LATE HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
First off, I've had a few notes about how much time Gohan is taking fighting everyone. Two things. One, to destroy them effortlessly and rapidly, he'd have to put out a lot of power, which isn't exactly the safest in the city, as he could easily make the damage far worse than it actually is. Second, you seem to forget, anyone who's killed can be back within moments due to the dimensional rifts and the Check-In Station being out. He'd put out the power to kill them, and they'd be back and in prime condition in moments.
I'll also point out that anyone not explicitly stated to be present is not there. I've seen a lot of mentions of Babidi. Read the chapter and there'll be a brief explanation about why Babidi isn't present.
Also, I've had some complaints about how Bojack was able to restrain Gohan for a brief moment. I'd like to remind you all that Android 16 was able to restrain Cell for a little while, back when he planned to self destruct. Cell escaped, but he was captive for a few moments prior. And the gap between 16 and Cell is very, very wide, as it was.
Now, lastly. I want to thank you all SO MUCH. When I got into writing Fanfiction, I never expected to be anything more than an author with some neat stories, not super well known or anything. But when I started this project, you all far exceeded my expectations. I was already stoked to have about 200 followers on some of my other stories. Now? As of the last chapter, this story has broken 600 followers! We're not even close to done, yet so many of you have already pushed the story this far. Remember what I said about not expecting much? This is currently the 20th most followed DBZ story on the site! You all have made me feel so insanely accomplished, I can only think of one way to thank you, by keeping things rolling for you all.
Now, without any further ado, let's get into the 10th chapter of this story, and into the second chapter of the Fusion Reborn Saga!
Chapter 9 - A Shocking Tail
Gohan took a heavy swing at Cell, entire body pushing his arm for a clothesline. Cell leaned back into it, taking the blow but minimizing the damage by letting it push him away. Cell was sent skidding several blocks down, Gohan hot on his tail.
He reached back and struck out with a fierce punch, one that Cell guarded by crossing his arms. He gave slightly, before throwing Gohan off of him and striking back.
The blow came at Gohan much faster than anything Cell had thrown his way prior. He ducked the blow and lunged forward, tackling Cell and pushing him down. Leaping into the air, he brought a ball of ki in his hands and thrust it downwards. Cell's energy disappeared an instant before it connected, leaving the ball to shatter the pavement as Cell reappeared above him using Instant Transmission.
Gohan whipped around with speed that surprised Cell, fist cracking across his jaw and sending him down another street. Gohan's floored the pedal on his ki output and raised his hands to his head. "MASENKOOOOOOO!" he roared, the massive wave of golden energy flooding out of his hands, and made a powerful collision with Cell.
The sheer force of the impact shattered all the nearby windows. Gohan was thankful, once more, to Piccolo for teaching him the technique. The Masenko wasn't the most powerful move he knew, but it was strong, fast, and not nearly as explosive as other techniques, like the Kamehameha, meaning the environment around them was safer.
Gohan knew that it hadn't beaten Cell. He didn't want Cell destroyed now. He could come back within moments, even more powerful than before, and besides, a nagging sensation within him, growing ever stronger, kept telling him to make sure Cell felt some of his pain during their fight. Some of the pain the Cell Games had given him.
He tried to shake off the sensations, the urges. He was letting anger cloud his mind, and in a battle like this, that could be fatal. Cell was still weaker than him by a fair margin, but he wasn't so completely and utterly outclassed anymore. A bad move could cost him. And not having a clear head could be a precursor to that.
He took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. He had no idea where his initial burst of anger came from, but he had to avoid another. He sensed Cell disappear. "He's being very liberal with Instant Transmission right now, huh?" he wondered. Reacting fast, he leaned to the side as a fist came flying over his shoulder. "Bad move, Cell."
His energy flared. He couldn't risk destroying Cell, but if he could manage to knock him out cold, it would be a great step forward in the situation. He brought his arm up, elbow cracking against Cell's chin, following up with a heavy blow to Cell's gut. He spun and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to Cell's side, finally provoking a gasp of pain from Cell. He smirked subconsciously as he landed a heavy blow to Cell's face while he was staggered, knocking him backwards, off balance, which he took full advantage of with a sweep, knocking Cell off his feet before striking him into the air.
He darted ahead, meeting where Cell flew and smacking him back towards the ground with a ferocious backhand. Sensing a spike of ki from back where he came, he swung around and sent a dart of ki towards Bojack, who had been readying an attack which he had assumed was aimed at Zangya. The dart pierced the blast Bojack had been forming, causing it to detonate and knock the Hera backwards.
He and Zangya shared a brief look, before Gohan turned back towards Cell, just in time to see a spiraling orange beam right beneath him.
Gohan contorted, dodging around the attack as fast as he could. It grazed his side, shredding through the fabric of his costume and leaving a burn along where it had traced. It was uncomfortable, but it could have been a lot worse. The Special Beam Cannon was always adept at piercing foes, part of the reason Piccolo had come up with it. It could defeat an enemy much stronger than yourself, and Cell could very well have ended the fight right there if it had struck.
Cell appeared right next to him as he was completing the motion of dodging. Instinctually, Gohan wheeled around and raised his guard. Cell connected a blow to his guard, but something was off. It felt… too weak.
Another source of ki popped into existence behind him. He plummeted to avoid any potential attacks, and from the grunt he heard from Cell, he assumed he had dodged whatever blow was aimed at him successfully. He looked up, and started.
There were two Cells. The rational part of him realized that Cell was using the Multiform technique, but it was still shocking to witness in person. The only time Cell had used the technique prior was against his dad, to test his strength. While he claimed that he had perfected it to an extent that didn't split his power among the clones, he had his doubts. His father had done exceptionally well against the four Cells before for them to have been at the same level, and that attack he had just taken seemed a bit too weak to be a Spirit Bomb-infused Cell's power.
Four Cells…
With that thought, he was able to correctly counter when two more appeared behind him simultaneously, backhanding them away without a thought. He glared around, keeping tabs on the four biodroids. "You know, you're being quite liberal with Instant Transmission right now" he said.
"Well, what can I say?" the initial Cell that had attacked him after the Special Beam Cannon asked.
"I never got to really use it during our fight last time" one of the two he had backhanded said.
"Besides to return from the Otherworld, that is" the other one said.
"It's nice to get some practice in with it" the second Cell that had appeared finished.
If he had to guess from the force of Cell's attacks, as well as the current energy levels he was sensing, he'd say that individually, they were stronger than Cell had been before the Spirit Bomb, but they weren't nearly as strong as he had been afterwards. There was some power loss there. "Not 'perfected', just improved" Gohan noted. Combined, the four probably could even overpower himself, luckily, the Multiform didn't allow for power multiplication like that, not even Cell's improved version.
"I can appreciate dusting off an old technique" Gohan admitted with a smirk. He raised his power, orange energy beginning to radiate off of his body. He glared at the initial Cell that had attacked. "But Cell, I hope you don't mind that I don't appreciate you."
