Chapter 35: Survive
My computer just randomly deleted this chapter (which was FINISHED), with no way of recovering it, YESTERDAY MORNING. So I wrote it again. Entirely from scratch. In time for this update. You're welcome.
EXTREMELY ANGRY EDIT: AND THERE WILL BE NO CHAPTER 36 THIS SUNDAY BECAUSE IT DELETED THAT TOO (incoherent screams)
SOMEWHAT CALMED-DOWN FURTHER EDIT: There might be a chapter 36 on time after all. It depends if I can re-write it in time. But I will, at least, take measures to ensure it's more regularly backed up from now on, and to try and do something about the glitch that keeps causing the problem. Check back on Sunday, and I'll either post chapter 36, or put a further edit up here telling you when chapter 36 will be finished.
WEARISOME FURTHER EDIT: Chapter 36 will not be up today (the 23rd). It will go up next Sunday. Sorry about that.
YET ANOTHER EDIT, SERIOUSLY YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ THIS ONE TOO:A wild holiday appeared! I won't be able to finish Chapter 36 before we leave, so it will be up on Monday or Tuesday. So sorry for the delay, I'm working on it.
Gohan fell back into consciousness for a brief moment. A memory, lurking in his head since the previous night, floated to the surface, and his eyes widened. Have to warn them…Break…she'll…power… "I have to…" The monkey-tailed boy collapsed again as Chi-Chi came running.
Goku walked through the gap in the ranks of the Cell Juniors as Raditz carried Break off the battlefield. This is it. Time to see if all my training paid off…I know I'm not as powerful as Break was, but hopefully that fight left Cell drained—I might just stand a chance.
"Ah, now we get to it," Cell said. "My true purpose…"
"Killing me, right." Goku nodded.
"Indeed. While perhaps lacking in raw power compared to the girl, I'm willing to bet your superior skill and tactical ability will make this fight interesting at the least."
"I'm hoping to be more than 'interesting'…"
"What's this?" Cell sneered. "You don't actually believe you'll win, do you?"
Goku grinned. "No idea. Let's find out."
Vegeta beckoned to the three Hera-jins still standing. "Come on, then. You've done a lot of bragging about your amazing power. I haven't seen any proof yet…in fact…" he smiled. "If you're so mighty, why was it Frieza's clan ruling the galaxy all these years?"
"Simple." Bojack inclined his head. "Bujin, tell him."
Bujin nodded. "Very well. Unlike some people, I take care to study potential threats. And obviously, the frost demons were among those. Now, Frieza's power level in his second form was measured at a million units on those obsolete scouters' scale."
"There had better be a point to all this, or I'm going to remove all of your limbs and beat you to death with them," Vegeta grumbled.
Bujin chuckled. "Have patience. I'm getting there. Anyway, Frieza's full power was measured once—from orbit, using a ship-mounted sensor. It clocked in at a hundred and twenty million." He paused. "His false sense of superiority made him lazy—his intelligence service was extremely sloppy, and getting hold of this information really wasn't very difficult. And now, my point…King Cold's power in his second form was slightly higher than Frieza's maximum—a hundred and forty million. Do the math…I'd estimate King Cold's full strength to have been in excess of ten billion. It's possible the relationship between their forms' power differs from one individual to the next, but with Frieza as our only point of reference, we must assume it to be true."
"So what?" Vegeta snarled. "These numbers don't mean anything to me!"
"Well, they should." Bujin smirked. "You see, I've studied such things extensively—such is my job, as the brains of this particular outfit. I've calibrated my ki sense to fit the scouters' scale, and I can assure you that your own power level is nowhere near that number. Not even lord Bojack is that powerful…although I assure you that one such as you is still no match for him."
"Hmph." Vegeta shrugged. "Fine." I suppose the Earthlings and their pet Super Saiyan must have killed Cold in one of his lower forms… "Not that I care…you talk too much. Don't worry, though—I've decided to kill you quickly."
"Oh, look at me, trembling," Bojack laughed, "somebody save me from the almighty Super Saiyan!" His eyes narrowed. "You have no idea what you're up against, Super Gorilla…"
"And that remark just cost you your quick death."
