Chapter Fifty Two: Half Way
Android Saga: Part Ten
Sixteen locked onto his target once more the beams gaining potency and accuracy. The darkening sky shone with the lights now formed by both combatants. Seventeen, Katas, and Eighteen looked on at this display noticing that Cell was not playing around anymore.
"You will not stop me!" in a hiss Cell fired the Kamehameha its own discharge flaring around him. The green exoskeleton reflected the light as it rocketed across the oh so short distance between he and Sixteen.
"Hell's Flash!" he said smoothly the huge dual blast firing out. The Kamehameha was holding it back some but not enough. Sixteen knew how strong the Kamehameha was and countered with a blast strong enough to practically fold it back upon itself needless to say it was working. Cell's feet was trenching the ground as he skid back unable to hold footing against the synthetic ki.
The blue was soon yellow and rushing towards Cell with deadly intent. The ground was carved by the blast as Sixteen glared on his eyes narrowing onto Cell. The extent of power was astounding as if he wasn't trying. The green insectoid known as Cell was unable to hold its blast any longer and was soon forced to eyes the remnants of his own blast and then the brunt of Sixteen's.
It extended its hands but that was not enough yellow soon filled its field of vision and pressed into its chest. Cell found it impossible to resist such ferocity and was soon plowed across the land. The world shifted into white as the air hissed and pressed around him.
'BOOOOOM!' it exploded sending a huge corona of energy out across the island tearing grass and tree from soil. Cell was swallowed and where the detonation took place was a crater, still shimmering with the artificial energy. Everyone glared towards the hole in shock barring Sixteen.
Katas swore his keen hearing picked up on something. Two words that were chilling and well-planned at the same. Those were 'field open' but what did they mean. The Namekian cursed himself as he looked up at his Android enemies. Seventeen he could take, Eighteen would be destroyed at full power as well, and seeing first hand how strong Sixteen, the artificial being was unbeatable.
"Is that it Sixteen?" Eighteen asked with wide-eyes as the towering Android attached his hands back.
"I think so sis that creep didn't stand a chance," Seventeen rallied his eyes setting back on Katas." You are next!" he dashed off.
Katas moved to his left and shot out his elbow slamming Seventeen just below his third rib. He was off balance now and Katas swung a punch hard into his cheek sending him crashing to the ground.' Guess our partnership was temporary,' he smiled as Seventeen recovered.
Their fist met sending air rushing out from the impact neither was a weak fighter but their bodies were very different. Seventeen was slower now than before and Katas got a few solid hits in before the machine-hybrid knew what hit him. Just as he charged again his head was struck by the teenager's elbow Katas' face leaving a dent in the ground after impact.
"Thanks for nothing!" Seventeen yelled and the Namekian felt the energy gather between them the blue bolts licking at his skin this Photon Flash would be it his life would end not long after it had started. The blast did not come The alien's defensive reflexes too strong to be halted he had knocked Seventeen over with a leg sweep. The towering warrior heard pants from the Android and kipped up onto his feet jabbing his left elbow into the bridge of the now recovered Android's face. Seventeen fell back allowing Katas to slam him with a kick.
"Halt!" the machine tone of Sixteen rang in the green skinned warrior's sensitive ears. Katas knew this fight could only go on so long and he had failed to succeed in that span. The fusion grumbled turning back towards the giant. The mechanical Android was firmly standing and Katas was panting the Namekian knew he did not stand a chance then Katas heard Seventeen stop mid-flight." I meant that for you as well Seventeen," the teenaged Android was reprimanded.
"Stupid pacifist," the raven-haired android groaned looking down at his fingernails and the dirt that had been dug under them.
A huge kiai sent Katas flying off a familiar energy hitting his senses." Get out of there Seventeen!" the Namekian screamed too late as Cell grappled Seventeen from the side. The conical opening on its tail expanded dropping like a hood over the Android." Masenko!" the blast was going but his momentum was pulling him too far in the opposite direction the ball hit the ground in a tiny explosion it would not have been much help anyway.
Seventeen struggled as hard as he could but it was an uphill battle that was impossible to overcome. The insectoid monster was absorbing him and he could not do anything about it. Eighteen looked on in chilled silence her brother was gone trapped inside Cell's tail. The monster backed out as the bottom closed under the teen's sneakers.
The Namek stood up he knew it was too late. Those two faint words he heard were a barrier opening around Cell to preserve his life and gain a step towards perfection. Katas failed once more he swore Cell was not going to reach perfection but yet he was halfway there.
The huge Seventeen-sized lump barely squirmed inside the bio-android's tail as it was drawn inwards toward the inner workings of the bio-machine. Cell's frame began to bulge as his systems integrated the cyborg. It did not seem possible that a whole person was consumed by a being only a few feet taller. A grin etched through Cell's beak as it closed its eyes.
