Ch 4: Gohan's Rage
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DRAGON BALL OR DRAGON BALL Z NOR DO I MAKE A PROFIT FROM THIS STORY.
Chemistry-Deaf: The first section was originally going to end the last chapter, but it was incomplete while all the other sections were, so I moved it here.
HTC: Trunks and Gohan
~A week after entering~
Trunks was going through a routine of punches and kicks against an imaginary foe (Android 17 at the moment) when he felt Gohan's energy coming towards him. Trunks surmised that Gohan had enough time alone to sort himself since he hadn't seen Gohan nearly at all during the week in. He may have caught a glimpse of him when he came for a meal or to rest and was gone the next day, training by himself. So, Trunks halted his own training and waited for the younger version of his mentor to arrive.
Gohan landed in front of Trunks looking like he did nothing but train for the week. Trunks wondered if he could convince him to take a bath when the day is over. Gohan kept his head bowed as he approached Trunks. "I'm sorry for my rude behavior, Trunks," he said. "It's just that... I can't close my eyes anymore without seeing Piccolo laying there, all shriveled up. I can't help but think of his last words to me. It just makes me so angry every time I think about it. I am going to kill that bastard."
Trunks waited, but Gohan didn't reveal those last words to him.
"Hey, don't worry too much about it, Gohan," Trunks replied. "Even I have lost control of myself sometimes. The last few days had been stressful for everyone, but for you especially. Since you're able to blow off some steam, are you ready for some sparring?"
Gohan's eyes lit up at the prospect of no longer trying to train by himself and of being able to get stronger, strong enough to kill the murderer, said, "Yes! I'm ready Trunks!" He got himself in a battle stance, grinning.
Trunks gave him a smile of his own before getting himself in a battle stance. "Let see what you got!"
That evening, they went inside laughing at their mistakes they made during the spar and funny stories Trunks was telling Gohan about his time under his mentor's training. "-and then, Gohan did an impressive Piccolo scolding when I tried to catch him off guard. It's been so strange to have got to meet him; he is exactly like Gohan made him sound."
"Sounds like Future me talked a lot about Piccolo," Gohan said in between his giggles.
"Well, he did say it was the best way to keep his memory alive. In fact, he tries to keep all the Z fighters' memory alive by talking about them. Between him and my mother, they managed to feed my curiosity about them. Mother often used her travel and the tournament stories as bed time stories. I still have a hard time imagining your father as a small kid."
"I do too. He's so strong and brave! I'm sure once he gets back to training, he can beat the monster easily!"
"Not if we get him first. We still have nearly a whole year here!"
"Yeah! That monster won't know what hit him!"
"That's the spirit, Gohan."
With that, they ate their dinner, washed up, and got ready for bed.
~4 months later~
Trunks had called a break once he saw Gohan looking like he was about to collapse and feeling tired himself. As they rested, they thought over their spars. Trunks had been testing Gohan's base form as well as his Super Saiyan against his own and saw some rapid improvements. The boy's progress was amazing, making Trunks wonder if his Gohan could have become strong enough to defeat the Androids if he had just had someone to train with on his level. "I will avenge you Gohan, I swear it," he thought to himself.
Gohan wasn't thinking so much about the spars and more of how he could get stronger. He did know that his lack of control of his Super Saiyan was giving him difficulties, but he was mildly sure that Trunks didn't have full grasp of his Super Saiyan form either. There seemed to be something further there, something that was just out of his reach. Gohan knew that there had to be levels beyond the base Super Saiyan form.
"Hey, Trunks?"
"Mm, yeah?"
"I was wondering if we kept our Super Saiyan form on for the full time we're here, would our control improve over it?"
Trunks thought about Gohan's question as he finished his water. "I don't know. What brought this up?"
"Well, my control isn't as good as yours, and going on and off the form is tiring. Maybe if my body could get used to the transformation, it wouldn't be as difficult."
"…True, I can see where you're going with this. Oh, I got something to show you!"
"What is it?"
"I been testing some limitation on my Super Saiyan form the other day, and your talk just remind me of it. I found out something interesting. Watch this."
Gohan watched eagerly as Trunks stood facing him.
Trunks gathered all of his power he had to turn into Super Saiyan. Keeping his concentration, he started to pour more energy within himself outward as he started to scream. His muscles expanded rapidly, more than doubling in size before shrinking back down. His hair stood up straighter as his aura almost doubled. His power shot up rapidly before leveling off and stabilizing.
Gohan jaw literally dropped to the floor. How the hell did Trunks know about his idea? This hasn't been what Gohan had been thinking, but it was amazing nonetheless.
"…T-that was amazing, Trunks!" Gohan exclaimed once he was able to pick his jaw up.
"Yeah, I haven't used this form against you yet because I'm pretty sure you couldn't handle it."
