NOTE: In regard to following the plot, I hate making super big chances. I'm always more of a character driven writer, which means my focus is more on developing the characters rather than changing the plot just to make it seem different. Go look at my Priestess 10 fic (Ben 10 and Persona crossover) for example. I barely changed how some of the episodes went and made changes if they seemed appropriate. I do small changes that lead into bigger ones later down the line, because huge ones right from the jump just cause me headaches.

So, Gohan is still getting 'killed' by Buu.

For Makima interrogating Spopovich and Yamu? Yeah, she could've done that, but she was in 'Mama Mode'. Which means anything that poses a threat to her babies needs to die. Of course, if she did try to interrogate them Babadi probably would've sensed that something went wrong and kill them before they could leak secrets. Which would put him on alert and now the group doesn't know where he is.

She's been around Goku for so long she's also prone to screwing up just as much as everyone else.

Enjoy and Review!

Intermission (8): Family Kamehameha!

Goku flew down towards his wife's mangled body, pretty horrified by all of the brutal damage Cell had done against her body. There was no way to give her a senzu bean with the way her skull was crushed, so he waited as her body began to heal itself. There was a lot going through his head right now, especially with the massive burst of power coursing through his son. Goku knew that his assumptions on Gohan's potential were correct, but he hadn't realized just how massive it would all end up being. Not only that, but the irregular negative energy that was mixing with his normal energy was more than evident that the Devil abilities had awoken. Something that he and Makima never thought would happen.

"D-darling…" He left his thoughts, gazing down at Makima's recovering form. She had finished piecing her head back together, allowing her to speak. "W-where's Goha-"

"Wait! Eat this first." Goku carefully placed the bean into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed the miracle cure. The effect was instant, the broken pieces of her body healed immediately, allowing the Devil mother to stand back to her feet. It was at that moment that the explosive wave of Gohan's power invaded her senses, immediately shifting her attention to the battle between her son and Cell.

"That's… Gohan?" Makima muttered with stunned shock. She could feel Goku's hands brushing against hers, clearly attempting to comfort her and maybe even himself. She could understand why as the power coming off of Gohan was reminiscent of her own, except much more suffocating. Makima understood quickly that her blood had finally awakened inside of Gohan along with the evolution of his Saiyan genes. Which had allowed him to achieve this new breed of power never seen before.

"Yeah, when Cell crushed your head, he exploded." Goku explained. Piccolo and the rest of the group joined up with the married couple to watch the commencing of the final battle.

"Gohan…is that really him?" Krillin gulped.

"It feels…dark." Tien released a hesitant breath.

"I'm honestly pretty freaked out right now." Yamcha admitted.

Piccolo grumbled and looked at Makima. "Do you know what's happening to him? He used your chains earlier to kill the Cell Jrs. in one go."

"My chains…?!" Makima gasped. Of course, it made sense that her progeny would be capable of using her abilities instead of developing ones of his own. He was half of the Control Devil, which meant her mannerisms and abilities were all his to use. Makima turned to Trunks. "Did Gohan ever do this in your timeline?"

Trunks shook his head. "No, Mrs. Makima! Gohan never displayed any of your abilities when fighting the cyborgs or training."

Goku released a short breath. "Which means all we can do right now is watch. Gohan is our only hope right now of stopping Cell."

"Tch…! Dammit all…!" Vegeta hissed under his breath. Seeing his rival's child with such immense strength infuriated him to no end, but he couldn't disagree that the boy was their last hope of coming out of this alive.

Cell, ignorant to the conversation of the Z-Fighters behind them, focused all of his attention on the 9-year-old in front of him. Not a single word had left the child's mouth, but just the look in his eyes was pissing off the android. There was no fear, no anger, no passion at all! Just a cold stare that saw him as an insignificant bug to be crushed under a large boot. "Don't get cocky, boy! Do you think killing my children means you're suddenly on my level?!"

