Dragon Ball Z Dynasty

by Feraligreater328

When travelling along Snake Way, Son Goku suddenly finds himself plummeting down to Hell. There, he meets a surprisingly familiar ghost from his past that promises to change everything about his life going forward. How will the Saiyan react to this sudden, positive change in his life? Find out in Dragon Ball Z Dynasty.

104. Chapter 102: Versus the Cell Jrs, Part 2

Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Written by: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

A/N: For those of you that actually read these author's notes, I have a special request. Could I get your personal ranking for the six Cell Jr. fights? I wanna see something. Thanks~

Chapter 102: Versus the Cell Jrs., Pt. 2

At Goku's House…

Bulma was raging as she shook Giru by his legs. "Dammit, you useless hunk of junk! Fix the signal already!"

Giru stammered as Bulma shook him around. "I am unable! I swear I am unable! Rilldo-have-mercy on my robotic soul, I am unable to connect to a signal that is no longer broadcasting!"

Bulma growled in frustration and tossed Giru to the side. She slammed her fist down on top of the television. "Dammit! Why did the camera break at a time like this?!"

Bulma slumped over the top of the television, her voice hitching in her throat. The last clear sight she got before that camera went out was on one of her best friends being brutally executed by a monster that she had no hope of stopping. Bulma smashed her fist down on top of the television again. "Dammit..."

As Bulma silently began to sob, comforted by both of her parents, Future Bulma tended to the nauseous Chi-Chi. "It's okay, girl. Deep breaths. Deep breaths."

Chi-Chi held her face in her hands, her eyes flickering red between her fingers. Behind her, the babies all uncomfortably mewled and whined, unable to relax or keep still. They could all sense what was happening just as well as Chi-Chi could. They could sense the...anomaly stirring within Gohan's spirit. Chi-Chi heaved, mumbling prayers under her breath. "Please, please... I never ask for anything. Just... keep my baby safe, please..."

Future Bulma looked at Chi-Chi and her present-day self with pity. She closed her eyes, thinking about all of the other warriors on the field, people whom she had lost so long ago in her time. They were a motley bunch, but one that could be relied on no matter what. Her mind then fell onto Android 16. "Come on, big guy... with everything we did to you, you should be just the push that's needed to turn this fight in our favor..."

5 minutes prior, Krillin and Android 16 vs. Two Cell Juniors...

Dodging a blast from one of his assailants, Krillin landed on a nearby ledge. The poor monk gripped his broken forearm and hissed in pain. "Damn..."

He took in the entire situation playing out around him. Poor Gohan being forced to fight that monster in the distance. And poor Goku laying on the rocky ground nearby, barely hanging on to his life. And that didn't even cover what happened to Bardock. Krillin gripped his fist tight. "This is messed up. Why do things like this always happen to us...?"

Android 16 landed next to Krillin. "The power levels of this group make them the lights that shine the brightest, and the brightest lights are often the first to garner attention..."

In spite of the situation, Krillin chuckled. "You know, you're really starting to get the hang of metaphors. I'm proud of you, 16..."

Krillin gritted his teeth. "These things are too strong for me. I... I have no hope of standing up to something as strong as Cell. But if it comes down to it..."

16 placed a firm hand on Krillin's shoulder. "You will not be sacrificing your life today, my friend."

Krillin flinched. He looked up at 16, who looked down at him with a firm, caring glare. "The likelihood of Android 18 never speaking to me again should I allow you to die is too high of a risk to be ignored. So, if you would kindly do so, stay calm and stick close to me. We shall neutralize the threat together."

The little, bald monk looked up to his massive comrade. He spoke quietly. "We're too close to Goku. If we were to fight here, he'd be caught in the crossfire. He's defenseless, 16..."

16's eyes flashed. "I am aware."

On the ground, the Cell Jrs. both clicked and squealed as they ambled closer. They could see Krillin and 16's lips moving, but they were speaking too quietly for either of them to make out what was being said, even with their advanced Namekian hearing. The Cell Jrs. both cocked their heads in confusion, but then squealed with delight as Krillin suddenly, and very angrily, charged towards them. 16 called out. "Krillin! Wait!"

One of the Cell Jrs. lunged forward, preparing a wild haymaker that would surely take Krillin's head off. The little demon swung its fist, only for its fist to harmlessly pass through Krillin's face before the monk totally vanished. The attacking Cell Jr. flinched in shock. The other Cell Jr., meanwhile, instantly recognized that as the Afterimage Technique. Which meant that the real Krillin was planning something. It looked up into the air and gasped at the sight of Krillin preparing a Destructo-Disc. It called out. "Hey! Up!"

The attacking Cell Jr. was a bit confused at first, but then it looked up to see the deadly disc raining down right towards it. It shrieked with fear and instantly fired two Death Beams into the air, blasting the Destructo-Disc to pieces. Once the smoke cleared and the Cell Jr. saw that Krillin was still hovering there, it smirked and prepared to fire a third Death Beam right between Krillin's eyes. This attempted murder, however, was stopped as a large mass slammed into the Cell Jr. and sent it flying back into its partner. The two little demons slammed into one another and crashed into the ground. They both sat up, looking annoyed, and saw that 16 was looming over them. The Android gripped his fists tight. "You will not be committing any sort of executions on my watch, monsters."

Krillin landed next to 16, an annoyed look on his face. "Damn. I thought that would work..."

16 nodded. "It was a valiant attempt."

Krillin looked up at him. "So, what now...?"

16 took a firm stance. The Cell Jrs. both charged in. One of them came flying right towards 16 and attempted to strike his head with a firm kick. 16 feinted back and grabbed the Cell Jr. by the leg, heaving it through the air and slamming it hard into the ground. However, while he was manhandling his foe, Krillin was not as lucky. The Cell Jr. targeting Krillin did not get close straight away. Instead, it chose to fire off a Death Beam that pierced Krillin's flank and drew a spurt of blood. 16 cried out. "Krillin!"

Krillin slumped forward and the Cell Jr. chuckled, thinking it had scored a critical blow. But, while the blow was indeed critical, that was not the end of Krillin. The lurch forward that the little monk did was less him crumpling in pain, and more him preparing for his next move. While the Cell Jr. celebrated, its guard wide open, Krillin shot forward like a missile. The warrior wreathed himself in Ki and plowed directly into the Cell Jr.'s chest, knocking the wind out of the little beast and sending it flying back.

And then, Krillin didn't let up. He bravely charged in, using his one good hand to continuously hammer the Cell Jr. across the face. He followed that barrage of punches to the gut and a heavy uppercut that sent the Cell Jr. flying into the sky. Taking a page from his fallen friend's innovation, Krillin launched a chasing attack. "Destructo-Dart!"

The slicing Ki beam shot into the air and pierced through the Cell Jr., slicing a hole in the same flank that the Cell Jr. had struck on Krillin. The Cell Jr. coughed up blood and Krillin smirked. "Take that!"

Incensed, the Cell Jr. immediately recollected itself and charged down at Krillin. But the monk was able to save himself with a deft leap back. He took a fighting stance and adopted a serious glare. "You little monsters have predictable attack patterns! I won't let you get the jump on me again!"

The Cell Jr. screeched and pointed both of its fingers at Krillin. "Dodon Ray! Death Beam!"

The little terror shot its attacks at Krillin, alternating between the two deadly beams in hopes that one of them would hit its irritating target. Krillin dodged as well as he could with the damage he had taken thus far. A few of the beams hit, but only did superficial damage. As blood trickled down Krillin's face from a freshly cut wound on his cheek, he landed on 16's shoulders, looking like a monkey atop his much larger counterpart. "How are you holding up, man?"

16 blocked a punch from the Cell Jr., tanking the bone-crunching hit with little trouble and then shoving the Cell Jr. back. "I am fine. You appear to be superficially injured."

Krillin nodded. "Yeah..."

He wiped the blood on his cheek. "But, I was able to work some things out. I can't hurt the Cell Jrs. with my physical blows, but I can stun them well-enough. If I can get them into the right position, I can do some real damage with my Destructo-Disc and Bardock's Destructo-Darts..."

16 nodded. "An excellent plan. May I offer my assistance?"

Krillin chuckled. "That's why I'm here. You have a lot more oomph behind your hits than I do. You, uh, you remember those moves I showed you at Gohan's birthday...?"

16 nodded. "I am able to recall how you showed me it was performed..."

Krillin sat on 16's shoulders, hanging his legs around 16's neck. "Are you ready to be the Blaster to my Master?"

16 nodded. "Affirmative."

The Cell Jrs. regrouped together and glared at the big-and-small tag team. 16 glared back and shot a pair of Eye Beams at the feet of the two terrors. Both of them leapt into the air and 16 charged up at them. He threw a massive punch that struck a Cell Jr. across the face. It went flying like a ragdoll and then 16 turned his attention to the other.

The Android and the Cell Jr. exchanged blows back and forth, 16 following Krillin's example and performing the technique flawlessly. He caught the Cell Jr. off guard with a massive, heavy-handed blow. As they recoiled, he delivered a much softer blow to the little beast. The other one came rushing in and 16 gave it the same treatment of heavy-handed blows followed by much softer hits. This process continued on for a while, until the Cell Jrs. eventually became frustrated and leapt back. They both began to charge Kamehamehas and Krillin shouted. "Now 16!"

16 called out with the authority of a trained martial artist. "TURTLE-STYLE: DELAYED RAPID STRIKE FIST!"

All at once, the little pockets of his own artificial Ki that 16 had attached to the Cell Jrs. went off and dealt a series of heavy strikes to the two little imps. Seeing his opportunity, Krillin thrust his fingers out, in spite of the pain in his broken arm, and fired off his attacks. "Double Destructo-Dart!"

Both of the deadly darts went flying out towards the Cell Jrs., aiming right at their foreheads. Krillin smirked, thinking he had won. However, the Cell Jrs. were both quick to react. They each squeezed the Kamehameha they had charged in their hands and caused a small explosion that sent them flying out of the air and out of the path of the attacks. Krillin groaned as the two little terrors landed on the ground and took a moment to recover. "Shit..."

