Gohan went Super Saiyan and Vegeta decided to try to access his hidden powers. Krillin teamed up with Yamcha. Tien and Piccolo were both reluctant allies. Just as they had practiced previously, Trunks teamed up with 18. They all moved forward. Leading the line along, Jadeite scanned the area around Ayers Rock and found that the ground had indeed been hollowed out in numerous places. She waved her hand and called out, "Kunzite! Nephrite! Both of you come on over here pronto!" The two hybrid partners just followed her command. She pointed at a spot on the ground and ordered, "Do a double drill beam right there, now." Coming together, they focused their individual energies to form an enormous energy spike, which they then drove straight down into the ground with great force. A tremendous crack appeared along the ground. Jadeite knew that it ran along the top of the underground tunnel that they were trying to enter. She then shouted loudly, "Yo, everyone! I want you to do drill beams along that fault line, now!" Her command was obeyed without any hesitation. Soon the underground tunnel had been split wide open under their powerful group assault. A few of the more adventuresome Saiyans began leaping right down into the tunnel without even being told to do so. Kunzite and Nephrite both quickly followed them inward, jauntily smiling and waving to their mother before disappearing into the deep darkness that lay right beneath the cracked earth.
Jadeite called out to the rest, who were still waiting for her orders, "Mewtwo, Shade, I want you to scan the ground for other tunnels and open them up with drill beams. You Saiyans and hybrids follow them and split up into all of those adjoining tunnels as they're opened. Vegeta, go down into the next tunnel you come to. Cell…you're going to go with Vegeta. Zoisite, you take Malachite and see if you can open a tunnel on the opposite side of Ayers Rock. Krillin and Yamcha, I want you two to follow Zoisite and Malachite. Morganite, you go and see if you can enter through the rock itself. Take Tanzanite with you when you leave. Piccolo, Tien…you go along with Tanzanite and Morganite. Gohan, you're with Mewtwo and Shade to help them with the drill beams. When you're done doing all that other stuff, I want you to follow Tanzanite and Morganite. Calcite, you're coming along with me and we're going to go down here now. Okay, everyone, let's go!"
Turning without so much as another word, Jadeite beckoned to Calcite and leapt into the tunnel. Calcite waved a hasty goodbye to the others, then quickly turned and followed her in. Saiyans moved, shifted, fired energy beams and yelled all around the both of them. Jadeite pushed her way through the riotous crowd and took her position at the front of the group. Calcite dropped back to the rear of the group, took a few Saiyan volunteers with him and began to blaze a trail down the opposite side of the tunnel. Not too far away from where Calcite had turned back to blaze a second trail through the base, Cell tagged along behind Vegeta without a word. Reckless and cocky as always, the arrogant Saiyan had shoved his way to the front of the group. Cell was the second one in line. Enjoying himself greatly, Vegeta yelled with great glee and blasted everything in sight. Intimidated slightly by all the noise and violence, Cell just quietly watched the Saiyan as he played.
There was a soft sound like a quick, sharp puff of air from somewhere unseen off to the right. A smallish metallic cylindrical object shot out of a small aperture in the wall and located its designated target: Cell. A tiny hypersonic scanner set within it targeted the likeliest area for penetration and then locked a laser tracer beam on the hybrid's thigh. The primary infrared scanner in the wall had detected and locked on to the heat signature of the femoral artery that lay beneath the thinnest part of Cell's armored carapace and it had aimed the object that had been launched out accordingly. Right on target, the object shot toward him and then struck true. Multiple rows of microscopic hooks set along its forward edges caught and held on its target. As soon as it hit, a small separately attached diamond-tipped drill bit automatically began to rotate rapidly within its titanium sheath, drilling a small hole in the hybrid's armor in preparation for the next part of the big plan. At the same time, the inner mechanism prepared to switch over to injector mode and deliver its chemical payload into the target's bloodstream. The quickly spinning drill bit finally broke through the last bit of armor and pierced right into Cell's femoral artery. Simultaneously, it switched into injector mode and quickly began to pump out a strong full-spectrum sedative. Right behind Vegeta, Cell gave a small yelp of pain and surprise as he noticed the smallish cylindrical object protruding from his upper thigh. In a little bit of pain and also very irate, he ripped the offending mechanism, which was still diligently pumping out its chemical payload with the pure single-minded determination that only a machine could ever possess, from its place and prepared to crush it with his bare hands. Just then, the powerful sedative that it had already introduced into his unaware body hit his nervous system like a ton of giant bricks and thusly Cell abruptly lost consciousness.
A rough clatter drew Vegeta's attention away from the great fun that he was having in the fight. He quickly turned around and saw that Cell was now lying limply sprawled out on the floor, and he wasn't moving. Cursing loudly, he stopped the Saiyans' advance and reluctantly knelt beside his partner. A quick examination told him that the fallen hybrid was still quite alive. He noticed a thin little trickle of purplish blood by Cell's leg and found the small puncture wound in his thigh. Noticing that the hybrid held something, Vegeta pried the small metal cylinder out of Cell's limp hand and looked at it curiously. "Now here's an interesting little item if ever I saw one," he said aloud. He considered destroying it just for the heck of it, but then he decided to show it to Jadeite the next time he saw her. Looking back at his fallen partner, he said to himself, "I'm going to hate myself for this in the morning, but I'd better get him out to safety while I still can." Grimacing at having to touch the hybrid he hated so much, he roughly picked Cell up and then lifted up off the floor, soaring over the other Saiyans' heads and leaving through the hole in the tunnel's ceiling. As he soared up, he called to Snowfall, "Yo, cold chick! Link up to wing boy and tell him what just happened here. Tell him to contact our fearless leader and get her to come help this freak out." The furry female replied, "Wing boy? Do you mean Shade? Okay, I'll contact him, Vegeta. You want me to tell him to contact Jadeite, am I right?" He nodded grimly before disappearing into the sky. Closing her eyes, she sent the message. (Yo, Shade, this is Snowfall. Listen. Vegeta told me to send you a message and I'm not about to disobey the King of all Saiyans, so I'm sending you the message that he just gave to me. If you can hear what I'm saying, get the message through to Jadeite fast. Cell's down for the count and he needs her help in a major way. Vegeta's taking him to the surface. Tell her to meet him as soon as she can. If you can't reach her via telepathy, then go find her. This is really urgent, so get going right now.)
In a different tunnel not too far away, Shade received her message. That's just great, he thought angrily, Cell's down. I'd better get going and tell Jadeite. He calmed himself down and stepped away from the wild melee that raged all around him. Closing his eyes, he focused on reaching his sister Jadeite. Pushing any and all distractions out of his mind and away, he called out, (Jadeite. Yo, Jadeite! Snowfall gave me a message from Vegeta and told me to send it to you. Cell's down. Snowfall didn't say why and I doubt Vegeta told her, but she said he needs your help. She also said Vegeta's taking him out to the surface right this instant. He wants you to meet him out there as soon as you can come.)
In yet another distant tunnel, Jadeite lifted her head and listened to her brother's psychic message with a small amount of fear. She then quickly turned to the group of Saiyans following along behind her and said to King Cold, who was following her closely, "I'm transferring leadership to you for now because you're a natural-born commander. You're in charge of the posse who is working in this tunnel now. If you'll excuse me, I really have to get going." Turning away from him, she closed her eyes and brought her slender hand up to touch the smallish metallic trefoil that adorned her emerald-hued brow, and then disappeared with a short rush of shimmering light as she used Instant Transmission.
She didn't really know exactly where she had to go so she just teleported herself straight upward. Less than half an instant later, she found herself floating up high in the clear sky. Taking just a short moment to reorient herself with her new surroundings, she then quickly scanned the ground that lay so far below her. She had long ago found that her new transformation from Mewthree to Jadeite had heightened her five senses even more, and now she was truly thankful for that change. After quite a few absurdly long-seeming moments, she spotted a bright golden flare from a spot down on the distant ground. Folding her glossy black wings against her slim back, she fairly dove downward, following the beacon of light. Pulling up hard just five feet from the ground, she landed gently beside Vegeta, who had become a Super Saiyan and allowed his powerful aura to flare up brighter as a beacon to her. She said to him seriously, "Okay, Vegeta, I got your message. You said that something happened to Cell and that he needed my help. So where is he now?" He replied, turning away from her, "He's right over here." She just followed him silently. He led her into the meager shelter given by a very large boulder.
Cell lay stretched out in the shade it offered, limp and unmoving. His face was quite calm, as if he were merely sleeping. Jadeite knelt beside him and looked him over with a critical eye. He was breathing just fine and he was also quite uninjured, save for the small puncture wound in his thigh. Turning away from the fallen hybrid, she then said gruffly, "Okay then, Vegeta, spill the beans. What the heck happened to him?" Vegeta replied, "I didn't see it happening. I just turned around and there he was, out cold. But I found him holding this." He handed her the small metallic cylinder he'd pried from Cell's grip. She recognized it immediately, "Wow," she said, "A flip-dart! I heard that these things were proposed as military weapons for covert operations, but Team Rocket actually made some of them! I gotta check this thing out!" Jadeite sat down beside Cell and began to examine it. Using her telekinesis to open it because using her great strength would only break it and ruin her chances for finding out what it was, she cracked it right open and looked at the miniature drill set inside of it. It was able to hover and track its target via infrared. Then she came to the needle inside it. Following along its length, she found where the chemical payload it had carried was kept. There was a slight residue left. She touched it, noting the numb buzz it made her feel. "So," she said frankly, "It slipped him a sedative. There's nothing I can do about that. Cell's probably going to be knocked out like this for several hours, or however long it'll take for him to fully metabolize the chemical. But this is Cell we're talking about here. Knowing him, it'll probably be just a few minutes. However long it takes for him to recover doesn't really matter that much, because he's going to wake up feeling awful. I know all about sedatives and the best-case scenario for this situation is him waking up feeling like somebody shot him out of the sky and stomped on him repeatedly." Almost as if to prove her point, both she and Vegeta almost thought they heard a sound from the one who slept beside them both. The sound came again and this time they knew what it was. A third soft, weak moan came from Cell as he fought his way back to consciousness. Jadeite returned to his side as he stirred slightly. Incredibly weak, he tried to force himself to stand, but he failed and ended up lying flat on his rear. His face twisted in pain and then he complained, "I feel so dizzy."
