fate 30

< This has to be some weird dream, > Videl told herself, the part that was trying to think rationally about everything she was seeing. It was like she was seeing everything from Gohan’s eyes. She saw Chi-Chi and a man she could only presume was Goku from a child’s point of view, feeling the love and adoration he felt for both of them. It was obvious that if it were real, the beginning of the dream was when Gohan was a young child, no more than 4 years old.

Suddenly, she sees Krillin, Bulma, and an old man she had never met, but knew his name was Master Roshi. She feels Gohan’s shyness at the meeting; he has never known anyone else but his mother and father. Bulma kneels down next to Gohan and proceeds to ask him questions.

“An orthopedist,” Gohan answers innocently. Suddenly, Goku, Krillin, and Master Roshi become alert and, before Gohan knows what’s happening, a man with long black hair wearing a strange outfit comes flying out of the air, landing in front of them, and looks at Goku.

“Kakarot! What have you been doing here all these years? You’re mission was to terminate all life forms on this planet. So, why haven’t you carried it out?” he yells at Goku. Eventually, Master Roshi speaks up, telling Goku about how his grandfather Son Gohan found him in a space pod in the middle of the woods and his uncontrollable behavior until he hit his head and became a kind-hearted boy.

“You were born of Vegetasei. You are space fighter, as Saiya-jin warrior, just like me. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Raditz, your big brother,” Raditz said. Videl could feel Gohan’s shock at discovering that he had an uncle, other family besides his grandfather and his parents. Raditz then discovers that Goku has no tail and questions him on where it went.

“It was removed for good a long time ago,” Goku answers confidently. Raditz berates Goku for losing his tail, telling him that he’s lost his power to transform at the full moon. Raditz then spots Gohan and sees his tail waving behind him. He decides to take Gohan instead, but Goku won’t let him and rushes to defend his son.

Raditz easily punches Goku aside and while Gohan runs for his father, Raditz snatches him up instead, giving Goku specific instructions that if he wants to see his son again, that he has to eliminate 100 earthlings. Raditz flies away, with a crying Gohan in his arms, and later lands by a crater holding a round pod at the bottom.

“Quiet you fool. Be strong. You are one of the brave Saiya-jins too, you know,” Raditz answers. When Gohan doesn’t stop crying, Raditz locks him in the round pod. Suddenly, Videl could hear voices coming from outside, recognizing two of the voices as Raditz and Goku, but not recognizing the third one. She could hear the sounds of a fight going on outside.

She could hear Goku getting hurt really badly by Raditz and she could feel Gohan’s anger at the situation. Suddenly, the space pod that Gohan is in explodes and he charges after Raditz, plowing into him and cracking his armor. Raditz then hits Gohan in response, knocking him out.

Gohan later wakes up to find himself in the middle of nowhere with a tall guy with green skin and pointy ears. Before Gohan knows what’s happening, he gets thrown at a mountain, which gets destroyed with his power. This creature, Piccolo, tells Gohan that he’s going to train him to use the special power that’s lying dormant inside of him so he can help everybody fight the evil Saiya-jins that will be arriving on Earth in a year while Goku, who had been killed in the fight against Raditz, trains in the other world to help them as well. Gohan reluctantly agrees, seeing no other way out of it.

“Quiet!” Piccolo roars, “Don’t be weak. There’s a great power sleeping inside of you. Use it, rely on it. Face your fears.” Piccolo eventually leaves, despite Gohan’s pleading, leaving the young boy alone in the middle of nowhere.

Videl felt shock, disappointment, confusion, and loneliness at being abandoned. Videl saw the countless days Gohan spent out in the wilderness alone, watching through Gohan’s eyes as he learned to survive by himself. She watches as Gohan finds a way to get home, eventually reaching his destination before realizing something.

“Wait a minute, I can’t go home now. The whole world is counting on me to defend against the Saiya-jins. Well, don’t worry mom, I’ll be home soon.” Gohan goes back to the wilderness and trains with Piccolo, becoming stronger every day while awaiting the arrival of the Saiya-jins. Finally, the day comes when the Saiya-jins are supposed to arrive. Gohan and Piccolo can sense their approach and, before the Saiya-jins can get there, Krillin arrives. They figure out that Goku is late and that they’ll have to hold out against the Saiya-jins until Goku arrives.

Suddenly, the Saiya-jins arrive and Videl, watching the whole scene, is surprised to see Vegeta as one of the two Saiya-jins. The other one, who she learned was named Nappa, was much bigger than Vegeta, practically twice his size, yet he seems to take orders from Vegeta. After several moments, Nappa makes an astute observation.

“You didn’t know?” he says, “Well, what a surprise. Surely you must have suspected something before now. The green skin and point ears are a dead give away, don’t you think?” Nappa destroys the newscasters that are trying to record the aliens, shocking everyone there except for Vegeta. The battle then begins and Nappa creates the Saibamen, little green warriors with a lot of strength, to fight against the three Z-senshi.

Eventually, Tien, Chaotzu, and Yamcha arrive on the scene, obviously having been alerted to the arrival of the enemy. Tien goes first, fighting against one of the Saibamen and winning. Vegeta blows up the first Saibaman for its weakness as Yamcha goes next. But, before Yamcha can win the battle, the Saibaman latches onto Yamcha, blowing himself and Yamcha up in the process, killing them both. Videl could feel Gohan’s shock and horror as he watches one of his teammate die.

“Kamikaze,” Piccolo says quietly, “No way to defend.” Krillin then goes up against the rest of them, letting out a ki blast that destroys three out of the four that are left. The last one attacks Gohan, but Piccolo stops and destroys it. Krillin’s attack also went after Nappa and Vegeta, but both are unharmed, leaving everyone shocked. Nappa then steps up to fight against the remaining Z-senshi, the battle officially beginning.

Nappa powers himself up and then starts attacking, going after Tien first. He cuts off Tien’s hand and then starts beating him badly. Everyone is trying to think of a way to stop Nappa and Chaotzu, having thought of a way, attaches himself to Nappa’s back, powers up, and explodes. Chaotzu dies, but Nappa is unharmed by Chaotzu’s sacrifice. Gohan flinches at the sight and looks away. Tien, enraged that Chaotzu’s sacrifice did nothing against Nappa, gets ready to attack again.

“You see Gohan?” Piccolo says after Chaotzu dies, “Size is not enough. You must have heart and cunning.” Tien attacks Nappa, his anger powering him on, but Tien’s attacks don’t work. While Tien is fighting, Piccolo comes up with a plan to get Nappa by getting him at an unguarded moment while he’s fighting against Tien. Piccolo and Krillin carry out their parts of the plan, but Gohan can’t draw up the courage to fire at Nappa.

The plan fails because of Gohan, forcing Piccolo and Krillin to fight against Nappa themselves. Gohan tries to apologize, but Piccolo is just disappointed, leaving Gohan feeling very guilty. Tien, who had been knocked to the ground, gets up and uses the rest of his energy to attack Nappa with. Still, Nappa is unharmed and Tien, who has no more energy left, dies. Vegeta then decides to wait for Goku, or Kakarot, to arrive and postpones the rest of the battle. While they wait, Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin have a small conference.

“Well, I’m more angry at myself for counting on him. What a waste of time. You should just go home, Gohan.” Eventually, the waiting period is over and Vegeta calls the battle back on. Piccolo devises another one-shot plan to get Nappa while Nappa is preparing to come after them. Gohan doesn’t think he can do it and the others reassure him.

“Me too, Gohan,” Krillin chimes in. The three carry out the plan, Piccolo going for his tail. Nappa is unaffected and it seems that the weakness of the Saiya-jin’s tail is not present in Vegeta and Nappa as it was in Raditz and Goku. Nappa knocks Piccolo aside and begins going after Gohan, who seems to be holding his own, but Krillin butts into the fight. The fight continues and Nappa’s about to attack again when the Z-senshi sense Goku heading for them.

Vegeta verifies his approach by using his scouter and then tells Nappa to finish off the other three. Nappa goes after Gohan first and the two fight for a bit, but Nappa then fires a fatal ki blast at Gohan. But, before it can hit Gohan, Piccolo blocks the attack, stepping in between Gohan and the attack to protect him. The attack delivers a devastating blow to Piccolo, knocking him to the ground. Videl could feel Gohan’s pain at watching Piccolo die and she couldn’t help but feel a great respect for the Namek.

“I remember the first day I brought you here. You’ve changed so much since then. The harder things got, the more determined you became. I’m proud of you. Hey, sorry I was so rough on you. I knew you could take it. Get them, Gohan,” Piccolo says before his body fades and he dies. Nappa begins fighting against Gohan and, before Nappa can crush Gohan’s head, Goku finally shows up and saves his son.

Goku gives Krillin and Gohan each half of a Senzu bean and then starts to fight against Nappa, easily beating the other Saiya-jin. Nappa loses against Goku and goes to Vegeta for help. But Vegeta, who’s disgusted with Nappa’s weakness, kills him instead of helping him. Goku then tells Krillin and Gohan to get out of there and head to Master Roshi’s, but Gohan doesn’t want to leave.

“Don’t you get it?” Krillin says, “I don’t want to leave either. But these guys are in a different league all together. Vegeta could even use us against your dad if he got a hold of one of us and threatened to hurt us.” Gohan, having never looked at it from that point of view before, looks towards Goku to verify it.

“Goodbye Gohan,” Goku said, looking down at his son affectionately, “I’m very proud of you.” Krillin and Gohan leave the battle scene and, as they fly to Master Roshi’s, they can feel the beginning of the fight between Vegeta and Goku. After sensing it for a couple of minutes, they figure out that Vegeta has used the light of a fake full moon to fight Goku with. So, Krillin and Gohan turn around, prepared to help Goku. They get to the battle scene to see that Vegeta has turned himself into a huge wereape and is currently beating Goku badly.

They try to get close enough to cut off Vegeta’s tail so he’ll turn back to normal, but Vegeta won’t allow it. Yajirobe eventually cuts off Vegeta’s tail, causing Vegeta to turn back to normal. The fight begins between Gohan and Vegeta. Krillin tries to interfere, but gets tossed aside by Vegeta, who’s intent on fighting Gohan. Gohan starts losing and gets thrown next to Goku, who’s extremely injured. Goku pleads with Gohan to continue fighting, but Gohan can’t.

“You have to,” Goku says, “There’s no other way. Gohan, this is it. Try to remember what Piccolo did for you. I know you can do it, Gohan.” Vegeta then knees Goku hard in the stomach, enraging Gohan, who gets up and challenges Vegeta. They two fight and eventually, Gohan gets knocked out. Gohan wakes up a little later, his tail having somehow grown back, and he sees the fake full moon.

