Chapter 49: I Won't Become You

So. Almost 50 chapters...wow. We've come a long way, haven't we? So next chapter will be kind of special. Two reasons for that. First, I'll get all emotional about all the views, reviews, favourites, follows and so on you've all given me, thank you's and whatnot. Second, because it's an occasion, damn it. It's practically a party. A 50 chapter anniversary party. And that means presents. But first, a word from our sponsors. Who do not actually sponsor us.

I have a TV Tropes page. This story has a TV Tropes page. I'm sorry, did I not get across how amazingly awesome that is? THIS STORY HAS A ******* TV TROPES PAGE. I only just realised that, and I am so happy. Whoever did that, you are a paragon of humanity. Now. Presents. To thank you all for following me and my story, I'm going to get you two things, both of them with chapter 50.

1. A preview of my current idea for Even Further Beyond.

2. A Bio-Broly "special". No, I didn't like the movie. Yes, it will be slightly tongue-in-cheek. Yes, it will be BTtL canon. Yes, I'm aware I haven't done Broly's Second Coming yet, shut up, I know what I'm doing.

Oh, and there's a third reason it'll be special, too: If all goes to plan, 50's going to be quite a long chapter. Sort of a mini-arc in itself. Yes, that's in addition to those two things.

And one more thing! I like fanart. I like the fanart I've received quite a lot. So how about this: All three people (so far) who've done fanart for Break Through the Limit, and anybody who does so in the future (provided it's of reasonable quality) can, if they wish, be featured in the story! Now, this isn't just a totally random thought. For a while I've been thinking that when Buu comes around, I'll feature a short bit on the lives of some of the people it wipes out, to make the massacre more hard-hitting and personal (hopefully). So, do you want to be featured here being mercilessly slaughtered by Majin Buu? Are you I-Am-So-Original, Rafael, or thrubardockeyes, or have you/will you in the future do some fanart? Then send me a message if you want to be a victim, and describe briefly 'you' in-story (doesn't have to resemble the real you at all, but can if you want to)...or, if you don't have any ideas but still want to be in it, message me anyway and I'll try and help you figure it out.

What? I'm totally not just trying to get more fanart and be lazy by not having to come up with a bunch of minor characters at the same time. Nope. Not at all. What do you take me for?

(Recommended music for this chapter: EDIT FROM FUTURE-ME (as of chapter 149)...yeah no, removed that, I no longer like that song. Chapter. Begin.)

Break calmly put her glass down, standing up from the table. "Bulma."

"Huh?"

She took a deep breath. The energy signature was unmistakeable. "It's Cell."

Gohan's fist struck with the force of a meteor, hurling Turles down into the spires of the palace, crashing down through the many floors and piercing down beneath the ground.

Gohan lowered his arm, breathing heavily. "And stay down, you complete ass."

"A bit harsh?" Videl asked, floating up next to him.

"Oh, come on. I hate that guy." Gohan raised an eyebrow. "And that was an impressive attack back there...I didn't know you were that far in your training."

"Don't try and flatter me. Just get down there and kick his ass." She indicated the half-ruined palace with a sweep of her hand.

"What? I just—"

"You getting out of practice or something? He's still down there."

Gohan noticed the energy signature—it was moving now, moving deeper into the structure. "Oh! Right. Well, let's go finish this."

"All right. Be careful."

"You know me."

"That's what worries me. I do know you. You're careless," she warned, then turned to head downwards. "C'mon, before he gets away."

This time, they didn't waste time sneaking around, simply throwing their ki around like a blunt instrument and smashing through walls and floors. Ten seconds later, they broke through into a small, almost pitch-black corridor, deep underground. "You feel that?" Gohan asked. "Turles is right up ahead."

"I know, but..." Videl shook her head. "Something else. Something down here...feels wrong. I don't know what, but something—in the air, almost. I don't know how to describe it."

"I...I think I see what you mean, but it's incredibly faint." He glanced at Videl. She can sense it that clearly?

Cautiously, they approached the end of the corridor, stepping into a large, shadowy chamber. Turles' ki was closer, but the strange presence was stronger now, almost overwhelming, and it drowned out everything else, making it difficult to locate Turles.

