(chapter image.)
"You are..."
"What you did to this world is unforgivable."
"Weren't they unable to revive you?"
The witch laughed.
"The dragon balls may not be able to bring back someone who died from a sickness, but I have no such limitation."
The androids, far from scared, were excited.
This was it, the one mission that was hammered into their heads.
You have to defeat Goku.
Be better than him.
Kill him.
It was repeating on their minds, like a monster screaming in anger and going crazy, the feeling was beyond an obsession, it became a physical need, to prove themselves and show how superior they were to the one target they had been compared to all their time as androids.
The smiles this time were as genuine as they could get; they even thought about thanking the old hag.
"Hey, 18, I'll go first."
"In your dreams."
"You owe me."
"No."
"Well, I'm not backing up this time."
"Neither am I."
Goku watched as the two argued for a few minutes, a sweat drop on his forehead.
When he finally decided to intervene, he said.
"Why don't you decide with rock, paper, scissors?"
18 was almost offended at the subjection.
"That is dumb."
17 meanwhile, consider the idea and spoke.
"Is a good idea."
"You can't be serious."
"We can't stay here arguing all day. Besides, do you have a better way?"
She was silent, thinking about it and finally gave up.
3 games later, 18 left the ring as 17 was smugly waving at her.
Goku was stretching on a corner, his orange outfit and black messy hair waving in the wind.
"You guys are not what I expected."
"What did you expect?"
"Big scary robots."
"Don't call us that."
"Ok."
The Saiyan jumped and got into a fighting stance again.
"Still, I can't let you keep hurting people."
"Let us?"
17 rushed at him.
"The time when we needed permission for anything is long over."
He raised his fist and fired a barrage of ki blasts that Goku saw coming and with a scream, he dispersed all the attacks before disappearing.
17 was able to react on time as Goku kicked him and the android blocked it with his leg, following up with a combo of punches and kicks that left 17 scrambling to defend.
They disappeared and reappeared many times in the blink of an eye, every time creating shockwaves that slowly destroyed the ring.
They clashed and jumped away, taking a moment to talk.
17 wiped some blood from his lip and frowned.
"You are stronger than I expected."
"I have been training in the afterlife. When Piccolo told me about you, I wanted to fight you. I'm glad I get to do it."
"So, what do you think about me?"
"You are weaker than I thought. If you fought against Vegeta and Piccolo at the same time, they would have beaten you."
17 didn't like the comment and showed it by flying straight at Goku and elbowing him in the face.
Goku slid a few feet and checked his nose.
The android smiled.
"I'm getting serious now."
Goku returned the smile.
"Ok, then I'll do the same."
The air trembled; the sky grew darker. Fortune teller Baba almost went flying in the wind; she had to grab and hold onto a palm tree to stay close enough to watch the fight.
18 was still sitting, but her expression changed from annoyance to full focus on the battle.
An explosion of energy rattled the area and when it finished, Goku was standing there with blonde hair and blue eyes, a supersaiyan surrounded by a golden aura.
17 was still smiling, but now he felt a little cold sweat; he couldn't feel energy, but the difference between now and before was obvious.
The Saiyan moved; 17 didn't see it; he just felt the powerful hit on the ribs, then another punch to the face. The android shot the floor with a ki blast to force the opponent to back up.
Goku continued to attack, overwhelming 17 with a flurry of punches and kicks. 17 could only defend; he was trying to get a chance to counterattack when a shadow came flying from the side.
The Saiyan blocked the headbutt, but he was sent flying away.
"18 don't interfere."
"Oh, shut up, is clear that you can't win by yourself, let's do this."
"I had a plan."
"Was your plan getting beaten up?"
"Whatever."
Now both coordinated and fought at the same time, 18 fired ki blast one after another while 17 rushed and used the distraction to get some hits in.
The super saiyan didn't panic or complain, he adjusted and fought back, even against two opponents, he was handling the battle with some leeway.
They were incredibly skilled when working together, not even looking at each other but knowing what the other was thinking and where to be to exploit the openings the other caused.
The fight intensified the shockwaves, growing more violent as they moved faster and faster.
The 2 siblings prepared a special attack; they both charged a powerful ki ball and then merged them before firing a massive beam of energy towards the enemy.
Goku flew up at high speed and the attack followed him.
