PART THIRTY: BUDOKAI ROYALE 2 - SUPERSONIC BLAST

Chapter 149

Translated by npberryhill

Meanwhile, in the heavens above the battlefield, a spectacle of agility was being demonstrated by Son Gohan. He fluttered amongst the dozens of energy disks, trying to get as close as possible to Cell, who remained below, arms outstretched to guide his attacks. Their fierce duel had been going on for some time now, with neither managing to truly gain the upper hand.

Seizing a brief opening, Gohan launched a double Kikoha at Cell, but the perfect being raised his shield just in time to block them. He couldn’t afford to maintain the barrier, in large part due to the energy expenditure it required, and he knew even if he won this fight he still had work to do. The second Son Gohan was still a threat to his master, and he would need to have strength remaining to keep the Saiyan out of the way.

Gohan’s thoughts were focused on his surroundings, yet in the back of his mind he was still searching for a way to get out of this. One of the discs managed to even overtake him, but he concentrated his aura at the point of impact and managed to catch and deflect the Kienzan. It reversed course towards Cell at top speed, the bio-android not bothering to try and regain control — he merely dodged it with a quick hop step backwards. Gohan grimaced, still observing and trying to plot a course out of this mess.

‘I see...’ he thought. ‘He didn’t use his shield, instead he dodged it. Perhaps it doesn’t work against his own attacks! It’s worth a try at least...’

Igniting his bold white aura, Son Gohan slipped through the discs at full speed, on a direct path towards Cell. The latter grinned, thinking this was an all too familiar tactic.

“Thinking like your father, eh? He tried drawing the discs back towards me, but even Freeza saw through such an obvious move. Do you remember what I said? I’ll tell you what I told him. I’m a far better fighter than Freeza, there’s no way such a feeble effort will work on me!”

Gohan smiled, the Kienzan chasing in his wake. Cell stood at the ready, prepared to divert his own attacks if necessary. However, just as the Saiyan reached him, he teleported away — Cell briefly losing sight of him. Upon a quick search he located Gohan behind the Kienzan, which were still full speed ahead.

“Hyaaah!” Gohan exclaimed, clenching his fists and sending a mighty Kaia ahead.

His ki struck the Kienzan like a wave, propelling them onward with even more incredible momentum — straight at Cell. The perfect warrior’s eyes shot wide. He’d lost control of his own technique, and trying to recover them at this point would be vanity. Spreading his wings, he began dodging the energy discs to the best of his ability. One managed to strike him on the left shoulder, separating the muscles of his arm with a deep gash. He grumbled in pain, but continued dodging the rest of them — the Kienzan slicing through the asteroid’s surface to be lost in space.

Cell staggered from the pain in his shoulder, but he wasn’t allowed time to recover. Son Gohan was already on the offensive, hands clasped to one side, ki charging within his palms.

“Me....”

The bio-android’s pupils shrunk to specks.

“Haaaaaa!”

The azure surf swallowed the perfect android from point blank range. His insectoid frame vanished within the light, while a thick smoke shrouded the surrounding area upon detonation.

Gohan was again breathless, and yet he could still feel the energy of his foe, though it was much weaker. The haze finally cleared, revealing Cell’s damaged form, trembling with rage. His right arm had been obliterated, along with most of his right leg. Son Gohan allowed a reassuring smile, knowing that Cell didn’t have an answer for his attack, which he’d pushed to the max. On the other hand, the bio-android had survived his full power, and without even defending. It didn’t bode well for the future of their fight, but he couldn’t help but feel a spark of Saiyan excitement at the challenge. His duty to protect others would always come first, but a strange sensation was slowly coming over him — the pride of fighting on the front lines like his father had, facing down enemies just as strong as himself, or even more.

Cell himself was experiencing the same thrill, though frustrated at having taken so much damage by being caught off guard. The battle strategy, however, was far more to his advantage than Gohan’s. Goku and Vegeta had been memorable opponents, but only the irate half-Saiyan teenager had delivered to him the fight he’d always longed for. Such excitement, such tension, it pushed him to his absolute best.

