((Author's notes:
The story keeps going, chapter 22 is started, 21 is being edited. Chapter 20 is my biggest departure from canon so far. It was fun to write for sure. Hopefully some of you enjoy it. Chapter 21 should be out soon-ish. As always comments are appreciated. Thanks for reading!
Beepx22))
Chapter 20
Cell and Goku collided and the air itself shattered from the impact. The two titans stared at one another for about two seconds, both with grins spread across their faces, then they exploded into motion.
Punches and kicks were thrown with furious intensity. Ki blasts fractured the surrounding mountains. The assembled watched were awed by the power displayed.
The fight seemed like a stalemate for a while, both fighters taking turns powering up, warming up.
At one point Cell was knocked clear of the fighting ring, and decided to destroy it instead of risking a ring out.
The fight grew to fevered pitch, then Goku did the unthinkable.
He flew into the air and cupped his hands at his side.
"KAAAAAAAAA MEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAA…"
Cell looked up in surprise. "You idiot, you'll destroy the planet."
"MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…"
"Goku! No!" Cell screamed.
Goku suddenly disappeared and reappeared at ground level near Cell. Cell stood frozen, googling at the Saiyan.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The brilliant blue wave cascaded over Cell, the energy tearing apart his molecules. As the light faded the lower half of Cell's torso fell to the ground.
The assembled fighters cheered. Their victory was short lived though as the legs quickly righted themselves and Cell reformed on the stage.
Goku panted for breathe. Cell looked enraged.
"Well," he said gruffly, "that little stunt really took it out of me, Goku." Cell said.
"You're impressive, Cell."
"And indestructible, as you see." He smiled. "Why don't you take one of those senzu beans, so we can continue our fight."
Goku visibly relaxed.
"Nope. I'm done, Cell. I can see now that I can't beat you."
Everyone in the Z fighter camp exclaimed. Cell looked completely befuddled.
"Well…" he finally said. "You do realize that if you quit, I'll reduce this world to rubble. The extinction of the human race will fall on you, Goku."
"I said that I quit, not that the tournament was over. There's still one fighter for you."
"Who? Trunks, Vegeta, Bea? Don't make me laugh."
"Gohan."
Bea shook his head. "No! You idiot! He'll die!"
Goku ignored him. Gohan took a step forward.
Bea stepped to Gohan's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked down at the boy and smiled. "I'll fight you Cell, Gohan."
He then launched himself towards the two fighters and touched down next to Goku. "Listen, there's no need to throw away your sons life, at least not yet. I can take him."
Goku turned to look at him. "I dunno…"
"You? Take me? Have you gone mad? You are at best three quarters as strong as Goku, maybe half as strong as powerful as me on my worst day. Don't mock me you fool. If you want to die, just say so." Cell glared.
"Accepting all challengers…", a thin smile crossed Bea's face.
Cell grunted, then crossed his arms. "Hmph. Oh fine. You better make it worth my while."
"I intend too." Bea clenched his fist and screamed. The ground beneath him shattered, dust and rocks hovered into the air, and waves of golden energy sluiced from him. Tendons and veins popped out as he strained to process every bit of energy it could. With a brilliant flash his hair became golden and eyes turn teal. He looked up at Cell with a manic grin. "Let's do this." He lashed out with a spinning kick and Cell went flying.
He caught himself in midair.
"With pleasure." Then energy rolled from Cell as he rushed Bea. Their fist collided and a shock wave cascaded over the terrain.
A furious exchange of punches and blocks took place resulting in a number of glancing blows but nothing substantial.
Then Cell thought he saw an opening, he struck out with au upper cut into Bea's midriff.
But, Bea wasn't there.
"What? Where did you go?" Cell looked around him.
In the void Bea grasped his right wrist with his left hand. "END…" White energy swirled into an orb in his open palm.
He reappeared above Cell. "GAME!"
Cell looked up in surprise. "Wha…"
A wave of brilliant energy slammed into him. He had no chance to even block. He regained his composure and fired his own ki blast back towards Bea.
