Fanfiction and the character Unlimited is property of Josh Kovatch, 2008
Two From Another Reality
Chapter 7: Fate of the Fighter
The six fighters stood facing each other, Piccolo and Unlimited for Earth, Androids 16, 17, and 18 for themselves, and Cell for perfection.
Cell then said, "Well, enough talk, how about we get this fight started?"
Cell's power immediately erupted and his aura appeared around him: An aura of souls!
Piccolo thought, What?! This can't be! There's...hundreds of them!
Cell continued to power up while the Androids and Unlimited stood by, waiting for the fight to begin. Piccolo, however, was already sweating bullets, knowing that Cell was far stronger than he would be able to handle. But either way, Piccolo knew that he would have to stop Cell from absorbing the Androids.
Cell's frightening power up came to an end, and the monstrous being stood before the other 5 fighters, ready to win.
Then, 17 stepped forward and said, "Hey buddy, if you don't mind, we were in a middle of a fight, so if you don't mind, why don't you go slink off somewhere else?"
Cell merely cackled and said, "Your ego surpasses your abilities."
17 responded, "Fine, maybe I'll teach you a thing or two about-"
At that moment, 16 interrupted, "17! That creature is remarkably strong! I would not recommend fighting it!"
17 and 18 both turned around and looked at the quiet giant, who continued, "Escape is highly recommended."
17 then chuckled and said, "You said that about that Unlimited guy, and we're still here, aren't we?"
16 said, "This new fighter is far more evil than Unlimited. He will not hesitate to kill you."
17 then snapped, "Enough! I've heard more than I can stand from you, 16!"
17 then turned to Cell and said, "And you! You've wasted enough of our time! Let's get this over with!"
17 then bolted at Cell and began swinging at him, but was shocked when he couldn't hit once, even though he was using a large amount of his power. Then, with one swat, Cell batted 17 back and began to run towards him. 17 hit the ground and stopped, then looked up at the menacing demon running his way. Just then, however, Cell was hit hard and unexpectedly from the side by Piccolo. The Android flew into the ground, and then stood back up to look at the duo of fighters now.
As Piccolo landed next to 17, the Android said, "Hey, thanks. Now, you seem to know what this thing is? Wanna fill me in?"
Piccolo answered, "His name is Cell. He came here to kill you and Android 18 to achieve his perfect form."
"Kill us? That's good," 17 snidely remarked.
As Cell looked at Piccolo, he barked, "That was a foolish move, Piccolo. I was going to let you slide this time, but since you interfered, I have no choice but to destroy you too!"
"Not a chance," Piccolo said, and then, both Piccolo and 17 rushed Cell.
The fists began to fly faster than before, as both Piccolo and 17 tried to land a few hits on the Android. Piccolo remained attacking the front while 17 tried to fight Cell from behind, but was fended off by Cell's tail.
As both of Cell's opponents dropped back to wind up a powerful hit, Cell prepared, and then, just as the fighters stormed at Cell, he whipped 17 aside with his tail and socked Piccolo in the face, sending him rocketing into the ground. Piccolo tumbled and skidded across the ground, finally coming to rest a short distance from Cell. The reptilian Android began to approach Piccolo again, while 17 sat up and watched the evil being walk towards the Namek.
On the sidelines, 18 said, "Come on, it's like 17 and Piccolo aren't even trying."
16 then answered, "They are. The creature just has a bigger power level than them, though."
Meanwhile, separate from the rest, Unlimited watched silently, not wanting to intervene until it was necessary.
Piccolo then stood up and looked at Cell saying, "That one really smarts."
At the Lookout, Goku, Gohan, and Tien were sensing the battle, and Goku said, "Cell's power is far greater than we expected. I don't think Piccolo can hold him off much longer."
Gohan, worried, asked, "Do you think he'll be okay, dad?"
"I hope so, son."
Then, Goku looked towards the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and thought, Come on, Vegeta, we don't have much time. We need you to finish your training.
Back at the battlefield, Piccolo panted but prepared to attack once more, saying to himself, "Come on, Piccolo, you can do this."
