Chapter 25: Bad Company
Harry turned to his friend, hoping for him to elaborate on what was going on, and what this… this thing before them all was.
Gohan's expression was frozen, shocked would be an understatement. The only sound in the room was that of the energies that were shining off of the creature and Gohan, each aura flashing brightly.
Harry had never seen his friend this scared before, this frightened in one instant. It was as if all of the cockiness and courage he had seen just before and several nights before had been drained out of him, leaving him as he was at that moment. Harry knew this must have been bad if Gohan took this like he did, but not to the extent that everyone else knew.
Harry eyed Riddle and the creature that were standing across from Harry and Gohan. They were both smirking; the creature's arms crossed and for once Riddle moving out of his place to stand by the bug-like being. It appeared that only Harry didn't know what was going on, what everyone else in the room knew. Harry saw out of the corner of his eye that Gohan stood taller, but only a little. He turned to see his friend's expression again, and gasped a little. Gohan's eyes no longer held that empty sight of fear and despair, but a raging anger and vehemence that had never been there before. Gohan looked enraged, but the shock and surprise that had been there from the beginning was still noticeable.
Finally, the creature spoke again, his raspy voice filling the air once more.
"It's so good to see you once more Gohan. How have you been? I see that you're tail's grown back; does it still hurt if anyone pulls it I wonder? I also see you have also made some friends," He looked to Harry, "even if they are as troublesome and irritating as you have been in the past."
Gohan didn't respond, merely growled again and his aura doubled in size, causing the ground to tremble once. The creature sighed, but it was more mocking than it sounded. He brought the aura around him down to a point, though it still shown brightly and fiery.
"Really now Gohan, must you act so impulsive and childish? What have I ever done to earn such treatment?" The creature paused, and then smiled evilly. "Oh yes, now I remember, it just slipped my mind!"
The creature gave a low laugh, causing Gohan's stare to become more murderous and his aura to blaze once more. Harry didn't understand anything that the creature was saying; it was as if he was speaking in code so that only he and Gohan could understand. Gohan took a step forward, making his point seen.
"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked coldly, gazing at the creature.
"Well, I was just in the neighborhood, and thought that I'd greet an old friend. I must day Gohan, I am very surprised that you recognized my voice so quickly. Than again, I wouldn't be surprised if you've kept hearing it in your nightmares."
The creature laughed again, causing the hairs on the back of Harry's head to stand up. The white energy around Gohan doubled in size again, the ground shaking longer this time, small fragments of rocks began to fall from the ceiling.
"ANSWER ME! You should be dead Cell! I killed you myself, I watched you disintegrate into nothing!"
Cell chuckled, "You above all people should know Gohan, that sometimes what the eyes see isn't the whole story. How many people do you remember have "died" in front of you, only to come back minutes later and kill someone close you know… besides me of course."
Harry blinked, clearly confused by what the figure had just said. Gohan growled again, Cell and Riddle laughed once more.
"Cell?" he said aloud, looking at Gohan.
Cell turned to Harry, "Ah, so The Boy Who Lived finally decides to say something. I was wondering when you'd join our conversation, seeing as you're the only one here who hasn't realized who I am. Give it a second; I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough."
Harry didn't understand what he was saying for several seconds, trying to comprehend what the creature meant. But then, he said "Cell" in his head for a while, and then the image of the green insect- thing in front of him registered in his head. Harry's eyes widened, finally realizing who this was before him! Harry gasped; his knees weakened a little as he realized this was THE Cell! He was the thing that killed a whole army with out even trying and killed entire towns of people. This was the being that held the world hostage last year, threatening to destroy it!
Cell smirked, "Ah, so you finally recognize who you're talking to I see. I wonder what's crawling through your brain right now. Are you frightened, awed that a being such as myself, such perfection could be standing right in front of you?"
"Leave Harry out of this!" Gohan barked. "This is between you and me!"
"Oh I agree Gohan. This is just between you and me… just like the last time." Cell replied. "However, if you would like me to explain everything I suggest you calm down. I'm not going to harm anyone… yet."
Gohan glared at Cell with such hatred that a regular person would have backed up and run away, but this wasn't a person. Gohan reluctantly powered down, still glowering at Cell. Cell chuckled and also powered down as Harry looked at him with his green eyes, filled with fear and awareness.
"But how are you still alive!" Harry gasped, "Hercule killed you a year ago, and we all saw it on T.V. when it happened!"
Cell frowned, "Please don't tell me that Harry Potter, the boy that loves to solve mysteries with his friends, actually bought that load of nonsense coming from that idiotic and arrogant buffoon Hercule."
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked weakly, he was still nervous about Cell.
Cell turned to Gohan smiling in that evil way that made Gohan glower at Cell.
"You mean you haven't told him yet?" As he saw Gohan frown even more, Cell's smile grew bigger. "Well, I must say this is a surprise. Have you at least told your friend about your monkey side Gohan?"
Gohan remained silent as he glared at Cell silently; Riddle just looked at the scene with amusement, enjoying what was happening then. Harry, confused once more, turned to face Gohan with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Wait a minute. He knows about your Saiyan side Gohan? How?"
Cell chuckled, causing everyone's gaze to return him again.
"Well, that certainly saves me time to explain. Do you want to tell him Gohan or should Riddle or I explain?"
Gohan glared at Riddle, "He knows? How much does he know Cell?"
"Oh quite a bit actually." Riddle replied, smiling. "You see I've had much time to listen to your friend, and he's told me somewhat a lot about you."
"Will someone tell what you're all talking about!" Harry yelled. Everyone turned to face Harry, surprised that he'd raise his voice. Cell smirked.
