Chapter 9: The Cell Games!

New and improved androids, new people (at least to Midori), and a new battle to save the world! Classic DBZ.

Speaking of Midori, her Saiyan name will be revealed in the next chapter; it's short and kinda unisex if you ask me. But I like it ^^


I wasn't sure what time it was when I woke up, but peering bleary-eyed through the sliding glass doors and into the blue-grey backdrop told me it was early enough.

'Might as well get up… Today's the big day…' Pushing my torso up, I peeked over my shoulder. Sure enough, Trunks was out like a light on the floor with his head resting comfortably on the side of my waist.

"You two hardly look like you're ready to take on Cell…" Vegeta made his presence known from a dark corner of the room. Despite only half of his face being lit up, the prince's cocky smirk was clearly visible.

By the time I flipped over to face my older brother, Trunks was awake, staring half-lidded at his father as well. It must have been a sight, us lying there amongst sticky junk foods, too lazy to have cleaned up, let alone make our way to our own beds.

"I will admit," Vegeta began, his face a serious mask. "After training with the two of you, I can wager that you'd both put up a decent fight… but…" His smirk came back.

"At the end of the day, we all know that neither of you has what it takes to get the job done. Cell will be done away by my hands and mine alone."

I puckered my lips a bit and glanced at the floor; a habit of mine whenever I was met with someone a little too self-assured. My half-saiyan nephew had informed me of Vegeta's last run-in with Cell… 'Well, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger... literally... Cell, Broly...' At that rate, Vegeta should have been indestructible... Ha.

Trunks could only gaze up at his father, silently challenging his opinion, as I hid my smirk behind a suspiciously "itchy lip".

"Are you two just going to sit there and stare all day?" He was beginning to get annoyed. "If you're going to watch the fight, then I suggest getting ready now, or not at all!" Vegeta turned with a warning scowl and exited the room, his arms crossed over his chest.

My nephew was the one to break the long silence that ensued after his father's leave; he looked down at the pizza boxes and ice cream cartons scattered around his feet. "I guess we should get rid of this stuff, then get ready." Trunks then gazed over his shoulder, gently removing my tail from his neck, which had coiled around it a bit when Vegeta was making his thoughts loud and clear. "You ready?" He smiled as if the question pertained to something as simple as going to visit family.

"Yes. If you say he's nothing like Broly, then I'm ready for just about anything…"

After the time consuming and irritating event of pulling on black, skin-tight under armor, I easily slipped into a baggy training shirt, tied a belt over it and stepped into a pair of saiyan boots. I was ready.

Out on the front lawn, Vegeta and Trunks were already waiting. The way they matched entirely with their blue spandex and chest armor (gloves and boots included) coaxed the tiniest smile out me. It was nice to see that they agreed on one thing.

Bulma was also present, her hands resting lightly atop her older son's shoulders.

"…careful, okay?"

He lowered his head a bit, causing long lavender hair to cover most of his face from the angle I was approaching. "I promise, mom. Don't worry."

"He's in good hands." I called out.

The petite woman turned at my voice, smiling a bit. "Yeah…" hHer expression then brightened up as she placed her hands on her hips. "You stay safe, too! You've only been around for a few days! I'm not done getting to know you…" She trailed off, folding her arms with a sly smirk to boot. Her way of coping, I presumed.

I opened my mouth to reply, only to have the chance stolen by my brother. "We're wasting time!" I could almost see a vein popping out of his forehead.

I arched an eyebrow in annoyance.

Fine, fine. If he wanted to be pushy… "To Cell we go?"

Vegeta suddenly looked very sour about something. "No… not yet." Anyone could tell he was dying to roll his eyes.

"We're going to the lookout first." Trunks filled in.

'That's why he's so upset? A detour before the final destination?' I threw Vegeta a slightly incredulous look before suggesting, "You know, we don't have to fly. I can just use my instant transmission. Who all is there?"

Trunks opened his mouth, but Vegeta interrupted again. "The boy and the Namek for sure."

