"Thanks, Piccolo…" Gohan said. He stood up.

Cell flew back to the battlefield. "Who wants to die!" He shouted. He glared around, trying to find out who did it… "WHO HIT ME!" Cell roared.

"Well, since you asked." A voice shouted. "I did."

Cell's eyes shot open. "BUT, I KILLED YOU!" Cell's jaw dropped.

"You're not the only one that can survive his own demise." Ichidou answered.

"HOW DID YO…" He didn't get the words out, because Ichidou was knocking him away again, this time twice as far. No one even saw him move.

"Thanks, for the senzu, dad!" Ichidou said, looking up. "Dad told me not to get up unless you needed me." He said, walking towards his younger self. "He found me, I was barely alive. He told me to turn on my ki distorter, and put me down next to Piccolo. He fed me a senzu right before bringing me back here." He flew towards Gohan. Ichidou's shirt was completely blown off, his chest was stained with blood from old wounds. His arms were decorated with scars. His robotic arm was ripped in places, revealing the metal underneath. Luckily, the arm seemed to still work…

"But, I saw you die, I saw you fly off…" Gohan said, eyes wide.

"Since when has the kamehameha ever pushed someone to their death?" Ichidou said. "Since when has a mountain landing on someone like us ever killed one of us. Remind me to thank Bulma later. It was her that added that new energy shield. I didn't even know about until the stupid thing turned on at the last possible moment…" he said. "Cell broke the shield at the last second. I was hit by only about thirty percent of the whole blast." He looked up at Piccolo.

"Why did you stay out?" Piccolo asked.

"Sorry for deceiving you." He said. "You don't understand…" He looked at his younger self. "The power boost I got from taking that kamehameha was sufficient to make me much, much stronger. Your father knew that you were strong enough as soon as you ascended beyond super saiyan. He told me that you had the fight. He was afraid that if you saw me get back up, that you would lose your boost in power, and not want to fight anymore…" he said. "I'm sorry…"

"I…guess I understand…" Gohan said. "I…forgive you…" He said.

"Sorry to tell you this, Gohan, but you're no longer strong enough to defeat Cell." Ichidou said.

"But you are, right?" Gohan asked.

"No, no I'm not. No one is…" Ichidou said.

"Then there isn't any way to beat him? It's pointless?" Gohan asked.

"Did I say that?" Ichidou said. "I said that no one can defeat Cell. Two should be more than enough…" he said. "Let's avenge our dads together…" Ichidou said. "I will avenge my father, and you shall avenge yours."

"No, we avenge our father." Gohan said. "If I became you, I would not be ashamed. If I grow up to be even half the person you are, I know dad would have been proud of me." Gohan said. Ichidou smiled weakly at his younger self.

"Sounds like an idea to me." He said. Ichidou wasn't certain that the two of them would be enough, but they were going to try…

Cell climbed out of the rubble, enraged by his embarrasment. He was spending more time trying to get back onto the battle field than actually fighting in it. He came flying full speed, and stopped. "You…that was a lucky shot…you won't get another…" Cell said.

"Lucky shot, huh?" Ichidou said. He reached deep inside himself. He pulled out all of the bad memories, trying to find something that could push him beyond super saiyan… He remembered his father, lying there, in his casket. He called upon the memory of his mother, weeping uncontrollably. He remembered Vegeta, dying to save him. He remembered Krillen, Yamcha and Tien, standing while Piccolo retreated with himself in tow.

He remembered Piccolo. How the namek tried to reassure him. How Piccolo saved his life. He remembered waking up, and seeing that tiny scrap of cloth. That scrap, that told him that his mentor was dead.

"This, this is for dad, Vegeta, Krillen, Tien, Yamcha, and Chaoutzu…" He roared. Power flowed into him, coming at him from all sides. "I SHALL AVENGE YOUR DEATHS!" He shouted. The barrier was right there, right there. He could feel himself touching it, straining its limitations, his limitations.

