Mori landed heavily next to Piccolo, his boots hitting the cracked earth as his gaze swept over the battlefield. Goku was barely conscious, his breaths shallow and uneven, his face tinged with feverish sweat. Mori immediately turned to Yamcha, who was already looking concernedly at their fallen friend.
"Take Goku back to where his medicine is," Mori instructed, his tone leaving no room for hesitation.
Yamcha nodded, lifting Goku carefully onto his shoulder. The fighter grimaced, but he managed to take flight, disappearing over the horizon with Goku in tow. Mori turned back to the remaining group, greeting each of them with a brief nod before focusing on Piccolo. "Alright, Piccolo, what happened?"
Piccolo's expression was serious as he recounted the events. "Those two androids—you saw the white one, right? They attacked the city without warning. Goku took him on, but he collapsed mid-fight. Turns out he didn't take his medicine like he was supposed to." He shook his head, a hint of frustration seeping into his voice. "If he had, we wouldn't have lost so much ground. Now they're here, and Goku's out of commission."
Mori frowned. "He really needs to learn to plan ahead for once. But alright. Goku's out, so we'll just have to make do. They don't seem too tough."
As he spoke, he noticed Vegeta out of the corner of his eye. The Saiyan prince's power surged as he began to transform, not bothering with his usual Wrath State and going straight into his Super Saiyan form. The group's eyes widened, taken aback by the spectacle of Vegeta bathed in golden energy.
"Vegeta's a Super Saiyan too?" Gohan whispered in disbelief, eyes wide with shock.
Vegeta turned slightly, catching Gohan's astonished expression. He allowed himself a small smirk, pride evident as he quickly explained how he'd managed to achieve Super Saiyan—although he conveniently left out the grueling details of Mori pushing him nearly to the breaking point.
Finally, Vegeta turned his attention back to Android 19, his eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure. He lifted his hand, beckoning the android forward. "Tell me," he said, voice low and dripping with menace, "does an android such as yourself ever experience fear?"
Mori couldn't help but laugh, crossing his arms. "Hey, Vegeta! That line's tough—I have to give it to you."
Vegeta ignored him, launching into battle. The two fighters exchanged blows, but it quickly became apparent that the prince was leagues above Android 19. Vegeta's punches were precise, relentless, driving the android into a corner. Finally, with a single, crushing blow, Vegeta decimated the android, blowing it to pieces. Smoke and debris settled around him as he floated back to the ground, his golden aura flickering as he turned his attention to Dr. Gero.
"Well, doctor?" he taunted, his voice a dangerous purr. "I'm right here. Why don't you take your shot?"
Gero hesitated, calculating his chances. With Android 19 destroyed, he knew his odds were slim. His eyes narrowed, and, after a tense moment, he spun on his heel and fled.
Vegeta's eyes blazed with fury as he took off after him, his energy crackling in the air. Mori, smirking, immediately followed, curiosity piqued. He quickly matched Vegeta's speed, glancing over at the prince as they closed in on Gero.
As they approached a rocky wasteland, Vegeta began to charge a massive ki blast, aiming to annihilate the fleeing android. But just as he unleashed it, Gero leapt, preparing to absorb the energy. Acting quickly, Mori released his own smaller blast, striking Gero off guard and knocking him off his feet.
Gero scrambled to his feet, panic flashing in his eyes. "You'll regret that," he muttered under his breath, casting a final glare at Mori and Vegeta before darting away again, mumbling about "the twins."
Vegeta made a move to pursue, but Mori held him back, noting, "Hold up, Vegeta. If he's going back to activate these twins he's mumbling about, we should wait for backup."
A moment later, the rest of their group caught up, including the boy from the future, whom Mori had mentally nicknamed "The Drink." They exchanged glances, unease evident on their faces. The boy looked visibly disturbed, his fists clenched tightly.
"I don't understand," he murmured. "These androids are different…weaker than the ones I fought in my timeline."
Before they could process this information further, Bulma's ship appeared in the distance. It landed nearby, and the door opened to reveal Bulma stepping out, a small bundle in her arms. To everyone's surprise, Yajirobe also emerged, looking nervously at the gathering of fighters.
