Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ Despair ❯ Chapter 5

After going into the city to stop Cell from destroying it, Gohan goes into a mental relapse and Raven enters his mind to find the problem. What she finds there are two replicas of Gohan who claim to represent his different halves. They show her some of Gohan's memories to help her understand him better. Afterwards however, they prove to be fakes as they turn into exact replicas of Cell and merge into one being. Gohan shows up and now they're about to fight. Please R&R.

 

Gohan and Cell flew at each other, their fists meeting and sending a shockwave out from the force of the collision. They both began trading rapid punches and kicks that Raven could barely follow. Most blows were blocked or dodged and neither one seemed to be gaining any ground until Cell landed a right hook across Gohan's jaw. He then used Gohan's shock to grab him by the leg and repeatedly slam him into the ground. When he tired of doing so, he threw Gohan up into the air and fired an energy blast at him that was caught and thrown back at him. Cell barely dodged it and looked up to see that Gohan was no longer up in the air.

 

“Looking for me?” Came a voice from behind him. He turned around and his face met with an outstretched fist, causing his head to snap all the way around until he was facing backwards. Gohan laughed out loud at the odd sight before him.

 

“You won't get away with this!” Cell shouted while grabbing his head with both hands and snapping it back around. “You're going to pay for that.” He said with a smirk. “You may be stronger than me but I've learned some new tricks from my fights with your friends. I know some attacks that could kill you even if you were a thousand times more powerful than what you are now. For instance…” Cell stretched his arms out to his sides with his palms cupped outwards and began charging energy into them. He then took flight so that he was several meters above Gohan and looked down at him. He brought his arms together so that his palms were cupped in front of his face. A violent looking orb of energy began to flicker into and out of existence between his hands.

 

“You've got to be crazy if you think I'm just going to stand here and wait for you to charge that attack.”

 

“Oh but you will wait for you see, if you don't I might just use instant transmission and use the attack on Raven. You may or may not survive this attack but she certainly won't. It's your choice. Either you risk getting killed by my attack or she does get killed by it.” Gohan snarled and stood there waiting. “That's what I thought. Now if you really want to test your strength stay right where you are! This is a devastating attack I learned from the mighty prince. Final Flash!” The now fully formed orb sped down at Gohan with a vengeance and he caught it and struggled with it. It began to burn his hands but he couldn't budge it. Gohan tried to concentrate more power into his hands but as soon as he tried, the blast started to slip out of his hands. Not wanting to transform unless he had to, Gohan called upon a technique that he had seen his father use during the fight with Vegeta and during other fights as well. Gohan had never really used it before, but he had not other option.

 

“Kaioken!” He called out and was swallowed up by a massive fiery red aura. His muscle mass increased further and he managed to fling the blast away with a mighty heave. The consequences of using the kaioken became apparent quickly though as Gohan's body began to swell painfully. He quickly dropped it and fell to the ground in agony. He felt as if something had just tried to break out of his body forcefully.

 

“Now Gohan, you know that the kaioken attack puts enormous stress on your body when you use it. You should have known better than to use it without prior training. I however have all of Goku's training with it and so I can use it at any level without having to deal with any problems. Kaioken times three!” Cell shouted from behind Gohan to emphasize his point. He then began to mercilessly beat on Gohan from all angles and Gohan couldn't even react due to Cell's greatly increased speed. Cell stopped and picked Gohan up by the throat. “You Saiyajins are nothing but a nuisance. I think I'll just kill you now and be on my way.” He began to gradually apply pressure to Gohan's throat, cutting off his air supply. Gohan clawed at Cell's hand to no avail. “Just think of all the people you're failing right now. Not only your pathetic father but your new friends and this entire universe. You really are worthless Gohan. You have so much power but you are unwilling to use it for any reason. Even to defend your friends. You disgust me.” Cell brought his other arm up and charged an energy blast in front of Gohan's face which now showed a mixture of rage, despair, and resignation. At that moment Raven decided to intervene and used her telekinetic powers to tear an enormous chunk of rock out of the ground and sharpen it to a deadly point. She then hurled it at Cell who turned his head to see it coming at him. He dropped Gohan and outstretched his arms in front of himself with his palms open and his thumbs and index fingers touching. He charged a large energy blast between his hands and launched it at the rock, obliterating it. He then decided to attack Raven so that Gohan had to watch. He smirked wickedly and thrust his open palm at Raven and closed it. A visible sphere of energy could be seen around her and she tried to break out of it, but to no avail. Cell brought his fist to his chest and Raven's sphere brought her over to him. He dissipated the sphere and grabbed the front of Raven's leotard before bringing her up to eye level.

