Goten Chapter 8

Goten Chapter 8

Author's Note:
Sorry for the long delay on this chapter, guys. I was a bit stuck and unsure of where to take the story next. But instead of overthinking it, I decided to just keep writing and see where it goes. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

18's eyes widened in surprise. Slowly, she wiped the spittle from her cheek, her expression darkening. "You'll regret that," she whispered, her tone dripping with menace.

An orb of KI began to form in 18's free hand, casting an eerie light on both their faces. The hum of power grew louder. "Any last words?" she asked mockingly.

Videl closed her eyes, a single tear escaping down her cheek. Her thoughts raced memories, regrets, and a faint hope that maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be the end.

Suddenly, before 18 or 17 could react, 18 was punched in the face the fist connecting squarely with her jaw. sending her hurtling into the side of a nearby building.

Videl felt herself falling but was caught gently before hitting the ground. She opened her eyes to see a young man with spiky golden hair, an aura of golden light surrounding him, and a serious expression on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, not looking at Videl but at Android 17.

She nodded numbly, staring at him wide-eyed. "Who... who are you?"

…

Gohan gently set Videl down, his expression serious. "There's no time for introductions. You need to get out of here—now. I'll hold them off."

Videl hesitated for a second, looking at him with wide eyes, but she knew arguing was pointless. She gave him a quick nod, her body aching as she hobbled away as fast as she could.

Gohan turned his attention back to Android 17, his golden aura flickering around him.

"Well, that was quite the entrance," Android 17 remarked, a smirk playing on his lips as he casually crossed his arms.

From the rubble, Android 18 pushed herself up, her face contorted in irritation. Her sharp eyes scanned the battlefield before locking onto Gohan. Then, she smirked. "Well, well, look who decided to play the hero," she said, brushing dust off her clothes.

As she glanced down, she noticed the torn fabric of her jacket. Her expression darkened, her annoyance quickly turning into anger. "You ruined my clothes," she muttered, her fingers curling into fists. Her blue eyes burned with frustration as she snapped her gaze back to Gohan. "You're gonna pay for that! I just got this jacket!"

Android 17 chuckled, shaking his head. "Honestly, I'm glad you showed up," he admitted, his smirk widening. "I was starting to get bored. Now, things are finally getting interesting."

Gohan remained silent, his fists clenching as he braced himself.

"Enough talk!" Android 18 snarled before rocketing toward him, energy building in her palm. As she closed the gap, she thrust her hand forward and unleashed a powerful ki blast. "Haaah!"

Gohan reacted instantly, powering up and blasting the ground beneath him with a surge of ki. "Haaah!" he shouted, using the explosion to create a smokescreen as he shot into the air.

Android 18 narrowed her eyes as the dust and debris clouded the battlefield. "Oh no, you don't!" she growled, immediately giving chase.

Gohan weaved through the sky, dodging her first strike before countering with his own ki blast. "HAA!"

Android 18 smirked and fired a blast of her own. Their attacks met mid-air, resulting in a violent explosion that shook the sky.

Before the smoke could clear, Android 18 appeared right in front of Gohan, her fist already swinging.

Gohan barely managed to raise his arms in time, blocking her punch. The sheer force sent a shockwave through his arms. Gritting his teeth, he retaliated with a punch of his own.

But Android 18 was faster. She effortlessly dodged, twisting to the side before delivering a powerful kick to his ribs.

The impact sent Gohan hurtling backward.

Just then, Android 17 appeared above Gohan in an instant, a cocky grin on his face. "Don't hog all the fun now, 18," he said before driving his foot down hard on Gohan’s back.

The impact sent Gohan crashing into the ground, the rocky terrain cracking beneath him as dust and debris flew into the air.

Gohan groaned in pain, buried in the rubble, but he didn’t stay down. Sensing movement above him, he quickly pushed off the ground, flipping backward just in time to dodge as both Androids slammed their feet down where he had been lying just moments ago.

Wasting no time, Gohan cupped his hands, charging a Kamehameha. "HAAAH!" he roared as he fired the massive blue beam straight at the androids.

