Gohan stared above at a bulbous-looking, hideous monster laughing in glee as he began expanding as much as a balloon.
"Hahaha, boy this is the end for you! You think you could beat me but you can't! I'm going to blow myself up now and I'm taking you with me! Say goodbye to your precious planet!" Cell chortled as the breath nearly left Gohan's lungs at Cell's proclamation.
"N-no don't!" Gohan yelled as a plan to stop Cell began hatching in his mind. He had gotten the necessary power needed to put down the diabolical android… surely it couldn't end up like this.
Cell continued laughing at Gohan's expense as he continued getting bigger and bigger. Oh how much he is grateful for his self-destruction for sticky situations like this. The nerve of this damn child getting the better of him. At least now he'd have the last laugh.
"You lost, little man! I'm going to destroy this planet!" Cell bragged before Gohan adopted a battle pose.
"No you won't!" Gohan replied as he refused to let this bastard win. He would defeat him and protect not only the earth but the Universe as a whole.
However before he could make a move, Cell playfully raised his hands up.
"Watch out! You might make me explode! You don't want to make me upset! One little shock could set me off and then it's bye-bye, Gohan! Bye-Bye Goku and so long Earth!" Cell gloated as thoughts of how to counter the evil monster seemed to dwindle, little by little.
"Hahaha one minute boy and it'll all be over!" Cell grinned as the severity of the situation really hit Gohan as he lost his will to stand.
"There's forty more seconds left!" Cell gleamed while Gohan could only contemplate on his previous failure to stop Cell. Or rather his refusal to do so.
"Dad was right… I should've destroyed Cell when I had the chance but I let my powers go to my head… I could've destroyed Cell! I've failed! What have I done!?" Gohan lamented before banging his fists in the dirt below him. He wanted to kill Cell as soon as he awakened his Super Saiyan 2 power but he wanted to make Cell hurt… no… suffer for all the innocent lives he took in his power trip on becoming perfect. But now it seemed as if it was all for naught… All the training with his dad… all the training with Piccolo and the others… Android 16's noble sacrifice… He had wasted all of it and thrown it all away… just on a feeling of revenge!
"Damn it! I've been a fool and let Cell win again! Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!" Gohan growled as Cell continued laughing while muttering how he only had ten more seconds left before he would explode and take everyone with him. With Cell's victory assured, Gohan could only wait patiently for his inevitable death. He couldn't believe it… the life of everyone he held precious to him would be lost… All because of his arrogance.
That is before a blur of orange and blue appeared in front of him.
Gohan looked up in utter surprise to see his father smiling at him while Cell wore a similar expression of shock and horror.
"Hey you put up a good fight, Gohan. I'm proud of you." Goku complimented his son with a voice full of pride as Gohan raised an eyebrow as he could only wonder what his unpredictable father was thinking.
"D-daddy?" Gohan stammered as Goku's smile remained firm on his face.
"Take care of your mother for me. She needs you. Tell her that I had to do this, Gohan." Goku said as Gohan's eyes raised in horror as he recognized the look in Goku's eyes. It was the same look he saw back when he fought Frieza. Although… unlike last time, he knew with one-hundred percent certainty that whatever plan Goku had in mind would no doubt result in his death.
" Goodbye… my son…" Goku winked as Gohan could've sworn he saw several tears fall from his father's eyes before he vanished instantly with his Instant Transmission technique.
"No! Come back!" Gohan yelled as he realized his dad had sacrificed himself for everyone, yet again.
***
"Dad, no!" Gohan yelled as he jolted awake in a cold sweat before realizing he was in Naruto's room.
"It was….a dream?" Gohan muttered before looking around and wondering whether or not Naruto heard his scream. Thankfully, Naruto was asleep.
"Mm… Sakura… oh yeah… I love it..." Naruto drooled as Gohan couldn't help but slightly laugh.
"Thank goodness Naruto seems to be a light-sleeper." Gohan quietly said before turning his head over to Naruto's nightstand where the clock said how it was "5:45". While such a time would be dangerously early to most preteens, thanks to his mother having him study since he learned how to read, such a time was a cakewalk for him.
Gohan decided to tiptoe out of the room he shared with Naruto before getting the clothes he wore yesterday. Upon getting himself dressed he decided to leave Naruto's apartment as he started scanning the streets as he realized that no one was out in the streets at this time of the morning.
With the coast clear, Gohan decided to fly where he assumed no one would be able to see him. He then touched down on a random part of a forest located outside the village.
As Gohan touched down he exhaled before powering up to his Super Saiyan state.
As he did so he punched several punches in the air along with practicing his kicks for a little while before deciding to stop. Upon doing so he attempted to power up to his Super Saiyan 2 state, however this proved to be easier said than done as he was able to but it was only for a couple of seconds.
"What's… wrong?" Gohan asked as he tried powering up for several more minutes before realizing that he was going nowhere.
"What's up? Why can't I assume my 2nd state for long? I was able to power it back up for a long while with ease when Cell came back so what's different?" Gohan pondered for a couple of more minutes before the answer came to him.
Back then he was filled with rage, anger and hate… Hate for him killing his father along with Trunks… If he could find that hidden power again, he would definitely be able to call upon it at will.
"I wonder… if it was this hard for dad to control his Super Saiyan state on yardrat." Gohan asked to no one before donning a determined look on his face.
"No matter what, I refuse to be arrogant and selfish like I was yesterday. My foolishness nearly cost me one world….I won't let it happen again!" Gohan vowed with the utmost certainty as he continued his training regimen for about another ten minutes before deciding to go back home but not before meeting up with Hiruzen and getting his money from him.
As he did so, little did he pay attention to three people who were looking at him from a tree above with nothing but curiosity.
"So… I'm assuming that's the mysterious new boy we've heard so much about." A boy clad in a green jumpsuit assumed.
"Indeed, Lee… but did you notice how he was able to get some kind of aura around him while changing the color of his hair?" The boy next to Lee asked. He had long brown hair along with peculiar looking white eyes.
"Yeah. Do you think he has some sort of Kekkai Genkai, Neji?" A girl with brown hair asked. She wore a pink Chinese style shirt along with blue pants.
"Who knows? But we definitely should keep an eye on this kid? He's definitely not normal, that's for sure." Neji replied as a smile suddenly donned on Tenten's lips.
"Okay… but there's no denying how cute he is." Tenten smiled in thought.