AN: If anyone is still following this story, I commend you on your patience. I started writing it almost 3 years ago, and I lost inspiration. But IT WILL BE FINISHED! I have written the draft for almost all of it now, I just need to write my epilogue. So it's almost over!! I just couldn't stand to leave it unfinished after I'd written so much of it. I apologise for the ridiculously long wait between chapters, and thanks to anyone and everyone who's ever reviewed this story. Now, finally, let's get on with the darn thing! :)
ChickFlick Chapter 21
They stood there, facing each other in the centre of the room. Cell said nothing, but moved slowly into a fighting position. Bulma did the same. A slight smile played around Cell's lips. He had the advantage here, and he knew it. Even though he WAS outnumbered five to one. Still smiling, he asked her politely:
"Shall we?"
And then, before she could even blink or move a muscle, he was right in front of her. His face filled all her vision as he drew his arm back, ready to strike... at the last second, she just managed to jerk her head aside and dodge the blow. From then on it became a deadly dance around the room, blasting, hitting, dodging, kicking, punching. Simultaneously, both the fighters landed strong punches to the stomach. They both went flying backwards, turned in midair and used their feet to propel themselves off the wall and back into the centre of the room. They locked fists in a powerful arm wrestle directly below the cage.
The guys had all been clustered around the bars watching, but now they couldn't see a thing. They could only hear the sounds of fists against flesh, occasional grunts from Cell, and Bulma's cries of pain. Vegeta craned his neck, trying to see.
"Darn it, what's going on?" he growled, mostly to himself. His fingers gripped the bars even tighter.
Suddenly Bulma came zooming back into view. Cell had smashed her across the room, and this time she did not manage to rebound off the wall. She hit it with a sickening crash and slid to the floor in a heap. The flow of water noticeably increased.
Bulma groaned slightly as she picked herself up off the floor and dusted herself off. 'Come on girl, lift your game, you can do better than this!' she thought groggily to herself. 'Think of the people you're fighting for...' She took a few deep, steadying breaths. She very much wanted to look up and around at her friends and family, but she knew that this would be a mistake; Cell was just waiting for her to slip up and let down her guard. She kept her eyes firmly fixed on his unmoving form. He just floated there, silently inviting her to make the next move. And so, taking a few more deep breaths, she raised both her arms in front of her, palms out, and summoned up her energy.
She began to pump out an ongoing torrent of Hand Blasts, one after another. Instead of dodging them, Cell hit them all back towards Bulma, who hit them back towards him once more... like a game of tennis, but with way too many balls, no net and a much higher risk factor involved.
Eventually, Cell appeared to get bored of this game. Almost casually, he destroyed the remaining balls of energy with small blasts of his own. Both fighters were now panting slightly from their exertions.
"Very good!" Cell applauded, "I see you've been in training. I must say, I never expected to get much exercise out of this fight, but it seems like I'm going to have some fun after all." Bulma did not bother to reply, but simply launched herself at him again.
The others looked on helplessly as Cell rained down blow upon blow, his power seemingly inexhaustible.
"Damnit..." Videl growled, clenching her fists. "Can't we DO something?" Chichi also looked like she was only just managing to hold herself back, her jaw set.
"No. We have to stay out of it, at least for now. We can work together at the end, but any huge explosions right now will bring this place crashing down around our ears."
And so they had to watch as, slowly but steadily, Bulma's power gradually crumbled under the force of Cell's attacks. With an impact that seemed to shake the very foundations of the earth, Bulma crashed to the ground again, on the far side of the room. This time, she could not get up. Her limbs trembled just from the effort of holding her head above the shallow water.
With that same chilling look still in his eyes, he hovered in the air above her. Looking down his nose at her, he spoke quietly so that no others in the room could quite catch his words.
"You're not really suited for this, you know." He told her conversationally. "You're much better as a scientist than as a fighter. Whereas I have never exactly taken an interest in fiddly scientific information." He drew closer to her, a strange light in his eyes.
"Power comes in many forms. I am one example - my strength is supreme..." ('More of his confounded smirking,' thought Bulma, screwing her eyes tightly shut against his words and wishing that she had the strength to block her ears as well. But he continued...)
