PART THIRTY: BUDOKAI ROYALE 2 - SUPERSONIC BLAST

Chapter 146

Translated by npberryhill

Moments earlier, when Gohan of Universe 18 had just fired at Cell from a distance...

The furious bio-android, his majin seal gleaming, stared intently at Gohan of the 16th. Son had ripped off the remains of his burnt collared button-up, appearing much more like a true warrior now that he was shirtless.

“Videl,” he began, keeping his gaze fixed on his enemy. “Stay with Piccolo.”

Hesitantly, his wife moved near the Namekian, who immediately extended an arm in front of her protectively. Piccolo motioned towards the stands, and both flew off together to help the spectators against Babidi’s soldiers. Following their energy, Gohan felt somewhat reassured.

“Now it’s just you and me, Cell! I know this is what you’ve wanted, so let’s settle this!”

“Ah, perfect!” Gero’s finest creation exclaimed, releasing his electrifying aura. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for quite some time, Gohan. Perhaps its destiny that we finally settle the score between us. I’m certainly eager to find out which one of us is strongest! So, Gohan, are you ready?”

Without an answer, Gohan rushed him, looking quite serious and determined — while Cell grinned with excitement. The long-awaited fight had finally begun. Their fists clashed, destroying the low wall of the 16th balcony and cracking the apartment corridor. It had been nothing but a simple exchange, neither having exerted themselves, and yet the power already was incredible. Goten, laying prostrate and watching, was amazed at such energy.

“Interesting,” Cell observed, delighted. “You’re every bit as powerful as I’d hoped you were, Gohan. The strength you displayed yesterday in anger seems fully controlled — and if you want to stop me from killing everyone, you’ll need every bit of it!”

“You’re not going to get away with this, Cell,” replied the son of Goku, his eyes hardened.

Both fighters rushed each other at supersonic speed, the two adversaries immediately causing booming thunder with every resounding strike. All across the arena, other fights stopped mid-battle, glancing up in intrigue — though the anarchy resumed soon after. Cell and Gohan moved with such speed that none present could even follow their fight, save one. Buu of Universe 4, no more than an eyeball in a small puddle, mischievously watched on with great excitement.

Neither seemed able to gain any upper hand, each block was met, countered, and returned. Cell’s agility was off the charts, dodging Son Gohan in impressive fashion. What’s more, the bio-android’s fighting style had been honed and matured to perfection over the past twenty-seven years. Relying on what he remembered of Cell’s technique wouldn’t be of any use. Not only was his power on an entirely different scale, the bio-android had taken his knowledge of the Frost Demon and Z fighter combat technique and advanced them in ways uniquely suited to his biology and style of movement. With a light tap from the back of his hand, he dismissed Son Gohan’s punches, none of them seeming to get through — Cell grinned, noticing the young Saiyan wince. He then began pushing his own offensive.

But Gohan’s reaction speed was nothing to scoff at. Clutching Cell’s arm with both hands, he crossed his forearms and spun the perfect being back on himself. The strongest Majin spat a curse, recovering with his wings spread behind him. This time, Gohan had been quick to use the time and get into position. Hands raised above his head, Gohan exclaimed “Masenko!”

The energy wave slammed into Cell, gradually forcing him back, but right away Gohan realized he wasn’t causing any damage. The bio-android had blocked against the entirety of the ki blast, hands resting on his chest. He then chuckled and ejected the attack easily into space, quickly forming two Kienzan in his palms and flinging them at Gohan.

Smirking, the half-Saiyan caught both discs against his aura effortlessly. The Kienzan shattered into light shards beneath Gohan’s overwhelming force, while the mystic warrior continued to scrutinize his old foe. Gauging Cell’s power, a being known for being perfectly devious, was no simple matter.

“Well, I’d say that does it for the warm up, Gohan,” Cell announced with a grin. “So, what do you say we get down to bus —”

Babidi’s voice suddenly sounded inside his head. ‘Cell, I need you to return to me immediately. One of those cursed Saiyans is headed straight for us; you must intercept him, hurry!’

Cell glanced towards the Universe 11 entryway, just catching the silhouette of Universe 18’s Gohan rushing down the hallway. His momentary distraction immediately cost him. Gohan had taken the opening to position himself directly ahead and plant a powerful punch in his chest. The bio-android groaned in pain, replying with a sharp knee to the Saiyan’s chin — which drew a small trail of blood.

‘I’m preoccupied fighting that Saiyan’s double, and he’s extremely tough! I can’t possibly handle them both at once, you’ll have to send Majin Buu!’ Cell replied to his master telepathically.

‘Eh fine, but you'd better be quick about it,’ came the wizard’s reply. ‘I may be able to stall him in the meantime, but you’d better not disappoint me!’

Babidi cut off the communication, Cell shaking his head as he refocused on the battle. Gohan had also recovered from his dizziness, the taste of blood still on the edge of his lips.

