Goku blinked beside Vegeta, throwing an arm around his shoulder with a cheeky grin.
"Hey, Vegeta! Hee hee!"
Vegeta immediately swatted Goku's arm away, glaring at him like he was a bad punchline. "Get off me, Kakarot! This isn't the time for games!"
Even as the words left his mouth, two blinding energy blasts ripped through the air, headed straight for them at near-impossible speed. Goku's playful grin vanished in an instant. His body tensed as he dropped into a defensive stance. Vegeta's eyes narrowed, both of them now fully alert.
From across the battlefield, Cell floated mid-air, rage pulsing in his eyes.
"HEY! Goku! Vegeta! You think I'm just gonna stand here and be ignored?!"
The fury in his voice was unmistakable. Before him stood the two Saiyans he hated more than anything. The one who killed him… and the one who humiliated him in Hell over and over again.
And now, they dared to laugh in his presence?
Fueled by fury, Cell disappeared in a flash, Instant Transmission, reappearing in front of them with his fist cocked back, aiming to drive it into their guts.
Goku could tell immediately, Cell wasn't the same.
His strength had changed.
Their bodies blurred into motion as they zipped through the sky, exchanging lightning-fast blows. Vegeta skidded to a halt midair and thrust a palm against Goku's back to stabilize him.
"Kakarot! This freak's gotten stronger, way stronger!"
Goku nodded, expression grim. "Yeah. I can feel it."
"There's more," He added. "I fought someone else recently... someone I couldn't beat."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "You mean Janemba?" he scoffed. "Hmph. If it were me, I'd have taken that blob down already."
Goku could feel Vegeta's power, it had definitely increased. Super Saiyan 3 was fully under his control now. But still... it wouldn't be enough. Not against Janemba, and definitely not with Frieza's gang training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
They'd need something more.
"Vegeta, listen to me," Goku said, voice tight with urgency. "You've noticed it too, Cell's power is already past ours. Janemba's here. Frieza, Cooler, and King Cold are training inside the Time Chamber. If we don't do something now, Earth's finished."
Vegeta was silent. Goku saw his jaw tighten.
"I have a way for us to win. But you've got to trust me."
Vegeta's brow twitched.
[Frieza's in the Time Chamber... That could tip the scales. Damn it. Things are getting messy, fast.]
"Out with it already, Kakarot!"
Without hesitation, Goku raised his arms and struck a familiar pose in mid-air, fingers aligned, elbows out, legs angled.
"Fusion!" He shouted, demonstrating the movement. "We fuse, we combine our power into one! Together, we'll become a warrior far beyond anything Cell or Janemba can handle!"
"Just imagine it, us, as one! Nothing in this universe could stop us!"
But when he turned to get Vegeta's reply, he found only air.
Vegeta was already gone.
"Wait, what?! VEGETA?!"
Goku spun around just in time to see Vegeta streaking toward Cell, golden energy tearing across the sky like a thunderclap.
"You've got to be kidding me…" Goku muttered.
Vegeta didn't look back. His teeth clenched. "Tch. Fusion? Me? With him? Ridiculous. The proud prince of all Saiyans doesn't dance like a fool. I'd rather die."
Suddenly, Vegeta's aura exploded into a storm of lightning and gold. He rocketed at Cell with all his power unleashed, like a meteor made of fury.
But before he could land a blow, Cell was already there. Vegeta barely had time to react before a cold hand clamped down on his head. His eyes widened, Cell had appeared behind him without a trace of energy.
"Heh… Face it, Vegeta," Cell sneered. "You're no match for me anymore."
Before Vegeta could break free, a massive fist crashed straight into his face, slamming into his nose with brutal force. Blood sprayed into the air, streaking his armor and cape.
"BASTARD!!" Vegeta roared, staggered by the blow.
With a defiant shout, he ignited his aura. A blinding golden light surrounded him, sparks crackling at his fingertips as he drew both hands in front of his chest.
"FINAL FLASH!!"
A massive column of golden energy burst from Vegeta's hands, roaring toward Cell with devastating force. Cell, unfazed, casually placed a hand on his hip and raised the other. "Kamehameha!"
A blazing blue beam erupted from his palms. The two iconic attacks, Final Flash and Kamehameha, collided midair, shaking the heavens. The sheer force of the impact lit up the sky like a second sun. Energy spiraled outward, the collision point becoming a blinding mass of power.
But it quickly became clear, Cell's Kamehameha was overpowering Vegeta's Final Flash.
"Damn it!!" Vegeta grunted, sweat flying from his brow as he pushed harder, refusing to give ground.
Just then, a familiar voice appeared beside him.
"Vegeta! How's it going?" Goku called, flashing into place midair with his trademark grin. "Ready to fuse yet?!"
Without waiting for an answer, Goku cupped his hands and launched his own Kamehameha, syncing it with Vegeta's Final Flash to try to push back the tide.
"Bastard! Kakarot! Are you using my attack to boost yours?! Even if it kills me, I'll never fuse with you!"
Goku gave a half-smile, reading the tension. "Still the same ol' Vegeta."
But even with both Saiyans pushing their powers to the max, something changed.
Their golden manes shrank. A flash of light passed over them, and just like that, both Goku and Vegeta dropped from Super Saiyan 3 to Super Saiyan 2.
They'd burned through their energy too quickly.
Without the force behind them, Cell's Kamehameha tore through their combined attacks like a tidal wave consuming a spark.
"EVERYONE! RUN!!" Goku shouted to the people gathered on The Lookout.
Up above, the Z Fighters felt the overwhelming pressure descending toward them. Without hesitation, they scattered in all directions. Seeing they'd cleared out, Goku grabbed Vegeta's shoulder and vanished, Instant Transmission.
A second later,
BOOM!
Cell's massive Kamehameha struck the Lookout dead-on. The explosion rocked the skies. Pillars shattered, the platform cracked and collapsed, and the very atmosphere trembled under the assault.
The explosion's shockwave ripped through the air, engulfing the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
When the smoke began to settle…
Three figures stepped out of the rubble.
"Who the hell destroyed this place?!" Cooler shouted, eyes burning with rage as he brushed debris off his armor.
Frieza followed, eyes narrowed and tail twitching. "Hmph. Clever, Vegeta. But blowing up the Time Chamber won't stop me."
But then… he paused. Frieza could feel Vegeta's energy in the distance, but couldn't see him. Instead, standing in front of them, partially lit by the smoke and glowing embers, was someone else entirely.
Cell.
Cell smirked, dusted himself off, and sneered. "Well, well. If it isn't the royal reject and his pet siblings."
Frieza glared at him. "Did you do this?" he asked coldly. "It sounds like you're itching to die."
Cell let out a mocking laugh. "What if I did? You planning to crown yourself king again, Frieza? How adorable."
Cooler clenched his fists. "Careful, freak. You're outnumbered."
Cell's smile widened. "And you're outclassed."
Meanwhile...
In a place neither Earth nor the Other World… Goku blinked, confused, glancing around at the unfamiliar floating realm.
"Wait... I was aiming for King Kai's planet. Where the heck are we?"
A calm voice answered from nearby. "Welcome, gentlemen. You've arrived in the Sacred World of the Kais."
Goku turned to see a robed figure floating serenely nearby.
His eyes widened. "Whoa... This is the Kaiōshin Realm?!"
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395