Chapter 11: The Fall of Man
-Cell-
The return to life that Cell experienced happened blindingly fast, so quickly that its beginning would have been missed in a blink. One moment there was nothing, the next a green nucleus appeared, misshapen lumps poking out of it that quickly resolved themselves into powerful limbs. A burst of lightning ricocheted off his form as the complete regeneration ended, leaving Cell staring in shock at the world around him.
Hell. Nothing here. So little space, claustrophobic, trapped. Where am I!
Before Cell could truly panic there was a type of change that he couldn't recognise and he found himself in the familiar blackness of space. Compared to the nightmare he had experienced it was comforting in its bleak simplicity. Cell smiled, terror easing its grip on him as he readjusted to existence.
But how am I alive? That attack was devouring me whole, there was no room to escape it. I would have known if I'd made any plans to preserve my core.
The last thing he remembered was cracking open under the pressure from the blast wave, every part of his being splintering and burning before he could even mourn its loss. At the very last instant before his awareness had been snuffed out entirely there was a spark of something, a mental circuit closed. Whatever it was that had triggered, it had saved his life. Somehow he knew what happened. The knowledge came easily, as though he'd always known and just never had a reason to reflect upon it. His smile grew wider.
Kibito you fool, you gave me all the tools I needed to survive certain destruction!
Like a slideshow his mind ran through all the times he'd witnessed the Shinjin teleport, from the first moment he'd whisked him off the Earth to the end where he'd been fortunate enough to experience it with his Perfect body.
That was all I needed. And when I was facing absolute destruction, my infallible instincts used the technique to escape! But even so, there was so little of me left, little more than single cells... and I still came back!
The surprise of his resurrection had worn off. As Cell's mind turned inward, it became clear that even though his form appeared the same, things were vastly different under the surface.
The androids were no longer a part of him. The subtle murmur of their sleeping minds no longer filtered through to the strata of his psyche. The loss of their techniques and other information was no loss, their greatest contribution had been to unlock his perfect form in the first place. Losing them should have reverted him back to his Imperfect form, which was a fate crueller than any other. Yet without them he was still in his perfect form... which itself had been greatly improved.
His diabolical laughter went unheard as he threw his arms up and unleashed his full power, a storm of golden energy thick with lightning shining as bright as a star around him.
This power, it's beyond what I had with the Kaioken, beyond any level Trunks could hope to reach! This is the true power of the Perfect being – my true power! I now see the truth of Dr Gero's design, only by purging myself of the final imperfections in my system could I become absolutely Perfect.
It made sense in a startlingly simple way, a way Cell could now with hindsight see had been in front of him since the pinprick of disillusionment had stabbed him after becoming perfect. The androids were imperfect, as essential as they were to fulfilling his destiny they could not remain a part of it. How could a perfect being contain things that were not perfect within it? It made no sense.
And Dr Gero had known that, accounted for that, even planned for that. As more and more power flowed through Cell's body his minds eye was opening wider, expanding with the golden halo that represented his might. What had been left of him had only a single cell. It would have been certain death for any one of the races that made up his being, but in his unique body their best qualities had been combined in a way that allowed him to cheat death itself. He had no need for a core like a Namekian, as he had so foolishly thought. Any one of his cells could reconstruct his entire body in only a few minutes. And having come so close to death, his Saiyan genes would express themselves, and his body would be rebuilt stronger than before, the height of his former power realised and then surpassed.
I have no limits! And to think, I wanted to wish for immortality.
A great power suddenly flared nearby, bringing his chuckling to an end as he took to analysing it. While it felt close to him in terms of distance it was anything but. From where he was the nearest star was a faint glow, a hazy dot less visible than a candlelight.
Showing off so soon Trunks? You must think you've beaten me. I'll gladly teach you a lesson for daring to be arrogant enough to believe you could kill Perfection!
Cell willed himself to New Namek and he was there. Using Instantaneous Movement had been even easier than taking a step, and the villain now found himself looking down at the planet from above. At the very least the circumstances of his 'death' hadn't been peaceful, as the world looked only slightly better than its predecessor had been when Frieza had finished with it. And in the midst of a continent spanning dark cloud a tower of golden light was rising up.
It was unquestionably Trunks, and with a little more examination it looked like he was tussling with the Junior who had fallen under Babidi's spell. Cell frowned, fists clenching as he remembered how the brat had betrayed him in his last moments. He had been sure to unleash hell on Trunks for his role in killing him but as the anger rose into his chest it made a convincing argument for disciplining his disobedient child first.
