"So, what's your model number?" Son Goku asked casually, sizing up the pale, bloated android before him.
"Android 19."
"Alright! Since introductions are over, let's fight. I've got a research lab to find after this."
"...To be honest, Son Goku," Android 19's synthesized voice held a hint of what sounded like reluctance, "I have no desire to fight you. My tactical analysis indicates a zero percent probability of victory. However, my primary function is controlled by external command. I have no choice but to engage."
Goku curled his lip in disdain. "Save the pity act. You weren't exactly a hero in the original story."
"? 'Original story'? What are you referring to?" Android 19's glowing red eyes flickered with confusion.
"Never mind what I said. If we're enemies, we fight. Simple as that." Golden light erupted from Goku's body once more, and he shot forward.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The two figures collided, their movements reduced to blurs of gold and pale white. Shockwaves from their impacts pulverized the surrounding rocky outcrops, sending plumes of dust into the air with each collision.
"Not bad! You're significantly stronger than 11 and 12, to last this long in an exchange. But I'm on a schedule, and I hate drawn-out fights." Goku's fist connected with a solid impact, forcing Android 19 to stagger back. "So let's wrap this up. HAA!"
His aura intensified, reaching the peak of Super Saiyan 1 power. He vanished.
A fist hammered into Android 19's midsection, bending the stout android double and launching him skyward. Goku flashed, appearing above him, and drove a devastating axe-kick down, sending him crashing back toward the earth. Before impact, Goku was below him, hands braced on the ground, delivering a punishing upward kick that reversed his trajectory again.
It was a brutal, one-sided combo. Android 19 became a pale pinball between a golden striker. Sparks flew from ruptured hydraulic lines, and dark synthetic fluid—the android equivalent of blood—sprayed from multiple gashes. His internal wiring was exposed, crackling dangerously.
"I don't enjoy torture. So I'll make it quick." Goku landed, cupped his hands at his side, and unleashed a final, focused blast. "Goodbye."
The Ki Blast consumed Android 19 utterly, leaving no trace.
Goku turned his head slightly, as if addressing a hidden audience, a fierce grin on his face. "Dr. Rocco! Dr. Gero! I know you're watching. I know you're gathering data. Hehe~ Just sit tight and wait for me! I will find your lab. And I will wipe you out!"
---
"Damn it! He's completely aware of our objective! Dr. Rocco, what is our next course of action?" Dr. Gero's voice was tight with anxiety as he stared at the now-blank monitor in the lab.
"Calm yourself. Panic is a waste of processing power," Dr. Rocco chided, though his own wrinkled fingers tapped nervously on the console. "Son Goku is indeed a being of unimaginable power. But we are not without our own aces. It is time… to unleash Android 17 and Android 18."
"Android 17 and 18?!" Dr. Gero's eyes widened in alarm. "Are you certain? Their previous activation nearly resulted in our termination! Their stability is—"
"The calculus has changed! Once they subdue Son Goku, we will simply activate their emergency shutdown protocols. Now, initiate the revival sequence! And as a precaution… send Android 15 to buy us time." Dr. Rocco moved to a stasis pod set into the wall and entered a command. The door hissed open, revealing the powerful, dormant form of a muscular man.
---
"In the original story, Dr. Gero's lab was in a mountain cave. I wonder if that's still the case…" Goku muttered to himself. He raised two fingers to his forehead and focused. Shunkan Idō.
He reappeared in the ruins of the city Androids 11 and 12 had devastated. His gaze went to the large mountain that loomed behind it. His eyes narrowed. "It should be there."
He flew to the mountainside and found it—a cave entrance, partially concealed. Inside, he found the skeletal remains of a research outpost, long abandoned, draped in dust and cobwebs. Dr. Gero was long gone.
"As I thought. Dr. Rocco's arrival changed everything. So where did they relocate to?"
Goku flew out of the empty cave, checking the electronic tracker. It showed no active signals nearby. He looked down at the ruined cityscape below, and an idea struck him. "Of course… underneath."
He descended, landing in the center of the devastation. Raising a hand, he fired a concentrated Ki Blast into the ground.
KABOOM!
The blast tore open a gaping, smoldering crater, revealing not bedrock, but the top of a reinforced metal structure—the roof of a vast, hidden complex.
"Bingo. A whole world down there." Goku smiled and dropped into the hole.
Beep-beep-beep—
The tracker in his hand immediately came to life, its screen displaying a single, yellow blip moving rapidly toward his position.
"Found it. And it seems I've got a welcoming committee." He landed lightly on the metal surface, just as a large, powerfully built figure rounded a corner in the corridor ahead and stopped, blocking his path.
The newcomer was unlike the others—more organic in appearance, but with a cold, dead look in its eyes.
"Another new model," Goku observed calmly. "What's your number? Are you a cyborg, or a full android?"
"I am a bio-engineered combat unit," the figure stated coldly. "Designation: Android 15."
"You look fairly strong. Here to fight me too?"
"My primary objective is to delay your advance, not to engage in a battle of attrition," Android 15 replied, its tone devoid of emotion.
"Heh. You're not very bright, are you? Just giving away your mission like that."
"Irrelevant. My tactical assessment indicates I can only impede you for a short duration. That will be sufficient."
"Impede me? You overestimate yourself." Goku's expression hardened. Lightning crackled around his body as he transformed into a Super Saiyan 2. He moved.
It was over in an instant. A single, precise knife-hand strike, moving faster than Android 15's sensors could track. The bio-unit's head toppled from its shoulders before its body had even registered the attack.
"I don't have the habit of holding back until I'm half-dead before getting serious," Goku said flatly, looking at the headless body as it slumped to the floor. He summoned a spinning Kienzan—the Destructo Disc—and with a few swift motions, sliced the remains into pieces. A final Ki Blast reduced the fragments to ash.
He continued down the corridor, finally coming to a massive, reinforced metal door. "This looks promising." He drew back his leg and delivered a powerful kick.
CRASH!
The door flew off its hinges, clattering into the room beyond.
Goku stepped through the doorway into a large, high-tech laboratory. His eyes immediately found the two scientists standing beside a bank of monitors.
"Son Goku. Welcome to our humble facility," Dr. Rocco said, spreading his arms in a mockery of hospitality. A nervous Dr. Gero stood beside him. "However, I'm afraid your journey ends here. Everything is about to conclude."
As he spoke, the two doctors each reached for a console and slammed their palms down on large activation switches.
With a hiss of releasing hydraulics and the hum of power, two stasis pods set into the far wall began to open. Condensation fog spilled out as the interiors lit up.
Two figures stepped gracefully from the pods, their forms silhouetted in the mist for a moment before becoming clear.
Goku's eyes widened in recognition, a mix of wariness and resignation flashing across his face.
A handsome young man with spiky black hair and cold eyes.
And a stunningly beautiful young woman with blonde hair cut in a sharp bob and an aloof, dangerous aura.
"Android 17… and Android 18…" Goku breathed, sinking into a ready stance. "I should have known."