/So, it comes down to Goku./ Roshi thought, watching his one time pupil walk into battle. /Come on Goku, if anyone can beat this guy, it's you. I've seen you do the impossible too many times to believe you can lose now. You can do this./
"Oh, Goku..." Chi-Chi said softly. "Be careful out there."
Bulma glanced over to her friend and then back at the screen. She knew how Chi-Chi felt after having watched Vegeta's battle. Sango closed her eyes and shook her head a little, focusing on the powers she felt, though keeping her main focus on Hotaru. "Winning seems so impossible." she said after a moment.
"Goku can win, I know he can." Bulma said, as the two warriors stared each other down. "He's never lost when it's really mattered."
Sango stood after a moment and walked outside. The others glanced after her but said nothing. Emerging outside she gazed up at the sky, still black and filled with flashes of lightning now and then. She stood there, just staring at the sky and feeling the powers off in the distance, he mind drifting back to the past. /Come on girl, it's been six years now, get over it./ she thought, closing her eyes again.
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Cell Games Ring:
Goku walked slowly from the others, his aura flickering to life and his power climbing up slowly. "Hope you don't mind, but I've not had a warm-up yet." he said, as his power stablizied. "So I'm not going to go all out just yet."
Vegeta narrowed his eyes and growled. /Kakkarotto's just going out for a warm-up and his power's already greater than mine!/
Cell shrugged, his power staying at the same level it had been. "Very well, just make it interesting." he said floating down and landing once more. As he did he slipped into a fighting stance. Goku followed suit a second later. They stood in silence for a moment, just eyeing each other up. And then they both vanished.
There was a quick flash and a thunderous crack in the sky as the two warriors appeared and then vanished again. Cracks and flashes followed all through the sky across the landscape as the two powerful warriors darted about meeting only momentarily for an attack or two before seperating again. Suddenly they appeared again only a few feet above the ground, a dozen yards away from the others.
Both thrust their right fists forward at the same instant and they collided into each other a second later. A monstrous crack and rush of power washed out, the ground caving in beneath them, rocks flying up around them. Lightning flashed from their fists and then Goku turned into a streak of orange as he pulled back and snapped around lashing out with his leg into the side of Cell's head.
The powerful creature stumbled to the side a couple of steps. His Sai-jin opponent took advantage of the opening and launched out a punch for the other's chest. A second later it passed right through Cell's body which then wavered and vanished. Goku's eyes widened and he turned but Cell's leg was faster and smashed into the back of his neck launching him forward.
Goku thrust an arm down toward the ground as he neared it, smashed his palm into the surface, pivoted, and flipped up onto his feet facing Cell once more. His right foot touched the ground first and pushed down into it, cracking the rock beneath it, as he pushed off and launched at his opponent once more.
Reaching him, the two warriors turned into a blur of yellow, orange, and green as fists and feet flew at high speeds. The wind from their joint assaults on each other kicking up dust around them as they moved along the ground. "Not bad Goku, you're doing better than I'd expected." Cell said smirking. "Still, it's not going to be enough to defeat me."
"We'll see about that Cell." Goku replied with a grin. "You still haven't seen my full power yet." The conversation came to a sudden halt as Goku's fist connected to Cell's jaw knocking him back. The Sai-jin aimed a punch for his abdomen next but Cell deflected it at the last second and then smashed an elbow into his face.
"I'm not very worried about your full power. Though it will give me a good workout, I'm sure." Cell said brushing a little dust off his shoulders. "Though I see you put your two years of training in the Room of Spirit and Time to good use."
"Nah." Goku replied, working out a kink in his shoulder. "Only did about year. Bardock and I both. We pushed ourselves to our limits and beyond in that time. More training would have been pointless."
Cell cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Confident, aren't we?"
"Not really. I'm not sure I can beat you. But if I'd kept traning I'd have only injured my body." Reaching up Goku pushed a hand against his neck and popped it. "So, shall we get back to it? I was just getting started before this little time out."
"If you're that eager to die, then let's resume." Cell replied, once more slipping into his fighting stance. Goku grinned and did the same. Once again the two of them vanished. They reappeared again a hundred feet above the ground swinging furiously at each other once more. They were little more than blurs to those below watching them.
"I had no idea Goku had improved so much." Trunks said in awe. "His form is incredible, and his power..."
"He's not even trying yet." Bardock said as he watched the fight closely. "He's still feeling out how Cell reacts to what he does." /Even so, after having seen what Cell is capable of, I'm not sure if even Goku can beat him./
A blinding flash flared up above them intruding on their conversation. It was followed a second later by a loud rumble that shook the ground beneath their feet. Cell and Goku had both landed cross right hooks to the other's jaw. Currently they were flying away from each other at high speeds, spinning out of control from the blows, trying to right themselves.
Cell recovered first and launched a volley of energy blasts toward his opponent. Goku was just pulling himself to a stop as the attacks reached him, impacted, and exploded. Before the explosions even stopped another crack resounded as Goku smashed his foot into Cell's back knocking him forward. He then vanished and reappeared in front of the other smashing his knee into his face.