When he was far enough, he came to a halt and turned around, using his hands to stop the blast and then redirecting it towards the atmosphere.
As soon as he finished, he saw the androids coming at him full speed.
"Kame..."
A blue intense light shone above.
"Hame..."
17 watched it and smirked, raising his hands to absorb the attack; meanwhile, 18 narrowed her eyes.
"HAAAAA."
It was a split second; if she wasn't fully alert, she wouldn't have reacted in time. She grabbed 17 by the shirt, moving him out of the way in time to see Goku shoot the kame hame ha from right next to him.
The beam hit her brother on the shoulder, destroying part of his shirt and scorching his skin.
It could have been a lot worse, judging by the explosion that followed in space; it was visible for half the planet, like another sun showed up for a few seconds in the sky.
17 put his hand on his wound and stared at Goku.
"What the hell was that?"
The Saiyan was catching his breath as he answered.
"Instant transmission."
He was hoping to take one of the androids down with that attack, but he could feel his energy getting drained.
Ba Ba and Kaio Sama had explained to him that fighting while on earth, he would consume his time, and the more he exhausted himself, the faster he would return to the other world.
Right now, he was fine to fight for hours, but his opponents had no time limit and didn't get tired, so he needed to end this quickly before falling at a disadvantage.
His ki spiked the golden aura, moving wildly as he rushed at the siblings.
On the side, at the current time, 18 was watching the fight next to 16.
"This was a very close call. Why are we here?"
"Observe to the end."
The battle kept going and the destruction was expanding all over the place and Ba Ba was there silently watching.
She was unable to follow with her eyes, so she was using her crystal ball to know what was happening.
A voice came from behind her.
18 was able to hear it because her memory self crashed nearby.
"My lady, we should go; we can watch the fight from a safe distance."
"No, this is the point of no return. I will either win and avenge my brother, or I'll die here."
The memory 18 got up and looked at the witch.
"I'll be killing you soon."
Ba Ba didn't acknowledge her and kept talking to the empty space.
"Go, let Bulma know of what happened here, tell her that if the androids show up alive after this, it means I'm dead."
"I will do as you say, my lady."
18 didn't remember ever hearing this conversation, so 16 explained.
"On this mental space, we can access your subconscious memories, recalling details you didn't even know you knew."
"Well, great, why do we care?"
"Because of this."
16 pointed at the crystal ball, making 18 pay more attention to it.
The fight continued and Goku grabbed 17 by the arm and threw him at 18, who jumped over him and fired a ki blast.
The Saiyan moved his head slightly, letting it pass and then he used instant transmission to move to the place where 17 was about to hit a wall.
The android saw he oponent too late to react and got shot in the face point blank with a ki blast.
It wasn't powerful enough to seriously injure him, but it was a good distraction, a master martial artist like Goku was able to use to kick 17 in the stomach, preventing him from getting up.
The blonde came running and tried to punch Goku, who blocked with the palm of his hand and followed up with a headbutt on her face, which sent her stumbling backwards.
The Saiyan charged a ki attack, calculating that 17 was too far to absorb it and 18 was disoriented by the hit she just received.
The detonation was bigger than a nuclear bomb and when it was over, there was a crater deep enough to be called a canyon.
The smoke was yet to disperse and Goku was on full alert as he couldn't feel the androids; he needed to see them to know where they were, so dropping his guard was out of the question until he was sure they were dead.
Fortune teller Ba ba, on the other hand.
"Take that, you monster brats."
Baba was celebrating, her crystal ball showed static, 18 was confused as to why she was so happy.
When the smoke dissipated, the eyes of the hag went wide.
In the middle of the destruction, there was a single place that was untouched; there, both androids were holding their arms up, surrounded by a spherical energy shield.
They nodded to each other and released the field and as soon as they did the crystal ball got the image of the androids again.
16 walked over and pointed at it.
"It was a split second, the image was blocked and the witch assumed it meant you were dead."
18 was amazed.
When Psimon unlocked her memories, this place became available. 16 had explored her past and now understood more or less how it worked.
The images were reconstructions based on her recollections of previous events.
The surroundings were fixed and if you walked far enough from the memory 18, they would become blurry and eventually fade away.
Besides that, the level of detail of an object depended on how much focus 18 had on it.
Getting closer to rocks or trees revealed a pixelated texture, almost like an old video game.
