"Boom!".
The battle erupted in an instant as 16 charged straight at Goku. Goku hadn't expected him to launch into an attack without a word, and in his base form, he clearly wasn't a match. In a rush, he raised both arms to block, but the sheer force still sent him flying backward.
The pain radiating from his arms made it clear— 16 wasn't like those previous androids at all!
"Haaah!"
With a sharp yell, Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan. A powerful golden aura exploded from him, blowing away rubble, metal, and debris. In a blink, he vanished and reappeared behind 16, launching a punch straight at him.
But it was as if 16 had anticipated the move. He swiftly ducked under the strike and swept a powerful leg around, aiming to shatter Goku's knees.
With a cold snort, Goku leapt up lightly, avoiding the sweep. Then, like a falling hammer, he brought his right foot down hard, aiming straight for 16's leg. If it landed, it'd surely snap his limb in half.
But 16's combat instincts were surprisingly sharp. Realizing he couldn't retract his leg in time, he lunged forward, head-first, ramming into Goku's waist. Still mid-air and off balance from his own attack, Goku couldn't dodge and was sent flying like a cannonball.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
He smashed through dozens of walls before finally coming to a stop. In the underground lab, sparks crackled, smoke filled the air, and debris rained down. The place was moments from collapse.
Sure enough, the ground suddenly gave way and caved in.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three figures shot out from underground, hovering mid-air. Moments later, a golden blur burst through the ground and stopped opposite them—it was Goku.
Surveying the collapsed ground and the ruins below, Goku frowned slightly. Still, he didn't dwell on it. Most of the island's inhabitants had either fled or perished earlier—likely, no one was left.
"Die!"
16 charged again, and in an instant, he and Goku were trading blows once more. The aftershocks of their fight rocked the skies, shattering mountains, shifting rivers, and stirring up massive tidal waves that submerged the ruined city below.
In just a few hundred exchanges, Goku began to fall behind. A sudden punch from 16 slammed him into the ocean, triggering a towering wave that reached high into the sky.
Underwater, Goku was stunned. This guy's stronger than my Super Saiyan 1 at full power… No doubt about it—his enemies had grown stronger, and these androids, crafted from his and other's genes, were even more formidable.
"If 16's this strong… what about Cell? And that other one—Nox—created by Dr. Roco?" Goku's expression turned grim. This could get messy real fast…
"I need to end this quickly and hunt down Cell and Nox before it's too late!"
Goku wasn't one to drag out a fight for pride or thrill. If he could end it swiftly, he would.
"Yaaaah!!"
His energy surged again, golden lightning now crackling around his body—he had ascended to Super Saiyan 2!
BOOM!
He shot out of the water like a missile. In a blink, he teleported behind 16 and landed a solid kick to the face, sending the android flying and crashing into the sea.
"Such overwhelming power… Is this Goku's real strength?" 18 stared in disbelief.
"I don't have time to mess around with small fry. Let's wrap this up."
Goku roared, his aura flaring like a storm. The sky trembled, the ocean churned—Earth itself seemed to shudder.
BOOM!
16 flew back up, joining 17 and 18. All three now faced Goku with heavy expressions.
"I didn't expect him to be this powerful… This doesn't match any of the data we have," said18. "We won't stand a chance one-on-one. We go in together!"
16 and 17 both nodded grimly.
"You're ganging up now? Smart choice—but it won't help."
With a flash, Goku appeared next to 17 and smashed a punch into his face, sending him hurtling through the sky. Dodging 16 and 18's follow-up attack with ease, he delivered a crushing blow to 16's stomach, making him cough up a mouthful of blood.
Stronger than in the original story? Yes. But against a full-power Super Saiyan 2 Goku, they didn't stand a chance.
"I could let the rest of you go… but you, 16—you seriously wanted me dead. You'll have to pay for that."
Goku grabbed 16 by the head and clenched his fist. CRACK! His head exploded like a watermelon. A burst of ki followed, vaporizing the body entirely.
"Now it's your turn," Goku said with a toothy grin, eyes on 18. Even she, battle-hardened as she was, looked rattled.
Goku vanished and reappeared right in front of her, fist raised—
Startled, 18 barely had time to raise her arms. But just as Goku's fist was about to land, it veered to the side, grazing past her ear with a sharp gust that left it stinging.
He hadn't actually intended to hit her.
With a cheeky smile, Goku said, "I don't hit pretty girls—especially ones I'm interested in."
"Are you mocking me?"18's face darkened. She threw a punch, but Goku easily caught her slender, strong hand.
"You're not my enemy, and honestly, none of you can beat me anyway," Goku said calmly. "If you promise not to cause trouble on Earth, I'll spare you and 17."
"You expect me to believe that?" she asked icily.
Goku held up the controller for their programming. "I've got this, don't I?"
"Hmph. Showing your hand already? You think that's enough to threaten us?" she sneered.
"You really are a tsundere, huh? Not cute at all," Goku said with a sigh. He tossed the controller to her and turned away. "Try to be a decent person, okay? Otherwise, I'll be back to deal with you."
"18!" 17 returned, glancing at the device in her hand. She clenched her fist.
CRACK!
She crushed the controller and gave Goku a complicated look. "Let's go," she said, flying off into the horizon. 17 followed close behind.
"Now, time to find my real enemies. Cell… Nox… where are you hiding?"
Goku scoured the island thoroughly—but found nothing.
"Not here, huh? Then where could they be?"
As dusk fell, Goku still had no leads. "Whatever. They'll show themselves eventually. Might as well use this time to train."
With that, he teleported home.
To his surprise, Krillin and the others were gathered in the living room.
"Huh? What are you guys doing here?"
Krillin spoke up. "We heard from Master Roshi that you went to confront the androids. We wanted to be there, but figured we'd only get in your way. So we waited here at Bulma's place."
Litaso looked at him excitedly. "How did it go?, Did you destroy them?"
Goku nodded. "Pretty much. Dr. Roco's dead too. But there are two super androids he and Dr. Gero made in secret. I couldn't find them. No idea where they are."
Litaso beamed. "Dr. Roco is dead? Amazing! I knew everything would be fine if you were involved. But these other two… If they're super androids, they must be even stronger."
Goku waved it off. "Doesn't matter. When they show up, I'll deal with them. Until then, keep an eye out and let me know if anything strange happens."
After some more chatting, the others took their leave, leaving only the women behind.
"You really are reckless! Charging into battle without telling us anything—you have no idea how worried we were!" Saya said, hands on hips.
The others looked equally upset. Goku's battles always left them on edge.
"Relax, it was just some small fries. Nothing to worry about." Goku grinned and stretched. "Man, fighting all day really worked up a sweat… Saeko, Shizuka, let's go to the bedroom!"
With one arm around each of them, Goku dragged them off toward the room....