Another Path
The fight still goes as tough as before, so for the fight fans, enjoy! Things may look weird but explanations are on the next chapter so don't jump to any conclusion yet. Next chapter might take me a while to update but hopefully not too much.
Chapter 24: Beyond Perfection
The fight went all over the square arena, the combatants moving at light speed or beyond. They had been going at each other for what looked like hours or days but they just paid no mind to the time passed. Their blows were parried or blocked, non of them giving an inch away against their enemy. The gold-shinning titans threw punches into each other, the tiling cracking by the onslaught of ki energy unleashed into the world. On the sidelines barely any viewer could keep up with the sheer speed.
Goku grunted in exertion, his x-crossed arms in front of him stopping a monstrous forward punch that shook his body to the core. However, the golden fighter never stopped to catch his breath, attacking with his own Earth-breaking fist attack, hitting Cell square in the red-eyed face. The towering blue Android recoiled by the sudden pressure on him. But healing faster, the bio-machine attacked again with more devastating planet-bursting blows. The Super Saiyan Goku could only go into defensive, the speed of his bio enemy staggering his increased alien senses.
The Super Saiyan at full power unleashed an energy barrage into his enemy, who flew through the continous blasts without a problem. Goku was surprised by the sudden speed his enemy had. The Android got near just inches away from Goku's face but he smirked and dashed with light speed away into another distance. Goku turned his head after losing track of him, before Cell smashed from above pile-driving his Saiyan opponent hard into the white arena, everything trembling nearby with a twelve-grade earthquake.
"Man, Goku is surely unique" Yamcha commented, barely able to keep track of the fight. Even after training a day in the Time Chamber, his powers or those of the humans were simply not enough to equal the caliber of a Super Saiyan.
"You are right, but Cell doesn't fall behind. He remains one step ahead of Goku like if it was nothing" Tien also commented in surprise. There was a time when he was just one step below Goku in power term. But now the old rival had ascended beyond anything possible. Tien's own powers looked tiny next to the god-like beings he called friends. Even his own strength increased a hundred times with the Kaioken seemed nothing but a sparkle next to the others.
"How could Kakarot increase his power so much?" The Saiyan prince Vegeta clutched his teeth in thought. He had trained as hard as ever and yet the low-class was still far ahead of him.
"Goku will lose his advantage is he doesn't do something quickly" Piccolo said to himself.
"Come on dad, push him to use more power. Let's see what he's truly hiding" Gohan thought, hoping his father could perform their plan and also survive. Of course, he would not allow his father to simply die without him doing something to save him. Once his father had died and that was one time too much. The young kid would not lose his father again if he could avoid it.
On the other side of the square ring, the humans Satan, Jimmy and the camera man were only looking aghast into nothing but air. The fight was so fast non of them could see it with the naked eye. Even the camera was too slow to get an actual picture of the superhuman struggle. They could only see the thunderous shock waves over the air, breaking the earth beneath the fighters.
The Super Saiyan's aura disappeared, when Goku was sent rocketing through the air with his eyes closed in grimace, hitting one of the arena's spike corner that broke in half the moment the fighter went through it. Before it had touched the ground, however, the ivory spike was being raised by Cell with little trouble, who threw it like a bullet towards his enemy. The Super Saiyan, however, opened his eyes suddenly and disappeared with the air shimmering around him. The projectile disappeared from sight into the horizon.
The blue android lost track of his orange-cladded enemy but found him again when a full knee blow to the guts doubled the bio-machine in pain, sending blood spitting through his mouth. The golden Saiyan pressed forward, raising both of his arms and landing an axe strike to Cell's blue-colored and winged back. The android crashed the white arena in a crouching stance. But the second he touched the tilling, his body sped away. The flying Super Saiyan never saw the almost-instantaneous counter attack kick arriving from his left side and hitting full in his cheekbone, Goku's skull rattling like a drum. The android smirked in malice, his other leg firing a roundhouse. The Super Saiyan recovered much faster though and with both of his arms he catched the fired roundhouse just a few millimeters away from his face. With a yell of power, the Full-powered Super Saiyan used the blue limb to whip Cell down into the arena again. The blue android was surprised by his enemy's power, as he bounced hard off the white tiling' surface. The Saiyan shot downwards with his legs stretched down. But Super Perfect Cell smirked, super speeding away, Goku still landing his attack. The blow shook the arena, almost shattering into millions of little pieces. His blow had caved down almost to the soft brown earth beneath but the Super Saiyan managed to avoid loosing by out-of-bounds. Not that rules matter anymore.
