A/N: I just want to say thank you to Metaph for favoriting and gmjordan00 for following! It means the world to me, and it makes it so much easier to write so thanks again!

One quick note before the chapter starts, I've been struggling with writing the parts away from the main story (i.e. the DBZ world parts with Bulma and Chi Chi and the Danny Phantom parts with Maddie and the gang), so I apologize if it seems a little rough.

Enjoy!


Chapter 11: Waiting

Bulma paced back and forth on the Lookout with her hand on her chin. She wasn't turning up with many solutions on how to reach Gohan. The issue wasn't so much breaking through to another dimension; she was certain that in a few more days that she'd be able to achieve such a feat. The main problem lay in the fact that there was very little way for her to track Gohan across dimensions. He could've been as close as the next dimension over or as far as a thousand. It was hard to even imagine the size or number of the dimensions, so hopping from dimension to dimension would likely be a futile task. That wasn't even factoring-

"Did you call us here just to have us watch you pace back and forth?!" Chi Chi exclaimed. "If that's what you wanted to do, you could do it in your lab and be working on bringing my baby boy back home!"

Bulma gave Chi Chi a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I got lost in my head for a minute there." She then turned to her audience, consisting of Chi Chi, Krillin, Piccolo, and Dende. "OK, so I've called you here today because I believe we'll need some magical help in getting Gohan back."

Krillin frowned. "Magical? Like the Dragon Balls? Didn't you guys already try that?"

Bulma grimaced. "Yes, but we didn't try the ones on Namek!" The group glanced at one another before Bulma spurred on. "I can get us into another dimension just fine. With my superior intellect, that'll be a singe! The problem is that there could be an immense number of universes. There's no telling which one Gohan could be on."

"So you plan to use Porunga to give the specifics on Gohan's location!" Piccolo breathed, rubbing his own chin.

"Something along those lines!" Bulma affirmed with a grin. "Obviously we can try to make a wish to bring Gohan back again, but if that doesn't work, we can triangulate his position with another wish."

"Or figure out something that can without a doubt bring him back."

Bulma blinked at Piccolo's thoughtful expression. "Do you think something like that exists?"

Piccolo shrugged. "The universe is a vast place. There could be just about anything you can imagine if you look in the right place."

"Well this is all fine and dandy," Chi Chi butted in, "but how are we going to get to this Porunga?"

Bulma smiled. "Simple, I was thinking that Dende could take us!"

All eyes turned to Dende as he shrunk slightly from their piercing gazes.

Chi Chi was the first to speak. "Do you know the way?! Are you certain that this will bring my baby back?!"

Dende leaned away and resisted the urge to gulp. Bulma could pity the young Namekian's plight. "I know the way by heart; however, I can't say for certain that this will work. Porunga is more powerful than Shenron, but getting to the bottom of this will still be a tall order." He winced apologetically before quickly adding, "However, there is a good chance that Porunga will have a bit more information on this subject."

"Dende is right," Piccolo added. "Porunga is truly wise. That said, I will head over to King Kai. He might have some information for us on Gohan's possible whereabouts." He turned to Chi Chi. "Trust me when I say that I will do everything in my power to find Gohan. That you can be sure of."

Chi Chi gave him a curt nod before turning to Bulma. "Where is that Vegeta?! We need to leave now!"

Bulma raised her hands, placatingly. "Hey, you can pack first before you leave. After all, you've gotta eat on the way."

Chi Chi glared at him. "Well, I'm leaving in two hours with or without you people if you're not ready by the time I get back."

"Wait a minute!" Dende exclaimed.

Bulma damn near jumped out of her skin at the volume. From the looks on everyone's faces, they felt much the same. Dende had the grace to look sheepish before he continued. "Sorry about that. I think we can get King Kai's help to teleport us to New Namek. It'll be faster, and I'm sure he'll be eager to get the universe's most powerful protector back."

"That would be second most powerful to you, brat."

Vegeta strode up to the group, drawing most of their attention. Bulma rolled her eyes at his antics before turning back to Dende. "Are you sure?"

