3rd Person
"Oh shit…" That was all 18 could say after watching Orion get beaten down. She had grabbed 16 and tried to run away, but before she could, Orion had fired his Meteor Crash that almost destroyed the entire island. The sight was beyond horrifying for her, as she was just fighting Orion a few moments ago. Thank god he didn't want to kill her or 17 even though he easily could have. He really did care. If she made it out of this alive, she would have to pay Orion and everyone else back for helping her. 18 had thought Orion had finally gotten rid of that monster, but she couldn't have been more wrong. He only heavily damaged him. Cell had easily healed and taken our Orion. Now he was making a b-line to her. 18 had no hope, until another voice rang out.
"I won't allow you to continue as you please!" Cell looked up to see Tien, who had his hands pressed together.
"Ohohoho, my god! It's Tien! What, was Krillin busy!?" Cell bellowed. "Come on, buddy, you can't be serious. With your power level? Not even Orion could beat me! You're no android, you're no Namekian, and you're certainly no Super Saiyan! You're just human."
"Yeah? Well you know what!?" Tien began as he took aim at Cell and charged his energy. "Fuck power levels! Fuck Super Saiyans! AND FUCK YOU! NEO TRI-BEAM!" Tien then shouted with all of his might as he activated his strongest Kaioken, Kaoken 30x, and fired his strongest Tri-Beam ever at Cell.
"Oh, that's adora-SHIIIIIIIIIIT!" Cell started to taunt but was quick to change his tune as soon as the blast hit him, sending him deep into the earth in a giant square shaped crater and covering him in injuries. Tien had finally had enough. He, Krillin, and Yamcha were just waiting and watching from Kame House, and after feeling both Piccolo and Orion fall, Tien knew he had to do something. He might not be as strong as those two, but he was still a warrior. He had his own pride. He would not stay as a spectator. And with the training he did with Orion and the training he did afterwards, he was ready to lay down his life, even if only to buy time.
"You!" Tien screamed at 18. "Blow yourself up or leave! I don't care which!"
"Yeah, ok...!" 18 nodded as she moved over and grabbed 16 before flying off.
"UPSTART TRICLOPS BITCH!" Cell yelled as he flew up the hole he was in. Tien immediately turned his attention back to the monster with an angry expression before firing another Tri-Beam at Cell, damaging him even more. Tien repeated this almost endlessly or so it seemed. To him, at the very moment, it didn't matter how much life force the Tri-Beam drained out of him. He would either kill Cell, buy time for anyone else who can kill him to get there, or die trying.
After maybe 10 more Tri-Beams, Tien stopped to gather more of his energy. "Ah…ah… Are ya done!?" Cell shouted from within the hole he was in in a pained voice. "Because I'm coming out...and I swear to God… if you do that AGAIN… I will be so freaking nettled!"
"Tri-Beam." Tien muttered as he continued to fire at Cell right when Cell had gotten out of the hole.
"AW DAMMIT!" Cell screamed in pain as he was sent down a newly formed hole. Tien fired many more times before his body had finally had enough and could take no more.
'Huh...not dead yet. That's weir-oh there we go…' Tien thought as he dropped to the ground with a loud thud. He couldn't even move anymore from the strain of the Kaioken and the Tri-Beam. He was completely drained.
Cell slowly floated out of the hole and got closer to Tien. Tien had damaged him quite a bit, with Cell missing part of his crown and tail, though as soon as the barrage was over, he regenerated them. "You know, if you want my personal opinion, 'Tri-Beam' is a pretty sad choice of last words." Cell told the warrior before pointing his hand to him. "But, to be fair, it's far from the worst decision you've made today."
"Neo Tri-Fuck off…"
"Aww, see? That's the spirit!" Cell chuckled as he readied his attack.
During this time, Goku, Raditz, and Gohan were waiting on the lookout. Goku and Gohan and managed to convince Raditz, Nappa, Vegeta, and Trunks to join them on the lookout to make use of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. When they had arrived there, Dende, the new guardian, led them to the chamber and explained the rules. Dende had been making changes ever since he had become the new guardian, like creating new Dragon Balls that were stronger than before, and even upgrading the chamber, as he thought it would be best to start improving it in case it was needed. With the upgrades, at most 3 people could enter the chamber at a time and stay there for at most 2 years (2 days outside the chamber) before being trapped in the room forever.