"In your own way, though, you are also tremendously powerful. Technology, my dear, can take you a long way. Just imagine... my power, your brains... think about what we could do!" His voice was intense, but it had sunk to little more than a whisper. And quite suddenly, she could see his vision. In the darkness of her mind she saw it, perfection of the mind and body, combined into one ultimate...
Struck with horror, she wrenched herself away from that image and forced her eyes to open. She looked up into Cell's eager face, and the anticipation in his eyes made Bulma shudder in disgust. With that feeling of revulsion throbbing in her weak, broken voice, she gave him her answer to his unasked question.
"No decent person would use knowledge for that sort of power." She raised her chin as his face grew incredibly cold at his rejection.
"Perhaps," he whispered, "you're not as intelligent as I thought you were." With a contemptuous sneer he formed a small ball of energy and blasted Bulma into the ground.
She was silent.
* * * * *
"Is she..." Eighteen couldn't bear to finish the sentence. Then after a second of silence, they all felt Bulma's life force; fluttering and tiny, but definitely there. They breathed a collective sigh of relief.
All except for Pan. It wasn't just his power that made her angry, it was the way he used it. He was toying with them as if they were mere playthings. She growled softly. And even as she flew forward, she felt blinded by her anger. She ignored her mother's cry as Videl reached out to stop her, and with a loud yell, she attacked.
* * * * *
Cell was actually caught unprepared by the speed and ferocity of Pan's attack. Moving like a tiger, she darted swiftly in and out, agilely blocking his attacks and delivering slashing blows of her own. However as she moved backwards to prepare another attack Cell powered up a sphere of green light around himself, then floated there and simply waited. Goaded by that gloating look in his eyes, Pan charged. As soon as she came in contact with the green light that surrounded him a huge shock ran through her body like an enormous electrical charge. With a cry of pain she was zapped away from his force-field.
"Like an insect in a bug zapper." He said, sounding supremely satisfied with himself. Pan groaned and tried to blink away the fog in front of her eyes. Groggily she forced herself to stand up, then fly. Without changing his expression, Cell released three lightning fast flashes of energy which sped through the air towards her. A few strands of black hair sifted down through the air as she just managed to pull herself backwards out of the way.
But Cell was not finished with his attack yet. His three flashes of energy whirled around and sizzled towards her once more. She could do nothing but run as they blazed around the cave towards her, following her every move. She grew more and more frustrated as she was forced to avoid the oncoming attack, until finally she cried out and unleashed three balls of her own energy. After a collision of sparks and intense heat, the air cleared and the two faced each other across the water, glaring.
"Come now, child! I thought that your elders would know better than to bring a mere baby before me." He mocked her, and her face burned. She was very conscious of her friends and family watching her. Then she caught her father's eye from where he hung in the cage, and she stood up proudly.
"You've been defeated by a 'baby' before," she snarled at him, and his eyes flashed with anger. He attacked once more.
Pan was growing weaker; she could feel the energy draining out of her even as she fought. She felt something solid against her back - it was the hard rock wall. Cell had quite effectively backed her into a corner. She gasped for air as he started to pummel her with strong punches, and now she was helpless to defend herself. She started to cry out, the screams being torn from her mouth despite her desire to stay silent.
* * * * *
Videl felt all of the blood drain from her face. She was trembling uncontrollably. She had heard those screams before. She was back in her dream, and her daughter's screams echoed through her mind. She dimly perceived that the others were holding her back, and she struggled in their grip.
* * * * *
Finally, Cell stopped.
"Pathetic..." he murmured derisively. And then his voice changed, became gentler. "But still, for one so young... you have an enormous amount of potential. I know that you can feel that power inside yourself. And I can teach you how to use that power. Let me help you." His eyes narrowed. "Dare to become what you ARE!" Pan's heart seemed to shrink inside her. She could not have that desire for power in her. She WOULD not.
"I will never give in to you." She grated out, and the old angry fire burned through her veins.
"What a life I could have given you." He said softly, seemingly with regret. Then he drew back his fist for one last blow.