All four Cell clones regarded him with a cocky smirk and a confident chuckle. "Was that supposed to hurt my feelings or something?" the first asked.
"Maybe it was intentful to strike fear, but failed miserably" the one next to him guessed.
"Please, I felt more chills run down my spine when you were a child" Cell chuckled.
Gohan intended to smirk right back, and come up with a witty response, before he went on the offensive. At that moment, however, the rifling sensation rang out across his body, from a point at the small of his back. His cool and collected front was replaced with a vicious snarl. "If your spine can't feel chills, I guess there isn't much point in you keeping it, then!" he spat. The orange energy around his body became violent as he suddenly boosted through the air, body a fiery comet as he crashed into the first Cell clone, obliterating his torso as he crashed through it, that Cell's head, arms, and lower body falling towards the ground, trailing fluids.
Normally, the sight would have left Gohan queasy. Normally, Gohan would have realized the risk in dealing such a devastating, yet not fatal wound to Cell. Instead, he turned around, body still trailing with leftover power from his Evil Ray Strike, and kicked straight through the nearby Cell, this time, not failing to completely destroy the separate parts with blasts.
He regarded the last two Cells with fiery eyes, and was more than a little infuriated to find them still chuckling. "It's hard the believe you can still be laughing knowing how badly you're outclassed" he said vehemently.
The two Cells laughed together. "Gohan, poor, naive, Gohan" one chuckled. "Do you honestly think us to be outclassed.
"You're already losing, even if you don't realize it" the other chuckled. "The more you fight us, the more hopelessly screwed you are!"
Gohan shot cold glares at each of them, before taking a deep breath. "Cell really knows how to push my buttons" he thought. "He must have had me almost as angry as Vegeta there, for a second."
"The more I fight, the more screwed I am, huh?" Gohan asked. "Tell me this. Those clones were all you, which means since you're still here, they aren't coming back. Cell, you just gambled away half your power on your Multiform technique, what possible edge could you think you have on me?"
"No edge, at least, not for now" Cell said cryptically. "Should our patron arrive, I doubt even you would stand a chance. But no."
The other Cell pointed at Gohan. "We intend to destroy you before that netherworld angel even arrives. And we have ample time to do it, what with your father distracting him."
Gohan's form wavered. "Wait, Dad is…"
"Your father's essence may very well be gone by now" Cell laughed. "He was powerful. Powerful enough to destroy that creature Buu, even."
"But I will tell you this, boy" Cell remarked. "Even you, as tough as you are, couldn't hope to rival our patron."
Gohan frowned. "You keep mentioning a patron, yet I don't see anyone around."
"The demon is from the other realm" Cell stated. "A being of pure chaos, who will flip the very order of the universe on its head upon his arrival."
"Formed by millennia of evil, wrung through the Soul Cleansing Machine" the other added. "It is part of the reason we are fine having this patron of ours, you the darkness that created him?"
"It all used to be ours" Cell laughed.
The left Cell gestured to the large group of past villains behind them. Zangya was doing well, avoiding attacks from others, by she didn't seem to be able to strike backk very hard. "You see, Gohan, you may be able to defeat all of us" he said, gesturing to the whole army.
"But can you defeat," the right Cell continued, "all of us?!"
"And a chance to get revenge on you for destroying me."
"A chance to get revenge on YOU for DESTROYING ME!"
Videl's thought process stopped. It was crazy enough that Cell was somehow here, that an entire army of monsters had somehow appeared in the middle of Satan City. That here, right in front of her, that she had solid, substantial evidence that Gohan was Great Saiyaman!
But this?
Cell, or whatever that was that looked like Cell, ("Gohan had referred to it as Cell, and he acknowledged it" the voice in the back of her head nagged), had just made a statement of revenge.
On Gohan.
Revenge on Gohan.
For killing him!
Cell just said that Gohan killed him.
"That can't be Cell" Videl realized. After all, Cell had been defeated by her father seven years ago. If somehow Gohan had even been there, he'd have to have been no older than about 10, which would be insa-
She froze.
"The delivery boy appears to intend to fight Cell!" the announcer had declared.
This had been after Cell had pushed aside many fighters, including her father, who had unfortunately lost his balance for a moment. Then that blonde dude came in and began fighting Cell. At times, the fight could barely be seen, and st other times, impossible things kept happening. The two flying to the air, bodies fading out of sight to appear somewhere else. At one point, the ring had been blasted apart, and the fight continued, until the challenger stepped down.
She had felt so mad about that. Her father had to recover, to fight a monster like Cell, he had to be in top form, and slip or not, it must have taken some of his energy away. This fighter, who had lasted against Cell for what must have been almost twenty minutes. He could at least try to wear Cell down or buy some time if he couldn't finish the job himself.
Then the boy appeared.
He was so young, people thought he must have been a delivery boy, bringing an order for break time in the tournament. Part of the reason he shocked the world as he stepped up to fight Cell. He fought Cell with surprising skill for a kid his age, and took a very large amount of attacks. There were long pauses where they had conversations the recording couldn't pick up. Someone had tried to interfere, and got killed for it. Several monsters, small versions of Cell, had emerged, and started beating up the strange warriors that had shown up. At some point following, there had been a strange storm, dust and electrical, it seemed, and the broadcast cut out completely.
She was snapped out of her stupor as Gohan vanished with a snap like a sonic boom, appearing in front of Cell and swinging at him. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head as Cell went skidding several blocks past them, and Gohan took off after him, disappearing from sight.
Sharpner ran over. "Videl!" he called out in a loud whisper. "What the heck was that?!"
She looked at Sharpner with a hesitant look. She didn't often hesitate, and she guessed the rarity of such an expression on her face was not lost on Sharpner. "Videl-?"
"It's Gohan" she blurted out
If she had to make one rule to live by, it would be this. Never tell a fellow friend that a friend that you both thought was dead because you saw him die not half an hour ago that that friend is alive so suddenly. The sudden look of… so many emotions, that crossed Sharpner's face, just made her feel awful.
He froze, face contorting into a Frankenstein-mess of shock, surprise, hope, anger, confusion, and a few more she couldn't put her fingers on. It would almost have looked funny, if not for the circumstances turning it into the furthest thing from funny. "G-Gohan?" he asked.
There was a heated explosion they could feel down the street from them, shattering windows and bathing the area in heat. The two flinched from their cover inside the building. Videl decided to start talking. There wasn't really much else they could do at the moment.
"I always suspected Gohan was Saiyaman" Videl admitted. "He did crazy things in gym class even though he acted like a nerd, he had an expert stance in my dad's class, and… more." For some reason, it felt a little odd to mention how he discussed his father as Saiyaman. That felt more personal.
Sharpner looked at her like she was crazy. "You're saying that Brains is-"
An object flew by with a whistle as it cut through the air. A glowing arrow of energy flew past them and towards the monsters they saw earlier, an explosion happening down by them near instantly.
Videl nodded. "I thought so the whole time-"
"Then why didn't you tell us Gohan was alive?!" Sharpner exclaimed as loud as he dared.