Suddenly, Videl’s vision went black and it reappears seconds later, looking through Gohan’s eyes as Chi-Chi cradles him where he learns that Vegeta fled the planet. Gohan then learns that the Saiya-jins came to Earth in search of the Dragonballs and they decide to go to Namek to use the Namekian Dragonballs to wish those who died back to life, seeing how as Piccolo died and they can’t use the Earth’s Dragonballs. After getting Goku into the hospital, they set about finding a ship to go to Namek and, with the help of Mr. Popo, Kami’s assistant, find the ship that Kami used to get to Earth.

They eventually decide that Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma will be going to Namek to find the Dragonballs there. The three leave Earth with the knowledge that it will take about a month to get there. They eventually get to Namek after a few mishaps with aliens and space refugees, and discover that Vegeta has arrived on Namek as well, obviously totally healed from his battle against Gohan and Goku.

Once they get to Namek, they find themselves facing two creatures dressed in Saiya-jin armor. Krillin and Gohan defeat the two, but not before they destroy the spaceship the three took to get to Namek. After they fight, Krillin and Gohan sense a huge power level flying above them and they look up to see a creature flying through the air, flanked by henchmen. Although they don’t know this at the time, the leader of the group is Frieza, an evil space tyrant.

Gohan and Krillin decide to follow Frieza, leaving Bulma by a cave so she can hide. They follow Frieza to a Namekian village and watch as Frieza talks to the elder of the village. They discover that Frieza is after the Dragonballs too and that he’s wiling to do anything to get them.

“You people are just so stubborn here on Nameksei. Even under the threat of pain you won’t relinquish your precious Dragonball, huh? Well, we’ll see how stubborn you are when your children are at stake!” Frieza says, threatening to harm the Namekian children. Eventually, three warrior Nameks arrive to help the situation and fight against Frieza’s men. Frieza’s men attack, but are quickly overwhelmed by the power of only three Nameks. Dodoria, the big alien with light pink skin, steps up fight against the Namek and he beats them all.

The elder then surrenders and goes to get the Dragonball and Frieza then demand to know where the last two are for he now has five of the seven. The elder doesn’t tall and Dodoria goes after the elder and the small child, whose name is Dende. Dende tries to run away, but Dodoria goes after him. Gohan gets angry at the sight of Dodoria going after Dende and attacks Dodoria, none of the Frieza’s henchmen noticing because their scouters have all been destroyed.

Gohan and Krillin escape, taking Dende with them. Dodoria tries to catch them, but loses sight of them and can’t find them because he doesn’t have a scouter. Dodoria spots them and fires a blast at them. Thinking that he’s destroyed them, Dodoria goes back to Frieza without double-checking. Krillin, Gohan, and Dende are all unharmed and Dende thanks them for saving him. They take Dende back to Bulma, spotting Vegeta along the way. Once they get back to where Bulma is, they realize that she’s brought out a capsule house. She tells them that Goku is better and is on his way over to Namek to help them out as she leads them into the house.

They later sense that the Nameks are being attacked and realize that Vegeta is the one who’s doing the attacking. Dende mentions the eldest Namek, Guru, and that he can help them find the Dragonballs. Krillin and Dende leave to go talk to Guru while Bulma and Gohan stay back at the cave. While they’re sitting in the capsule house, Gohan can sense Vegeta and another power fighting.

Eventually, Bulma and Gohan discover the location of another Dragonball. Gohan heads out to get it and he finds it at the village that Vegeta destroyed. He heads back and runs into Vegeta, trying to hide from him, but failing as Vegeta threatens to blast him, having sensed him earlier. Gohan manages to hide the fact that he has the Dragonball and Vegeta suspects nothing.

“So, you and I are a lot a like, kid,” Vegeta says, “We’re the last of the Saiya-jins. That means we got to look out for one another, understand? You see, kid, it’s almost as if we were brothers.” Videl felt pain as Vegeta knees Gohan in the stomach before he leaves, not knowing that Gohan had a Dragonball in his possession. Gohan too takes off, happy with the knowledge that Vegeta didn’t know he had a Dragonball. He heads back to Bulma and finds that Krillin has returned as well.

Krillin takes Gohan to see Guru to unlock his hidden power, leaving Bulma with the Dragonball. On their way there, they sense Vegeta’s presence, so Krillin stays behind to distract Vegeta long enough for Gohan to get his power unlocked. Gohan talks to Guru and the Namek places a hand on Gohan’s head.

“I can feel that you have truly amazing hidden powers. The strongest I have ever felt,” Guru says before he unlocks Gohan’s power and Gohan goes outside to see that Krillin, Vegeta, and another Namek named Nail are all standing outside. Vegeta demands that Gohan give over the Dragonball, but Gohan won’t do it. Dende comes outside and announces that Guru has felt a great power heading for Namek.

Everyone senses it and Vegeta realizes that is a group of warriors called the Ginyu Force and he demands that Gohan hand over the Dragonball, claming that it’s the only way for them to beat the Ginyu force. Gohan and Krillin don’t want to give it up because they were hoping to find the Dragonballs to wish their friends back to life, but Nail tells them that the Dragonballs can grant three wishes. Krillin and Gohan also learn that Vegeta has the other 6 Dragonballs. Krillin, Vegeta, and Gohan fly off in the direction of where Vegeta has hidden the Dragonballs, stopping along the way to collect the last Dragonball from Bulma.

They get to where Vegeta has hidden the Dragonballs. Krillin doesn’t want to give Vegeta the Dragonball and Vegeta doesn’t have time to convince him to give it up before the Ginyu Force arrives, ready to collect the Dragonballs and Vegeta. They try to stop the Ginyu force from getting the Dragonballs, but to no avail.

The Ginyu Force confiscates all of the Dragonballs and Captain Ginyu flies off with them, leaving the other four members of the Ginyu Force to fight against Krillin, Vegeta, and Gohan. Videl could feel Gohan’s hopeless at the situation. Not only had they lost the Dragonballs, but they also have to face off against four people who are as strong as Vegeta at least. They have no choice but to fight against them. Suddenly, the Ginyu Force does Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide who’s going to fight.

“We’re being captured by a bunch of goofballs,” Gohan whispers, not believing the antics of the Ginyu Force. The short green one, Guldo, gets to fight against Krillin and Gohan and the most human looking one, Recoome, gets to fight against Vegeta. Krillin and Gohan start fighting against Guldo and they power up, gaining the upper hand in the battle. They are too strong for Guldo, but Guldo uses his time freezing techniques to prevent from getting hurt by Krillin and Gohan’s attacks.

“I must break free. I can’t disappoint Piccolo,” Gohan forces out, trying to break loose from Guldo’s hold on them. Before Guldo can kill Gohan and Krillin, Vegeta kills Guldo by hitting him with a ki blast. Vegeta and Recoome start fighting and Krillin and Gohan discover that Recoome is stronger than Vegeta. They continue to fight and it is clear that Recoome is going to win against Vegeta, if not kill him.

Recoome fires a ki blast at a weakened Vegeta and Gohan pushes Vegeta out of the way before the blast can hit Vegeta while Krillin pushes Recoome to the ground. Vegeta gets mad at Gohan for helping him while Recoome kicks Krillin in the face hard, sending him to the ground. Gohan goes to check up on Krillin and discovers that he’s in bad shape. Videl could feel Gohan’s worry for a man who was becoming one of Gohan’s best friends.

“This doesn’t look good, Gohan. I’m in bad shape. I don’t think I can fight anymore. That freak is just too powerful for me. It looks like we’re done for, Gohan. Even with Guru’s new power, we’re no match against them,” Krillin says weakly.

“You know Gohan, this might before the best,” Krillin continues, “Even if we could beat them, the Dragonballs are…are long gone. So, please, just go and save yourself.” Gohan ignores Krillin’s words and challenges Recoome. They fight, Gohan way outmatched in every way. Gohan continues to go head to head with Recoome and every time Gohan hits the ground, he has a harder time getting back up.

“I was trained by the great Piccolo,” Gohan says, out of breath, “I am the son of Goku. I will not give up. I am not afraid!” Recoome hits Gohan harder than ever, sending him to the ground. Videl could feel the sharp pain as Gohan’s neck broke, leaving him on the verge of death.

Suddenly, Videl could feel Goku show up on the scene, heading over to Gohan first. Goku gives Gohan a Senzu bean, making sure he’s ok, before heading over to Krillin to give him one as well. Krillin warns Goku about Recoome after Goku reads Krillin’s mind to find out what had happened on Namek. Goku ignores Krillin’s warning and goes up against Recoome, easily defeating him. Jeice and Burter then attack and Goku defeats them as well, leaving Krillin and Gohan awed at Goku’s new abilities.

“They can’t even touch him, Gohan. He’s too fast for them. Your dad’s reached some new level. What a trip! They attacked him and he dodged so fast that you couldn’t tell he moved,” Krillin said, respect resonating throughout his voice.

“Wow, my god. That means my dad is one of the strongest fighters in space!” Gohan exclaims as he watches his father beat Burter and Jeice. Goku knocks Burter out and Jeice escapes, going back to Frieza’s ship. Vegeta, who also had been healed by a Senzu bean, kills both Recoome and Burter, who are both knocked out. Goku is mad and disappointed with Vegeta.

“They don’t deserve any favors. They’re the worst kind of scum, Kakarot. They would have finished your son and your friend too. If you had arrived 10 minutes later, they’d be gone now. You’re too soft to be a Saiya-jin. The man you let go could cause your downfall,” Vegeta explains.

“Kakarot, he doesn’t have to be stronger than you to beat you. He could take your kid hostage and make you walk right into their hands like a lamb. These people are ruthless savages, Kakarot. They’re warriors and they will do whatever it takes to win the game. And here you are, Mr. Nice Guy; they’re going to chew you up and spit you out with that attitude.” Goku grew defiant at Vegeta’s words.

“You poor fool. A fight with Frieza is a fight to the end, and it’ll be your end. You’re nothing compared to Frieza, Kakarot,” Vegeta says. Jeice returns with Ginyu and Goku tells all of them to go find the Dragonballs, which have been left behind at Frieza’s ship. They leave, get the Dragonball Radar from Bulma, and head over to Frieza’s ship, digging up the Dragonballs that were buried underground. They watch over them, eventually seeing Goku heading for them, but the weird thing is that he’s with Jeice.

They eventually learn that Ginyu switched bodies with Goku and that Goku is inside Captain Ginyu’s body. Goku, in Ginyu’s body, arrives on the scene and tells Krillin and Gohan to fight against his body, that it should be no problem for them because Ginyu doesn’t know how to access Goku’s power. Gohan is a little hesitant about fighting his father’s body, but eventually gets over it. Krillin and Gohan start to win, but Ginyu starts to discover how to use the power of Goku’s body and starts to win over Krillin and Gohan. Goku joins the fight in Ginyu’s weakened body.

