what happened?"
"Yeah, you were a little vague before when you spoke to me," Yamcha added.
"Alright, I'll explain," Gohan said. "You all remember that boy who came here three years ago?" They all nodded in acknowledgment. "Well, he returned a week ago by accident. Some kids were playing with his machine, and I got curious, so I followed the machine to the future, but it wasn't his future. It was more like ours."
"Our future?" Krillin asked.
"Yeah, see there are more than one timeline. The boy who came here—his name is Trunks, by the way—he should already be born, so there’s no harm in saying it now. His future is gonna remain that way even if we do stop the androids. There’s another future where we did stop them and we’re living in peace, sort of; there were other enemies, but I’ll get to them later. Anyway, this timeline is already different from the others. The fact that these two arrived early is already one big change. Add to the fact that it's not even the ones Trunks warned us about."
"There's more than two androids?" Tien asked.
"Yeah, and they aren't even the main thing to worry about. That comes later. Though given this change already, I now fear any other change made regarding his arrival," Gohan said.
"This is bad; how many changes have been made?" Tien wondered.
"Let's just hurry and meet this guy at his lab. Hopefully, we can stop the androids without having to actually fight them. Thankfully Vegeta isn't here; from what I've heard, he caused some problems in our future. So once we find the labs, please leave everything to me and let me handle it," Gohan said.
The others exchanged glances for a quick moment, then looked back to Gohan.
"Sure thing, buddy," Krillin responded.
"We'll trust you," Yamcha added.
"I just hope you know what you're doing," Tien cautioned.
Piccolo, though confused, decided to trust Gohan's word. He clearly knew more than they did at this point.
Back at Goku's house, the Saiyan hero was seen lying in bed with his hand clutched to his chest, panting and screaming in pain.
Chi-Chi did everything she could to help Goku. She had already given him the medicine Trunks had delivered from the future, though she worried it might not be enough.
"Oh Goku, I can't stand to see you like this," she said while wiping his head. "Please, it's bad enough we can't find Gohan. I don't want anything bad happening to you."
Goku continued to pant, clutching his chest tightly, but fortunately, he seemed to calm down a bit. Chi-Chi felt relieved as she continued to wipe his head, hoping things would return to normal soon.
She then looked out the window. "I hope you're out there somewhere, Gohan."
Eventually, Goku relaxed, slipping back into sleep. Even in his dreams, however, he would continue to train, feeling that things would likely get worse.
Meanwhile, back with the others, they arrived over a small rocky area. Gohan was looking around a bit.
"From what I was told in the future, his lab should be in this area. It's disguised as a mountain," Gohan said.
"That might be hard to find, then; there are a lot of mountains," Yamcha remarked.
Gohan scanned the vicinity. "Not that many. Besides, it's facing toward the trees, so it's not in the middle of anything."
Krillin hugged himself, shivering slightly. "Let’s just hurry up; it’s getting kinda cold."
Suddenly, Tien pointed and exclaimed, "Hey, I think I see something!" They all looked down and saw the android running toward the mountain area.
"Everyone, fly back a little; make sure he doesn’t notice you. Otherwise, we might not find the lab in time," Gohan instructed, and the others complied.
The android ran toward a mountain and flew up to the cave near the top. He approached what looked to be a metal door, opening it using a code. He glanced back to ensure the enemies weren't around, unaware that the Z Fighters were already nearby.
“Good, now to activate the androids! I can only hope they'll actually listen to orders,” he said as he went inside the lab, locking the door behind him. Inside, he grabbed a remote. "Just in case they try anything funny."
The Z Fighters hovered near the cave, slowly approaching the door the android had gone through.
"Now what?" Yamcha asked.
Gohan gestured for them to stay quiet as he pressed his ear to the door, hoping to listen in on what was happening inside.
First, Gero activated a pod, opening it to reveal a young male with long black hair and a red scarf. The male stepped out and observed his surroundings, then noticed Gero and the remote in his hand.
Knowing full well what the remote could do, he decided to be nice for a few minutes. "Hello, Doctor Gero. Thank you for waking me."
"Ah, much more respectful! Looks like my reprogramming was a success. Now to wake your sister," Gero said as he opened the other pod.
Stepping out was a young woman with blond hair, wearing a blue jacket and a matching skirt. She looked at her brother standing there and noticed Gero’s remote.
Like her brother, she decided to be nice for the moment. "Hello, Doctor Gero. It is great to see you."
"Excellent! Both of you are much more well-behaved. Perhaps you will follow orders better," Gero said proudly.
"Doctor, something is different about you; you no longer appear to be human," Seventeen stated.
