Sunlight poured onto Bulla's face, and its warmth filled up her body and spirit.
The air was different outside the time chamber. Inside it was this thick, burdensome fog that felt suffocating and dense. Looking out, it was an endless expanse of nothing and yet it was oppressive in the way it seemed to layer every single thing it touched—it truly made training a challenge. Bulla's heart shuddered. She couldn't wait to be on the ground again where there was something, not just the menacing, endless void.
So much had changed in the chamber since she went in. Bulla couldn't believe it. First, her father agreed to train her. As the days went on, Vegeta continued to seek her out. Together they trained, completely syncing up their schedules so they would not waste a single minute of time. What started as an exercise in ignoring her father by any means possible became the complete opposite: no matter what she did, she couldn't seem to get rid of him.
He wasn't much of a talker, that was for sure, but he let Bulla tell him stories of her life back home. Sometimes he would share his stories, too. Even though she had heard a few of them before, they were given new life as Vegeta shared them with his own brand of vigor.
In the last few weeks, however, Vegeta had grown increasingly silent. Hours would pass while he was out in the void, pounding his fists on the marble as he tried—and failed—to reach a new level. Those last weeks pushed her beyond anything she had felt before, her father looking on as she trained and instructing her to watch as he did, too. When she thought of the words she had said to him before entering the time chamber, she cringed.
I have never needed you, and I don't need you now.
How wrong she was.
She could feel the difference. It was like an electric volt that ran through her from the top of her head to the deepest part of her core, a beam of energy pouring out of her that was so powerful and potent. And every time she was on the brink of it, it left a metallic taste in her mouth.
As soon as the door swung open, the others had crowded them in anticipation. Seeing their smiles made Bulla's heart soar, but all she truly wanted was a nice, hot meal and a bath. A year stuck inside that chamber had been not only a test of her body, but one of her mind as well—and she was looking forward to a bit of relaxation.
"How was it?" Goku excitedly asked. But before Bulla could turn to respond, Vegeta had his hand out in front of her.
"What happens in there remains between you and I until we prepare for battle," he hissed.
His boots clacked across the white floors of the Lookout. While he wasn't going to divulge any details just yet, Bulla had a feeling by the look in Goku's eyes that he knew just how strong his rival-turned-friend had become.
Just then, a flying car came to a thrashing skid on the edge of the Lookout. Bulla smiled when she saw her mother and Chi-Chi in the front seat, but her face quickly changed when she saw the horrified expressions they both wore. Bulma hustled out, running as fast as she could to where the Z Fighters stood. It was Vegeta who first instinctively stepped out toward her.
"Guys!" she yelled. "Guys! We have a big problem!"
"Where's 18?" Piccolo asked.
Back at the car, Chi-Chi was struggling to pull something—or someone—out of the back. Goku recognized him right away. A battered Krillin was sprawled out on the backseat of the still-running vehicle, and Chi-Chi tugged on him desperately. Goku's heart sank. Quickly he ran to his friend, taking him from Chi-Chi's embrace and rushing over to the other Z Fighters.
"Piccolo!" he shouted. "I need a senzu bean!"
The Namek fumbled for the pouch at his waist, and threw a bean to Krillin. As he chewed the color starting coming back to his face, his eyes widening and his breath became stable.
"What happened?" Piccolo asked. Bulma shook her head.
"Gero…" she whispered. "He had a tracking device on her—and one on Cell. He was watching the whole fight when 17 was absorbed. He knew where Krillin went as soon as he had gone."
It was what Piccolo had most feared. When he put the plan into action, he knew there was a chance that Gero would be a step ahead of him. He hedged his bets and it failed.
"Cell came to the house this morning, and we tried to get her to escape," Chi-Chi said. "But after he attacked Krillin, she…"
Her eyes fell to the floor and she clenched them shut. Goku instinctively reached out to his wife to comfort her, and she took his hand in hers.
"She gave herself up to Cell," Bulma continued. "To save us."
A shockwave ripped through the group.
"What?" Bulla said. "I don't…"
"It's a long story," Bulma said. "But when she came to Capsule Corp. she helped us figure out some of Gero's nonsensical writing. She was helpful and kind and…"
"Remorseful," Krillin finished for her.
"So she's inside Cell now, huh?" Vegeta's voice cut through the group.
Krillin hung his head.
"There was nothing I could do," Krillin's voice caught.
"We know," Goku reassured his friend.
"Where did Cell go?" Vegeta interrupted.
"He left," Krillin shook his head. "I...I didn't understand it but. He did what she asked him to do. And he told us that he would be back."