"Do you think you could beat the monster with that?"
"I don't know, maybe. I hope so."
"Hey, let see what you got!" Gohan got off of his seat and transformed into Super Saiyan. "Might as well test its limits!"
"Uh, are you sure, Gohan? I don't want to accidentally hurt you."
"Hey, I'm strong too, you know. Piccolo didn't hold back when he trained me that one year, and I turned out fine."
"Must be due to your father's genes. Listen, you must be tired now. It wouldn't be fair. Tomorrow once you are recovered, we will spar."
Gohan sighed in response and reluctantly powered down. They spend the remainder of the day relaxing for their tomorrow spar.
The next morning, they stood facing each other. Trunks was already in his ascended Super Saiyan form.
"Ready Gohan? I won't be holding back."
Gohan laughed as he got himself ready for the spar.
They remained still for a moment until one made a move. Gohan decided to go first and went on offensive, testing the defenses of Trunks' new form. Trunks barely felt a thing as he managed to block most of Gohan's blows and decided to retaliate. Gohan was keeping a conscious mind of Trunks' strength and dodged. It was strange, with all of the extra power and strength, his speed hadn't seemed to go up by the same amount. As the spar continued, Gohan felt something was wrong with the form, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it. Trunks hadn't seem to notice the drawbacks of the form.
They sparred for several minutes, neither gaining the upper hand. Gohan found that even when he landed blows Trunks shrugged them off like they were nothing, but he found himself able to dodge Trunks counters quite easily.
Finally, Trunks landed a blow that sent Gohan bouncing back across the white tile before skidding to a halt. He started to follow up by stopped himself when he saw that Gohan was struggling to stand back up. Somehow, the boy was maintaining his Super Saiyan form through all of this. "Gohan, that's enough. I will fight you normally now."
Gohan was panting heavily from their spar and couldn't voice his disagreement. Sweat beaded over his face and arms as his muscles shook from exhaustion. He watched with tired eyes as Trunks powered down to his normal Super Saiyan state.
And so, it went on over a month. Every morning, Trunks would spar with Gohan using his ascended form while Gohan attempts to counter with his Super Saiyan state. Gohan wasn't having much luck in defeating Trunks's ascended form and lost most of those spars. One thing he could be proud of was the fact none of those spars had made him lose conscious or lost his Super Saiyan form. When it was afternoon, Trunks would power down to his Super Saiyan form to better assist Gohan's form and skills.
~1 month and roughly two weeks later (5.5 months total) ~
Gohan had been a Super Saiyan for well over a month, and he did see improvements. He had tried to obtain a similar state as Trunks had a month ago but failed each time. He already gave up on it, and Trunks speculated it was due to his small form unable to take such a bulky state and encouraged Gohan to try a different path.
Trunks by now was starting to get used to his bulky state.
One morning, they had just finished sparing with Gohan struggling back to his feet when he finally realized what was wrong. "I know what it is it!" he exclaimed.
Trunks shot him a puzzled look. "Know what is, Gohan?"
"The weakness," Gohan stated a smile on his face. Seeing that Trunks was still confused, he explained further. "The weakness of your new form."
"What weakness Gohan? I just kicked your butt with it," Trunks reminded him. "Quite easily I might add."
Gohan shook his head. "You have a lot of power and a lot of extra strength, but look, it doesn't matter. It doesn't make up for your weakness."
"What are you talking about?" Trunks questioned him again.
"You're slow," Gohan stated his voice level. "I didn't notice it at first, but after fighting you for over a month in this form, it finally clicked in my head."
"What do you mean I am slow?"
"Your extra muscles are slowing you down," Gohan explained. "You are much faster in your base Super Saiyan form." He saw Trunks give him a doubtful look, so he went on. "Look, I will prove it."
"With another spar? You don't look like you are in shape for that."
"No, a race."
"What would that prove?" Trunks questioned him. It didn't seem like they should be wasting their time or energy on a race. He doubted a race could show whatever weakness Gohan was talking about.
"If I can beat you in a race, will you consider what I have said?" Gohan asked him.
"If that is what it takes to get you to drop this subject and focus back on our training, then yes."
They lined up next to each other before taking off. At first, they were even, but Gohan quickly pulled ahead in the race. Trunks found himself unable to catch up even after flaring his aura to draw in more power. The extra ki wasn't translating to extra speed. Gohan pulled further and further ahead as the race progressed, winning easily.
"Alright Gohan, I am listening," Trunks said in between pants as he nearly collapsed in exhaustion once he caught up to the speeding Super Saiyan.
"As I said, your muscles are so bulky that they are slowing you down. It wouldn't be a problem against foes that you already have a massive edge on. That is if they couldn't surpass your speed in that ascended form. But, for me, I can keep up with your movements, so I have a greater edge in the speed's department. It would be dangerous if you come across a foe who not only as fast as me but can land stronger blows than I can at the moment. Those muscles would hinder your ability to dodge well making your chances to win slim."