"Because I didn't know and false hope is worse than none!" Videl spat.
There was a pregnant pause between the two, before Sharpner let out a breath. "I… guess I understand that" he admitted. "But how are you sure now?"
"Because I saw Gohan" Videl said. "Over there, by all those monsters, he was there, in a Saiyaman outfit without a helmet." Remembering what came next, there was a cold trickle in her gut. "Cell said…" she paused.
"What did he say?" Sharpner urged.
"Cell said he wanted to fight Gohan" Videl managed.
Sharpner's eyes bulged. "Videl, we have to get out there and help! There's no way Gohan can-" now he stopped short. "I mean, he's Saiyaman, but didn't even your dad have a hard time defeating Cell?"
Videl opened her mouth, though she wasn't quite sure what she was gonna say, when a resounding crash shattered the air, as an object hit the ground hard nearby. The two automatically ducked low and took cover, as shrapnel from the street flew over their heads.
Gohan turned around and backhanded the other Cell away, which had tried to sneak up on him after flooring the first. Gohan vanished, appearing behind Cell and going for a powerful uppercut into his back. Cell vanished with Instant Transmission, and with shocking speed, delivered a sledgehammer to Gohan's back.
Gohan jolted from the impact, spit flying from his mouth as he was pounded down towards the surface. He flipped forward as he plummeted, landing up to his knees in asphalt, before soaring back up and planted his knee in Cell's perfect chin. There was a loud crack as he was sent reeling, yet he was caught by his other clone.
With a growl, there was a flash of light, and the two merged together, the single Cell left standing looking a little worse for wear. Gohan checked, and Cell's power felt almost back down to his normal strength.
"I thought you were smarter than this" Gohan laughed, in a cruel fashion. "Come on, Cell, you didn't stand a chance against me as you were. Now, you lost most of your power in a single play."
He watched Cell as growled. "Some perfect being you are" he snorted.
Cell's face changed, rapidly morphing from a growl to a smirk. "My, my, Gohan, have you not figured it out yet?" he asked. "You simply cannot win this fight. Why keep fighting fate?"
Gohan grinded his teeth. "You're keeping up the facade pretty well, bug man" he said. His eye twitched. He felt a hot swoop in his stomach again, starting. "Wait!" He glared hard at Cell. "What are you doing to me?!" he demanded.
Cell laughed heartily. "Why Gohan, I haven't the slightest idea what you are speaking of" he said sarcastically.
Gohan growled. "Enough games, Cell, I can feel you're doing something to me. What is it? Is Babidi here?"
Cell pulled a face. "That decrepit lizard man?" he asked with disgust. "The fool had no desire. That Majin Buu character that your father destroyed was his pride and joy, and he had no idea to leave until he had him back." He crossed his arms. "How foolish, that Buu creature is now something completely different."
"Quit stalling" Gohan spat. "I know you're doing something, so you'd better tell me what it is."
"I already told you, and even if I knew, it's not like I gain any advantage by letting you in on the trick" Cell said. His sarcastic tone gave away, he was just toying with him.
"I'm not going to get any sort of answer out of Cell, he's too smart for that" Gohan realized dejectedly. He chanced a sideways glanced. Surprisingly, Bojack still seemed to be down. "I guess I knocked him out cold" he thought. He probably wouldn't be down for long, as tough as he was, but that was giving Zangya the breathing room she needed to keep fighting. The remaining Heras were letting her reign free, and the majority of the army either was nursing wounds from attacks from Gohan, or focusing more on the fight. There were a few, however, that were hunting Zangya. She didn't seem to be in much trouble at the moment, so Gohan looked back to Cell.
"Whatever Cell's attempting, it has something to do with toying with my emotions" Gohan guessed. With a clear head and a lull in the fight, he was able to recognize spikes of rage he had been feeling during their battle. "He's forcing anger to bait mistakes. I don't know how he's managing to mess with me that way, but if I'm aware of it, it shouldn't be as bad."
"I can see the wheels in your head turning, boy" Cell's drawling voice washed over him. "But it doesn't matter how long you think about it." Smirking, he brought his hands forward, cupping them in front of himself. "And even if it did, you don't have enough time."
Cell's hands moved to the side, and Gohan's vision sharpened. "Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Cell bellowed.
Gohan dashed forward, pumping energy into his arm as he struck out. Cell vanished before the blow connected, Gohan's fist trailing through empty air.
"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Gohan growled and turned towards the source of the voice. Cell had reappeared some several yards behind him, attack still charging. A glowing white light began pouring out of his hands, the charge of the Kamehameha wave forming.
"Quit playing games, Cell!" Gohan shouted. He reached deep down, tapping even deeper into his potential power. His shimmering white aura grew more intense and radical, sparks leaping across his frame.
He vanished from view, time seeming to slow down around him. He flung himself towards Cell, barrelling straight into the biodroid and shoving him aside. As Cell began to fall away, Gohan reached up and let loose a blast, shooting Cell into the street hard enough to strip the asphalt from the surface completely.
The blue energy faded from Cell's palms as he skidded to a halt. Gohan planted his feet on the ground, brushing a bead of sweat from his face. "That felt a little too close for comfort" he realized. "A Kamehameha in the city would have been bad, let alone one from him." Cell had really put him on edge when he escaped Gohan's attack the first time. "What's with me? It's like Cell is toying with my emotions right now. Everything he does gets me riled up in some way." He reassumed his fighting stance as Cell got back on his feet. "Why can't I just figure out whatever it is that he has planned?!"
Cell growled as he stumbled to his feet. Cheek puffing, he spat out a wad of purple blood. "It would appear that you're more powerful than I gave you credit for, Gohan" he admitted. "If we're being perfectly honest, your speed in that moment did surprise me."
"I warned you that you couldn't beat me, Cell" Gohan said with an authoritative tone. "My power dwarfs what it was back when we fought before."
"I realized that from the start, Gohan" Cell said, smirk once again taking root on his face.
Gohan scowled. "If you're so perceptive, then perhaps you can help me realize something" he said slowly. "I've been kicking you around so far I'm surprised you haven't been blown back through one of these rifts. Yet you've kept your cool." An image passed through Gohan's mind of an engorged Cell. "Something you've never managed when you've been outclassed in the past. So, care to let me in on the joke?"
Cell raised his eyebrows, smirk growing. Gohan felt himself becoming infuriated by that cocky smile. Even with how outclassed Cell was, especially since his power was gambled away in his Multiform attack, his attitude would make you think he was still the one in the lead.
"Well Gohan, I suppose that things are about wrapped up here anyways, so, why not?" he asked. "There is something quite invigorating about releasing a plan just prior to its fruition after all."
Gohan watched carefully as Cell paused. "However, give things about 2 more seconds" he said, glancing behind him.
He heard a scream echo through the street before he had traced Cell's line of sight. His head shot in the direction of the horrified sound almost mechanically, only just in time to see a plume of green smoke rise from the ground.
