Yo! Son Goku and friends!

by Lucky8ofspades

"What do you even see in these fools, Whis? They don't even come close to godhood." "Well, Beerus, a God of Destruction's duty only matters if the creation is worthy of being destroyed."

48. With All 7 Balls You'll Find

Yo! Son Goku and friends! Cell Saga (Chapter 7)

Raditz

"Nice to have you here, Raditz. Come, have a seat anywhere."

"Thank you." The Saiyan answered back with a graceful bow, taking a seat near Mic at his left side.

"So you want a position here with us?"

"Y-yes." Raditz nodded and straightened his red tie tightly.

"Have you had any previous experience in this field before?"

"Yes. Back in outer… back in the day I and many other colleagues took jobs securing locations and making sure it was fit for the clientele."

"You know what this job entails, right?"

Raditz raised a brow, not totally sure.

"Uhm~"

"If you take a bodyguard position with The Budokai, you will no longer be able to participate in the tournament."

"..."

"A strong guy like yourself, eager to prove your worth… That's a pretty big sacrifice, no?"

Raditz averted his sharp eye contact and stared up at the lazy ceiling fan as the bright blues of the sky had very much faded away into the purple and orange smoothie dusk calls for.

"Not particularly."

"Why not? You even got to Grand Finals in the 24th. You're not gonna be bothered by never taking the title?"

"Hmm~ Let me phrase it this way… Back in my old job people were always looking to step on others, not even cause they really even hated each other but more that they cared so much to be above someone. I've seen decent folk turn into monsters just cause it was that much safer to be higher up on the totem pole. Competition doesn't really tickle my fancy anymore, I've had the concept ruined for me a little bit I suppose."

Mic said nothing, only fixing his sunglasses and letting the big man talk.

"I mostly look to be better than I was yesterday. The only one I'm competing with now is myself. I learned a lot from one of my brother's best friends."

"I see."

"..."

"Wise words. I can trust you to handle any discrepancies or altercations then?"

"I heard about the 25th and I feel bad about it, so that's why I'm here. We're lucky none of those attendees got hurt."

Mic smiled brightly, hollywood style as he stood up in a huff and extended out his right arm invitingly.

"Welcome to the team."

"Hah! Really?"

"I've been wanting to hire one of Goku's friends for a long time ever since the 23rd. That tournament was way too out of hand for my taste. It's why we took so long to rebuild. If we had someone like you around it'd keep the sanctity of the tournament intact and force people into actually doing what they're supposed to. Now we have rules instated as to the fact that as a member of the bracket, we're not responsible for your death, but now we have some insurance." Mic said with his shining whites twinkling as he patted on Raditz' shoulder.

Cell

The sunburnt sky loomed over the three men as Jed handed off the item he promised for a job well done. Nighttime had finally come.

"You have 5 more, Dragonballs, to gather, Cell. Get to work."

"Yes, Doctor."

"Remember. You are the perfect creation, you have no need to feel bad for these lesser organisms. Got it?"

"I don't..?"

"Never. It is Survival of the Fittest."

A bit of Cell's melancholy lifted as the two doctors bagged the capsules and left the premises. Jed looked on from inside the house, peering through the curtains as the strange visitors walked away with the crystalline orb.

Ga-Chuik! Bee! Bee!

"Well, the next Dragon Ball is..? West..? Maybe? Is that west? I guess so."

Cell put away the radar and flexed his muscles, gauging the newly acquired strength from The King. A flicker of doubt crossed his mind regardless, two lives now cut short for his own.

It didn't feel good.

"Hahhh~" He let out in a heavy sigh, looking towards the mix of purples, blues, and oranges swirled together in the sky. "Father and Kochin are very smart men. I wouldn't be here without them so I suppose I should trust them…"

Cell elected not to think about it too much, checking the radar one more time before blasting off into the aether with a flap of his wings, the resounding echo blowing away a bit of the surrounding farmland and white picket fences.

FOOSHH!

"Whoa~ I didn't mean to do it that hard…"

Cell's thoughts lulled and he let himself go blank as he soared through the clouds.

Maloja

The sun set outside Baba's palace as ghosts and ghouls looked on, appalled and shocked at a new winner. The moon wasn't in full swing but that didn't matter, the yellow light emanating from the celestial body still illuminated the coliseum in a beautiful mix of natural lighting both from the top and from the surroundings as Baba had many a torch lighting the circular outside arena.