"Yeah." Gohan answered.

Cell's eyes widened at the lackluster response, then cooled his features. He let out a small chuckle as if the short answer had been hilarious. Then his power snapped open like a bursting dam. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Cell screamed as the world shook from the release of his hidden power. The Z-Fighters were all forced to take cover to avoid getting blown away by the shockwave. Unfortunately, the normal humans did get blown away by Cell's explosive might.

Gohan was the only one who stood unfazed by the unnatural phenomenon.

Goku felt the sweat pouring down his body as he felt the unimaginable weight of Cell's full power. "T-this is Cell's full power…" Once again, he was completely correct about the android holding back against him in their battle. Cell really could've ended it at any time but was just humoring him for his own amusement.

"It feels like the entire planet is trembling in fear." Krillin said.

Makima's eyes narrowed. "But still…"

It was nowhere near Gohan's level.

"Well? What do you think of my full power, brat?!" Cell asked arrogantly.

"...Is that it?" Gohan scoffed.

Cell froze again, then softly chuckled. With an explosive burst he charged at Gohan like a bull and crashed his fist against the boy's face. However, to his shock, Gohan didn't budge at all from his hit. "W-what?!"

"Again… is that it?" Gohan repeated.

"GRAH!" Cell screamed with another punch thrown at the hybrid. Gohan effortlessly deflected the attack and punched Cell right in his torso. The attack stunned the android momentarily to allow Gohan to deliver a devastating uppercut that sent Cell spinning through the air. He barely managed to catch himself, stumbling along the ground as the impact of those two hits echoed inside his body.

"Holy shit!" Yamcha cursed.

"J-just two hits?!" Vegeta hissed.

Cell wobbled on the heels of his feet, trying to heal himself from the damage. "I-impossible…! I can't have been hurt this much from just two measly hits!"

SHACKLE!

"Wh-what?!" Cell gasped when a chained collar wrapped around his neck, almost strangling him in the process. The android fell to his knees, gripping at the crimson metal in attempts to break it off. "W-why can't I break free?!" He stopped when a dark shadow loomed over him, looking up Cell saw a twisted visage looking down at him with haunting yellow, crimson spirals.

An unfamiliar emotion started to creep up inside of him, but Cell fought back against it. He glared with newfound hatred at the humiliation brought upon him. "D-damn you! I won't be-" Gohan's fist smashed into his jaw, blasting it clean off his face.

"That was for my mother." Gohan's icy statement sent an unnatural shiver down Cell's thorax. Since the android was still trying to regenerate his severed jaw, Gohan raised his knee into Cell's chest. A torrent of blood exploded out of Cell's mouth with strained coughs following soon after. He tried to get back to his feet to escape, but the chains refused to let him leave his spot. Gohan backhanded him in the head, knocking him into the dirt. Then the boy connected his foot into the bug's sternum, and he didn't stop there. With sadistic pleasure, Gohan continued wailing on the helpless Cell over and over again.

"Gohan…" Piccolo watched the display with uncertainty.

"T-that's not Gohan…it can't be!" Trunks exclaimed. "He would never do something this sadistic even against someone like Cell. It's inhumane…"

"But he's not human." Makima reminded them. Outwardly she looked indifferent to it all, but inwardly she was wondering just how much of an influence her nature was having on her son. The image of her smiling baby boy who wouldn't hurt a fly contrasted heavily with this sadistic Devil whaling on his helpless enemy.

"Gohan… I…" Goku clenched his fist, clearly feeling a wave of guilt for putting his son in this position.

Cell heaved heavily, his body bruised, bloody, and beaten profusely by the hybrid to the point that he was genuinely wondering if he had screwed up by pissing the kid off.

"Beg."

"H-huh?!" Cell looked back up at Gohan.

