Chapter 068 - Finish With a Kamehameha!
"You will die – along with the Earth!" Cell bellowed triumphantly. He stood before a tired and worn-down Gohan who was currently shielding a wounded Vegeta from Cell. The wind whistled loudly through the area as it swept past the few rocky pillars that still stood despite the force they were under. The entire area was slowly lit up with a tint of blue as Cell continued to power up his Kamehameha.
Everyone seemed to have resigned themselves to fate; Corset included. Even Gohan, the boy who'd dominated Cell was conceding defeat. Their last hope was throwing in the towel, either too tired to continue or just too aware of the difference in power now between them.
Exhausted from her outburst just seconds ago, Corset stumbled onto shaky legs determined to stay standing and face her death head-on. She could see her father has risen slightly leaning on his elbows; he seemed remorseful; Corset quickly glanced over at him looking shocked before turning around to Cell...
"Damn it... DAMN IT!" Piccolo roared loudly clenching his fists. "Damn our powerlessness!"
Cell laughed maliciously as he continued to charge up his Kamehameha, "I have enough power to blow away the entire solar system! Come on Son Gohan, make your last stand!"
Gohan didn't make a move; he stood sombre and crushed waiting to accept his fate – and the whole Earth's fate.
'It can't end like this... Goku said Gohan would win!' Corset clenched her eyes shut in denial any of this was truly happening. Battles weren't supposed to end with the bad guy succeeding in wiping out all of the good guys! 'We need to wish Goku and Trunks back to life! Gohan you have to try – you're the best chance we've got right now!'
Her eyes opened, double-taking and baffled to see Gohan frantically looking around, his shouts not audible but heard as muffled mumbles. Confusion crossed her; what was he doing?
She became even more surprised to see Gohan's facial expression change. It was as if a fire had suddenly lit itself inside of him providing him with strength and courage.
He drew back his only working arm.
"Ka... Me..."
'He's finally going for it...' Corset felt a slight amount of relief to see he had resolved to fight to the end. However she knew he'd need far more power if he was to stand up against Cell.
"... He can't win... Gohan's ki is too weak!" Piccolo gaped apprehensively.
"Ha... Me..."
'Come on, Gohan!' Corset took a deep gulp.
"DIE!"
Cell fired off his Kamehameha.
"HAAA!" Gohan thrust forward his one working arm just as Cell released his own Kamehameha. Blue energy shot towards each other at rapid pace yet for the briefest of moments it felt as if it took forever for both attacks to meet midway.
"W-We're too close! Everyone get back!" Piccolo bellowed frantically.
Yamcha and Tenshinhan grabbed Trunks; Krillin held onto Eighteen. Corset glanced over towards her father debating whether to get him or not-
The beams collided, pushing everyone off their feet as the shockwave caught them, Corset sent tumbling head-over-heels caught in mid-air. Through the strong gusts of wind and powerful shockwaves, she could make out Piccolo's arm inches from her face clutching onto her own arm and breathed a sigh of relief, anxious to see Gohan and Cell's battle.
The group landed nearby on an outcrop of rock; it was safe to watch from here. Corset fell onto her behind as Piccolo harshly dropped her to the ground without a word. Quickly she rose to her feet without complaining and watched eagerly and anxiously; Gohan's attack was definitely weaker than Cell's.
"He can't do it! Gohan's being overpowered by Cell! He's lost too much energy!" Piccolo grumbled.
From the side of the battle, Corset spotted her father suddenly take off for cover, landing on an outcrop slightly closer to the battle. With little warning she revved up what energy she still had and took off amidst Krillin and Piccolo's protests, fighting against the wind to make any sort of ground and land where she was aiming for. She wasn't going towards Cell like they seemed to have assumed; she had to make sure her dad was alright! Feet quickly landed and she almost bounced over to him, "Dad! Are you alright?"
Vegeta didn't answer her, not that she expected one really. He seemed to be his usual self so she took that as a good enough indication he was ok, albeit he was holding his side a little. Her eyes went back to Gohan. His Kamehameha was now tiny in comparison to Cell's attack, barely holding it back!
Something dashed behind Cell; seconds later a yellow attack struck Cell from behind!
"That was a Masenko!" Corset gasped trying to see who it was and gauging their ki. It was Piccolo! Corset quickly grew fearful for her former mentor's well-being. "Piccolo!"
Cell's ki flare suddenly started shooting backwards, quickly knocking Piccolo from the sky!
Corset went to rush forwards but a strong hand grabbed her by the shoulder.
