Ascension

Goku was panting. He had no idea what had happened. He was back in his base form. He was running as fast as his legs could carry him. He had to get away and get help. He kept glancing behind him to see if he was being followed. To his relief he wasn't.

"What did he mean I have multiple quirks?" Goku pondered before his eyes widened in surprise. He dodged to the left as a ki blast flew past him.

"Who honestly cares?" asked Cell as he walked towards Goku who jumped to his feet, "Your grandfather certainly didn't."

"What? Grandpa Gohan?" asked Goku asked. Cell just grinned.

"Oh, right All For One didn't tell you. I forgot" he laughed while Goku looked on.

"Didn't tell me what?" he asked, this time with urgency.

"Your grandfather worked for All For One. Well it was more of a favour for him saving Gohan's life," Cell revealed as Goku struggled to comprehend what he had just been told. Cell shrugged, "The old fool actually began to care for you and see you as his grandson. He refused to hand you over to All For One so that he could take your quirks. In response All For One proceeded to do the single most cruel thing he could think of."

"He made you kill Gohan." Cell said. It was one sentence, but it devastated Goku. Everything came flooding back to him. Memories that had been buried either by All For One or pure trauma he didn't know. He saw himself blast a hole straight through a weakened Gohan's chest. His first kill.

"No. I didn't do…anything wrong. I can't!" cried Goku in anguish. He began to tear up and he was losing the will to fight. He had killed the last person to ever look after him. Regardless of whether he had been controlled or not he still ended Gohan's life.

"Oh, but you can. You had a taste for blood when you were young. Why do you think you had no qualms with killing that Nomu in Hosu City? Or better yet Frieza? It felt normal" Cell continued to mock and Goku collapsed to his knees. Tears streamed down his face and he couldn't bring himself to move. Cell approached him but he didn't have the fight in him anymore.

"This was fun. Let's do it again some time" Cell remarked sarcastically as he prepared to knock Goku out.

"There won't be a next time!" declared Jiro as she tackled Cell away from her friend. Cell gasped in surprise as the pair tumbled to the ground and Goku looked worried, "Don't give up Goku! Please!"

"Impudent bastard" growled Cell as he flung Jiro off of him. She skidded along the ground before coming to a stop. She tried to get up, but Cell held her down with tree roots. He approached her and grabbed her by the throat before hoisting her into the air, "Let's see your blood."

"Goku…ack…" gurgled Jiro as Cell squeezed. She weakly attempted to fight back but her efforts were in vain. Goku watched as the life began to vanish from her eyes.

"Let her go" he warned Cell who simply chuckled.

"Don't be impatient. I'll get to you after I kill your friend here" he said. He failed to notice Goku getting to his feet, his rage building.

"I said. Let. Her. GOOOOOO!" he roared as he transformed into his Super state. Plumes of dust were thrown into the air and the ground cracked. Cell was surprised by this sudden outburst of power and his grip on Jiro lessoned.

"What the…" he started before a fist connected with his face and he was launched away. Goku stood where the Bio-Android once was and in his arms, he held a coughing Jiro.

"You okay?" he asked with concern. Jiro looked up weakly and smiled.

"I am now I've got my best friend back" she replied and Goku smiled in turn. He placed her on her feet, making sure to be careful and turned his attention back to Cell.

"That attack won't have finished him off. I'm not allowed to use my quirk out in public. We've got to move" he commented before grabbing Jiro's hand and running away. She stumbled at first but regained her bearings and kept up.

"You're not going anywhere!" shouted Cell as he appeared beside Goku and batted him away. The blonde-haired teen swung Jiro around mid-air into his chest and clutched her close to him. He took the full brunt of the impact. He loosened his grip on Jiro and the pair stood up.

"Goku we can't run, and we can't fight. He's going to kill us" Jiro was starting to panic and to her surprise so was Goku.

"I know. I'll try to hold him off while you escape" Goku sounded uncertain of what was going to happen and that was worrying. He went to move forward but found Jiro holding him back. She had tears in her eyes.

"I won't let you throw your life away for me! I'm not worth that much to you! I'm just a burden!" she cried in despair while Goku looked flabbergasted at what she had said.

"Does she really think she gets in the way?" he thought, "Jiro."

