Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Written by: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Edited by: StevenBodner and SparkerLightning

A/N: Man, 100 Chapters. Who would've thought we'd have made it this far! I'm glad so many of you have stuck around for this and I hope all of you are still here for Chapter 200. But, that's pretty far off in the future. For now, I hope you enjoy this next exciting installment of the Cell Games!

Also, I counted and it's amazing that all but two of my Tournament of Power picks are present in this chapter. Lol. Have fun speculating about that for the next 2-5 years, nerds.

Chapter 100: Bardock vs Cell

Planet Namek, 3 years ago...

Bardock gripped his fist as he thought back to that, and then he did something that shocked Gohan and Gine and even Chi-Chi: Bardock bowed his head to the ground.

Bardock took a deep breath and spoke in a clear, calm voice. "Up to this point, I didn't have a choice. Gohan had to fight, or all of us would be dead. And it would be permanent. Frieza would have the Dragon Balls and we all would have been gone for good."

Chi-Chi flinched back, still looking rather cross. Bardock continued. "But I agree that that isn't an excuse. Letting Gohan brush against death like that was irresponsible and the fact that I wasn't strong enough to prevent that is a disgrace on me as a Saiyan..."

He lifted his head and glared at Chi-Chi. "You and Gine wanted me to keep the boy safe, and I failed. But that's the last time. From now on, I'll make sure that he's not put into that position again. So long as I can fight, and even if it kills me. I'll make sure that he has someone to help him fight against things he isn't strong enough to handle on his own..."

Chi-Chi and Bardock glared at each other for a long while. Slowly, the majority of the anger left her face. Chi-Chi knelt down and placed her hand on Bardock's aching shoulder, and then she helped him to his feet. "You swear to me? You swear that you'll keep him safe?"

Bardock nodded. "Yeah. I swear on my life."

In the present day, at the Cell Games...

Cell looked unamused as he glared at Bardock. "Fight you? Why? What would be the point in that? Haven't I... already defeated you...?"

Bardock punched his fists together. "Nope. Not even a little bit. I dunno if you recall the last time we faced each other, after you absorbed 18, but I was still standing and ready to go..."

Both of them thought back to the mostly-naked and heavily-battered Bardock, barely able to stand or maintain Super Saiyan as Semi-Perfect Cell loomed over him. Bardock spat. "You're lucky Kakarot pulled me away when he did. I was getting ready to stomp you like the nasty friggin' pest you are."

Bardock gripped his fist tight and waved it at Cell. "Our battle has been going on this entire time and you've been ducking me like that coward you are!"

The older Saiyan pointed his finger towards his former Cell Junior opponent, lying unconscious with a giant, fist-shaped bruise on its face. Bardock shouted. "And would you look at that, my opponent is out cold! So, why don't we finish up with one another and finally settle which one of us is stronger, Cell?!"

Cell's frown didn't budge. He crossed his arms over his chest and seemed to begin thinking. Eventually, the corners of the monster's mouth curled up and he chuckled. "Well, I will give you this, you have quite the sales pitch..."

The monster began to walk towards Bardock. "And, I suppose I need to wash the bad taste of that fight I had with your worthless grandson out of my mouth. So, why don't we clear the trash off of the field and get to it?"

Cell cast his hand to the side and sent a pressure wave that sent the unconscious Cell Junior tumbling. Bardock nodded. "Fine."

The older Saiyan turned his back to Cell, looking down at Gohan and Mr. Satan. Gohan had a desperate look on his face. "Grandpa! You can't do this! He'll-"

Bardock shook his head, speaking as gently as a hardened man could. "What he'll do is irrelevant, Gohan."

Gohan flinched. Bardock smiled down at him. "When a man gives his word, he has to live by that. And I gave my word a while back. So, I gotta do what I gotta do."

The boy was shaking. "But, Grandpa, what if he...what if..."

Bardock chuckled. "It'll be alright, Gohan. In the end, it'll all be alright. After all...Oozaru strong, right?"

Gohan was speechless. Bardock turned to Mr. Satan and took on a much sterner look. "I can't say I like you that much. It's almost entirely your fault that things have come to this. But I respect you for what you had to say and for defending my grandson. And you're right, by the way, dumping our duty onto Gohan was utterly shameful..."

Mr. Satan shook his head. "N-No, you're-"

Bardock held out his hand for a handshake. "So, I hate to pass the buck again, but would you please get my grandson out of here?"

Mr. Satan was a bit hesitant at first, but then he reached out and grabbed Bardock's hand. The martial artist flinched, feeling something press against his palm and, once the handshake finished, he gripped the object tightly in his fist. Mr. Satan nodded. "R-Right, I'll make sure he stays safe. Maybe try and get him to a hospital for his knees..."

Bardock shook his head. "Unnecessary. Just...get him somewhere with some cover. And keep an eye out for the moment when all of this is over..."

Up on the rocky ridges of the sidelines...

A small foot to the face busted Future Ranch's nose and she was sent flying back. As she nearly went flying over the ledge, however, a hand suddenly grabbed her by the boot and pulled her back up. Future Ranch was dropped to the ground and she shakily pushed herself up, seeing an equally battered Vegeta standing next to her in a fighting stance.

Future Ranch nodded and wiped the trickle of blood from her face, taking her weapon in both hands and glaring at the two approaching, cackling Cell Juniors. Vegeta growled. "How are you holding up?"

Future Ranch rolled her eyes. "Oh, you know, it's a bit hot out today and I'm pretty sure my sinuses are full to the top with blood. How are you, Vegeta?

Vegeta smirked. "And here I thought these little demons would be the biggest annoyances of the day..."

One of the Cell Juniors fired a blast right at Future Ranch's head and Vegeta caught it, crushing it in his hand. Future Ranch chuckled. "Aw! I didn't know you cared..."

Vegeta shook his head. "Trunks would never let me hear the end of it if I just stood by and let you die..."

