The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife, the only noises being the swirling and crackling in Gohan's newly acquired SSJ2 aura. Cell gave an irritated growl at the sight of the insanely powerful boy before him "Don't think a few sparks of electricity make you strong enough to defeat me, you brat." Cell grunted out through clenched teeth.

Gohan kept that grim mask of determination on his face "I'll defeat you." he answered simply. Cell's eyes widened slightly, though he tried to hide his worry and indignation.

"Big talk...But I'll show you just how powerful I am." he gave a roar and began to power up, kicking up a small dust storm. His golden aura bathed the earth in it's glorious light. Gohan stayed unmoved by the powerful, earth rocking display, even though his allies were being blown away.

"So this...is Cell's full power...?" Frieza asked aloud.

Cell gave a cocky laugh "Well, what do you think boy? This is me being serious." he growled, entering into his fighting stance.

"Is that all?" Gohan asked bluntly, his expression unchanging.

Cell's eyes twitched and an enraged snarl escaped his lips. He lunged at Gohan with one arm outstretched. He hit the teen, who staggered back about a foot. For a brief moment he smirked, until Gohan stood up fully again. He roared and swung again, but Gohan caught his fist and sent his own smashing into Cell's gut, winding the mutant and making him stumble backward.

In a desperate counter attack, Cell made an awkward chop, but Gohan ducked under his arm and leapt up, striking Cell in the chin with a mighty uppercut that sent Cell sprawling onto his back.

The mutant rubbed the dark blood trailing down his purple face, that seemed to grow even more purple from his growing rage "Two hits...how could two hits hurt me so badly?" he grunted to himself. "You little bastard..." Cell snarled, standing up fully.

Gohan began to advance on him, and in a bout of sudden fear Cell swung a kick at Gohan's skull. He deflected the blow casually with his forearm and proceeded and responded by delivering a kick of his own to Cell's face, sending him skidding along the dirt, whereupon he landed in a bruised heap.

"Holy shit balls..." Inyon said aloud, her jaw hanging open "A super Saiyan 2...No legends like that ever appeared...And to think it was accomplished by a half-breed."

Goku gave a small laugh "I told ya, Gohan has some amazing strength hidden inside him."

Frieza crossed his arms over his chest "Yes, well...You certainly didn't disappoint in that regard. Still..." the Super Arcosian trailed off, his eyes watching Cell scramble to his feet "Your boy has more than enough power to end this easily...Why is he wasting time?"


The news of 16's head being pulped had reached Midgyo a split second after it happened, and the replica of 16's memory chip stopped downloading data just as that happened. "Ah, a grand shame. Good thing I planned ahead." Midgyo murmured to himself.

The new body was just about finished. It looked fairly similar to 16's original body, but with two noticeable differences. Midgyo, finding the shade of green on 16's armour to be repulsive, had made his new armoured components silver in colour. Second he had made sure to engrave the Capsule Corp logo into his chestplate as opposed to his original Red Ribbon Army logo.

Wordlessly he plucked the new chip up and handed it to one of the robotic arms, which started moving toward the tank containing the duplicate of 16's body.

The chip was slipped into 16's skull and then the last adjustments were made to the new body before Midgyo pressed the button that would breath new life into his cloned android in a flourish of energy. 16's eyes opened slowly "My...I can feel my body. I dreamt that I was dead...Or is this the real dream?" he stopped and looked down, spying Midgyo.

"Your death was quite real sir, but as is this thankfully. I imagined the dragon balls could not restore a creature such as yourself because...Well philosophy and theology are such gooey subjects to get into, but I doubt an android has a soul." Midgyo explained.

16 pondered the avian alien's for a moment and slowly stepped out from the tank his body had been constructed in "The battle against Cell, is it-"

Midgyo cut him short "Still going, yes. But for the time being I believe you should stay back. Going by what Ais and Polarri have told me over the comm systems your 'death' is what gave Gohan the power he's now using against Cell." Midgyo explained. "Your arrival may well cause him to power down." he understood very little about Saiyan transformations, only that emotion is what influenced them.

"I see." 16 went silent once more, as he so often did, and then a realisation seemed to hit him "I no longer feel the desire to kill Goku...What is the meaning of this?" he asked, glaring silently at the bird, who seemed unflinching. If he no longer feared Frieza as much, he certainly couldn't fear the world's gentlest giant.

"I removed any predetermined goals your creator left for you. As of now,you have free will." Midgyo explained, a smile etching onto his features.

16 kept the same stoic expression, and then he too managed a smile. "Come, let us go to watch Son Gohan's victory over Cell." the giant said, plodding behind Midgyo as he was lead around the Snow King.


Gohan was advancing on Cell again, slow as could be. He could outrun Cell easily at this stage, why rush himself at all?

Cell's eyes widened in a mixture of horror and pain, and he felt he only had one chance to win. He had to fight Gohan in a different manner, he couldn't fight head on like a Saiyan...So he'd have to win through subterfuge like an Arcosian.