A harsh wind blew and 16 glared down at their foes. "That was nearly successful. Our error was in allowing the Cell Jrs. to charge a counter. Given the limited intelligence of these beasts, it is rather impressive they were even able to think of such a counter."

Krillin looked down at his partner. "Any suggestions for how to go from here?"

16 nodded. "I have a strategy of my own, but I fear that informing you of it would prevent you from doing what needs to be done. Do you trust me?"

Krillin looked 16 in the eye and then looked down at his much stronger foes. He nodded. "Wholeheartedly, man."

16 smiled, and then his face turned stern once more. "I have analyzed the Cell Jrs.' methods of attack, durability, intelligence, and power level. And, with this strategy, we have a 92% chance of victory. But, we need to catch them off guard..."

Krillin nodded. "I'm listening."

16 carefully pulled Krillin off of his shoulders. "Just make use of Multi-Form and follow my lead!"

As 16 charged in, Krillin was confused. "Wh-Why Multi-Form?"

But, the monk did as he was told. He used Multi-Form, making three extra copies of himself and rushing in after 16. The Cell Jrs. rushed towards the five warriors and 16 smirked. Thrusting his hands forward, the hulking Android created an energy barrier that instantly brought the Cell Jrs. to a stop. The two little bugs slammed into the barrier like gnats against a windshield. At that moment, 16 turned and grabbed the original Krillin and one of the clones. Moving quickly, the Android mixed all of the Krillins around.

The monk was confused, but 16 smirked and landed. He grabbed each of the Cell Jrs. out of the air and slammed them hard against the ground. He was confident that his plan was working so far. All of the Krillins looked to one another, confused as to what was happening. But then, it dawned on Krillin what 16's point was. "He made it to where he didn't have to worry as much about me... by making four of me, he lowered the Cell Jrs.' odds of doing damage to me. And, without that weighing on his mind..."

16 roared with fury and slammed his fists down onto the sides of the Cell Jrs.' heads. Without the liability of Krillin getting hurt weighing on him, the Android could put his total focus on beating the Cell Jrs. into submission. He just had to keep soldiering forth, with no distractions, and he'd be able to beat them without them having time to recover. If that were to remain constant, 16 would eventually be able to deal so much damage to the Cell Jrs. they would not be able to continue on. And then he and Krillin could finish them. 16 picked up the two Cell Jrs. and slammed them harshly together, sending purple blood spurting out of both.

Properly furious, both of the Cell Jrs. summoned a Rebellion's Edge and drove them into 16's shoulders. But 16 was able to soldier through the pain. He furiously headbutted one Cell Jr., and then cast it away with a Rocket Punch. He smashed the other into the ground and aimed his exposed arm cannon into its face. "Hell's Burst!"

16 began to fire repeated bursts of energy into the Cell Jr.'s face. As he did, however, the other Cell Jr. recovered. The little beast sprang up, with 16's hand still around its throat, and charged. But the charge was not towards 16. As simple-minded as the Cell Jrs. were, they both caught on to what 16's goal was with the Multi-Form Krillins. He was trying to reduce their odds of taking a hostage. If they could just get a hold of Krillin, that would allow them to take advantage of 16's kind nature and destroy him. The Cell Jr. ripped 16's hand off of its neck and tossed it aside. It took a deep breath, charging an attack into its mouth, and fired. "BREAK CANNON!"

Sensing the approaching energy coming from behind, all four Krillins turned and gasped at the sight of the overwhelming energy blast approaching. Two of them managed to dodge, but the other two were not as lucky. They were both engulfed and immediately incinerated. The other two Krillins yelped in shock, despairing at the sight of the burning clones falling to the ground and immediately disappearing. The real Krillin flinched. He was still in one piece, but his camouflage had become only half as effective.

The Cell Jr. chuckled and made its nails grow out in length. With its razor-sharp claws at the ready, the little beast rushed towards Krillin and prepared to dice him and his Multi-Form clone into pieces. But, before it could reach them, 16's hand came shooting up from the ground and grabbed the little beast by the throat once more.v16 himself leapt into the air, reattaching his hand. He glared at the Cell Jrs., the clawed terror and the one with the burnt face, and then he rushed back towards the ground to slam them once more. But this time, the Cell Jrs. were ready to deal with 16. The claw-bearing little beast swung its hand up and managed to drag it across 16's face, slashing away the hulking Android's eyes. 16 sneered in pain, but did not falter. He continued his descent down. This blindness, however, was just what the Cell Jrs. needed. The one with the burnt face sneered, quickly charging and firing a Dodon Ray at 16's blindside before the Android could do anything about it. This Dodon Ray pierced through 16's body and shot through the air, gutting the remaining Multi-Form Krillin and making it disappear.

The Cell Jrs. both grinned. All of the enemy buffers were gone. They knew precisely who they needed to target to get what they wanted. Each of them knew that if 16 landed this powerbomb he was going for; they would be seriously wounded. But their attacks were guaranteed to be faster. Each Cell Jr. charged an Electric Murder Grenade, their old spin on a Nappa-classic, threw them high into the air. The Ki blasts arched and they both went shooting down. Their target, the helpless Krillin, could only watch in horror as the two massive blasts came rushing towards him. This was it. He knew he was dead. But then, right as the blasts were on top of him, Krillin was suddenly shielded by a large shadow.

The resulting explosion took away all mystery from the tragic scene, letting Krillin know exactly what happened. The Ki pierced into 16's body, burning away his insides and making his eyes and mouth erupt with flames. And then, in a truly massive explosion, Android 16 was blown to pieces. And the resulting explosion, which made 16's body rupture like a bubble, managed to catch Krillin in the crossfire as well. The wicked flames shot out of 16's destroyed form and smashed right into Krillin, igniting the martial artist's shirt and sending him crashing to the ground.

The way Krillin landed made both of his legs bend sharply to the side, causing his knees to shatter and rendering his legs useless. Krillin tumbled across the ground and laid still as the burning wreckage that once was Android 16 hit the ground hard and smashed into pieces. The various bits and pieces of 16's tech went scattering across the ground, his still blinking robotic brain chip landing into a familiar, malicious shadow. The owner of the shadow reached down and picked it up, giggling at the blinking light.

The two Cell Jrs. both cackled as they stood there, reveling in the horrific things they had gotten up to. Just off to the side, laying in a pool of his own blood, was the beaten and battered form of Krillin. The little bald monk gripped his fists tight and groaned. "Damn... this can't be happening..."

He looked genuinely devastated as he stared out at the carnage in front of him, barely able to articulate his words. "16..."

Spread out along the ground, in front of Krillin, were various bits and pieces of technology. The former shell of Android 16. His limbs were still slightly twitching, his shattered skull laying open next to a rock. One of 16's eyes was resting in a crack in the ground, staring blankly at Krillin.

Tears built in the monk's eyes and he slammed his fists to the ground. "H-How could it come to all of this...?"

Up on their ledge, the two Cell Jrs. continued to squeal and cackle. One of them had a blinking microchip between its teeth, adorned with a Red Ribbon Army insignia. Cruelly, the little beast bit down hard and snapped the chip in two and then chewed it up and swallowed it. "All gone~"

The other Cell Jr. nudged its sibling in the ribs with its elbow. They looked to one another, and then the nudger pointed with its thumb towards a slumped over figure behind them. The other Cell Jr. adopted a twisted smile and then cackled. As the two of them walked over to the slumped figure, Krillin struggled to his feet. "Wait! N-No... stop!"

Krillin stumbled and fell to his knees. "N-No!"

Helpless, Krillin could only watch in horror as the two Cell Jrs. began to accost their new target. The little blue demons both cackled as one picked up the pale, barely breathing Goku and threw him backwards over its shoulder.

The other Cell Jr. preened, punching Goku in the side of the head and drawing a groan. They both cackled and then, with only cruel thoughts on their minds, one Cell Jr. grabbed the fallen Saiyan by the sides of his head while the other held his body tight. They both began to twist in opposite directions. This immediately caught the attention of the ailing Saiyan who, even in his injured stupor, was aware enough to know what was happening. With almost no strength behind his blows, Goku tried to fight off the Cell Juniors. But they were able to shrug off all of his attacks. They both cackled and continued to twist, their cruel giggles echoed through the entire mountain range. Krillin could barely move, but he struggled to drag himself towards them. He had to save Goku, he was the only one left that could. "No! Stop, dammit! Stop!"

The Cell Jrs. both shrieked with delight. One more twist and they would snap Goku's neck! But then, another voice spoke up as well. "I would also request that you cease this depraved behavior at once."

The Cell Jrs. both flinched. Krillin did as well. All three of them looked around in search of the source of that familiar voice, but they saw nothing. Krillin cried out. "16! I-Is that you?!"

16 responded back. "Affirmative."

Krillin was confused. "But... where... how?"

The Cell Jrs. both dropped Goku, angrily searching around for their thought-to-be-slain foe. 16 spoke. "You will not see me, for I am in a place where your eyes cannot land..."

One Cell Jr. cocked its head, confused. But then, the other began to scream in pain. Krillin and the Cell Jr. both looked towards the screaming Cell Jr., confused and concerned respectively. The Cell Jr. fell to its knees, crying out in pain as it held its stomach. The other Cell Jr. approached it, looking to help in some way. But then, something quite unexpected happened. The Cell Jr.'s stomach expanded out like a balloon!

It screamed in pain and horror as something writhed around in its stomach. And then, even more horrifically, a single, insect-sized robot came flying out of its mouth. Krillin and the other Cell Jr. both flinched. Krillin gasped, quickly realizing something. "Th-That's the Cell Jr. that ate 16's brain chip!"

16's voice rang out. "Indeed. Now... REGENESIS!"

The Cell Jr.'s mouth opened wide and, against its will, an entire swarm of insect-sized robots came shooting out. The other Cell Jr. could only watch on in stunned silence, not knowing how to react to what it was seeing. Krillin stared into the air in awe as the swarm of robots gathered together, taking a familiar shape.