"Very well; if Gohan's too shy to tell you about his history with me then I guess I'll break the ice. Well, I hate to be the one to tell you," Cell smirked, "but your "savior" of the planet, Hercule Satan, is nothing more than a pathetic moron who's so arrogant and obnoxious that he "claimed" I was a fraud and "badly" attempted to defeat me, only to end up with more than his pride injured. He knows this of course, but still claims he killed me. However wrong that statement had become now that you both know I'm not dead, Hercule Satan isn't the one whose power rivaled and beat my own (by sheer luck)."
"But…" Harry began, "He could pull all those buses, and pulled that HUGE rock out from under the ground.
Cell snorted, "Were you really that oblivious to what was going on during my Cell Games Harry Potter? Surely you've realized that Gohan and myself can do a lot more than what Hercule and his pathetic followers call "feats of strength". Hercule Satan was one of the weakest martial artists at my tournament and his arrogance and attempt to kill me proved it; to be precise he was actually the third weakest from his "pupils", though it's very hard to say which is the weakest considering they all did pathetic.
"Then who really defeated you?" Harry asked, slowly regaining his voice and confidence.
"You still haven't figured it out yet?" Cell said. "I'm disappointed. Riddle and that pathetic girl over there," he nudged his head towards Ginny, "always said many times that you easily solved puzzles and mysteries when in dire situations-"
"What do you know about Ginny!" Gohan shouted, his aura showing dimly.
"I know a lot more than either of you." Cell responded, his yellow eyes showing irritation. "Now I'm going to ask you calmly one more time Gohan, please just be quiet and let Harry find out. I know that you want to find out how I'm here, so unless you want to go making another huge mistake like you did last year I suggest that you be patient."
Gohan's eyes went green for a moment and his hair stood up a little, only to go back down and his eyes returned to normal seconds later, motionlessly glaring at Cell and growl again. Something that both Harry and Gohan noticed when Gohan's eyes and hair changed for those few seconds was that something in Cell's eyes flickered with a red glow and went away as Gohan returned to normal. Cell frowned as this happened, as though he was disappointed that Gohan didn't change into Super Saiyan (Harry still doesn't know about Super Saiyan though).
"Well then," Cell continued, staring at Harry, "I guess I'll answer this with a question of my own. Do you remember the other people at the Cell Games, specifically the two blonde haired warriors who fought me?"
Harry nodded to Cell and Gohan twitched, knowing where this was going.
"Well then, how do you think that Gohan and I know each other? Don't you think that the blonde boy looks familiar?"
Harry was silent as he tried to understand what Cell said. Does the blonde kid look familiar? Not that he could recall, I mean how many people have hair that stood up like that, or that kind of hair color? Harry shook his head, making Cell smirk once more.
"Oh, than this will be a lot more fun to watch, seeing as I'll be the one to tell you. Harry Potter, I would like to introduce to you your friend again." He nodded to Gohan, who just stared at Cell with pure venom and hatred. "Harry Potter, I would like to introduce to you Gohan Son… or you might know him better as The Delivery Boy at the Cell Games, the brat who almost killed me."
Gohan looked at Harry, hoping to not see fear and anxiety in his expression. Luckily, there wasn't any sign of that, in fact, it looked as if he was still trying to comprehend what Cell had just explained.
"…. What?" Harry asked, looking from Gohan to Cell.
"You heard me," Cell countered, "Gohan here was at the Cell Games. He was the one that had the most power there. Right now, he is still the only threat to me right now."
Harry turned to Gohan, amazement the only word to describe how Harry felt right then.
"Is this true Gohan?" Gohan nodded, smiling slightly as he did. Harry turned from Cell to Gohan again.
"But," Harry started, "How can that me? The kid at the Cell Games had blonde and green eyes I think. Gohan doesn't have those, quite the opposite with black hair and eyes.
"Well I would have suspected that's because he was in his Super Saiyan form obviously." Cell replied, looking as if this was dull.
"Super Saiyan?" Harry asked, turning to Gohan for answers.
Cell chuckled, "Don't tell me you haven't told him? I'm disappointed in you Gohan. I thought you told him everything about you? How can you keep secrets from friends?"
"Don't tell me how to deal with my friends" Gohan said coldly. "Besides, it'll only be a few more minutes before I expect until you run. You're weak Cell, a lot weaker than you were before; you aren't in your perfect form so you aren't a threat anymore. Vegeta, Piccolo and the others will feel your ki by now and are rushing here to kill you for good."
Cell smirked, "I don't think so. You see Gohan ever since I arrived at this school I put up magical barriers and shields of my own creation so that while everyone in the castle can sense each other if they have the ability to, no one outside the school's grounds can sense anything coming from here. Obviously Piccolo and your new guardian will have assumed this is ancient magic put up by the founders of this magic school, so he and everyone else won't investigate further."
Gohan's eyes widened, since when could Cell do magic! Cell saw this and smiled, knowing that he hit a nerve. Harry however, had something else on his mind.
"But… why do you look like this? You looked more human when you and… Gohan fought a year ago."
"And how can you do magic Cell!" Gohan shouted angrily. "The last time your slimy face was around you couldn't do anything like that!"