"Yes, I have converted myself into an android. The idea of immortality was too good to pass up," Gero said. "Now, my two best projects, Androids 17 and 18, I have a task for you both."
Outside, Gohan distanced himself from the door. "Alright, the androids have been activated."
Yamcha looked worried upon hearing that. "Wait! They’re active? Weren’t we gonna keep that from happening?"
"That wasn't my intention; I had something else in mind," Gohan explained.
"Please don't tell me you want to fight them! I know Goku did, but I hoped you’d have a better idea than that," Yamcha said, anxious.
"I don’t intend to fight them unless they give me no choice. But in the future, our future, they actually weren’t so bad. I want to see if they’re like that in this timeline," Gohan said.
"Not that bad?" Yamcha asked, incredulously.
"But that boy from the future..." Krillin hesitated.
"Don't worry about that right now! Please just trust my word!" Gohan insisted, looking serious.
The others exchanged cautious glances but nodded in agreement.
"Alright, Gohan; we’ll trust you on this," Krillin said.
Gohan nodded, then turned back to the door. "I’m going to open the door, but please don’t attack unless I ask you to. I want to see if I can reason with them. Believe me when I say there's a chance they might be much stronger than you."
"Still? We trained for three years to prepare for this!" Krillin protested.
"They're actually stronger than the ones in Trunks's timeline. In fact, they may even be stronger than I think, but I still want to give them a chance," Gohan said, determined.
Yamcha groaned in frustration. "You're too much of a softy, just like Goku was."
"That hasn't always been a bad thing, though! It’s how he got so many friends, like you," Gohan shot back.
Yamcha shrugged. "I guess you have a point, but still..."
"Just let Gohan do what he needs to do," Piccolo interjected. "Still, be ready for a fight if things go wrong."
Gohan turned to the door, building up some energy before punching the doors down, revealing the two new androids to the Z Fighters and surprising Gero greatly.
"Are those the real androids?" Yamcha asked, gesturing to Seventeen and Eighteen.
Gohan nodded. "Yeah, they are."
"Damn, they're here!" Gero shouted, turning to the two androids. "Quick! Destroy them!"
"First things first, though," Seventeen said, grabbing the remote from Gero's hand, catching the doctor off-guard.
"Seventeen, what do you think you're doing!?" Gero exclaimed in panic.
"This remote is to turn us off, correct? I don't think I like the idea of this just being around," Seventeen stated, crushing the remote in his hand.
Gero growled, "Why you! So you're still defiant!"
"We're never letting you turn us off again, you miserable old man," Seventeen said with a smirk.
Yamcha looked a bit worried, whispering to Gohan, "Should we do something now!?"
"No, it's fine," Gohan reassured him.
Eighteen spotted another pod. "Oh, what's this? Another android?"
Gero looked concerned. "No! Do not activate Android 16! He is not ready!"
"Wait, there's another android!?" Krillin said, shocked.
"We should stop them now!" Yamcha urged.
"No, leave them be," Gohan insisted, maintaining his position.
Yamcha was confused. "But—"
"Trust me, Yamcha," Gohan said, giving him a stern look, one he hadn’t really seen from the young boy before.
Gohan turned back to the androids, carefully planning his next course of action.
"Do not activate Android 16! That's an order!" Gero shouted, shaking his fists in anger.
"Sorry, but I'm no good with orders," Eighteen said, while Seventeen approached the pod.
"Hm, according to this data, my power exceeds that of this android," Seventeen observed. "But it should still be fun to have another android around, another friend for us."
Gero's anger started to flare at the sight of his disobedient androids. "That’s enough! I am your creator! I demand that you cease your actions and destroy our enemies, or so help me, I will not only shut you down, but I will completely erase any emotion you two still possess. You will be lifeless models and—"
In a quick second, both Seventeen and Eighteen aimed their hands and fired energy blasts at the doctor, obliterating him, much to the surprise of the other fighters, except for Gohan.
"Looks like he's the only lifeless model," Seventeen stated.
"Probably should have just done that from the beginning," Eighteen added.
"Eh, better late than never," Seventeen replied, turning to the fighters at the door. "You've been standing there for quite some time; truth be told, I’m surprised none of you have even tried to attack us, unless you know you’ll lose."
"What'd you say!?" Yamcha shouted, stepping forward angrily.
"Easy, Yamcha," Gohan said, putting his arm out to stop him. Gohan then turned his attention back to the androids, moving cautiously toward them.
"Gohan, wait! Where are you going!?" Krillin asked, feeling anxious for the young boy.
"Wait there; don’t come in unless I ask," Gohan said, his calm demeanor surprising them.
Piccolo watched with keen interest, intrigued by Gohan's newfound confidence. After the events on Namek, Gohan hadn’t exhibited such determination before. What had changed him in the future?
