Cell's head was mostly regenerated, a smirk now spread across his face. "Heh," he chuckled to himself. "And Gero thought you were a threat. To an extent, that old man was an idiot."
"He...he may have just killed Goku," Tien said in awe and shock. It seemed like it was true; none of us could sense Goku's energy anymore. It was as if Cell had made the flame burn out by using its fuel too quickly.
"But...that's impossible!" Gohan shouted. "My dad would never be killed by someone like this! There's no way this is true!" I could sense his energy slowly climbing.
"Ah, the brat is angry," noted the bugman. "I've got some rather short memories about what happens when he's angry, and I'm willing to tame the beast."
'I guess it's your turn, Gohan,' I told the boy telepathically. 'Go kick his ass for what he did to Goku, no holding back. I know you can handle it. Just use your anger as a tool to save Earth.'
'Right!' came the intensified reply. Then, the boy stepped forward. "If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get!" Then, he started powering up to his full power.
"Not bad...for a child." Then, Cell got into a fighting stance. "Even your father was inferior in this form." After Cell said that, he sent an energy blast in the direction of Goku's body.
Due to this, Gohan's energy suddenly rose quickly, catching the Android off-guard. "YOU KILLED MY FATHER!" For a split second, the half-Saiyan's hair spiked up more than usual, and Gohan backhanded Cell away after rushing directly at him. Then, the boost and change reversed themselves, and Gohan relaxed a bit.
"Oh, this is going to be fun!" exclaimed Cell as he got up from the dirt, brushing some dust off of himself. "You might actually be more of a challenge than Goku!" He turned to look at the remains of the body, but it had vanished. "Where did he go?"
All of us looked around, none of us knowing what happened. "Do you think his body was taken to Otherworld?" asked Krillin.
"It's possible," replied Piccolo. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was given his body there."
"No matter." Cell turned to Gohan again. "You're going to join him very soon, boy." Then, he charged at his opponent. Again.
This time, Gohan's seething anger went even higher. "You killed Trunks...almost Vegeta...and now my father... you shall pay! HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The energy around Gohan exploded violently, preventing Cell from getting closer and kicking up a thick dust cloud. I could see lightning coursing through it, immediately telling me what was happening, though nobody else seemed to be aware. Even Cell himself was taken aback by the sudden energy burst, this one even greater than the last.
"What...what's going on?" he asked in confusion.
"Prepare to die!" I shouted from the sideline.
"But it's not even your t-" Cell was stopped mid-sentence when a hand encased in golden light hit him in the lower jaw.
"They're wise words!" exclaimed the newest Super Saiyan 2 as he continued his assault with a kick to Cell's gut, causing the Android to double over.
"Why, you little brat!" Cell screamed. "Where did you even get all of this power?!"
"You wanted his anger!" Yamcha laughed loudly from the sideline. "You asked for it!"
Then, Cell stood up straight, now seemingly unfazed. "I like this. Gohan, you might just be the closest thing to a true challenge for me in the entire universe." Then, he began slowly powering up without showing it visually.
"You know what, Cell," said Gohan, "you deserve what I'm about to do to you." Then, he unexpectedly punched the Android in the face. Cell was flung back hundreds of yards before he caught himself in midair.
"The runt has more strength than I thought," he mumbled, surprised yet excited. "Maybe I should power up to my full power."
Gohan charged. "You're gonna pay for what you did! HAAAA! " His punch phased through a fading afterimage. "What? Where'd he go?"
"I'm right behind you, boy," said a voice behind the Super Saiyan.
"Gohan, look out!" I yelled. I was too late, though; Cell's slap hit Gohan in the side of the head, knocking him across the battlefield like someone was skipping a rock across a pond.
"Stupid child!" exclaimed Cell triumphantly. "There's no way a toddler such as yourself can defeat me, Super Perfection itself!"
I looked over and saw Gohan getting up, starting to cup his bruised hands by his side despite his now-bleeding left arm.
"I hope you rot in Hell!" the young Super Saiyan screamed.
"Oh, so you're still alive," sighed the Android sarcastically. "This is fun."
"Even if I have to hunt you down all 525,948.768 minutes of the year-"
"NERD!" Piccolo and Cell shouted simultaneously.
"Wh...what?" stammered Gohan, once more confused by that word.
"Oh, never mind," Cell responded. "It's time for you to be put down, boy." He charged. Gohan stopped cupping his hands. Gohan charged. Their left fists collided. An explosion happened. Gohan's fist made a cracking sound. He cried out in pain. [I love simple sentences. They're fun.]
"Gohan!" Piccolo exclaimed. "Hang in there!"
Gohan backed away from Cell before looking up again, looking like he would pass out at any second. "You really are powerful."
"Why, thank you," Cell said.
"Too bad I still have this!" He cupped his right hand by his side again and released the Kamehameha Wave he'd been charging, though it was only with one hand.
"Hahahaha!" Cell laughed as the energy consumed his body.
Gohan let his blast die down after a few seconds. "Is he dead?" The smoke hadn't cleared yet, but I thought I saw a silhouette for a split second before it vanished.
"Turn around." Gohan did as he was told, now facing Cell. "Do you give up yet?"
Now realizing just how outmatched he was, Gohan replied, "Yes."
"Wise choice." The bio-android then watched Gohan fly back to the rest of us slowly, immediately collapse, and revert to his base form. Krillin and Yamcha quickly got Gohan propped up against a boulder.
"That...that monster!" Piccolo exclaimed. "He's going to pay for this!" The Namekian looked like he was ready to run out there, but nobody else was trying to stop him.
I put my hand on his shoulder. "I don't think that's such a good idea. He's just too powerful. If even Gohan's new transformation wasn't enough, let's face it, you're nowhere near the level of power needed to defeat this monster. Believe me, I'm not happy myself."
"Fine," he complained, "but it looks like we're all out of options."
"Not yet." I stepped forward and immediately let my anger pour out of me in the form of pure Ki energy. 'This is how Vegeta and Gohan did it,' I thought as my hair turned blonde. 'This is the way!'
Hey, guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. I've spent a lot of time working on it, probably more than any other chapter except "Raditz." I just wanted it to feel...right. You know what I mean.
So Gohan finally did it. Just like in canon, Cell got Gohan angry through the death of somebody who didn't deserve to die, but this time it was Goku. That's how I got around the whole Android-16-isn't-there scenario.
Before I get to the Power Levels, I just want to tell you that I've changed the Power Levels in every chapter after "They Feel Fear" to better fit the current incarnation of my Power Level list for the official series.
Power Levels:
50% Super Perfect Cell: 63,855,000,000
FP SSJ Gohan: 52,000,000,000
Enraged FP SSJ Gohan: 81,250,000,000
SSJ 2 Gohan: 104,000,000,000
FP Super Perfect Cell: 127,710,000,000