 

“It's not very nice to attack people from behind like that. I guess I'll just have to punish you now. Oh, and once I'm through with you I'll torture Gohan some more and then I'll move on to the rest of your worthless little friends. I've always wondered how long humans could survive torture. Uh oh it looks like I've struck a nerve. You're not going to cry are you little girl?” Cell quickly stopped mocking Raven as she suddenly had four glowing red eyes instead of two normal ones. She easily broke his grip and grew to about ten feet tall.

 

Cell suddenly had to dodge strange black tendrils that had erupted out of the bottom of Raven's leotard. One of the tendrils caught his arm and another caught an ankle and they dragged him to the ground where several more tendrils attached to different places on his body. Cell tried to struggle but found himself to be paralyzed. He cried out as he was being dragged closer and closer to Raven. He still couldn't struggle as he was dragged under her leotard. A tortured cry was heard coming out from under her.

 

“What's the matter, afraid of the dark?” Raven's voice sounded eerie and demonic. Finally Cell broke out and turned to face her.

 

“What are you?!” He demanded, looking very stressed and almost frightened. Gohan snapped out of his mood and saw Cell staring at Raven in horror. He too was horrified as he sensed the dark presence emanating from Raven.

 

“Raven, calm down!” He shouted. “Don't let him get to you!” Raven looked at Gohan and she once again had two normal eyes and she shrunk to normal size. Cell decided to take advantage of the situation.

 

“I'll just have to make you pay for that little offense. It's a good thing for me that Dr. Gero gave me a mind superior to most mortals or I would have surely gone insane.” Cell stuck out his index finger and launched a laser thin beam of energy at Raven's left knee. She cried out in agony and Cell began firing hundreds of them at varying points on her body, tearing away cloth and revealing torn flesh underneath. Gohan went into shock and just stared for a moment. The scene brought back a memory of Frieza doing the same thing to Piccolo.

 

“No! I've failed again. Once again I'm going to be the cause of someone's death.” Tears began to fall down his face as he began shouting. “It's not fair! Why does it always have to be my fault?! I'm sick and tired of it always being my fault!” The ground began to shake fiercely as Gohan began powering up instinctively. Cell turned from where Raven was lying. He got a look of utter horror on his face as he realized what was going on. Gohan was once again engulfed in a blinding flash of light as he finished his new transformation. His muscles were now even more defined and his hair stood straight back except for one bang that fell over his left eye. His eyes had darkened in color somewhat and small bolts of electricity danced around his body randomly. Before Cell could react, Gohan was in front of him and threw a vicious uppercut to his midriff. The fist connected and went all the way through, causing blood to spray from Cell's back. He clutched his abdomen in agony.

 

“What have you done to me?!” He choked out through clenched teeth. Cell's eyes widened in horror as Gohan cupped his hands at his sides.

 

“Now to banish you out of my mind. I just wish that it was the real you here so that I could rid myself of you once and for all. I guess that this'll just have to do for now though. Ka..Me..Ha..Me..Ha!” Gohan threw his arms forward and Cell was engulfed in the blue light of the attack. When the dust cleared, Cell was gone.

 

“Well, that wasn't so hard. If he was that easy for you to beat here, it should be simple in the physical world.”