"What?" she sobbed.

"Don't you ever think you're my burden. You hear me? Not once have I ever considered you as such," he began as he held Jiro's face in his hands. The pair locked eyes, "I'm going to fight him to keep you safe. You're worth it. Every ounce of fight I have left in me is going towards keeping him from you."

As Jiro stared into Goku's greenish-blue eyes she felt the sudden urge to kiss him. She had finally realised after all the time the two had spent together that she had fallen for her best friend. She gave a small smile.

"What's the smile for?" asked Goku with a smile of his own.

"Nothing. You just better come back" she commanded before taking Goku's hands in her own. He slowly removed his hands from her face and turned in the direction Cell was approaching from. He turned his head one last time to look at Jiro.

"I meant what I said you know. You mean more to me than you can even imagine" he assured before blasting towards Cell who responded in kind. Jiro watched the pair begin their fight with a heavy yet hopeful heart. She turned and began to escape. She could hear the sounds of the battle even from a distance. Then she heard a scream of pain. From the voice alone she could tell Goku was in trouble. She stopped running and turned around, looking back in the direction she had just come from.

"I'm going back to make sure he keeps his promise," she whispered to herself before eyeing a nearby music store that had been evacuated. An idea formulated. She ran over and opened the door which hadn't been locked in the panic. She grabbed a roller and using all her strength lifted a massive speaker up onto it. She began to roll it out of the door and back towards the scene of the fight, "Hang in there Goku. I'm coming."

When Goku and Cell first connected the ground beneath them fractured. Cell was smirking while Goku was gritting his teeth. While their right arms were connected Goku swung his left around to hit Cell in the face. Cell simply caught the attack with his left hand.

"Cute trick" he remarked before pushing Goku's fist away throwing the teen off balance. Cell took this opportunity to charge a ki blast in his left hand and blast it into Goku's face, with Goku having to break contact with Cell just to block. When he dropped his arms, he was met with a sucker punch which sent him flying backwards towards the remaining wall of a building. Goku regained his balance mid-air and propelled himself of the wall using his feet. His aura appeared as he pulled his right arm back and clenched his fist. Cell, a little too arrogantly, prepared to counter. Goku threw the punch which ricocheted of Cell's arm. What Cell didn't expect was for Goku to use the momentum to a stationary side spin mid-air before uncurling and dealing a powerful kick to Cell's head. The impact caused the Bio-Android to be launched. He skidded across the ground before using Kamui Woods' quirk to create a wall of wood for him to crash against.

"Why you little…" he growled as he stood. Goku couldn't help but smirk, something that angered Cell even more, "You think you've got a chance?! Ha! How wrong you are."

"I don't have to win. I just have to keep you busy" Goku responded.

"You're funeral" grinned Cell before he disappeared from view. Goku immediately entered a fighting stance and concentrated. Cell was camouflaged and could completely lower his ki signature. Goku prepared to block and if he was lucky, counter. The first strike came from above and Goku barely caught it in time from when Cell reappeared. However, he wasn't quick enough to catch Cell's kick to his side. He lost his grip on Cell's fist and the Bio-Android disappeared again. Goku prepared himself once more. Unfortunately, he wasn't as fortunate as last time. Cell hit him in the back before grabbing him by the back of the head and slamming him into the ground. He lifted Goku's head and proceeded to slam his face into the ground three more times.

"Why won't you just die?!" shouted an angry Cell before turning Goku over and lifting him up by the tatters of his shirt.

"Where'd you think you got your tenacity from?" joked Goku in a croaky voice. Cell was livid. Then he smirked.

"Allow me to thank you personally" he remarked with evil intent before letting go of Goku's shirt and quickly locking his arms around him. Cell pulled the boy in tight and began to crush him. Goku started to scream in pain as Cell's hold on him tightened, "Yes beg for mercy!"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" echoed as Goku felt multiple ribs snap. Tears of pain appeared in his eye and he clenched his jaw shut in pain. He was barely keeping his eyes open.

"Any last words?" mocked Cell.