Goku focused his mind. Okay…we win or lose here. I've got to be at my absolute best. Don't give an inch. "Yaaah!" He charged in, leading with a high right that Cell blocked. He brought his left hand around, simultaneously punching and kicking to try and throw Cell off—but the bio-android just dodged, almost effortlessly. "Come on, Goku, I know you can do better than that!" Cell elbowed him in the ribs. "Show me what you're really made of!" Goku grimaced, spinning and throwing a rapid burst of punches, none of which connected. Damn it, stand still… Cell stepped in close, and Goku saw the opening, throwing Cell over his head by one arm, turning and charging energy between his hands. "KAMEHAMEHA!" Cell was thrown back by the beam, but without time to really charge it, Goku hadn't been able to produce a blast strong enough to seriously injure Cell.
Cell stood back up, turning to face Goku. "Ah, there we go. Fight like that, and I might have to start paying attention." Goku charged back in, launching a high kick that Cell ducked, swinging a fist. Goku spun in the air, pushing himself out of the way with a quick burst of ki. Landing behind Cell, he fired a rapid kiai of invisible force that sent Cell sprawling. Goku tried to follow up, but Cell was already on his feet, and with his usual unmatchable speed he evaded Goku's next attack, punching him to the ground.
Goku sprang back up, bracing himself as Cell charged in again. He sent out a telepathic signal to his wife, all those miles away. Chi-Chi.
Huh? Goku? Is everything okay?
How's Gohan? Goku dodged Cell's first attack, finding himself being forced back.
He's getting worse. He was talking a little at first, but now it's like he's in a coma…he needs that medicine, Goku!
He fired another kiai, but it missed. I know. I'm trying. I'm fighting Cell right now.
She paused. You'll win, right?
I…don't know. I wish I could tell you. Cell landed a punch. He should be weakened from fighting Break, but he's just so fast, and he knows everything I try almost before I do… Another.
Please…don't die.
I'll do my best. And you keep Gohan alive.
All right. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes. Stay safe.
Goku blocked another attack, but it was just a feint, and Cell's foot hit home in his stomach with immense force. Goku staggered away, raising his guard. "Ugh…damn it…" I knew he was powerful, but this is insane! We're not ready for this!
Raditz laid Break down on the ground. "Hey. How are you doing?"
Her eyes opened slowly. "I…what…oh! I lost. I'm sorry…I failed." She sighed.
He shook his head. "No, you did more than any of us could have hoped. Don't talk like that, you did fine."
"Should have…lasted longer…"
"You did fine," he insisted. "I'm proud of you." As the words left his mouth, it occurred to him how strange and alien they would have sounded just a few short years ago. How far they'd all come. "Look, just take it easy. I'll get you a senzu bean…hey! Cat thing!"
"All right, all right," Korin grumbled, "you could show a little respect, you know."
"Just give me one of those damn beans or I will remove your whiskers with a chainsaw."
"Fine! Geez." Korin waved a hand at Yaijerobe. "Hey, give him one of those senzus."
"Yeah, whatever." Yaijerobe held up the bag of healing plants, but before he could hand them over there was a hiss, the air seemed to glow, and the bag burst into flames, burning to ash in seconds. Cell stood opposite them, one smoking finger extended. "I don't think so," he said.
"Wha…" Again, Raditz had caught a glimpse of Cell's true speed, and was awed. I didn't see the attack at all…just a flash of light…he's a monster!
Goku ran at Cell from behind. "Get back here!"
"If you insist." Cell dodged Goku's fist and swung his knee up into the Super Saiyan's face.
"Agh!" Goku fell back, wiping blood from his nose. This isn't working…I'm getting nowhere fast! "How…how are you this much better than me? You say you're made from our fighters' cells, and you've absorbed androids Seventeen and Eighteen…but none of us have ever been this skilled! What are you?!"
"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts," Cell declared. "And besides…I'm programmed with an innate knowledge of your fighting styles. I know your moves inside out, Goku. Your Turtle School martial arts are so predictable."
"Heh." Goku smiled.
Cell raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Thanks for the tip." Goku ran at Cell, but at the last second his stance shifted, moving lower and wider. Cell missed a step, caught off-guard, and Goku swung the edge of his hand into the creature's neck. He somersaulted over Cell, turning and blocking the inevitable counterattack with both arms crossed over his face. "Wha…" Cell was staggered back as Goku hit him with a two-handed open-palmed strike to the chest. "This is the Namekian fighting arts!"