 

“No. I'm afraid it won't be easy. That wasn't anywhere near Cell's full power. He was about that strong when I first fought him, but he's gotten much stronger since then.”

 

“You speak as though I'm gone.” Gohan turned around and growled at seeing a newly restored Cell. “Have you forgotten that I know instant transmission? That was a mistake you won't live to regret. I may not have access to my full power, but I can come close. Super Kaioken!” Cell flew at Gohan and threw a punch at his face, but Gohan brought up a forearm to block it. He tossed a punch at Cell with his free arm which was blocked with Cell's free arm. They disengaged and locked hands, pushing against each other with all their strength. Gohan proved to be a bit stronger as Cell began to slowly lose ground, his legs leaving a long scar in the ground where he dug his feet in. Cell suddenly let go and grabbed Gohan when he fell forward due to a lack of balance. He pulled him into a bear hug and began squeezing the life out of him.

 

“You can't beat me Gohan. You may be stronger than me but I've got the knowledge, skills, and techniques of the greatest fighters the Earth has ever seen.” Cell kept adding more and more pressure and Gohan's vision became blurry and unfocused. Gohan became covered in black and was wrenched from Cell's grip before a black beam slammed into him, sending him flying a few feet before he regained himself.

 

“Why you little…” Cell looked around but found that he couldn't see Raven anywhere. Several small and jagged objects slammed into him from behind and he turned around to see nothing. He saw rocks flying in at him from the sides and he threw his arms out and disintegrated them with a quick burst of energy. In his moment of distraction however a rock about the size of his fist hit him in the face, drawing blood. “Where are you?!” He demanded turning this way and that in search of Raven.

 

“Behind you!” He turned around to face not only Raven but a boulder at least fifty feet in diameter hurtling at him. He didn't have time to react and the boulder hit him full force, almost knocking him unconscious. The boulder then flew up into the air and came crashing down on him, crushing him underneath its weight. Raven took the moment's distraction to float over to Gohan.

 

“You alright?” She asked while looking him over for any serious injuries.

 

“I'm fine. Thanks for saving me.” Raven merely shrugged.

 

“It's part of the job description. Besides, you didn't look too comfortable.” She smirked at Gohan and the gesture was gratefully returned. Their moment was cut short however as the boulder exploded outward with a flash of energy and Cell stood there seething in anger.

 

“You.” He said pointing at Raven. “How dare you! I am the pinnacle of perfection and you are just a little girl! How dare you do that to me! I was going to let you live but now I just want you dead.” With an explosion of power he erupted towards Raven with the intent to kill. Unlike him her entire mind was dedicated to being here and thus whatever would happen to her here would happen to her for real. He smirked in anticipation of what he was going to do to her but suddenly there was a pain in his back and he was in a crater in the ground. Following was a barrage of energy blasts that caused a large dust cloud to raise into the air. Cell crawled out of his hole and was rewarded with a kick to the face and Gohan's doubled fists impacting with his back just seconds after. Cell suddenly didn't know what was going on as he was being mercilessly pounded on from seemingly all sides at once. When the beating subsided he fell to the ground face first. He looked up as a shadow came over him.

 

“Let's see you dodge this.” Gohan flew up into the air about twenty feet and placed his open palms in front of him, facing down towards Cell. He then began pumping energy blast after energy blast into Cell's beaten form. Cell screamed in agony as his body was slowly torn apart by the energy blasts. When the explosions had ended, Cell's presence had been erased out of Gohan's mind.

 

“That was a close one. If you hadn't provided that distraction, I wouldn't have been able to beat him.”

 

“He's gone now. That's all that matters. Maybe you won't have to fight him at full power now.”

 

“Maybe, but let's get out of here now. I'm getting tired of this place.”

 

“Wow, it's pretty bad when you get tired of being in your own mind.”

 

“Yeah well it's also pretty bad when you have to fight evil beings in your own mind.”