Gohan approached the two androids, feeling a mix of worry and hope about his plan. He could only keep his fingers crossed that he would be strong enough to fight them if necessary. Looking up at the twins, both androids appeared moderately curious about what he wanted.
"What is it, kid?" Seventeen asked, crossing his arms.
Gohan took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Would you mind if I ask you some quick questions?"
Seventeen looked to his sister, who offered a neutral shrug in response, then turned back to Gohan. "Make it quick; I don't intend on staying in this place much longer."
"I'll try to keep it short," Gohan said. "Now you two are programmed to destroy a fighter named Goku, correct?"
Seventeen nodded. "Yeah, we have those orders, not that we care about them."
"Do you have any intention of going after him, though?" Gohan asked.
"Maybe, depends on my mood. Why, do you know this Goku guy?" Seventeen inquired.
"He's my dad," Gohan explained, feeling a bit more assured.
"Your dad, huh? Is he really strong?" Seventeen asked inquisitively.
"Very, but right now he's sick. I'm worried because I don't want you fighting him if he can't defend himself," Gohan replied, hoping for understanding.
"Sick, huh? Well, if he can't fight, then there's no point in attacking him. Orders or not, I want to have fun, and fighting someone sick doesn't sound fun," Seventeen stated, seemingly considering Gohan's words.
"Hold on, why are you more concerned with your dad defending himself than us simply not attacking him?" Eighteen asked, frowning.
Seventeen nodded in agreement. "Yeah, kid, think your dad's stronger?"
"It's not that I think he's stronger, but I do think he would want to fight you. He was actually quite eager when he heard about you two," Gohan said, feeling hopeful.
"He knows about us? How?" Eighteen pressed, her curiosity piqued.
"Long story; you probably wouldn't believe me. But anyway, I just want to make sure you don't want to hurt my dad and that you don't want to hurt anyone else. You're not gonna go around destroying cities, are you?" Gohan's earnestness poured through in every word.
Seventeen crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Not sure. Personally, I’d like to just take a nice drive around the world, do some fun things. Besides, destroying cities seems like something that stupid doctor would want us to do."
Gohan felt momentarily relieved. These were the good androids it seemed. Now all he had to do was keep them that way. "Okay, just so we’re clear, you don't want to hurt my dad, you don't want to fight us, and you don't want to destroy the world. Is that pretty much accurate?"
"Yeah, yeah, kid, we’re not gonna do any of that stuff. But if your dad does get better, I might still wanna fight him, see how strong he really is," Seventeen said casually.
Eighteen shrugged. "I could care less. Personally, I’d like to get some new clothes."
"Do you promise, though?" Gohan looked up earnestly, eyes shining with sincerity.
Seventeen sighed in agitation. "Man, you're annoying. Yes, we promise we won't do any of that stuff."
"You both swear?" Gohan prompted.
"Yes!" Seventeen shouted, visibly exasperated. "We won't do any of that stuff. Geez, you're really freaking annoying, kid."
"I'm just making sure! I'm sorry for upsetting you," Gohan said, trying to keep a calm demeanor, aware of how he was perceived.
Eighteen started to feel a pang of pity for Gohan as she saw the sincerity in his eyes. She then playfully whacked Seventeen on his side, smirking. "You could be a little friendlier. Even if he's being annoying, he's still a kid."
"You're one to talk; when have you ever been friendly?" Seventeen shot back.
"I don't have to be friendly to you. I'm your sister," Eighteen replied, crossing her arms.
"Oh, that old excuse! You always use that when you wanna make a point," Seventeen complained, though he secretly enjoyed the banter.
Gohan chuckled softly to himself. These two are still quite human-like, arguing like siblings.
"It's fine, you two; I think I can trust you both," Gohan said with a smile.
"About time! Not sure why I needed to do this in the first place. I shouldn't have to promise anything to some kid, but whatever, I'm off," Seventeen grumbled as he started to float away.
"Wait, what about this android here?" Eighteen asked, eyeing the hidden pod.
Seventeen turned back. "Forgot about him! Let’s wake this big guy up then."
"Actually, can you two wait before activating him? I wanna ask a friend of mine a favor first," Gohan stated.
"Now you’re telling me not to wake him up? You’re getting pretty bossy, kid," Seventeen griped.
"I'm sorry, but I'm just trying to fix things so you don't have to worry about your fun, and I don't have to worry about my dad getting hurt," Gohan reasoned.
"We can wait, kid," Eighteen said, offering a slight smile before glaring at her brother. "Right, Seventeen?"
Seventeen groaned but reluctantly agreed, "Fine, whatever, man. Since when did you start liking kids?"