He stayed down for a couple moments, then tried it again. This time he managed to stand up, wobbling in a major way. Jadeite stood beside him and he held onto her for support, but he collapsed and ended up almost pulling her down on top of him. Bowing his head and closing his eyes, he rested and just breathed. Then he prepared to try it again, but Jadeite held him down. "Hey," she said, "Stay down, Cell. You got it really bad and you can't fight anymore. Just relax." Between harsh breaths, he looked up at her defiantly and panted, "No, I won't be defeated like this. Jadeite, I have to continue the battle. I can't give up." Jadeite frowned and said, "Very well. You give me no choice in the matter, Cell." She laid a hand on his arm and once again reached up to touch her metallic trefoil.
An instant later, they were back at the lagoon by the waterfall, where they had spent the night together. Jadeite turned to him and said, "You are going to stay here." He hissed right back at her, "Like heck I will!" Momentarily losing her temper with him and his defiance, she roughly grabbed his face with both her strong hands and violently forced him to make eye contact with her. A strange sensation flooded through his body and he shivered. "There," she said to him harshly, "Now you have to stay here." Subconsciously reverting back to his old savage ferocity, he roared at her, "What did you just do to me?" She just replied in a cold, flat voice, utterly fearless, "I have telepathically blocked you from flying and using any and all of your hybrid powers. Basically, I fiddled with your brain and gave you all the abilities and basic attributes of a normal human being. You can't fight now. All you can do is karate and hand-to-hand fights, so Team Rocket is way out of your league. Now, if you don't behave yourself like a good little hybrid and promise to stay right here until I come back to release the restraints that I have set on your powers, I shall shut your mind down and make you fall asleep for the duration of the battle. You'll be perfectly fine for however long it takes for us to finish the fight. There's plenty of fresh water and there are all sorts of fruits in the jungle, which is a moot point because I just remembered that you don't need to eat or drink anything. Basically, what I'm saying is that you'll be perfectly fine until I come back. Don't worry and just hang around here a little bit." Grumbling angrily, he slowly settled down. Then, remembering something, he turned back to face her and said in a quavering voice, "But this is war and you may not survive it. You said it yourself, Jadeite. I heard you say it. Don't lie to me. Please." Jadeite smiled at him halfheartedly and replied in a soft voice, "All of my friends are either Saiyans or hybrids. But as for myself, I am a Super Saiyan and a hybrid, possessing the enhanced qualities and the innate abilities of each. Being a Super Saiyan enhances my hybrid powers and being a hybrid enhances my Super Saiyan powers. With such awesome power on my side, how could I ever possibly fail?" Something about the sad look in her eyes made Cell believe that she was lying to him for his benefit. She was heading into extreme danger, there was a good chance that she could die, and she knew it, too. Her composure broke for just a short little moment and she leapt forward to hug him fiercely. She stepped back, waved a jaunty goodbye and then flew away. She quickly disappeared into the high clouds and Cell was left alone with his swirling, turbulent, fearful thoughts. Although he didn't know it, this was actually the first time that he had ever felt fear for anyone else. He thought about Jadeite and the love that he felt for her. He thought of the danger that she was putting herself into and how he couldn't be there for her. It just wasn't fair! He wanted to be there with her…to help her! The burning anger that welled up inside him was an oddly familiar feeling. He found that he had recovered just enough strength to stand up as he bolted to his feet, raised his fists to the sky and shouted out his rage and denial. A sudden wave of pure dizziness and nausea overcame him and then he collapsed to the ground like a ton of bricks, panting harshly. After a few more moments of recovery time, he gingerly stood back up and began to slowly walk into the jungle. He thought to himself, Maybe if I climb up a tree I can see Ayers Rock from here and know which direction I'll have to go to get back to Jadeite and the war. He turned to face the nearest tree and then began to climb up the side of it using the rough bark and dangling vines for support. She could have at least left me my strength, he thought wryly. Soon but not nearly soon enough, he was up at the top of the tree. Looking outward through the highest foliage, he looked all around. There was nothing for hundreds upon hundreds of miles except trees and more trees, but he could faintly see Ayers Rock in the distance. Wow, he thought, That's a long way to go. But Jadeite needs my help and I'll go anyway. Now, should I return to the ground or stay up here and travel this way? He knew nothing of the jungle, but he had seen that the ground was rough and that the huge trees were all interconnected. He could even try swinging on vines! It would be easier to travel via the trees. And it would be fun, too. Descending through the foliage, he smiled. I may not have my great speed, but I still have my agility.
He found a thick, knotty vine and gave it a couple of quick tugs, then latched on tightly, jumped up and swung out. The swift rush of air against his milk-white face reminded him of flying. Timing everything perfectly, he let go of the vine and just let his momentum carry him to the branch of the next tree. Once he'd landed and gotten his balance, he laughed and exclaimed, "Wow! What a rush! It's totally different from flying!" Then he carefully moved around the tree, found another vine and then repeated the whole process.
Soon Cell was swinging from vine to vine like Tarzan, moving in perfect rhythm as he kept his flawless timing. The miles seemed to be flying by and he was enjoying himself immensely. Gotta admit, he thought to himself, This is the only way to travel. He had been in a few close scrapes with nearby trees and thusly had finally found out exactly why swinging on vines was such a wild and crazy thrill, even for someone like him, who could usually just jump up and fly wherever it was that he wanted to go. It was the sheer risk involved in the practice that made it so very fun, thrilling and all-around alluring. The wild sensation of being mere inches from utter ruin was undoubtedly the ultimate thrill. He would stop periodically and check to see if he was still heading in the right direction, and he always found that he was still right on target. His distance from Ayers Rock seemed to be decreasing by exponential leaps and bounds with every second. Soon he would be back by Jadeite's side, whether she liked it or not. He was enjoying the trip immensely, but his happiness was dampened by pure worry. Would he get there in time to be of any assistance to anyone? Was Jadeite all right? Had the awful battle already ended? He frantically prayed for her safety and sincerely hoped that he would find her standing both unharmed and utterly triumphant at the very heart of the great battlefield.
In time he reached the very edge of the jungle. Now Ayers Rock wasn't too far away. He could see some Saiyans and hybrids milling around and more were emerging from the great cracks they had drilled in the earth even as he watched. Sliding down the tree as fast as he could, he ran out to join them. Vegeta noticed him and stopped him. He said, "I thought our fearless leader took you somewhere far away." Cell replied, "She did. She just didn't count on me being able to make such good time getting back. Where is she, anyway?" For the very first time in all his memory, Vegeta couldn't look him in the eye.
A soft voice called his name and he turned. Shade and Mewtwo had come up behind him. When Cell saw what they were working together to carry, he just about died of sheer horror. Jadeite lay limply in their arms, a dead weight. She wasn't breathing. He felt as if he were moving through thick glue as he rushed to her side. Mewtwo and Shade laid her out on the ground and Cell knelt beside her. Her face was calm and serene, as if she were merely sleeping. A thick stream of purplish blood flowed from both her mouth and her nose, bisecting her serene face and contrasting harshly with the natural milk-white hue. Her armor was broken in many places and in some other places it had been shattered. Her slender hands were completely stained with her own blood, showing him that she had tried to use first aid on herself. But she had failed and now…now… He reached out and shook her slightly, and said in a despairing voice, "Jadeite…" Feeling how cold she had become, he took her in his arms and cried, "Jadeite! Don't give up! Open your eyes!" Shade stepped up beside him and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, saying, "It's too late, Cell. She's…gone…" Cell flinched under his gentle touch and then choked out, "No…" His coral eyes glittered as he hunched over her and screamed again, his voice hitching in a sob as he cried out, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A pale blue light began to slowly pulse along his shivering body. Evidently, his terror and grief had awakened the power that Jadeite had sealed away within him, but he didn't notice it. He concentrated solely on her. He cried her name again, then pleaded in a soft, quivering voice, "Talk to me… Don't leave me!" His shoulders shook as he laid his head on her chest and whispered, "I still have so much I want to tell you…" He tilted his head back and everyone could see the tears that stained his milk-white face. Vegeta stared in shock, thinking, Cell…is crying…
The pale blue light that burned along Cell's body intensified as he closed his eyes and just let it all out. He shone as bright as the sun and Jadeite's corpse slowly began to shine as well, mirroring his own glow. His hand was stained with her blood as he reached up to touch his brow. Then, using Instant Transmission, he disappeared. Jadeite's body still glowed. Everyone heard a huge gasp from the very center of the glow, and it dissipated to reveal that Jadeite was sitting up and looking all around her in a totally confused manner. Shade cried her name and practically tackled her in his wild joy. She gently returned his hug and asked in a soft voice, "What happened?" He babbled, almost crying in joy, "You died, Jadeite! You died! I thought you were gone forever! You died but somehow Cell healed you and brought you back to life!" She heard no more of his words. Having only one thing on her mind, she said, her voice cracking, "Where is he now… Where is Cell?"