 

“I know what you mean.” Gohan quirked an eyebrow at Raven.

 

“My father inhabits my mind and is always trying to take control of me. Sometimes he succeeds like when I attacked Cell earlier. I need to meditate every day to keep my power in check because of it and I can only show the faintest hints of emotions.”

 

“Well, it seems like we have something in common.”

 

“Yeah, I guess so. Let's get out of here, the others are worried about you.”

 

“Alright.” Gohan and Raven then disappeared, Raven going back to her body and Gohan once again claiming control of his body.” When Gohan and Raven awoke, they found themselves lying on the couch back at the tower.

 

“How did we get here?” Gohan asked.

 

“Ah, so you're awake.” Robin walked up as he had been nearby when Gohan spoke. “You guys have been out of it for at least two hours so we decided to just bring you back to the tower. Did everything turn out okay?”

 

“Let's just say that we had one hell of a battle.” This time it was Raven who spoke up. Robin quirked an eyebrow at them but nothing more was said so he went about his business. Raven went to her room to meditate and Gohan was heading to the kitchen for a snack when he happened across a calendar. What he saw made him shudder. He immediately went looking for Robin. Along the way he came across Sarfire.

 

“Hey Star, have you seen Robin lately?”

 

“I believe that Robin is in his room. Why do you ask?” She asked nervously, still not having gotten used to the fact that even though he was a Saiyajin, Gohan wasn't evil.

 

“I need to talk to him.”

 

“Is everything okay friend Gohan?” Her concern for her friend temporarily overrode her fears and allowed her to speak confidently.

 

“Yeah, for now at least.” Before Star could ask him what he meant, Gohan walked off towards Robin's room. Robin was busy tinkering with his gadgets when he heard a knock on his door.

 

“Come in.” He called. His door slid open and Gohan entered. He walked over to Robin while marveling at all the newspaper clips and other paper articles taped to the walls. “What do you need Gohan?” Gohan was surprised that Robin knew who it was since he had his back turned.

 

“I need you to gather everyone in the den. I have something important to say to them.”

 

“Alright.” Robin put down what he was working with and walked out of his room with Gohan. They went to the den and Robin addressed everyone with the PA system. “Everyone please come to the den, it's important.” It took a second for everyone to gather but they all made it. Beast boy and Terra were the last ones in and they came in holding hands.

 

“What's up?” Beast boy asked.

 

“Gohan has something important to say and he wanted to say it to the whole team.”

 

“Thank you Robin. Before I make my announcement I must ask how long your full moon lasts around here.” The request had everyone puzzled but Terra spoke up.

 

“I think it's about a week around here. Why?”

 

“Because I'm leaving tomorrow night and I have to stay gone as long as the full moon will be around.” Everyone was shocked to hear that Gohan would be leaving.

 

“Why? What happens during a full moon that would make you leave?” Robin stated the question on everyone's minds.

 

“First off I'm not just leaving the tower but I'm going to find a place far away from civilization. Second I have to leave because of this.” He waved his tail around for everyone to see.

 

“I don't see why that means you have to leave.” Cyborg spoke up, confused.

 

“Because when I have a tail, I transform into a rampaging beast when I see a full moon and it's too risky for me to stay around any people. Once I transform I will be running only on instinct and there will be no stopping me. Besides, I could use the time to train for when I fight Cell again. Next time I fight him I'm going to take him out and I need to be at my strongest.” After hearing such a statement, Starfire realized that there was no way that Gohan could be evil and she suddenly found that she was no longer afraid of him.

 

“But Gohan, there must be another way. I cannot allow one of my friends to be alone for that long. Where will you sleep? What will you eat?”

