Chapter 8 - The Loser Squad
Tremors ran through the ground, shaking the very foundation of the school as the entire front wall of it collapsed into a pile of rubble on the grounds below. The screams of the students within could be heard for a long ways, and he was determined to ensure screaming was all that happened.
Gohan burst from the falling debris before it reached the ground, moving at speeds invisible to everyone below, ascending into the air and looking for the origin of the attack. His instincts spiked, and he wheeled around to see another blast coming straight at him.
Powering up, he sliced downwards, cutting the blast in half and detonating it harmlessly in the air. He finally made eye contact with the culprit. He blinked. "Hey, weren't you one of Frieza's soldiers?"
Floating in the air before him, there was a purple skinned alien, with an elongated skull. He wouldn't have been able to recognize him as one of Frieza's men if it hadn't been for the armor that he wore, the exact style that had been worn by the Saiyans that came to Earth and all of Frieza's army back on Namek.
The alien smirked. "So, you're this supposed highest power level on this planet?" he asked. "What a joke. Not even the Ginyu Force would be caught dead in rags like that."
Gohan growled. "I'd start talking if I were you" he threatened. "You just attacked a whole lot of innocent children, not the kind of thing I let happen lying down." He was tempted to raise his power to prove a point, but he doubted it'd have much effect on him. He wasn't wearing a scouter, and as he recalled, not many of the enemies they fought, especially back in the days prior to the Androids, ever had the skill to sense power, let alone the foot soldiers.
The alien smirked. "Tough words, coming from a dead man" he said.
At this, Gohan had to chuckle. He doubted that even at his weakest, this alien could ever scratch him. "I don't think you know just how out of your depth you are" he warned.
"I could say the same thing about you" the alien shot back. "Trust me, you won't be acting so cocky once Lord Frieza comes to kick your ass, you ape!"
"Listen, I don't know if you've heard, but Frieza's dead" Gohan said. "Been dead for over a decade. Your precious Lord isn't going to come save you from beyond the grave."
"Why not?" he said. "After all, I've been with him this whole time."
Gohan wavered for a second. "Wait, what?" he wondered. "What do you mean?!" he accused.
The alien reached up and began charging an energy blast. "What I mean, is that the time for the living is past. The dead are coming back, and the universe is going to be ours once again!"
"The dead are coming back?!"
Gohan gritted his teeth as the blast flew at him. He tensed, detonating the blast long before it reached him with a pulse from his eyes. "Frieza's coming back from the dead? Did someone use the Dragon Balls? No, can't be, they're all inert right now, here and on New Namek."
He took a deep breath. Whatever was going on, he'd have to figure it out, and fast. And for that, he'd have to remain calm. "Well, if what you say is true" he said slowly. "I have no qualms about killing a dead man."
He was there before the alien could realize it, delivering a kick, rather weak to him, but instantly fatal to his foe, before aiming up and blasting the body, leaving no trace. He closed his eyes and concentrated. "Piccolo? PICCOLO?!"
"Kid, I'm here, what's going on down there?!" Piccolo's stressed voice came through. "Earth's energy is warping like mad, we can't get a read on anything."
"I don't know, but this alien that showed up said something about the dead coming back" Gohan said.
Piccolo let out a string of curse words very impressive for an isolated Namekian. "Damnit, we should have been more vigilant!" he swore. "King Kai told us the evil Buu was being cleansed today, and to look out for ripples down here. But we never expected anything like this!"
Gohan made to respond, but gasped as he felt like his senses were dunked in ice water. He wheeled around, facing towards the heart of Satan City. An immense power had just made itself known. He didn't think it was Frieza, but whatever it was, it was dark, and it was powerful.
"You need to get down here, Piccolo" Gohan said. "Things aren't looking good."
Without waiting for a response, Gohan dashed into the heart of the city, just as the first explosion rang up.
Orange Star High
A wall of fire consumed the wall, scorching the entire classroom with the heat. The sound of metal shredding as the foundations were destroyed filled her ears and her mind. Instinctively, she raised her hands to help shield her body from the direct force of the assault. When the heat faded, she opened her eyes and was greeted with the open space between her and the two story drop outside.
A deep, cold pit in her stomach formed as the realization hit her that Gohan wasn't in sight. A look around the room showed that no one else appeared to be hurt, but many of her classmates were in shock. Erasa's hands were clenched, covering her mouth in fear, and Sharpner's jaw was hanging slightly.
Once the shock began to fade, most of the class began to scream from the tension. Videl was trying to stay calm when another explosion lit up the room from outside, causing the shouts to grow in volume. Against what all her instincts were screaming at her, Videl ran forward to the edge of the broken building, looking up in the sky.
Her eyes widened as she saw Saiyaman up in the sky. Anger began to flare. Saiyaman had attacked them? But then she noticed someone else floating in the air in front of Saiyaman, and they sent an explosion at the caped hero once again. A moment passed, before Saiyaman seemingly appeared in front of the other person and attacked them.
When he completely destroyed the other's body, it shocked Videl. Saiyaman had never killed, not even the salt of the Earth that clearly deserved it and much more. The next moment, Saiyaman took off towards the city, just as a large explosion from the heart of the city lit the sky orange.
Videl swallowed. "What the hell is going on out there?!" she asked, to no one in particular.
"CLASS, SETTLE DOWN!" Mrs. Jayce yelled at the class, trying hard to regain control of the students, appearing to be fighting down the will to freak out herself. "WE MUST EVACUATE THE BUILDING, COME CAREFULLY NOW!"
The students who could move made for the doorway, following Mrs. Jayce out, while Videl, ignoring the other thoughts spinning through her head, helped guide the rest out.
The hallways were pandemonium, sheer anxiety of the situation putting everyone into a "fight or flight" response. Flight was the tool of choice, it appeared. The entire school was filtering out to the fields behind the school. As they were located on the edge of town, moving away from the city was the obvious response.
The city.
Videl stopped in the middle of the chaos. The door out back was right in front of her, safety was just beyond those doors.
But…
"Videl!" her name rang through the crowd. She wheeled around to see Erasa and Sharpner fighting through the crowd to reach her.
Relief flooded through her as she saw them. She didn't know why, they were fine when she left the room, and there didn't seem to have been any more attacks. Still…
Erasa ran up. Getting close, Videl noticed tears in her eyes. "Videl, where's Gohan?" she asked. The sheer need in her voice almost broke her, the need to hear that she had seen Gohan, that Gohan was alright.
Videl wanted to respond with yes. She saw Saiyaman above the school, and for once, she didn't think Gohan was Saiyaman. She didn't 'know' Gohan was Saiyaman. No, she hoped Gohan was Saiyaman. If Gohan had been killed by whatever freaks had attacked the school…
Her fists clenched subconsciously as she shook her head. A newfound doubt invaded her as she did. There was so much evidence that she had been right all this time, but if she wasn't, then Gohan, their friend, was gone.
A whimper escaped Erasa's throat, and a growl escaped Sharpner's. Videl didn't want to look at them straight in the eyes. She was Hercule Satan's daughter for crying out loud. People weren't supposed to get hurt near her, she was supposed to stop that!
Her resolve was steeled by her friends, both present and… otherwise. "I'm going out there" she said.
Sharpner looked at her like she was crazy. "Videl, you're strong, but there's a full on terrorist attack going on out there" he said. "How are you supposed to stop that?"
"I don't know" Videl said. "But I'm not just going to take this lying down. If anyone can help put a stop to this, I can."
There was a pregnant pause before the next reply. "Then I'm coming with you" Sharpner announced.
Now Videl and Erasa looked at him like he was mad. "I'm top of the age group at your dad's dojo, Videl" Sharpner said. "I'm not as good as you, but I'm good, and you need someone to watch your back out there."
Videl shot Sharpner a glare. "Thanks, but it's my job to get in danger's way, not anyone else's" she said. "Especially one of my friends."