"I daresay your unexpected ally in this mess will be back momentarily" Cell laughed, and Gohan realized with a start that the scream had been Zangya. His eyes found Bojack, who had gotten back on his feet, something Gohan hadn't expected so soon. "But for now, we have the privacy we need."
Gohan's teeth grinded almost audibly. In his mind, he realized, to a degree, that Zangya was out for revenge more than helping him, and that she'd probably be able to find her way back out of HFIL within a couple moments.
But Gohan wasn't thinking rationally at the moment. "I thought I told you, enough games" Gohan warned. "If you're going to explain, I'd do it before I punch a hole through your 'perfect' face."
"I would say that your impatience astounds me, considering your character" Cell said as he turned back to face Gohan. "But, I know better, after all. It's in your biology."
"My…" Gohan's anger briefly faded, replaced with confusion. "My biolo-"
The next thing Gohan realized was an extreme pain. Cell had vanished in his moment of confusion, and the pain that followed forced him to his knees. He let out a gasp as the sharp signals raced through his body.
"Yes, Gohan" Cell's voice came from behind him. He raised his hand, something thin, brown, and furry clasped in it. "Your biology."
Gohan couldn't tell whether his next gasp was in shock or in pain as Cell gave a tight squeeze, pinching his wriggling tail tight.
Otherworld
"What? They're all out?"
"With the Check In Station down, and those rifts in the dimensional walls caused by that creature, most anyone can escape the Otherworld now."
Pikkon grimaced. "DISGUSTING FREAK!" he roared, as the jelly bean-like barrier surrounding Yemma's palace cracked further. He huffed for a moment, looking back at the bulbous reflection of the massive ogre. "I suppose that it's a win/lose then. Goku certainly doesn't need any of those evil souls pestering him while he tries to put Janemba down, but this is a worst case scenario for the living world."
"Quite so" Yemma agreed. "In fact, once you get done here-"
"GONNA CRY LIKE A BABY?!" Pikkon shouted again, further chips flaking off.
"-we may need your two's assistance in rounding up those souls that escaped" Yemma finished.
Pikkon took a deep breath. "IDIOTIC TRASH HEAP!" he shouted. Avoiding the shards that chipped off, he stepped in for a closer inspection. "Damnit, how deep does this thing go!?"
"You're almost there, your image isn't nearly as distorted anymore" Yemma informed him. "Maybe three inches to go."
Pikkon took another deep breath. "USELESS WASTE OF SPACE!" he roared, more splinters falling down. He growled. "At this pace, three inches might as well be three miles."
"I don't care how long it feels like, Pikkon" Yemma grouched. "Every moment we're locked in here is another moment things on the other side destabilize! Keep cursing it out!"
Pikkon pulled a poker face. "I'll try, but I'm running low on insults…" he muttered. This barrier was thick, he had ran through just about every swear word and insult in the book that he had picked up in his life and beyond.
"MISERABLE WRECK!" he roared.
Gohan's knuckles were white as his hands clenched tight. He wanted to gasp in pain, but the noise caught in his chest, he couldn't even move to make the sound. A weak moan escaped his lips as pain wracked his body.
"You've impressed me, Gohan" Cell said. "The powers you've shown in this battle, well, they are far beyond anything I could have expected. I suppose my prior defeat was only at the hands of the best, after all."
"Some consolation!" Gohan screamed inwardly.
"Ah, yes, I suppose you must be wondering how I have you here" Cell drawled. The grip on the unfamiliar furry appendage lessened (though did not stop), and Gohan let out the gasp that had been bottled up.
"Kind of redundant to ask at this point" Gohan admitted with a growl, turning to face Cell.
Cell smirked. "Knowledge is power, boy, and it would seem that you are lacking in that area."
"So the boy is ready for his biology lesson?" nasally voice asked.
Gohan recognized the voice, but he couldn't tell from where. The energy approaching him wasn't a great one, so he couldn't tell who it was that way either.
Light footfalls made their way across the ground. Gohan turned back in time to see a purple boot smash into his face. There was little power behind his assailant, yet he felt the blood rush to the area immediately all the same. With his tail still gripped, Gohan hadn't the focus to muster his ki properly.
"You can blame your father for this one, kid" the unknown figure said. Gohan was able to crane his neck up a little bit, enough to see purple and black boots, and dark, pale legs. Re color scheme before him was familiar, and it clicked. He had even seen him several minutes ago.
"Turles" Gohan spat.
"How touching, the boy remembers me" Turles chuckled.
"How could I forget?" he asked. "You look almost exactly like my dad, and you tried to destroy the Earth with a giant tree. That's pretty noteworthy, even by my standards."
"Ah, yes, the Tree of Might" Turles said with a fond tone of nostalgia. "Perhaps I can find some seeds left here, it will be good use of this planet once all of its defenders are dead."
"Making a lot of assumptions there" Gohan growled.
Turles laughed again. "Feisty right now, aren't we?" he asked. "That's to be expected. The growth of a tail, especially this rapidly, would cause an influx of Saiyan hormones. And we are violent and angry by race, after all."
A piece of the puzzle fit itself into place. That explained why he had been acting irrationally during his fight with Cell.
Turles kneeled down, evil grin lighting his face as he leveled with Gohan. "Those who could sense power levels knew your power was up there" Turles said. "When we learned it was Kakarot's son, who better to know how to handicap a Saiyan, than another Saiyan?"
He stood back up, looking to Cell. "Mind if I have a yank?" he asked.
"Be my guest" Cell said, handing Gohan's tail to Turles.
Gohan felt the exchange. They were being cautious, that was for sure. Cell didn't release Gohan until after Turles had a firm grip.
"Now tell me, kid, how much do you know about a Saiyan tail?" Turles asked, giving it a painful tug.
Gohan gritted his teeth until the pain subsided. "They serve as weak points, hold some of a Saiyan's power, and can trigger a Great Ape form" Gohan recited what he knew. "And from what you told me, they probably have hormone secreting glands in them as well."
"Good, so you aren't totally naive in your biology" Turles chuckled. "Say, do you want to experience the rush of the mighty Oozaru right now?"
Gohan scoffed. "Even if I did, I also know that a full moon is required to transform into one."
"Ah, the first wrong answer" Turles sighed, pinching his tail harder and causing the teenaged Demi Saiyan to hiss in pain. "Full moons make things easy, but what really makes the magic happen are the Blutz Waves. And some of us higher ups know how to make our own."
Gohan felt a grip on his hair as his head was forced up. "Ever heard of a Power Ball, kid?" he asked. "You should have, I made you transform with one once."
Gohan's head was jerked even higher, and his heart nearly stopped as his gaze fixed on a large white orb in the sky. Fear flooded his veins as he felt the beams of the Power Ball enter through his eyes. Moments passed, however, and he realized that his heart hadn't started literally pounding out of his chest.
Turles laughed. "I could feel your naked fear from up here" he said. "Your tail can't harness Blutz Waves if it's grasped. At least it can't if it's untrained."
Turles released Gohan's hair, letting his head fall. "Then what's the point of creating a Power Ball?" he asked.