"That's right!" Goku told him. "I trained under Kami for three years. And I've sparred plenty of times with Nail." He smashed both hands into Cell's head in that claw-like position unique to the Namekian Demon Style. "So I figured, if you know my style I'll just use another one!"
Cell backed away, knocking Goku's energy blast aside. "A clever trick, but you must have known it wouldn't last long. Now I know what you're up to, I can counter your moves just as effectively as I did before." To illustrate his point, he danced around Goku's face-aimed kick, ramming three punches in rapid succession past the warrior's guard. Goku stumbled away, remaining on the defensive. No problem. I'm not out of tricks yet… Cell leapt in, but Goku's stance changed again, and he stepped around Cell's attack, elbowing him in the back of the head. He didn't let up, bringing his knee around and knocking Cell away. Cell stopped his fall, hovering just above the ground. "Oh, I see. Now you're using Raditz's style."
"Yeah—I picked it up on the way to Namek."
"I see. Well, a valiant effort." Cell saw Goku's next attack coming before the saiyan had even moved, and kicked him away. "But I think you're out of options now. What's left? You can't surprise me anymore. Korin didn't teach you any new styles. King Kai didn't. You've caught me off-guard a couple of times, but it won't happen again."
Goku! Raditz's voice sounded in his younger brother's head
What is it? He asked, fending off Cell's renewed assault. He was alternating between his human, saiyan and Namekian martial arts, but he was still failing to land any hits. He took another kick, feeling blood rise in his mouth.
I've got a plan—we'll have the Cell Juniors to deal with, but if it works it might take care of the big guy.
Goku blocked a strong punch, skidding back with the force of the impact. I'm listening.
Raditz continued. Can you knock Cell away just one more time?
I'm not sure… Goku ducked, just barely avoiding another kick. I'm pretty much out of tricks…well, there is one thing I could try.
Do it. Raditz tensed himself up in preparation. I just need you to get one good hit in on him, and we've got him.
Goku stood up straight as Cell barrelled towards him. "You're wrong, Cell!"
"What's this?"
"There's one teacher you've forgotten about—the most important of all! And here's a little technique he taught me…" He brought his left fist around, colliding with Cell's punch and blocking it head-on. "Rock!" He brought up his right hand, jabbing Cell in the eyes with two extended fingers. "Scissors!" His right hand came down, and he thrust it against Cell's abdomen, throwing out a wave of ki that blasted Cell away into the air. "PAPER!"
Cell was hurled away, spinning end over end. Just as he was about to right himself, Raditz appeared above him with Instant Transmission, punching him back down towards Goku and disorientating him. Goku raised both hands to his forehead, splaying his fingers out. "SOLAR FLARE!" he yelled. Cell, only noticing the attack at the last moment, was blinded by the intense light. Goku jumped out of the way of Cell's flight path, revealing Krillin behind him, red Kaioken x20 aura burning around him. He raised one hand above his head, palm-up. "KIENZAN!" He hurled the energy disc at the stunned Cell, and powered up by the Kaioken, it sliced right through him, taking his head clean off.
Cell's head and body dropped to the floor with a satisfying thud. Goku and Raditz settled to the ground on either side of Krillin, who was staring at their handiwork, wide-eyed. "Did…did that just happen?" He couldn't believe it. Cell…the 'perfect' android…lay headless on the floor, slain by Krillin's own hand. He'd never been the one to actually defeat a really tough enemy—at the most, he got to beat a henchman or two, and sometimes he just got beaten up. Winning—really winning, a major battle—was a new experience. I could get used to it…
"Yeah! It worked!" Goku cheered. "Awesome, guys!"
Raditz nodded. "Don't go celebrating yet. Those Cell Juniors don't look too happy…"
The news crew peered through a gap in the rock face. "Absolutely incredible! It seems this group of warriors has actually defeated Cell, using some kind of magical energy attack! But now that group of miniature Cell-like creatures are taking up the fight! Stay tuned!"
The seven Cell Juniors leapt at the three warriors, who braced themselves for impact. Before the two sides met, though, there was a blur of motion and the Cell Juniors were thrown back. Nail, Zarbon (fully-powered up, with bright golden eyes and elongated fangs, a trait he'd developed when fighting at full power since his training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber) and Kuriza stood next to them, ready for action. "Count me in for this one," Kuriza said, grinning.