"Well," Cell answered, "both of those questions are tied into my existence and how I was created. I suppose it is time to finally give you both answers. You see Harry Potter; I wasn't born into this world like most beings that live on this planet. A brilliant scientist by the name of Dr. Gero created the perfect being a few years ago in the form of an android… me if you will. I am from the future, since it would have been about twenty years from one year ago until I would be complete and ready. I was created with the cells and DNA of the greatest fighters the universe has ever seen. Gohan here included, along with several of his friends like the former Demon King and Guardian of the Earth Piccolo, the Saiyan Prince Vegeta, the former ruler of the universe Frieza and his father King Cold, a few other humans and Saiyans, and last but not least," Cell mocked, "Gohan's father, Goku." Gohan just bottled up his feelings at the moment, knowing that Cell was hoping he'd show some emotion or feeling of sadness or anger.
"Since I had their cells in me, I knew all of their powers and attacks at the time the cells were gathered and could use them at my disposal. I also inherited their abilities, like a Saiyan's talent to gain strength from battle or Piccolo's ability to regenerate his limbs and body parts. This made me easily a potential threat to everyone I ever came across, since I had all of these powers inside me. I also gained the experience that they had in battle and their mental capacities at that time, so I was a master strategist. I came to acquire bits of their personalities, most specifically was that I hungered for power and perfection, seeing as it was a part of my purpose."
"What do you mean purpose?" Harry raised a brow, frightened even though he didn't show how he felt. Gohan didn't respond to any of this, just stood frozen without expression as Cell talked. Riddle seemed to be bored, probably hearing all of this before.
"My purpose of creation. My design for the world. Dr. Gero made it so that I could absorbed the ki, or energy, that resides in people with my tail (his point stabbed the air for emphasis). Although most people have very low ki if I take in, let's say a towns worth (Harry's eyes widened) of ki it would be a very big boost in power for me. However, that isn't the main point for my absorbing ability. There were two other androids Dr. Gero created before they killed him, each with extraordinary power in them. They were called Android's #17 and #18, and also a year ago they were brought out into the world. Regrettably, in the future another of Gohan's friends destroyed these androids."
"But onto the story. Dr. Gero designed me so that I was supposed to absorb the two androids and add their power to mine, causing me to become one step closer to my perfect form, the form that would cause me to become the most powerful being in the universe. As I said before, one of Gohan's friends killed the two Androids in my time, thus not allowing me to become complete. So I found a way here to this time and waited until the Androids would appear. I first absorbed Android 17 after waiting for their appearance and for Gohan and the others to be beaten. After I had gained a significant boost in power from several more towns, I arrived to beat the android and absorb him. My power skyrocketed to levels that I hadn't ever hoped for. Unfortunately, Gohan's friends also gained power and strength, which unfortunately matched mine and was stronger than me after a while. However, thanks to a certain Saiyan Prince's stupidity and arrogance, I was able to absorb Android 18 and finally achieve my perfect form. In that form held power that I couldn't believe, and for a long while no one could match my strength. You basically know the rest; I held a tournament so that I could fight Gohan's father, he was the most powerful being on Earth for a long time and I wanted to test my new body. Once the tournament began, Goku and I had an evenly matched fight until he gave up and said that there was only one person that could beat me and give me a challenge… and that was Gohan here."
Gohan shifted uncomfortably; he didn't like Cell was giving him this much attention, knowing well that Cell was up to something.
"Goku kept saying that his son was stronger than himself, something that I highly doubted. I had Gohan's cells in me, and I knew that he didn't like to fight as much as all the other Saiyans did. So Gohan here agreed to his father's wishes, and came down to fight me. As he gained power for the fight, I quickly realized that his father may have been on to something. Gohan was much stronger and showed more power than his father had put out in our battle, but I assumed that his father had merely kept his true power hidden from me. So I toyed with him, repeatedly attacking him and torturing him while he did nothing. But surprisingly, he always came up barely hurt. He then told me something that I never would have expected." Cell smirked at Gohan, who glared at him.
"Gohan told me about a power that was hidden deep within him, a power that would uncontrollably devastate me and kill me with ease. He told me about some of the times that this power escaped when he was mad or forced into a situation that called for it, but this power always went away as fast as it showed up. I became intrigued, and wanted to see this power for myself, so that I could have a real challenge. However, Gohan refused to unleash it, not able to for some reason. Because of this, I decided to create some of my children, who had the same abilities as I did. I told them to kill Gohan's friends, which certainly got his attention. I can still remember you pleading for me to stop it all Gohan."
Gohan snarled at Cell, his hair standing up a little and his eyes changed from black to green and back to black again. Cell grinned as he did, knowing that he had hit a soft spot.
"But even as they struggled to stay alive and defeat my children, Gohan still resisted showing his true power to me. However that soon all changed; another android, Android #16, had first tried to stop me by suicide until he realized he couldn't because a bomb implanted in him was removed. I destroyed him without delay after that, or so I thought. Apparently his head was still alive and got to where I and Gohan were, I believe Hercule tossed him over upon request by #16. #16 tried to persuade Gohan to release his power against me. He told him that life was precious or something like that and that he should protect it; I grew bored of that talk eventually so I crushed his head with my foot." Cell smiled. "And then, I finally got my opponent. Young Gohan here unleashed his power, and I must say even I was impressed by how he could use it and the levels of strength he showed. He destroyed my children with ease, and then bested me in almost every way. I couldn't even hurt him while he took me down considerably with two punches."
"Why are you complementing that I beat your sorry butt?" Gohan asked sharply. "You hated the fact that even after you tried to blow up the Earth and myself with a Kamehameha that I took you down at the last minute with one of my own. I could have killed you at any time and you knew it. You even called me a monster after you got all bulky and I punched out Eighteen from you, making you even weaker than before."
"That may be," Cell sneered, "but if I recall you didn't even try to kill me. You wanted "to make me suffer" for all the pain I had caused. You even disregarded Goku; your own father's warning that I should have been finished off then. And look what it cost you. You gave me the chance to activate the bomb inside me, and your father sacrificed his life to clean up your mistake!"