"Tsk, tsk, what did I just say?" Turles asked. "A Power Ball creates Blutz Waves! If we wanted to get you in this position, that's exactly what we needed."
"Adult Saiyans cannot regrow a severed tail. Our bodies are not able to recover like that once we've reached that stage. However, in adolescence, a tail can, in fact, come back. There are a few circumstances needed. For one, an adrenaline spike, you need the energy moving through your body to let the hormones work. And secondly, you need the actual Blutz Waves to trigger the growth."
Gohan began to understand. "So this entire time…"
"I told you, Gohan, I didn't plan to win our fight" Cell laughed. "All I needed was to keep you sufficiently distracted while Turles worked his Saiyan magic. Once you had a tail of your own, we knew you'd be nothing but a joke."
Heavy footfalls fell nearby, as splayed purple feet came into view. "So, the time is ripe?" Cooler asked.
"Indeed" Cell acknowledged. "Alright, everyone, let the Ginyu Force lead the way! Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide who gets first crack at the son of Goku!"
The two teenagers crouched behind the ruined walls of the building, skin pale.
Sharpner gulped. "O-okay, I'll be the first to say it" he stuttered out. "What the hell is going on out there?! What did Gohan, I mean, how did Gohan-!?"
"Shh!" Videl shushed the blonde teen. Her brain was firing too fast for her to even keep up with her own thoughts at the moment, but she knew that they didn't want to be found at that moment.
When Cell had singled out Gohan, she had been shocked, even more so when Cell said that Gohan had destroyed him. She didn't know what to make of that mess, but she felt inside that Gohan was a goner.
Then they began fighting. And she had a sudden understanding for why some people believed that those tricks were real. She felt every single time they seemed to clash, shockwaves shaking the buildings, rattling her very bones, heat washing over her like she was in an oven. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that there was a truly planet-shaking battle unfolding before her very eyes.
But she did know better. She knew better…
Then why couldn't she see through it? She's seen tricks before, she could always pick them out. She always knew the secret to the trick. But here? All of her senses were telling her that there was no trick, no faking it.
The fight had seemingly only taken a few moments, but whenever the two of them reappeared in their field of vision, the situation was drastically altered. They had set down out of sight, but she didn't trust herself, and moreso Sharpner, to make it closer to the scene. Trick or not, there was something dangerous going on out there, whatever was being used had enough power to send tremors through the street.
"Come on, Satan" Videl chided herself. "Your dad could figure out all these tricks in his sleep, and you can too!"
Easier said than done while the flood of sensory input was screaming otherwise at her.
Besides her, Sharpner took a breath. "Videl… what the heck is going on out there?" he asked.
"I wish I knew!" Videl berated herself internally. "They're attacking the city, that much should be obvious" Videl said aloud.
Sharpner blanched. "Gohan too?" he asked.
"No" Videl was quick to respond, surprising herself with the almost reflexive answer. "Whatever's going on out there, whatever trick they're pulling, Gohan… he isn't with them."
Sharpner looked back out at the street, a hesitant look on his face. "A trick?" he asked.
"Yeah" Videl said, voice laced with uncertainty.
Sharpner facepalmed. "Videl, your father is my idol, and everything, but…" he trailed off.
"But what?" Videl asked.
He sighed. "He's my idol, I believe him and everything, but I don't know what would be the point of pulling all these tricks if the city is supposed to be evacuated and no one else is around."
Videl felt a sinking feeling in her gut as she realize just how hard he hit the nail on the head. "He's right, those tricks don't have any actual value in a fight besides for show" she remembered. "So, if there's no show…"
"Videl, what if this isn't a trick?" Sharpner asked. He picked up a rock off the ground, a fragment of the building they were hiding in. "I believed your father, but what if… what if he was wrong? He might think it was a trick, but it feels-"
"Real" Videl finished. "It feels way too real."
Something nagged Videl at the back of her mind as she admitted it, but she couldn't focus on it. At that moment, there was a ripping sound through the air. Both Videl and Sharpner nearly jumped out of their skins as the sound invaded their ears, and the very air around them began to sway and distort. An unfamiliar and cold presence began to wash over them, sending shivers down their back, and making them feel very weak.
The two human teenagers had no energy sensing abilities, but even they could feel the danger entering the air.
"I can't believe how badly I screwed up!"
How he could possibly get into this situation, he didn't know. No one around was anywhere close to as strong as he had been, even Cell's massive power boost from the Spirit Bomb had faded.
And like every time before, he let his cockiness got the better of him.
Against Cell the first time, he toyed with him, which gave him time to self destruct, causing his father to perish.
Him not defeating Buu in the beginning gave the Majin a chance to absorb the boys and Piccolo, eventually leading to the destruction of the planet, even though it was reversed later.
And now? He didn't consider Cell enough of a threat. He knew his power, he knew to keep an eye on the biodroid to make sure he didn't attempt to destroy the planet again. But he didn't keep enough of a glean on the situation to see that he was playing right into their hands. And because of that, he was at the mercy of the worst beings from throughout the universe, their plaything.
Turles hadn't loosened the grip on his tail in the slightest, keeping him immobilized. He didn't any power to get him out of the situation.
That's when a heavy footfall cracked the concrete in front of him. A glance up, and he saw the large green torso of the space pirate leader himself. Bojack looked down at him with a pitiful look. "And to think, a child like yourself was the one to kill me" he scoffed.
"Don't act so surprised, big guy" Gohan grunted. "You needed an entire army and a sneak attack to get this far. You wouldn't sound so tough if it were just me and you."
"If being the main word" Bojack smirked. "You don't become a space pirate without learning the value of a useful crew, kid. With a crew like this, I have you under my boot."
He stepped forward, planting his foot on Gohan's head and forcing him down. He was powerless to resist, Bojack didn't even have to exert a fraction of his true power to force him down. His face dug into the concrete, pressure squeezing his skull. He cried out in pain as Bojack crushed his head into the ground.
He heard the high, cold laugh of the man above him. "Oh, the cries of the departed have nothing on a living victim" he laughed.
The pressure left Gohan's head, and he let out a gasp of relief as the burden left. He panted as he forced himself to look back at Bojack. He wouldn't let himself appear weak.
"Is love nothing more than to keep pressing, and waiting until your head split open like a melon" Bojack grunted. "I've done it many a time, and it would be so easy… but I'm not the only one who wants the chance to make you suffer, after all. It would be a shame if I were the only one to get my licks in."
He smirked, and glanced over to Cell. "He's very weak, make sure no one else kills him having a little fun" he commented. "He's got the strength of a newborn right now, hah hah hah!"
"Good, that's what I like to hear" Cell laughed alongside Bojack.
Gohan growled and took a glance behind him. Turles was standing pretty wide open, he could easily lock a kick into the back of his knees from this angle… though even if Gohan could muster up the strength for that much movement, it wouldn't do him any good if he couldn't put any power into it.