"Gohan and Piccolo… Okay." I reached over to place a hand on his bicep as Trunks grasped my shoulder. Looking back at Bulma, I nodded gravely, and she returned the gesture. I couldn't imagine how she felt, having to watch her son and—er—lover (humans don't really use the term 'mate'…) leave for a potentially fatal battle for the sake of the Earth.

It wasn't long before the freshly cut lawn was replaced by white tile. And most of the crew was present: Gohan, and Piccolo (as Vegeta had assumed), Krillin, and the two residents of "The Lookout", Mr. Popo and Dende (the Earth's guardian). They didn't seem at all thrilled to see us. I hadn't expected them to be, under the circumstances, but something seemed… off.

Gohan looked up, smiling weakly. "Hey guys." He was dressed identically to Piccolo.

The older half-saiyan stepped forward. "Is something wrong?" At that, they all directed their attention to the tiny guardian from Namek.

Dende remained silent, his eyes glued to the floor, acting as if he were to move them, then the whole world would crumble beneath us. After a few seconds: "I messed up big time…" His tiny voice came out in a soft whimper, causing my heart to momentarily throb for whatever reason he was so distraught. But it seemed that was all he was going to say, so the older Namek picked up for him.

"He modeled the new dragon after the old Shenron…" Piccolo remained as stiff and glum as if he were addressing a funeral gathering. "That means that even if we wish all the people Cell has killed back to life, those who have died once before won't be a part of the ones coming back."

Now Trunks was wearing the same hard expression everyone else there already donned. It was definitely bad news, but…

Vegeta scoffed openly at their downtrodden attitudes. "That's what you're worried about?" Several annoyed glances met him. "Nobody's going to die, don't you get that? Cell will be a mere smudge of his namesake by the time I'm through with him!" He threw an equally annoyed look back at the group.

I just minded my own business on the whole matter, meanwhile digesting the aspect of bringing the dead back to life. 'I agree with Vegeta, though…' Nobody would die, not with Goku on our side… 'And I guess Vegeta's pretty powerful, too.' Or so he seemed to convey every chance offered.

"Fine. Believe what you want." The prince turned his back on the group, and I followed suit in an unconscious manner. "I'm leaving." He walked away, his strong arms stiff. A few seconds later, he flew up and over the edge of the lookout and out of sight.

The others remained silent even after that. I turned back, offering the guys an apologetic shrug, then smiled and spun around, beginning a light run towards the edge of the sanctuary. The next thing I knew, my feet were splitting the clouds as air rushed up from under me, causing my shirt to flap around in the intense winds. I laughed as my hair blew completely out of my face, imagining that I must look exactly like my brother with his large forehead and gravity defying hair. The ground, maybe a mile below, was an indescribable green blur. Every passing second it grew noticeably clearer. Ah, it was exhilarating!

'…But speaking of brothers... I should try to catch up to mine.' It didn't take much for me to tap into my energy and fly off at my own will. This way was much faster than the free-fall… but definitely not as much fun.

Before I knew it, a blue speck showed up in the distance. 'There you are.' I gave a small push, closing in on Vegeta in no time. 'It's nice having this kind of speed at my disposal.' Of course, it took some concentration to tap into my more breakneck speeds, but in average combat I could still lead a great chase.

There was also Goku... He'd lived on Yardrat for a year or so, and even mastered the instantaneous transmission. But he wasn't raised there, that's for sure. They were a people of unmatched speed. And I, as a child, had mastered their ways. 'Without them, I wouldn't be the speed-demon I am today.'

A small smirk found my lips as I flew beside my brother, who was strangely silent.

'Oh?' I blinked as we neared the grand arena surrounded by its intimidating cliffs. 'That was fast.' We simultaneously began our decent. I noticed that there were large areas around the cliff sides where the grass was charred, or a crater had been embedded. There must have been some altercation recently.

I could see that Cell was present, as well as a couple of humans; one large male with equally proportioned curly hair sitting on his head, and another, rather scrawny male in a dark suite who seemed to be talking into some device. They were antagonizing the android, who took no heed.

His steely gaze was on us.

