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Chapter 8:
FAREWELL
Note: Happy Fathers day everyone :). Just for this occasion I pushed out this chapter early. It's a tribute to Gohan's father - Goku. Read the chapter to see why I published it today. Again thanks to daisukigohan and Cruzerblade for more feedback :).
As the little half-Saiyan was waiting for Cell's final blow, feeling totally powerless like so many times, someone or something spoke to him in his mind.
So much anger is trapped in you. Let me set it free.
Before Gohan had a chance to comprehend what's going on, a sharp pain invaded his mind, making his anger literally explode outward. It was too much to bear, so he just opened his mouth and unleashed a loud scream, creating a huge cloud of smoke. Cell fired his death beam at Gohan... Goku used the last of his energy to teleport in front of his son, when the beam hit.
Smoke was around them, no one could see what happened. Who did Cell hit? Even Cell jrs stopped fighting when they noticed something terrible had happened. The Z-fighters were hurt pretty badly, even Vegeta, but were able to somehow see the cloud of smoke where Goku and Gohan used to be. The smoke and dust finally started to disappear. The ground beneath and around them was cracked and shattered... but not because of Cell's beam. Goku could be seen lying on the ground, motionless. A purple gi with a yellow aura and lightning was crouching above him. His gi had a hole on the back side... the mark of Cell's beam, but his skin only sustained a scratch. As he got up, his eyes were.. different... full of anger, pain and tears.
"G-Gohan?" Goku could hardly put words together.
His son didn't respond, he was just gazing at Cell: "I'm gonna make you suffer. You're going to beg for mercy."
"Y-you did it. Y-your power... it's... it's unbelievable," Goku had difficulties saying.
"Is... is that... Gohan?" asked Krillin, shocked.
"I-I don't know. He feels so... different," answered Trunks.
"Something happened. Could it be..." was Piccolo's observing.
Cell was surprised but at the same time extremely satisfied with what he's seeing.
"Finally you've shown your true power," he stated the obvious.
Gohan looked at his hands, trying to understand what had happened. Shockingly, a smirk on his face could be seen.
"I suppose I should thank you," were his words.
"Full of confidence, eh? Or just blinded by arrogance?" was Cell's remark.
"You have no idea what you've done, Cell," smiled back Gohan.
He suddenly disappeared and appeared before Cell, who was still holding the bag with Senzu beans. He took it from him in a flash.
"What the..." was Cell's reaction.
He took the bag back to Goku, who was still lying on the ground.
"Make sure everyone gets one," was all he said.
He helped his dad get on his feet, put his hand around his neck and made his way to the Z-fighters. Cell just watched and did nothing. The little Saiyan put him down gently and looked at the shocked Z-fighters.
"Gohan... you in there?" asked Piccolo, wanting to make sure if Gohan is still with them.
"What's left of me," responded Goku's son with a cold voice.
"I told you he's the only one who can defeat Cell," explained Goku.
"Look at his back. He stopped Cell's attack with his body... and just a little scratch," said Krillin said lying on the floor, beat up.
Cell's beam should have gone right through him but he stopped it like it was nothing. How could a brat like him attain such power? HOW, DAMNIT, was flabbergasted Vegeta.
Gohan was just standing there, looking at Cell and Cell jrs, who were as shocked as everyone else. His hair stood up more and only a single strain defied gravity and was dangling down in front of his face. He still had blood flowing from his mouth and forehead but that didn't bother him one bit. As everyone was talking about Gohan, Piccolo used this opportunity to telepathically speak to him.
Gohan, what happened? Your mind is preoccupied with something, I can sense it.
As there was no response, he tried again.
I know you can hear me, kid.
-Yeah, I'm here.
If you keep this up, your anger will consume you. Is that what you want?
- The only thing that matters is killing Cell and his little helpers. I'm not letting anyone die.
Tell me what happened.
- I don't know, my anger just exploded and all that hidden power burst out of me. This power... I feel it flowing through me; it's unbelievable. I feel I can do anything.
Focus Gohan; control your power.
- I was able to put myself between dad and Cell's beam. I almost lost him again Piccolo... I almost lost you and the others. Cell is going to pay for this!