Both of them vanished just as Cell was about to make his move, leaving him frozen in anger mid-motion for an attack. He'd yet to gather any ki for it, and it was no loss to lower his arms and think. Either Kibito or Babidi were responsible for this, but he'd bet it was Babidi. It didn't make any sense for the Shinjin to save the life of his enemy at the last second.
Cell didn't know what the limits were on Babidi's teleportation spell, but hopefully he'd taken them somewhere familiar... like Earth. He wanted to beat the life out of them while his rage was still boiling beneath the surface, when it had simmered down it would hardly be as fun after all.
Still, something tells me I shouldn't be too hasty. There's still work to do here.
He could sense all of the surviving Namekians clustering near the area where he and Trunks had had their final battle, with a few of them leaving the group then returning. It was only a guess, but it was very likely that they were gathering the Dragon Balls.
Yes, you're going to summon the Dragon and fix your pathetic planet. Well don't worry, I'll help you out.
He pointed down at the world, aiming directly at the site of the Namekian gathering. He couldn't help but let his power show now, as the dark orb swelled from the tip of his nail. The Death Ball was finished in seconds, and since there was no reason to drag it out he fired it at the planet without hesitation. There was a dull flash as it struck the surface, then almost all at once New Namek's surface cracked open to reveal the blood red magma. A moment later spikes of energy shot out of the cracks and Cell knew to teleport back a safe distance as the planet exploded. Without sound it wasn't as exciting to see the debris field expand from where New Namek had been, but he did take satisfaction at destroying his first planet. The experience felt so much for real than Frieza's recollection had been, though there was a certain element missing. Destroying New Namek really meant nothing to him, there was no way the inhabitants could have put up a fight even if he handicapped himself in every way. That may have satisfied Frieza, but he wanted to have fun with it! The parts of him taken from King Cold appreciated the practicality of it, but it wasn't the punctuation to anything. Where was the fun if they didn't put up a fight first?
At least now the Dragon Balls can never be used against me. I hope I can get more fun out of destroying Earth than this... But I do have unfinished business first.
The shimmer of Instantaneous Movement surrounded him again as he vanished and reappeared. This time it wasn't to some distant point in space but to a world covered in lush green fields and blue skies studded with moons.
He had returned to Kaioshinkai.
If the Kais were going to run anywhere, this would be the place. The safe, secure world of the Kais that no evil would ever be able to reach... if you hadn't shown the place off to them before that was.
I don't sense the Supreme Kai or his lackey... but there is someone here. Who could it be?
His senses had expanded as vastly as his power, but he was positive that there hadn't been anyone else here when he'd been brought there. It wasn't Trunks, it was far too weak. Out of curiosity Cell flew there, keeping his power level low in case it proved to be someone significant.
What he saw came as something of a pleasant surprise. A woman with unmistakeable shoulder length blue hair and wearing a worn-looking jumpsuit was working on an egg shaped craft and muttering to herself. She didn't seem aware of him until he landed behind her.
"Trunks is that -"
When she turned around to face him, Cell couldn't have kept from smirking even if he'd wanted to.
"Hello Bulma."
The tool she'd been holding fell to the ground as her face became a mask of fear. She pressed up against the hull of the machine, and Cell heard her heart start beating like a race horse's.
"You're Cell." Bulma said, sounding tense but not frightened as he had hoped. "What are you doing here? How did you get here?"
"I came here to drive the meddling gods out of hiding, but it looks like they were more original with their hideouts than I gave them credit for. If they're still alive, that is." Cell remarked, grinning. "But don't waste your time worrying about them, you're the one in danger."
Cell lifted his hand and Bulma was lifted off the ground, hovering three feet off the ground with her arms stretched out and legs kicking uselessly for purchase.
"I can't decide if I should leave you alive so I can kill you in front of Trunks or just kill you now so he'll die knowing he wasn't there to save you. What do you think?"
"I think you can go straight to hell! When Trunks finds you he's gonna kick your ass so hard you'll taste his boot!" Bulma yelled, thrashing ever more frantically in Cell's telekinetic grip.
He made an amused sound as his lip curved into a tiny smirk before returning to normal.
"Trunks isn't in the same league as me any longer, not with my renewed perfection. I suppose I'll kill you now, it's one more loose end closed. I know Trunks has travelled through time, and I'm guessing that machine behind you is what does it."