Suddenly, the lights blazed on, and the pair raised arms to shield their eyes. Lowering them slowly, they gazed around. The chamber was massive, and vaguely cylindrical.

And there was the tree.

It was gigantic, dominating the 'room' and reaching up to the distant ceiling, its gnarled branches curling and twisting against the walls. That's definitely the source of that weird energy, Gohan realised. What the hell is it?

"Impressed?" Came a familiar, sneering voice from above. They looked up—Turles stood on a platform jutting out from the wall nearby, which allowed him to stand just under one of the tree's branches. He held a small object in his hand. "I know I am."

"Hey, just what is this?!" Gohan asked, tensing himself for battle. He seems confident all of a sudden...but he's still definitely injured. What's he planning?

"This...is the Tree of Might." Turles patted the branch, smirking. "If you can't already guess what it does from the name, allow me to demonstrate..." he raised the object, revealing it to be a round, orange fruit. Gleefully, he bit into it, devouring it almost animalistically.

"Uh...you don't want to, you know...stop him?" Videl grumbled.

"Huh?" Gohan blinked. "Oh, sorry. Too late now. And anyway I'm kind of curious to see what it does..."

"Curious, my ass!" Videl snapped. "Tree of Might! What the hell d'you think the fruit's going to do?!"

"Uh...sorry..."

"Excuse me." Turles grinned. "I'm sorry to break up your bickering, but you might want to pay attention now...this is the best part." His grin faded to a snarl as his body shuddered with an inner vibration. His muscles bulged outwards with unnatural speed, his armour expanding to fit around them. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead as he struggled to tame this new surge of power—like always, it was difficult. There were actually two fruit...the harvest was bountiful this time. But I don't dare eat more than one at a time...it's hard enough to control my power as it is. And anyway, this one will be more than enough to crush this pretentious 'hero'. "Well..." he said slowly, through gritted teeth. "Now how do you like your chances?"

"What the—his power just exploded!" Gohan gasped.

"Idiot!" Videl moaned. "I warned you!"

"Yeah, well—" Gohan was cut off as Turles raced across the room, grabbed his hair in both hands, and headbutted him straight in the face. Gohan tumbled backwards, rolling in the air and managing to land on his feet. "Okay...that was different." He took a deep breath. "You're faster."

"Stronger, too." Turles gave a self-satisfied look. "Yes, the Tree of Might never fails to impress..." He began to slowly, leisurely approach Gohan. "You know, I bet someone as self-righteous as you would just love to hear how it works...this tree is slowly draining the energy of the entire planet."

Gohan's eyes widened. "What?"

"You heard me. It's a planetary parasite, essentialy. Strong fighters like us aren't affected by the tiny amount of power lost, but your average civilian is another story altogether. You've probably noticed it yourself. They're already starting to feel depressed...crushed...it's just the early stages, though. Soon the Tree's influence will spread to entire planet, and then we'll really see something. Within five years, every weakling on this world will be dead, wasting away to nothing as the Tree steals their life force, concentrating it all into the fruit and bestowing it on the one who eats it. Then the only living things here will be me, my soldiers, and the Namekian's. We'll wipe them out, take the Tree's seeds, destroy this planet so no-one else can use the Tree, and move on to another one. It's a system that's worked quite well for us in the past..."

Raising his guard, Gohan backed away as Turles advanced. "Like a Spirit Bomb, then...but continuous. It's not a one-off thing, it just keeps taking until they've got no more left to give...plants, animals, people...you just don't care, do you?"

"Not at all. Do you expect me to?"

"Not at all." Gohan threw a quick jab, which Turles dodged, taking advantage of the opening and elbowing the would-be hero in the shoulder, wrenching the joint painfully. Gohan jumped away, glaring. "You know...sometimes I hear about our 'great warrior race'...saiyan pride, all that crap. I'm sick of it."

Turles' mouth curled into a snarl. "You...dare..."

"Sure I do. Because this is what it all boils down to...grabbing what you can from anybody weaker than you. You know what? It's pathetic. You're pathetic! Because that's as far as your little mind can see—strong and weak!"

"ENOUGH!" Turles jumped forwards, over Gohan's sweeping kick, planting both feet in the half-saiyan's face and slamming him into the wall. Turles stepped away, nodding with satisfaction. "Very noble of you. Such foolish sentiment would get any child killed back on planet Vegeta. Like I said before...you're no saiyan."