"You want this to stop, don't you? Then beg for me to stop. Get on all fours and beg for me to spare your pathetic existence." Gohan threatened. Cell let out a startled gasp as his body moved on its own as if it were being forced to obey the boy's command. The way his mouth opened to release the demanded words to end this torment made his stomach turn unnaturally. Anger, explosive anger, bubbled like never before, enough to allow him to push back against Gohan's control.

"N-no…! I-I-I WILL NOT BEG!" Cell roared, creating another shockwave that rocked the planet. Gohan stood unfazed, releasing his hold on Cell to let the android blast into the skies above. The boy knew what the bug was planning to do and shook his head at his refusal to listen to his master. Seems he still needed to teach his pet where it stood in this hierarchy.

Cell floated above them all, cupping his hands to his side. "KA…! ME…! HA…! ME…!"

Everyone else stood in shock at Cell's desperate attack, knowing exactly what he was planning to do. "That monster!" Goku exclaimed. "He wouldn't…!"

"YES! A KAMEHAMEHA WITH MY FULL POWER! DODGE IT AND THE EARTH WILL BE NO MORE! LET'S SEE YOU STOP THIS, BRAT!" Cell declared with a delirious laugh. Gohan didn't react and just stood there uncaringly, while everyone else behind him was freaking out.

"HAAAAAAAAAAA!" The sheer size of Cell's beam encompassed the entire area. The illuminated light of their impending doom left everyone in panic, all except Gohan.

"Ka… Me… Ha… Me…" Gohan simply pointed his hands towards the beam right as it was inches away from hitting the ground. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" His beam, while smaller than Cell's, carried far more power than the bug could've expected. It took milliseconds for Gohan's attack to decimate Cell's, and all the bug could do was stare in horror as the beam tore through him like paper. Gohan's wave flew all the way out into space where it harmlessly dissipated into nothing.

When the dust settled everyone could see the poor state that Cell was left in. His legs were completely gone along with his left arm, his torso was barely holding itself together, blood poured out of his wounds like an open faucet.

Vegeta gaped at the sheer difference in power just displayed in front of them. "That brat effortlessly bounced back Cell's attack. What the hell is that power…?!"

"It's like nothing I've ever seen before!" Tien added.

Makima knew she should be proud of her son's prowess, but she didn't like how the power had clear control over her son's behavior. Her child should be in complete control, but it was clear that he didn't know how to keep it together.

"DYAAAAH!" Cell screamed, forcing his body to regenerate all the damage. He released more heavy breaths from the effort it took to heal. He looked down at the smug sadistic child with hate that would make Freeza jealous. 'Y-Y-YOU'RE A CHILD!" Cell furiously roared, his body bulging with muscle as he pushed his power even further.

Trunks gasped at the transformation. "Cell's maxing out his power! He's making the same mistake that he mocked me for!"

Cell, who now hulked over the child, screamed with a crazed expression. "I WON'T BE BEATEN BY A KID!" He smashed his fist at Gohan, who easily dodged the slow attack. Cell continued trying to hit the evasion Gohan, but his lack of speed was making it extremely difficult for him. Gohan, who grew bored of the little game, decided to end it by landing a strong kick into the side of Cell's head.

The android stumbled drunkenly from the impact of Gohan's attack. He fell to one knee; something clearly began ascending up to his mouth. In a very disgusting display, Cell vomited out cyborg 18, who laid on the ground covered in the android's saliva.

Krillin realized it first. "That's 18! He just vomited 18!"

Without the female cyborg, Cell's body regressed back into its Semi-Perfect state. The hideous creature could only stare in horror at the events that tore away his perfection. Gohan blinked at him before laughing hysterically at Cell's humiliation. The android, growing in anger, attempted to reach for 18 in hopes of getting his perfection back, but Gohan acted quickly. A chain wrapped around her ankle and tossed her out of Cell's reach. Krillin was moving before he realized it and caught the cyborg to keep her from hitting the ground.

"M-my perfection…!" Cell cried.

