Chapter 83: Android 18 Beats Vegeta (Patreon)

In the south, on a small island town.

A sharp explosion cracked through the air, and more than half the town was reduced to ruins.

By the time Goku arrived, the commercial district in the north end of the city had already been flattened.

Thick smoke rose between the high-rises, and the streets were littered with overturned cars and screaming crowds.

Vegeta stood atop a broken overpass, arms crossed, coldly watching two figures approach slowly from below.

Piccolo, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, Yamcha, and Gohan were scattered across the nearby rooftops and broken walls, every face tense.

"Kakarot, you're here," Vegeta said without turning his head.

Goku landed beside him, his gaze sweeping over the two approaching figures.

One was a hulking fat man with a pointed head, his whole body gleaming with a pale metallic sheen.

The other was a gaunt old man, his face a mass of wrinkles, a round black cap covering most of it.

They were Android 19 and Android 20.

"So these are the Androids..."

Unable to sense any ki from them, Goku couldn't get a read on their true strength.

But Android 19 and Android 20 both looked crudely built, and didn't seem all that formidable.

Vegeta said coldly, "Perfect — two Androids.

I'll take one, you handle the other. How about it?"

"Whatever you want."

Goku stepped back, ceding the fight to Vegeta.

Android 19 twisted his short, thick neck, letting out a series of grinding, mechanical sounds.

Android 20 sized up everyone present with a pair of small, cold eyes, his gaze finally settling on Goku.

"I didn't expect them to come to us. If we absorb a bit more energy first, it might be safer."

The battle began.

Vegeta lunged forward, his black battle suit trailing an Afterimage.

Android 19 raised both arms to block, but Vegeta's punch drove him straight into the asphalt.

Amid the swirling dust, Android 19 struggled to his feet.

"Some Android. Is this all you've got?" Vegeta spat coldly.

Android 19 opened his mouth and fired an energy wave.

Vegeta didn't even bother dodging — he simply swatted the beam aside.

In the next instant he flickered and appeared behind Android 19, driving a knee brutally into his spine.

Android 19 let out a strange cry and pitched forward, crashing straight through an entire wall.

"Pathetic."

Vegeta raised his right hand, a pale blue Ki Blast gathering in his palm. "Big Bang Attack!"

In an instant, the massive wave of energy slammed into Android 19.

Instead of panicking, Android 19 looked delighted, and immediately spread his arms wide.

The absorption devices in his palms activated instantly, swallowing the entirety of Vegeta's attack.

Everyone froze in shock.

"He absorbed it?"

"He can absorb energy?"

Piccolo said at once, "It seems the Androids can absorb energy. Energy Blast attacks won't work on him..."

Vegeta sneered. "Hmph, is that all he's got? Then I just won't use an Energy Blast, and that's that."

With that, Vegeta closed in again.

Thanks to Oryon's provocations over the past three years, Vegeta had made tremendous progress.

A mere Android 19 was truly no match for him.

In the blink of an eye, Vegeta had torn both of Android 19's arms off.

Standing over Android 19's body, Vegeta smiled savagely. "Now you can't absorb anything, can you?"

Terror flashed in Android 19's eyes.

Vegeta sneered. "That look of fear is quite convincing!"

With that, he fired an energy blast, and Android 19's body twisted and disintegrated in the light, finally reduced to a pile of scrap and scattered parts.

The shockwave from the blast swept down the street, pulverizing the surrounding ruins into flat rubble.

"Hmph. Too good an end for him."

Vegeta lowered his hand and turned to face Android 20. "One left. Kakarot, it's your turn."

Seeing Android 19 destroyed so easily, Android 20's expression finally changed.

He spun around, trying to flee, shooting straight up into the air.

Goku moved to stop him at once — in a flicker he appeared right in front of Android 20, blocking his path.

"You've done terrible things to this city. You're not just walking away — you need to pay for it."

Android 20 gritted his teeth and fired a barrage of energy balls from both palms.

Goku weaved left and right, slipping through the barrage.

As he dodged, he closed the distance and drove a punch into Android 20's stomach.

Android 20 doubled over like a shrimp, his cap flying off to reveal the human brain of Dr. Gero underneath.

In truth, Dr. Gero was an Android with a human brain — every other part of him was machinery, but his mind remained his own.

Goku grabbed his arm, hoisted him up like a sack, and slammed him hard into the ground.

