Author's Note: Opening chapter to the rewrite of Golden Age.
Dragonball Z
Golden Age
Prologue
(The final battle…)
Shock.
Shock, disbelief, and fury.
These were the emotions currently going through Gohan's mind as the young Super Saiyan- battered, bruised, and bleeding from the multiple wounds he'd received over the course of his day- stood in front of his friends and glared down the newly returned form of Earth's newest threat, Cell. Only this time the android was in a much different state than he was before.
Following his startling transformation and subsequent thrashing of the biomechanical abomination, Gohan had managed to bring the once almighty and seemingly invincible monster to his knees. With all of Cell's attacks either being brushed off or avoided by the young hero, and a Super Kamehameha rendering his foe teetering on the edge of death, the android then received a crushing blow to the stomach and face that forced him to regurgitate Android 18 from his system.
With the female android forcefully ejected from his guts and robbing the android of one of his most important pieces, the damaged and broken down Cell promptly reverted back to his Semi-Perfect state. At that point, it seemed as though victory was assured for Gohan and his friends, and that he would finish his enemy off with one, decisive blow.
But then, thanks to a moment of carelessness on the demi-Saiyan's part- with the boy hero wanting to see the android suffer for all the pain he'd caused him and his friends- the desperate android unexpectedly triggered a self-destruct mechanism inside his body, which transformed him into a living, ticking time bomb that, if ruptured, was more than capable of taking the entire planet with him.
Since picking his body up would prove too hazardous and destroying him with a blast was too risky, as any of these moves would cause the android to explode, it appeared as though Cell had finally won.
However, just as Gohan and everybody else thought it was all over, Goku suddenly jumped in and, following a last, fond farewell with his son, teleported Cell away to self-destruct on a distant world- far out of reach of the planet.
A moment of silence then followed. With his father having sacrificed himself to save the planet once again and their foe seemingly vanquished for good, Gohan had been left wallowing in a fit of despair and frustration. The aggression gained from his newfound power and his desire for vengeance against his enemy blinding his better judgement, had caused the child to make one of the biggest and costly mistakes in his life. Because of his overconfidence, he'd lost his father… and in his rage, he'd almost allowed their world's most dangerous threat to take all of their lives.
After his friends came over to console him- telling him that they could wish Goku and everybody else back with the dragon balls- the boy was brought back to his feet. If only for the moment.
But just when the group thought it was all over… he returned.
Against all odds, Cell came back, assumed in his Perfect Form and imbued with a newfound purpose and power, on par with that of the newly transformed Gohan. Though it seemed completely impossible, as the Z-fighters stood gaping at the newly resurrected android in all of his glory, they learned through him that thanks to a specially designed nucleus inside his head- a failsafe given to him by his late creator Dr. Gero- Cell was able to regenerate from his self-destruct and regain all of his lost powers. What's more, thanks to the Saiyan cells inside of him, his near-death experience had allowed the warrior to receive a massive boost in strength in the form of a Zenkai, meaning that he was able to return fully healed, improved, and more powerful than ever before.
A fact that he made all too apparent when he emerged from the smoke and wordlessly shot down Trunks with a well-timed Death Beam, killing the time-traveling Saiyan instantly.
This had left the Z-warriors stunned. So stunned in fact that all of them could be seen trembling with fear at the sight of the android and the feeling of raw, overwhelming power emanating from his body. With his form cloaked in a fierce golden aura and surrounded by a bio-field of blue electricity, Cell looked more terrifying and more menacing than he ever had before.
From Piccolo and everybody else's point of view, it looked like no one would be able to stand up to him, and that they were all about to meet a swift, painful end.
At least, that's what it seemed.
After telling the group about his regeneration, the now physically and mentally vested Cell smirked confidently as his lightning field crackled around him and aura blasted dust towards his adversaries. Seeing how shaken up the heroes were, the android knew he had the upper hand and decided to flex that advantage.
"And there you have it. You could say that I'm new and improved," Perfect Cell all but chuckled, clenching his fists as he glared across at the gaping Z-fighters. "Goku failed… and so will all of you! But I'm willing to give you another chance if you want." When he saw most of them take a cautious step back, the green android laughed. "So… which one of you cowards is the bravest? Who will step up for one, final showdown against me?"
With pure, unbridled fury coursing through his body and causing his hands to clench tightly into fists, the emotionally rattled and infuriated Gohan shot the cocky android a foul glare. The realization of his failure to finish his foe remaining fresh in his mind, as well as the sacrifice of his father being completely in vein, the demi-Saiyan finally snapped.
Taking a deep breath, the young Super Saiyan leaned forward and gave a mighty howl of rage, his messy blond hair spiking straight upwards- a split second before his golden aura erupted from his body. The shockwave generated from his transformation was so great it nearly knocked over his friends, all of whom were standing behind him as they were hit by a hot blast of wind.
Dust billowing around him, a startled and deeply shaken Vegeta turned to the young warrior when he saw him ascend to the next level. "Gohan… no."
As his aura ripped through the air around him and sent waves of debris billowing towards his opponent, the now fully-powered demi-Saiyan growled as his transformation stabilized. "You don't scare me, Cell!" A smirk then crossed his lips as he straightened up, currents of electricity running up his form, before shooting out and striking the ground- scorching the floor in multiple places.
Seeming unimpressed by the boy's show of power, Cell lifted a hand and rested it against his hip. "Hmm… isn't that curious?" he muttered, before then nodding to the youngster. "Are you feeling okay?"
Gohan chuckled, at the same time raising his right hand and clenching his right fist tightly. "Sure. Good enough to avenge my dad." He then thrust that arm down as he stared the android right in the face, watching as his smile promptly faded. "As much as he would love to be here taking care of you himself, I'm afraid you're just going to have to settle with me." His grin widened momentarily in a show of bravery. "Don't worry. I'll gladly take you on and put you down myself."
This remark had Cell's eye twitch as his hand dropped from his waist. "Is that so? Do you honestly think you'll be able to do it?"
