Honor Trip

(Season II)

- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Bliss (Season Two Finale! - Part Three of Three)

Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc.

With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!


"I agree; it would be wise to enable you to become the keeper of Shenron," Kami said to Dende, who was preparing himself for what was to come. "In fact, I'm quite delighted that my successor for that role is going to be someone whose knowledge of the Dragon Balls surpasses mine."

Cell and Dende had explained the breadth of their plan to Kami, and Mr. Popo had shown fascination with the idea of working with not just two, but three Namekian protectors of Earth.

Piccolo had seen Kami somewhat often during their mutual time in Otherworld, and during that time, the two had developed a deeper respect for each other. It was why Piccolo had amiably greeted Kami after Cell had transmitted him and the others to the Lookout, and it was why he decided to bring up an important point.

"Kami, before you do this, are you sure it won't be detrimental to your abilities as the Earth's guardian to bequeath your role as keeper of Shenron?" Piccolo asked.

"On the contrary, Piccolo, I think I will be an even more effective guardian for having done this," Kami said. "Dende will enable the Dragon Balls of this planet to be even more bountiful, and this will help make the Earth an even better place. Besides, I'll be able to concentrate a bit more on my role as guardian now that I'll have Dende's help. This is an excellent idea. Dende, let's make this transition happen."

Cell watched as Kami and Dende meditated for a few moments, then ceased those meditations and positioned themselves across from one another.

"Dende, please give me your hand," Kami said, as Dende put his right hand forward. Kami's right hand clenched Dende's, and Kami let a few seconds pass, gathering his energy so that he could perform the ritual in the proper way.

A golden and mystic glow abruptly encompassed Dende, and the glow lasted for about five seconds before it dissipated from view.

"You're the keeper of Shenron now, Dende," Kami said, as he reflected in the significance of the moment. "I am confident that you will perform your duties as keeper well." [Author's Note: The process portrayed here for transferring the role of keeper of an eternal dragon is the process that was portrayed in the only canon instance of a keepership being transferred, which was Grand Elder Guru's transfer of the role to Moori in uncut DBZ episode 105, "Mighty Blast of Rage." When Dende from the alternate past assumed the role of keeper in uncut DBZ episode 173, "Dende's Dragon," he did not need to undergo the transfer process since the former keeper, Kami, no longer existed either in the mortal realm or Otherworld as the entity he had been.]

"Thank you, Kami," Dende said. "I'll start my obligation to perform those duties by boosting Shenron's power and the power of the Earth's Dragon Balls. Mr. Popo, where is the location of Shenron's dragon model?"

"I would be happy to show you, Dende," Popo said as he began to lead Dende toward the chambers atop the Lookout's surface platform.

Before Dende walked any further, however, Cell had a question for him.

"Dende, how long after you finish modifying Shenron's dragon model will the Earth's Dragon Balls become active again?" Cell asked. "I've been told that in the alternate past, it didn't take that long for the Dragon Balls to become usable again after your counterpart from that timeline adjusted the model."

"They should be revitalized rather quickly after I make the modification chant," Dende said. "I'd be surprised if it took longer than two minutes for me to modify Shenron and reawaken the Dragon Balls." [Author's Note: In uncut DBZ episode 173, "Dende's Dragon," from the moment Dende puts his hands toward the dragon model to begin the modification process, it takes roughly 30 seconds for Shenron's modification to be completed, and it then takes a little more than one minute for a beam emitted from the dragon model to split into seven parts and then reactivate the Dragon Balls through each of the seven beams traveling to one of the locations of a dormant Dragon Ball and reactivating it. The entire process takes a little more than one and a half minutes.]

"Excellent," Cell said. "Before we do this, though, I want to have a quick talk with Bulma."

"Are you sure now's the best time?" Krillin asked.

"I am sure, Krillin," Cell said. "She should know about the circumstances of what happened to Vegeta before she sees him again so she can be psychologically prepared. I'll be right back."

Cell placed his right index finger to his head, and concentrated on her energy.

He disappeared from the Lookout, and the air that had been displaced by his presence filled in the gap.


She had been relaxing peacefully after the time she had spent to adjust her appearance.

Bulma did not consider herself to be a vain woman, and indeed, she had gotten used to a humbler lifestyle as a result of having to ration supplies in the battle for survival.

Today, though, she had permitted herself to have the luxury of enjoying the lipstick she was wearing.

She had been in the middle of walking from a desk in Laboratory 1-B51 to the door leading to the hallway when Cell appeared.

He looked proud, but solemn.

"The first part of our plan is complete," Cell said, as Bulma smiled with decisive joy.

"They're back!" she yelled with vigor. "Vegeta, Krillin, Piccolo and Kami are back!"

"And Dende's on the verge of remodeling Shenron," Cell said. "This day is like a gift that keeps on giving."

After all that had happened, it was a rare occasion indeed for Bulma to become this happy, although she let her face show the jubilation within.

"I'm ready to see him," Bulma said, expressing in a few short words an eagerness that she'd felt for two decades.

Cell sighed.

"Before we go, there's something you should know," Cell said.


They were walking along a mountain path now, getting to know one another at last.

Trunks had been in the midst of telling a story, and Vegeta was enjoying every bit of what he was hearing.

"The look on Frieza's face must have been priceless," Vegeta said, reveling in the glory of his son's victory over that tyrant.

"It certainly was," Trunks said. "Frieza's father, though, didn't put up much of a fight."

"My own father briefly met the bastard during one of Frieza's excursions to our former planet," Vegeta said. "The only thing that King Cold was ever good for was staying largely out of the picture, although he enabled his son to terrorize our people. Cold deserved, in many ways, to be crushed even more than his son, and the fact that he was also defeated by a Saiyan, and at the hands of my son, no less, was a quite fitting end to that pathetic fool. It sounds like you defeated the two of them even more gloriously than Kakarot did in this timeline."

"I had been training so long to fight the androids that Frieza and King Cold seemed like nothing in comparison," Trunks said.