Dende smiled with open palms. "It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"Alright then!" Bulma clasped her hands together. "Let's get to it! We don't have time to lose."


Max leaned back in his chair, staring off at his new friends. It felt so much better having that mask off. It had taken them a while to get used to it, but when they finally did, he felt like they'd cultivated a deeper connection. He still wasn't able to game with Danny and the others, but Berto had assured him that he'd build him a T.U.R.B.O-proof controller once the Cell Games were over and done with.

Come to think of it, everything just felt better. His friendships had been getting stronger than ever, he and his mom were bonding, no serious incidents had happened, and he'd gotten closer to Sydney.

If there was ever a moment in time that he'd call close to perfect, it'd be now.

'You sure seem happy.'

Max smirked at Steel's voice. He cracked his knuckles over his head in a long stretch. 'Yeah! I'm over the moon right now. Life has just been so insane lately that it's great having some downtime, y'know?'

'Oh yeah, I feel you. If I have to help launch us into a T.U.R.B.O. mode any time soon, I'm gonna lose it!'

"Max, Randy, Danny, and Gohan!" Forge's voice boomed out of the intercoms. Max chuckled as he saw Tucker and Howard jump at the sound. "Meet me in the Command Room, immediately!"

Max released a sigh before stretching. 'Well Steel, if you're gonna lose it, could you not do it in my head?'

'Shut it, Max. Shut it.'

Max cracked a smirk as he headed out of the room. On the way, he came across Danny, who glanced at him and gave him a curt nod which Max returned.

"Any idea on what Forge wants us for?" asked Danny, falling into step beside him.

Max scratched the back of his head with a slight shrug. "Your guess is as good as mine. I'd wager it has something to do with Cell, though."

Danny gave a nod as they resumed walking in silence. When they finally reached the Command Room, they saw that Gohan and Randy were already there. With a quick wave to each, Max and Danny moved to stand next to them.

Forge's gaze swept over them all before addressing them with a slight bow of the head. "I've called you all here because of a villain issue."

Max's brows raised. "Villain issue?"

Forge grimaced as he waved a hand. A hologram showed footage from all over the city. Max felt his heart sink just a tad. Numerous villains from his rogues gallery were flitting about here and there; some were causing immense chaos while others were simply prowling the streets. He could already see some N-Tek agents engaging some of them.

"This has been going on since about an hour ago," Forge started. "I have no idea why they're doing this, but they need to be stopped and interrogated. Gohan, you take on Elementor. He's the giant monster with a diamond on the top of his head. The diamond is his weak spot. Danny, Max, and Randy, I want you all to take on as many of them as you can. If you have the opportunity, try apprehending them. We'll be right behind you guys!"

"Dread hasn't told you anything, sir?" asked Gohan.

Max glanced at the man before turning to Forge with a questioning stare. Forge waved him off as he went to address Gohan's question. "Unfortunately, I haven't heard any news from him. We'll have to take these guys down first before I have a talk with Dread."

Max gave a nod before turning to his "crew". "Well, guys, we should get a move on. Hopefully, this'll be quick."

Gohan nodded. "I'll meet you guys there!"

He made off towards the door at brisk pace before he shot off, thankfully, at a slower than top speed pace. It would be a pain if he got sonic boom'd into a wall.

Danny floated a few feet off the ground as he held a hand down to Randy. Randy glanced at his hand before huffing a sigh and clasping onto it. Danny just gave a snort. "Yeah, man. I know."

In a few short moments, they were out of the room, leaving only Steel, Max, and his uncle.

Max looked down at his hands as he heaved a sigh. His hands were jittering like he'd downed ten cups of coffee. He knew he needed to go out there and help, but his body just wouldn't move.

"Max, are you alright?"

Max spun so fast that he was half-surprised that he didn't get whiplash. He shot Forge a smile that he hoped wasn't shaky, but from the look on Forge's face, he failed in that aspect. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just. . . I dunno, getting used to the new power and all."

Forge strode across the room in long strides, stopping just in front of Max and putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's OK if you need to sit this one out and wait for Berto's updated machine. No one would blame you."