"I didn't see this coming in a million years."

"You Never thought I was good enough, you old witch."

"Cause you weren't. You goofed off and made excuses. You're still not even a fortuneteller, Maloja."

Bandages crawled around on the ground, aching from the pain and falling out of the arena and into the water, reflecting the moon in the night time.

"Fortune telling is for those who can't shape their own destiny."

"How funny you'd say such a thing since you came to me to tell your destiny." Baba shot back with a wicked smile.

"You have to sit back and watch as the world changes around you, Baba. I'm only using your service as a means to an end and to prove just how wrong you were about me."

"Perhaps I was." She mused. "So what!? You still need my help."

"The Dragon Balls. You said they were nothing but a legend long ago, is that still true?"

"No." She lamented, looking out into the calm waters surrounding the palace.

Maloja stared at the old woman with an ethereal gaze.

"They're real. What do you-"

"They grant any wish?"

"Something like that. As long as it's within The Eternal Dragon's power to do so."

"So I could wish for immortality?"

"More or less. I believe Demon King Piccolo wished for that all those years ago."

"Perfect." Maloja answered with a strong mind and an iron fist. "Tell me where they are, Baba."

"You get one fortune, Maloja. Or have you forgotten?"

"You were always a money-grubbing hag."

Dr. Challenger

The sun peeked through the bottom of the skyline as dawn approached. A well dressed elderly man with a black coat and jeans parked his car, turning it off and checking himself in the rearview mirror. He stepped out of the older black vehicle and walked up the steps of a building labeled:

The Royal Academy of Science

He fixed his time one last time before pushing the doors open to the more rural-looking establishment. It wasn't poorly taken care of or anything, but the name left a lot to be desired considering it was made of mostly brick and shoved into a small pocket on the street.

"Doctor!" A woman greeted, all smiles as she talked to a receptionist typing down something at the front desk.

"Ms. Nain." He greeted her warmly with a bow of his head.

"Aren't you just bursting with excitement?" She asked joyously as she joined him in a walk down the chrome halls.

"Hah-hah~" The man laughed with all the energy an old man can have. "I try not to get too excited for my own good these days."

"You play too much, Doctor."

The man shook his head as he flung the doors open to a room with a clear reasoning:

Meeting Room 2

"Hello, gentlemen. All on time, I see."

A balding man who still had a little bit hanging on at the back wiped his glasses on his yellow button up and brandished a smile.

"I didn't want to keep you waiting, Challenger. Wouldn't wanna ruin this new gig. I've had quite enough of my fair share of excitement… This life and the next."

"What is up with you guys?" She questioned, still keeping her upbeat demeanor. "Is this how I'm gonna be when I'm your age?"

"He-Hah-Hah-Hah!" The man laughed as he fixed the last bit off his glasses and put them on. "Life has a way of stealing your excitement from you whether you want it or not. That or the excitement is a little too much for anyone."

"Vell, I am ready veneva anyvone else is." The final man in a stark yellow waistcoat called out as he flapped it, scratching at his puffy blue afro and then subsequently his mustache.

"If everyone is ready…" Dr. Challenger motioned to everyone with a enthused wave of his hand. "We'd better get going, post haste!"

The crew followed him out the building just the same as he came in, the three others waving to the receptionist as they walked out into the street and then subsequently into the parking lot. In no time at all they were already on 'the road', flying through the air as Ms. Nain checked the maps.

"Just a refresher, Nain."

"Yes?"

"What's our ETA for Kyodai?"

"A little over 3 hours, sir."

"Alright, I guess we had better play some tunes then."

"Couldn't hurt." She shot back with a cheery smile from the passenger side.

Raditz

Raditz walked back into Capsule Corp. with a bit of swagger to him, enough so that Mrs. Brief commented on it.

"Oh youa' lookin' pretty confident today."

"Am I?" Is all Raditz said back, brandishing a cheeky smile. Mrs. Brief just laughed as The Saiyan hoofed it up the stairwell to the loft.

Bulma, Oolong, Puar, Yamcha, Gohan, Piccolo and Trunks were all corralled into the somewhat large room and spaced accordingly.

"Oh hey, it's the other dude with a tail."

"What's good, Oolong?"

"Not much." The pair high fived as Raditz laid his arms over the back of the couch, eyeing the TV with the rest of the inhabitants. "Just watching these people argue over houses that are already out of these buffoon's price range. It's amazing just how out of touch people are with their own finances."