“Ah... shall we resume, my old enemy!?” Cell exclaimed excitedly. “It’s time to demonstrate what I can really do!”

He speed rushed the Earthling, who received him with a quick kick. Cell dodged easily, countering with a wide backhanded swipe. Gohan avoided it, leaning back as it hissed a few inches in front of his face. Keeping his momentum, the Saiyan fully straightened his leg, which slammed into the cyborg’s head. Following up, he chained together a series of hand-to-hand blows that drove Cell into the ground. The perfect warrior growled from the pain, clenching his fists as he crashed. As Gohan reached out to grab him by the neck, Cell’s body suddenly began to glow red — his body temperature increasing drastically. Son yelped, his hand scorched and black — though he had pulled away before being burned too badly.

“What’s wrong, Gohan, can’t stand the heat?” he chuckled, turning to press his own physical ambush. The very air around him was thick and heavy, simply breathing was enough to send pain through Gohan’s nose and throat — not to mention the pressure. But the worst of it, Gohan realized, would be if he were to get hit. For the time being, he had to avoid Cell at any cost. The perfect warrior laughed aloud as his opponent desperately avoided his attacks.

Son Gohan quickly threw together a strategy, releasing a powerful energy wave at close range. Cell was surrounded by smoke and dust from the explosion, but he dissipated it with gust of wind. The only side-effect being that his body had now returned to its usual green coloration, though covered in ashes.

“Shit!” he shouted. “Fine then, take this!”

A ray of Ki suddenly shot out of his outstretched hand, which Gohan tried to avoid. But the energy followed him, overtaking him and wrapping around his ankle.

“What?” Gohan exclaimed, trying to free himself, unsuccessfully.

“Time to whip you into shape, boy,” Cell sneered. The energy he’d fired suddenly became solid, forming a glowing ki chain which he grabbed with both hands. Then, pulling with all his might, he began dragging Gohan around him in a circle, rotating him faster and faster. The Saiyan’s sense of balance was toast, his mind spinning. Then with a sudden smile, the bio-android extended the chain to an incredible length. Gohan, still snared by the end, was flung out into space where he collided with one of the gaseous bodies decorating the skyline. It exploded on impact, Gohan spitting blood once again. He hadn’t realized Cell could lengthen his energy lasso as he pleased — and if he could make it longer he could most likely reduce it as well!

His quick analysis wasn’t quite fast enough, and Gohan was unable to free himself before the chain suddenly narrowed. The Earthling was yanked downwards swiftly, before quickly being spun around again — Cell laughing all the while. The powerful Son Gohan had been reduced to a wrecking ball that he could swing in any direction he pleased, it was euphoric. Swinging him over his head, Cell increased the length of the chain once more, this time sending his enemy headfirst into the arena. The asteroid trembled from the impact, knocking many around off balance. When the smoke cleared, Gohan lay inert in a crater, still hooked by the lasso. Cell began chuckling even harder.

“Really, Gohan, you’re too much fun.” Finally, he had revenge on the Saiyan who had humiliated him all those years ago with his transformation!

Shouts from behind suddenly caught his attention, and Cell turned to see Piccolo grappling with the Frost Demons. Coola, in his fifth form, was being man-handled by the Namek, while the other two were at a distance, apparently in the process of transforming. Suddenly, Piccolo fired a powerful energy blast at Cold. Cell could tell right away that the Frost Demon wouldn’t be able to react in time, and was left wide open. Acting immediately, Cell hurled his energy lasso up into the path of Piccolo’s Kikoha, deflecting it away.

“Nice try,” Cell laughed, amused by the Namekian’s look of bewilderment. Just contemplating the fear on his face was worth the trouble of breaking away from his own fight briefly.

But his moment of inattention to his own affairs proved costly. No sooner had he turned his head back to Goku’s son that he was struck by an overwhelming energy wave in the face.

“Argh!!”

Cell was launched up into the heavens by the blast, the chain in his hand vanishing. Gohan jumped at the opportunity to follow up, slamming Cell with violent blows all over his body. The cyborg gasped with pain and rage, spitting sheaves of saliva. The youthful Saiyan was more resilient than he’d thought, having lost none of his vigor or strength. Desperate, Cell threw his arms outward and created a huge green bubble that repelled his opponent. The bio-android grit his teeth, realizing just how far this fight was from being won. He was enjoying himself, but knew he had to hurry and stop the other Gohan from attacking Babidi. At least the counterpart hadn’t attacked him too, or he’d likely already have been defeated and both Saiyans could pursue Babidi together.

Nedwook turned to the two super-warriors fighting above, ready to heed Goten’s instructions. But as he left the wounded younger brother behind, a voice called to him from the grandstands. A spectator, slumped on the platform, face covered in blood and eyes watered, was crying out for help.