With a boom, a human-shaped crater formed in the pavement.

Android 20 lay in it, sparks crackling across his body, completely unable to move.

Goku landed at the edge of the crater and looked down at him. "That should stop you from doing any more damage."

Disbelief filled Android 20's eyes.

Vegeta walked up from behind. "Trash like this will just keep causing trouble if we leave it alive. Might as well destroy it now."

As he spoke, an energy ball lit up in his hand, ready to finish him off.

Krillin spoke up quickly. "Wait, Vegeta — we still don't know where the one who made them is."

Vegeta paused, then let the energy dissipate, and turned his gaze back to the Android.

But at that moment, Android 20 let out a sinister laugh.

"Do you... think you've won?"

Everyone froze.

"What do you mean?"

Android 20 flashed a dark smile. "You're all dead!

Back in the lab where we were made, there are two more Androids, far stronger — Android 17 and Android 18.

They're stronger than all of you combined. Dr. Gero simply hasn't finished calibrating the devices that control them."

Vegeta stopped, his eyes narrowing slowly. "More powerful Androids?"

Android 20 nodded. "That's right. Their power far exceeds mine and Nineteen's — dealing with you would be nothing to them!"

Vegeta's eyes shifted from fury to anticipation and excitement.

He seized Android 20 by the throat. "Take us there.

Let them loose.

I want to see just how strong they really are."

Goku hesitated. "Vegeta, isn't this too dangerous?

They just told us these two are even stronger."

"If you're scared, crawl back to Mount Paozu," Vegeta said without even turning.

Piccolo frowned. "This is very likely a trap."

"Even if it's a trap, I'm going to kill the stronger enemy with my own hands," Vegeta sneered, turning to Android 20. "Lead the way."

Android 20 nodded with difficulty, wild joy surging inside him.

The others exchanged glances.

They were all curious, in truth, about what kind of Androids could possibly be stronger than a Super Saiyan.

And the strength Goku and Vegeta had just displayed gave everyone a measure of confidence.

Maybe these so-called Android 17 and 18 weren't anything special after all.

After all, there was no Trunks around to warn them just how terrifying the Androids could truly be.

The laboratory was hidden on the north side of a desolate mountain.

Vines covered the entrance, making it look like an ordinary rock face.

Android 20 walked up to a stone, pressed it several times, and a stone door slowly ground open.

Inside lay a metal corridor stretching downward.

The lights were dim, and the air carried the smell of machine oil and disinfectant.

The group filed in one by one.

Gohan stayed close to Goku, glancing around with curiosity.

Krillin whispered to Yamcha, "This place is really creepy."

"It's the Androids' lair — what did you expect?" Yamcha said, rubbing his arms.

They reached a chamber at the very back.

Pipes and cables covered the ceiling, and several massive machines blinked with indicator lights.

Android 20 moved to the control panel and, hands trembling, flipped several switches.

The floor at the center of the chamber split open, and two cylindrical cryo-pods rose up from below.

White mist billowed out as the pod lids slowly opened.

A man and a woman stepped out.

The man had black hair and black eyes, a red scarf around his neck, and an indifferent expression.

The woman had blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in a simple black jacket and white skirt, her features fine and delicate, as if she'd stepped straight out of a fashion magazine.

Neither of them showed the slightest fluctuation of ki — they looked exactly like ordinary people.

"These are the more powerful Androids?"

"I can't sense any ki from them at all."

"He's pretty good-looking," Yamcha muttered, glancing at Android 17.

Android 18 stepped out of her pod and stretched lazily.

Android 17 calmly surveyed the room, his gaze sweeping across every face in turn.

Vegeta stepped forward, arms crossed, jerking his chin at Android 18. "Hey, dolls. I hear you're stronger than Frieza. I have my doubts."

Android 18 glanced at him but said nothing.

Android 17 spoke evenly. "You must be Vegeta."

Vegeta's eyes flicked up slightly.

"You know me?"

Android 17 smiled. "Yes. Dr. Gero fed us data on every one of you. You're the one who's always getting beaten up, though—"

Vegeta's face darkened. "Shut up. You looking to get hit?"

Android 17 glanced over Vegeta, then Goku, Krillin, Piccolo, Tien Shinhan, and the rest.

"Though I'm curious how all of you ended up together."

Vegeta jerked his thumb up. "Enough talk. I came here to fight!"

He looked between Android 18 and Android 17. "So which of you goes first? Or are you both coming at once?"