Goku disappeared again but this time, when he reappeared, he was met with Cell's foot to his gut. The Bio-droid turned and backhanded him, knocking him away, before chasing after him. His fist launched out as he reached him but Goku slipped around it, spun up behind him, and then brought his heel down into his back driving him down into the ground.
The Sai-jin followed him down and attempted to slam his feet into his back but Cell rolled out of the way at the last second and Goku ended up knee deep in the ground instead. As he rolled, Cell kicked out with his left leg jamming his foot into Goku's jaw. The blow knocked him up, freeing him of the hole he'd made with his legs.
Cell twisted about on the ground and lashed out with his other foot as he stood. He smashed it into the powerful Sai-jin's stomach with a crushing blow, knocking him sailing away. In a flash of gold the Bio-droid shot after him but his punch passed through thin air as the afterimage vanished.
Goku came down from above at an angle slamming his foot into the back of Cell's head. He snapped about quickly, throwing his other leg out and around, and smashed it into Cell's face. As he recoiled back, Cell reached up and grabbed Goku's leg. Turning he slammed the shocked Sai-jin down, face first into the ground before standing and blasting a stream of energy into his back.
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Son Home, Gohan's Room:
"Dad!" Gohan cried. He almost stood up but he felt Videl's hand on his shoulder and calmed down. "Come on dad..."
"Don't worry Gohan." She said softly. "He's not even at full strength yet. I don't think either of them are taking this fight entirely seriously yet."
"That's why I'm worried." the boy said moving off his bed and over to stare out the window. "Cell's so powerful... stronger than anything we've ever fought before. He... he makes even Freeza or Sanil feel like weaklings. I'm worried that he can't win..."
"He will win!" Videl said. "Him and Bardock are amazing! You saw them training, they're both incredibly powerful. I don't know if they're the strongest out there... but there's no way they can be beaten. No way..."
Gohan heard her voice waver at the end and turned back to look at her a little. He realized that her speech had been as much to convince herself as him. And he also realized that she'd never faced anything like this before. Sure, she'd been involved with this since the beginning, training with them all over the passed three years. And yes, she'd been involved against the fight against Slug and Sanil.
But she'd never actually been involved in a life or death situation like this. The closest had been her stand against Sanil just before he'd ascended and at the time she'd not had the chance to think about the outcome of her actions. She'd just acted. Now... now she truly understood the danger and the meaning to the fighting and she was facing the same fears and worries he'd faced on Namek.
Turning to look out his open window again a cool breeze blew in ruffling his golden blonde hair. /You have to win dad!/
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Cell Games Ring:
Cell's energy blast came to a sudden stop as Goku appeared only inches from him and smashed his knee into his face. Pulling back only a few inches he then slammed his leg into the other's head and followed that up with a backflip kick to his jaw which lifted him off the ground. The Sai-jin spun and snapped out a kick to finish up the combo but Cell managed to deflect it and countered with a punch of his own to Goku's stomach.
An elbow uppercut then knocked the Sai-jin into the air. He went a good hundred yards before flipping in the air and then pulling to a stop. His eyes widened in shock and he just managed to slip to the left around a punch from Cell. He countered with one of his own that smacked into Cell's face and then kicked him in the neck, stomach, chest, and then back knocking him away.
As the other recovered, Goku shot after him, a loud cry sounding as he did, his power shooting up as he flew. There was a blinding flash of gold and a loud echoing crack as the Sai-jin reached his opponent and landed a powerful blow. He followed up instantly with a furious combo of punches and kicks that all landed dead on.
Cell let out a cry a second later, a rush of golden energy washing out from him and blowing Goku away. As it did his power leapt up again. Not quite as much as Goku's had but enough to surpass the Sai-jin's power. Pulling to a stop some yards away Goku stablized himself and smiled as he looked at the angry expression on Cell's face.
"What, am I stronger than you'd thought I'd be?" he asked working a small cramp out of his right arm.
The anger faded away and an amused look took it's place on Cell's face. "Indeed, you are a bit stronger than I anticipated. However, it is far from anything that I can't handle. Is this the best you've got?"
"Maybe." Goku said, smirking lightly. "I may have a few tricks up my sleeve, though. You never know."
"True, but then, I have a few tricks of my own. And I'm not at full power yet, just so you know."
"Oh, had that feeling. So then, shall we get back to it?"
Cell replied by charging in toward the other. Goku shot in at him right after and the two met a second later and began to trade blows once more. The two became nothing more than a blur as feet and fists flew at incredible speeds. Cracks resounded through the air as they landed blows upon each other or deflected others.
Vegeta was watching the fight with a deep scowl over his features. Goku's full power in his Suepr Sai-jin state was comparable to his own full power in his Full Power state. It was less but it was close. Close enough that it had him severely annoyed. Not just at the fact their powers were so close but at the fact that Goku had achieved this power with just under a year's worth of training.
Meanwhile, he'd spent two full years in the Room of Spirit and Time training, had started out stronger in the first place, and had still been so greatly surpassed. While true that so long as this was all Goku was able to do, his own Full Power state was stronger, it's worthlessness voided that. The Sai-jin Prince narrowed his eyes as he watched the fight and a thought passed through his mind he never expected to have. /Good luck, Kakkarotto./