"You act like you can stop me" Sharpner challenged. "If those bastards took out Gohan, I want to go pay them back personally, and I'll go through you to do it if I have to."
The group was silent, even if the masses surrounding them were not. "You're not going to back down on this Sharpner?" Videl asked.
"About as likely as you" Sharpner replied.
…
"Fine, but we move now before any of the faculty try to stop us" Videl insisted. "And Erasa, promise me you'll get to safety as fast as you can."
Erasa nodded. "I will, Videl" she promised. "Give them a kick from me. For Gohan." Her voice broke at the end.
Fist tightening, Videl nodded. "For Gohan."
Erasa stepped forward, hugging both of the firmly, but briefly. She locked eyes with them one last time, before she rejoined the crowd, disappearing into the chaos.
Videl watched her until she disappeared from sight, before turning back to Sharpner. "I saw Saiyaman flying towards the center of the city" she said. "Knowing how he works, most of the problem should be there. That means that's where our job can be."
"Then we better move" Sharpner said.
Videl was mildly surprised, Sharpner was rarely this intent on something, but then again, he rarely had reason to. The two shared a brief nod, before they ran back the way they came, out of the school, and towards the city.
Satan City
Gohan wheeled in the air, striking down many soldiers in a single sweeping attack, ki flaring so hot that they were vaporized by the force of the impact. He wasn't in the mood for a mess, after all. Screaming crowds of people were below, trying to evade the assault. Every time there was a ki flare nearby, he made to it in an instant and put a stop to it. "No one's getting hurt on my watch." Turns out, when you're at the level he was at, and you're dealing with foes at this level, you really can be everywhere at once!
He found himself flying into an intersection, as a what looked like an entire army streaked at him from two different angles. He brought his hands up above his head, clasping them together as golden-orange energy formed. As they neared, he shot his hands apart, aiming on either side of him. "Double Masenko!" he bellowed.
The two energy spheres erupted into blazing storms that tore through the ranks of enemies, leaving no trace besides the occasional fragment of armor. Satisfied that all the soldiers nearby were gone, he turned towards the center of the city. Citizens were still fleeing throughout the city, and he could sense many more of Frieza's cronies scattered throughout. He also felt the unmistakable power of Krillin in the midst, and judging by the way even more energy signatures were vanishing off to the side without a familiar signal, he guessed 18 had joined the fray as well.
Which left him only one target. He had enough faith that those two could see to the evacuation of the city that he could take care of the problem right in front of him.
The biggest rift he could feel was in the dead center of the city. It was a massive pocket of cold, emptiness, very much unlike the normal feeling of the Earth's atmosphere. The apprehension he received from it could almost put him off of the energy emerging from it. He vanished from sight, moving inwards, towards the pocket.
The street he arrived at had all the makings of a war movie. The street itself was devoid of civilians. Along the street, piles of concrete and other rubble made themselves separate from the buildings they lay at the feet of, the spots they once occupied now smoking with interior fire, most likely the work of some potshots by the soldiers he had fought on his way there.
And several familiar faces, all surprised by his sudden arrival.
Gohan's heels dug through the concrete as he halted himself, and faced down his enemies. "Oh, so you guys are the vanguard I sensed, huh?"
He couldn't help but let a smirk overcome his features. He was expecting someone like Frieza to be one of the first bosses out of that pit, if the alien was telling the truth. Well, it wasn't Frieza, but it appeared that he had been. These four were faces he had seen dispatched before his very eyes.
"This punk seems to know us" Jeice commented with his slightly warped australian accent. "Hey, are we familiar with your or somethin'?"
"He seems kinda familiar" Recoome admitted.
"Maybe, or maybe he's in way over his head" Guldo commented. "Hey, you, do you know who you are facing right now?"
"Of course" Gohan shrugged. "The Ginyu Force."
The fact that he knew them shocked them, that much was obvious, so Gohan decided to have a little more fun. "Yeah, Jeice, Burter, Guldo, and Recoome."
Recoome's jaw literally dropped, an image that made Gohan chuckle. Recoome was probably his least favorite of the bunch, having had nearly every bone in his body broken by the musclehead when he was just a kid. Guldo was a bit of a coward, while Burter and Jeice teamed up often to finish off opponents. They were probably the most honorable of the bunch, which he respected to a degree. Still, anyone willing to serve Frieza…
His face took a stern expression. "So, I assume you guys are here to harm the planet. You of course realize that I'm not going to let you."
When he made this claim, the shock seemed to fade from the Ginyu Force. Jeice actually let out a laugh. "Well mates, it would seem our reputation precedes us, though obviously not enough to let this bloke know he's in over his head."
Gohan's spine shivered slightly, though not from Jeice's words. Another power crept into existence behind him, bleeding through the walls of reality and reconstituting itself. Three new sources appeared behind him.
"Hey, why'd you decide to crash our party" Burter asked with a frown. "This one's ours."
"We chose the rift that was the easiest to arrive in" another voice said from behind him. "Besides, if you're taking this long to deal with an earthling pest, maybe you're not cut out for this job."
A vein bulged on Jeice's forehead. "How dare ya'? Our Ginyu Force has accomplished more than your ripoff squad ever has."
Gohan had trouble pinpointing exactly who it was behind him, but he had a feeling that he knew, without even having to look.
"Cooler's Armored Squadron tends to prove its worth in quality, not quantity" the same voice said. "A mountain of stones is worth less than a diamond."
He turned. "Cooler's Armored Squadron, it's been awhile since I heard that name" he commented.
The figure that had been talking was the blue one. "Salza" he recalled. "The big green one… Dore, I think, and Neiz is the lizard guy."
In contrary to the shocked reaction of the Ginyu Force, Salza simply smirked when Gohan seemed to recognize them. "And I take it from that ridiculous getup that you're the hero of the planet? If they hadn't already claimed you as prey, I daresay I would have mistaken you for a new addition. You blend right in."
"It's not ridiculous!" Gohan shouted defiantly. "Come here and say that to my face."
"Oh, you're a lively one" Salza laughed, the other two laughing with him.
"He's got spunk, I'd love to beat it out of him" Dore chuckled.
"How about we crush him under our boots, make sure he knows his place before he takes ours back in that barren torture dimension?" Neiz offered.
Salza waved them down. "No, he wanted me to say something to his face. Why deny him?"
He began stepping towards Gohan, swinging his arm down and letting a purple blade of energy form. "Now-"
"HEY, you can't just take our target like that!" Jeice yelled indignantly.
"Yeah, we saw him first!" Recoome complained.
"Are you going to make me hold you down until we get our turn?" Guldo asked.
"Sounds like the Ginyu's, a bunch of whiners" Dore laughed again. "How undignified."
Salza halted his walk. "But they're right, are they not?" he asked, dispersing his Sauzer Blade. "They were here first, after all."
Jeice smirked, angry vein still pulsing in his temple. "Yeah, that's right."
Salza walked around him. "How about this. An arm wrestling contest, winner's team gets the clown here, loser's team has to watch."
"Arm wrestling?" Burter laughed. "Pretty boy, you just squandered your chance at this guy. Recoome, how about it?"
"Oh boy, arm wrestling for keeps, been a while since we've been able to do that" Recoome laughed.
"Dore, I'm sure you can handle the doll over here?" Salza asked.
"It'll take two seconds flat" Dore promised strolling forward.
The whole time this was going on, Gohan simply stepped back, watching the scene play out with eyebrows raised. "Is this really happening?!" he wondered. They were debating who got to kill him… by arm wrestling. "I guess I can't be too surprised" he admitted. "They did rock paper scissors for who got first turn at us on Namek."
Dore and Recoome strolled towards each other, each grabbing a thick chunk of concrete on their way. They met in the middle, stacking the slabs to create a makeshift table.