Cell had returned to the lagoon by the waterfall, because that was the very last place he had seen Jadeite alive. Kneeling on the flat rock where they had slept together, he stared at his reflection in the water. For a fraction of a moment, it seemed as if another image were overlaid on his face. An image of pure carnage… What was that? He looked back and it happened again. More images flowed before him, and he was in the center of them all. He was viewing his memories, laid out on the stream. The water… And not just the ones he still had. It's flowing backwards… He remembered Jadeite and so much more than the happy times that he'd spent with her. Uncertainty and dread overwhelmed him. Time in reverse… A strange feeling came over him, transfixing him on the spot as he watched the images unfold before him. Memories engraved in the past… His memories passed beyond what he consciously knew to show him the sickening horrors of what he had been and what he had done. The sad past… He remembered the atrocities that he had committed and all the deaths that he had caused. The pain of remembering that tore at his soul. It's all coming back to me… Then the images shifted around to show him engaged in his Wave war against Gohan and then seeing Mewthree and her younger brother joining together with the young Saiyan to fight against him and also defeat him. He felt a moment's anger toward her. Then the images shifted again, to show her smiling down at him. I remember… The memories were very sweet and comforting, and yet they were also sad. The pain they brought to his traumatized heart was terrible. Mewthree… He missed her so terribly, the pain tearing at his heart like a mortal wound to his soul. He had never felt such agony before in all his life, even from life-threatening wounds. My love… She was gone forever and she would never return. That fact made him feel hopeless and suicidal. Jadeite… He sadly looked downward at the purplish blood that still stained his trembling hands. How could this be happening to him? The memories come flooding back to me… The tears flowed freely as he looked upward at the clear sky above his head. That was where he had last seen her, as she flew away to her death. The deep blue sky… He screamed his anger and pain at the heavens, letting his anguished fury loose on anything within range. He no longer cared. The same blue as her eyes when I first met her… He raged at the cruelty of fate and against himself for being so slow in returning to Ayers Rock to help her. How could this be happening? Those blue eyes held such hope and possibilities… Why hadn't he been faster? He hadn't come in time to save her! Maybe he could have saved her life if only he had been a little faster! Now the only one he had ever loved was gone. I used to love looking at her, hoping for a glimpse of her eyes. He remembered those wonderful times and couldn't help but smile. This was how he wanted to remember her, in glorious moments of joy. Those magnificent creatures… They had always amazed him to no end, and she had amazed him most of all. They were remarkable! The Saiyans… He had been so proud to know that he had been created from their DNA. It had been an honor to him, bearing Saiyan genes. And their queen… The first sight of her had struck through his cold exterior and touched his sleeping heart, awakening feelings that he had never thought possible. The strongest and most beautiful one… He remembered her and the feeling of pure awe returned to him, as strong as it had been when he had first felt it. She had been a truly magnificent creature, unlike any other Saiyan he had seen. Mewthree… He also remembered watching her playing around with little Kunzite. The child had loved her so, and so had he right from the start. At night I would seek her out… That one night had been pure heaven, the most wonderful time he could ever remember. Just to see her… Those idyllic times would never come again. His life was barren and cold, and it always would be that way, from that moment on until forever. Mewthree… He remembered all the wild, crazy, euphoric feelings that she had stirred up within him with her mere presence. It was wrong to meet like that… They had been risking so much just being together. Yet that risk had made their love all the sweeter. Love between a Saiyan and a hybrid could never be… The knowledge had torn at his heart, forming a depressing counterpoint to his love for her. Yet his love had continued. It was the way of the world, as we knew it… The danger they had been in when together had been terrible, yet they had still continued their secret meetings. We knew we couldn't let ourselves fall in love… As time passed by, he had realized just how much he had loved her. He was in too deep with her, and he couldn't break free. But it was already too late… He had been willing to dare anything, to do anything, just for her sake. He swore always to be her champion. I remember… His love for her had been so strong and unfading. Yet they had stayed apart, loving each other from afar. We finally found a way to be together… He relived the moment when he realized she was dead and the devastation returned to him afresh. Is this our fate? The sorrow and pain threatened to tear him apart inside. He felt death waiting for him in the very depths of his pain, and he welcomed it. Jadeite… How could he possibly hope to survive without her standing by his side? Did he even want to survive? My love… He curled up into a ball of pure misery, wanting only to give up and die so that he could be with her again. My one and only…
Cell didn't hear the soft rush of air or see the soft shimmering light that marked Jadeite's arrival on the scene via Instant Transmission. She let her hand drop from her brow, noticing that she was now completely clean. The bloodstains that had covered her armor were totally gone. Her milk-white face was completely shadowed and her emerald-hued armor blended in perfectly with the dappled greenish colors of the silent, sunlit jungle. She saw Cell sitting huddled by the lagoon and her heart leapt up into her throat at the sight of him. She took a single small step forward, the sound of her very slight movement echoing loudly in the still silence of the forest. Cell slowly turned around to face her, and she started in shock at the sight of his cold, dull eyes. He looked as if something had sucked the life right out of his body, leaving behind only an empty shell of what he had once been. He looked like his soul was dead, but his body hadn't yet accepted its fate.
For a terribly long moment, he didn't seem to really notice her presence, looking right through her as if she wasn't really there. Then he actually saw her and his sad, lifeless face lit up with wild, disbelieving joy. He softly spoke her name and she nodded to him very slowly. A single short moment later, Jadeite found herself caught up in a huge hug. "…Jadeite…" Cell clung to her tightly and she slowly sank down to sit on the ground with him practically lying on her lap. His whole body shook violently as he buried his face against her shoulder. "…Oh God, Jadeite…" She just held him and gently stroked his back as he shuddered in her arms. After a while, she began to feel a little bit of very slight moist warmth from where Cell still rested his head against her shoulder. Jadeite recognized it and thought incredulously, He's crying. Cell, the merciless bioweapon, is lying in my arms and crying his heart out… As a child, I never dreamed of seeing this. She just continued to gently stroke his spasmodically shivering back as she whispered soft, comforting words to him. His wild, frantic sobs began to subside as he slowly began to calm down and relax. His grip on her eased and she continued to gently caress his back as his breathing slowed and he slid down to fall asleep with his head lying on her lap. As he fell asleep in her arms, she began to sing to him softly, a song of reassurance and undying, eternal love. She gently touched his sleeping face, the sorrow and hurt finally erased from his handsome milk-white features. The long day's wild, stressful activities finally caught up with her and she too fell asleep, slowly slipping down to lie cheek to cheek with the only one she ever truly loved. Together once again, they both just rested.
Everyone was frozen for a few long minutes after Jadeite's sudden departure from the scene via Instant Transmission. Mewtwo was shocked to see her disappear. Shade and Vegeta were shocked by Cell's display of emotion. They were both more accustomed to him being a cold, heartless hybrid. But Shade's life had been wild and strange before, so he was much more accustomed to unexpected weirdness than Vegeta was. He recovered from the shock of watching her vanish and told the watching hybrids to go find her in the morning. When morning came, they would all use their special abilities to track Jadeite's life force and use Instant Transmission to reach her. Until then, they would hang around. Kunzite volunteered to lead them and the others agreed, since he was the oldest of them.
The morning came gradually, tinting the lagoon with the rosy colors of the early dawn. A single pair of coral eyes opened as Jadeite awakened and looked up at the morning sky. Cell stirred in her arms with a soft little yawn. A moment later he extricated himself from her arms, then lazily stretched and stood up. She stretched as well. Then there were a great many short rushes of shimmering light as multiple hybrids hit the scene via Instant Transmission. Kunzite led them all. Seeing their parents there, the hybrids relaxed and quickly took to playing in the lagoon just as Cell and Jadeite had done the previous night. They splashed and played in the lagoon and also took turns diving down the waterfall. Jadeite and Cell sat off to the side and just let their children play in the water. They were perfectly content to just sit back and watch them at play. Then Jadeite's ability to sense life force alerted her to the arrival of a new presence in the vicinity of where she had left her friends around Ayers Rock. It was very powerful; much stronger than Cell and quite close to the level she was on, but she didn't really sense that it could be much of a threat. It intrigued her to no end and it seemed almost familiar in that it felt almost like Gohan. This new presence, she thought, It's so strong and it feels almost like Gohan. Could it be…him? Hopping up to her feet, she shouted, "Hey, everyone! Let's get going!" Cell stood up in a hurry and the other hybrids leapt out of the water on her command. They congregated around her and waited to hear what it was that she wanted all of them to do.
Obliging them with a smile, she said, "We're going to go back to Ayers Rock. I feel a new presence there. It's very strong and it could do some serious damage if it wanted, but I don't think it means us any harm. I think… I think it may be Goku." Cell repeated the name and then confessed to Jadeite in a wild rush of words, "I remember everything. I understand it now. This must be why Vegeta hates me so. And why Gohan feared me at first. 18 spoke of me having done something terrible and now I know what it was. God, I… I cannot believe the things I have done!" Jadeite replied, "It's all in the past, Cell. All of it's in the past. When we meet up with Goku, I'm quite sure he'll understand that." Taking heart from her reassuring words, Cell decided to follow along with her plan. She turned to face the other hybrids and said, "We're leaving here now, everyone. Cell, I want you to use Instant Transmission to get there. You tell the others that we're coming because we'll be along in just a few minutes. Everybody else, we're going to be flying there. Let's get going, shall we?" Jadeite and all the others leapt to the air in rapid succession as Cell crouched down low, brought a slender milk-white hand up to his emerald-hued brow and then quickly vanished in a short little rush of shimmering light.
Gohan hugged his father tightly as Goku told him how very proud he was of how he had fought Cell. Vegeta stood some distance off to the side and watched the two with a fake glower. Somewhere below his surly attitude, he thought, It is…good to have you back, Kakarrot. As for Trunks, he was just happy to be around his childhood hero. Tien, Yamcha and Krillin were very glad to have Goku back. 18 seemed rather nervous around him. After all, she'd tried to kill him. The other Saiyans were amazed at his high power level. Little Freezer was terribly frightened of him while his father King Cold was fascinated by his sweetly innocent yet undeniably charismatic personality. Everyone then gave a wild start as an ominously familiar silhouette began to materialize off to the side.
The person was down in a low crouch facing away from them. As they all watched in awe, familiar details slowly became evident. A high double crest. Big glossy black wings. Milk-white hands. A pale ivory face adorned with twin streaks of the deepest indigo. A tall, strong body clad in mottled dark green armor. Coral eyes. Yellow feet. Goku's dark eyes went wide and he gasped in shock as Cell turned his head to look up at him and then slowly stood up, turning around to face him. He looked over at the Saiyan uncertainly and said in a soft, unsure voice, "Goku?" Rapidly recovering from the sheer shock caused by his mortal enemy's sudden arrival on the scene, Goku quickly powered up to become a Super Saiyan and then savagely attacked the hybrid just as fast as he possibly could. Cell didn't even bother to perform a counterattack, just cringing and shielding his face with his hands as his enemy charged at him with a wild yell of the purest anger and hatred. Goku didn't even bother to notice that Cell was merely taking the punishment that he was dealing out as he began to viciously beat the disoriented, frightened hybrid in a wild, insane flurry of powerful punches and kicks. He just took the fact that Cell wasn't even trying to fight back as meaning that the hybrid recognized that Goku had grown much stronger and now figured that it was useless to try to fight back against him. He just figured that Cell had given up the fight and was now simply waiting to die by his hand.
