"The energy is getting closer…" Krillin commented, sensing the unknown power moving toward them.
"It's coming fast… There! I see it's… it's a dragon!" Piccolo exclaimed as he spotted a massive blue dragon in the sky.
Cell was also analyzing the dragon's arrival as it approached. 'What is a creature like that doing here?' he wondered.
-----------
[ On Snake Way ]
"What's going on?" asked a man with a halo floating above his head.
"I don't know, Goku. A dragon just appeared." King Kai replied to Goku, who stood beside him watching everything unfold after having died in battle against Cell and exploded King Kai's Planet.
"It looks like Shenron." Goku commented.
"Indeed, but that one is real." King Kai replied.
"I hope he's here to go after Cell." Goku answered, with a serious expression.
"You're right, we can only hope, because at this stage we can't do anything."
-----------
Kaido was now hovering above all of them.
Piccolo didn't know how to react to the arrival of a dragon on the scene, much more surprised than his allies, like Yamcha and Krillin who were preparing to attack.
'Fools!' thought Piccolo, noticing ki gathering at their hands.
Kaido noticed too and was instinctively irritated.
"Don't do that. You might regret it." were the first words he spoke as he turned his gaze toward them.
Apart from Piccolo, they were all shocked when they heard the imposing voice coming from the dragon above them.
Kaido landed and shifted into his humanoid form.
'If I manage to get my hands on something like that and absorb it, I would become far more than perfect.' Cell thought, observing Kaido with greedy fascination.
"What do you want, dragon!?" Krillin shouted nervously, trembling as he held Android 18 in his arms. He had to tilt his head up just to meet Kaido's eyes, as the guy towered over him.
"If you don't interfere, I have nothing against you, kid." Kaido replied before turning toward Cell.
"Did you come to participate in my game?" Cell asked.
"I couldn't care less about your game. I just want to stretch my muscles." Kaido said, cracking his neck.
'He's looking down on me? Me? Calling this exercise?' Cell thought, irritated by the attitude of the being standing before him.
Nearby, Gohan kept his eyes fixed on Cell but hesitated to act because of the newcomer's arrival.
Cell suddenly rushed at Kaido.
"Take this!"
He drove a punch into Kaido's stomach, but Kaido didn't move an inch. Instead, he smiled, almost mischievously.
"Wh-what?" Cell stared in disbelief at Kaido's grin after the blow had barely affected him.
Still smiling, Kaido struck back. The punch connected with almost the entirety of Cell's body at once, sending him flying at tremendous speed into the ground.
"Khuuaa!!"
He bounced across the surface.
When the dust finally settled, Cell rose to his feet again, but he had taken serious damage.
"Come back here, cockroach." Kaido called out.
"Who do you think you are!?" Cell shouted as he charged again, firing a barrage of Kikohas, which Kaido casually deflected with the back of his hand.
Cell then teleported behind him while charging a Kamehameha.
"Hehe."
"Kameh-Khuuaa!"
Before he could finish, Kaido's tail whipped across him.
'So this is my strength… I don't even need to move to dominate this fight.' Kaido thought as he watched Cell struggle to stand again, even more battered than before.
"Orororororo."
'What if I tried teleporting too?'
Remembering the strange sensation from when Fuwa and Whis had transported him, he attempted it, and suddenly appeared behind Cell.
"Heh, easy." he murmured.
He kicked Cell in the ribs, then teleported again to catch him midair like he was playing volleyball.
"Orororororo." 'Now this is fun.' Kaido thought.
Off to the side, the members of the Z-Team watched the carnage unfold.
Vegeta, who had gotten back up a little earlier, couldn't understand how a being like Cell, someone he had been completely unable to defeat, could be manhandled like this.
"Damn it!" He slammed his fist into the ground, realizing once again that someone else was stronger than him.
Kaido waited once more for Cell to stand back up, curious to see how far he could push him.
'Keep playing with me… I'm getting stronger.' Cell thought as he endured the blows.