"Perfection?" Gohan's power invaded Cell's senses, forcing the imperfect bug down to his knees. "You were never perfect, Cell. You're nothing more than an amalgamation of other people. Nothing was ever yours or created from your own effort. An imperfect being that'll spend the rest of its existence living under my foot as my little pet." Gohan's entire being stood over Cell's smaller power like a dinosaur to an ant. For the very first time in his life, Cell felt genuine fear.

"GOHAN!" The boy looked over at his father. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! FINISH CELL OFF WHILE YOU STILL HAVE THE CHANCE!"

Gohan stared at his father with a disgruntled look. "No. He's my pet. I'm going to make him suffer so much more. If you want to stop me, then feel free to kill Cell yourself. Just know that I won't make it easy." His eyes glowed with power to nail the coffin shut.

"He's talking just like Makima!" Piccolo grunted.

"Gohan?!" Goku cried.

Gohan was about to turn back to Cell until he felt a pressure invade his head. He grunted before shifting his eyes angrily at the one responsible. The familiar yellow spirals found his own and the boy found himself wavering. His mother, who he had believed to be dead, stood alive next to everyone else. Whatever crimson energy had been invading his golden aura had vanished as some form of sense returned to the hybrid. "...Mom?"

That moment of reprieve was all Cell needed to act on his final desperate move. With nothing else to use against the brat, he had to rely on the one thing he hoped he'd never have to do himself, unlike Android 16. Cell's body began to bulge once more, but unlike last time, he started growing like a balloon. Everyone noticed the action, but it was too late to stop Cell from initiating his plan. "Gohan, behind you!"

"What?!" Gohan turned back to see that Cell was bulging like a balloon. The android was laughing gleefully at their confused and hesitant looks. "What are you doing?!"

"HA HA HA HA HA! Say goodbye everyone! I'm going to self-destruct in 60 seconds! I'll die, but so will all of you! The entire Earth is going with me!" Cell declared.

"SELF-DESTRUCT?!" Yamcha cried with fear.

"It's too late to grovel or beg, boy! I can't stop it now!" Cell laughed.

"Then, I'll just kill you before you explode!" Gohan prepared to attack, but Cell raised a hand that caused him to pause.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you! I'll explode the moment I'm hit, and don't bother trying to force my body to shut down. Dr. Gero ensured that not even your Mother's abilities would be able to stop me!" Cell hollered in pyrrhic victory.

"No…" Gohan muttered.

"30 more seconds!"

Krillin looked back at the others. "We have to do something!"

"There's nothing we can do… we're done for." Piccolo cursed.

"20 seconds!"

"D-DAMMIT!" Gohan cried, falling to his knees. He should've listened to his father when he told him to kill Cell. But he didn't and allowed his own power to take control of his actions. Everyone was gonna die and it was all his fault…

…He failed his world and his parents.

"10 more seconds and the Earth will be no more! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Makima crushed herself for her own inability to prevent this from happening. She was the Control Devil, yet she lacked the control to protect all that she held dear. Her husband, her son, and… Makima touched her stomach tenderly…those who wouldn't have the chance to live. These lights would be snuffed out again by the blackest of hearts.

"Well guys, it's been fun." Makima snapped her attention to Goku, who was smiling at them all. "I've been thinking and there's only one way that I can think of to solve this."

"No…" Makima muttered with dread. "Goku… don't you dare…!" She knew what he was planning before he even finished.

He smiled lovingly at her with fingers to his forehead. "Bye, guys."

"G-Goku, you're kidding right?!" Krillin shuttered.

He vanished right in front of them.

"GOKU!" Krillin screamed.

Makima took off towards Cell, refusing to let her husband go through with his sacrificial plan. Once again, he was planning on abandoning her, because of some sense of duty or refusal to find a better solution. If they were going to die, then they were going to die together but he never liked looking at it that way. Her Goku was a selfish light that made his decisions without much thought of how it impacted those he'd leave behind.