White light soon burst from every opening in the mutants ligaments. A dome of light swallowed Cell leaving him alone. Katas fell to one knee his body unable to hold up after being almost flattened by the kiai. His trained eyes narrowed into the ball of light as the ground fractured beneath it. Kiais fired from the dome in every direction the waves of force too strong to be kept secure.
Katas grit standing up his legs feeling like jelly. Both arms were heavy and hard to move now that he had been beaten around so much. Unfortunately he could barely keep his vision from swimming. How fatigued was he that a kiai could put him out of commission? Katas shook his head like Piccolo had against Frieza four years ago as he transformed.
'This is ridiculous,' his hand gathered energy as the dome grew out even more but the gathering ki soon faded the fused Super Namekian was too beat to gather even a faint amount of ki. Kami's magical prowess and Piccolo's skills put together were not ever close to the energy radiating from the bio-android.
The cracking ground quivered and rose in places forcing everyone besides Cell into the air Eighteen staring in shock at the heinous monster that had just killed her brother. The blonde knew she was powerless now her infinite energy would not bode well against someone whose power had already doubled her own and was still rising. Sixteen's firm hand grabbed her on the shoulder as he stoically glanced at the dome beneath.
Frantic cries echoed from the epicenter of the dome of energy as if the transition was painful. Cell was agonized in the transformation its frame stretching and morphing in and out. Heat flared out in every way as a massive scream flew from the center the light turned more sterile and white, more pure. The aura of screaming souls began more calm and lapping like people were no longer needed.
The light slowly trickled off revealing a new and improved frame. Seventeen was gone for good as Cell's shape stood out. Ki lapped at his heels, strength flared through his muscles as the now night timed sky darkened it was now midnight. Hours had slipped by since the start of the conflict and now Cell was almost complete their demise one step closer.
Outside the Time Chamber...
"That thing just doubled its power," Raditz said referring to Cell. Hours still remained in Vegeta's time in the chamber let alone his brother's which had yet to begin." Vegeta needs to hurry up or there may not be a world to come back out to," he remarked the remnants of his weakness showing once more in sheer pessimism.
"Don't worry Raditz he'll be out soon. But you're right not even Piccolo and Kami fused could touch this guy I'm worried," the champion of Earth sighed, Goku had been there in the Earth's most dire times but he was unable to do anything now he was too weak compared to Cell.' Come on Vegeta,' he thought, there was more than twelve hours left in Vegeta's training session.
"Daddy do you think they can win?" Gohan asked in his childhood innocence. The half-breed was worried the doubled energy coming from Cell was scary and he was not even near that ballpark of power none of them were.
"Yes, I know when Piccolo and I fought he was out of it but he kept going this will be no different," Goku assured his son and himself if the Namekian could hold him off long enough, Vegeta would be the cavalry.
This new Cell was a physical anomaly. The long sheen wings that hung on his back had receded into the monster's shoulder blades. His tail was now longer and seemed more toned and powerful as if a needle that absorbs internal matter was not bad enough. His green skin was more even and lighter though his chest had not changed hue.
Orange sections now accompanied the sides of his midsection just about forming at at his waistline. A bio-gem studded the center of his chest just over his sternum. His eyes were no longer slits but a blue-silver color like melted lead. The crest atop his head stood higher highlighting the dome that sat between them. His face in general was more humanoid but he lacked a nose a black path situated there symbolizing things to come if Eighteen would be absorbed.
"This certainly is an improvement," Cell looked down at himself with almost glee. His arms were carved with muscle and ready to hit things hard. A golden-white aura danced around him as his cold eyes scanned for Eighteen his next quarry and he was ready to catch it." Eighteen join me right now peacefully or I will have to harm you," he glared.
"You killed my brother!" a huge fire ball of energy struck Cell dead in the face fading away in a cloud of dust. The blue bullet did nothing the monstrosity was one hundred percent fine. Eighteen stopped her eyes filled with fear. The blonde's breaths accelerated and she was unable to calm them down it did not seem possible that attack would have torn apart a city easily.
"Feisty I like that," Cell licked his chops and fired off like a cheetah spotting a prone gazelle. His fist shot forward but something hard stopped it. He looked around and Katas was pointing at him with two open palms." Magic? You plan on halting perfection with parlor tricks? Pathetic," Cell spat in a very Vegeta like way. Arrogance he had gained from Seventeen and his own genetics.
"Yep and from the look of things its working. Eighteen run and hide!" it was too late Cell used his own telekinetic powers to hold her in place. That was the perk of having three sets of Arcosian DNA their aptitude for telekinesis.' I can't hold him much longer,' Katas grit as Cell strained against him.