After hearing that, Trunks was disappointed that he didn't realize it sooner. He sighed as he powered down his bulky state to a normal Super Saiyan state. "That is a problem."
"Sorry, Trunks. I noticed that I managed to dodge your blows before, but I didn't know why. I'm sure we can come up with a way to utilize it in battle somehow!"
"Always the optimistic. Good thing I know this now instead of when I'm fighting against him. Alright then, I just need to figure this issue out."
"Hey, if I got an idea, I will tell you, ok?"
"That would be helpful, thanks."
-One Month Remaining in the HTC-
As the months rolled by, they got used to the strain of Super Saiyan and tested their limits. Gohan had been looking for other means of increasing his power on the off days when they weren't sparring. He couldn't rely on his anger all the time to give him a boost, so he had been experimenting with other ways to gain the upper hand in battle. Testing an idea that popped into his head, he powered back down into his base state. Now, he transformed again. He noticed that he didn't need to tap into his anger to transform anymore. He wanted to become a Super Saiyan, and in less than a second, he was one. It no longer took up any energy to transform either, and he was totally calm as he did so. In fact, he no longer noticed the strain, and he no longer broke things from time to time because of his increased strength and grip. He could control his grip strength perfectly exactly like he could in his base form.
Trunks wasn't sure he could go beyond where he was currently, so he worked on his problems of his bulky form instead. It was difficult to obtain the form quickly and left him exhausted when he dropped out of it, so he worked on that first. When Gohan saw what he was doing and asked, Trunks explained that he was trying to make the form obtainable and easy to use. With Gohan's help, Trunks figured out a way to get the max use out of his bulky form. It turned out he was wrong about not being able go beyond his bulky form because he found an ultra bulky form. This one gave him about twice the power at the cost of a lot of speed. It was great for blocking strong hits and giving him extra power for energy blasts but not so great for long combat. Keeping the form to himself, he decided to spring it on Gohan once he had control of it.
In the final month, they sparred hard twice each day. The difference was now that Gohan was winning most of those spars with his new found power.
Trunks marveled at the fact that Gohan had managed to greatly increase his strength and energy output without giving up any speed or agility in the process. But, he would pull even somehow he vowed to himself.
HTC: One Week remaining
In the final week, they redoubled their efforts. Their fights that would level cities if they hadn't been fighting in the middle of an empty white expanse. It was one of those fights that Trunks decided to pull his new form out and use it. As Gohan flew in for a blow to his head, Trunks raised his arm to block, kicking in his ultra Super Saiyan form for just a moment. Gohan's kick bounced off his blocking arm, and the shock wave from the block sent Gohan spiraling backwards out of control. Trunks wasted no time in going after the spiraling child. Just at the moment of contact, he brought back his ultra Super Saiyan form and kicked Gohan's chest, sending the young half Saiyan flying towards the planet.
Gohan crashed into the tiles, bouncing off before coming back down with a loud bang. The titles had slowly repaired the damage left by Gohan. In a few minutes, it would look like nothing had happened to them. Gohan had long ago ignored the marvelous wonder as he rolled to his feet with plans and calculations running through his mind. He was surprised by what Trunks had did and tried to figure out exactly what he just did. He noticed Trunks had expanded his power beyond his own for a few moments, but Trunks currently was at normal power. Gohan wasn't sure if Trunks could do that again and decided to test it. Cupping his hands to his side he charged an energy beam between them. "Ka-me-ha-me-ha!" he yelled as he fired the blue wave of energy right at Trunks.
Trunks saw Gohan charging up an energy blast and decided to counter with one of his own. He thrust his hands out. "Masenko!" he yelled back as he fired a yellow energy blast right back at Gohan.
The two energy blasts collided in midair neither seeming to gain ground on the other at first. Then, slowly as both warriors kept pouring more energy into their attacks, Gohan's blue energy wave slowly overtook Trunks yellow one.
"It's now or never," Trunks thought as he struggled to keep the Kamehameha back. Once again, using his ultra Super Saiyan state, he redoubled his energy output, turning the beam struggle for a close loss to being back ahead. Now, his yellow energy blast was almost right on top of Gohan. "Yield, Gohan," Trunks called out.
"Never! I am not finished yet!" Gohan called out as he also put more energy into his attack. The boy didn't feel as calm as he looked though. "Trunks had done it again. In only a few moments, he had shot his power beyond my max," the boy thought. "Still, I am not about to concede defeat yet." Focusing, he split his energy signature.
"Got him!" Trunks said out loud as he saw his blast break through Gohan's defenses. He smiled as he began to walk over to check on Gohan.