“Please, I beg you. Help! We’re being slaughtered!”

One of Freeza’s soldiers came up behind her and began pulling her hair.

“Shut up, human! Nobody’s gonna save you, you’re already dead you just don’t know it!”

As he was about to execute her, Nedwook vanished and reappeared beside the majin, exploding his head with a single punch. The woman merely held her head in her hands, weeping, while the other soldiers nearby all attacked the Heloite together. The nano-warrior received their petty attempts unceremoniously, killing them one by one by beheading or impalement. He wasn’t wasting any time, and after seeing Kakarotto recover from a fatal wound, he wasn’t taking any chances.

Stretching his arm towards the bleachers, he fired a huge energy beam from his armor that destroyed a large part of the structure — thus creating a passage to the enclosure of the building.

“Hurry up!” he exclaimed, addressing the surviving spectators. “Go, take refuge inside!”

The woman, as well as many others, managed to find their way safely to the interior, while Nedwook held off their would-be pursuers. Seeing dozens of soldiers rushing him, he fled to the sky, drawing their attention upwards. The spectators were safe, he had seen to that, and the remaining pawns weren’t dangerous to him. But, their numbers were still a problem.

Other soldiers began appearing behind him, encircling him on all sides up in the sky. The Heloite grit his teeth, balling up his fists. He would have to get rid of these first.

Over near Universe 1’s balcony, absolute violence reigned. West Kaioshin was on her knees, wounded and bleeding near the silent Grand Kaioshin — who still watched the fight with a stern look. In front of them, Dabra was fighting against the two other gods and the Heloisian female. Phipsil had plenty of tools at her disposal that would’ve been helpful, but feared using them in such proximity to the other gods. Instead, she relied on hand-to-hand combat, deploying slender blades.

North Kaioshin took a devastating knee in the stomach, causing him to stagger. East attempted an assault from behind, but he was stopped by a the Demon King’s elbow, planted in his face. Despite being outnumbered, Babidi’s servant held his own, abusing his opponents without much difficulty. Phipsil charged next, preparing her blades. The demon was about to unleash a powerful ki blast on her when he was suddenly immobilized. Behind him, the bruised and battered East Kaioshin threw out his arms, having paralyzed the Demon with his special technique. Phipsil rushed Dabra immediately, hoping to seize the opportunity.

“In your dreams, human!”

Dabra, waiting until she was too close to possibly dodge, spat at the surprised Heloite. Her armor, now in contact with the devil’s saliva, began gradually turning into stone.

“No... No! Not that!”

Data readings on the attack flooded her visor, informing her that in under twenty seconds she would be completely petrified. She had to act quickly to avoid becoming a statue.

Shin gradually lost his grip on Dabra, who was beginning to regain his freedom of movement. North Kaioshin, trembling, managed to take a step towards Dabra, tensed.

Suddenly, an energy wave struck East Kai in the back, breaking his concentration for good. The devil, delighted, spun and planted a knee in East’s gut.

“You dare try and immobilize the King of the Demon realm!”

He then grabbed Shin by the arm and hurled him at North Kaioshin, sending both careening into the hard stone below. From the dark corridor of Universe 3, Piccolo Daimao emerged wearing a sneer of vice. He’d been the one to attack East.

“It is I, the absolute evil. No longer Kami the benign deity, now I bathe in unending darkness! And I’ll annihilate you Kaioshins — proving once and for all how wrong my other half was!”

The Kais tensed, while Dabra was delighted to receive reinforcements. The devil then flung his arms out, summoning two demonic scimitars that glowed with dark energy.

“You’re finished, foolish gods! Die now! Die by the very hands of the King of all D—”

His chest suddenly imploded, an attack from behind having driven a circular hole right through his vital organs. The gaping circle in his torso drained blood on all sides as he collapsed on his knees, stammering and trembling. Behind him stood Phipsil, alive and well, quite far from being a statue.

“You...? But... how?”

“You shouldn’t underestimate the power of technology!” she replied. “My armor is comprised of nanobots, countless in number all working in perfect synchronization. They countered your stone-transformation, just as they eliminate any and all foreign agents. Simply put, your magic won’t work on us!”

“Curse... you...” Dabra couldn’t finish his sentence, having collapsed unconscious.

The Grand Kaioshin hurried over to East, who was in the worst condition by far. It was a relief that North and West, while still wounded, weren’t in more serious condition.

“Go, help stop this madness!” their leader instructed. “Many others need our help against Babidi’s armies!”

“Right!” the two gods exclaimed, hurrying off.

“And I’ll go help Nedwook!” Phipsil stated, having noticed her comrade grappling with several dozen enemy soldiers at once.

Grand Kaioshin then turned to Dabra with puzzlement. He wasn’t certain if the demon yet lived, but one thing was certain: the situation was still not to their advantage. Their best, and perhaps only hope, was for all the participants to return. He only hoped Buu would agree to help them get back...