But Kaido already knew that was what he was thinking. He was familiar with the Zenkai boost.
Cell charged again and began unleashing a flurry of blows against Kaido.
This time, Kaido actually felt them more than before.
Then he dodged, despite his massive build, moving with incredible speed.
"You're not laughing so much now." Cell commented, regaining some confidence.
Kaido continued dodging effortlessly despite his size. Suddenly, he grabbed his opponent's body with one hand and began squeezing.
'Damn it… he's crushing me. I feel like I'm going to explode.' Cell thought.
A moment later, Kaido hurled him away. Cell crashed into the ground like a fly, his wings shattered.
"Well, that was fun. But it's time to finish this." Kaido said.
He gathered Ki and magic together into a sphere between his hands and launched it toward Cell.
"Damn it…" Cell muttered as he saw the powerful beam of energy racing toward him.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah!"
His body disintegrated in the blinding blast.
"Cell's aura has completely disappeared." Piccolo commented.
"He defeated him." Krillin said.
"Looks like it…" Yamcha added.
Relief spread among them, but it lasted only a moment.
Suddenly, Gohan fired a Kikoha straight at Kaido's face.
"That… was… my… revenge… to take…" he said, arm outstretched, completely out of breath.
"Gohan!" Piccolo shouted, worried about what the outcome of that action might be.
"Oy… what's gotten into you, kid?" Kaido asked as he turned toward the young Saiyan.
"It was my… to…"
Gohan lost his transformation and collapsed from exhaustion.
Piccolo rushed forward and caught him before he hit the ground.
"He didn't know what he was doing." he said, trying to justify Gohan's actions.
"It doesn't matter." Kaido replied.
The Z-fighters relaxed slightly at those words.
"Let's take Gohan to Dende." Yamcha said.
Before anyone could move, Kaido spoke again, tensing them all once more.
"Where are the Dragon Balls?"
-----------
Further away, hidden behind some rocks, was the man considered the strongest on Earth: Mr. Satan.
He couldn't hear the conversation taking place with the titan who had defeated Cell.
"No, no, no… we get rid of one, and another one shows up…" he whispered.
Beside him lay a journalist who was completely knocked out.
-----------
Back with our protagonist, Kaido.
'This isn't good… he's after the Dragon Balls.' Piccolo thought, a drop of sweat sliding down his forehead.
Yamcha, Krillin, and Tien Shinhan had the same fear.
'We need them to revive everyone… what do we do?' Krillin wondered.
'We don't have a choice.' Yamcha decided.
"Follow us." he finally said.
"Yamcha?!" Tien shouted.
But Yamcha didn't even turn to face him. He began flying toward the Heavenly Palace, followed by Kaido. Krillin followed as well, carrying Android 18, along with Tien. Shortly after, Piccolo joined them, holding Gohan in his arms.
Only Vegeta remained behind.
'I was surpassed by the father… and the son. And for Kakarot to die like that…' Vegeta thought before flying off into the distance.
-----------
"Mr. Satan, what happened? Did you win?" asked the journalist who had just woken up.
"Uh… Yes! I defeated the enemy! Hahahaha!" he declared proudly, striking a heroic pose.
The journalist, and the rest of his crew, who had also just regained consciousness immediately began broadcasting the news.
-----------
[ at Dende's Lookout ]
Kaido and the others arrived.
"What is he doing here?" Dende asked nervously upon seeing the horned, scaly colossus.
No one answered him.
"Heal him." Piccolo said, stepping forward and placing Gohan on the ground.
"Alright." Dende replied.
He used his magic to heal Gohan.
"Oh… Den…de…"
"Son Gohan! What a relief. I'm sorry about Son Goku." Dende said when Gohan opened his eyes.
"You shouldn't be. He wouldn't have wanted that." Gohan replied as he sat up, returning to his usual calm demeanor.
Dende then healed Android 18, who soon woke up as well.
"Are you okay?" Krillin asked her.
She immediately raised her guard, looking around at everyone. Her eyes widened when she noticed Kaido, she hadn't seen him before, having been unconscious during the fight with Cell.