Take it easy kid, keep your mind focused.
- I'm done being gentle. Cell is going to suffer! With this power I can protect you all!
Gohan don't be...
Before Piccolo could finish, the little Saiyan had already cut the connection.
"What are you waiting for my children.. attack the boy!" ordered Cell.
All 7 ganged up on Gohan, who flew to the sky as they followed him. 3 or 4 were attacking him simultaneously but the new Gohan easily dodged every single attack. The Z-fighters were amazed how fast Gohan had become.
"You little weaklings are just trash to me," he said.
Meanwhile Goku handed out the Senzu beans which healed everybody, even himself.
"I've never seen him like this," questioned Piccolo.
"Of course not. He's never been this strong," Krillin offered a plain and simple answer.
"I'm not talking about that. His mind is full of anger and pain and he's determined to make Cell suffer. He even thanked him for pushing him over the edge," continued Piccolo, worried. "What happened in the ROSAT?" he asked Goku.
"He's not the Gohan you used to know. He's... different."
"What?" was Krillin's typical response.
"I mean, he's become obsessed with protecting you guys. He was feeling guilty for, in his words, always letting others down. He tried pushing out his hidden power but couldn't. I knew Cell would be the best chance for that and I'm glad I wasn't wrong. Gohan's surpassed me in every level, more than I ever imagined."
"I'm glad he's on our side," nodded Krillin.
They all focused their attention on Gohan fighting those blue monstrosities.
The little boy started to enjoy the battle but was growing tired of these little runts. He pushed them away with a sudden burst of Ki from his body. As he appeared behind one of them, he kicked it so hard it just exploded into pieces.
I don't believe it. He only needed one kick. Damn you Kakarot and your son, was angry Vegeta.
Soon he went after the other 6 but decided to play around a little more, hitting them all over the place like balloons. At one moment he destroyed them all with a single kick or punch and then looked down where Cell was.
"How does it feel Cell? All your "children" gone. Does it HURT?" he taunted Cell.
"You little brat. I'll show you what real power is," said back Cell, angrier than ever.
Gohan landed not far from him, with a smirk on his face.
"Stop laughing you little punk!" yelled his opponent and attacked him with his shocking speed.
A barrage of punches and kicks were trying to hit the little demi-Saiyan, but he was much faster and could dodge easily. Cell was relentless and started chasing Gohan all over the battlefield, across the plain, cornering him to rock walls, but couldn't land a single hit.
"Stop running away you little brat!"
The young Super Saiyan smiled: "Sure," and suddenly punched Cell in the stomach, making him fall on his knees.
"Uggghhh, h-how? With one punch?" he mumbled in pain.
"T-That's impossible. He brought him down with ONE punch?" Piccolo couldn't believe his eyes.
"First the little blue Cells and now Cell? This is insane," reacted Trunks.
Cell managed to get back on his feet, his anger and frustration rising with every second.
"Damn you... DA..." he was interrupted with a punch to his face which sent him flying back.
"You talk too much," taunted him Gohan, trying to annoy Cell almost to death.
Cell's nose was leaking purple blood. He wiped it with his fingers and stared at the young half-Saiyan.
"You've become much stronger, I'll give you that. But I'm not yet using my full power."
"W-what? That can't be," Krillin and Yamcha said in shock.
"That's impossible. How powerful is he then?" was Trunks amazed.
Cell started screaming and powering up. His golden aura flared and increased in size, creating shock waves in the process. With no warning, he charged at Gohan and punched him in the face. This was done in a fraction of a second, that's how fast Cell was now. Everyone was shocked or stunned by how fast and powerful Cell really was. Gohan flinched and had a small bruise on his left cheek... but that was all. Cell tried hitting him again but the boy blocked the kick with his hand, did a back flip and kicked his opponent in the chin, making him stagger.
"You... you insolent brat. I'm Cell, the perfect being. I'm the STRONGEST!"
Gohan stood still, his mouth changed into a little smile: "I told you what would happen if you pushed me too far. I'm actually grateful you did."
"SHUT UP! TAKE THIS!" yelled Cell and fired a Special beam cannon; Piccolo's signature move.