This isn't right! Cell clumsily leapt backward, away from the angry Goku. It hurts so badly… Bruised, battered and bloodied, he held his injured arm and glared over at his foe with a quiet look of frightened, angry confusion. But Jadeite said he'd understand. Wavering on his feet and breathing heavily, he appeared to be struggling just to remain standing. He won't even give me time to explain. He took a few unsteady steps backward, a desperate look of fear and dread shining in his coral eyes, then gingerly released his injured arm with a soft little hiss of pain and slowly, shakily reached up to touch his bloody brow. I have to get out of here! But before he could use Instant Transmission to escape from the scene and get to safety, his jaw dropped and his eyes slowly glazed over. Such pain! He gagged and coughed wetly, convulsing weakly as he alternately fought for air and cried out in supreme pain. Oh, God! Feeling like he was either suffocating or just plain dying, he began to go limp. God, help me! Was this going to be the end for him?
Goku stifled a sudden feeling of pure pity for his most hated enemy as he dug his fist just a little bit deeper into Cell's violently heaving abdomen. The hybrid frantically fought for air and finally swatted Goku as hard as he could before he collapsed to his hands and knees, gasping for breath and vainly trying to regain at least some of his lost strength. He only tried to stand up once. It was all he could do to stay on hands and knees and not fall. Everything was spinning and he felt like he was either going to faint or fall down dead. Finally giving in to the fierce rage he felt toward Cell for having met death at the hybrid's hands, Goku marched up and kicked Cell in the ribs. The hybrid gave a weak little yelp of pain, coughed up a small pool of purplish blood and fell face down in the dust. Goku glared down at Cell as he panted and tried to gather his strength. All the Saiyans stared at Goku. Gohan was shocked at his father's savagery. Vegeta was very amazed to see such nasty behavior from Goku. Kakarrot sure has changed a lot, he thought, Now he's a true Saiyan and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Krillin was entirely consumed with pity and concern for Cell, but he didn't know what he could do to help. Tien and Yamcha were both very shocked to see such nasty behavior coming from Goku. 18 counted her blessings that Goku's anger wasn't directed toward her. And as for Trunks, he was just dismayed at the behavior of his childhood hero. No, he thought, Goku isn't like this!
After taking a great deal of sadistic pleasure in Cell's pain and suffering, Goku reached down, grabbed the hybrid by the throat and roughly hauled him up. The hybrid dangled in his grasp, the grip Goku had on his throat the only thing supporting him. A thick stream of purplish blood flowed from the corner of his mouth as he looked up at Goku with an expression of fearful, confused hatred. Goku sneered at him and said, "After what you've done, after all the people you've killed…including me… Cell, now you will surely die!"
The hybrid's coral eyes widened with fear as Goku raised his fist and prepared to punch through one of the cracks he'd made in the armor covering Cell's chest, over his rapidly pounding heart. Cell would surely die if he did that, and the hybrid knew it. Realizing that his life was in very immediate danger, Cell desperately lashed out, grabbed Goku's arm and held back the blow that had been meant to kill him. Angered at being stopped, Goku tightened his grip on the hybrid's throat and began to strangle him. Too weak to continue to fight back, Cell gave Goku one final defiant glare as he prepared to die. Sickening wet sounds gurgled from deep within Cell's throat as his struggles slowly began to weaken. Fantastic colors, bright lights and deep darkness danced around in Cell's field of vision. The mad Saiyan laughed with bloodlust, enjoying each moment…
Then he found himself being thrown through the air in much pain. People he couldn't see moved around behind him as a female voice rapped out a series of commands in quick succession. "Zoisite! Malachite! Nephrite! Kunzite! Keep a firm hold on Goku and don't let him escape! Tanzanite, Morganite, you tell those Saiyans to get back! We need some room to work here! Mewtwo, Shade, you help Zoisite, Malachite, Nephrite and Kunzite with Goku! Calcite, I need your help right here!" Another voice called out; "You got it, Jadeite!" Eight strong hands lifted Goku to his feet and he opened his eyes to look around. Four hybrids restrained him and he couldn't break free of their strong grip. Two more hybrids were keeping a group of furry catlike creatures from getting in any closer. Turning in place, he then saw that another hybrid was now crouched over the fallen Cell. He had to look away as a blinding light blue glow built and died around the two of them. When he looked again, yet another hybrid was helping Cell to stand. The one who had healed Cell walked up to him. The metallic trefoil adorning its brow flashed in the sunlight. When it spoke, he knew it was a female. "Release him," she said, "He's mine." The four hybrids that held him obediently let him go and they all just stepped backward.
She stepped closer, towering over him despite his tallness, and said, "My name is Jadeite. I, not Cell, am the leader of the hybrids, and of the Saiyans you see around you. Yes, the furry feline creatures are Saiyans. They are specimens of the new breed. And as for you, Goku… You just tried to kill my husband!" She lunged forward and slapped him across the face with all her formidable strength. He fell then leapt back to his feet with a growl. Across the way, Vegeta watched and thought, He's in blood rage. This really isn't good. Man, I think I preferred the old, naive Kakarrot. He was distracted by the sound of a soft little growl from beside him. Little Freezer was trembling and hissing at Goku fiercely. Was the child still angry with the Saiyan for how his former life had ended? A great shout distracted him from looking at the child and he saw Goku attacking Jadeite. The hybrid wore a confident smirk as she dodged every attack he sent her way. He was giving her all that he had, and he couldn't even touch her. She was a lot stronger than Cell was!
She let him try for a while, then tossed him away with a simple flick of her wrist. He jumped back to his feet and prepared to attack her again, but he was startled into immobility as a small white blur passed between him and his foe. A small white-furred kitten with deep purple markings stood between Goku and Jadeite. The child gave him a withering glare and lisped, "I've been waiting for this day. The day when I will have my revenge on you for what you did to me!" That snapped Goku right out of his blood rage. He said, "What I did to you? Kid, I don't even know you!" The kitten sneered and replied in a cold voice, "Don't you? Have you so soon forgotten?" His lisp disappeared and his soft child's voice hardened into the deepened voice of an adult as he snarled, "Well, I remember. I remember what you did. Have you really forgotten the battle that took place on the dying planet so very long ago? Have you forgotten how I died by your hand?"
Taking a wide-legged stance in preparation for a fight, the kitten gave a war cry as he summoned up his power. Goku and the rest watched as the child's inner energy traced lines of white light along his tensed-up body. The lines came together and merged until a shining outline was all that was visible of the little child. Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Piccolo, Vegeta, Gohan and Goku himself had a simultaneous flashback as a terrifyingly familiar voice roared, "Ultimate Transformation!" The child's blazing form began to change. His height more than doubled from two feet to a full five as his limbs lengthened and became much stronger. His pudgy, furry little tail grew longer, thinner and a lot more muscular. His legs took on a more human structure, the space between the knees and ankles lengthening as his feet grew smaller. He held up both his paws as they changed from three-fingered paws to slim yet strong five-fingered hands. His profile changed as his ears shrank away into nothingness and his face changed from its normal feline configuration to become more human. Then the burning light dissipated, revealing a creature that was so different from the little kitten that had begun the transformation that it was hard to believe that what had just appeared was actually the very same person who had started it.
The first difference everyone noticed was that the feline Saiyan had taken on reptilian characteristics. Slanted crimson eyes fixed on Goku and narrowed angrily as absurdly delicate-looking features twisted into a hateful sneer. A reptilian tail swished agitatedly. Glassy deep purple markings glittered forth from the forehead, shoulders, chest, forearms and lower legs. Glossy jet-black lips curved downward in an angry frown. Small hands curled into fists while a slender little white body dropped down into a wide-legged ready stance, two avian three-toed feet seeking and finding traction in the grassy savanna earth. A deep, husky voice growled, "Well… Shall we get started?" Jadeite took a small step back, her coral eyes widening with shock, and whispered, "Holy cow! Frieza?" Hearing that hated name spoken broke Goku out of his horrified trance. He smiled a fake smile and then said, "From what I just saw, Frieza, you won't be too hard for me to handle. Despite that big, flashy transformation, you're still just a little child." The resurrected former tyrant smirked at him evilly and chuckled in a soft, low voice, then replied smugly, "Guess again, monkey boy. I'm better than I was before." Goku looked at him dumbly and then said in a flat tone, "Better?" "Stronger," Frieza clarified, "Your son trained me in his techniques, as did Vegeta. I watched the Saiyans in action and paid close attention to the hybrids as they did their thing. I just so happen to have picked up a little something that'll floor you. Why don't you let me show you?" The last words were shouted as the resurrected changeling leapt straight up into the air and floated high overhead. He brought his hands together as if in prayer, closed his eyes and concentrated. It soon became evident what he was concentrating on as his energy focused between his hands. He gave an abrupt, stentorian shout as he tossed a short red-hued laser beam straight up into the air. Goku watched with confusion as Frieza shot up into the air and intercepted the blast that he had launched. The air rang as he shouted out, "Ice blade!" Then he actually grabbed the laser beam. It solidified in his hand and changed color to become a glowing deep blue spear. He hefted the spear he'd just made from laser light and deftly twirled it. The air froze behind it as it spun. Goku looked on with shocked horror. Frieza grinned at that as he twirled in midair with the spear, rapidly feinting and jabbing at the air before ending in a dynamic pose. "That was quite enough showing off from me," he said, "Now, on to the main event! Here's looking at you, monkey boy!"