Both Cell Juniors launched forward, shrieking like banshees. Vegeta and Future Ranch both flared their Super Saiyan power and blocked the oncoming attacks. The two Cell Juniors were ready to continue along with their assault when, to their surprise, they saw a glint of metal out of the corner of their eyes. They both dodged back, as did Future Ranch and Vegeta, just in time to avoid a slash from Future Trunks' sword.

The future warrior stood between his father and his girlfriend. He held his sword tightly in both hands. "I don't mean to complain, but I don't know how much longer I can keep this up, guys..."

Future Ranch stepped up and stood next to him, watching as her and Vegeta's Cell Juniors regrouped with Future Trunks'. "Have you seen Goten? Is he okay?"

Future Trunks shook his head. "I haven't."

Vegeta stepped up next to them. "This is ridiculous. These little..."

Vegeta looked out of the corner of his eye and gasped. "What the hell is Bardock doing?!"

The Prince and both of the Future Teens looked over towards the battlefield and saw, to their shock, that Bardock was standing across from Cell and readying himself for battle. And the three of them, all stronger than Bardock and knowing they were no match for Cell at his current strength, could not help but wonder just what was going through Bardock's head.

Back on the battlefield...

Bardock and Cell both stared one another down. Cell had a wry smile on his face, Bardock was all business. The older Saiyan's face betrayed that he had some kind of strategy for overcoming this massive hurdle before him, but it betrayed no more than that. Cell chuckled. "Allow me to offer you a courtesy..."

Cell pressed his index finger to his temple and shoved it all the way through, purple blood spurting out and pouring down his face. "This maneuver that I am so graciously demonstrating would kill you rather quickly. You may do it, if you'd like. I guarantee it would be painless, relative to what I plan to do to you~"

Bardock sneered. "You'd suggest I commit suicide to avoid agony?"

Cell nodded. "Exactly."

Bardock scowled. "Never. You say I would avoid agony by doing that, but you've never seen Hell, Cell. I refuse to go through an existence of knowing that I copped out. I don't care what you do to me, I guarantee I've been through worse!"

Cell laughed. "Such arrogance."

Bardock scoffed. "Be quiet! You saying I'm arrogant being who you are is laughable. It seems that 'Perfect' Cell has become convinced that he's 'Invincible' Cell. In spite of four near misses that have nearly killed him. That's pretty pathetic and utterly laughable if you ask me, Cell."

Cell laughed out loud. "Oh my~! Such bite. But what you seem to be forgetting, Bardock, is that 16, Vegeta, and Goku all had a reasonable chance at killing me when they performed their attacks. You...are so feeble I have to strain my eyes to notice you~"

The monster sighed. "Can you even engage in that Full-Power Super Saiyan form as Goku and Gohan could? Judging by your performance against my child, I would wager not. Face it, Bardock, you're a joke. The only reason I'm bothering with you is because, historically, you've been one amazing punching bag as I understand. You have a warrior's dignity in spite of how outclassed you are. And I cannot wait to drag that dignity through the dirt~"

Finally, Bardock smirked. "Damn. You think you have me all figured out, huh? Well guess what, Cell..."

Cell cocked his head. Bardock continued. "I still have my technique that I went to learn from Roshi. Never even had a chance to really try it out yet..."

Cell grinned and roll his eyes. "Oh, right. This awe-inspiring mystery technique from Master Roshi. I'm sure it'll put me right in my place~"

Bardock reasserted himself. "And also...you're making one dangerous assumption..."

Cell flinched. "Hm?"

Bardock roared, unleashing the full might of his power. "AND THAT WOULD BE ASSUMING I'D WASTE MY STORED POWER ON YOUR SHITTY, LITTLE BRAT YOU BLOOD-SUCKING LEECH!"

Bardock rushed in and threw a massive punch with Cell caught, with a minor amount of effort. Cell nodded. "Ah, I see. You have some tricks up your sleeve. You're not as powerful as Vegeta or Piccolo, but you've outclassed the Future Fools. So... golf clap, I suppose."

Cell threw a punch of his own, striking Bardock across the mouth and sending him flying back. Bardock flipped through the air and landed hard on his feet, skidding back and coming to a stop. He glared up at Cell, blood pouring from a massive gash on his lower lip. Cell smirked and shrugged. "Are you ready to surrender?"

Bardock cleared his throat and spat a large glob of blood onto the ground. "Eat shit."

And then he charged back at Cell with similar vigor. Cell chuckled. "That's the spirit."

The two warriors clashed again, Bardock moving with as much speed and power as he could, throwing his all at Cell. A flurry of punches and kicks crashed into the monster, but Cell was pretty handily able to deflect and block anything that came at him. When Bardock presented an opening, Cell smirked and went to throw another punch right at Bardock's face. The older Saiyan, thinking strategically, had counted on this and was able to dodge. Using Cell's arm as a vaulting post, Bardock pushed himself up and delivered a spinning uppercut to Cell's jaw. Cell went flying back and Bardock charged forward. "Rebellion Edge!"

Forming a destructive blade over his entire hand, Bardock stabbed the staggered Cell in the chest and bulldozed him back, pushing the impaled bio-Android all the way into the side of a rocky structure and pinning him. Bardock summoned a second Rebellion Edge on his free hand and aimed it directly as Cell's face. However, to Bardock's surprise, Cell's hand quickly shot up and seized him by the forearm.

Bardock tried to yank his arm away from Cell, but the monster held tight. Bardock snarled and yanked even harder, but Cell held firm. He tried to pull free his other hand, the one lodged in Cell's chest, but the monster's regenerating flesh burst out and squeezed around Bardock's arm. He was trapped. Cell chuckled. "Oh dear, are we stuck...?"

Bardock didn't respond, yanking on his arms as hard as he could. Cell smirked. And, he spoke. "Bardock! What's that on your face?!"

The older Saiyan flinched. "Wh-What?!"

Cell reached his free hand to Bardock's cheek, dragging one of his razor-sharp nails across the Saiyan's face. Blood burst from the gash and oozed down to Bardock's jaw. Cell laughed. "Oh, my mistake, it was only pain~"

Bardock sneered. "You son of a-"

Cell quickly forced a full regeneration of the hole in his stomach, the force of new flesh rushing in was enough to send Bardock flying like the cork off of a bottle of champagne. Bardock cursed to himself. "Dammit!"