"Kamehameha times four!" a blue beam nailed Cell in the head breaking his concentration and sending Eighteen reeling with telekinetic blow-back. Krillin stood there his bald head reflecting light. He looked at the now enraged Cell with vigor as he flayed his fingers in front of his face." SOLAR FLARE!" a blinding light shot right at Cell filling his open vision with huge dark spots and temporarily blinding him.
"Slow down Krillin!" Yamcha barked having left after the bald fighter. The former-bandit scanned the sky looking at Cell who was upright again. A shiver shook his body as the monster grinned." You're Cell? I was hopin' you would be less ugly but you can't win them all," Yamcha smirked he was a great trash talker even when the opposition dwarfed his power in every way.
"Feh, more insects on my path to perfection. Allow me to show you how pathetic your attempts are!" his hand extended out flat as an aura surged around it. The ki was red with blackish-purple lightning and it formed into a sphere. Without hesitation he fired sending a nearby island into oblivion without so much as a hint of energy loss.
"Big deal," Yamcha spat his eyes glowing with determination. He began to charge ki along with Krillin who floated beside him. Their white aura overlapped as they kept growing stronger. Suddenly their auras tripled in size and ferocity as they both yelled...
"KAIOKEN TIMES ONE HUNDRED!"
In a flash they were off Cell was bombarded with blows for only a tenth of a second as both halted their flared powers. Veins throbbed up and down on their arms as they relaxed in the sky their blows had moved this Semi-Perfect Cell but they were far from winning.
"Krillin that hurt a lot and we did not seem to phase this guy," Yamcha admitted his breaths heavy and unsteady. The burning sensation still ran up and down his arms from where bone and muscle were thrust beyond their normal thresh hold.
"That was part of the plan remember," Krillin remarked holding a hand above his head. A disk extended out into a saw blade of light growing and buzzing more and more every second. His breaths were filled with heaves as the Kienzan grew wider and wider he reared back ready to throw it as Yamcha charged a Kamehameha.
"Kaioken!" Yamcha barked the ball between his hands turning into a pure red. He was focusing all of the one hundred fold Kaioken into the blast the stress on his body was practically zero." Krillin come on!" Yamcha grounded his teeth together as the former monk looked over at Eighteen.
"Go and hide this will not hold him off long," he said through grit teeth as his aura was consumed in red light. The disk of energy extended with a eight foot diameter it was now or never.
"KIEZAN!"
"KAMEHAMEHA!"
Just as Cell moved to get the escaping Eighteen. Both struck him with full force. The red Kamehameha pushed him hard as the Kienzan ground against his exoskeleton. Both humans were pushing with all they had and he was unable to halt them their bodies to set on hitting him. His aura sprang to life relieving some of the pressure but he still had to push with some effort to shake it off.
His cold eyes saw his prey slip away towards one of the dozens of islands below them. Cell cursed to himself as his aura branched out into a barrier the Kamehameha being sent flying outward and exploding as the Destructo Disk ran out of power and died unable to break through his barrier.
"For a pair of worms that was quite impressive," the monster commended with arrogance his Android Barrier dying down. He blitzed forward the humans unable to see him do so. He appeared inches away from both ready to smash them with incredible force but the bio-engineered warrior froze his face contorting in a smile." But in the end that is all you are, worms!" he landed a huge blow through Krillin's chest and Yamcha's face but to his shock they vanished.
"Lookin' for us?" Yamcha asked slyly his arms crossed over his chest.
"Shouldn't have stopped," suddenly Cell was struck from beneath with a massive energy blast courtesy of Katas. The Namekian rose up and around the now doubled over Cell, he floated beside the two humans.
"You did that so I would let my guard down," Cell began to laugh the blast having only stunned him for a moment. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked towards the islands below he'd kill them later right now he needed to absorb Eighteen." I'll spare you for now!"
Cell blitzed towards the first island but he was struck with a flurry of ki blast straight to the back. The humans were not going to make it easy for him and that was for sure.
"Double Sunday!" he turned upward firing the dual energy beams for each of them. A wall of red filled the sky as both fired out a powerful kiai which tore through the blast at the cost of some stamina and muscle strength.
Cell grumbled and launched upwards slamming a fist into the scarred human's left cheek blasting him out of the battle and towards the ground where he rebounded off damaged. Krillin's spinning right chop was blocked and countered with a short ranged knee kick to the ribs winding the human and sending him sinking like a stone.
"Forget about me did you!" Cell's back was stun by a dozen or more explosions Katas' hands pointing at him. He charged but right before he could slam a kick into the half-way perfect being Katas' ears were boxed. Head ringing he was hammered down towards the water, unconscious. Splashes occurred around the monster as everyone crashed in one after the other.