Almost as if sensing his thoughts, Turles gave Gohan's tail a squeeze, eliciting a painful grunt from the demi Saiyan and forcing his head down. "I'd give up if I were you, kid" he chuckled. "None of your friends are here to save you, and I doubt they would be able to get through Cell. He doesn't want you going anywhere, after all…"
"Go to hell" Gohan spat.
Turles grinned. "No thanks, this supposed to be a vacation away from home. But I'd be happy to help you with a one way ticket there."
Gohan opened his mouth to retort again when a searing pain pierced his shoulder. He shouted in pain as the thin, red ray struck him. He felt Frieza's energy much closer to him than before, it didn't take a genius to figure out that Frieza planned to take his vengeance next.
The Arcosian let out a sigh. "It's truly sad, the enjoyment of torture is quite lessened when the victim cannot attempt to flee."
Gohan growled once again, his throat was getting really sore by now. He never found himself growling this much before his tail returned. "Well why don't you have this guy let me go, and then you can try and make me run around all you want."
"Oh, I think not" Frieza laughed. "As much as I would love that, the joy of this suffices enough that I would take it over a return to that Hell we escaped." He punctuated the word "Hell" with another lesser Death Beam. The blasts did not pierce him, but they burned his skin bad and sure didn't feel like they stopped at the surface.
Gohan felt one more hit the same spot as the last 2 struck, and the strength left his arm. He felt a wet trickle as well, and had a feeling that he didn't escape as luckily as he did the past two times. His body jerked as his left arm fell limp, agony igniting throughout his body as old wounds were torn open once again.
He could feel his scars from Cell's blast, all those years ago, open up once again as Frieza's Death Beam pierced the previously weakened area. He had been holding himself up before, but he fell flat to the ground now as the pain wracked his body. He let out a cry as the wounds split apart, much to Frieza's delight.
"Oh, how I love a writhing monkey!" he cackled. "Few things bring joy to my heart like so!"
Gohan had trouble making out what Frieza said through the haze of pain he found himself in, but was dragged back into a focused reality when he felt a tight squeeze on his throat. His eyes widened in shock as he was dragged up, and saw a long, white tail wrapped around his neck. He choked and clutched at his throat with his good hand, trying to claw the tail off of him. Frieza leaned down and locked eyes with him. "The sins of the parent are borne upon the child" he nearly whispered with a deathlike voice. "You will pay for your father's transgressions before you're sent off to join him, that I promise…"
The pressure on his throat was released, and he fell back to the ground. "I'm getting really sick of this" he moaned internally.
Frieza straightened with a sigh. He shot a glare at Cell. "I want in for the kill shot" he said simply.
Cell smirked. "Perhaps we can share with that" he offered.
Frieza scoffed and trotted away, tail swishing behind him, leaving Gohan panting on the ground. The cold air stung his exposed, bleeding flesh as it dripped onto the ground. Through the haze of pain, he glared at the retreating Arcosian. He wanted nothing more than to break forward and strike Frieza down, severely angry at his method of torture. The base of his tail, between his back and Turles' hand, twitched violently, and a spark leapt from his hand.
As if triggered by it, Cell and Turles both gave hearty laughs. "You know, I've had my doubts, kid, but you may just be a true Saiyan yet" Turles chuckled. "All that inner rage, boiling over like this? It's too bad you didn't join me back in the day, the Saiyan race may just have lived on."
"Oh, I learned long ago not to underestimate this boy" Cell commented. "As bitter as they've tasted, I have to admit, he is full of surprises." Cell sighed. "In fact, I-"
Gohan sensed a sudden spike of ki, and suddenly felt Cell moving. As much pain as he was in, he turned his head to follow Cell's movement, as the biodroid leapt across him and in front of Turles. A spiraling orange beam, glowing with a red aura, came streaking down, on course to strike the dark Saiyan, yet Cell caught it in the palm of his hand, stopping it dead in its tracks.
"Wait, that's…" Gohan realized.
"The Special Beam Cannon…" Cell muttered. He raised his head towards the rooftops. "I was wondering when you would show up, Piccolo, I was beginning to wonder if I had missed your arrival to Hell or not."
Gohan couldn't see that far, but he could feel the faint signature of Piccolo's ki nearby. It was suppressed, he wouldn't have felt it if he hadn't been alerted to the presence.
"So, it's true" Piccolo's calm, cold voice rang down. "The loser residents of the afterlife have come back for a second round."
"Heh heh…" Cell chuckled.
Gohan started as the signature belonging to Piccolo flared to an all time high. Piccolo came flying into view, red aura surrounding him, moving at speeds much higher than normal. He approached Gohan, only for the green arm of Cell to smack him into the ground. Surprisingly, after taking the blow from Cell, Piccolo bounced straight back up.
"You… You're quite a bit faster than I remembered" Cell commented, a slightly startled sound invading his voice.
"I'm not late for no reason" Piccolo said gruffly. He flashed red again and charged Cell, striking out. Cell raised his hand to block, but he was knocked aside, and Piccolo landed a solid blow to his torso, sending Cell skidding backwards several paces. The red energy faded, leaving Piccolo panting. "Times ten is still a little rough" he said.
"Times ten?" Cell asked. "Ahhh, I understand now…"
"I didn't expect the element of surprise to do me much in this case, but all the same, it was a necessary precaution" Piccolo said.
"The Kaioken" Cell laughed. "One of your people's techniques that I never found the slightest use for.
"Yeah, and I know why" Piccolo said, leaping forward and slamming into Cell again, which this time, Cell successfully guarded. "I asked Goku why he didn't use the Kaioken in tandem with his Super Saiyan form, one time."
"Perfection is relative" Cell said, batting Piccolo away as his aura flared high. "I have the power of a Super Saiyan myself, and harnessing that power is just enough of a strain, even for me, to prevent that combo from working."
Piccolo tumbled and staggered back to his feet. He locked eyes with Gohan for a brief moment, growl forming on his lips as his eyes shifted to his shoulder. "Gohan, what's going on?!" his voice entered his mind.
"Too… too much to explain" Gohan said. "Can you try and get Turles off of me?"
"I got enough of a read on the situation to know to try that" Piccolo responded, not showing any signs he was having a conversation as he dropped into a fighting stance as more villains surrounded him. "Cell seems on intent on keeping me from getting to him, though. I'll try, but I've got problems of my own right now."
"The same Namekian who stood alongside the Saiyans and the Earthlings on Namek?" Frieza asked.
"And the same slimy lizard who doesn't know when to call it a day" Piccolo scoffed.
There was quite the crowd forming around Piccolo now. Some seemed apprehensive, having remembered him from their previous encounters, and having just seen him tackle Cell head on. On the other hand, they appeared quite confident in their numbers.
But they didn't know Piccolo. And apparently, his mentor still had some tricks up his sleeve that not even Gohan knew about.
Piccolo's ki swelled again, but this time, his energy did not flash red. Piccolo's muscles tensed and bulged, only they didn't stop bulging once they reached their limits. His body began swelling, rapidly increasing in size, becoming twice his previous size, triple, and then even larger than that.