"Kuriza!" Krillin gave a thumbs-up. "When d'you get here?"
"Just now, with Bulma. Sorry we're late—she needed to stop and make some last-minute adjustments to her anti-Cell machine, and she needed me to hold some wires together for her."
Krillin nodded. "Yeah, we may not need that anymore—unless it works on these little guys too…"
"Of course it will!" Bulma called from a 'safe' distance. She was wearing mechanic's clothes, and her arms were covered in grease up to her elbows. She held a metal tube in both hands, covered in switches, dials, buttons and blinking lights. A cable ran out of the back, connecting it to a yellow box on the floor, which was humming and glowing with a soft blue light. "Just get 'em over here!"
"Easier said than done…" Krillin muttered, as the Cell Juniors charged again. One fighter met each one, all jumping away as their battles took them in different directions. With one 'spare', two of them rushed at Krillin (as the one who'd actually done the deed on Cell). He pushed off of the ground, fleeing towards Bulma as he pushed the Kaioken as high as he dared. Just as they were closing in, Break appeared in mid-air, punching a Cell Junior into the ground. "Get the other one!" she growled as it hopped to its feet, unfazed.
Krillin raced off in combat with the remaining Cell Junior, as Break faced off against hers. "Hurry it up, Bulma," she muttered, trying to shake off the dizziness—she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to last in this fight, after her previous battle with Cell. "Okay, come get some." She swung a fist, but the Cell Junior jumped over it, kicking her in the face with both feet and sending her bouncing away over the grass. She rolled and sat up, raising both hands in front of her face. "Try this…BURNING FLASH!" The gigantic beam of golden energy sprung to life in seconds, arcing up at the Cell Junior, who giggled and playfully kicked it away into air, dissipating in the atmosphere. These things are tougher than they look! She realised. It was just gearing up for another round when it found itself encased in a shimmering blue field of light.
"Gotcha!" Bulma shouted triumphantly. "Phase 1—immobilisation—success!"
"Bulma, have you tested this? At all?" Break asked.
"Not as such, no. But it should work. Probably. Maybe." She flipped a switch. "Now, phase 2—capture!" The Cell Junior screamed and tried to escape, to no avail. Bulma scowled at it, its protests wearing her patience thin. "Stop that! I've been awake for over 50 hours straight, most of them working on this damn machine, I am now running purely on adrenaline and caffeine, several of my friends are dead and injured, and I'm trying not to panic at the fact that I'm wearing an unlicensed particle accelerator on my back. I AM IN NO MOOD." With that, she twisted a dial, and the field of light contracted, stretching and compression the Cell Junior's image and drawing it into the tube. Haphazard sparks of electricity shot up and down the cable as its essence was sucked into the box. "And now for part three…total annihilation at the sub-atomic level." She grinned madly, pressing a large red button. The box shuddered, glowing a bright blue. She frowned and kicked it, which seemed to do the trick—it settled down, and a light turned green. "Excellent!" she said. "He's history! Brains over brawn any day."
"That's great, Bulma!" Break agreed. "Quick, get the rest—we're not doing well." This was true—Goku, Raditz and Nail were holding their own, but still on the defensive against the unexpectedly powerful creatures, and Krillin, Zarbon and Kuriza were getting knocked around like toys.
"All right!" Bulma pointed the device, calibrated to track movement at superhuman speed, at Krillin's opponent, pulling a lever on the side. Several lights turned red, and it began to emit a loud, insistent beeping. "Uh…" she glanced down at it. "Oh. Um…slight…technical difficulties…I'll just get to…fixing that…"
"How long will it take?!" Break demanded.
"Oh, up to half an hour or so…hopefully." She shrugged, busying herself with the machine.
"Oh, that is good," said a depressingly familiar voice. Cell, looking good as new, stood in the centre of the battlefield, arms folded and laughing to himself. "Did you miss me?"
The battle paused as everyone stared. "He's…alive?!" Goku hissed. "No way!"