"Relax. Krillin saved your life, you should thank him." Piccolo said.
"Hm… Krillin is in love with Android Eig-Ouch!"
Krillin punched Gohan before he could finish his sentence.
"Oy… the Dragon Balls." Kaido said, breaking the relaxed atmosphere that had just begun to settle.
"The Dragon Balls?" Dende asked, looking at Piccolo and the others for an explanation.
They simply nodded.
'No one's going to tell me why a dragon is here?' thought Dende, nodding to someone further away.
Having understood the message Mr. Popo arrived carrying the Dragon Balls and placed them on the ground.
Dende was about to begin the summoning when Kaido spoke first and called forth Shenron himself.
The sky darkened.
Thunder roared across the heavens.
Shenron emerged from the Dragon Balls.
Kaido transformed into his dragon form, now facing Shenron directly.
"What… what is…" Android 18 said, staring at the scene unfolding before her eyes.
"A Kin… I never thought I'd see one in person." Shenron commented after awakening and noticing Kaido in front of him.
"I'd like to talk with you." Kaido said.
"Exceptionally… we can." Shenron replied.
"How long has it been since you were created?" Kaido asked.
"Not long… yet also a few thousand years. And you?" Shenron answered. As a new Shenron created by Dende from the previous one, his answer was somewhat confusing.
"Thousands. I've lost count." Kaido said. "Aren't you tired of their requests?"
"More often than you might think. What is your name?"
"Kaido."
"I will remember it. Have you met any others of our kind?"
"No. You are the first of our kind that I've met, Shenron. And I won't beat around the bush, can you see that I'm free?"
"Yes. I noticed that, Kaido."
"Would you like me to free you?"
Ever since Kaido had freed himself, he had wondered: 'What can I accomplish now that I'm free?'
He had stopped being human long ago and had fully embraced his identity as a dragon for thousands of years. He had begun to ask himself why he shouldn't free others of his kind from their fate.
That was why he had come to Earth to begin with.
"I do not desire that." Shenron replied.
Kaido had expected that answer. Shenron had never been free and had no memories from before becoming a dragon, unlike him. The desire to live freely wasn't necessarily rooted within Shenron. He simply fulfilled his role in the natural order.
"I see. During your next slumber, think about it." Kaido said. "And when I return, give me your final answer."
He then returned to his humanoid form.
"Do whatever you want." he said to the others below before leaving.
"Good luck, Kin." Shenron told him as Kaido began to depart.
Then Shenron lowered his head, turned toward Dende, and spoke.
"State your wishes. I will grant three of them."
"Shenron, please revive all the people Cell killed!" Yamcha asked.
"I can do it, but it will count as two wishes.'
"Please do it."
Shenron's eyes glowed, and the wish was granted. Trunks, who had also been brought here, returned to life.
"Hm, I figured… Goku wasn't revived because this is a new Shenron." Piccolo commented.
"Yes… I can't sense his aura." Trunks added as he stood back up.
"State your second wish." Shenron said.
"Isn't there any way to revive Son Goku?" Yamcha asked.
"Son Goku has already been revived once. It is impossible." Shenron confirmed.
Then he repeated.
"State a wish."
The Z-fighters began thinking of other solutions, but none seemed promising.
Until suddenly Goku's voice reached them through King Kai.
"Hehehe. I'm sorry, Gohan, Chi-Chi, you too my friends, but you don't need to revive me. Gohan, you're already more responsible than I ever was."
"That's not true, Dad." Gohan replied.
"Hehehe, Alright, goodbye! When you die, we'll see each other again! Bye-bye!" he said, his voice fading away as if in the distance.
"Goku…" Krillin murmured after hearing his childhood friend's final words. "I don't know why, but he sounded strangely cheerful for someone who's dead."
"Yeah… he sounded just like he did when he was a kid." Yamcha said, remembering the day they first met.
Silence followed.
Until someone broke it.
"Ahem… your second wish?"