"Which reminds me, Trunks, I wanted to ask you how old you were when you became a Super Saiyan, and how you managed to ascend to that level," Vegeta said.

Trunks had especially wanted his father to know this.

"The androids-"

Before he could complete the sentence, he was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Cell and Bulma through instant transmission.

She saw him.

He saw her.

She looked nervous.

He did too.

"How's it … going, Vegeta?" Bulma asked while she remained standing next to Cell.

Cell observed her timidity, and he couldn't fully blame her for being anxious, especially after what she'd heard.

"It's fine, … Bulma," Vegeta said. "Trunks was just telling me about … well, … his life."

Trunks noticed that his father seemed spellbound by this particular meeting.

"Trunks, if you don't mind going with Cell back to the Lookout, I'd like some moments with your father … alone," Bulma said.

After so many years, his parents were finally face to face again.

Trunks hadn't imagined that their meeting would be like this, though.

He looked once to his father, then once to his mother.

"Alright Cell, let's go," Trunks said. "We'll talk a bit later, father."

Vegeta didn't verbally respond, and Trunks hadn't expected him to.

Trunks walked over to Cell, and Cell concentrated on Piccolo's energy.

"Do you want us to wait for you before we revitalize the Dragon Balls?" Cell asked Bulma, whose gaze was fixated on Vegeta.

Without turning to answer him, she replied.

"No Cell, it will be alright," Bulma said. "We should bring Shenron back as soon as we can."

Cell transmitted with Trunks away from the scene, and Vegeta was once again with a person whom he hadn't seen in 20 years.

"Vegeta, I know it may seem like yesterday that we saw each other, but for me, it's been much longer," Bulma said, as she began to step closer.

She stopped, about two meters from him.

"As Trunks grew up, … oh, you would have been so proud to see our son do all the things he did," she said. "He excelled at learning, and he even helped me develop the time machine that he's probably told you about. The older Trunks became, the more I saw of you in him. His determination … his courage … his tactical and rational approach to things … these all reminded me of you. I've thought to myself so many times of what life would have been like if you'd still been with us, being able to live with us, like a family should be. Those monsters deprived us of the life we were supposed to have. They deprived me of being able to reconcile the differences between us so that we could truly be together. It may seem like yesterday for you, but it's been an eternity for me. I hope, even though our relationship was not always the most stable, that you'll choose to be with us again, and that you won't go off on some adventure, trying to become the strongest again while we miss you even more. 20 years … 20 years without you was longer than you could possibly imagine. But …"

He spoke up.

"But what, Bulma?"

She began to sob a little bit.

"The last time I saw you, I was 34 years old, and now I'm 54," she said. "You were 35 when you died, and now, it's as though you're still only 35. I … I've grown so much older, with graying hairs now, and I'm not as attractive as I used to be. I've always tried to have Trunks believe that our relationship was a bit deeper than it was, but I know that a lot of what we felt for each other was based on physical appeal. It may be hard at first for Trunks and me, but if you want to move on to someone else, I…"

He stopped her right there by holding up his hand, signifying that he had something to say.

"You've worried yourself over something silly," he said as he walked toward her.

He stopped, and they were only less than half a meter apart from each other now.

In an abrupt manner, he put his arms around her waste and kissed her on the lips, holding her tight.

She embraced him, and they remained like this for many moments.

They maintained their embrace, but briefly parted their lips.

"I'm no so superficial, Bulma." he said. "True love is eternal. I'll always love you."

"Oh Vegeta …," she said as she kissed him, holding him even tighter.

He reciprocated in kind, and above them, whether by coincidence or not, the clouds that had been blocking the sun parted, enabling its rays to shine upon them.


"Alright guys, this is it!" Dende said, as he pointed his hands toward Shenron's dragon model.

Cell, Trunks, and the others watched eagerly for what was about to happen.

Dende flexed his fingers out so that his palms were facing the dragon model, which was still encased in a clear dome.

Three seconds later, Dende began to chant in the Namekian language.

Although Trunks and Krillin were not able to understand him, those who could understand the Namekian language felt humbled by the profound nature of Dende's words.

[Translated] "Shenron, hear me! May the specifications of your design and power be modified to fit the intentions that I have manifested in the energy I give of myself to you! May you render this energy, this energy that contains my instructions on how you can change to better serve the planet for which you have been asked to serve, so that all on this planet may benefit from your wisdom!"

As Dende had said the modification chant, his hands had started to shimmer with a mystic glow of white.

Spiraling streams of golden light started to emanate from the dragon model, and the area surrounding the dragon model darkened as it would have had an eternal dragon been summoned.

The dragon model, which until this point had been a dark grey statue, began to glow with a golden hue, and flashes of white light emanated from the model, interspersing the darkness with illuminating light.

The dome surrounding the dragon model was then full of blinding white light, such that the dragon model could not be seen, and then a pillar of sacred light shot vertically upward from the dome.

The beam of sacred light split into seven parts, and each part rushed toward a Dragon Ball somewhere on the surface of Earth below.

Although those on the Lookout could not see the Dragon Balls when they were hit with the parts of sacred light, there were seven instances around the world, some in day and some in night, in which a beam of light that had streaked across the sky quickly descended and struck a dormant Dragon Ball, surrounding the nearby vicinity with blinding light that faded away to show red and white bolts of electricity surrounding a spherical stone that was glowing red with the energy of revitalization. As the sparks faded away at each of the seven sites, the Dragon Balls at those sites were restored to their golden glory.

Cell had kept the Dragon Radar on while the Dragon Balls were being revived, and he had held out the Dragon Radar for all to see.

Those on the Lookout who were able to do so looked at the radar with awe and fascination, as one by one, after two decades of dormancy, the Dragon Balls were reappearing.

Eventually, all seven appeared on the radar, and all seven had been not only restored but improved, at last.

"Ah, … I can sense their electromagnetic energy from here," Cell said, as he marveled at splendor of Dende's work. "When will we be able to make our two wishes with the revitalized Dragon Balls, Dende?"

"They should be ready for use as soon as they're gathered," Dende said. "I think that it's time to find them."