16's voice spoke. "In their repairs of me, the two Bulmas used every source of technology they had access to. One source of technology they took advantage of was a device they found on the personal ship of King Cold. A container full of programmable robots, designed by a Dr. Gete, that would always return to the form of that which they were programmed to replicate. Once they had installed a design into these robots, uploading an artificially constructed consciousness was child's play..."

As the one Cell Jr. tried to help its partner recover, 16's voice spoke directly to them. "So, I must apologize to the two of you... for I did not properly introduce myself with my new name. The Android 16 that Dr. Gero designed is currently in a recycling bin, waiting to be decommissioned for good. I am the upgraded and remastered form of that dated model..."

The robo-swarm immediately fused together, forming into a very familiar shape. A strong jaw, with piercing blue eyes and a fiery red mohawk. The armor was different, looking more like Saiyan armor but with higher ridges strapping over the shoulders. This newly-designed behemoth crashed down onto the ground and loomed over the Cell Juniors. "My true name is Android 16,000,000,000. And hastily thrown together genetic abominations like you will not be what destroys me!"

Both of the Cell Jrs. shuddered with fear and leapt away from the newly-reformed Android 16, grabbing Goku's body and dragging him away in the process. The hulking Android leapt back as well, landing next to Krillin's prone form. "Krillin, are you critically wounded?"

Krillin coughed. "16..."

16 flinched. He looked down at Krillin and the little monk leapt up, wrapping his last good arm around 16's neck. His voice wavered as he spoke, holding his massive friend close. "I thought you died, man. And that we wouldn't be able to get you back, and-"

16 smiled, pressing his hand to Krillin's back and holding him close. "I would never allow myself to expire, not with friends like you to spend the oncoming years with."

The two Cell Jrs., watching this scene play out, both screeched with fury. 16 and Krillin both looked up at them. The two little beasts were holding Goku's unconscious body hostage. One of them was pointing a Ki blast directly at the fallen Saiyan's face. Krillin groaned. "Damn it! Leave Goku alone, you little cowards! He can't even fight back!"

16 placed Krillin on his shoulders once more. The Android smiled. "The plan that I designed has worked to perfection. This battle is over."

The Android took a heavy step forward. Both Cell Jrs. flinched in fear. Krillin tried to speak. "16, wait... they have Goku, we-"

16 spoke. "I had you create the Multi-Form clones as bait, I apologize for that."

Krillin flinched. 16 glared at the Cell Juniors. "I knew that these demented, little demons would jump at the chance to play dirty. So, making you a more visible target to them was paramount. I also needed your reaction to be as genuine as possible, in order to fool them into thinking I was truly gone. I was planning on sneaking my way into their bodies before I performed Regenesis, but it was quite lucky that one of them was foolish enough to ingest a piece of me."

Krillin gasped. 16 bowed his head. "I am ashamed that I was forced to play with your emotions in such a way, but I shall atone for that in time..."

One of the Cell Jrs. screamed in fury, making swiping hand-motions and launching a massive Burning Attack towards 16. Krillin screamed in terror, 16 didn't even flinch. The attack hit the Android head-on and the Cell Jrs. both cheered. But then, the smoke cleared and revealed a massive, green shield standing where 16 once stood. The shield quickly began to break back down into a swarm of insect-like robots. These robots quickly reformed into Android 16's hands and he continued to march forward. The attacking Cell Jr. flinched. "H-How...?"

The other Cell Jr. sneered and rushed in, punching 16 across the face with a satisfying crunch. However, it wasn't 16 that was left damaged. The Cell Jr. retracted its hand and screamed in agony at its broken, twitching fingers. 16 smirked, his cheek having turned a mixture of dark green and dark gray. "Nanomachines, child. They react in response to any sort of trauma directed towards me..."

16 gripped his fist, reconstructing it into the shape of a massive hammer. He belted the Cell Jr. across the face with it and sent it flying back towards its partner and Goku. "They also allow me to put much more force behind my hard punches..."

The punched Cell Jr. stood up and screamed in rage. It quickly charged a Special Beam Cannon and fired it towards 16. 16 responded simply by raising his hand up and blocking the attack. The Cell Jr. gasped in horror, watching as the Special Beam Cannon seemed to funnel directly into 16's hand. The attack disappeared and 16 chuckled, showing off a round, glass sensor that had constructed itself into his palm. And then, 16 opened his mouth and fired the Special Beam Cannon right back at the Cell Junior. Krillin was in awe. "Holy crap, 16!"

16 smirked. "My calculations have informed me that even this power would not be enough to topple Cell in his current state, but his hell-spawn are little more than nuisances in the face of it."

Both Cell Jrs. stood, looking angry. Knowing they were backed into a corner, the two of them picked up Goku's body to act as a hostage once more. Krillin scowled. "Damned cowards. We're stuck so long as they-"

16 spoke bluntly. "Kill him."

Krillin gasped. The Cell Jrs. both did as well. 16 shrugged. "My programming wishes for him to be dead anyway. Kill him and put my mind at ease."

Krillin was confused. "16, wh-what are you saying, man?!"

The Cell Jrs. were both given pause. 16 shook his head. "Although, I suppose I've prepared myself for a life of my mind never being at ease. Tell me this: do you think my plan, thoughtfully constructed by my super-processor brain, would simply leave Son Goku in your clutches?"

16's chest opened and, to the surprise of the Cell Jrs. and Krillin, Goku's head slumped out of it. He smirked. "The first thing I did, upon landing, was take Goku into myself for safe-keeping. But that does raise the question, who are you holding hostage?"

The Cell Jrs. looked down and their "Goku" began to deconstruct into nanomachines. And then, before either could get away, the Goku turned into two metallic blades that ran the Cell Jrs. through. 16's hands reconstructed, becoming Hell's Flash-styled blaster cannons. He looked up at Krillin. "May I ask you to lend me your aide, my friend?"

Krillin, totally blown away by 16's forethought, quickly regathered himself. He smirked and nodded, shooting a triumphant glare towards the doomed Cell Juniors. Krillin charged two yellow Ki blasts into his hands, ignoring the pain in his broken arm, and 16 aimed his blasters towards the ground. Krillin shouted. "SCATTER BULLET!"

16 shouted. "HELL'S FLASH!"

Krillin's blasts arched into the air and then rained down towards the Cell Juniors. 16's blasts arched underground and shot up towards the Cell Juniors. Trapped and impaled, the Cell Jrs. had no defense as the two titanic blasts crossed streams, with the two little beasts right in the center. As the two Cell Jrs. both screamed, being burnt away, Krillin and Android 16 both shouted in unison. "HELLDUST CRUXIFICTION!"

As the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of the Cell Juniors. And so, Android 16 and Krillin were both finally allowed to breathe a sigh of relief. 16's chest deconstructed and opened, allowing the unconscious Goku to fall into his arms. Carefully, 16 knelt down to the ground and gently laid Goku down. Krillin, barely able to move, simply slipped off of 16's shoulder and crashed onto the ground next to his unconscious best friend. The monk placed his hand on Goku's chest and sighed with relief as he felt the subtle drumming of a heartbeat. "Oh, thank goodness..."

16 stood up tall. "The threat of the Cell Jrs. is rapidly being neutralized, going by the feedback my scanners are receiving. Therefore, I deem it safe enough to leave you and Goku by yourselves for a moment..."

16 turned and began to march towards the battlefield where Gohan and Cell were having their fight. Krillin looked up. "Wh-Where are you headed, bud?"

16 glanced back at Krillin. "Earlier, Gohan rammed his fist through Cell's stomach and managed to recover the bag of Senzus from within the monster. I shall go retrieve them so that we might start mending the wounds of our injured comrades as quickly as possible..."

16 glanced away. "It would appear as if... Goku... is especially in need of one. So... I will... make sure to treat him... f-first..."

Krillin was stunned at first, but then a cheerful smile spread across his face. "Hey, 16..."

16 stopped. Krillin smiled wide. "I'm sure that Goku will be happy to know that we're going to have you around for a long while..."

Android 16 gripped his fists. It was clear that he was still struggling with his innate programming. But, he managed to produce a genuine smile. "In...deed. I look forward to being around for a long while as well..."

KRILLIN & ANDROID 16,000,000,000 (GEBO) VS. TWO CELL JRS.! THE VICTORS: GOKU'S BEST FRIENDS!

Piccolo and Yamcha vs. Two Cell Juniors…

The Cell Jrs. shrieked as they tossed two massive Ki blasts at Piccolo and Yamcha. Piccolo roared right back at the two little hoodlums and stomped his foot onto the ground, kicking up a massive pile of rocks to block the attacks. Piccolo reached out and grabbed Yamcha by the back of the gi, leaping backwards in order for them to be able to regroup. Through the plume of smoke, the Cell Jrs. both came rushing in and blasted the ground where the two warriors once stood, sending rubble flying through the air. They both landed and glared forward at Yamcha, cackling with delight. But then, a thought snapped into their head: where was Piccolo?

That question was quickly answered by Piccolo crashing down through the air and kicking one of the little monsters in the face. Before the other could react, Piccolo reared his arm back and chopped it across the head. Piccolo thrust his hands forward at the Cell Jrs. and roared. "Destructive Wave!"

The blast shot out and engulfed both Cell Jrs., creating a huge explosion that allowed Piccolo to rocket backwards and skid to a halt next to Yamcha. Yamcha looked over to his partner and nodded. "N-Nice shot, Piccolo!"

Piccolo snarled. "Don't let your guard down, that didn't do anything!"

Yamcha yelped. "Wh-What?!"

The smoke cleared and both of the Cell Jrs. were getting to their feet. Both were scuffed and bruised, but neither was seriously damaged. Yamcha was in shock. "How is that possible?! I felt the power you put behind that attack, they should at least be-"

Piccolo cut him off. "We don't have time to focus on why they aren't injured, Yamcha! We need to focus on how we're going to injure them! What the hell are you doing?!"