The Namek put his fingers together and began to charge up. Cell, meanwhile, continued to stalk ever closer. As he approached, Piccolo thought, This one's for Gohan and Goku!
At that moment, Piccolo's energy surrounded him, and he began to charge up a blast of incredible size. Dust and rocks flew around, but Cell was not turned away, and continued his death march towards Piccolo. The blast in Piccolo's hands, however, was far stronger than the other spectators were expecting.
Finally, Piccolo said, "Now Cell..."
17 saw Piccolo getting ready to attack, and quickly got to his feet to get out of the way.
Finally, Piccolo thrust his hands forward and yelled, "LIGHT GRENADE!!"
With a ferocious force, the blast rocketed from Piccolo's hands and straight towards Cell. Without a single halt to his march, Cell walked into the blast, engulfed completely in the light and energy. 17, off to the side, barely got out of the way of the blast explosion, as the attack tore a massive hole into the ground as it detonated. The ground shook violently, splitting the ground in many areas, sending plumes of dust into the air, and created a huge crater in the ground.
Piccolo stood there within the dust, his hands still extending from firing the blast, and panted from the effort. He watched the dust to see if Cell was finished or not while the other Androids looked at Piccolo with awe. As some of the dust began to settle, 18 then said, "Brilliant. What an attack!"
16, however, broke the high spirits by saying, "Don't be fooled. It's not over, he's not dead."
18 was shocked, but she need only look at Piccolo, who was staring into the clearing dust with horror. Finally, from out of the dust, Cell continued to walk, as if he had never been attacked.
Piccolo, 17, and 18 stared in terror at the abomination. 16 and Unlimited looked rather indifferent at the monster as it finally reached the Namek.
"Are you through playing games, Piccolo?" Cell asked.
Piccolo only stared hatefully at Cell, who loomed over him like a statue.
"I am amused by your little one man army, but I have run out of patience. The road of life ends here for you, you've reached a dead end."
17 looked at the two fighters staring each other down, and wondered what was about to happen.
Then, Cell looked deviously over at 17, and that's when Piccolo yelled, "RUN 17! NOW!!"
But just as the last word left his mouth, Piccolo was nailed and knocked out cold by Cell. As he flew backwards, Cell chuckled and said, "All too easy, Piccolo."
17 was in major shock that the Namek had fallen so easily, and could only watch as Cell picked up Piccolo and laughed, getting ready to deliver the final blow.
"I could absorb you Piccolo, but I have all that I need of your being in my cell structure already," Cell said, raising his hand just then.
"You are of no value to me anymore, you are just...refuse. Goodbye."
Cell then fired a blasted at Piccolo, and it seemed bad. But just at that moment, Piccolo suddenly dematerialized and Cell's blast flew into space.
"What?! But how?" Cell stammered, but was answered when he felt an energy signal above him.
Holding Piccolo, Unlimited loomed over the Android and stared down menacingly.
"So, the boy has more abilities than I thought," Cell said to himself.
Unlimited then said, "It was a nice try, Cell, but you can't kill these fighters unless you kill me first."
"Well, why not?" Cell said, and instantly fired a blast at Unlimited.
As it approached, Unlimited narrowed his eyes and, with his free hand, simply flicked away the attack.
Cell's eyes widened, but then he became poised again and said, "Well, you're pretty strong for a kid."
Unlimited smirked, but then disappeared, leaving Cell confused but then happy that he wouldn't have to fight another unnecessary fighter to gain perfection.
At the Lookout, Goku and Gohan both tried to find Piccolo's energy signal, but didn't have to when Unlimited appeared right beside them with Piccolo in his arm.
"Whoa! You got out of there quick!" Goku exclaimed.
Unlimited smirked and said, "Instant Transmission, what a technique."
"You've got that right!" Goku agreed.
Then Unlimited laid Piccolo on the ground and snapped his fingers. A light then began to emanate from Unlimited's hand and spread over Piccolo. In a few short moments, Piccolo's eyes snapped open and he sat up and looked around.
"Cell!"
"Don't worry, Piccolo, you're fine now," Goku told the Namek.
