He was… Alive?
Cell found himself very much living. On earth no less. The last thing he recalled was being in hell. Now though he was in a vast frozen wasteland.
He chuckled, then laughed, loud and unhinged. He truly was perfect. Somehow he had escaped hell itself. Somehow he was here again.
He regained himself, holding his chin, musing out loud to himself. "Now, I wonder how I got here? Dragon balls? No, no, who would wish for me?" he looked up at the sky, "Ah, perhaps one of my cells survived Gohan's attack and lay frozen and dorment."
He had never really tested if he could regenerate from a frozen cell, not that he would want to. But that was seemingly the only logical choice wasn't there? He was satisfied at least with the answer.
He looked out over the ice, honing in on Gohan's signature. His brows furrowed as he felt it. No, no… That wasn't... It was so high!
Cell's eye twitched as he faced in the direction Gohan was. No way this was possible, It was higher than his own, even though he had just revived from death and gotten another power boost.
He closed his eyes, sensing more. All of them were more powerful, though some still not able to hold a candle to him. Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, they were still well below himself. But Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan…
He was even sensing someone totally new.
And… And Goku?
How long had he been dead? He could not recall how long he had been in hell. He could remember his punishment. But ever since he had been subjected to… that, he had found it hard to keep track of time.
He put two fingers to his forehead, keeping his power level hidden as he teleported to Gohan.
He found himself at a big fancy house. In the yard a young man was with a woman and a baby girl. Piccolo was there as well.
"Gohan look at Pan, she's trying to make a face like Piccolo." The woman said.
It all hit Cell like a brick. That man… Was Gohan, and the woman his wife. He watched as Gohan picked Pan up, holding her in the air and declaring 'That's my girl!'. Cell quickly teleported away, not wanting to be around Piccolo too long, the Namekian was far to observant.
Back in the frozen wastes Cell screamed, practically throwing a tantrum. He was mindful not to let his ki spike, but it was difficult. After a few minutes he calmed down. He was better than this.
With each visit to each one of the Dragon Warriors, Cell got more and more furious. Android 18 was married to Krillin and they had a daughter. Vegeta had two children now. Goku was alive and had a young son.
Goku.
Cell followed Goku around obsessively. The man didn't even notice him despite Cell's stalking.
"Hey Whis, can we train here today? Chi-Chi told me I was not allowed off the planet for a while because of that whole tournament thing." Goku walked up to a blue skinned man who was eating a pastry outside of Bulma Brief's lab. He was in the company of what Cell could only describe as a hairless cat. A bipedal one.
Whis covered his mouth, smiling merrily at Goku. "Oh ho yes. But after i eat this. It's called Baklava. It's made with pastry, chopped nuts, and honey. It is simply delicious."
"Oh wow that does sounds tasty. Hey Beerus, you think I could-"
Beerus' energy flared and Cell could not bear to stay even a second longer. That was just… That was simply unfair. Goku's power level was one thing. But his. His was like an actual god.
Cell stood this time in a forest a ways outside of West City, staring numbly at the dirt. They were… So much stronger then he was. Cell clenched his fists, grinding his teeth. They had left him, a being of perfection, in the dust.
Cell took a deep breath. "Now Cell, this is no time for self pity. You can get stronger. You can train, absorb some people even." he held his chin, thinking it over, "I will have to keep a low profile. So maybe absorbing isn't the best choice. Unless I can pick off those who no one will miss."
He flew into the air a bit. Scanning the area. He was in a rural community. Here and there there were houses scatter among the forest. This would be a wonderful place to start. Not all of them. But one of them perhaps.
"Hmm. Which one to pick." he pointed at a few, playing a silent game of eeny-meeny-miny-moe among them. He ended on a small little house, almost a shack with an unkempt yard around it. At first he thought it was not lived in, but he felt a ki signature inside it. Five. Typical human level.
Cell flew lower, watching as someone came out of the house. He had expect an old man or a fat hillbilly, what he was seeing instead was a young woman. He frown a bit. What an unconventional sense of fashion. Oversized black sweater with a skull on it, and a pleated skirt. They looked very old and dirty too. And her hair… Half was long, the other short.
Ah well. He was never picky when it came to meals. He touched down behind her as she lit a cigarette on the edge of her property, clearing his throat.