Hey there people!

This is actually the first fanfiction I wrote while I was still in high school. I don't have time to finish my other fanfic at the moment, so I decided to post this as a consolation. Over the next few days I will post the entire story, I am just still in the process of tweaking it a bit. But I hope you'll enjoy it! :D

*Happy reading!

Chapter 1: The Fight is Over

It was supposed to be a beautiful day.

The sun was shining and there was not a single cloud in the sky. A cool summer breeze provided the necessary chill to lower the already warm temperature. If it were a normal day you would have probably caught my dad and I at the lake near our house, fishing and having a good time in the water. If it were any other day than today, we all would have been at our houses having fun instead of standing under the scorching sun at the desert's mercy. But it wasn't a normal day today. Today wasn't a day for fun.

Today was the day of the Cell Games.

I stared up at my father and Cell's fight with puzzlement. They were moving quickly from one point to the other, but always stayed in the sky. Small shockwaves occasionally decorated the skies as their fists or feet collided, but something about the fight didn't make sense to me.

Both of them already powered up to their maximum, or at least that is what they made us think. They were equals. With power-levels anyway. It was hard to tell who was stronger because the intensity of their energies were exactly the same. But that was not the part which puzzled me. I was suspecting that my father was holding back some of his power.

Don't get me wrong, their fight was indeed ferocious, but the power displayed by my father, compared to the power I felt inside of me, was considerably less. My dad is much stronger than me, it has and will always be the case, so it was easy for me to figure out that he wasn't giving everything he had in this battle. I couldn't think of a logical reason why he would toy with Cell rather than just finishing him off. Quickly. This fight of theirs have been prolonged to more than an hour already and I was already starting to get impatient.

"Come on Dad, you can do it!" I urged to the skies, trying to aim my words in his specific ever-changing direction. "I know you can!" We trained hard for this in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. He just had to take Cell down.

The confusion of why Dad would hold back his power started to take over my mind, and I decided to ask a fellow warrior their opinion to why that might think the reason could be. Piccolo had a mind for strategy, so he must have an idea what Dad could possibly have up his sleeve. Luckily he was standing next to me.

"Piccolo, why do you think my dad is holding back?" I asked my mentor without breaking eye-contact with the colliding bodies of Dad and Cell.

"What do you mean, Gohan?" I could detect a frown in Piccolo's voice. "Your dad is stronger than ever, stronger than any of us up here. Why would you think that he's holding back?"

I bit my lip. A stronger sensation of confusion settling in my mind. Piccolo didn't think my dad was holding back his power, to him it seemed that he was at his maximum potential. Why was this ordeal only apparent to me?

"Was he stronger in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber than he is now?" Piccolo questioned further when I didn't offer him a reply.

I thought back to the training and shook my head. "Not really." I concentrated on his energy again, and it was still lower than mine. "I must be imagining things." I finally stated, feeling Piccolo's penetrative stare touch my skin. I am not stronger than Dad. That is absurd. The sun must be getting to me. I shook my head, trying to shake my brain back into its original orbit. I focused on his energy again, and mine was still higher compared to it.

My focus was snapped back to the fight as an explosion made the area shake. I blinked quickly, only seeing Cell with both his arms outstretched and panting, but my dad was nowhere to be seen. I flinched when Dad suddenly flew out of the thickening smoke of the explosion, no new scrapes on his body. I sighed with reliëf.

"Wow, just look at Goku go." Krillin commented and I could see what he meant. Dad looked like a golden angel as he rose high into the sky, furthering the gap between him and his opponent.

"He is way up there, what is he doing?" Tien asked.

His question answered itself when Dad started chanting a familiar rhyme which we all just knew too well.

"KA... ME..."

My eyes widened when I heard him starting to chant Kamehameha. He is way up there, and if the blow collides with Cell on the earth below, he could take the whole planet to oblivion with him. Piccolo was the first to react.

"Everyone, get down!" He yelled passionately, his eyes was glued to my father's frame. "Get moving, Goku is releasing the Kamehameha wave!" He informed those of the group who could not hear or see the scene. They gasped, looking at the sky with confusion.

"Goku cannot release the Kamehameha from up there, he will destroy the Earth if he does." Yamcha panicked.

Krillin chuckled. "Awh come on guys, just relax. Goku is crazy, but not that crazy. There is nothing to worry about." He stated surely.

"HA... MEE..." Dad continued chanting and Krillin noticeably whitened, but he didn't utter a word to contradict his previous statement about his best friend from childhood.

"Goku NO!" Piccolo yelled, distraught.

All of a sudden Dad vanished from the sky and appeared right in front of Cell one second later. I could see Cell's expression turn to one of horror as my dad uttered the last "HAAAA!" of the chant. The power exploded from his palms and collided with Cell in an instant. That was the closest range I have ever seen someone being hit with a Kamehameha wave before.

The smoke took a while to settle, but when it finally did, it revealed my father still crouched down in his Kamehameha stance, but he was panting, severely out of breath. That blast took all of his remaining energy with it. Cell was still covered in a cloud of smoke, but I could still feel his energy signal pulsing sporadically.