Yamcha stammered. "Wh-What do you mean by that?"

Piccolo glared at him, his fighting stance locked in. "You can do the Kaioken, right?! Why don't you have that active?! Why aren't you in a fighting stance?! Where's your head at, Yamcha?!"

The warrior flinched. "I, uh..."

Piccolo growled. "Did you come here prepared to fight Cell, or did you come here to be like that Earthling fool that prevented Goku from winning?! Which is it, Yamcha?!"

Before this question could be answered, both Cell Jrs. shot forward. Rather than pay any mind to Yamcha, both of the beasts locked their focus onto Piccolo. The two of them came to the Namekian with the fury of a pair of sharks, trying their best to pick the Namekian apart. But, in spite of their best efforts, Piccolo was able to hold his own.

Yamcha, meanwhile, was frozen in place by just how overwhelming the entire situation was. Over the past 2 weeks, Yamcha had been subjected to some of the worst moments of his life. He had been impaled, crippled, left on the sidelines, made to feel microscopic in comparison to his peers, and used as little more than a punching bag by strong warriors like Vegeta. Yamcha gripped his fists tight, struggling to act in the face of all of these horrors he had been forced to deal with. As Piccolo fought for his life against the Cell Jrs., Yamcha recalled his time with Suno. He thought of her plea for him to come home alive. The kiss they had shared. At that moment, Yamcha saw his happily-ever-after on the horizon, only to come here and have Cell and the Cell Jrs. immediately stand in his path. How was a guy like Yamcha supposed to fight against this?! He wasn't a Saiyan, a Namekian, or even an Android. He was just a guy that knew, quite well actually, that he had been left in the dust a while ago. All he could do now was tail after his peers and hope they wouldn't just move on without him...

... at least that's what Yamcha's head told him. His crippling self-doubt that had been with him since he was a child. His fear of women, his fear for his own life, his fear of inferiority compared to those he'd made friends with. All of these fears were why he thought it best to run away from home, take to the desert with Puar, and never look back. In his head, Yamcha knew that he would always be second best and that trying would get him nowhere in the grand scheme...

One of the Cell Jrs. fired a beam through Piccolo's chest, bringing the Namekian to his knees. And, at that moment, Yamcha's head took a backseat. At that moment, as it had so many times before, Yamcha's heart took full control and he charged forward. No matter how many times people mocked him, or beat him up, or called him weak or worthless or a failure, Yamcha's heart would always urge him forward. No matter how outmatched he was, Yamcha would always be there to help his friends! No matter the cost!

Yamcha leapt into the air and his power erupted from within in the form of a raging, red aura. "KAIOKEN x30!"

Piccolo looked up and the Cell Jrs. turned in time to see Yamcha's fists rushing right towards their faces. "DOUBLE WOLF BITE!"

Yamcha's fists collided with the Cell Jrs.' faces and they both shuddered from the blow. Yamcha shot a furious glare at the Cell Jrs., expecting to see some kind of damage. But he flinched back in shock. Neither of the Cell Jrs. were hurt in the slightest. In fact, the two of them looked little more than annoyed. Yamcha flinched back. "W-Wait..."

And then, the Cell Jrs. both buried their fist into his stomach and sent him flying back. Yamcha sailed through the air and hit the ground hard. He writhed in pain and the Cell Jrs. both laughed out loud. They levied their hands at the downed, desert bandit and each charged a blast. Yamcha shakily pushed himself up. "W-Wait..."

As they both prepared to fire, however, two green hands clamped over their faces. A blast charged into each palm and Piccolo came flipping over the little terrors, blasting them back into a rocky wall and making the structure collapse on top of them. Yamcha coughed and sputtered, feeling his ribs shift around in his torso. He looked up as Piccolo loomed over him, glaring down with that standard Piccolo-esque fury.

Yamcha began to apologize. "L-Look, Piccolo, I'm sorry. I tried-"

Piccolo knelt down and grabbed one of Yamcha's hands tight. Yamcha stopped silent and looked up as Piccolo gave his arm a tug. Piccolo spoke to Yamcha with a serious, but respectful tone. "Get up. We aren't done yet."

Yamcha was gobsmacked. "B-But you saw what those two did to me. I'm just going to get in your way, man..."

Piccolo growled. "What I saw, Yamcha, was you doing what you always do. You leapt into the fray, despite the overwhelming danger, and you tried your best to help. I'm well-aware that you aren't strong enough to kill these things, half of the people here aren't. That's why we broke off into teams."

Yamcha shook his head. "B-But what if I end up just dragging you down with me, man. I'm just deadweight here..."

Piccolo looked annoyed. He yanked Yamcha to his feet and slammed his hand down onto the warrior's shoulder. "Deadweight is something with no use in a situation! You aren't useless, dammit! So, quit trying to feel sorry for yourself! You deserve to stand here, with the rest of us, just as much as anyone else does!"

Yamcha flinched. "Y-You really think so...?"

Piccolo sneered. "Why in the hell do you think I went through the trouble to make you that crutch?!"

Yamcha gasped, remembering back to that moment. Back when he still was missing his leg, because of what Cell did to him, Piccolo used his Magic Materialization to make Yamcha a crutch to walk with. Piccolo shouted in Yamcha's face. "I didn't give you that thing for you to not use it! You've been knocked down a few times in all of this, but so what?! We've all been knocked down since this madness with Dr. Gero's monsters started! But we all stood back up, Yamcha! All of us, together! We made it to this moment together! We flew here, together! You're worth no less than any other warrior here, so pull your head out of your ass, raise it high, and let's defeat these little bastards so that we can go and help Gohan finish off Cell!"

Both of the Cell Jrs. lunged from their rubble tombs, rushing at Piccolo and Yamcha in a frenzy. Yamcha lowered his head, all of his self-doubts boiling deep within his head. But, even with those dreadful thoughts, Piccolo's words still resonate. Yamcha knew that Piccolo wasn't the type to easily hand out compliments. He was the type of person that meant everything he had to say. And, in that moment, Yamcha knew that Piccolo truly did believe in him. He knew, both deep in his head and deep in his heart, that all of his friends did. And so, Yamcha came to a decision at that moment...

"KAIOKEN x50!"

Yamcha shot his leg up and caught a Cell Jr. under the jaw, sending the little beast flying high into the air. Piccolo roared like a demon and hooked his arm around the other Cell Jr.'s neck, driving the little cretin deep into the ground. Piccolo and Yamcha both leapt back and Yamcha turned to his comrade. "I can't keep a grasp on this form for very long, Piccolo! You lead the way and tell me what I need to do here, okay?!"

Piccolo nodded. "Perfect. These little bastards aren't that smart or that creative, so it should be easy to direct you... for instance..."

The Namekian made a finger motion to Yamcha. Yamcha immediately knew what he meant and nodded. And then...

*POP* *POP*

... the two of them turned around and faced the Cell Jrs. that had appeared right behind them. Yamcha snarled and focused as much of his power as he could into his leg. "WOLF HURRICANE!"

Yamcha did a rapid spin and kicked the Cell Jr. directly behind him in the face. Piccolo delivered two palm-strikes to the other Cell Jr. and then sent it flying higher into the air with a Kiai. Both of the Cell Jrs. went flying for only a moment, but they quickly managed to come to a stop in the air. They stared hatefully at their foes. Yamcha struck a fighting stance. "These things are too much! They're so durable!"

Piccolo nodded in agreement, letting loose a frustrated grumble. The Namekian was trying to keep his focus, but he couldn't help but sense what was going on with Gohan in the background. He could feel something was off with his student. Something that made Piccolo sick to his stomach. But he tried his best to shake that feeling away for the time being. "They might be durable, Yamcha, but that doesn't mean they're unbreakable. Even diamond can shatter into pieces with the right tool..."

Yamcha nodded, trying to steel his spirit. Even just a few moments of using the Kaioken x50 made him feel as if his body were going to burst into flames. Yamcha spoke. "So, what you're saying is we might just be using the wrong tool... or hitting the wrong point...?"

Piccolo nodded. "Something like that."

The Cell Jrs. both came charging back at the two warriors and Yamcha took a deep breath. "I have an idea. You up to trying it?"

Piccolo sneered. "I'm up to try anything at this point, Yamcha. I just want these little freaks out of my sight!"

Yamcha nodded. "Gotcha."

He summoned a Spirit Ball into his hand. Piccolo glanced back at him. "And what are you going to do with that?!"

Yamcha was focused. He crushed the Spirit Ball into his hand and smirked. "I'm going to give us a brief advantage in maneuvering~"

Piccolo flinched. "Huh?"

Yamcha tossed the crushed remains of the Spirit Ball high into the air and then thrust his fingers downward, bringing them raining back down like a storm of lead hail. "Spirit Fall!"

As the various bolts of energy came raining down, crashing into and through the ground, Piccolo and Yamcha sprang into action. Piccolo led the charge with Yamcha bringing up the rear and then two of them went to work. Piccolo thrust his hands forward, delivering a sharp chop to each of the Cell Juniors. The two little imps went flying back and they were pelted for their trouble. Yamcha followed up with an attack of his own. "Wolf Fang Rush!"

The warrior rushed forward and slammed his palms over each of the Cell Jrs.' heads, smashing them hard into the ground and then flipping off of them. Yamcha turned to face the Cell Jrs. again and groaned in frustration. The two of them were already back up. But, this time, they both weren't going for Piccolo. One of them was rushing towards the Namekian, but the other was coming right at Yamcha. Properly intimidated by the little imp, Yamcha retreated backwards to avoid all of the devastating strikes that were coming at him. The warrior dodged a punch, a punch, and then another punch, barely saving his own skin. "This is nuts..."

The Cell Jr. shrieked with frustration. But then, rather than throw another punch, the Cell Jr. stopped short. It sneered at Yamcha and, to halt his retreat, the little gremlin simply shot a Death Beam out and blasted Yamcha through his left thigh. Properly halted, Yamcha was left defenseless as the Cell Jr. rushed up and hammered him across the face. From his own fight, Piccolo called out to his partner. "Yamcha!"