His distraction lasted two seconds, enough time for Cell to appear behind his enemy and finally land a right roundhouse to Goku's back head's right side. The Saiyan lost track of everything, his head almost cleaved off his body. He was sent to the other side of the ring in picoseconds, the blue-skinned Android chasing after his prey. With a plastered grin on his face the android rose his hand, yellow energy shaping into a disk.
"Destructo Disk!" The Android yelled the DNA inherited technique, going straight into his orange-dressed enemy. The energy went through his enemy, Goku disappearing like a hologram. Too late did the Super perfect machine recognized the eluding after image, Goku flying from behind him while spinning like a tornado. His momentum increased with the spins, his full foot landing straight into the Android's face. Cell was sent spiraling away head over heels, almost knocked out by the planet-shattering blow that shook half of the planet's hemisphere.
The Super Saiyan brought his golden aura back alive with a yell, cupping his hands to his right.
"Kame...Hame..." Goku enchanted with his hands right. However, Cell recovered faster with the Namekian healing and back-flipped, cupping his hands right too.
"Kame...Hame..." Cell also gathered power, creating his copied technique. Both fighters had blue/white energy shinning in between their palms, ready to be unleashed into their enemies.
"We have to move!" Piccolo yelled, flying away. The others followed along, already feeling the dangerous power they were going to fire.
"HAAA!" the fighters yelled at top-lounge. Both Turtle Waves clashed in the center of the ring, everything nearby blasted aside with the power of a Moon hitting a planet. The smoke cleared, and a giant crater stood for miles end and yards deep, no longer a fighting arena beneath them.
The Super Saiyan sighed, his aura leaving him white-haired again. His powers had not decreased that much. Like if he still had reserves left. But apparently, Cell had just as much left to keep on with the fight.
"Would you look at that Cell? We no longer have an arena. Guess the first that touches the ground loses" Goku said with a little smile of innocence, looking at the new barren land beneath them. Cell also looked around, only smiling in malice like he always did.
"I don't think so. This is my Tournament, and I decreed that this is now an all-out fight in any place we want" The blue android changed the rules ready to keep fighting. He was having the time of his life and no pathetic rule would change that.
"Okay, you are the boss" The Super Saiyan said, ready to continue "But only with one condition" The bio android corked his eyebrow, which he didn't have.
"Which is?" Cell asked, a bit intrigued. Goku smirked after hitting the spot.
"That you must use your full power"
"What? Did Goku just say full power?" The Namekian Piccolo asked surprised, his sharp ears hearing the talk without a problem. The on-looker fighters were over a cliff, the panoramic view allowing them to see everything.
"So Cell was only holding back against Goku?" Krillin asked dumbfounded "Oh man, this is so wrong!"
"How much power can he have?" Trunks muttered to himself, tighting his hands in fists. Cell was far too dangerous to exist. As soon as he went back to his time he would make sure to leave nothing of those android bastards behind, Cell the prime target.
"I guess you can't be fooled that easily, right Goku?" The blue-skinned Android commented with a small grin of mischief "You are right, I was holding back a bit. It wouldn't be funny if you died without trying" The supreme Android balled his hands, concentrating his powers with an evil smirk "But as you seem to know a lot, then I will turn things up a notch!" Lightnings escaped from his golden Saiyan-like aura, the ground cracking around his powering up frame. The v-shape horns of his heads fused together, a black biogem inherited from the Cold family filling the gap between them. From behind his head new horns protrude, his face becoming a weird helmet protection of blue and black spots. His muscles strained, bulking with new energy. His chest bulked like an armor plate, his elbows becoming sharp claws. A mouth protection covered his new face, only leaving his ruby shining eyes, as Cell towered almost nine or ten feet tall above the ground with arcs of lightning igniting the air with the temperature of many degrees.