"Not quite," Trunks heard from behind him. As he spun around he felt a series of carefully placed punches disable him, causing him to lose his grip on his Super Saiyan form. As he fell to the ground, he saw Gohan standing above him, the boy slightly burned and bruised, but not looking like he just took a massive combined energy blast head on. What caught his attention more was the childish grin Gohan usually wore when he won.
"But how..." he stammered as he lay on the ground.
"New move. I came up with it when I was thinking about how dad can vanish from once place and appear in another," Gohan explained.
"So, you can do it too now?" Trunks questioned as Gohan helped to his feet.
"No, his requires locking on to a ki signal. Mine doesn't."
"It's an improved version then?"
"No, mine is short range and combat only."
"What did you do exactly?"
"I split my energy signature. While you were sensing me about to be struck by the blast, I was already suppressing my power and flew right behind you. I also left behind an afterimage just in case. And, you know the rest," Gohan said still smiling.
"I felt the rest for sure," Trunks said with an answering chuckle.
"Hey, Trunks?"
"Yes, Gohan?"
"Do you think we are ready to kill that insect abomination?"
"Yes, I think that we are far beyond him at this point even if he were to increase his power by more than triple. As a comparison, both of us could crush the Androids with both hands tied behind our backs and a blindfold on."
"My dad and yours won't allow that though," Gohan said.
Trunks shook his head sadly. "They might...they might to see how strong he becomes so they get the best fight possible."
"Well, it won't matter. They won't get to fight," Gohan vowed.
"Yes, because we are going to kill him," Trunks affirmed.
"No, I am going to kill him for what he did to Piccolo," Gohan stated. "I don't want you interfering. This is my fight, understand?"
Trunks started to object then sighed. In that moment, he sounded like his Gohan. "Yes, I understand, Gohan."
Declaring themselves ready, they decided to take the remaining days off to rest. During their rest, they swapped stories, plans, and overall enjoyment of each other company.
As their final day drew to a close, Trunks and Gohan both in their Super Saiyan form, walked proudly out of HTC. Their family was waiting on them, and both breathed a small sigh of relief to see that everyone was okay.
Semi-Perfect Cell
It was no use.
I didn't realize that until I come across land and found a lot of places where 16 could have hidden. Searching each one would be a pain and a bore as well as giving 16 an opportunity to slip away while I was distracted! I went through a list of techniques from every DNA I had and found most were not useful in tracking or searching for the Androids. I paused at Multi-Form technique from Tien's database and debated the pros and cons of using it. It would cover more grounds than one entry could, but it increased the risk of 16 being stronger than the clone when confronted. Then again, I could wait for 17 to become conscious and try to search me out. I could use the time to assimilate more bio-energy to myself in the meantime.
Then I remembered what happened to me during my imperfect form. Somehow, absorbing most of Piccolo's essence (because I had no trouble absorbing humans beforehand) had messed up something. Was I only programmed to absorbed human bio-energy? It made no sense to me that I couldn't absorb Namekian's bio-energy. There had to be something else affecting me, but I have no idea what. … My head hurts from the constant loop I got myself into as I tried to find a possible answer.
Frustrated with how everything was within my grasp and spiraling out of control in the next, I let loose a powerful ki as I screamed in anger. After that short episode of loss control, I calmed myself down with my eyes closed and slowly opened them. I decided to go through each problem and put in the facts together. The first one which was the most frustrating was that I wasn't perfectly set up to absorb whoever I wanted. I did know the fact that I had trouble absorbing in my previous form doesn't mean I would still have trouble in this form. I wouldn't know though until I attempted it. If I fought any of the protectors, I could simply absorb them gaining power but maybe risking my well being.
The second one was finding Android 17 who was with Android 16 to complete the goal Dr. Gero had graced my design. I do not know how long he would remain unconscious. I hope he would wake up and come after me. It's possible that Android 16 may try to stop him. Or, he could start blowing up people. I would surely find him there. Hunting for him without a ki signature to lock on was annoying to say the least. That's something Dr. Gero didn't think through, or could have been solved if he created a method for me to find them! I found myself questioning the intelligence of the senile old man's designs and figured that once I absorbed 17, I wouldn't care. I waited a long time for this, and I eagerly wanted my perfect form!
16
I sensed the triclop's ki fade out to near nothing as I flew with the unconscious 17 in my arms. Soon after, I felt Goku and my program was screaming at me to drop the useless Android and turn around to murder him. It took great pains for me to ignore my programming and kept 17 in my arms as I spotted land. It shut itself off when I no longer sensed him. There was only Cell left.
Being machine, I couldn't feel many emotions as a human being, but yet found myself feeling a wide range of them lately. My sensors beeped as they spotted Cell coming towards my general direction. The moment I touched to the ground I ran to the closest hiding spot. Again I checked on Cell. To my great relief, he was quite a ways off from our position. I kept monitoring him as I set down 17. He wouldn't like what I had to tell him when he wakes up.