Grimacing, Cell regenerated the right half of his body, leg, and arm. This attack had not been enough to trigger a zenkai, proof positive that he was indeed superior to Gohan, if only by a little bit. But in his current state, he would undoubtedly lose to the other Gohan who remained at full strength. His priority was to finish this one and then move on to the next.

He delivered a sharp kick to Gohan’s face, who took it full force. Immediately, he connected with a barrage of strikes that the Saiyan could barely keep up with. Another banter began as they continued wailing on one another.

“You’re every bit as powerful as I’d hoped, Gohan! A respectable performance indeed! But I’m afraid you still fall short of perfection — and even the best fights must eventually come to an end!”

With a quick gesture, he bent his right arm and placed the hand near his left shoulder. An extremely concentrated energy began to build at his outstretched fingertips, and Gohan understood the danger immediately. Cell flung his arm ahead and fired the Makankosappo from extremely close range — a fair response after the Kamehameha he’d received moments ago.

Son Gohan reacted instantly, but was propelled back by the blast, his feet digging into the ground as he tried to brace. Noticing that his attack hadn’t managed to actually pierce his foe, Cell released the beam. Now several feet away, Gohan was panting and sweating, his left hand held out, now scarred, bloody, and trembling. He had managed to block the special beam, but at the sacrifice of his left arm. Cell grinned cruelly, viewing this as a signal of his victory.

“Quick thinking, boy,” he laughed. “Too bad you can’t regenerate! It’s over, Gohan — you can’t possibly fight me with just one hand!”

“Tell me, Cell...” Gohan replied, smiling back. “Back in your universe, all those years ago, did it come down to a final Kamehameha battle between the two of us in the end?”

“Indeed,” came the answer. “Ever defiant to the end, you made one hell of a last stand...though ultimately futile against...”

Cell’s words evaporated from his mind and his mouth, realizing what Gohan was insinuating. Before he could react, the Saiyan had dashed forward and delivered a powerful right punch to his chest.

“So you’d remember I’m right handed!” he said in a satisfied tone.

He followed up with a knee that rocked the android’s jaw and a hook that sent him waltzing even further. As he recovered, blood trailing from his lower lip, he saw the Saiyan pursue him once again, yelling and extending his left hand. Cell remained motionless, shocked by the stance. Surely it couldn’t be what it looked like.

“Impossible! He wouldn’t actually try to hit me with that injured hand? That’s madness!”

Preparing for a possible feint, Cell instead directed his full attention to blocking Gohan’s right fist. At the last second, the latter pulled back his fist and instead slammed his left elbow right into Cell. The bio-android truly hadn’t seen the attack coming, barely managing to keep his balance.

“Achk...” the perfect warrior coughed and spat. “Well played! It seems I’m still yet to break your fighting spirit,” he exclaimed, delighted as he resumed his fighting stance. “And so the fight continues!”

While her husband from an alternate universe continued facing down his sworn nemesis, Videl of the 18th was fleeing through the arena halls, pulling Bra by the arm. She knew Nappa was hot on their tail, and hoped to lose him amongst the maze of corridors and hallways. There were also the soldiers of Universe 8 to worry about, who were patrolling about or raiding the apartments. Stealthily, she managed to sneak her way to an exit that led to the exterior of the grandstands. No one was around.

“Let’s go, Bra!”

The frightened teenager nodded without a word and the two women quickly covered the ground to the exit, glancing back every so often to make sure they weren’t followed. Once finally outside, they stopped to catch their breath.

“It’s pretty isolated out here,” Videl finally said. “We might be better off in the arena, I can sense Piccolo’s energy there. With him, we’d be safe.”

“Wait, you want us to go back inside?” Bra gasped, frightened. “No way, it’s crawling with baddies!”

