Peparia wiped the sweat from her brow, breathing heavily. She'd trained for 5 years with Perfect Cell so far, and her strength has soared in that time. She was at the point where Gohan was at during the Cell games, meaning she still needed to get strong enough handle Buu.

She looked over at Cell and saw he was also breathing heavy. Their strength was even at this point, and that meant they could fight at full strength without needing to go easy on the other.

However, Cell was growing stronger faster than Peparia due to his unique biology making it easier for him. He was also considerably younger than Peparia; his body was likely an equivalent of in his mid-20s, far younger than Peparia.

But Cell had a few abilities that helped Peparia's training. He knew Piccolo's ability to create clothing, which allowed him to create weighted clothing for Peparia. And between this and the harsh conditions of the chamber, Peparia was keeping up with Cell's pace.

"So, you still don't want to exploit the Zenkai?" Cell said. "It would make you far stronger than just training."

"I'm getting older, Cell," Peparia said. "I mean, I still have a long time before I fall apart, but I'm slowing down."

"That's too bad," Cell said. "Unfortunately, not everyone can remain perfect forever as I can."

"You would turn this back to yourself," Peparia said, glaring at her training partner.

"Oh, come now. My perfection is only seen when I have lesser individuals to be compared to," Cell said, smiling.

Peparia sighed. She never liked Cell's pompous attitude, but his training had been extremely effective. He'd even helped her finally master the Great Ape form, something she felt she needed to do for her next stage of evolution.

"Why do you need to master the Great Ape form?" Cell asked one day.

"Because I need to go beyond Super Saiyan 2, and Super Saiyan 3 is a waste of time due to the disadvantages. The stamina drain is massive, so no matter how powerful in it I'd get, I'd run out of strength faster," Peparia said. "And since I refuse to access God Ki, that leaves only one path to power."

"Super Saiyan 4," Cell said, placing his thumb and forefinger on his chin. "The perfection of the Super Saiyan states."

"As perfect as a flawed being could be," Peparia joked. Cell always enjoyed jokes like that.

"But one thing confuses me; why don't you want to become a Super Saiyan God?" Cell asked.

"The Super Saiyan God ritual was created by a being who wanted us to be something we were never meant to be. He wanted us docile, tame, completely losing our fighting spirit," Peparia said. "Though, the fact he was the first Super Saiyan is a point of pride for us; for all his preaching about 'compassion' and 'lifting up the weak', he still succumbed to rage for power."

"And this Super Saiyan God ritual, it is a weaker form than Super Saiyan 4?" Cell said, intrigued.

"No. Far from it; Kakarot and Vegeta's god forms far surpass Super Saiyan 4. The forms aren't even close in power. But I refuse to follow the path of a man who tried to destroy us," Peparia said angrily.

"I understand completely," Cell said. "A warrior who doesn't test themselves is no warrior at all. And yours is a warrior race."

Peparia wasn't certain if Cell was mocking her or not, but he WAS right; Saiyans were warriors. They didn't roll over and allow their bellies to be pet like a dog, they bit those who tried. Saiyans controlled their own paths, and they would not allow anyone, be they god or mortal, to tell them otherwise. And it was this mindset that finally allowed Peparia to get full control of the Great Ape, though she eschewed the Beast Master form that gave her that power in her human form, instead going for going Great Ape while a Super Saiyan. This was the only way she'd achieve Super Saiyan 4; to dominate the Beast while dealing with the enhanced rage that came with the state. And she was struggling.

Cell, however, had been prepared for these situations, as Peparia had taught him what she learned from the Full Moon Patrol about taking down a Great Ape without permanently injuring them. And early on, Cell had to take Peparia down hard several times.

She'd need time and a lot of effort to achieve Super Saiyan 4. She hoped she'd be ready by the time she fought Mira again, but for now, she needed to prepare for him. And that meant continuing to spar with Cell.

Just a few more years, Peparia thought. Then, I'll check in with Trunks and Chronoa to see if there's a new job.