Gohan had seen Piccolo bulk up when they had fought Garlic Jr., but this was somehow even more drastic of a change. Piccolo became practically the size of a Great Ape, almost the size of the surrounding buildings, and taking up the entirety of the street.
"COME ON, I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON AT ONCE!" the gigantic Piccolo roared, windows shattering around him. Semi-sized fist forming, Piccolo slugged down at the crowd.
He moved surprisingly fast for his size, crushing multiple opponents in his wake. The faster ones, like Bojack, Frieza, and others like them avoided the attack, and took to the sky, surrounding Piccolo like a cloud of flies. Frieza went on the offensive first, flying high above Piccolo and reaching skyward, a ball of crackling black and purple energy forming at his fingertip. But before the Death Ball could fully form, a massive, outstretched hand shot upwards, as Piccolo's arm stretched to reach the height. Frieza failed to react in time, Piccolo crushing him in his grip and whipping him down towards the street.
Bojack backpedaled in the air, his own green aura condensing into his hands, before flinging a double Grand Smasher attack towards the enormous Namekian. Piccolo twisted to face the incoming attacks. He took a deep breath, and unleashed a massive blast from his mouth, scorching the sides of all the buildings as it flew past. The energy beams collided, Piccolo's blast slowing Bojack's Grand Smasher attack, but failing to stop it. Around the flashing light, however, two massive arms stretched out, grabbing Bojack and pulling him in. There was a massive detonation as Bojack was pulled directly into the violent collision between the two blasts.
Bojack's ki wasn't anywhere near gone from that blast, but Gohan was surprised that Piccolo was doing so well. At his power level nowadays, he was far stronger than the likes of Frieza, but the foes like Bojack and Cell still had a large edge in power. He was stronger right now, of course, in his giant form, but it wasn't quite the same power he had when he used Kaioken. The fact that he was even able to damage Bojack was impressive in of itself.
Piccolo raised his hands to his forehead, crackling energy forming, before thrusting his arms down at either side of him. "MASENKO!" he roared, sending out twin blasts, tracing through the streets. Once again, many of them evaded the attack, but Gohan saw the remainder of the Ginyu Force, as well as some of the others vaporized in the fierce attack.
"Enough of these games" Cell growled. The biodroid took to the air, rising to the level of Piccolo's torso.
Gohan watched Cell rise with bated breath. "Piccolo, look out!" he shouted mentally.
Piccolo whipped Cooler away from him and turned around to see Cell send a powerful blast his way. Piccolo rapidly shrunk back to his normal size, dodging the blast. He flared his red aura as the Kaioken took effect again. "TIMES TEN!" he roared, charging through the air and lashed out at Cell once again. The two engaged into a vicious struggle, Cell holding the advantage as they clashed. Even so, Piccolo managed to send Cell reeling with a blow to the chest, just in time to turn around and smack Cooler away again as he charged him. He dashed after him, launching a rapid series of blows to Cooler, battering the elder brother of Frieza into the side of a building.
Cell appeared besides Piccolo out of nowhere. Piccolo twisted to face him, and started violently, Cell's fist now sprouting from his back.
"NO!" Gohan roared, some small amount of power surging back into his limbs. He began to get up, before he was floored by a rather violent squeeze on the tail. He let out a shout as the pain flooded his body.
Cell smirked as Piccolo groaned, strength rapidly ebbing out through the hole Cell had made in his chest. He brought his other hand up and laid it firmly on Piccolo's chest. "I'm proud of how far you've come, Piccolo" he said tauntingly. "Now… See ya!"
Much like his fist before, a rather wide blast of yellow energy erupted out of Piccolo, going straight through his body and vaporizing a clear path out of the city, cleaving through the buildings behind him.
The blast faded, Cell retracted his arm, and let Piccolo fall to the earth below. His body flopped to the ground, kicking up dust into the polluted air, with a purple stain spreading across the ground. His ki remained, but it was faint.
Cell let out a breath. "I would have expected any of the Saiyans to have surpassed me on my way back to Earth, but not Piccolo." He gave a small laugh. "That was an honest to goodness surprise. Blame it on the Saiyan in me, but that was a welcome event!"
"Yes, yes, bully for you" King Cold sighed, stepping forward for the first time. "But the deal was we leave the brat alive for kicks, not leave all his friends the same." He glared down at Piccolo. "Considering the Namekian race's healing properties, and the damage that he was able to do to our army, least of all my sons, I say we end this before it can escalate further." He punctuated the last phrase with a lightning fast whip of the arm, and unleashed a energy wave that consumed Piccolo's body. There was not a sound but the debris settling on the street, being such that with the tight grip on Gohan's tail was such that the scream was never able to leave his throat.
Cell scowled. "A bit of a rash move, don't you think? With the check in station down, it will only take the few moments for him to arrive there, and another moment to locate a rift to make his way back to this very spot with a full spirit and fresh body."
Kind Cold looked towards Cell. "Think about it, Cell, do you honestly believe that the Namek, as powerful as he was, could last long enough in the battleground between the Saiyan and our benefactor to make his way here?"
"Never underestimate these hero types" Cell warned. "They always manage some bullshit to come through in the-"
Another ripple shot through the air, rending through the fabric of reality. Cell whirled around to face King Cold full on. "DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN?!" he roared.
Not ten feet in front of him, reality began to split again, revealing a black, shifting pit, with something moving within. A brief thought flashed through his mind, wondering how Piccolo could have returned so fast if he had just gone there. From the sound of it, it seemed to take several moments to make the trip.
But the bickering faded to the background as a red, clawed hand grabbed the edge of the portal. A pure, dark, and chaotic energy flooded the streets, sending chills to Gohan's very core. This energy, it was so much raw evil, and familiar.
The energy wave caught the attention of not just him, yet the rest. Even the ones who couldn't sense power levels were drawn towards the vacuum the emanated from the rift. With all attention focused on it, a horned, red head emerged from the portal.
The figure emerging from the portal had yellow, snake like eyes, and wore a blue suit that covered his entire body, save his chest, with a sharp white cape flowing down. Even without knowing his identity, Gohan would have pegged him as demonic from first glance.
"Hey, who are you?" Cell barked. "I know near every denizen of that Hell, and you certainly aren't one of them."
For a moment, the demon looked at Gohan, an unreadable expression in his evil eyes, before looking towards the source of the accusation. Turning towards Cell, his posture showed no fear. "It would seem my reputation still requires work among the lower worlds" he spoke with a harsh, rough voice. "My name is Dabura, and I am the king of the Demon Realm."
The battlefield fell silent momentarily, before bursting out in laughter. "You, a Demon King?" Cell chuckled. "You seem to have some amount of power, but I highly doubt you could find yourself- ECH!"
Cell rubbed his shoulder with a disgusted expression upon his face. "Did, did you just spit on me?!" he asked incredulously.
Gohan froze. "Yes, and for two reasons" Dabura said. "For disrespecting royalty, and, well…" he gestured towards Cell's shoulder.
Cell glanced at the affected area, and started in shock. Gohan knew what was happening, but Cell, on the other hand, was wondering-
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?!" Cell roared.