He shot up into the sky like a rocket, cupping his arms to his side in a Kamehameha stance. Gohan merely watched his ascent and the gathering of his ki. The gathered heroes stared in shock, feeling the magnitude of ki building between Cell's hands. For a brief moment, Cell's eyes lingered on Slak, who had a sphere of green fire in his hand, ready to strike.

"Soon it will descend upon us...Upon us all..." Frieza said grimly, his body growing rigid in fear.

For once, he and Vegeta seemed to have something in common "It's...It's over..." he whispered, the massive full-power kamehameha being launched from Cell's hands down toward Gohan. If he dodged, the earth would be destroyed. But with the Arcosian abilities in his body, Cell would live on.

Gohan seemed stoic, unmoving as his body was bathed in the glorious light of the might Kamehameha wave. Then at the last seconds his own arms shot up "Kamehameha!" he yelled, a beam even larger than Cell's shooting up and clashing against' the mutant's beam.

Gohan's energy blast seemed to rapidly overwhelm Cell's own attack, travelling into the sky much to Cell's immeasurable shock. It struck Cell, and the vast wave of ki seemed to travel into the stars themselves, until it finally vanished.

When the onslaught of power ended, Cell looked a mess. Missing two legs and one arm, all four of his cranial protrusions reduced to molten stumps...He was trembling with terror and rage. "Wh-why...Why does he have so much power?!" Gohan gave a cocky smirk, as if to offer an answer.

Finally, Goku called out across the wasteland "Gohan, what are you waiting for?! Finish him off, NOW!" he yelled out.

Gohan rolled his head to the side to look at his father "Finish him? No dad, not yet...He needs to suffer more." Gohan replied grimly, narrowing his eyes at Cell.

"W-what...What are you saying?! You're the only one with the power to stop him, stop messing around and finish him off!" Goku yelled back. As he spoke, Cell's blown-off limbs grew back into place with bursts of vile green fluids. He looked good as new once again.

Cell's face contorted and showed such rage that it was a miracle that the veins bulging on his brow didn't explode "you little shit...You little shit...YOU LITTLE SHIT!" he screamed to the heavens and his muscles bulged out to absurd, ape-like proportions. His analogue to the 'Ultra' Super Saiyan form that Trunks had developed.

The earth split and shattered beneath his giant feet when he landed, and he gave a deep-voiced cackle "Haha! No way I'll lose to you now!" he started swinging slow, awkward punches at Gohan, who was dodging with even less effort now than he had used against Cell before bulking himself up. Oh his blows were powerful to be sure, shattering whatever rock his fists happened to collide against. In the end however, Cell just lacked the speed.

Gohan dashed at Cell and smashed a knee into the mutant's temple, making Cell gag and retch, his eyes going off in different directions. He seemed to be...getting sick? Indeed he spewed up something, but not vomit...He spat out the unconscious Android 18.

Cell was as shocked as everyone else.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Cell had reverted to his ugly Semi-Perfect form. Gohan crossed his arms "How sad. Looks like this really is the end for you."

Cell's frog-like eyes were bulging from his skull "I won't...I WON'T LET YOU WIN!" he roared. His body seemed to balloon up in size, growing fatter and even more grotesque than the shambling abomination, the mutant born from the strongest races in the galaxy. Cell...started to laugh. "HAHAHA! This is the end of you bastards! In one minute's time, I'll explode with enough force to wipe out the planet!"

"Wh-what?!" Vegeta gasped out, taking a step back "Did he just say he's going to explode?!"

"I won't let you!" Gohan yelled, rapidly entering his fighting stance.

Cell wagged one of his fat, bloated fingers "Ah ah ah! I wouldn't if I were you, boy! If you attack me I'll blow up on the spot!" Gohan froze in horror. What had he done, had his folly doomed the entire world...?


"A-ah!...No way!" Polarri shrieked, watching the feed from the Snow King's video probes "He's going to blow up the whole planet out of spite!"

"What a dick." Ais growled.

"Very like Cell. A creature like him, he would rather die by his own hand than be killed by the creatures he views as being 'lesser' than himself." 16 chimed in. His mouth was a hard, thin line on his face, and it was hard to read meaning into his expression.

"What are we going to do?" Polarri asked, glancing to the others.

"Not much we can do." Ais said grimly "It'll take too long to get the ships systems started up. he blows, we go with him." she explained. She didn't want to show it, but tears were stinging her eyes.

"So this...Is it?" Midgyo asked weakly.

Polarri buried her face into Midgyo's shoulder and started sobbing openly "I...I don't wanna go!"


"BWAHAHA! THIRTY MORE SECONDS!" Cell bellowed out, his fat gut expanding every second. Now he was even larger than the 'ultra' form he had used earlier.

The others said silent prayers, needing some sort of miracle to save them from this nightmare. Gohan smashed the earth with his fists, cursing his earlier stupidity and arrogance. Vegeta had made the same mistake and allowed Cell to gain his perfection, why was he such a fool that he didn't learn from the past?!

Goku, quite calmly, looked back to all the friends and allies he had gathered over the years. Friends and rivals, some who had been with him since he was but a boy. He smiled warmly at all of them.