He attempted to stretch his arm to grab the other Cell Jr. off of his weaker partner, but Piccolo's own opponent simply sliced the Namekian's limb off with a Rebellion Edge. Piccolo snarled and regrew his lost limb, glaring at his foe. "Damn you..."

As the two of them continued their fight, Yamcha was left at the mercy of his Cell Junior. The little imp was making full use of the advantage its Death Beam had given it. It battered Yamcha across his face over and over, busting the poor warrior up in a bad way. Each punch was delivered with enough force that blood spurted out of Yamcha's head like a faucet. But, much to the monster's consternation, its weaker opponent refused to fall. The Cell Jr. shrieked and delivered a massive haymaker, launching Yamcha through the air. The Cell Jr. smiled wide, watching as the warrior's aura finally petered out. It gave chase. This blow would be the one that ended it.

The Cell Jr. lunged at Yamcha, its fist drawn. Yamcha descended towards the ground, as if he were about to crash land. But then, with a snapping kick to the ground, Yamcha managed to get his foot back. He crossed his arms over his chest and his aura charged. And then, the wolf bandit shouted at the top of his lungs and sent his Kaioken x50 power rising into the air. "ORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

With his power fully flared, Yamcha rushed forward and punched the Cell Jr. across the face. Yamcha spun on his heel and smashed the back of his fist against the side of the monster's head. And then, with all of his strength, he went at the Cell Jr. with both hands poised. "NEO WOLF FANG FIST!"

Yamcha's first blow smashed into the Cell Jr.'s chest. "HYAH!"

The second blow smashed into its face. "HYAH!"

And then, all of the hits came at once to batter the little beast into submission. "HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! HYAH!"

As Yamcha went to town on his opponent, Piccolo was able to better exploit his Cell Jr.'s weaknesses. The Namekian and the Cell Jr. locked hands and pushed against one another, with Piccolo's strength exceeding the Cell Jr.'s own. The little imp squealed in fear, nearly overwhelmed by the power of its opponent. Piccolo furiously shouted and drove his knee into the Cell Jr.'s gut. He followed that up by stretching out his arm and then whipping his clawed hand directly at the Cell Jr.'s face. "DEMONIC NAIL DRIVER!"

The Namekian's fingers plunged into the Cell Jr.'s face and then scraped out, drawing five spurts of blood from the little imp. It fell to the ground with a thud, clenching its face and screaming in agony. Piccolo leapt above it and began to charge a Special Beam Cannon. "Now to finish this!"

Meanwhile, Yamcha finished his attack combination on the Cell Junior. The former desert bandit was feeling confident as the little creep went flying. He smirked and summoned two Spirit Balls. "Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide! Yamcha's here and ready to fight you little-"

*POP*

All of the air in Yamcha's lungs came out of his mouth in a wheezing burst. And following this was a jet of blood erupting from the bandit's throat. He looked down and saw quite a familiar sight, one mirroring a sight he had only seen recently. Yamcha looked down and saw the Cell Jr.'s little blue arm. And that little blue arm was buried halfway deep into Yamcha's gut. All of the Kaioken power faded away from Yamcha and both of the Spirit Balls dispersed. The Cell Jr. looked up at him. Its face was beaten bloody and it was missing a tooth, but the little gremlin radiated nothing but smug vibes towards its impaled foe.

The Cell Jr. reached up and pulled down one of its lower eyelids with its finger, sticking its tongue out at Yamcha as blood began to leak out from around its arm. "Die, loser~"

The Cell Jr. discharged a Ki blast inside of the Yamcha's guts. The warrior coughed once more, his eyes going wide, and then was sent flying backwards by the force of the attack. Yamcha sailed across the rocky ridge he and the Cell Jr. were fighting on top of and slammed into a rock with a sickening crunch. And then, the warrior went limp. Up in the nearby air, Piccolo called out. "Yamcha!"

Before Piccolo could rush in to help, Yamcha's Cell Jr. foe turned and charged towards him. The Namekian scowled and prepared to defend himself, only to be seized in a full-nelson from behind. Piccolo's Cell Jr. foe wickedly grinned at the Namekian, blood rushing down its face. It squealed with delight when its sibling delivered a massive, bloody punch to Piccolo's face, the other followed up said punch by letting Piccolo loose and kicking him to the ground below. The two little imps high-fived, and then they gave chase after Piccolo together. As Piccolo received his tag team beating on the ground below, Yamcha watched from his place impacted into the rock. He looked down at Piccolo, his eyes half-lidded, and he mentally groaned to himself. 'Damn it... what even happened there? I was... I was doing so well...'

Yamcha's eyes closed all the way as blood trickled from his mouth. He continued his inner monologue. 'This happens every time you get a big head, you idiot. You step up, you think you're so cool, and then this happens. Against Goku as a kid, against Tien in the World Tournament, against Kami in the World Tournament, against the Saibamen, against the Androids... Yamcha is always the first person to make a fool of himself...'

Piccolo continued to fight below, going at both of the Cell Jrs. with a level of fury that made his fighting style so unique. 'And now what is anyone going to think of you? Everyone else is still up and fighting... Bardock might be dead, but at least he went out looking like a badass... you're just stuck on a rock, bleeding out...'

Yamcha remembered what Suno had said to him before they left. The kiss and the sincere plea that he come back alive. 'And you're even disappointing her, the one girl you've managed to form a genuine connection with since you lost Bulma. You idiot. V-Vegeta was right about you... why do you even bother...?'

Yamcha gurgled, blood pouring out of his mouth. And then, he slumped over and went limp. "Idiot…"

'You're not, you know…'

In some different plane…

Yamcha suddenly snapped back awake. He looked around, the pain in his stomach gone. Suddenly, Yamcha heard a familiar voice. "Th-That voice... where are you?"

Gently, a familiar wooden staff came down and bonked Yamcha atop the head. He looked up and gasped. "K-Kami?!"

Sitting atop the rock that Yamcha was impacted into were two people. One was Kami, his cape billowing in the wind. The other was some Namekian guy that Yamcha didn't recognize, despite looking almost identical to Piccolo. Yamcha floated up. "K-Kami! I can't believe it! I never thought I'd see you again!"

Yamcha thought for a minute. "Wait a minute... am I dead?!"

The other fellow spoke up, shaking his head. "Not quite. Not yet, at least."

Kami smiled. "You're in-between states right now, Yamcha. Unconscious to the point you can't interact with the physical world, but still lucid enough to stay on this plane."

Yamcha flinched. "O-Oh..."

He looked to the other warrior. "Um, I'm sorry but... who are you? You look just like Piccolo but... you feel different..."

He waved. "My name is Nail. Very nice to meet you. I have only heard good things."

Yamcha gave a sad chuckle, sitting next to Kami on the rock. "At least you talk me up to people. Thanks, Kami..."

Kami nodded. "Indeed, I do, my boy. But I must profess that I am not the only one."

Yamcha flinched. Nail spoke up. "Piccolo might not yet be fully aware of our presence, but we constantly exist here within his subconscious. We observe the world around him, we are made privy to his thoughts and feelings. We know his opinions of people..."

The former bandit nodded. "I-I see... so that means..."

"That means that my foolish son sees value in you for some reason. The same as the rest of these meddlesome do-gooders."

Yamcha flinched, turning and gasping in horror at the sight of yet another Namekian. "K-K-K-K-K...KING PICCOLO?!"

King Piccolo leered at Yamcha with an annoyed, exasperated glare. But then, to Yamcha's shock, Nail grabbed the former Demon King by the antennae. "Behave yourself."

King Piccolo snarled; Nail didn't budge. Kami sighed and stood. "Yamcha, my boy. I didn't bring you here to be involved in the comedy routine that is constantly playing out in the back of Piccolo's mind. I brought you here because I, as your teacher, feel there is one piece of advice that I failed to pass onto you. And that reflects poorly on me both as a retired Guardian and as a mentor..."

The aged Namekian reached his hand out, pressing it against the spot where the Cell Jr. had pierced Yamcha through. Yamcha gasped as, slowly, the hole began to close. He looked up at Kami and Kami smiled. "Piccolo tried telling you this, but he is quite gruff and has trouble expressing himself even at the best of times. What you need to know, Yamcha, is that you are always wanted. And always needed~"

Kami cast his hand into the air, using his telepathic power to connect Yamcha to every other warrior on the field. Everyone from Piccolo, to the Future Trio, to even Vegeta. And all at once, Yamcha felt their feelings towards him come rushing in. Yamcha pressed his hand to his chest. "They all value me. They... they all see me as a comrade... as... as an equal... Even Vegeta..."

Kami nodded. "They do, Yamcha. Now, make sure to always carry that in your heart. You've made friends with so many complicated people. People who can't bring themselves to express how they feel. But they all need you, and they always will. You're a key part of their lives~"

For the first time in ages, upon this realization, Yamcha's heart and head both felt light. The feeling of inner peace, of tranquility, washed through him and the warrior smiled. "I really am, huh...?"

Kami removed his hand, and then he hovered back. "Now, you must take a moment to wake back up and then prepare yourself. Your role in this fight is not yet finished."

Yamcha flinched as Kami floated back. "Wh-What do you mean...?"

The former guardian pointed downward towards the intense brawl that Piccolo was having with the Cell Juniors. "Like I said, the three of us always know what he's thinking. And, while Piccolo might have accepted that you were defeated, he hasn't counted you out yet. At the end of it all, he knows that he can still rely on you, so long as you're still alive."

Yamcha stared down at Piccolo, fighting furiously against the Cell Juniors. He gripped his fists tight. "Right. Piccolo can rely on me. Everyone can. Always."

Kami smiled and chuckled. "Good luck, Yamcha. You're going to do great."

Back in reality…

Piccolo and the Cell Jrs. continued their brawl across the rocks. Piccolo viciously struck both of the little imps, sending them flying back. But the two were able to quickly recover and rush back in. Piccolo snarled and tanked their attacks with a hastily thrown up guard. "Damn... I don't know how much longer I can keep this up..."

