Chapter 36: No More Games
Yes, it's finally done. You may notice that the chapters start to look slightly different from now on-I'm writing them directly onto this site's document manages rather than copying them from my Word documents. So things like speech marks, dashes and ellipses will look slightly different. But nothing major. Anyway, enjoy. It's possible that some people might disagree with me about the events in this chapter, but...eh...the character in question hasn't really accomplished much so far (and hopefully my explanation makes sense), so I thought I'd let them have their moment. All right, I'll end this bit now and just get on with the chapter.
The Earth's fighters clustered together on the plain, trying to catch their breath after the intense battle with the Cell Juniors. One of the creatures had been vapourised by Bulma's machine, but the other six stood opposite the heroes in a neat line, forming a wall behind which towered Cell, laughing to himself. "Well, I see no reason to stop my little game now...the show must go on!" he swept an arm around dramatically. "Who's next? Raditz? Or have you still got some fight in you, Goku?"
"I'll finish what I started!" Goku said confidently, stepping in front of the others. "Come on!"
"Hold on a second!" Raditz growled, pushing past Goku. "You've had your turn!"
Cell chuckled. "Dear me...you still honestly believe you have a chance? That trick you pulled won't work twice."
"It doesn't have to." Raditz grinned. "You've just been through two intense battles, then had to regenerate your entire body from just your head. Your power's been severely drained."
"Oh, I see. You think so?" Cell seemed amused, his calm demeanour unsettling them.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nail demanded.
Cell settled into a lower stance. "Well, you might have been right...had my full power not been so vastly beyond any of you that it makes no difference!"
His full power! Goku thought. "Let's see it!"
Raditz grinned despite himself. I knew it!
Cell inhaled deeply. "If you insist." There was a noise like a thunderclap, and Cell's ki skyrocketed. "HAAAAAA!" Shockwaves of pure force poured out of his body, hurling Krillin, Zarbon, Kuriza and Bulma away from him, and a sparking golden aura flickered to life around his body. The noise died down, and Cell stood up straight. "Well. How do you like me now?"
"What the hell is this?" Raditz backed away a couple of steps involuntarily. "We can't fight that!"
Nail frowned. "His energy feels like...like he just became a Super Saiyan!"
"Of course." Goku raised his guard. "He's got our DNA, remember?"
"I don't think DNA works like that!" Bulma called from behind them.
"Given the evidence," Cell replied, indicating himself, "I think we must conclude that it does. Now..." he waved his Cell Juniors to stand back. "As you can see, though I have indeed used up a considerable amount of energy during our battle, I'm still leagues above any of you!"
"Raditz! Nail!" Goku jumped at Cell from above. "All together!"
"All right!" Raditz set his jaw, running at the bio-android from the left as Nail approached from the right.
It took Cell exactly six point three seconds to take down Earth's strongest fighters.
Nail fired an energy beam from one hand as he charged, but it hissed through Cell's afterimage as he appeared behind the Namek. Cell returned fire at Nail, but Goku jumped in and shoved it out of its flight path, dodging a second blast from Cell, leaping in and throwing a quick Kamehameha wave at point-blank range. The dust blew away to reveal Cell's hands raised in front of him, having absorbed the attack with ease. He vanished, and a fast-to-the-point-of-invisibility strike floored Goku, before Cell appeared in front of Raditz, who flung himself to the side to avoid Cell's punch. Executing a perfect handspring, Raditz launched himself back at Cell, but was backhanded away. He drove his foot into the ground, stopping his flight, turning to see Cell rushing him.
The fighters crashed together, rapidly exchanging blows. Before long, Cell's attacks started to get through Raditz's defences, and the third took him down. Nail ran in from behind, but he might as well have been moving in slow motion. Cell turned, lazily forming an energy ball between his fingers and detonating it in Nail's stomach, throwing him away through the air.
It was done.
"There," Cell said, dusting his hands off. "Now do you see? Do you understand? You never stood a chance. I just wanted some fun out of you, that's all. But..." he crouched down next to Goku, who was trying to sit up. "Before you die, I want you to know there was nothing you could do. I want you to despair."
"We're not...done yet!" Cell looked up on hearing the voice. Break was lurching towards him, wincing with every step as her wounds stung.
He rolled his eyes. "You again. Don't you ever give up? Well, I suppose not. Saiyans never do, after all...bravery to the point of idiocy is in your nature." He stood up, turning to face her. "Thankfully that's a trait I didn't inherit, though I'm grateful for those I did."
"This fight...isn't over." Her speech seemed forced, fragmented-like how she'd used to talk when she'd transformed. But didn't she learn to control the form? Raditz thought, looking up and wiping blood from his face. It's like she's reached a tipping point...she's reverting back to her old self...
There was a blur of movement, and Break felt an impact knock her to the ground. She closed her mind to the pain, pushing herself back up. She didn't have a plan, didn't know what she was going to do. But I won't...stop. I have to keep going.