After much fighting against the Ginyu Force, Jeice is dead, thanks to Vegeta, Goku is back in his body, though he’s severely weakened, and Captain Ginyu is in the body of a frog. Vegeta takes them inside the ship and puts Goku into an isolation chamber passing many dead bodies along the way, people that Vegeta killed. While Goku is in the isolation chamber healing, Krillin and Gohan receive Saiya-jin armor from Vegeta. Krillin decides to make one last trip to Guru to find out the password to summon the Dragon, Vegeta takes a nap, and Gohan goes outside to guard the Dragonballs.

A short time later, Krillin shows up with Dende, who knows the password, and the three move the Dragonballs so Vegeta can’t get to them if he wakes up. Dende summons the Eternal Dragon, Porunga and they all sense Frieza coming straight for them. Dende asks the Dragon to bring back all of their friends and Porunga tells them that only one life can be restored for each wish.

Suddenly, Gohan can hear Piccolo’s voice and he discovers that King Kai has opened up direct telepathic link between the two of them. Piccolo tells Gohan to wish him back to life so that the Dragonballs on Earth will come back and then to wish him to Namek so he can help with the fight. Gohan tells Dende the wishes and Dende relays them to the Dragon. Vegeta arrives and demands that Dende wish for his immortality. Dende makes the wish but before the wish can be granted, Guru dies and Porunga disappears. Vegeta’s about to kill Krillin and Gohan for betraying him but Frieza shows up.

Frieza finds out that the Dragonballs are useless and powers up. They start fighting against an enraged Frieza and it seems like none of them can win. The fight is concentrated between Vegeta and Frieza, during which Frieza reveals to Vegeta what he did to Vegetasei. Frieza then transforms into his second form after much taunting from Vegeta, his body turning huge, his horns growing immensely. Using his pure energy alone, Frieza causes all of them to get thrown into the air.

“Now, all we have to do is decide which one of you gets to die first,” Frieza says coldly. He chooses Krillin, running through him with one of his horns, going straight one of his lungs. Gohan gets extremely angry and attacks, but gets knocked aside. Krillin eventually passes out and Frieza tosses him into a lake. Gohan decides to go after Krillin but Frieza stops him, attacking Gohan instead. Gohan uses his anger at what Frieza did to Krillin to attack him, but it does no good.

Eventually, Frieza knocks Gohan to the ground and succeeds in planting his foot down on Gohan’s head, crushing his skull. The pain was so immense that Videl felt like her head was going to explode. Suddenly, Krillin comes back and uses an attack to push Frieza way, leading him away so Dende can heal Gohan. Gohan is healed and is stronger than ever. Krillin comes back and Piccolo shows up, joining the fight, stronger than ever. Piccolo starts fighting against Frieza and it looks like it’s even. There is even a moment where it looks like Piccolo had killed Frieza. But, that is not the case.

Frieza starts to get the upper hand, moving too fast for Piccolo to attack. Gohan was extremely worried about the safety of his mentor Piccolo and Videl could feel that worry acutely. Piccolo then removes his weighted clothing, resuming the fight against Frieza. It looks like Piccolo is really winning, but his advantage doesn’t last for very long.

Frieza suddenly transforms, leaving everyone astounded. Because of Frieza’s transformation, Piccolo is severely outclassed by Frieza and starts getting beaten by Frieza. Gohan becomes enraged at what Frieza is doing to Piccolo and he charges, letting out a powerful ki blast that seems to be doing Frieza great harm. Videl could practically taste the rage it felt so real to her.

< Oh no, I think that last attack used up all of my power. Now what am I going to do? > Gohan asks himself, panicking. There was nothing he could do as Frieza transformed one final time, suddenly wanting to get rid of the people who ruined his plans for eternal life. Piccolo, who is hurt, is helped over to Dende by Gohan. Dende heals Piccolo, claiming that it was because he was really helping out Nail, who fused with Piccolo, thus giving him his new strength. Dende is also convinced by Krillin and Gohan to heal Vegeta, who was blasted by the stomach by Krillin at his insistence, both of them claiming that it is the only way to beat Frieza.

“He saw Dende’s power to heal us and that’s the reason he decided to take him out first,” Piccolo says, obviously affected by the death of Dende. Frieza starts fighting against everyone and none of them have a chance at beating him because he’s just too fast for them to hit. Frieza aims a killing blow at Gohan, but Vegeta, who’s now stronger after being healed by Dende, pushes Gohan out of the way, sending the two of them to the ground.

Vegeta stands up, claming that he’s a Super Saiya-jin, and Frieza only laughs at him. The two of them start fighting, everyone amazed at Vegeta’s new power, but Frieza is still too fast for Vegeta to hit. Frieza gains the upper hand, really beating down on Vegeta, delivering mortal blow after mortal blow. He picks up Vegeta with his tail, holding him out in front of him, and starts punching Vegeta in the back. Everyone is powerless to stop what’s happening, so they can only watch.

Gohan steps up to help, but Piccolo holds him back. Frieza finally tires of beating up a helpless Vegeta, so he throws him aside, forcing Vegeta to hit the hillside next to them, his life almost extinguished. Frieza is about to kill Vegeta when Goku shows up, the strongest he’s ever been. Vegeta then claims that Goku is a true Super Saiya-jin and Frieza uses one of his precise ki blasts to shoot him through the chest, practically killing him. Before he dies, Vegeta tells Goku a few things.

“Kakarot, listen. Don’t be so soft. There’s no stinking honor in any of this. It’s just a game, play to win. There are no rules. You’re going to have to get over your soft-heartedness. Do it, forget about your feelings. You have to. They’ll get you killed. They’ll get you killed, Kakarot,” Vegeta says, his voice strained.

“I can’t,” Goku says, “I can’t change who I am. Not on the battlefield. My feelings are my guide. Besides, everyone deserves a chance to change their ways, just like you had.” If Vegeta could have, he would have laughed in Goku’s face.

“No, listen, you have to hear this. We worked so hard for him. We did everything he asked of us and more. He took me from my father when I was just a little boy. He made me do whatever he wanted and said he would kill my father if I didn’t. I did everything he asked, but he killed him anyway along with everyone else. He was scared of us. Scared that a Super Saiya-jin would be born someday and rise up to overthrow him,” Vegeta says, tears starting to run down his cheeks, mixing with the blood on the ground.

“Kakarot, please…destroy…Frieza. He made me what I am. Don’t…let him…do it…to anyone else. Whatever it takes…stop him…please,” Vegeta says, the last words out of his mouth before he dies. Videl couldn’t believe what she was hearing about Vegeta, feeling a great respect for him having put up with that type of treatment.

“Goodbye, Vegeta. You’re not as cold-hearted as you believe yourself to be. A heart of stone can’t shed tears like you did. You must have been holding them back your entire life. I’m the only one left. I think I understand you now. You weren’t grieving over your own death or because our home planet was destroyed. You were grieving because he turned you into what he wanted you to be. You never had a chance to be anything else.

"Well, I still respect you. I know you make a lot of mistakes but now I see that it wasn’t all your fault. You had the fiery will of a Saiya-jin. Please share that with me now because I need it. Thank you for saving my son’s life and buying me enough time to recuperate. I’ll to my best to carry out your wish.” Goku finished his eulogy and turned to Frieza, fire in his eyes.

“It’s true; Vegeta’s right. You have no honor. For him and for everyone else you destroyed, I am going to finish you.” Goku challenges Frieza and the two of them begin fighting, Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin having moved away from the battlefield so they wouldn’t get in the way. The fight seems even, the plant getting torn up in the process. Everyone is amazed at how well Goku is holding up against Frieza and Piccolo reveals that both Frieza and Goku were only playing, that they weren’t even showing their real strength.

“Look, just look at them,” Piccolo says, “It’s hard to believe, but the outcome of this fight will influence the future of the entire universe.” Frieza and Goku begin fighting, Frieza underestimating Goku’s strength. The three are briefly distracted by the appearance of Bulma and Captain Ginyu, who somehow managed to switch bodies. They get switched back and the fight continues, seemingly more intense than ever. It then seems like Frieza has gained the upper hand.

Gohan starts getting angry because of what Frieza is doing to his father and he wants to go and help, but Piccolo holds him back, telling Gohan that Goku still hasn’t lost yet. Goku begins gathering the energy for a Spirit Bomb and Gohan is amazed at the sheer size of the energy that Goku has gathered. Frieza gets impatient, not able to feel the energy of the Spirit Bomb, and begins to attack Goku while he’s gathering energy. Gohan and Krillin give their energy to Piccolo so he can help Goku. Piccolo uses his remaining energy plus the energy he received from Gohan and Krillin to hit Frieza with, giving Goku a chance to finish gathering up the energy.

Frieza spots Piccolo after Piccolo hits him and the two face off, Frieza having no problem beating Piccolo because of how low Piccolo’s energy is. Gohan wants to go and help, but Krillin stops him before he can do anything about it. They then see that Frieza is about to kill Piccolo and use their remaining energy to hit Frieza with, distracting him yet again. Gohan and Krillin are left with no energy left and Frieza, who is pissed off at everyone that keeps interfering, powers up another attack. But, it’s too late for Frieza because Goku’s Spirit Bomb is finished and is hurling towards Frieza.

Frieza can’t do anything to block it and gets sucked into the attack. Krillin and Gohan worry when they can’t see Piccolo and Goku anywhere and they’re afraid that they didn’t survive. It turns out that the two did survive and they’re about to leave to go home when Frieza shows up, still alive and more pissed than ever, leaving the group of four shocked that Frieza could have survived.

“That’s impossible. You made a direct hit with your spirit bomb and no one could survive that!” Krillin exclaims. Frieza wordlessly fires a killing blast at Goku, but Piccolo takes it, the blast hitting him in the heart. He’s still alive but barely. Gohan is really distressed and Goku begins to get really angry. Goku tells Krillin and Gohan to leave and take Piccolo and Bulma to the spaceship so they can leave Namek. Gohan and Krillin start to protest, but their protest is cut short as Frieza uses his mind to pick up Krillin, forcing him to explode in mid-air, causing Goku to get extremely angry. Frieza offers a small, sadistic smile.

“I won’t let you get away with this!” Goku exclaims, the sky darkening and filling with lightning as Goku gets angrier and angrier. He starts glowing and his ki causes the ground to uproot. His hair starts to flash gold and his eyes start to turn turquoise until, finally, with a loud scream, he stays like that, his power high and unimaginable. Goku tells Gohan to get out of there and for him to take Piccolo with him. Gohan protests, saying that if they leave, he won’t have anyway to get home. Goku yells at him, telling him to leave, and Gohan obeys, amazed at his father’s transformation.