"Absolutely!" Trunks said. "What do you say, Cell? Are we ready to gather the Dragon Balls?"

"With instant transmission, this should not take too long," he said.

Trunks grabbed Cell's right hand while Krillin grabbed his left.

"Are you sure you guys don't want to come with us?" Krillin asked.

"It's alright," Kami said. "Mr. Popo, Piccolo and I are going to better acquaint Dende with the Lookout. Please be safe during your search."

"Alright, see you later!" Krillin said as Cell transmitted the three of them toward the nearest Dragon Ball.


Hours later, they had gathered outside the main building of the Capsule Corporation compound in West City, eagerly awaiting what was about to transpire.

All seven of the Earth's Dragon Balls were, at last, clustered together and vibrantly shining in their revitalized majesty.

Friends and family had come from all over the world to witness and experience the grandeur of this day.

Cell, Trunks and Bulma had decided to inform them weeks beforehand that the wishes of this day would be made, and for the most part, those who had come had been looking forward to this day more than they'd looked forward to any day in years.

Chi-Chi, Ox-King, Master Roshi, Oolong, Puar, Launch, and even Turtle had come. Cell had been able to bring them here rather quickly, as he had also done for Kami, Piccolo, Dende, and Mr. Popo.

He had not needed to transmit Bulma and Vegeta back to the Capsule Corporation compound, as by the time he had attempted to do so, he had sensed that they had already returned.

There had been much rejoicing from those who had recently arrived and those who had been brought back to life, as indeed, they had been missed.

Among all the questions that had been asked and all the conversations that had been sparked in the minutes before the wishes were to be made, two that Cell had heard stood out to him, in particular.

"Did you meet any attractive young women in the afterlife, Krillin?" Master Roshi had asked him, causing Krillin to blush. "I'm sure there must have been some hot warrior babes up there!"

The other question that had stood out was one that Chi-Chi had asked Trunks, although before Cell could contemplate more about what had been said between the two of them, his thoughts were interrupted by an announcement from Bulma.

"Hey! Everyone! We're so glad you could all be here!" she said, excitedly. "As you all know, we used the Dragon Balls on New Namek to bring Piccolo, Kami, Krillin, and Vegeta back to life!"

There was ubiquitous cheering after she said that, and it made the four who had returned proud to be back.

"We're going to be using the Dragon Balls on New Namek to wish more of our friends and loved ones back in about 130 days, which is when we'll be able to use them again," Bulma said. "When that happens, we'll have another gathering like this one! But today, we've come together to help make our world a better place, and to follow up on our wishes with the Dragon Balls on New Namek with the wishes we're going to make right here on Earth. Before we do, I think we should all thank Dende for his generosity and selflessness in deciding that he would help us make the Earth's Dragon Balls more powerful and stay with us here to watch over them."

Those who had gathered cheered loudly for him, and Krillin, who was standing next to Dende, fist bumped the new keeper of Earth's Dragon Balls as a sign of respect and friendship.

"So, are we finally ready?" Bulma asked.

"I believe we are!" Dende said, as he looked around at those who had gathered. "Trunks? Cell? Do you have anything else to say before we do this?"

"I think I'll save my comments on the awesomeness of this occasion for after the wishes are made," Trunks said. "It's time to make them already."

"I'll humbly agree," Cell said. "It's time for our fourth wish."

Dende placed his hands toward the Dragon Balls, and he could feel the excitement within himself.

This was to be his first summoning as the keeper of a set of Dragon Balls, and it promised to be one that would stand out in his memory.

"Eternal dragon, by your name, I summon you forth, Shenron!"

It had been many years since the seven Dragon Balls of Earth in this timeline had been gathered for a summoning, but now, they shimmered with a light of superior invigoration. A pillar of radiant energy erupted from them, and Shenron came forth from the realm of the utmost sacred.

The sky of the setting sun had faded to a darker hue, and Shenron's golden aura shined upon the nearby vicinity.

"YOU SHOULD CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY AS YOU SPEAK," Shenron boomed from far above. "WHAT IS YOUR FIRST WISH?"

"Dende, may I make this one?" Cell asked.

"Go right ahead," he said.

"Before I do, are you sure that there's no one on New Namek who had died of unnatural causes in the past Earth year who we could bring back through this wish?"

"I know for a fact that there aren't any, but it means a lot to me that you asked," Dende said. "Our total population is so small that we're able to keep very good track of everyone. The wish will not have to apply to New Namek as well."

"Alright then," Cell said. "Eternal dragon, we wish for all those in the past year who were killed on Earth by Android 17 and Android 18 to be brought back to life in a safe manner, and we also wish for all those who were killed on Harfava by Morsmordom, the Assessors, and any of Morsmordom's agents to also be brought back to life in a safe manner! Also, if anyone on either of those planets died of unnatural causes, please bring them back as well!"

The dragon paused for a few moments to contemplate the extent of the wish.

Shenron's eyes glowed brightly for many moments, and then the glow faded.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!" Shenron said, causing Cell to smile below.


Light-years from Earth, the people of the war-torn planet of Harfava were in the midst of rebuilding their world after generations of oppression.

Their most recent oppressor, Morsmordom, the betrayer of a rebellion against a previous tyrant, had at long last been defeated weeks beforehand when Cell and Trunks had intervened.

Although the terror of that oppressor had been silenced, the lives of those he had killed had also been.

But as Cell and Trunks had said a few weeks ago when they had visited the planet again, they wanted to do something even more miraculous to help reverse the injustice that had been done.

Ravik had been elected as head of the new Harfavan Interim Republic, and Cell and Trunks had told him what to expect.

He had been reluctant at first to believe that such a thing as they had offered could be possible, although today, as he looked out the window of what had once been Morsmordom's personal chamber, he saw a few Harfavans suddenly appear on the ground below, seemingly out of thin air!

At an excited pace, he ran from the room until he exited the castle. Many who had been near the castle when these appearances had occurred ran to him with those who had appeared, and one of them spoke to him upon his arrival.