Before they leaned down to wrestle, however, they backed away from their makeshift table. With a nod of what appeared to be respect, Recoome moved back. He leapt into the air, body contorting, coming down and landing perfectly on his heels, knees bend and arms locked in place, hands splayed out to the side. "I am RECOOME!" he shouted. Leaping once more, he spun in place, coming down solidly, flat-footed. He laid one hand across his chest and shot the other out to the side. "OF THE GINYU FORCE!"
Dore smirked. "That's all?" he asked. He brought one leg up and spun, reaching high above him (surprisingly flexibility for a man his size) and hands arched outwards. "DORE!" he announced. Twisting around, he planted his raised foot in the ground, reaching skyward with one hand and placing the other on his hip in what could only be described as a 'diva pose.' "OF COOLER'S ARMORED SQUADRON!"
Poses complete, they made their way back over to the makeshift table. They hunched over, hands extended towards each other, and grabbed on tight. Jeice and Salza walked around each side of the table, being spotters. Salza raised his hands. "On your mark, get set, GO!"
Muscles bulged in each of the teams' meatheads. Dore had the initial advantage, but Recoome was putting up a fight. It quickly went down in Dore's side, but progress slowed the lower he got, and at one point, Recoome began pushing back.
"RE-COOME, RE-COOME, RE-COOME, RE-COOME!" Guldo, Burter, and Jeice all chanted.
"DORE, DORE, DORE, DORE, DORE!" Salza and Neiz cheered on.
Recoome's body began to crackle with red energy, and he shifted the battle in his favor, pushing Dore's hand over the middle ground and downwards on his side. Dore's face contorted with exertion as he fought back, once again bringing the battle to a stalemate. This one lasted several moments, before his muscles bulged, and he began pushing back towards the middle point.
"COME ON RECOOME, SHOW THAT TROLL THE PRIDE OF THE GINYU FORCE!" Burter shouted.
"DON'T LET THAT MUPPET BEAT YOU, DORE!" Neiz called out.
The air became charged as both contenders began putting out more power in an attempt to outdo the other in the battle. Gohan couldn't help but be entertained by the display before him. The entertainment value alone couldn't distract him from the fact that a massive power washed over the area. Only five feet to his side, a white, three toed foot touched down. The next followed, succeeded by a long tail.
Frieza emerged onto planet Earth once more, in his final form, taking in a deep breath. "So nice to be out of that pit" he growled. "Perhaps now I can finally have my revenge on-"
It was at this moment that he noticed Gohan standing beside him. His eyes narrowed, before he noticed the spectacle taking place before them. Shouts from the Ginyu Force grew even louder as Recoome gained ground again. A slightly amused look crossed his face as he looked back at Gohan. "Defender of the planet?" he inquired.
Gohan nodded, frowning at the tyrant before him. He didn't appear to recognize him either.
"Let me guess, they argued about who gets to fight you?" Frieza asked. Gohan responded with another nod. Frieza facepalmed. "I suppose that I should be accelerating the process, but I will allow them this. They've been loyal enough prior."
Frieza arched one of his… well, the lack of hair made it hard to call them eyebrows, but the area where they would reside, as he continued to watch. "My brother will not let me live it down if my force loses, so I do hope Recoome pulls his weight." He took another glance at Gohan. "You seem rather calm. You, of course, realize that we are here to kill you, correct?"
"It's pretty obvious" Gohan said.
"I figured as much" Frieza said. "I should kill you myself, right here, but I've always enjoyed these fools. The spectacle is worth the wait."
Gohan couldn't deny how weird it was for Frieza to be so conversational, but it must have been because of the two dueling squads. He could not deny that they had style.
As Dore began pushing back once again, and getting closer than either of them had been the whole time, another wave of cold emerged from the rift surrounding them. Behind Cooler's Armored Squadron, as if destined, came their namesake. Cooler emerged in his fourth form, murder in his eyes. It dissipated quickly, however, when he gained sight of the spectacle going on before him. He opened his mouth to say something, but when he saw Frieza and Gohan, she shrugged, and let the match continue.
"COME ON, RECOOME, YOU'VE GOT THIS!" Jeice shouted.
"SHOW THAT CLOWN UP, FINISH HIM DORE!" Salza bellowed.
The match was so intense, the Ginyus and Cooler's Armored Squadron so engrossed in it, that they had failed to even notice the appearance of Frieza or Cooler. Recoome's fist had almost touched the table, but with a sudden burst of the strength, he almost completely flipped with match, pushing Dore back down within seconds.
With a strained grin, Recoome said "It's over, bub." One last herculean push, and Dore's hand cracked through the concrete. The Ginyu Force erupted in hyped shouts. "RE-COOME, RE-COOME, RE-COOME, RE-COOME!" they chanted celebratorily.
Jeice shot a smug look at Salza. "Looks like the Ginyu Force has proved their superiority" he said. "Now you get to run off with your tail between your legs and let us have the fun."
Recoome laughed heartily. "You gotta hit the gym, buddy, that was a cakewalk."
Dore spat on the ground. "Whatever, I bet he won't even be a fun challenge anyways" he said sorely.
"Tch, whatever Jeice" Salza huffed, turning around. He tensed immediately. "L-L-Lord Cooler?!" he stammered.
Dore and Neiz jumped as they turned and realized that their boss had been standing there. The Ginyus' heads snapped towards Cooler when they heard his name uttered. He may not have been their boss, but they'd be fools to not note his presence. On a hunch, Jeice looked behind him, and snapped into a straight position. "L-Lord Frieza, I ap-p-pologize, I didn't see you there" he stammered, bowing.
The remaining three also turned to face Frieza so fast they may have given themselves whiplash. "Lord Frieza" they uttered simultaneously, bowing as well.
Frieza's tail swished through the air, though his face was one of amusement. "I must thank you for the show, you four. It may have been a waste of time…" he let the last word hang, letting the four flinch. "However, it was fair entertainment."
"Thank you, Lord Frieza" they said graciously, once again speaking as a single unit.
Frieza's tail whipped the ground. "However, now is the time for action, is it not?" he asked.
"Yes it is" Jeice announced, turning back towards the group. "Alright men, you know how it goes. Rock paper scissors to decide who gets first crack."
"Ah, there it is" Gohan thought. He was wondering when that would show up.
The four wasted no time getting into position. Several feet away from them, Cooler's Armored Squadron stood behind Cooler himself, watching the Ginyus sullenly.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors, SHOOT!"
It was a draw.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors, SHOOT!"
Another draw.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors, SHOOT!"
Recoome was knocked out.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors, SHOOT!"
Yet another draw.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors, SHOOT!"
Guldo backed out.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors, SHOOT!"
Draw number four.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors, SHOOT!"
Weren't draws a little redundant by this point?
"Rock, Paper, Scissors, SHOOT!"
"Finally, the waiting was killing me!" Gohan sighed inwardly. Jeice had been eliminated, meaning Burter was the winner.
"Alright, I got first!" Burter said jubilantly.
Jeice, Recoome, and Guldo all went to stand off to the side as Burter and Gohan walked out into the middle of the street. They were disappointed, but they were also ready to root on Burter. That much he could tell.
"Fun's over" Gohan thought as he saw Burter fall into battle stance. "These guys almost come off innocent at first, but their not Frieza's elites for nothing."
He shifted into a fighting stance, waiting for Burter to come at him. Once upon a time, Burter claimed to be the fastest in the universe, and he believed it. Nowadays, the level he was at made Burter's speed a mute point.
He saw it coming as if in slow motion. He leapt from the ground, blue aura around him blazing to life as he charged him. His speed was impressive… by normal human standards.
Planting his foot in the ground, Gohan leaned as the first blow came his way. His fist flew over his shoulder, and he left himself exposed. With momentum, Gohan spun and connected a backhand into Burter's skull, sending him plowing through the street, digging a trench in the asphalt.