Who again wasn't there.
Cell snarled, he froze in place as he felt heat against his back.
"BURNING ICE BLAST!" Bea yelled from behind Cell. The Purple beam pounded into the monster's back and sent him flying toward Bea's cocked back fist.
"How?" He sputtered before Bea's gloved hand smashed in His perfect teeth. His momentum carried Cell skyward. Bea drove the heel of his boot into the junction of Cell's head and neck. He crashed to the rocky earth.
A maelstrom of hits surrounded him, seeming to come from nowhere and yet everywhere. Then Bea appeared directly in front of him. His open palm slammed into Cell's chest, and Cell felt as though he'd been slammed through every wall in the universe.
He had no clue where he was, he was surrounded by nothing. Then there was another hit from behind and he felt slammed through those walls again. Bea was in front of him again, he grabbed Cell's head and flipped him over his back, slamming him to the ground.
Bea tried to catch his breath. Sweat rolled down his face.
Below, Cell got to his feet.
"Most impressive. I must say I'm surprised. You actually managed to damage me. Only slightly of course." He dusted himself off. "But look at you. You're exhausted. You've wasted all of your stamina on a few cheap parlor tricks."
Bea narrowed his eyes. He was more tired than he expected, Cell was stronger than he had planned. That was good though. Bea forced a smile.
"So you don't think I can beat you, huh?"
"I am quite positive that you can't, actually."
Bea's aura expanded violently and he raised both of his arms above his head. "I tend to agree."
Purple energy gathered into his open palms, swirling and weaving as it began to coalesce.
"The thing that I see that you don't, Cell, is that to beat you, I don't have to actually win." The sphere of energy expanded.
Cell cocked his head slightly. "Oh good, are you really going to try the same bluff as Goku?"
"This is my Inferno Glacier attack. The most powerful attack I know…" the sphere jumped in size again and Bea's aura became more intense, "and if it hits the planet, it will rip it to shreds. Even you can't survive that, Cell."
Bea strained and the attack reached its maximum power.
Cell scoffed. "A bluff. You wouldn't destroy this planet. Or yourself."
Bea smiled. "Oh?" Bea moved his arms back to throw the attack.
"Any last words, Cell?"
Cell's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"In case you were wondering," Bea continued, "mine are, Fuck! You!" He threw the attack.
Cell's eyes then went wide. "You actually did it?" He spat out, then cupped his hands at his side. "Well then, let's finish this. KAAAAAAAAMEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAMEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAA!" Cell released a kamehameha wave towards Bea's attack.
Their energies collided in a blinding flash of light.
oOoOoOoOo
"Wow!" Goku said excitedly as he watched Bea's instant transmission attacks on Cell. "That's pretty good stuff."
"Hmph". Vegeta scoffed and turned away. "He's getting hits in, but he's not doing much damage. This is a waste."
"He's doing pretty well, I think." Said Angel scornfully.
"Bea's technique is not in my data banks, it increases his odds of defeating Cell to approximately thirteen percent." 16 observed.
"Thirteen?" Goku looked thoughtful, "that's not very good is it?"
"Not really, Dad." Gohan continued watching.
"Guys, what's he doing?" Krillin pointed up to where Bea had began charging his attack."
"That idiot is going to destroy the planet!" Vegeta stepped forward, reading to stop Bea.
Pikada stepped in front of him with his arms spread wide, Angel stepped in behind him. "No, Vegeta. Bea might be crazy, but he's not insane. He's up to something."
"Something besides killing us all?"
"He has to be." Answered Angel. She looked at Pikada. "Right?"
"Don't worry, Vegeta, I trust him, and if his plan backfires, I'll get us out of here." Goku said. "Then we'll just use the Namekian Dragon Balls to wish back Earth.
