Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Written by: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Edited by: StevenBodner and SparkerLightning

A/N: To the Guest, Saiyans4ever, that sent me their plans for an entire crossover story involving Dragon Ball and Senran Kagura, I just wanted to thank you for considering me a good enough writer to bring your idea to life. I really appreciate such a high compliment. However, I am afraid I must decline on the ground that I know absolutely nothing about Senran Kagura and have too many things on my waiting list (*cough*DemonSlayer*cough*) to really get invested in that right now. It is a good idea though, and you should really give it a go at trying to right it yourself. Mental afflictions are the worst (trust me, I know), but I believe in you! I would love to read your story one day, however you see fit to write it or have it written. :)

Chapter 98: Goku vs Cell, Part 2

Earlier that week...

Goku took in a deep breath and let it out, signifying the end of this particular bout of training. He looked forward at the training dummies he had set up and saw four destroyed forms lying about the ground. Goku nodded and closed his eyes, falling to the ground into a cross-legged sitting position. The Saiyan from Earth crossed his arms over his chest and began to think hard.

Grandpa Gohan had given him the techniques, King Kai had given him advice, now Goku just needed to figure out the best way to pull this off. Cell was a strong, fast, and cunning foe. If Goku was going to make these techniques work at the Cell Games, then he would have to pull off the execution perfectly.

Back in the present, on King Kai's Planet...

King Kai sat up in his bed and put the bag of ice on his forehead to the side. His antennae twitched and he gazed upon the fight going on between Goku and Cell. He watched as the two of them clashed and immediately knew that his student was at a disadvantage. "Oh Goku..."

The deity clenched his fists tight and nodded. "I believe in you, Goku. You've got this!"

On the sidelines...

As the Z-Fighters all focused intensely on the fight going on below, the excess staff of Jimmy Firecracker's television crew beat a hasty retreat. The only people left behind were Jimmy Firecracker, Mr. Satan, Miss Piiza, and Larry the Cameraman. Miss Piiza scoffed. "This is ridiculous! How are we supposed to cover this farce properly if we only have one camera?!"

Jimmy Firecracker smiled. "No need to worry, Miss Piiza! Larry is my most experienced cameraman! He can help us cover this better than anyone else!"

Larry chuckled. "Don't worry, Miss Piiza~ I'll make sure to catch your good side!"

Miss Piiza turned her nose up. "You say that like I have bad sides! Can you believe this, Mr. Satan?"

Mr. Satan didn't respond. Instead he, much like the Z-Fighters, kept his focus firmly locked onto the ongoing fight. There was no telling how this might all end, but anyone with a brain was invested in the outcome.

Back in the present, at the Cell Games...

Goku and Cell were both giving it their all as they brawled across the wasteland. With hits so powerful they could fissure the ground, the two of them had only one thought in their mind: win! Goku punch Cell hard in the gut, and then with a kick he sent the monster flying. Using his Instant Transmission, Goku appeared right above Cell and stomped him into the ground, knocking the wind out of the monster and sending Mr. Satan's championship belt clattering off to the side.

Cell quickly regained his focus and thrust his hand up at Goku, firing a blast that engulfed the Saiyan from Earth and shredded off his orange gi. Goku went flying and landed onto his back, bouncing up and landing on his feet. Cell got back to his feet as well and the two warriors stared one another down.

Goku was breathing heavy, but made and effort to stand his ground against Cell. Cell, on the other hand, was quite cool-headed. He could see through the front that Goku was putting on. The two of them were equal in strength, much to Cell's delight, but Cell had one ki advantage over Goku that the Saiyan just couldn't cope with. "You're getting tired, aren't you Goku~?"

The bio-Android chuckled. "I can see it. The fire within you is shaking, sputtering even! How much more do you have in you before you just collapse?"

Goku scowled. "H-However much it takes to put you down!"

Cell laughed. "Ah yes, bravado! Very nice. But, Goku, that bravado won't save the ones you care for. It won't save those fools gawking at us from the nearby cliff. Once you die, they will be next. I wonder who will die first? Probably Yamcha..."

Goku flared his power. "I know how you work, Cell! I'm not going to let you get to me!"

Cell cocked his head. "Oh?"

Goku clenched his fists. "I should have known. You had this planned from the beginning! That ring was just a front you were putting on! You never planned for this to be any kind of real tournament..."

Cell sighed. "It hurts that you would accuse me of such savagery. It really does, Goku. I never planned for a real tournament from the start? That's quite incorrect. I did plan for this to be a tournament in the beginning. And, if you had managed to throw me out of the ring, I would have happily declared you the victor~"

Goku narrowed his eyes at the monster. Cell sighed. "Fine. I might have still blown up the Earth, but I would not have denied that you beat me fair and square. But now, we can't have that reality! You and your strength shattered my dear ring. You made me realize that our fight was simply too much to be contained in a single platform! We room to really stretch our legs and fight to our fullest! Wouldn't you say so, Goku?"

Goku took on a fighting stance. "That's a really long-winded way to say that you were afraid of losing and decided to shift things in your favor..."

Cell narrowed his eyes. "Don't you dare become too presumptuous, Goku. That will get you killed..."

Goku's power flared again. "I've still yet to hit you with everything I've got."

Cell smirked. "I could say the very same~"

And then, the fight was back on. Cell sped into Goku as fast as he could and hammered his fist deep into the Saiyan's gut. Goku wheezed, a small spray of blood shooting from his mouth. Cell went for a punch, but Goku parried that with his forearm. Cell tried to raise his leg for a kick, but Goku stopped that by stomping onto the monster's knee. Goku and Cell glared at one another and Goku shouted. "You'll need more than that to finish me off, Cell!"

Cell nodded. "Very well. Let's see how you can handle the original techniques I've spent the past ten days thinking up!"

Goku flinched. "Wha-?"

Cell pressed his hand to Goku's chest and shouted. "Gravity Impact!"

What emerged from Cell's hand was a move not unlike a standard Kiai. This one, however, felt a lot stronger, the sheer force of it going off sending fissures spreading around the epicenter of Cell for miles. Goku gasped, his eyes going white, as the force of 100 nuclear bombs crashed into his chest and sent him flying back. Goku slammed into the side of a mountain and was sent flying through the rocks as easily as a knife through butter. The mountain collapsed atop Goku and left the Saiyan buried. Cell laughed. "How did that one feel, Goku?! A shockwave attack delivered with all of the force my perfect body is capable of producing! Did it hurt?!"

In response, Goku shot out of the mountain and immediately dive-kicked back at Cell. The monster caught the Saiyan's foot and sent him recoiling into the air. Goku landed behind Cell and went for a back punch, but Cell spun around and caught Goku's fist. The two of them glared at one another, Goku with a scowl and Cell will a smirk. The monster was quite pleased at the side of a stream of blood drippling down Goku's face. Reaching out with his free hand, the monster wiped up a bit of Goku's blood and licked it off of his fingertip. "Exquisite~"

Goku snarled. "You're disgusting!"

Cell laughed. "You've never even seen what I can do with my tail~"

Goku's elbow shot forward and Cell blocked it with his own elbow. "Sluggish moves, Goku! Are we throwing in the towel already?!"

Goku spat a glob of blood. "Never!"

And then, he pushed forward. The monster was giving it his best to hold Goku back, but the Saiyan seemed to be pulling strength out of nowhere. Cell growled. "What the hell?!"

He listened closely. In spite of the effort Goku was putting in, his breathing was unnervingly calm. He pushed harder and harder, his strength only seeming to grow as he did. At the same time, if only subtly, Goku's moving speed slowly just a bit. Cell was confused. "What in the hell are you-"

Goku's muscles ballooned, not to the size of a Super Saiyan Grade 3, but still noticeably bigger. Cell flinched, and then a pair of clasped hands clubbed him upside the head and sent him crashing to the ground. Cell went bouncing, but managed to slide back to his feet and stood. The monster wiped his busted lip. "Wow...you must be desperate. Or...is that storage of power you had at the beginning of the fight already depleted?"

There Goku stood, his teeth clenched and his body shifted into the form of Super Saiyan Grade 2, the same one that Vegeta had used in his fight against Cell. For the first time in the entire fight, Goku smirked. He clenched his fists. "Not desperate. The attacks I'm about to use just require a more deliberate movement style. So, I might as well pack as much power into them as possible!"

Cell rolled his eyes. "And you think you'll be able to hit me with that? Have you not observed my superior speed?"

Goku sighed. "I'll admit, you're much faster than me in this current form. But..."