And then...

*POP*

...Cell appeared right over Bardock and chopped him hard in the throat, sending the Saiyan crashing through the harsh, stone floor below. Bouncing back up from the recoil, Bardock shot both of his feet out and kicked Cell directly in the chest. This barely stalled Cell, who reached down and wrapped his hands around Bardock's throat. Cell pushed down and Bardock hit the ground again, this time dragging along the battlefield until he skidded to a halt. Once they came to a complete stop, Cell let go of Bardock's throat and the older Saiyan wheezed for air.

Cell smirked and stood up, lifting his foot and holding it right over Bardock's face. The monster went for the immediate curb stomp, but Bardock was able to lazily roll over just in time to avoid having his head crushed. Cell chuckled and went for another stomp, lifting his foot again. But this time, Bardock was ready. He rapidly rolled back towards Cell and grabbed the monster's ankle, tripping him forward.

Bardock was focused. He held his arm out and his fingertips glowed with a sizzling yellow. "Destructo-Darts!"

But, to Bardock's shock, Cell had already sent out a counterattack. The monster's tail whipped out from his back and wound around Bardock's torso like a snake. Pulling like a ripcord, Cell's tail began to wind back in towards the eager monster. He planted both of his feet into Bardock's face and delivered a devastating double stomp, driving the older Saiyan's head into the ground again. Cell was quite confident in himself. "Oh my, such a shame! You nearly did something there~!"

Bardock responded with a phrase that Cell wasn't expecting. "Virtue of Raging Flames!"

Bardock thrust his fist upward and sent a stream of flames shredding through the front side of the monster's body. The flames cleaved through Cell, causing him to nearly split completely in half. Jets of fire erupted from the monster's eye sockets as he stumbled back, screaming in pain. As Cell quickly began to try and put out the flames and repair himself, Bardock stood up and grabbed his dislocated jaw, forcing it back into place with a furious grunt.

Once Cell fully regenerated, he glared at Bardock with a hateful scowl. Bardock groaned. "Damn you...if that were Frieza, he'd have been done for..."

Cell scoffed. "Of course, I survived that. The sum is always better than the parts that make it. If you're attacking me like you would Frieza..."

Cell smirked. "Then maybe you really are just trying to commit suicide~"

Bardock took a fighting stance, Raging Flames wreathing both of his fists. Cell cocked his head. "So, this is the technique you learned from that ancient lecher, correct? Of course, the Saiyan ability of flawless mimicry could be at play too. Either way, it is uniquely pointless. That move did not win the day for Goku. And, now that I am aware you can do it, I will not be done in by it. Even by surprise."

Cell stepped forward and Bardock immediately slammed his hands to the ground, forming a wall of flames in front of himself that stretched a few hundred feet either direction and several hundred feet into the air. Cell flinched, but then saw a vaguely Bardock-shaped shadow maneuvering behind the flames. "Oh please..."

The monster raised his finger and fired a Death Beam. It struck through the wall of flames and pierced the Bardock shadow. The shadow lurched forward, but then split into several shadows. Cell nodded. "Ah, yes, the Multi-Form technique. How droll."

Cell proceeded to unleash a Death Beam Barrage into the flames, shooting down the various Bardock shadows and watching them vanish. The monster narrowed his eyes. "Which one are you?"

Unbeknownst to Cell, as he continued to shoot at the various Bardocks, the original one that he shot sprung back up. This Bardock, the original Bardock, held up his hand and fired an attack back through the flames. "Full-Power Ravager Cannon!"

The triangular energy beam split through the flames and, before Cell could react, it smashed him in the side of the head and tore off one of the protrusions on the top. As Cell went reeling in the opposite direction, Bardock leapt through his own flames, fist-wreathed in fire, and screamed at the top of his lungs. The older Saiyan's armor was busted at the left hip, the hole that Cell's Death Beam created having been seared shut. He lunged at Cell and drove his flaming fist into the wound his Ravager Cannon had created, setting Cell's entire head ablaze.

Cell went rolling, screeching as he tried to put out the flames on his head. Bardock leapt towards him again, preparing another flaming strike. However, Cell quickly repelled the Saiyan with a blast to the chest and got back to his feet, ripping off his damaged head and crushing it between his hands before growing a new one. Cell looked livid.

Bardock, meanwhile, busted the ki blast sending him flying apart with his fist, landing on his feet with a thud. He looked down at his chest armor and saw a massive hole had been broken in it, a searing burn mark on his chest. "Damn that smarts..."

He and Cell both glared at one another, Bardock visibly ruffled and Cell no worse for wear. With little else to try at the moment, Bardock decided to pull a Vegeta. He shouted at the top of his lungs and fired a barrage of ki blasts towards the monster. Cell snorted and summoned up a massive Energy Barrier, blocking the attacks full stop. Bardock growled and ceased the attack, lunging forward with a Rebellion Edge at the ready. Cell lowered his Energy Barrier and shot a spate of Death Beams. Bardock sliced through the beams and charged towards Cell. He wildly swung with his energy blade and wildly missed as Cell leapt back.

Cell threw a right jab at Bardock and caught him on the cheek, but Bardock muscled through. Cell's arm was moving with enough force that it made Bardock's teeth rattle, but Bardock was quick. He swung his arm down at top speed and tried to cut off Cell's arm, but the monster quickly pulled back. Following up, Cell gave a thunderous kick to Bardock's gut and then sent him crashing backwards with a palm thrust to the forehead.

Bardock landed hard and Cell went in for a punt kick to the head, but the older Saiyan was able to use his legs to kick himself into the air. Cell's leg went sailing through the air where Bardock used to be, and then Bardock crashed back down for a counterattack. Using the momentum of his fall to his advantage, Bardock grabbed Cell around the head and pulled him forward, slamming him harshly into the ground with a forceful cutter.