Cell was turning away, but saw her walking towards him again. His eye twitched. "You're back already?! When are you going to accept your fate?"
"I think...you know." She took another step. Another. One at a time. Don't think. Just don't stop. There wasn't much hope, of course. Even if she had been at her absolute maximum, it wouldn't have been enough. Cell was too strong, too fast...maybe he really was the ultimate being. But she was the only one still standing. She was the strongest. This was up to her. If only Gohan had been there...against that mysterious power that he'd used to defeat Broly, Cell would have been utterly crushed. But they couldn't rely on that anymore. Besides, it was all her fault-her time machine had brought this monster here, her arrogance had allowed it to achieve its perfect form. It was her responsibility.
"Stubborn little..." Cell flexed his arms, regaining his composure. "I was going to kill Goku first, programming and all that, but such determination must be rewarded! Yes, I think I'm going to start with you." His image flickered, and instantly he stood inches away from her, looking down at the injured, staggering half-saiyan, who flinched away at the sudden movement. "Goku will of course be next, then the rest of these 'fighters', if that isn't too strong a word, and then the rest of the people of this planet you've tried so hard to protect. But I'm going to save those parents of yours until last." Break shook with fear as Cell continued, taking a leisurely step towards her as she shrank back. "And when they die...oh, so slowly and painfully...they'll know. They'll know it all came down to you...that you had one chance to save them, and. You. Failed!" he spat the last few words. "And that is your reward for thinking yourself above me, you insect."
"NO, CELL!" she screamed, her hair wild with its golden energy. "I WILL DEFEAT YOU!" Throwing her head back, she began powering up, pushing her body.
Having mastered the Super Saiyan form, any attempt to simply bulk herself up cost her dearly in speed; her body just couldn't contain any more energy without losing agility. But she continued pushing, ignoring the pain, her eyes becoming blank and hollow. It felt like her body was on fire, but there was one driving thought forcing her to carry on. I have...to be...stronger!
Cell began a slow, sarcastic clap. "Yes, very impressive. But you must know that this won't help you. All you're doing is making yourself an easier target to hit. Really, I expected better...all right, I'll be honest, I didn't. This is exactly the kind of amateur mistake I'd expect from you."
Raditz pushed himself up onto one elbow. "I know you're trying to make yourself stronger, Break...but not like this! It doesn't work, I've already tried it! Even when I knew what I was doing, it just delayed the inevitable..."
The pain was almost unbearable now. Her skin felt like it was going to rip; her muscles ready to burst. But she kept going. It was there, somewhere...a burning emerald beacon. It rose up in her, pulsing through her blood, pushing her to breaking point. "I WON'T...LET YOU..."
Goku's eyes widened. "Stop! Break, stop it now! Your body can't contain that much energy! Are you trying to kill yourself?"
It detonated. Her entire body seemed to rip apart, engulfed in the fiery green glow. The roar of energy grew so loud it deafened them, seeming to wrap right back around into silence.
Cell blinked, trying to focus his enhanced senses to see what was going on. What the hell just happened?
The light faded slightly, darkening to a deeper shade of green. A figure became visible at the centre, slowly becoming clearer as the glow dimmed to a bearable level. Cell lunged, hissing, but there was a crunching sound and he was jerked to a halt. As he hung there, unmoving, all was finally revealed.
Break stood at least a foot taller, and more muscular than before, though not quite as much as the usual bulked-up form. Her wounds seemed to be healed, and her eyes were pure, blank white. Her hair seemed stretched-out, almost completely standing up on end, and had the same green hue as her aura. She had one arm outstretched, fist planted in Cell's face. He fell away, grimacing.
"Wha...what did you do?!" he demanded.
"It's...over, Cell," she growled. Another quick movement, her leg swung around, and Cell was knocked up into the air. She appeared above him, bringing her elbow down into his back and sending him flying back down, smashing into the ground and throwing out a huge crater.
Cell crawled out of the crater, unsteadily rising to his feet. "What is happening? How are you doing this? ANSWER ME!" She landed in front of him, smiling slightly. He snarled, focusing all of his ki into one fist and throwing a punch straight at her face. But her hand was already there, catching his wrist and stopping the blow before it connected. "Let go of me!"
"Whatever...you say." She released his hand, and he jumped away, massaging his wrist. "Rrr...Cell Juniors! Deal with this!"
"Uh...guys..." The group of fighters had regrouped as the battle unfolded, and Krillin finally spoke. "Is anyone else sensing this? Because her power...it feels like..."
"Broly." Raditz nodded. "I guess both our kids turned out to have some serious potential, eh, Goku?" Even if Gohan's was greater, he thought with just the slightest hint of bitterness. "I mean, I guess she is just like her mother-always ready to fly into a rage. You know how the transformation's always affected her mind. But still...I can't explain this. Wasn't there only supposed to be one Legendary Super Saiyan every thousand years? Broly was the one, not her."