Goku suddenly vanished from sight. Cell flinched and then a foot crashed into the back of his head and sent him slamming to the ground. Cell snarled and stood back up. "That move again..."

The Saiyan from Earth pressed his fingers to his forehead and then vanished. In an instant, he appeared right above Cell and rained down a chop onto the top of the monster's head. Blood spurted from Cell's nose and he clapped his hands upward, only to miss and eat a massive punch to the gut. Cell grinded his teeth, Goku glared up at him. And then, the two grappled.

In close range, with Cell's movements heavily restricted, Cell had quite the disadvantage. Goku manhandled the bio-Android like a disobedient child, lifting him up and then planting him flat on his back. Cell got to his feet, but Goku moved nimbly. He twisted Cell's arm into an unnatural bend and elbowed him in the chest. Cell sneered and yanked Goku up, going for a modified standing slam. But, at the last moment, Goku hooked his leg around Cell's throat and brought the monster down hard. Cell was furious, yanking at his arm with all of his strength, but losing in the tug-of-war with Goku. He shouted. "Get off me!"

Goku rolled, twisting his body around and pulling Cell's arm with him. Cell growled. "To hell with this!"

He rolled the opposite way and pulled his shoulder in the opposite direction. With a swift yank and a sickening tear, Cell ripped is arm off in one clean motion. Continuing to roll, the monster got back to his feet and swung around, regrowing his lost limb and using it to fling a Murder Grenade at Goku. Goku, also back to his feet from a ground roll, used Cell's severed arm to deflect the attack right back at the monster. Cell sneered and thrust his index and middle finger into the air, making the Murder Grenade burst.

And then, Goku came rushing through the dust cloud of the exploded blast and delivered a flying knee to Cell's jaw. Cell skid back several feet, but Goku was relentless. Pulling his hands to his sides and charging them with pink ki, Goku got right into Cell's face and discharged an attack. "Mother Blast!"

Incensed at Goku gaining the advantage yet again, the monster raised his hands into the air and formed a Rebellion's Edge on each. He slammed them down at Goku in a cross-chop like pattern, but Goku reacted quickly with two Rebellion's Edges of his own, blocking Cell's attack and leaving the two in a stalemate once again. Cell looked livid, but he eventually managed a wry smirk. "You know...you really are a fighting genius. At the very least, no one can call you an idiot in a battle..."

Cell began to press down. "But..."

Goku was at the disadvantage with leverage in this one. Cell wasn't that much taller than him, but it was still enough to apply more of his weight on top of Goku. At this rate, the Saiyan would be chopped in half. He knew it would only work once, but Goku had to pull out a secret weapon here. Struggling, he cried out. "PICCOLO! POPO! EARS!"

On the sidelines...

Jimmy Firecracker was confused. "Ladies and gentlemen at home, I am unsure why...but Son Goku just shouted 'Piccolo! Popo! Ears!'. Is this perhaps some form of secret code?!"

Miss Piiza rolled her eyes. "It's probably some sort of stage call for the next section of the show they're putting on..."

The rest of the Z-Fighters were confused. Only becoming more confused when Piccolo used Magic Materialization to poof a pair of soundproof earphones over his ears.

At Goku's house...

Moving quickly, Mr. Popo reached forward and jammed the tips of his index fingers into Dende's ears.

Back on the battlefield...

Cell still looked confused. Goku took a deep breath and then, before the monster could react, he let out the loudest, shrillest, most high-pitched whistle he could muster. All at once, Cell's body shuddered. His irises warbled and his eyes began to water. The bio-Android slammed his hands over his earcups and screamed in a tone that conveyed true pain and agony. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"

Goku reacted quickly, rushing into Cell's unguarded form and taking on a tight stance and a knife-handed stroke. "Eat this! Crane-Style: Counted Overhand Stroke!"

Goku lunged at the paralyzed Cell and delivering three four-fingered knife-hand chops into Cell's diaphragm, disrupting his breathing. He put down his pinkies and jabbed his three-fingered chops into each of the joints on Cell's arms, rendering them both dead. He put down his ring fingers and jammed his two-fingered jabs into Cell's neck, striking pressure points that helped negate Cell's ki flow. And then, Goku put down all but one of his fingers, rushing into and stabbing a one-fingered jab into Cell's chest with the force of a shotgun blast. Cell's chest caved in and then, with force, a massive hole blew clean through his chest, chunks of the monster's wicked heart flying out and splattering onto the ground.

As a waterfall of purple flooded from Cell's mouth and his eyes rolled back, Goku flipped back and admired his handiwork. He took a deep breath. "That's one of the most dangerous techniques from Tien's Crane School. He taught me how to do it during our two-year training for Dr. Gero's Androids to show up. It's an assassination move, apparently...one that he was planning to use on me before he had his change of heart at the 22nd Tournament..."

The Saiyan frowned. "I know, per the rules of the Tournament, we aren't supposed to kill. And it would shame my honor as a fighter to break such rules, even in a farce like this..."

His face hardened. "But I guess I'm still good on breaking that rule. You can quit the act now..."

Cell's eyes rolled back to normal position and he puffed out his cheeks. "You're no fun. How am I supposed to shock you if you just refuse to be shocked...?"

Goku sneered. "I'm not here to play your games..."

Cell sighed. "Fine..."

And then, with very little effort, the monster repaired all of the damage Goku had done with his ki and Namekian regenerative capabilities. Not in the mood to snark, Cell charged a Goku and Goku responded with a side kick. Cell raised his arm up and blocked Goku's strike. Moving with care, Goku slipped down and threw a punch at Cell's jaw. Cell responded by slamming his head down and blocking the punch with his forehead. Goku responded to this by using his free leg to boot Cell in the face and send him flying into the air.

Goku leapt into the air after him and grabbed Cell tightly around the waist, going for a corkscrew front lotus piledriver. Cell quickly broke from this attempt by flaring his wings and knocking Goku away. As Goku flew through the air, disoriented, Cell lunged forward and punched the Saiyan in the eyes, sending the Saiyan crashing headfirst into the ground. As Cell went down to take advantage, a lightning quick right hook came up and crashed into his cheek. The blow itself didn't hurt all that much, but then Goku made matters worse by extending his thumb and gouging Cell in the right eye.

Cell hissed in pain and leapt back. Goku shakily stood and rubbed his hand over his face. Cell growled. "You thumbed me in the eye on purpose!"

Goku shakily moved his hand from his face, one of his eyes half-lidded and the other one bloodshot and red. "You bastard..."

On the sidelines...

Yamcha gasped in horror. "Oh no! Goku's eyes..."

Tien sneered. "That monster...such an underhanded tactic..."

Chiaotzu sounded really worried. "H-How is Goku supposed to fight with his vision blurred like that..."

Back on the battlefield...

"You know..."

Cell spoke as he ripped his damaged eyeball out of its socket. He crushed the clouded eye in his palm and then, with some effort, a new one exploded back into the socket with a burst of fluid. Cell blinked his new eye to clear it of goo. "You're lasting a lot longer in that form than Vegeta did. How long have you had it, by chance? Much longer than he has, right?"

Goku glared. "How long I've had it doesn't matter, it's how I use it that does!"

The monster smirked. "Even now, with as much genuine pain as you're in now that I've mangled your eyes the way I have, you still are able to hold your focus and maintain that state. I am quite impressed, Goku..."

He cocked his head. "So impressed, I think I'm going to just use 100% of my power on you!"

Goku flinched. And then, Cell roared. All at once, the full breadth of the bio-Android's power poured from his body. And it was truly ghastly. All at once, he alone was the biggest beacon of power on the planet. Bigger than anyone and everyone else, including the wounded Saiyan in front of him. Cell smiled from ear-to-ear. "Now, Goku, how does true terror feel? Are you afraid to die?!"

Goku clenched his fists and thought to himself. 'Don't let him get to you...'

He began to take calming breaths. 'He's stronger than you, but you knew that coming in. He's been stronger than you since you came out of the Time Chamber. But...that doesn't matter...'

Steeling his glare with his damaged eyes and focusing as best he could on Cell, Goku took on a new, incredibly solid stance. 'The Four Virtues...you still have the Four Virtues to use. It doesn't matter how strong he is against those. And, beyond that, you still have those up your sleeve...even if they're both dangerous...'

Cell chuckled. "Are you ready, Goku~?"

Goku didn't respond, instead pressing his left middle knuckles into his right palm and slowly breathing out. Cell shrugged. "Fine then..."