Mori's eyebrows shot up as he took in the sight of Bulma with a baby. "Yamcha finally knocked you up, huh?" he asked with a grin.
Bulma laughed, shaking her head. "Actually, Mori, this little guy is Vegeta's son."
The words took a second to register, but when they did, Mori blinked in shock. "Wait, Vegeta's son?" His face fell as he realized, and he stumbled back, laughing. "That's…something."
Bulma smiled and looked down at the baby. "His name is Trunks," she said, stroking the child's hair.
Before anyone could ask more questions, Piccolo interrupted, his voice sharp. "We don't have time for this. We need to find Gero's lab before he activates more androids. He's heading that way, and we need to stop him."
Bulma, however, merely shrugged. "I know where it is," she said casually.
The group stared at her in shock, and Piccolo's eyes narrowed. "You know where it is?"
She pointed in the direction of Gero's lab, explaining its location in detail. Before she finished, however, Vegeta had already blasted off in that direction, Trunks hot on his heels. Mori scratched his head, sighing. "They're going the wrong way…" he muttered, shaking his head.
After regrouping, they finally reached the lab, a large metal door looming before them. Muffled voices could be heard from inside—Gero, and two others, as yet unfamiliar. Vegeta and Trunks arrived shortly afterward, and Trunks quickly asked if Gero had set the twin androids free yet. Vegeta, however, had no patience for caution and blasted the door open with a Big Bang Attack.
The smoke and debris cleared, revealing two figures—a tall man with jet-black hair and a blonde woman, standing beside an unopened pod labeled "16." Nearby, Dr. Gero's head lay, severed, on the ground. The twins turned to each other, exchanging a brief look before deciding to release the final android.
Trunks' face twisted in anger as he yelled, "No! If you set that android free, it'll be the end of all of us!" His energy spiked, and a massive blast shot toward the lab, forcing everyone to take to the skies.
Vegeta glanced at Trunks, unimpressed. "Are you done yet?" he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain.
Krillin snickered, muttering, "Like father, like son."
Mori's gaze shifted between the two of them, realization dawning on his face. "Wait—so you're his son?" He pointed toward Bulma and the baby. "That's you?" he asked Trunks.
Trunks nodded, his expression serious. "Yeah. My name's Trunks."
Mori chuckled. "Trunks, huh? Nope, I'm sticking with 'The Drink.'"
Before Trunks could respond, the smoke cleared, and the two androids stood unscathed, their attention focused on the pod. Without further delay, they released the third android—a large man with orange hair and a stoic expression.
Without hesitation, the three androids took to the skies, with Vegeta in pursuit. Trunks called after him, urging him to stop, but Vegeta ignored him. Mori chuckled, nudging Piccolo. "Come on, let's follow. This might be good."
The group followed the androids and landed at a narrow mountain road where Vegeta was already facing off against Android 18. Trunks moved to interfere, but Android 17 quickly blocked his path. "This is one-on-one. If anyone tries to interrupt, I'll put them down myself."
As the battle wore on, it became clear Vegeta was losing ground. Android 18 was relentless, and with one last strike, she shattered his arm, leaving him screaming in pain. Trunks rushed forward, but 17 intercepted him, and soon the rest of the group was subdued as well. Piccolo, Tien, and Trunks fell quickly to the android's powerful blows.
Mori watched as Vegeta collapsed, his other arm shattered beneath Android 18's heel. With a grin, Mori finally stepped forward, gathering the injured fighters in one spot before turning to face the androids.
"Alright," he said, letting his energy surge around him. "My turn."
His power flared, catching the androids' attention. Android 16 immediately warned the others, "We can't engage him. We should go."
After a moment's hesitation, 17 and 18 nodded, turning away. Android 18 blew Krillin a kiss before the trio disappeared into the sky, leaving Mori standing there, confused.
"What was that
about?" he muttered, glancing back at the others.
Krillin blushed, but he quickly handed out Senzu beans to the injured fighters. As they recovered, Vegeta shot Mori a venomous glare before taking off. Trunks hesitated, but Piccolo urged him to let Vegeta go. Instead, the group headed toward the lookout to regroup and strategize.
As they ascended, Mori found himself deep in thought. "Still can't believe they backed down. But maybe it's a good thing—our turn will come." " I need to get some new clothes jeez"