PART THIRTY TWO: RAGING DOKKAN

Chapter 156

Translated by npberryhill, Edited by Guilarai

During the six seconds that passed while Son Bra and Gohan disappeared, Cell, who had just come back to his senses, wasted no time in acting. This was the perfect opportunity. He had taken quite the beating and fully realized that they wouldn’t be able to defeat Bra with conventional means. If he wanted to survive this chaos, he had to eliminate her so-called master now.

With all his power, Cell rushed at Babidi, drawing the maximum force he could into his fist. Seeing his approach, Babidi panicked, extending his arms and begging for his life.

“No, stop! Obey me, obey me, obey—”

Just as he would’ve shattered the wizard's energy shield, destroying both it and the caster, he was stopped at the last instant by a hard punch to the face and a quick kick from Son Bra. Having abandoned Gohan in space, she had returned her attention to the arena and sensed Cell’s advances just in time.

“In your dreams!” she laughed. “Pssh, crazy how I can’t leave for two seconds without you trying something! I only have you and my brothers to watch anyway, you’re the only ones who could break through the barrier. So I’m not letting you out of my sight for a moment!”

“You bitch!” Cell exclaimed, recovering and launching an attack at her.

Just as she’d done with her sibling from Universe 16, Son Bra casually blocked Cell’s blows with only one hand. However, as the bio-android kept pressing, he managed to slip a few blows past her guard and sock her directly in the face. Unsettled, she staggered back slightly, with Cell pushing his advantage and pummeling her. Merely annoyed, Son Bra quickly pulled herself together and leapt back into the fight, kicking Cell hard in the chin and sending blood flying from his mouth. The Saiyan smirked, launching herself into a full-on assault with the perfect being.

“I’ve gotta hand it to you, Cell, you might be the toughest one yet!” she admitted. “Not even Gohan had enough power to make me fight with both hands! You win, I think I’ll make crushing you a recurring event!”

While the two fighters continued their engagement, the two Piccolos reflected telepathically with one another, still speaking in Namekian so that their thoughts were kept secret.

“Cell’s actually standing up to Bra... for now!”

“Yes. We should take this opportunity to heal Gohan! But I can’t feel the energy signal of mine, he disappeared...”

“I’m going for the other one then. There’s no time to waste.”

At that moment, the remaining Son Gohan suddenly appeared between the two Piccolos, who were both stunned. Their shock was even greater when they noticed a miniature Cell Junior emerge from the Saiyan’s hair. Cheerfully, the tiny offspring of Cell addressed them.

“I heard everything and I’m with you guys! I’ll be your teleporter!”

“When did Cell create this one?” Piccolo of the 18th wondered.

“It doesn’t matter, we need to take advantage of his help,” replied his double, taking a senzu out of his bag. “Does the other Gohan have a Junior too?”

“Yes!” the micro-Cell Jr answered. “He should reappear soon!”

At that same moment...

The Saiyan Son Gohan had been teleported without warning into the vacuum of space, and he was desperately searching for the location of the arena. By his logic, Bra probably wouldn’t have had time to teleport him very far in the heat of the moment. His only shot to survive was finding the right direction and flying back as fast as he possibly could. If he didn’t act quickly enough, he would suffocate in the void. What a shame he couldn’t teleport!

But as he hurriedly made a plan in his mind, a small high-pitched voice spoke into his head.

‘Don’t worry!’

He felt something small moving in his hair, and to his amazement out popped a tiny Cell Junior.

With a big grin on his face, Cell’s offspring continued speaking into his thoughts.

‘I’m here to help! Dad got the idea for us when he saw the big Buu do it! I can use instant transmission by focusing on the right energy, so... get ready to attack with your strongest punch!’

The initial shock having passed, Son Gohan was able to refocus from survival to clenching his fist as instructed and readying himself to swing with as much force as possible.

‘I’m ready, let’s go, you know what you have to do!’ he announced telepathically.

Cell had really outdone himself with such a strategy. Even though Gohan hated him, he had to admit he was impressed by the perfect being’s intelligence and strategy. He wasn’t sure if Cell had broken free from Babidi’s spell or if he was merely playing along from the beginning, but he was glad to have him on their side. While Cell held off Son Bra, he would be able to put an end to all of this by pulverizing Babidi.