The demi-Saiyan chuckled while quickly sliding a foot back. "If you're as powerful as you say you are… then bring it on!" He then set himself a fighting pose, dropping low, clenching his right arm at his side, and lifting his right hand up in defense. Doing so caused his aura to intensify sharply, sending another current of lightning shooting out, sending his friends stumbling back when the wind from him increased in ferocity. "I want to see how strong you've really become."
Cell, growing fed up of the child's goading, scoffed before bringing his hands up and clenching them at his sides. "Hmph. Such confidence. I doubt you know what you're up against this round, little man!"
With Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and Vegeta hanging back and looking on fearfully as Gohan faced down the maniacal Cell, the stage became set for one final, all-out brawl between the demi-Saiyan hero and the biological abomination that was his foe. As the winds from their respective auras howled across the desert landscape, parting the clouds above and causing Hercule, his students, and the news crew accompanying them to duck and cover, the momentary lull in the stand-off allowed the members of the Z-fighters to quickly move back and check on Trunks.
His body lying in the dirt, Yamcha and Tien quietly checked on him to see if he was okay. But when the scar-faced warrior knelt down to check his vitals, he saw from the blank look on his startled face that the young man was gone. This caused him to clench his fist angrily and looked back towards the action, where he saw Gohan's back- strong and firm- turned to him and the others.
Keeping a growl suppressed, the human fighter hissed, "Get him, Gohan."
After several seconds of glaring each other down, the half-Saiyan hero decided to make the first move. The ground cracked when the child's energy roared furiously, a split second before he leant over and bolted forward- a sonic boom ripping outwards from his launch.
Cell, expecting a frontal assault from the get-go, smirked and stepped forward, swinging out with his left arm at the same time. The android's limb connected with Gohan's attack when he struck at him with a flying elbow, the boy's collision causing a massive shockwave to fracture the earth beneath them as the child powered into his opponent and sent him skidding back along the ground.
The bug's feet dug through the desert rock as he attempted to hold off the charging bull that was the demi-Saiyan. Cell actually appeared momentarily startled at the kid's display of strength. However, after a couple milliseconds of feeling his body get pushed back at an accelerated rate, an excited grin then tugged across the android's lips.
From there, Gohan proceeded to unleash hell on the monster, a rain of punches and kicks flying towards the green fighter in a blur of movement, who immediately countered with an assault of his own. As the taller warrior casually retreated for more breathing room, the pair exchanged blow after blow at lightning fast speeds- their attacks tearing up the countryside as they zigzagged across the desert for over five miles in less than a second, sending bolts of lightning shooting everywhere.
Following a vicious flurry of hits and parries, a slightly overwhelmed Cell growled and cut at his opponent with a decapitating chop, forcing Gohan to duck under his strike and dart backwards- skidding across the floor in a crouched position and leaving a trail of electricity in his wake. When the android pulled back from his missed attack, the crouching demi-Saiyan then bolted towards him in a shimmer of gold and vanished, nailing his opponent with a combination of kicks that the warrior barely blocked using his arms. A second later the child sprang into the air, performed a cool flip, and touched down on the ground several yards away.
Cell, feeling the sting of those kicks reverberate through his hands and forearms as smoke lifted from the bruises, grinned across at the youngster when he saw him glaring daggers in his direction. "Ah… so the little runt still has some fight left in him after all." Bringing his arms around, the power-drunk android sneered as he flexed his aura and caused a surge of energy to tear off of him- his aura blasting a crater into the floor beneath him. "Alright then, kid! Let's see what else you've got!"
Growling angrily, Gohan charged yet again, with Cell reciprocating his actions and lunging in to meet him. When the pair came into range of one another- an infuriated glare from the demi-Saiyan matching the ecstatic grin on the android's- the pair vanished into two respective blurs and shot straight up into the sky.
What immediately followed was the most awesome display of martial arts finesse and agility the Z-fighters had ever witnessed, as the two oddly matched warriors began a heated battle above the planet's surface. The entire sky became filled with countless repeating shockwaves and explosions of wind, most of which seemed to go off in multiple locations at once. The pair's attacks collided over and over again with such force that the resulting discharges of energy were enough to punch holes through clouds, disperse them entirely, and rattle the atmosphere so violently that even the planet was shaken.
One particular clash between the pair generated a shockwave directly over the group of stunned Z-fighters, the tremor knocking Tien and Yamcha off their feet, while also causing both Piccolo and Vegeta to stumble. This close call forced the heroes to brace themselves, as more and more shockwave bursts continued to thunder across the sky above and threaten to tear the land asunder.
"Whoa! This is insane!" Krillin cried out, having dropped to his knees with Android 18 still in his arms- unconscious. Glancing up at the sky, the human fighter looked in time to spot a literal lightning bolt shoot out from one of the pair's sonic booms, which struck the earth directly beneath them and smashed a large fissure into the ground. "Look at them go!"
Piccolo, clenching his teeth nervously, raised a fist and tightened it at his side. "Come on, Gohan! You can do it! Get that bastard!"
Up in the sky, things were really starting to heat up, as Gohan stayed on the attack while his foe remained defensive.
When Cell got up high, the android grunted and pitched a cluster of Kienzan (Spirit Circle Cut) discs towards his foe, who managed to speedily dodge all of them and avoid being cut to pieces, before charging up at the man to carry on his assault. With a growl, the kid swung at the retreating android with a punch. Upon seeing the android parry his strike, the youngster then prepared to follow-up, only to see Cell dive in and thrust his knee forward.
A loud bang rang out when the android's limb impacted the boy and buried into his torso, seemingly knocking the wind out of the hero. When he saw his opponent lurch over his leg, a wide smirk crossed Cell's arrogant face, which only disappeared moments later when he saw that Gohan had caught his knee with both hands and was holding it back.
Clenching his teeth against the strain, the child then looked up at Cell with a cocky grin, which only caused the android's eye to twitch before the warrior went ahead with his attack.
From there the duo continued trying to pummel each other into submission, their lightning fast swings flashing and flickering around them as they attacked and evaded simultaneously. Doing so at such speeds caused their bodies to multiply into various after images, showcasing the pair's respective intense and smirking expressions. Gohan was for the most part remaining calm, whereas Cell appeared to be enjoying himself.
