87 Chapter 87: Spirit

Gohan let out a big mouthful of blood as Cell's arm went through his stomach, for the first time he had suffered such a serious injury.

"Kaio-ken is a great technique, but I didn't need it to overcome your powers" Cell stated smiling and Gohan looked at him in shock at that.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Gohan asked him.

"I was only assessing your power level, or did you think I was fighting with everything?"

"I have to say that even though you are the most powerful Super Saiyan, you are not up to me, and I'm still imperfect" Cell replied, withdrawing his arm.

Gohan gasped as Cell's arm stopped going through him. "In this instant I will absorb the androids, you will contemplate my perfection!"

"Nobody in the universe is capable of defeating me, I have the cells of the strongest warriors in this world" Cell proclaimed arrogantly.

"Don't t-t trust, my spirit is still alive and therefore you haven't defeated me" Gohan declared spitting blood and Cell frowned.

The spawn kicked his chin and Gohan was knocked unconscious. His body began to fall before landing in a river and sinking deep.

18 saw this quite horrified and looked at 16, who had a complicated expression on his face. "We're leaving" the severe android spoke.

The girl nodded at this, and just as they prepared to fly at full speed, Cell caught up with both of them in less than a breath.

"You must be another android, right? It doesn't matter, you're not a worthy opponent" Cell commented analyzing 16 standing in front of 18.

16 crouched down and left the injured 17 in the arms of her twin. He had to stop Cell from absorbing them, or else all would be lost.

"I see, it seems you want to be destroyed" Cell commented and wasting no time 16 flew towards him, but Cell stopped the attack, "Is that all?"

16 frowned and immediately removed her wrist as if it were a piece. Cell looked at him in surprise. And then he had a seizure.

Small energy shots began to rain down on him, filling the area with smoke. 18 left that place coughing from the dust.

"I hope I beat him" the girl begged in a pleading tone and waited for the smoke from the explosion to clear. "I-it can't be, th-this is the end"

Cell was holding 16's neck with great force. "You are more powerful than both of them, but you are still trash compared to my power"

16 tried to free herself but it was impossible, Cell's power was beyond his understanding.

"Last words?" Cell asked.

"There h-here he comes" the android murmured.

"What are you saying?" Cell asked without understanding him and 16 closed his eyes outlining a smile. Suddenly Cell felt a tremendous Ki that left him alarmed.

Before he could react, a giant arm caught him, while another arm left 16 near a forest, in a safe place.

"Wh-what the hell?" Cell blanched upon seeing what appeared to be a gigantic version of Gohan made of golden light, "N-no! It's impossible!"

Son Gohan himself was inside the giant, he had used the gigantification technique that he learned on the planet Yadrat long ago.

"Are you immortal or what?!" Cell demanded in exasperation trying to get free but Gohan tightened his hold using his other arm.

18 stared at this speechlessly. She had never before seen anything so incredible. She was further surprised when the giant raised both arms.

"Screw you!" Cell yelled quite indignantly when suddenly Gohan threw him hard in the direction of outer space inevitably.

Without further ado, the golden giant fragmented into a thousand pieces. Gohan fell helplessly from the sky, but 18 caught him before he hit the ground.

"W-what a nice surprise" the boy smiled.

"Don't be mistaken dwarf, I still don't like you... but I owe you one" commented 18 without looking directly at his face. Gohan closed his eyes.

They landed in the place where 16 was recovered, and Android 17 also more conscious. "W-what a good couple you make"

18 grimaced at that and released Gohan's body, leaving him on the grass. "You're an idiot, better to have been unconscious"

17 smiled, and saw how Gohan reached inside his gi and took out a Senzu bean, which he soon ate and swallowed.

"Great, I'm as good as new" Gohan pointed out brushing the dust from his clothes and 18 looked at this in a daze, "Here, it will do you good to eat one"

17 grabbed the seed and looked at it with little curiosity. He didn't think twice and swallowed it. Right away he felt totally fine.

"We have to go now, the only thing I did was buy time to avoid Cell absorbing them" Gohan said more serious than before, "Is something wrong?"

"Where are we going to go? It's impossible to beat him, you couldn't defeat him" 18 scolded, feeling a bit no, quite confused by everything in general.

"And yes, Cell vastly surpassed my power but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up, that's not what my father taught me" Gohan said. 18 rolled her eyes.

"Do you know that your father was the first to be defeated by Cell?" asked the blonde girl.

"Yes, and that's why I can't give up, I carry his honor as a warrior" Gohan answered, "Come on, we'll find the solution, but we have to go"

18 looked at him doubtfully, but she knew that she wouldn't be safer anywhere in the universe if she wasn't by Gohan's side, "Ok, where shall we go?"

"Capsule Corp, that's where the people are" Gohan said and placed two fingers on his forehead, "Put your hands on my shoulder, I'll teleport away."

They did not take long to obey and left there.

______________

Goku was pacing around the garden worriedly waiting for some news from his son. He stopped feeling his Ki a few minutes ago.

"If Gohan couldn't beat that monster... it's the end" Yamcha lowered his head because his only hope was that. "Damn, I'm so young"

"Don't say that Yamcha, it's impossible for Gohan to lose" Krillin pointed out clenching his fists, "I'm sure he'll be back any minute"

But unexpectedly a being appeared in the middle of the garden. Vegeta looked up and saw an orange gi that looked quite familiar to him.

"Gohan it's you, I knew it!" Krillin tried to run towards the boy but suddenly he saw the androids behind him and so he immediately backed off.

"Hey guys, yeah it's been a while!" Gohan raised his hand in greeting, and his father Son Goku was the first to approach.

Gohan hugged him tightly, because he had missed him a lot, and Goku caressed his hair smiling, full of pride towards him.

"I'm very happy to know that you're okay, but we need to know what happened, and what are they doing here" the Saiyan inquired quite seriously.

Gohan nodded and began to tell him what he knew about Cell, his plans and that he absorbed Piccolo as well. The latter was quite unexpected.

"Damn Cell, he dared to do something like that" Yamcha clenched his fists helplessly.

"So they stole our cells. Tsk, that explains why Cell knows how to do all our techniques" Raditz spoke with a frown.

"That insect... no one dares make fun of me like that!" Vegeta pointed out quite angrily. Since he was knocked out with an only attack.

Goku put his hand to his chin and looked at Gohan, who seemed rather silent despite everything. "What do you think? Do we have options?"

"I thought we had similar levels, but really his power is greater than mine. Absorbing Piccolo gave him an inordinate plus"

"And besides, he has our techniques, he even did the Kaio-ken. And I don't doubt that he knows how to do the Spirit Bomb, that's a terrible disadvantage"

"So in order to beat Cell we must not only overcome his power, but counter his abilities as well" Gohan replied.

Perhaps it was the most difficult fight of his life. Cell had so many techniques that he could use anyone, being unpredictable was the most relevant advantage of him.

And that's why he lost, not only because he was inferior in power but because he didn't know how to attack and how to defend himself against what the enemy was doing.

"And according to you, how can we do that?" 18 intervened in the chat with his arms crossed.

"Good thing I asked Dende before I left, we'll have to train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber!" Gohan replied with a smile.