As they continued fighting fiercely, Son Bra was gaining more and more ground on Cell, whose face had begun to grimace with each painful exchange. Still, he was giving Vegetto’s daughter a hard time with his atypical moves — the girl was just far faster than he was. In some corner of his mind, he was starting to be reminded of that same feeling of helplessness he’d experienced when Son Gohan had first surpassed him with Super Saiyan 2. That crackling electric aura and the spiky hair that accompanied it were like a nightmare even today.

Son Bra backhanded him at full speed, sending him several meters away. The perfect being landed with one hand on the ground, pushing off and managing to land a powerful kick into the cheek of his attacker. She staggered back, losing her balance briefly, but grabbed hold of Cell’s leg. She twirled him around, making him nauseous, and released him flying up above — where she quickly teleported and hit him hard back towards the ground.

Cell managed to right himself quickly, relaunching his attack, but Bra dodged the attempt with ease.

“Your attacks are getting slower and slower! Is this really all you’ve got to offer?”

‘Shit!’ Cell swore inwardly. ‘What are those morons doing? Hurry up and figure out a solution!’

He glanced in the direction of the two Piccolos, but the movement of his eyes didn’t go unnoticed by Son Bra. She noticed the Namekians, near her brother, giving him a Senzu bean. She also took note of the mini-Cell, her opponent’s devious offspring. That little bit of information could prove invaluable in trying to avoid unpleasant surprises.

“Cute, using Junior as support!’ she taunted. “As if that would save you—”

Bra gagged, her words choking away into agony. Within the blink of an eye, she’d been brought to her knees by the fist of Son Gohan from Universe 18 — with a little help from the mini-cell junior’s teleportation. Bra collapsed, eyes watering as she gasped.

“Shoot!” Gohan shouted. “Darn, Babidi was supposed to be the target!” His frustration with the teleporting miniature was evident, if only the tiny-Cell had directed his attack elsewhere this would all be over.

“Uh....Oooh! Very clever!” exclaimed the Cell Junior, who had just realized the missed opportunity.

“Oh they’ve got to be kidding me!” Cell growled as he took off into the air.

He didn’t have time to take out Babidi, Son Bra would probably cut him off if he were to speed-blitz the wizard. It was between attempting that and trying to take advantage of this opening and kill Bra, a choice that he made quickly. Cell formed two Kienzan above his white palms, then sent them flying off at full speed in her direction.

A surging wave immediately greeted him, shattering the energy discs and striking his shoulder squarely. Cell’s entire arm as well as a portion on the right side of his torso were completely disintegrated by the blast. The bio-android yelled out loud from the pain as he landed next to Son Gohan. He quickly began to regenerate, while Bra also sat back up.

“You’re seriously starting to get on my last nerve now!” the girls' furious tones echoed. “I’ve had enough of this. I’m going to put you through hell!”

“HELP!”

A high pitched scream yelled out, the voice of her possessor. Not far away, Babidi’s magical barrier was under assault by none other than the Heloites!

And to make matters more complicated, Cell and Son Gohan had decided to rush straight at her. Bra had no choice but to retreat by teleportation, reaching the wizard just in the nick of time. She yanked him up by the back of his collar, out of his protective shield, saving him from being sliced to ribbons by the technological rays of the Universe 19 warriors.

Landing on the ground nearby, she sat her master down behind her.

“How?” the girl asked, tense. “Didn’t Cell kill them...?”

A satisfying chuckle came from the perfect android’s smirking mouth.

A few moments prior...

Phipsil of Universe 19, exhausted and defeated, was being restrained by Cell’s left arm. Nearby, Nedwook was barely retaining consciousness, and hanging from his other arm. The bio-android’s tail had extended and pierced the young woman in the side of her neck, where he seemed to be torturing her.

In reality, Cell’s goals were of an ulterior nature.

Within Phipsil’s mind, he had begun to speak almost telepathically.

‘By linking our minds in this way, we can speak freely without worry of being overheard. It’s more practical than telepathy, though perhaps a bit painful for you. Simply answer me with your thoughts, I’ll understand. Now, you do have nano-machines inside your bodies healing you as we speak, correct? Once I let you go, will you be able to continue fighting?’

‘Wha...what?’

‘Don’t worry about why, just answer the question.’

‘Well, it would take a few minutes. What for? Our energy reserves are empty anyway.’

‘Can you recharge them?’

‘No. But we could borrow from one of the other fallen Ultras.’

‘I see. Go then, and be discreet. I need your help fighting Babidi and the rest of his pawns.’

‘But...? Why are you doing this?’