Following a brisk exchange in the air, the pair dropped altitude, all the while continuing to lash out at one another. Eventually it got to a point where the stalemate between them reached its end, and the two fighters swung out at their opponent with a vicious right cross.
Their attacks slammed into each other's faces at virtually the same time, their cheeks caving and blood being sent flying from their mouths as the sound of a cannon firing rang out. A split second following their impact, a shockwave sent both warriors flying away from each other, sending both warriors towards the ground and sliding backwards through the dirt. Digging their heels in, both Gohan and Cell stopped their momentum and assumed defensive fighting stances- all the while electricity danced around them in a storm.
Feeling blood trickle from the corner of his mouth, Gohan reached up and brushed it away on the back of his hand. Upon which a smirk crossed his lips. "Heh. It looks like you've gotten a bit stronger since before."
Cell, rubbing the blood from his chin as well, frowned back at the child. "Hmph. A bit?" After glancing down at the blood, the android looked up and smirked. "It seems to me that you need to learn your place in the pecking order." The moment his arms dropped, his red eyes suddenly gleamed brightly.
Alarm bells going off, Gohan powered up and sprang into the air, just in time to avoid the two pink beams that suddenly shot out of the android's eyes and streaked towards him at speeds faster than light. When it looked like the attacks slammed into the ground, the two lines of light suddenly shot back out of the floor and chased after the retreating child, who looked behind him when he sensed the attack was still on his tail.
Spinning around, the demi-Saiyan chopped out with his hand and knocked the two beams away with a loud crack, sending them arcing off into the sky. The moment he did however, Gohan suddenly felt something grab his ankle tightly, prompting him to look down.
When he did, the young warrior saw that Cell had managed to stretch out his arm in a similar fashion to Piccolo, and had managed to snag him by the leg.
With a malicious grin, the android grunted and yanked the child across the sky before swinging him straight down into the floor several yards away. The moment Gohan slammed into the ground- causing a loud tremor to reverberate outwards- Cell threw him up into the sky again, whipped him over, and drove him a second time into the desert on the other side. Getting dropped into his back not only punched a small divot into the floor, but also caused the demi-Saiyan to cough up blood.
Smirking maniacally, Cell then pivoted about and, with one mighty heave, yanked the boy off the floor and threw him towards a distant plateau. The moment his hand released the child's ankle and sent him flying, the android reeled in his limb back to its original placement, whereupon he was able to watch his opponent arc through the air before slamming into the mountain, his impact causing the entire mound to implode on itself.
As rubble cascaded around Gohan's landing spot, Cell swung his right hand back and quickly began charging up his next attack. A shimmer of golden energy lifted off of his palm as he took aim at the collapsing mountain. "Don't you get it yet, kid?! There's no way your feeble Saiyan powers can possibly stand up to mine! I was specially handcrafted to kill you and every other living thing in existence!" After gathering enough energy, the android then curled his knuckles and thrust his index and middle fingers upwards. "I AM THE PERFECT WEAPON!"
What followed immediately afterwards was a flash of blinding light, before an explosion erupted from the center of the demolished mountain and smashed a fissure into the ground. Flames gushed into the air as an area a mile across was engulfed in a raging inferno, which hammered the landscape and incinerated everything lying within range of Nappa's signature Bakuhatsuha (Volcanic Explosion).
The planet rocking under the sheer force of the blast, the Z-fighters and Cell watched as the column of fire transformed into a mushroom cloud, which billowed into the sky and choked the atmosphere with smoke and embers. As Cell watched the air slowly start to clear, thinking he'd finally vanquished his annoying foe, he suddenly saw Gohan come flying out of the cloud and straight towards him, his top torn in half, his skin slightly singed, but otherwise alive and well.
Seeing the kid powering towards him with his aura blazing around him and an intense glare on his face caused Cell to grin and take a new stance. "You're persistent, aren't you?!" He then grunted and powered up, surrounding himself in his golden aura and electrical field. "Come on then!"
The moment Gohan flew within range, the android thrust his hand forward and fired a golden blast at him. Undeterred, the approaching youngster smashed it aside and charged on through. As he descended towards his foe at full speed, the child gave out a growl, threw his hands up and fanned them over his forehead- one on top of the other.
Immediately recognizing the attack that was coming from the way the boy cupped his palms, Cell scoffed. "Ha! As if I'd let such an obvious attack hit me!" The man then cocked his other hand back and charged up his next attack. "Is that all you've got, boy?! Why don't you show me something new?!"
"MA-SEN-KOOOO…!" (Demon's Flash of Light) Gohan chanted, confirming for the android exactly the kind of attack he was going to fire while charging down at him in a straight line.
Smirking, Cell then thrust his hand up and launched a Death Beam right towards the child, aiming to hit him right between the eyes.
However, just when it seemed like his attack was going to hit, Gohan then did something completely unexpected. While flying straight into the path of the incoming attack, the child swung his legs forward, swayed back and ducked right under the piercing laser. The midair maneuver caught Cell completely off guard, as did the next move when the demi-Saiyan- only a few meters away- knocked his heels together and thrust them down at the android.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Immediately after his dodge, the hybrid child then unleashed a massive, golden blast from the bottom of his feet, which erupted outwards in a roar and engulfed Cell at almost pointblank range.
Getting a face full of Gohan's modified signature move, the android gave out a cry of pain as he was hit square on by the attack and felt his skin seer under the burning hot torrent of energy. A split second later the blast of golden energy that engulfed the android detonated with tremendous force, sending Cell flying back while the recoil from launching it sent Gohan flipping.
While the demi-Saiyan landed safely back on solid ground, he watched through the parting smoke as his opponent bounced across the desert for several hundred yards, before eventually flipping back onto his feet. Slamming a hand into the ground to stop from sliding, the now incredibly singed android, trailing smoke and dust, snapped his head upwards and growled angrily.
"You cheeky, little-"
Gohan smirked. "This isn't going to go down the same as last time, Cell. I'm not pulling anymore punches against you."
The android clicked his tongue at the child's statement. "Think you still have the upper hand, huh? I'll show you!" Electricity sparking, the android then gave a bellow of rage as his golden aura sprang up around him again at full blast. "Enough playing around! I'm finishing this right now!"