This was great for the group, as they only wanted to train for a single year and that was they could perfectly split themselves into two groups to use the chamber. At Vegeta's insistence at using the chamber first, the first 3 in were Vegeta, Trunks, and Nappa. Trunks wanted to go train with his father, and Goku wanted to train with Raditz and Gohan, leaving Nappa in Vegeta's group. The 3 entered the chamber and the others were forced to wait for them to get out.
During this time, Goku and the others could sense what was happening. They sensed both Piccolo's and Orion's energy, so they knew they were fighting against the androids, as they couldn't feel anyone else's energy. They weren't worried until Cell's energy showed up and Piccolo's started dropping rapidly. Then they felt Orion's energy surge to levels they didn't even know were possible before Cell's energy skyrocketed from absorbing 17. That's when something extremely powerful slammed into the area where Cell and Orion were, a power so great it was overwhelming even from the lookout. But after it dissipated, Cell's energy was still there, and Orion's had almost disappeared entirely.
The 3 Saiyans were already sick with worry at Piccolo and Orion's possible fates, but then they felt Tien making his last stand. After Tien had fallen, Goku had finally had enough. Goku used his instant transmission and teleported right in front of Tien, blocking his body from Cell. "So we finally meet, Cell." Goku growled at the monster in front of him. "I have to say, you're every bit the monster that I thought you'd be."
"Goku? H-How did he just appear?" Cell was shocked that Goku just randomly appeared in front of him, but he didn't get a chance to get an answer as Goku hardened his glare at him.
"As much as I'd like to settle this right now, as things stand I think we both know there isn't a chance in the world that I'd actually beat you." Goku told Cell. "But I only need one more day! Then I'm coming back and I promise I am taking you down!" Cell tilted his head before slowly erupting into heavy laughter.
"Th-That...that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! You're too weak to fight today, but tomorrow you're gonna magically defeat me!?"
"That's right!"
"Nonsense! What difference could a single day possibly make!?" Goku ignored Cell as he noticed something.
"Piccolo and Orion! They're energy is still there!" Goku muttered as he grabbed Tien by the arm. "Hang on, Tien. Just for a little bit longer." Goku then teleported over to where Orion was. His face was badly damaged and covered in blood and burns from eating Cell's energy blast directly, but he was somehow still breathing. "Orion...I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you, but I won't let you die right now." Goku then grabbed his brother as well and teleported to where Piccolo was. The hold Cell had blasted in him was now healed, and Piccolo was lying on the edge of the island due to the waves carrying him there. "Hey Piccolo! Stay with me! You're gonna be ok."
"What? I blew a hole in him!" Cell exclaimed. "How durable is he? How durable am I? Questions for later…" Goku quickly grabbed Piccolo and gave Cell one last glare before teleporting away, leaving Cell just as confused as before.
"What…? How…? Why…?!" Cell stammered as he tried to make sense of what he just saw. "I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!"
Orion's Perspective
I don't know how long I was out, but my eyes suddenly shot open and I jumped to my feet. "Where's Cell!? Where's 18!? What happened!?" I shouted as I rapidly looked around. "W-Wait...why am I on the lookout?"
"Uncle Orion!" I then fell over as I was tackled to the ground. I looked down to see Gohan tightly hugging me.
"H-Hey, Gohan." I said in a confused voice as I patted his head. "Wh...What exactly happened?"
"You were beaten by Cell." I turned to see Goku walking up to me. "I teleported over and got you, Piccolo, and Tien out of there."
"Piccolo! Tien!" I exclaimed as I looked around for them. I then saw the two of them getting up from the ground as well after being healed by Dende. I must have been healed too. "Oh thank god they're safe."
"You should be more concerned with yourself, brother." Raditz sighed in a concerned tone as he got closer to me. "You were incredibly injured and your energy was lower than either of theirs. I'm surprised you were able to be healed at all."
"Well, I'm here now, aren't I? And I'm fine, so there's nothing to worry about." I responded while waving my hand in a dismissive manner. "Besides, I failed. I couldn't beat Cell. I couldn't even kill him when I was stronger than him."