And as we touched down just feet away from the ring's edge, suddenly all eyes were on Vegeta and me.

Magenta pupils shifted from left to right, from my brother to me…

I tipped my head back a bit and smirked in greeting to the green creature. I would have loved to participate in a three-way staring contest involving my brother and Cell, but...

'What are those men staring at?' I tossed the shorter one with the black ball-and-stick object a nasty look, but he continued to gape at us in disbelief.

He blinked at my expression, finally speaking up. "It appears we have two more visitors... but I don't recognize them!" He spoke as if we weren't even there, and another young man walked out from behind the other larger one with some kind of large, rectangular seeing-device. "They just came… flying in here unexpectedly!"

So flying wasn't part of normal life on Earth..? Krillin was human and he flew…

The tall man with the hairy face straightened up a bit and smirked down at us. "One of Cell's tricks…" Apparently flying was a trick then… Hm.

The scrawny man spoke up again, his… microphone! Yes, he still had the microphone up to his mouth. "I'm not sure what they're doing here, so why don't we go up and ask them?" He scampered towards the edge of the arena and held the microphone down to our faces. "So—who are you and what are you doing here? And, if you've just come to watch, back away from the ring before you get hurt!" He spoke to us as if we were children, albeit using a professional tone.

My face screwed up in confusion and I pulled back slightly as he held the microphone out to me first. Sensing that he wouldn't get an answer, the dark-haired fellow turned awkwardly towards Vegeta.

The prince did not seem quite as angered as I'd thought he would be (as he was busy staring down Cell), but still had enough annoyance in him to throw out an insult. "Quiet." His voice was firm, as if the man before us was now the child. "I've had enough of your insolence."

The man recoiled, seemingly offended and confused.

"Get out of my face." Vegeta added in a slightly harsher tone. I smiled, thoroughly enjoying my brother's crotchety attitude.

The receiver of his hostility laughed uncomfortably, and scurried back over to his tall companion, holding his microphone out to him. As he adjusted his glasses, the gentleman gazed warily back at Vegeta from his safe distance. "If you ask me, that guy's nuts! Have any thoughts, champ?"

The "champ" folded his arms, his mouth hanging open, momentarily at a loss for words. "Uh… um, he's… probably just one of my fanatical fans!" He closed his eyes and nodded, the answer making complete sense to him.

'Who is that man? I doubt Vegeta would be any fan of his.' I concentrated on his burly figure for a moment, feeling out his energy level. 'What? My son had twice as much power as this man before his first birthday!' I frowned deeply as they continued to scrutinize us with their mics and cameras, talking about us like we were deaf…

I really wished they would just leave so we could get on with our business.

'But I guess we can't really get things started without the others… and Goku.'

The short, suited man suddenly announced that the beginning of the "Cell Games" were only five minutes away (according to his watch…). He continued on to say that "Mr. Satan" was the only one stepping up to take on Cell.

'Oh… So that big hairball of a man is Mr. Satan?' I watched on skeptically as the little one continued to dramatize the whole situation with phrases like "Decide the fate of the Earth!" and "Fight of the century!" It was true, but… I felt that the situation should have been a more intimate one.

A glimmer caught my eye from the side. I'd forgotten about him already…

Android sixteen flew in and landed on the opposite side of the ring, successfully startling the humans and tearing both Cell and Vegeta's attention away from each other. He bore a Capsule Corporation logo plastered over his old Red-Ribbon Army insignia. He was much larger than I remembered from the previous night, but then again, he'd been sitting at the time.

'At least eight feet tall.' I tried not to smile. He looked like an overgrown lime with a tuft of red hair on top. 'That green armor is too much…'

Cell shifted slightly to make pleasantries with his cyborg brother, smiling in a way that seemed confident, yet slightly weary, as if they had been through the same old song and dance several times before. The green android was answered by the android in green with his cold stare only. The newly christened Capsule Corp. redhead had been another fighter unlucky enough to face Cell.

I spared a glimpse to my right, seeing that Vegeta seemed conflicted between annoyance and incredulity.