In a flash a blast was held in the hand he was using to suspend Bulma, the edges expanding to the tips of his fingers as he fed power into it.
"You know, in my imperfect form I did hope to run into you. You were the last of Goku's close allies to survive the androids, and you'd done so with such success that I thought you had some way of tracking their movements I could use." Cell said, ending his mental hold on Bulma and allowing her to drop to the ground. "While I have no use for you now, I am glad that we met. While the ship has long sailed on killing Goku, killing his close friend is surely going to hurt him in the next world. It's the least I can do."
"I don't get you androids." Bulma spoke up, making Cell hold back his attack for the moment. "The one who built you died a long time ago, but you still do nothing but destroy. Haven't you thought about doing anything besides following the orders of a dead man?"
"Dr Gero is the one who enabled me to reach my perfect form and while I am infinitely grateful I don't owe him anything after that. Every decision I've made after achieving my perfect form has been my own – including this one."
In a flash Cell was miles up in the air, the golden blast in his hand firing down on Bulma and the time machine like a blast of divine lightning. They were both vaporised in an instant, but that wasn't the end of the attack as it kept tunnelling through the layers of rock leading to the planet's core. After two minutes of no symptoms as Cell continued pouring energy into the blast, the land spasmed and collapsed in fits, the pristine wilderness crashing in on itself as the quaking grew worse and worse. When city sized beams of light blasted their way out of the world's innards Cell knew that there were only seconds left before detonation. With a small sign of goodbye he teleported back to Earth before the land completely dissolved, barely missing the final flash of light as Kaioshinkai blew up.
That planet was tougher than I expected, but it was worth it to kill three birds with one stone. Bulma's dead, the time machine is destroyed and the world of the Kais is no more. This day really had turned out better than I could have hoped.
He was back on Earth, though no feelings of misplaced reunion met him. He'd come back to finish business, that was the reason he hadn't ended the planet as simply as he had New Namek.
Cell found himself standing atop an eggshell shaped thing that he soon recognised as Babidi's spaceship, somehow repaired after his transformation had ripped it to pieces. This was unusual, he hadn't meant to arrive here. He'd aimed to appear next to Babidi so the putrid slime couldn't plot any further against him, but his journey had been cut off somehow.
His ship must have a way of blocking teleportation. I certainly can't sense any energy from it I could use to pinpoint my aim anyhow.
All at once the sky was blown apart with a massive halo of energy as it turned red, impossibly large lightning bolts striking from it randomly. Seconds later a deafening scream hit his ears, making him wince as it only grew louder and louder.
"That must be Majin Buu." Cell grunted between clenched teeth, covering his rectangular ears with his hands in a futile attempt at blocking out the sound. "I can't believe I almost forgot about him."
It was curious how he'd missed Buu's power level at first, but there was absolutely no way he could have been left blind to the colossal release of ki taking place not too far away. The power he sensed wasn't just noteworthy, it was challenging. And there was a peculiar taint to it that made it hard to judge what percentage was in use at all. Where his own power shone like a glorious beacon to any who could witness it, Majin Buu's energy was like that of a dark obelisk with seemingly no beginning or end.
It did end, and only when the environment had returned to normal was Cell able to sense another power level now that it wasn't being masked by Majin Buu's power up. It was Trunks, and while he felt weary the Saiyan was stronger than he'd been on New Namek. If he'd had this kind of power then he might have been able to win their clash without leaving his back unguarded.
"Very good Trunks… but I'll show you soon how the tables have turned between us." Cell promised, charging energy into his fist as he looked down at the ship. "Right after I show this rat the error of crossing me."
One punch was all that was necessary to break through the metal of the ship, and before the requisite electrical discharge had left the cracked open roof Cell powered up his aura and dove right down into the ship, tearing through multiple identical floors in an instant. He soon found himself floating in the air wreathed in gold before two pairs of astonished eyes. One belonged to his intended victim, and the other belonging to the battle damaged Kibito who was being restrained by two members of Yakon's race.
"C-Cell!" Babidi stammered, taking an unsteady step backwards as he tried to reconcile the vision of the minion he'd left for dead smiling down at him.
TAK
That was the sound Cell's foot made as it found itself planted firmly on the floor of the spacecraft, followed swiftly by its twin. In the stunned silence following Cell's arrival the metallic notes seemed to linger in the air like a dreadful omen before Cell's cultured voice filled the silence.
"Do you remember what I said would happen if you betrayed me?" He said, feigning sweetness in his voice that was in no way reflected in his glittering magenta eyes.