"Ravik, sir! It appears as though some of our people who had been killed by Morsmordom have now been brought back to life! It's just as the noble warriors Trunks and Cell said would happen!"

One of those who had been deceased stepped forward.

"Now that we've been given another chance at life, we want to help make all our lives better ones in which to live."

Ravik smiled, and now, even with the darkened clouds of crimson that encompassed his world, the future seemed brighter than ever.


"Outstanding!" Cell said, knowing that this wish had been a worthwhile one. "I can sense numerous energy signatures that have reappeared! So many people have been brought back to life! It's wonderful!"

Trunks smiled.

"Now, Cell, we're going to make this day an even better one with our fifth wish," he said, as all who had gathered became all the more excited. Their fifth and final wish was going to be a special one, and he was ready to make it happen.

"Shenron! Please bring Gohan, the son of Chi-Chi and Goku, back to life!" Trunks said, as tears of joy came to Chi-Chi's eyes.

Shenron's eyes glowed for many moments, and then, the glow faded.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!"

Suddenly, all those who could readily sense ki signatures felt his presence.

"Alright folks, I'll be right back," Cell said, as he instant transmitted away to find him.

Seconds later, as Cell had foregone a personal introduction this time, he had returned with Gohan, whose sense of bewilderment quickly faded to ambient warmth.

"Oh man! I'm back!" Gohan said, with more excitement than he'd shown anyone in years.

"Gohan!" his mother yelled with joy, as she ran to him and literally jumped in the air, hugging him in the midst of doing so. "I can't believe you're actually here! This is amazing!"

As he hugged his mother, Gohan soon noticed that his left arm had indeed been restored to physical existence.

He looked around and took note of who else had returned, and he was overjoyed.

Many who had been caught up in the elation of the moment looked toward Gohan and Chi-Chi, but others who had been more conscious of something else looked upward with a mix of puzzlement and concern.

Even Trunks, who would otherwise have quickly rushed toward Gohan to celebrate the moment, was looking upward.

In fact, Trunks was the first to ask the question.

"Dende, why is Shenron still here?" he asked, unsure of what exactly was happening.

Dende looked at Shenron, and smiled.

"Alright! This is excellent!" Dende said, causing the others to look at him with confusion.

"What do you mean, Dende?" Kami asked.

"I didn't want to make any promises I couldn't keep, and that's why I said that I'd be able to modify Shenron to grant two wishes," Dende said. "But you know what? It looks like I was able to make Shenron have the power to grant three wishes, each of a greater power than was previously the case, after all!"

Piccolo was the first to have his expression of shock change to one of contentment.

"Excellent work, Dende," Piccolo said. "After all, I suppose that if an eternal dragon can grant three wishes, then telling everyone that the dragon can grant two wishes would still be correct, in a sense."

"I didn't know if I'd be able to do it, but it looks like it worked quite well," Dende said. "So everyone, what do we want to wish for with our sixth wish?"

A sixth wish.

Trunks, Bulma and Cell had not anticipated this at all, otherwise they might have adjusted their plan to proceed differently. But the differences would not have been major, and in fact, they had decided to use the fifth wish to bring Gohan back to life after they'd decided that they weren't going to use the fifth wish for a different purpose.

There had been two wishes that they had seriously considered as possibilities until the final planning stages, and one of those wishes, because the circumstances had not worked out, had already been replaced by the wish that had resulted in bringing Krillin back to life.

But this other wish …

"Well Cell, what do you think?" Trunks asked, as the others listened intently.

Cell took a few moments to think before answering, although he was still unsure of whether he should use this unexpected sixth wish for himself.

"When Trunks, Bulma and I were planning how best to use the five wishes that we thought we'd have through using both the Earth and New Namek's Dragon Balls, we were seriously contemplating using the wish we had just used to bring back Gohan to instead wish me back to the alternate past that I seriously damaged through all my actions there," Cell said. "Some of you probably don't know that story, but for those who don't, I was once, to my continued disgust and dismay, a bloodthirsty killer who was created by Dr. Gero to exact his twisted and unjust revenge upon this planet."

The dark sentiments Cell had conveyed continued to rightfully make many among those who had gathered rightfully disgusted.

"I've been trying to do all I could since then to make up for my past misdeeds," Cell said. "I wanted to potentially use a wish from the Dragon Balls in this timeline to go back to the timeline from which Trunks and I had arrived. We had come from that alternative past without the aid of Trunks' time machine, and even though we're still trying to figure out exactly how that happened, we have a pretty good idea by now. But even so, the fact remains that there is no longer a time machine in this timeline, and I wanted to travel back as soon as I could to atone for what I did in the alternate past. However, I did not want to restrict happiness and righteousness from being able to flourish in this timeline either, and so I thought it would be best to give up that fifth wish for myself so that Gohan could return to us all the sooner, as he so truly deserved to be able to do."

"Thanks, Cell," Gohan said, as he walked forward to him. "I can see that you exhibit the unselfishness in your heart readily. When you helped Trunks fight the androids and when you rescued him right after you both came to this timeline, I knew there was a strong sense of good in you."

Cell was taken aback, as Piccolo and Krillin, who had also been conscious in Otherworld, had not observed the mortal realm recently enough while they had been in Otherworld to have known about Cell's exploits before they had been revived.

"You know about all that?" Cell asked.

"I had been watching Trunks' progress more intently than anyone else in Otherworld," Gohan said. "I've listened to a great many of the conversations you had, and it's been not only enlightening, but informative. And now, because the wish was made, I'll be able to live my life with all of you once again."

Gohan walked over to Trunks, who smiled upon seeing his former martial arts master.

"Trunks, you've made me so proud," Gohan said, as he placed a hand on Trunks' shoulder. "You've become a strong warrior, not only in the way of physical power, but in mind and spirit."

"I did all I could to live up to what I knew you would have done, Gohan," Trunks said, as he considered the amazement of the fact Gohan had at last returned.