I lowered my head a bit, dropping my voice to a mumble as I spoke out of the side of my mouth. "Brother—is that android very strong?"

He 'hmphed', suggesting that an answer to my question was a waste of his breath, and continued to stab into Cell's being with his sharp glare.

Well then…

'What's this…?' A group of energies closing in on the area perked my senses. 'It's them… and then some.'

Cell confirmed my suspicions by commenting on Goku's arrival and his own suspense.

Looking up to the clouds, I noticed them right away, and I wasn't alone. The humans gaped in pure awe, filming every second of their flight. Flying to them must have been… like healing to me, I guess. I'd always found individuals with restorative abilities to be so unique…

"Keep… it… rolling." The newsman could hardly believe his eyes.

Up in the skies approached six white streams if ki, and two gold ones. The group was headed by the larger golden streak, suggesting the super saiyan Goku. Sure enough, as the leader dipped low for a landing, I recognized the orange and blue uniform.

They all landed one by one: Goku, Gohan, Trunks… two humans I'd not met, Piccolo, and finally Krillin. Each male had their own intense look, whilst Goku seemed to be the only one smiling.

My lips gave a flicker of a smirk. 'After all, a true saiyan always anticipates battle.'

"Welcome." Cell's coolly smooth voice brought my attention back. "Welcome everyone." He let his arms fall to his sides, finally loosening up.

Vegeta on the other hand, was far from relaxed. He had further stiffened up as he turned slightly to look behind us at the new arrivals, and his face was far from welcoming. The prince had probably only wanted Trunks and I (and Goku especially) to see him finish off Cell. The turnout had doubled…

Bright green movement drew my eyes away from the crowd over to the redheaded android. 'It's so odd how I can't sense him at all!' Because he was a machine, of course… 'But I can't miss him with that armor on…' I smirked again.

Krillin was the next one to notice his approach and greeted him enthusiastically. "Android Sixteen! Hey, you're back!"

The gigantic cyborg stopped just short of Krillin and Gohan, smiling back softly in response. "Yes, and thank you." He stared down at the two shortest among us, his gaze oddly inconsistent with the coldness of a machine and the gratitude of a man. "Because of you, I am fully functional again."

Krillin accepted his thanks, laughing it off as if it weren't a big deal.

I stared on curiously at their interaction. 'I wonder what went on here with all these androids before I arrived…' Supposedly in the future there had been two androids released, and those two alone. Here there had been a first pair, different from the ones expected, then the two everyone had been warned about. And after their release the big one had also joined the party… 'What a difference.'

Goku suddenly felt the need to step forward and introduce himself.

'But don't all those red-ribbon robots hate him?'

"My name's Goku." The super saiyan held his hand out to the towering android in good nature, smiling up at the serious being.

Sixteen's calm smile immediately dropped, his eyes adverting to the side to avoid Goku's gesture, who then blinked up at Sixteen like he always did when put off about something.

I couldn't help but face my brother, clearing my throat lightly to avoid giving my amusement away. Vegeta didn't bother, smirking openly at the android's display of coldness towards his rival.

The cyborg finally held Goku's gaze with reigned-in contempt, his voice sounding more robot-like than before. "I know your name. I was created solely to destroy you…" He changed his sights again, his apparent dislike for looking at Goku very… apparent. "Though I have chosen not to…"

How awkward.

A moment passed where the newsman addressed his microphone (the "fans") again, and I leaned over slightly to grab Vegeta's Cell-locked attention, if only for a moment. "Who's fighting first?" For a second I thought I hadn't penetrated his hypnotized focus, until he puffed up his chest in a haughty fashion.

There was a shadow of a smirk that crossed the saiyan's face before he replied, "You need not worry, young sister. Your prince shall slay the beast." He spoke as softly as the deep gruffness of his voice would allow, probably trying to avoid being overheard by the others, but still managing to sound incredibly arrogant.