"It's alright. It's not your fault." Goku told me. "We felt that attack of yours from all the way up here. You did really well against him. Better than I would have."
"But I still failed. It doesn't matter how well I did if Cell is still alive." I grimaced. "What I did...and Tien's actions...we only bought time against Cell." I slammed my fist into the floor of the lookout. Even with how strong I had gotten, I was still powerless. Even when I could have killed Cell, even when I threw away all my morals and tried to kill him, I didn't. I couldn't. I wasn't able to. Even after all of this, Cell was right. I haven't been able to make a difference in this world at all. It was infuriating.
"Orion is right." Piccolo told Goku. "Cell is far stronger than any one of us now. I doubt that even Vegeta or you could beat him. He's just too much."
"Everyone! Come over here! I believe your friends are about to emerge from the time chamber!" Mister Popo shouted as he ran out to tell us. With that news, we all rushed over and saw the chamber door opening up. Out from the chamber came Trunks, Nappa, and Vegeta, all 3 of them in torn clothing. Trunks was now a bit taller and looked a bit older, while Nappa and Vegeta didn't look all too different, though Nappa now had a goatee instead of a simple mustache.
"Hey guys! How'd it go?" Gohan asked Trunks.
"Yeah. We thought you guys would be out a lot sooner." Goku added.
"Well, we did push past the Super Saiyan barrier pretty quickly after only 2 months of being in the chamber. Of course, that wasn't good enough for him or Nappa, so for the rest of the time we've been-"
"Been what?" Vegeta cut off Trunks. "You've already said more than enough."
"So how's the situation?" Nappa asked us.
"Things are a lot worse now." Tien told them. "Cell's absorbed one of the androids already and his power is off the charts compared to before! Seriously, you have no idea! Not even Piccolo or Orion could stop him!"
"He's right. I just had the chance to look at Cell up close myself. He's nothing like we've ever faced." Goku added. We all then heard something land on the lookout outside. We all walked out to see Bulma and baby Trunks. We greeted her and baby Trunks as she got out of her plane. She told us how she had finished the remote to detonate the androids and had given it to Krillin before she came here. She also apparently came over to give us each some new Saiyan armor she made. She tossed the capsule and it changed into the case the armor was in. Goku, Gohan, Raditz, Nappa, Trunks, Vegeta, and I immediately swapped out our clothes into the new Saiyan armor, with Goku and his group putting them on so that they're actual clothes don't get ruined while training, while Vegeta's group and I changed so we weren't in torn outfits. While I preferred my normal clothes, they were torn up and destroyed from the fight with Cell. That and wearing Saiyan armor was a nice change of pace.
"Wow, it's a lot lighter than it looks." Goku remarked.
"It really brings back memories! It's just like the suit I wore on Namek." Gohan exclaimed.
"This is easily the greatest thing you have ever produced." Vegeta remarked as he put on his armor, which was much better than the armor Bulma had made before.
"Even including your so-"
"Yes, even him!" He cut Raditz off.
"So are you guys going to try them on too?" Bulma asked Piccolo and Tien.
"No."
"No."
"...Any reason?"
"No."
"No."
While they were talking, I finally got the armor on and turned to Vegeta with a cheeky smile. "Hey look, Vegeta! I'm you!" I told him while patting my chest piece. "Paragon 'til death!" Vegeta looked at me for a solid second before taking a deep breath.
"...You ruined it." He muttered. "You ruined it and I'm leaving."
"If you want, I could teleport you there." I told him.
"I hate you and your brother." He deadpanned a reply.
"Ah geez, thanks, best buddy." I responded happily, which only made him scowl more. "But seriously, good luck out there. You're a lot stronger now, so I'll be rooting for you." Vegeta, surprisingly, smirked at that before flying off towards Cell.
"We should get going too." Nappa said as he flew off as well. Trunks was about to follow him, but Goku stopped him.
"Hang on a minute. Here, you better take a couple of senzu beans with you, just in case." Goku said while handing Trunks a few beans. Trunks thanked Goku and then flew off. Not a moment sooner did Goku, Gohan, and Raditz enter the time chamber themselves for their turn. With those 3 inside, Piccolo, Tien, Bulma, and I waited out on the lookout and began to survey the situation with Cell while Dende and Mister Popo were fixing my normal clothes.