Babidi brought up his hands to ready a spell but faster than the magician could see he was yanked off his feet and facing Cell at eye level, the genetic hybrid still smiling as he held him up.
"You're very lucky you succeeded in reviving Majin Buu, or I'd have more than enough time to top anything Frieza or King Cold could come up with. As it stands, this will be relatively painless."
Babidi's eyes were bulging in their sockets out of panic, and he silently pleaded for the two Majins to help him. Both released their beaten opponent and flew at Cell with feral cries. Both were rebounded by his aura hard enough to knock them out before they'd even hit the ground. Cell slowly drew his left hand back and gave Babidi a toothy grin. If the wizard thought he couldn't feel any more fear he was proven wrong when jagged purple energy surrounded the hand and a clear buzzing noise started.
"No… please… don't… can help you..."
"I am Perfect." Cell stated, moving his hand under the squirming sorcerer. "You, are obsolete."
As Cell slowly brought the energy blade up, Babidi's shrieking reached new peaks of agony. Kibito found himself unable to look away as the evil wizard was sawed in half. The assistant deity wanted to throw up, as vile as Babidi had been even he didn't deserve to die like that.
Cell let the twin halves of Babidi fall to the floor with wet slaps. He looked down and smirked at his handiwork, snuffing the blade that had done the job out of existence.
"Don't think I missed you there Kibito." Cell looked to the side. "I want to take a few seconds to enjoy this, so you have one chance to run. Use it wisely."
With no time to spare Kibito shot through the roof before vanishing from sight. With Cell back in action he needed to inform Trunks. Even if he was occupied with Majin Buu, he was the only one able to combat Cell – he had to know!
Kibito appeared a short distance from Trunks, who was trading blows with Majin Buu at a blurry speed.
"Trunks! Cell is back! He's -"
Kibito was cut off as a yellow boot made contact with his head, throwing him to the side. Trunks froze as he sensed all life leave the deity before his body had even hit the ground, where his neck lay twisted at an unnatural angle.
"So tired of you ruining everything." Cell lowered his leg, eyeing Kibito's still body with satisfaction. "It's good to see you again Trunks, and it's even better to finally see surprise on your face."
-Trunks-
This is bad.
It was the understatement of the century but he was struggling to find anyway to put it. He was struggling to find any way that he could have missed Cell surviving. He had searched for Cell's energy after he'd regained consciousness, right? And he hadn't felt any signs of Cell's energy before the fight with Buu… So where had Cell come from?
Better question, how did he survive? That last blast had enough power behind it to wipe out the stronger version from the past, there's no way he could have endured it. Did Babidi do something? No, at the last minute there he turned on Cell, he wouldn't want him to live.
"You look like you have a lot on your mind Trunks, care to share?" Cell said. The android was basking in his smugness to a degree that made Trunks want to throw up, but he maintained his composure. Or tried to. He couldn't help but sneak glances at Majin Buu, who had halted in his tracks when Cell had struck Kibito.
He could feel Cell's power, and to say it was vast was almost as bad an understatement as the one he'd just made. Even after his own recovery his strength couldn't compete with Cell's, who had been elevated to a whole new level – just like his alternate self had after attempting suicide. Yes, Cell clearly outclassed him to a frightening level, but what about Majin Buu?
Majin Buu is strong, stupid and looking for a good fight. But just how gullible is he? He was more than happy to pound on me until Cell arrived, can I convince him to go after Cell?
"Cat still got your tongue or has my glorious return rendered you speechless? You must have questions Trunks, and this is the one time I'm in a good mood to answer them."
Is Buu really the lesser evil here? Supreme Kai told me he was a force of pure destruction but he's more like a kid who hasn't learned discipline… Either way I'm not strong enough to destroy either of them.
"How did you survive and make it back to Earth?" Trunks asked, relaxing his form out of the fighting stance. He had a pretty good idea what half of that explanation would be, and he'd rather use the small window of time to try and recover from Buu's punches than stay on guard for a sneak attack he knew wouldn't be coming. Cell was too arrogant to pass up a speech and Buu telegraphed his attacks like nobody's business.
"Ha! I should have known you'd pick the boring ones. Not what I expected, seeing how you knew so much about me. But very well, I'll grant you the mercy of understanding how doomed you are before I kill you. You see-"
"HEY!"
Trunks flinched at the volume of the scream and Cell growled and turned to the side with irritation. Majin Buu had a hand on his hip and was pointing at Cell, glaring dangerously at the bio-android.