The whole event took less than a second, although Burter was skidding across the turf for longer. Spinning around, he faced the rest of the force. "You're probably gonna want to all come at me at once" he said. "All of you."
He could see the shock in in the eyes of the remaining Ginyus. Surprise in Frieza's face, Cooler looked slightly bemused, and the squad beside him looked cocky.
Jeice was the first to move, rushing him with a growing sphere of red energy lodged in his hands. "CRUSHER BALL!" he shouted, unleashing what was probably meant to be a deadly attack. Gohan swung it back at him. He evaded it, but wasn't fast enough to dodge the attack from above Gohan launched, coming down with a sledgehammer and planting Jeice into the street.
He felt something grab his body, and knew it was Guldo's telekinesis. "He's strong for a little guy" he thought, the psychic grip on him surprisingly powerful. He spiked his power, breaking free of the hold as Recoome soared at him, a powerful kick aimed at him. He caught the brute's leg and spun him around before tossing him towards Cooler's Armored Squadron. Without wasting a moment, he continued his spin and sent a small blast at Guldo, small to him that was. The telekinetic warrior was swallowed by the blast and vanished without a trace.
The three members of the squad dodged as Recoome went flying past, letting his massive body skip across the concrete. The exchange was over in but a moment, with the entire force floored, and Guldo out of the picture.
He stood up and let out a breath. "That's what happens when you don't work together" Gohan said. "Granted, results might have been the same even if you did, but at least it might not have been as bad."
There was a sudden impact on his back, causing him to lurch forward. There was a hot sensation where the impact occurred. He turned around and saw Frieza with his hand extended. As his glare hardened, the look of surprise on Frieza's face grew. "What? Why aren't you-"
"I've got this thing about not letting myself be hurt by cheap shots" Gohan said, smirking at the look of terror that flashed across Frieza's face. "Come on, you've got to be better than that, Frieza."
There was a long, drawn out sigh. "You always managed to screw the pooch, Frieza, and you wondered why father assigned my side of the force the high risk missions."
Frieza shot his brother a nasty look. "Oh brother, how about you take a shot at this ape first?"
Gohan shot a glance at Cooler, who was uncrossing his arms. "Running from a challenge, are we?" he asked. With a smirk, he continued. "Appears we have a playback of what happened on Namek. It's okay, little one, I'll bail you out."
The grinding of Frieza's teeth was audible following Cooler's taunts. Cooler took a step towards Gohan, looking at him. "I sense that you've been holding back your power" he said.
"You're observant" Gohan commented. "I remember that, you were much more thorough than your brother."
"Ah, so you've met us prior?" Cooler asked, eyes narrowing. "There are not many who can say that, especially those that are still breathing."
"What can I say?" Gohan shrugged. "Maybe I told my daddy on you."
It was like Gohan dropped a bomb, and suddenly, both brothers were struck dumb as recognition flashed across their faces. "You, you're that brat from Namek!" Frieza accused.
Gohan smirked. "Guilty" he admitted.
Cooler looked vaguely shaken. "So you're the offspring of that ape that put both of us in the pit, huh?" He scowled. "Then forgive me for taking no chances. Salza, Dore, Neiz!"
"Lord Cooler!"
"You fight alongside me today, we take this monkey down" Cooler commanded. "And Frieza, feel free to join if you can master your cowardly instincts."
Without waiting for a response, Cooler's ki surged. His body began swelling, each limb bulking up as he nearly doubled in size. The organic helmet that formed around his head mutated and spiked outwards, as a mask formed over his mouth.
Cooler's ki became frighteningly high. If Gohan was to guess, he'd probably be approaching the level of Android 18 when they met, though since he couldn't feel her own ki, he had no real basis for comparison.
Cooler charged him, body blazing with purple light. Gohan leapt back, moving with the tackle, and caught Cooler, tossing him to the ground. He had to swerve to the side as an energy blade came down at his shoulder, backhanding Salza after evading the attack. He turned around and unleashed a basic energy wave at the trio, which Neiz was caught in, destroying him immediately.
He backflipped into the air, avoiding a pair of thin Death Beams that had been fired at his back. Unable to react in time to the attack from the two Arcosians, Dore was pierced, life leaving his eyes before he hit the ground.
"Two down" Gohan though. The three Ginyus didn't look like they'd be getting up anytime soon, Salza didn't look like he'd be getting up too quick, while Guldo, Dore, and Neiz were already down for the count. "It looks like you two are the only ones left now, so what are you going to do?"
The brothers looked shaken by the authoritative tone behind Gohan's voice, but the effect didn't last. Gohan's brow furrowed as the two began laughing. "Mind letting me in on the joke?" he asked. "You two don't usually laugh when you're so outmatched."
Frieza stopped laughing to look at his brother. "Oh, do you hear him, Cooler? He thinks we're the ones who are outmatched."
"Quite rich" Cooler agreed.
Frieza looked at Gohan. "You monkeys always seem to fall short when it comes to grasping the bigger picture. Your grandfather, for example, thought that even your entire race's power combined might match me. What a fool he was."
"While it might be true that you hold a power advantage over us, there are more factors in play" Cooler said. "After all, when you can't match quality, it is then that you turn to quantity!"
Frieza raised a hand, a glowing orb of energy glowing in his palm. "Cooler, shall we make this party public?"
"Let us open the gates of hell" Cooler agreed, raising a blast of his own.
Gohan prepared for the attack, but it never came to him. Rather, the two brothers collided their charges, shaking the very foundation of the city in a rippling wave of energy. There was a surprising amount of force from them, enough to stagger Gohan.
He was ready to question what that was supposed to achieve, but noticed that the tremors did not cease. If anything, they seemed to become more violent. Earth's energy was warping again, more noticeable than ever in the heart of the distortion.
"You seemed to have a faint grasp of the happenings here" Cooler said. "Allow us to elaborate."
"We have what you might refer to as a patron residing in that hell" Frieza stated. "A being, created from pure, condensed evil, straight from the Soul Cleansing Machine itself."
"A potent evil, one born with unimaginable power" Cooler agreed. "But, born without a proper mind, all it desired was to sow chaos throughout the universe. It destroyed the check-in stations grasp on that hole to start."
"Its next action was to blur the lines between life and death. The walls between Otherworld and the plane of life were punctured" Frieza revealed. "At first, gaps were rare, it was a bitter battle to escape, but now that we've gotten through…"
It slowly dawned on Gohan what Frieza meant. "That shockwave…" he realized.
"Was just what was needed to turn those cracks into open floodgates" Cooler finished.
"You insubordinate monkeys may have found a way to surpass us individually in power..." Frieza said.
"But what will you do against an army raised from hell?!" Cooler roared.
All around him, pockets of darkness opened, piercing the air like a cold, sharp knife. Black wounds in the bleeding walls of reality. Within the blackness, shadowy figures began to move…
A large purple foot came down behind Cooler and Frieza as a massive figure emerged into the light. Uncanny resemblance to his sons, King Cold joined them across from him, eyes as cold as his name.
From a portal off to the side, a small green figure emerged, Guldo, already back from his death by Gohan's hands. Behind him, the alien he had destroyed earlier joined him. Nearby, Neiz emerged, and Dore as well. Dore's body seemingly vanished as his new body came into existence.
A power that totally eclipsed all the others made itself known with overwhelming authority. To his left, a heavy, dark boot cracked the ground, and a fighter larger than King Cold took his first living breaths in many years.
"Bojack…" Gohan growled.
"Boy…" Bojack smirked back.
A spiky black-haired head caught his eyes on the rooftops. For a moment, he thought he saw his father, but it wasn't. Turles was watching him from a bird's eye perspective, his energy, as low as it was comparatively, barely detectable.