Vegeta absentmindedly rubbed his left shoulder but then smirked. "Fine, Kakarot. For now."
oOoOoOoOo
Bea struggled to hold the pressure back from Cell's attack. His own attack was pushed back into his palms, leaving his gloves singed. He hadn't expected this amount of force. With a wince he dug deep inside and pulled every bit of his energy to the surface. His aura flared brighter and his muscles seemed to ripple under an invisible strain. He loosed a primal scream and his attack began descending towards Cell. Waves of dust washed over the assembled spectators as the two powerful energies clashed.
Cell smiled knowingly. Bea gritted his teeth until his jaw hurt. His attack pushed further.
'I need to distract him some how'. Bea thought to himself. He spread his arms for a moment and launched a ki blast from each one, his Inferno Glacier attack instantly retreated towards him, but his new blast raced around it and struck Cell.
Cell grimaced. Bea pushed hard against his attack and opened up a significant amount of space.
Cell yelled through the turmoil, "More cheap tricks, Bea? I shouldn't expect any better from a weakling like you."
Hundreds of feet above Cell, Bea smiled. 'That's enough room!' he thought. Aloud he yelled back, "Cheap tricks? You haven't seen anything…"
Suddenly Cell felt no resistance to his kamehameha wave, it pushed Bea's attack effortlessly towards orbit.
"… yet." Cell turned towards the voice suddenly at his ear. "Goodbye, Cell."
Bea stood beside Cell, mostly. He looked like a ghost to Cell. His gaze followed down Bea's spectral form and back up his arms, which disappeared into his own body. Cell's eyed went wide with fear. Actual fear.
A whisper of a voice crossed his hearing. "This is the Roshati." Then Bea ripped his arms away from each other. Cell screamed. The ground shattered from the intensity of it, but it lasted only a moment. His body disintegrated, leaving nothing behind besides a gore splattered but full tangible Bea.
Bea took a step towards his comrades, then fell to one knee. His hair changed to its natural color and drooped over his shoulders. He took shuddering breaths as his adrenaline lowered. According to Master Udon, no one had ever survived the full Roshati attack. That meant Cell was gone, of this he was certain.
The reporter and his cameraman rushed forward, as did Pikada and Angel.
"Jimmy Firecracker here folks, reporting for ZTV. Excuse me, sir, do you have anything to say?"
Bea tried to struggle to his feet but couldnt find the strength. Pikada reached under his arm and lifted him. "Good job, Bea. You did it."
The reporter stuck is microphone back in Bea's face. Angel increased her energy level enough to push him back. The slight pulse made Bea stumble.
"Gohan! Throw us a senzu!" Pikada yelled.
Gohan turned to grab a bean from Krillin, and so did not see what happened next.
A thin beam burst through Bea's back and out of his chest, followed a moment later by another from a different angle.
He tried to speak but blood welled up through his open mouth. It also spilled into his lungs. Bea's eyes went wide in a mixture of surprise, confusion, and pain. Then they lost their focus, and rolled up into his head.
Bea's knees buckled, he tried to right himself but failed and collapsed backwards. His head slammed into the rocky ground, blood matted his long hair and beard, staining them a darker red than their natural color. Again he tried to speak but nothing happened besides his lips moving. The sparkle in his eyes faded away and his head lolled to the right. Bea took one last shuddering breath and then went damningly still.
Angel and Pikada watched this last spasm and then quickly spun. They both went still with shock, along with the other fighters. There floating in air to their left was Cell. And to their right, another Cell. One Perfect, one semi-perfect. Both looking enraged. Both had a single finger extended in a pose that reminded all of the Earth's special forces of Frieza.
Angel and Pikada both swung back and looked at the corpse that had been both friend and mentor, they then slowly turned back.
As one they screamed in pure rage. Golden energy erupted as they drew upon their super saiyan forms. The last two members of the Saiyan Mercenaries Guild glanced at each other. They nodded. Together they rushed the semi-perfect Monster as Vegeta and Goku both launched at the perfect formed creature.
Both of the Cells smirked and then powered up.
"All bets are off, Let's do this!" Yelled perfect Cell. He rushed the Saiyans, and when they met, the Earth rang like a bell from the impact.
The final battle had begun.