We couldn't risk fighting Cell at this point. The fight was now in the hands of the Saiyans we were created to kill. Only they had the ability to kill Cell and knowing that allowed me to maintain enough control to not drop everything and go after Goku.
Bulma
The trip took me 20 minutes to arrive to the Kame's House. I had the device to shut down the Androids and armor upon request from Vegeta. I landed the airship and got off my plane with practice ease. "Hello?! Anyone?" I shouted as I approached the door.
"Bulma!" Master Roshi called out as he opened the door. I could see Chi-Chi behind him. She looked like she was cleaning up something. "I would love to say you got here just in time! But, well, you missed some epic battle here."
"A battle?! With whom?" I asked in surprise. What the hell did I miss?!
"The Androids showed up! Started to beat the crap out of our warriors! Then, that monster showed up! He saved our skins for some reason. The Androids and he went over there for a battle and his power rose up! I sensed Krillin and Tien fighting him and then, Goku showed up! The next thing was they disappeared! Who knows where they have gone! Then, the monster left, and I assumed the Androids did too. Last, but not least: could I have a small touch of encouragement from your lovely breasts?"
I stared at the perverted old man before I pounded him in the dust in anger.
"Hey! It's the least I could ask since I become useless!"
"Oh, shut up your whining, old pervert!" I shouted at him. "I still need to find them. I have everything they need to fight those dreadful Androids."
"Well, I do have a vague idea. Maybe a small touch would clear it up for me?"
"Would you like another acquaintance to the ground there? I feel that hole is just felt quite lonely."
"Er, you bring up a fine point, Bulma!" he replied with a nervous laugh. "From what I could sense, they are at Kami's place: the Lookout."
"Is that above Korin's tower?"
"Yes, it is."
"Hey, Bulma," Chi-Chi interrupted.
I looked at her. "Yeah?"
"When you see Gohan please make sure he is okay. I have been so worried for him since he transformed like his father. All he cares about is avenging Piccolo, I have never seen him so focused on anything. Or so lost in his anger."
"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure he's fine, but I will call you after I see him. Anything you want me to relay to him?"
"Yes. Tell him to be safe, be careful, and that I'm still waiting for his return. He better return to me alive! I can't bear to know what that horrible monster would do to him if he decided to fight!"
"I-I'll pass on the word for you then. I'm sure he will return!"
"Thanks, Bulma."
"No problem, Chi-Chi! And, keep an eye out for Roshi. Who knows what he might be doing."
"I do have my trusty frying pan with me the whole time. He won't catch me off guard!"
"That's the spirit! Well, better run to Kami's Lookout!" I jogged back to the airship and hopped back and waved to them as the hood start to close. They better be there when I arrive!
Gohan
I smiled when I saw the sun as I came out of the hallway leading to the door of HTC. I couldn't help but miss the nature of Earth compared to the forever bright place that changes in temperature and gravity called HTC. It was hard to believe that just a day ago in Earth time I was ready to lose myself in anger. Now, I was strong enough to take down the murderer for what he had done to Earth's people and Piccolo. Trunks exited after me in his Super Saiyan state like I was with a serious expression. I didn't like seeing him so solemn, so I waved for his attention. He looked up and returned my smile with his own.
We were badly in need of a haircut and already took the time to shower before leaving. It was odd that the HTC doesn't have a place to wash clothes. We made do with what we have. As we stepped out, there was our fathers standing there looking ready to enter the chambers themselves. With them were Krillin, Tien, and Mr. Popo. It was then I realized that Earth needed a new guardian now that Kami had fused with Piccolo. I looked at my dad and saw him smiling and walked up to him. "Hey, dad?" I said as I gave him a hug. It felt so good to see him after a year of being away.
"Yes, son?" he replied as he returned the hug.
"Are you going to the HTC now?"
"Yes I am. Vegeta also decided to come as well."
"Of course I'm coming! You won't be getting stronger than me Kakarot. I am not letting this chance go to waste!" Vegeta told us.
"Then, do you think you could go to New Namek afterwards to find a new guardian?" I asked him.
My dad blinked and thought about it. "Sure. It'll be nice to have the dragon balls back."
It was at this moment I felt how powerful the monster had become. "How did that monster increase so much ki in one day?!"
"You mean Cell?" Krillin asked.
I turned to face him. "Cell?" I found it to be an odd name as my mind quickly went back to the books I studied regarding to biology and the difference between animal cells and plant cells. I'm surprised that I remembered it despite being training for a year. I snapped back to the present.
"Yes, Cell," my dad repeated. "Apparently, he needed to absorb Android 17 and 18 to complete his transformation. He already had 18 and hunting down 17." Then, I noticed him staring at me for a second.