"Only once in a...?" Nail looked puzzled. "I don't remember that..."
Raditz shrugged. "I heard it while I was interrogating Paragus. I didn't take much notice at the time, but he blubbered something about the Legendary Super Saiyan being a once-a-millenium event."
Goku looked at the fight, then back at his brother. "Yeah, you're right...you did mention Paragus saying something like that...so how is she doing it? This doesn't make sense at all..."
The six Cell Juniors launched themselves at Break from all sides. She didn't move until the last second, jumping up into the air and avoiding their attacks. She landed behind one, putting her arm right through its skull with ease. She swung her arm back as a second leapt at her from behind, fingers scything through its neck like it wasn't even there. She brought her hands together around a third, its chest caving in beneath the incredible force and its ribs and spine shattering. The remaining three jumped back, wary. She whipped around, firing a tiny, pencil-thin energy beam from one finger that penetrated a Cell Junior's eye, killing it instantly, and then she was gone. The final pair looked frantically around, searching for her, but they couldn't keep up with her speed. She appeared behind them, holding up a hand behind each one and incinerating them.
"Hey!" Goku yelled at her. "You didn't have to kill them! They were no match for you, you could have easily just knocked them out!" She ignored him. "Are you listening to me?! They were living, thinking creatures! You could have at least given them a chance!" No response.
Nail was closest to the fight and following it with rapt attention. He had never imagined that Break would have this kind of power...of course, a few days ago he'd never have imagined that anyone would have it, but Broly, Gohan and Cell had shaken up his worldview. This energy is incredible... "It makes sense," he explained to the others. "I think I've got it. Look, Paragus said 'once in a thousand years', but I don't think he knew what he was talking about. It's clearly some kind of dormant or recessive gene, and those don't operate to a schedule. However, if it was an extremely rare gene, it could well be that in all likelihood, only one Legendary Super Saiyan is born every thousand years. I certainly wouldn't count on primitive people like the saiyans used to be keeping exact count of years passing. Let's see...it's in all saiyans, but...buried so deeply, it'd have to be activated by some form of mutation or genetic instability. And Launch, with her literal, physical metamorphosis tied in with her split personality, which by the way is suspiciously similar to Super Saiyan-blonde hair, aggressive personality..." he looked around. "Are you following me?"
Raditz shrugged. "Mostly."
"All right, good." Nail continued. "Add this to the fact that Raditz had already achieved Super Saiyan when Break was conceived, which has never happened before. Cell basically confirmed earlier that Super Saiyan does something to your DNA-which is then passed on. With this combination of uniquely unstable and powerful genes, it must have activated the latent potential that's in every saiyan. I just hope she can control herself better than Broly could..."
"Well, she isn't nearly as massive as he was," Zarbon pointed out. "That implies control."
Nail shook his head. "Only over her power. Her personality is anybody's guess...and after the way she killed the Cell Juniors...well, let's just say that I don't think Broly would have hesitated to kill Paragus if he'd had the chance."
Break looked at the twisted corpses of the Cell Juniors, her mouth twisting into a cruel half-smile. However, the distraction had given Cell enough time to get behind her and charge up an attack. Sensing the ki spike, she turned, just in time to see the bright yellow burst of energy. "TRI-BEAM!" Cell shouted. Break hurriedly swung a hand up, knocking the blast away into the air, but she hadn't had time to fully focus her energy and the beam incinerated her left glove, scorching the skin underneath. She growled, advancing towards Cell, who was beginning to sweat. "Take this...KIENZAN!" She jumped over the disc with casual ease, now that she was expecting an attack. "SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!" Sidestepped. "DODON RAY!" Backhanded away. "KAMEHAMEHA!" Caught between both hands and held back until it flickered out. "D-Damn you!" He hissed, nervously backing away as she approached. "What is this?!"
Break's reply came in the form of a violent pulse of ki, throwing Cell back. He scrambled to keep his footing, and she grinned at his fear.
"I told you...Cell. It's over. Your stolen techniques...won't work anymore."
"SHUT UP!" He shrieked, launching himself at her, feeling his blows swing through the empty air as she moved the minimum distance necessary to dodge each one. Cell shuddered. "I-I am the ultimate...th-the ultimate being!"
"Save it!" She fired another kiai, this one sending him reeling back, his feet digging up skid-marks in the ground.
No...no, I won't be beaten this way...not by her! Cell raised his hand as if to punch again, and she prepared to idly dodge, but he shifted stance quickly, adopting a familiar pose. "SOLAR FLARE!" Break staggered away, her overconfidence and rage having left her open, arms waving in front of her face in a futile effort to ward of the disabling light.
Cell saw his opening and struck, charging up his foot with energy and planting it directly in her midsection. A soft hiss of breath escaped her mouth, and she folded up, dropping to the ground. Cell retracted his leg, standing up straight with a satisfied smirk. "So, you're not invincible."