Max pulled back, trying his hardest not to scowl at the pity. Instead, he tried for his best winning smile as he spun around. "Nah, it's fine. I've got this."

"Max-"

He blocked out his uncle's voice as he felt his mask materialize onto his face. "Let's go T.U.R.B.O! Flight!"

Max shot off like a cannonball out of N-Tek and into the blue sky. He could feel the higher concentration of T.U.R.B.O. energy coursing through his veins. He willed himself to focus on that as hard as he could, rather than his heart pounding in his chest. 'You doing alright, Steel?'

'Yep! Functioning great!'

Max breathed a sigh of relief as he came to a stop above a distracted Exstroyer. He was admittedly not doing anything out of the ordinary for normal people; he was just walking down the street, his head turning this way and that. However, it was out of the ordinary behavior for the shapeshifter, so Max found himself landing in front of Exstroyer, face to face. "What are you guys doing? The city's already wrecked from Makino. Give it a rest."

Exstroyer gave a mocking grin as he shrugged his shoulders. "Orders are orders, Max Steel."

"Alright," Max sighed, cracking his knuckles, "Guess we'll do this the hard way."

BOOM!

Max spun around with wide eyes to see the Elementor on his back. Gohan was floating not far over the behemoth with his aura flaring, looking like a god looming over a demon. "Dread sent them here to look for Vlad!" Gohan shouted over to Max. "He's gone rogue and stole some of his stuff, apparently."

"Do you know where he is?" Max asked, his eyes barely leaving the downed Elementor.

Gohan frowned as he shut his eyes. He seemed to be debating something, if the conflicted look on his face was any indication. Or maybe he was sensing for Vlad? It was hard to tell.

After a moment or two longer, Gohan shot off with a sonic boom to find Vlad. At least, that's what Max thought Gohan was up to. Max gave a tired sigh as he glanced back at Exstroyer who looked absolutely gobsmacked with how wide his eyes had become. If this we're any other time, Max would've laughed and cracked a quip at his expense.

"What the hell. . ."

Max gave the man a small shrug. "You get used to it."


Gohan scoured city block after city block only to come up with nothing. It certainly helped that Vlad had a higher Ki signature than other humans and that it had a distinct difference in feel, but it was still unfortunately small enough to make tracking it absolute hell. Just when he was about to give up, he felt something interesting.

"I think I've got him," Gohan muttered. "It feels like he's underground."

In a flash, Gohan found himself standing next to a shocked, grey-haired man. He had no doubt in his mind that man was Vlad. After all, the metallic portal next to him was a pretty big giveaway given the intel he'd acquired. His suit was muddied and tattered, but the fine quality betrayed his riches.

"Vlad," Gohan started, stepping towards the man. "You're coming with me."

Vlad backed away with a sweating brow. "Come now, I have no idea who this Vlad is!"

Gohan took one long glance at the man's portal before raising a brow at him. "Are you serious right now? That is a Ghost portal."

Vlad's mouth open and shut, not dissimilar to that of a fish. After a few long moments of silence, Vlad gave a long shrug. "That isn't mine."

Gohan gave him an unimpressed look before he whisked him off in the blink of an eye. Easily locking in onto Danny's Ki signature, he flew down to the teen who was in the process of launching a ghost ray into the face of a robotic-man. He dropped down with a careful amount of force sending the assailant flying, much to Danny's surprise.

"Hey, Gohan," Danny breathed, "What's- Wait, Vlad?"

Gohan smiled and nodded. "Thank you for the confirmation."

With that Gohan shot off for N-Tek. On the way, he came across some N-Tek jets, one of them carrying Commander Forge. "Hey! Slow it down, slow it down!"

Forge's jet slowed considerably as he popped his head out of the door. Gohan couldn't help the slight anxiety he felt at the man doing such a dangerous thing, but he seemed to have no qualms about it. "Take him to the base!" Forge shouted over the wind. "Berto can take him off of your hands once you get there! He has a cell specially made for the bastard!"

Gohan nodded, feeling the satisfaction of a job well done. "Alright- Wait!"