Goku didn't have time to react and was way too scared to even try as Frieza attacked. He quickly found out that the changeling had indeed become much stronger. He couldn't even touch Frieza as the transformed child beat him down. Then he found himself on the ground with Frieza on top of him, the frigid spear held against his throat. The changeling met his frightened gaze with a cold glare. Then a voice called out; "You did it, Freezer! Congratulations on your first transformation!" Frieza jumped at the sound of that voice. There was a loud pop, followed by a bright flash and Frieza was gone. A small kitten crouched on top of him, regarding him with large, innocent eyes. The kitten cried in a squeaky voice, "Daddy!" Then the little kitten jumped off of him and scampered away.
Jadeite called out to the rest, who were still waiting for her orders, "Mewtwo, Shade, I want you to scan the ground for other tunnels and open them up with drill beams. You Saiyans and hybrids follow them and split up into all of those adjoining tunnels as they're opened. Vegeta, go down into the next tunnel you come to. Cell…you're going to go with Vegeta. Zoisite, you take Malachite and see if you can open a tunnel on the opposite side of Ayers Rock. Krillin and Yamcha, I want you two to follow Zoisite and Malachite. Morganite, you go and see if you can enter through the rock itself. Take Tanzanite with you when you leave. Piccolo, Tien…you go along with Tanzanite and Morganite. Gohan, you're with Mewtwo and Shade to help them with the drill beams. When you're done doing all that other stuff, I want you to follow Tanzanite and Morganite. Calcite, you're coming along with me and we're going to go down here now. Okay, everyone, let's go!"
Turning without so much as another word, Jadeite beckoned to Calcite and leapt into the tunnel. Calcite waved a hasty goodbye to the others, then quickly turned and followed her in. Saiyans moved, shifted, fired energy beams and yelled all around the both of them. Jadeite pushed her way through the riotous crowd and took her position at the front of the group. Calcite dropped back to the rear of the group, took a few Saiyan volunteers with him and began to blaze a trail down the opposite side of the tunnel. Not too far away from where Calcite had turned back to blaze a second trail through the base, Cell tagged along behind Vegeta without a word. Reckless and cocky as always, the arrogant Saiyan had shoved his way to the front of the group. Cell was the second one in line. Enjoying himself greatly, Vegeta yelled with great glee and blasted everything in sight. Intimidated slightly by all the noise and violence, Cell just quietly watched the Saiyan as he played.
There was a soft sound like a quick, sharp puff of air from somewhere unseen off to the right. A smallish metallic cylindrical object shot out of a small aperture in the wall and located its designated target: Cell. A tiny hypersonic scanner set within it targeted the likeliest area for penetration and then locked a laser tracer beam on the hybrid's thigh. The primary infrared scanner in the wall had detected and locked on to the heat signature of the femoral artery that lay beneath the thinnest part of Cell's armored carapace and it had aimed the object that had been launched out accordingly. Right on target, the object shot toward him and then struck true. Multiple rows of microscopic hooks set along its forward edges caught and held on its target. As soon as it hit, a small separately attached diamond-tipped drill bit automatically began to rotate rapidly within its titanium sheath, drilling a small hole in the hybrid's armor in preparation for the next part of the big plan. At the same time, the inner mechanism prepared to switch over to injector mode and deliver its chemical payload into the target's bloodstream. The quickly spinning drill bit finally broke through the last bit of armor and pierced right into Cell's femoral artery. Simultaneously, it switched into injector mode and quickly began to pump out a strong full-spectrum sedative. Right behind Vegeta, Cell gave a small yelp of pain and surprise as he noticed the smallish cylindrical object protruding from his upper thigh. In a little bit of pain and also very irate, he ripped the offending mechanism, which was still diligently pumping out its chemical payload with the pure single-minded determination that only a machine could ever possess, from its place and prepared to crush it with his bare hands. Just then, the powerful sedative that it had already introduced into his unaware body hit his nervous system like a ton of giant bricks and thusly Cell abruptly lost consciousness.
A rough clatter drew Vegeta's attention away from the great fun that he was having in the fight. He quickly turned around and saw that Cell was now lying limply sprawled out on the floor, and he wasn't moving. Cursing loudly, he stopped the Saiyans' advance and reluctantly knelt beside his partner. A quick examination told him that the fallen hybrid was still quite alive. He noticed a thin little trickle of purplish blood by Cell's leg and found the small puncture wound in his thigh. Noticing that the hybrid held something, Vegeta pried the small metal cylinder out of Cell's limp hand and looked at it curiously. "Now here's an interesting little item if ever I saw one," he said aloud. He considered destroying it just for the heck of it, but then he decided to show it to Jadeite the next time he saw her. Looking back at his fallen partner, he said to himself, "I'm going to hate myself for this in the morning, but I'd better get him out to safety while I still can." Grimacing at having to touch the hybrid he hated so much, he roughly picked Cell up and then lifted up off the floor, soaring over the other Saiyans' heads and leaving through the hole in the tunnel's ceiling. As he soared up, he called to Snowfall, "Yo, cold chick! Link up to wing boy and tell him what just happened here. Tell him to contact our fearless leader and get her to come help this freak out." The furry female replied, "Wing boy? Do you mean Shade? Okay, I'll contact him, Vegeta. You want me to tell him to contact Jadeite, am I right?" He nodded grimly before disappearing into the sky. Closing her eyes, she sent the message. (Yo, Shade, this is Snowfall. Listen. Vegeta told me to send you a message and I'm not about to disobey the King of all Saiyans, so I'm sending you the message that he just gave to me. If you can hear what I'm saying, get the message through to Jadeite fast. Cell's down for the count and he needs her help in a major way. Vegeta's taking him to the surface. Tell her to meet him as soon as she can. If you can't reach her via telepathy, then go find her. This is really urgent, so get going right now.)
In a different tunnel not too far away, Shade received her message. That's just great, he thought angrily, Cell's down. I'd better get going and tell Jadeite. He calmed himself down and stepped away from the wild melee that raged all around him. Closing his eyes, he focused on reaching his sister Jadeite. Pushing any and all distractions out of his mind and away, he called out, (Jadeite. Yo, Jadeite! Snowfall gave me a message from Vegeta and told me to send it to you. Cell's down. Snowfall didn't say why and I doubt Vegeta told her, but she said he needs your help. She also said Vegeta's taking him out to the surface right this instant. He wants you to meet him out there as soon as you can come.)
In yet another distant tunnel, Jadeite lifted her head and listened to her brother's psychic message with a small amount of fear. She then quickly turned to the group of Saiyans following along behind her and said to King Cold, who was following her closely, "I'm transferring leadership to you for now because you're a natural-born commander. You're in charge of the posse who is working in this tunnel now. If you'll excuse me, I really have to get going." Turning away from him, she closed her eyes and brought her slender hand up to touch the smallish metallic trefoil that adorned her emerald-hued brow, and then disappeared with a short rush of shimmering light as she used Instant Transmission.
She didn't really know exactly where she had to go so she just teleported herself straight upward. Less than half an instant later, she found herself floating up high in the clear sky. Taking just a short moment to reorient herself with her new surroundings, she then quickly scanned the ground that lay so far below her. She had long ago found that her new transformation from Mewthree to Jadeite had heightened her five senses even more, and now she was truly thankful for that change. After quite a few absurdly long-seeming moments, she spotted a bright golden flare from a spot down on the distant ground. Folding her glossy black wings against her slim back, she fairly dove downward, following the beacon of light. Pulling up hard just five feet from the ground, she landed gently beside Vegeta, who had become a Super Saiyan and allowed his powerful aura to flare up brighter as a beacon to her. She said to him seriously, "Okay, Vegeta, I got your message. You said that something happened to Cell and that he needed my help. So where is he now?" He replied, turning away from her, "He's right over here." She just followed him silently. He led her into the meager shelter given by a very large boulder.
Cell lay stretched out in the shade it offered, limp and unmoving. His face was quite calm, as if he were merely sleeping. Jadeite knelt beside him and looked him over with a critical eye. He was breathing just fine and he was also quite uninjured, save for the small puncture wound in his thigh. Turning away from the fallen hybrid, she then said gruffly, "Okay then, Vegeta, spill the beans. What the heck happened to him?" Vegeta replied, "I didn't see it happening. I just turned around and there he was, out cold. But I found him holding this." He handed her the small metallic cylinder he'd pried from Cell's grip. She recognized it immediately, "Wow," she said, "A flip-dart! I heard that these things were proposed as military weapons for covert operations, but Team Rocket actually made some of them! I gotta check this thing out!" Jadeite sat down beside Cell and began to examine it. Using her telekinesis to open it because using her great strength would only break it and ruin her chances for finding out what it was, she cracked it right open and looked at the miniature drill set inside of it. It was able to hover and track its target via infrared. Then she came to the needle inside it. Following along its length, she found where the chemical payload it had carried was kept. There was a slight residue left. She touched it, noting the numb buzz it made her feel. "So," she said frankly, "It slipped him a sedative. There's nothing I can do about that. Cell's probably going to be knocked out like this for several hours, or however long it'll take for him to fully metabolize the chemical. But this is Cell we're talking about here. Knowing him, it'll probably be just a few minutes. However long it takes for him to recover doesn't really matter that much, because he's going to wake up feeling awful. I know all about sedatives and the best-case scenario for this situation is him waking up feeling like somebody shot him out of the sky and stomped on him repeatedly." Almost as if to prove her point, both she and Vegeta almost thought they heard a sound from the one who slept beside them both. The sound came again and this time they knew what it was. A third soft, weak moan came from Cell as he fought his way back to consciousness. Jadeite returned to his side as he stirred slightly. Incredibly weak, he tried to force himself to stand, but he failed and ended up lying flat on his rear. His face twisted in pain and then he complained, "I feel so dizzy."