Cell quickly pushed himself up off the ground, looking annoyed, only to eat a flaming axe-kick from Bardock to the face.

Or so Bardock thought. Quicker than the eye could follow, Cell had brought his hand in front of Bardock's foot, grabbing the Saiyan by the ankle. With a forceful pull, Cell brought Bardock crashing down and then shot up to catch the older Saiyan with a shattering uppercut directly under the jaw. Bardock seemed to hang in the air for ages, until Cell pressed his hand to his opponent's chest and fired off a Gravity Impact.

Bardock shuddered, blood erupting from his mouth as his entire chest armor shattered into pieces. He went flying back, slamming into a nearby mountain and causing it to crumble. Cell smirked, knowing that he had just pushed the fight even more heavily in his favor. He waited for the dust to settle, wanting to see Bardock's face as he continued to pick him apart.

But then, two Destructo-Darts came shooting from the dust. The beams of energy shot right at Cell, but the bio-Android looked non-plussed. He raised his hand up and, with a wide swipe, he used his All Clear and instantly erased the two deadly beams. The dust cleared and Bardock was standing there, looking quite worse for wear. He was covered in gashes and cuts, his eyes half-lidded. Cell chuckled. "You look sleepy..."

The monster took a deep breath. "Perhaps this will wake you up..."

And then, with a mighty shout, Cell fired a Break Cannon directly at Bardock. The older Saiyan growled under his breath and crossed his arms in defense. "Goddammit..."

The Break Cannon smashed into Bardock's defense and immediately went to work with its destructive power. The coverings on Bardock's wrists and forearms were immediately shredded away, leaving his arms bare. The warrior struggled to even remain standing as the forceful beam of energy washed over him. He felt like he was going to pass out. But, as he glared through the blast at Cell, Bardock quickly realized how golden this opportunity was. Undoing his guard, Bardock drew his hands to his side and shouted. "Kamehameha!"

Thrusting his palms forward, a beam of energy shot out of Bardock's hands and rushed forward through the funnel of Cell's Break Cannon. The bio-Android's eyes widened in shock. But, before he could close his mouth, the beam went flying into it. The energy traveled down Cell's throat, into his stomach, and exploded with a rapturous burst. Cell gagged, his eyes rolling back, and stumbled backwards with smoke pouring from his mouth. Bardock smirked. "Eat that you...bastard..."

And then, he stumbled forward and fell to his knees, worn down and exhausted. It didn't take long for Cell to recover. And, when he did, he looked annoyed. "Why you little..."

A smirk appeared on Cell's face. "Points for creativity, I suppose. But I warn you that you've only managed to rile my hellish temper. I think...yes...now is the time to dispose of you. And, I shall do so with a familiar technique~"

Cell raised a finger up, a small sparkle of orange energy glowing on the tip. And then, with a psychotic laugh, the speck of energy quickly ballooned into a massive, raging Supernova. Cell laughed. "Do you remember this one, Bardock?!"

Bardock glared. "I swear, every scumbag that attacks us thinks they're the most theatrical person on the planet..."

Cell frowned. Bardock stood up and snarled. "YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN SCARE ME WITH THAT TECHNIQUE?! IS THAT HOW SIMPLE-MINDED YOU ARE?! THROW THE DAMNED THING! THROW IT!"

The bio-Android growled under his breath. "Try to steal my moment will you...?"

He looked thoroughly unamused with Bardock's bravado, as is he were simply done with the entire situation. "Fine! You want to die that badly?! Then die!"

Cell chucked the Supernova forward and Bardock took a deep breath. "You're such an overconfident, nasty insect. You know that..."

He shouted at Cell at the top of his lungs, leaping toward the Supernova with a furious scowl. Bardock thrust his hands into the Supernova and spread his own energy through it like a web. Cell gasped and Bardock roared. "You aren't the first person to try this technique on me since I've come back to life! Frieza thought he was clever too! What neither of you arrogant pricks seem to grasp is that I will not be killed by the same technique twice!"

Bardock flipped through the air, crashing the Supernova into the ground and making it spin and he cascaded towards Cell. The monster snarled. "Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Bardock smiled wide. "You and everyone else watching this are right; I'm nowhere near strong enough to beat you! But you know who is powerful enough to kill you, Cell?!"

Cell was confused. But then, it dawned on him what Bardock was implying and he gasped in shock. With a furious scream and a flaring of his Super Saiyan power, Bardock ripped the Supernova off of the ground and held it high into the air. And right below the massive ball of burning energy was Cell, frozen in place by shock. Bardock screamed at him. "That's right! You are strong enough to kill you!"

Bardock began to throw his hands forward. "Now burn in hell, Cell!"

Cell raised his hands in defense as the Supernova was slammed down right on top of him. Immediately, the monster was engulfed by the truly massive blast and an earth-shaking explosion rang out.

As smoke curled up from the new, seemingly bottomless crater, Bardock fell from the sky like a stone and landed on his back hard enough to make the bedrock below him crack. He gasped out in pain, feeling more than a few cracks develop in the bones beneath his flesh. Shakily, Bardock pushed himself up and he scowled at the crater. "Oh shit..."

A pale white hand, attached to a green forearm, came shooting from the crater and slammed on the ground. Slowly, Cell pulled himself from the hole and immediately got to his feet, cracking his neck and taking a deep breath. "Phew..."

He chuckled. "Thank goodness I copied that Forced Spirit Fission nonsense from Vegeta. Slamming my hands into the Supernova allowed me to retake most of my energy that you hijacked..."

Cell sighed. "So, Bardock, how are we feeling? Are we all out of tricks? You're looking a lot like your son right now, and I don't just mean appearance-wise. Perhaps...I should thrust my fist through your chest too?"

Bardock snarled, shakily getting back to his feet. "I'll defeat you. I swear to everything above and below, I will defeat you, you son-of-a-bitch..."