"Hey, Uncle Raditz."

"What's good, Kid?"

"Yeah, these people really don't seem to understand. But the weird thing is that this is like the norm I guess."

"Mongrel."

"Green Man."

"Did you get it?"

"Yup."

"Awesome!" Bulma greeted cheerily, hugging onto Raditz' large frame.

"Huh?" He blushed at the sincerity of the gesture.

Bulma backed off and zoomed around the counter to get drinks. Raditz hopped over the ledge and plopped down on the couch in the middle of Gohan and Piccolo, forcing Oolong up against the armchair on the left side.

"Wow. I thought we had an understanding."

"My bad." Raditz laughed out joyously as Bulma handed him, Gohan, and Oolong some water. "Thank you."

"Thanks, Bulma."

"Finally."

Bulma just gave Oolong an icy cold glare as she returned to her laptop behind the counter, picking up and putting on her glasses. Yamcha stole a kiss which in turn ushered a blush as he sat next to her on one of the stools. The Wolf bobbed the small child up and down for a while as he looked around with intrigue.

Raditz shot several glances at Gohan during his stay at the building while the dawn crept into noon and then almost midday.

"Gohan?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you would be willing to help me again?"

The whole loft just looked at Raditz with a bit of trepidation.

"What..? He's stronger now, cut me some slack. Green Man and 4 for 5 are here too. I don't have to be doing it by myself."

The others looked to each other for validation and some wise words but it was Gohan who broke the silence.

"Sure thing!"

"Thanks."

In an instant, the chrome deck was already preoccupied with everyone excluding the two Saiyans.

"I always wondered what this thing was for." Oolong commented as he hopped up onto the large windowsill, aiming down at Raditz and Gohan with hand-mimed binoculars.

Bulma tapped away feverishly on the computer before Piccolo vanished and then reappeared with several cases of water.

"Oh my." Oolong spoke up once again as he noticed the pair taking off their clothes. "How scandalous."

"Hagh-hagh-hagh!" Yamcha laughed out loudly with his hand placed firmly on the device.

Soon enough, everyone was ready to go and Piccolo sent out one last flicker of Telepathy.

"Gohan, try your best to hang on. You've always been good at being docile while in that ape form but we need you to actually get ahold of your complex thought."

"R~right!"

Gzzzzzzz~Yuwuwuwuwuwuwuwu~

The turquoise beams struck and the two Saiyans eyed the artificial moon like mad dogs before their bodies began to warp and alter under the stimuli.

"Come on, Gohan, talk to me." He relayed with some strain, putting his left hand harshly on the glass.

"Yes, Piccolo?"

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"We… we've already been through this."

"I know, but you've got to tell me anyway."

Gohan's maw started to shift and break out into the beastly ape-wolf as he grew in stature. The lashback of the Telepathy started to put a hefty load on Piccolo's mind like white noise.

"Bulma…" Is all Gohan shot back for a while. Piccolo thought it had been lost, breathing out a sigh and stepping away from the glass, turning around to leave.

"..."

"Bulma. I want to be a pioneer like Bulma and her family..." Gohan finally spoke again as he put his growing ape hand against the chrome wall, Piccolo's eyes widening as he looked on from the red catwalk. "Mr. Brief created something the world has never seen. I don't know exactly…"

"ROUUUHHHHH!" Raditz bellowed as he transformed into the beast, beating on his chest and smacking up against the walls of the cylindrical space.

"What I'm gonna do, but… I think I'd like to be a pioneer like her…" Gohan spoke with full calm and collectedness as he eyed the glass from the darkness.

"He did it!" Bulma screamed as she just about fell out of her chair. "He's looking right at us!"

"Piccolo?" Yamcha yelled in an inquisitive tone from across the way.

The Demon walked back into the control room gallantly, cape flaring at the revelation.

"Yep. Gohan is speaking to me, here you go." He gave out the line to everyone.

"Bulma?"

"I'm right here, kid. Excellent job."

"Thanks… It's kind of scary down here. And loud."

"You need any help? Me and Piccolo will bust in there as soon as possible."

"No. I don't think so…"

"I'd just… I'd feel more safe if~"

Before Gohan even finished the sentence.

"-dad was here."

Vsh!

"Huh? What's up, Piccolo? Hey guys!"

"Hi, Goku."

"Hi dad!"

"Gohan, where are you?"

"He's down there."

"Oh! You guys are trying a second time?"