But things she focused on were extremely detailed, even when she herself didn't remember everything, this place had saved it all and stored it to be watched later.
16 didn't know if this was normal for a mind space, or if her nature as an android made it work like this.
The blonde got closer and they rewinded the memory, it wasn't super clear, the image on the crystal ball was more like a blob, somewhat resembling 18 and 17.
The moment they activated the shield, the image cut off and it came back when they stopped using it.
"Do you think our shield somehow blocks magic?"
"It is what the evidence leads me to deduce."
"Well, I guess it's better than nothing."
"Let's continue watching, there is a non neglectable chance we can learn more."
The androids moved next, rushing at Goku, who blocked and dodged while flying backwards.
18 and 16 were now paying attention to the crystal ball, but it was difficult as the level of detail lowered while the memory 18 was fully focused on the battle, sometimes even the witch vanished or was so undetailed that there was no point in trying to get any information from her.
Besides, they didn't use the shield all that often, so the data they were getting was minimal.
When they heard a lot of explosions, they turned to watch Goku flying and moving faster and faster while avoiding the double barrage of ki blasts sent by the siblings.
He got closer to 18 and moved out of the way, attempting to have 17's attack to hit her, but 18 used her hand to absorb it and redirect it back at him.
Goku blocked and was sent crashing into the ground, followed closely by 17, who used both legs to stomp him on the chest as he landed.
"Admit it, Goku, you can't win."
The only response he got was a hand grabbing his ankle, as Goku got up and slammed him to the floor like a wet towel.
Then he turned and threw him at 18, who couldn't dodge and crashed midair with her brother.
In a very humiliating display after bragging, they ended up in a tree, crashing into several rocks on the way.
Goku only chuckled a little and fired a ki blast, hoping to hit them before they recovered.
18 kicked her brother and slapped the attack away, causing a nearby mountain to disappear.
"That was a big mistake."
"Hey, sis, what the hell?"
"Shut up and get up."
The siblings prepared for another combined attack, 17 got close and 18 shot a beam of energy into the sky that scattered into hundreds of ki balls that rained down on the battlefield.
Goku was struggling to avoid it while 17 seemed to know exactly where each one would land and was able to punch the Saiyan several times, even pushing him into the blast and causing him to accumulate injury after injury.
Seeking a way out, Goku flew towards 18. The android stopped shooting and prepared to fight hand to hand and that is when 17 started to use her own ki special move.
Putting his hands on the floor, he sent energy underground that exploded under the Saiyan, forming pillars of deathly light.
The experience of many life or death battles and the ability to sense ki were the only reasons Goku reacted on time to jump away from the one that almost pierced his chest from below.
18 just like her brother, fought like he knew exactly where each attack was going to hit and used them to break through the Saiyan's defenses.
Goku jumped far into the air and shot a ki blast at the ground. The attack was far from the siblings, but it disrupted 17's power and let him kick 18 and move towards him.
17 was unable to stop him while recovering, so Goku landed many blows on him before 18 could arrive.
His sister pushed Goku with a ki explosion and checked on him.
"Are you ok?"
"I'm not dead yet, if that is what you are asking."
"This isn't working."
"Really? I thought it was going great, genius."
"Stop that."
"Ok, he is tough; even combination attacks barely face him."
"I have an idea."
Goku was catching his breath. He was enjoying the fight; his Saiyan blood was boiling.
This was different from the matches in the afterlife; those were fun, but it was a game, no risk, no one to protect. It felt fake; this, on the other hand, was a true battle.
They were trying to kill him and he was doing the same; the world was counting on him and that pressure made him remember what he was.
A warrior and a protector, he didn't enjoy the fact that the world was in danger, but he was happy that he got this chance, the opportunity to put it all on the line one more time, to save the innocent people behind him.
For that, he was grateful to fortune teller Ba Ba, who had used her magic to bring him back and he had promised to end the androids once and for all.
"I am sorry that this is how you decided to use your power. You could have helped a lot of people, instead you chose mindless destruction."
17 wasn't moved by his words.
"What we do with our power is nobody's business; if you think we are so wrong, then stop us if you can."
"Ok."
Everything in the world seemed to freeze in place, the sky grew darker in the same way it did when Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan.
"I didn't want to use this, is still unstable and consumes too much energy."