In a desperate bid, Bardock drew his hands to the side and began to charge a massive amount of energy into his palms. He screamed at Cell from across the battlefield, like a man on the edge. Cell chuckled. "How foolish. Roshi's technique fails, my technique fails, and so you must fall back on your own, feeble power. But, that's fine..."

Cell smirked and held up his left hand and a burning, blue flare of energy formed in it. "I believe you called this move the Riot Javelin, yes? What a perfect way to send you to Hell~"

Bardock snarled even louder, his Super Saiyan power surging and the blood from his wounds bursting out. "This next attack will end you! I swear it! This will be your defeat, Cell!"

Bardock gritted his teeth and then shouted again. "THE MOMENT THIS IS ALL OVER HAS COME!"

On the sidelines, nearby...

Jimmy Firecracker was trembling at everything he had been forced to bear witness to today. The sheer power that beings such as Goku, Gohan, and Cell had shown was enough to nearly break the mind of the endeavored reporter. He turned to Mr. Satan, looking to be a nervous wreck. "M-Mr. Satan! What's going on?! What do these incredibly bright lights mean and how are they making the ground shake so?!"

Mr. Satan was silent. Jimmy Firecracker flinched. "M-Mr. Satan...?"

The martial artists fists were trembling. As he sat there, staring at Bardock and Cell, Mr. Satan seemed to be deep in thought. Meanwhile Gohan, sitting between Mr. Satan and Larry the cameraman, was in utter awe of his grandfather's strength and resolve. "Wh-What are you planning, Grandpa Bardock?"

Mr. Satan gritted his teeth as he listened to Bardock's desperate rants at Cell. He gripped his fist tight, feeling the object that Bardock had handed him pressed into his skin. He knew that the moment was coming up. The moment where he would throw himself back into the fray and save the world!

Mr. Satan laughed. "I can't really say what the deal with these lightshows and tricks are, Jimmy. But I can say this..."

The martial artist leapt to his feet and sprinted towards the fight. "This is the end of Cell! I plan to make sure of that!"

The others were all stunned. Jimmy Firecracker screamed out. "Mr. Satan, wait! Come back!"

Gohan begged and pleaded as he saw the foolish human rushing back into danger. "No! Please come back! If you interfere, you might be killed!"

Mr. Satan blocked them all out. He knew this was the moment. The key moment. Here and now, this one move that is was his responsibility to carry out would make the difference between defeat and victory against that craven monster, Cell.

Making it to the edge of the battlefield and fighting against the wind pressure that Bardock and Cell's power was making, Mr. Satan reared his fist back and aimed it directly at the monster. "Take this, you!"

And then, with a scream so loud it was nearly enough to make the Earth shake all on its own, Mr. Satan threw his fist forward.

Back on the battlefield...

*TIK TIK TAK* *BOOOOOOOOOOMM!*

Cell flinched at the noise, looking down at his feet. "What...?"

At his feet, Cell saw the most curious of sights. It was a high-end, Capsule Rice Cooker with nineteen different settings and a self-cleaning option. Cell's eye twitched. "What the heOHSHIT!"

Bardock roared at the top of his lung. "TAKE THIS YOU BASTARD! EVIL CONTAINMENT WAVE!"

Cell's first thought was not on Bardock, but on the rice cooker. Immediately, he aimed his Riot Javelin towards the container. "Son of a-"

The Evil Containment Wave hit Cell like a truck, scooping him up off the ground and utterly engulfing him. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Bardock waved his arms around in the air with huge, heaving motions. He spiraled the wicked monster helplessly around, compressing him into a tight ball as Cell screamed all the while. Once he was rendered as little more than a ball of energy, Bardock finally thrust his hands down and sealed Cell's fate. The monster was tossed headfirst into the rice cooker, screaming like a frightened child. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! I'M PER-"

Bardock lunged at the rice cooker and slammed the lid shut, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a premade seal to attach to the side. Once the seal was firmly applied, Bardock slumped over the rice cooker and groaned in relief. "Oh...man...I guess the old man warned me...about the exhaustion..."

"THIS AIN'T NO TIME TO BE EXHAUSTED!"

Bardock groaned and pressed his face into his hand. "Oh, for the love of..."

Mr. Satan ran up behind Bardock, crouching next to the older Saiyan with a goofy smile. "Come on, man! Cheer up! We did it, didn't we?! We beat Cell!"

Bardock glared at Mr. Satan, his head throbbing. But he managed a smirk. "Yeah...I guess we did beat Cell, didn't we?"

As they celebrated, Jimmy Firecracker came running up with his microphone at the ready. "Mr. Satan! Do you care to explain what happened here?! Where did Cell vanish to? Is this, perhaps, another trick?!"

Mr. Satan nervously chuckled, looking down to see Bardock shying away from the reporter. Thinking quickly, the martial artist acted. He snatched the microphone from Jimmy Firecracker and addressed everyone still listening from televisions around the world. "Ladies and Gentlemen! It doesn't matter just what happened here! We can explain that later! For now, all you need to know is this! Cell has been defeated! The Earth is safe once again!"

Jimmy Firecracker was in awe of Mr. Satan's bluster. Bardock couldn't help but smirk as he turned away. On the far side of the battlefield, next to Larry the cameraman, Gohan was amazed and overwhelmed. He couldn't help but smile from ear-to-ear. "Grandpa Bardock..."

On the rocky ridges of the sidelines...

One of the Cell Juniors dropped the battered Krillin and slowly began to back away. The rest of the little imp's brethren slowly joined alongside it. Like worker drones without a leader to follow, the Cell Juniors were suddenly lacking in motivation and direction. They all shivered in horror. One of them cried out. "P-Papa?!"

And then, they all began to panic.

At Mr. Satan's house...

Videl was pumping her fists and cheering with joy at the sight of her father putting on his performance for the audience at home. No matter how the result was achieved, or by whom, the world had been saved and that was enough to make Videl jump for joy.

As her daughter celebrated, Miguel sighed in relief and buried her face in her hands. "Oh, thank God..."

At Goku's house...