"You did more than that," Gohan said, as he turned back to Cell. "But now, Cell, we have a sixth wish. There are many things that can be done with it. We could potentially bring someone back with it, but since the Dragon Balls on New Namek will be active again soon, we'll be able to do that soon anyway. Since you are rightfully eager to want to go back to the alternate past and help that timeline out, and since I'm sure you'll also want to eventually go back to the alternate future from which you originally came and do right by that timeline too, I think we'd all agree with you that you should be able to get started on that as soon as possible."

"You think so?" Cell said.

"Helping others is not something I'd readily consider as something selfish, Cell," Gohan said. "And wanting to use a wish with the Dragon Balls so you can start on that journey is not a selfish thing."

Cell thought about this, then looked to everyone.

"Would it be alright with you all, or is there another wish that any of you feels we should make right now?" Cell asked.

No one spoke up, although many of them were looking upon him now with much kinder expressions than they had exhibited before.

"Alright, then," Cell said.

Before he made the wish, he turned to look at Trunks.

After a few moments, Trunks smiled, then gave him a 'thumbs up.'

Cell smiled too, and nodded his head in thanks.

He turned to face the eternal dragon, and he was ready.

He held his hands up toward the sky, beckoning the eternal dragon to hear his wish.

"Shenron! Please enable me to travel through the stream of time back to this relative spot on the planet Earth, in the alternate past from which Trunks and I had traveled to this timeline. Please bring me to a moment in that timeline exactly three months after I had first moved into the Capsule Corporation compound thanks to the offer from Bulma of that timeline. Please make this wish come true!"

Shenron heard the wish, and considered its ramifications for many moments.

His eyes began to glow, but then, the glow suddenly flickered away.

"I AM SORRY, THAT WISH CANNOT BE GRANTED!" Shenron said, causing Cell and the others to be taken aback.

Cell was speechless for many moments, until he asked a question and broke the silence.

"What?" Cell openly asked.

He turned toward Dende.

"Why didn't that wish work, Dende?"

Dende was quite perplexed at this.

"I'm … admittedly not sure," Dende said, as he looked solemnly toward the ground. "I'm sorry, Cell. I don't know why that didn't work. Do you have any ideas, Kami?"

Kami was absorbed in thought, although he was also unsure of the answer to this quandary.

"I don't know, Dende," Kami said. "I just … don't know."

Cell looked downtrodden, but he tried to pep himself up.

"Well, can anyone think of a wish that would be worthy of this additional one?" he asked.

They thought for some time, and Trunks had an idea.

"Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha were all brought back with the Earth's Dragon Balls before, and the unfortunate shame is that even if Goku hadn't been brought back with the Earth's Dragon Balls before, we wouldn't be able to wish him back anyway since he died of natural causes," Trunks said. However, isn't it true that Yajirobe hasn't been brought back yet with the Dragon Balls?" Trunks asked. [Author's Note: In uncut DBZ episode 99, "Approaching Destruction," it was revealed through Kami and King Kai's conversation about using the Dragon Balls that people who have died of natural causes cannot be brought back to life with the Dragon Balls. This is precisely why in the unaltered, original timeline the Z-Fighters, in the period between Goku's death and when the androids attacked, did not attempt to wish Goku back with the Dragon Balls after he died of the heart virus, as the heart virus was considered to be a natural cause of death and Goku had been considered to have died of natural causes.]

Everyone seemed to nod in agreement.

"Well, what do you say, everyone?" Trunks asked. "Since the Earth's Dragon Balls can't bring back someone who's already been wished back, and since Yajirobe hasn't already been wished back, why don't we do so now?"

There were general nods of approval, and Trunks looked toward Shenron.

"Shenron! Please bring Yajirobe back to life!"

Cell watched as the wish he had hoped to make was instead superseded by another. And while he wasn't entirely sure why his wish hadn't worked, he knew that especially with his help, Bulma would be able to create another time machine that he could use to travel back to the alternate past.

Shenron's eyes glowed for many moments, and they faded again.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED! NOW, IT IS TIME FOR ME TO REST ONCE MORE!"

The crowd below shouted a general amalgamation of thanks, and Shenron's image dissipated. The sky erupted with one more golden glow, and the Dragon Balls of Earth rose from the ground and spread to the far corners of the planet.

The darkened sky increased in brightness slightly, as the setting sun became more readily visible.

"I'll be right back," Cell said, as his disappeared from view, then reappeared a few moments later with Yajirobe.

"Hey! Wait a minute! I'm back, aren't I!" he said excitedly, as his friends and family rushed to greet him.

In the next few minutes, many stories of joys, trials, and tribulations were told among all who had been gathered.

It was a time of peace after many years of despair, and many of the people right outside the Capsule Corporation compound felt happier than they had in years.

In the midst of a conversation about Cell's life before his enlightenment, Cell responded to one of Vegeta's questions.

"Actually, the past version of you enabled me to become complete just so that he could test himself," Cell said, as some of the others who were listening snickered to themselves. "At the time, it seemed to be tactically disadvantageous, but he pursued that option anyway."

"The fact he did that doesn't surprise me in the least," Vegeta said as he crossed his arms, causing even Trunks to laugh. "Sometimes I let my pride get the best of me."

"Sometimes?" Gohan asked in a joking manner, as he then smiled warmly at Vegeta.

Vegeta was about to say something else when he noticed that Cell suddenly began to look faint, to the point that he was having trouble standing up.

"Cell? What's the matter?" Vegeta asked, causing the others to turn to look at Cell.

Cell's hands were pressed to his stomach, and he was crouched, as if in a great deal of pain.

"I don't know, … Vegeta, … I …."

Before he could finish the sentence, he fainted.

Trunks, who was to Cell's left, rushed forward to catch Cell before he hit the ground. Trunks caught him, and he realized quickly that this seemed eerily familiar.

"This is terrible …," Trunks said, as he thought of the implications of what was transpiring.

Bulma rushed forward.

"I know what you're thinking, right Trunks?" she asked. "This is almost exactly the sort of thing that suddenly happened to you right after you were wished back to life with the Dragon Balls in the alternate past."