Break rolled over onto her back, and Cell saw to his surprise that she was smiling. "Good..." she said, climbing to her feet. "You're not so weak...not a total waste of time..."
"Of course I'm not!" Cell snapped. "I am the perfect combination of DNA from the Earth's greatest fighters!"
She snorted. "Right. You're always...talking about that. Perfect. Ultimate." Her eyes narrowed. "It gets old."
"Don't think you've won!" Cell snarled, raising his guard. "I'm going to kill you! It doesn't matter how powerful you are, you're an inferior design! You're flawed-you have weaknesses! I'll kill you, and all your friends!"
"My friends? Like...Yamcha?" she asked, breathing heavily. "Like Tien?" Visions of her dead future flashed in her mind, and her blank, pure white eyes blazed. "LIKE TRUNKS?!" Cell felt an impact to his chest, cracking his armour plating and making Break's previous blows feel like gentle taps by comparison, hurling him up into the air. "I'm done playing with you!" she yelled, raising both hands in front of her face. "BURNING..."
"No!" Cell howled, crossing his arms in front of his body to try and shield himself. "It can't end this way!"
"...FLASH!" A bright golden energy beam shot forth from her hands, slamming into Cell and carrying him off into the sky. It arced up, shooting off into space, burning, flickering energy stabbing into Cell's body from all around. He felt himself coming apart, the attack ripping into his flesh and tearing it asunder. "N-no...I will not...be defeated...my...my perfection..." Piece by piece, he dissolved, evaporated, and finally he was gone. The beam faded into the dark void.
Break lowered her arms, panting with near-exhaustion. Though she didn't want to show it, beating Cell hadn't been easy. His kick had genuinely hurt, and her defences hadn't been nearly as effortless as she'd let on. She'd had a significant advantage, yes, but only bravado and intimidation had made the two seem so completely outmatched.
Raditz cautiously approached her, smiling hopefully. "Break? Are you..."
"I'm...in control." She shrugged, her huge muscles rippling. "I guess."
"But...how?" he asked incredulously.
Nail frowned irritably. "I just explained it to you-"
"That's not what I mean." Her father looked into her eyes. "Break...how did you do it?"
"I'm not sure..." she looked uncomfortable. "You never...deliberately aim for something specific...finding a new level. You just know...you need something. I had to win...I just had to."
Raditz grinned. "We thought we'd reached the limit of powering up...I guess you broke through it. You can thank your mother for this, you know." Break raised an eyebrow. "I'll explain later...right now, let's just be happy!"
"That's right!" Goku had a grin plastered on his face, spreading almost from ear to ear. "You did it, Break! You saved the world...you stopped Cell!"
"IS THAT A FACT?!" boomed a harsh, imperious voice.
"No...no..." Goku clenched his fists. "Doesn't that monster ever die?"
"He can't...be alive!" Break growled. "I...blew him to pieces!"
"Get ready!" Raditz warned, glancing up into the sky. I'm getting tired of this regeneration crap! "He's coming, but...tell me I'm not the only one sensing this."
"You're not." Nail nodded. "I'm afraid his power-"
"Is even greater than before, is that right?" Cell said quietly from behind them. They whirled, jumping with fright, seeing the reborn monster perched on a rocky outcrop barely a metre away.
Zarbon choked. "But-but he was in the sky just a moment ago!"
"I didn't even see any movement..." Goku muttered. "He's faster than before, too..."
Cell bowed. His power was indeed much greater now, but that wasn't the only change. Blue sparks of electric energy crackled around his body, filling the air with an acrid, metallic taste. "Now, I suppose you're all just dying for an explanation. Well, don't say I never gave you anything." He cleared his throat, as if giving a lecture. "Namekian regeneration is such a useful little trait, and coupled with the frost demons' ability to survive in space, well...coping with that attack was child's play, really!" He chuckled. "But of course, wouldn't you expect me to be weakened, drained-not stronger than ever? Well, as a matter of fact you saiyans are responsible for this latest development."
"Don't tell me..." Raditz scowled. "You came back stronger after a near-death experience, just like a saiyan!"
Cell nodded. "That's right."
"But you couldn't have! That ability provides diminishing returns at higher power levels. It doesn't give us any benefit at all at our strength!"
"Oh, normally you'd be quite right," Cell said, grinning. "However, the ability would give a greater power boost, would it not, if the user had come back from, say, being reduced to a single cell."
Krillin frowned. "You regenerated from one cell?!"
"Oh, I did. Even I didn't think I would survive, so perhaps I was exaggerating a little when I called it 'child's play'. Maybe the fact that I thought I would die was the reason the saiyan trait activated...who knows? It's irrelevant. I thought I was perfect as I was before...now I see the truly perfect design is the one that continually improves, always growing stronger. But enough of this gloating. Our battle can now resume." He pointed at Break. "Isn't that right?"
She growled like a cornered animal. "This doesn't...change anything."