Gohan leaves with Piccolo, takes him back to the ship, and has a brief conversation with Dr. Briefs, his mother, and Master Roshi on earth before he goes to find Bulma. He finds Bulma and brings her back to the ship. Bulma is complaining about having to ride in the same ship as Piccolo, but he complaining gets cut off short as the ground shakes and the ship starts to sink into the ground. Gohan and Bulma then learn that the planet Namek is going to explode in 3 minutes.

“It means that…that he’s dead,” Gohan says quietly, making the decision to go back, knowing that Frieza would follow him back to Earth if he went. Gohan makes it over to the battlefield in short time, noticing that Goku isn’t there, and Gohan starts to fight against Frieza, who clearly has the upper hand.

< Only two more minutes. If I can hold out for two minutes, he’ll be caught in the explosion, > Gohan says to himself, willing to sacrifice his life to destroy Frieza. Frieza realizes this soon after he starts to fight against Gohan, winning in the end.

< Father, I’m sorry. I really tried, > Gohan says to himself as he realizes that he’s lost against Frieza. Suddenly, Goku rises out of the water underneath and he tells Gohan to leave. Gohan obeys, knowing that he might never see his father again, and starts flying back to the ship when suddenly, he disappears from Namek and reappears on Earth, not knowing what happened. All of the Nameks are now alive again, thanks to Kami’s wish to bring all of them back to life, and they all discover that they were wished over to Earth.

They then discover that Goku chose to remain on Namek to make sure that Frieza was destroyed and Gohan realizes, sadly, that he’s never going to see his dad again. It turns out that Vegeta was also wished back to life and wished to Earth as well. When Vegeta proclaims himself the strongest in the Universe, Gohan becomes convinced that Goku will live and he will see his father again.

Guru later dies, but not before passing on the Dragonballs to one of the elder Nameks, naming a new elder. They eventually learn through Bulma, who’s communicating with Yamcha telepathically, that Goku has defeated Frieza, but he didn’t make it off of the planet. Bulma makes the point that they can wish Goku back with the Namekian Dragonballs, but King Kai points out that if they wish Goku back, he’ll be wished back to the spot where he died and since Namek is no longer there, they’ll go to empty space and be destroyed. Later, everyone is wondering how to bring Goku and Krillin back to life and Vegeta suggests that they wish Goku and Krillin to Earth’s check-in station in the Spirit Realm and then wish them back to Earth.

The Nameks stay with Bulma until they can find somewhere else to live. 130 days after everyone arrives on Earth, they gather at Capsule Corp. to summon the Dragon. They wish Krillin and Yamcha back to life and they try to wish Goku back to life, but the Dragon can’t grant that wish because Goku isn’t dead. Videl felt Gohan’s happiness at the fact that his father is still alive. Then, 130 days later, they summon Porunga again, wishing Tien and Chaotzu back to live. For the last wish, all of them Nameks wish themselves to their new planet and Gohan says goodbye to Dende.

Videl watched as some time passed, in which Gohan, Krillin, and Piccolo fight against a monster named Garlic Jr. Later, after Garlic Jr. comes and goes, Gohan feels Frieza’s presence approaching Earth. He calls up Krillin, both of them confused because they thought that Goku killed Frieza, but it turns out that they were wrong. Gohan meets up with Krillin on their way over to investigate and they also run into Tien, Vegeta, Bulma, Chaotzu, Piccolo, Yamcha, and Puar. They see Frieza’s ship fly overhead and make their way over there, keeping their power levels down so Frieza’s scouters won’t pick them up.

While their making their way over there, they sense another huge power, way stronger than Frieza is. They eventually find out that this huge power isn’t Goku, but this person is a Super Saiya-jin, though they don’t know how. They would discover later that this person is Trunks from the future. They fly over there and watch as Trunks makes short work of Frieza and his father, King Cold. After Trunks kills them, he tells the Z-senshi that he’s heading over to a place to meet Goku and he invites them to come along. Everyone goes along with him, all of them wondering how he knows Goku and when and where he’s going to show up. Finally, his curiosity finally getting the better of him, Gohan approaches Trunks.

“That’s a lie!” Vegeta exclaims, “Look my friend. Kakarot, the one you call Goku, and myself are the only Saiya-jins left. Kakarot’s kid there is half Saiya-jin, so if you count him that makes three of us. There’s no way that you could have Saiya-jin blood!”

“Well, I’m calling him a liar, not a weakling,” Vegeta says and they all decide that they’re just going to have to wait the two hours for Goku to show up to see whether or not this mystery guy is telling the truth. Goku finally shows up and reveals that he doesn’t know Trunks, like everyone thought he did. Trunks then asks to have a word with Goku and the two of them go off to talk where they won’t be heard. Little does everyone know, but Piccolo hears the entire conversation with his sensitive ears.

The conversation ends and Trunks goes back home. Piccolo tells everyone the contents of the conversation, minus Trunks’ origin, when Goku won’t do it. Everyone learns of the Androids, Dr. Gero, and what is going to happen in three years, including Goku’s heart virus. They also learn about Goku’s new technique, the Instant Transmission. They then conspire on how to take care of the Androids and decide that the best way is for them to train and prepare for their arrival.

Tien and Chaotzu go off to train, Vegeta goes off by himself, Krillin goes to Master Roshi’s and Yamcha goes back with Bulma. Piccolo, Gohan, and Goku go back to the Son household and Chi-Chi isn’t too happy about going off to train, but she lets him go on the condition that he will study as well. Both parents come to an agreement and the next three years are spent undergoing intense training to prepare for the androids. Videl was shocked at Gohan’s determination as he trained with Piccolo and Goku.

< I never imagined that he could be so determined. He must have incredible will power and strength, > Videl said to herself. Finally, after the three years pass, they head over to South City, the place where the androids are supposed to appear. Everyone goes into the city while Gohan is with Bulma and baby Trunks right outside the city. Eventually, Goku, the androids, and everyone else heads away from the city to a different location to fight. Gohan takes off, following the group to wherever they’re headed, Krillin and Yamcha following close behind.

They eventually get to where Goku and the others have landed. Gohan watches as Goku starts to fight Android #19, a sense of something wrong plaguing at him as he watches his father fight. Videl recognized the android’s head as the one that Eraser found out in the middle of the desert when they went on that Geology field trip. Videl pushed thoughts of that day away as she concentrated on the events that were unfolding in front of her eyes.

He notices that Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha aren’t concerned, but that doesn’t stop him from being concerned for his father. Goku fires a Kamehameha, but Android #19 absorbs the energy from the attack, refueling his energy resources. Videl felt the shock that Gohan feels when the attack doesn’t work. Gohan then notices that Goku is tiring out, but he’s confused because Goku hasn’t been doing enough to tire himself out. Gohan quickly realizes that Goku’s heart disease is plaguing him, though much later than Trunks said it would.

“Yes, that’s it!” Piccolo exclaims, “But it’s happening much later than the boy from the future said it would. Goku just thought he made a mistake, but somehow, his visit has already changed history!” Goku then collapses to the ground and is thrown a Senzu bean by Krillin. Android #19 and Goku, who’s not helped at all by the Senzu bean, continue to fight until he can’t fight anymore.

Goku, who was a Super Saiya-jin while battling against Android #19, loses his Super Saiya-jin transformation and is helpless as Android #19 grabs him by the throat and begins stealing his energy. The others want to help, but are prevented from doing so by Android #20, so they can do nothing but watch as #19 steals Goku’s energy. Suddenly, Android #19 gets kicked aside by Vegeta, who has finally arrived at the battle scene.

“One of you needs to take Kakarot home right now and give him the antidote. He’s running out of time,” Vegeta says as he kicks Goku aside, Piccolo catching him before he hits the ground. Yamcha then leaves, taking Goku home so he can get the antidote and Vegeta faces off against Android #19.

“Oh, is that a fact?” he says, “Then why were you so surprised when Kakarot turned into a Super Saiya-jin? I’ll tell you why. Because your database doesn’t cover the battles we had in space. Your bonehead creator picked a fine chapter to emit from your memory banks.” Android #19 seems unfazed.

“That’s right my friends,” Vegeta says, “Let me ask you: does a machine like yourself ever experience fear?” Vegeta turns into a Super Saiya-jin, shocking both the androids and the Z-senshi and they learn how Vegeta became a Super Saiya-jin, that his not caring allowed him to transform into one. Android #19 starts to fight against Vegeta, but Vegeta is stronger and constantly has the upper hand. Eventually, Vegeta manages to break off the android’s hands, leaving the android scared and helpless. Vegeta quickly destroys Android #19 and Android #20 runs off, fleeing instead of fighting.

“I have to agree with you,” Piccolo says, “but he’s a genius when it comes to fighting. Vegeta was weakened by the other android. He was vulnerable, so he bluffed and acted like he was eager to fight the next one. That other android could have defeated Vegeta if he would have called the bluff and attacked, but Vegeta was too convincing. Mentally, he’s impossible to beat. He thinks of every conceivable advantage. And, physically, he’s reached a new plateau. I’ve never seen a power quite like his before. It’s radical, just amazing.” Gohan is amazed at Piccolo’s words.

“There’s a good chance,” Piccolo says, thinking about it, “Yes, I think so.” Everyone decides to follow Vegeta and help him look for the androids since the androids have no energy that they can detect. They reach the mountains and are looking for Android #20.

While Gohan is looking around, he receives a mental communication from Piccolo saying that the android has him and that he needs help. Gohan helps Piccolo and everyone finds out where Android #20 is. Piccolo takes a Senzu bean and fights against Dr. Gero, eventually breaking off one of his arms. Android #20 is confused at Piccolo’s strength and Piccolo reveals that it’s because they knew about the androids’ arrival. Then, suddenly, Trunks shows up, revealing that it’s not the same android that he warned them about.

“I’m not sure…” Trunks trails off. Android #20 decides to escape seeing how there is no chance that he can win and he unleashes a ki attack that, while is has no effect on the Z-senshi, it does on Bulma’s plane, which has Bulma, Yajirobe, and baby Trunks inside. Trunks saves Bulma and his younger self from the falling plane and gets mad at Vegeta for not saving them. Vegeta, ignoring Trunks who’s trying to berate him for almost letting Bulma die, goes off in search of the android. While Vegeta is temporarily gone, Bulma reveals that Android #20 is really Dr. Gero.

“The timeline as I know it must have shifted when I traveled here from the future. Aw man, I was afraid that this might happen, but…” Trunks trails off, the look on his face regretful before he steels himself, “But it was a calculated risk that I had to take.”

“Dr. Gero mentioned two more androids on the way. They could be the ones you told us about the last time you were here. But, this time, I think it would be a good idea for you to tell us what they look like. We don’t want to make the same mistake twice,” Piccolo says, taking extra precaution. Trunks describes what the androids from his future look like. Videl suddenly stumbled onto a conclusion.