"Well, from what Cell told me, this isn't happening exactly as it happened in the alternate past," Trunks said. "According to Cell, we both quickly transported forward in time after he caught me, and after we emerged in this timeline, I suddenly returned to full consciousness. Both of us are still here, however, and Cell is still unconscious."

Gohan then made a suggestion.

"We should get him inside to give him medical care, you guys," Gohan said. "We're wasting time in which he might need medical attention."

The light mood of happiness from before had faded quickly with what had happened.

Trunks grabbed Cell and began to fly toward the front door of the Capsule Corporation compound while everyone who had gathered went in that direction as well. They wanted to see what was occurring and they also wanted to stay, to be of any help, if possible. The last thing they had wanted to have happen, after the joy of seeing so many of their friends and loved ones come back to life, was to have the health of someone who had proven himself to be a true friend jeopardized.

After Gohan opened the door, Trunks flew Cell toward the medical room that Bulma had maintained as much as she had possibly been able to.

She had gained extensive medical expertise in the years since the androids had first attacked so that she could be of greater help to others, and she had at times treated patients in this room.

Now, she was treating another.

Most of the guests had situated themselves in what remained of Bulma's living room while Bulma, Trunks, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo and Krillin watched over Cell.

Bulma was checking his diagnostics when Trunks decided to let the others know what he thought might be responsible for what had happened.

"Everyone, after thinking about it some more, I think I know what probably caused this," Trunks said.

"What, Trunks?" Vegeta asked.

"In the past, I fainted after I was wished back to life, and I had died because the time machine bent space-time incorrectly, as it had only bent space and not time," Trunks said. "Mother and I think that the reason Cell and I went forward in time is that my time machine's command for time travel somehow got preserved within me when I was brought back to life, and since Cell had physical contact with me, he was transported to this timeline too. But come to think of it, maybe when I was wished back with the Dragon Balls, that residual time travel command somehow got mixed in with the wish that brought me back. It looks like whenever the Dragon Balls attempt to act upon someone with the intention of a command for time travel, they faint! Maybe this happens because the Dragon Balls just weren't designed for time travel!"

All in the room were momentarily silent, then Piccolo spoke up.

"It's conceivable that Trunks is right," Piccolo said. "Even though Dende modified this set of Dragon Balls, Kami's the one who originally made them, and from what I understand, a lot of his ability to make the Earth's Dragon Balls in the first place resulted from the fact that he was able to copy a lot of the work that Namekian predecessors had done before him. It's even conceivable, given how long the Dragon Balls have been a part of our culture, that not even Grand Elder Guru knew everything about them."

"But then how does that explain that Trunks suddenly exited his fainting spell within a minute after he fainted while Cell's been unconscious for about an hour now?" Gohan asked.

"Maybe it's because we didn't actually wish for time travel in my case, but the Dragon Balls merely forced the time travel command upon me as a result of bringing me back to life," Trunks said. "With Cell, he actually wished for time travel upon himself directly. Maybe that's why! And for me, the time travel actually worked since its source wasn't truly the Dragon Balls, but the time machine itself, whereas it didn't work for Cell because the Dragon Balls normally can't process a time travel command correctly!"

"It's an intriguing theory, but what matters now is making sure that Cell comes back to health," Bulma said. "You're all welcome to stay, but I'm definitely going to be staying with him until he's conscious again."

For the next many hours, various people walked in and out of the medical room, while Bulma kept vigilant guard and did the best she could to try and help Cell.

However, at one point in the evening, at around 11:05p.m., Bulma was the only one in the room other than Cell.

The stars outside could be seen from within the room, as Bulma had not yet closed the curtains for the large window that revealed what remained of West City.


Even though he was not fully conscious, given his design it was possible for him to dream.

Dreams are often said to have the potential to be prophetic, and sometimes, they're composed of the result of various moments of experience being coalesced in the subconscious.

In his dream, Cell was not fully conscious, as is commonly the case with dreams.

He was looking out into the blackness of a void, and there seemed to be nothing there.

It felt cold, in a way, but yet, it felt warm.

There was a sensation next of a sound, whose source he could not place. The sound troubled him, though, and he wondered from where that sound had emanated.

However, he quickly found himself ceasing those thoughts, as he suddenly began to have a different sensation altogether.

He was shifting … becoming …


Trunks had been walking through one of Capsule Corporation's hallways when suddenly, he felt as though something was amiss.

Moments later, he felt a large power level surging tremendously, from the direction of … the medical room?

He was the closest of all the others to the medical room, and he ran toward it.

In the heat of the moment, he opened the door.

There on the floor was his mother, and while he could still, thankfully, feel her life force, it was now she who appeared to be unconscious.

Cell was no longer in the room.

He quickly realized that the source of the surging power was directly above him, and he began to feel waves of energy emanating from that source.

The large window had been shattered, and he briefly looked outside.

In the air was a shining and blinding light, and he felt the explosive power as it began to ripple the outside of the Capsule Corporation compound, causing the outside to begin to crumble.

He saw his father up there, along with Gohan, although they seemed to be having trouble getting close to the light.

Piccolo then entered the medical room.

"What the …" was all he could say as he took in the scene.

Trunks turned to him, with a look of desperation on his face.

"We need to get everyone out of here, now!" Trunks yelled. "This whole place is about to go up in smoke, and we don't have much time! Send a mental message to Gohan and my father asking them to get back here so we can get everyone else to safety!"

Piccolo did, and Trunks ran into the living room, seeing that everyone else was fortunately there.

The room was rumbling.

"We all need to leave, now!" Trunks yelled.

Suddenly, Gohan appeared in front of Trunks.

Trunks' eyes widened.

"You …"

"Know instant transmission? Yeah," Gohan said. "Everyone form a link, we have to go! Piccolo, fly away from here so that I can transmit toward you!"

"Alright," Piccolo said as he blasted a hole in the wall, ran through the hole and speedily flew into the air.

Those who were in the living room began to form a link with Gohan, and Ox-King put his right hand on Gohan's left shoulder, while Master Roshi put his left hand on Gohan's right shoulder.