"Oh, but it does. Shall I prove it to you?" Cell leapt forwards, laughing, and disappeared. Break stumbled back in alarm, eyes widening, and quickly vanished as well. The fighters ricocheted back and forth around the plains, every strike and block twisting and tearing up the landscape. Break missed a punch, and a mountain miles away shattered. Cell blocked a kick, and a nearby town suffered an unprecedented earthquake. After a full, unrelenting minute of this, they reappeared, landing opposite each other. Break was swaying from side to side, trying her best to remain standing, her aura flickering as if ready to explode. Cell stood confidently, arms folded. "Well, that was interesting. With your power so volatile and unstable, and us both having so recently come into our full potential...I genuinely didn't know who was the stronger. But it appears to be me, does it not?"
"HAAAH!" Break yelled, throwing herself forwards and kicking Cell in the face, but he didn't flinch.
"Incredible..." Krillin muttered. "That attack could've split the planet in half, but he just stood there and took it!"
"I fear..." Raditz said quietly, numbly. "...that even Break's new power can't save us now. Cell really is perfect. He can survive anywhere...he can regenerate any injury...and just get stronger. We can't beat him...nobody can..." he sank to his knees, his fingers digging into what little grass hadn't been burnt to ash around them. "We were fools to even try."
Goku shook his head. "This isn't over yet. Have a little faith."
"Hmph." Raditz grimaced. Faith...
Cell spun, knocking Break's legs out from under her, and aided her fall with a sweeping overhead elbow strike, throwing her to the floor. She stuck both hands out beneath her, stopping her fall and swinging her legs up towards him, but he ducked back, easily avoiding the double-footed kick. She continued the movement, pushing off with her hands and back-flipping to her feet. "Nice try, taking my attack...but I felt it." She grinned. "Your energy dropped...for a moment. It's the same trick I used...you're stronger than me...but not by that much."
Cell snickered. "True, true. You did injure me somewhat. Perhaps you'd have a chance, however small, at full power. But you're not, are you? No, that blast you tried to kill me with took a lot out of you. And so, you will fall." He raised a hand, firing off a quick energy bolt that smashed into her, driving her backwards. "And your planet falls with you."
"No...you won't!" She charged him again, furiously attacking. "YOU CAN'T!"
Cell laughed, precisely-timed blocks and parries turning aside each of her attacks. "It's not your choice anymore," he gloated, ramming a knee into her side, feeling ribs buckle, but not break. Not yet.
The news crew continued to watch. "I'm not...entirely sure what to make of this!" the reporter whispered, as the ordinary humans clung to dear life for their cover as shockwaves from the superhuman battle rolled past them.
"You don't believe all that crap's really happening, do you?" a gruff, boisterous voice asked. Hercule marched up to them, posturing like usual. "I told you, it's all cheap tricks-not real fighting."
The reporter raised an eyebrow. "Cheap tricks like the one that knocked you out?"
Hercule frowned. "Well, of course! It's not called a trick for nothin', you know! But I won't fall for it again-" another wave of force knocked them all to the ground.
"Well, I believe what I see," the reporter said obstinately, "and you can't just explain all this away." An assistant ran up to him, whispering something to him-the results of a hurried investigation. The reporter smiled. "I see. Well, Hercule, how would you respond if I asked you about the world martial arts tournaments before you begin to compete? There are multiple eyewitness accounts, not to mention photographic evidence, to suggest similar supernatural fighting techniques were employed, and not used as grounds for disqualification by the tournament officials..."
Hercule began to look flustered. "Look, Mister, I don't know who you think you are, but..." he puffed out his chest. "I, sir, am the Martial. Arts. Champion. Oftheworld! And I know real fighting when I see it!" At this point, another shockwave bowled him over, sending him spinning end over end along the ground away from the battle.
The reporter shrugged. "I leave you to draw your own conclusions, viewers."
The broadcast was live, international. Millions were watching. And, though many drank in everything the champion told them, some began to mutter.
"Got himself knocked out, of course he'd call it a trick..."
"I've been to those tournaments, I saw people fly!"
"Get back to the fight!"
"What about King Piccolo and those aliens a few years back?"
"I know what I saw!"
Break collapsed, gasping for air. She was bruised, beaten half to death-or at least it felt like it. Cell stalked towards her, in a relaxed pose. "Well?" he asked. "Don't disappoint me. You're the best the Earth has to offer, at least help me pretend you're worth killing. Come on, stand up! Fight!"
"If you insist." Goku stood firmly between Cell and Break.
"Goku?" Cell sneered. "Out of my way. Your turn will come. But I must destroy this one first. She needs to die..." She almost killed me. I cannot let such a being exist in this world.