"Buu no have time to listen to bug man talk! Buu fight strong guy, you come back later, then Buu fight you!"
Cell grit his teeth and his eyes lowered with hostility before a wave of calm seemingly washed over him and he smiled at Buu.
"A couple of things. First, my name is Cell and as your superior that is how you will address me. Second, I had a score to settle with Trunks long before Babidi let you out of your prison. And lastly..."
Cell thrust his hand out with such speed that Trunks would have swore he'd left an after-image. There was a thunderous bang as a Kiai shot out, blasting Buu away into a far off cliff. Three smaller Kiais shot out of Cell's palm, smashing Buu through the cliff and bringing it down around him, burying the majin under rubble.
"I am the strongest one here." Cell stated, lowering his hand in front of him as his aura buzzed with power. Trunks looked with wide eyes at how easily Cell had gotten rid of Majin Buu, who Trunks had had to use everything he had just to make budge with his attacks.
"Now, as I was about to say, the miracle of my survival is not a miracle at all but the product of meticulous engineering by my creator. I cannot die, it is impossible! With the cells from Piccolo I can regenerate any wound, thanks to Frieza and his father I can survive any injury and my Saiyan cells increase my strength after every near death experience. I always knew this, but I didn't realise the extent of my own perfection until it was tested by our combined blasts. In the aftermath a single cell survived, but that was enough . Trunks, I cannot describe my surprise at seeing my perfect body intact – or the elation at finding my power risen to a whole new level!"
Trunks narrowed his glare.
"I heard about this speech from Gohan but in person it's way more obnoxious."
Cell merely smiled. "Ah yes, my copy. I suppose he was close enough to my perfection to fool an outside observer, but I know I have something that knock-off didn't. The true reason for my survival… and the revelation behind how I'm standing before you now."
Okay, now that intrigued him. Before he could ask or Cell could go on, they became aware of the ground trembling beneath their feet and smaller boulders slowly levitating through the air.
BOOOOOW
Red light filtered through cracks opening over the terrain, and a clear beam of light shot up into the sky surrounded by rings of light. The whine in the air rose in pitch to inaudible and an explosive flash tore apart the desert, leaving a crater with splintered edges behind. Majin Buu was hanging there, furiously venting steam.
To Trunks there was a flash that reminded him of lightning, then Buu was behind Cell. A crash of thunder came next, though whether it was from the speed of Buu's movement or the impact of the punch Cell had caught behind his head without turning around.
In a flowing motion Cell swung his arm forward, swinging Buu with it and directly into the path of his fist, which pancaked his face in one blow. A knee to the gut shot the pink flesh there up, just in time for Cell's elbow to hammer it down and bring Buu to the ground. Cell pulled back his leg, streaks of lightning curling around it, then punted Buu into the air. As the rotund djinn sailed up the android's hand shot out and fired a blast into the sky that caught Majin Buu in the chest. The detonation briefly outshone the sun and opened a clear hole in his body that stayed open as he was launched higher up.
"As I was saying, I discovered after my recovery that I had retained knowledge of how Kibito's Instantaneous Movement technique worked. I used that technique to come here, after I destroyed New Namek. I have no use for the Dragon Balls, and now they can never be used against me."
It was like he had lost the small amount of hope he didn't know he had left. In the blink of an eye he saw Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, his father, everyone who had lost their lives to the androids dissolve into ashes. There was no way to bring them back now, they were gone for good. He had wanted to bring some of the light he'd witnessed in the past into his own world… even if it had seemed like a lost cause until he'd seen the Namekian Dragon Balls for himself.
It's… it's fine. I lived my life knowing that there weren't any magic fixes to my problems, nothing has changed. Trunks felt a cold ball settle in his chest. I have to fight harder than ever, to avenge everyone this monster has killed!
"Not that those trinkets could affect me, but I really wanted to make sure I'd taken everything from you before you died." Cell said, his conversational tone turning sinister. "The Dragon Balls were your last hope to get back what you'd lost to the androids… and me."
Trunks' brow shifted. "What?"
"I'm not talking about your chance at a wish to set right a world you barely knew, or the lives of the Namekians you care so much about, or the pale excuses for gods that helped you. No, I took something far more valuable from you Trunks. Hope was written on the side of your time machine and that's exactly what you've lost."
His pulse raced. The ice in his chest thickened.