Yes, the noble prince saving the young, vulnerable princess… how lovely. 'More like… the pigheaded, prideful prince.' I let a sliver of a grin take my lips as well. 'Oh Vegeta…'

Shortly after that, Goku stepped forward, noticeably pumped up, but in a calm way… like he knew something. His demeanor was nothing short of confident as he cracked his fingers, the crunch causing me to grimace, but smile nonetheless.

The orange-clad hero proposed that he go first, causing the others behind us to stir out of their grim silence. Trunks attempted to calmly shine some light on Goku's decision, but it didn't amount to much.

Goku then turned to face the two of us, but I'd read his mind. "He's all yours—give him everything." I flashed him a smirk and a thumbs-up to show my support.

He nodded thankfully, his eyes then edging over slightly to Vegeta, who was back to staring Cell down. "What do you say, Vegeta?"

"Be my guest—" His tone was a bit colder—it always was when directed at Goku. "We all know it will be me who ends up finishing off Cell." Vegeta didn't even bother making eye contact. It made me wonder who hated Goku more…

Sixteen? …Vegeta? …Broly. I smiled dryly at the thought.

Broly… it had only been a few days… But... every morning since then, I still experienced the old wariness that I felt after waking up next to his slumbering, disgruntled form...

The humans in the ring began some uproar over Goku's decision, and before I knew it there had been three newcomers (two men and a woman, the males both attempting to take on Cell and failing miserably…), but it hardly fazed me. My mind was somewhere far, far away… through the river of time… on planet Narcola.

'Yeah, I remember that day.'

"HIYAAAAA!" Yet again, Midori had knocked another brightly-colored alien out of the ring, her childish face glowing as she held both of her small fists high into the air, the crowd carrying on in a wild slur of cheers.

The announcer hailed her enthusiastically for the thousands to hear. "And the ten year-old saiyan from Yardrat takes another victory!" Narcolans were undyingly loyal to their own kind, and could often be seen booing foreigners, but the planet Yardrat was a good neighbor; their sister planet. Narcolans around the globe were intrigued by the child from the newly extinct warrior race that the Yardats had raised as their own.

When the next contestants were entering the ring, Midori was making her way across the sidelines, gazing up into the crowd in search of her older companion.

It was a bit harder to search out Paragus' energy signal when he was amidst five thousand others. But finally, she spotted his tanned skin and spiky black hair, a stark contrast to the hairless, pink and purple aliens surrounding him in the audience.

He had already locked gazes with her, and nodded his congratulations, a tiny smirk showing the pride he felt for the small lady.

Midori couldn't help but give him one of her most radiant smiles, as only a child could rightly do, then scampered off into the lounge area.

Behind the scenes she met her younger companion, Paragus' son, who happened to be only a few weeks older than her. "How's that, Broly? Pretty tough if I say so!"

The boy being addressed was sitting against a wall; his knees tucked into his chest, which cradled his head, his hands idly fumbling with his tattered boots. "Beating a weakling like that doesn't make you strong." He refused to make eye contact as he spoke "You will never catch up to me." His tone was emotionless, but still had a finalizing, icy edge to it that stung Midori.

The saiyan princess narrowed her eyes, preferring to let on annoyance rather than dejection. With that, she wheeled around, making a B-line toward the nearest exit.

What she didn't realize was that there were two especially rough-looking males sneering at her the entire way.

"Bloody saiyans… they think they can just show up here and brutalize our people like this?"

"They're animals alright. Let's teach that monkey-child a lesson—what do you think?"

"Yeah…"

Midori had ordered a large basket of jarcun feet. The flesh was thick and juicy, and once all that was said and done (and enjoyed), the claws of the animal could be used to pick the meat out of one's teeth.

So she sat alone, nibbling on the crispy-fried skin and tender meat in a secluded area outside of the arena, where only a few lonely vendors stood. They had just previously gone back to the stadium as well.

"Well, what do we have here? A little ape all by herself."

Midori turned stupidly to look at her unannounced guest, a large hunk of the chewy jarcun foot dangling from her gritted teeth. She immediately slurped it down once she saw that the male and his partner weren't looking for friendly conversation.