"Not while I'm still here." Goku attacked, but five sharp blows sent him sprawling before he could even connect one punch. He sprang back up, tasting blood in his mouth. It mingled with the metallic taste that Cell's electric aura filled the air with, and with a shock Goku realised something. That energy coming from Cell...I know it. The taste in the air. It's like...Gohan? When he beat Broly? Yes...the energy's the same! Cell...is he tapping that same power? And what is that power anyway? He shook his head. It didn't matter. He couldn't feel any such reserve inside himself, and he didn't have Break's potential either. He just knew what he had to do. He had to win. It was what he'd always done. He'd fought, and he or his friends had come out on top. But Cell was invincible, it seemed...what could he do? He had to be stronger...had to be...stronger...that's it.
Several days ago, within the Hyperbolic Time Chamber...
Goku was pacing back and forth. He had it. He was replaying the memory over and over in his head. Yes, that was it.
"Dad?" Gohan asked. Goku looked up, smiling.
"Hey, son. Just thinking about something."
"I thought we were going to be Super Saiyans for as long as possible, Dad." Gohan was himself transformed at the time. "You're, y'know, normal."
"Yeah, I know." Goku settled into a low stance. "That's intentional. Let's see..." he gritted his teeth, summoning up his energy, and-concentrating it, almost like it was folding back in on itself, compressing, doubling its efficiency. "KAIOKEN!" A burning red aura flared to life around Goku's body, enveloping him. "Cool! It worked!" He jumped back and forth, trying a few experimenting punches and kicks in the air. "My speed and power are definitely increased, but..." he relaxed, powering down and letting the aura fade. "It's nothing compared to Super Saiyan. Ah, never mind, I guess." He transformed into a Super Saiyan with little effort, turning to face Gohan.
The half-saiyan looked confused. "I didn't know you knew the Kaioken, dad..."
Goku laughed. "Actually, that was my first try! But I've seen Tien and the others do it, and I'm a quick learner."
"Quick learner?" Gohan shook his head. "Nobody can do the Kaioken without King Kai's training, and you haven't had that."
Goku smiled. "Hey, Master Roshi said it'd take me 50 years to learn the kamehameha, and I did it first try." He felt a little self-conscious. "Uh, not to brag or anything. But it doesn't matter. There's no point using Kaioken...it's not like I can use it on top of Super Saiyan or anything..."
Or can I? Goku honestly didn't know-but he was getting desperate. As he was, he was obviously no match for Cell. It's worth a try, I guess...
"No! No, no, no, a thousand times no!" King Kai's voice stabbed into his mind. "Goku, let's be clear on this. I tell you people not to do a lot of things. You do them anyway, and you're usually right. But trust me on this one. It won't help you. The two types of energy are completely different. They'll clash inside your body, and you'll be burned out of power at best, ripped apart from the inside at worst!" he grew frantic. "Do you understand me?"
Sure, Goku thought. But I'm going to die here anyway. Might as well go for it. Besides, aren't you curious?
"No! No, I'm not! Goku, there has to be another way!"
Well, I don't see one. Here goes... Goku inhaled deeply, collecting his power inside himself. "HYAAAA..." And...focus. "SUPER KAIOKEN!" he bellowed, feeling it burst out of him. His golden aura and hair flashed red, and he shot forwards with boosted speed. A strengthened fist cracked into Cell's face, hurling him away through the air. However, the moment passed, and Goku felt a clash inside him. Instantly, the power vanished, the Kaioken and Super Saiyan energies within his body reacting violently to each other. He collapsed, his power gone, only remaining in his Super Saiyan state at all due to weeks of learning to sustain it with almost no energy consumption.
Cell, having leisurely righted himself, was walking over towards the fallen forms of Break and Goku. "Interesting," he said, rubbing a bruise on his face where Break and Goku's attacks had hit the exact same spot, "but I'm afraid that gamble ended up hurting you a lot more than it did me. Oh well." He shrugged. "It was certainly an inventive move. But you only delayed the inevitable...I'm done here. Your mightiest have fallen, and now all that is left is for me to clean up-wha...what is...what is this?!" Cell found himself unable to move, encased in a shimmering blue field of light.
"This?" Bulma snapped her goggles down, wiping grease from her face and flicking a switch on her anti-Cell device. "This is science."
And there you have it. It took ages to finally get done a second time (as you may have read in my edits to chapter 35, I had to re-write this). But I've fixed the problem now, it's okay, there shall be no accidentally losing entire chapters and having to start over anymore.
So I hope Break's transformation doesn't seem too overpowered here-as you can see, it's inferior to SSJ2 anyway. The movie always gave a really vague explanation (read: no real explanation at all) for LSSJ, so hopefully this version makes sense. Thanks go to davidstarlingm for suggesting the idea (I'd had an almost-identical idea, a while ago, but decided against it, and then he convinced me it was a good idea after all) and writing up how he thought the scene would go, which I then adapted to produce what you see here (the bit from "Even if she'd been at her absolute maximum" to Nail's explanation. In his version it was Gohan doing the theorising, having failed to access his SSJ2 power against Cell, because at the time chapter 34 wasn't yet uploaded and he didn't know Gohan would have the heart virus).