‘Ah, well during the battle I managed to free myself from Babidi’s control. Officially, I’m still playing along, maintaining the element of surprise. But I’m actually on your side!’

‘Well jeez, you didn’t have to go so hard against us... but, I understand. Drop us at our balcony.’

‘Done,’ Cell replied with a sneer, releasing their allegedly lifeless bodies onto the ruined patio of Universe 19.

As the fighting continued, Philpsil’s movements went unnoticed. The fighters were all extremely focused on their adversaries, with nothing to suspect anyway. She had crawled to Naurb, who had betrayed them for a reason she didn't dare to remember. If he no longer had control of his own actions, it was best to relieve him of the source of his energy.

Removing the power-source from an unconscious soldier was tricky; only a fellow Ultra or a Heliote technician with top level clearance could do it. Phipsil acted to save herself first, exchanging with the power in her own armor, aware she wouldn’t survive much longer without it. With that accomplished, she laid still for a few moments.

Upon feeling slightly better — around the time Son Bra first emerged from her den — Phipsil crawled back to Loopwhirl. Her cheerful companion was lying on his back, eyes still open in a terrible grimace. She tried to concentrate on her mission, to remind herself that in this world there was a way to be resurrected. But it was hard to believe, even having seen him arrive back between two rounds of the tournament.

A small cut was visible in his armor, the marking of an all-too familiar technique aimed at the heart. The “heart stroke”, as they called it, was Ultra’s most effective execution technique. They’d honed and practiced their skill at slicing the heart in two, using just the smallest movement and firing a laser at the primordial organ. Death was instant. Their nano-machines could pull off some miraculous feats, but not save a heart. That Kakarotto of Universe 13 had somehow survived was very suspicious.

Unfortunately for them, Naurb was a master of the technique. He’d killed two Ultras simultaneously, one with each arm. Fortunately, there were four of them in total, and Phipsil and Nedwook had been lucky he hadn’t aimed at them — giving them the instant to react. Two strokes to the heart of their traitorous comrade in arms had ended him.

As she crawled towards Ned, armed with a replacement power supply, her mind played over the horrors of the situation. She suddenly froze, her blood running cold as she spotted someone flying a dozen or so yards away. Several long seconds later, she resumed her approach and reached the only other surviving Ultra. Once the power transfer was made, she stayed on the ground and waited; it would take a few minutes for both of their larger wounds to be properly cauterized.

Those few minutes of rest were tough, partially from the pain but also from the apprehension that they might take collateral damage at any time.

Around the same time, a third miniature cell-junior had landed beside Majin Buu, still out cold. The tiny creature began shouting in his ear.

“Hey, wake up! Majin Buu, we need your help! We have to kill Son Bra, maybe you could eat her!”

“Grrhuugh...Huh?” Buu awakened, startled awake and straightening up. “Isn’t she with us?”

“No, she’s holding Master Babidi hostage! Help us, quick!”

“OK!” Buu exclaimed, leaping to his feet as if nothing had happened, a childish joy taking over.

For their part, both Piccolos and Gohan were once again ready for battle. The half-Saiyan had difficulty swallowing the Senzu because of his terrible condition. But he was now fully restored and in possession of all his abilities.

All of them stood together a respectable distance away from Son Bra. Seeing Majin Buu, the Heloites, and the tiny Juniors, the Majinized Saiyan tensed up.

“That bastard... Cell’s been making allies from the beginning!”

Her right eye was partially covered by a trickle of crimson blood, coloring her vision as all the fighters moved into position against her.

“She can’t stop all of us!” Cell boasted, proud of how things had come together. “It’s all over for that louse Babidi!”

Buu of Universe 4 was thrilled. The final fight was about to begin.

On one hand was Cell, who had managed to unite a league of powerful fighters in spite of the chaotic free-for-all: two Gohans, two Piccolos, two Heloites, Majin Buu, and three micro-Cell Juniors. Together, the team had the potential to overcome Babidi. It was perfect for eliminating the wizard, but each member was uncertain they’d even be able to get past the Super Saiyan defending him.

On the other hand, Son Bra was an extraordinary opponent. Although superficially wounded, she maintained a huge advantage in power over all her enemies. With superior speed, she could blitz any of them and knock them down, even Son Gohan. Her power in Super Saiyan 2 was just too overwhelming, and for her, ...too exhilarating.