Two tiny energy signatures flew out beside Frieza, kneeling as they hit the ground. Frieza's right-hand men, Dodoria and Zarbon, joined their lord.
In similar fashion, four blue-skinned figures strolled out of rifts beside Bojack. The remaining Hera Clan, Bujin, Bido, Zangya, and Kogu, made to stand as a force.
He heard the laughter before the next figures flew into view. High pitched, childish, almost innocent. Almost being the operative word. Several small, blue, insect-like creatures emerged. With calculating red eyes and playful grins, the Cell Jrs circled him.
He knew, as he saw them, who would be next. He didn't need to feel energy, or to see him with his own eyes, or to hear his voice, the voice that plagued his nightmares, to know.
"Well isn't this a lovely surprise, Gohan?" the full, drawing voice asked, directly behind him.
Gohan wheeled around with a backfist, only to have to blocked expertly by a green arm. Momentum cancelled, he found himself face to face with Cell. "I'm hurt, Gohan" he said, with his cocky voice. "You attack me before you can even see me, and after we've been through so much together."
Gohan lowered his hand and took a step back. Walking around his greatest creation, Gero gave Gohan a calculating look. He had a feeling that he was actually calculating him with his gaze. He probably had energy scanners in his body.
The first thing Gohan felt was a surge of hate. His Saiyan side had become ever more prominent since his potential had been awoken, so he fought to keep it down. Just because he was stronger than them didn't mean one wrong move couldn't end badly for him.
He hated Cell. His father had died keeping Cell from ending the earth with his cowardice. His father had died because he hadn't finished Cell beforehand. Cell got into that position because he was determined to torture the peace out of Gohan and infuse him with hatred.
Gohan wouldn't make the same mistake this time.
"Hmm… I do believe we're missing a face or two" Frieza announced. "Bojack, I don't suppose you happen to know where Slug ended up?"
Bojack rolled his eyes. "That Namek filth prefered to stay in Otherworld so he would retain his youth" he said.
"What about that Saiyan's Crusher Corps?" Frieza asked, glancing up at Turles.
"Those fools went for rebirth shortly prior to this event" Turles called down. "What a wasted opportunity."
"I'd expect nothing less from those dimwitted enough to follow a Saiyan" Frieza sighed. "It does not matter, though."
"All of us that are important in this fight, are present" Cooler agreed.
"Important?" Gohan chuckled. "I don't think you guys know what you're up against."
Cell laughed. "Kid, let me tell you, unless you did that whole Super Saiyan 3 thing your father found out, you won't last long against us. And trust me, we would have felt if you've gone that far."
Gohan shot Cell a cocky grin. "What if I told you I don't even need to go Super Saiyan to defeat you this time?"
"I'd say you let your head inflate more than I inflated myself shortly before you lost your father" Cell said. "But go ahead, don't transform, it'll make things much easier on us."
Cell sounded confident. Gohan smirked, dropping into fighting stance. He felt angry at the jab, but couldn't let emotions cloud him. His senses were on high alert, being surrounded, he couldn't take any chances. A drop of his guard could easily result in a critical blow landing, especially with so many forces surrounding him.
Cell and Bojack were the two most obvious threats. Bojack's immense power was the highest there, and while Cell was slightly less powerful in sheer strength, he had powerful regeneration capabilities, countless techniques, and had built in Saiyan power.
Gero might be trouble. He'd have to limit himself when it came to blasts, because if he absorbed them, not only would he be expending energy he couldn't afford, but Gero's own strength would grow. The old man-droid wasn't as much of a fighter as his other models, but he was powerful enough in his own right.
Frieza and Cooler weren't as threatening to him anymore, but that didn't mean they could be ignored. They could easily destroy the planet if things began to go south. But what really worried him was their father. King Cold had never entered his true form, but he remembered. When they first came to Earth, King Cold's power surpassed even Frieza's own. If he entered his final form, his power could become something more threatening.
There wasn't much to fear from the likes of Frieza's henchmen. Guldo was probably the most dangerous with his telekinesis and time stopping powers, but beyond that, most of them were fairly weak. Bojack's crew could also be troublesome, if he had to hazard a guess, they were nearly as strong as Frieza. The Cell Jrs, while they had less power, were all the more ferocious for it, and had as versatile moves as their father.
Lastly was Turles. Gohan wasn't sure what he aimed to accomplish here. There was no time to grow a Tree of Might, and without more fruit from it, he wasn't much of a threat. Less powerful than Frieza had been in his first form. He had his Kill Drive attack, which was a dangerous technique, but at his level, it shouldn't be a problem.
He made his calculations of the situation in seconds. He would have to be smart. From what he saw, killing someone would just let them arrive back a few minutes later, being able to escape from HFIL rather easily. He would have to figure out a way around that. He wasn't fond of the idea, but Frieza's family could survive near any injury. If he could incapacitate them without killing them, it could take them out of the picture at least. For the rest…
"TEACH THIS SON OF A SAIYAN A LESSON!" Frieza roared.
"Well, I guess I'm figuring that one out on the fly!" Gohan realized. Gohan jumped into the air as several fighters streaked at him. He spun, batting Neiz back down to the planet as a Cell Jr. launched a Kamehameha wave at him. He focused energy into his palm, letting loose a sharp blast that pierced the wave and followed through, obliterating the Cell Jr's torso. He leaned backwards as a sword sliced above his head and twisted, slamming his knee into Kogu's gut. He followed up by flipping backwards, bringing his other foot down on Kogu's shoulder and knocking him to the street below. Cooler came charging up at him in a Death Crasher, which Gohan evaded, leaning above it before stomping him downwards. Unlike the others, Cooler didn't crash so easily.
Power flared behind Gohan, and he turned to meet a strike from Cell. Cell managed to guard a counterstrike from Gohan, and retaliated with a swift knee upwards. Gohan dropped his hands, blocking that attack before bringing his head forward in a fierce headbutt with Cell's crown. Staggering the biodroid, Gohan landed three solid blows to his torso before spiking him downwards with a sledgehammer.
Gohan landed on a rooftop as another Cell Jr attacked. He parried a quick blow before backhanding it away. He swayed to the side, dodging a thin, needle of energy, before sending out a counterblast, enveloping Bujin and destroying the Hera, for the moment. Neiz, Salza, and Dore all came at him simultaneously, striking from 3 different angles. He batted Dore's fist aside and sidestepped to dodge Neiz's attack. Swinging around, he let a ki blade form from his hand and brought it up to meet the Sauzer Blade Salza had swung downwards. It cut through Salza's attack as if it were not there before Gohan connected a fierce blow to the side of his head with his other hand. Letting the ki blade deform into shapeless ki, Gohan threw the energy at his feet, unleashing a blast that blew the other two away while leaping into the air.
A large blast of green energy came soaring at him. Not having time to dodge, Gohan turned and crossed his arms, trying to absorb the impact. The blast detonated rather quickly, pushing Gohan back. Two powers sandwiched him, and he flew sideways as two blows came at him, high and low. A sweep from Bojack and a clothesline attack from Cell. He pulled back and unleashed a quick flurry of blasts that detonated between them, and he landed back in the street.
He arched his body, avoiding a Death Beam that had been aimed at him by Frieza before he felt his body grasped by a strange force. He poured out more power to overwhelm Guldo's psychic grip on him before a combination blast from Dodoria and Zarbon could strike him. Focusing to his hands, he batted the blast upwards, so that it could detonate harmlessly in the sky.
Gero came at him from under the smoke, hands outstretched, seemingly going for an energy drain, while Cooler came back at him from the side. Spinning on the spot, Gohan's hands shot out in either direction, unleashing a wave of pure force which blew back his surroundings, knocking both of them away in it.
The battle came to a momentary lull as the opposing side regrouped themselves. Gohan stood up, never letting his guard down. Besides some impact burns from where Bojack's blast had connected with his arms, he had emerged from that struggle unscathed.