Before everyone splits up, Bulma reveals that she knows the location of Dr. Gero’s lab. Piccolo wants to find the lab and destroy it before Dr. Gero, who’s traveling on food, can get there, but Vegeta wants to fight the androids. Trunks tells Vegeta not to underestimate the androids, but Vegeta ignores him and takes off, claiming that he’s stronger than the androids. Vegeta takes off and Trunks does too, saying that he doesn’t want his father to die. Everyone is amazed at Trunks’ words and Piccolo reveals that the young man is Trunks from the future.

Piccolo changes the topic back to Dr. Gero and Tien, Krillin, and Piccolo take off for Dr. Gero’s lab while Gohan takes Yajirobe, Bulma and baby Trunks back to his house to see Goku. Halfway there, Yajirobe and Bulma decide that they want to go to Capsule Corp. instead, so Gohan takes them there and then immediately rushes home to see that Yamcha, Chi-Chi, Krillin, and Trunks are leaving, taking Goku to Master Roshi’s house to keep him safe from the androids while he’s recovering from the heart disease.

“Hey,” Gohan says, neglecting his studies, “If you go back to the past and destroy the androids before Dr. Gero wakes them up, what happens to the androids that are here in this time? They wouldn’t just vanish, would they? Because if changing the past makes them vanish, what happens to…”

“No, he’s right,” Trunks says, “What was I thinking? If I go back in time and destroy the androids, I can only save the future of that world. But I can’t change anything that they’ve already done once they’ve been activated, which means there’s really no point in me going back!”

“All right, let’s see,” Trunks says, explaining, “You know how Goku’s alive now because of the medicine that I brought back from the future? Well, in the future world that the medicine came from, Goku didn’t make it. That’s because I can only change one reality, not both. In other words, there are two realities out there. In one of them, Goku survives. In the other…well, let’s just say he wasn’t so lucky.”

“Let me try to understand this,” Krillin says slowly, “You’re saying that even if Goku beats the androids in our world, they’d still be alive in your world of the future? Boy, that sounds like some kind of parallel universe or something.”

“Exactly,” Trunks says seriously. A little while later, they call Bulma, who tells them that some guy found a vehicle that looks exactly like Trunks’ time machine and that it’s a wreak. Trunks says that he has his time machine with him and Gohan and Trunks leave to investigate after seeing a picture of the time machine that was found in the middle of nowhere. They find the time machine and meet up with Bulma. Gohan and Bulma think that it’s a different machine until Trunks proves otherwise, that time machine that he has and the one standing in front of them are the same thing.

Gohan inspects the time machine and finds that something broke out of it. They open up the hatch and find to halves of an egg that contained some weird creature that hatched and broke out of the capsule. Trunks then discovers through the time machine’s computer that it’s been sitting there for four years. Trunks puts away both the old time machine away and Bulma decides to take the eggshells back to her lab.

Before they leave, Gohan sees something in the bushes and when the group goes off to investigate, the find a giant exo-skeleton, the thing they think that came out of the egg. They soon discover that the creature just shed its skin and that it can’t be too far. Bulma leaves to go back to Capsule Corp. and Gohan and Trunks fly over to Master Roshi’s.

“Yeah,” Trunks agrees, “But I what I want to know is who sent it here and for what reason?” They finally arrive at Master Roshi’s house to find out that something is happening in Ginger Town, that a strange creature is attacking and killing people. Trunks and Gohan make the connection between the creature they found in the forest and the creature that’s attacking Ginger Town. Trunks goes to check it out, making all of them worried, leaving everyone to watch after Goku.

Later, Piccolo, Krillin, and Tien show back up at Master Roshi’s house and Gohan learns that the creature’s name is Cell and that he needs the androids to become “complete”. They all discover through the TV that Cell is attacking again. Krillin, Tien, Piccolo, Yamcha, and Gohan all decide to fight Cell, so they take off in one of the capsule planes so Cell won’t sense their energy. They’re talking about how they need Goku and Goku suddenly appears, having been totally cured of his heart disease. They discuss what they’re going to do and Goku comes up with an idea.

“Right, let’s do it,” Gohan says, taking his father’s hand. They use the Instant Transmission to go and get Vegeta and Trunks before heading over to the Kami’s Lookout. When they get there, Vegeta is impatient to begin his training, so he and Trunks go first. Almost a day passes up at Kami’s Lookout and Goku and Gohan can feel Piccolo’s energy level rise as he fights against something they’re assuming is the androids since they can’t feel other power levels involved.

Gohan tries to go and help Piccolo, but Goku stops him, telling his son that he’d only be in the way. Gohan eventually understands and stays, only being allowed to feel Piccolo’s energy fight against the androids. Videl felt great worry for Piccolo and she found herself hoping that he would survive.

“I don’t think so, son,” Goku says, “But, if he can hold on, he might…live.” Videl’s heart dropped, her worry for Piccolo so great it was almost overwhelming. Suddenly, Gohan and Goku feel Cell’s power heading for where Piccolo is, both of them wishing that Vegeta and Trunks would hurry up with their training so they could go in and train. Father and son continue to wait, sensing the battle from up top of Kami’s Lookout.

While they’re waiting, they can sense that Cell has arrived at the battle scene and they hope that Cell doesn’t get his hands on the androids. Cell and Piccolo fight and Cell wins, both Gohan and Goku feeling that Piccolo has been hurt very badly, so badly that they think he’s dead. Gohan becomes enraged that he’s not there to help his friend and starts to rush off again, but Goku stops him by grabbing onto him.

“It’s ok, Gohan. I’m sorry that I knocked you down. I know how deeply you care about Piccolo. I promise I won’t let his sacrifice be in vain.” Suddenly, it seems that Cell is losing because his energy is fading away. Then, Cell’s energy shoots up and Goku comes to the conclusion that Cell has gotten one of the androids.

They then feel Tien’s energy and are confused because his presence wasn’t part of the plan, which was that Piccolo was going to fight against the androids and hold them off for as long as possible while Trunks and Vegeta trained so that they could go and help. But, despite the plan, Tien continues to use an attack that uses up all of his energy.

“He’s putting out too much energy!” Goku exclaims, “Damn it! What’s he doing there? He knows he can’t sustain an effort like that. We’re going to lose him!” Finally unable to take it anymore, Goku uses the Instant Transmission to get Tien and Piccolo, reappearing with them moments later, both Piccolo and Tien badly hurt. Gohan gives both of them Senzu beans and their injuries disappear. Vegeta and Trunks emerge from the Room of Spirit and Time, both of them much stronger than they were before. Vegeta is unchanged, but Trunks’ hair is several inches longer. They talk briefly, Vegeta trying to convince Goku that he doesn’t need to train, Vegeta’s reasoning being that he is more than strong enough to take care of Cell without Goku’s help.

Bulma arrives, giving everyone Saiya-jin battle armor, and Gohan and Goku enter the Room of Spirit and Time. Gohan is completely amazed at the sight of the place. He walks deeper into the room, leaving it, and find that the dimension it’s in is just a never-ending span of whiteness. Goku walks off of the steps, into the whiteness, and Gohan follows, quickly becoming overwhelmed by the gravity. Then, Goku reveals his plan for Gohan.

“In time,” Goku says, his voice incredibly serious, “But you have to take this training very seriously. Of course, we’ll take it one step at a time. When you’re ready, you’ll move to the next level. But, it’s not going to be easy.

“It’ll be the toughest thing you’ve ever done,” Goku admits, then hurries to reassure his son, “Hey, you’re my son. I know that you’ll be able to do it. And don’t forget, you’re a descendent of the Saiya-jin race too. I want you to do the best that you can and, no matter what, I’ll always be proud of you. Understand?” Videl could feel Gohan’s anxieties being laid to rest.

“Good,” Goku says, “Then we’re going to try to reach a ki level higher than Super Saiya-jin. That’s the only thing that matters to us in this place. Gohan, I want you to train hard and become stronger than me.” Gohan is shocked; there is no way that he can become stronger than his father.

“That’s nonsense, Gohan,” Goku says, reassuring his son, “The future has changed a lot since Trunks said that. I was supposed to get sick and die, but, look, I’m still here so you can’t believe everything Trunks as said. Thinks have changed.”

“Yeah, sure,” Gohan says and soon after that, they start their training, Goku pushing Gohan hard. Gohan is struggling to become a Super Saiya-jin, only being able to reach it for a second before it disappears. Videl could feel Gohan getting stronger, as if she herself was getting stronger too. She could feel his intense frustration at not being able to transform into a Super Saiya-jin and his anxiety that he was letting his father down. Their training continues, getting harder as it goes along, Gohan pushing himself to keep up with his father.

“I think Piccolo was right about you, dad. You’re way too gentle with me to train me right. You’ve got to fight! Fight me, dad! You’re holding back. I said fight! Listen, you can’t go easy on me just because I’m your son!” Gohan yells at his father one day when they’re training. Goku starts to fight back, but it’s not good enough for Gohan.

“No dad, that’s not good enough. Not if you want me to become a Super Saiya-jin. You have to come at me with everything you’ve got…even if it kills me. Don’t you get it? It’s the only way. It’s all or nothing. There is no in between! Look dad, I know you love me and that you don’t want to hurt me, but unless I become a Super Saiya-jin, then all the time we spent in here will be for nothing. Don’t you see?” Gohan continues to yell at his father. Goku turns into a Super Saiya-jin, realizing that Gohan is right, and starts fighting Gohan with everything he has. Goku fires a Kamehameha at Gohan, which he catches and tries to block, his determination rising with each passing second.

< I’ve got to do this! I won’t let you down dad! No! I’ve been letting people down my whole life! How many times have I let my friends down when they needed me? And how many of my friends have gotten hurt because I was too weak or too scared to help them? If only I had been stronger! If only I could have done more! Whenever I get into trouble, anytime I’m in over my head and I don’t think I’m going to make it, dad, Krillin, Piccolo, one of my friends is always there to bail me out. When the situations are reversed, I just stand there, like a little, helpless child…Dad, you’ve always been able to do anything you set your mind to. There’s never been a challenge you couldn’t meet. And when the time came, you were ready. You became a Super Saiya-jin. But dad, I’m not like you. I just don’t think I have what it takes…NO! I have to be strong. If I can’t do this, then dad, Krillin, everyone, I’m going to lose them all! > Gohan says to himself, finally breaking the barrier, turning into a Super Saiya-jin. Videl almost gasped at the feeling of the raw power running through what seemed like her veins, even though she knew it was Gohan’s instead.

< What an incredible feeling, > Videl said to herself, feeling the need that went with it, realizing Gohan’s drive to protect everyone close to him. Over time, Gohan slowly learns how to control his power, each day getting stronger and stronger. Gohan figures out that while Goku is training him, he’s also trying to find a way to reach the next level.