"I wish that was true," Gohan muttered. "It's disgusting to think that I'm even distantly related to scum like you."

"All right." Turles cracked his knuckles. "You've been amusing, Super Saiyan, but you're starting to bore me. And I can't allow a power like yours to continue to exist...so this is goodbye." He stepped into close range, backhanding Gohan to the floor. "Do you have any last words? Or is there any particular way you'd like to die?"

"Gohan! What are you doing?" Videl called out. "You've got that second form, right? Use it!"

"I...can't!" Gohan stumbled away from Turles, throwing a quick energy blast, but Turles deflected it one-handed.

"Of course you can! You showed it to me, remember?"

"Yeah, but...standing still and just bringing the power to the surface is one thing..." he re-assumed his stance. "...actually using that power in a fight is a lot harder. Against Broly...there was a real emotional trigger, and I've never felt anger like that since."

"Then just get mad!" she pleaded. "Come on, it's the only way you're gonna win! Think of all the people counting on you! This is what you came here for, isn't it? To help people? You're not gonna give up now!"

"You..." Turles appeared behind Videl, picking her up by the head and applying just enough pressure to make her cry out in pain. "...are getting on my nerves. Anyone ever tell you how annoying your voice is?"

A dangerous look flashed in Gohan's eyes. "Turles...put her down. Now."

"Or what?" He sent a burst of ki into Videl's side, eliciting another cry. "You're in no position to order me around."

"I'm warning you..." his teeth ground together. His aura began to flicker, sending out sparks of golden light in all directions. "For your own sake."

"Are you trying to intimidate me? Really? Good luck with that." He focused shimmering energy into two fingers, holding it up next to her head as she flailed at him. "I wonder what this much energy at point-blank range will do to her brain?"

"Don't do it!" Gohan said, fear in his voice. "Don't do that. I'll hurt you...I won't be able to control myself. I can't promise you'll survive."

"Hah! Given the way our fight's gone so far, I'd say that's unlikely! Now...I've changed my mind. First, a test run." He lowered his fingers, firing the pencil-thin beam at Videl's leg. She screamed, lashed out once more, and passed out. "Ooh. It went right through. Such a fragile species...well, that was fun."

"Stop...this...before..." Gohan hissed, shaking all over. Had Turles been able to sense ki, he might have been starting to reconsider his course of action. "Last...chance..."

"Right, right, I'm sure you'll be very cross with me," Turles joked. He raised his fingers to point at Videl's head, focusing ki again. "Now let's try the brain."

"RAAAAAAH!" Turles was on the floor so fast his head span. "You...I'LL KILL YOU!" Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 power roared around him, the intensity shocking Videl awake. She looked over to see Turles flat on his back, Gohan raining down dizzyingly-fast blows. "I warned you!" he spat. "I told you this would happen! But you're just so stupid!"

"Gohan..." Videl's head swam as she pushed herself to a sitting position. She could barely feel one leg, and her head ached. "Gohan, stop."

Gohan ignored her, pummeling Turles into the floor, fists hammering his body against the cold stone. "He...deserves this! You know what he's done! I can't show him any mercy...not now!"

"I said, stop." Her voice was more forceful this time. "This isn't you, all right? You have a choice now. You can let him live, and still win this battle. Can you imagine living with yourself if you chose wrong?"

"And what if I let him live?!" Gohan hesitated, fist glowing with power, hovering inches from Turles' bloody face. "What if he goes on to just kill more people?"

"That doesn't give you the right to choose when someone dies!" Videl insisted. "Yes, you can't let him keep doing what he's doing. But this isn't the way." Slowly, painfully, she stood, and to Gohan's complete surprise, hugged him around the waist. "This isn't the way. Trust me."

Gohan lowered his arms to his sides, glancing down at Turles. "Get out of here," he said coldly. "You leave this planet, and never return...and if I ever see your face again, or hear that you've been pulling this crap again...if a single person dies by your hands...I'll be back. And she might not be around to reason with me next time, you understand?" His eyes narrowed. "You called me a child...said I didn't know anything, I'd never taken a life...well, you're wrong. I have. I've stared into a man's eyes as I killed him. It wasn't glorious. I still have nightmares. I took the life of a living, thinking person, and I'll never do it again. And neither will you." He began to float upwards, carrying Videl as her injuries made it hard for her to fly unaided.