Gohan reciprocated his actions with a scream of his own, his aura intensifying even more than before as a stream of blue lightning shot from him and tore across the ground.
Once both warriors had cranked up their powers to maximum output, both of their bodies then seemed to vanish into thin air. A split second later the entire countryside for a mile around started getting ripped asunder by a multitude of shockwaves going off all at once. The land exploding and combusting in various locations, the blurred forms of the two barely visible fighters darted back and forth across the barren wasteland, crisscrossed each other's paths, and duked it out in an exchange so fierce it felt like the continent itself was about to cave in under their duel.
As mountains and plateaus collapsed, hills caved in, and areas of land went up in clouds of dust and rubble, it almost seemed like the whole planet was going straight to hell.
And all the Z-fighters could do- unable to keep up with the pair's movements anymore- was watch as it all went down.
OOO
(Meanwhile)
(Otherworld)
Towards the tail end of Snake Way, near the space where King Kai's Planet had previously been floating above the endless sea of yellow clouds, the aforementioned watcher of the Northern Galaxies, along with Goku, Bubbles and Gregory, could be seen floating in place and watching the events unfolding down on Earth.
When the realization that Cell had not perished following his attempted suicide bombing of his student's adopted home world, King Kai quickly scanned the immediate area for the bug's ki signature. Managing to pick him up back down on the planet where he'd previously been transported from, the Kai received one hell of a shock when he sensed that not only had the android regained his perfect form, but had also gotten a massive power boost as a result of his regeneration. This had allowed him to lock onto the android much easier than anticipated, which then led him to giving Goku an appropriate feed of what was now taking place in the realm of the living.
Needless to say, when both he and Goku saw Gohan jump in to take the android on for one last bout, the two of them were astounded.
They were practically given front row seats to what could only be described as one of the greatest and most terrifying battles they had ever witnessed, as the now Super Perfect Cell went head to head with the tiny, plucky half-Saiyan youngster in a clash that was literally shaking the planet to its core. The environment itself was falling apart around them under the weight of their power.
From what he could glimpse through King Kai's telepathic field, it was almost like Goku was watching a clash between two titans- beings possessing monstrous power. And the worst thing was, he wasn't even there to cheer on his son.
"Wow. This is on a whole other level," the now dead Saiyan father remarked as he saw Gohan avoid Cell's blows and counter respectively, managing to deliver some punishing hits to the android.
"You can say that again," King Kai commented, beads of sweat running down his face as he struggled to keep pace with the fight. "Your son is doing really well. His techniques and timing are improving, and it seems like he's found a good rhythm with his movements."
"Yeah. I think he's finally gotten a handle on his newfound power now," Goku followed up, a smile sprouting across his lips as he saw the look of determination and confidence gleaming in his boy's eyes as he blocked and countered Cell's vicious string of attacks. "I can't believe it. My son… that's him."
King Kai snickered when he caught the tone in his pupil's voice. "It's a lot different being on this side of the line for a change, huh?"
A laugh left Goku's lips when he heard that question. "In a way. Though I've always counted on my friends to hold the line while I was out of commission, this is the first time I've actually taken a back seat in the final battle." The adult warrior then nodded as a fond look danced in his charcoal eyes. "Now that Gohan has finally come into his own, I know that the Earth will be safe in his hands."
"I wouldn't get too comfortable just yet," King Kai interrupted, dragging his student out of his daze and toward the main issue at hand. "Don't forget, Goku: Cell is still down there. Not only is he in top form, but he's gotten a great deal more powerful than he was when you fought him. As long as he lives, both the Earth and the entire universe are at risk."
After all, Cell was a monster made out of monsters- a being composed of the DNA taken from the mightiest warriors in history, including all the Saiyans and Frieza. He was an abomination of the worst sort, created as an instrument of terror by a madman bent on world destruction and revenge. Cell was something that was never meant to exist.
And the person that was stuck fighting him- this creature born from humanity's worst nightmare- was an eleven year old boy.
Goku, hearing this statement loud and clear, smiled broadly. "I'm sure it will be fine, King Kai. After all, it's my son he's fighting. If there's anyone that can put an end to Cell's reign, it'll be him."
This comment drew a sigh from the short master. "I sure hope you're right."
Sensing the God's uncertainty, Goku craned his head and smiled. "What? You think Gohan can't win?"
Pressing his lips tightly as his antenna twitched, the blue-skinned martial arts teacher focused on the energies of the two warriors fighting down below. "Hmm… well… unless Gohan is still holding back a great chunk of his power, he can still win. But it's going to be a close one."
OOO
(Back on Earth)
It'd been a rigorous and grueling several minutes. But following a very intense battle between the two powerful warriors, their brawl had eventually boiled down to the two fighters standing upon the ruined battlefield. Positioned across from one another between a cluster of fissures and craters, and glaring hatefully at their opponents, the pair revealed all of the damages they'd sustained over their grudge match so far.
While Gohan stood panting in his fighting stance- his shirt half torn off and body covered in multiple bruises and burns- Cell was standing several yards from him, hunched over and gripping his right side with his hand. He was also badly wounded, about as much as his smaller foe, who'd proven to be far more of a nuisance than he'd anticipated. In fact, based on what he could recall taking place during their skirmish, the child had been able to land more hits on him than he was.
This infuriated the android, who- through a bleeding mouth, ruptured spleen, and a nasty cut over his eye- snarled at the boy after taking in deep gulps of air to catch his breath. "H-How? This literally doesn't make any sense…" Cell growled as he straightened up and clenched his fists, which shook angrily. "I should be much stronger than you… and yet I've taken far more damage in this battle! Why?! Just why the hell is this happening?"
Gohan, taking in another steady breath, smirked back at the clearly enraged android. "Simple. You made the same mistake that I did, Cell. You let your newfound powers cloud your judgment… and came to the conclusion that no one could possibly stand up to you. It blinded you to the fact that even though you've become more powerful than you ever were before, you're still nowhere near strong enough to defeat me." The boy nodded on that note affirmatively. "That's why you're losing."