He stayed down for a couple moments, then tried it again. This time he managed to stand up, wobbling in a major way. Jadeite stood beside him and he held onto her for support, but he collapsed and ended up almost pulling her down on top of him. Bowing his head and closing his eyes, he rested and just breathed. Then he prepared to try it again, but Jadeite held him down. "Hey," she said, "Stay down, Cell. You got it really bad and you can't fight anymore. Just relax." Between harsh breaths, he looked up at her defiantly and panted, "No, I won't be defeated like this. Jadeite, I have to continue the battle. I can't give up." Jadeite frowned and said, "Very well. You give me no choice in the matter, Cell." She laid a hand on his arm and once again reached up to touch her metallic trefoil.
An instant later, they were back at the lagoon by the waterfall, where they had spent the night together. Jadeite turned to him and said, "You are going to stay here." He hissed right back at her, "Like heck I will!" Momentarily losing her temper with him and his defiance, she roughly grabbed his face with both her strong hands and violently forced him to make eye contact with her. A strange sensation flooded through his body and he shivered. "There," she said to him harshly, "Now you have to stay here." Subconsciously reverting back to his old savage ferocity, he roared at her, "What did you just do to me?" She just replied in a cold, flat voice, utterly fearless, "I have telepathically blocked you from flying and using any and all of your hybrid powers. Basically, I fiddled with your brain and gave you all the abilities and basic attributes of a normal human being. You can't fight now. All you can do is karate and hand-to-hand fights, so Team Rocket is way out of your league. Now, if you don't behave yourself like a good little hybrid and promise to stay right here until I come back to release the restraints that I have set on your powers, I shall shut your mind down and make you fall asleep for the duration of the battle. You'll be perfectly fine for however long it takes for us to finish the fight. There's plenty of fresh water and there are all sorts of fruits in the jungle, which is a moot point because I just remembered that you don't need to eat or drink anything. Basically, what I'm saying is that you'll be perfectly fine until I come back. Don't worry and just hang around here a little bit." Grumbling angrily, he slowly settled down. Then, remembering something, he turned back to face her and said in a quavering voice, "But this is war and you may not survive it. You said it yourself, Jadeite. I heard you say it. Don't lie to me. Please." Jadeite smiled at him halfheartedly and replied in a soft voice, "All of my friends are either Saiyans or hybrids. But as for myself, I am a Super Saiyan and a hybrid, possessing the enhanced qualities and the innate abilities of each. Being a Super Saiyan enhances my hybrid powers and being a hybrid enhances my Super Saiyan powers. With such awesome power on my side, how could I ever possibly fail?" Something about the sad look in her eyes made Cell believe that she was lying to him for his benefit. She was heading into extreme danger, there was a good chance that she could die, and she knew it, too. Her composure broke for just a short little moment and she leapt forward to hug him fiercely. She stepped back, waved a jaunty goodbye and then flew away. She quickly disappeared into the high clouds and Cell was left alone with his swirling, turbulent, fearful thoughts. Although he didn't know it, this was actually the first time that he had ever felt fear for anyone else. He thought about Jadeite and the love that he felt for her. He thought of the danger that she was putting herself into and how he couldn't be there for her. It just wasn't fair! He wanted to be there with her…to help her! The burning anger that welled up inside him was an oddly familiar feeling. He found that he had recovered just enough strength to stand up as he bolted to his feet, raised his fists to the sky and shouted out his rage and denial. A sudden wave of pure dizziness and nausea overcame him and then he collapsed to the ground like a ton of bricks, panting harshly. After a few more moments of recovery time, he gingerly stood back up and began to slowly walk into the jungle. He thought to himself, Maybe if I climb up a tree I can see Ayers Rock from here and know which direction I'll have to go to get back to Jadeite and the war. He turned to face the nearest tree and then began to climb up the side of it using the rough bark and dangling vines for support. She could have at least left me my strength, he thought wryly. Soon but not nearly soon enough, he was up at the top of the tree. Looking outward through the highest foliage, he looked all around. There was nothing for hundreds upon hundreds of miles except trees and more trees, but he could faintly see Ayers Rock in the distance. Wow, he thought, That's a long way to go. But Jadeite needs my help and I'll go anyway. Now, should I return to the ground or stay up here and travel this way? He knew nothing of the jungle, but he had seen that the ground was rough and that the huge trees were all interconnected. He could even try swinging on vines! It would be easier to travel via the trees. And it would be fun, too. Descending through the foliage, he smiled. I may not have my great speed, but I still have my agility.
He found a thick, knotty vine and gave it a couple of quick tugs, then latched on tightly, jumped up and swung out. The swift rush of air against his milk-white face reminded him of flying. Timing everything perfectly, he let go of the vine and just let his momentum carry him to the branch of the next tree. Once he'd landed and gotten his balance, he laughed and exclaimed, "Wow! What a rush! It's totally different from flying!" Then he carefully moved around the tree, found another vine and then repeated the whole process.
Soon Cell was swinging from vine to vine like Tarzan, moving in perfect rhythm as he kept his flawless timing. The miles seemed to be flying by and he was enjoying himself immensely. Gotta admit, he thought to himself, This is the only way to travel. He had been in a few close scrapes with nearby trees and thusly had finally found out exactly why swinging on vines was such a wild and crazy thrill, even for someone like him, who could usually just jump up and fly wherever it was that he wanted to go. It was the sheer risk involved in the practice that made it so very fun, thrilling and all-around alluring. The wild sensation of being mere inches from utter ruin was undoubtedly the ultimate thrill. He would stop periodically and check to see if he was still heading in the right direction, and he always found that he was still right on target. His distance from Ayers Rock seemed to be decreasing by exponential leaps and bounds with every second. Soon he would be back by Jadeite's side, whether she liked it or not. He was enjoying the trip immensely, but his happiness was dampened by pure worry. Would he get there in time to be of any assistance to anyone? Was Jadeite all right? Had the awful battle already ended? He frantically prayed for her safety and sincerely hoped that he would find her standing both unharmed and utterly triumphant at the very heart of the great battlefield.
In time he reached the very edge of the jungle. Now Ayers Rock wasn't too far away. He could see some Saiyans and hybrids milling around and more were emerging from the great cracks they had drilled in the earth even as he watched. Sliding down the tree as fast as he could, he ran out to join them. Vegeta noticed him and stopped him. He said, "I thought our fearless leader took you somewhere far away." Cell replied, "She did. She just didn't count on me being able to make such good time getting back. Where is she, anyway?" For the very first time in all his memory, Vegeta couldn't look him in the eye.
A soft voice called his name and he turned. Shade and Mewtwo had come up behind him. When Cell saw what they were working together to carry, he just about died of sheer horror. Jadeite lay limply in their arms, a dead weight. She wasn't breathing. He felt as if he were moving through thick glue as he rushed to her side. Mewtwo and Shade laid her out on the ground and Cell knelt beside her. Her face was calm and serene, as if she were merely sleeping. A thick stream of purplish blood flowed from both her mouth and her nose, bisecting her serene face and contrasting harshly with the natural milk-white hue. Her armor was broken in many places and in some other places it had been shattered. Her slender hands were completely stained with her own blood, showing him that she had tried to use first aid on herself. But she had failed and now…now… He reached out and shook her slightly, and said in a despairing voice, "Jadeite…" Feeling how cold she had become, he took her in his arms and cried, "Jadeite! Don't give up! Open your eyes!" Shade stepped up beside him and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, saying, "It's too late, Cell. She's…gone…" Cell flinched under his gentle touch and then choked out, "No…" His coral eyes glittered as he hunched over her and screamed again, his voice hitching in a sob as he cried out, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A pale blue light began to slowly pulse along his shivering body. Evidently, his terror and grief had awakened the power that Jadeite had sealed away within him, but he didn't notice it. He concentrated solely on her. He cried her name again, then pleaded in a soft, quivering voice, "Talk to me… Don't leave me!" His shoulders shook as he laid his head on her chest and whispered, "I still have so much I want to tell you…" He tilted his head back and everyone could see the tears that stained his milk-white face. Vegeta stared in shock, thinking, Cell…is crying…
The pale blue light that burned along Cell's body intensified as he closed his eyes and just let it all out. He shone as bright as the sun and Jadeite's corpse slowly began to shine as well, mirroring his own glow. His hand was stained with her blood as he reached up to touch his brow. Then, using Instant Transmission, he disappeared. Jadeite's body still glowed. Everyone heard a huge gasp from the very center of the glow, and it dissipated to reveal that Jadeite was sitting up and looking all around her in a totally confused manner. Shade cried her name and practically tackled her in his wild joy. She gently returned his hug and asked in a soft voice, "What happened?" He babbled, almost crying in joy, "You died, Jadeite! You died! I thought you were gone forever! You died but somehow Cell healed you and brought you back to life!" She heard no more of his words. Having only one thing on her mind, she said, her voice cracking, "Where is he now… Where is Cell?"