Bulma, whom Trunks was still holding in his arms, was regaining consciousness.

"Trunks …?" she asked. "What's happening?"

"You lost consciousness. Cell's no longer in the medical room, either. Do you know what happened to him?"

Bulma was quite shocked by this.

"He's no longer there?" she asked. "Last I remember, he was lying in the hospital bed placidly. I had been looking at him, while he was still lying down, and then everything went black!"

Trunks didn't know what to make of this.

"Go mom! Now!" Trunks said. Then, he felt the energy of a giant explosion from the sky heading toward the building.

Bulma put her right hand on Chi-Chi's left shoulder, and Gohan instant transmitted toward Piccolo, transmitting everyone who had been in physical link with him as well.

Trunks blasted a hole that went straight through the top of the Capsule Corporation dome, and he quickly flew upward as the decimating wave of energy expanded from its source.

While he was above, he saw the energy wave getting larger and larger, and it was a spherical energy wave that was emanating from its source in the center.

The blinding light decimated what was left of the Capsule Corporation compound, and Trunks, while trying to search for his father's power level, sensed that Vegeta had already gone toward Gohan, Piccolo and the others to regroup.

Suddenly, the white light ceased expansion and dissipated.

A crater had encompassed much of what had once been the Capsule Corporation compound, and the crater's total diameter expanded quite outward from where the Capsule Corporation's main dome had been.

Trunks was high in the air now, but he sensed him.

A lone figure descended slowly in a vertical path toward the center of the crater below.

All of a sudden, the figure seemed to have an aura that intensified in shine.

As Trunks descended, he saw him.

Cell appeared to be standing in the crater that had been made, with his aura glimmering in a progression of increasing power.

Trunks was bewildered by this, and his feet touched the ground.

There were about 10 meters between where Trunks had landed and where the other was standing.

"Well Trunks, it worked!" he yelled, as his strength continued to intensify.

Trunks suddenly felt even more perplexed, and his face showed a shift from concern to uncertainty.

"What do you mean, Cell? What worked?"

As his aura began to visibly dissipate, he then held out his hands and intently looked at them.

"This new form is quite impressive, wouldn't you say?"

Trunks began to wonder what Cell was trying to convey through all this.

'What is he suggesting?' Trunks thought to himself. 'And why is he all of a sudden marveling at his form again? He looks exactly the same! He ...'

Trunks had come to a startling realization. His face showed the sudden grip of frozen terror that had overcome him.

"What's the matter, Trunks? You look like you've just seen a ghost," he said, as he began to walk forward. "But now, I'll show you something that will truly give you a sense of awe. Behold the glorious depths of my power!"

He darted forward faster than Trunks could readily see, and Trunks abruptly felt the searing pain of Future Cell's right fist striking his abdomen.


Up next in Chapter Twenty-Eight: As the stars twinkle in the heavens above, the shadows roil on the Earth below. Trunks' darkest nightmares become real, next, in Dragon Ball Z: Honor Trip, SEASON THREE!

Thank you so much for reading Honor Trip's second season, and I hope you enjoyed the three-part season finale! I appreciate your vigilant readership, and I am with sincere gratitude for your continued support! I hope you'll enjoy Season Three as much as I'll have fun writing it!

In fun and fanfiction,

American Vigor

Chapter Twenty-Seven: (Completed 3/13/2011); (Revised 5/10/2011)

Season Two: (Completed 3/13/2011)


Author's Musical Note from 5/10/2011:

As I mentioned in the first chapter of Season Two, this season's theme song is "Born for This," by Paramore. You can listen to this song by typing "Born for This" and "Paramore" into the search feature of a standard Internet browser and finding the related music video.

I will now explain why I thought this was a fitting theme song for this season, especially with regards to its symbolic significance.

The title of the song is symbolic for Cell, as it recollects an as-of-yet unanswered question. Especially as a result of the ending events of Chapter Twenty-Seven, will his newfound existence ultimately result in the accomplishment of his proclaimed desires to do good things, or will his path, despite his proclaimed change, still ultimately lead to chaos and destruction as a result of what has transpired? Even though it is uncertain whether fate is real, if it happens to be so, then what exactly was Cell born for?

The song's lyrics are especially significant at a symbolic level, and they have been reproduced here with annotations that show the symbolic significance I ascribed to the lyrics in relation to this season. In no way do I own any rights to these lyrics; I am a fan of Paramore and I think the music the band has produced is way past cool.

Each line has an annotation number that corresponds with a line of symbolic analysis that follows the full text of the song:

Oh no I just keep on falling; (Back to the same old…) [1]
And where's hope when misery comes crawling?; (Oh my way, Ay…) [2]
With your faith you'll trigger a landslide; (victory) [3]
To kill off this common sense of mind [4]

It takes acquired minds to taste, to taste, to taste this wine [5]
You can't down it with your eyes [6]
So we don't need the headlines [7]
We don't need the headlines; we just want…; [8]

We want the airwaves back, we want the airwaves back [9]

Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing [10]
Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now? [11]
Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see [12]
Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now? [repeated line]

Right now you're the only reason; (I'm not letting go, oh…) [13]
And time out if everyone's worth pleasing; (Well ha-ha!) [14]
You'll trigger a landslide ; (Victory) [15]
To kill off their finite state of mind [16]

It takes acquired minds to taste, to taste, to taste this wine [repeated line]
You can't down it with your eyes [repeated line]
So we don't need the headlines [repeated line]
No, we don't want your headlines; we just want… [17]

We want the airwaves back, we want the airwaves back [repeated line]

Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing [Chorus A]
Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?
Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see
Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?
Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing
Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure?

Alright, so you think you're ready? [18]
Ok, then you say this with me; go! [19]
We were born for this! [20]
We were born for this! [repeat]
Alright, so you think you're ready? [Chorus B]
OK, then you say this with me; go!
We were born for this!
We were born for this!
We were born for this!
We were born for this!

We were born for…
We were born for…

Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing [Chorus A]
Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure?
Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see
Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure now?
Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing
Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure?
Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure?