Being mentally enslaved, majinized, only further exacerbated her instability. The destructive madness on display was evidence of just how badly she had wanted to be able to control this power. So many disasters had been directly triggered by her Super Saiyan 2 that she absolutely dreaded using it. The memories of the damage she had caused, the consequences of her actions, while accidental, had tormented her with regret since she first achieved the ascended state.

Yet the moment Babidi had broken through her mental resistance, he had wiped away her moral restraints and amplified her negative emotions a hundred times over. As a result, Son Bra had been plunged into a state of such ecstasy that she would do anything her master ordered. For her, it was a feeling of total freedom and control. She had shaken off the chains of her childhood. Bra had been on cloud nine, letting herself be carried away by the exhilarating currents surging within her. They were embodied by the electric waves that crackled in the aura of a Super Saiyan 2, which was finally hers. She loathed the memory of it being stolen from her briefly by some body-snatching parasite and used with sickening ease against Vegetto on some asteroid. This was her power now, not that of the girl her father and others had tried so hard to repress. No, she wouldn’t let anyone dictate her behavior ever again.

Buu had actually enjoyed looking into the psychology of the young Saiyan. She had been so caught up in her confrontation that her mind was like an open book for the Djinn. It wasn’t the first time he had toyed with the consciousness of sentient beings. On occasion, he had caused planetary wars by manipulating peaceful leaders for his amusement. Most creatures were like puppets to him, their fears and desires so easily directed. In fact, his own magic was very similar to Babidi’s sorcery, though he was loath to admit it. He enjoyed the wizarding arts in which his former master so excelled. He himself used a different technique to corrupt the weak-minded, but majinization was effective.

And the story of Son Bra was a thrilling read; she was completely submissive to Babidi, incapable of even the slightest resistance. She had been intoxicated, swept away by her current state. She was, in fact, more Saiyan than ever, traditionally speaking. Although corrupting her had been a complicated process, Babidi had been helped along by the cries of Hatchiyack and the emotional shock of Ginyu’s possession — both of which weakened her and made her more susceptible.

Now Buu hoped to learn two specific things in particular: would Bra be able to kill her opponents in cold blood? Her own brother, who had loved her and been present in her life and heart, could she actually slaughter him without hesitating?

And above all, the pressing question: which side would come out victorious in the end, which for the moment seemed to lean towards Babidi and his obedient playdoll?

The Saiyan was sweating now. Things weren’t going as planned. She knew she was much stronger than these worms, but she had taken some damage. All it would take to bring down her master now was a well coordinated group effort. She could dominate them, even all at once, without difficulty, but Babidi would prove to be a liability and an immense burden to protect. She couldn’t afford to have to worry about him.

In an instant, she felt her enemies making their move. Cell was about to raise his arm and use instant transmission. The Gohans’ muscles had begun to strain, readying to charge straight at her. The Heloite lasers would be directed at her very soon. She had no choice but to act now.

Employing her superior speed, she instantly created a large shield around herself and Babidi... and was suddenly gone. They evaporated, leaving only a large semi-spherical hole in the ground. Cell’s team was unsettled by the maneuver.

“They escaped!” Nedwook exclaimed.

“Grr. Son Bra knew she wouldn’t be able to protect Babidi against all of us working together,” Piccolo grumbled, clenching his fists. “She’ll be back soon, but without him.”

“Then let’s use this time to set up a plan!” cried Phipsil. “What team strategies do you know?”

Everyone else in the group began to look around uncomfortably. Neither Gohan, Cell, or Piccolo were able to answer the question. For the Saiyan, the only teaming up he’d ever done was against Freeza back on Namek, fighting alongside Kulilin and Vegeta. And the term ‘survival’ was actually more accurate. Against Nappa it had been even worse. Piccolo still had a burning memory of it. As for Cell...

“Well, usually we just improvise in the moment...” Son Gohan of Universe 18 replied, flushed.

“We’re often overwhelmed and struggle like hell until we figure out a solution,” Piccolo added, looking away.

“I’m sorry?” Phipsil said.

“How did your universes survive this long?” Nedwook continued, equally shocked.

“In their defense, most of the time there’s only one fighter up to the task,” Cell sighed. “Or, they become ready right at the last second...”

The two Piccolos glared at him, as well as Gohan of the 16th. They hadn’t forgotten how he’d murdered both Videls, and cut the Namekians into pieces. His sarcastic comment only fueled their anger, in spite of Cell swapping sides against Babidi. But they needed his help for the time being against Bra, they had no other choice.