"Well, third for Raditz." Yamcha stated as he shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you need my help for?"

"Well, Gohan would feel more safe if you were here." Piccolo stated matter-of-factly.

"Hey, you can rely on them just as much as me, Gohan. With Piccolo and Yamcha looking after you, you should have no problem."

The genuineness of Goku and the consistency with which he spoke highly of his friends always managed to bring out the fluffy blushes from everyone.

"But…" Goku continued as he blitzed down the hall.

Yamcha touched the button on the side and the hatch soon opened.

"Bulma."

"Yes?"

"Turn on the lights."

"Are you sure?" Bulma asked with a bit of unease, Piccolo's cold but still distinctly confident demeanor broke her and she switched the lights on the inside.

Yamcha ran back quickly and handed off Trunks to Oolong.

"Oh wow. Never thought I'd see the day."

"His name's Trunks."

"Pig." Trunks commented plainly as he stared down at Oolong.

"I don't like how this kid's almost taller than me. How old is this guy?"

"Three."

"Three!? What are you feedin' him?"

"Oolong. You're like not even three feet tall. It's not that hard to be taller than you."

"It's four feet, ma'am. Though I know those kinds of nuances aren't your forte'. I mean Goku barely passed that threshold for like five years."

"Well Goku's strange. Gohan's not even 15 and he's taller than Goku was at that age so I think that's just a weird Goku thing."

Soon enough, Piccolo, Goku, and Yamcha had entered the chrome hall. Raditz banged like mad until the lights turned on and the burning fluorescents hit a bit harshly. Gohan shielded his large red eyes too until he saw the three men floating around him for back up. Something about it just hit him, he could see a Titans hat Yamcha had on and:

Gohan recalls the first time he went hunting for the Dragon Balls and that red Titans cap he gave him as a memento.

Gohan began to change again, much to the dismay of Piccolo.

"What's happening!?"

"You think I'd know!?" Yamcha yelled back as he fixed the green cap atop his head.

Raditz roared with the booming voice of a god, charging up an ethereal pink beam in his maw.

"Guys! Get ready!" Goku cried out as the pink plasma fired.

The brother got in the way of the blast, manhandling it with his palms. Piccolo and Yamcha got right next to him on either side and forced their will onto the surging ki blast, forcibly dissipating the maneuver.

"GRAWHH?" Raditz growled in disbelief as the trio turned the ki into vapor.

"What's happening to Gohan!?" Puar finally called out as he pointed down to the now regular sized boy. "Why did he revert?"

Oolong got up on the windowsill again and peered down with a furrowed brow.

"I don't think he reverted."

Trunks hopped out of Oolong's grasp and gazed at the boy for himself. Bulma typed a few things on the console and the glass window miraculously switched images like a monitor.

"I think he evolved again." Oolong stated bewilderingly as he looked upon Gohan, brown fur all the same but now stuck to a humanoid teenage body instead of a large beast.

This is not a Super Saiyan.

This is something different.

This is Conquered Oozaru.

"Gohan?" Piccolo called out, completely bewildered.

Goku didn't check on his son, more concerned with the threat as Raditz returned to his rampaging in the small room.

DWANN! GWANGG!

"ROAUUUUUUUGHHH!"

The Demon left the others to float in the air as he went to check on the boy. The Wolf and the younger brother flew circles around the beast trying to keep a lid on it.

"Gohan?"

"What's up? Uhh~" It was almost as if the boy didn't even realise himself, checking the rich brown fur on the backs of his hands, all the way up his to his shoulders, strange black fingernails.

The fur was everywhere except for the face, the chest, and the fingers, toes, and insides of his palms. He looked very much like a monkey now, not just a boy with a tail. His eyes also had a dark look about them as if he were wearing mascara or some kind of makeup.

"Is this what Raditz was looking for?"

"I don't know." Gohan answered plainly as he stood up as tall as could be, his brown tail jiving in both intrigue and excitement.

"Gohan, are you okay?" Bulma shot out from the intercom.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He quickly retorted via Piccolo's Telepathy.

"Good."

The Demon and Gohan turned their attention back to the big wolf-monkey abomination swinging and smacking the walls of the chrome space. Soon enough, Tien arrived.

"You really just like getting me all worked up, huh? Don't you know just how scary a random energy surge this high is?" He asked to Bulma, Oolong, and Puar.

Bulma said nothing, only blinking a few times as he entered.