*POP*

Cell appeared behind Goku and wrapped the Saiyan into a tight headlock. "I'll just take the first move and-"

Both of Goku's hands became engulfed in flames and, with an overwhelming heat, he raked his fingers through Cell's right forearm and sliced the entire thing to pieces. Cell screamed in pain and stumbled back, looking down at his arm as melted shell and liquified flesh bubbled from the wound like a faucet. "What have you done?!"

Goku stomped his foot onto the ground and took on a sharp stance, preparing himself for the fight ahead. "I won't let you win, Cell! Turtle School Four Virtues! Virtue of Raging Flames!"

And then, the warrior charged at the monster once again.

"THE TURTLE SCHOOL FOUR VIRTUES! A SET OF TECHNIQUES CREATED DURING A FIFTY-YEAR MEDIATION BY MASTER ROSHI OF THE TURTLE SCHOOL AND PERFECTED BY HIS STUDENT, SON GOHAN OF THE TURTLE SCHOOL! WITH THE CORRECT BREATHING TECHNIQUES, THE MARTIAL ARTIST WHO MASTERS THESE MOVES IS ABLE TO UTILIZE THE FREEFLOWING NATURE OF THE SEA, THE BURNING HEAT OF THE SUN, THE SOLID STATE OF THE EARTH, AND THE OVERWHELMING FORCE OF THE LIGHT, THESE TECHNIQUES CAN BRING THE HURT UPON ANY EVIL THEY COME IN CONTACT WITH! A BEING CONSTRUCTED OF PURE MALICE LIKE CELL DOES NOT STAND A CHANCE OF DEFENDING AGAINST SUCH FEROCIOUS ATTACKS!"

Goku rushed in again, not giving Cell a chance to fight back. With his breathing kept steady and constant, Goku rushed in again and swung another devastating chop. "RAGING FLAME OVERDRIVE!"

The Saiyan from Earth pounded the flaming edge of his hand into Cell's ribs, melting his way through Cell's defenses and slicing through the Android like butter. Thinking quickly, Cell pressed his hands into Goku's stomach and shouted. "Gravity Impact!"

The force collided into Goku's torso and blood erupted from his mouth as he was sent sliding back. Cell smirked. "And unlike you, I can regen-"

Goku was in pain, but he managed to keep his breathing steady. He gurgled through the blood in his mouth, sending it spraying out at his shouted. "Turtle School Four Virtues! Virtue of Solid Earth!"

All at once, every bit of Goku's body steeled. Even the fractured bone in his chest and the splintered ribs in his sides became rigid and returned to their proper positions. Cell flinched. "How in the hell did you do that?! You aren't a Namekian!"

Goku took another deep breath and then charged forward, all of the hell and fury in his eyes that he could bring forth from his spirit. He locked his gaze upon Cell as he charged like a wild animal would towards its prey. Cell had hurt too many for Goku to allow him to win! Goku wouldn't let him win and hurt another innocent! Cell looked unnerved. "Sh-Shit..."

He jabbed his finger forward and began to spam energy attacks. "Try this, Goku! Dodon Ray Barrage!"

The hail of beam attacks came shooting at Goku and collided against him like bullets against a steel sheet. And, just like bullets against a steel sheet, the beams did little more than leave a dent on Goku's body before bouncing off. The Virtue of Solid Earth had given Goku an almost impervious defense. Cell's eyes widened. "That's not-"

Goku lunged at Cell and slammed his burning fist against the monster's face. Cell screamed in horror at the burning force of Goku's fist pressed against the side of his head, pulling away as it nearly ate completely through and leaving streams of liquified flesh sticking to Goku's knuckles. Cell sped away, clutching his face. "Dammit! What the hell?! His energy is nowhere near the level of mine, how is he doing this?!"

"Turtle School Four Virtues! Virtue of Flowing Water!"

Cell scoffed. "At least I've seen this one before..."

The monster turned wreathed both of his hands with energy. With a sweeping motion and the skill of an artist with a paintbrush, Cell dragged his energy through the air and made a barrier in front of himself. The surging water collided with the barrier and Cell cackled. "I call this my All Clear barrier! It's an ability that works like a solar panel! It feeds off of ki that comes into contact with it and uses that ki to power itself! How unfortunate that your ki-based water attack is only serving to make it stronger, wouldn't you say Go-"

The teleporting sound happened right behind Cell and he turned to see Goku right there. Goku roared at him. "Did you forget about my Instant Transmission?!"

Cell snarled. "I hate that goddamned Instant Transmission!"

And then, Goku's flaming foot smashed dead center into Cell's chest, engulfing the monster in flames and smashing him harshly against his own, increasingly durable, barrier! Cell screamed in agony as he was caught between a rock and a hot place. "Shit shit shit!"

With no other alternative, Cell drove his fingers through his own barrier, making it shatter and allowing himself to be swallowed up by the rushing surge of water Goku had created. While the water might have eaten away at some of Cell's ki, the quenching affect it had on the ravenous flames eating him alive was a welcomed trade off. Once he was cooled, and his outer skin had crystalized, Cell glared up into the air and-

*POP*

-got away from the water and the flames. Cell crackled at his moved, a raspy wheeze emerging from his slightly melted back. Cell twitched and his entire outer shell cracked. And then, with a mighty flex, the monster shed off his damaged from and was good as new once more. Cell was actually breathing heavy as he floated there. "The bastard...he keeps forcing me to have to reset myself..."

He continued to breath as he stared down at the sea Goku had created. "I have a lot of ki...but at this rate he's going to force me to burn through it all..."

Cell narrowed his eyes. "I can't deal with those flames. I need to fight him from a distance. Now...where did he go...?"

Suddenly, to Cell's shock, all of the water below evaporated all at once. The monster flinched as a ki-based steam rose high into the sky. "What did he just-"

"Turtle School Four Virtues! Virtue of Holy Light!"

Suddenly, a sparkling laser of ki shot up from the steam below and pierced right through Cell's gut. The monster's eyes bugged out and he gurgled in an excessive amount of pain. His guts felt like they were all on fire all at once. The steam below cleared and there stood Goku, his damaged eyes straining. "Damn. My aim was off. But now, I can see you properly..."

Goku raised up both hands at the stunned Cell. "Two-Handed Virtue of Holy Light!"

Another sparkling beam of pure light shot up from Goku's hands and crashed into the stunned Cell, engulfing his entire body and causing a blinding flash. Once the intense light show subsided, Cell's body was gone, leaving little more than a severed head to drop down towards the ground below. Goku glared up at the head, knowing in his heart this wasn't over.

Near immediately, he was proven right as Cell regained his wits and then, with a furious roar, an entire body exploded from the monster's neck. Cell floated in the air, looking genuinely angry as green body fluid dripped from his body. Cell scowled in genuine rage. "Why you..."

Goku nodded. "Okay...that clears that up...just...like Piccolo then..."

Cell was seething. "And now you compare me to Piccolo?!"

In response, Goku thrust his hand forward and shot another Virtue of Holy Light at Cell. Reacting quickly, the monster charged a field of energy over his hand and used his All Clear to meet the blast head-on. When it was clear that Goku was just going to continue the blast, Cell put up his other hand and then did a spinning, two-handed All Clear.

Eventually, Goku's stamina gave out and he had to pause to breathe. And that's when Cell made his move. He stopped spinning and smirked at Goku. "Oh! What's wrong Goku?! Need a Senzu Bean?"

Taking all of the energy his All Clear had gathered, Cell composed a sphere of energy out of the Holy Light and heaved it back at Goku. The Saiyan from Earth looked up at the approaching energy ball and sighed, but he didn't move. Instead, he reached his hands up into the air and grabbed the ball, quickly reabsorbing it and boosting himself up. Cell gasped. "What?!"

Goku took a fighting stance. "These attacks are meant to kill evil and evil alone! You can't hurt me with them, Cell!"

Cell sneered. "I suppose that makes sense..."

And then, he cracked a wide, devilish smile. "Try this one then!"

Pulling his arm across his chest, Cell charged a handful of energy and then snapped it towards Goku's chest at blinding speed. Goku gritted his teeth and crouched down, raising his arm above his head and smacking the blast away. Goku shouted. "You'll have to do better than that!"