"Stay here idiot! What use would you be?" Vegeta bellowed. "Let Piccolo do this alone!"
Corset glared angrily at her father, "Do it alone? I'll bet Piccolo's doing this to help Gohan! I'm not gonna stand here when I could be helping out as well!"
"Listen to me; you may be a Super Saiyan kid and you may even be stronger than most of the fighters here - but you are not capable of distracting Cell with your current power!" Vegeta snapped. "Stay put and wait!"
Begrudgingly Corset stayed on the spot and turned back to observe; Piccolo was slowly rising to his feet powering up another attack in one of his hands. To her right she sensed movement; Yamcha, Tenshinhan and Krillin dashed past them and joined Piccolo's side as he fired off his Makankosappo.
"Foolish idiots... it's not like they'll make a difference!" Vegeta muttered.
Corset looked back at him, "... I don't understand how you can just stand here and let people weaker than you at least try to save the Earth. Whatever happened to you being the greatest and strongest Saiyan warrior? Are you just gonna stand there and let Cell beat us?"
"... He already has," Vegeta growled sounding slightly irked. "Those Earthlings and the Namek can try all they want; they won't make any difference to what Cell will achieve... Not even Gohan can beat him in his current state."
Corset frowned and looked back quickly to the others; Cell had once again blown them back to the wayside and Gohan was still struggling on the other end of the beam struggle. It was a pitiful sight she had to admit but she admired them all for their bravery and courage.
"... Sometimes it's not about standing still and accepting fate..." She mumbled. "Sometimes you've gotta fight fate... That was something Goku taught me." Corset turned and looked at her dad. "I don't care how little difference any of us make; I'd rather go down swinging than to just stand here and let it happen; I won't be that person anymore. Stay here if you want but I'm going to help my friends."
With that she took to the skies, taking her place above Cell. One hand rose above her head; Corset watched and gathered energy as Tenshinhan and the others sent out their attacks, striking Cell at several angles.
It was still not enough.
'I don't know if this will help but I've gotta try!' With a bellow, Corset threw down her arm firing off an energy beam and striking Cell from above. She could feel it making contact but judging by his energy it wasn't having much success! This didn't deter her, she had to somehow help the others.
Cell's ki suddenly began to emit outwards as he fired off a kiai (or an invisible force of ki), the others falling to the ground and Corset tumbling further into the sky as the force struck them. She came to a stop regaining control mid-air. Her arms stung from the strike and her gi had been ripped up slightly.
Gohan's power had somehow increased; his Kamehameha was slowly beginning to overpower Cell's beam.
Quickly Cell levelled it out.
From her place high in the sky Corset grew frustrated, arms now trembling at the loss of energy. No matter what they tried to do Cell wasn't crippling in the slightest. Gohan would pour more energy out but Cell would top it.
No, she wouldn't give up. There was too much riding on this. Too many people were counting on them. Gohan was struggling to face Cell alone and she wouldn't let him fight alone! At the end of the day Goku'd sacrificed his life for everyone; it wasn't right Gohan would have to do the same, he was still a kid! He was her best friend; they'd both been through a lot together. Corset recalled all the adventures they'd been on, the battles against the Saiyans and Freeza, how they'd had to work together in order to survive when Piccolo kidnapped them.
'I'm not gonna let you fight this thing alone!'
With her mind rejuvenated she held both hands by her sides, charging whatever energy she had left into this one attack; her signature move. Blue energy began to swirl and form into orbs as she charged up her Kentoka Flash. If this move wouldn't succeed them there was nothing more she could offer.
Cell's Kamehameha suddenly became stronger once again; Gohan starting to slip backwards. Behind Cell, Tenshinhan, Yamcha, Piccolo and Krillin had been blown back from Cell's kiai once more. One-by-one the worn-down warriors rose to their feet in defiance and continued to assault Cell. When two were pushed back, the other two rose to take their fallen comrade's place.
She had to focus but with the sudden time problems and Gohan's weakening defence, she wasn't sure it was wise to wait!
It was now or never!
"Not yet!"
A figure appeared to the side of her. Corset glanced over and gasped surprised. "Dad!" She spluttered genuinely surprised to see him hovering beside her.
"Just keep charging that up!" Vegeta barked, extending one hand and supporting it with the other. His ki revved up rapidly as his energy began to form in his hand, hand aimed straight for Cell. Corset followed suite and continued to gather energy, taking whatever she had left in reserve.
Gohan was still slipping; Cell's Kamehameha almost cancelling his out. The android's overpowering Kamehameha beam slowly pushed Gohan backwards across the ground, his beam now towering over the Saiyan's weakening attack which desperately struggled to keep the more powerful beam at bay.