"I just like that he’s respectful! Considering the years I spent having to put up with that miserable old man and how annoying you've been half the time, it's nice to have a mature and respectful kid around," Eighteen said, softening her demeanor.
"If you like maturity, my friend Krillin here is very mature. I learned a lot from him," Gohan remarked, gesturing to his friend.
Krillin blinked a few times, taken aback. "Huh?"
Eighteen waved quickly at Krillin, turning back to Gohan. "Anyway, I guess me and my brother are off."
"Sure!" Gohan said. "But one last question."
Seventeen prepared himself. "I swear this is the last one! Then you can leave! This time it's for your own safety."
"Safety?" Seventeen asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you know of a secret lab? Like is there a basement?" Gohan asked excitedly.
"Secret lab? I think he mentioned one once, told us not to go in there. Fortunately for him, I really didn't care to," Seventeen stated casually.
"Can you point me to it? I need to go take care of something," Gohan pressed.
"But what did you mean by our safety?" Eighteen inquired, tilting her head curiously.
Gohan turned to her, choosing his words carefully. "You and your brother were once human, correct?"
Eighteen nodded slowly. "Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Haven't you wondered why a man who can create whole androids like the one in that container, yet he still decided to use two humans? He even made another one after you two that was purely mechanical. Why do you think you were the only human ones?" Gohan asked, his voice steady.
Eighteen shook her head slowly, deep in thought. "I really don't know."
"Well, the answer is in that second lab. You can follow me if you'd like, but you’re still free to fly off with your brother," Gohan said, inviting them along.
"Fine by me; I’m off," Seventeen said, preparing to fly.
"Wait! Aren’t you the least bit curious?" Eighteen implored, her brows knitted with interest. "I'd like to know why that old man decided to give me robot parts."
"Who cares? We took care of him. I'm bored, so I'm leaving," Seventeen declared, but he hesitated, sensing his sister’s curiosity.
Eighteen groaned, slightly exasperated. "You're so childish! Fine, go! I'm going to follow the kid and see what he has to say."
Seventeen thought better of simply flying away and decided to tag along. "Fine, I'll go see what this kid has to show us."
Gohan smiled gratefully. "Thanks! Don't worry; you can leave once we're done."
He turned back to his friends. "Would you all mind taking this pod and going to find Bulma? I'll meet you all at Capsule Corporation later."
"Will you be fine on your own?" Tien asked, hesitantly preparing to leave.
"I'd hate to leave you with those things," Yamcha added, still feeling apprehensive about the androids.
"They're not 'things'; they're humans like you! Artificial humans, yes, but still humans," Gohan replied firmly.
"Still, can you trust them? What if they betray you?" Yamcha pressed.
"I don't think they will," Gohan insisted confidently. "You can go; I promise I'll be alright."
The Z Fighters exchanged concerned glances but decided to trust Gohan for now. They grabbed the pod and prepared to take off.
"See you around, then, kid," Yamcha said as they flew off.
"Be careful!" Tien called out.
"Get back safe; your mother won't forgive us if you got hurt," Krillin advised.
"Be strong, Gohan," Piccolo said with a nod.
As the Z Fighters disappeared into the sky, Gohan turned back to the androids. "So, mind taking me to the lab, please?"
Eighteen gestured. "This way."
As they started walking, Android 18 sidled up next to Gohan, leaning slightly closer than necessary. "So, you really think you can be strong like your dad?"
Gohan felt a blush creeping onto his cheeks. "Uh, yeah! I—I’m training, you know?"
She smirked, almost teasingly. "Training's cute. Do you need a partner?"
"I'm fine on my own!" He stammered, feeling significantly flustered.
Seventeen rolled his eyes, finding his sister’s antics amusing. "Good luck keeping up, kid."
Eighteen responded with a playful nudge towards Gohan. "You might want to try lifting weights instead of just running around."
Gohan adjusted his glasses bashfully. "I do have some weights!"
"You better show me later," she winked, making Gohan's heart race.
"Uh... sure!" Gohan managed, mentally kicking himself for being so flustered and nervous.
With Eighteen at his side playfully flirting and her brother following closely, Gohan led the way to the secret laboratory, feeling an unusual sense of confidence despite the situation.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Kai was observing the scene unfold through his Crystal Ball. “No... he’s already on the move.”
His assistant, Kibito, approached him with concern. "Shall we go then?"
The Supreme Kai nodded gravely. "Yes, if we don't act fast, the Universe will be destroyed."
"Where is our destination?" Kibito asked.
The Supreme Kai looked into the crystal ball. "It looks like it’s on a planet called 'Earth'. Let's go."
With that, the two made their way to the planet, hoping to stop whatever would endanger it and the entire universe.