A bubble of light grew around Goku as he unleashed another wave of power.

The last of the Cell juniors fell to the Z Fighters and attention quickly turned to the ring. Cell joined Goku in powering up and a jolt of energy swirled around him, clashing with the barrier Goku had put up against him.

"You will regret the day you met me, Goku," Cell hissed.

"No, Cell," Goku replied. "You will regret the day you met me."

They lunged at one another, their fists locking together and grinding against one another. Goku released the hold which caused Cell to fall forward, and he took the opening to knee him in the core. It connected so fiercely that the wind was knocked out of Cell, albeit briefly. Cell gasped deeply and arched his back against the sturdiness of Goku's body.

Seeing a window of opportunity, Goku swung his other leg around and bashed the monster in the head. Cell's eyes bulged and his teeth flared as the boot pounded against his temple.

He flew across the ring and crashed into one of the wooden poles. As his body hit, he completely razed it and flew into the rockface. Goku wasted no time in releasing a fury of ki blasts into the landscape where Cell had fallen. Each one pumped from his hand in a wondrous flash and sliced into the hillside like bullets.

But as the smoke cleared, Cell quickly popped up and launched himself into the air. Goku's eyes followed and he braced himself for Cell's counterattack. Cell launched himself down toward Goku, who was still standing in the center of the ring, and attempted a flying kick. Goku dodged it easily, popping backward on his feet.

Cell increased his intensity, throwing a punch at Goku's head and then at his core—both of which the Saiyan managed to dodge. He crouched down and tried to swipe Goku's feet out from underneath him, but Goku popped up. Frustrated, Cell let out a growl.

This was supposed to be an easy fight, but Goku's speed was just as fast as Cell's, and his strength was much more formidable than he had anticipated. Every attack was met—every move matched—and Cell started to worry. He would still come out victorious from this match, he told himself, but he would most certainly not come out unscathed.

Goku backflipped away from Cell and suddenly disappeared, only to appear directly behind Cell's head. He thought it would be a good attack—using instant transmission to make his movements harder to track—but Cell was ready for him.

As soon as Goku's leg swiped for Cell's head, Cell had latched on, twisting Goku and throwing him clear across the field.

"Your tricks won't work with me you fool," Cell said with an eerie calm.

Goku tilted his body down to catch himself before going back out of the ring. Feet scuffled across the floor as Goku caught his balance and sailed back over to Cell. He lunged into the creature's core and his fist connected to Cell's face, but he left himself open for a second too long. Cell kneed him in the stomach and kicked him upward, and then chopped Goku's back to drive him into the ground.

A painful cry emerged from Goku. The Z Fighters on the sidelines shuddered.

"No!" Gohan yelped. "Father!"

Goku lifted himself up and hauled himself from the crater surrounding his body, his face tense with strain. Cell crossed his arms and laughed. A ki blast formed in Cell's hand, and he launched it directly at Goku from a fairly short distance. Another excruciating cry escaped from him, but once the light cleared, it was obvious he was on his feet.

"Want to go a second round?" Cell laughed.

Goku gritted his teeth and braced himself. "C'mon Cell!"

His feet skidded the ground as he flew toward Cell. They exchanged a flurry of punches and kicks, and Goku seemed to have a new determination behind his eyes. Almost falling to the monster had no effect on his confidence in his own abilities. In his hands, energy blasts formed and he pumped them in rapid succession toward Cell. He dodged them, but it took concentration to successfully escape them, which gave Goku the opportunity he was hoping for.

Once the last energy blast left his finger tips, he appeared suddenly behind Cell, punching him square in the face. Instantaneously, he transported to Cell's other side, punching him once more on the opposite cheek. Cell reeled.

Goku then elbowed him in the stomach and sent him hurling backward. In Goku's hands, a bright blue light pulsated and twisted, and Goku outstretched them directly toward Cell. Bulla immediately recognized the hue was Goku's signature move-something she had only seen performed by her mentor Gohan.

"Kamehameha!" he screamed, releasing the light and letting it sail toward Cell, who was still incapacitated by Goku's quick hits. Cell could not dodge this one, but he did try to counter. Using a blast of his own, the two lights clashed and pushed against one another, creating a giant grit that snarled in the air.