I still shake my head whenever I think of those two men. Yes, Narcolans take pride in their race, and yes, they're harsh on foreigners… But Narcola is the sister planet to Yardrat. It's the culture that they really hold on to.

Since I was born and raised on Yardrat… I was one of them. One who could move as swiftly as the wind, at the speed of light if I desired. One to only use force if the occasion demanded so. One with a calm mind and body… just like the Narcolans. And that was why I was supported so by the people.

But in every race, there are those who are prejudice…

"Whoa!" Midori gasped, fully taken by surprise.

She was but a twirling, dodging mass as the two strangers came at her relentlessly, both of them oddly agile, despite the large amount of fat on their bodies, hanging over like jelly rolls from their faces and limbs.

'I can't even attack them!' If Midori paused to retaliate against either of them, the other would readily take advantage of her weak spot.

A roll here—a step-back there.

'I can't do this forever!' She grit her teeth through the whistling blur of four fists aimed for her face. Then one of her feet hit an uneven surface, causing the young saiyan to fall backwards. 'No!' Her mouth hung open in shock as she made her way down, her heart and bodily functions momentarily frozen.

But just milliseconds before Midori's back hit the hard floor, a green blast shot through the stomach of one of her pursuers, going straight over her; so close she could feel the heated wind whisk past her nose.

A moment later she was staring at the grayish sky, the screams of her second attacker echoing in her ears. Then silence…

She was openly panting now, her arms and legs spread open across the dirt in a lazy, almost obscene manner.

"Get up."

Midori's eyes strayed to the right where Broly stood stoically, as if nothing had happened.

"You could have taken those two by yourself, why were you playing around like that?"

Midori finally sighed in defeat, sitting up to face him properly. "Thank you, Broly."

His mouth turned up in an offended fashion, as if she'd said something ridiculous.

...

It was always like that in the first few years. I'd try to be as strong as him, he'd berate me… underestimate me… then I'd get myself into a situation where he'd come to my rescue and he'd complain that I was stronger than whatever I was letting on…

I'd have to stop getting myself into predicaments soon after, though. The problems concerning his restraint really developed when he was about fourteen…

'Oh look—the hairy man is charging at Cell.' I concentrated hard again. Maybe the human had been suppressing his energy before? 'No… he's definitely got as much power as I do in my pinky toe…' I winced slightly at the sight of Mr. Satan being flicked aside by Cell… into a mountain.

A silence as grand as… well… Mr. Satan's defeat engulfed the arena. Everybody was shocked.

More like: one half shocked, the other half relieved (making snide comments in the background.)

I turned around slowly to face my brother and leaned to the side again, speaking low to avoid ruining the devastating moment. "So… is it our turn now?"

Before Vegeta could answer, there was finally a reaction from the crowd.

"He—he landed outside the ring!" The small announcer man (as well as the camera man and lady in pink) all stood in a stupor. "That means… our hero… has lost the battle!"

'Yes, now that that's over and done with…' I was also relieved as Cell immediately addressed the rest of us less ignorant participants.

"So…" His voice was chilled, with a faint hint of irritation lingering. "Let's get the tournament under way. Who will be first?" His eyes briefly darted across the crowd. "Will it be Goku to start things off?"

As I nibbled on my lower lip, I couldn't help but smile at the android's words, for what I knew they meant.

'I'm going to enjoy watching this…'

My eyes were glued to the referred saiyan, taking in that confident form of his. He was… well, radiant at the moment. 'As odd as that sounds…'

"Let's do it." Those simple words would define the real start of the Cell Games.

As the Earth-raised saiyan stepped into the ring's center to meet his opponent, I nudged Vegeta lightly with my elbow. He answered my gesture with an annoyed grunt. The prince looked especially stern at the moment—almost mad.

'He probably wants Goku to hurry up and finish.' I nudged Vegeta with my elbow again, my smile curving into a teasing pose. "You know this is going to be great." My toying was finally answered with a sudden painful elbow to the ribs. I let out and awkwardly surprised grunt, not anticipating Vegeta's move, then hurried to cover the noise up with an equally awkward cough. I could practically feel the crowd's eyes on my back.