"When you guys put your energy into this thing it doesn't actually Feel like your energy." Tien blurted through the intercom. "Your shit is also masked by whatever this box is. How do I get in there?"

Vavv~Vsh!

Tien was already inside.

"Kid?"

"Hey, Tien."

"What the hell?"

"Piccolo and I were just speculating if this is what Raditz' aim was with the Great Ape Transformation."

"Piccolo…"

"Piccolo…"

"Piccolo…"

A familiar yet distant and quiet voice teetered at the edge of his mind, The Demon thought he was going crazy until he took the bait and sent out a Telepathic pang.

"Piccolo. Damn, I guess he's not good enough yet."

"Who's not good enough?"

"Finally. Good job man, I guess I can just yell at you now and you'll hear it."

"Shut up, Krillin." Piccolo's words were tough but neither the delivery nor the smile he had were antagonistic.

"What's goin' on? I'm at work right now so I can't just bail until I have the details."

"We're working with Raditz."

"Oh, the big chrome box?"

"Yup."

"Who's there?"

"Everyone but you, we've got this thing under control so we don't need your help."

"Gotcha. I guess I'll leave it to you then."

"..."

Piccolo severed the line by pinching his index and thumb together and then drawing a line in the air.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, Raditz." Goku reassured calmly as he jumped up and around his brother's wild swings.

"This strat isn't really working very well, Goku. You sure it's not better just to knock him out?"

"Why would we do that?"

FOOSH! DWANN! DONGG! FSH!

"He's like any other animal, only more vicious. But that's okay. Even vicious animals have their quiet moments, we just gotta find out how to get Raditz there."

Yamcha held his tongue, shaking his head a bit in disapproval. Tien met up with them in the air, dancing around the strikes with the other two.

"So what's going on?"

"Hey Tien!" Goku greeted jubilantly as he jumped onto a titanic right arm, leaping off of it soon enough before it doubled back.

FSH! DWONGG!

"Are you guys okay down there!?" Bulma interjected once more.

"We'll manage!" Yamcha yelled back.

The now trio flew in wild and impossible to predict patterns for the beast, a long while was used up just trying to maintain the focus and attention of the large wolf-monkey hybrid until finally it ran out of gas.

The Oozaru is still a living creature after all and does suffer from exhaustion. It being so big uses up a lot of energy. After about an hour of playing catch-me-if-you-can, Raditz finally submitted and sat down on the floor in defeat, catching his breath and swinging at the trio with much less gusto.

"I can't believe they really did that for..? How long was that, Bulma?"

"Well. Raditz got back here at like 10 A.M. and it's 6 right now so we've probably been in here for over an hour and a half."

"Unbelievable." Piccolo just shook his head while holding a smile.

The Wolf and The Crane just left Goku with the beast and made their way to Gohan, sweat and exhaustion piled onto their frames as well.

"Whoa~ What happened to you, Gohahnhu~?" Yamcha questioned as he took off his shirt and wiped it over his body and face, taking off the green Titans' cap.

"Well, Piccolo and I are thinking that this was the answer Uncle Raditz was looking for. I just have better control is all."

"I see." Yamcha said as he put the baseball cap on and shifted his gaze to that of the brothers in the corner.

Goku squatted down low to the ground and locked eyes with Raditz as he sat upright against the chrome corner.

"Hey. I'm not here to hurt you, Raditz. Can you hear me?"

The beast looked back, but it didn't feel the same as his son's not because the eyes were different but because the intent behind them was.

"If you can't let me help you, then that means you have to help yourself. I know you can do it, Buuut it's a lot easier if you let me."

Goku sat criss-cross and paralleled his brother's body language, slumping a bit and forming a goofy slouched maw. Raditz raised a brow at this and started shifting his form. Goku pantomimed a monkey-see monkey-do routine until something clicked. Inside of Raditz' brain, something finally caught on and Goku could retroactively see the difference in his brother's eyes. No more malice, he could see the cognitive thought enter into him as Raditz looked about the room.

"Yes!" Goku screamed as he leapt into the air. "Huh-Hah! Way to go, Buddy!"

Raditz blinked a few times, and studied Goku's form.

Something about it was scary, but equal parts inviting as well. It was a mixed bag of emotions as he stared at his brother's hair.

The beast stared and sat there for a long time just trying to understand.

"He did it! Hee-Hee-Haugh-Haugh-Hah!"