Cell chuckled. "Oh, I am~"

Goku flinched. "What does that me-"

The exact same ball of energy came whipping around Goku's side, arching inward and nailing the Saiyan right in the chest. Goku gasped, his eyes nearly going white as the force of the attack washed over him. At the last second before he fell onto his back, the Saiyan from Earth regained focus and slammed his heel into the ground, catching himself. He was shaking, but he glared up at Cell and saw the monster had already prepared two more attacks. Cell snickered. "And this, Goku, is the final original move that I cooked up in my head while waiting for this fight! The Perfect Shot!"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Cell glared down at Goku and focused on the warrior's right leg and left shoulder. He tossed the two blasts, both with the focused strength of a Kamehameha, and they immediately zipped into the parts Cell targeted. Goku gasped in pain and fell to his knees. Cell smiled and charged two more. "Compressed balls of ki that I am able to lock onto specific parts of an opponent! That is the Perfect Shot, Goku! And even if you were to blast them apart, the energy contained within will still hit right on the mark! You can't stop them, no matter how hard you try!"

And so, Goku was left on the evasive. Cell threw out two more Perfect Shot's and all Goku could do was run away. As injured and tired as he was, the Saiyan knew that it wouldn't be long before the attacks hit their mark. And the worst part was that Goku didn't even know where they might be targeted.

As he continued to evade, the warrior looked up at his vile opponent high in the air. Cell was snide as he looked down on Goku, thinking that he had won. But, Goku had another trick up his sleeve to put the monster in his place. Leaping over the Perfect Shots and allowing them to sail under him, Goku moved quickly. He charged a Kamehameha in his feet and fired it off, using it like a rocket to thrust himself directly at Cell. Following closely behind, the two Perfect Shots spiraled in a helix motion around the trail of ki emanating from Goku's feet. Cell rolled his eyes. "Do you really think that you can lead my Perfect Shots in to hit me? We're you not listening as I explained how the technique worked?!"

Goku was calm. "I was listening..."

And then, the Kamehameha Boost ceased. Goku stopped in the air just short of Cell and closed his eyes. "Turtle School Tranquility..."

The two Perfect Shots collided into Goku, one onto his chest and one onto his back. The Saiyan was engulfed with smoke and Cell laughed. "Oh, what a shame! To have puttered out in the end like that! Will this be how it ends, Go-"

Goku's fist shot forward and smashed into Cell's crotch hard enough to bust through the exoskeleton. The monster's eyes bugged out and Goku spoke calmly. "Salt Purification!"

The Saiyan ripped his fist from Cell's crotch, a fine dust bursting out along with it. And then, his body feeling like it was made of lead, Goku free-fell through the sky. Cell gripped his nethers in pain. "Damn you...what did that accompliiiiiiiiiiiiiAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Cell yanked his hands back up and saw that they were both full of pure, white salt. He stared down at his lower body and found it to be drying out and crumbling away. He shouted in genuine fear and panic. "What the hell?! What the hell is this?!"

"THE TURTLE SCHOOL TRANQUILITY! SALT PURIFICATION! AS THE SEA ITSELF EVENTUALLY DRIES OUT AND LEAVES BEHIND ONLY A FINE SALT, SO TOO DOES THE EVIL OF MEN! WITH THIS TECHNIQUE, THE MARTIAL ARTIST USING IT MAY STRIKE UPON A TRULY WICKED FOE AND MAKE THEIR VERY ESSENCE EVAPORATE AWAY, LEAVING ONLY THE PURENESS OF SALT IN THEIR WAKE! THIS TECHNIQUE IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE ONLY INSTANT KILL MOVE OF THE OTHERWISE PEACEFUL TURTLE SCHOOL, BUT FOR GOOD REASON! FOR ANY AVERAGE EVILDOER, THE ATTACK IS NO LESS THAN AN INSTANTANEOUS DEATH SENTENCE!"

With little other recourse and the feeling of his entire body going numb and crumbling acting as appropriate motivation, Cell raised his hands above his head and charged a blast large enough to blast away the majority of his body. After inflicting the damage upon himself, Cell was left as little more than a floating pair of arms with a head attached to the top. The monster scowled as he watched Goku crash onto the ground below. It took a moment, but the Super Saiyan was able to shakily get back to his feet and return a look of determination and fury up to the monster.

Cell growled under his breath and then, using a large chunk of his energy, he regrew his entire body. Cell was actually breathing a bit heavily as he floated there. "D-Damn..."

While it was quite obvious that Goku was starting to run on mere fumes, it was also quite clear that Cell's massive reserves of ki were being taxed. He looked down at his newly regrown legs, dripping with fluid, and he shook his head. "I don't have more than one or two regenerations left in me before I'm spent. Even careless ki attacks would be two great a risk at this point..."

Properly bothered, Cell glared down at Goku and studied him. "He's bruised, beaten, and battered. His eyes are damaged. And these attacks he's using, which seem to rely on proper breathing technique, are becoming harder for him to use the more worn out he is..."

Cell gritted his teeth. "I hate to end the battle so suddenly, but I need to finish this. Who knows what else he might have up his sleeve? You were fun, Goku, but I'm not planning on losing this. I just have to stagger you, and then finish you off..."

The monster's eye trailed over to the other Z-Fighters. "And then, probably deal with all of them rushing me at once. The lesser fools will be easy to kill...but Vegeta, Piccolo, and those brats from the future might cause me some issues without...hmm~"

Cell smirked as his eyes locked onto a certain canvas bag hanging from Krillin's belt. "Well, there's a mental note for later."

His attention went back to his opponent below. "Now, for dealing with you, Goku..."

On the ground below...

Goku watched with focused fury as Cell came rushing down at him. Taking a deep breath, Goku managed to steel his spirit and summoned the Virtue of Raging Flames onto his hands again. The Saiyan stared up at Cell as the monster got closer. "What are you up to...? Your approaching speed is too fast for a last second divert. You'd be exposing yourself to attack. And the momentum you'd suffer from using the Instant Warp would only hurt you if you were to hit the ground..."

Right as Cell was on top of him, Goku reared his fist back. "Eat this, Cell! RAGING FLAME OVERDR-"

Goku suddenly took in a sharp gasp, his eyes reacting with the same horrific expression as a man who had just been shot by a gun. Cell, having stopped his descent, laughed as he hovered over the stunned Saiyan. Cell smirked. "You know, people might say your fear of needles is silly. But I'd say you were right on the money to be afraid~"

Cell landed, a massive, brown tendril sticking out from between his legs. This tendril stretched forward and ended on Cell's tail stinger, with was currently buried in an upward position in Goku's abdomen. On his descent, like a scorpion on the attack, Cell whipped his tail out at the last second and stabbed it upward into Goku. The stinger did not hit a single vital organ. That mercy would have been too generous for a monster like Cell. Instead, with surgical precision, Cell had punctured through Goku's diaphragm. The force of the puncture was enough to shove the wind out of Goku's lungs and the tear, while merely the size of a hole punch, was enough to make even the attempted act of inspiration set Goku's entire chest on fire.

The monster recalled his tail, sucking it back into his body like a hose, and glowered over the critically wounded Goku. He laughed under his breath at each and every horrific wheeze. "Can a sound be a symphony? I would say yes~"

Goku tried to get to his feet, but his legs were jelly. Dark bags appeared under the Saiyan's eyes as Cell approached. The monster hummed. "Quite the series of techniques you pulled out near the end, Goku. Utterly useless for an evil being such as myself, but still quite engaging to watch~ Quite the shame that your handle over them can be disrupted by a mere disturbance in your ability to breathe~"

Cell raised his arms into the air. "And now..."

He slammed his arms down. Moving as quickly as he could, Goku raised his hands into the air to catch Cell's arms, but he was at a major disadvantage. Cell pressed down onto the Saiyan. "Even in your literal last gasps, you still resist! That's what I love about you, Goku~"

Goku was wheezing as he gave it his all to fight back against Cell's strength. Each and every breath he took sounded like the squeezing of a rubber bath duck. Cell grinned from ear-to-ear. "It will be a shame when you're gone~! I doubt anyone else will put up this much of a fight. Not Vegeta nor Piccolo nor Future Brat nor Bardock. The humans will crumble like wet tissue before my might as well. But...hm... maybe there's somebody left to challenge me...?"

Goku flinched. Had Cell caught on?! Had that monster also felt the power hidden away within Gohan? If so, did that mean he saw the threat Gohan could be to him? Or was he underestimating Gohan? As Goku struggled, he tried to consider just what Cell knew. How he should go about things from here?

And then, Cell opened his mouth. "I wonder how long Chi-Chi can play keep-away with those infants of yours before I crush their heads in my fists~?"

Goku's eyes went wide. Goten and Chika flashed through his mind. His pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. He knew he needed strength and he needed it right then. And so, acting on reflex more than anything, Goku went to that one reliable source of strength he always kept in his back pocket. "KAIOKEN!"