Veins throbbing with rage, the synthetic warrior gave a low sneer as bolts of lightning sparked off of him. "Why, you… insolent… little-"
A serious look quickly crossed Gohan's face, his own bio-field zapping around him as his energy began to spike. "Don't think that life is ever going to go your way. It never does. You can blow yourself up and come back as many times as you like, Cell. But in the end, the result will always be the same. You may return stronger and more powerful than before, but I will always be here to stop you."
Quickly growing fed up at the child talking down to him, the enraged android gave a yell of anger as his aura erupted around him. The ground fracturing under the force of his power flex, the warrior then swung his right hand out, and charged a crackling white mass of energy around his hand.
"Stop me, huh?" Cell barked, before a mad grin crossed his irate mug. "Alright then, you damn brat! STOP THIS, IF YOU CAN!"
As Gohan stood there, glaring across at his foe, the boy blinked in alarm when he sensed the man's ki skyrocketing and a very familiar scene from the past flash before his eyes. Recognizing the pose the android assumed instantly, the child was quickly taken back to the time where he was facing down the wrath of the hulking warrior Nappa, as the giant Saiyan brute charged up an attack to finish him off in one go.
The vision became even clearer when Cell drew his right arm back, his other arm taking aim at the demi-Saiyan as the white sphere of hot energy pulsing around his palm reached critical mass.
"I refuse to let another power be stronger than mine!" Aura blasting around him at full burn, accompanied by a storm of blue lightning, Cell gave one last roar before swinging his arm around and throwing it forward. "Here! HAVE IT!" He then hurled his fully-charged Derrakusa Bomba (Bomber DX) at the youngster.
Or at least tried.
The moment he thrust his hand towards his distant target, Cell's eyes widened in alarm when he suddenly saw a fist appear in front of his face, a split second before a deafening gunshot rang out and a searing pain ripped through his skull and neck. This sensation was also accompanied by a splash of blood when his entire face was caved in, as Gohan- telegraphing the android's swing- managed to charge forward at a speed the warrior did not anticipate, crouched under his line of sight, and ducked under his arm.
The moment he head-slipped Cell's arm as it hurled the energy blast, Gohan leaned forward, weaved his arm over his opponent's, and slammed his fist into the villain's face in the form of a crushing overhand right.
The Jolt Counter landed with concussive force, not only causing Cell's attack to miss its mark entirely, but generating a shockwave so strong that it fractured the desert beneath them, and knocked the android off his feet- slamming him into the floor.
Trailing blood, the stunned android bounced several times across the countryside, hitting multiple parts of his body for a distance of five hundred feet before eventually grinding to a stop on the side of his face. When the dust settled around him following his very painful flight across the terrain, the severely damaged warrior struggled to push himself back to his feet.
Gasping in shock as blood trickled from his crushed nose and mouth, Cell looked over his shoulder to where his opponent was, and spotted Gohan still standing in place- his fist extended and a fierce glare set squarely upon him.
Trembling under the brave and determined look the youngster was throwing him, the android snapped his teeth together as his eyes widened in fury. "You… I… I promise you this isn't over! YOU HEAR ME?!" the android barked, quickly standing up, bringing his right hand forward, and jabbing his index and middle finger into his forehead. In that moment, he then vanished into thin air, disappearing from sight using Goku's Instant Transmission.
Eyes widening in alarm, Gohan quickly fanned out his senses in an attempt to track his foe. Using the training he'd done with his father in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to find the android, he quickly managed to get a lock on him and spun around, only to recoil when he saw Cell- standing a few feet behind him- aim the same index and middle finger he'd used to teleport straight at him, the digits of which were crackling with an orange current of electricity.
It was a move the demi-Saiyan knew all too well.
The android grinned at the startled look on the child's face. "DIE!" he roared, before firing a Makankosappo (Special Beam Cannon) at his target at pointblank range.
Barely having enough time to react, Gohan suddenly threw his left hand over his chest and caught the spiral beam that shot out of Cell's fingers against his palm. The impact of the corkscrew cannon knocked the boy off his feet and pushed him back several yards, drilling into his skin and attempting to go through its hardy target. However, through sheer strength and force of will, the child managed to hold off the powerful attack, slamming his feet into the floor and pushing back against the spinning beam of light.
After a few seconds of holding back the corkscrew of a laser, Gohan then gave a yell of effort and sent a surge of energy into his hand, which caused the spiraling beam to detonate and engulf the area in a blast of orange fire. The sheer force of the eruption rattled the landscape and caused the ground around to rupture for dozens of yards in all directions.
Cell watched in satisfaction as the explosion swallowed up his foe, expecting the technique created by Piccolo to have done at least some damage to his target. When the smoke cleared in front of him, it eventually revealed Gohan standing at the foot of two small trenches his feet had dug, with his left hand held firmly in front of his chest, and his palm scorched and bleeding from taking the brunt of the attack. Wincing from the pain, the child gave an irate growl as he glared angrily back at his android foe.
Snickering as he lowered his arm, Cell then lifted his head and grinned arrogantly down at his obviously ruffled opponent. "Bravo. But you can't use that hand anymore."
The moment he finished that sentence, Cell suddenly felt all the air in his lungs get knocked out when Gohan, in the blink of an eye, darted forward and drove his right fist into his stomach- with enough force it not only lifted the android three feet into the air, but also ruptured the floor beneath them.
"I'm right-handed!" Gohan shouted, his expression twisted into one of fury as he watched Cell's eyes bug out and blood fly from his mouth. The moment he caved in the man's torso, the child then sprang into the air and followed up his body shot with a jumping knee to the android's chin, smashing his head skywards, before then following up with a kick to the android's head.
Cell, reacting fast, hurriedly blocked the last attack with his arm, knocking it away before quickly responding with a fierce string of punches. From that point, the two warriors began duking it out on that stretch of land- shockwaves quickly beginning to go off around them as their once well-choreographed, high-paced martial arts battle transformed into a bloody slugfest between the two super powers. While Cell held the upper hand in height, reach and overall body weight, Gohan was smaller, shorter, and more agile, and was quick enough to be able to get in close and lay on the abuse.