It all cut across with the goofy and high-energy. Kakarot was different from Bardock and Turles, not just the personality however. It was the energy. Goku ran around like a kid in a candy shop almost every waking moment of his being. Turles and Bardock NEVER carried themselves like that. The high-energy of his brother brought a tear to his eye and the beast started to shrink.

Tien smacked onto Yamcha's chest harshly in a kind of: 'Bro come look at this' way. The wait was over and Raditz looked beastly but still distinctly himself, his wild mane looking even more impressive overtop the brown fur coat. He looked modelesque and ready for a role in a big blockbuster as he checked himself.

"No… way. What's this?"

"Hey!"

Raditz looked at his nephew from across the way. Gohan didn't say anything after that, just a thumb's up. Raditz laughed at the absurdity of it all, and met it in kind.

Cell

Cell soared over the mountains and plains alike. Vast oceans and cloudy apparitions as he finally neared the next Dragon Ball. It was packed away somewhere in this heavily forested region, covered in stones and wildlife. He searched high and low before he finally came across a strange and colourful abode with the letters:

Party

Just above the front door. Cell got out the radar once more and clicked in the top node.

Ga-shwick! Bee!

"I guess it's in here."

Cell wormed his way around the garden gnomes and lawn flamingos, bopping one on the head for good measure as he stepped gallantly on the porch.

KNOTT-KNOCK!

Cell raised his brow a bit.

"What's that noise?"

DududunduDududunduDududunduDududundu~

Cell had no idea what it was but it was a wavering hard bass hit. Club music.

DududunduDududundu~ Fwof~DUDUDUNDU~

"Sup, Jive Turkey!"DUDUDUNDU~"Welcome to the party!" The man shook his head along with the beat, wearing an orange polo shirt and grey slacks as he bounced up and down to the beat at the front door.

"What is that noise!?"

"Huh!?"DUDUDUNDU~

"What is that noise!?" Cell yelled as he leaned in close.

"You ain't never heard of EDM!?" DUDUDUNDU~

"WHAT!?"

"It's EDM!"DUDUDUNDU~

"CBN!?"

"YEAH! You got it!" DUDUDUNDU~ "You want to come in?"

"What!?"

DUDUDUNDUDUDUDUNDUDUDUDUNDU~

The man walked inside and ushered the bug-man into his swinging bachelor pad. Cell complied with a smile, the beat kind of infecting him.

"Okay!" The hip man called out with a bright smile as his new guest started to bob and weave to the tunes.

"What is this!?"

"I told you! EDM!"

"Oh, okay!"

Cell looked around the place and it was nice, it's not like he really had the necessary knowledge base to compare it to but the home was stuffed to the bits with accessories and lavish features. The whole carpet was a silky red velvet that felt great to walk on. In the middle were two purple couches opposite and facing each other across a wooden table. Behind that was a gigantic TV with bumpin' speakers that blared the EDM into the establishment. Just in front of the TV and facing the middle table was an egg-shaped chair that looked the type a supervillain would use in a spy thriller. The other embellishments were nice such as two dining tables tucked in the corners as you walked in. Cell's new acquaintance shuffled over to the speakers and turned the dial most of the way down.

DUDUDunduDududunduDududundu~

"I like your costume, Guy." The man called out as he still maintained a steady dancing rhythm.

"Uhh~ thanks?"

"So what's your name?"

"Cell."

"Cell, what a strange name."

"Is it? What's yours?"

"You can call me, The Vinnie."

"Why, The Vinnie?"

"It builds intrigue. I'm trying to get it to catch on, ya' know?"

"No-ho." Cell laughed out genuinely. "I don't know."

"Ahh, out of the loop are you?"

"I guess I am."

"Have a seat, guy. I'll go fetch some drinks."

Cell was taken aback by the hospitality and sat down on one of the comfy couches, sinking right into it.

"Oh wow~"

Vvvvvvv~

His wings fluttered wildly, catching into and rubbing against the material.

"This is absolutely fantastic."

"You dig it?"

"Dig it?"

"Are you down with it?"

"Down with it?"

"Fucking with it?"

"Fucking with it?"

"Are you comfortable my dude?" He shot back one last time as he kept it mellow and shoveled some ice from a fridge into a tall glass. "That's all I'm asking."

"Most certainly. This is delightful."

"Shuh~" He laughed out strangely. "We lookin' at orange juice, milk..? Soda maybe?"

"I uhh, I don't know. I've never had a drink." Cell replied back with a childlike smile, hands placed on his lap as he sat up straight.