The little Super Saiyan just deflected it into the sky but Cell was not done. He already prepared a Kienzan and hurled it towards the arrogant kid who dodged it, but because the energy disc was controlled by Cell, it turned around and threatened to cut Gohan in half.
Goku was surprised by this: "That's another attack from Frieza."
"WATCH OUT GOHAN!" Krillin tried to warn his friend.
Gohan was preparing to dodge it again when Cell threw 2 more at him, trying to block off his escape route. Thanks to his unbelievable speed, the little Saiyan just disappeared into the air, where the discs followed. He was trying to shake them off by flying in sporadic patterns, even making his way past Cell, to try and trick him, but the green monster was much too clever for that. At one point he had Gohan cornered and sent all three discs at him.
Pathetic, Gohan thought to himself.
As the discs almost cut through him, he tensed his muscles and let out a short screech, powering up and destroying all three energy discs with his lightning-imbued golden aura. It was his turn now to attack now so he charged at Cell, who blasted him with a big energy wave, but ended up noticing it was just Gohan's afterimage. Suddenly he felt an excruciating pain in his stomach... it was Gohan's fist. As he tried to hit him back, he received another punch to the same place, making him fall forward, but Gohan extended his arm and caught him.
"I'll told you I'd make you suffer," whispered Gohan, then grabbed Cell's arm and tore it off.
Cell screamed in pain, but his little opponent didn't care, so he punched his other arm so hard it broke and started dangling by his side. The Z-fighters were shocked beyond belief that the Gohan they knew, who was always gentle like his father, would do such a horrible thing.
For the first time Cell was frightened: "Aaaaaa, g-get away from m-me!" and flew into the air.
He tensed his body as he struggled to regenerate his missing and broken arm.
"HOW DARE YOU? I'LL BLOW YOU UP WITH THE EARTH!"
When he was still high in the air, he began chanting: "Ka...me...ha...meeeeee"
"Oh no. He-he wouldn't," was scared Krillin.
"It that hits the ground, we're all dead!" added Piccolo.
"SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR FRIENDS AND PLANET... HAAAAAAAAA!"
A huge blue-white energy wave left Cell's palms on a collision course with Gohan and the ground. The little Saiyan didn't move at all; he was just waiting for Cell's Kamehameha to reach him. As it was getting closer, rocks and dust started flying all over the air; Gohan's gi and hair were fluttering in the wind being caused by the energy wave getting close. At the last moment he lifted his arms, catching Cell's Kamehameha and grinding it to a halt.
"You're arrogance will be the death of you," was Cell's remark.
Gohan slowly started pushing the energy wave back, but Cell wasn't done yet; he powered up and pushed more energy out of his hands, enlarging the already huge Kamehameha. At this point, Goku's son way actually struggling, just a little, which made the Z-fighters panic, except Piccolo and Goku of course, and maybe Vegeta too.
As he was holding back the almost unending Kamehameha, he pushed himself from the ground, barely pushing it back at Cell.
"Give up, boy. I can see you're already struggling," as he put even more power into his attack.
Gohan stopped gaining ground as Cell's Kamehameha was too much, but then, his body was enveloped by a golden aura filled with lightning. He started pushing the enormous energy wave back at Cell faster and faster.
Ka-me-ha-me, was saying the little half-Saiyan in his mind, before being close to Cell, when he completed his chant: "HAAAAAA!".
His own Kamehameha engulfed Cell's; it was beyond huge, it was massive in size, heading straight for Cell, who couldn't do anything; neither push it back nor escape its size. He tried defending but to no avail; the Kamehameha ripped away his left arm and wing, his right leg under the knee and his whole left leg.
As Gohan saw this, he smiled: "You look a little hurt."
Cell couldn't say anything... he was overwhelmed with what had just happened. As he let out a scream, he regenerated all parts there were blown off by Gohan. As he panted, his opponent charged at him and kicked him in the back, sending him towards the ground. As he was about to hit it, Gohan reappeared and slammed his fist deep into his stomach... again. After falling to his knees, a weird white substance started oozing from his mouth.
"Oh my god, I think he's going to puke," was Krillin's weird thinking.