"What, dad?" I asked, prompting him to tell me his thoughts.
"I was wondering what kind of training you did to get so calm like this. Yesterday, you were ready to destroy something."
"I'm sorry about my behavior, but I hadn't had much control over Super Saiyan. The best way to learn was to be in Super Saiyan state no matter what I was doing."
"Wow, really? I only used in during sparring and training. That sounds handy."
"Yeah. You could do that with Vegeta too, dad."
"Don't worry son. I'm sure he noticed."
"Dad listen, you have to master it."
He looked back at me. "Super Saiyan?"
"Yes, you would be able to transform without using any energy and maintain the state without any energy loss. I suggest do everyday tasks as a Super Saiyan."
"Gohan, please relax, I understand. I have been thinking about this as well. It is nice to see that my thoughts and Vegeta's thoughts about the Super Saiyan form were correct. You two better watch out when we come out. We will have a spar okay?"
"Looking forward to that dad. Don't forget about getting a new guardian when you come out! I'll be reminding you."
"I'll be hold you to that, son."
"You two done with your chat? I'd like to get going," Vegeta said, interrupting us. Trunks had attempted to talk to him, but I wasn't sure how successful he was. "I want to take a shot at Cell myself."
"Aw, come on, don't be like that," my dad told him. "I'm sure there's something else you rather do."
"Kakarot, you got three beings after you. Two of them are Androids programmed to take your head along with Cell. I'll gladly take them out. Once they are destroyed by my hand, you're next. I don't want anyone to interrupt my moment of triumph against you. You are mine to kill and mine alone, so don't go dying before I get my shot at you."
Then we noticed a small Capsule Corps airship landing. "Hey, guys!" Bulma called out.
"Bulma!" my dad called out. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, you all were supposed to be at Kame's House, and no one has the decency to tell me you all moved! I came here as fast I could after stopping by there."
"Oh, sorry about that," my dad said as he did the classic Son's pose that I know so well.
"It's no big deal; I'm here now." She looked around my dad and saw the rest of us before landing on Trunks. "Huh? Trunks? What did you do to yourself?" She walked over to him. "Did you somehow rapidly grew your hair or was that a wig? Your hair looked like a blond porcupine!" She started touching his hair to confirm it was real. "Oh! You grew taller too!" Then she looked at me. "Gohan? I don't remember your hair that wild looking."
"Yeah, I do need a haircut," I replied since I know how annoying it can get.
"Well power down, so I can give you a proper cut. But, how did this-?"
"There's a special room here where a year passed in a day. Gohan and I were training there," Trunks told her.
"Really? That's explains it. Let's get you two trimmed up and out of those worn clothes."
"You finished the battle armor?" Vegeta asked.
"Yes I have. In fact, I made enough for everyone here." She took out a small box holding one capsule and two empty spaces. Taking out the one capsule, she clicked it before tossing it to the ground. A box appeared. "And, Gohan?"
"Yes?"
"I made a surprise suit for you if you would prefer it."
"Really?" I was surprised and got curious what it could be.
"Why don't we do the haircut first and then you two can look at them. As we are doing that, Goku, Vegeta! You two can get your own out."
"You don't need to order me around, woman! At least I can look good by the time I get out," Vegeta shouted back.
"There's a set for me?" my dad wondered as they opened the box, getting out their suits.
Bulma already planned to cut my hair first and situated herself to cut off all the mangle long hair I possessed and then make it look good. Trunks stood off to the side watching our dads talked/argue as they collected the suit. As Bulma started to trim my hair more evenly, my dad popped in saying good-bye as Vegeta and he went to the HTC for their training. I caught a glimpse of navy blue and a familiar Saiyan suit similar to what Vegeta wore back in Namek. I was pretty sure my surprise suit would not be that.
Soon, Bulma was done cutting, and I was free to check out the box. There I found a set for Trunks and me which I pulled out my own. Looking at my own set, it felt wrong to confront Cell as a Saiyan because my own pride as a half-Saiyan wasn't under risk of my honor. Ignoring the set, I reached down to grab the next one.
The first thing that caught my attention was the color: purple. It wasn't any purple either. It was a deep dark purple that Piccolo usually wear. I could tell it was tight fitting not loose, but the shape was roughly the gi Piccolo wears. I set the fabric down and reached in the box. I drew out the armor similar to the Saiyan's armor with shoulder blades and a flowing cape. The bottom rim was blue and the sides were purple. After inspecting it, I set it down. What are left in the box were gloves and shoes. Those were compatible to either sets I pulled out.
Bulma was done with Trunks's hair because I saw him walking out. He looked similar to how he looked when he arrived. I already had the armor on and was getting out the gloves and shoes. "I thought you were going to choose that one," Bulma said as she giggled. "I could have made loose fittings, but you would have to wear them over the armor, and I don't want your skin to get chafed by it. I hope you're not too upset."
