-----
-----
A flicker of surprise crossed Son Gohan's eyes. His body reacted on instinct, twisting sharply to the side and barely dodging the killing blow. But Cell didn't give him even a second to breathe.
Like a predator locking onto prey, Cell surged forward. Between his palms gathered a mass of destructive energy, which exploded into a torrential barrage of ki blasts that rained down on Gohan's position.
The explosions came one after another, deafening and relentless. Each blast flattened distant mountains, pulverized towering cliffs into dust. Smoke and debris shot into the sky, swallowing the battlefield whole.
It wasn't a fight anymore. It was a one-sided slaughter.
Gohan could only scramble and dodge, his figure tossed about like a dead leaf in a hurricane, looking as if he might be torn apart at any moment.
The teasing glint in Cell's eyes vanished, replaced by pure cruelty. He had decided to end this "farce." His speed and destructive power surged to their absolute limit.
Too fast.
Before Gohan could even track his movements, a world-shattering blow slammed into his chest. His body flew like a rag doll, all control stripped away.
Under everyone's horrified gaze, Gohan became nothing more than a toy in Cell's hands. Kicked, blasted, hurled through the air in cruel arcs again and again.
Not a single frame of the footage showed Gohan fighting back. Only his gut-wrenching screams echoed from the virtual screen, sharp enough to make skin crawl.
To most viewers, the outcome seemed sealed.
Then Cell stopped.
Hovering high above, he looked down at Gohan's limp body plummeting like a kite with its string cut. In his palm, a blinding white light gathered—the prelude to a fatal strike.
Cell's voice was icy, dripping with contempt.
"Son Gohan. If you're going to hate anyone, hate the idiot who came up with this stupid plan. Hate your father."
Before the words had even fully settled, the blast fired.
It struck Gohan square in the back.
"Ugh—Aaaaah!"
Gohan's cry tore through the air as the horrifying force sent him rocketing backward. Hundreds of meters away, a massive rock wall crumbled instantly on impact, collapsing into an enormous heap of rubble.
Buried beneath the wreckage, Gohan's presence vanished completely.
Cell admired his "masterpiece," the corner of his mouth lifting in satisfaction. Slowly, he turned his gaze toward Son Goku below and let out a sickening chuckle.
"Sorry. Guess I got a little carried away. Heh. Was I being a bit childish?"
That was the final straw for Piccolo.
To him, Gohan was like his own son. Rage and grief exploded out of him as he roared at Goku, who had insisted on letting Gohan fight.
"Son Goku! I warned you! Why won't you ever listen to me?!"
But Goku's response made Piccolo freeze.
Through the smoke came Goku's calm, steady voice.
"Relax, Piccolo. Gohan's ki hasn't dropped at all. Not even a little."
Cell's smile stiffened. It shifted into deeper mockery.
"Alright, Goku. This cheap joke's getting old. Go eat a Senzu Bean and let's have another round."
Goku's smirk turned sharper. He pointed behind Cell.
"Idiot. You might want to check what's behind you first."
Irritated, Cell turned around.
The next instant—
A terrifying pressure erupted from the silent rubble like a volcanic explosion, powerful enough to tear the sky apart. A brilliant white light burst forth.
Under that surge, every stone, every fragment of debris didn't just scatter. They disintegrated. Vaporized. Reduced to nothing.
"What… is this?"
Cell stood stunned.
Massive chunks of rock that should have weighed thousands of pounds were now floating upward, defying gravity itself.
And from the dust slowly rose Gohan.
The energy pouring from him was more than double what it had been before.
He stepped forward.
Each step made Cell's face darken further until his expression grew grave.
"Hmph. Unexpected. Didn't think you had this much in you, brat," Cell sneered, forcing composure as Gohan walked right up to him.
He hadn't even finished his taunt when Gohan spoke.
His eyes were complicated. His voice was eerily calm.
"Stop this, Cell."
The World of Naruto
In a hidden underground base, Uchiha Madara's lair lay silent. Obito was away on a mission. Black Zetsu lurked alone, secretly watching the virtual screen.
When it heard Gohan say, "Stop this," its thoughts went blank.
"...What?"
Its mind filled with question marks.
The enemy had just beaten this kid half to death, nearly annihilated him—and the first thing he says after standing back up is asking him to stop?
Is this kid brain-dead?
Black Zetsu couldn't help but sneer.
"As expected. A child is still a child. Naïve to the point of stupidity."
But it quickly composed itself. A being like Cell—pure, ultimate evil—would never stop because of some foolish plea.