Pulsing with a mixture of red and gold ki and surging with a highly increased power level, Goku burst through Cell's clubbing blow and smashed his head right into Cell's face. The force of the headbutt was enough to make Cell's face cave in and eyes bug out. Before the monster could react at all, Goku's head went through his like a lance and resulted in an explosion of purple blood and viscera. Cell's body stumbled back, trembling and twitching as a fountain of blood exploded from his neck. Eventually, Cell's body fell flat onto its back and laid still.

Goku, meanwhile, was barely on his feet for a second before the backlash of what he had just done set in. The power that the Kaioken had granted him backed up into his body due to the raging state Super Saiyan put his spirit in. The energy tore through his muscles and make tendons fray and snap. Goku screamed in utter agony and then fell onto his own back, writhing in pain.

Immediately, a shrill but very concerned voice was in Goku's head screaming at the top of its lungs. "ARE YOU INSANE?! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Goku's body continued to twitch and spasm. "K-King Kai..."

King Kai shouted. "No! Don't 'King Kai' me! That was so dangerous! That could have killed you! Really killed you! PERMANENTLY killed you!"

Goku could barely form a sentence. His face was trapped in a near constant wince as every inch of his body screamed in pain. He couldn't even grip his fists the pain was so intense. "I-It didn't...though. A-And now...n-now things are...are...are o-over, K-King K-K-Kai..."

Barely able to move, barely able to breathe, and barely able to see, Goku glared over at Cell's headless body, seeing it still lying still. "I-It's just like...I thought...C-Cell is j-j-just like P-Piccolo and Fr-Friez-za..."

Goku fell back flat. "H-He can...he can survive the worst...w-wounds...and he c-can regen-n-nerate from just about anything. B-But...he c-can't survive w-without a h-head..."

On the sidelines...

It was a massive celebration among the Z-Fighters. Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Krillin, the Future Trio, Gohan, Raditz, and even Android 17 were all reveling in the apparent defeat of Cell. As the monster's body laid headless in the wasteland and his blood flowed like a river from the gaping hole in his neck, it seemed as if the nightmare was finally over.

Vegeta, Piccolo, Bardock, and Android 16, however, all stood staring out into the distance with dour looks plastered onto their faces. Piccolo gripped his fists. "I take it you two are thinking the same thing?"

Android 16 scowled. "Statistical data errs towards this victory being farcical in nature."

Bardock gripped his fist tightly around his bicep, his teeth gnashing.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes, speaking more bluntly. "That was way too easy..."

As they leered over the battlefield, the idiotic humans near then began to make a ruckus of their own. Jimmy Firecracker, seeing Cell's prone body, leapt into the air. "He did it! Son Goku has defeated Cell!"

He turned to his cameraman. "Come on, Larry! We need to go and get the first interview and we need to do it quickly!"

As those two rushed off, Mr. Satan stood there with a plaintive look on his face. It was clear that there was a lot going through the Champ's head. Luckily for Mr. Satan, Miss Piiza was there to speak for him. "No way! I call bull! Let's go, Mr. Satan! We need to go down there to see what the real deal is here!"

Mr. Satan was caught off-guard as Miss Piiza grabbed him by the sleeve and began to tug. "P-Piiza! Piiza wait! Piiza!"

But the Champ couldn't resist as he was dragged down the side of the cliff and towards Son Goku and Cell's body.

On the battlefield...

As he struggled to sit up, Goku was suddenly approached from the side by Jimmy Firecracker and his faithful cameraman. The intrepid reporter, ever the one to get the first scoop, approached Goku and somewhat forcefully shoved a microphone into the aching Saiyan's face. "Mr. Son Goku! Jimmy Firecracker from Firecracker Tonight! I would like to request the honor of being your first, post-fight interview after your exhilarating job in dealing with the demented Cell!"

Goku didn't look exactly interview-ready. "U-Uh..."

Jimmy Firecracker smirked, his eyes sparkling. "If I may say so, sir, this has the potential to rock the martial arts world to its very core! If you were to show up at the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament and they were to declare a Champion versus Champion exhibition, I would dare say that all the fight fans out there would be in for a revelation in martial arts! What say you, sir?!"

Goku had a bead of sweat going down the side of his head. "Uh..."

"PIIZA! QUIT YANKIN' ON ME, DAMMIT!"

Miss Piiza and Mr. Satan came bounding onto the scene and Miss Piiza pointed an accusatory finger at Goku. "Hold on just a minute! We haven't even made the judgement on whether this Goku guy was in cahoots with Cell or not!"

She planted her fists into her hips. "I demand a trained physician come out here to examine just how bad those 'wounds' are!"

She turned towards Cell's body and ran over to it. "And just what the heck happened here?!"

Moving quickly, Jimmy Firecracker and Larry left Goku's side to go and join Miss Piiza. As the three of them gathered around Cell's body, it was just Goku and Mr. Satan left behind. The two martial artists looked at one another and a silence filled the air. With a smile, Goku shakily raised his hands and shot Mr. Satan a peace sign.

Not really knowing what to do in response, Mr. Satan gave a nervous chuckle and shot Goku a thumbs-up. He mumbled under his breath. "S-Sorry about Piiza..."

Goku shrugged, with some pain on his face. "I-I don't care..."

As those two shared a moment, Miss Piiza was giving Cell's headless corpse a thorough inspection. As she poked and prodded various parts of Cell's body, the valet looked unconvinced. "Okay! Here's what needs to happen!"

She turned to Goku with an incredulous look on her face. "Something here smells fishy and you look like you're hiding a fishing rod! I demand we get a coroner out here to look over this unconvincing cadaver! I mean purple blood, really?! Everyone knows that blood is redder than my hair! This is clearly nothing more than a puppet that's being used to trick us!"

Piiza turned and placed her hand under Cell's body, wanting to lift it. "I bet there's a secret trap door hidden under this fake body! Probably the same trap door that Cell threw Caroni and Pirozhki down earlier! I bet Cell is down there right now plotting his next-"

And then, easy as can be, Cell's headless body sat up and hunched over into a somewhat comfortable sitting position. Miss Piiza was briefly caught off guard. "...move?"

As she stood there, Jimmy Firecracker and Larry both yelped in shock. In the background, Goku and Mr. Satan could only stare in jaw-dropped horror. On the sidelines, the Z-Fighters were all stunned silent. And all of the viewers watching on televisions around the globe, including at both Goku and Mr. Satan's house, screamed in panic at the sight of a headless corpse so casually sitting up.

As everyone on the battlefield watched and listened on, a low rumbling noise began to emerge from Cell's neck hole. It was a rhythmic noise, sounding muffled but slowly becoming more and more clear. Soon enough, it was apparent to all what the actual noise was: laughter. Low, deep, snide laughter.

And then, in an explosion of bodily fluid, a new head rapidly erupted from Cell's decapitated neck. The juice splattered onto the ground, revealing Cell's dripping face. The monster's eyes locked with Goku for a brief silence, long enough for the fear to set in on the Saiyan from Earth's face, and then Cell laughed even harder!

The horrific sounds of Cell's metallic clomping feet rang out as he stood up and loomed over Goku like the shadow of death itself. Goku was in utter disbelief. "H-How...?"

Next to Cell, Miss Piiza shouted. "See?! I knew this was just some spectacle! He just stuffed his head down into his armor and-"

With two fingers, Cell thrust his arm out and struck Miss Piiza in the windpipe, sending her flying like a ragdoll into the distance. Mr. Satan, immediately in a panic, went running after her. "Piiza!"

As Jimmy Firecracker and Larry gave chase to Mr. Satan, Cell stepped forward and smiled down at Goku, his face awash with smarm and triumph. "You ask how? Well, Goku, let me ask you this...why do you think I called myself Cell? Did you think...it was merely because your cells all combined to make me...?"

He laughed. "No, my friend. No no. IT IS BECAUSE EVERY CELL IN MY ENTIRE BODY IS ALIVE!"

Goku gasped in horror. Cell gripped his fists, going into a full-on maddened rant. "THAT IS IT, GOKU! THAT IS MY POWER! EVERY CELL OF MINE, WHETHER IT IS A BLOOD CELL, A BONE CELL, OR BRAIN CELL HAS A LIFE OF ITS OWN! AND SO LONG AS A SINGLE ONE OF THOSE CELLS EXIST I CAN COME BACK FOREVER!"

He stepped forward, making Goku flinched back. "AND EVER!"

He took another step forward. "AND EVER!"

Goku was genuinely spooked. "S-Stay away from me..."