Goku appeared between Gohan and Cell, his hand softly touching the android's bulging belly. He looked down at his son with a mixture of pride and remorse. "Sorry, that I put you through all of that, Gohan. You've made me proud."

"D-dad?!"

"Take care of your Mom."

"Dad…!"

Goku teleported away with Cell right as Makima was about to reach him. She slid across the ground, landing in a disgruntled heap in the spot that Cell and Goku used to be. Makima felt the pure anguish from her son as he cried out for his father to come back.

It didn't take long as her husband's energy signature completely vanished from this world, confirming his death to them all. "H-he's gone… Goku's energy is completely gone." Piccolo said. The friends of Goku lowered their heads to mourn the loss of their savior. Vegeta just spits at the ground in disgust and humiliation.

"DAAAAAAD!" Gohan cried, reverting back to his regular Super Saiyan state. "No…! No…! Why…?!" He kept smashing his hands into the dirt, crying loudly into the dirt. Makima made her way over to her son, who looked at her with his tears-stained eyes. He expected her to give him hatred and scorn, but there was none found within her eyes.

Makima stared into eyes of her own, eyes that held regret and fear. It made her skin crawl to see such a look coming from her son. She could sense the fear within his heart, fear that was aimed at her. "Gohan…"

"M-Mom…! I-I'm sorry! I'm so-" She swept his smaller frame into her arms, hugging him tightly. She softly rubbed his back as she felt his soft hiccups into her shoulder. The strongest in the universe her son may be, but he was still a small child.

"It's not your fault." Makima softly whispered into his ears. She kept repeating these words to her son to calm him down. "Your father made his choice."

"B-but if I just finished off Cell…then-then…!"

"But it's thanks to you that we had a chance." Gohan and Makima looked to see Krillin standing near them. "If it wasn't for you, Gohan, then Cell would've just killed us all from the get-go. Goku was content with his decision, he was proud of you. Never forget that." The monk smiled softly.

Gohan pushed himself out of his mother's arms to stand on his own feet. He tried wiping away his tears, but still reached for his mom's hand. Makima was more than willing to hold onto him as she needed emotional support as well. The Control Devil shifted her eyes to Krillin and mouthed a silent 'thank you' to him. He nodded his head with a slight smile.

Makima never had the highest opinion on Goku's chosen companions, but Krillin was always there for her son when he needed it. Especially when she and Goku couldn't be there to do it themselves. She appreciated that part of him at least.

The three of them walked back towards the group with Vegeta scowling at the female cyborg in Krillin's arms. "The hell are you doing?! Kill that thing and be done with it already!"

"But she's a person, Vegeta! She, her brother, and 16 weren't bad…just misguided, I guess?" Krillin defended the unconscious woman.

"They attempted to kill my darling, but all of you have tried that…so." Makima actually attempted to be humorous. Everyone, including her son, stared at her as if she grew a second head. "What?"

BING!

A massive sudden burst of wind exploded behind them, taking everyone by surprise. Lightning and dust swept through the area, filling the Z-Fighters with a deathly chill. Confusion only lasted for a second as the familiar evil KI suffocated them all like a bottomless ocean.

"Th-that energy!" Vegeta cried, shaking in fear.

"I-It can't be…?!" Piccolo shouted.

A swift yellow beam zipped out of the dust cloud, barreling past Makima and Gohan, and piercing through Trunks' chest with lethal force. The future hero let out a choked cough as his body crashed into the ground, struggling to breath with the huge hole in his chest. Everyone could only stare in horror at the sudden attack and even more at the one responsible.

"Who did I hit? Ah, Trunks. That makes two-for-two." Cell's chilling voice echoed through the wasteland. The dust parted to reveal that Cell was truly still alive, and back in his perfect form. His power had made a massive significant increase as well, furthering the gap that already existed between them all.

"H-how…?! How is Cell still alive?!" Yamcha asked.