 

“Look Star, I appreciate the concern but this has to be done. You out of anyone else here should know what it's like to face a fifty foot tall rampaging ape. It's not pretty. Besides, I know what I'm doing. I was on my own in the wilderness from when I was five until I was six. I can survive a week on my own.” Star couldn't argue with his logic though she really wanted to. She couldn't stand having her friends going off on their own for extended periods of time like that because she worried about them the whole time. “You guys can come visit me in the day if you want. You just have to make sure that you're long gone before night comes.” All further conversation was cut off as the Titans' main screen came to life. The screen showed a familiar masked face that brought an immediate reaction from Robin.

 

“Slade.” He growled.

 

“Who's Slade?” Gohan asked.

 

“Bad dude, real bad.” Came Beast boy's reply.

 

“You flatter me.” Slade said.

 

“What do you want Slade?”

 

“I merely called to tell you that I'll be taking my apprentice back now.”

 

“You seem to have forgotten that you no longer have an apprentice.”

 

“On the contrary Robin, Terra is still my apprentice. Did you really think I would make it that easy for her to get away from me? The armor she wore before she rejoined you contained nanoscopic probes not unlike the ones I infected your friends with before. There is a difference however. Unlike the probes your friends had, these go right to the central nervous system and allow me to control anyone that has them. If you don't believe me, just watch Terra and you'll see.” Just as soon as Slade finished speaking, Terra gripped her head with both hands and fell to her knees. She cried out in agony as lightning arced around her body. Her body began acting of its own volition and made her get to her feet. A boulder crashed through one of the large windows facing the city and Terra began staggering over to it.

 

“Help me! I can't stop!” Terra got her wish as a green gorilla tackled her to the ground. Said Gorilla was surprised however when Terra managed to throw it off her. Beast boy morphed back into his human form and managed to land on his feet.

 

“I think you'll find that Terra is much stronger now. Not only do the nanoprobes allow me to control her, but I can transfer my strength to her as well.”

 

“Let her go Slade! I know where your headquarters are and we can invade you at any time!”

 

“Such hostility. That seems quite uncharacteristic of you Beast boy. I assume that you remember the green chemical I threw on you during our last encounter?”

 

“Yeah, that stuff was gross. So what?”

 

“You may not have noticed any changes but I'm sure your friends have. I've studied your DNA Beast boy, and I've come up with a way to unleash your inner beast. You didn't think that your powers came without a price did you? There is an animal inside you Beast boy, a vicious beast just waiting to be released and I've helped it. You will gradually change into that beast and eventually, you will destroy your friends. I can accelerate the process at any time I wish, but I wish to offer you a proposition. Come to me. Don't tell your friends where I am and join me and I'll give you your antidote. However, if you refuse I'll accelerate the chemical and you will destroy your friends. It's your choice, what you do determines on how much you actually care for your friends.”

 

“And who's to say I won't run away as soon as you give me the antidote?”

 

“You won't because you don't want to abandon Terra. Am I right?”

 

“What if this whole thing is a lie? I don't think you can change me. I think you're just trying to split the team up.”

 

“Are you really willing to risk your friends on such a theory? If you are then you must be more dim witted than I thought.”

 

“Shut up! Just shut up and leave us alone! I'm not going to let you take Terra again!” He gripped his head in both hands and fell to the floor and started squirming in agony.

 

“Beast boy!” Terra called out and ran to him since Slade had temporarily relinquished control back to her. She sat down and pulled him into her arms.

 

“Maybe this little sample will prove my point. If you join me, you won't have to worry about that happening again.”

 

“That's enough!” Gohan stepped forward, catching Slade's eye for the first time as he had been hidden from view. “I don't know who you think you are but you have no right to do this to these people.” Slade stared at Gohan for a moment as if contemplating something.

 

“And who might you be?” He asked. “I like to know who my opponents are when I fight them.”

 

“My name's Gohan.” Slade's visible eye widened for a moment but he regained his composure a second later. “I see. That explains some things.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Don't worry, you'll find out when we meet in person. Until then however, you'll have more important things to worry about, especially if Beast boy decides to stay with you. Now, come to me Terra!” Electricity once again jumped around Terra's body and she got up and staggered over to the boulder that had come through the window. Before she reached it however, she managed to force her legs to stop moving and was straining not to walk.

