Chapter 066 - Ascension
The ground violently trembled below her feet as Gohan's energy continued to bolt higher and higher, delving further and further into his hidden powers which Corset'd only glimpsed a couple of times in her life. She'd never seen them like this before; it felt wild and violent and yet strong and in control. It was a bizarre thing to sense but it struck fear into her. His hair had altered and now stood firmly upwards, his body surrounded by electrical pulses that flashed around him every-so-often. The boy's scream had caught all of them by surprise and halted the battle against the tiny Cell Junior army, though not for long.
Before she knew it Corset had been sucker-punched across the jaw, the unsuspecting girl spun and crashed to the floor with a heavy thud. She could taste the irony blood in her mouth and was reminded once more that she was in the midst of a battle to the death. She rose just as her three opponents charged her, suddenly feeling herself being pushed backwards off her feet before being struck into the ground. Before she knew it one Cell Junior was inches above her about to deliver a punch to the face; Corset rolled onto her upper back and sent the little demon shooting up into the air with a double-kick, toppling over her head and landing on both feet, pouncing backwards once again as another attempted to strike her down.
Movement from below seemed to grab the Cell Juniors' - and those who were still conscious - attention as Gohan suddenly was standing beside the fallen Krillin and the Cell Junior responsible for his defeat. Corset spotted the small bag held in the boy's clasp and gasped; when had he managed to grab the senzu beans from Cell?
The Cell Junior jumped out-
Gohan's fist blurred, Corset barely able to follow his speed. The Cell Junior's body seemed to explode from the movement and fell to the ground amidst a blue plume of smoke; the remains of its head splattered and scattered against the immediate rocky terrain. Before she could even comprehend what she'd just seen, the remaining Cell Juniors charged furiously. Gohan was ready.
Blue smoke and dismembered body parts flew everywhere as one by one, Gohan dealt a single blow to each of the miniature fighters. The attacks were so powerful; his moves cut through the Cell Juniors as if their bodies were made of paper saturated with water. His moves were fast but it felt as if time had slowed down; each Cell Junior was sliced in two before erupting into a cloud of blue. The Cell Juniors didn't give in without a fight, several of them started to fire off signature attacks from those who's Cells had contributed to them, such as Piccolo's Makankosappo and Tenshinhan's Kikoho, even Goku's Kamehameha! Still Gohan emerged unscathed and charged, destroying each Cell Junior with minimal effort and still with a single attack.
The determination to finish off their opponent soon turned to fear; three Cell Juniors remained. Gohan took the first one out with a kick to the hip, his leg slicing clean through the Cell Junior's body before it erupted in a blue smog. The second which hovered metres from his brother didn't see Gohan coming as the boy struck him clean in the cheek with a punch, decapitating the little fighter before he too exploded in a cloud of dust and debris.
One remained. It looked genuinely scared, something which got to Corset for a bizarre reason. It was empathy. She felt bad for the Cell Junior despite her having to attempt to kill them herself. This was too much a gap in power and Gohan had already proved he was more than a match for him. No, he wasn't going to do it was he?
"Stop..." Corset mumbled, "... that's enough Gohan..."
Gohan flew after the fleeing Cell Junior, cutting it off in a matter of seconds before killing it. Blue smoke drifted over him as his gaze shifted down to those below.
"... Is that really Gohan?" Piccolo stuttered; it was only now Corset realised he was still conscious and on his feet.
"Pass these around!" Gohan's gruff voice ordered as he tossed the senzu beans down to his friends.
It was Trunks who caught them, nodding and giving a quiet "ok" before slowly turning on his heels and heading to those who needed them more first.
Corset continued to watch Gohan as he descended down towards Cell, now getting a better look at him in his new form. It was clear he'd made some sort of transformation past Super Saiyan; the feel of his ki didn't feel like that of a Super Saiyan, yet it wasn't that which scared her. It was his face. The calm and gentle nature of his facial features had been completely wiped out by a stare that was now cold and menacing. Gohan finally touched down landing not too far from the seemingly stunned Cell, who hadn't made a move to even save his little offspring. She couldn't believe it; it almost seemed unreal. The Gohan she knew would never be so cruel and indifferent to life in the way he'd just been with those miniature Cells. Something had happened when he'd transformed and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.
Trunks had landed beside Krillin and thankfully the short warrior had risen to his feet. Quickly he and Trunks made it back up onto the cliff; Krillin landing not too far from Corset.
"What happened to Gohan? Did you see it?" He asked as Corset walked towards him.
"No... I was busy fighting when he turned into that," Corset shook her head.
"... What's wrong?" Krillin could see the disappointment on her face. "You ok?"
"... Yeah, I'm ok," Corset lied. She wasn't going to worry Krillin about Gohan's change in nature, although it did bother her immensely.