"So we're actually rooting for Vegeta?" Tien asked. "I know that Trunks and even Nappa are there too, and they're more trustworthy than Vegeta is right now, but are we really hoping Vegeta can do this?"
"Let's be honest, we're rooting against Cell." Piccolo told him.
"What do we do if he wins?"
"Which one?"
"Which one is worse?"
"Oh come on. Vegeta isn't so bad." Bulma told us.
"Yeah, Bulma's right. Vegeta's pretty cool once you get to know him." I added.
"I doubt that." Tien muttered.
"Besides," I continued. "He's definitely going to screw this up."
"True…" Tien sighed. "At least Krillin has the remote to detonate 18."
"And that's where my concern is." Piccolo added. "Krillin might screw it up too."
"Oh, are we making bets on who's going to screw up?" Bulma asked.
"We really shouldn't… but what the hell?" Piccolo chuckled. "So my vote's on Krillin."
"I'm betting on Vegeta. What about you Bulma?" Tien asked.
"Both."
"...Wow."
"Damn…"
"Please, I've been in this game longer than the both of you." She told them.
"Ok then…" Piccolo remarked. "Orion, how about you? You're going with Vegeta, I presume?"
"Actually, I'm going to bet on Krillin, Vegeta, and then Trunks, in that order." I told them. They all stared at me in disbelief after I said that. "Just wait and watch. If I'm wrong, I'll pay you all a million zeni."
"Then the bet is on." Tien said as we began to wait. I was restless the entire time though. I knew what was going to happen, and I could only feel dread as there was nothing I could do to stop it. I could only pray for a miracle to happen to change fate, but I knew that was never going to happen.
3rd Person
"So I'm a hair's breadth away from perfection, and then Orion comes along, and despite being way in over his head, he pulls a fucking SEPHIROPH and drops something like Meteor on me! Where the hell did he get that!?" Cell shouted as he flew around blowing up islands in his search for 18. "And then Triclops shows up and decides: 'I'm just gonna turn triangles into fuckin' squares'! Then Goku shows up; apparently he can teleport! Gotta look into THAT later! But at the very top of this long list of stupid questions is: WHERE! ARE! YOU! 18!" He was about to continue his rampage, but he stopped as soon as he felt something heading his way. He turned around and saw Vegeta of all people in his Super Saiyan form.
"Ah, warming up by destroying some islands, huh? I can dig that. More of a planet guy, myself." Vegeta told Cell with a cocky smirk.
"Ugh, people all day today…" Cell muttered a sigh. "Hell, Vegeta."
"Hello, ugly."
"Ugh… now we're doing this… Okay…" Cell groaned as he and Vegeta landed on a nearby island. "So, can I help you? Cause if you're looking for another broken arm, you can always help me find Android 18." Vegeta only chuckled as he looked Cell up and down.
"You know, for an android created from my cells, you're quite the disappointment." Vegeta remarked. "I was expecting you to be much more impressive."
"More impressive than the most powerful being in the universe?" Cell bragged. "You should consider it an honor to be a part of me."
"Why would I? You're nothing but a cheap imitation. I am Vegeta, prince of all Saiyans." Vegeta shot back. At that point, Nappa and Trunks arrived and landed further behind Vegeta. Cell's eyes widened a bit from seeing the two of them.
"You two are here too, huh?" Cell began. "Though it seems you've both changed quite a bit. Not like it matters if there are 3 of you or 20. You can bring as many fools as you like. I'll even wait."
"Don't misunderstand. They're only spectators." Vegeta told Cell. "In fact, I'll be quite angry if they get involved. I intend to fight you one-on-one."
"Are you serious? You must be delusional."
"Only one way to find out." Vegeta taunted.
"Ok look, Vegeta, I'm in the middle of something more important than whatever this is." Cell sighed. "So if you just want to run along and bring back someone substantial, say...I dunno...Goku? Maybe bring back Orion so I can pay him back for what he did to me? That'd be great." Vegeta's expression hardened a little as he took a deep breath before smiling. He then began to scream as he gathered all of his energy. His energy flared, and his muscles became slightly larger as a result. "Aw, what's wrong, Prince? Did I touch a nerve?"