"You gotta be kiddin' me," Vegeta replied to Krillin's kind of stupid statement.
The little monk was right; Cell covered his mouth, but couldn't hold it in, so he spat out a big lump of... something. After a closer look, it was unconscious Android #18!(1) As the Z-fighters could hardly believe their eyes, Gohan landed near Cell as he wanted to attack him again, but changed his mind.
"Sorry, was that too much?" he sarcastically smiled at Cell.
He couldn't say anything as he's body started changing... changing back to his Semi-perfect state, before he had absorbed #18. His power dropped dramatically, even below Trunks', Vegeta's and Goku's. His human-like appearance was gone, his perfect form was no more, thanks to a little boy with surreal strength.
Cell was breathing hard as he reverted back: "NO! NO! This can't be!"
"Cell changed back! Gohan's punch was just too much," Trunks almost cheered.
"This is our chance. GOHAN, FINISH HIM OFF!" shouted Piccolo at his former disciple.
"Piccolo is right, Gohan! Do it while he's weakened!" sounded like Goku's order.
Gohan looked at his father: "I'm not letting him off that easy."
"Don't get too overconfident, son. We don't know what Cell is capable of!"
"He almost killed you, dad. He hurt my friends and killed so many people. He's gonna suffer a little more."
"Gohan, listen to me..." tried Goku one more time, before being interrupted.
"NO! This is MY fight!" Gohan cut off his dad and focused his sight on Cell.
Cell was frightened, knowing he can't even scratch the other Saiyans in this state let alone Gohan, who was on a completely different level. Maybe if he re-absorbed #18, he might have a slim chance of accomplishing something. He noticed Gohan was arrogant and full of confidence... there might a way to persuade him.
"Why don't you finish me off?" he directed the question towards Gohan.
"I'm not done with you yet, Cell."
"I doubt you find me a challenge in this weakened form. That's not the Saiyan way. Let me re-absorb #18 and we can continue our battle," was the shocking proposal from Cell.
"That sounds like a tempting offer," smiled the little half-Saiyan.
"Don't fall for that trick Gohan! He used it against my dad," Trunks tried reaching Gohan.
The half-breed looked at Trunks for a couple of seconds, then shifted his sight back on Cell. He made his way towards Cell who started walking backwards to keep his distance,
"How about I give you 10 seconds to run away and hide, then I come looking for you? And if you try absorbing the android again, I'm sure Vegeta or my dad would stop you in a second," was an even more sinister offer from the little Gohan.
"Do you really expect me to flee like a coward? From a boy like you?"
Gohan didn't like his tone, so he slapped Cell, making him hit the ground a couple of meters away.
The Super Saiyan turned around, showing his back to Cell, closed his eyes and started counting: "The clock is ticking... 1... 2..."
"Damn you... DAMN YOU... AAAAAARRRGGHHHH! yelled Cell and started powering up.
"Don't bother, you can't win. 3... 4..."
But Cell's intention wasn't to fight the overpowered Super Saiyan head on, but to kill him and this planet. As he continued to power up, his body started to inflate, making Cell rounder and fatter with every second.
"You just won't give up, will you? 5... 6... 7" the young boy taunted him.
Cell's body inflated more and more, his power output suddenly changed, making Gohan stop counting.
"What ...?" was his reaction as he gazed upon Cell, who was looking like a huge balloon.
He rushed towards him, readying his right fist to end this... whatever Cell was doing.
"STOP! I wouldn't do that!" smiled Cell.
Gohan managed to stop just in front of him.
"My body has swelled so much, if you in anyway injure me now, it will blow, taking you and your whole planet with me."
"WHAT? You're bluffing," responded Gohan.
"Hahaha. You want to make sure? Go ahead, kill me. I'll explode in one minute anyway," Cell started laughing.
Gohan's pupils narrowed and his eyes widened as realization hit him. Cell was telling the truth, he was going to destroy the Earth along with them. All that power he possesses and he refused to finish off Cell quickly. His own promise he made to himself, was... broken.
"Oh no, this is bad," Goku said perplexed.
"Ugh, Gohan was too late, too careless. He should have finished him when he had the chance," muttered Piccolo.