Piccolo then stood up and asked, "How long was I out?"
"Just a minute, Unlimited here healed you," Goku said.
Piccolo turned to the teen and said, gruffly, "Thanks for your help."
Unlimited nodded and then said, "Now, if you don't mind, I've got a battle to return to."
In that instant, Unlimited disappeared again to return to the battlefield.
Once again, Cell was trying to advance towards 17, who was dropping back to get ready to fight, when Cell was impeded by Unlimited, who appeared right in front of him.
Knowing his dilemma, Cell knew that, if he were to attain his perfect form, he could stop anyone, and knew he couldn't take a chance fighting Unlimited.
Cell then asked, "Why do you insist on fighting opponents who would provide no challenge to you? Wouldn't you rather have a fight to test your abilities?"
Unlimited smirked, and replied, "I would, but I doubt you could ever give it to me."
"Why not find out? Let me reach my perfect form and you can see for yourself whether your power can be challenged!"
Unlimited stood resolute in Cell's way, but his smirk began to spread over his face, and he said, "Fine. Do what you want, but in the end, you're just delaying the inevitable."
Back at the Lookout, Piccolo yelled, "NO! He can't do this! He's going to kill us all!"
"WHAT?! What's going on?!" Goku asked, startled by Piccolo's fear.
"It's that kid, he's letting Cell reach his ultimate form!"
"WHAT! That's crazy!"
Piccolo then angrily yelled, "GOKU! Take me back there quick! We can't let Cell get the Androids!"
"No Piccolo! We can't jeopardize your life again! We have to hope that Unlimited is far stronger than any of us know!" Goku reasoned, and with that, Piccolo stopped and simply growled down towards the battle again.
As Unlimited stepped off to the side, Cell said, "You are a brave warrior. Brave, but idiotic. You will regret all that transpired here today!"
But just then, another voice from behind 17 said, "He will not, because I won't let him."
Cell turned and saw that it was 16 who said this, who had begun walking towards Cell.
"What do we have here? The giant mess of metal!" Cell retorted.
This made 16 angry, and suddenly, to Cell's surprise, the giant punched Cell in the head from out of nowhere, making the reptile stumble back.
Cell regained his composure and looked at 16, saying, "Argh! Do you really think that you can stop me?"
"According to my calculations," 16 answered, "My power level is equal to yours. You will not beat me."
Cell grunted and said, "Go by your stupid calculations, but you cannot beat me now! I am far superior to you, 16."
"Let us find out, Cell."
Just then, the two large Androids began to throw fists faster than ever, doing all they could to gain an advantage in the fight. 16 punched Cell in the face again, only to be slammed by Cell's tail the next moment. 16 then returned with a powerful kick to the gut, tossing Cell back into the ground. Then, the reptile jumped up and batted 16 around for quite a few hits only to finally be stopped with one thunderous kick to the head followed by a ferocious blast. Cell was lost in the smoke at that moment, and 16 was unable to see him when Cell came from behind and smashed him with both hands. 16 crashed to the ground, sending dust around and temporarily blinding Cell. In that instant, 16 was back up and in Cell's face, delivering a powerful headbutt. The monster fell back several paces, and when he regained himself, only got hit again by another punch to the face. This time, Cell when head first into the ground, and 16 stood over him, ready to deliver a massive attack.
With a strange movement, 16 awkwardly crossed his arms and, oddly, detached his arms, which revealed two machine guns in his arms.
Cell was unable to react before 16 pointed the guns at Cell and yelled, "HELL FLASH!!"
From out of the guns, two strings of continuous blasts swarmed over Cell, enshrouding his body in light. Soon, the blasts bore into the ground and scattered underground, making holes all over the place. 16 continued the barrage, trying to bury Cell in energy.
The three spectators around the field watched this show, occasionally dodging blasts that came through the ground.
Finally, 16's blasts ceased, and the battlefield became quiet, the dust slowly lifting as Cell remained nowhere to be found.
17 looked at where 16 was and said, "Wow, you sure squashed that bug."
16 then looked at 17 and said, "That attack was not enough to kill him. You are still in great danger, you need to leave now!"