His friends looked at him in shock. How could he smile now of all times? "G-goku, what are you doing?" Krillin asked.

"Sorry guys, but...This is the only way I can think of to save the Earth." Goku answered. He placed two hands to his brow "Bye you guys."

By the time they realised what Goku was planning, it was too late. Krillin screamed after him, but Goku seemed not to hear. He landed between Gohan and Cell and grinned at his son "You did great son, I'm real proud of you."

Gohan blinked in shock "F-father?" he asked in shock.

His hand rested on Cell's gut "Tell your mother I'm sorry." Goku said. And then in a flash the two were gone, spirited away by instant transmission.


"AGH! GOKU ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" King Kai yelped, he and his two housemates jumping back with him.

Goky gave a nervous laugh, his feet resting on the familiar grass of King Kai's planet "Sorry King Kai, this is the only place I could think to bring him." he answered simply.

Cell gave a monstrous, garbled roar as he finally exploded, taking Goku, King Kai, Bubbles the Monkey, Gregory the cricket and King Kai's planet with him...

...And inadvertently released another horror into the galaxy.


Piccolo lowered his head slowly, releasing a small exhale "It's done, Goku's ki has gone..." he said simply. The others lowered their heads, in silent prayer for the noble hero who died for the Earth.

"Father!" Gohan screamed out, futily punching the earth. He did this, he caused his father's death because of his own hubris "Shit! Shit! SHIT!"

Frieza gazed at where Goku had stood a mere moment ago...Where had he taken Cell? hardly mattered he supposed. What mattered was that it was over. The Super Arcosian said a silent prayer to...whatever gods were listening, to treat Goku with respect. A true hero, until the very end. Finally he, Inyon and Slak followed behind Trunks and Vegeta to rejoin the others.

Krillin moved over and placed a comforting hand on Gohan's shoulder "Hey come on man...It's over. You and Goku finally finished it."

Tears welled in Gohan's eyes, and Frieza saw that despite the fearsome visage he displayed earlier, he hadn't grown that much from the scared child on Namek. "It's my fault, if I had just done what dad said and killed him, dad would still be around."

Krillin helped him stand "Come on, let's get you home." he walked over and picked up Android 18 "Goku seemed happy, in the end. Getting to see you so strong." he said, managing to smile at his little buddy. Deep down, he was just as broken. How do you deal with losing your best friend?


Goku flew behind King Kai and his friends as they flew across Snake Way "Ehehe...Sorry about getting you mixed up in all this King Kai." Goku said, looking to the halo's that now adorned all their heads.

"I can't believe you got my planet blown up!" King Kai snapped "I'm the lord of this Galaxy, I deserved more than that!"

Goku gave another laugh "That's why I'm aplogising so much..." he went silent for a moment and glanced about "So um...Did Cell's spirit go straight to hell or what?"

King Kai paused mid-flight "W-wait...Now that you mention it, anyone who dies is sent before Yemma." a shocking realisation hit him, and it chilled him to his very core "That...That means Cell is still alive!"

"WHAT?!" Goku yelled in shock.


"Is the Android still alive?" Vegeta asked, looming over Krillin "We should kill it, leave no trace of Gero's abominations." he spat.

Krillin gave a nervous laugh "Come on, she wasn't as bad as Cell."

There was a sudden explosion behind the group, where Cell and Goku had been standing mere minutes ago. Their eyes widened in shock, because while the figure was concealed by the dust storm of the explosion they could recall this intruders ki quite vividly.

Trunks, the poor boy from the future, untransformed he couldn't see the beam coming from the smoke. But Frieza, transformed into his fifth state, he saw it coming and moved just fast enough to shoulderbutt Trunks away. The gold beam pierced Frieza's once-white chest, tore clean through his heart.

Frieza fell back, blood gushing from the fist-sized hole that had torn through one of his most vital organs, and landed with a dull thud on the dark ground. His ruby eyes had shrunk in size, now nothing but red pins in a field of black, his fingers twitched slightly.

And there he laid, Cell's mocking voice being muffled into nothing.


A/N: Well, I bet that shocked ya.

- NathanX: All will work out with Hatchiyack, I promise.

-Gohandominates: I believe Cell's tail could retract in his Perfect form. It grew from his back and acted like a noose around Gohan's neck, the stinger pointing away from him.

-The Shadow: Frieza is currently 48, his race can live roughly 200 years if they stay healthy enough. Full details in chapter 19's authors notes.

- Chaoscentric: Well, Slak is a little weaker than the others. Of course, the fire magic makes him no less dangerous.

- Valinar: Eh, Cell's slightly weaker but it hardly matters. As for Cell doing something unexpected...well I hope that was unexpected enough. Cooler is presently trying to bring order to Arcos and explain what the hell happened to them. A Cell Junior...I'd be lying if I said I didn't have an idea, but I doubt I'll make it.

- Silverhawk88: Well, Frieza will have another form, but it won't show up yet. Mainly because I haven't finished the idea.