"You pressed the Goku and Orion button." Trunks told him.
"Excuse me, the what-" Cell didn't finish as Vegeta appeared in front of him and gut punched him, causing Cell to bend over and groan loudly in pain.
"Ya shouldn't'a did that." Vegeta told Cell. Vegeta then began to pumple Cell like he was nothing. Cell couldn't comprehend it. How did Vegeta get so strong when he wasn't even as strong as Android 17 or 18 just a few days ago? Nothing Cell did was really hurting Vegeta.
"How…? How can you be this strong? You're just Vegeta!" Cell exclaimed.
"Not quite." Vegeta corrected. "I trained all day yesterday, and now, I am Super Vegeta."
"Oh, so you think you're cute!?"
"Bitch, I'm adorable."
"Then how about this!? Galick Gun, Fire!" Cell shouted as he fired Vegeta's attack at him.
"And that's just precious." Vegeta commented as the blast hit him dead on. When the smoke cleared, Vegeta was seen to be completely unharmed. "You call that a Galick Gun? Dear God, get it together."
"I WILL END YOU!" Cell shouted as he flew at Vegeta.
"You'll die trying." Vegeta grinned as he began to pumple Cell again. Meanwhile, Krillin had just arrived at the island, with the remote to detonate the Androids in hand. It was...a lot heavier than he thought it would be. And as luck would have it, he immediately found Android 18. Damn, he was really good at this.
'Okay Krillin, pull yourself together.' Krillin told himself. 'She's right over there, and all I have to do is push this button and...watch her explode…! Everywhere...and then it's done! I-I mean, she probably won't even feel it! Or even know it happened. Just her life...ended in an instant...by me…" Krillin's hands started to shake with doubt the more he tried to convince himself to do the deed. "Oh c'mon, Krillin! Be strong for one second in your life and push the stupid button! If you don't, everyone you know and love is going to die! INCLUDING HER!' That's when it finally hit him. The reason why he was so hesitant to kill android 18. "Oh…" He muttered as he dropped the remote. The moment he dropped the remote, the Androids finally noticed him. 18 immediately saw the remote and froze, knowing what it was. But she was completely taken aback by what Krillin did next. He stomped on the remote, crushing it.
"You have to get out of here." Krillin told her. "This will all be for nothing if you let Cell find you, now go!"
"I-I don't understand!" 18 responded in a confused voice. "You had me! You could have killed me before I even realized you were even here! Why did you let me go?" Krillin couldn't find the words to answer her. That's when things went from bad to worse.
"So Cell, are you ready to face reality yet? Cause you're outclassed in every way, and not by just me." Vegeta told the android after bullying him for a couple of minutes. "Trunks and Nappa over there nearly have the same level of power that I do. Nappa is around my level, and Trunks is only slightly weaker than me, but they both still put you to shame. So not only are you not the strongest in the universe as you claim, but you're not even second or third best. You disappoint me. I was hoping you would give me a chance to test my limits. Instead, I get a fight that's barely worth a warm-up."
"DAMN IT!" Cell shouted in an angry response to what Vegeta had just told him. "If you had showed up just a minute later, I would've had 18! I would have been perfect! Then NOBODY could've stopped me!" That got Vegeta's attention.
"...Oh really?" Vegeta inquired.
"Nooo…" Trunks muttered from the sidelines.
"Vegeta… I would've destroyed you without a second thought…" Cell told the prince.
"...Nooo!" Trunks continued to mutter loudly as Nappa's eyes began to widen at the realization of what was happening.
"...Go on." Vegeta told Cell.
"NoooooOOOO-!"
"Quiet, boy!" Vegeta cut Trunks off. "Now...continue."
"Thank you. You see, Vegeta, this is only my second form. I am merely semi-perfect." Cell told the prince.
"Wait, how can you be semi-perfect? You're either perfect or you're not me; there's no gray area." Vegeta asked.
"My point, is that this form was achieved by absorbing Android 17, and the only way I may obtain true perfection-"
"Is to absorb the bitch." Vegeta finished. "So in summation" you get the Android, and I get a proper challenge."
"Oh, I promise you Vegeta… you're going to get everything that's coming to you." Cell told him.
"Ohoho, ominous!" Vegeta chuckled.