“In case you’ve forgotten, Cell, you’re the one who got a big power boost after you self-destructed,” Gohan of Universe 18 pointed out.

“Tsss,” Cell hissed through his teeth.

There was a short but icy silence, before Majin Buu turned to ask his micro-Cell a question.

“Who do I have to fight again?”

“You saw her! It’s that wicked Son Bra who kidnapped Master Babidi, you have to beat her so we can save him.”

“Okay!” rejoiced Majin Buu.

“Well alright,” Nedwook said, scratching his head. “I’ll take command, let’s get organized...”

“No,” Cell interrupted without a pause.

“But... We need a plan! I’m not boasting there, I’m a battle tactician back home and...”

“I don’t think that’ll be helpful,” Gohan of Universe 16 said. “It pains me to say it but, Cell is right. We aren’t used to receiving orders on the battlefield. We would be slow to react and execute any kind of complicated maneuvers. So, I think all we can really do is to hold out and try to snap Son Bra back to her senses. Look for even the slightest opening and rush in.

“That’s... so stupid!” Phipsil said.

“We don’t have time for this,” replied one of the Piccolos. “She’ll be on us in a few seconds. If we do end up deciding on a strategy, I will communicate with you all telepathically, hopefully she won’t be able to pick up on it.

“Okay. I do have a question though: this Babidi, he’s the one behind all this, and our goal from the start was to take him out. But... will killing him be enough to free your friend?”

“Well, to tell the truth, I don’t know, nothing is certain...” Gohan replied, looking sullen.

Son Gohan from the 16th trembled at the thought that Son Bra couldn’t free her mind from the magical subjugation. He had no doubt that the possession had been involuntary. Having known her since she was born, there was no chance she would kneel before such a vermin willingly. She may have been a hothead, and oblivious to the concept of compassion, but not this. No doubt she had her own darknesses to face, which they had worked on as best as they could, but his younger half-sister had always risen to the occasion. He knew they’d asked a lot of her, and Son Goten had eventually forgiven her for accidentally killing him in her madness, years ago. She had been harshly reprimanded by Vegetto, and over time began to learn and develop her empathy for others — all thanks to the efforts of Gohan, Trunks, Pan, Chichi, and Bulma. But he feared that all of this was now in vain, Babidi’s dark magic might make it impossible for her to free her mind. Did the real Son Bra even still exist?

Meanwhile, in space, Son Bra reappeared with Babidi — the wizard protected by an energy shield which had even enveloped a small chunk of the arena below his feet. The Saiyan took a few seconds to recover from the blow Son Gohan had landed. Her brother’s duplicate hadn’t been quite strong enough to knock her out, but he was a mighty warrior nonetheless. A warrior she had admired since childhood...

Huh?

“Go... Gohan?” she whispered, shocked.

The pride and admiration she had known for her big brother suddenly swelled to the surface. It was he who had always tried his best to help her, to work on controlling her impulses and managing the gigantic power within her. Pan had spent many days with her as well, and she considered the girl a little sister. And her dad, despite his flaws, was someone Bra both admired and feared equally...

She turned to Babidi, realizing how fragile he was with his high-pitched voice. Babidi stared at her, his facial expression suddenly one of horror as Son Bra’s gaze had begun to change.

“What... what the hell am I doing?”

Suddenly, her mind was flooded with a new surge of darkness, again clouding her reason.

“NO NO!” Babidi yelled hurriedly into her mind. “Stay with your beloved master! Don’t forget, I was the one that freed you of all doubts... those horrible memories of yours will carry you away, you can’t give into their impulses! Remember what it was holding you back, your regrets and that wretched morality, shackling your true power!”

Son Bra’s gaze hardened again, this time seemingly more formidable and cruel than ever. She quickly looked around before speaking to Babidi.

“I’m the only one that knows where you are, master. You should have about ten minutes of air to breathe. That’s more than enough time for me to crush them, then I’ll be back to get you.”

“Wait! Don’t—”

Son Bra wasted no time, placing two fingers onto her forehead and teleporting back to the arena. She didn’t know why she had taken so long in space, it was as though there was a gap in her memory from the past few seconds. Her opponents were waiting patiently, and had been gifted an extra thirty second respite by her delay. She hoped for her opponents' sake that they had used the time to prepare their last stand as well as possible, because this was the end. No more hesitation, she was going to shred them to atoms!