"Come on out Eighteen!" the monster yelled his extended hand gathering red energy. The biological machine flew over the first island aiming precisely for it. There were dozens more to try and hit and now he just had to flush her out.
"Darn it," Goku growled. Krillin and Yamcha were both swatted away like flies they needed help but he had to get stronger.
"Brother what about the other human the one with three eyes?" Raditz asked hesitant he hated relying on other people a habit he may never drop." Tien he should be stronger than the other two right?"
"Tien is stronger yes but still the Kaioken has its limits and Tien has his," Goku frowned he could not do a thing and hours remained until Vegeta could exit the chamber. The Saiyan raised on Earth extended his mind to track the human's ki and he found it heading towards the conflict." Tien is on his way and judging by his energy he's pretty serious."
"Has he never not been serious?" Raditz remarked remembering their first encounter.
"No not this serious well except for when he and I fought at the Twenty Second Tournament," Goku remarked remembering the fire the warrior had towards the climax of their championship bout.' What could have happened? His ki is filled with hatred,' the Saiyan sighed.
The water bubbled as Yamcha flew out a ball of red flames. His arms were throbbing as was his head but he had to stop Cell and from the looks of things he was the only one left. The scar-faced bandit fired off in a sonic boom his fist smashing into the back of Cell's head with an explosive impact.
"Well you certainly are persistent but you are the weakest of the bunch," the green bio-android smirked as he turned around Yamcha's body still steaming with the hundred-fold Kaioken.
"I'm here to beat you," Yamcha growled in a pant as his fist landed into Cell's arm hurting him more than the monster.
The water beneath them was forced into a stream as Yamcha's rocketed around. Eighteen was peering out from the edge of one island her eyes locked onto the brave human fighting for her.
'He's doing all of this for me but why?' gasped looking down at the bubbling water in front of her.
A hand reached up and pulled. A bald head breached followed by a small but toned body. Krillin had made it to her his eyes did not fail him.
"Listen you need to get going," the bald monk said out of breath. Krillin sat down on the wet ground his eyes closed as his breath filled in." That other Android, Yamcha and I are all you have to protect you. Unfortunately I do not see any of us lasting long against this guy. So I can stay here and protect you or you can run and I can buy you time its your choice," his soft features were soft but demanding offering a choice to the blonde.
"It ate my brother I can't run away," 18 sighed saddened. Krillin was scared being near an enemy that was capable of killing him at any moment but right now he had to be comforting.
"All right but if he gets here you need to run for it. That's the last thing any of us need him to obtain his 'perfect' form," Krillin said with a smile. He was nervous his heart was nearly out of his chest as Sixteen rose up next to Yamcha.
"Cell I will stop you," Sixteen said with a silent undertone of rage.
"Woah big guy calm down he's tough," Yamcha frowned. The former bandit knew that he was comparatively weak to Cell but Sixteen did not have ki to sense so he did not know where he stood.
"I comprehend that Cell is a foe of large proportion however this is my battle to finish," both of his mechanical fist rocketed out towards Cell who grinned at the giant foe.
"Pitiful!" Cell's tail lashed out stabbing through both hands and leaving Sixteen in shock. That tail had gained even more potency and versatility." You're both weak I'll kill you now!"
Sixteen was blitzed he could not defend himself baring the two huge lasers that rested within his forearms. Just before Cell threw the right handed punch a red veiled punch smashed his face Yamcha floated next to him.
"Times one hundred and five KAMEHAMEHA!" putting all he could into the blast Yamcha fired off. Cell was swaddled in the hot red light his frame blurred by the red.
"HAAAA!" Yamcha kept pushing his body aching every second of the blast .
'Never use the Kaioken for a long period of time Yamcha you do not have the experience.' the former bandit heard Tien scolding him as he grit his teeth. He shook off the warning as tensed ready for another pulse as Cell flew towards him. Beside him Sixteen looked on his sensors detecting the huge amount of ki.
"HIYAH!" another pulse of light ran through striking Cell again and sending him flying back in the pressure wave.
Black spots filled the sides of Yamcha's vision as his body began to fade. His pants were more animal-like than human at this point as he forced his very essence into the attack.
'You're the weakest of the bunch.' Cell taunted him.
"HAAAAAA!" another pulse or it would have been if Yamcha did not black out.
The red exploded over the distance leaving everyone in mystery about Cell's survival
'SPLASH!' the water gave way Yamcha's frame sinking into the waters.
Will Yamcha survive? If not is his sacrifice in vain? Will Cell obtain perfection? Time tick on for the time inside the Chamber can Vegeta be a hero?
Find out sooner or later...
~Herodan and Luke G.