The entire scenario quickly devolved into a bloody mashup, very reminiscent of the brawl between Goku and Vegeta in the mountains all those years ago.
Charging under Cell's jab, Gohan rammed into the warrior's gut with a full-on shoulder tackle, before proceeding to lay into him with multiple body shots and knees. With the android feeling his organs getting hammered, he countered the boy with a downward punch, nailing him across the head and causing him to back off. He then snapped a right kick up at him, only to have the boy catch it under his left arm, lock it up, before then stepping in and slamming his right fist into the man's chest and face repeatedly.
Taking a couple of hits but then blocking the others, Cell snarled and attempted to counter, only for the boy to slam his hand into his torso, kick his standing leg out from under him, and dump him into the ground with an earth splitting slam. The wind getting knocking out of his lungs, the android was unable to do anything when Gohan suddenly jumped on top of him, slammed his feet into his chest, pinned his collar to the floor with his left arm, and proceeded to wail on him with repeated punches from his right hand.
Gohan screamed out with every hit, hammering and punching the android's face over and over again in a full blown rage while he struggled to block his blows. Several hits managed to snake through Cell's arms, crushing his nose and cheek repeatedly, and nearly causing the android to black out. Eventually, after receiving several clean hits that were enough to rattle his brain, the stunned and angry android shouted.
"ENOUGH!" He then fired off a ki blast from his mouth- golden energy spewing out of his throat like a geyser and engulfing the child's upper body in a wave of blinding heat.
Blocking out most of the column of energy with his wounded left hand, Gohan was effectively thrown off of the prone Cell and sent flying across the desert for a dozen yards. Skidding to a stop on his heels a couple seconds later, the child huffed furiously as electricity sparked from his body. When he saw the android scramble to his feet, the demi-Saiyan gave a yell and powered up, his aura exploding around him in a storm, before he rocketed towards Cell at blazing speed.
The android responded to his opponent's approach by powering up as well, a battle cry leaving his lips when he opened up on his approaching opponent with a right haymaker. His fist slammed into Gohan's face, but instead of knocking him back like it was supposed to, the child pressed his face against the fist burying into his forehead with a snarl and pushed right through it, stunning the android.
'He's not stopping?!' the android balked, before reflexively blocking the right hook that slammed into him a split second later. 'How?! Where… where is all of this power coming from?!' Out of pure reflex, Cell threw a kick at the child in an attempt to stop him and smack him out of the air.
Blocking the attack with his left arm, Gohan then knocked the android's leg aside and leapt at him. "Come on! Is that all you've got!" He then hit at him with a right punch, watching his opponent parry it, before then drawing back his mangled left hand. Taking aim, the child then gave a loud battle cry, while simultaneously thrusting said limb forward in a palm strike.
Cell balked when he saw the attack flying towards him. 'Wait! He's not going to hit me with that wounded left hand?! That's just-' His moment of confusion was all that Gohan needed. Through effective use of a feint, the demi-Saiyan tucked in his left hand and, instead of hitting him with a palm strike, nailed the android across the face with his elbow. The surprise blow drove into the warrior's face with a loud crack, sending blood flying from his lips and also opening a cut over his right eye. This caused Cell to stagger to the side in shock. "Gah! You little retch!"
Pressing his advantage, Gohan leapt in and smashed Cell across the face a second time with a right hook, and again. Receiving the two hits, the stricken android quickly recovered and swung back with another haymaker that smashed the young Saiyan's head to the side. Despite the sheer volume and force of the blow, much to the android's shock, his attack didn't do any damage.
Looking back, the boy showed Cell the fury burning in his gaze and the ferocious sneer engraved on his face. "Come on! Hit me harder! What? Is that all you got, Cell!" The child then retaliated with a left kick to the android's abdomen, which Cell barely checked and countered with a left hook. Hitting the kid again in the face again, but not fazing him one bit, the increasingly riled up demi-Saiyan spat and responded with a series of consecutive right jabs to the android's face, hitting him clean all three times before then blocking the uppercut the android threw as a counter. "What? Is that it?! Huh?!" Gohan screamed, smacking Cell's arm out of the way. After which he then grabbed the man by the crown with his bloodied left hand, and rammed his right fist into his surprised face. "RAAGH! Come on! Attack me!"
The blow struck with the force of a freight train, knocking Cell stumbling away in a daze. Gasping in shock, the android thrust his hand forward and instinctively launched a blast at Gohan when the child rushed in at him again. Much to his dismay, the android saw the hybrid smack the blast out of the way and fly at him with his right fist cocked back. The android of course blocked his charging blow and countered with a jab, only for the boy to dodge it and retaliate with a hook that nailed him across the jaw.
"Come on! Again! Again! Isn't this what you wanted?!" Gohan roared, raising his right arm and blocking the wild kick Cell threw at him. Knocking his leg away, the boy responded with a right body shot and right hook to the warrior's face- the impact knocking a cloud of blood and spit into the air. "Come on! The whole world is watching, Cell! Come on! Attack me!"
The android, growing increasingly tired, disoriented and winded from receiving so many hits and having his attacks continuously being brushed off by his opponent, could only shake his head in terror as the child kept coming for him. And he didn't show any signs of slowing down. 'The kid's snapped! H-He's gone insane!' Clenching his teeth, the android gave a desperate cry of rage and thrust his right hand forward, extending his index and middle finger, and firing a Death Beam right at Gohan at pointblank range. "GRAAAGH! TAKE THAT!"
Side-stepping the death beam, the angry half-Saiyan then dashed in, grabbed Cell's extended fingers, and snapped them so that they were pointing backwards. The sickening sound of bones crunching was followed by the android giving a out a loud scream of pain, his legs buckling as the hybrid suddenly leapt at him and struck him across the face with yet another left elbow. The loud crack of his blow silenced the android as he was effectively knocked stumbling to the side, clutching his broken fingers.
"Come on, Cell! Hit me harder! DO IT!" Gohan roared as he jumped at the android and smashed him across the jaw with a flying side-kick, sending him flying off his feet and skidding across the desert.