Vlad had flown out of his grasp, likely by turning intangible. It had been a weird tingly experience, but the man was gone now. He couldn't spot him, but he could sense him. Vlad had gone invisible to get better distance between himself and Gohan. He had to begrudgingly respect the man's quick-witted ingenuity.

Gohan almost shot after him, but he decided to think critically instead. He knew Vlad's Ki signature and they had a place to lock him up back in N-Tek. Vlad would have to return to the solid world at some point, and Gohan would be waiting. First order of business, for Gohan, would be to find the special room that would be housing the millionaire.

"Where'd he go?!" Forge demanded.

"He gave me the slip, but I'll get him back!" Gohan called back as he took off.

In a blink of an eye, Gohan was walking through the halls of N-Tek, coming face-to-face with Berto. He'd been hunched over some device that Gohan didn't have a hope of understanding. He couldn't help but absently wonder how much Bulma would love this place. "Hey, could you show me where the holding room is for Vlad?"

Berto looked taken aback for a moment but he quickly nodded. "Do you remember Max's old containment room?"

Gohan fought the urge to wince. There was no way in hell that he'd forget about that room. "Sure," he responded evenly.

"Well, Vlad's cell would be two rooms to the right of Max's cell. You'll know it when you see the green ectoranium walls. It took a while to make, but they're sure to hold in any ghost. No matter how powerful!"

Gohan tried not to think about the reason they'd acquired ectoranium so quickly as he said a quick thanks and zoomed over to Vlad's would-be cell. With a quick tap of a button, the door was opened. He looked over the cell with mild annoyance. He would have to bet that Vlad would be too stunned to try and fly back out of the cell before the doors shut. Still, the doors seemed to move pretty quickly.

"Ah well," Gohan muttered. "We'll get him in here one way or another."

He locked back onto Vlad's Ki signature and zoomed back to Vlad's location. True to his intuition, the man was no longer intangible. The halfa didn't even see it coming when Gohan whisked in and snagged the man.

In a flash, Gohan was in front of Vlad's newly created cell as he chucked the man into it. He ran over to the button to shut the door, hitting it as quickly and carefully as possible so as not to break it. By the time Vlad came to, the cell was closed off and the man was trapped.

Gohan smiled at the disgruntled halfa, just barely resisting the urge to fist pump. "Have fun in there!"

With a little wave, he took off.


It took a while to round up the rest of the heroes and send the villains packing, but it was easier after Vlad was confirmed to be in custody. When they were all finally together, Forge requested that they go off on their own and relax. Except for Gohan who he wanted for debriefing.

Gohan stood across from the aforementioned commander. He didn't know what to expect from the hard set look on the man's face, but he wasn't too worried. They had a pretty decent relationship and he hadn't done anything wrong, (at least he didn't think he did), so it would likely all run smoothly.

"Don't be so tense, Gohan," Forge assured with a smile. "This should just take a couple of minutes."

Gohan nodded with a small nod. "Right."

"You were a great help in tracking down Vlad, but I'm curious about a few details. What did you see while you were at Vlad's base of operations."

Gohan gave a quick nod. "Right, well, he was operating from a sewer. I didn't get a good eye on the surroundings, but I think there was a Ghost Portal there. I'm guessing that's what he was using Dread's parts for."

Forge nodded slowly, seemingly soaking in the new info. "Are you sure it was a portal that you saw?"

"I can't be one hundred percent certain of it, but it seems pretty accurate to what Jazz told me about her family's portal."

"Do you remember the location?"

Gohan stopped short before smacking his forehead in disgust. He'd been in and out of there so quickly that he'd forgotten to take in details about the location. "I-I'm not sure I remember it, sir. I know it's still in Copper Canyon, though!"

Forge sighed but he nodded. Gohan couldn't help but feel even worse. "Don't sweat it, Gohan. We've got the mastermind; we'll get him to talk. Unless you've found out anything new, you're free to go enjoy yourself."

Gohan gave a grateful nod and a smile that he hoped didn't look fake as he walked out of the door.


It didn't take him long to find Jazz.