One day, Goku shows him his progress. Gohan is amazed, but Goku says that it’s still not enough to beat Cell with, that they need to get to a point when being a Super Saiya-jin becomes natural. They eventually get to the point where being Super Saiya-jins is completely natural, even in their sleep, and they feel that it’s time for them to leave, even though they leave early. They both emerge as Super Saiya-jins and everyone is shocked to find that not only is Gohan a Super Saiya-jin, that they’re both stronger than Trunks and Vegeta.

They learn that Cell has absorbed both and androids and he has announced to hold a tournament where anyone can fight him if they want to. Piccolo gives Gohan a new outfit like his and Goku goes to check out Cell, using the Instant Transmission to get there and back. Piccolo reveals that Trunks and Vegeta are going to go back in and Piccolo suggests that Gohan and Goku do the same. Goku says that there’s no point in going, that he and Gohan have done all they can do in there.

So, with that said, Gohan and Goku fly off, ready to spend the next 9 days before the tournament relaxing and training. They stop off at Korrin’s Tower so Goku and see how his power compares with Cell’s. There, they discover that Cell is still stronger than Goku, but Goku is unfazed, like he’s got some sort of secret weapon. Using the Instant Transmission, they teleport themselves to Master Roshi’s to get Chi-Chi, who freaks out when she sees Gohan as a Super Saiya-jin, thinking that he’s dyed his hair, and then they all go home. Krillin decides to go with them and they spend the 9 days before the tournament relaxing for the most part.

During that time, Gohan’s birthday passes and there is an incident with the army trying to defeat Cell, but the whole army ends up getting destroyed. Goku then goes to Kami’s Lookout on a mission, leaving Krillin, Gohan, and Chi-Chi behind. Gohan, Chi-Chi, and Krillin head over to Master Roshi’s, confused about where Goku disappeared off to. When they get there, they discover that everyone over there is watching TV. Nothing uneventful is on until they see Mr. Satan on the screen, hearing that he’s going to fight against Cell too.

< Well, I think I might understand why, > Videl thought to herself. Goku later appears and takes Gohan and Krillin to Kami’s Lookout, where they find that Dende is there. Gohan and Krillin are extremely happy to see Dende and they learn that Dende is going to be Guardian of the Earth in Kami’s place, seeing how as Piccolo fused with Kami. Dende then recreates the Dragonballs that went dormant when Kami fused with Piccolo. Goku leaves to collect the Dragonballs, making sure everything is ready to bring back all of the people who were killed by Cell, leaving Krillin and Gohan up at Kami’s Lookout with Dende, Trunks, and Piccolo. Everyone is worried about Goku’s attitude towards Cell and Trunks decides to ask Gohan about it.

“Or maybe he’s in denial,” Piccolo counters. They all wait around Kami’s Lookout for Goku to return, all of them passing the time in the way they deem fit. Krillin leaves to go to Master Roshi’s, leaving Gohan and Dende to study up on Kami’s lookout. Vegeta then comes out, having used up all of his time in the Room of Spirit and Time.

A couple of days later, it’s time for the tournament to begin and everyone is as ready as they’re going to be. Goku gets there and finds that Vegeta went on ahead of the rest of the group. Krillin then reveals that the Dragon can’t bring back anyone who’s already died before, which is everyone except for Gohan and Trunks. Goku tells them not to worry and they head off towards the tournament, meeting up with Tien and Yamcha on the way, the two of them only going to watch, not to fight.

They arrive at the tournament to see that Vegeta and Android #16 have already arrived. Now that all of the fighters are there, Goku announces that he’s going to be fighting first, but Mr. Satan claims that he’s going to fight and he tries to convince them by impressing him with his “strength”. Videl was shocked. She was feeling what Gohan was feeling and her father’s strength was nothing compared to any of the Z-fighters.

< Maybe my dad really didn’t beat Cell, > Videl said to herself as she watched. Goku tries to stop Mr. Satan from going first, but Krillin convinces him that if Mr. Satan dies against Cell, they can always bring him back with the Dragonballs. Mr. Satan is about to fight, but, before he can, two of his students show up. Mr. Satan lets them fight first and both of them lose, being pushed away with nothing except for Cell’s energy. Mr. Satan goes up and begins to fight Cell, his punches and kicks having no effect on Cell. With one hit, Cell knocks Mr. Satan out of the ring, sending him flying through the air and into a cliff.

“Look, he survived,” Piccolo says, “I guess Cell didn’t want to waste any energy on that weakling.” Goku then steps into the ring and the two begin their match. Gohan is in awe of his father’s fighting ability, knowing that Goku will be able to defeat Cell. The two of them fight, their strength appearing to be equal.

“And so far, it looks like neither of them are even short of breath,” Yamcha says, amazed at the fight going on in front of him. They fight, moving so fast that only the Z-senshi can see them. Videl was watching their movements with awe as she saw them through Gohan’s eyes. She remembered watching the Cell Games on tape when they were being broadcasted live and she never saw any of what she was now seeing. Goku eventually knocks Cell out of the ring, but, before he can touch the ground, Cell uses his power to levitate himself back to the ring.

“Well then,” Goku says, “I’ll try not to disappoint you.” The two start fighting again in the air, amazing everyone with their speed. Gohan’s the only one who can keep up with their movements. Goku then moves the match down to the ring, knocking Cell down to the floor of the ring where they continue their battle.

“What?” Trunks says, amazed, though Gohan doesn’t answer as he continues to watch. Right before Goku gets pushed out of the ring, he moves and appears behind Cell. Goku knocks Cell into the air, firing a Kamehameha at him, forcing Cell to block it. Goku uses that time when Cell is distracted to get behind him and hit him hard. The fighting in the air becomes more serious and Cell knocks Goku to the ground, causing Goku to crack the ring as he lands. The fighting stops and Cell and Goku look at each other.

“Yeah,” Goku agrees. Goku powers up as a Super Saiya-jin, reaching a new level that no one has reached before, causing the earth to shake as he powers up. Goku’s power explodes, shocking everyone but Gohan, who thinks his father can still go higher. Cell also powers up and the two start fighting again, both of them giving it their all. Only Gohan can easily follow their movements as they fight, still thinking that his dad has more to give, not knowing that Goku is giving it his all.

Cell then uses the Z-senshi’s techniques against Goku, Tien’s ability to split himself into four parts, Piccolo’s Makenkosappo, and Krillin’s Kienzan, which he controls, forcing the two he created to follow Goku’s movements. Cell then powers up a huge Kamehameha, as if trying to destroy the earth. He releases the blast and Goku moves, causing Cell to divert it so that it goes after Goku. Goku uses the Instant Transmission to move out of the way before he gets hit by it.

“Well, don’t get the wrong idea,” Cell says defensively, “I don’t care one bit about this planet or its filthy people. But, without it, there’d be no one to kill!” The fight resumes again, Cell moving so fast that Goku can’t see him and can’t fight against him. It’s getting so that the Z-senshi, who are all shocked, can’t follow Cell’s movements anymore or Goku’s either. Gohan, still, doesn’t seem fazed at all for he can still follow all of Cell’s movements. The fight is getting serious, both parties giving it all they have.

< Try harder, dad. I know you can do it! > Gohan says in his mind. Cell is starting to win, but only slightly. Gohan is still watching them fight, but the others can’t see them. Suddenly, the fight stops in the air and Cell is aiming a ki blast down at the ring.

“Hey, get away from the ring! NOW!” Goku yells before Cell blows it up, everyone moving to get away from it. The two continue, now fighting to the death, with the whole desert as their ring. They start throwing fierce punches at one another, one of Goku’s punches knocking Cell to the ground. Goku fires a Kamehameha at Cell, who’s on the ground. It looks, for several seconds, like Goku is going to destroy Cell at the cost of the earth.

Before he releases it, Goku teleports himself to right underneath Cell. He then releases it, putting everything he has into it, giving Cell no chance to escape. The blast blows away Cell’s head and arms and he quickly regenerates, revealing to all those who didn’t know before that Cell has Piccolo’s cells inside of him. Goku has exhausted himself with the Kamehameha, his energy severely drained.

“Goku was counting on that last attack to finish Cell off. I don’t know how much longer he’ll be able to keep this up,” Piccolo says, his voice filled with worry. They continue to fight, Cell with the upper hand, and Trunks wants to give Goku a Senzu bean. Vegeta stops them, telling them that if Goku is as great as they think he is, he’ll do something to defeat Cell. Goku then lowers himself to the ground and comes to a resolution.

“There’s no point in continuing this fight; I can’t beat you,” Goku continues, “You know, I wasn’t sure when I came here today that I’d have what it takes to beat you. I know now that I don’t. Fighting you has shown me that there’s still a lot I have to work towards. We may be enemies, but today you’ve given me a valuable opportunity to learn more about myself and, for what it’s worth. I thank you. It’s pointless for us to continue this fight.” Cell is just as shocked as the rest of the Z-senshi.

“Well Goku, I hope you fully appreciate the consequences of your actions. You may quit if you wish but if there’s no one left to fight me, I’m going to reduce this entire planet to rubble,” Cell says, thinking that the tournament is over.

“I know it sounds crazy, but you’ll understand soon enough. The person I’m about to name is a lot stronger than I am so, if you enjoyed the challenge of fighting me, Cell, you’re going to like this next one even better. Or course, you probably won’t feel that way about it after he’s beaten you,” Goku says, shocking Cell.

“A bold statement. You certainly seem to have a lot of confidence in this mystery fighter of yours. Well, I hope for your sake that your confidence has not been misplaced. Now, where is he? Where is this great invisible champion?” Cell says.

“All right, I will,” Goku responds, looking up at the Z-senshi, “All right, guys, I’m afraid that I can’t win this fight. I need someone to take over. That someone is you…son.” Everyone, including Gohan, is shocked that Goku has names his own son to fight in his place.

“Listen,” Goku says calmly, “Gohan has a power hidden within him that you or I can’t even begin to imagine. Just think about it! Don’t you realize that he’s been keeping up with the rest of us since he was just a little boy? I can remember back when I was his age, I wasn’t have as strong as he is.”

“You’re just going to have to trust me. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t know Gohan could win,” Goku says, going over to kneel next to Gohan, “Look up at me, son. Tell me something, when Call and I were fighting back there, did you think it was hard to keep up at all? I mean were we ever moving too fast for you to see?” After a few seconds, Gohan replies.

“Well, perhaps Goku wasn’t entirely bluffing about his son’s strength! Of course, it was a bit of an exaggeration to say that you were stronger than me, but oh well,” Cell says as he flies to the ground to face off against Gohan. The two start fighting and it seems that Gohan is able to hold his own. The fight is then taken to the air and then back down to the ground again. Cell starts moving faster and it suddenly seems that Gohan can’t keep up anymore. Cell starts beating up on Gohan, eventually pounding him into the ground. Gohan gets up, with barely even a scratch, and gets into a fighting stance.