"How do you know that?" It came out as a growl, but to his own ears it lacked threat. The words had come out as a forceful whisper, yet Cell had heard him. The genetic hybrid's face was almost glowing with malicious anticipation as he gathered his words.
"I made a detour to the world of the Kaioshin after I destroyed New Namek. I went there to see if one of the Kais had fled there, but who I found was much more important."
He can't possibly mean...
"I'm afraid Bulma has been dead for the better part of an hour by now. I wish I'd left a body for you, but I wanted the destruction of Kaioshinkai to be thorough."
Trunks felt himself slip into a state of total calm, like falling under ice cold waters. He was grateful for that, it let the stalling engine of his mind feel something other than crushing despair at what he'd just heard. It helped him deal with it in the fractions of a second he had before he had to show some kind of response.
It actually surprised him when the thin bubble of serenity he'd felt popped and more fury than he'd ever thought possible exploded out of it.
-Majin Buu-
Buu liked to keep to himself that he was a lot smarter than he looked. Or at least when he had to be. He hadn't needed to be when the man with spiky blonde hair had been playing with him, but after the bug man had shrugged off his attacks Buu had considered thinking hard.
So he'd been listening. His return hadn't been noticed and after being hit hard enough to feel it for a change Buu was in no rush to interrupt. Yet. And to his great surprise he'd actually learned something useful.
'excuses for gods...'
'Kaioshin...'
'Kaioshinkai...'
Those words jogged Majin Buu's somewhat foggy memory. He couldn't tell if the fog came from waiting in the cocoon for so long or something else, but it had been parted a sliver by Cell's words.
Buu saw himself standing next to Babidi? No wait, it was Bibidi, his maker. The small shrivelled magician was staring up at him in shock, mouthing something that only came back to Buu in the afterthought, 'Buu? Is that really you?'
Going back a little more Buu experienced himself as taller, obscenely muscular and baring down on a fat man with pointy ears and a younger looking partner behind him. Then Buu felt something hold him in place, before he was cut into multiple small cubes. It hurt in a way that Buu had only known once before, and it reminded Buu of what he had done the last time…
The memory was a lot less clear, he was barely aware of even being himself. But at that moment he was focused on the well built opponent charging an attack in front of him. Buu was laughing, none of the other attacks he'd faced had even slightly injured him, not really. But then when it fired, something about it changed and for the first time in his existence Buu panicked. He was scared, and he acted on instinct to end the threat without knowing what it was, even as his body was torn apart and he felt such incredible pain that he would have screamed if he had a mouth.
Majin Buu, standing up against a low rock wall contemplatively, recalled all that, recalled how different things had gone trying to fight Cell than anyone else in his life, and felt like he'd found an answer.
"Buu gonna get you good now." He whispered, a sly grin on his face as he peeked around the corner to see his enemies now that the talking had stopped.
It looked like he'd picked the wrong moment to stop bracing himself. Trunks' golden aura flashed with lightning, looking no different than it had while he'd been fighting Buu, before the ground around him gave way to golden light.
"RUUUAAAGH!"
The dome of blazing light that manifested around Trunks at that moment blasted the wall Buu had been hiding behind into dust, and bowled Buu over until he managed to dig his feet in. He held his arm in front of his face to protect against the worst of the energy waves. The dome that had risen around Trunks had shrunk to a smaller globe surrounding him, and while it strained his eyes Buu could see through it.
Trunks' eyes were blank slates, with lines of tears running down his cheeks. His hair stood up in a wilder pattern than Buu recognised, and it seemed to extend further down his back. It was hard to tell with how hard the Earth was shaking, but it almost looked like it was growing longer as Buu watched.
Thick yellow lightning shot from Trunks' aura as his energy made a final climb, secondary sparks splashing against Buu's cape, then the ground stopped shaking, clouds dispersed and the blinding waves of light died away.
Buu might have been looking at a whole new person. Trunks' hair was now a golden waterfall down his back, sparking with golden bolts of its own. His brow stood out with no eyebrows, and from the front Buu could see two rigid strands of hair hanging over his forehead. That was all fairly strange to Buu, but what really made the picture was the look Trunks was giving Cell. It sent a shiver down Buu's spine, and he was only seeing it from the side.
"Wow, he looks super scary."
Buu's comment went unheard, of course, as Trunks kept his tear-stained turquoise orbs trained on Cell's magenta ones. Cell had been forced back by the transformation as well, and looked stunned at Trunks' changed appearance.