"Now!" Vegeta yelled.
With a cry, Corset slammed her cupped wrists together and fired her Kentoka Flash, joining with her father's attack to form one giant energy ball. It struck the android, finally an attack had struck and crippled him with its force.
Through her dizziness she thought she saw Cell look up towards them, her heart lurching in her chest as it occurred to her not even the power of her and her father combined had done much to hurt Cell.
Then Gohan screamed.
The Kamehameha burst free as he released his energy, quickly overcoming Cell's attack. The wind, light and heat from the beams were overwhelming and Corset suddenly felt herself falling through the air... As quickly as she'd become aware of her movement she was grabbed by something and left to hang in the air. She looked down through blurry eyes to see Cell vanish into the blue light of energy, watching as the beam shot off into space...
The wind had cooled and now rushed through her hair, a slight chill against her skin. She realised she still hung in the air, consciousness coming back. It was now she noticed the wisps of her fringe brushing her forehead were dark again, her ki almost drained to the point she couldn't even fly. It didn't stop her from trying though.
Corset attempted to float, finding it tougher than she thought especially when Vegeta released her from his grasp! She almost fell, flight movements spontaneous and erratic. She spotted Gohan laying on his back inches from the gigantic crater the beams had caused and aimed for that spot, falling closer and closer to the ground. Her landing was neither graceful nor gave the impression she'd been doing this for years. Heavy feet slammed and buckled under her own weight and Corset fell forwards onto her face, striking her nose hard on the ground. The sharp, intense sensation made her eyes water but she couldn't move, not even to hold onto her sore nose! Her body wouldn't respond anymore and it took most of her concentration just to make sure she was breathing enough oxygen for her body to cope with.
A strong arm wrapped itself around her stomach and pulled her from the ground, Corset bent over and staring at the upside-down world around her. She could make out the others behind them were crowded around Gohan, Yamcha picked him up in his arms and held the tired boy as he passed out. She knew Gohan would be ok, a feebly weak smile coming to her face.
The blood was now getting to her brain.
"I'll lend you a hand, Vegeta," Piccolo's deep voice confirmed her suspicions; he was the one holding her.
"Mind your own business, just go!" Vegeta's voice came from a little far off. "I don't need any help; clearly the brat needs more assistance!"
"... You're right."
At this point, Corset felt her head beginning to spin. Before she knew it she'd blacked out...
Blurry shapes quickly turned into figures; Dende, Krillin and Gohan stood over her. Corset blinked in confusion before realising what had happened. She quickly sat up and looked around; they were at the lookout.
"Dende fixed you right up kid," Krillin smiled.
"... Did we fight Cell or was I imagining it?" Corset asked nervously, frown coming to her face when her eyes fell on her brother who was a couple of metres away. He lay on his back and looked as lifeless as before.
"We fought him," Krillin answered, "and as you may recall, Gohan kicked Cell's butt!"
"Do you feel any better now?" Dende asked.
"Yeah, a lot better thanks to you, Dende," Corset nodded with a smile.
"Awesome, now Dende could you heal the other girl over there?" Krillin asked pulling Dende over to one side.
Corset looked over her shoulder to where the two were walking and gasped, "H-Hey! Is that Android Eighteen?"
"Yeah, Krillin brought her here so Dende could heal her, or so he says," Gohan nodded.
"Don't ask! Krillin's gone crazy!" Yamcha grumbled standing from quite a distance away from the android. "Why'd he have to bring her back here? She'll kill us all!"
"Aww relax, she won't kill anyone," Krillin smiled.
Dende knelt down and held his hands out above the android; Corset watching anxiously as he did so, a little unsure of what to expect from the android once she gained consciousness.
In a flash Android Eighteen shot to her feet and glared around surprised and suspicious of those she was surrounded by.
"Dende, you'd better get away or she'll kill you!" Yamcha yelled jitterish.
"No she won't..." Krillin muttered.
Eighteen seemed baffled and confused although there were signs of distrust in her eyes.
"It's ok, you're at Kami's place," Krillin explained, "Gohan defeated Cell."
"G-Gohan?" Eighteen repeated in shock taking a quick glance over to the pint-sized son of her creator's enemy.
"Yeah, he's incredibly strong!" Yamcha yelled, still not moving an inch closer, "You don't stand a chance!"
"You should thank Krillin," Piccolo butted in, "He stayed by your side after Cell vomited you out."