The Namekian glared up, seeing that Yamcha was still slumped over and embedded into the rocks. "Ugh..."

He kicked one Cell Jr. in the face and then grabbed the other by the arm, smashing it harshly against the rocks. As they both reeled from the damage, Piccolo retreated back. None of his attacks had worked against these things so far. He had tried the Makosen, the Special Beam Cannon, and even the Hellzone Grenade. But none of them worked. Piccolo needed something cast out of pure, destructive power. And, ironically enough, he could only think of one attack in his arsenal that fit the bill. "To think, the peaceful previous Guardian of Earth is who I turn to for such a technique..."

As the Cell Jrs. recovered and began to charge at him again, Piccolo snarled and made his power flare. As he did, a sphere of light began to form between his hands. The sheer force of Piccolo's power, as he charged that attack, forced the Cell Jrs. to pause. The pressure that their Namekian foe was putting out was so strong that it prevented them from getting any closer. The Namekian was kicking up a massive dust storm as he shouted out loud as his gathered energy began to flash. Piccolo sneered. "Shit... at this range..."

He sighed. "Not even most likely, they'll definitely dodge. And I'll be defenseless..."

The two Cell Jrs. both seemed to realize this as well. They both stood there, shielding their faces from the dust and chanting to mock Piccolo. "All alone~ All alone~ All alone~"

Piccolo bowed his head. "Damn... looks like this is it..."

And so, veins bulging from his head, Piccolo thrust his hands forward and fired. "Eat this! Light Grenade!"

The attack shot forward, rushing right towards the Cell Juniors. The smug little goblins both chuckled, and then they leapt up to avoid being struck. Without a care in the world, the two of them instantly charged towards Piccolo. Each of them having a Rebellion Edge ready, it was clear that they planned to cleave Piccolo in twain. Piccolo hung his head over, seemingly accepting his fate. But then he smirked and chuckled. "You overconfident little bastards..."

Piccolo adopted a truly wicked smirk and tented his hands back together, producing another quick-charged Light Grenade. "You fell for it!"

Both Cell Jrs. paused in the air, screeching in panic and trying to halt themselves from getting any closer to Piccolo. The Namekian thrust his hands forward and shouted. "Eat this! Double Light Grenade!"

The Cell Jrs. both turned tail and started to fly away. They kept their eyes focused on Piccolo's attack, making sure that he had nothing else planned to hit them with. But, as they flew, it suddenly dawned on the two little beasts: why did Piccolo say 'Double Light Grenade'?

The two of them faced forward and that immediately became apparent. Yamcha was rushing right at them, the hole in his stomach having somehow vanished. And held high above his head was Piccolo's previously thrown Light Grenade. Both of the little demons shrieked and tried to turn around, only to see that Piccolo had caught up to them and was holding the other attack high above his head. The Namekian smirked. "Nowhere to run!"

Yamcha shouted at the top of his lungs. "And nowhere to hide!"

The two warriors shouted in unison as they brought the two attacks down onto the Cell Jrs.' heads. "DOUBLE LIGHT GRENADE!"

The two Light Grenades met in the middle and pressed against one another. Once both Cell Jrs. were engulfed and enough pressure was applied, the two attacks turned into one massive explosion that engulfed the entire area in which Piccolo and Yamcha were fighting. The explosion rang out and the result was a huge flash of light and a massive mushroom cloud rising into the sky. On the ground, all that remained of the two Cell Jrs. was a crater. And lying at the edge of the crater, atop a pile of rocks, was one of the triumphant heroes. Yamcha was once again, only half-conscious. He groaned. "Ugh...that really hurt..."

"Yamcha."

Yamcha looked around. "P-Piccolo... are you here with Kami?"

"Yamcha, move."

Yamcha was confused, he could hear Piccolo's muffled voice, but he couldn't see him. "Where ya at, bud?"

"Yamcha, get off of me."

Yamcha chuckled. "I don't know what you mean, my man..."

The former bandit heard Piccolo grumble. And then, to his shock, a sudden beam struck Yamcha in the back and sent him flying into the air. The warrior landed on the ground with a thud. "Ow..."

Yamcha grumbled, watching as Piccolo's head rose from the rubble. "You know, you could have just shoved me off with your hands..."

Piccolo sighed. "I really couldn't have."

Yamcha was confused. But that confusion was quickly dispelled. With a painful roar, Piccolo suddenly grew a new chest from his neck. And then he grew two new arms from the chest. And then he grew a new midsection from that chest. And then he grew a new pair of legs from that midsection. And finally, the fully-nude Piccolo collapsed onto his back in exhaustion. Yamcha, not knowing what to say, dryly commented. "W-Wow... I, uh, I could have, uh... I could have gone the rest of my life without seeing that..."

Piccolo spoke with a hoarse, out-of-breath voice. "I could have gone the rest of my life without experiencing that, but I've had to do it TWICEsince this all started. When I die and go to Hell, I'm going to find Dr. Gero's soul and filet it..."

The two warriors just laid there in silence, both of them exhausted. Eventually, Yamcha managed to speak up. "H-Hey, Piccolo, I know you're not the most emotionally available guy in the world... but thanks for believing in me, bud..."

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "Start believing in yourself more so the rest of us can focus on more important things..."

Yamcha chuckled. "Yeah yeah, I already got that pep talk from..."

The warrior's words stuck in his throat. He didn't want to say something that made him sound crazy after all of this. So, he decided to test the waters first. "Hey, Piccolo, I don't mean to just randomly bring this up... but do you know a guy named Nail?"

Piccolo's head shot up, he shot Yamcha the most confused glare that Yamcha had ever seen. "How in the hell do you know about Nail and why are you bringing him up here?"

Yamcha flinched, glancing away from Piccolo. "N-Nothing. It's nothing..."

The warrior pushed himself up, his tattered gi practically melting off of him. "N-Need a hand getting up, Piccolo? Growing back your entire body seemed strenuous..."

Piccolo grumbled to himself. Yamcha was clearly hiding something from him. But he chose to not press the issue for now. Instead, Piccolo simply stood and materialized a new gi onto his body. The Namekian walked over to Yamcha and helped him to his feet as well, pressing his hand onto Yamcha's chest and making him a new set of clothes as well. Yamcha flinched. "O-Oh! Thanks, Piccolo..."

Piccolo turned and began to walk the other way. "Consider it a reward for a fight well fought. Now, come on. We need to go and see what's going on with Gohan and Cell."

Yamcha nodded and quickly followed along. "R-Right..."

PICCOLO JR. & YAMCHA VS. TWO CELL JRS.! THE VICTORS: THE Z-FIGHTER ODD COUPLE!

Raditz and Future Ranch vs. Two Cell Juniors…

Raditz and Future Ranch both blocked the oncoming assault of their Cell Jrs. and repelled the little blue demons back. Father and daughter both held their hands to the side and charged and attacked, firing off and yelling in unison. "DOUBLE SUNDAY!"

All four streams of yellow Ki went crashing into the Cell Jrs. and knocked them back even further into a rocky ridge. With a moment to spare, Raditz looked over to his teenage daughter with a genuine, proud smile on his face. "Y-You used my Double Sunday... I had never noticed you do that before..."

Raditz blushed and Future Ranch warmly smiled at her father. "Of course, I used the Double Sunday~ What else would I use?"

Future Ranch cringed and pressed her hand to her mouth. "Ouch..."

Raditz frowned. "Is your tongue still throbbing?"

Future Ranch glared over at the Cell Jrs. as they both recovered, one of them still missing a hand. She smirked. "It is, but that's alright~"

Raditz mumbled to himself, clearly being sarcastic. "I mean, not that I would encourage it... but I would assume a tongue ring would match those tattoos of yours..."

Future Ranch's heavily pierced ears perked up and she turned to her father. "Didyoujustgivemepermissiontogetatonguering~?!"

Raditz flinched and gasped. "N-No! What kind of irresponsible father do you take me for?!"

Future Ranch was already tuning him out, giddy at the thought. "Oh, I know the perfect place too~! When I was bunking with Trunks is West City, we went for an evening stroll and I found this really awesome place I was going to get to touch up my tattoos anyway~"

The Cell Jr. charged in, both of them looking angry. Future Ranch smirked and her Super Saiyan power flared. "Hell yeah!"

She hammered her Cell Jr. in the face, smashing the one-handed little beast harshly into the ground. "Gettin' a tongue ring~!"

Raditz looked angry, his Oozaru Force power enveloping his body. He furiously kicked his Cell Jr. in the chest before slapping it away with his tail. "You're getting a Senzu and that's final!"

Future Ranch had a devious smile. "Tongue ring~"

Raditz snapped. "No!"

As both Cell Jrs. regrouped, Future Ranch and Raditz both calmed down. Future Ranch's smile faded. "Okay, but now it's time to get serious. We need to put these little bastards down!"

Lighthearted banter with his daughter put to the side, Raditz's mind fell on a much more serious affair. He and Future Ranch both thought back to Bardock and his merciless slaughter at the hands of Cell. They turned their furious glares to their opponents. Future Ranch tossed her previous weapon to the ground, reaching to the bandolier on her leg and pulling out one last Capsule. She clicked it and a new firearm appeared in her hand: a Winchester Model 1895 Bolt-Action Trench Rifle. She loaded a fresh clip of bullets into the weapon and gave the bolt a sharp adjustment. "I'm going to make you little monsters pay for what your father did! And then I'm going to get him as well!"

Raditz cracked his knuckles, his energy fur bristling. "Let's put an end to this..."

Raditz charged forward while Future Ranch leapt backwards. The Cell Jrs. were confused by this tactic at first, until they remembered what the specialty of each of their opponents were. Future Ranch was a long-range fighter and expert marksman, best exemplified by her first choice of attack. Future Ranch slung her rifle over her shoulder and then made a finger gun with each hand. And then she began to fire. "Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The bolts of Ki soared towards the Cell Jrs. and they deftly dodged, only to be assailed by their more close-range opponent. Raditz loomed over the Cell Jrs., holding his hands flat and high above his head. He shouted out loud. "GREAT APE'S MIGHTY HAND SLAP!"