Turles began to stir. He cracked one eye open, glaring up at his retreating conqueror. "No...no...NO! You...you just can't stop preaching to me, can you? And you dare to show me mercy? If I'm still breathing, you haven't won...you haven't finished it." He forced all his energy into a crackling sphere between his hands. "I demand that you fight me..."

"Huh?" Almost too late, Gohan noticed the oncoming energy attack.

"TO THE DEATH!" Turles screamed.

"You fool!" Gohan growled, dodging away to the side and kicking the attack away, sending into the Tree of Might and blowing a large branch to pieces. He sighed. Turles' ki was gone. "He...killed himself. He poured all his life force into trying to take me with him, rather than accept defeat." His eyes glistened with barely-held-back tears. "Why did he have to be so stupid?"

Break, wearing her battle armour, landed at the edge of the forest, perching atop a tree. There it stood, matching Nail's description perfectly, standing completely still, ankle-deep in the river. Cell...the ultimate android. Even in its first form—even though she knew she could destroy it—the monster still exuded a terrifying aura of malice and potential power. Its tail twisted back and forth, stirring up currents in the water.

"You can come out now," it rasped. "There's no use hiding."

"Ah!" Break jumped, startled. I thought I was hiding my ki...I really do need to work on that. "You'd better not have absorbed anyone, Cell."

"Absorbed?" Cell gave a toothy grin. "No, not yet. But the fact that you knew I might have does indicate our estimates were accurate. The data feeds from 17 and 18, before you destroyed them, were evidence enough, but now it is confirmed."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded. 'Our' estimates? Cell never seemed like the kind to accept help. Who's he working with?

"You did travel through time. The video feed from the androids informed us of this. The schematics of your machine were unmistakeable." It nodded. "It seems that you encountered an alternate version of me during your travels. We predicted you might...and that you might have grown more powerful. As was confirmed when you destroyed 17 and 18. Preparations have been made."

"I doubt it." Break jumped down into the river, staring into Cell's eyes. "You're bluffing. You're no match for me and you know it. You couldn't even take on the androids as you are."

"Correct." Cell took a slow step backwards. "But I am not your opponent. The one who will at last claim our revenge is not here. I am merely the messenger...the harbringer of your doom." Its eyes narrowed to slits. "Thirteen awaits you."

You know, I'm typing this on Easter morning, eating copious amounts of sugary unhealthiness, and watching Rifftrax at the same time. I can't think of anything witty to say here. (Oh, except this: thanks for various long mega-reviews, and people reviewing their way through the story)

Q: The last two chapters are shorte than normal. Is it going to stay that way?

A: Hopefully not. It wasn't intentional. Chapter 50 will be pretty long, in any case.

Q: Just realized, hasn't the Cell in Break's future not been killed yet?

A: Well guessed!

Q: Anyway,in the Q-A you said that Gohan KILLED ?!Isn't there gonna be a "Broly:Second Coming"bit or something(or even a Bio-Broly)?!Why?!

A: Er...sorry. He defeated Broly. As far he knows, he killed him. As far as you know, Broly only dies when his movies stop making money.

Q: What was Bulma's secret project? You know involving studying the kaioken

A: Hahahahaha...AHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

(chapter 18 review)

Q: Hmm, Cooler's Final Form had a PL of 470,000… while it seems he discovered the transformation a little earlier than in the movie, I get the sinking suspicion that 160,000,000 is not the limit of his power…

A: I assume you meant 470,000,000, but anyway: That was an unofficial number in V-Jump. They pulled it out of thin air, and I don't count it. I basically used the numbers from Bringer of Death for Frieza and Cooler's power levels, because they seem to know what they're talking about. But no more about that, or we'll get back into the SSJ-model debate (I've received PMs vociferously arguing both additive and multiplicative models at me, and I'm using neither. SSJ makes you stronger, and I don't need to go into any more detail than that.)

And yup. Next chapter is going to be special...A special. Break Through the Limit's first full 'Special' chapter: Super Android 13.