Many humans looked in fear at the sudden power burst. Worse, however, was Cell's new appearance. He looked like a dark blue Cooler.
Gohan frown in anger. As he had thought, Cell had that accursed Icejinn transformation. Good thing he had told his father about it during their training in the Time Chamber.
"Look at this Goku!" The Ultimate android yelled with his now rougher voice, lightnings firing of his aura "Because this is my Ultra Form!"
"Wow Cell, you are indeed powerful. I think that's Cooler's transformation, right?" Goku complimented, the plan working perfectly so far. The Super Saiyan folded his arms to his sides and smirked "But I think I should also show you my true powers!" With an animalistic yell of power, Goku's energies went almost as high as Cell's. His golden aura of a Super Saiyan increased its size, boulders cracking by the energy typhoon around. Arcs of blue lightnings escaped his bigger aura hitting the ground like little bombs. His golden mane of hair stood spikier and more defiant of gravity.
The Ascended Super Saiyan looked at his towering enemy, now with blue sapphire eyes and a smirk of confidence. Cell was briefly shocked, replacing his reaction for a deadly smirk behind his protective mask.
"Now, where were we?" The new ascended alien warrior asked, accelerating with light speed. His enemy went forward too, their clash of blows almost splitting the world in half.
"It's incredible. How could Goku obtain so much power?" Piccolo asked, not expecting someone to answer him. Everyone was just as surprised as the Namek. Except Gohan, who remained looking at the fight with a small smile. They were right. Cell had a trump card under his sleeve. But it wouldn't work.
The fighters shot into each other with speed that made their first fight look like a turtle, this time non of them limited by the arena size but also with even more power behind them. The clash caused cracks over the planet, their struggle going for miles end over the sky. Rampaging thunders echoed in the distance, the lightning-covered titans not slipping away their guards.
The Cooler-like Cell parried a blow to his left, Goku briefly exposed. Yet the experienced fighter jumped back, dodging the attack and firing a kick to the face. However, Cell wasn't going to simply wait, ducking down and shooting one of his legs up now. Goku disappeared at dazzling speed, sneaking. But the Android simply delivered a left fist to the air, hitting the super speeding Ascended Saiyan and causing him to recoil with a shock wave around them. The Ultra Android grinned behind his mask, going forward delivering a planet-bursting head-butt into his enemy's forehead. Goku staggered, his senses rogue on his brain.
Cell pressed even forward, now shooting his deadly fist downwards. But Goku side-stepped it with a grunt of exertion and fired his own sharp upper-cut. The Android dodged with an after image and landed an axe strike from behind Goku to his head. The Ascended Saiyan was sent downwards at rocket speed, but managed to cushion his falling with ki, using his bouncing momentum to take flight again with his glistering aura blazing around his orange-covered frame. Cell smirked, flying down with his own yell of strength, his own lightnings circling around his Super Saiyan aura. The god-like fighters went into each other, determination printed on their faces. They were drawing near, the clash just to close.
The immediate impact lighted up the atmosphere, setting motion to the clouds of half of the planet. A whiteness took over and everything disappeared of sight for a few moments of blindness.
After minutes or hours, the light deemed, both fighters on the soft soil after the meteor-like impact sent them spiraling down like artillery bombshells. The Super Saiyan Two flipped to his feet while the Transformed Android did the same with glee. This was just starting for them.
"Goku has done it" Trunks remarked, looking and the sense-snaring fight "He has obtained power and strength and also speed. He truly ascended beyond Super Saiyan!" The comment angried Vegeta, who was barely able to restrain himself from not hitting Kakarot in the middle of the fight. How dare he to be stronger than him?
"Goku is incredible!" Yamcha cheered for his long-time friend.