Raditz smashed the palms of his hands against the ground, crushing more and more of it to rubble as he attempted to squash the Cell Jrs. flat. One of the little gremlins rushed forward and tried to punch Raditz in the face, but the Saiyan father was quickly able to block. He used his prehensile energy tail to entangle the Cell Jr.'s hands, and then he harshly flung it into the air. The Cell Jr. shrieked, stuck in a brief freefall, but was quickly snapped back into reality by a sharp bang and a Ki-charged bullet burying itself into its gut. The Cell Jr. had a trickle of blood run out of its mouth as it glared towards its assailant. Future Ranch was down on one knee, atop a rocky perch. Her left eye was squeezed shut and her right eye was focused straight down the iron sights of her rifle. She sharply shifted the bolt of her gun and then shot another bullet, this one piercing through the Cell Jr.'s knee and blowing its leg off. The Cell Jr. snarled and drew its hands to the side. "Kamehameha!"

Future Ranch silently watched as the beam came crashing towards her. "One, two, three... three shots left before I need to reload..."

Then, Future Ranch charged a Ki blast into her palm and smashed it against the ground. The resulting explosion sent the future warrior propelling into the air and out of the blast's path. As her former perch was destroyed, Future Ranch held up her rifle against and aimed straight at the Cell Jr.'s forehead. The little demon screeched in fear and began to retreat. Future Ranch smirked, and she immediately changed her aim to the Cell Jr. fighting her father.

On the ground below, Raditz and the Cell Jr. clashed against one another with massive punches. The Cell Jr.'s punch had more power behind it, but Raditz's enhanced durability allowed him to keep up. The force of the punch eventually became too much and the two were both forced back. Raditz shouted. "GREAT APE'S GIANT PUNCH!"

The one-handed Cell Jr. sneered and went for another punch as well. But, before it could throw the punch, a Ki-infused bullet came shooting down from the sky and pierced through the outer layer of the Cell Jr.'s shoulder, blowing a giant hole into it. The Cell Jr. recoiled back and looked up, seeing a smirking Future Ranch high in the sky. The girl pulled the lever of her rifle and prepared to take another shot, only for her other opponent to come rushing in with a Rebellion Edge. Raditz shouted up to her. "Ranch! Behind you!"

Future Ranch nodded. "I see him!"

Without missing a beat, the Future Warrior pulled a hunting knife and infused it with her Ki. She turned and blocked the Cell Jr.'s attack with her knife and then headbutted it away. As the Cell Jr. recoiled, Future Ranch re-aimed her rifle at the one on the ground. "Now then..."

She fired, but not before her foe in the air managed to tackle her. The shot from Future Ranch, meant for the one-hand Cell Jr.'s skull, instead pierced into the ground and exploded, creating a small crater. Future Ranch and the one-legged Cell Jr. both landed into a tumble on the ground across from Raditz and the one-handed Cell Junior.

One-Hand got up with a sneer and fired a blast. Future Ranch got up and slashed the blast in half with her knife. She planted the blade into the ground and then tossed her empty clip to the side. Future Ranch reloaded her rifle and pulled the lever, ushering a Ki-bullet into the chamber. She glared at One-Leg and it sneered back at her. One-Leg was eventually joined by One-hand and Future Ranch was eventually joined by her father. The four fighters stared one another down. Raditz put up his fists and Future Ranch gripped her rifle tight. The two Cell Jrs. both stood steady. Each fighter's next move could change the pace of this fight in their favor. And then, in an instant, the Cell Jrs. reacted first. They both held up their hands in front of themselves and charged a very familiar-looking attack. Raditz flinched. "Are you kidding me?!"

The two Cell Jrs. both shouted in unison. "Final Flash!"

The two Final Flashes shredded across the ground towards Raditz and Future Ranch. Raditz sneered. "Damn it!"

Thinking quickly, he wrapped his tail around Future Ranch's waist and then leapt into the air. The two of them just barely avoided being hit by the blasts and Raditz called down to his daughter. "Ranch! Are you okay?!"

Future Ranch had one eye squeezed shut; her tongue was stuck just a smidge out of her mouth. "I would be if you'd hold your damned tail still!"

Raditz yelped, immediately obeying his daughter. She smirked and fired off four shots one after the other, the ringing of the bolt in her gun echoing out even louder than the sounds of the dual Final Flashes. The bullets all hit their marks right where Future Ranch wanted them to, but those marks were not the Cell Juniors. The bullets pierced the ground in a perfect square around the two little demons, and then all four erupted with Ki at once. The massive explosion that resulted was enough to send the two of them propelling into the air. Future Ranch chuckled. "Too easy~"

She aimed again, ready to fire. But, unfortunately, Future Ranch was not expecting the Cell Jrs. to be any good at acting. As she aimed down sight at One-Leg, ready to shoot it in the head and finish it off, the little ghoul'ss look of intense pain turned into a wicked, smug smirk. And, in an instant, it thrusted its finger towards Future Ranch and fired a single Death Beam. The beam rocketed down the iron sight of Future Ranch's rifle and hit dead center on its target.

It took Future Ranch a moment to realize what happened, half of her vision suddenly going dark. But, as blood shot from her now empty eye socket, she screamed at the top of her lungs and fell back. Raditz was immediately distraught, rushing down to the ground to check on his daughter. "Ranch!"

Raditz ran over to Future Ranch as she rolled around in agony, clenching her hand over her right eye. The girl could do little more than scream in pain, even as her father tried to comfort her. Raditz gently cradled his baby girl. "Oh no... Ranch, oh..."

The two Cell Jrs. landed, both of them looking triumphant. Future Ranch's impeccable marksmanship was the main thing that was threatening them in this fight. And now, that was severely damaged. The two Cell Jrs. danced around in the background, both of them holding a hand over a single eye and mocking the poor, crippled girl. Raditz was enraged, his Oozaru Force fur standing on end. "How dare you...?"

He turned and glared at the Cell Jrs. with a glare so fiery it nearly set the Cell Jrs. aflame. They both flinched and Raditz snarled at them. "HOW DARE YOU MOCK MY DAUGHTER?!"

The Saiyan took a deep breath and then let loose one of his strongest attacks. "GREAT APE'S MIGHTY ROAR!"

The massive, sound-based energy wave washed over the two Cell Jrs., engulfing them both and forcing them back. The two of them tried to withstand, but Raditz' enraged power was rapidly becoming too much to handle. The two of them looked to one another and nodded, and then they each extended a single hand forward with two fingers extended. Raditz flinched, and then his eyes went wide. He recognized that stance. Disengaging the Roar, Raditz looked down at his feet and saw the entire ground beneath him was starting to rupture with ki. As both Cell Jrs. chuckled and thrust their fingers up, setting off the Dual Volcano Explosion, Raditz turned tail and lunged towards his daughter. "RANCH!"

The explosion engulfed both of the Saiyans and the Cell Jrs. broke down into raucous laughter. Who knows what sort of damage that had done to Raditz and Future Ranch? In the Cell Jrs. minds, they had basically just assured their victory.

Within the cloud of smoke created by the Volcano Explosion, however, Raditz and Future Ranch were both still very much conscious and relatively unharmed. Raditz's Oozaru Force, having the high durability it did, served to shield the two of them from the majority of the blast. Raditz shakily pushed himself up. "R-Ranch...? Are you okay...?"

Future Ranch chuckled; her hand pressed over her destroyed eye. "Come on, Dad, you're starting to sound like a broken record just repeating my name like that over..."

With her remaining eye, Future Ranch locked onto some sort of shining ball in the sky. "... and over..."

The girl gasped as her power began to swell within. Not only that, but suddenly, Future Ranch felt her mental state slipping. Conscious thought was leaving her body and, as the hair on her tail stood on end, Future Ranch was suddenly engulfed by complete and utter rage! Watching as his daughter slowly switched from words and complete sentences to furious screaming and pounding her fists against the ground, Raditz was suddenly taken over by a similar feeling. The Saiyan father's eyes turned gold and he snarled. "Ugh... did someone...?"

He turned his attention to the sky, seeing a Power Ball high above. Raditz got to his feet, feeling his power swell. "I see... so, someone decided to make use of the Wrathful State..."

But then, a horrific realization dawned on Raditz. "Oh shit! That means that Ranch is-"

The smoke had already cleared from the Volcano Explosion, giving the furious Future Ranch a clear sight of her hated enemies. With her Super Saiyan power flaring, in addition to the Wrathful State, Future Ranch rushed forward towards the Cell Jrs., not even noticing or caring as the blood began to pour from her eye socket.

Raditz cursed. "D-Damn, Ranch isn't trained to cope with Wrathful State like me and the others are! H-How is she even experiencing it like this?! She doesn't know how to absorb Blutz Waves like we do! Why didn't the Power Ball transform her into an Oozaru?! Is it because of that shield around it?!"

Raditz gritted his teeth. "What a mess!"

Unaware that her father was trying to catch up with her, the enraged and mind-ogled Future Ranch pounced at the Cell Juniors. Her blows, enhanced by her rage, were enough to create fissures that expanded miles across the stone. A mere glancing blow onto one of the Cell Jrs. was enough to break all of its ribs and embed it into the ground. The only problem was that, being so filled with animalistic hatred, Future Ranch couldn't make herself focus well-enough to land a clean hit. In her current state, she could kill the Cell Jrs. with little effort, but she was so drunk on primal rage that she couldn't close the deal!

As Future Ranch continued to rage about, One-Leg had seen enough. It formed a Rebellion Edge on its hand and charged forward, planning to behead Future Ranch in a single attack. The Cell Jr. sped in, its arm drawn, but it was foiled at the last moment. Raditz rushed in and delivered a solid kick to the little hellion, sending it flying across the battlefield. But then, rather than give chase, Raditz turned to his out-of-control daughter and grabbed her tight. "Ranch! Ranch, listen to me!"