"No, its fine, Bulma. Thank you," I replied. "It may not be exactly what Piccolo wears, but I appreciate the thought."
"You're welcome, Gohan. Go on Trunks! Get dressed!" She encouraged him towards his section of the box. I was unsurprised that Trunks got the Saiyan armor my dad, Vegeta, and I got. I looked over the Earth from the height of the Lookout. I could sense Cell and the life force he was taking away. I was determined to have him pay for every life he stole. As soon Trunks got ready, we head out to find Cell.
Semi-Perfect Cell
I was flying rather aimlessly along the coast looking for a small town to test my ability to absorb these humans and possibly live stalk. I do not wish to attract attention where it's not due. Speaking of attracting attention, I kept hearing a noise that I couldn't block out, but I managed to ignore it. Then I spotted a small city near the coast. I reached out to sense any nearby human kis and found to my delight that they were very isolated. If I was lucky, I may get some of Goku's friends' energy.
Eager to start my experiment, I landed quietly near some unsuspecting humans. One glanced my way and seemed confused before dismissing me. I grinned. Looks like my raid from my former form did not clue in to them that I changed appearance. Ever so casually, I grabbed one out of sight of anyone else and hid us. Before he had any idea what was going on, he was liquefied. I noticed how much faster I absorbed him as I watched the clothes drop.
Keeping my smile, I stalked the group he was with and quickly absorbed them from the back person to the front. It was amusing to see her confused about the lack of a group before noticing me. She tried to scream, but I was too quick and cut off her airway. As I relent from the increase of energy, I heard more crowds and went off for the next one.
By the time I absorbed half the town, they were screaming. I enjoyed their fear, anger, and overall chaos as I chased down all that I could see and sensed. Occasionally, I would perch on a pole or roof to observe my prey as I evaluated myself. I didn't feel as sick compared to my first form, but there's a growing sense of discomfort. It increased after every 30 or so beings were absorbed into me. And, the noise was getting bothersome. It got worse after listening to the loud screams. There was one other issue as well, my power didn't seem to be going up at all from these minor snacks. Did this only mean that I could improve through getting the other Android?
Ignoring my internal issues, I hunt with scavenge intents through the streets for my preys. I shall have their meager supply of energy; I searched out every man, woman, and child I could find. It felt wonderful to know I was their worst nightmare. Most of their attempted attacks amused me as I waited to see their faces grow in terror when they realized their fruitless attempts. Now., you can't expect me to capture all the individual ants as some of them managed to escape the confides of the city. By that time, I felt satisfied in both the meager energy boost and strangely how full my stomach felt. That had never happened before.
My musings were cut short when I sensed two kis flying in my direction and coming fast. Somehow, the thought of fighting after eating doesn't bode well for me. No matter, I felt confident and waited patiently for them to arrive. As I studied the two kis and eventually flying specks in the sky, I was amused by how fast they were going. Either they were in a great hurry to see me or a crisis happened somewhere along the way.
Inspecting further, I realized I recognized one of them. My memory provided the name Trunks unbidden and the few encounters I had with him. The other one took a bit more time because my databanks were confused by the increase of ki for both of them. The few vital facts I managed to pick out narrows down the list to Goku's hybrid son, Gohan. I would have laughed if I didn't sense something foreboding from him.
The feeling worsen when I noticed their Super Saiyan state and that face that looked like he wanted to kill me. They stopped short of where I was, perched on a roof. "Cell," Gohan said with a growl.
I quirked a brow. "I'm sorry, but I don't quite recall introducing myself to you, Gohan." I made a show of getting to my feet.
"Krillin wasn't kidding when he mentioned your new looks. Can't say it's much of an improvement," Trunks told me.
I chuckled. "I'm not quite there yet if you get my meaning. Android 17 has slipped from my vision, and I must find him."
"Good. Let's keep it that way." Gohan had readied himself as he said that.
My eyes narrowed at him, slightly disappointed at his eagerness to end me. "Now, what have I done to cause such a rise from you?"
"Besides killing a bunch of people? You have murdered Piccolo. And, I'm here to end you!"
"Oh, he passed away? I'm saddened that I was unable to absorb all of him. He's my favorite so far." I grinned when Gohan roared his fury at me. I should be terrified for my life right now, but I was too amused. I have yet know what a world of hurt would feel like though Gohan's uncomfortable power level was starting to worry me. I glanced at Trunks and saw his serious expression contradict his raging partner.
That was a mistake. I barely saw a blur of motion when Gohan strike me down. My head snapped painfully to the side as I found myself falling to the streets below. I wasn't given the opportunity to halt my descent when Gohan kicked me with enough force to connect to the ground. That was the first to feel the ground imprinted around me like that, and I can't say that I liked it. Feeling the pain of his punch and kick might have something to do with it.