"And then," he added seeing Gohan twist and contorts with rage, "you along with all the others discovered it was all in vain since I came back even more powerful than before, with the Instant Transmission ability to travel back. And because I came back I killed Trunks, and after that decided that I'd kill you along with the whole planet and everyone on it. I used the very attack that your father most appreciated against you once more, this time with the power to annihilate you along with your pathetic friends, and you were far too weak from saving Vegeta's life to respond with the power needed."
"But I still killed you," Gohan said softly, "I still found a way. After you launched it I countered with my own, and dad helped me from King Kai's to draw out the power I had hidden still to finish you. I couldn't have done it without Vegeta though; his last attack distracted you long enough to unleash my full power on you. But how did you survive? I destroyed every last cell in your body so you couldn't regenerate."
"Ah, and this is where things get interesting for me. And that was when my true perfection was shown to me. You asked me how I'm able to do magic, correct Gohan?" Gohan nodded, his guard still up as he pulled out his wand slowly.
"Please, I'm not going to attack you while I'm explaining this, put the wand away." Cell said irritably. Gohan kept it out, and Cell sighed. "The whole story behind my magic is actually quite remarkable, I only just understood what I was able to do once I met my young friend," he gestured to Riddle, "Riddle here. You see Gohan, when Dr. Gero created me and inserted Cells of the most powerful fighters, he also put into me different sort of cells. Upon following your friends from time to time, he happened to follow the witch Baba one time, and happened to catch a very interesting conversation between her and someone in her crystal ball. This person from what I understood was a very old friend of hers, who runs this place you call a school. He was curious, and decided to listen in on what Baba and the wizard had to say. You must have figured it out by now, considering that I've given you a very big clue."
Gohan's eyes widened, "Are you saying what I think you're saying!"
"Yes," Cell grinned maliciously, "Dr. Gero learned about the existence of the magical world around the time that Vegeta and Nappa arrived here on Earth after the destruction of that city they crashed, but only learned about what they could fully do around the time Frieza was defeated on Namek. He kept sending his little robot bug out for more of your father and everyone else's cells while he investigated the magical community further personally, since he learned the hard way that technology had no power when surrounded my immense extents of magic happening. By following around local wizards and even traveling to the source of real powerful magic in England, my creator learned more about the magical world than most of the wizards and witches that live in it, let alone regular humans. He discovered all about the various types of magic, from the kind that children show before they're off to school to very special abilities like Apparition or being Animagi or…" Cell smiled, "Parselmouths. As he grew more interested and learned more about the magical world, and started to make bold and powerful theories. So once he arrived back at his little hide-away he decided that he wanted to experiment with me even more, heighten my perfection to new levels beyond his original design."
"Will you skip the monologue already and just tell me how you can do magic already!" Gohan growled impatiently.
"Isn't it obvious?" Cell asked, shocked that Gohan hadn't gotten it yet. "For someone who's as intelligent as you claim to be you are very ignorant to what the truth is." Gohan didn't reply, merely glared at Cell, waiting for an answer. "Very well, if I must spell it out for you so be it. Along with the cells of the greatest fighters the universe and this planet have ever witnessed, I hold the cells of the most powerful witches and wizards the magical world was ever witnessed, making me the most deadly person in the world (Riddle scowled a little at this)!"
"WHAT!" Harry and Gohan yelled.
"Surprised, I hoped you would be." Cell smirked. "You see Gohan you aren't the only one that's developed their magical abilities over the past year. Dr. Gero gathered cells of the greatest wizards and witched alive at the time so that I could also possess their magical capabilities. He either got their samples personally without them fully aware of their surroundings, or his preferred method of getting their samples with his robotic bug while they were away from other wizards, allowing technology to be used in the area."
"But…" Gohan began, "even if that were true you wouldn't be able to control your magic like we all do. We use wands to direct our magic and concentrate it to do specific things, and the only things you'd be able to do would be controlled by emotions and be random or to generic to use for anything. Wand magic isn't the same as the magic that everyone shows when they first start."
"That may be Gohan, but as I said before I am not like other wizards and witches. Why do you think that no matter how powerful you may eventually become at magic, as many other wizards and witches have become, you will never be able to control it to do explicit and particular tasks such as make something float or stun an enemy?"
"…. I don't know!" Gohan snapped crossly. "Probably because it's IMPOSSIBLE!"
Cell laughed harshly, "You always did have a sense of humor Gohan."
"But he's right." Harry added nervously. "No one can use their natural magic with the power that someone with a wand could do. Not even Dumbledore or YOU," Harry pointed rudely at Riddle, "could. What makes you think you can do something that people who've controlled magic almost all their lives can't even accomplish to do?"
"I agree Harry Potter, it is entirely impossible for all wizards and witches, even those as powerful as The Dark Lord or Albus Dumbledore, to do what I have achieved…. Separately that is." Cell replied.
"What do you mean?" Gohan asked suspiciously.
"Why do you think Dr. Gero put dozens of cells from different wizards inside me when all wizards and witches have the same effects and power as long as they try? He figured out that the more separate magical power I have in me, the greater my potential for more complex things increases, as well as the experience each cell gives me and their separate abilities. And what better way to ensure that I could become the greatest magical wielder on the planet than adding cells from the most powerful people to me, so that I could also harness this great and extraordinary power. Dr. Gero even managed to obtain samples of cells from years back before he discovered the magic world through deception and bribery; the two most powerful cells he happened to come across would happen to be Albus Dumbledore and," this added to the shock on the faces of the two boys, "Tom Riddle here, aka the Dark Lord Voldemort. Even though I have no clue how Gero came across the cells of the young man before us, it gave me even greater power than Gero had ever hoped for, not including Dumbledore's or all of the other cells he found. This guarantied that I could control this power without the use of a wand, because of the immense power and skill I hold within me. I also HAD to not use a wand and control this gift because their would be no wand capable of handling my power, and thus exploding if it tried to even channel it."