Don't worry, there will be a chapter on Sunday as normal. We should be back on schedule now.
Q: Will Vegeta ever join the Z-Fighters?
A: You know I can't answer that yet.
Q: Even with Break's time machine destroyed there is still the one Cell traveled back in, its just in shittty repair. Fix it up give it juice and she can be home in no time.
A: True, true. We will see.
Q: Brilliant balancing of the two plotlines between Vegeta and Bojack/ Z-fighters and Cell. I liked Krillin's momentary place of prestige. But there was one massive plothole in canon I wanted to ask you about: Since Nameks can regenerate as long as they have their head intact and regeration sucks up ki Cell is reasonably weakened at this point in time, right? In the anime Goku blew Cell's head off, which logic dictates by Namekian biology that Cell dies. Please PLEASE tell me your Cell won't be able to manipulate the genes to cheat laws of his own creation...
A: Cell, I think it's established, can regenerate from a single cell. You have to completely destroy him.
Q: Did Cell ever explain how he got to the past? I know canon Cell said he killed Trunks. Perhaps if he did make this explanation, that would clue into whether or not the others (Trunks, Gohan, etc) had survived. Also, are you gonna stick with the four timelines theory like in canon, or less (like in BoD)?
A: I guess there are four timelines. Cell's origin is pretty close to canon here.
Q: I see so we can kiss Bulma's anti cell thingy good bye. Seems Vegeta has his hands full.
A: OR CAN WE? And yes. Yes he does.
Q: Shadow Dragon/Black Star Dragon Ball Saga?Oh,and Dead Zone could be BTtL Chapter 0(Goku realises that Piccolo's slightly taking an advantage over him etc.)What about Otherworld Tournament/Garlic Jr. Saga(Do you like Filler)?What about DBM2?Anyway,not really worried about the drop of pace 'cause I know you won't dissapoint us and if you can come with such a good story in such a short time you really are great!And if you're so disappointed with the rest Cell/Android Saga's "canonity" you can always go back and change some things,don't you think _blink_?And your fic has a tendecy to get really complicated when a Saga reaches it's cilmax...Anyway,really glad that your Projects are going really well and you're advancing all th time without losing pace _.But(when)is BTtL Kai gonna continue?Also I'm really glad that you don't entirely disown GT and that you(maybe)incorporate it?Now then,what about other fics,lol!Anyway,could you tell me the name of that fic that involves characters not being affected by Plot-Induced Stupidity(lol Solar-FlareKienzan,Krillin's the Ultimate Loser ;))
P.S.I see that you've dearly placed your Key Characters for the Final Showdown with Cell ''blink''.Anyway,sorry for the GIGANTIC Post(not writing my name so that you'll not sue me,lol)but,this just occured to me:Can Cell become Giant(Namekian Traits)?
A: I haven't decided on the shadow dragon saga (I said the others because I actually have plans for doing them that take place within the 'Z' portion of the timeline, not the 'post-Z/GT' bit (sort of. It'll make sense when we get to it.), so if I do a 'BTtL GT', that might be when I decide about the shadow dragons), but I'm not doing the Black Star Dragon Ball bit. That made none of the sense. Dead Zone wouldn't work, 'cause Piccolo would have killed Goku at that point, or maybe...wait. No. What if...all right. I'm doing the Dead Zone movie as well, I just thought of something. (But it will probably be quite short.) Otherworld tournament, maybe. Garlic Jr. saga depends on how the Dead Zone bit turns out, I haven't fully worked that out in my mind yet. DBM2? I'm involved in that, yeah. BTtL Kai will continue when I think of enough jokes. I don't know the name of that fic. Can Cell become giant...? MAYBE.
Q: I was confused about Gohan having a tail, looking back it looks like he never turned Oozaru against the Saiyans so he didn't have the tail removed but the tail wasn't mentioned much again after that was it? Have you thought of him going Golden Oozaru?
A: Yeah, I just kept forgetting to mention it, so I stuck the phrase 'monkey-tailed boy' in chapter 35 as a sort of reminder. Golden Oozaru? Well, I'm not sure if I want that to exist, but I'll think about it.
Q: Are we supposed to know what Gohan is thinking of? Is he scared of Break going berserk if she achieves SSJ2 because it affected his mind so much and she's more volatile in Super Saiyan already?
A: This chapter should answer that question.
Q: I forget why Goku is weaker than in canon, because I thought he had been stronger (ignoring Kaioken) than in canon ever since training with Raditz on the way to Namek. Is it because that lack of spiritual awareness without King Kai that stopped him figuring out FPSSJ himself makes him worse at training with the same resources? Or because canon Goku bounced back stronger from the heart virus?
A: Both of those things. Although the second one hadn't occurred to me until you pointed it out.