The little half-breed fell on his knees, realizing he's made a big, big mistake by not listening to his dad. It was too late now... Cell was slowly reaching his critical point, where his body would disintegrate the whole world.
"We were so close... damn that Cell," Krillin's voice was heard.
"All that time traveling for nothing... I failed," Trunks kept repeating to himself.
Goku looked at them all, and they noticed him doing so.
"I'm sorry, there's no other way," said Goku.
Krillin was unsure if he heard it right: "What?"
Goku put his index and middle finger on his forehead: "Bye, guys," and vanished.
As he appeared before Gohan, the young Super Saiyan looked at him full of tears: "D-Dad?"
Goku smiled at him, like always: "You've accomplished more than I have ever imagined. I'm proud of you, Gohan."
"No.. dad."
"I love you and your mum very much. Tell her I'm sorry," were Goku's last words before he and Cell vanished.
"D-DAAAAAAAAAD!" screamed Gohan, hitting the ground with his fists so hard, it cracked and crumbled. " DON'T LEAVE MEEEEE!" he kept yelling.
In the other realm, the afterlife, Goku reappeared with Cell on Kaio-sama's planet. As the King of the north galaxy stared in shock and awe, Goku opened his mouth: "I'm sorry Kaio-sama, but I didn't know where else to go."
Just then Cell's body had reached critical mass and exploded, taking Goku, Kaio-Sama, Bubbles, Gregory and their home, the little planet, with him.
Meanwhile back on Earth, the Z-fighters were still coping with what had just happened.
"I-I can't believe he's gone," was crying Krillin.
Yamcha and Tenshinhan were covering their faces, trying to hide their sadness, but it didn't help. Piccolo didn't cry, but was nonetheless in shock, as were Trunks and Vegeta. Gohan stood up and tensed his muscles, bursting with power, creating a shock wave which almost knocked his friends back: "NOOOOOOO!" he screamed as long as his breath would allow him.
As he powered down, Krillin landed next to him and put his hand on Gohan's shoulder.
"You've done it Gohan, you two defeated Cell. You should be proud."
"NO! This isn't a victory, it's a loss! And I'm the one who got dad killed!"
"Take it easy Gohan. Goku wouldn't be able to defeat him if it weren't for you," the bald monk tried to comfort his friend.
The demi-Saiyan didn't say anything, his mind was empty, a hollow shell full of disappointment and guilt.
"Come on, let's get you back home." said Krillin while escorting Gohan back to others.
Just as they were heading back, a gust of wind started blowing. It was like a sand storm, the air was full of dust and debris, coming from a location not far where Cell and Goku vanished. Before realizing what was going on, a bright and powerful beam pierced the cloud of dust, hitting Trunks and creating a hole in his stomach, making him fall to the ground, coughing up blood. All the fighters were stunned, no one moved an inch.
"Who did I hit? Oh, I see, it was Trunks," they could hear from the smoke.
As it settled, no one could believe their eyes... it was Cell and he was Perfect.
"You're not dead? B-But how?" Piccolo was the first one to get himself together.
"I'm surprised myself actually. I didn't think I'd survive an explosion like that," answered Cell.
"But he exploded and Goku teleported him away," added Krillin to the confusion.
"Indeed I have. And let me tell you a little secret. There is a cluster of nerves in my head from which I can always regenerate, as long as it's intact. That cluster started regenerating and I was reborn in my Perfect form. I also gained a tremendous boost in my power, thanks to the Saiyan cells in my DNA. And if that wasn't enough, I somehow learned Goku's Instant Transmission technique which I used to come back here."
"You... you MONSTER!" was all Gohan could say.
"I suppose I should be the one thanking you now little Gohan. You made me more powerful than I ever thought possible."
Vegeta was silent during the whole conversation as he was staring at his son's lifeless body.
No, Trunks. He killed MY son! was everything going through his mind.
Gohan was also infuriated by the same scene, so he powered up, making his golden aura flare more and more.
"First dad and now Trunks... I'll KILL YOU!" he screamed at Cell.