"You're going to regret ever coming back." Trunks said. The intensity of his aura magnifying the threat in his voice as he took a step forward.
"So what am I looking at? Double Ascended Saiyan? Super Saiyan 3? I'll admit, it looks intimidating."
Trunks warped in front of Cell, leaving speed lines that Buu could barely track. Trunks fist flew like an arrow at Cell's face, just to be caught the same way Buu remembered his being. Cell smirked, Trunks' grim visage didn't change.
"But looks can be deceiving."
Trunks exited Cell's grasp in a golden burst, swinging a punch at Cell that met his arm, producing a sonic blast. Cell's leg flashed upward and was blocked by Trunks' knee, sending a wave through the Saiyan's body.
Then the two disappeared with such speed that Buu lost them. His head rotated around like an owl trying to find them, even as the sky above him was shaken by the impact of their battle. As it went on Buu started seeing more of them, snippets from the clash frozen in time.
Cell behind Trunks with his boot slammed into his back.
Trunks soaring up at Cell with his knee piercing his gut.
Cell and Trunks throwing punches at each other, both missing.
Trunks ramming his fist into Cell's cheek, right before Cell grabbed Trunks by the arm and twisted it back.
Buu saw more of it the longer he looked. It was like he was learning what to look for the longer he kept at it.
It was fun to watch, but Buu didn't like being on the sidelines.
While still keeping his eyes on the fight, Buu reached for the knot that kept his cape tied around his neck and ripped it open. The purple fabric fluttered in his hand before going rigid then compacting into a ball of pink goo.
"Eenie meenie minie -"
Trunks was attacking Cell with especially ferocious punches, arms firing so fast that they were invisible to Buu. Yet Cell had his arms crossed and was blocking each one of Trunks' fists with the appropriate leg. Buu couldn't hear it, but it looked like Cell was taunting Trunks as he did so.
"Moe!"
He pitched his arm back, charged up his ki then threw the pink glob at Cell with as much force as he could.
-Cell-
He was vanishing out of the way of each of Trunks' attacks, leaving the Saiyan with no idea of where he'd appear next as he did so. The effect was close to if he'd decided to use Instantaneous Movement to dodge them, but it was all pure speed. And he was being generous in allowing Trunks to see him for long enough to aim punches, if he'd really wanted it he'd have been all but invisible to him.
"I feel so thrilled fighting you like this," he said, blinking out of the path of a double axe-handle Trunks had tried to hit him with. "I was so helpless when we fought before, and now even with a new form you are still my inferior. It's like everything is right as it should be!"
"Did you feel good when you killed my mother?" Trunks said, tone hard as ever but Cell could see he was trying to catch his breath. Odd. Their fight hadn't been that intense yet. "You tried to hurt me by going after someone I cared about. That's the move of a coward, of someone too weak to face me head on. And looking at you now, you seem pretty strong. I guess being weak is just in your nature."
Trunks' face screwed up as even more rage welled up in him, "It's sick, but if you had gone after my mom while you were still weaker than me, I'd understand. It'd be the only way you could hurt me. But your punches hurt and I'm having trouble keeping up with you as a Super Saiyan 3, so you knew I had no chance before."
Looks like the name stuck.
"You had a choice. You could have come to fight me, prove yourself my superior like a warrior, or you could kill a defenceless woman, like that would hurt your real target."
Trunks pulled his hand back, and yellow lightning gathered between his fingers as a ki ball ignited in his palm.
"Thanks to you I can't bring her back, or anyone else I care about. But I don't have anything to lose now." Trunks said, finishing in a quiet manner as the yellow blast flared up in his hand, waves of golden electricity running off from it and down his arm. "You said you wanted to take everything from me Cell, well you can have this!"
He'd have to be an idiot to miss what that meant.
"Field open!"
A green sphere covered with crackling sparks enveloped Cell as he threw his arms and legs out. Trunks pulled his arm further back, gritting his teeth as he throttled his ki back.
The attack came from an angle he hadn't expected red bolts struck his shield, making him whip his head to the side in shock. That proved to be a mistake as Trunks disappeared, and the further collision of red projectiles stopped him from tracking him down.
"Why don't you wait your turn!" Cell yelled, drawing his hands to his side and filling them with blue ki. "Kamehameha!"
His shield dropped and the destructive blue wave thundered out, scattering the dozens of red bolts that had been in its path into loose particles. Cell didn't see Buu get hit by the blast, but the massive smoke cloud that the blast threw up and the fact that there had been no resistance made him feel positive that the majin had been as easy to deal with as he expected.