She was off on her own again, meditating in her room. He was partially dreading talking to her. They were dumb reasons to be scared, he chided himself. Nonetheless, those reasons permeated their way into his mind and took root. There was an irrational part of his brain that thought she'd hate him for not remembering the location of the portal. The portal that could very well be their only way back to their homes.

A new bout of sickness struck him as he thought about his home, His family was probably worried sick. He could imagine all to well how his mother would be fretting all over the place, bossing everyone around to distract herself from the guilt and worry. Not to mention the others. . .

He drew his thoughts away as he blinked away some unshed tears. Now wasn't the time to get mushy. Now was the time to right a wrong. He owed Jazz that much.

"So," Jazz said as she stood up, making her way over to him, "you here for our session? I decided to start a little bit early if that's alright with you?"

Gohan blinked in surprise before it dawned on him. "Ah, crap! I completely forgot that it was supposed to be today!"

Jazz laughed as she clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it! So, what brings you here?"

Gohan looked at her with slight apprehension. There didn't seem to be any underlying animosity in her expression. Gohan knew it wasn't gone yet from their disagreement on dealing with Cell. There was no way she would just let go of something that she was so passionate about, but it was almost like she'd locked it away deep within.

Licking his drying lips and clearing his throat, he said, "I found Vlad today."

Jazz's mood seemed to darken and become intrigued all at once. "Oh? I take it didn't go well?"

Gohan patted the air, reassuringly. "Ah, it was touch and go for a little bit, but we've got him locked up in a cell right now."

Jazz seemed to lose a good amount of her stress at that. "Oh, thank goodness! I still feel like there's another "but" coming on."

Gohan winced as he rubbed at the back of his neck. It was now or never. "When I found him, he'd made a portal."

Jazz looked at him wide-eyed. "A ghost portal? Like with technology?"

"I believe so. I-"

"He hasn't gone anywhere, has he?!"

Gohan was taken aback by her sudden question. "Uh what?"

"Did he travel anywhere before you found him? Did he tell you? Did the portal look finished at all? Oh, no-"

Gohan put both of his hands on her shoulders. He could feel her stiffen in surprise for a moment. He tried to ignore his cheeks heating up as he plowed ahead. "Calm down, Jazz. I understand you're frazzled, but we've gotta keep a level head here. I'm not sure if he traveled anywhere before I found him. I haven't talked to him since I threw him in the cell. The portal wasn't on whenever I was there. I don't think it was finished though." After seeing her distraught expression didn't change, Gohan felt a tad discouraged. "Hey! If it was done, Vlad wouldn't still be here, right?"

Jazz gave a non-committal hum as she looked at the ground. After a little bit, she shook her head. "I need to see the portal."

Gohan looked down at his feet. This is what he'd been afraid of. "I don't exactly remember where the portal is. I was going in and out of there too fast."

Jazz's face fell for a fraction of a second before she put on a small smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's fine. We'll figure this out."

Gohan stared at her in disbelief. "But it isn't fine. The chance for all of us to go home was right there and I let it slip!" He took his hands off of her shoulders in favor running a hand through his hair.

Jazz gave his arm a squeeze. "There's more than one way to get home, Gohan. You're proof of that. Besides, Vlad's here, so maybe the N-Tek agents can get something out of him."

"I can't believe you're so calm about this."

"Well, if I'm gonna be training in Ki, it's best if I keep my emotions in check and my mind clear, right?"

Gohan couldn't help but grin at her use of his own tips. "Yeah. . . correct, my trainee."

Her lips quirked up slightly as she looked up at him from the top of her eyes. "Your trainee?"

Gohan felt a full-blown smile come on. "You are, aren't you?"

Jazz didn't gratify him with an answer as she dropped into a cross-legged position and patted the ground next to her. Gohan obliged and sat himself, similarly.

"Still," Gohan muttered, "I've been thinking about home. All of our homes. We all came from different times. Who says that we'll go back to the right time?"

Jazz was silent for a while. "Who says we won't?"

Gohan frowned, slightly. "No one, I guess."

"Well there you go. We'll figure out how to get home, Gohan, and we'll leave what we can't control to time and fate. How about that?"