Cell continued. "THE HELL'S FLASH! THE HIGHEST-GRADE RED RIBBON EXPLOSIVES! AND EVEN VEGETA'S FINAL FLASH! THEY ARE ALL ATTACKS THAT COULD END THIS PATHETIC PLANET AND YET, IN THE END, THE HAD NO EFFECT ON ME! BECAUSE I AM CELL! AND I AM PERFECT!"

As Goku stumbled to his feet, his terror was apparent. The Saiyan from Earth's face was as white as a sheet. He was trembling as he stood. Cell continued to march up to Goku. "And this was what I was waiting for~ That face~ That face that Frieza couldn't get despite his best efforts~ The face of Son Goku, utterly drained of hope and purpose~ The face of Son Goku..."

Cell booped Goku on the nose with his index finger. "...defeated~"

The monster laughed an almost gentle laugh as he stood with his face mere inches from Goku's.

And then, in a lightning quick display of cruelty and violence, Cell punched Goku square in the face and sent him sliding across the ground of the wasteland. Goku laid on the ground, his nose crushed in and blood spraying from his mouth as he struggled to breathe. Cell looked down at his fist and saw the ruby red blood against his pearly white skin. "Ah~ Aesthetic~!"

Over with Miss Piiza...

Mr. Satan, Jimmy Firecracker, and Larry all gathered around Miss Piiza as she laid on the wasteland floor. The valet was silent and still, he eyes blank white and frozen wide open. Larry was trembling. "Sh-She's just unconscious...r-right, Mr. Firecracker?"

Jimmy Firecracker nodded. "Y-Yeah...r-right, Mr. Satan?"

Mr. Satan was silent as he looked down at Piiza's limp, motionless body. The horror really dawned on him now. Caroni, Pirozhki, and Piiza, his three best and brightest and most beloved students, they were all dead.

Mr. Satan was awash with grief and fear. But, more than either of those, his body ached with rage. Turning to see Cell, the arrogant bastard that he was, battering the life out of Goku only served to making Mr. Satan even angrier. And so, defying everything in his head that told him not to, Mr. Satan went charging across the desert and directly towards Cell.

Back with Goku and Cell...

Goku went crashing into a rock, smashing the giant boulder into small rubble with his back. "What's the matter?! Aren't you going to go into some speech about how you've fought uphill battles before?!"

Cell rushed in and grabbed Goku by the head, slamming him face-first into the harsh rock. "Aren't you going to reach into your bag of ideas and pull out some eleventh-hour trump card?!"

The monster grinded Goku's face across the rocky ground, leaving a trail of red. "Perhaps you want to try a Spirit Bomb?! Or, or are you, maybe, hoping some new form might show up out of the blue to save you from me?!"

Cell yanked Goku off of the ground, holding him aloft like a freshly killed trophy animal. "When do I get to fight Super-Duper Saiyan Goku?! Huh?!"

Goku couldn't even respond to Cell at this point. He could only manage to gasp in pain and agony. Cell raised his fist up and charged it with ki. He angled Goku to wear he was facing his friends in the distance. "You'll be dead, so you won't be able to see it yourself...but I'm about to punch your heart out of your chest. So, when Krillin meets you in Hell, ask him if it hit him in the face~"

And then, as Cell threw his killing blow towards Goku's back, with all of the muster that Saiyan had left in him at the moment, Goku pressed his fingers to his forehead and disappeared. Cell's fist passed through thin air and released a shockwave that made the ground in front of him crumble to pieces.

Annoyed, the monster glared up into the sky. "Really?! Must we prolong this?!"

In the air...

Goku wheezed to catch his breath as the bird he had locked onto flew away. His arm that he had used to initiate Instant Transmission fell limply to his side. And, as he floated there and began to reflect, Goku came to a stark realization: he was out of options.

Nothing he had, at least with the energy he had left, would be able to kill Cell. Goku hardly had any feeling in his arms. One eye was swollen shut, the other barely able to focus. He was covered in bruises and welts and most of the bones in his body were shifted out of place. Sure, he had the Spirit Bomb, but Cell probably already had a counter for that, knowing him.

So, with nothing left, Goku had to fall back on that last, desperate move that Grandpa Gohan had shared with him. His one, final trump card that might be able to do something.

But it was dangerous. Goku looked down to the ground below and could barely make out all of his friends. If he did this with all of them down there, they would definitely be caught up in it. And it would definitely kill most of them. But if he didn't do this...then Cell would kill all of them anyway.

So, that was Goku's dilemma: did he have it in him to potentially kill an innocent life for the sake of attaining victory?

And would that make him as bad as Cell or Frieza if he did?

Without giving his brain time to think of an answer, Goku pulled his arms to the side. "KA! ME!"

On the sidelines...

The Z-Fighters all stared up to the sky in awe at the feeling of Goku's power. Even after such a hellacious beating, the Saiyan from Earth was still able to produce this much power. At the end of the day, Goku was still the most skilled and powerful out of all of them!

But, one thing that did catch them all off-guard was the vantage. From the point he was at in the air, if Goku were to fire a Kamehameha from that high up...he could potentially destroy the entire Earth. Android 17 shouted. "H-He wouldn't really do that, right?! He'd kill us all!"

Krillin chuckled. "Relax. Goku might be fight-crazy, but he wouldn't just-"

Goku's voice echoed out with authority. "KA! ME!"

Krillin's pupils shrunk. Future Ranch was shaking. "G-Guys...this seems really bad!"

Future Goten gripped his fists. "D-Dad...you wouldn't..."

Future Trunks gritted his teeth. "Goku..."

Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha were all shocked silent. Android 16 was mesmerized. Even Piccolo seemed a bit thrown off. However, four people remained perfectly calm. Vegeta, Raditz, and Gohan all stared up into the air at Goku. And, while Gohan's calm was due to an unshakeable faith in his father and Bardock's was due to his previous vision, Vegeta and Raditz were both calm because they both knew exactly what Goku was doing.

Without a word, the two Saiyans took to the air and started flying as far as they could away from where they knew the point of impact would be. Away from Cell. Everyone else looked confused as the two took off. Raditz called down to them. "Well?! Come on! Do you all want to be here when Kakarot fires that attack off?!"

Deciding they very much did not want to be there, the Z-Fighters all quickly took to the air and followed Raditz and Vegeta's lead.

On the battlefield...

Cell looked up into the sky with a genuine concern. "He wouldn't..."

The monster was silent for a moment. "..."

Soon enough, he spoke to himself again. "...would he?"

As Cell stood there, he didn't deem the fool approaching from the side worthy of his attention. Mr. Satan came rushing in, his arm pulled to the side for a chop. He didn't care how strong Cell was, he wouldn't let the murder of his precious students go unpunished!

But, as he got closer, Mr. Satan noticed that Cell's attention was locked into the sky. Stopping and looking up to see what Cell was looking at, Mr. Satan caught just the faintest glimmer of the ki up in the sky. "Oh...oh no..."

As Mr. Satan stood there, Jimmy Firecracker and Larry the cameraman came running up behind him. The reporter was gasping, out of breath. "Mr. Satan! What's going on?!"

In the air...

Goku's eyes were closed as he thought back on Grandpa Gohan's teachings. "This, my boy, is the strongest technique I was ever able to craft on my own. A technique that combines the power of the Four Virtues with the explosive power of the Kamehameha Wave. All of this power is delivered through a single point! I was never able to perfect it, Goku. I was never able to give this technique proper form. But, my boy, I know that you can..."

Goku opened his eyes and looked down to the ground below again. To his relief, he saw Vegeta and Raditz leading the charge in getting everyone as far from the area as possible. A welcome sight to say the least. Not, that worry that he had in his mind, he didn't have to think about it! "HA! ME!"

The Saiyan from Earth glared directly downward. He saw Cell down there, waiting. The monster, if anything, was a truly steadfast competitor. At least in this fight. He didn't back down from the challenge before him. Goku took another breath, this one hitching in his chest and causing blood to gurgle up his throat. This next attack would definitely be the last!

Goku steeled his body, the ki gathered in his hands glowing golden and pulsating. And then, with a thunderous clap, Goku forced the energy into his right arm. The Saiyan from Earth did a mid-air flip to build momentum, and then he used Instant Transmission to vanish.

On the ground...

A sharp blow pierced through Cell's stomach. "SUPER!"

Goku lifted Cell, skewered onto his right arm, off the ground and heaved him back as he reared back his fist. The pain was incredible, but adrenaline allowed Goku to soldier forward. "DRAGON!"

With all of his might, Goku threw his fist and Cell down towards the ground, slamming them both as hard as he could and launching the attack. "FIST!"