"Corset, take a senzu bean," Trunks appeared, handing out one of the small beans to his sister. Corset did as she was told and ate the small, disgusting bean. She wouldn't complain right now; she knew better and besides these beans were a life-saver right now. Once swallowed and ki restored, her gaze fixed back on Gohan and Cell. It seemed the battle between these two would surely begin.
The ground violently shuddered as Cell began to power up; Corset was shocked the villain still had energy left in his reserves! She was quickly reminded of the foe they were against as his ki shot up to new heights, whipping up strong winds and coating the area in thick clouds of dust. She had to put up her defences, glaring at the android as his power rose higher and higher.
Finally his power levelled out.
'It's... it's huge!' She exclaimed in her mind, too breathless to physically talk out-loud. The shuddering had forced several fighters- including her – to take to the skies and observe from there.
"This is Cell's full power..." Goku muttered.
"I can feel the whole planet trembling!" Krillin growled.
The android muttered something too quiet for them to hear, a confident smile on his face. This vanished for a split second before emerging once more, temporarily overridden by shock.
In an instant Cell had moved and had struck Gohan clean in the face. His moves were a blur to Corset! Gohan hadn't stood a chance dodging that attack... or so she assumed.
Gohan hadn't fallen. This seemed to disgruntle Cell as he drew his hand back to strike again-
A powerful clap of what sounded like thunder echoed throughout the area.
Gohan had a fist lodged deep in the side of Cell's abdomen, the android almost buckling under the blow, eyes bulging from their sockets and jaw gaping wide open. Gohan removed his fist; Cell grabbed the stricken area with both hands almost kneeling down.
Furious he went to attack the boy again. In a blur of movement, Gohan ducked under the oncoming punch and jumped up, striking Cell clean in the jaw with a punch. Cell was sent tumbling head over heels but landed safely on his feet a few metres away. He seemed to be shaky from what Corset could see, whose eyes were wide in amazement. Just two hits, Gohan had only made and landed two hits yet Cell's ki had taken a beating with each one of them! She could just make out the purple line of blood dripping from his jaw.
He'd damaged Cell.
"... This is what you meant when you said Gohan was the only one who could beat Cell... isn't it?" She mumbled, turning around to face Goku.
He looked at her and nodded.
Her gaze turned back to the fight.
Gohan was approaching Cell; the villain seemed to look frustrated. As the boy came inches to meeting him, Cell bellowed out and swung a kick; Gohan blocking it effortlessly with his arm. Again Cell kicked out, kicking out several times more, still Gohan continued to block with the same arm, suddenly grabbing hold of the android's leg. With a yell Gohan swivelled on his foot and tossed out his own kick, striking Cell with such force it sent him flying several metres across the ground.
As Gohan approached the android once again, Corset began to shake. She couldn't believe this was her best friend. Gohan would never have killed those Cell Juniors and now he was going to kill Cell himself... Surely the fact he was capable of taking Cell down and saving the Earth should have been one that made her eager for the fight to end. It didn't feel right this way; the difference between Cell and Gohan's power was gigantic! As much as she'd never say it out loud, Corset felt sympathetic towards Cell.
Cell rose to his feet, now clearly shaken as Gohan stood before him.
With little warning Cell jumped up into the sky, quickly becoming thousands of feet above the ground. Corset raised an eyebrow in confusion. What was he up to?
Cell's ki suddenly increased as a blue light began to glimmer from him.
"Shit! He's gonna fire a Kamehameha from way up there?" Krillin gasped.
Dust began to slowly trail across the ground despite the gigantic distance between Cell and the ground. A blue light began to shine from where he hovered; a characteristic increase in his ki gave away what was happening.
"... That monster!" Goku gasped.
"Yes!" Cell's voice echoed over the surrounding area, "A Kamehameha at full power! Dodge it and the Earth will be pulp – You'll have to take it head-on!"
"N-NO! Don't!" Krillin bellowed. "You can't do this!"
Corset began to shake even harder, gaze fixated on the monstrous blue light above as it grew larger and larger. This was it? This was how the fight was going to end? She wouldn't see her mother, baby brother or grandparents again unless they all made it to Heaven; the entire Earth would be wiped out with just a fraction of this attack's power!
There was nothing she felt she could do. With heavy fists she let her arms hang by her side like weights, staring as the Kamehameha was fired down towards them. The entire area was coated in blue light, brightening as the beam grew closer and closer. The wind violently picked up whipping up dust, the pressure leading some of the mountains to crumble.
It was over.
"KamehameHAAAA!"
Gohan's scream was immediately drowned out by the deafening roar of the wind; his own Kamehameha quickly halted Cell's and drove it back up towards him! Corset's feet finally slipped and she was thrown several metres backwards, tumbling onto her head and rolling onto her front, blasted by hurricane winds and tiny rock fragments. Her whole body stung from the dust striking her, eyes clamped shut and face protected from the oncoming gusts, slowly swallowed up by what she thought was sand...
Through all the confusion she sensed Cell's ki dramatically drop.