"Did you see that?!" Yamcha exclaimed with awe. "Goku blasted Cell to pieces. No one could survive a Kamehameha wave at that close range." He continued optimistically.

"You're right Yamcha." Tien agreed. "That little maneuver might have just won Goku the tournament."

"Yeah, he has won!"

Vegeta grunted and his fists were clenched at his sides. I knew he felt Cell's still-alive energy too.

The dust finally cleared, exposing Cell's headless body. All his flesh from the shoulder upwards was missing and his limp body lay on the ground like a corpse.

Yamcha chuckled happily. "Goku won!" He yelled. "That instant transmission technique surely did the trick." He turned his gaze to the rest of the group. "Hey guys, Goku won the tournament!" His laugh caught in his throat when he noticed that not all of us joined in his glee. "Guys we don't have to worry anymore. Cell is dead!" He exclaimed. "Gosh, I wish you guys would lighten up a bit."

"Cell is still alive." I muttered, bursting the bubble of my ignorant friends.

All of their gazes, except that of Piccolo, Trunks and Vegeta turned to me. They were frowning. "That cannot be." Tien contradicted. "Goku used all his energy on that attack."

"Can't you fell Cell's life force?" I asked rhetorically. "It is stil there, and stronger than my dad's." I could see that Dad knew too that something was off. A calculative expression rested on his features as he stared down at his opponent's still figure.

"Get away from him Goku!" Krillin's abrupt yell startled me. "Cell is going to regenerate himself!" Right on que, the remainder of Cell's body jumped up, perfectly landing on both feet. Dad flinched and took a few steps back, shock resided on his face. Cell started shaking and a mere few seconds later a new set of arms and a head sprung out of the gaping gashes in his body. His power seemed higher than before too. A trait he clearly inherited from the Saiyan-gene inside of him.

"I should have known that you would be able to regenerate yourself back to normal after that attack." Dad stated.

"Of course." Cell replied smugly. "I have to thank Piccolo's cells for that."

Piccolo grunted and a disgusted expression rested on his face. "I cannot believe part of my genetic makeup is inside that monster." He smashed a nearby rock to smithereens. "He just won't die!"

"I may not have beaten you because of that blast Cell, but I can sense that your power-level has gone down greatly because of it." Dad continued.

"Perhaps." Cell agreed. "But you're the one who seems to have trouble catching his breath." He smiled. "I know what you did Goku, you pushed most of your remaining power into that blast, but I'm still standing and all your power is drained which means your fight it over."

An aura of pure gold gathered around my father's body and his power-level spiked. "That's not true!" He yelled and charged at the genetically mutated monster. Their arms and legs clashed profusely, neither showing weakness.

Dad was quicker than he was before and lashed out all his anger and frustrations on his enemy. Cell took some hard hits to the face and abdomen, but his hits on my dad seemed to be harder. After a few moments Dad's foot collided with Cell's cheek and Cell's foot collided with my dad's cheek. They were yanked back by sheer force and stayed in their fighting stances, staring at each other, both panting.

"It seems like this fight is getting too much for you." Cell commented.

Dad growled. "No!" He yelled back arrogantly and charged at his green opponent with his fist extended. "Just before his fist could hit Cell, he spun to the side, and punched my dad in the stomach. Dad let out a pained breath as all the oxygen fled from his lungs. Cell grabbed the fabric of his shirt while he was still trying to catch his breath and punched him hard in the face, making him crash down into a nearing rock bed.

Dad recovered quickly and released some of his energy to shoot the rocks into the sky. Cell's attention was diverted by blocking the incoming boulders and Dad took that as an opportunity to fling a flurry of small energy blast at him. He was attacking Cell with everything he got, and he got in a few hits before Cell settled into a blocking pose.

After several minutes of this, Cell uttered an unearthly screech, and a circular shield, laced with lingering lightning bolts, grew like an inflating balloon from his body. It swallowed my dad's energy attacks hungrily and extended to where we were standing. The sheer force of it was mind-boggling and it was so close that if I extended my arm I would be able to touch it, but I didn't.

"Maybe now you can see how completely hopeless you are, Goku!" Cell retorted from inside his dome-like shield. I hate to have to agree with Cell, but my dad was in bad shape. He was panting severely, and fatigue was settling in his muscles.

"Both of their power-levels have dropped tremendously." Piccolo stated. "But Goku's is dropping much faster. If he doesn't act soon, he is going to lose."

"Are you feeling tired Goku?" Cell asked in a mocking tone. "You have lost a lot of strength." He laughed, a deep ugly laugh from his stomach. "Why don't you take a little breather. Perhaps one of those sensu beans will help you." He teased.

Trunks turned to Krillin with an alert expression. "Hey this is our chance." He started. "If we give Goku a sensu bean now, he will regain his strength and beat Cell."

"That's right, Cell said he could have one!" Yamcha chimed in.

"Come on Krillin." Trunks urged.

"We will wait." Piccolo interrupted. I stared up at my mentor with surprise.