At the same time Vegeta snapped. He transformed into a Super Saiyan and just charged at Cell with all his might. On the way he charged all his energy into a single energy blast, which he fired at Cell. It made an enormous explosion, but that wasn't good enough for the prince of all Saiyans. He started throwing energy blasts at Cell with an unbelievable speed, creating multiple explosions where Cell was standing. When he was finished he panted but Cell suddenly appeared before him, punching him hard which sent him flying away and slamming into the ground.
"I've had enough of you Vegeta. DIE"! announced Cell and fired a big energy wave at him.
Gohan noticed that and used all his speed to throw himself on Vegeta and intercepting the blast. A bright flash of light blinded everyone, but when their vision was restored, they saw a terrifying scene. The little half-Saiyan was lying on Vegeta, his right hand covered in blood from shoulder down; the upper part of his gi was almost completely obliterated too. As seconds passed, the little boy started twitching his eyes, regaining consciousness and pushing himself up with difficulties. Piccolo and the others were startled: Gohan's right arm was dangling by his side, blood coming from the shoulder, flowing past his elbow to his wrist and dripping on the ground. He couldn't move it, he couldn't use it... it was completely broken and damaged.
M-my arm... I can't feel it.
"Well, well, what a scene. Saving Vegeta like that but letting your father die," Cell remarked.
Piccolo couldn't hold it in anymore: "DAMN! DAMN IT ALL!"
Krillin was at Trunks' side, noticing he's still alive, just barely. "Hey, Trunks is alive! He's still alive!" he started shouting.
"Enough of these games, I'm ending all of your suffering... NOW!" spoke Cell and started powering up.
"Cell's right... I saved Vegeta but let dad die," muttered Gohan but then heard a voice.
"You're not giving up are you, son?"
"D-dad?"
"Yeah, it's me. I'm talking to you through Kaio-sama."
"I'm so sorry, I should have killed Cell when you told me to."
"It was my decision to end it like that Gohan. You have never let me down, EVER! Stop blaming yourself for that.
"But..."
"And I never taught you how to give up. Show Cell the power we've built together. You can do it!"
With those words he ignited a spark in Gohan. He had enough, he couldn't stand another second looking at Cell, at Trunks' and Vegeta's motionless bodies. At worried Piccolo, Krillin, Tenshinhan and Yamcha. But the biggest pain was the fact he'll never see his father again. Because of all that commotion, he had completely forgotten about a certain little green thing hidden in his belt. A flashback started playing in his head.
- - - - -
As he dropped his weighted shoulder pads and cape, he turned to Krillin.
"Hey Krillin, how about a Senzu, just in case?"
Krillin took one Senzu from the bag and gave it to the little demi-Saiyan. He did not eat it, but put it in his belt, just in case.
He reached into his belt with the left arm and grabbed the Senzu that was, surprisingly, still there after all that time fighting. Goku's voice was again transmitted through his heart.
"A Senzu? Wow, I didn't know there were any left."
"There weren't. I asked Krillin to give me one before fighting Cell."
"Heh, you always were the smartest in our family and now you're also the strongest."
"Thanks, dad. It really means a lot having you here now."
Cell noticed Gohan having the last Senzu: "That won't help you, boy. I'm the strongest there is!"
The Senzu vanished in Gohan's mouth as he had swallowed it. A burst of power rushed through his body; his muscles buffed for a second then returned to their previous size. The half-Saiyan was full of energy but also full of anger, even more than before. As Cell started preparing his final Kamehameha, Gohan also started powering up immensely. Everyone could hear his loud screaming; his aura flared, the lightning in it increased in frequency. Gohan tensed his muscles as much as he could... more and more power was surging from his body. All the pain, the anger, and memories of Cell's horrific deeds have completely overtaken Gohan, giving him an almost limitless power. His pupils disappeared during this violent but effective power up as he was determined to finish of Cell. The ground was shaking violently, debris was flying all over the place, cracks started appearing under Gohan's feet and started extending outwards, creating a ripple-like effect.
"This is insane. Just Gohan's sheer power will destroy the Earth," Piccolo said, hardly being able to stand on his feet because of all the tremors.
"I'M ENDING THIS! KA-ME-HA-MEEEEE" screamed the little boy.