"Oh, but I'm afraid so," said Cell. "You see, it did take me a little time to re-grow most of my body, but Namekian regeneration is such a useful trait. Perhaps if my Cell Juniors hadn't distracted you, you'd have Hmm…I appear to be down to six children…that is a pain. And you, baldy…" he pointed at Krillin. "I just thought I'd like you to know that I'm going to save you for last. You damaged my perfect body…and for that you will pay dearly."
Vegeta shifted from one foot to the other, waiting. "Well, come on then. Who's next?"
"Bido!" Bojack growled. "Get up, you waste of space!"
Bido stood up slowly. "Forgive me, master Bojack…he's just so powerful…"
"Silence. I'll give you a chance. Enough of this playing around. Bujin—Zangya—give him a hand." Bojack's three henchmen grinned as they approached Vegeta. Oh, I see, the prince realised. The short one's going to try that immobilising trick while the other two beat on me. Well, not if I take him out first! He took the initiative, running straight for Bujin, using his superior speed to get past the other two before they could stop him and barrelling into the turban-sporting Hera-jin. Vegeta landed on top, raising one hand to execute Bujin, but before the blow connected, he felt his whole body being jerked backwards. What the…?! Zangya stood behind him, fingers extended towards him. She can do it too!
"Now I've got you," she said, as the almost-invisible energy bonds bit into his flesh. He hissed in pain, struggling to no avail.
"Don't bother," Bojack said. "The more you fight it, the more energy it drains from you."
"Nothing's…unbreakable…" he growled, pushing outwards with all his might—nothing. "You…won't…win…"
"Think so?" Bojack indicated the saiyan. "Bido, would you do the honours?"
"Right you are, lord Bojack." Punches rained down on Vegeta, the blows aimed with cruel precision to inflict the maximum pain. It took over a minute for the prince's head to roll back, his eyes closing as he lost his Super Saiyan form. "There," Bido said, rubbing his knuckles after throwing in a few more hits for good measure. "It's done. He lasted pretty long, though…"
"Yeah, he's a tough one," Bujin agreed.
Bojack nodded to Zangya. "Put him down. I'll dispose of the body." However, as soon as she released Vegeta, he immediately powered back up, throwing out a wave of golden energy in every direction. Taking advantage of the distraction, the Super Saiyan prince raced off into the distance.
The Hera-jins stood up—Bido was trembling. "He was conscious the whole time…"
Bojack nodded. "He feigned weakness to escape. Don't fall for it again."
"But…to take all that punishment without flinching…what kind of a man is he?"
"He's a born survivor. He'll never give up while he's still breathing." Bojack smiled. "Luckily, I'm a born killer, so it all evens out in the end."
And that's a wrap. Before I rewrote it (grumble), the Goku vs Cell fight was originally preceded by a bit when they both planned it all out in their heads, á la the recent Sherlock Holmes movies (yes, I know that's grammatically incorrect. Shut up.). But it just didn't feel right. So I made the actual fight a little bit longer to compensate. There was also a bit of character development for Launch that I decided to save for later on in the story.
Anyway! There will be a chapter of Break Through the Limit next Sunday, and then I will write the first couple of chapters of the Buu-centric story I've got planned (again, one uploaded each Sunday as usual), and then after the Christmas holidays it'll be back to BTtL. And you might also want to check out Best Served Cold, a story I co-wrote with NinjaGin87, which you can find by going to my profile and whatnot. The first chapter is up now.
AND I was asked which movies and whatnot I'd be doing. I NOW HAVE THE ANSWER (triumphant music).
Break Through the Limit will incorporate elements (elements, not necessarily the whole thing, d'you hear) of Tree of Might, Lord Slug, Super Android 13, Broly: The Second Coming, Fusion Reborn, and Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans. I might also (might!) adapt Wrath of the Dragon, Battle of the Gods (I'll know after I've watched it), and GT's Baby and Super 17 sagas (which I have only partially watched anyway). Many of these will be heavily adapted to counter plot holes and so on. Also you may be wondering how I'm going to adapt two movies that have already happened. No, it's not going to be an Honour Trip-style canon-compatible retelling. Nor is it going to be that, but with BTtL characters. Because there's really no point on the timeline where those two movies could happen. Or World's Strongest for that matter, but I won't be doing that one (even though I like that movie).