They start fighting, using ki blasts this time around and Gohan moves with incredible speed as he dodges all of Cell’s blasts. They take it into the air once again and Cell kicks Gohan hard, causing him great pain. Then, Cell uses a ki blast to send him into a rock hill, burying under tons of rock. Gohan is fine, though, and uses his energy to blast the rocks away. Gohan is getting madder by the second, his power gradually increasing, as he walks towards Cell.

“I’m telling you I don’t want to fight anymore Cell. Even though you’re evil, I really have no desire to kill you. You don’t have to continue this senseless violence!” Gohan says; Videl could feel the pacifist inside of Gohan fighting for control, “You can put an end to all of it right now. I don’t want-”

“You don’t want to fight,” Cell finishes for Gohan, “Yes, I understand that! Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but did I just hear you threaten to kill me? Interesting. And what makes you think you can carry out this threat? Really! Do tell!”

“An interesting story. But, it didn’t work. Well, not in the way you intended, but you have given me something to work for. You see, Gohan, this hidden power of yours intrigues me and now that I know about it, I’m determined to see it all myself!” Cell starts fighting against Gohan, trying to push him far enough to bring out Gohan’s power. Gohan doesn’t fight back but the more Cell attacks, the more Gohan gets angry. He starts dodging and kicks Cell to the ground easily, only managing to make Cell bleed a little bit.

“Think about it, a wretched way to die and no one can stop me except for you Gohan, except for you! Come on. I know this hurts you. What are you waiting for? I can feel your bones beginning to crack, so if you’re going to act, I’d do it now!” Gohan refuses to do anything, thinking that he doesn’t want to fight Cell, he doesn’t want to fight anybody. It doesn’t work and Cell finally lets go of Gohan, allowing him to fall to the ground.

“Stubborn creature. You refuse to fight back despite all the pain that I inflict on you. Perhaps you’d respond better to the pain of your dear, old friends,” Cell says, catching Gohan’s attention, and Cell goes up to Krillin and steals the Senzu beans from him.

“Oh Gohan, I assure you that once I’ve had my fill, I’ll stop you myself.” Gohan goes after Cell, but gets kicked aside. Before Gohan can do anything else, Android #16 grabs Cell, revealing that he’s going to self destruct and take Cell with him seeing how has his self-destruct device is powerful enough to kill Cell.

“I have a powerful explosive embedded deep in my body,” #16 explains with his monotone voice, “It was intended to be a last resort. I am sorry that we androids have caused so much suffering here on the earth…Cell, you destroy life. You are a parasite to this planet. And I see now that this is the best way to destroy you. Dr. Gero’s sick ambitions to terrorize the world through us will ultimately be put to rest by his own devices.” Android #16 starts to power up the explosive, but Krillin reveals that Bulma removed it and Cell uses his power to blow Android #16 to pieces. Gohan is pissed off that Cell has destroyed Android #16, but can’t do anything about it yet.

Cell then creates 7 mini-Cells to fight against the others and they race off to fight the Z-senshi who are watching. Even though they’re small, the mini-Cells are extremely small, almost as powerful as Cell himself. Gohan’s anger is growing by the second as his friends and father get more and more beaten up.

< I…I can’t let those monsters kill them. Most of them can’t be wished back to life. They’ll just be gone. They’ll all be gone! > Gohan screams inside his mind, a war waging inside of him whether to try to spare the world from his power or to fight and protect his friends. So, he only watches as everyone gets beaten, Vegeta and Trunks the only two who have any type of defense against the mini-Cells. Gohan’s power starts to react with his anger and he tries to keep it in check. Videl could feel vividly the immense power that Gohan was feeling and the struggle that he was going through to keep it in.

“Ah, your energy is beginning to swell. That’s good! Now, take your anger and feed off of it. Use it to unleash your power before it’s too late for your friends. Just take a look out there. No one but Vegeta and Trunks can still defend themselves, not even your father. He, too, will die.” Gohan’s thoughts are in anguish as he watches.

< Why did you do this, dad? Why did you count on me so much? If you’re so sure I have all this power, then tell me how to bring it out! I wanna help! I wanna save you dad, but I can’t! I don’t know how! I’m so afraid to do this alone! > Gohan says to himself. Videl was close to tears as she felt Gohan’s feelings. < I can’t even imagine what it would have been like to be there, > Videl said to herself, continuing to watch as the Z-senshi get beaten to within an inch of their lives except for Vegeta and Trunks, who soon start to lose as well. Gohan’s hold on his power is getting weaker and weaker when, suddenly, Android #16’s head appears in front of him.

“Gohan, let it go,” Android #16 says, still able to talk, “It is not a sin to fight for the right cause. There are those who words alone will not reach. Cell is such a being. I know how you feel, Gohan. You are gentle; you do not like to hurt. I know because I too have learned these feelings. But it is because you cherish life that you must protect it.”

< #16, you loved life. You gave everything up to save it and you were just an android. I let you die. I can’t do that! I won’t watch anymore! I feel it slipping and I won’t watch this anymore! > Gohan exclaims mentally, exploding in a fury of power, causing the earth to shake. Cell and the mini-Cells are unimpressed and the mini-Cells continue beating up on the Z-senshi. Gohan sees this and unleashes more of his power, asking Cell to stop it. When Cell, won’t stop, Gohan unleashes more of his power, everyone stopping to watch.

“I can never forgive you for what you’ve done!” Gohan yells out. Cell is shocked at how much power Gohan has and, while he’s shocked, Gohan takes the Senzu beans from Cell, moving so fast that Cell can’t stop him. He moves onto the first mini-Cell and kills it with one punch, doing what no one had been able to do. He quickly destroys the rest of them with ease, like it’s no problem. Cell is surprised and angry at what Gohan’s done. Gohan gives the Senzu beans to Trunks, telling him to give everyone a Senzu bean. Gohan and Cell start fighting, but it soon turns out that Gohan is too fast for Cell.

“Stop mocking me!” Cell cries out, getting angrier and angrier. The two seem to be equal in power, but Gohan isn’t even trying; he’s just toying with Cell. Cell continues to get angrier because he’s starting to see that he can’t hit Gohan. The start fighting up in the air, Cell launching a brutal attack on Gohan, but Gohan blocks all of Cell’s punches or moves out of the way before they can hit him.

“Is that all you’ve got?” he asks, enraging Cell even further. Cell thinks Gohan is bluffing, but when Cell comes at Gohan with his strongest punch and Gohan is unaffected, he knows that Gohan wasn’t bluffing. Gohan lands a punch on Cell that has him taking a few steps back, gasping for air. Gohan does it again, this time knocking Cell to the ground.

“This can’t be! He only had two punches that made contact. So why am I so damaged?” Cell wonders out loud. Cell starts attacking Gohan again, but Gohan blocks all of them, catching one of Cell’s kicks before bringing up a leg and kicking Cell in the face, sending him to the ground again. Cell powers up, making to strong Kienzan attacks, throwing them at Gohan who catches them and obliterates them, maddening Cell. Cell then fires Piccolo’s attack, thinking it will kill Gohan, but Gohan simply deflects it, sending it off into space. Cell, who is starting to get scared, starts firing rapid ki blasts at Gohan, but he dodges them all.

“What are you so afraid of, Cell? Isn’t this what you wanted?” Gohan asks, “I warned you! I told you what would happen if you pushed me too far! But you didn’t listen! You forced me to awaken my hidden power. And now that you’ve seen it, you’re afraid because you know that I’m going to destroy you!” Cell jumps into the air, hoping to get away from Gohan so he can power up. Cell fires a Kamehameha at Gohan, strong enough to destroy the earth and, at the last moment, Gohan powers up one of his own and sends it towards Cell. Gohan’s blast pushes Cell’s back towards him, eventually swallowing up Cell’s blast as it goes through Cell. Cell can’t block the attack and is mortally harmed by it. Cell isn’t dead, but most of him is gone. Gohan as the perfect chance to kill Cell, but he doesn’t.

“Gohan, listen to me! You’ve got to get him! Do it now! We all know you have the power! It’s time to use it” Goku yells, but Gohan ignores his father’s words, letting Cell regenerate. Even though Videl could see where Goku was coming from, she fully understood what Gohan was doing; he was going to make Cell pay for everything that he had done. Cell intends to make Gohan pay for what he’s done. Cell powers up again, making himself huge, sacrificing speed for strength.

“Boy, you won’t defeat me! A worthless Saiya-jin like you can’t compete with me! I am invincible! And now I will make you pay!” Cell says, trying to punch Gohan, but he hits the ground instead. Cell, with his size, is too slow to catch Gohan. Gohan kicks him in the face and then in the stomach, immobilizing Cell completely. Cell spits up #18 because of that Gohan’s punch did to his midsection and Cell loses his complete power, transforming back to his second form. Videl almost puked at the sight.

“Boy, this is the end for you! You thought you could beat me, but you can’t! I’m going to blow myself up now and I’m going to take you with me! Say goodbye to your precious planet!” Gohan is shocked; he thought for sure that he had won, but it turns out that Gohan is wrong. Videl felt her heart cave in.

“I could have destroyed Cell; now there’s nothing I can do! I’ve failed. What have I done? I’ve been a fool! I’ve let Cell win again!” Gohan collapses to the ground, ashamed of his failure. It seems that there is nothing anyone can do to save the Earth when, suddenly, Goku appears in front of Cell and Gohan. Gohan, who is confused, watches as Goku puts a hand on Cell, two fingers of his other hand on his forehead.

“Hey,” Krillin says, “don’t blame yourself, kid. If it weren’t for you, the earth and all of us would be history. You saved us. Your dad was very proud of you, Gohan. You know that. And he had to do what he did because he loves you.” Krillin helps Gohan get off of the ground.

“Now, come on. Let’s go,” Krillin says as they walk away. The group is trying to decide what to do with Android #18 and, before they can decide, they feel a strong power. It’s Cell and he isn’t dead. He’s in his final form and he’s stronger than ever. He kills Trunks and Vegeta is pissed off that his son is dead. Cell explains how he survived the explosion, that one of his cells survived, allowing him to regenerate himself, each cell holding the memory of his final form. He also explains that he learned how to do the Instant Transmission, his cells having absorbed the knowledge from Goku. Gohan is very angry that Cell survived and that his father’s sacrifice was in vain.

Gohan is about to fight against Cell, but Vegeta beats him to it, giving it all he has, determined to do everything he can to avenge his son’s life, even if it means dying himself. Vegeta starts firing rapid ki blasts at Cell, completely wearing himself out. Cell still lives and Vegeta, who has no defense, gets knocked to the ground by Cell. Cell fires a ki blast at a helpless Vegeta and it seems like it’s going to hit him when Gohan dives in front of it, the ki blast hitting him in the left arm, making his left arm completely useless.