It swirled upward and exploded as both gave way to the power, unable to continue holding onto their respective kis. Goku breathed heavily and continued the assault by pushing his way past the buzzing air and aiming his fist at Cell's head.

They locked arms—Cell barely holding off Goku—and Goku shifted toward, violently pressing his forehead against Cells. Black, thick blood drew from Cell's head as Goku's connected, and he let out a piercing scream.

On the sidelines, Bulla was taking in the fight with an alarming satisfaction. Going into today, she wasn't sure they could handle the powerful monster in the ring. But Goku was holding his own. From the stories her mother had told, he was an incredible fighter and friend, but never in her life did Bulla expect to see this kind of power on display. Her heart lifted and for the first time in days she felt as if they stood a chance.

Cell fell backward but caught his footing. They clashed again with Cell catching Goku's fist as it drove toward Cell's jaw. More blood trickled from Cell's head, creating a stream of black with every furtive move he made.

His arm jerked up and he grabbed Goku's arm, and with a swift pull he twisted it behind the fighter's back. Using the arm as a fulcrum, he positioned himself behind Goku and slammed his foot into his back. He flopped to the ground and the earth below him seemed to shift against his powerful body.

Cell put his foot on Goku's back and pushed harder. A crack echoed through the field, and then another, and then another.

"His ribs…" Vegeta gritted his teeth. "Cell is breaking his ribs!"

"You dirty Saiyan," Cell said, his breathing heavy. "You stupid, stupid fool."

Underneath his boot, Goku squirmed in pain. When he tried to push up, Cell moved just pushed down harder. The Z fighters on the sidelines saw the agony in Goku's face and knew he was struggling to take back control of the fight, but Cell had the upper hand now. With each shimmy of Cell's foot, Goku let out another ragged breath, and then finally after what seemed like forever, Goku fell out of his Super Saiyan form.

"To think you're the mightiest warrior on Earth," Cell laughed, his breath back to normal. Bulla studied him and realized he was already back to full power. Any dream she had that they were holding their own had been wiped from her memory.

But she didn't have time to think about that. Out of the corner of her eye a figure rushed past her. She looked to see if it was her father, but Vegeta was still flanked at her side. Only when Cell hurled backward did she realize who it was. Gohan had rushed the ring and had sacked Cell right at the waist. The two flew through the air and Goku's chest rose to capture a deep breath.

Gohan and Cell tumbled and felt flat in the ring, with Gohan grabbing the monster firmly at the waist. Popping to his feet, Gohan whipped Cell up with him and propelled the monster up into the air. He aimed his hand and unleashed a huge ki blast. But the momentum had worked in Cell's favor and he flew up into the sky, completely missing the shot.

Gohan leapt to meet him, and higher and higher they went. Cell sent several ki blasts down to Gohan, but he gracefully dodged each. A newfound determination sat behind Gohan's eyes. It drove Cell crazy.

He stopped suddenly and clapped his hands together, sending a wave of energy through the air that knocked Gohan down closer to Earth. The pause in Gohan's pursuit gave Cell enough time to form an even bigger blast—one that Gohan could not avoid—and sent it hurling back to the ground.

Gohan was forced back by the light, and when it hit the Earth, it was a dazzling display. The dirt shook and groaned, and the Z fighters had to quickly move back. Piccolo grabbed Goku and pulled him back farther from the ring to avoid the blast. His hands nursed his cracked ribs and he let out a painful grunt.

Continuing his aerial assault, Cell let off another wave of energy blasts, this time peppering the landscape and sending the Z Fighters scrambling again. Bulla could tell Cell was losing his confidence. It was now or never.

"This is going to be a melee," she yelled to her father. "A free for all."

He side eyed her as he jumped out of the way at another energy blast. He hated that she was right. One-on-one, Cell was too powerful. Perhaps he knew that, and that is why he wanted a tournament. Together they stood a better chance of fighting him. While it wasn't what he preferred, he thought it might be the only way.

"Okay," he nodded. "You and I—let's go."

The look in Vegeta's eyes told Bulla everything she needed to know. For the first time, they were decidedly a team. For the first time, he had truly let her in.

"Okay," she replied. "You and I."

Author's Note: Thank you everyone for the kind reviews! You truly don't know how much they mean to me :) We're getting to the end - how do you think the Z Fighters will fare?