"You seem surprised! I was too, honestly. However, it was nothing more than a stroke of luck. You see, there's a small cluster of cells in my head that makes up my 'core'. If that core isn't destroyed, then my body can keep on regenerating even if there's only microscopic pieces left." Cell continues. "When I self-destructed, my core remained unharmed. I really hadn't counted on regenerating, I was lucky." His arrogant smirking turned into a full blown beaming smile. "Even better, now I'm complete even without 18! And I've powered up just like you, Gohan! My Saiyan cells evolved due to the near-death experience!"

Cell lowered his arms with a deep look of satisfaction. "As you so politely told me before, Gohan, none of these things are mine. BUT WHO CARES?! I'm back and better than ever with more power than you could ever imagine! I even learned Instant Transmission due to Goku's cells that exist within me! Goku's sacrifice didn't stop me, it simply made me better!" Cell's sinister eyes bore into Gohan's demonic ones. "He made me perfect."

Pure unimagined hatred coursed poured out of Makima's body, spilling over the area, but still dwarfed by Cell's own malice. "My darling…died for nothing…!" Never before had she hated a creature more than Cell; such a disgusting monstrosity shouldn't be allowed to exist in this world.

"Hah!" Gohan's transformation grabbed everyone's attention, except for Vegeta, who was still focused on Trunks' corpse. The young hybrid's aura lacked the crimson color it had before as if signifying that he still had a semblance of control over himself. "Heh."

"Oh? You find imminent death amusing?" Cell questioned.

"My Dad died due to my own mistakes, so I'm glad that I get to avenge his death. There'll be no more second chances for you, Cell! It all ends here!" Gohan declared. His aura increased in size to intimidate Cell.

However, the overwhelming dominance the boy had before wasn't present this time. "We seem to keep repeating ourselves, Gohan. I'm also in the mood for retribution against the humiliation you caused me earlier!" Cell's own aura increased in size, pushing back against Gohan's.

As the two powerhouses were about to engage in their final battle, Vegeta was trapped in his own little world. His black iris stuck on the motionless body of his son, the boy from the future, the boy he ridiculed and mocked, the boy who wanted nothing more than his respect and recognition. A son who kept giving him chances that he never deserved in the first place, too much like his soft-hearted mother. "T-Trunks…?"

An familiar emotion with unfamiliar motivation swelled inside of him like a raging hurricane. A pained and furious cry born from regrets and shame bellowed from Vegeta's throat. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Without warning Vegeta transformed into a Super Saiyan, blasting past Gohan to attack Cell with lethal intent. "CELL! DIE!" Vegeta unleashed a massive burst of energy that slammed into the evolved android. The prince didn't stop with one and continued pouring out more and more KI blasts at the monster that took his son away from him, that humiliated him, that mocked everything he stood for as a warrior. Everyone else had to keep themselves steady from the shockwaves Vegeta's attack generated.

Eventually, Vegeta stopped his assault with exhausted breaths. He waited to see if his attack had killed the damn bug, which it obviously didn't. Not even a second after he stopped, Cell teleported right in front of them, their bodies only inches apart. Fear overtook Vegeta instantly as Cell loomed over him. "Prince of all Saiyans? What a worthless title!" The evolved android slapped Vegeta away like a bug, the prince dragged across the dirt, his body in deep pain from the one hit.

Even still, Vegeta slowly raised his hand to try and shoot at Cell. A tired breath left the bug's mouth before he tossed a lethal blast at the prince. "Vegeta, DIE!"

"NO!" Gohan dived in to prevent Cell from killing another one of them.

"GOHAN!" Makima was too late to stop him as the boy's left arm took the brunt of the damage. The explosion almost sent them all flying back, but Makima held her ground to see if her son was still alive. Once the dust had settled, she could see her bloodied son crawling off of Vegeta's body. His entire left arm hung limply, covered in blood with the left half of the top of his GI destroyed.

"GOHAN!" Piccolo yelled his name.