The Ascended Saiyan shot his fist with a well-aimed hook, catching Cell in his face. The Ultra Android back-stepped but fired his own attack, now Goku recoiling. Each attack could crack planets or atomize asteroids. And worse of all, they were sapping each other's strength every time they connected. Goku fired a predictable right hook, that Cell easily dodged by ducking down and moving away. Now finally looking in glee, the Ultra machine tried to take the advantage when Goku missed his target. Yet the gold-shinning Saiyan narrowed his eyes in concentration, getting Cell in the trap. While one of his hands missed on purpose, his other hand had ki charged in a yellow sphere. The blue android went after his spinning enemy's back, who hastily finished his spin, shooting his hand straight forward, the yellow blast bashing the sky with multiple colors. The Android was sent backwards, his forearms crossed in front of him and protecting his bulk from most of the raw energy. Cell yelled, unleashing his arms in star fashion, a purple shock wave expelled from his body. It acted like a shield, reducing the blast down to harmless sparkles.
Goku panted a bit, his transformation slowly building the strain and fatigue on him. The warrior still had plenty of energy reserves inside though, so the fight could drag a bit longer before having to bring the big guns out. And he wasn't talking about himself. Cell' shield dropped, his head hunched forward. He amazingly wasn't hard breathing yet. But there was something weird. Did he just simply give up? The Saiyan would have facepalmed by such a thought. People like Cell would never give up. They were too dam stubborn for that.
"What's the matter Cell? Giving up? Because I don't think you are that kind" The Ascended Saiyan commented with sarcasm, his hands on his hips. The android's protected face suddenly looked into his enemy, an obvious evil smirk behind his masked bigger face. The transformed Android rose his hand sudden yellow ki on it.
"Destructo Disk!" The Android yelled, the cutting energy going into his enemy, who simply moved away from it as it passed next to him without even coming an inch close of touching him.
"Fool, you can't beat me with my friend's techniques!" Goku stated, the transformation's power going into his head. The Saiyan cursed himself, shooking his head. He hated when his body was less focused and more arrogant, something that didn't happen when he had mastered the Super Saiyan. Yet he hadn't mastered this new transformation yet, so arrogance was still an inconvenient. Cell wasn't flummoxed by loosing his aim though. Because he rose his left blue hand, his index and middle finger up. His two-finger arm bended while the right arm's hand clutched the left arm's wrist. The Saiyan recognized that technique pose from his friends. But it couldn't be...
Through his periphery sight, the golden warrior saw the trap Cell put him into. The energy was homing into him from behind.
Goku quickly spun around, gathering his own blue Destructo Disk up his head. He fired it into the homing cutting energy, both attacks neglecting each other. However, Cell's disk suddenly exploded, creating a smoke cover around the area. Suddenly, Goku couldn't feel or see his enemy, who had super accelerated beyond the alien's senses ability to detect.
"Got you" The Saiyan heard the whisper too late. The roundhouse kick Cell shot was aimed much lower than usual. The hard blue and black limb impacted Goku's left side, into his left arm. The lightning-covered warrior felt a numbing sensation over his limb before screaming in agony to the heavens above. He dared to look down. His arm was twisted in a not-very-natural angle.
"Look, there they are!" Jimmy yelled, the camera man aiming into the place. They could see the Earth's Champion with his arm bent unnaturally. The reporter almost puked by the sight. He started speaking into the microphone, maintaining some professionalism.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, in a sudden twist of the fight, Cell has played a dirty trick on our champion, twisting one of his arms into a useless mess. The image is simply terrifying, and Cell is obviously basking in his victory. Can Goku save us now?"
The Super Saiyan focused his mind, blocking the pain into the back of his head. He remained footed, not showing frailty or anything comparable to a weakness. He would never do that.
"That technique... you mixed Yamcha' Spirit Ball with the Disk, didn't you?" The Saiyan asked/accused, rubbing his out-of-place limb.
"I'm all of your friends combined and better, what did you expected?" The transformed Android said overconfident, folding his arms over his armor-like chest. Both stood over the brown soil, trying to stare fight each other.
The Z-fighters could only look in disbelief and anger.