Trunks stared at the Namekian with a frown, and looked at everyone else, looking for backup. Everyone stared out blankly in front of them and Trunks finally looked back at Piccolo again. "Wait for what?!" He yelled exasperatedly. "He needs a sensu bean!"

"Quiet boy!" Vegeta chipped in. "Where is your honor? Where is your pride?" He asked, looking angrily down at his son from the future. "Like all pure-blood Saiyans, Kakarot would rather die fighting than win with the help of one of that disgraceful sensu-beans as his crutch. Kakarot trained in the hyperbolic time chamber just as we did, so now let's see what he can do." Trunks was stunned to silence by his father's words.

"No we can't." He finally replied. "Don't you see what will happen when we allow things to continue like this?"

Vegeta turned his gaze back to the battlefield. "If this goes on, Kakarot will die." He said, lacking emotion.

My face fell to the ground. At Vegeta's mention of the word 'die' my mind was tangled in a flurry of negative thoughts. Dad cannot die, he simply can't! He is strong, possibly the strongest good guy in the universe... But Vegeta is right- Dad still is not strong enough to defeat Cell. That was a horrible declaration to make, but it was true. We should prepare ourselves for the worst possible outcome of this day...

"But it is his decision to make." Vegeta added. "It is painfully clear that no one in this group is stronger than Kakarot is." He paused. "Not even myself." He clenched both his fists. "And that means that he deserves to have the battle of a true warrior, and that means to the death!"

Vegeta's words fueled my negative thoughts. Dad can't win this fight... He is going to need help, but Cell is so strong.

"While we all just stand here and watch?!" Trunks asked with disbelief. "I won't be a part of that!"

Vegeta growled. "Aren't you the one who cannot stop talking about how much of a hero Kakarot is? If you really have that much faith in him, you will wait, and see what he will do."

"I can feel your energy slipping away, Goku." Cell laughed. "I don't think you can last must longer. It will hardly be an effort to kill you, but I wouldn't want to disappoint the television audience because I know they want to see a true champion."

Cell laughed. "This battle will be your last, Goku." Surprisingly my dad smiled.

"You are right about one thing Cell, the world wants to see a real champion." He stated and powered down. My mouth fell agape. What is Dad doing? "It's over Cell, you win." My dad said loudly. "I give up." I frowned. I have never heard my dad uttered those words before. My dad didn't give up, ever, but now he was? In the midst of a heated battle of all places. I was baffled.

"I know now how strong you are, and there is no point in continuing this fight, because I can't beat you."

"You coward!" Vegeta muttered in disbelief.

"Goku is turning his back on us?" Yamcha asked at no one in particular, but nobody answered.

"You know, when I came here today, I wasn't sure if I had what it takes to beat you. But I know now that I don't. Fighting you has showed me that I still have a lot to work toward, we may be enemies, but today you have given me a valuable opportunity to learn more about myself and for what it's worth, I thank you." Dad continued. It was truly sickening to listen to.

"What is he doing?" Krillin asked with terror.

"Cell must have knocked his screws loose! There is no way that.."

"Quiet Yamcha, I am trying to listen." Tien hushed his friend.

"It's pointless for us to continue this fight." Dad ended his speech.

"Surely you're joking!" Cell snapped angrily. "You can't just say "I give up" and expect to just walk away."

"Sure I can, you beat me. Fair and square, I give up."

"Well Goku, I hope you fully understand the consequences of your actions. You may quit if you wish, but if there is no one else left to fight me, I am going to reduce this entire planet to rubble." He threatened.

"Not so fast Cell. I might be giving up but that doesn't mean the tournament is over..." His voice trailed off mysteriously. "There is still one person left for you to fight."

Cell frowned. "You're not serious." He looked over to where we were standing, scanning over each of us. "One of them?!" He frowned. "Which of these pitiful specimens did you have in mind to fight me? Who?" He asked again. "Trunks, Piccolo, Vegeta?" He made eye-contact with my father again. "Please, don't waste my time."

"So you don't mind if I pick who gets to fight next, do you?"

Cell growled. "You actually intend to go through with this?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but you will understand soon enough." Dad said. "The next person is a lot stronger than I am, so if you enjoyed your fight with me Cell, you will enjoy this one even better. But you will probably not feel that way about him after he has beaten you."

Cell frowned. "What's that?"

"I said you'll probably won't feel the same about it after he beats you." Dad repeated.

"A bold statement. You seem to have very much confidence in this mystery fighter of yours." Cell sounded surprised at my dad's assurance.

Dad nodded.

"Well I hope for your sake that your confidence hasn't been misplaced. So where is he? Where is your great invisible champion?"

"Oh he's here, he just doesn't know it yet."

Cell growled. "I'm losing my patience Goku, say the name!" He ordered.

"Okay, I will." He turned to face us, his face smiling. "Alright guys, I can't win this fight, I need one of you to take over." His eyes softened, ignoring the glaring and startling stares of his friends. His gaze suddenly fell on me and our eyes connected. I felt uneasy and I involuntarily gulped, fearing the possibility of him calling my name.

"That someone is you, son."