"You're a wild cat, aren't you?"

"I'm not a cat I'm a… Well to be honest I don't really know what I am. I think I'm a bug..? Maybe..?" He asked for himself mostly as he jived his tail-like piercing appendage in the air.

"Well what sounds the best to you?"

"Could you tell me what they are?"

"So I've got soda, which is a carbonated beverage. That one's probably not for you since you've never had it. Orange juice, all natural, pretty good, of course, water. Milk, that's the go to for chasing down super spicy food. Sparkling water, and we've got Sparking! A new energy drink on the market."

"Energy drink?"

"Yeah, this kinda stuff is advertised mostly for athletes. The ironic thing is most athletes in any competition just drink water anyway because The Man just likes to keep us in the dark."

"The Man?"

"The Man! You know, like the big corporations."

"Corporations?"

"You're out of the loop, guy, and I kind of dig it. You're definitely not gonna let yourself be controlled by The Man."

"I still have no idea."

"That's no big deal. So what do you want?"

"Maybe the sports drink?"

"Excellent choice, dude."

Kllllluuuuu~

"Here you go!" The Vinnie called out as he served the tall glass of red liquid to Cell and sat opposite him on the other couch.

"Thank you." Cell greeted respectfully with a small bow and nod of the head.

"Man you have really good manners from someone who's out of the loop."

"Is that uncommon?"

"Well. I guess in the movies they always make the caveman guys really stupid and uncivilised."

"What's a caveman?"

"Sheesh. This 20 questions?"

"Pardon?"

"Wow~ you're alright." The Vinnie laughed as he downed his drink.

Instead of a forced laugh to go along for the ride, the first real fit of laughter escaped the bug-man. It felt good and most importantly, natural. They sat by themselves for a while until The Vinnie turned on the TV and started surfing through channels.

"What is this?"

"It's a TV."

"Oh~ What does it do?"

"It's for watching stuff. Like movies and shows."

"I see."

"Yeah, I'll just put on one of my favourite movies." The Vinnie put his drink on one of the coasters, getting up and walking to the shelf beside the enormous flat screen, picking out a thin disc from a box and shoving into a compartment below the screen.

Vrrr~Werrrr~

"This is Explosions 4. The lead actor, Pamput, got killed about 2 years ago now. So… Slurrrr~ This one's for you, you beautiful brown bastard."

Cell watched as The Vinnie stared at the TV screen and raised his glass high. Cell mimicked his new friend's motion, both raising their glasses to the ceiling before gently calling them back down in tandem.

"So why are you here, Cell?"

"Why am I here..?"

The warm and inviting atmosphere completely sidetracked the biological creation from completing his task.

"Slurrrr~" The Vinnie kept his eyes on the bug-man as the intro credits rolled on the film, Cell content to stare at the ceiling as he tried to recall what he needed to.

"Oh! The Dragon Ball!"

"The Dragon Ball? What in the world is that? … Don't tell me..?"

Cell said nothing, only looking over to his friend with some concern.

"Is a Dragon Ball an orange ball with stars on it?"

"Yes! That's exactly it!"

"Ahh, I thought something was weird about that stone. It crash landed outside my house. What..? Must have been, gosh. Almost 3 years I think. Time really flies."

"Great!"

"What..? You want it?"

"Yes please! It's my life's goal to collect them."

"Shoot, you can have it. I certainly don't need it. I derive all my powers from my electronic devices. I have no need for an orange ball with stars."

The Vinnie hopped off the sofa with drink in tow, forcing Cell off his feet as well as he followed him around the pad. The Vinnie opened a steel door on the left side and flicked on a switch inside on the right. The door led to a dusty and mostly empty basement with a few boxes here and there, a large generator taking up most of the space. He fiddled with and folded up a lot of cardboard until he came across what he needed.

"Here you go, dude."

The 4 star Dragon Ball.

"Thank you very much… The Vinnie."

There was a moment of pause. The Vinnie hadn't truly considered the ramifications of being called The Vinnie. Cell calling The Vinnie The Vinnie was a once-in-a-lifetime offer of genuineness and only in Cell's genuineness and non-mocking tone did The Vinnie find out just how stupid the name was.

"You know what bro?"

"..?"

"You can just call me Vinnie."

"Oh. O-kay. Thanks very much, Vinnie."

"No prob bro. You still trying to watch the rest of the movie?"

"I'd be delighted to."