Cell had returned to the lagoon by the waterfall, because that was the very last place he had seen Jadeite alive. Kneeling on the flat rock where they had slept together, he stared at his reflection in the water. For a fraction of a moment, it seemed as if another image were overlaid on his face. An image of pure carnage… What was that? He looked back and it happened again. More images flowed before him, and he was in the center of them all. He was viewing his memories, laid out on the stream. The water… And not just the ones he still had. It's flowing backwards… He remembered Jadeite and so much more than the happy times that he'd spent with her. Uncertainty and dread overwhelmed him. Time in reverse… A strange feeling came over him, transfixing him on the spot as he watched the images unfold before him. Memories engraved in the past… His memories passed beyond what he consciously knew to show him the sickening horrors of what he had been and what he had done. The sad past… He remembered the atrocities that he had committed and all the deaths that he had caused. The pain of remembering that tore at his soul. It's all coming back to me… Then the images shifted around to show him engaged in his Wave war against Gohan and then seeing Mewthree and her younger brother joining together with the young Saiyan to fight against him and also defeat him. He felt a moment's anger toward her. Then the images shifted again, to show her smiling down at him. I remember… The memories were very sweet and comforting, and yet they were also sad. The pain they brought to his traumatized heart was terrible. Mewthree… He missed her so terribly, the pain tearing at his heart like a mortal wound to his soul. He had never felt such agony before in all his life, even from life-threatening wounds. My love… She was gone forever and she would never return. That fact made him feel hopeless and suicidal. Jadeite… He sadly looked downward at the purplish blood that still stained his trembling hands. How could this be happening to him? The memories come flooding back to me… The tears flowed freely as he looked upward at the clear sky above his head. That was where he had last seen her, as she flew away to her death. The deep blue sky… He screamed his anger and pain at the heavens, letting his anguished fury loose on anything within range. He no longer cared. The same blue as her eyes when I first met her… He raged at the cruelty of fate and against himself for being so slow in returning to Ayers Rock to help her. How could this be happening? Those blue eyes held such hope and possibilities… Why hadn't he been faster? He hadn't come in time to save her! Maybe he could have saved her life if only he had been a little faster! Now the only one he had ever loved was gone. I used to love looking at her, hoping for a glimpse of her eyes. He remembered those wonderful times and couldn't help but smile. This was how he wanted to remember her, in glorious moments of joy. Those magnificent creatures… They had always amazed him to no end, and she had amazed him most of all. They were remarkable! The Saiyans… He had been so proud to know that he had been created from their DNA. It had been an honor to him, bearing Saiyan genes. And their queen… The first sight of her had struck through his cold exterior and touched his sleeping heart, awakening feelings that he had never thought possible. The strongest and most beautiful one… He remembered her and the feeling of pure awe returned to him, as strong as it had been when he had first felt it. She had been a truly magnificent creature, unlike any other Saiyan he had seen. Mewthree… He also remembered watching her playing around with little Kunzite. The child had loved her so, and so had he right from the start. At night I would seek her out… That one night had been pure heaven, the most wonderful time he could ever remember. Just to see her… Those idyllic times would never come again. His life was barren and cold, and it always would be that way, from that moment on until forever. Mewthree… He remembered all the wild, crazy, euphoric feelings that she had stirred up within him with her mere presence. It was wrong to meet like that… They had been risking so much just being together. Yet that risk had made their love all the sweeter. Love between a Saiyan and a hybrid could never be… The knowledge had torn at his heart, forming a depressing counterpoint to his love for her. Yet his love had continued. It was the way of the world, as we knew it… The danger they had been in when together had been terrible, yet they had still continued their secret meetings. We knew we couldn't let ourselves fall in love… As time passed by, he had realized just how much he had loved her. He was in too deep with her, and he couldn't break free. But it was already too late… He had been willing to dare anything, to do anything, just for her sake. He swore always to be her champion. I remember… His love for her had been so strong and unfading. Yet they had stayed apart, loving each other from afar. We finally found a way to be together… He relived the moment when he realized she was dead and the devastation returned to him afresh. Is this our fate? The sorrow and pain threatened to tear him apart inside. He felt death waiting for him in the very depths of his pain, and he welcomed it. Jadeite… How could he possibly hope to survive without her standing by his side? Did he even want to survive? My love… He curled up into a ball of pure misery, wanting only to give up and die so that he could be with her again. My one and only…
Cell didn't hear the soft rush of air or see the soft shimmering light that marked Jadeite's arrival on the scene via Instant Transmission. She let her hand drop from her brow, noticing that she was now completely clean. The bloodstains that had covered her armor were totally gone. Her milk-white face was completely shadowed and her emerald-hued armor blended in perfectly with the dappled greenish colors of the silent, sunlit jungle. She saw Cell sitting huddled by the lagoon and her heart leapt up into her throat at the sight of him. She took a single small step forward, the sound of her very slight movement echoing loudly in the still silence of the forest. Cell slowly turned around to face her, and she started in shock at the sight of his cold, dull eyes. He looked as if something had sucked the life right out of his body, leaving behind only an empty shell of what he had once been. He looked like his soul was dead, but his body hadn't yet accepted its fate.
For a terribly long moment, he didn't seem to really notice her presence, looking right through her as if she wasn't really there. Then he actually saw her and his sad, lifeless face lit up with wild, disbelieving joy. He softly spoke her name and she nodded to him very slowly. A single short moment later, Jadeite found herself caught up in a huge hug. "…Jadeite…" Cell clung to her tightly and she slowly sank down to sit on the ground with him practically lying on her lap. His whole body shook violently as he buried his face against her shoulder. "…Oh God, Jadeite…" She just held him and gently stroked his back as he shuddered in her arms. After a while, she began to feel a little bit of very slight moist warmth from where Cell still rested his head against her shoulder. Jadeite recognized it and thought incredulously, He's crying. Cell, the merciless bioweapon, is lying in my arms and crying his heart out… As a child, I never dreamed of seeing this. She just continued to gently stroke his spasmodically shivering back as she whispered soft, comforting words to him. His wild, frantic sobs began to subside as he slowly began to calm down and relax. His grip on her eased and she continued to gently caress his back as his breathing slowed and he slid down to fall asleep with his head lying on her lap. As he fell asleep in her arms, she began to sing to him softly, a song of reassurance and undying, eternal love. She gently touched his sleeping face, the sorrow and hurt finally erased from his handsome milk-white features. The long day's wild, stressful activities finally caught up with her and she too fell asleep, slowly slipping down to lie cheek to cheek with the only one she ever truly loved. Together once again, they both just rested.
Everyone was frozen for a few long minutes after Jadeite's sudden departure from the scene via Instant Transmission. Mewtwo was shocked to see her disappear. Shade and Vegeta were shocked by Cell's display of emotion. They were both more accustomed to him being a cold, heartless hybrid. But Shade's life had been wild and strange before, so he was much more accustomed to unexpected weirdness than Vegeta was. He recovered from the shock of watching her vanish and told the watching hybrids to go find her in the morning. When morning came, they would all use their special abilities to track Jadeite's life force and use Instant Transmission to reach her. Until then, they would hang around. Kunzite volunteered to lead them and the others agreed, since he was the oldest of them.
The morning came gradually, tinting the lagoon with the rosy colors of the early dawn. A single pair of coral eyes opened as Jadeite awakened and looked up at the morning sky. Cell stirred in her arms with a soft little yawn. A moment later he extricated himself from her arms, then lazily stretched and stood up. She stretched as well. Then there were a great many short rushes of shimmering light as multiple hybrids hit the scene via Instant Transmission. Kunzite led them all. Seeing their parents there, the hybrids relaxed and quickly took to playing in the lagoon just as Cell and Jadeite had done the previous night. They splashed and played in the lagoon and also took turns diving down the waterfall. Jadeite and Cell sat off to the side and just let their children play in the water. They were perfectly content to just sit back and watch them at play. Then Jadeite's ability to sense life force alerted her to the arrival of a new presence in the vicinity of where she had left her friends around Ayers Rock. It was very powerful; much stronger than Cell and quite close to the level she was on, but she didn't really sense that it could be much of a threat. It intrigued her to no end and it seemed almost familiar in that it felt almost like Gohan. This new presence, she thought, It's so strong and it feels almost like Gohan. Could it be…him? Hopping up to her feet, she shouted, "Hey, everyone! Let's get going!" Cell stood up in a hurry and the other hybrids leapt out of the water on her command. They congregated around her and waited to hear what it was that she wanted all of them to do.
Obliging them with a smile, she said, "We're going to go back to Ayers Rock. I feel a new presence there. It's very strong and it could do some serious damage if it wanted, but I don't think it means us any harm. I think… I think it may be Goku." Cell repeated the name and then confessed to Jadeite in a wild rush of words, "I remember everything. I understand it now. This must be why Vegeta hates me so. And why Gohan feared me at first. 18 spoke of me having done something terrible and now I know what it was. God, I… I cannot believe the things I have done!" Jadeite replied, "It's all in the past, Cell. All of it's in the past. When we meet up with Goku, I'm quite sure he'll understand that." Taking heart from her reassuring words, Cell decided to follow along with her plan. She turned to face the other hybrids and said, "We're leaving here now, everyone. Cell, I want you to use Instant Transmission to get there. You tell the others that we're coming because we'll be along in just a few minutes. Everybody else, we're going to be flying there. Let's get going, shall we?" Jadeite and all the others leapt to the air in rapid succession as Cell crouched down low, brought a slender milk-white hand up to his emerald-hued brow and then quickly vanished in a short little rush of shimmering light.
Gohan hugged his father tightly as Goku told him how very proud he was of how he had fought Cell. Vegeta stood some distance off to the side and watched the two with a fake glower. Somewhere below his surly attitude, he thought, It is…good to have you back, Kakarrot. As for Trunks, he was just happy to be around his childhood hero. Tien, Yamcha and Krillin were very glad to have Goku back. 18 seemed rather nervous around him. After all, she'd tried to kill him. The other Saiyans were amazed at his high power level. Little Freezer was terribly frightened of him while his father King Cold was fascinated by his sweetly innocent yet undeniably charismatic personality. Everyone then gave a wild start as an ominously familiar silhouette began to materialize off to the side.
The person was down in a low crouch facing away from them. As they all watched in awe, familiar details slowly became evident. A high double crest. Big glossy black wings. Milk-white hands. A pale ivory face adorned with twin streaks of the deepest indigo. A tall, strong body clad in mottled dark green armor. Coral eyes. Yellow feet. Goku's dark eyes went wide and he gasped in shock as Cell turned his head to look up at him and then slowly stood up, turning around to face him. He looked over at the Saiyan uncertainly and said in a soft, unsure voice, "Goku?" Rapidly recovering from the sheer shock caused by his mortal enemy's sudden arrival on the scene, Goku quickly powered up to become a Super Saiyan and then savagely attacked the hybrid just as fast as he possibly could. Cell didn't even bother to perform a counterattack, just cringing and shielding his face with his hands as his enemy charged at him with a wild yell of the purest anger and hatred. Goku didn't even bother to notice that Cell was merely taking the punishment that he was dealing out as he began to viciously beat the disoriented, frightened hybrid in a wild, insane flurry of powerful punches and kicks. He just took the fact that Cell wasn't even trying to fight back as meaning that the hybrid recognized that Goku had grown much stronger and now figured that it was useless to try to fight back against him. He just figured that Cell had given up the fight and was now simply waiting to die by his hand.