'I'll just watch the match…'

Not that it had started yet. It was eerily quiet as the two opponents made pre-fight small talk. But I caught one thing that Goku mentioned: "I hear you're designed to use all of our techniques against us."

Huh.

The two then took up their fighting stances.

I turned slightly to face Trunks, my eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "Is this true?"

The teen caught my eye for a second before nodding grimly. "Mmhm."

Wow. I hadn't known about that one. That certainly gave the android an array of techniques to use against Goku...

On the other side of the ring, Mr. Satan had crawled back to his comrades, face dripping with blood. There was an instant uproar by the other five humans, and I caught something about how he had "lost his footing" instead of… heh, being brushed aside.

Hehehe…

Apparently this wasn't so funny to my brother. "That ridiculous man hasn't realized his weakness!" Vegeta's face was that of honest shock. "His… stupidity is beyond belief!"

As the large and hairy Mr. Satan began laughing obnoxiously loud, I agreed with my bother, nodding slightly. "It's so sad how ignorant most Earthlings seem to be with these things…"

There was a sigh and a "Tell me about it" from somewhere behind me, sounding like Krillin.

The attention was back on the arena now as everyone on our side stepped closer to the ring's edge, near Vegeta and I; Trunks was just a few feet to my right. All of Goku's friends were voicing how amazed they were with his new-found strength. They weren't the only ones impressed.

'I got to see him in action… before most of those men behind me. That same strength should take him much farther here.'

The longer I kept my eyes on the super saiyan, I could feel myself becoming more mesmerized. Goku seemed more true to our race at that moment than any other I'd seen. He was positioned in a flawless form, much like a giant orange predator concentrating on his prey. He was foreseeing the first blow more than anything else—then it would be like an intense, painful dance of joy. One that involved a partner, and fists and feet being lodged in less than desirable places…

Yeah... Heh, nice analogy.

Cell finally smiled that creepy, emotionally sterile smile of his. "Ding."

Goku was off in an orange streak, making it across the ring like bullet. One kick, one punch, both caught and brushed off.

Cell copied this and was easily dodged. The android attempted to sweep kick Goku, who flipped back and away—then he was out of sight.

'That's a nice speed he's got going.' My eyes flickered over to Cell where Goku then appeared, attempting a blow from behind.

Cell easily caught the elbow aimed at his head, and flung Goku over his shoulder. The saiyan flipped again, not wasting any time to charge on the android.

Then they were locked in hand-to-hand combat. That didn't last long as there was now a good thirty feet between them.

'They can't seem to make up their minds…' I sighed softly "That's the annoyance of warm ups…" Trunks turned at my words as if to remind me that I'd actually said that out loud, but simply stared for a moment before turning back to the "fight".

Android 16 suddenly spoke, "Their strength appears to be equal."

'Hmmm… good scanners on that one, indeed.'

Cell took the initiative to charge this time, and the two were back at their little spat.

'There he goes…' Goku had floated up into the air, and then flitted out of sight, leaving Cell by himself in the ring to feel out his adversary's energy.

A second or two later, Cell was ever so casually blocking punches and kicks. He soon grew tired of this (as would I have) and shot a leg out, successfully kicking Goku back, who preformed another back flip—

'… someone's feeling acrobatic today.'

…and landed perfectly on his feet, smirking all the way.

I watched on silently as Goku used a tricky after-image to deter Cell's attention, and knock him clear out of the ring. 'Cell's about to hit the ground, too.' I narrowed my eyes, wondering when the droid would react.

The others behind me were already celebrating.

"Look—he's out!"

"He's right!"

I think it was Krillin, then the other orange-clad one.

Just as fast as ever, Cell had suspended himself in mid air, and like a rewinding film, brought himself back into the ring (feet first) until he was upright again. "Sorry." He had a delicate smirk as he crossed his arms. "But did you think you had defeated me?"

Goku relaxed his stance and stood at his full height, giving a short, dry laugh. "I won't fall for your cheap pranks. I knew all along that it wouldn't be that easy to take you out, Cell."

Oh no.