Cell landed before him. His face still screamed cockiness, but he could tell there was slight doubt in the mix as well now. He felt a small ki spike behind him and sighed. "Frieza, if you try another Death Beam, you know it won't do more than annoy me, and I'll break your arm so you can't aim another at me." The ki lowered.
"My, my, someone's gotten far too big for their britches" Cell commented. "Boy, you will not emerge from this confrontation successful, you realize? There is no way."
"You sound confident… for someone who just got knocked out of the way like an annoying fly" Gohan countered. "I feel pretty successful right now."
There was a brief lull in the conversation as more of the escapees of HFIL settled back down. Gohan glanced around. Sure, there were tactics and moves to be wary of, but for the most part, everyone here was not nearly strong enough to hurt him. "Just think about it Cell, you guys don't have the speed nor the power to beat me. No one in your Loser Squad does."
Cell closed his eyes, snorting. "'Loser Squad,' eh? Well that was a solid joke, but irrelevant. After all, Gohan, you ought to know better than anyone." He opened his eyes. "There is always a way to defeat someone stronger than you."
Following his sentence, Cell raised both hands above his head, palms facing the sky. Cell's brow furrowed in concentration as he remained there.
An ominous feeling ran down Gohan's back. It seemed especially strong at the base of his spine. He looked upwards, realizing what Cell was doing. He managed to chuckle. "Cell, I thought you were smarter than this?" he asked. "Even if you weren't lying about being able to make a Spirit Bomb without a pure heart, do you realize how long it would take to make one? Even if I let you, it couldn't harm me, I'm pure of heart myself, after all."
"If the Spirit Bomb is so selective about only hurting evil..." Cell chuckled. "Answer me this. How come your father refused to use the attack with Vegeta there. Sure, he's no puritan, but you would think that someone fresh out of the Soul Cleansing Machine would be safe, right?"
Gohan looked back upwards, where a tiny, whitish-blue orb was beginning to form. Cell raised a good point, he had to admit. His dad refused to fire the Spirit Bomb at Buu while Vegeta was still there. Even if Vegeta had a dark mind, his soul would have been clean after dying originally. Why would his father have waited for Vegeta to be moved unless…
"It doesn't matter" Gohan decided. "You don't have the time to make a Spirit Bomb strong enough and you know it."
Cell laughed. "We'll soon see, Gohan. Oh, and by the way, thank you for focusing on me this whole time."
"Wha-?" Gohan began to ask before a powerful force wrapped around him. Two arms, thick as tree trunks, squeezed him against an iron mass. The swollen green muscles were Bojack's, there was no mistaking them, and he had gone full power.
"Now, be a nice boy and let him charge his attack" Bojack commanded, squeezing ever tighter.
Gohan hissed as the pressure around his body grew. He struggled to get free, and felt he could, but he had almost zero leverage. He let out a shout, bringing his power up to the maximum, and tried to break free, but his positioning was poor. There were sneers all around him as the Spirit Bomb in Cell's grasp continued to grow.
He hiss of pain sounded in his ear, and Gohan suddenly found himself falling to the ground, released from the bear hug. Gohan wasted no time catching himself and planting his knee into Bojack's stomach, sending the Hera reeling. He twisted, forming a rotating blade of ki in each hand not unlike a Destructo Disc, and sent them at Cell.
Stuck holding the Spirit Bomb, which had grown to the size of a car by the time Gohan freed himself, Cell couldn't react as each blade pierced his shoulders, sending the severed arms to the ground.
Chancing a look behind him, his eyes widened in surprise as he saw who stood behind Bojack, and who freed him. The female Hera with hair to rival a Super Saiyan 3. He blinked. "Why?" he asked. It was a simple question. Why would one of his enemies free him. He didn't know how things would have panned out, but with the struggle Gohan had breaking free, he didn't doubt Cell would have gathered a decent Spirit Bomb.
Zangya flipped her hair. "Please, you think I'd willingly serve this man again after what he did to me?" she asked. She soared over Bojack's body as he got back to his feet, landing near Gohan. "That bastard sent me to that hell himself just to get a cheap shot in at you. And you'd better believe I'll take the first chance I've had in seven years at revenge."
Bojack heaved himself to his feet, chuckling deeply. Gohan had the feeling it wasn't from amusement. "Is that so, Zangya?" Bojack asked. His gaze hardened. "You would be willing to throw away ties to the great Clan of Hera over a petty squabble?"
Zangya scowled. "I'd be willing to toss a chance at rebirth just to make sure you stay down with me" she said furiously. "If my death is so petty to you, I assume I made the right choice."
Bojack closed his eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that." For a moment, he sounded genuinely apologetic. An explosive sphere of green energy formed in his palm. "Rest in hell without us bitch!" he shouted, unleashing a mighty blast.
Gohan reacted, leaping forward and grabbing the blast with his bare hands, spinning around and sending it right back at Bojack. The leading Hero evaded the attack, which flew past him and detonated directly on Dodoria, destroying the large pink alien and sending Zarbon crashing into a side wall.
The explosion caused stirring among the army. Gohan's foot planted in the ground as he prepared to move again. Zangya backed up, prepared to attack, facing the other way from Gohan. He chanced a glance at her. "You do realize there's about twenty of them for each of us, right?"
"I can handle myself" Zangya said. "And judging by what I saw just now and back then, I'm assuming you can too. I joined the winning side."
A loud grunt sounded from Cell as he grew our his new arms. "Haah, haah…" he huffed. "You think that's it, boy?" he asked. He sounded vaguely angry. "You couldn't be more mistaken."
Gohan turned to the biodroid. "Nah, you'd continue being a nag even if I had sent you back to Otherworld right now" he admitted. "And you'd be back in moments."
Cell frowned. "I suppose in the vein of honesty, you have surpassed what I expected of you, Gohan" he admitted. "It's true that you've kept up with all of us in your base state, which means we need an advantage." He glanced upwards. "And I see mine."
Gohan followed Cell's gaze, up to the remaining Spirit Bomb in the sky. Gohan reached back, pooling power through his arm, ready to blast the mass out of the sky, but he forgot something important that Cell had.
Cell appeared in front of the Spirit Bomb instantly with Instant Transmission. "Alright, give me that stupid energy!" he shouted, backing into the attack and vanishing in the white light.
Gohan prepared to give chase when Cooler appeared in front of him. He remembered too late that when last they had seen Cooler, he had known Instant Transmission too! Thin dark lasers shot from Cooler's eyes, which Gohan swayed to evade, launching a kick into Cooler's chest. Staggering the large Arcosian, Gohan gripped his wrist and flung him up at where Cell had vanished. His energy spiked, white aura flaring. "HAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he shouted, unleashing a rapid Kamehameha wave into Cooler, pushing him further into the blast.
The uncharged energy blast lacked the power for a detonation to destroy Cooler, but it definitely left him sore. The blast left him blackened as he crashed into the Spirit Bomb. A white hand on a green arm shot out and caught the large purple being. The Spirit Bomb seemingly faded away, but for one who could feel energy, the power was not dispersing. It was merging.
Cell emerged from the shrinking bomb, power skyrocketing dramatically, increasing by the moment as the power of the Spirit Bomb entered his body. He dropped Cooler's body unceremoniously to the ground. He paid him no heed, merely locking eyes with Gohan. Cell's power became tangible in the air, a fierce pressure being the sole reason Gohan had not been jumped by others.
Gohan twinged inwardly. Cell's power was massive compared to before. He would be weaker than Buu, but only just. Absorbing the power of the Spirit Bomb… it was a terrifying gain.
Cell looked down and flexed his hands. "So much raw power…" he commented. "I see why your father always considered the move his trump card in battle." He clenched his fist. "Gohan, would you care to test my new power in battle?"