Androids 17 and 18, unfazed, both extended their hands and fired their own ki blasts. Their combined energy clashed with Gohan’s Kamehameha in a violent struggle.

Gohan gritted his teeth, pushing with everything he had. But their blasts were too powerful. Inch by inch, their energy overtook his Kamehameha, swallowing it whole.

"Dammit!" Gohan cursed as he realized he couldn’t hold it back.

At the last second, he shot upward, barely dodging as the ki blast obliterated the spot he had just been standing in. The sheer force sent shockwaves through the ruined city, blowing away rubble and debris.

Desperate, Gohan fired another ki blast at the androids.

Android 17 merely scoffed, swiping the blast away with ease. Before Gohan could react, Android 18 shot forward, delivering a brutal punch to his face.

The blow sent Gohan flying backward, slamming through the side of a crumbling building. The structure groaned under the impact, large chunks of concrete and steel falling as he crashed through.

The androids didn't give him a moment to recover.

They chased after him, moving effortlessly through the air. Gohan fought back as best as he could, but he was struggling—badly.

The androids weren’t just attacking him; they were toying with him.

At that moment, a streak of light shot across the sky.

Goten had finally arrived.

As he hovered above the wreckage, his sharp eyes scanned the battlefield. His stomach twisted when he saw what was happening.

Gohan was getting beaten mercilessly. His movements were slowing, his attacks becoming sloppy.

"They’re playing with him," Goten thought, his fists clenching. "Even as a Super Saiyan, he’s completely outmatched."

His gaze shifted slightly, and that’s when he spotted a girl huddled against a pile of rubble, clutching her broken arm. Her face was pale, her breathing shaky.

Goten's eyes widened in recognition. "Videl? What is she doing here?" His mind raced. "She must’ve gotten caught up in the chaos."

Looking between Gohan and Videl, he knew he had to act fast.

"If this keeps up, Gohan's going to lose... I need to create a distraction. If I can just get their attention, we might have a chance to escape."

His hands cupped together at his side, blue energy rapidly gathering between them. "Kaa... meee... haaa... meee..."

"HAAAAH!" he roared as he fired the Kamehameha aiming straight at Android 18’s exposed back.

The energy blast struck Android 18 square between the shoulder blades, sending her tumbling, crashing into the ground below with a surprised yelp.

17 immediately snapped his head toward the direction of the attack.

Goten floated there, his expression serious.

Android 17 narrowed his eyes at Goten. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?" he asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

Android 18, coming out of the rubble, floated over to her sibling while looking at Goten in bewilderment, tilting her head as she studied him. "What the...?" Her brows furrowed. "Goku? Was he always this small? I thought he would be taller."

Before Goten could respond, Gohan’s voice rang out in alarm. "Goten! What are you doing here?! Get out of here, quickly!" His tone was urgent, almost panicked.

Android 18’s eyes widened slightly as realization hit her. "Goten... he's not Goku," she muttered, then nodded to herself. "That makes sense. He must be Goku’s kid."

Android 17 looked Goten up and down, his smirk widening. "Yeah, he does look just like Goku... too bad he’s just a kid," he mused. "Would’ve been fun to toy around with him."

Android 18 gave a playful hum, her lips curling into a smirk. "I don’t know, 17," she said, stepping forward. "He did just damage my clothes. I think I’ll have some fun with the little guy."

Goten closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pushing aside his nerves. "I have to compress my ki… keep it contained inside my body," he thought, focusing his energy inward.

In the blink of an eye, Android 18 vanished, reappearing right in front of him. "I’ll let you go first, small fry," she teased, crossing her arms.

Goten reacted instantly, disappearing and reappearing in front of her, throwing a punch straight at her face. But Android 18 easily leaned to the side, dodging without breaking a sweat.

Goten didn’t let up. He immediately went on the offensive, launching a barrage of rapid-fire ki blasts.

Android 18 dodged them all with ease, her arms still crossed, her expression unbothered.

Goten gritted his teeth and pushed forward, throwing a series of punches and kicks while mixing in more ki blasts.

But Android 18 effortlessly weaved through his attacks no matter what he did, still looking completely relaxed.