Future Ranch was practically foaming at the mouth, but she still was able to respond to Raditz's voice. "D-Dad...?"

Raditz gripped her arms tight, holding her in place as she tried to thrash free. Future Ranch was much stronger than her father, but the sound of his voice allowed her to regain some mental clarity. Properly shaken, she vocalized her feelings. "S-Scared... losing... self..."

The concerned father nodded. "Yeah. That's normal. That's what happens when you take in Blutz Waves through the eyes like that. It activates part of your brain that-"

Unfortunately, Raditz was unable to finish. With the worst possible timing, One-Leg came back with a wicked punch to Raditz's face that sent him crashing across the battlefield. Just to put the little extra hurt on top, One-Leg kicked Future Ranch to the ground, and then it gave chase to Raditz to finish him off. On the ground, Future Ranch could feel her mind fading again. She snarled. "Blutz Waves... through... eyes..."

She glanced around, looking for any form of salvation. Eventually, she came upon the gleaming metal of the blade that once made up her knife. Future Ranch grabbed the blade and gripped it tight in her hand. She tasted metal in her mouth as her mental faculties faded more and more. "Through... eyes..."

Future Ranch glared up at the Power Ball with her remaining eye, and then she held her knife blade aloft. She knew that if she didn't act quickly, there would be catastrophic consequences for everybody. So, Future Ranch did what she knew she had to do. She pointed the knife blade at her own face, braced herself for what she knew was going to be a lot of pain... and then she plunged the tip of the blade directly into her other eye. Darkness immediately engulfed Future Ranch and she screamed in pain, casting the knife to the side and gripping her hands over her face. "AGHHH! AHHAHAHAHHH! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! FUCK!"

From the sidelines, fighting his Cell Jr., Raditz was stunned by what he had just watched his daughter do. Both her willingness to do it in order to preserve her mind and just how crazy it was to stab her own eye out filled Raditz with a mixture of Saiyan pride and fatherly worry. But before he had any time to say anything to Future Ranch, the Cell Jr. came charging at him again. Raditz sneered and continued his fight.

On the ground, Future Ranch was in a daze of pain and fury. The Blutz Waves and their effects on her brain were still wearing off, and her adrenaline levels had shot through the roof to compensate for what she had just done to herself. And, most strange of all, Future Ranch tasted and felt something metal in her mouth, but she couldn't recall what it was in all of the fog filling her head. Future Ranch laid there, just needing a moment to gain her bearings. But that moment proved to be too much to ask for as she felt a small foot stomp down on her chest. Future Ranch grunted in pain, her Ki sense allowing her to make out a crude shape of who was assaulting her. It was One-Hand. Future Ranch snarled. "You..."

The Cell Jr. giggled with delight. It raised its hand above its head and formed a Destructo-Disc. Future Ranch sneered. "Is that for me? You shouldn't have..."

The Cell Jr. shook its head. "Unh-uh..."

Future Ranch was confused. "Then who-"

She came to a pause and realized that this Destructo-Disc really wasn't meant for her. It was for her father. Raditz was too distracted in his current fight to have any time to pay attention to the other Cell Junior. He would never see it coming. The Cell Jr. chuckled, realizing that Future Ranch had caught on. It giggled and reared its hand back, ready to kill Raditz once and for all, and then get some extra kicks by torturing Future Ranch to death. Future Ranch gasped and tried to call out to her father. But the metal thing in her mouth put a stop to that by jabbing her in the gums. Future Ranch sneered. "What is that?!"

It took a moment, but soon the full picture of what was in her mouth popped into Future Ranch's head. She recognized the shape, the texture, the taste. She knew what this was and who it was for!

Future Ranch chuckled. "Hey, you little bastard~"

The Cell Jr. glared down at Future Ranch and her Super Saiyan power flared. And then, with all the force she could muster, Future Ranch spat the metal object out of her mouth. It was a Ki-bullet, charged with Super Saiyan power.

The bullet shot forward at supersonic speed and pierced right through the Cell Jr.'s forehead. The little imp gasped in shock, and then the bullet exploded and blew off the Cell Jr.'s head with it. Future Ranch reached into her mouth and pulled the remainder of the bullet casing from the hole in her tongue. "Hmph. That'll teach you to rip holes in people's tongues, you little prick..."

Future Ranch shakily stood, still disoriented from her lack of sight. She grumbled and felt out the battlefield, wanting a clear picture before she acted. She grabbed One-Hand's headless body by the ankle and hoisted it up. "You'll be able to regenerate your head if I leave you long enough... gotta get rid of you..."

Meanwhile, Raditz and his Cell Jr. continued their fight, a fight that was rapidly going out of Raditz's favor. His Oozaru Force was tough, yeah, but this was still a beast with strength near the level of Cell himself. Raditz was losing ground, even with the Wrathful State giving him a boost. And, worst of all, he really didn't know what to do. One-Leg squealed with delight, taking to the air and rushing at Raditz. The Saiyan father crossed his arms in front of his face, having little choice but to block the oncoming assault. But then, something neither fighter was expecting came rocketing in: the headless body of One-Hand!

The body crashed into its sibling and they both went flying back. Raditz uncrossed his arms, staring in confusion. "What the hell?"

A gentle hand grabbed Raditz's and held tight. "It's okay, Dad~ It was me."

Raditz gasped as a warm, golden aura slowly enveloped him. He turned and looked over, seeing his daughter standing next to him. Future Ranch smiled at her father, even with trickles of blood leaking from beneath her eyelids. Raditz frowned and gently caressed her face. "Oh... my poor, baby girl..."

Future Ranch smiled. "It's fine. We can get my eyes fixed when we get the Senzus back. But, for the moment, we need to put these two down. And, blind as I am, I can't really do that..."

Raditz flinched, suddenly feeling something flooding into his body. He looked down at his hand. "Wh-What are you doing?!"

Future Ranch smirked. "I can't grant you my full Super Saiyan power unfortunately. That's something you'll have to find on your own. But I can at least lend you as much of my strength as I can bear to let go..."

Raditz stared down in awe as a golden orange aura began to flow out of his body. His hair remained black, but the rest of Raditz's body was fully enveloped by his daughter's Super Saiyan power. Once she had transmitted her remaining power, Future Ranch's own Super of Saiyan form dispersed and she fell to her knees. "Ugh...I don't wanna call that form Super Saiyan. That should be saved for when you unlock your own power, Dad, so how about we call it-"

Raditz smirked. "We'll call it what it is: False Super Saiyan. But I will say that the name doesn't really matter. This might not be Super Saiyan, but it's something much more important than that..."

As the remaining Cell Jr. recovered, Raditz stepped forward, his eyes shined gold as he charged and focused all of his power into the palms of his hands. Raditz chuckled. "Powered by the Super Saiyan strength of my daughter... and by a Power Ball made by my son~"

The Cell Jr. hatefully glared at Raditz, but then recoiled in shock at the sheer amount of power the brother of Goku was holding onto. Raditz smirked. "What else can I call this attack but..."

Raditz's face became dead serious. He took all of the power that was making up his Oozaru Force and pumped it into the attack in his hands. Raditz shouted at the top of his lungs and fired off the attack. "FATHER'S DAY FLASH!"

The massive bolt of Ki went flying towards the Cell Jrs. and Raditz turned his back to them before the attack could even hit. "And that one is for my daughter's eyes."

The multi-tiered explosion of the Father's Day Flash rumbled out multiple times over, the series of blasts popping off again and again and reducing the two Cell Jrs. caught up in it to dust. Raditz stepped forward, kneeling down and pulling his exhausted daughter into a hug. "Thank you for lending me your power..."

Future Ranch chuckled and tried to tease Raditz. "Aw~ Did you enjoy the feeling of Super Saiyan that much~?"

Raditz responded back, sounding as genuine as a father could sound. "Nothing could compare to the feeling of hugging you close."

Future Ranch flinched, throughout all of the horror and all of the madness of the future, and everything that had happened in the Present Timeline, she had never really stopped to think of just how momentous something like this was. For the first time ever in her life, Future Ranch was allowed to freely hug her dad. Gently, she reached up and wrapped her arms around Raditz's neck. She pulled him close and felt his warmth, adopting a small smile. "Same, Dad..."

Raditz sighed, picking up his gigantic daughter and cradling her in his arms. "You just rest, okay? I'll wake you when we get the Senzus back."

Future Ranch was utterly exhausted, barely able to maintain consciousness. She chuckled. "Fine. I guess I could go for a nap. Maybe... Maybe I'll dream of what kind of tongue ring would look best..."

Raditz was a tad annoyed. "Not a-"

He looked down at his daughter, seeing the gentle look on her face as she rested against him. Raditz sighed. "Okay, fine. Do what you want. You're grown and I can't stop you, I guess..."

SON RADITZ AND FUTURE SON RANCH VS. TWO CELL JRS.! THE VICTORS: FATHER-DAUGHTER DAY!

On the ledge overlooking the battlefield…

All of the various Z-Fighters gathered to gawk at the spectacle that had broken out on the main battlefield while they fought and finished off the Cell Juniors. Future Goten and Android 17, Chiaotzu carrying the injured Tien, Goku, and Krillin with his telekinesis, Vegeta and Future Trunks, Piccolo and Yamcha, and Raditz carrying the unconscious Future Ranch all gathered on the nearest ledge they could and stared out at the bizarre scenario. None of them could believe their eyes. Vegeta stammered. "Wh-What the hell is going on?!"

On the battlefield stood Gohan, his newly-discovered power making the air around him crackle with electricity. And next to Gohan, flat on his back, was a Cell that had somehow grown to the size of a mountain. It was a crazy sight, but it was clear to all of the observers watching on that Gohan held a decisive advantage in this fight.

Down on the main battlefield…

Gohan stood there, next to a gigantic yellow foot so large that it dwarfed his house. The boy's face was blank and emotionless. He stared unfeelingly at his fallen, gigantic foe and spoke in a bland, almost robotic tone. "This is your limit, Cell. You lose."