Gohan went on guard. Something about Cell always managed to put him on edge. "You aren't stronger than me yet, Cell, not by a long shot."
"Who ever said I was stronger?" Cell asked. "My power is enough, I did not say it was on a higher plane than your own."
"Enough?" Gohan asked. "For what?"
"Ah, ah, ah" Cell waggled his finger. "Spoiler alert, you will see for yourself soon enough."
"Enough with the riddles, Cell" Gohan spat.
"Very well" Cell smirked. He took his own, signature fighting stance. "Everyone else, back away from the boy, for now" he announced to the rest. "I've been waiting for this for a long time, Gohan. A battle, a pure, simple battle.." His smirk faded, as his face took on a stony visage. "And a chance to get revenge on you for destroying me."
Videl considered activating her jet copter, but she had a feeling it would have made them too easy a target on their way into the heart of the city. Judging by the sight, there was some excessively heavy artillery at work.
She stopped by the police station situated at the edge of the town. It wasn't the main precinct in the center of the metropolis, but it had some things they could use. Most importantly, they had hoverbikes. The precinct was abandoned, so there was no problem borrowing two for her and Sharpner.
The two cruised into the city, weaving in between large groups of escaping civilians. They didn't have to go far before the action found them.
Rounding a corner on their bikes, Videl spotted five men in the street. The wore strange armor, and had weapons mounted to their arms. They could have been mistaken for some sort of role playing gang of nerds, had they not been standing calmly in a burning city whilst everyone else was fleeing, and had one of them not fired into a nearby building, causing a burst of fire and a plume of smoke.
Videl kicked off the bike, jumping towards the group. "Hey, you!" she shouted accusingly.
That did the trick of getting the attention of the five. The nearest one sneered. "Well, would you looky here?" he asked. "We've got someone with a little backbone."
"A female, now there's a surprise" another laughed.
Videl growled. She was often underestimated because of her gender. She clenched her fists, as a shrill beeping overtook the street. The head man raised a hand to his helmet, and a small, glass visor that covered their eye. He raised his eyebrows. "Power level of 70?" he asked. "Impressive for one of these pests, I'll admit." He took a glance at Sharpner, who had walked up beside Videl. "Power level of 30 on this one, strong, but nothing special of the race."
"Uh, do you have any idea what they're talking about?" Sharpner asked out of the corner of his mouth.
"No idea" Videl answered back. She had no idea what a 'power level' was, but she had to assume it was some measure of strength. She stretched her arms. "Sharpner, we have to look out for those guns on their arms" she warned.
"Yeah, you didn't have to tell me that" Sharpner told her. "I already knew that."
"We'll go on three" Videl said.
"You hear that boys?" the head one laughed. "They say they're gonna try and fight back."
The taunting voice infuriated Videl. "One…" she growled.
"And they're going through with it too, how precious" he chuckled.
"Two…"
"What fools you a-" he said, before an even shriller beeping than before sounded. "What in the world?" he asked. "Power level… of 100,000, no, 300,000, no, it's-"
"Could it be Lord Frieza?" one in the back asked.
"Lord Frieza is in the center facing that Saiyan brat, that's what was reported" he answered. "But this…"
"Is ME!" a voice cried out.
A yellow blur streaked down the street, crashing into the head man hard enough to send him into the building he had blasted moments before. Backflipping, the figure reached back and landed a solid blow into the next one, shattering the chestplate he had on and sending him crashing down through the street.
The remaining three opened fire, only to have the man bat all three lasers into the sky with his bare hands. He disappeared from sight, appearing above the middle one and brought down a solid blow on his head, sending him down into the asphalt. He bounced up from the impact, leaving the figure to spin and launch a kick, sending him flying down the street.
Twisting around, his hands began glowing bright yellow, and he sent an explosive attack into both the remaining members, sending them flying through the buildings on either side of the street.
Within seconds, all five men had been taken down. And now that their assailant had stopped moving, Videl made out a very important detail. The yellow outfit he donned was that of the Satan City Police Department.
Videl ran to him. "Hey!" she called out. "Wait up!"
The figure turned around, starting as he saw her running towards him. "M-Miss Videl!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
That voice! She recognized it, and she recognized him! "You're Krillin" she recalled. "You were at the circus yesterday."
"Uh, yes, yes I was" Krillin said, hints of nervousness in his voice. "But what are you doing here? I thought the city was evacuated?"
"It was evacuating when we arrived" she said, gesturing to Sharpner. "But we aren't going to let the city just keep getting attacked. It's my job to stop this."
"Videl, you can't be here" Krillin said firmly. "And trust me, you won't want to be hear. You're going to get yourself killed!"
Videl scowled. "And what is that supposed to do, scare me away?" she asked. "I'm the daughter of Hercule Satan, and one of the strongest people on the planet. If I'm actually in danger of dying, your fate must be sealed."
"More than you know…" Krillin muttered. "Videl, trust me on this, you've got to-"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
The ground trembled as a massive tremor ran rampant through it. Sharpner yelped as he fell flat on his back, Videl stumbled, barely catching herself before she hit the ground, while Krillin extended his hands trying to balance himself. A bright blue light shot through the sky several blocks away, and several explosions went off in the same area.
Krillin blanched as he turned towards the light show. "I hope that he can keep them from destroying the planet…" he muttered under his breath, low enough that neither of them could hear him. He shot them a glare. "Listen, I'm not joking here. Get out of the city right now, while you still have a chance. I don't want anyone getting hurt, but I don't have time to get you out of the city myself."
"What are you-"
"You're capable, and I assume your friend is too, but this isn't your fight" Krillin said, turning around. "Leave to us, and don't put your life on my conscience."
"Us?" Videl asked. "Who's us?"
She didn't get her answer, but her question was all but forgotten to her as Krillin did something she hadn't expected.
His body began shining with a light, shining bright against the street with no source. His feet left the ground, heels lifting off, toes leaving last. He darted upwards into the air, dashing upwards over the buildings and vanishing from sight.
Sharpner gaped. "Did… did that just happen?" he asked. "That dude just flew!"
"No, he didn't" Videl stated. "You know, those are all… tricks."
She believed this, her voice didn't sound like it shared the opinion. She growled. "It's a trick, no one can actually fly."
"But why would anyone be setting up tricks in the middle of an evacuated city?" a voice in the back of her head asked. She ignored the voice.
"Sharpner, we need to head that way" she said, pointing to the middle of the city.
Sharpner looked at her. "Videl, that guy looked like he knew where things were happening" he pointed out. "Shouldn't we be following him?"
She shook her head. "Remember what that dude was saying before Krillin arrived?" Videl asked. "He mentioned something, a Lord-someone in the center of the city. And there were a bunch of explosions over there just now anyways."
Sharpner processed what she was saying. "So their boss…"
"Is nearby" Videl finished. "If we can take him out, maybe we can stop the attack quicker than we could fighting across the city."
Sharpner shook his head. "Good" he said, frowning. "I can't wait to get the guy who attacked the school, and killed Gohan…"
Videl knew the feeling. She would relish the feeling of sinking her fist into the bastard's face, but they'd have to move now if they didn't want the city crumbling on top of them. She wasn't sure how long most of these structures would last after so many explosions, but their integrity probably was low.
"The bikes" she said. "We need to move."
The two made a mad sprint back to the bikes, leaping on and switching them into high gear, tearing off down the street. Videl tried to remember where exactly the explosions took place, which street they were looking for.
As they kept driving, the empty streets began to feel ominous. The attack hadn't begun so long ago, yet the streets were devoid of all life. No civilians, no police, no criminals, just, no one. She looked behind her, but the only thing she saw besides ruined buildings was Sharpner, and he looked about as put off as she felt.