"Bastard!" Krillin cursed, after seeing his own power used against his best friend. He just wanted to pound Cell into dust.
Gohan clutched his teeth in anger. Cell was far more cunning than they had first thought. And now with his father's powers going down, he would need to be even more watchful. They still could win.
"You only catched me with the guard down Cell. Nothing to celebrate yet because I'm still alive!" Goku said, his aura blazing with lightnings again the dust flowing from the earth.
"Then by all means, try your best to stay alive!" The Android yelled, his image disappearing at light speed. He came from behind Goku, embedding his horn elbow into the Saiyan's back right in the kidney. The Earth fighter yelled in white agony with the sudden stab, his body slowly agonizing with blood slipping away. His scream couldn't be heard anymore, as Cell's hand was covering the Saiyan's face with another acceleration. The Ultra Android grinned in sadism, concentrating energy at point-blank. The blood-red light bashed the entire place for miles, Goku's smoking body shot at meteor speed away in the distance unmoving through rock mesas that crumbled to millions of little pebbles.
"Unbelievable! Cell has blasted our champion away! Can he recover in time?" Jimmy again commented to the audience in fear. This was getting bad.
"Scoundrel!" Trunks yelled, his golden energy flowing around him, ready to transform. Now with the mastered form, he was sure he could pound Cell a bit. Maybe. The yell brought Cell's attention into them, after wasting almost no energy in fighting the palm-haired Saiyan.
"Well, now that I have taken care of that, who shall fight next?" The transformed bio machine asked. Yet he got no response. Everyone was looking at something behind him. The android spun. His eyes opened in disbelief.
Goku was walking forward, his left arm still hanging limply. His gi was mostly gone, only his blue underneath shirt intact. His face was burnt and bleeding but his sapphire eyes were serious. Dead serious. Everyone had their mouths on the ground after seeing the golden fighter walking like something normal. Even Gohan was surprised. His father knew what their plan was, but he still fought to the end, no matter how beaten he was. Gohan smiled, feeling proud to be the son of such a great man.
Cell clutched his teeth, getting far too annoyed by the pest. This had dragged too long for his liking.
Suddenly the Super Saiyan two folded his usable arm to his right, charging his trademark attack with the full scope of his new unbridled Super Saiyan powers. The lightnings escaped from his body again, like if he had never lost ki in the first place. His aura ignited with white-hot temperature the air atoms around him.
"Kame..." The Super Saiyan enchanted, light shinning bright like a star.
"Goku don't do it!, you will destroy the Earth!" Krillin yelled to his childhood friend. The others had the same worry look. But the Ascended warrior paid no heed to them all.
"Fool, you can't fire it. I will dodge it and everyone will be instantly reduced to ashes along with the Earth" The Android remarked confident. Yet Goku again went deaf and didn't hear anything.
"Hame..." The android opened his eyes wide. Would Goku seriously dare to do it? No, it was impossible. His morality wouldn't allow him.
In the split of a second faster than a blink of an eye, Cell went from looking at Goku to suddenly lose him from sight. The towering blue-skinned bio-machine only hunched his head a bit downwards, looking at the golden-shinning enemy right an inch away from him, his blue attack glistening with concentrated deadly force.
The android tried to escape but he just couldn't. He had no chance of dodging.
"HAAAA!" The yell was animalistic roar, with the blast sent forward at deadly point-blank, the entire world lighting up in blue light equal to a mini nova. The ground caved for yards, chunks of rocks flinged aside by the nuclear-like bomb. The clouds were set in motion around the green planet, the climate patterns disrupted for a few minutes. The sandstorm kicked up, clouding everything with a thick fog that went for miles.
The ascended Saiyan dropped to his knees, panting heavily. His body ached everywhere, not counting the useless numb arm. Only the blue legs remained from the former deadly machine. Yet there was still ki emanating from them.
Piccolo knew better. This wasn't over yet. He had tried that same tactic before and it still didn't work.
"Goku, he will regenerate!" The Namekian yelled towards the hard-breathing warrior. Yet the blonde warrior didn't try to escape or do anything to protect himself or stop Cell.