Now just to finish with Trunks. Honestly the nerve on him, daring to call me a coward!
A large ki appeared above him, and Cell reacted instantly, powering up and channelling energy to his hand. A ball of golden energy struck his fist but it was easily punched apart. Cell looked in the direction it had come from for any sign of the Super Saiyan who had sent it but there was none.
He sensed two more energy signatures below him and to the right, and he swiped apart the blast that had come from below with a kick. The blast that came from the side he caught, then pushed back the way it came. A quick search in both directions didn't locate Trunks.
"Damn it! Where did he go?"
BAM!
Two boots landed on the back of Cell's skull, dropping him downward. It didn't take long to catch himself, but in the time he needed to face Trunks the half-Saiyan had aimed two fully charged blasts down at him.
"FINAL FINISH BUSTER!"
It looked serious, it felt serious, it was serious. Cell could have defended himself, but at that moment it was easier to teleport out of the way. He dropped out of space behind Trunks, hand splayed out to fire a blast of his own. Trunks' neck twisted, and his eyes widened in with dismay at seeing his foe at his back… while the blast that had enough power to shatter Earth like an eggshell continued unopposed.
If he'd been looking he'd have seen the pink orb go sailing past where Cell had been a second ago, which Cell regarded with an irritated twitch, and strike him on the upper arm. In two seconds the blob expanded along Trunks' body, wrapping itself around him before he could so much as cry out.
Cell saw a few struggles take place inside the pink mass before it pulled itself into a humanoid shape. A white glow consumed its outline, and when it faded Cell was staring at a very different Majin Buu.
The physique was entirely different. Toned body, muscular arms and legs, solid jaw, an actual nose and eyes, and normal hands with five fingers each. The clothing on Buu's lower body was the same, yellow boots and white pants with a black belt that had a yellow buckle with the Majin symbol on it. But above that, he was wearing a version of Trunks' black shirt and Capsule Corporation jacket that hadn't been damaged in battle. As Buu craned his neck to the side Cell got a look at his head tentacle, which now hung down to the middle of Buu's back.
"My head is so clear now!" Buu exclaimed, staring at his hands in amazement. "I feel like an all new Majin Buu!"
Cell's mouth had fallen open in confusion but he closed it in time to save Buu from seeing it. "Did you absorb him?"
"Yep! I was aiming for you, but I think Trunks'll do fine." Buu said, smiling before he snapped to attention and pointed his hand at the ground. "Almost forgot about that."
The Final Finish Buster, which had weakened slightly without Trunks fuelling it, paused then curved upward. It barely glanced the land, carving the top off of a mountain as it arced into the sky.
"I can't let anything happen to this planet, not until I figure out if I like it or not. Trunks does, but he doesn't remember any candy stores or bakeries and I won't live on a planet that doesn't have those."
Now Cell couldn't hide how confused he was. "Somehow you sound even more stupid now than when you couldn't form full sentences. Are you the same Majin Buu who murdered the Kaioshin, the one with an insatiable appetite for destruction, or did Babidi get the cheap imitation?"
"No, that was all me." Buu beamed with pride, "A lot happened between now and then, and I'm still processing a lot of it. And a lot of what Trunks knew as well. But I am sure of one thing."
The smile slipped off of Buu's face like it had never even been there, and he fixed Cell with a glare as serious as he'd ever gotten from Trunks.
"I am going to kill you."
Author's Note
See, there exists a future where I did update in early July like I promised. I got 80% of the way there but then my life took a huge blow. Now classes have started and I still haven't gotten my normal life back. So next update has a bold ? next to it. I will finish this fanfic but it may end up even shorter than I anticipated. Which is shocking, since with Trunks absorbed we're officially in the end game.
Yes, I always knew I couldn't just kill off Trunks, but leaving him in to job wouldn't be fair. Having him be absorbed occurred to me too late to call myself smart for it, but I am proud. Him going SS3 wasn't strictly necessary but it is the one last cool thing I could give him without changing my plans. SS3 is even more useless than SS God.
Oh, and seeing how Broly is making a comeback in DBS I feel better for taking his part out of the story. It would've been cool, but I wasted way too much time trying to make his part not seem bloated. But he'll have his chance in my other fanfics…
And if I do decide to end this story prematurely I'll at least post a final synopsis. I had too many dead fics in my favourites list to overlook that courtesy.
(A crown to the one who gets the title reference)