"Do you understand now what you're up against? You have no chance against me Cell." Gohan was floating above me with his arms crossed.
"Well, if that is true, what do you want me to do about it?" I snapped. I was slowly aware just how unmatched I may be against him. "Apologize? Promise that I would never hurt another human? If I'm correct, you want to do more with that power of yours than taunt me." I rose from the crater all the while keeping an eye on Gohan. He looked ready to slap me when I mockingly asked what I should do.
"Don't worry, Cell. You'll know exactly what I want to do with you soon enough."
I never knew that my blood could run so cold.
Vegeta
I carried my box of clothes created by the blue-hair woman. Kakarot was leading me with his box as we arrived to the door leading to HTC. "Here we are, Vegeta," Kakarot told me as he opened the door. I walked past him before he could enter himself. Hot, thin atmosphere hit me in the face as I looked for a place to put down the new clothes. So far, nothing impressive about this place. I wondered how this place could be a decent training area. The gravity wasn't impressive either, only ten times that of the Earth. Very disappointing. If it weren't for the fact that I could pass an entire year here in a day's time, I would have left and go back to training in my gravity chamber.
We both picked out a bedroom to put down the box and walked out into the open space of light. It was in the middle of nowhere planet. "Is this always bright?"
"Usually," Kakarot replied, "unless we strayed too far and found the dark spot. I think Kami told me about that where if I see it, I know I am at the wrong end of the planet. Otherwise, it's always lit. Sometimes I forget to get myself to sleep."
"Sounds like you've been here before."
"Only for a month. It's really exhausting to train all by myself in here. I was slowly getting bored out of my mind."
"I wonder what could cause such lack of focus for you." That didn't sound like Kakarot at all, and I wondered if perhaps I had been too hasty in dismissing this place out of hand.
"Well, Vegeta if you must know, it's just right outside of this building." He gestured to the open space of nothingness. "I was used to forest before seeing different landscapes so coming here and seeing all of this by myself is enough to drive anyone insane."
"Well, Kakarot, I'll prove it to you that this place will not drive me to insanity and last the whole year. Starting now." I stepped off the floor that was a few inches above the planet's surface and felt a huge change of temperature. Then it changed again, and again. So, it was a bit interesting true, but nothing that amazing. It wasn't enough to convince me that it would give me a challenge.
I quickly selected an area away from the building and Kakarot and started my warm ups. I felt Kakarot observing me for a few seconds before moving to another location. I planned to prove to Kakarot that I could last a month or more by myself. Our brats have an interesting idea of increasing control over our Super Saiyan state. I wasted no time transforming after my warm ups. I sensed Kakarot doing the same. We trained ourselves silently and away from each other.
This lasted well over a month. The day would start off once we woke up, ate, and started training without speaking or acknowledging each other. I was content with just that. It was after all how I usually train unless someone decided to annoy the hell out of me. However, this partner wasn't someone that could ignore his only partner for long. I was certain that he would disturb this routine somehow. I made sure to avoid his presence as long as possible, but the only building here was making this difficult. I was only mildly fine with the fact he seemed to allow me to do what I wish. How long would it last?
During my one month, I had observed that the chamber changed temperature and/or gravity seemingly at random. Not very long after the one month I had stated to be able to survive on my own did he started to seek me out. At first, I attempted to avoid him, but he's persistent. So, I gave up. It was break when he approached me with a glass of water in hand. I already had mine which I took a few drinks from.
"So, how was that one month?" I heard him asked.
I kept staring ahead as I responded, "It was nothing special." Maybe if I kept giving him short answers he would go away.
I heard him chuckle. "Maybe if you were twelve like I was, you may have a different opinion."
Nope, well that had been a bit much to hope.
"When I was twelve, Kakarot, I served for Frieza. I had visited many planets, fought and killed more than I could count. This is a mere warm up compared to all of the places I had to go."
"So, your answer would be the same." He hasn't gone away yet and most likely not going to stop talking any time soon. "Hey, Vegeta. What do you think of Cell? Isn't it great he could get stronger? I wonder if he will when we're done training. I'm sure we can surpass what our sons managed to reach. Though they're amazingly powerful!"
This was going to be a long year.
A/N: I had originally planned on posting this back in Aug, but my beta, redhunter87, convinced me to keep going. Without him, this chapter wouldn't be as good as it is now. So, I thank him for helping me out. Especially, the ending to Gohan and Trunks's time in HTC. I hope to update sooner than 7 months, but life doesn't work like that. Since we're coming up to thanksgiving break, I wish you all Happy Thanksgiving. If you don't celebrate that holiday, then enjoy your final week of November!