"I know that Piccolo. I was expecting him to do that" Goku replied, his voice easily heard by everyone. The detached limbs convulsioned, suddenly reforming a new Cooler-like android body like before. The machine flipped to his feet.
"I admit Goku. That last attack could have been my end. Sadly, you missed your aim at the last second just like Piccolo did" Cell smirked, stretching his new arms. He wasn't going to admit it out-loud, but he had lost energy.
"Even missed, your energy has gone down completely. You lost" Goku said between pants, his eyes half narrowed in pain.
"Poor thing Goku, but you are the one running out of ki here" Cell folded his now injury-less but also tired arms over his chest "You can barely remain transformed in your new transformation"
"You are right. I can't remain transformed" The Saiyan said surprisingly with a smile of victory, standing up. His golden energy disappeared, his hair suddenly going to original black palm locks. His black eyes, however, were just as determined as before "I give up"
Everyone's eyes opened wide. Except Gohan, who sighed. It was time.
The reporter on the sidelines was still reporting.
"This is not possible! After a devastating point-blank super attack, our champion blasted Cell into nothing but cinders. However, the monster has regrown his entire body from his legs alone. And now our champion has given up! Is Cell really unbeatable?"
"You can't do that!" The transformed bio-machine yelled to the normal warrior from behind his mouth protection "If you do, I will destroy the Earth!"
"Hold your horses, Cell" The bleeding Saiyan fighter said with a smile that the dire situation couldn't produce "I may give up but it doesn't mean you have won. In fact, there's someone strong enough to defeat you right here and now without even trying!"
"Really?" Cell folded his arms annoyed, every witness hanging onto every said word between them "And who among your piteous group of friends shall be my so-called destroyer?" Goku only turned around and look at the Z-fighters.
"It's your turn, Gohan" The Earth-raised Saiyan declared, causing everyone to go shutdown mode. Was he serious?
"About time dad. I was getting bored" The half Saiyan declared with a small smile. That sudden comment only caused more shutdown over the Z-fighters' brains.
"Gohan, are you insane?!" Piccolo bursted "You can't go and fight Cell!"
"Yes I can" The half Saiyan replied with a confident smirk that surprised the green teacher "In fact, I will even defeat him"
"Be careful son" Goku said, floating back to his friends with the little energy he still had and putting his still-usable hand on his son's shoulder in comfort. The half Saiyan nodded, knowing that this wasn't just a fight. It meant the life of the universe. The half Saiyan dropped his weights that cracked the ground and flew into the battlefield, ready to start.
"He sends me a child. What an idiot!" The android bellowed in anger while panting a bit. That last blast did took the big tool out of his Ultra body.
"Hey dad!" The white/blonde Gohan yelled from the desert ground "Give Cell a Senzu Bean or it will not be funny"
"Sure!" Goku replied, taking two Senzus from Krillin's bag. "Cell, catch" The bleeding fighter threw the magical bean into his enemy's hand, who easily catched it.
"Goku, have you and Gohan gone mad on the Time Chamber?!" Krillin suddenly blurted "Because you have just gone bad-shit on all of us!"
"Guys, you don't have to worry. Gohan can handle this perfectly on his own" The Saiyan father answered with confidence. The others weren't so animated as he was but he had never let them down. So why Gohan would? Grabbing his twisted arm, the Saiyan twisted it back into place with a sickening move. The others decided not to look at that, while Goku put his arm in the original place before eating a Senzu Bean. His energies returned, though higher thanks to his Saiyan body. His left arm worked again thankfully.
"I have to agree with Krillin. You are only sending Gohan into a slaughter!" Piccolo yelled in a serious tone.
"Am I Piccolo?" Goku's black eyes showed a dead seriousness. For a moment Piccolo feared he had said something that angered Goku. However, the Saiyan only looked at the green alien with calmness and stoicism "Didn't you train Gohan when I died because you knew he had a lot of hidden power? Can't you see he has been equal to all of us even when he was just four? When we were training on the Time Chamber, Gohan managed to push himself further than anything I could think possible. As much power I obtained, Gohan achieved twice as much. His strength is now his to hold at the fullest of his abilities. Cell is going down. Trust him and trust me" Goku's little speech shocked everyone. Was Gohan that powerful as Goku said? He was a Super Saiyan sure, but that much?