And it shattered. The barrier that separated him from the remainder of his power. He felt more strength flow into him than he had ever felt before. His senses heightened, his reflexes sharpened. "THIS IS FOR PICCOLO!" He said. Suddenly, with an explosion of power bright enough to blind everyone else, Ichidou went beyond super saiyan.

Gohan had never seen anything like it before, and only seconds later realized that it was precisely what had happened to him. Ichidou's hair didn't grow, but it certainly sharpened. It looked like a cascade of golden needles flowing off of his back. Ichidou was standing like he was the pillar upon which the whole world rested. Gohan's aura looked like it had little shocks of electricity being coursed through it. Ichidou's looked like he was carrying a lightning storm with him. His eyes were filled with unfathomable rage…

Cell's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe how these saiyans kept coming up with someone stronger to fight. "That's not fair, bringing someone back for a second round, that's breaking the rules of the game…"

"You said the game was over." Ichidou said. "I say the game is over. I'm not going to fight you."

'Than who is?" Cell mused.

"We are." Both Gohans answered. And with those words, the two Gohans, future and present, attacked.

Ichidou swung for Cell's face. The android blocked his attack, only to see Gohan come at his stomach with a kick. He blocked that attack, went to attack Ichidou, but hit only an after image. As though he was being punished for his miss, sure enough, Gohan kicked him in the side of the head.

Gohan sweep kicked his feet, but Cell jumped over his leg, Gohan came from above this time, and slammed his foot in his face. He punched at Gohan, but Gohan wasn't there anymore. He felt an attack come from behind, and he ducked just in time to see Gohan's foot go over head. He forgot about Ichidou, who responded by blasting his right arm off from inches away. Cell blocked an attack from Gohan with his left leg, but he wound up blocking another after image.

This time, he didn't get caught off guard. Cell blocked Gohan's real attack, which was coming from above. Cell punched at Gohan. He realized at the last second that Ichidou was behind him. Ichidou kicked at Cell, but the android ducked just in time. Ichidou's foot missed Gohan's head by mere inches.

Both of them realized that Cell had retreated at that second. He was able to stay away long enough for his arm to regenerate, but he didn't get a breather. Ichidou charged straight at him. Cell prepared himself, but forgot about Gohan for moment.

The boy kicked Cell in the back of the head. Cell's head bounced off, and straight into Ichidou's foot, who kicked him in the face. Cell swung for Ichidou, but he wasn't there anymore. Ichidou rewarded his mistake with a kick to the back of his head. Cell reached behind him to hit Ichidou, but Gohan was in front of him. Gohan kicked him away, so fast that Ichidou had to bend over backwards in order to avoid a collision.

The two of them let Cell get up, but no more time than that. All those kicks to the head made Cell see four Gohan's instead of two for a second. This time, he was ready. Gohan came at him. Cell expected Ichidou to appear behind him, and swung behind him, knowing that that was precisely where the warrior would be.

Instead, Gohan himself came up and kneed Cell in the face. Cell fell back, wondering where Ichidou ran off to. He turned around, hoping to see the older fighter. He was rewarded for his curiosity when Ichidou elbowed him in the stomach. Cell flew back through the air. Gohan was ready for him.

Gohan raised his fists into the air, and spiked Cell straight into the ground as soon as the android reached him. Cell pulled himself out of the crater. He stood up, the action itself painful, and tried to shake the dizzy sensations from out of his head.

"Bravo, my good Gohans…" He said. "I don't think you realize just all that I am capable of." He said. Suddenly, the android divided himself in to two Cells. "Thank you, Tien!" One of the Cell's said. "Shall we?" One Cell said. "Let's shall…" The other said. The two Cells then attacked the two Gohans.

A/N: Yes, I was planning on bringing him back from the beginning. I hope you enjoyed my flip flop of the shows story line…this is getting interesting, isn't it, my audience…