 

“Your will is strong Terra, but it's not strong enough. The electric current flowing around Terra intensified and she once again staggered toward the boulder. She stopped in her tracks however, when Gohan rushed over to her and pulled her into a tight bear hug and prevented her from moving.

 

“Do you really think you can stop me that easily? Try this.” It suddenly seemed as though Terra's strength had increased a thousand fold as she slowly pushed her arms out, breaking Gohan's hold on her. He powered up and tightened his grip but Terra only seemed to keep getting stronger. Gohan's white aura became visible as he powered up even more to match Terra's strength but she still kept getting stronger.

 

“My aren't we persistent. Perhaps I should give you a true taste of my power.” Terra's arms jerked outward, breaking Gohan's grip and causing him to lose his balance and fall to the floor. He got up but was immediately floored as Terra had performed a spin kick that caught him in the face.

 

“I'm sorry Gohan. I couldn't stop him he's just too strong.” Terra said after she got on the boulder.

 

“Well? Do you accept my proposition or not?”

 

“Fine.” Beast boy got on the boulder with Terra. “And guys, please don't try to stop us, I don't want to endanger you.”

 

“Alright, but we're going to be looking for a way to get you guys out, you can count on it.”

 

“Thanks Robin. Hopefully we won't have to fight you guys.” Robin turned to Slade.

 

“You won't get away with this Slade. We will find a way to free them and when we do you'd better be prepared for a fight because we're going to take you down.”

 

“Why Robin, that sounded like a threat. A threat that both you and I know can't be fulfilled but a threat nonetheless. I can't wait for you to try.” Slade threw his arms out to emphasize his words. “Don't bother putting a tracker on either one of them though. I'll know if you do. Now, come to me Terra, come to your master!” Terra used her power to lift the boulder in the air and slowly float towards the broken window.

 

“Bye guys.” Terra and Beast boy said in unison. Terra floated the boulder out the window and it shot off like a rocket.

 

“Farewell Robin, Gohan, until we meet again.” Slade's face disappeared from the screen and the room went dark.

 

“We're going to be meeting sooner than you think.” Gohan said quietly as he stood up.

 

“You're not seriously going to follow them are you?” Robin asked.

 

“Of course I am. I'm going to break them out as soon as they get there.”

 

“But you've witnessed Slade's strength. How are you going to beat him?”

 

“Who said I was giving it my all? He just caught me off guard is all. I'm capable of far more than that, just ask Raven, she's witnessed my true power. Don't worry, I can do this. If you're still worried, just send a communicator with me and I'll keep it on the whole time so you'll know where I am and if I need help.”

 

“But how are you going to find them? They're long gone by now.”

 

“Easy Raven. I know how to sense the life force of living creatures. If I know what someone's energy feels like, I can find them no matter where they are, even if they're on the other side of the planet as long as their energy is strong enough.” Raven nodded, signaling that she didn't have anything more to say. “Any one else have anything to say?” Robin and Cyborg just shook their heads so Gohan levitated into the air. He floated over to Robin who handed him a communicator. He then turned around and shot out the window.

 

“I sure hope he knows what he's doing.” Robin said quietly.

 

“He'll be fine. Like he said, I've seen his strength and from what I've seen he surpasses Slade by far.”

 

“Yeah but I've just got this feeling that Slade's been toying with us the whole time we've been fighting him. I think there's a lot more to him than what he lets on.”

 

“Of course there is, he does wear a mask after all.”

 

“I don't mean just that. There's more. I can't put my finger on it but there's more and I think we're going to find out just what it is today and I don't think we're going to like it.”

 

Slade's taken Terra and Beast boy again and it seems that he's taken an interest in Gohan. Why did he make such a reaction when he learned who Gohan was? No one will find out until I get the next chapter up so there. Please R&R.