Krillin cursed at Vegeta. "Dammit, Vegeta! We could've brought Trunks back to life with the Dragon Balls!"

Cell touched down across from the two Saiyans, chuckling like it was his birthday. He enjoyed the pained expression on Gohan's face more than anything else in the world. "Hm… I think that's adequate enough. Of course, I won't be satisfied with killing you, Gohan." The evolved android cupped his hands, taking the all too familiar position.

"Dammit…! Do we have anymore Senzu Beans?!" Piccolo asked Krillin.

"No! We used them up on everyone here!"

Power erupted around Cell as he prepared his final attack. "I will wipe you away along with this entire planet! Everything you love shall come to pieces and you only have yourself to blame, boy!"

Gohan tried to move his useless arm, but hissed in pain, realizing that it was not going to work. Along with his arm, his power had also dropped significantly due to all of the damage had taken from Cell's attack. "I'm sorry, Dad… I failed you again."

Vegeta grunted softly, sitting up to look at Gohan. "I-I can't believe I was only a liability. I'm sorry, Gohan."

"Vegeta's apologizing? We really are dead." The hybrid realized.

Piccolo cursed the skies as Cell's unhindered might causs earthquakes and natural disasters to happen all over the planet. "Dammit all…! DAMMIT! I'm sorry, Gohan…"

While everyone else wallowed in despair of their impending demise, Makima accepted the way things were going to end. She already lost her husband, unable to die with him, the least she can do now is die with her son and unborn child. The planet and its populace didn't matter to her in the least bit. She already lost her hope…their light would go out.

Cell continued to mock the injured hybrid. "I have enough power to blow away the entire solar system! I am the Ultimate Lifeform, an undisputed fact!"

Gohan didn't say anything.

"Is that it, boy? You're going to go out quietly instead of fighting back?! The son of Goku is nothing more than a meek child, after all!" Cell laughed.

"What's the point? I don't have anything left to-"

"Don't give up, Gohan!"

"W-what?!" Gohan gasped, looking around for his father. "Dad…?! Where are you?!"

"I'm in the afterlife with King Kai, that's how I'm talking to you! But that's not important right now! What you need to do is stop Cell!"

"B-but I only have half of my power left, it's not enough to stop Cell!" Gohan cried in despair.

"You know that's not true; you have all the power you need! Fire off a Kamehameha just like Cell and finish this! Show him the power we made together! You, me, and your Mom! Show him our hope!"

As if the magic words were spoken, Gohan felt his strength coming back to him. His fear gave way to determination. "Y-yeah, yeah okay! I'm sorry for getting you killed, Dad."

"Forget about that! I'm having a great time here with King Kai! You enjoy your life on Earth, you got that?!"

"YEAH!" Golden energy surged around him like a raging flame. Gohan stared down his most hated enemy with unyielding spirit, much to Cell's own delight. He raised his one hand at his enemy. "KA…!"

"H-he's fighting back?!" Tien gasped.

"ME…!"

"Gohan…" Yamcha muttered, holding Trunks' corpse.

"HA…!"

"Oh man…" Krillin shuddered as the bustling power made his body tingle.

"ME…!

"It's not good! Gohan's KI is too weak!" Piccolo declared.

Their surprise wasn't as huge as Makima's who was staring at her son with awe. Just moments prior he was filled with despair and hopelessness, accepting his defeat and failure. But now he was willing to fight back. He was shining as bright as his father, a sun that wouldn't go out no matter how hard the darkness tried.

Cell launched his attack with overwhelming force. "THE EARTH SHALL BE DESTROYED!"

"HAAAAAAAA!" Gohan, with a silhouette of his father behind him, met Cell's Kamehameha head-on with his own. The two blue beams clashed into an earth-shattering struggle that sent everyone flying back.

The Devilish mother straightened herself out in the air, watching as her son struggled to keep up with Cell's attack.