She didn't understand anything about the situation. Nothing made sense. The weapon that hit the school left no shrapnel for her to get a sense of the situation. The only sign it had been there was the destroyed wall to the school. Krillin, he was a trickster, but the moves he made, those couldn't be faked. Those were practiced, expert martial arts maneuvers, and the way those soldiers he struck went down, cracking the asphalt…
She had no idea what to make of anything, her brain was running too high right now for her to make out anything specific at the moment. She tried to focus on the search, which ended up being redundant quite fast. It was glaringly obvious.
A shining beacon nearly blinded her as she passed a new corner. Her eyes clamped shut and she hit the breaks; she couldn't see anything. A screeching sound behind her told her that Sharpner had followed suit.
He gasped. "What the heck is that?!" he exclaimed.
Videl went on high alert, not knowing what to expect, but when she saw Sharpner pointing, she too became dumbstruck.
About three blocks down from then, a massive ball of light hung in the air. It was probably slightly larger than a car, but even st this distance, it was glowing as bright as a sun. And even more peculiar…
"Either I'm crazy, or that giant thing is growing!"
He was right. The light continued to slowly grow. The streets were completely silent as it kept growing, until a grunt sounded. It wouldn't have been heard except for the deafening silence. There was a shout, and a flash of yellow light. Nearly the next instant, two whirling blades of light came streaking through the air. Videl yelped as she dove to the side, while Sharpner fell flat as they flew overhead.
Videl got back to her feet and studied the situation. She had no idea what those discs were, but the way they cut through the air made her have the feeling that she hadn't wanted to find out. There was a conversation that began down by there.
It was at this moment that she realize an important detail. There were a few, no, several figures, on the street around where the light hung.
"Sharpner, do you see all of them?"
"There's a small army there, Videl" Sharpner commented. "How could I not have?"
Heat rushed to her cheeks as she recalled that it had taken her several moments to notice them herself. "They're saying something, we need to get closer" she said.
Sharpner looked at her like she was crazy. "Videl, if we're just here to fight them, why do we need to eavesdrop on them?" he asked.
"Sharpner, you've seen what these guys have done so far" Videl hissed. "If we listen, we might learn something to help us. Where their weapons are, their plans, numbers, anything can help!" She turned her back. "I didn't want you coming in the first place, so you can leave me to this and I'll be fine."
Sharpner's response was almost immediate. "Are you joking?" he asked. "I'm not leaving, especially not now. This is for Gohan!"
Videl looked at Sharpner. A couple years back, he wouldn't have told even her that he cared for a nerd like Gohan. Now, here he was, out here risking his life to avenge him. A small, sad smile played across her face. She nodded. "For Gohan" she echoed.
Keeping to the shadows, the two made a mad sprint down the block. They tried to keep their footfalls quiet, but Videl knew that they needed to hurry. For all they knew, the attack could continue at any moment, and they would lose their chance at intel. Nothing could prepare her, however, for the details that presented themselves as she drew near.
She instinctively ducked into a nearby building as she came into view of the scene. They were still about half a block away, but there were less debris and obstructions between them, and things were still rather quiet.
She didn't know how to react to what she saw before her. She wanted to be mistaken, but there was no mistaking those black wings, green body, and sharp crown.
Sharpner blanched. "Videl…?" he asked shakily. "Isn't that..." he gulped. "Cell?"
Videl nodded. Sharpner grew a little worried. "But, I thought your dad defeated Cell, he's been dead for seven years!"
"Shh!" Videl shushed. She didn't want them to be found, and she didn't want to miss anything. It seemed like Cell was addressing the mob in front of him. She slowly walked through the building, trying to get a better position.
"-say it was on a higher plane than your own."
Videl froze. She could hear him, clear as day. His voice carried quite a ways. She focused her attention to him, trying to see what she could pick up.
"Enough? For what?"
Videl's blood ran cold. "No…" she thought. "That can't be…"
"Ah, ah, ah! Spoiler alert!" Cell's voice announced drawlingly. "You will see for yourself soon enough."
"Enough with the riddles, Cell!" the second voice commanded.
There was never so much… anything, behind that voice. It was never so angry. It was never so filled with hate. It was never so commanding. But there was one thing it was, one thing that Videl was sure of.
It was Gohan's.
Her vantage point didn't let her see anything but a small piece of Cell, so she continued to crawl forward, trying to find a spot where she could see better.
"Very well" Cell's voice sounded. "Everyone else, back away from the boy, for now."
Videl found a sizable hole in the wall, one that gave her a good view. Cell was standing maybe fifty feet from her. She could probably hit him with a rock, if she wanted to. And before him…
There was a large crowd, but not all humans. There were so many diverse beings, lizard men, a large green man with red hair, a blue man dressed in similar armor to the soldiers earlier, though designed differently. There were a human or two she could pick out, a wrinkled old man with long white hair, and a mammoth of a man with a tuft of red hair on his head.
But there were two figures standing apart from the crowd, besides Cell. A lean, blue woman with lush orange hair, stood facing the greater mob, and behind her.
Black spandex. Green tunic. Red cape. But no helmet, leaving hard, obsidian-black eyes and hair on display to the world. If there was a doubt in her mind before, it was dispelled. Gohan was Saiyaman. Gohan was in the middle of a group of monsters. And Gohan was alive.
A brief feeling of anger and betrayal flashed through her. Did Gohan fake his death? Was Gohan a terrorist attacking the city? Sure looked like it. But her second thought banished the thought. The woman to his back seemed against the monsters, and Gohan was radiating hatred, directed at Cell.
Whatever was happening here, as little as she knew, she had a feeling, deep in her heart, that Gohan was against whatever was going on here. But the question still nagged, what was he doing there?
"I've been waiting a long time for this, Gohan" Cell said.
Videl's eyes widened. "Cell knows him by name?!"
"A battle, a pure, simple battle."
"Cell's picking a fight with Gohan?! But why?" Videl wondered. "If anything, Cell should be after my-"
"And a chance to get revenge on you for destroying me."
Gohan made sure he was on lookout. Just because Cell told the rest of them to stay put, didn't mean they would.
Every moment that passed with nothing happened, however, Gohan began to feel angrier. Cell had gone through the trouble of gaining so much power, gloated, promised revenge, and for what? For him to stand there, mocking him?!
Gohan was scarcely aware of a tingle running down his back as he charged Cell. He was the angriest he had felt since he fought Cell the first time, and only had one thought on his mind.
"I won't make the same mistake as last time
As he charged Cell, he never realized the thought that should have been on his mind. He was so aware of his surroundings, that he failed to note the passive role of another.
Someone was making their move, and Gohan never realized it as the anger coursed through his veins.
Much better than last time, whew! Only took slightly less than a month, and I hope the wait was more bearable, and more importantly, worth it!
I'm hopeful that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I had a blast writing it (especially the Ginyu Force scene) and feel good about my work. But enough about me, what is Videl feeling?
I'll honestly be quite surprised if any of you guess who's making their move at the end. It's not Cell, let me tell you that. So what could be happening? Gohan does seem irrationally angry all of a sudden…
The first true chapter into my Fusion Reborn Saga is out, and before I leave, it's time for me to answer reviews.
yunayuu - it gave him the illusion of being Saiyaman so long as no one got a clear look at his head, after all
DD - I blame Satan
Daikou - try Fusion Reborn reality bleed. Er, sorry, don't get the reference
Guest - I hope you aren't nearly giving up on me yet. I don't plan to go down the same exact route as my predecessors, as effective as that route is
A-man - glad to hear I've got a new fan! I do feel repetitive sometimes, but I feel it's better to make sure your points is hammered in than be vague and confusing. And I didn't mind your little tirade, it let me get a better look at you and how you feel about my story :D
Anyways, that's all for now. As usual, I love getting your reviews, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you're excited for next time… it's gonna get a little weird, it's gonna get a little wild…
Props if you get the reference, but don't go running with it, I just love the way that sounds.