This isn't right! Cell clumsily leapt backward, away from the angry Goku. It hurts so badly… Bruised, battered and bloodied, he held his injured arm and glared over at his foe with a quiet look of frightened, angry confusion. But Jadeite said he'd understand. Wavering on his feet and breathing heavily, he appeared to be struggling just to remain standing. He won't even give me time to explain. He took a few unsteady steps backward, a desperate look of fear and dread shining in his coral eyes, then gingerly released his injured arm with a soft little hiss of pain and slowly, shakily reached up to touch his bloody brow. I have to get out of here! But before he could use Instant Transmission to escape from the scene and get to safety, his jaw dropped and his eyes slowly glazed over. Such pain! He gagged and coughed wetly, convulsing weakly as he alternately fought for air and cried out in supreme pain. Oh, God! Feeling like he was either suffocating or just plain dying, he began to go limp. God, help me! Was this going to be the end for him?
Goku stifled a sudden feeling of pure pity for his most hated enemy as he dug his fist just a little bit deeper into Cell's violently heaving abdomen. The hybrid frantically fought for air and finally swatted Goku as hard as he could before he collapsed to his hands and knees, gasping for breath and vainly trying to regain at least some of his lost strength. He only tried to stand up once. It was all he could do to stay on hands and knees and not fall. Everything was spinning and he felt like he was either going to faint or fall down dead. Finally giving in to the fierce rage he felt toward Cell for having met death at the hybrid's hands, Goku marched up and kicked Cell in the ribs. The hybrid gave a weak little yelp of pain, coughed up a small pool of purplish blood and fell face down in the dust. Goku glared down at Cell as he panted and tried to gather his strength. All the Saiyans stared at Goku. Gohan was shocked at his father's savagery. Vegeta was very amazed to see such nasty behavior from Goku. Kakarrot sure has changed a lot, he thought, Now he's a true Saiyan and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Krillin was entirely consumed with pity and concern for Cell, but he didn't know what he could do to help. Tien and Yamcha were both very shocked to see such nasty behavior coming from Goku. 18 counted her blessings that Goku's anger wasn't directed toward her. And as for Trunks, he was just dismayed at the behavior of his childhood hero. No, he thought, Goku isn't like this!
After taking a great deal of sadistic pleasure in Cell's pain and suffering, Goku reached down, grabbed the hybrid by the throat and roughly hauled him up. The hybrid dangled in his grasp, the grip Goku had on his throat the only thing supporting him. A thick stream of purplish blood flowed from the corner of his mouth as he looked up at Goku with an expression of fearful, confused hatred. Goku sneered at him and said, "After what you've done, after all the people you've killed…including me… Cell, now you will surely die!"
The hybrid's coral eyes widened with fear as Goku raised his fist and prepared to punch through one of the cracks he'd made in the armor covering Cell's chest, over his rapidly pounding heart. Cell would surely die if he did that, and the hybrid knew it. Realizing that his life was in very immediate danger, Cell desperately lashed out, grabbed Goku's arm and held back the blow that had been meant to kill him. Angered at being stopped, Goku tightened his grip on the hybrid's throat and began to strangle him. Too weak to continue to fight back, Cell gave Goku one final defiant glare as he prepared to die. Sickening wet sounds gurgled from deep within Cell's throat as his struggles slowly began to weaken. Fantastic colors, bright lights and deep darkness danced around in Cell's field of vision. The mad Saiyan laughed with bloodlust, enjoying each moment…
Then he found himself being thrown through the air in much pain. People he couldn't see moved around behind him as a female voice rapped out a series of commands in quick succession. "Zoisite! Malachite! Nephrite! Kunzite! Keep a firm hold on Goku and don't let him escape! Tanzanite, Morganite, you tell those Saiyans to get back! We need some room to work here! Mewtwo, Shade, you help Zoisite, Malachite, Nephrite and Kunzite with Goku! Calcite, I need your help right here!" Another voice called out; "You got it, Jadeite!" Eight strong hands lifted Goku to his feet and he opened his eyes to look around. Four hybrids restrained him and he couldn't break free of their strong grip. Two more hybrids were keeping a group of furry catlike creatures from getting in any closer. Turning in place, he then saw that another hybrid was now crouched over the fallen Cell. He had to look away as a blinding light blue glow built and died around the two of them. When he looked again, yet another hybrid was helping Cell to stand. The one who had healed Cell walked up to him. The metallic trefoil adorning its brow flashed in the sunlight. When it spoke, he knew it was a female. "Release him," she said, "He's mine." The four hybrids that held him obediently let him go and they all just stepped backward.
She stepped closer, towering over him despite his tallness, and said, "My name is Jadeite. I, not Cell, am the leader of the hybrids, and of the Saiyans you see around you. Yes, the furry feline creatures are Saiyans. They are specimens of the new breed. And as for you, Goku… You just tried to kill my husband!" She lunged forward and slapped him across the face with all her formidable strength. He fell then leapt back to his feet with a growl. Across the way, Vegeta watched and thought, He's in blood rage. This really isn't good. Man, I think I preferred the old, naive Kakarrot. He was distracted by the sound of a soft little growl from beside him. Little Freezer was trembling and hissing at Goku fiercely. Was the child still angry with the Saiyan for how his former life had ended? A great shout distracted him from looking at the child and he saw Goku attacking Jadeite. The hybrid wore a confident smirk as she dodged every attack he sent her way. He was giving her all that he had, and he couldn't even touch her. She was a lot stronger than Cell was!
She let him try for a while, then tossed him away with a simple flick of her wrist. He jumped back to his feet and prepared to attack her again, but he was startled into immobility as a small white blur passed between him and his foe. A small white-furred kitten with deep purple markings stood between Goku and Jadeite. The child gave him a withering glare and lisped, "I've been waiting for this day. The day when I will have my revenge on you for what you did to me!" That snapped Goku right out of his blood rage. He said, "What I did to you? Kid, I don't even know you!" The kitten sneered and replied in a cold voice, "Don't you? Have you so soon forgotten?" His lisp disappeared and his soft child's voice hardened into the deepened voice of an adult as he snarled, "Well, I remember. I remember what you did. Have you really forgotten the battle that took place on the dying planet so very long ago? Have you forgotten how I died by your hand?"
Taking a wide-legged stance in preparation for a fight, the kitten gave a war cry as he summoned up his power. Goku and the rest watched as the child's inner energy traced lines of white light along his tensed-up body. The lines came together and merged until a shining outline was all that was visible of the little child. Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Piccolo, Vegeta, Gohan and Goku himself had a simultaneous flashback as a terrifyingly familiar voice roared, "Ultimate Transformation!" The child's blazing form began to change. His height more than doubled from two feet to a full five as his limbs lengthened and became much stronger. His pudgy, furry little tail grew longer, thinner and a lot more muscular. His legs took on a more human structure, the space between the knees and ankles lengthening as his feet grew smaller. He held up both his paws as they changed from three-fingered paws to slim yet strong five-fingered hands. His profile changed as his ears shrank away into nothingness and his face changed from its normal feline configuration to become more human. Then the burning light dissipated, revealing a creature that was so different from the little kitten that had begun the transformation that it was hard to believe that what had just appeared was actually the very same person who had started it.
The first difference everyone noticed was that the feline Saiyan had taken on reptilian characteristics. Slanted crimson eyes fixed on Goku and narrowed angrily as absurdly delicate-looking features twisted into a hateful sneer. A reptilian tail swished agitatedly. Glassy deep purple markings glittered forth from the forehead, shoulders, chest, forearms and lower legs. Glossy jet-black lips curved downward in an angry frown. Small hands curled into fists while a slender little white body dropped down into a wide-legged ready stance, two avian three-toed feet seeking and finding traction in the grassy savanna earth. A deep, husky voice growled, "Well… Shall we get started?" Jadeite took a small step back, her coral eyes widening with shock, and whispered, "Holy cow! Frieza?" Hearing that hated name spoken broke Goku out of his horrified trance. He smiled a fake smile and then said, "From what I just saw, Frieza, you won't be too hard for me to handle. Despite that big, flashy transformation, you're still just a little child." The resurrected former tyrant smirked at him evilly and chuckled in a soft, low voice, then replied smugly, "Guess again, monkey boy. I'm better than I was before." Goku looked at him dumbly and then said in a flat tone, "Better?" "Stronger," Frieza clarified, "Your son trained me in his techniques, as did Vegeta. I watched the Saiyans in action and paid close attention to the hybrids as they did their thing. I just so happen to have picked up a little something that'll floor you. Why don't you let me show you?" The last words were shouted as the resurrected changeling leapt straight up into the air and floated high overhead. He brought his hands together as if in prayer, closed his eyes and concentrated. It soon became evident what he was concentrating on as his energy focused between his hands. He gave an abrupt, stentorian shout as he tossed a short red-hued laser beam straight up into the air. Goku watched with confusion as Frieza shot up into the air and intercepted the blast that he had launched. The air rang as he shouted out, "Ice blade!" Then he actually grabbed the laser beam. It solidified in his hand and changed color to become a glowing deep blue spear. He hefted the spear he'd just made from laser light and deftly twirled it. The air froze behind it as it spun. Goku looked on with shocked horror. Frieza grinned at that as he twirled in midair with the spear, rapidly feinting and jabbing at the air before ending in a dynamic pose. "That was quite enough showing off from me," he said, "Now, on to the main event! Here's looking at you, monkey boy!"
Goku didn't have time to react and was way too scared to even try as Frieza attacked. He quickly found out that the changeling had indeed become much stronger. He couldn't even touch Frieza as the transformed child beat him down. Then he found himself on the ground with Frieza on top of him, the frigid spear held against his throat. The changeling met his frightened gaze with a cold glare. Then a voice called out; "You did it, Freezer! Congratulations on your first transformation!" Frieza jumped at the sound of that voice. There was a loud pop, followed by a bright flash and Frieza was gone. A small kitten crouched on top of him, regarding him with large, innocent eyes. The kitten cried in a squeaky voice, "Daddy!" Then the little kitten jumped off of him and scampered away.