I gave a short, annoyed grunt, much like how the man to my right would have at any time. 'Now they're going to start talking.'

But at least they'd finally called each other out on not showing their full strength.

"Little by little I shall reveal to you…" Cell unfolded his arms, speaking in a slightly more dramatic tone than before. "The perfect power that lies within me!"

Goku took up a stance once more, voice cool and—sigh—oh so sexy: "Bring it on…"

Sexy? Did I just think that?

I shook my head slightly, inclining it to hide a resilient smirk. 'I suppose I can't help it if I'm attracted to the alpha male… it's only saiyan nature.'

And the fighting re-commenced.

My eyes were in constant shift, keeping up with the quicker pace of the fight. 'Now this is more like it…' They had taken to the skies, darting left and right, neither really landing a hit on the other, but moving quite fast nonetheless.

But, some of the others were having a harder time staying on them.

Yamcha (I think) was the first, "Their speed—it's incredible!"

Then Tien (right?) willingly agreed, "I can't keep up!"

Trunks gave a small gasp as he watched on, mouth gaping.

I glanced at him for a moment, until a deep chuckle pulled my gaze to the opposite side where my brother stood, smirking up at the speedy clash. 'I wonder what's on his mind…'

Hmm... Goku and Cell were getting mighty close…

No sooner than I thought that had there been a small explosion, dust and debris racing past all of our waistlines, wind sweeping our hair astray.

I turned around automatically, and there they were: Cell floating a mere few feet above the dirt—outside of the ring, and Goku throwing punch after punch at his guarded chest.

And then they were stories above the ring again. Hand-locked, neither opponent dared to make a move. That is, until Goku leaned back just enough to give Cell a stomach full a feet, teleport above him and slam the android straight back down into the ring.

Of course, seeing as the two were still playing around, the Great Green One was easily able to right himself, just before Goku shot down to meet him like a golden bolt of lightning.

I narrowed my eyes as the fight continued. It seemed to go on forever. Goku would let it seem as if Cell had the upper hand, than turn the tables. Cell would do the same thing right after. 'Why is Goku allowing this to go on?'

It seemed his son had read my mind: "But how come?" Gohan's question caused Trunks to emit a confused noise. "How come dad isn't taking this seriously?" The younger saiyan elaborated.

Vegeta laughed to himself again, so I seized the moment to ask, "It seems like their just sparring, doesn't it?"

Above us, I could hear Goku launching his Kamehameha, but didn't bother looking as I could feel that there wasn't much energy behind it.

He nodded slowly to my inquiry, still smirking. Maybe he thought this was funny? I was growing tired of it.

'But maybe that's just me… I hardly ever fought for the fun of it when I was younger. Especially not as an adult.'

I barely noticed it when the two had returned to the ring's surface until the light show began.

I couldn't help it, "Whoa!" Goku had unleashed his energy, completely startling me. I ignored my sibling's cold stare as I watched on in awe. It was that super saiyan aura that really got me. It was so bright and warm, almost welcoming; but it quickly reminded me of it's danger as red streaks of electricity shot their way around him. It was exactly like Goku himself, the more I thought about it: gentle yet fierce…

And then there was an explosion of red light. One hand shot up to cover my eyes against the harsh glow and sandy wind as Goku's glowing energy filled the arena. 'Amazing!'

A few seconds later I could finally let my hand rest, as I squinted at the bright super saiyan before me.

My eyes had barely adjusted when it was Cell's turn to power up. "Ugh!" I had to shield my eyes again, this time too slow to stop a bit of debris from entering them.

Roughly thirty seconds later I was able to completely relax and resume watching.

'Their power-levels… they're… still the same?' It was hard to tell, even when Goku stood a mere five feet away from the android. As they fought on, I could definitely see the increase in both of them. Even Vegeta seemed a bit thrown off. Where had they gotten all that strength? The two were landing heavier blows and moving much faster than before.

This was going to be a show to remember...


Phew, college is bustin' my balls. This is like 3 weeks late, but I doubt I'm keeping a whole lot of people waiting xD;;