"SAY GOODBYE!" yelled Cell and unleashed his ultimate Kamehameha.
At the same time, Gohan unleashed his. As they collided, a huge sphere of blue energy formed at the impact point. The beam struggle lasted for a while, before Cell finally used all his power, enlarging his Kamehameha. He started gaining advantage over Gohan's Kamehameha. The situation seemed hopeless, Cell was just too strong.
This is for you, dad," said Gohan to himself, knowing that Goku can hear him through Kaio-sama.
He used all of his energy and pushed Cell's Kamehameha back. To Gohan it looked like Cell isn't even trying. The gigantic energy beam reached Cell a few seconds later, engulfing and vaporizing him instantly; even his nucleus from which he can regenerate. As the half-Saiyan powered down, but remained a Super Saiyan 2, the debris started falling to the ground, the cracks stopped forming, dust settled and peace was restored. All that was left was a huge crater where both beams collided. No traces of Cell nor his energy signature. It was finally over.
All the Z-fighters cheered.
"You did it! You did it, Gohan" smiled Tenshinhan and Yamcha.
Gohan walked to Vegeta, who was already conscious and saw the whole thing.
"Show off!" said Vegeta.
"You're welcome," smiled back Gohan and helped him up.
"Guys, we need to hurry and get Trunks to Dende," Krillin reminded everyone.
"I'll take him since I'm the fastest in this form," offered Gohan his help.
No one argued, he was obviously way faster than anyone else. He picked up Trunks and stormed to the Lookout while others followed in a slower pace.
When all the Z-fighters had left the battle field... a mysterious duo appeared on a cliff, overlooking the location where Gohan defeated Cell. One figure was short in stature, it's skin was pale red but hair long and silver-white; it looked very human-like in appearance. It was dressed in a black and purple robe with a weird symbol on the back, saying "Shingo". The attire looked kind of formal and unsuited for battle. It also had a belt around the waist, pure black in color. The pants were loose and baggy for comfortable movement. They had a long purple line on each side, going from waist to the bottom. For walking it had "shoes" which looked like sandals... half open, half closed. Definitely not suited for hand to hand combat.
The other one was taller with a dark green skin tone and it's head was covered with something like hair; short black hair. This one had no robes, but a battle armor of some sort. It was also black with purple outlines. The torso was covered with a full body armor with short shoulder pads, but was still sleeveless none the less. It also had the visible symbol "Shingo" on the top right front side. The hands were protected by, what is seemed, a kind of gloves, which completely covered the palm and fingers. The lower body was protected by short armor pants which resembled Saiyan leggings, just with a bit more armor on them; not just cloth. From the knees down, it was only green skin and at the end a pair of black battle boots with purple and red lines.
The red physique spoke to another: "So much anger and guilt, it's almost unsettling."
The green one agreed: "It's something you've been searching for, Endou-sama."
"Indeed I have Kyuuri. They boy's power is remarkable, but his mind is what interests me more."
"Will you be able to?"
"Not now, but soon. By "releasing" his power we have set things in motion. The person called Goku has made things even easier now. His son is lost without him and will continue to go down that path, until I'll offer him "salvation". Have you managed to find a Dragon ball yet?"
"Yes, Endou-sama, it's safe with Koshi."
"Good. Without all 7 they can't use them. And when we do the same on Namek, he'll have no choice but to come to me."
The green physique waved it's arm and created some kind of portal in which both of them vanished.
Note: This chapter is a cliffhanger on purpose; sorry readers ^^. I also didn't mean for this one to be this long xD, but wanted to end this fight and give you readers a little more material because from now on I won't be updating every 3-4 days but more likely 6-8 days since the new chapters are introducing Original Characters and a new storyline. It takes more time to write as I want it to have a flow and meaning :). Please don't expect even longer chapters; it's not something I plan. It just happens when I really want to finish a specific chapter but don't want to stretch it into a new one. I'm not saying no either :).
(1) I know, I know; in the show, Cell was in his umm "Ultra form" which made him really big and bulky when he spat out #18; but I wanted to speed up things and not so closely folow the canon DBZ, so a new (OC) plot can start as soon as possible :)