"What?" Piccolo asked. "Did he say when? Did he say where he was going?"
"I have no idea," Krillin said.
"I might have one." Cell's voice pierced the air. Suddenly he appeared at the lip of the Lookout's perimeter, flying upward and landing on the edge. Goku and the others braced themselves for a fight, but Cell waved his hand. "There's no need for that. We won't be fighting here."
"Cell!" Vegeta shouted, gritting his teeth.
Goku was taken back by Cell's new look. No longer did he look like a half-man, half-beast. He was taller and his body more slender, his muscles rippling across his sturdy frame. And his face more human like, too, his eyes a piercing blue just like 17 and 18. Atop his head was a crown-like ridge that made his already domineering height even more oppressive, in its center was a red circle that appeared to glow. His tail flicked and he moved toward the fighters.
"Hello again," Cell smiled. "So happy we could have this touching reunion."
"So you absorbed 18, huh?" Piccolo said. "How did you find us here?"
"You people are pathetically easy to find—especially since I have your knack of reading ki," Cell said in a sing-song voice. "Did you know that even when your energy is very low I can feel you? It's like shooting fish in a barrel."
"What are you playing at, Cell?" Goku yelled. "Is it a fight you want?"
"Oh yes, it is," Cell walked closer to the group. "But I've already proved to myself that you are nothing more than punching bags for me, so I thought why not raise the stakes a little."
The Z Fighters crowded around one another. Whatever Cell was trying to do was working. Goku placed himself between Cell and the others, gingerly moving toward the creature.
"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Goku asked.
"It's simple, really," Cell licked his lips. "I am proposing we fight in a tournament."
Goku's eyebrow raised. Why would he want that? How did he even know what a tournament entailed? A nervous feeling took over Goku, and as hard as he tried to calm it, it grew larger and larger by the second.
"What for?" Goku said. "What's the point of this tournament?"
"Once you're dead, Goku, my reason for existing will simply cease to be," Cell said. "And watching 18 struggle with her own mortality had me thinking. What would I do when I destroy you, hmm? See, Gero believed that I was just a monster—that I had no thoughts or free will of my own. And in a way, he is correct. But I am sentient, just as you are, and I understand that I will live long beyond fulfilling my creator's purpose."
Behind Goku, Bulla took a deep breath. She could feel her father slowly preparing himself for battle, his ki fluctuating slightly with each word Cell spoke. She reached out for his shoulder and tried to steady him, but he brushed her hand away.
"He no longer controls me, Goku," Cell said. "He never truly did. Gero is a fool who was so blinded by revenge that he never saw the true opportunity in front of him."
"Which is?" Goku asked.
"Power." Cell furrowed his brow and his smile grew. "With my strength, I can control this planet. I can make everyone worship me and bend to my will, but to do that, they will need to know me."
"So you think a tournament is the way to do that?" Goku said. "How will anyone know?"
"You really are a simpleton," Cell laughed. "You won't be the only fighters I plan on inviting there. While you and I both know that you are the strongest fighter on Earth, there are many who don't. Word of your antics has yet to reach the masses, and I suspect they have their own fighters they worship for their strength and heroism."
He inched closer to the group, now within striking distance of Goku, but neither leapt at the opportunity.
"You see," Cell continued. "I plan on making this an open call. I want it televised. I want the world to know exactly who I am, and that no fighter on this planet can defeat me. Then once the slaughter is done, I will use my power to control the masses."
"So you'd bring innocent people into a fight that is meant for me?" Goku said, his fists clenched. "You're twisted, Cell."
"No," he smirked. "I am strategic."
He turned away from the group and made his way back over to the edge. His foot stopped just short of it. Turning his head over his shoulder, he looked directly at Goku with a menacing stare.
"You have five days to prepare," Cell said. "You can expect details to come shortly, but I'll save you the trouble of scouring your television and just tell you now. In five days at 10 a.m., I will meet you in the field where we first met, just outside of East City. And if you think about coming after me before that, I can guarantee you won't like the outcome."
With a swift leap, Cell jumped from the Lookout and floated into the sky. He twisted his body to face the Z Fighters again.
"I look forward to our face-off Goku," he said before darting off at an alarming speed.
The group stood there stunned. Their silence was only broken when Vegeta let out a low growl.
"I'm going after him!" he said.
"No," Goku outstretched his arm to stop his friend. "We need to regroup and think about what we're going to do."
Piccolo came forward and nodded his head solemnly.
"There's only one thing we can do," he said. "And that is train."