"Fitting term" Dabura scoffed. As if Cell wasn't there, Dabura wheeled away from the biodroid, black flames leaping from his hands, extending and solidifying into the shape of a spear, and in the same motion, tossed the said weapon in Gohan's direction.
He closed his eyes tight, only for a wet splatter to hit him on the back of his neck, and to feel the grip on his tail jerk. Dabura called out, high and cold. "RISE, GOHAN!" he called.
The sound of a body hitting the ground alerted him, and Gohan felt power surging back through his body. He let out a gasp, and sprang into the air, tail wagging free, and now itching, as if feeling a bombardment of needles. Realizing what the sensation was, he closed his eyes tight and aimed his arm in the direction he felt the sensation coming from, and unleashed a blast. He felt the detonation in the air, and the feeling faded. Confident that Turles' Power Ball was out of play, he opened his eyes, and looked down below, shocked at the scene.
Cell was completely solidified, trapped in a stone body. Turles lied in the street, seemingly dead, with a spear buried in his chest. Dabura stood facing the remainder of the army, curved blade in hand.
With his power back, Gohan was able to push some of the pain out of mind, but his left arm was still more or less useless. He landed beside Dabura, hot energy forming in his hand. He reached up and pressed it to his severely wounded flesh agonizingly, searing the area and cauterizing the wound. With that done, he raised his good hand cautiously, forming a ki blade. "Dabura…" he said warningly.
"I doubt you'd take me at my word, but I assure you, I'm on your side" Dabura tried to assure him.
Gohan glowered. "The Demon King? With a heart of darkness? Babidi's magic only does so much to darken someone, Dabura."
Dabura sighed. "Light was a stranger to my court for my entire life, that is true enough" he admitted. "But when I saw the distress, and the love shown by your mother and her friend, how they searched so ceaselessly for you, it moved something within me." He patted his chest. "Witnessing love, so firsthand, was a life, or should I say, soul changing experience."
He sounded sincere, but Gohan wasn't going to give the Demon King a chance to backstab him. "I'm keeping you at an arm's length" he said.
"I wouldn't, you need your only good arm to fight, don't you?" Dabura asked.
Gohan's brow furrowed. "Did… Did you just crack a joke?"
Dabura chuckled. "A jest in combat, what of it?"
Oddly, Gohan felt reassured by Dabura's quips, but he turned as the remainder of the army fell back in towards them. In the lead, King Cold and Bojack stepped forth. "We had our doubts before, but you've confirmed them" Bojack spoke.
"What kind of Demon King would help a Saiyan runt defend a world?" Cold asked.
Dabura swung his blade expertly. "Our origins and genealogy do not affect ourselves" he spoke firmly. "I have travelled in darkness for a long time, and I must say, I enjoy the light."
"Light has a tendency to burn your eyes" Frieza said, stepping forth. His body was extremely battered from being crushed by Piccolo…
"Snap out of it!" he chided himself. In this situation, he couldn't afford to let his emotions take over. After all, Piccolo could emerge back at any time.
King Cold gave a laugh worthy of his name. "And your lack of vision will be your downfall" he said. "You think you've gained an edge over us? All of our allies will be back in mere moments, ready to break you down."
Dabura scoffed. "Stumbling around in the dark will leave you blind as a bat." He let out a devilish grin. "Don't you know? I'm just playing the role of bounty hunter now that the containment is ready. The check in station is back up, and Yemma sent me here personally to clean you all up."
Gohan looked at Dabura in shock. "Wait, the check in station is back up?" he asked.
"Yes, an otherworld warrior known as Pikkon freed it moments ago" Dabura said. "By the time I arrived, rifts were already closing."
Gohan gulped. "That means… that means Piccolo can't make it back!" he realized.
"And furthermore, your partner Cell, he isn't dead yet" Dabura continued. "He lives in that stone. I mean…" Extending his hand to the side, he unleashed a blast of bloody red energy, consuming the statue in an instant. "He lived in that stone."
The effect was instantaneous. The sudden morale drop within the opposing army was practically tangible in the air. Only Bojack appeared unnerved by that act, the rest of them almost seemed to shrink back.
Dabura took a breath. "Now then…" he breathed. Dark flames licked down his arm, swirling around his demon sabre, causing the blade to grow slightly in size. "I'd say, it's time to get to work!"
If I'm being honest here, I felt really good going into the chapter, but the feeling began to peter off as I neared the end. Hopefully, that's just me, and you guys enjoyed the chapter just as much all the same.
I also wanted to have this chapter up as a special Christmas update, but I guess a New Year's Eve update is good, too.
Anyways, onto the chapter itself. Quite a few big revelations in here. The fact that Videl and Sharpner have their eyes opened a bit, Piccolo is dead… Oh yeah, Gohan has a tail again. It was an idea I've had since near the start of my conception of the story, and yes, it's gonna play a good role as we go deeper into the plot. Don't worry, GT haters, I don't plan Super Saiyan 4, not for this story at all.
Number on the opposing side are dwindling. King Cold is finally done standing back, many of the weaker foes have been vanquished, leaving only the bosses behind. Cell is out of the picture by Dabura's hands, and the Loser Squad is about to fight its final chapter. Speaking of Dabura, he's another idea I had for a while. I originally wanted the Saiyan Army to join in for the fight, cleaning up the remainder on Earth, but it felt too contrived, and I scrapped the idea.
As always, I'm going to respond to your guys' reviews before leaving. Speaking of which, I'd like to thank all of you. When I started typing this chapter, I was already floored by the fact that it had 600 followers. The night I'm pushing this out, we are just shy of 700, and you do not know how happy that makes me feel. Ahem, sorry, enough gushing, on to you guys.
victor0606 - Everyone who escaped HFIL is going right back once things are said and done. Zangya didn't even make it back, her main deal was weakening some of the army and destroying some of the weakest members. She was never going to be a major character.
Kaflaful - heh, sorry, I couldn't help writing in some comic relief. It's the Ginyu Force, after all. And yeah, as I mentioned, I toyed with the idea of the Saiyans coming, but it felt too contrived to me, so I scrapped it in the end.
Re-Wright2390 - nah, genetics
Bizarrecoyote - I didn't explicitly state it, I don't think, both those tingles were the sensation of his tail regrowing.
Sharingankakashi007 - sure, Goku will come help, right as soon as he's done dealing with a reality rending hell demon
Everyone commenting on how Bojack's grip was forced, check the beginning of the chapter, same with everyone who wonders why Gohan hasn't snuffed everyone out yet.
There will be a more or less collective casualty count of the army, and how they died, next chapter, as long as I don't forget. Most of the lessers, like Gero or the Cell Jrs, haven't really gotten mentioned, and that's just because it's hard enough writing a battle on this scale without including every riff raff character, I'm sorry, but I do have my own limits.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As always, I love to see all of your reviews, and I can't wait to see you all next time. After Hell's Army is down, there's still one foe that remains… And he's more of a threat to the planet than anyone realizes.