Corset stared at Krillin, suspicions aroused. She had to admit he did seem preoccupied with staying with Eighteen when Cell had reverted to his second form; she'd thought it was just so Cell wouldn't be able to absorb her again. Maybe she'd overlooked something...
"Well I couldn't just leave you there!" Krillin blushed flabbergasted.
A smile appeared on Corset's face; so that was it.
"I get it!" Gohan gasped, "Krillin, you've got a crush on her!"
Gohan glared and slapped Gohan around the head alongside Krillin!
"Don't broadcast it!" Krillin grumbled blushing.
"You can't just go announcing things like that, Gohan!" Corset added annoyed. "What if Krillin was shy and didn't want her to know?"
"Don't kid yourself," Eighteen snapped interrupting them, "You think you'd have a chance with me?"
With that she took off and disappeared below the lookout.
"Man, what was that all about?" Yamcha clenched his fists, "She's looking to get clobbered with an attitude like that!"
"... Not by you though," Tenshinhan muttered wryly.
"Don't worry Krillin, I still like you," Gohan smiled recovering quickly from his small telling off.
"That's not the same," Corset mumbled.
"... Do me a favour, will you?" Krillin asked beady-eyed. "... Shut up!"
"We've wasted enough time," Piccolo muttered, "Let's summon Shenron and revive all those innocent people who were killed."
The Dragonballs were gathered, stored at the lookout for safe-keeping at Goku's suggestion, and the summoning was made. Corset still jumped when the big bolt of bright light shot from the glowing balls. No matter how many times she'd seen this and how much she knew it was going to happen, it still caught her off-guard every time! Shenron soon loomed over them glaring down with his intimidating red eyes.
"You have summoned me, state your first wish!" The dragon's voice boomed loudly making the lookout reverberate gently underneath their feet.
Yamcha stepped forward, "Please bring back to life everyone Cell killed."
Shenron's eyes shone a brighter red signalling the wish had been made.
A small groan from behind caught her attention; Corset's hair whipped around as she stared over to her brother.
"Trunks!"
Trunks was sitting up, almost knocked over as Corset grabbed onto him squeezing him as hard as she could. "You're back, you're really back! I'm so sorry!" She was overjoyed to see her brother alive and well, the memory of his death quickly attempting to override her emotions.
"Wh-What's happening?" Trunks asked, "Corset, not so tight!"
"Sorry," the girl was overcome with emotion, having to wipe a stubborn tear away. "It's over; Gohan beat Cell."
"... Wow... So Goku's plan worked," Trunks looked over to Gohan as he rose to his feet.
"I don't feel Goku's ki," Piccolo muttered, "The wish didn't totally work out in our favour..."
"You may have another wish. State it now!"
"Um... Isn't there any way you could bring Son Goku back to life?" Yamcha asked, desperately grasping at straws. "We need him here."
"That cannot be," Shenron replied, "Son Goku has died and come back to life before. Ask another wish!"
"So it can't be done?" Tenshinhan frowned.
"There must be another way!" Krillin muttered.
"Hey guy, listen…"
Corset gasped and looked up to the sky, not expecting to see anything of course. That was Goku's voice…
"I'm talking to you from the afterlife. Just hear me out ok? Look, Bulma once told me that I tend to attract bad guys, I kinda think she's right. The Earth will have a much greater chance at peace if I'm not around. Kaio can see my point too. I'm not being a martyr; they're gonna give me special treatment here because I saved the planet. Plus regular people and bad spirits just like Cell get turned into spirits but because of what I've done, I get to keep my body! I won't age either, plus I get to meet all the strong martial artists of the past! Kaio says he'll keep me company even though he could have been wished back to life with that wish you've already made.
"I'm really sorry Gohan, tell your mum I'm sorry... but don't wish me back to life. Gohan is far more dependable than I ever was anyway..."
"That's not true, I need you, Dad!" Gohan frowned in disappointment.
"No, you're more than capable of taking care of yourself now; you don't need my help... So that's it. We'll meet again when you die! See you later!"
With that, Goku's voice went.
"... Who else but Goku would be so cheerful about death?" Krillin chuckled.
"What is your second wish?" Shenron demanded growing ever impatient.
"Now what do we wish for?" Corset asked. "Do we need to wish for anything else if we can't bring Goku back?"
"Decide quickly; if we don't then Shenron will vanish," Piccolo muttered.
"... Well my girlfriend's wanted this expensive necklace..." Yamcha suggested.
Corset raised an eyebrow unconvinced; surely they couldn't wish for something as selfish as that?
"... Shenron, could you turn Androids Seventeen and Eighteen back into humans?"