The energy shot from Goku's fist like a bolt and, as if the Dragon Balls themselves had been utilized, a golden dragon shot up from the ground and roared as it tore into the sky. The sound of the beasts bellowing echoed for miles, all but drowning out the sound of Cell's pained screams!

The monster was stuck in place. He couldn't move. He couldn't react. And he could feel this power that Goku was wielding eating away at him from the inside out. This wasn't good!

The dragon continued its path, weaving through the air and crashing into the ground, creating a continuous spiral as it arched all around the battlefield. The goal of the technique was simple, it was to send all of this energy shooting into Cell and then crash it on top of him for a grand, explosive finale. This was it and Goku knew it was. He stared into Cell's fear-filled eyes and he could tell that he had won. Cell was helpless and the Dragon Fist was more than powerful enough to utterly eradicate him! Finally, the Earth was safe and Goku could be at ease!

"Mr. Satan! What's going on?!"

Goku gasped and looked up, his eyes locking with Mr. Satan, Jimmy Firecracker and Larry the cameraman huddling around the hulking martial artist for protection. The two of them stared at one another and the logistics of the situation ran through Goku's head. Unlike the Four Virtues, the explosive power of the Dragon Fist would harm indiscriminately. If Goku finished the attack with things how they were, Mr. Satan and both of his companions would surely die. Three innocent lives on Goku's hands.

Goku and Mr. Satan stared at one another, neither able to muster a single word. And then, to Mr. Satan's shock, pain streaked across Goku's face. He...he couldn't do it.

In the distance...

Hovering in the distance, the Z-Fighters all watched in awe as this explosive new attack from Goku did its job. The dragon rose and crashed back into the ground over and over, making a massive, golden tangle that snaked its way through the entire area. It was clear to every one of the seasoned warriors present, this attack is one that Cell wouldn't be able to recover from!

Raditz and Vegeta were both stalwart. They had helped Goku practice this technique dozens of times. They knew just how powerful it could be if done correctly. As long as nothing went wrong, Cell would die here and now.

But then, to the shock of both Saiyans, the golden dragon stalled. Instead of shooting downward for the final strike against Cell, the dragon turned its head to the sky and let loose a stunningly loud roar. And with that roar, the dragon's entire body burst apart with golden light and then exploded in a dazzling display.

Almost everyone else seemed excited, applauding the victory and the severity of Goku's strongest attack. Both Gohan and Piccolo were dour, sensing that something was amiss. This was immediately confirmed when Vegeta went surging back in the direction of the battlefield. "Damn it!"

The others were confused. Raditz quickly clarified as he motioned for all of them to come along. "That wasn't how that attack was supposed to end!"

Back on the battlefield...

Goku fell to the ground with a harsh thud. He was entirely spent. Twitching in place, the Saiyan cursed to himself. "Damn. Damn damn damn...I... I failed..."

Behind a nearby rock, Jimmy Firecracker and Larry the cameraman were both still scared stiff, barely aware of their surroundings after the intensity that had just gone through. Mr. Satan, meanwhile, was quite aware and quite focused. Gripping the journalist and cameraman close to protect them, Mr. Satan listened to Goku cursing himself.

As he listened to this, a lump formed in Mr. Satan's throat. Because he knew the truth of the matter. If Goku had finished the execution of that technique, it would have killed Cell. Even someone as wary of ki-based combat as Mr. Satan could see that. But, Goku didn't follow through...

The Champ remembered the look he saw in Goku's eyes. One of worry and horror. The kind of look that only a man unwilling to slaughter an innocent could give if he was being asked to. Son Goku failed...and it was all Mr. Satan's fault!

Struggling to build up the strength to move, Mr. Satan peaked around the edge of the rock. "M-Maybe I should help him...?"

But then, a dreadful sound echoed out that gave Mr. Satan pause. It was the bone-chilling sound of metallic clomping coming from within the smoke nearby. Marching out of the smoke, resplendent and triumphant, was Cell. The bio-Android had his usual smug look on his face as he stood over the prone Goku. Cell nudged the beaten warrior with his foot. "Are we done?"

Goku opened his mouth to say something, but blood exploded from his throat like a faucet. The hole that Cell had previously punctured into Goku's diaphragm was allowing blood to pool. Cell nodded. "Yeah. We're done~"

Cell knelt down and gently caressed Goku's face. "Don't you just wish the heart virus would have killed you? You could have avoided all of this pain. You'd probably be on King Kai's planet right now, enjoying a meal and some light training..."

The monster smirked. "Well worry not, Goku. You will be there soon."

And then, as if on cue, the Z-Fighters all landed on the battlefield, lead in their charge by Vegeta. The Prince was in a sprint as he made his approach. "Kakarot! What the hell happened?!"

Cell stood, turning to face Vegeta. "Do you really want to know?"

Vegeta skidded to a halt, the rest of the Z-Fighters gathering behind him. Cell looked at the lot of them with a smarmy smile. "Let me tell you all a story..."

The Z-Fighters flinched. Cell closed his eyes. "It's a story of near misses, on my part. The Hell's Flash roasted me, and I nearly died. 16's bomb scorched me so hard I devolved, and I nearly died. Vegeta's Final Flash tore away my entire right side, and I nearly died. Both of Goku's techniques, the Virtue of Holy Light and the Salt Purification, destroyed my entire body, and I nearly died..."

Cell swooned. "So many near misses and yet...there was still an even greater technique out there. The Super Dragon Fist~! I was pinned, helpless, and being blown away bit-by-bit. I was staring death in the face~ But then death blinked!"

Cell pointed his finger to a nearby, large rock. "So, you must all be asking yourselves..."

The monster did his best Krillin impression. "Gee willickers, if Goku had that mean ol' Cell dead to rights, then why in the gosh darn heck didn't he get the job done? I'm plum confused!"

Krillin flinched. "I-I don't talk like-"

Cell cut him off. "Here is the reason why!"

And then, the monster fired a beam at the rock and blew it to pieces, sending Mr. Satan, Jimmy Firecracker, and Larry the cameraman flying out. Immediately, every Z-Fighter could put together exactly what had happened. Vegeta was mortified. "You've got to be kidding me..."

Raditz groaned. "Kakarot..."

Piccolo was in utter disbelief. "D-Damn it, Goku..."

Bardock gnashed his teeth. The rest of the Z-Fighters could do little more than stare in shock. Cell laughed out loud. "The mighty Goku! Such a noble, gentle soul! A person who would never willingly bring harm to an innocent no matter the cost! Oh yes~! Whether Goku likes it or not, he really does deserve to be called a heroic person~"

Cell stomped his foot onto Goku's chest, making the Saiyan cry out. "A STUPID, STUPID HERO! ONE THAT COULDN'T EVEN BRING HIMSELF TO KILL THREE WORTHLESS FOOLS TO SAVE BILLIONS! GOKU MIGHT BE A STRONG FIGHTER, BUT HE REALLY IS AS MUCH OF A FOOL AS EVEN HIS FRIENDS MAKE HIM OUT TO BE!"

The Z-Fighters were stunned. Cell glared down at Goku and shot him a vicious smirk. "And now, Goku, we get to show everyone the exact cost of blind heroism..."

At Mr. Satan's House...

In being tossed out by Cell, Larry the cameraman's camera landed on the ground to wear it was facing Cell and Goku. Anyone watching could have an unobstructed view to whatever cruel machination Cell had planned.

Immediately, Videl was seized and turned away from the television, being squeezed tight into her mother's bosom. "Mommy...what's going on?"

She tried to gently wiggle free of Miguel's grip, but the sickly mother held firm. Videl looked up at her. "Why can't I look at the TV?"

Miguel looked like she was going to be sick. She could tell from the flashes that appeared on the television. If Son Goku had landed that attack of his, he would have killed that monster and saved the entire planet. But...then he shot that look to the camera. One of sadness and regret and horror. It took Miguel a minute, but she put two and two together and quickly realized just who Son Goku was looking at when he shot that look. She frowned. "Mark..."

Back at the battlefield...

Cell crouched atop Goku's battered body and squeezed the Saiyan's throat tight. Goku gagged and choked, reaching up to grab Cell's wrist but not having enough strength to make it budge. Cell chuckled, but then he stopped. "Wait...this is missing something..."

The monster turned his head and saw Larry the cameraman standing up and picking up his camera. Cell smirked. "Perfect~"

And then, with a thrust of his hand, the monster enveloped the hapless, scared cameraman in telekinetic force. Larry was lifted off of the ground and forced into a rail-straight posture. Like a clockwork soldier, the camera lifted up to his face and impacted against his eye socket. And then, he went flying toward the monster. "H-Help me, Mr. Firecracker!"