Stopping himself, a desperate and thoroughly bludgeoned Cell snarled and rushed at Gohan with one last, ditch assault. His fists swung out at the kid from multiple directions at an incredible speed. Due to his exhaustion though, his agility had dulled somewhat, allowing the child to casually step back and dodge his flurry of blows. While the android managed to hit the boy a couple of times across his guard, the child came swinging back with various right jabs and knees- returning two blows for every one of Cell's.
It soon became a back-and-forth, ferocious exchange, as the weakened and battered android desperately tried to lay in the hardest blows he could against the unstoppable, enraged demi-Saiyan, while Gohan returned every one of his shots with a flurry of right jabs and kicks. After the two fighters traded blows for a full minute, the tired Cell yelled and lunged in, his arms snapping around the hybrid and locking him up in exactly the same bear hug that Gohan had been trapped in before Android 16 jumped in to save him.
Blood pouring from his nose and mouth from the repeated blows he'd received, the angry Cell growled down at Gohan, who snarled back at him furiously. "I'm putting an end to this farce once and for all! You miserable-GOUF!" Before the android could finish his threat, the demi-Saiyan threw back his right leg and nailed the android square in the crotch with a piercing knee, causing his grip to loosen around his body and allowing the boy to slam a foot into one of his legs. Using Cell's thigh as leverage, Gohan leapt up and hit the man in the face with a well-placed head-butt.
With his opponent dazed, Gohan- powering up and setting his aura to full- charged in one last time, hitting Cell across the face with a right hook, and another, and another! When Cell raised his arms to defend himself, the demi-Saiyan proceeded to pummel the warrior's body with repetitive left and right body hooks. Though his left hand was absolutely wrecked from the damage it'd received from the Special Beam Cannon, the child ignored the pain and used it anyway, slamming his bruised knuckles over and over again into the android's body.
Then, after laying on the punishment to his ribs, the child then began unleashing a flurry of unrelenting punches towards Cell's face, lashing out at him with such ferocity and from so many angles that Cell was unable to block all of his attacks. "YAH-YAH-YAH-YAH-HAH-RAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!" Not even caring how he was looking as he poured on the abuse, Gohan shouted and yelled out with every hit, gradually increasing his speed until his fists looked like they had multiplied in the air as they flew at Cell's face and body in rapid fire- seemingly all at once.
As shockwaves rang out around the android from the multiple, lightning fast attacks impacting him, Gohan kept on pushing- attacking and attacking with such conviction and drive that he was literally beating the ever-living shit out of his opponent. After a full minute of laying on the abuse, the hybrid pulled back his right fist, clenched it tight, and- with one mighty roar- drove it straight into Cell's surprised face.
The sound of a cannon going off echoed across the valley, the floor beneath the two warriors caving into a crater as Gohan sent Cell's flying back with that hit. Blood trailing from his crushed nose, the android could only give a strained gasp before his feet unconsciously touched down on the ground outside of the fissure and he skidded to a stop. Once his momentum ceased, the warrior fell forward, collapsing onto his knees and drawing in a deep gulp of air. His lungs at this point were so filled with fluid that after several attempts at breathing, blood came spewing up from his mouth.
"Ack… kraaggh… gaaaaah…" Cell gasped, completely at a loss for words as he felt himself slip in and out of consciousness. "This… This… isn't right. I-I'm… supposed to be… perfect!" Body trembling and one of his eyes swollen shut, the heavily damaged android shakily looked up.
When his eyes landed on the crater formed by his opponent following his last hit, he saw Gohan standing there- his body completely straight, his aura blazing around him, and an intense glare fixed squarely on him. Upon seeing the same monster that'd terrified him back during their first battle, the stunned Cell took a few deep, panicked breaths, before a renewed surge of rage flooded through his body.
Eye trembling and bloodied teeth clenching, the stricken android slowly and shakily forced himself to his feet. "H-How… dare you!" Electricity sparking, the green, spotted android threw his arms forward, cupped his hands together, and then swung them back. "HOW… DAAAAAARE YOOOOOOUUUUUUUUU!" With his yell of rage, his golden aura then erupted around him, exploding outwards to such a size and with such force that it not only parted the clouds above him, but also caused a cyclone of dust to kick up around him.
The winds howled and skies quaked as Cell began gathering all of the energy he had left into one, final, decisive attack, his golden cloak blazing with a wild frenzy while his lightning field crackled around him in an unrelenting storm. Due to the sheer amount of raw power he was now generating and collecting, the Z-fighters watching from the sidelines felt their jaws drop in awe, as all of them felt the power equivalent to a star gathering before them.
"Holy cow!" Krillin shouted, gaping through the hot winds tearing across the landscape towards them as he remained on the ground with Eighteen held protectively in his arms. "Do you guys feel that?!"
"That freak," Tien spoke, his own eyes wide in disbelief as he felt the atmosphere shiver around them. "Does he even know what he's doing?!"
"He's… gathered enough energy to wipe the entire solar system from existence!" Yamcha remarked, completely astonished that such a feat was even remotely possible.
While Vegeta remained completely silent, unable to tear his eyes away from the epic battle that'd already taken place, Piccolo stood where he was, keeping his hands clenched at his sides, while his gaze remained fixed on the spot where he could sense Gohan was standing. Sensing the boy was not worried or scared in the least, the former guardian of Earth nodded affirmatively toward his student.
"You can do it, kid," the Namekian whispered, his expression remaining completely firm and unwavering.
As Gohan stood there, feeling the wind from Cell's aura blasting him in the face as his energy went through the roof, the young Saiyan then closed his eyes for a moment as he focused. Gathering his own ki, the boy's aura also intensified- chains of lightning running up and down his body, while his golden cloak erupted outwards and formed its own cyclone around him. With a deep, steady breath, the demi-Saiyan prepared his own final attack- his right fist clenching tightly while his left hand hung limply at his side, dripping blood.
It was then, as he was standing there and listening to the howling winds blasting around him, the youngster suddenly heard a familiar voice echo through his head.
"Show him, Gohan. Let him see your true power."