The two Kaioshins rushed towards Piccolo Daimao first, who waited for them on the Universe 3 patio. The evil Namek looked quite annoyed, having seen Dabra defeated by such a cheap shot, but these gods were not a real threat to master Babidi — especially not with Cell, Cold, and Majin Buu on his side.

A light flickered in Daimao’s eyes, and two eye beams shot out. Alert, the Kaioshins ducked beneath them, glancing at each other. North Kai made it clear that he would handle this, while West flew off in another direction.

“I don’t think so!” Piccolo exclaimed, reaching for her.

But the North deity struck his forearm violently, destabilizing it. The Namek quickly resumed his balance, staring furiously at his enemy.

“I’ll be your opponent,” the Northern said provocatively. “Give me your best shot!”

“If you have a death wish, so be it!” exclaimed the Great Demon King, summoning his aura.

West Kaioshin, for her part, quickly took in the status of all the fighting and everyone’s situation. Son Gohan seemed to be containing Cell, at least for the moment. The surviving Heloites were mopping up the rest of the Frost Demon soldiers. Android 17 was making a game out of how many spectators he could kill. She was about to intercept him when a powerful shockwave caught her attention. Piccolo, of the 18th universe, was being completely dominated by King Cold.

The Frost Demon Emperor was treating him like a punching bag, harnessing a power far and away superior to the Namek’s. In spite of his fighting skills, Piccolo didn’t have much hope against all three Ice titans. Cold kept him from attacking either of his sons, letting them apply pressure with constant ranged energy attacks. Briefly, the Kaioshin was able to catch the Namek’s thoughts while he barely managed to fend off Cold’s attacks.

‘At the rate I’m losing energy I won’t last much longer. I’ve got to stop Freeza and Coola now. But Cold keeps cutting me off, they’ll kill me if I can’t find an opening!’

West Kaioshin rushed to his aid, knowing full well the monster that Cold was. She couldn’t stand against him for long, but if there was one area in which the gods far surpassed mortals, it was telekinesis. She had to trust in her psychic abilities. Throwing her arms out in front, she reached out with her energy and stopped him right before he would’ve landed a violent blow against a completely defenseless Piccolo. The demon’s fist stopped dead in its tracks, stunning him.

“What’s this!?” Cold gasped, paralyzed.

“I’ll hold him off!” the goddess shouted frantically, while Piccolo stared at her in surprise. “Take care of the other two, Kami!”

Piccolo hesitated, but only briefly. Seeing Cold trapped by the Kaioshin, he knew she’d given him just the opportunity he needed to get rid of the other two troublemakers. But Freeza and Coola, still at a distance, had no intention of going down easily.

“Let him go!” both sons shouted, rushing the East Kai.

“Oh no you don’t!” Piccolo cut them off. “You two are mine now!”

“Pssh,” Freeza scoffed. “Our ‘father’ was a mere attack from ending your pathetic life. You may have actually been stronger than me, Namekian. But now your precious energy is running low — I’m afraid you’ll find defeating yours truly is no simple matter, slug!”

“We don’t have time to waste on you!” Coola added, pointing to himself. “So disappear!”

The elder of the brothers threw a fist at Piccolo, who managed a block but was seized by pain all the same. Cold’s blows had indeed taken quite a toll on him, and the repercussions in his body confirmed that Freeza wasn’t wrong. Coola’s tail came wrapping around his leg and yanked hard, sending Piccolo’s back into Freeza’s knee. A snapping noise punctuated the attack, while the Namek coughed up a sheaf of blood. Then Coola followed up, clasping his hands and slamming them down into Piccolo’s abdomen. The Super Namek was down, falling helplessly below and slamming hard into the arena floor. Nevertheless, he managed to get back up, noticing the two brothers again trying to free their father. Thinking fast, he rapidly extended his arms and grabbed each one by the leg, trying to pull them back towards him.

“You insolent pest!” Freeza yelled, being dragged by force.

A few dozen meters away, West Kaioshin continued holding Cold in her psychic prison.

“A cheap trick, goddess... why not fight me fair!?”

“Sorry,” she answered, “but I’m just not feeling up to it. I wish I was as good as South, but against lower beings like yourself it doesn’t seem necessary. My other powers are enough to defeat you, and I won’t hesitate to use all of them!”

Creating a strong Kiai, she ejected Cold backwards, causing him mere superficial damage. The intense effort it was taking to keep him imprisoned was becoming evident on her face. She was still able to maintain it for the moment, but it was taking its toll — fighting Dabra had definitely drained her. Moreover, this Frost Emperor was far stronger than the Demon King; she trembled at the thought of him using his next transformation. She didn’t know how long she could hold him back, only that she had to buy as much time as possible so that the others could defeat their respective enemies.