In spite of Mr. Satan's idiotic bluster, the spirits were high in Goku's house. The Bulmas were leading the celebration as everyone cheered and made merry. Even the babies were thrilled, happily cooing and crying out from the sheer feeling of joy and relief in the room.

Gine, having been in a tense state of fear and worry since Gohan was forced to fight, flopped into her chair next to Android 18 and buried her face in her hands, letting loose a ragged sigh of relief. Android 18, attempting to be friendly, gave the worried grandmother a comforting pat on the back.

Back on the battlefield...

As the sound of everyone celebrating around him echoed out, Bardock's eyes went half-lidded. He was exhausted, and he knew that the Cell Juniors still needed to be taken care of, but he had faith in his comrades. Cell had been defeated and Bardock had, through sacrifice of his own body and energy, done his part. Now, all he could do was rest and wait to get his earful from Chi-Chi about Gohan getting hurt. Bardock smiled...

...and then a foot suddenly crashed into his bare chest, sending Bardock flying into the air and making blood burst from his mouth.

Bardock crashed into the ground and tumbled like a boulder down a slope. As he slid into a rest, Bardock struggled to even push himself up. "What the hell...?!"

Bardock gasped in horror. "N-No!"

The horrified Jimmy Firecracker had fallen flat onto his ass. Mr. Satan stood recoiled in shock and horror. Standing atop the rice cooker, with a massive fist-shaped bruise on his face, was the Cell Junior Bardock had been fighting before. The little demon chuckled as it tapped its tiny foot on the lid of the rice cooker. "Papa...save Papa~"

Bardock shuddered in horror. Desperately, he tried to crawl forward. "No... s-stop!"

The Cell Junior cackled at the top of its lungs and reached for the lid of the rice cooker. But then, before it could yank the lid open, the shadow of a fist appeared on the side of the Cell Junior's head and crashed into it. "SATAN PUNCH!"

No reaction.

The Cell Junior turned and looked at the furious Mr. Satan, regarding him with even less worth than Cell seemed to. The little monster reared its little fist back and, with its full might, it punched Mr. Satan in the stomach and sent him flying through the air. Satan coughed up blood, releasing the microphone in his opposite hand and crashing into the distance.

The microphone fell onto the ground next to the horrified Gohan and the terrified Larry. As Jimmy Firecracker went running by, screaming out Mr. Satan's name, Gohan watched in horror as the little, blue imp prepared to strike. Bardock was in no position to fight, he could barely move. Gohan attempted to get to his feet, but the boy's injured knees gave out and he fell to the ground. At the top of his lungs, the boy called out to the Cell Junior. "No! Stop! Don't do it!"

Bardock wheezed and coughed up blood. "Sh-Shit..."

The Cell Junior shrieked with joy and then kicked the lid right off of the rice cooker. The lid went flipping through the air like a coin and landed on the ground with a clattering thud. Nothing happened at first, but then a massive eruption of energy shot out of the broken device. The light was so bright it threatened to blind anyone that looked directly at it, but the wicked chuckle that accompanied it was enough to let anyone know what had happened. "Well well..."

Metallic clomping as feet landed on the ground. The light dimmed and, standing there with a furious smirk on his face, was the perfect form of Cell. The monster chuckled again and sighed. "Don't I just have egg on my face...Bardock?"

Bardock was stunned silent as the long shadow of Cell slowly overtook him. Gohan could only watch from the sidelines in fearful horror as blood pooled beneath his knees. Across the world, everyone watching the television felt all of their hopes draining away. The Earth's victory had been stolen away; Cell's game would continue without interruption.

Up on the rocky ridges of the sidelines...

The overjoyed howls of the Cell Juniors were enough to scare even the hardiest of beasts as they leapt back into their horrific carnival of violence and misery. Future Ranch's Cell Junior tackled her to the ground and kicked her as hard as it could in the face. She cried out in pain and the little demon rammed its fist into her mouth, grabbing her tongue and sinking its claws in before starting to yank.

Future Ranch's eyes snapped open and she reached up, grabbing the Cell Junior by the wrist and holding tight. She could feel blood running down her throat and it was taking all she had to prevent the psychotic, little imp from ripping her tongue out.

Raditz growled in frustration, pushing himself up and lunging towards his daughter. "Ranch!"

Another Cell Junior fell from the sky and crashed down onto Raditz's back, pressing him through the rocks. It shrieked with delight and began to stomp down onto Raditz's head. "Die. Die. Die. Die. Die."

Back on the battlefield...

Cell gave the rice cooker a harsh kick, sending it flying into the distance and out of sight. That single kick rendered the container as little more than scrap metal. He chuckled, and then looked down at the little Cell Junior that had saved him from an eternal hell. Cell gently reached down to the excited, little imp and gave it a pat on the head. "Such a good boy. It's nice to see that, unlike Goku's, my son has a spine~!"

The Cell Junior gasped at the compliment, its face glowing bright red and glinting sparkles appearing around its big, doe-like eyes. "Th-Thank you...Papa..."

Cell chuckled. "Is he not impressive, Bardock? My dear child is even able to form full sentences so soon after exiting the womb~"

The monster smirked. "But, enough about that. I owe you a bit of credit too. You were right, at the end of the day. My arrogance nearly got me for a fifth time. I nearly lost. But, unfortunately for you, I will never allow the same technique to work on me twice. So, it's quite a shame you failed to spot check for my precious, baby boy before deciding that you had won..."

Bardock spat blood on the ground. "Bastard..."

Cell extended out his arm, motioning to Bardock with his finger. "Come~"

Bardock was stuck in place. He couldn't move to approach Cell even if he wanted to. His body was out of gas and the engine was stalling. Cell sighed. "I see, you've become too tuckered out..."

The monster turned to his new, favorite child. "Bring him to me."

The Cell Junior happily shrieked. "Whatever you say, Papa~!"

The blue demon rushed at Bardock, whipping around him and delivering a second kick that sent the older Saiyan flying. Bardock went jetting forward and landed, throat first, into the crushing grip of Cell. Cell wickedly grinned. "It was a valiant attempt, Bardock, but I'm afraid that a dithering chimp like you is no match for pure, unfettered perfection! But at least you can be the first warrior in Hell to tell the tale of the mighty Cell!"