Eyes blinking open, the demi-Saiyan gave a surprised look towards the sky when he recognized that voice right away. "D-Dad?" Staring up towards the clouds for several moments, the bewildered Gohan then felt a sense of comfort and assurance flood through him, which dampened the pain in his body and brought a warm smile to his face.
Knowing that his father was watching him from afar, from the place where he'd gone before, Gohan knew right away that everything was going to be alright. So, with a big smile on his face and a new glow of confidence in his eyes, the Super Saiyan hybrid took a deep breath and focused.
At that exact moment, Cell- having spent the last few seconds gathering all the energy he needed- clenched his hands around the pulsing ball of blue ki vibrating between his palms, and threw it forward. "YOOOUUUU'RE FINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISHED!" the android bellowed, thrusting his hands out and unleashing his attack. With a roar of wind and a sonic boom, a colossal blue beam of energy gushed out of his hands and streaked across the desert- tearing a massive trench through the earth as it barreled towards his half-Saiyan foe.
By this point however, Gohan was ready.
"Kaaaaaaaaaa… meeeeeeeeeeeee…." Stepping forward and leaning in, the demi-Saiyan swung his right arm back- his fist clenched tightly and his aura burning even more brightly than ever before. The rays he generated were so intense it was almost like he'd become a second sun. "…haaaaa… meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…." With his limb loaded and the spirit of his father right beside him, Gohan mimicked the movements he and his dad had practiced countless times before. With a firm stare, a decisive step-in, and a mighty howl, the child threw his still functioning right hand forward and launched his attack.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Gohan's scream was matched by the roar of his attack exploding from his palm, his own blast erupting from his palm with such force, the kickback from the sonic boom it generated actually pushed him back several feet along the ground.
The blue column of energy he unleashed instantly filled the air space in front of him, its mass roaring across the desert and melting the ground beneath it from the heat it generated. So much energy left Gohan's hand all at once that his attack not only collided with Cell's and overwhelmed it in an instant, but it continued to charge towards the android without losing any speed or power. It was almost like a tidal wave crashing through a tiny stream flowing in the opposite direction, making it seem like the blast fired by the genetically created monster wasn't even there.
While the android continued to feed power into his attack, the enraged and battered warrior's eyes widened in horror when he saw the tsunami of blue energy barreling towards him fill up the entire sky in front of him. His head craning upwards as the rapidly approaching energy wave grew in size, unleashing torrents of wind and lightning along the way, Cell could only drop his jaw and stutter fearfully as the years of his incredibly short life flashed in front of him.
"This… can't…" Cell gasped, sweat trickling down his face one last time, before the wall of raging blue fire collided with him and swallowed him up. "…be… HAPPENIIIIIIIING!" The moment he was overwhelmed by the gargantuan blast, the android's body was sent hurtling down a tunnel of cosmic fire, which tore away at his form and started to incinerate him in a matter of milliseconds. As his arms, legs and torso crumbled into ash, the last conscious thought that crossed the warrior's mind was how a mere child was able to defeat him, screaming out in agony before his head exploded.
Tumbling through the flames and embers, the nucleus that initially saved the android from the brink of death, ruptured under the tempest of intense heat, before being disintegrated into nothing. With it gone, so was Cell's last hope of survival.
And so, with his foe vanquished, Gohan's final Kamehameha roared across the landscape and up into space, where the massive beam traveled for several hundred miles, before eventually disappearing when the energy behind it faded. This left not only a massive hole in the clouds above the planet, but also an utterly ruined valley.
Standing at the very beginning of a massive, smoldering canyon stretching over twenty miles in length and two hundred meters across, a battle worn and bruised Gohan stood. His right hand still extended and aura blazing fiercely around him, the intense looking preteen then slowly lowered his arm and returned to a normal standing position. When he did, the golden flames and blue lightning previously crackling around him dissipated- his spiky hair falling and returning to its original, night black color.
The moment he reverted to his base form, Gohan remained standing in place for several moments, until a rather stupid smile crossed his face and he keeled over. Dropping onto his back with a dull thud, the demi-Saiyan then lay sprawled out on the desert floor, taking in deep gulps of sweet, clear air.
As the sky cleared and the sun beat down on him with its warm rays of light, the young hero of earth felt a sense of closure and satisfaction flood through him, which only victory over a terrible foe could ever bring. It helped to put a grin over the exhausted child's face, as with a grunt and final show of his remaining strength, the boy raised his right hand and gave a thumbs-up towards the sky.
"Dad…" Gohan rasped through deep, heavy breaths of air, "I did it."
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note: With this chapter, I wanted to answer the biggest question that's probably been on all the minds of those who remember this epic moment: who would win between SSJ2 Gohan and Super Perfect Cell? What would've happened if Vegeta didn't go full ham and decided to fuck shit up for Gohan?
In looking back through the manga chapter of this scene (the source material) and analyzing the battle between Gohan and Cell up until this point, I came to the conclusion that while it would've been a close fight, I think Gohan still could've taken Cell to town and beaten his arrogant ass down a few pegs. Though Cell had gotten stronger, when looking at Vegeta's charge on him, the final clash between Gohan and Cell, and Gohan instantly overwhelming his blast with one last push (as opposed to the filler crammed into the fight in the anime adapation), I still feel Gohan edged him out without a problem. This idea also comes from when I (and many others) played through the original Budokai game, where the story mode and cutscenes in that game were the most faithful to the manga than any other since. That final battle between Gohan and Super Perfect Cell showed Gohan still had an edge over the android- even though it was made exclusively as the final battle in the game, and I've believed that had an actual fight taken place, it would've gone down something like that.
Truthfully, I think we were all robbed of the chance to see Gohan and Cell duke it out one final time. Though granted we got an epic beam struggle between them, I feel a fistfight would've been much more satisfying, seeing both opponents lay everything out on the table, before finishing it with the climactic energy attack.
Thus, I created a short 'what if' scenario between them, which makes up the prologue to my new version of my fanfic Dragonball Z: Golden Age.
If you noticed, I borrowed a few scenes from the oldest game, the newest game, the manga, the DBZ multiverse fan manga, and spliced them all here into one, cohesive fic, detailing the final battle between Gohan and Cell.