"Just three. Rock and Roll" came the sudden voice of Jiro. Cell let Goku go and turned to face her. Instead he was blasted by vibrations from the speaker Jiro had acquired earlier. She had plugged her jacks into it and was increasing the volume. Cell writhed in pain while Goku lay on the ground. The latter started to pull himself out of the way. Slowly but surely, he did. Cell noticed and went to grab him, but Jiro turned the volume up even more. Cell's pain increased and he collapsed to his knees. When he appeared defeated Jiro turned her attention to Goku. He was slowly getting to his feet but winced with every moment. The pain was unbearable and it showed. Jiro lost concentration for but a moment showing concern. The volume and power of the vibrations decreased and Cell managed to launch a ki blast at the speaker which exploded. Jiro was thrown back a little way, still conscious.

"Well Goku. I think I'll kill you now. Then you can die knowing you failed to protect her" Cell growled. He began to limp over to Goku only for a rock to hit him dead in the face.

"Leave him alone!" cried Jiro. She threw another rock which Cell batted away. She kept throwing rocks with the same response until Cell had finally had enough.

"Fine then. You'll die first" he announced before charging a massive ki blast. Jiro realised the situation.

"There's no point in running. I won't get clear in time" she muttered sadly. She was about to die. At least she managed to be a hero one last time.

"DIE!" screamed Cell as he fired the ki blast. Jiro prepared herself for the blast. An explosion erupted from where she stood. Rock and dust was thrown into the air. Cell lowered his arm and gave a triumphant grin. However, the grin soon vanished as his eyes opened in shock. The dust cleared and there standing in front of Jiro using his left arm as a shield was Goku. Jiro was hunched behind him with her head turned away, eyes closed, and arms raised. She noticed she was unharmed and opened her eyes to evaluate herself. Then she noticed Goku who dropped his left arm. It was incredibly bloody and limp.

"Goku…you took that for me?" she muttered. Goku weakly turned his head and gave a reassuring smile.

"Of course. No way was I going to let that monster hurt you" he replied with a positive look in his eyes despite the situation. Jiro looked at him, gave a small smile and closed her eyes.

"Thank you," she said before opening her eyes again in concern, "Goku you're arm!"

"Yeah. It's completely broken" he chuckled, "I can't move it." Jiro didn't know how he could stay optimistic, but it was relieving to see.

"As much as I'm impressed you're both still alive I'm afraid it's over. You can't fight in your current state Goku so I'll make your deaths as quick as possible. Think of it as a gift" Cell mocked before cupping his hands at his side, a gesture Goku immediately recognised.

"Ka. Me. Ha. Me…" Cell chanted as a cyan energy built up between his hands.

"Jiro you need to move now!" Goku commanded before raising his still functioning arm and looking at his hand. He clenched it tight with determination.

"Right. But are you sure you can form a Kamehameha with just one hand?" she asked as she moved back.

"We're about to find out" he quickly replied as he reopened his hand and began to draw it to his side, "Ka… Me…"

"You can't possibly hope to defeat me! This attack has enough power to destroy the entire solar system!" gloated Cell but Goku remained unfazed.

"Ha… Me…" he continued as the orb of blue energy in his hand grew bigger and more powerful. Cell finally finished charging.

"HAAAAAAA!" he shouted as he thrust his arms forward and his cyan beam rocketed towards Goku.

"HAAAAAAA!" roared Goku as his aura roared to life and fired his own attack. The two beams collided in a brief blast of cyan and blue energy. The collision shattered the windows and destroyed the ground beneath it. A mass of energy formed from where the two Kamehamehas connected and grew. Cell shouted as he poured more power into his attack. His beam began to push back Goku's who was straining his arm.

"RRRRAAAAGGGGHHHH!" bellowed Goku as he used all the power at his disposal to push back Cell's Kamehameha. For a brief moment the two were at a stalemate. That was until Cell smirked.

"Time I stopped holding back!" he shouted over the noise and Goku was taken aback in shock. Cell tensed his arms and pushed them forward with his Kamehameha growing in size and power as a result. He once again began to overwhelm Goku who this time could not push back.

"N…no. I can't win. He's too strong," Goku muttered in pain as his adrenaline was beginning to wear off, "I'm completely spent. It's over."

"Goku! You can do this!" cried Jiro and Goku glanced over to see her behind cover. She looked determined and assure of his victory. Goku's eyes took that determination and doubled it. He turned back to Cell and poured every ounce of power he had left into his beam. He pushed back the beam.