Q: I rewatched original Dragon Ball recently, so when Goku was running out of tricks I thought he was going to try the "Crazy Fist" which countered Jackie Chun's drunken boxing! The Jan Ken's a better call back but it would have been fun to see Cell incredulous at Goku acting "like the monkey he is" first. I guess he could have tried Crane style but whatever. It's probably pretty close to Turtle anyway. Come to think of it, Roshi didn't really teach Goku a fighting style, he just gave him a beast of an exercise regime to make him stronger just like the challenge of catching Korin and Bubbles. Unless Roshi's training subconsciously makes its students fight a certain way. Or is Goku's Turtle style the non-Jan Ken moves he got from Grandpa Gohan mixed with what he noticed from Krillin and Yamcha (assuming Roshi ever trained those two in a more traditional way)?
A: Ah, monkey style! I should have thought of that! And yeah, that training basically is Turtle Style in my opinion. The menial tasks teach them the correct motions. It's the Karate Kid methodology, only with superhuman strength and laser beams.
Q: In your head canon was Fourth Form Cold actually something like 10 billion or could Bojack's gang have taken him on if they weren't so cautious? I just saw that in the Author's Notes for "Death to the King" you said Cold would impact the story a little bit later on; is this how he did?
A: Oh, what I meant by that note was by how he caused Raditz's death in the future. I guess this also fits. I must be psychic. But I'm not sure. I really don't know how strong Cold would have been. DBM put him at android 16's level, and Bringer of Death gave him a power level of, I think, 260 million. I think 10 billion is a bit much, it seems quite far-fetched, but it's only the same proportions as Frieza's second to fourth form, so I just don't know.
Q: What do you think about other fics and DBO?
A: Read DB Multiverse (that's a fan-comic but still). Also Bringer of Death and Honour Trip (or is it Honor?). DBO? I'd like to play it, but I haven't yet.
Q:Wait,so no Yo!Son Goku and his Friends Return?
A: Maybe, but it's fairly inconsequential to the plot. I'll decide when I get to that point.
Q: Wait a sec, correct me if im wrong, but I thought that the Bojack gang was trapped in a star and that they could only escape if one of the Kais died.
A: You're right, but I tend to give myself liberty to change things with non-canon characters, and I thought that the backstory for Bojack's gang made no sense, so I changed it to them just being evil space pirates who moved in to try and fill the Cold family's power vacuum-of course, Vegeta was doing the same. The previous example of me doing this was giving Cooler's armoured squadron lower power levels than the movie portrayed.
Q: To Clear something up however About the whole Dragonball Things.
The Namekian Dragon Balls are kind of game breakers. I'm trying to ignore them. "Dragon, you can transport people, right? Transport Cell into the sun." "Dragon, give us a massive pile of senzu beans, with which we can just have Goku/Raditz/Break fight Cell on a rota, healing when it's not their turn, until he drops from exhaustion." "Dragon, you can create bodies, right? I mean, you do it when you resurrect people. Can you create a duplicate, good Cell?" "Dragon, alter the pathways in Cell's brain so he gets an aneurysm." And so on.
This Is Incorrect the dragonballs and by way of that the dragon can only wish something that Is within the Powers Of Its Creator.
The Nameks dragonballs creator Moeri If I recall Does not have a power level anywhere near cells There for It would be Impossible to ask the dragon for such a wish.
This Is proved a couple of times In the show. For Example when the dragon try's to return goku to earth when hes In Space after the battle with Freizer. Goku refuses This Is because The dragon can't Influrence a higher power level without there Allowing It.
A: Eh, some of those wishes could still work, as they don't all directly affect Cell.
Q: Gonna do "Bio-Broly"/"History of Break"?And have you got any idea how the DB Films could be integrated in(Canon or this)?And IF you're gonna do GT,could you give us more details?Now then,what about Episode of Bardock?ROFL!Anything else?
A: Bio-Broly...ah, no. History of Break...again, maybe, but I just don't feel like doing it at the moment. Maybe later. Episode of Bardock would be the same, wouldn't it? Anyway, I'm not sure if it makes sense how Bardock time-travels instead of just dying. So I'm not doing it.
Q: Can't Chapter 36 get uploaded next Sunday ALONG with Chapter 37?
A: My friend, at the time you wrote this chapter 36 was being re-written. I haven't even started on chapter 37. But I will. Tomorrow, in fact. It'll be up on Sunday, see you all then!
And now for my customary joke-that-I've-used-until-it-isn't-funny-anymore, just humour me because I really like doing this:
Will Bulma's anti-Cell device finish off the monstrous bio-android once and for all?
Can Break keep control of her power?
Is this really the end of the greatest battle the Earth has ever known?
FIND OUT NEXT TIME, ON DR-(recording ends) (recording begins) ...what? Did it record my- (recording ends) (recording begins) can't get the damn machine to work, it keeps- (recording ends) (recording begins) screw it, I'm just gonna turn it off. (recording ends) (recording begins) ON DRAGON BALL Z! (recording ends)