“Gohan, I told you not to get in my way. I do hope you are not planning on continuing this fight. I wouldn’t want you to suffer,” Cell says as he lands and faces Gohan, who’s going to fight him anyway, but Gohan soon realized, as Cell powers up a Kamehameha, that he’s not strong enough.

“Gohan, this is it! It ends here! First I’ll destroy you, then your friends, and then this worthless planet. But, before I do, I want you to remember something. I will live forever! This place has been good to me, but all my feasting here is done. And I’d hate to leave without clearing my plate. Soon, it will be nothing but a cloud of dust!” Cell says as he powers up, leaving Gohan feeling helpless.

“I’ve become completely useless on this battlefield. I’m making a total mockery of my Saiya-jin race. I’m sorry, Gohan. I am,” Vegeta says weakly and Gohan realizes that Vegeta is saying he’s sorry because there’s nothing that can be done. Cell continues to power up, noticing that Gohan isn’t trying to do anything in return.

“The other world. And, thanks to King Kai, I can communicate with you telepathically. I know you have the power to beat him, Gohan; I’ve sensed it all along. Now, give him the biggest Kamehameha you’ve got. I know you can do this, Gohan. I promise,” Goku says,

“I will!” Gohan exclaims and, with one arm, he powers up a Kamehameha, both he and Cell releasing their attacks at the same time, the biggest attacks the world has ever seen. Both attacks meet head on, both seeming equal. Both Cell and Gohan pour more power into their attacks, causing the world to shake with the intensity. Cell then turns up the power and his attack starts swallowing up Gohan’s attack. Leaving Gohan struggling to stay alive against Cell’s Kamehameha.

“Will you stop attacking yourself?” Goku says, his mental voice full of reprimand, “I don’t know where you got it in your head that there’s something wrong with you ‘cause there’s not. You’ve saved my life and our friends’ lives so many times. And you’re going to do it again right now!” Goku’s mental voice was a yell. “Let it out Gohan! Do it now!” Gohan, in response, lets out more power, making the two attacks equal again. It seems like Gohan is going to win when Cell brings out more power, making the situation seem hopeless until Goku tells his son something.

“Gohan, if anywhere in your mind you’re holding back because you’re worried about the planet, forget about it. All the damage you do to the earth can be fixed with the Dragonballs. So don’t hold anything back, got it?” Goku instructs.

“Yeah, but…I…” Before Gohan can say anything more, Piccolo appears behind Cell and throws an attack at him. Cell uses his energy and throws it in Piccolo’s direction, causing the Namek to go flying through the air. Piccolo gets back up and fires a Makankosappo at Cell’s back. Shortly after, Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin show up with their own attacks as well.

“I’m trying…” Gohan says, the struggle evident in his voice. Videl could feel her heart hammering in anticipation. Even though she already knew the outcome of the battle, it was the most intense thing she’d ever seen before. But, she was torn. Part of her wanted to believe that what she was seeing was real, but the main part of her was telling her mind that it was just a strange dream. Videl focused her attention back at what she was seeing. Cell begins to fight two fronts with no problem.

“You’re all so anxious to die, aren’t you?” Cell asks the Z-senshi behind him, “Well, all you had to do was ask!” Cell uses his energy to blow them all away, enraging Gohan. Gohan’s attack gets bigger than Cell’s, starting to swallow Cell’s up. Yamcha and Tien get up, firing their attacks at Cell. Cell uses his energy to knock them to the ground and the moment that Tien and Yamcha hit the ground, Krillin and Piccolo stand up in their stead, firing their attacks as well.

“No chance!! You have no chance!!” Cell cries out, pushing the other 4 Z-senshi away with his energy, the four of them not able to get up again. Cell’s Kamehameha is about to completely swallow up Gohan’s and Goku tries to get Gohan to fight back.

“Release it, Gohan. Release everything! Think of all the pain he’s caused, the people he’s hurt. Make that your power!” Suddenly, Vegeta appears above Cell and fires an attack that distracts Cell long enough for Gohan to overwhelm him. Gohan pushes all of his power into the attack, destroying Cell once and for all, completely incinerating every last cell in his body. Gohan, who’s created a big hole beneath him, loses his Super Saiya-jin power and falls to the ground in exhaustion, happy and relieved that it’s finally over. The others approach him, all of them extremely proud of him. Yamcha goes over to pick Gohan up to take him to Dende’s.

“Don’t be sad,” Gohan says, “He’s not. He told me himself when I talked to him. I felt his energy all around me and I swear, for a moment, I could have touched him. He was right there with me, by my side, giving me advice and rooting me on. That’s how I was able to beat Cell. My dad helped me.” Nobody believes him, but they play along with Gohan nonetheless.

“Well, Gohan, whatever it was, you made us all proud. You sure have gotten strong, kid,” Piccolo says, affection in his voice for the boy he has come to think of as a son. Android #18, who was brought over there by Krillin, wakes up and learns that Gohan has defeated Cell. Gohan then realizes that Krillin has a crush on Android #18 and, in his tired state, he spits it out, causing Krillin to get mad at him. Android #18, not knowing how to deal with what she’s just learned, covers up her feelings with contempt and leaves. Deciding that they have more important things to do than talk about #18, they all decide to summon the Dragon. Shenlong comes forth, ready to grant wishes, and everyone’s amazed.

“As I feared,” Piccolo says, “Since Dende created a new Earth Dragon, I was hoping that Goku could be revived. But this dragon was made from the same model as the old one. So, their powers must be linked. I don’t sense Goku’s energy.”

“King Kai’s letting me talk to you from here in the other world, so listen up,” Goku continues, “Lately I’ve been thinking about why the earth is always in danger and I realized that most of the guys who attacked it were after me. Think about it. Frieza, Cell, the Androids…”

“Well, I think it would be better for the earth if I didn’t come back this time. King Kai agrees with me. As a Saiya-jin baby, I was sent to earth to destroy it. And though all my life I’ve tried to do the opposite, it’s kinda like I’ve been fulfilling that mission all along. So, yeah, I’m going to stay here now. I really don’t mind. King Kai says I can get special treatment because I saved the Earth, and all. I’ll be able to keep my body and, from what I here, there’s lots of interesting people to meet. It’ll be fun.” Piccolo smirks.

“King Kai could ask one of the Dragons to revive him,” Goku says, “But he’s agreed to show me around here for a while and keep me company. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I really appreciate your feelings towards me, but you’ll have to find something else to wish for. This is my home now. Gohan’s so strong now, I have nothing left to teach him.” Gohan’s heart begins to race as he realizes that he’ll never see his father again.

“You all better take notes on everything that happens in your life because when they’re through, I’ll want to hear all about them. Until then, goodbye.” Goku’s voice leaves and Gohan is saddened, but he knows that his dad will always live on in his heart. The Z-senshi make their second wish, using Krillin’s suggestion to take the explosive device out of the Androids after they tried making the androids human, which failed because it wasn’t possible. Shenlong grants the wish and he disappears, the Dragonballs scattering once again. #18 reappears, thanking Krillin for the wish, before she leaves. Tien leaves as well, going home. Piccolo decides to live up at Kami’s Lookout and Trunks reveals that he’s going to go back to the future in the morning. Gohan goes home and has to break the awful news to his mother that Goku has died. Chi-Chi starts crying and Gohan comforts his mother. Videl could feel Gohan’s new strength and responsibility. It is now his responsibility to watch after not only his family, but the world as well.

“Please mom, don’t be sad. This is the way he really wanted it. He told me so himself. Besides, I can feel him mom. He’s there,” Gohan reassures. The next morning, everyone is at Capsule Corp. to see Trunks off. Once Trunks leaves, life turns back to normal. Gohan begins studying again, but he is also allowed by his mother to train, his sole purpose being that he doesn’t want to lose anyone else in his life.

< I think I finally understand why he trains, even though he’s a pacifist at heart, > Videl said to herself as she watched the next 6 years to by in a blur. During that time, Goten is born, #18 and Krillin fall in love and get married, and Marron is born. One day, Gohan learns from his mother that she is allowing him to attend school with other students instead of just studying at home by himself. Videl watched as Gohan starts school at Orange Star High School. She saw him as he introduces him self to the class, the day she first saw him.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover. He could kick your butt if he wanted to, Sharpener. And if he couldn’t then I would kick your butt for him,” Videl says. Videl gasped mentally as she felt the feelings that Gohan feels for her when he first sees her. Videl watched as she and Gohan get closer over time, Gohan falling in love with her slowly.

< He’s in love with me? > Videl asked herself, watching everything with new eyes. She watched as a new enemy appears, learning that the enemy, Queen Milena, is after not only Videl, but also Gohan. Over time, much is learned about the new enemy from Vegeta and Gohan figures out that Videl is their target and that if she’s taken, the enemy will have the power to rule the universe. Videl watched as Gohan and the Z-senshi begin protecting her 24/7 and she saw all of Gohan’s fights with many of Queen Milena’s henchmen. He wins them all, none of them even a challenge for him. Gohan goes to train mentally with Piccolo, perfecting the technique that he used to kill the woman who fought him on the day of the geology field trip. Gohan misses Videl greatly while he’s gone, but he’s doing this so he can protect the woman he loves from being taken from him; he doesn’t know what he’d do if Videl was taken away from him. Gohan returns from training with Piccolo, his love and need for Videl having grown much over the four weeks that he was gone. Videl was shocked at how strongly he felt for her, just as strongly as she felt for him.

< Think of how much time we’ve wasted, > Videl said to herself as she watched the events of the previous night: her explosion at all of them for keeping her in the dark for so long, Gohan as he prepares to tell her, and later when Videl comes into Gohan’s room, seeking comfort from a dream that had been plaguing her since Gohan left for Kami’s Lookout. She felt Gohan’s desire for her as they begin kissing, the overwhelming need that he has to keep her close to him forever that is part of the cause of his bonding with her. As the dream that Videl had come to a close, she began to wake up, her eyelids fluttering. Gohan saw her start to wake up, minutes after he woke up, and the dread and panic created a knot in his throat; he didn’t know if he would be able to speak. Videl opened her eyes, her sight being filled with Gohan. She gasped, as if she was looking at him with new eyes. She didn’t know what to say. Was it a dream that she had or was it real? Taking in a breath, she stared him in the eye, noticing the panic that was held in his coal black eyes. Gohan offered Videl a small smile, trying to calm himself down, as he brought up a hand to brush her hair out of her face.

“No, what you saw was real. What you saw…was my life, everything that has happened to me from the moment I was born. As I did for you. We received each other’s memories, Videl. We bonded,” Gohan said, his voice trailing off into a whisper. Videl couldn’t believe it; what she saw…it was true? She looked away, words failing her. How did one talk to a person when they saw all of their intimate and private memories. Slowly she looked back up at Gohan, her eyes containing many questions.