17 only laughed and said, "Run? Hello, you've got him on the ropes! There's no way you and I can lose!"
17, however, didn't realize that one of the holes that linked the underground tunnels was behind him, and rising from it, was the demonic Cell!
Neither of the other two Androids could do anything to warn 17 in time, and Unlimited, having agreed to let Cell reach his perfect form, simply waited.
"You should've listened to your friends!" Cell cackled, his tail opening as he floated behind 17.
17 turned around only in time to see the monstrous tail swoop down and encase him, lifting him from the ground and begin to pull him within Cell.
The monster laughed menacingly as he watched 17's figure get pushed through Cell's tail, soon snaking its way to Cell's very core. As Cell began to yell with the integration of the first Android, 16 ran to 18 and yelled, "We have to leave now!"
18 was watching Cell's transformation in horror, but then decided to leave with 16, giving one last look to Unlimited as well.
However, with a powerful gust of wind, both of the escaping Androids were knocked down, and before they could get up again, they saw that Cell's terrifying transformation was complete. Now, he was less reptilian, but his face proved to be far more menacing and evil, his wings gone, and his bug-like form now changed into a human like status.
16 and 18 stared in horror at the creature, who said in a deep voice, "Ahh, wonderful. It's far more than I ever imagined! Truly the best thing that Dr. Gero could have ever come up with!"
16 and 18 glared loathingly at Cell, and Unlimited then began to walk up to the new Cell, who turned to him and said, "Patience, once I have consumed the second Android, you will then see a challenge far greater than you've ever faced!"
Unlimited smirked and said, "Sorry, I got bored, so I've decided to fight you now."
Cell only had enough time to become shocked before he was socked in the gut and buckled over.
Unlimited then turned to the others, "Get out of here while you still can. I'll take care of him."
The two androids began to run when Cell stood up again and tried to punch Unlimited in the face, who easily blocked the attack. Cell tried over and over, but Unlimited proved to be far more powerful than the new Cell, who was getting angrier by the second.
With another swift punch, Unlimited sent Cell to the ground, leaving the monster to yell, "How can this BE?! I should have gained FAR more power than you with that one transformation!"
Unlimited smirked yet again, and, seeing how the other Androids were already long gone, said, "Fine, then. If you're going to whine about it, then go and find 18. Show me that you truly have what it takes to fight me."
Cell looked surprised but pleased until he realized that neither of the two Androids were around anymore.
Cell turned back to Unlimited and said, "Boy, when we fight again, I promise, I will not be so forgiving!"
"Nor as alive," Unlimited shot back.
Cell grunted and then took off fast to find the other Android.
Back at the Lookout, the Z-fighters felt Cell's new energy and were horrified.
Piccolo yelled, "ARGHHH!! THAT FOOL! He's ruining us all! Even after being able to stop Cell now, he's STILL letting him become complete!!"
The others simply looked down at the Earth, unable to truly understand what was happening, when all of a sudden, Mr. Popo came up to them and said, "If I may, I would like to tell you that Vegeta and Trunks are coming out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."
The Z-fighters all turned around, relief on their faces, and went towards the room to meet the two Saiyans.
After waiting a minute, the door opened, and out came Trunks first, and then Vegeta. Their energy seemed the same for the moment, but the looks in their eyes suggested that they had gone through some of the most unbelievable training ever.
With the absorption of 17 complete, Cell's trek to perfection is halfway over. But now, just as Cell is beginning to pursue 18, Vegeta and Trunks have returned, ready to take Cell down once and for all.
Preview of Chapter 8: Mutual Proposal: Vegeta and Trunks go to the battlefield where Cell is searching for 18, who is shocked to see them both there. Vegeta then shows Cell the power he had gained inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, causing the monster to quake in terror. However, when Vegeta hears about why Unlimited hasn't stopped Cell yet, he begins to have second thoughts about fighting Cell himself. Then, Trunks steps in to try to convince Unlimited to finish off Cell, but the two from another reality cannot agree. In whose hands is the Earth's fate safe? Find out in the next installment of Two From Another Reality!