DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dragon Ball or anything related to it.

Anyway, This is just a short chapter to set up the story which begins at the Cell Games during Goku and Cell's fight. I'll make them longer than this from then on.

''Ka... Me...''

''Wait!'' shouted Goku. Don't shoot a Kamehameha while you're revved that high!''

''Ha... Me...'' Blue energy gathered in Cell's hands as he prepared his blast. A blast with the power to vaporize the Earth itself.

''H-he's going to...!'' a shocked Vegeta muttered.

''Haaah!''

Thinking quickly Goku flew into the air. ''Cell, over here!''

The Bio-Android obliged him by aiming his fully charged blast to the sky straight for him. The attack looked like it was about to envelop Goku completely as it shot forward ever closer at speeds far surpassing lightning itself. Speeds even the humans among the Z-Fighters couldn't perceive. Then, just at the last second Goku put his fingers to his forehead and used one of his signature techniques, the Instant Transmission, to teleport out of the way of the blast which with no earthly target had sped off into the cosmos, possibly to destroy some lonely moon of a neighboring planet millions of miles away.

''What?!'' Cell barely had time to register his shock at what had just happened when a swift kick from behind knocked him nearly out of the ring. Turning his head he saw on the other side of the ring the face of Son Goku, it's expression no longer with the playful, excited quality it had during their ''warm up''. The face of a Saiyan raised on Earth who was good, and kind, and pure of heart, and yet who enjoyed nothing more than a fight against a powerful opponent. No, this was the grim face of a champion of Earth who had just barely saved the planet again and anticipated many more close calls in a fight to the death for the fate of the Earth and maybe the entire Universe. Yes, Cell was a threat to every living thing in the Universe and Goku knew it. He would not let him win the day and go on to replicate his successes over the ashes of countless more destroyed civilizations. It was time to get serious. The real fight was about to begin.

''That Kamehameha couldn't have missed!'' Cell complained. ''You disappeared like that once before too...''

''I can teleport.'' was Goku's simple response. ''Guess you didn't know.''

''I see'' Cell said quietly. ''teleport? That's annoying.''

''So tell me...'' Goku asked. ...Would you have shot that Kamehameha and destroyed the Earth if I hadn't jumped?

''But...'' Cell answered. ''I knew you would jump.'' Yes Cell knew. After all he had Goku's cells in him as well. He knew all about his personality, and could easily guess what he would do most of the time. He had to have had aspects of the same personality as well, submerged as they may have been under the dominating cells of the cruel tyrant Frieza and his father, the cold and calculating former self-styled god-king of a significant part of the Northern Galaxies. Or the cells of the ruthless Saiyan Prince Vegeta. However. the simple fact that Cell possessed Goku's cells and the cells of several more of Earth's heroic champions was significant to Goku. It fueled his hopes despite him knowing in his heart what he was going to try to do was probably going to be pointless.

''Uh-huh. You're not stupid'' Goku said with a smile in response to Cell's answer.''

''To answer your question though...'' Cell continued. ''I'd destroy the Earth without batting an eye. It'll just cost me a little fun, that's all.''

Goku's expression hardened at this. Cell had already proven many times that he valued no life besides his own so what he said didn't surprise Goku but...

He had no time to finish his thought. Cell charged at him faster then he could react, elbowing him hard in the face. Goku responded with a punch, but it was dodged and he was hit by another elbow to the back knocking him to the ground. Goku propelled himself up into to the air but Cell suddenly appeared above him and knocked him back down to the ring then appeared in a flash behind him as he tried to get back up again.

''I think i'm pretty fast myself. Even if I can't teleport''. Cell followed these words with a series of punches to Goku's face. He adjusted his stance and attempted to deal another blow to the side of Goku's head but he ducked and kicked Cell into the air where the two fighters then exchanged a series of blows at a speed that could only be followed by the three other Saiyans on the planet, all of whom were in attendance at this fighting at the highest level of course.

As the fighters parted in midair Goku knew that he had to say what he was going to say now or never. He knew convincing Cell that what he was doing was wrong and pointless and not in fact proof of perfection would be next to impossible, but if anything it was worth a try...