"And how is it that you can do magic just now?" Gohan questioned since he was eager for answers to everything before he decided to kill Cell for good. "People with magic don't show they can do it until they're like six to ten, yet you haven't even been in existence for four years!"
"Simple." Cell responded. "My growth and development from my larval stage already showed that I don't have a premature state in my life, and add that to the cells of the Namekian who ages faster than most people and the numerous old cells receding in me my body reacted to the magic differently, allowing me a general advantage to showing it
"But… that might explain why you have it but it doesn't explain when you started to use it. You never showed any sign of magic when you first crawled out from your hell hole, or when your tournament was around."
"That will have to be explained from right after my encounter with you Gohan, and answer your question of how I returned. You see, after you destroyed my physical body, something happened inside as I thought about the situation. I was so infuriated at you for defeating me, ME, the perfect being. You raised all of my emotions inside of me at that one moment when you charged me back; all the pain I felt, rage, suffering, and vengeance and fury that I felt added on to my power and thinking then. Somehow my anger and wrath I felt towards you along with my fear of death and imperfection triggered the sleeping abilities inside me, since you and everyone else here understand that magic is connected with emotions. I hypothesized that because I had no knowledge of the magic in me, my anger and concentration were too focused on the cells of your friends and my perfect power and strength to delve further into my being. Anyway, the fact that I was desperate to remain alive and become the perfect being triggered a very powerful portion of magic in me; I magical barrier encased the nucleus cell in my brain, thereby saving me from a catastrophic death. Unfortunately, the fact that I was unable to control this magical power resulted in the barrier staying around me for several days until I was regenerated, though I was unconscious at the time. Once I woke up I thought I was dreaming; never had I ever imagined that I would have been able to resist such an assault, yet there I was. Regrettably I had regenerated back to my larval state; you see with the amount of magic I used and the inexperience I had controlling it I had no idea of the consequences of this result. This end resulted in my power and strength being diminished dramatically, to the point where my power could be barely sensed (which was a good thing since you couldn't sense me). The amount of power I used in our fight and the magic I used immaturely caused me to become one of the weakest beings on the planet, but that would soon be rectified correctly. While my perfect strength was gone, I could still evolve quickly thanks to my new abilities and be back to my original power in this form. Though I had to be careful, if any one of you detected my whereabouts at any time I was surely going to be dead.
So after a couple of months I finally returned to this form, slightly more powerful then when I had arrived out of hiding a year ago. I would wander from place to place by foot, absorbing the life out of the few people I came across, and once even took the life of a whole town that no one could find. After this my power increased much, and that wasn't the only thing that had. Each time I grew stronger, I came to understand what power was inside me. Although I didn't know what it was, I understood that I held great power, and sought to control it as well as I had with my perfect form. I soon learned to master the form you children did before you had wands, the kind of magic used when emotions run high and accidental. So once my strength was significantly (though nowhere near my perfect) strength I sought to seek my revenge up on you Gohan, and making you would be tortured just as I had been."
"But that makes no sense, for you that is basically committing suicide." Gohan sneered, "I would have still been ten times more powerful then you with ease, I've been training with Piccolo and Vegeta ever since you "died", and they've helped me become just as strong as you in your perfect form while I'm in my Super Saiyan form."
There was a bright red flash in Cell's eyes as he smirked triumphantly, as though he had just heard what he wanted to hear. Something about what I said gave Cell confidence, Gohan thought, but what could it be?
"I know that Gohan, just as I had figured it out during one of your training sessions with Vegeta and Piccolo. I distinguished that if I did try to attack you even with my magic it wouldn't be enough and you three would have destroyed me, so I decided that for the time being I would follow you, using the Instant Transmission technique to follow you or get away since it would be the only way I could get around without anyone sensing my ki. And then one day as I was training my magical abilities further I suddenly sensed you disappeared from here Gohan, completely out of the area and far away."
"But I never left my house except to go to the Lookout or West city or Roshi's Island." Gohan stated, becoming curiously.
"Maybe not by flying or your other means on your own, but you did leave, that's for certain." Cell said. "Does the name "Hagrid" mean anything to you?"
Gohan gasped slightly, realizing what Cell was getting at. Harry still looked confused, looking from Gohan to Cell again, and Riddle just kept looking bored and uninterested.
"I assume you realize where this is going." Cell continued. "When Hagrid took you to get your supplies, my curiosity had me Instant Transmission myself to a dark and dreary pathway that was called "Knockturn" something, but that didn't necessarily matter. I kept my distance from you, a good half a mile away as I sensed you and a group of people walking. However, I met a snag as a few insolent little wizards and witches attempted to attack me, my form being in the shadows. However they did prove useful for once in their lives, as they became a part of perfection. But I grew bored, and so I returned to my hiding place where I left, and decided to meditate until you would be alone once more, so that I could attack you as your guard was down."
"So you've been following me around all this time! What are, some kind of obsessed stalker or something!" Gohan shouted.