Android 18 twirled a lock of blonde hair around her finger, sounding utterly indifferent. "I don't like being ordered around. Neither of us is going."

"Hmph, like that's your choice to make."

Vegeta flickered and his fist was already driving toward Android 18's face.

She tilted her head, dodging it with ease.

Vegeta unleashed a barrage of punches, each one whistling through the air, more than twice as fast as when he'd fought Android 19.

She flickered again and again, evading every single one of his strikes.

"Is dodging all you can do?"

Vegeta roared and lashed out with a flying kick at her waist.

Android 18 raised her left hand and gave Vegeta's ankle the lightest tap.

The kick's momentum was deflected, and his body spun helplessly through half a circle.

She followed through with a palm strike to his back.

Vegeta went flying like a cannonball, smashing through the wall of the hall and crashing into a storeroom next door.

Amid the dust, Vegeta slowly climbed to his feet.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes only grew fiercer.

He tore off the ruined remains of his battle suit, a golden aura erupting across his body as his hair stood on end — he had become a Super Saiyan.

"...Now this is interesting." Vegeta charged again, his speed suddenly surging.

Android 18 sidestepped slightly, avoiding his heavy punch. Vegeta pressed the attack relentlessly, fists and kicks coming like a storm.

She retreated while blocking, still perfectly at ease.

Vegeta seized an opening and swept a low kick at her shin.

She hopped lightly over it; the force of his kick tore into the floor and cracked it open.

She flipped once in midair and, on landing, tapped her toe against Vegeta's shoulder to spring herself backward.

"You really are fast. But you're not going to kill me," Android 18 said, calmly fixing the hair on her forehead even as she fought.

"Enough talk!" Vegeta raised a hand and fired an Energy Blast.

She simply swatted it away with the back of her hand.

The Energy Blast tore through the ceiling, blowing open a huge hole.

Vegeta's pupils contracted, and he attacked with even greater ferocity.

Every strike now carried killing intent, aimed squarely at her head and vital points.

Android 18's eyes slowly turned cold.

"You're really annoying," she said, suddenly reaching out and catching Vegeta's wrist with pinpoint precision.

He tried to wrench free, but her grip held like an iron vise, immovable.

Her other hand balled into a fist and slammed into his stomach.

Vegeta spat out a mouthful of blood, his body curling backward.

She released his wrist and followed with another palm strike, sending him flying.

Vegeta smashed through a control console, tumbled more than ten meters, and finally landed flat on his back amid a tangle of cables.

His golden hair reverted to black, his breathing ragged, yet he still struggled to rise.

"I'm going to... kill you..." Vegeta ground out through clenched teeth, pushing himself up with trembling arms.

Yamcha started forward to help, but Piccolo held him back. "Stay back. You'll only get in the way."

Vegeta staggered to his feet.

His chest heaved violently, but his eyes were still full of savagery.

Summoning the last of his strength, he fired a massive beam at Android 18.

She didn't dodge — instead, she charged straight into the beam.

A faint shimmer flickered across her body, and she passed right through his attack, appearing directly in front of him.

She brought a hand-knife strike down on his neck.

Vegeta barely managed to raise an arm to block —

there was a sickening crack, and his entire arm was twisted out of shape.

A scream of agony tore out of him.

Everyone watching broke into a cold sweat.

Then Android 18 followed up with a kick to his chest.

Vegeta went flying again — this time he blacked out completely, his body punching through a wall and burying itself in the wreckage.

Krillin and Tien Shinhan swallowed hard at the same moment.

Vegeta was a Super Saiyan, and yet she'd beaten him this easily.

Just what kind of monsters were these two Androids?

Android 17 stepped forward a few paces and looked at Goku. "Goku. You're next."

Goku glanced at Vegeta's unconscious form, then turned back to Android 17, his expression turning serious. "You're much stronger than Vegeta. I can feel it."

Android 17 rolled his wrist. "I won't go easy on you the way she did."

Leaning against a nearby machine, Android 18 said coldly, "He was too annoying. If he wants more, I don't mind teaching him another lesson."

Everyone felt a flicker of curiosity.

"So she deliberately held back from killing Vegeta?"

Goku shrugged off his worn outer robe, revealing the martial arts gi underneath.

His eyes sharpened with focus and excitement — he loved this kind of fight, one where no lives were at stake.

"All right. Let's do this."