Gohan's frown deepened. He couldn't just let it go. He knew it was dumb, but he just couldn't do it. That being said, he could latch onto her first statement. They would find a way to get home, and he'd make sure of it. It was the least he could do. So, Gohan fixed her a small smile. "Sure."

Jazz nodded and smiled. "Great! Let's get to training, shall we?"

"Definitely."


Maddie looked over her notes one more time. It would've been quite the shot to her credibility if her reasoning wasn't air-tight. But after running the numbers for what was likely the trillionth time, it came back the same.

She'd found a tear in time.

She had almost forgotten entirely about the dimensional scanners she and Jack had made all those years ago. They'd helped her, Jack, and Vlad to create that very first ghost portal. They were now a bit clunky and dusty and aged, but they were more than fully operational. She couldn't help but get a little nostalgic at the sight of it.

Times had been so much simpler back then.

"Maddie!" her husband's voice boomed. "The guests have arrived!"

"That's great, dear!" Maddie shouted back. "Send them down here!"

Maddie drew in and released a short breath. It was time.

"What's this I've been hearing so much about?" came Mrs. Manson's high class voice.

"It's awfully unfortunate that we have to find ourselves somewhere so. . . unsavory yet again," her husband muttered.

Maddie rolled her eyes as she saw them finally come down the stairway with Tucker's parents. The two gave her a polite wave and a smile that she readily returned. They weren't the best of acquaintances, but they were much more amiable than the other residents of Amity Park. "Welcome! Make yourselves comfortable, but make sure not to touch anything. Things can get a little hairy down here."

Maddie tried not to look too pleased with the paling expressions on the Manson's faces.

"You said that there was a breakthrough?" Maurice Foley asked, crossing his burly arms.

Maddie smiled and nodded. "Correct! Right this way. Be careful!"

The two Fentons led the other adults through the basement before stopping at a large, metal contraption. The machine's whirring cast a warm hum throughout the room. She strode up to the control panels and tapped at the controls. After a slight hiss, the screen shifted with a long creak so that it was face to face with the guests.

"Alright," Maddie started, clasping her hands together. "I've called you all here today because Jack and I have found a possible clue into our children's disappearance. This tracker is something that Jack and I created in our college years. We actually forgot about it after all this time, but it has still been operational for over twenty years now."

"What does this tracker do?" asked Angela Foley, looking the machine up and down.

"It tracks rifts in the dimensions. The ones between our world and the Ghost Zone!" She pointed to the Ghost Portal for emphasis. "I checked this out after I remembered its existence. It recorded a fairly large rift in two different spots in Amity. If my measurements are correct, they happened a couple of days ago in the afternoon."

The room was dead silent for a moment or two.

Of course, until the Mansons ruined it.

"This is all well and good, but how do we know this is even real?" asked Mr. Manson. "And how do we know you people aren't the ones who caused this? With all the chaos your experiments on the "paranormal" wind up making, I wouldn't be surprised."

Mrs. Manson curled her lip in disgust. "Indeed."

Maddie's jaw went taught as she clenched and unclenched her fist. "Look. This town is filled with ghosts. The menaces are everywhere, Mr. and Mrs. Manson. My husband and I have been researching these ghosts for most of our lives. We've also created a successful breach between the worlds. It exists. You can either choose to believe it or you can leave."

The Mansons looked indignant for a moment before huffing and staying put. Maddie drew in a deep breath before continuing. "As I was saying, I found something odd about this rift." At the group's questioning looks, she continued. "It wasn't like the traditional Ghost Zone signatures. The rifts looked similar, but they had some discrepancies. Different yields and frequencies."

"What does that mean?" Maurice asked, carefully. She could read the slight trepidation in his tone. Her heart went out to the man. As intrigued as she was with her line of work, this discovery had even given her slight pause.

"It means that there's a possibility that our kids got sucked into a whole new realm. One that's different from ours or the Ghost Zone."

Angela's brows scrunched. "I apologize, but I'm failing to see how this is a good thing. If this is a whole different "realm" or whatever, what if we can't find them? How do we know there aren't more?"