"No, merely someone that likes to not make any mistakes and study his enemy. However, you certainly surprised me; when you left for London once more, I became suspicious of your motives, wondering if you knew that I was out here and just wanted to bring me out of hiding. So I chose to follow you from behind, and saw you and your dear mother were in a train station. As your mother left I saw that you and the same group of people you were with before showed up, and was amazed when I saw a couple of those people run through the pillar! I focused on the column and felt very faint ki energies on the other side, so I knew it must have been a portal or gateway of some sort. Knowing that you would soon go in, I used Instant Transmission to focus on being above all the faint energies through that portal, and when I got there I was amazed at what I saw; a train boarding for a place called "Hogwarts". Wondering where you were heading, I went ahead of the train and got to the castle long before anyone else. I could not believe that this was where you were going or that you would leave your friends and family so soon after those tragic events with those blue warriors at that Inter-Galaxy tournament or whatever it was (who I did not fight since I was too weak anyway). So instead of exploring the castle, I found a cave in the side of a nearby mountain and took residence there. I sensed later on in the day that you and those two friends who are here with you coming in by a different means. I wanted to attack and ambush you right then while you were at your weakest guard, but I didn't know what protections that castle held within it.
So occasionally I would wander around that dark forest near your school in the day, knowing that you wouldn't try anything even if you did sense me in front of your new friends and other people. I fought and trained my new powers while I was there, since if I trained my body you would sense me. I sensed you occasionally Gohan, and watched you from a distance as you fought yourself, feeling your strength increasing every time.
But then, on Halloween I felt inside the castle a dark ki stirring, one that I felt was similar if not the same as one of the cells in my body. This ki was very evil, probably the darkest and most malevolent energy I had ever sensed. So I decided to chance the protection the castle held and Instant Transmissioned myself to the source of this ki, and found myself," he raised his arms," here, in the Chamber of Secrets. And what I saw was probably the greatest thing that would ever happen to me later on and change my thinking. There, standing before me, was a little girl with bright red hair, that little girl actually," Cell pointed to Ginny's motionless body. "But I could tell this girl wasn't herself, that she was being overshadowed or possessed by some force. Her eyes flashed threateningly with a deep crimson as she looked at me, demanding that I reveal my identity and how I got here. In turn I demanded who possessed the girl, and she asked how she knew she wasn't in control. It took some persuasion and trust, but we each finally revealed to each other our true names and identities, and trusted each other beyond anyone else we had ever met since we each knew of the other's existence and could feel how evil the other was. So we began to discuss our history, and our whole lives and goals. I found Riddle's life very interesting, especially the fact that he could do magic. I asked what this place was and how he could do magic and he explained this school's history and the magical world, which is how I came to the conclusion that Dr. Gero had known of its existence. And I told Riddle of my creation and goal, and how I had almost destroyed the world the year before, which he also found as fascinating as his own.
He told me of his plan with the basilisk and Harry Potter, and I wanted to see his little plan in action. So he let me stay here and once he was able to take over the little brat again I told him of my new powers, and he immediately told me that I was doing magic upon further experiments, and he even told me that I could speak Parseltongue, which made sense to me since I had his cells in me. He helped me control my new powers greatly, and even demonstrated the spells he knew and taught me how to use charms and curses and such. I was grateful, so in turn I would set loose the monster of Slytherin from time to time so that no one would notice if the girl was gone. The rest I suppose needs no explaining, and now Gohan you know it all. What do you intend to do to me?" Cell smirked, daring Gohan to do anything.
"Well," Gohan started, also smirking, "I guess that now that I know how you got here and all, there's no need for me to keep you alive now."
Gohan then yelled out a grunt and began to power up, the hot white aura emerging around his body. Cell didn't look impressed, merely bored and disappointed.
"That's all? I was hoping that you had more power in you if you wanted to kill me Gohan. I guess you haven't gotten stronger after all, and just decided to leave the world defenseless cause you couldn't handle something your father failed at."
"DON'T TALK ABOUT MY DAD THAT WAY YOU INSIGIFICANT BUG! YOU WANT TO SEE MORE POWER, THAN THAT'S YOUR DEATH WISH CELL!" Gohan yelled in anger, glaring furiously at Cell.
Cell grinned. That's it Gohan, show me the power you have so that I can achieve perfection again, let your anger cloud you again so I may succeed.
Gohan screamed with fury, a scream that held rage and pain within it, making
Harry and Riddle jump a little. Gohan's aura changed to a fiery and fierce yellow and gold one, the wind around him swirling as if a tornado had encircled him. The Chamber shook dramatically as he continued to power up. His hair went up a little and turned a yellow-golden color, and the dust filled the room and area then. As he stopped screaming, the dust began to clear, and what Riddle and Harry saw they couldn't believe. A furious yellow energy in the shape of a flame surrounded Gohan, his now pointy hair waving a little in its new gold color. He stared confidently at Cell and smirked, his eyes now a deep green color. Cell just stood their, his arms crossed and his face into a scowl.
"Is this what you wanted to see Cell?" Gohan asked his voice rough and serious as he smirked. "Are you ready to die now that you've seen my power?"
"Well, I'm glad that you've shown me your power if that's what you mean." Cell replied, returning a smirk to Gohan. "But I'm afraid that it's not me that's going to die, quite the opposite. Thanks to you, I'm about to become perfection again! But first, I think I'll need a little more power!"
Cell quickly raised his right hand at the confused Gohan, raising his arm at Gohan as if to launch a ki blast. Gohan smiled, thinking that he wouldn't even be scratched by an energy attack. But Cell grinned, and did something that Gohan hadn't anticipated.
"HAURIO HAURIRE HAUSI HAUSTUM!" He shouted with his raspy voice.