Rock fragments rained down onto the dust-coated ground, or at least that's what she thought she could hear dully thumping above her. Realising she needed air and couldn't get any here, Corset pushed up against what felt like thin veil of fine dirt. She was greeted by sunlight, gasping and revelling in the refreshing breeze now passing her face. She'd been coated in dust from the looks of it and quite a bit at that!
Glancing around, she spotted her father break free from the sandy tomb just a little ways ahead of her; the others slowly popping up one by one around her.
"Is everyone ok?" Krillin asked loudly.
"I'm alright," Corset replied, although she was the only one to answer! Her attention quickly focused on Gohan and Cell; Gohan was quite a distance ahead of them and had his back turned; Cell was high up in the sky... Judging from his silhouette he'd taken far more than just damage to his energy. One leg was missing completely, the other cut off mid-shin; one arm had been completely blown away and the strange points on his head looked shorter.
Indeed Gohan's attack had not only been able to overcome his yet had also dealt the android heavy damage.
Cell had been unwise to awaken Gohan's hidden powers and now he was paying for it.
Corset rose to her feet and took her place among the others, watching closely. Gohan hadn't made any effort to move at all; Corset couldn't figure out what he was doing...
"Gohan!" Goku yelled. "What are you doing? Finish Cell off!"
Gohan looked over his shoulder, "Already?" For a moment he seemed to mull it over, "... Sorry dad, he deserves to suffer more for what he's done!"
Corset's jaw dropped slightly and her heart sank. That was something she never expected to hear from his mouth. Whoever this boy was before her, it definitely wasn't the Gohan she knew... 'Listen to your dad... Finish Cell off and end this!'
"Wh... What did he say?" Goku seemed just as surprised.
"What's gotten into him?" Piccolo growled. "Goku he doesn't have much time! Cell will regenerate – remember he has my cells inside of him!"
"Gohan, you're the only one who can finish him!" Goku bellowed trying once again to sway his son. "Do it now! We don't know what Cell will do if he gets desperate!"
"Listen to him, Gohan!" Corset hollered, unable to keep herself quiet and watch Gohan make a fool of himself. "You're easily stronger than him! I know you don't really want him to suffer – you're not like that!"
Gohan just stared at them, a foreign but smug smirk on his face; their words were wasted on him.
A drop in Cell's ki grasped her attention and she looked up; Cell's missing limbs suddenly popped back into place as he regenerated himself. Mentally she cursed Gohan and glared up, now wearing a face of discontent and nerves.
With a loud and inaudible bellow Cell's power sharply bolted up as his body suddenly bulked up, growing three-times in muscle-mass and twice in height. In a second he shot down towards the ground, feet landing with a large thump, ground cracking at the sheer weight.
"I'll never lose to a thing like you!" Cell bellowed in a gurgling voice, sounding different from before most likely due to the pressure on his voice-box and throat. He lunged and attacked; the force of his swinging fist was so strong Corset felt the breeze push her fringe up from several metres away! Gohan easily dodged any attack Cell threw, out-manoeuvring Cell at every turn! Cell looked like a bulky mass of muscle, struggling to lug himself around.
"Cell transformed to maximise power and lost his speed!" Trunks gasped. "It's the same mistake he mocked me for – He's blinded by rage!"
That didn't sit too well in Corset's stomach; now every second felt as if it were counting down to Cell's desperate move. The only question was what would he do? Why wouldn't Gohan just end it? He was supposed to be saving the world, not making the potential destroyer of the planet desperate through toying with him!
One tremendous and on-target kick from Gohan connected with Cell's face, knocking him a couple of steps to the side.
Cell's body started behaving strangely much to everyone's confusion and concern. Something was happening. Cell fell to one knee, then the other. His body began to shudder as he leaned over, head shooting up suddenly as his chest began to pulsate. A look of dread and anticipation came over Corset's face; was he going to do what she thought?
Dribble – or what she hoped was dribble – fell from his mouth, something pushing its way up his throat. With one violent movement Cell was heavily sick, a large and sickening lump falling out from his mouth, crashing to the ground with a large slap.
Corset's gasp was drowned out by Yamcha's speech, "What's that?"
She couldn't believe it!
"It's Android Eighteen!" Krillin cried startled. "Cell vomited Eighteen!"
It wasn't over yet. Cell's ki began to drastically fall as his body began to morph through garbled screams and groans from the android. The patterns on him began to change, his tail suddenly shot back out as he grew taller. Suddenly standing before them was Cell looking a lot more bug-like and fish-lipped! Confusion quickly grasped Corset; she'd never seen him look this way before!
"He turned back to his second form! He's not complete anymore." Trunks gasped.
Corset stared speechless and wide-eyed. This was the only form of Cell that she hadn't seen... She could tell just from the feel of his energy that even she could easily beat him!
Gohan had utterly beaten Cell hands-down.