Goten’s breathing grew heavier. He was starting to get tired.

Noticing his slowing movements, Android 18 smirked. "Getting winded already? You won’t last much longer at this rate."

Without warning, she counterattacked.

Goten barely managed to block the first strike, but 18 increased her pressure, sending a relentless series of punches and kicks his way.

Goten dodged and blocked as best as he could, but he wasn’t fast enough to evade them all. A few hits landed.

Then, Android 18’s knee slammed into his stomach.

"Guh—!" Goten gasped, his body doubling over from the impact.

She raised her hand for a final blow, aiming to chop the back of his neck.

But at the last second, Goten reacted and blasted her point-blank in the stomach.

The explosion pushed Android 18 back, making her skid through the air as Goten quickly moved away, panting.

A trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. His body ached, but he clenched his fists, thinking, "It’s all set."

Just then, Goten’s eyes snapped to the side—when he heard Gohan cry out in pain as Android 17 appeared beside him and delivered a brutal kick to his arm.

With a sharp snap, Gohan's arm broke.

Gohan was sent flying through the air, crashing hard into the ground near where Videl was standing, watching the fight unfold in shock.

Goten eyes widened. "Gohan!" he shouted, immediately rushing over to him.

Videl, already nearby, rushed to Gohan’s side, dropping to her knees beside him. "Are you okay?!" she asked, her voice filled with worry as she reached out, trying to help him sit up.

Gohan gritted his teeth, trying to push himself up despite the searing pain in his broken arm. "… what are you doing here?!" he rasped, wincing. "You need to get out of here—now!"

Above them, Android 17 floated lazily, smirking as he looked down at the scene. "How touching," he mocked, his voice dripping with amusement. "The weakling has himself a little admirer."

Goten appeared in front of his brother, arms spread wide in a defensive stance.

Gohan’s eyes widened in alarm. "Goten?! What are you doing here?! Get out of here—now!" he shouted.

Android 17 chuckled. "Man, this just keeps getting better. This really is a touching sight," he said, shaking his head. "The little brother trying to protect his elder brother."

"Damn brat," Android 18 muttered, as she flew over, casually dusting soot off her tattered clothes. She glared at Goten, eyes narrowing.

Android 17 glanced at his sister, smirking. "He got you, uh sis," he teased.

Android 18 scoffed, rolling her shoulders. "Tch. He caught me off guard, I held back too much," she admitted. Raising her hand, she began charging a ki blast, the blue energy swirling ominously. "Now, I'm getting serious. You're gonna pay for that."

Gohan, struggling to even stay on his feet, felt a deep sense of dread creep up his spine. ‘No... If that hits Goten, he’s dead!’ He gritted his teeth, as he tried to stand up as his vision began to darken.

Meanwhile, Goten narrowed his eyes. ‘Now!’

Bringing both hands to his forehead, he took a deep breath and shouted, "Solar Flare!"

A massive explosion of blinding light engulfed the battlefield.

"Gah! What the hell?!" Android 18 shrieked, staggering back, shielding her eyes.

"Damn it, I can’t see!" Android 17 cursed, covering his face.

Goten wasted no time.

Spreading his arms wide, he gathered the floating ki blasts he had fired earlier, all still hovering in the air. With a sharp motion, he clapped his hands together.

"Hellzone Grenade!"

The ki blasts locked onto the blinded androids and shot toward them like a relentless storm.

A massive series of explosions detonated across the battlefield, shaking the very ground.

Smoke and fire engulfed the area.

Not hesitating for a second, Goten shot forward, grabbing both Gohan and Videl. Gritting his teeth, he took off at max speed, pushing himself beyond his limits.

‘I just need to get us out of here…’ he thought.

But then pain. A searing blast ripped through the air. Android 18, even blinded, had fired her charged ki blast.

The attack barely grazed Goten, but it was enough to burn through his back.

"WAAH!" he screamed, his muscles screaming in agony. Despite the searing pain in his back, despite his body screaming at him to stop, Goten refused to falter.

With everything he had left, he clutched Gohan and Videl tighter, gritting his teeth. "I have to get them out of here..." He flew as fast as possible.