And then, with all of his strength put behind it, Cell struck Bardock beneath the jaw with an uppercut. Bardock's head snapped back hard and blood erupted from his throat. As Bardock went flying into the air at supersonic speed, Cell chuckled. And then, without even considering using the Instant Warp, Cell launched into the air after Bardock.

The monster slammed into his prey three times, each strike to Bardock's torso harsher and more forceful than the last. He punched Bardock in the gut, shattering his ribs. He punched Bardock in the cheek, shattering his jaw. And then, he punched Bardock directly in the face, shattering his skull. As Bardock floated in freefall, stuck in one of the worst pains of his life, Cell took it all in. He took in the pain and misery on Bardock's face, the grim acceptance that he had lost this fight. And then, with an absolutely feral shriek, revealing the true madness hidden behind his affable façade, Cell punched Bardock in the back of the neck. He felt neckbone after neckbone pop and crackle from the sheer force straining against them. And then, with a sickening snap, Bardock was sent flying back down to the Earth below.

The older Saiyan shot into the ground like a missile, landing harshly and feeling the last few bones in his body that were left unbroken shatter. And finally, Bardock lied still.

Nearby, Gohan was in a state of shock. The sounds of his friends screaming in pain in the distance as they were being beaten and the sight of his utterly defeated grandfather in front of him robbed Gohan of his ability to truly process what was happening. He feebly reached out. "G-Grandpa..."

Cell crashed down next to Bardock, looking triumphant. "So, are we feeling angry yet Gohan?"

Gohan yelped and flinched back. Cell chuckled. "I guess not, huh? Such a shame. Because, you see, I have come to a decision, boy..."

Cell reached down and grabbed the barely conscious Bardock by the hair and yanked him off of the ground. Bardock's body could only twitch and spasm, he couldn't freely move, he couldn't even speak as blood poured from him like a faucet. Cell shook Bardock around like a ragdoll, taking pleasure in the sounds of his bones crackling within. "I have decided, boy, that this ten-count will be for my final victory. This ten-count will bring the Cell Games to a definitive end. And then, I will actively shift my attention to the destruction of the Earth. This victory, over noble Bardock, has sated my desire for a fight..."

The monster frowned. "And you, with your sniveling attitude, will not spoil this one for me. So, either you locate your 'anger', Gohan, or you will be made to watch this world burn..."

Clomping, metallic footsteps rang out as Cell marched towards Gohan. "One...two..."

On the rocky ridges of the sidelines...

As the Cell Juniors continued their hellacious, brutal assault of the Z-Fighters, Cell's voice rang out across the entire wasteland. "Three...four..."

At Mr. Satan's house...

Miguel desperately tried to reach out and grab Videl, trying to get her to look away from the television. But, as she lurched forward, a thunderous cough sent blood shooting up from her throat. As Miguel fell to the floor, coughing and hacking her brains out, the house servants rushed in to check on her.

Videl's eyes, meanwhile, filled with tears as she stared at the screen. "No... this isn't fair! Th-They won!"

Cell's voice echoed from the speakers. "Five...six..."

At Goku's house...

A blanket of dread had overtaken the entire house. Everyone stared at the television in horror, watching as Cell got closer and closer to the camera and Gohan. He was dragging Bardock behind him like a sack of garbage.

Android 18 called out. "H-Hey, Gine..."

Everyone turned to see Gine staring at the camera, a look of frozen terror on her face. "Bardock, no..."

Cell's voice echoed out. "Seven...eight..."

On the very edge of the battlefield...

Jimmy Firecracker helped Mr. Satan sit up. The Champ was wheezing and blood was coming from his mouth. He rested his arm over his torso, trying his best to ease the pain of his busted ribs.

Cell's voice echoed out. "Nine..."

Back on the battlefield...

Cell came to a stop in front of Gohan. He glared down at the boy with utter disdain as the terrified camera guy shuddered with fear. And then, after pausing for a moment, Cell opened his mouth to speak one last time. "T-"

Gohan suddenly cried out. "WAIT!"

Cell stopped. He looked down at Gohan again and several veins popped out of Cell's face. He was livid. Kneeling before him, his mask twisted into a sobbing grimace, was Gohan. Tears poured down the boy's face and he could barely speak as he heaved for air. "P-Please...p-p-please...don't do this..."

Gohan sobbed. "Please stop..."

The Cell Junior present exploded into mocking laughter, pointing at Gohan and ridiculing his with loud, obnoxious guffaws. Cell's face, meanwhile, was utterly humorless. He rolled his eyes at Gohan once again showing his age, and then he cast Bardock's crippled body at the boy. Bardock skidded across the ground on his knees and was left in a position where he and Gohan could look one another right in the eye.

Between the two, their entire life together flashed before Gohan's eyes. The fight against Vegeta, the adventures on Namek, training together, living together, getting to know one another and growing to genuinely love one another, and all of their time in the Time Chamber. Gohan remembered it all. Bardock, meanwhile, simply closed his eyes and thought back to that day that he had jumped between Gohan and the blast that Nappa had thrown.

"Ten."

A blast came bursting through Bardock's chest that made it pop open like a balloon. Blood splattered everywhere. All across the ground, onto the camera lens, and even across Gohan's face. The boy fell silent and his pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks.

A manic grin spread across Cell's face. "So, how about now? Are you angry yet~?"

And then, Gohan let loose a scream so loud and a burst of power so large that it genuinely knocked Cell off of his feet and sent him flying back.

At Goku's house...

Chi-Chi screamed in horror, tears flowing down her face as she watched blood flowing from the massive hole in Bardock's chest. The older Saiyan flopped forward and fell to the ground with a thud, entirely dead. Bulma screamed in shock and grief. "Bardock!"

Future Bulma pressed her hand to her face, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "No... goddammit...not again..."