"Vegeta, this is the only chance you're going to get. If she slips away now, you'll never get the opportunity to fight me at my full potential." Cell continued. "And let's be honest: Do you really think Goku or Orion can give you the challenge you deserve?"
"Ya know, the funny thing is, I know you're playin' me…" Vegeta said. "But you're right. She's all yours."
"Oho, thank you Vegeta! Trust me, great things are about to happen." Cell responded as he began to fly off. Trunks and Nappa immediately went Super Saiyan grade 2 and flew in front of Cell to block his way.
"Yeah, so I'm gonna be the one of the only voices of reason here and say absolutely not!" Trunks told Cell.
"Damn it, I knew letting Vegeta go first would be a mistake!" Nappa yelled. "I'm not about to let you obtain that perfect form! Screw pride! I might also want to see how I fare against that power, but I'm not about to risk the entire planet because of it!"
"Trunks, Nappa, don't interfere!" Vegeta told them.
"That's right! Don't get in my way or else I'll-" Cell stopped as he saw her. His prey. The final piece to get perfection. Nappa and Trunks followed Cell's gaze, and saw the androids, Krillin, and the broken remote.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Trunks yelled at Krillin.
"Move you guys! Cell knows that you're here!" Nappa shouted. Cell immediately flew towards 18 at breakneck speeds, but Trunks flew after him and hit him away.
"I said absolutely NOT!"
"Huh, Vegeta was right. He is almost as strong as-" Cell didn't finish as Nappa axe kicked him into the ground. Nappa began to fire multiple Bomber XDs at Cell as Trunks turned to 18.
"Blow yourself up or leave! I don't care which!" Trunks screamed.
"Yeah, ok…" 18 said. 18 turned to 16, but he rejected her help.
"Leave me. Go and save yourself." He told her. "I can do nothing for you but slow you down. Go on, run!" 18 hesitated for a bit before running off like 16 wanted.
"You're doing a brave thing." Krillin told 16 before running off with 18.
"As are you." 16 told him.
Nappa was continuing his barrage on Cell until Vegeta kicked him away to stop him. "Nappa! I told you not to interfere!"
"Damn it, Vegeta!" Nappa grimaced.
"I'll handle dad! You take care of Cell!" Trunks said as he began to fight with Vegeta. Nappa nodded and flew down to Cell, who had just gotten out of the rubble he was in, and began to fight with him. Vegeta laughed as Trunks tried to attack him.
"Who are you trying to fool? You're too soft-hearted to attack your own father! I call your bluff!" Vegeta told the boy as he knocked him to the ground. Trunks flew up in anger and gathered his energy.
"That is IT! I am stopping this now!"
"Oh?! What're you doin'?!"
"What am I doing!?"
"Thwartin' my plans!?"
"Thwarting your plans!?"
"Are you?!"
"...You know what!? YES!" Trunks shouted as he fired a massive energy blast at Vegeta, sending him many miles away. Trunks then flew to where Nappa and Cell where and began helping Nappa with attacking Cell. Cell backed away and flew up to the sun. Tien Shinhan got him in this mess, and he was going to get him out of it.
"Solar Flare!" Bright light shot out like before, blinding everyone in the area. Cell landed on the ground and started walking towards 18. Krillin got in front of her to try to protect her, but was knocked away by one of Cell's energy blasts. With nothing left in his way, Cell brought his tail down, and absorbed 18. Once everyone could see again, Cell was glowing as his body was changing for the final time.
"No!" Everyone shouted in varying levels of terror.
"YESSSS!" Vegeta shouted in delight. Cell's energy covered the entire island in a green light before it expanded to even above the atmosphere. When it was finally over, Cell was standing in a large crater, in his perfect form.
"'P' is for 'Priceless', the look upon your faces." Cell began to sing while everyone only stared at him in horror. "'E' is for 'Extinction', all your puny races. 'R' for 'Revolution', which will be televised. 'F' is for how Fucked you are, now allow me to reprise~. 'E' is for 'Eccentric', just listen to my song. 'C' is for 'Completion', that I've waited for so long! 'T' is for the 'Terror', upon you I'll bestow…" Cell then chuckled as he turned to the others. "My name is Perfect Cell. And I'd like to say...Hello."