Lightning struck him and electricity surrounded his body.
The current time, 18 and 16 couldn't help but change focus towards the scene.
"This is where we understood why Gero was always scared of Goku."
"HAAAAAAAAA." 🔥
The golden aura became suffocating and the power was like nothing they had witnessed before.
17 didn't wait for the power up to finish; he shot a powerful beam of ki, aiming to kill the enemy before he could react.
Goku shot back a ki attack himself and they clashed for a fraction of a second before he overpowered 17.
The android used his hand to absorb it. When he did, he saw a fist in front of his face. The powerful blast was a distraction and 17 was sent rocketing into the distance, almost losing consciousness.
18 didn't do any better, Goku instant transmission in front of her and released a ki blast point blank on her stomach, she didn't have time to absorb it and was sent flying, landing next to 17 with an explosion.
The siblings barely managed to survive and the Saiyan wasn't finished.
Goku knew he had to end them; he couldn't spare the androids, because he wouldn't be here to stop them and if he wasn't, they would have no reason not to continue destroying the world.
He wasn't able to control this power perfectly; if he could, then a single blow would be all he needed to kill them both.
17 struggled to get up.
"Is now or never, sis."
"Got it, I'm counting on you."
17 nodded and rushed towards Goku.
The Saiyan moved as well and they exchanged punches and kicks at a speed that a normal person could never even perceive.
18 saw it and was sure her brother had no chance, already getting pummeled, yet it was worth it because she caught her target.
The fortune teller didn't see it coming and by the time she noticed, two hands were holding her neck and choking her.
"I wonder what happens if you die."
Fear showed for the first time on her face, not of dying; she was at peace with the idea of death. What Ba Ba truly feared was failing to avenge her brother.
That old fool was perverted, lazy, a liar and an idiot, but he was still her only family and when he died, she felt her world collapse.
Hatred for the androids and a boiling need for payback.
Now the same monsters that took him were here; they killed her friends and were trying to kill her.
Goku saw it and was going to stop 18, when 17 got in the way. The android used a solar flare to blind him temporarily and got to 18 using his energy shield to block the Saiyan outside.
"Quickly, sis, it won't hold for long."
"I know."
The witch was going purple, her eyes were blank and she was gasping for air.
Honestly, she could have shot her in the head and be done with it, 18 however had other plans.
"Do you still feel in control?"
The witch grunted and gasped.
"I thought so."
With a single swift crack, her neck broke and the life of fortune teller BA Ba came to an end.
The sky returned to normal and Goku transformed back to his base form.
17 kept the shield up, in case the warrior had another trick up his sleeve. Goku looked at them with a disappointed expression.
"Are you satisfied with this result?"
18 frowned.
"We won."
"Technically."
"Does it matter?"
"Only if you really are happy with this."
They stayed silent.
"I thought so."
Goku smiled bitterly.
"I wasn't able to protect the world."
"That was your last chance."
"Mine, yes, but my friends are still out there and I know they will stop you."
"They will die trying."
"Maybe, but I know them well enough to know they will find a way to make it count and you are not going to destroy this world."
His body was becoming more and more transparent, fading away. There was some regret, but also absolute certainty in his words.
When it vanished completely, the androids walked away and with a last ki blast, they destroyed the house of the fortune teller.
The current time 18 spoke as they came back to the real world.
"We tried to forget about it."
16 let her continue.
"We failed."
The words came out like acid on her mouth.
"All our lives, we were compared to him and when we finally got the chance to prove we were better, we had to use such an underhanded method to survive."
It wasn't easy to admit, 17 and she didn't talk about it, not even acknowledging the events besides a few complaints about the witch.
A hit like that to their pride made them want to compensate; maybe that was the reason her brother didn't look for her help when he got ambushed.
If it were her, she would have probably tried to fight the son of Goku by herself as well.
16 talked to her like an older brother.
"The past is the past, you can't fix it now, what you have to think about is what is next."
"I already told you."
"What you showed me was a game. Who do you want to be at 18?"
"I knew you didn't need to show me the entire memory; this is just like that time you convinced me to spare the ring guy."
"I know you want to be free and I respect your choices, but freedom is meaningless if you don't use it for something."
"I am doing it, trust me."
"You know I do."
16 went away and left her contemplating her past and thinking of the future.
(Who do I really want to be?)