As the adults all went through their moments of grief for their fallen friend, the babies all began to wail and cry at the top of their lungs. Ox-King desperately tried to comfort them, looking towards the screen at poor Gohan, kneeling their helpless. "Gohan..."

And then, with a sharp scream from Gohan and a surprised look on Cell's face, the signal suddenly cut out entirely and the television went to static.

Blonde Launch, tears in her eyes, ran forward and smashed her fist against the top of the television. "Dammit! Now of all times?! Are you kidding me?!"

As Dr. Briefs stood up to see what he could do, a loud clattering and the slamming of wood against wood suddenly caught everyone's attention. They all turned to see that Android 18's wheelchair had been dumped over, and that she and Gine had both vanished from sight.

Their gaze went from the wheelchair to the front door, hanging off of one hinge and nearly splintered into two pieces.

On the rocky ridges of the sidelines...

Watching Bardock slump to the ground, dead, Future Ranch's eyes filled with tears for her deceased grandfather. She, just like Gohan, remembered all of the times they had enjoyed in the Time Chamber. And, also just like Gohan, Future Ranch refused to take this lying down.

The devious little gremlin sitting on her chest was totally complacent, so he never saw what happened next coming. Future Ranch's Super Saiyan power flared and she bit down hard. So hard, in fact, that she completely severed the Cell Junior's hand off!

The Cell Junior recoiled back, screaming in pain, only to suddenly be clubbed across the face by the stock end of a rifle. It went flying into Vegeta's Cell Junior and both of them crashed into a rocky surface. All of the Cell Juniors stopped in their tracks to glare at Future Ranch, and all of the Z-Fighters laid still. Future Ranch spat the severed Cell Junior hand onto the ground and roared in frustration, the pain and rage in her voice apparent. "YOU ALL FELT THAT, RIGHT?!"

From their various spots beaten and battered across the mountain range, the Z-Fighters didn't respond. But it was quite apparent that they, like Future Ranch, had noticed what Cell had done to Bardock. A swirling hurricane of grief and rage covered the battlefield. Future Ranch gripped her fists tight. The injuries she had suffered against the Cell Juniors were nothing to sneeze at, but she felt utterly numb to pain. Tears were pouring down her face at the grief of having to watch another beloved comrade die at the hands of Dr. Gero's horrific machinations.

Future Trunks and Future Goten both echoed the same sentiment. Future Trunks gripped his sword hard enough that his palms bled. Future Goten pressed his hand over his face to mask the pain and tears welling up in his eyes. Future Ranch cried out. "We can't just let these little bastards bulldoze over us! We can't let them win!"

Feeling Gohan's power swelling behind her, Future Ranch reached down to the Capsule belt strapped to her left leg and clicked it. In her hands appeared a modified Degtyarev Anti-Material Rifle. She screamed at the top of her lungs and her power flared. "We have to be like Gohan! We need to kill these little bastards to avenge Grandpa Bardock!"

Slowly, to the shock and consternation of the Cell Juniors, the bloodied Z-Fighters rose to their feet as if their injuries didn't exist. The shadows over their faces cleared to reveal masks of pure rage. They each glared at their own Cell Junior with such a force that it made the little imps recoil back in shock.

Piccolo glared into the distance, feeling something bubbling deep within Gohan. Something that he didn't like. He snarled. "We don't have enough power to kill these little freaks individually! If we're going to win, we need to fight them two-on-two so that we can all support one another! Work off of each other's experience and knowledge and crush them no matter what!"

Vegeta and Future Trunks nodded. As did Raditz and Future Ranch. As did Tien and Chiaotzu. As did Krillin and Android 16. As did Future Goten and Android 17. As did Piccolo and Yamcha. And then, paired off into groups, the furious warriors charged at their Cell Juniors to engage in a counterattack!

Back down on the battlefield...

Cell and his attentive child both stood in trepidation at the power they felt coming behind the dust. It was something that neither of them knew how to process. Furious, but calm. Wild, but tamed. Metered, and yet so very unrestrained. And, despite its depths, it was easy to tell that there was something more hidden just under the surface. It was primal in a way.

The dust thinned out and a silhouette could be seen standing on the other side. Acting quickly, in hopes of impressing its Papa, the Cell Junior rushed into the dust with a wicked shriek to face this foe head on. As soon as it disappeared from sight, a wet snap and a high-pitched shriek of pain echoed out. Cell flinched. "What in the hell...?"

And then, Gohan stepped out from the dust. The boy was a sight to behold. His formerly well-managed hair was now spiky and unkempt, raising high above his head. His knees, while still a deep purple and with the holes remaining, had stopped spewing blood. And Gohan walked without so much as a hint of a limp. The boy spoke. "Cell."

Cell flinched, giving a nervous chuckle. "W-Well...I see that you've managed to-"

Gohan interrupted, his voice was a droning, emotionless monotone. "You were saying earlier that your children had a spine that I didn't. Is this it?"

Gohan held up the twisted remains of a broken-in-half Cell Junior by its own exposed spinal column. The little imp gurgled and gasped in pain, twitching as Gohan held it aloft. The boy tossed the crippled little demon at Cell hard enough to send Cell sliding back. The Cell Junior splattered hard against his chest. Cell looked down at it with horror in his eyes. "Pa...pa...?"

Cell snarled and tossed the Cell Junior aside with utter disgust. "Now listen here, boy! If you think I-"

Gohan rushed forward and thrust his fist into Cell's lower torso so harshly that an explosion rocked out of Cell's back. Purple blood and viscera painted the ground for dozens of meters behind Cell and he gasped in shock. As Cell stood there, his eyes bugged out and unable to speak beyond gagging and stammering, Gohan dropped the bag of Senzu Beans from Cell's stomach onto the ground.

And then, the boy pulled his hand back into Cell's torso and wrapped his hand around the untouched spine of the monster. "Or did you mean a spine like this one?"

Cell stared down at Gohan, unsure of how he should, or even could, respond to this change in attitude. Gohan stared back up at Cell with emotionless, near-blank eyes. "You will pay for what you've done. You will pay."