We were born for this! [Chorus B]
We were born for this!
We were born for this!


Symbolic Analysis:

1) Cell continues to feel bad for his past misdeeds, especially when they are explicitly brought up; at the end of Season Two, Cell might in some ways be "back to the same old" condition he had been in before his change, although what exactly the ending of Chapter Twenty-Seven and of Season Two means will be elaborated upon in Season Three.

2) Throughout Season Two, Cell took it upon himself to be a force of hope when obstacles threatened the health and safety of others with misery. He proved to be a force of hope through his successful rejuvenation of Trunks and leadership in that endeavor, his success in defeating Morsmordom, and his ability to use Instant Transmission so that the Dragon Balls of New Namek could be used to initiate the mass-wish plan that he, Trunks, and Bulma had developed. Hope is his way. However, as a result of the ending of Season Two, this line could also have another connotation, such that where will hope be now that misery has apparently returned?

3) Cell's conviction in doing good things resulted in a landslide of events that benefited various people. That is, until the very end of Season Two. It is possible that with Cell's faith in doing what he felt would be best, he ended up triggering a sequence of actions that will be destructive. Indeed, who exactly should be considered to have been victorious as a result of all that happened in Season Two? [Coincidentally, I had been planning for the first chapter of Season Three to be called "Victory" before I realized that "victory" was a word in the theme song I had designated for Season Two.]

4) Cell quested to make Future Cell overcome this closed-minded perceptions of the world, such that Cell wanted Future Cell to accept Cell's points of view on how to treat other people and live a life adhering to principles of justice. Conversely, Future Cell attempted to make Cell once again agree with positions he had abandoned. Cell also wanted to expose Android 17 and Android 18 to his teachings and the ways of righteousness, to pierce their closed-minded and malevolently narcissistic perceptions of acceptable actions and to live more righteous existences.

5) Cell began to adhere to and live by the codes of what he now views as universally-defined objective moral righteousness after he "acquired" this mindset as a result of what might be viewed as an unnatural development in which he would not likely have otherwise developed the mindset. Android 17 and Android 18 did not adhere to Cell's ways because they had never properly acquired the necessary mindset. Future Cell did not believe in adopting Cell's ways, largely because he had not "acquired" the mindset. It is also questionable whether Cell, despite the subdued intentions of the Z-Fighters' mindsets within him, would have wanted to adhere to the righteous principles to which he decided to adhere. Nevertheless, Cell decided to adhere to the mindset once he had acquired it.

6) It takes more than just seeing someone doing something that is morally objectively good to inspire a person to want to emulate and adhere to moral righteousness in a genuine and voluntary way. A person needs to experience the feeling of adhering to moral righteousness in order to want to live by it.

7) Because Future Cell was largely incapable of understanding Cell and Trunks' rationales for him to change his ways, he wasn't open-minded to even seriously considering what they had to say with regards to adhering what they viewed as moral righteousness.

8 & 9) Instead of living by the codes which he viewed Cell and Trunks as trying to force upon him, Future Cell wanted to live life by his own standards, and he wanted the opportunity to do so without Cell and Trunks forcing him to do otherwise. Also, the people of Earth no longer wanted to live under the destructive terror of Android 17 and Android 18, and they wanted to regain the peace that Earth had experienced two decades prior. Also, the people of Harfava no longer wanted to live under the oppression of Morsmordom, and they wanted to regain the freedom they briefly had in recent memory.

10 & 11 & 12) The heroes and villains and protagonists and antagonists of Season Two were often forced to engage in dramatic or desperate actions in their attempts to preserve or attain their desired existences, often under dire or tumultuous circumstances. They were all very forceful and very spirited in these endeavors. Cell, Trunks, Gohan, Goku and Ravik all fought valiantly against their enemies, as did Android 17, Android 18, Morsmordom, and Future Cell.

13) Cell's position that Future Cell should at least have a chance at reformation and not be destroyed before given this chance was largely the only reason that Trunks held back from abandoning some of his principles and destroying Future Cell before Future Cell emerged from his capsule in Dr. Gero's Laboratory. This line could also refer to Morsmordom's grasp upon Cell and Trunks in Timeline 4 and his grasp upon Gohan and Goku in Timeline 3 using the Gauntlet of Control.

14) Throughout Season Two, it's generally assumed that many of the desires of the heroes and villains in the various portions of the season are incompatible with each other.

15) Even aside from Cell's path of upholding moral righteousness, his actions and the way he has influenced other characters brought about circumstances that might ultimately be either very good or very bad for the multiverse.

16) Cell had a personal mission throughout Season Two of helping people become less closed-minded and more embracive of the perspectives he came to value. Trunks actively tried to convince Cell of the errors in his thinking when Trunks thought Cell was making tremendous errors. Morsmordom wanted to use the Gauntlet of Control to gain the loyalties of Cell and Trunks, whom Morsmordom believed would become subject to his mental control.

17)The heroes and villains of Season Two largely rejected each others' main arguments for why they should be able to pursue their desired paths.

18 & 19 & 20) Trunks, after many years, finally had the opportunity to wish his friends and family back to life with the Dragon Balls. When Trunks made the three wishes with the Dragon Balls on New Namek, Dende had to "say the wishes with him," as Dende needed to translate the wishes into the Namekian language so that Porunga could grant them. On Earth, Trunks and Cell were ready to use the remaining wishes for the additional noble purposes of using a mass-revival wish to restore the lives of everyone on Earth and Harfava who had been killed due to unnatural causes within the previous year, and using the individual-revival wishes (not bound by the one-year limit) to revive Gohan and Yajirobe.


"Born for This," while extremely awesome, (and hence why I chose it as a theme song for this season), is not in any way a property I control. Please keep in mind to support the song's official release. Paramore is awesome, and I feel the group's music compliments the awesomeness of the Dragon Ball universe.

Thanks again so much for reading Season Two, and I hope you're excited for Season Three's first chapter, up next!

In fun and fanfiction,

American Vigor