"It's useless! Gohan's being overwhelmed!" Piccolo uselessly added. She was more than aware that her son was struggling but didn't need to hear it over and over again. It infuriated her just how powerless and uncontrollable the situation turned out to be.

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! IT'S ALL OVER! THANK YOU ALL FOR THE GOOD TIMES!" Cell's mocking laughter echoed in their ears.

Gohan felt his feet being pushed back by Cell's force, his determination from earlier started to wane as his wounds burned. His father continued to talk to him through King Kai. "Release it, Gohan! Release everything! You haven't used all your power yet! Let it all out! EXPLODE!"

"I-I'm doing my best…! B-but I can't-"

"YES, YOU CAN! JUST BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!" Goku continued. "Any fears you have about the Earth being damaged can be fixed by the Dragon Balls! Stop holding back!"

"I-I'm not…! I'm not holding back!" But he was, wasn't he? That power he used against Cell earlier was still nowhere to be seen as if he was terrified of losing himself again. "Gah!" He grunted when another shockwave pushed him back even further.

"Does it burn, Gohan?! Those wounds I inflicted, I'm sure they sting! Let me make it WORSE!" Cell released another burst of power that tortured Gohan's body even more.

"GYAAAAH!" Gohan felt his body rupture from the searing pain, losing his footing in the process. He barely managed to hang on, but his side of the clash was almost entirely swallowed by Cell. "I-I'm sorry, Dad! I can't do it…!"

"NO CHANCE! YOU HAVE NO CHANCE!"

Goku and Gohan could only watch as their combined power was about to be overwhelmed. That was until a third party joined the clash. A feminine hand softly touching onto Gohan's, adding her power to his that stabilized his side of the clash. Gohan gasped at the sight of his mother, who was grunting heavily from the pressure of Cell's powerful KI. "M-Mom?!"

"Makima…?"

She smiled down at her son with that loving smile he's always treasured. "A mother can't sit back as her son fights for his life, can she? You're not alone, son, never forget that."

"Mom…! Dad…! Yeah, YEAH! HAAAA!" With the support of his parents, Gohan found his second wind and pressed back against Cell, actually managing to push the evolved android.

Cell grunted from the power but held strong. "Not enough, brat! IT'S NOT ENOUGH! YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY ARE DEA-"

BLAST!

Cell's head was knocked towards the side from a stray KI blast. "W-what?!" He looked over to see Vegeta had managed to damage him. "VEGETA!"

"NOW'S YOUR CHANCE! /NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!" Goku and Makima shouted together. As if responding to the bond he has with his parents, crimson energy fused with the golden light, increasing Gohan's power to greater heights.

With the roar of a demonic ape, Gohan gave his final push to end this nightmare. "HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The effect was instantaneous, much too quick for Cell to even dream of stopping. He could only watch in horror as his attack was completely swallowed by the hybrids'. The very last thing Cell would see was Gohan slowly walking towards him, while pushing the beam into him. Cell's body was disintegrating extremely painfully, and this time with no hope of ever coming back. "I-It c-can't be…! I-I'M PERFECT…!"

Gohan's blast erased every last trace of Cell from the universe, harmlessly drifting out into space to dissipate. The hybrid released ragged breaths as he floated in the air, most of the ground underneath him had been incinerated by the blast. He dropped down into his base form and fell towards the ground, luckily landing in the soft embrace of his mother's arms.

Piccolo and the rest had realized what happened. "H-he did it…! Cell's energy has completely vanished!"

Makima smiled proudly at her little warrior. "My little hero. You've made us proud."

Gohan raised his good fist into the air. "I-I did it, Dad…"

Goku, with his hand still touching King Kai, laughed happily. "That's my boy. Good job, Gohan!"

Chapter End

NOTE: I hope this showed why Gohan is so afraid of using his Devil side. As already said, the boy has no control over it. He's gonna have to face it eventually though.

Feel free to ask questions. PM if you want.

Have a great day!