Corset looked at Krillin slightly surprised the man had suggested such a thing. "You wanna turn them back to humans? Why?"
"Alas I cannot; their powers are too great and strange! My own powers cannot affect such creatures against their will." Shenron declared.
Krillin frowned, "... So that didn't work either."
"Just out of curiosity, why did you say Seventeen?" Yamcha asked, "Isn't he dead?"
"Is he?" Piccolo asked. "Think about it. We just wished back all those killed by Cell. That would include Seventeen."
That made sense, Corset nodded. Still, Krillin was trying to do a lot for these androids or so it seemed.
"... How about this then; could you take the bombs out of Seventeen and Eighteen?" Krillin asked.
"Yes," Shenron replied, "It does not weaken them or change the fundamental nature of their being..." His eyes flashed red. "... There, it is done. The bombs are no more. Farewell!"
In a terrific flash Shenron burst into a bright light, the seven Dragonballs floating up into the air and shooting off in different directions.
"... It's so pretty when they do that..." Corset mumbled more to herself.
"Krillin, why did you wish for that?" Trunks asked confused. "What's the deal?"
"W-Well I felt kinda bad for them," Krillin replied sheepishly, "Imagine having a bomb inside your body!"
"You're a sweet guy, Krillin," Gohan smiled.
"I wonder if the androids know what you've done for them, would they know their bombs are gone?" Corset asked. "I mean, would they have been able to feel them disappear?"
"Who knows," Gohan shrugged his shoulders.
Krillin turned to Yamcha, "Hey man, sorry you couldn't get that necklace for your girlfriend."
Yamcha burst out laughing, "D-Don't worry Krillin! That was a joke! You think I'd ask Shenron for something that stupid?"
"Krillin, I thought you liked Eighteen," Tenshinhan spoke out, "So why did you help Seventeen as well?"
"... Well... Yeah, I did like her," Krillin answered bashfully, "... and I know Seventeen is the perfect guy for her!"
"... If this is what is known as 'love' then I don't understand it…" Piccolo muttered.
"You moron! Seventeen and I are twins!"
Corset spun around startled, baffled to see Android Eighteen had reappeared! She thought she'd flown off; when had she come back... and why?
"Don't get the wrong idea!" Eighteen added angrily, "and don't think I'm grateful you took out my bomb, globe-head..." The tall woman turned on her heels, glancing back at the group for a moment with a peculiarly calm but intense look on her face. "... Later."
With that she disappeared below the lookout... again.
Corset wasn't sure what to make of what had just happened! She felt a little bad for Krillin; he seemed to have little to no luck with this android and yet he tried so hard...
"H-Hey, she said later!" Yamcha cried with a grin. "Maybe there's hope!"
"ARE YOU SURE?" Krillin gasped grasping onto Yamcha's shirt!
"I can't be too sure, she's a woman!" Yamcha stuttered, calming down as Krillin released him. "Like I said there might be hope. You're gonna have some competition though; she may be a monster but she's a cute monster!"
"I don't understand it... nor do I wish to..."
Corset giggled at Piccolo's remark.
"... It's hard to feel hopeful about anything without Goku," Krillin sighed with a small smile.
"... I should get going," Tenshinhan muttered. "Chaozu will be worried about me." He turned to the others and smiled. "We probably won't see each other again, so take care."
"You too," Yamcha nodded.
"Say hi to Chaozu for me," Gohan smiled.
"Sure," Tenshinhan nodded. "Trunks, I'm sure you can beat those future androids easily now... but good luck."
"Thank you." Trunks replied confidently.
With that Tenshinhan took off, vanishing below the lookout as he headed towards his home.
"Well I guess we ought to get going too," Yamcha decided.
"When are you going back to the future, Trunks?" Gohan asked.
Corset perked up alerted by Gohan's question. She'd completely forgotten about that.
"Tomorrow, I'm gonna try and get a full night's rest," Trunks answered.
"We'll come to see you off then," Krillin smiled.
Corset became lost in her own thoughts. It hadn't crossed her mind that once the androids and Cell were beaten that Trunks would be leaving them. She knew why he had to leave; he wasn't originally from this time and he needed to save his own time... but she didn't want him to go. Rather, she didn't want to gain an older brother then lose him! Corset anxiously followed the others as they said their goodbyes, almost not answering Dende when he asked if she would come and visit!
The group took to the skies, waving as they passed Korin and Yajirobe on Korin tower.
"See you guys tomorrow!" Gohan called as he and Krillin parted ways with Corset, Yamcha and Trunks.