"How can that even be possible?" Vegeta thought to himself "Is it because he's half human?" The Prince looked at his future son "Trunks has obviously obtained the same power Kakarot and Gohan did, and only by training with Piccolo. Is it really that easy to ascend that I'm blinded by the obvious truth?" The prince clutched his hands in anger. Was he really becoming the weakest he never thought he would be? Maybe Kakarot was right. That Super Saiyan thing to remain transformed could work. Not that he would admit it.
The blue-skinned android looked at the bean in his hand.
"Fool, his own stupidity will get him killed" Cell thought, his mask receding, showing his still-human face. He ate the bean, the renewing energies fulling his now even-bigger reserves thanks to the Saiyan DNA. His golden aura bursted with more strength than before, lightnings again escaping around his dark blue frame "Thanks Goku. I will make sure to kill you very quickly after I'm done with your son!"
Cell's little runt was interrupted by a rumble on the ground, Gohan yelling in power. The golden Super Saiyan flow of ki erupted from his muscles in a giant shocking wave that blasted miles of rubble away. Boulders flew straight up, defying logic, something any Saiyan did on regular basis. The world shuddered in fear by the staggering new source of ki.
"It's... incredible!" Piccolo said aghast, having to shield himself from the mighty ki. The others had to agree there. Gohan was powering up without stopping. Vegeta clutched his gloved hands in anger and perplexity, not understanding anything. He knew the brat was stronger than him at one point, but now he was just a dwarf next to the hybrid's staggering energies. The half Saiyan had his aura shinning bright, his locks of hair now again golden-colored. His muscles bulked like a Super Saiyan, but with the full power of one, no energy wasted uselessly.
Yet not stopping there, Gohan pushed himself even further beyond his Super Saiyan limitations, lightnings flaring around his new jagged-edge golden aurora of white-hot temperature. The earth beneath him started melting into mud by the sheer lava-like hotness. The area rumbled with devastating earthquakes that could reshape the green planet' surface.
The new ascended Saiyan stood proud with rippling muscles on his teenage body, his hairs completely spiking up with only one lock of hair over his forehead. His now aqua-colored eyes embed ardent daggers into his floating ultra transformed opponent.
This was it.
"Do it son. I know you can" Goku thought. He knew his son could do this. They had prepared for this day. They had trump cards should Cell try something stupid. But even Goku doubted they would need them. Because without them, Gohan was still the strongest warrior of Earth. That once shy little boy was standing in the battlefield for the sake of the universe.
And Goku was proud.
Notes from Chapter 24:
Cell can transform because he has Cooler's DNA.
Goku's twist of arm was the one Vegeta didn't receive against 18 (Simply because I wanted to use it).
Cell's controlled disk is different from Frieza's (Remember that he doesn't have Frieza's DNA). Also if you watch Dragon Ball Z in Latin American Dub, you will hear Yamcha and Krillin saying how their techniques were united into one when Cell used the Deadly Saucer on Goku.
Goku and Gohan achieved the SS2 on the Time Chamber but they didn't master it, so they are feeling 'arrogant' when transformed (Explanations about their training on the next chapter).
Power Levels:
Goku:
Full power of Super Saiyan: 64 billions
Super Saiyan 2: 128 billions
Super Saiyan 2 (tired): 1 billion
Base form (tired): 10 millions
Base form healed (Little Zenkai): 1.5 billions
Gohan:
Full power of Super Saiyan: 87.5 billions
Super Saiyan 2: 175 billions
Cell:
Super Perfect form: 65 billions
Transformed: 130 billions
Energy lost after point-blank Kamehameha: 10 billions
Senzu bean (Normal Zenkai): 140 billions
The fight has brought an unexpected savior. Can Gohan save the Earth?