A gold and black light erupted out from his palm, coming at Gohan with a speed Gohan may have evaded if he hadn't been so shocked at what he saw. The light hit and engulfed Gohan dead on, and Gohan erupted into unbelievable pain. His knees hit the floor, feeling his ki draining from his body fast. He groaned as his Super Saiyan aura began to shrink and get weak. It wasn't that he was being hurt, but his energy was draining and causing him to become weak. He couldn't even reach for his wand or try to get away from Cell.
"GOHAN!" Harry shouted, concerned about his friend.
Cell laughed evilly in his raspy voice, his yellow aura now returning and getting bigger and brighter. His body also began to shine with a bright light, getting brighter with every second as Gohan got weaker every second.
Cell laughed, "Do you like my "Absorption Spell" Gohan, and I created it just for this moment. Do you feel your power getting weaker as mine is getting stronger? It's similar to using the Kamehameha Wave, except ten times as painful and more effective for me."
"Hhhowww cccoulddd yyyou mmmakkke yyyour owwwn sppeellls!" Gohan groaned, his body getting even weaker, the aura almost not even yellow now.
"Well, I do have the powers of the greatest witches and wizards alive running through me don't I? It isn't that hard to do when you have as much power as I do. You see Gohan, once Riddle showed me how to use spells I experimented with my own ideas for spells, seeing the limitations of spell-making could go to. And my greatest idea was for me to get even stronger, and achieve my perfection once more! This spell works the same way as my tail, but with a few kicks to it. it transfers a person's ki energy to me, making them get weaker as I get stronger and stronger. However, the person won't become the way if I used my tail and melt, only feel a slight pain as their energy is drained from them and taken to me. Also, this energy drain is only temporary for the victims if they are able to heal themselves and their energy; if I choose to halt the spell their power will return eventually, but luckily I will still be able to keep the power I take. And because the pain of being depleted increases as they are further drained, they will not be able to move or do anything until I cease with my spell. And this spell was mainly for the one person with enough power to give me… you."
"Wwhhat?" Gohan asked weakly, his aura turning white as he changed back from Super Saiyan and his white aura flashing dimly.
"Why do you think that I continued to stay here even after I learned to control and understand my magic?" Cell asked, he got brighter and brighter as a yellow light engulfed him a little on him. "You are, or were, the most powerful being in the universe Gohan. Not even Vegeta or your father has as much power as you right now. You are the only one that had enough ki for me to absorb so I could reach perfection. Not only because you are the most powerful, but because you are in your Super Saiyan state. You could only give me enough power right now if you were fully powered up and showing the power that dwarfs all others, obviously you in your Super Saiyan form. It'll be a couple of minutes until I have enough power in order to become my Perfect Form again."
"WWHHAATT!" Gohan moaned as his aura got a little smaller.
"Yes, I thought that'd surprise you." Cell said. "You see, this spell also is powerful enough to transform me to a higher level, depending on how much energy I receive. Why do you think I tricked you into transforming? Now I'll become perfect once more thanks to your own power, and become the most powerful and perfect being in the world!"
"And," Riddle added, "I will once more become the greatest sorcerer in the world, keeping my title ever since I became Lord Voldemort! Together we are and always will be UNSTOPPABLE!"
Cell and Riddle laughed and heard their voices echo, Gohan lay writhing on the ground.
"You're not." A soft voice with anger said. This ceased their laughter, and they turned to Harry Potter, curious about what he meant.
"Not what?" Riddle snapped.
"Not the Greatest sorcerer in the world," Harry replied. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore aw through you when you were at school and him still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days-"
"Then I guess it's a good thing that I also have Dumbledore's cells in me as well." Cell said, the light around him getting even brighter.
"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" Riddle hissed.
"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry shouted, glaring at Riddle fiercely.
Riddle was about to reply, but stopped at what he heard next. Music seemed to come in and echo throughout the chamber, and it kept getting louder and louder. Everyone, even Gohan who looked up weakly, stiffened at the sound, trying to figure out where it was coming from. The sound seemed to sooth Gohan's pain while Cell looked thoroughly annoyed at the sounds. Suddenly, a crimson bird the size of an eagle appeared covered in flames. It glowed with flames and fires brightly, a piece of fire dropping near Gohan's hand, almost burning it. Its golden talons and brightly colored gold tail shone in the light, holding a ragged looking object. The next moment the bird swooped down at Harry and dropped the object at his feet and landed on his shoulders. The creature folded its wings, receiving curious glances from the people in the room. The bird stopped singing, looking at Harry steadily.
"That's a phoenix…" Riddle stated, looking sensibly at it.
"Fawkes?" Harry said, looking at the bird intently.
"And that-" Riddle said, eyeing the thing Riddle dropped to Harry, "that's the old school Sorting Hat-"
And it was, dirty and patched up though it may have been it was the Sorting Hat. Riddle laughed once more, though it was a little more hysterical than the others. Cell rolled his eyes, his hand still pointed at Gohan for the spell. He was wondering how this kid would become the darkest wizard ever.
"This is what Dumbledore sends his defenders! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now? The closest threat to us in this room was that little half-breed," he pointed to Gohan's twitching and struggling body, "And he's getting weaker by the second now!"
Harry didn't reply, just staring at Gohan's body, hoping that he would get up and help and be all right soon. Riddle began to laugh again but stopped sooner than before.
"To business, Harry," Riddle said, smiling largely. "Twice- in your past, in my future- we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk, the longer you stay alive."
"That may be," Cell cut in, "But leave Gohan to me. You can do whatever to your brat, but leave the one that got rid of me to me."