“We’ll get there,” Videl reassured her. “Gohan will fix everything! In the meantime we need to find Piccolo, he’ll only worry about us more if we aren’t with him.”

Bra tilted her head in uncertainty, hesitant to leave a place of safety, even to follow after Gohan’s wife — Videl had already begun flying up to the height of the grandstands. However, as Bra left the ground, a brutal hand grabbed her by the ankle and jerked her downwards.

“Aaah!” screamed the girl.

Nappa ripped her from the sky, spinning her body over and through the air, slamming her violently against the ground. Videl spun back around, panicked. Bra was lying face down, covered in blood, her energy having plummeted — but she was still alive, at least for the moment.

Nappa stared up at Videl sadistically. This ignorant human was pathetic, not once had she even considered that he was able to detect energy signatures, not to mention camouflage his own. It might be the most useful skill Kakarotto had taught them from all those years ago.

“I’ll be taking this one, hahaha!” he announced, licking his lips. “Just thinking about Vegeta’s face when I toss his daughter’s brutalized corpse at his feet gets me all riled up, hah! I’ll break her apart one vertebrae at a time, take my time and go slow too — when I’m done her body won’t even be recognizable! As for you, human, go ahead and flee — I’ve got no business with you.”

“You... heartless bastard!!” exclaimed Videl, rushing him.

She knew full well how ineffective her attacks would be. Despite being an expert in martial arts, no ordinary human could compare with an elite Saiyan. All the same, she refused to abandon Bra to this monster. Whatever the cost, she would protect Vegeta’s daughter, hoping with all her heart that someone would come to their aid in time.

Nappa sneered viciously, greeting Videl with a powerful elbow to her abdomen. Gohan’s wife coughed half a pint of blood, choking and gagging awfully as she gasped for each breath — the force of the blow had broken several of her bones, and it felt as if her insides had all been compressed into a tight ball. She felt her eyes glossing over and darkness creeping in the corners.

“Fine, we’ll do it your way!” he laughed. “Hah, actually I was gonna shoot you down from behind anyway...”

The last thing she saw was Nappa’s twisted grin as she collapsed, Bra’s immobile form just a few feet away. Tears streamed down her eyes as she slowly lost consciousness, but most of all was that single terrible feeling... helplessness.

At that same moment...

Cell and Gohan were reared back for yet another strike when Son’s mind was suddenly sent into a violent panic, overwhelmed by an unknown urgency. It was not unlike the sense of dread that had gripped Bulma years ago when Vegeta had sacrificed himself on the battlefield. His body began to tremble, his mind filled with terror centered around Videl and her well-being. Intrigued, Cell held back his attack — his sense of honor in battle somehow showing through even now. He was perplexed most of all as to what it was that had so affected Gohan.

“NOOO!” Gohan furiously screamed out, in a sudden wave of emotion.

Abandoning his fight with Cell immediately and instinctively, he fired up his aura at full strength and blasted outside the arena. His greatest fear of all had come true — having been focused entirely on his fight, his wife had been left undefended and had suffered at the hands of evil. Nothing else mattered in that moment, not Cell or anyone else! He wouldn’t let her die, he just wouldn’t... if that were to happen... he... he.

Cell, seeing his one true rival suddenly take flight, took off in pursuit, irritated. It mattered not what had distracted Gohan, only that their battle had not yet been decided. He fully believed himself to be the stronger of the two, but all the same he wanted to prove it by crushing the Super Saiyan.

“If you think I’ll just let you leave, you’re dead wrong, Gohan! Get back here!”

But Cell’s own perfect instincts were pricked at that very moment, causing him to tilt his head. He barely dodged a thin energy lazer from behind, spinning quickly to find Nedwook from Universe 19 hanging just overhead. The Heliote was quite enraged, having just executed a near-complete annihilation of all the Universe 8 soldiers — and as a result his energy reserves were running considerably low. But when he’d seen Gohan suddenly take off, he decided to step in — instructing Phipsil to take over against the remaining small-fry still hanging around. He was tired of facing nothing but pawns trying to slow him down.