"Incredible. Though I'm not done yet" revealed Cell as his aura sprung to life and his beam overwhelmed Goku's once more. Cell's Kamehameha neared and now Goku had no chance to beat him, "This is my true, perfect power Goku! None can match it!" Then he was hit in the eyes with something.

"My eyes! Who dares?" he growled. He squinted and saw two earphone jacks retract back to Jiro. She had managed to get closer to Cell without him realizing and taken the opportunity to distract him, "You little… It's high time I killed you!"

"What's that?" asked Jiro before looking down at the ground. A piece of wood jutted out from the ground and sank into her left leg. It was a clean entry and it came out the other side, "GAAAAAGGGGHHH!"

"Hurts doesn't it?" mocked Cell before using Kamui Woods' quirk to create two walls of wood that were closing in on Jiro to crush her. She desperately tried to break free, but another piece of wood sank into her right leg. She screamed in pain. She was bleeding profusely. Goku, whose head was lowered with his legs and right arm giving way heard her screams and weakly raised his head. When he saw Cell torturing Jiro something inside of him snapped. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth as his rage boiled. It continued to rise higher and higher to the point where Goku thought he was about to explode.

"You monster. You'll pay for that," he muttered. Cell turned his full attention back to Goku when he heard him speak. Goku opened his eyes, now filled to the brim with rage, and glared deeply into Cell's, "You'll. Pay for THHHHAAAATTTTT!"

"What is this?!" asked a shocked Cell. Jiro weakly opened one eye. Goku was changing. His aura was taking on a jagged, fierce flame-like appearance as opposed to its usual smooth and flowing appearance. It began to pulse at a higher frequency. Blue sparks of electricity began to constantly surround his body. His hair became spikier and stood up more with some of his bangs going up. His muscle mass barely increased. Two things were clear though for both spectators. Goku had just transformed into a more powerful form and he was livid.

"You attacked my training camp; you attacked my friends. But then you had to go and torture Jiro! You're going to regret doing that Cell cause now I'm mad. I'm really really mad. And now it's time…TO PAYYYYY!" roared Goku as his rage and power exploded. He pulled his right arm back before thrusting it forward again into his Kamehameha. The energy beam exploded with power and completely overwhelmed Cell's which dissipated instantly. Cell looked on in fear as Goku's attack rapidly approached him.

"How?" he asked quietly as the enormous energy beam loomed over him. He screamed in fear and pain as he was enveloped. His body began to fall apart quicker than his regeneration could put him back together. He managed to look forwards and saw Goku with his right arm outstretched slowly walking forward with a look of anger and tiredness on his face. He kept powering his Kamehameha, making sure to erase each part of Cell from existence. Cell screamed in pain as his body finally gave way and he was completely disintegrated. Goku finally stopped fuelling his Kamehameha, which dissipated a few moments later, and collapsed to his knees.

"It's…over" he panted before using his remaining strength to limp over to Jiro who was close to passing out. Luckily the walls of wood fell apart the moment Cell perished but the pieces of wood in Jiro's legs remained. Goku snapped them off where they exited the ground. Jiro fell and Goku caught her with his right arm. He helped her away and helped her to the ground where he also sat down.

"Knew you could do it" Jiro managed to say. Goku placed his hand on the wood still in her right leg and gripped it tightly.

"This is going to hurt. I'll be as quick as possible" he promised with Jiro giving a small nod. Using his newfound strength, Goku ripped the wood from Jiro's leg, the latter screaming in pain. Goku then proceeded to quickly use his quirk to cauterise the wound. He then repeated the process on her left leg. When he had cauterised the wound in her left leg, he collapsed next to her and depowered.

"You got him" Jiro said.

"Yeah. He's not coming back from that" responded Goku. Jiro moved over slightly and Goku wrapped his right arm around her, pulling her in close. She was initially taken back but became relaxed, snuggling into his embrace. Fatigue finally took over and she fell asleep. She was breathing softly. Goku smiled at her and pulled her in closer. He had a lot to process, such as his new form, but for now he needed to rest. Despite the sounds of intense battle not far away Goku found his eyes closing and he willingly accepted the darkness.