Maddie nodded her head. "You bring up excellent points. Normally, we'd have no way of knowing how to get to our kids if they weren't in the Zone or the Human World. Heck, Jack and I didn't even know these other dimensions existed until today. However, that's where this tracker comes in! It tracked the frequencies and the yields. Admittedly, I can't say for certain that it will be a perfect metric for finding our kids, but this is a golden hint if I've ever seen one."

"I'd hate to be the skeptic, after everything you've shown us," started Maurice, "but how are you so certain that this thing is still accurate after all this time? Couldn't it have gotten messed up with age and disuse?"

Maddie smiled. She could appreciate good, healthy, respectful skepticism. If only the Mansons could learn to use it. "I checked it out for that very issue. It tracked our portal turning on two years ago, perfectly and precisely. Jack and I even shut it off and on to make sure that it would track it properly still, and it worked!"

Maurice's lips quirked up into a quick smile and his wife hugged his arm. "That's great!" she cheered.

"They're not back yet," sniffed Mrs. Manson. "If we're going to bring our babies back, we'll have to put in the work."

Maddie glanced at her like she'd grown a second head. She didn't know if her rant had brought on this change in her, or she'd decided to temporarily put aside their spat. Whatever the reason, she was just glad that she seemed open to the possibilities. "Mrs. Manson is correct. Let's get to work!"


Gohan's talk with Jazz had cleared his head, slightly. It had only been a little over a week that they'd known each other, but she just had this way of naturally putting him at ease. Even with the cloud of their past argument hanging over them, just the two of them talking about Ki training and life was something he wouldn't trade for the world. He wished it could always be like that. Not for the first time, he felt annoyed at the so-called "perfect lifeform".

Cell was hanging over him every step of the way. For the past seven years, it had been almost solely metaphorical. He'd had a handful of nightmares after the Cell Games and even a few every now and then, but they'd been purely in his head. But now it was real. He was here and it was his fault again. The Earth would be destroyed for that monster's fucking entertainment, and it'd be his fault again.

'Stop that!' he chided himself. 'You can't afford to break down now. Not when Forge, Max, Randy, and the others are willing to fight to the death for your mistake.'

He felt a wave of overwhelming shame that was almost on the level of that fateful day. The Cell Games where his father had died.

Gohan's fist clenched. Cell was so egotistical. The monster was so cocky and ballsy about his assured victory that he-

Gohan's eyes widened in shock. Why hadn't he thought of it before?! The answer seemed so simple now. The key to defeating Cell had been right in front of his face the whole time! It would defeat the android, wound his pride, and sate Jazz's qualms all in one swoop!

Immediately, he raced off for Commander Forge's Ki signature. If anyone needed to know his plan, it'd be him.

It didn't take long to spot the man. He was hunched over a tablet in the Command Room. Thankfully, he seemed fairly absorbed in its contents as he didn't even look up whenever Gohan sped into the room. He hated to disturb the Commander, but he knew that the results alone would be worth it.

"Commander Forge, sir!"

Forge jolted slightly before turning to face him with a slight frown. "Gohan? Not that I'm not happy to see you, but is something wrong?"

"I have a plan on how to defeat Cell!"

Forge's eyes widened. His tablet was all but forgotten as he turned to fully face Gohan. "Really? I'm all ears-!"

BOOM!

Gohan and Forge's attention snapped to the ceiling as alarms bathed the room in pulsing red light. 'Gah! What now?!' Gohan internally groaned.

"Attention! A breach in the northern quadrant has been made! All available soldiers, please give aid!"

Gohan's blood ran cold. In a split second, he stretched his senses for Vlad. He breathed a sigh of relief to know that he hadn't gotten loose.

"C'mon, Gohan!" Forge commanded. "We need to go!"

Gohan snapped out of his daze, giving the man a quick nod. "Yessir!"


A/N: Aight done! Iss been a little bit difficult to get the pacing right for this and keep everyone in character, so I'd appreciate some feedback! Admittedly, I'm a bit self-conscious about this considering I don't typically do P.O.V's with as wide of a cast as this story lol.

Anyways enough of that! Feel free to review, fave, and follow! Have a good one!

Uploaded: July 17th, 2021