"Cell. Tear that innocent idiot apart. Kill him!"
Its expression twisted in anticipation. It wanted to see Cell crush this so-called symbol of justice completely.
It never understood why these videos always ended with evil losing.
Must justice really defeat evil?
To Black Zetsu, figures like Cell, Saga, Boros were powerful beings with grand ideals. Their "failures" only came because shortsighted ants couldn't comprehend their ambitions.
"Justice defeats evil" was just a hypocritical excuse used by the weak to suppress forces beyond their control.
Justice?
What a joke.
Wasn't it that same so-called justice that sealed its mother, Kaguya, inside the cold moon?
The Sage of Six Paths? Justice?
Black Zetsu scoffed.
"Cell. Don't disappoint me."
The World of One Piece
"Fufufufufu! Stop? Is that brat still nursing? What a naïve little idiot!"
Donquixote Doflamingo had one foot planted on a marine officer who had annoyed him, casually watching the broadcast.
Hearing Gohan's plea, he laughed so hard his shoulders shook.
This was a fight to the death.
And the kid was asking his opponent to stop?
Did he think Cell represented absolute evil?
Doflamingo sneered.
In his eyes, that kind of thinking was as absurd as saying pirates were pure evil and the Marines embodied absolute justice.
There was no such thing as absolute good or absolute evil in this world.
Even if the Marines and civilians called him a monster, he didn't see himself as evil.
He was simply enforcing his own justice—the justice of the strong.
"Brats like that, all innocent-faced and righteous… they make me sick. Cell, if you've got any pride, kill that idiot already."
People like that didn't deserve to live.
Across countless worlds, villains watching the broadcast felt nothing but disgust.
A blade was at his throat, and he was still preaching kindness?
Pathetic.
In their view, someone like that should be slapped to death on the spot.
Back in the footage, Cell arched a brow, baffled.
Gohan lowered his eyes, speaking almost like he was confessing.
"This pointless fighting… it doesn't mean anything."
Cell let out a chuckle. Then the chuckle grew. And grew.
Until it became hysterical laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! What, are you scared, kid?! I thought you were about to say something earth-shattering!"
He leaned forward, still laughing wildly.
"You're saying the Cell Games are meaningless? That they should be stopped immediately?"
Gohan lifted his head.
"Yes."
The sincerity in that answer made Cell laugh even harder.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Of course the Cell Games have meaning! To me, they're the ultimate entertainment!"
His smile turned vicious.
"Once I kill you, I'll wipe out every last human on this planet."
"Because this is a world for the strong. Only the strong deserve to live."
He jabbed a finger toward Gohan.
"And you? You actually think you can save the Earth?"
Gohan's face darkened. His fists clenched.
"Cell. I really don't want to keep fighting."
"I don't want meaningless killing."
"Even someone as evil as you… I don't want to kill you."
After a brief pause, he continued quietly.
"I'm not like my dad. I don't enjoy fighting anyone."
Cell stared at him mockingly.
"Oh, I know you don't want to fight. But that line about not wanting to kill me? That's the part I don't get."
He stepped closer, finger nearly poking Gohan's nose.
"With your scrawny little body, even if you trained for a hundred years, you couldn't hurt a single hair on me. Am I wrong?"
Gohan's teeth clenched tight. His entire body trembled as he forced down the fury boiling inside him.
"I'm starting to understand now… why Dad said I'm the only one who can beat you."
Cell blinked.
"What did you just say?"
"You're the only one who can defeat me?"
"You think you can beat me?"
He burst out laughing again.
"Stop joking!"
Gohan ignored him completely.
"When I was very young… whenever I felt overwhelming anger, something would happen. Something even I couldn't control."
As the video continued, Gohan recounted his past—his fight against Raditz, his battles against Frieza.
"When my anger takes over, a terrifying power surges out of me. It's far beyond my control. I lose myself in it."
"And after training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, I've grown even more."
"My father… he must have known all of this."
Gohan's eyes turned ice-cold.
He lifted his head and stared straight at Cell, every word heavy with lethal certainty.
"If you make me angry… I might kill you."
Cell froze.
Not because he felt threatened.
But because the absurd seriousness of Gohan's words stunned him speechless.
Then Cell slowly closed his eyes. The wicked smile on his lips spread like wildfire across his face.
He threw his head back and roared with laughter that shook the heavens.
"Ha… hahaha!"
"I have to admit… that was an interesting story."
"But…"
"....."