“Leave that family guy alone and face me, monster! I’ll show you what it’s like to fight a true warrior!” he exclaimed.

Indeed, Nedwook saw the situation quite a bit more clearly than most. Gohan was a caring father whose family was in danger, he couldn’t be expected to carry the responsibility of fighting Cell amidst such a burden. But he himself was a soldier, not only professionally trained for such instances, but also experienced and hardened by disasters, wars, and death. He was prepared to face even a perfect bio-android, and if it would be his own demise then so be it.

In return for his boldness, Cell merely glared at him with contempt. Neither the fragile Ultra Armor, nor any among the Heloites held even the slightest interest to him — not when Gohan was still in play!

“A true warrior?” he boomed with a chuckle. “Don’t make me laugh... I slaughtered your entire planet, each fighter wearing that same ridiculous armor! You’re way out of your depth, little minnow!”

Extending his arm, Cell fired a powerful Kikoha haphazardly in his direction, then, while Nedwook adjusted himself to counter, teleported right behind him. The Heloite hadn’t even followed his movements... it was all too easy.

Just as he was about to backhand the nano-warrior, and cleanly sever his head, Nedwook spun and intercepted the attack with his left, while activating his shield in the other arm. With his right he deflected against the Kikoha’s explosion, and with his left he shook Cell’s preconceptions. Both of his arms trembled from the android’s raw power, but the monster had vastly underestimated him. Perhaps in Universe 17 his people had never been forced to develop their technology to such a degree, or known the horrors they had braved — first the Kolloks, then the Saiyans, then the Frost Demon armies... and on top of that, his own reflexes and reaction time were out of the ordinary. Even following Cell’s movements had not been difficult, though he assumed the insect had merely been toying with him so far. But such were the ultras: super-humans themselves, with the addition of nanotechnology. He would soon demonstrate.

Cell had been caught with his guard down, quite shocked at the failure of his maneuver, and took a strong kick from Nedwook as a result. As he recovered, the Heloite addressed his obvious surprise.

“I doubt the warriors in your universe were anything like they are in mine. But you’ll see the difference in technology firsthand! Ultra Waver Ball!”

From the Heloite’s outstretched arm came a very powerful energy ball, one which Cell yet again was unprepared for. He was infuriated at having been taken aback by this vermin, failing to anticipate once again. With such close proximity, he was barely able to block against the impressive explosion that ensued.

Mere moments ago, in the Universe 3 area, a furious fight had been taking place. Piccolo Daimao and North Kaioshin had been at it for a while, neither managing to gain the upper hand in the battle so far.

The Kai was trying to catch his breath, stunned at the demon’s strength. Having been weakened by Dabra, it was all he could do to keep up with the resourceful and evil Namekian — who seemed to be handling the fight without quite so much difficulty. Needless to say, the Kaioshin wasn’t sure he would be able to win this fight.

That wasn’t to say that Piccolo Daimao wasn’t panting just as hard as his opponent. The damn god was resilient, not only refusing to give in but also managing to give as good as he got. He felt the advantage still, but knew his victory was not a sure thing. At least he was up against an opponent in the same tier as himself, unlike when he had faced Gast...

Maintaining a defensive stance, Daimao’s eyes widened in curiosity at a sad spectacle unfolding before him. The Kaioshin’s lips were pursed and he was desperately trying to blow air through them, but all that was heard was a slight “Fuuu, fuuu...”

“What do you think you’re doing?” King Piccolo asked, sketching a mocking grin. “Don’t tell me... you don’t know how to whistle! Ha ha haaa, that’s hilarious!”

“I... fuuu...” the North Kai stammered.

Piccolo stretched out both arms and flared his aura, fingers bent toward the palms of his hands. Two electric energy balls formed at the center.

“Don’t worry, where you’re going you’ll have an eternity to practice!” he exclaimed, sneering. “And now, embrace the eternal torment that I, the King of Demons, will bring to bear upon you!!”

