Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or any of its characters blah, blah, blah don't sue me they belong to Akira Toriyama.
Last time on Dragon Ball Z:
Trunks raced for the island, his vision slowly returning to him, but by the time he got there it was too late… Cell's entire body was sparkling with light and was morphing… into its final PERFECT FORM!
…
"Yes! Cell's final transformation is at last at hand! Soon he will be the greatest adversary I have ever faced! Even greater than you Kakkarot!" Vegeta's smirk widened as his body tingled with anticipation. This time he would show everyone just who to call when they needed real strength. Never again would he be second to that lousy third rate commoner.
However, Vegeta was the only one thrilled by Cell's transformation. Trunks, Krillin and 16 were all lost in despair as the green light engulfing their enemies body grew brighter and brighter. Trunks' stomach twisted in knots, the pain, hopelessness and fear made it hard for him to breathe. His own father had done this… He had had the ability to save them all – to be the man everyone had wanted him to be – and he had thrown it away. And for what? His idiotic pride!? He clenched his teeth and tore his eyes away from the light. He couldn't bear to look any longer. "Oh no, it's happening again!" The mangled bodies of Goku, his mother, all those he cared about flooded his mind. "It's just like what happened in my world… All the pain, all the senseless slaughter! I was powerless to prevent it. And now I'm afraid this world will suffer the same fate as mine. Cell… I've already seen one world laid to waste by Dr. Gero's evil creations and I won't let it happen again! I promise you this as long as there is breath in my body I will fight!" Trunks transferred his pain and grief into a power source. "DO YOU HEAR ME!? I WON'T LET YOU DESTROY THIS WORLD TOO!" This was all that he lived for. Why couldn't his father see that he had lost everything as well – that they were in the same boat! How could he demolish all that he had worked for?
Trunks jumped into the air and surged straight for Cell. "The transformation is still in process! I might still have the power to stop this!" He sent out his most powerful punch, slowly forcing his way to the center of the green light. But the closer he got the more resilient the aura became. Cell was almost in sight but it was too much. With a roar, the green demon pushed Trunks out, sending him over backwards to the ground. "We're too late!"
The green aura surrounding Cell gave one last final burst so bright that the Z fighters were sure that it could be seen from space. Then it shrunk down to just cover Cell's newly transformed body. Vegeta cackled happily at the site, "It is finally done!" His eyes glistened with satisfaction as they judged the new Cell.
…
At Kami's lookout, Bulma's mouth hung open in disbelief. She prayed that that green light had come from Vegeta and had been the destruction of Cell but the grinding of Piccolo's teeth told her otherwise. "Vegeta… what have you done?"
"Cell's transformation is complete," Piccolo said, practically choking on his own words.
Bulma whipped her head up at him in shock. "Wha-What do you mean?" She stuttered, "Did Krillin not use my controller to shut down the androids?"
"That's right," Piccolo confirmed angrily, "He crushed the controller and let her go."
"WHAT!?" Bulma yelled, waking Trunks in the process, "Why would he do that!?" She could barely breathe. She had worked so hard to be useful. She had finally done something that could help save everyone only for it to be crushed – and by Krillin? She couldn't believe it. This was one of her closest friends. "I know he couldn't do something like that!"
"But even with Krillin's mistake we could have won if only HE had killed him when he was supposed to!" The thought made the Namek's body shake with fury. "Vegeta!" He growled, "You've doomed us all!"
Bulma's eyes widened and her blood ran cold. "Vegeta? But it was Krillin… No, Vegeta, what have you done?" She turned to ask Krillin but found that she had no voice. She didn't want to know… she couldn't hear it. Her shaking hands grasped her wailing son tighter as she swallowed down the knot in her throat. "Vegeta, I believe in you… please just don't let me down."
…
However, it was too late for such prayers now. Vegeta had already forgotten her, Trunks and the entire planet. His mind was solely focused on his opponent and newfound power. What was important was his glory, not some mere earthling woman and a half-breed.
Cell let his new body stand up right for the first time and a sinister smile graced his lavender lips. "Finally."
Vegeta curiously watched Cell let out a few practice punches from above. "So this is the android's new body, eh? What a joke! He is even smaller than he was before (Author's Note: Vegeta, I don't really think you can talk here…). He still looks way too much like a grasshopper for my liking." Meanwhile, upon seeing that 18 was really lost to this disgusting creature, Krillin let his grief get the best of him and made a heroic charge. Vegeta laughed inwardly, "Stupid baldy! You were strong enough to even lay a punch in his previous form – do you really think you stand a chance now? Human idiocy knows no bounds."
"Krillin NO!" Trunks yelled in alarm. But it was too late. The vertically challenged man was making his full assault punching and kicking Cell's back and neck as hard as he could. However, the mutant android had become so strong that he couldn't even feel Krillin's blows. He just continued to examine and adjust to his new body. "It can't be!? Can he really not even feel my punches!?"
Sent into frenzy Krillin circled Cell and tried hitting every part of his body but the taller man gave no reaction. "Is there a fly in the air?" He smirked, "Oh well. All that I have desired is now mine! I have become what no other has been able to achieve! I AM PERFECT!"