Jimmy Firecracker, himself barely recovered, cried out. "Larry!"

The helpless cameraman stopped mere inches away from Cell. The monster used his finger to adjust the boy's position, angling him to where both Cell and Goku were in the shot. Cell reached up and turned the camera's viewfinder to where he could see it, smiling at the sight of his own image. Cell reached up and began to fiddle with the lensed, wanting the crispest image he could manage for what he was about to do.

At Goku's house...

Everyone in Goku's house was horrified by what they were seeing on the television. Dr. Briefs was incredulous. "What the heck is this Cell guy doing?!"

Finally, once Cell finished fiddling with the camera, they got their answer. The monster stared down the lens, his hateful pink eyes shimmering. He had a dreadful smile on his face, like a bratty child who knew he was about to commit a wicked act. "Hey, Chi-Chi..."

Chi-Chi flinched. "Wh-What...?"

Cell winked at the camera. "Eat your heart out~"

And then, Cell reared back and shot his fist forward with all his might. The force of the blow collided into Goku's face and followed all the way through, making the Saiyan's head snap to the side and causing a tooth to fly out of his mouth.

Immediately, Chi-Chi and both of the Bulma's screamed in horror. All four of the babies began to cry. Everyone else in the room was stunned speechless. And Gine went wide-eyed in the background. Everyone was forced to sit there, as little more than spectators, watching as Cell drove his fist into Goku's face again and again. Every hit was harder than the hit proceeding it as Cell beat Goku across the face. Blood went spattering out, bones could be heard cracking on camera. Slowly, the lens became more and more soaked with bright, red blood.

And not just Goku's household, but the entire world was forced to witness it. Goku was beaten, helpless, and defeated. And Cell, the psycho-arrogant bastard that he was, was taking the time to fully enjoy his victory lap.

Back at the battlefield...

Stunned and horrified at Cell's depraved behavior, the Z-Fighters all immediately charged towards the monster to save their fallen leader. Enough was enough, if this is how Cell was going to act, then they couldn't just sit around!

Before any of them could get close, however, Cell cast his hand behind and formed and energy barrier in their path. The Z-Fighters all came to a stop and Cell turned to smirk at then. "My friends, I know you're all eager to arrive at the great beyond~ But please, do wait your turn~"

Some of the warriors were briefly intimidated by Cell's venomous words, but they quickly got back into the spirit. The lot of them rushed the energy barrier, knowing that it couldn't hold back all of them at once. Cell's smirk faded. "You people are so tiresome..."

Cell raised his free hand into the air, summoning a massive sphere of ki above it. "What do you think, boys and girls? Do you think you'll reach me before I can send this ball of energy straight into the Earth's core? Are you willing to make that gamble?"

This made the Z-Fighters stop in their tracks. While they were all more than eager to go in and save Goku, the lot of them also knew it wouldn't mean much if Cell were to attack the planet itself. What would they do now? What could they do?

Well, as the two of them stood there, watching Goku's blood cascade like a waterfall down Cell's arm, Piccolo and Raditz immediately came upon their answer. Raditz activated his Oozaru Force and Piccolo cast aside his cape and turban. Cell looked at both of them with approval. "Well, you two certainly have more spine than your cohorts~ But tell me, Piccolo and Raditz, is this really the hill you two want to die on? If you don't follow the rules of my game, then I'm not going to play with you. I'll kill you both in a heartbeat!"

Neither Piccolo nor Raditz backed down. As a matter of fact, Piccolo made the first move. He lunged forward and slammed his hand against the surface of Cell's energy barrier. The barrier shattered and fell to pieces and Cell, responding to this challenge, stood from Goku's bloodied body and cracked his knuckles. "What a waste of my time. I've beaten both of you losers before, and now you expect me to take you seriously?!"

As Cell said that, his face became engulfed with rage. "I'VE BEATEN EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU FOOLS AND YOU DARE TO HAVE THE GALL TO ASK ME TO TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY?!"

Cell extended his hand out, charging a blast. "I won't let you afterthoughts ruin the battle I was able to enjoy with Goku! I'll kill you all at once!"

Every Z-Fighter braced themselves. They were all ready to fight. But before they could rush into their inevitable deaths, another voice spoke up that immediately caught Cell's attention. "You won't be killing anybody! Not while I'm still able to fight you!"

All of the Z-Fighter's gasped, turning and looking downward as a new warrior stepped out from their ranks. With a single flourish, his cape went flying through the air. Son Gohan stepped out from between all of his friends and comrades and took a firm stance. "You've beaten all of us, have you? I think you're forgetting someone, Cell! You haven't beaten me yet!"

Cell's face became even angrier. "You can't be serious..."

Gohan's face was frozen into the most serious grimace he could muster. "You want to end this tournament saying you've beaten every defender of the Earth, right? Well, I've been defending the Earth longer than you've been alive! So why don't you leave everyone else out of this until you can say you've beaten me!"

Cell was stunned. The rest of the Z-Fighters were shocked and in awe of Gohan's bold claim. He truly was Goku's son. Moving quickly, Bardock tried to step in between his grandson and Cell. "Now hold on just a minute! You haven't-"

The monster fired a Death Beam that grazed the side of Bardock's leg. The older Saiyan winced and clenched his hand over the new wound. Cell spoke in an angry tone. "Shut your mouth! This boy has...caught my attention, actually..."

Gohan squared up as Cell marched over to him, the sound of metallic clomping echoing throughout the wasteland. The monster was perplexed. "You want to fight me, do you? Are you suicidal?"

Gohan sneered. "The things you've done to my father are unforgiveable! I want to thrash some sense into you!"

Cell was silent, looking down on the boy. Plaintively, he cracked his neck from side-to-side. "Well..."

Cell stroke his chin and then smiled. "Fine. One more match. Challenge accepted, for the fate of the Earth!"

Gohan gripped his fists. "Fine then! Let's-"

Cell raised a finger. "Not quite yet. I have a bit of preparation to undertake...I can't just waste my time fighting a brat without stakes~!"

Gohan growled. "What are you talking about?!"

Cell raised a finger. "One moment."

*POP*

Krillin flinched as he felt a hand reaching down towards his belt. He turned around and screamed in terror as Cell was right behind him. The monster smirked and quickly yanked the bag of Senzu Beans away from the monk. "Thank you, Krillin, for being the weak idiot they always pawn the most valuable tool they have onto~"

*POP*

The Z-Fighters were all taken aback as Cell appeared right back next to Goku. The bio-Android reached into his stolen bag and pulled out a single Senzu Bean, putting it between his teeth and crunching it down. And then, once his power had been fully restored, Cell turned to the Z-Fighters. "Now, for the rest of these..."

Cell opened his mouth wide and, in a single gulp, he swallowed the entire bag of Beans whole, bag included. Yamcha gasped. "Wh-What the hell?! No way! Our Senzu Beans!"

Gohan shouted. "What are you doing?! What was the point of that?!"

Cell reached down and lifted up Goku's barely conscious body. "You see, Gohan, you are on a timer..."

Gohan flinched. "Wha-"

Cell raised up his free hand, flattening it out, and then rammed it directly through Goku's chest, opposite of his heart. This move, in how devastating it really was, was enough to finally knock Goku out. The golden glow faded from Goku's hair, reducing it back down to its standard black.

The Z-Fighters all gasped in horror and Cell, without a second thought, threw Goku's battered and broken body directly towards Raditz. Raditz caught his brother and looked down, staring in fear and worry as blood oozed out of the gaping wound. Cell chuckled. "You're a well-educated young man so, tell me boy, can you put two and two together here?"

Gohan was shaking with anger. Cell smirked. "Goku has been mortally wounded and the only things that can save him are currently in my stomach. So, he will be our timer..."

Vegeta was enraged. "You utter bastard..."

Cell chuckled and closed his eyes. "All you have to do is kill me, Gohan. Then you can dig the Senzu Beans out of my corpse and save your father from a certain death~"

Cell stepped forward and took a fighting stance. "But you had better hurry. Because I can assure you of one thing, Gohan...when Goku dies, the Earth is going with him~"

Piccolo looked both furious at Cell and worried for his young charge. "G-Gohan..."

But, Gohan's face was one of utter determination and relentless anger. "Cell...you will pay for this!"

The two warriors stared one another down and the air became very still. This was the moment. The finale of the Cell Games, with the fate of the world on the line, was about to begin. Gohan versus Cell. But, who will come out on top?