But at that very moment, a massive explosion sounded above their heads — the intensity of the shockwave was such that the Namek’s attack destabilized and disappeared. Both gazed at the sky, the light dissipating to reveal Cell emerging from the smoke. Half of his body had been obliterated, and the perfect being was cursing and swearing loudly.

Higher above, Nedwook stared at Cell with unease, analyzing the situation with his nano-tech. He knew his best chance was to finish things right away, while the bio-android was weakened and still angry. A female voice in his visor relayed the results of the scan to him.

“In range: One ally, two enemies. Energy reserves: sufficient.”

“Too bad for the ally, I’m going for it!” he said.

He had noticed North Kaioshin below, and hoped the deity would find a way to dodge the attack. If not, he hoped he’d be forgiven once the god was resurrected later on.

Employing nearly all the energy he had left, Nedwook fired a thin laser beam that sliced through everything — drawing from the tip of his index finger, he traced a zig zag pattern at Cell. The bio-android had not yet regenerated, and thus couldn’t hope to evade the cutting blade. His limbs, chest, neck, even his head, were all severed into small pieces.

Further down, the thin beam continued its path towards the Universe 3 patio. As Daimao and Kaioshin were much further away, the zig zag’s path was larger with more gaps, and easier to evade. The North Kai, unwilling to die, teleported safely away, sketching a petty grin as he vanished.

“Tsh!” Daimao groaned. “Dodging this is nothing! Just wait, I’ll take care of you shortly!”

However, as he was about to escape the path of the beam, a high-pitched screech slammed hard into his eardrums and nailed him to the ground. He spun in all directions, frantically searching for the source, to find a Varga up in the stands whistling with all her might. The bird had completely immobilized King Piccolo, and collapsed exhausted a second later.

“Nooooooo!” Daimao exclaimed, just as the energy lazer cleaved his body in two, from his pelvis up through his cranium.

North Kai reappeared near his corpse, verifying his death quickly. Reassured, he flew away to join his comrades in the battle against Cold.

Above, Nedwook was slowly descending to the battlefield, his armor reporting the results of the attack.

“Two targets struck, both kills confirmed. Energy reserves: very low.”

That should have brought the nano-warrior relief, but something was wrong. It was a result other than the one he’d hoped to have after the attack.

Phipsil joined him, wearing a smile. She’d done her job of finishing off the Universe 8 troops in the stadium and had come to offer her companion reinforcements. Having witnessed his efforts from below, she was delighted to see him eliminate several very dangerous enemies at once.

“Hey! You didn’t need me after all!” she said, bumping her fist against his shoulder.

But Nedwook remained silent, his eyes fixed on the heap of smoke in the Universe 3 area. Noting his annoyed look, the girl questioned her former statement and turned her attention downwards as well.

“He’s still alive. And he’s hardly lost any energy...” the Heloite said bitterly.

“Huh?” Phipsil replied, frightened.

Both sets of eyes were riveted on the debris cloud, seeing a powerful electric aura cast a shadow from within. Cell, the perfect android from Universe 17, had regenerated himself, now covered in the liquid typical of said process. Phipsil’s face was heavy with fear, while Nedwook gritted his teeth in frustration. The most dangerous of all the Majin forces was back and as threatening as ever.

Cell glared back at them, wearing a mischievous grin all the while. In truth, this was the outcome he had planned all along. While he had gained some minimal zenkai during his fight with the giant demon Hildegan, this time he had truly felt an exponential increase. It was easily enough power to defeat the weakened Gohan, and the second one would certainly prove easier prey this time. Perhaps he could even fight them both at once!

He sneered with cruelty and shouted at the trembling Heloites.

“All credit where it’s due, you’ve proven invaluable in helping to increase my raw power! But now, I’m afraid your usefulness has run out... I’m the strongest, I am Perfect Cell, ha ha ha ha ha!”