Harry paused, thinking about the current situation, and then finally speaking. He told Riddle that his mother died to save him, and that she left a protection in him that kept him safe from Voldemort's attacks. Cell looked at Harry attentively, as though considering him a possible threat.
"And I've seen the real you, I saw you last year!" Harry said. "You're wreck. You're barely alive. That's where all your power got you. You're in hiding. You're ugly, you're foul-" he stopped as he saw Riddle's face. Harry smiled triumphantly.
Cell laughed, "I must say Riddle, you're brat is actually very amusing. He likes to taunt, and from your face I'd say he's good at it too."
Riddle's face was twisted, both from Harry and Cells words. He then smiled strangely. He started talking about how that made sense and was powerful counter-magic, and how their was nothing special about Harry and their similarities. About how they're Parseltongues, half-bloods, orphans, and how they look alike and that he now knows all that he wanted to know. Harry tensed up a little, ready for Riddle to raise his wand and strike down. Riddle didn't do that, he merely smiled again and was widening very much.
"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him-"
He was interrupted, as a blinding white and gold light erupted in the chamber, it was brighter than anything Harry had witnessed, and couldn't find where it was coming from. He then tried to look at Riddle, and he was just as shocked as Harry. They turned to Cell, and they couldn't even see him now because he was bathed and engulfed in the light.
"It is time," Cell said, looking at his body smiling, "time for PERFECTION TO RETURN ONCE MORE!"
Cell let his hand down, and everyone heard Gohan gasp, as though he were just released from something gripping at him. Cell let his hands at his side, and the light became even brighter and finally Cell cried out, powering up with all that he had. The Chamber shook like it had more Gohan, only it was much more violent and a whirlwind of wind picked up Cell and raised him into the air. Gohan raised his head a little, still weak from the draining of his power. He looked at the sight, and was the only one in the room besides Cell that knew what his power would be like.
"No," Gohan spoke softly, "no way. this can't be the end. Not like this. If only I could get my power back, but it'll take hours for me to get back to normal." Gohan looked down, his eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry dad, I guess I failed again."
And then, Gohan saw something. The flame that Fawkes had thrown at him was still lying near his hand. But, it wasn't a flame or anything fiery. It was a bright red silk bag, it must have reflected the light Cell was emitting and made it look like a flame. Gohan's eyes widened, he couldn't believe what Fawkes had thrown at him. Gohan picked up the bag, and took out one of its contents in it.
"Oh yes," Gohan smiled, rolling the Senzu Bean around between his fingers before he popped it into his mouth. "Now this is what I call a life saver. Thanks Fawkes"
As the light died down, Riddle and Harry couldn't believe the change they had seen. Cell's antennae were brought up more on his head, and his wings grew to an even bigger (though not too big) size. His skin was less dark a green and had black spots on it. His tail was gone, tucked between his wings. He was even taller and muscular, and his face seemed to be almost human. His golden aura was still there, though it was small, as if waiting for the time to grow. He floated back down to them, and saw that his feet looked more like shoes now. He examined his body, his face calm and tranquil as he did so. He examined his arms, and then wiggled his wings as he reached the ground.
"Now this is what I call perfection." Cell smirked, his voice now deep and commanding. "It's good to be back again." he turned to Riddle, whose mouth was hanging open. "I apologize my young friend, please continue."
Riddle nodded slightly, and was about to say something until another scream of fury and power was heard. Another blinding light erupted, but this time not from Cell. A hurricane of dust and wind circled where Gohan once lay, and a gold and blue light surrounding him. The Chamber shook with as much power as it had for cell, the ceiling debris and rocks falling. Riddle and Harry were wide eyed with fear and nervousness, wondering what the hell was going on. Cell stood there, his face smirking with confidence. The dust and wind tornado slowly ceased, and the gold and blue light was becoming dimmer with every second. Once the wind and light stopped completely, dust lingered and gathered.
Then, from the dust a ball of blazing blue energy zoomed at Cell, who dodged at the last minute by phasing to his left, making it collide into the wall and it made a small explosion with the contact. As the dust began to clear, they saw a figure standing there, his hand outstretched. The dust cleared from the area, and Harry and Riddle gasped at what they saw. Gohan stood there, in his Super Saiyan form, with no visible injuries and his aura stood brightly around him, though the same size as Cell. Gohan's green eyes looked fierce and looking directly at Cell.
Cell smirked, "About time you revived. I wondered how you'd do it, but you always do."
"It's time for you to die Cell." Gohan said coldly. "No magic, just like before."
Cell nodded, "I agree. It's time to see once and for all who is the most powerful."
"If I may speak now," Riddle shouted, "it's time for you to learn Harry!"
He then gave Harry a smile and turned to look at Slytherin's statue, up into the darkness. He then began to hiss in snake language, but everyone in the room understood.
"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."
And then, Slytherin's mouth began to move. Harry and Gohan looked up, and saw his mouth open up wider and wider to see a huge black hole. And something was inside it, moving around, something was about to come out.
"Harry, take cover." Gohan told Harry, looking at Cell. Harry nodded slowly and ran fast.
"You too Riddle, this is going to get ugly." Cell informed Riddle, looking at Gohan. Riddle calmly nodded and walked to the side.
"Well, this is it Gohan. Round two of our little fight is about to begin." Cell spoke. "Let's just see how much power we each have, and see who really is the strongest in the world."
"Yeah. No one holds back their power" Gohan said. "This is a rematch of the Cell Games, just you and me. I'm going to make sure you die this time Cell."
"And I you, Gohan. Prepare to face perfection once more, and then no more. You will be the first to fall at my new power Gohan, you should be as honored as I am…. Ding."