Rest assured, I know what I'm doing. There will be stories on Earth, in space, in the present, in the future, in the world of the living, in the Otherworld…let's just say that the Cell/Buu gap is going to be pretty eventful (although these won't all take place during that time period).
So. Questions, right. Always with the questions.
Q: So now that things are getting desperate I think either Goku or Raditz will have king kai contact the Namekians and have them wish Gohan's heart virus away and save the other 2 wishes for later. Also nice twist on the Solar kienzan thingie, oddly enough I was planning on using something similar in my fic.
A: The Namekian Dragon Balls are kind of game breakers. I'm trying to ignore them. "Dragon, you can transport people, right? Transport Cell into the sun." "Dragon, give us a massive pile of senzu beans, with which we can just have Goku/Raditz/Break fight Cell on a rota, healing when it's not their turn, until he drops from exhaustion." "Dragon, you can create bodies, right? I mean, you do it when you resurrect people. Can you create a duplicate, good Cell?" "Dragon, alter the pathways in Cell's brain so he gets an aneurysm." And so on.
Q: Interested to see how they will beat Cell now. Maybe someone else will go SSj2, perhaps if Vegeta were to make it in time, it could be him. It would certainly be far enough out in left field enoug I do disagree with one thing, that you said about Nail's power being roughly equal to 16. If it was before the Cell games, then forget this, but if it's during the Cell games then this is what I think.
In canon, Piccolo was the only other person besides Vegeta and Trunks to survive against the Cell Juniors. Every else was eating dirt, with those three standing. And while Piccolo seemed worse for wear than the two Saiyans, he appeared to be managing a decent defense. Enough to suggest that he wasn't absurdly weaker than Vegeta or Trunks were.
Now I know this is Nail, and that there are differences...but he seems to be this story's Piccolo, for all intents and purposes. So I'm not really saying you're wrong, since this is your story, but I am curious on why you made him like that if he really is that weak compared to Goku/Raditz/Break.
A: Oh yeah, I meant before his day in the HTC. Right now he's at least at Semi-Perfect Cell's level.
Q: And, how strong are Zarbon and the humans at this point?
A: Um…kind of…strong? But not really much compared to the androids and Super Saiyans? I don't really know. I can tell you in comparison to each other (Tien with KaiokenKrillin with KaiokenYamcha with KaiokenZarbonTienKrillinYamc ha).
Q: I have to admit, I like the one chapter a week idea. Definitely gives you more time to write and more time to keep the readers in suspense. Anyways, great chapter, but my question is do you think that Vegeta will be back on Earth anytime soon? Or will he be doing his own thing in space?
A: He will be back on Earth. Eventually.
Q: Hercule vs Raditz was a fun twist. Personally, I hated that egotistical dumbass! I was glad to see Raditz put him in his place. And I'm very glad to see that Cell's using a more diverse range of techniques this time. Canon Cell (is he from U15?) was more of a hand-to-hand-combat kind of guy, and it's glad to see the difference between him and your Cell.
A: Yes, indeed, this Cell is slightly different, and therefore will have different techniques. Hercule does annoy me half the time, and makes me laugh the other half of the time. And in DBM, Cell is from U17 (U18 being the canon DBZ universe).
Q: So I'm really liking the pacing right now and the standard you've set. Hopefully you can continue to maintain the quality of the rest of your work at the same level as you have this chapter, if not even further beyond! Good Luck to you, man!
A: I know this isn't really a question, but it was a funny coincidence—just hours before reading this review a few days ago, I decided that if I continue BTtL after the Buu saga, it'll be as a sequel entitled Even Further Beyond. (And yes, I know he used that phrase on purpose in the review. To those who are confused, it's what Goku says in the anime when he's about to transform to SSJ3 the first time).
Q: During this entire chapter I could almost hear all the Gohan fans, including myself, screaming on the inside. But, this avoids a 'Gary-Sue' scenario, so I'll let this one slide... BUT ONLY THIS ONE!
A: I expected this reaction. But yeah. That's the reason. Anyway, Gohan will have his moments in the spotlight. Many, many moments.
Q: So Break's time machine is destroyed...any chance we'll get a time traveling Mirai Gohan to the rescue?
A: Give me an S! Give me a P! Give me an O! Give me an I! Give me an L! Give me an E! Give me an R! Give me an S! What does that spell?