Trunks growled in anger at the spectacle before him. "It's all his fault! DAD! Our undoing is because of you! How could you love your pathetic pride over your own family!" Vegeta's betrayal hurt just as much as the memories of his dead friends and family. He had truly believed in him. He glared up at his father only to be met with Vegeta's familiar and bone-chilling smirk.
"Now do you see, boy? This is the true nature of a Saiyan. That whore of a woman who bore you has not softened me! Power is still the only thing that I need to survive! I tried to tell you, but you know what they say, 'actions always speak louder than words!'" Vegeta chuckled to himself.
This was too much for Trunks to handle. He couldn't let his father get away with this. "I'll defeat him myself and take your victory away from you!" He surged towards Cell and delivered a powerful kick… that did nothing. Trunks' eyes widened in a mix of terror and shock, but he couldn't accept the reality. He had to keep trying!
And so Trunks and Krillin continued to circle the perfect android kicking, punching and fighting at the best of their abilities but causing no damage whatsoever. "That's right children, have fun," Cell muttered amused. He was on a level so beyond them that it was comical. Even when Krillin delivered a direct hit with his destructo-disk, all Cell did was crack his neck. "Boring." No longer amused, the bug monster decided it was time to give his new body a test drive. "So you want to play, huh?" Krillin stepped back and tensed up in fear. "Very well, it's my turn. Are you ready?"
Before the bald fighter could blink, Cell's purple eyes were only a centimeter away from his own. He fell back with a yelp. "How the hell did he get that fast? Shit! I'm so-" Cell's leg whammed into Krillin's stomach before he could even finish his thought. His small body slammed into the ground, creating a crater around him.
Trunks' gut tightened up as he felt a cold wave of fear wash over his body. It was just like last time. He was going to have to watch his friends and family die once again. But this time it was even worse… because his own father who had the power to stop all this nonsense had chosen not to. "No… Krillin… no," He whispered breathlessly.
However, the bald fighter was not beaten yet. Driven by his grief over the absorption of 18 and his own guilt at not deactivating her himself, Krillin forced his muscles to lift himself off the ground. Vegeta inwardly groaned, "The insect never did know when to quit! He is probably going to say some ridiculous, imbecile joke about how he just got the shit kicked out of him!"
Sure enough the first thing out of Krillin's mouth besides some blood and saliva was, "Did someone catch the number of that bus? I've never felt anything more painful in my life! As if all my bones are totally crushed!" Breathing at this point was a chore and Krillin could only accept that at this point he was out of the game. His pupils began to turn white as he collapsed back to ground.
As the dust swirled into the air from Krillin's fallen body, something inside Trunks' snapped. It was just too much. He couldn't live through this again. It was too much to handle. "JUST HOLD ON!" He roared as he blasted off towards his wounded friend.
Cell chuckled at how frantic the formerly calm and collected Trunks had become just because of some puny little weakling. "I really wonder if he and Vegeta are related?" He let out a few practice punches, laughing, "He should feel lucky! He's the first one to be touched by my perfect body."
"Krillin, no, you have got to hold on!" Trunks pleaded as he tried to keep his hand steady while turning his friend's battered body over. "I won't let it end like this!" The knot in his throat was growing larger by the second. How had it come to this? Even after all the training and all of his warning how was it possible that he once again had a friend dying in his arms? "I was hoping not to have to use these but this is an emergency." He thought as he reached into his armor and pulled out a sensu bean.
Seeing that his soft son was preoccupied with baldy, Vegeta smirked and made his way towards his opponent and what he thought would be his ultimate victory. "Don't tell me you are satisfied swatting flies like him!" Vegeta snorted at the obvious difference between someone like Cell who will fight anything and someone like himself that only reserves his awesome power for the best. "I guess a guy like you will take any victory you can get!" When Cell hardly acknowledged his insult, Vegeta decided to continue, "From the way you had been carrying on I was expecting a true challenge! If that is your idea of perfect I might as well go home." The word had scarcely left his mouth before the image of Capsule Corp. and Bulma entered Vegeta's head. Is that where he would be returning to after he had defeated Cell? Would he continue his life in the same way he had for the past three years? The proud prince shook his head, "I can't think about this right now… Even now she is trying to distract me!"
"I'm sorry to hear that," Cell said in mock-politeness, "I was hoping you'd stay… destroying you would be a decent warm up."
Vegeta's body twitched with anger. Minutes ago Cell had been cowering before him and now he had the audacity to call him nothing but a warm up! As if he was no better than those stupid bots the woman would make for him. Cell smiled at his reaction and Vegeta composed himself. "Alright but this time don't whine when I beat you!" He would prove to Cell along with all the others that he would never be underestimated again!
With that the battle was cued to begin. Both fighters took their stance, each fully believing that they would be the easy victor. Defeat was not an option for either for no matter what wounds their bodies received it was their pride that was truly on the line. Their pride and the fate of the earth.
Author's Note: If you haven't read my updated profile let me just say again how sorry I am for updating SO late. I have had a crazy year but I am now back and hoping to get a chapter out a week. Thank you to all of my readers who have stuck with me and anyone who supports the story!