The young girl dropped to the floor like a stone.
* * * * *
MORE A.N: Only two or three chapters left including the epilogue... almost finished!!!!!
ChickFlick Chapter 21
They stood there, facing each other in the centre of the room. Cell said nothing, but moved slowly into a fighting position. Bulma did the same. A slight smile played around Cell's lips. He had the advantage here, and he knew it. Even though he WAS outnumbered five to one. Still smiling, he asked her politely:
"Shall we?"
And then, before she could even blink or move a muscle, he was right in front of her. His face filled all her vision as he drew his arm back, ready to strike... at the last second, she just managed to jerk her head aside and dodge the blow. From then on it became a deadly dance around the room, blasting, hitting, dodging, kicking, punching. Simultaneously, both the fighters landed strong punches to the stomach. They both went flying backwards, turned in midair and used their feet to propel themselves off the wall and back into the centre of the room. They locked fists in a powerful arm wrestle directly below the cage.
The guys had all been clustered around the bars watching, but now they couldn't see a thing. They could only hear the sounds of fists against flesh, occasional grunts from Cell, and Bulma's cries of pain. Vegeta craned his neck, trying to see.
"Darn it, what's going on?" he growled, mostly to himself. His fingers gripped the bars even tighter.
Suddenly Bulma came zooming back into view. Cell had smashed her across the room, and this time she did not manage to rebound off the wall. She hit it with a sickening crash and slid to the floor in a heap. The flow of water noticeably increased.
Bulma groaned slightly as she picked herself up off the floor and dusted herself off. 'Come on girl, lift your game, you can do better than this!' she thought groggily to herself. 'Think of the people you're fighting for...' She took a few deep, steadying breaths. She very much wanted to look up and around at her friends and family, but she knew that this would be a mistake; Cell was just waiting for her to slip up and let down her guard. She kept her eyes firmly fixed on his unmoving form. He just floated there, silently inviting her to make the next move. And so, taking a few more deep breaths, she raised both her arms in front of her, palms out, and summoned up her energy.
She began to pump out an ongoing torrent of Hand Blasts, one after another. Instead of dodging them, Cell hit them all back towards Bulma, who hit them back towards him once more... like a game of tennis, but with way too many balls, no net and a much higher risk factor involved.
Eventually, Cell appeared to get bored of this game. Almost casually, he destroyed the remaining balls of energy with small blasts of his own. Both fighters were now panting slightly from their exertions.
"Very good!" Cell applauded, "I see you've been in training. I must say, I never expected to get much exercise out of this fight, but it seems like I'm going to have some fun after all." Bulma did not bother to reply, but simply launched herself at him again.
The others looked on helplessly as Cell rained down blow upon blow, his power seemingly inexhaustible.
"Damnit..." Videl growled, clenching her fists. "Can't we DO something?" Chichi also looked like she was only just managing to hold herself back, her jaw set.
"No. We have to stay out of it, at least for now. We can work together at the end, but any huge explosions right now will bring this place crashing down around our ears."
And so they had to watch as, slowly but steadily, Bulma's power gradually crumbled under the force of Cell's attacks. With an impact that seemed to shake the very foundations of the earth, Bulma crashed to the ground again, on the far side of the room. This time, she could not get up. Her limbs trembled just from the effort of holding her head above the shallow water.
With that same chilling look still in his eyes, he hovered in the air above her. Looking down his nose at her, he spoke quietly so that no others in the room could quite catch his words.
"You're not really suited for this, you know." He told her conversationally. "You're much better as a scientist than as a fighter. Whereas I have never exactly taken an interest in fiddly scientific information." He drew closer to her, a strange light in his eyes.
"Power comes in many forms. I am one example - my strength is supreme..." ('More of his confounded smirking,' thought Bulma, screwing her eyes tightly shut against his words and wishing that she had the strength to block her ears as well. But he continued...)
"In your own way, though, you are also tremendously powerful. Technology, my dear, can take you a long way. Just imagine... my power, your brains... think about what we could do!" His voice was intense, but it had sunk to little more than a whisper. And quite suddenly, she could see his vision. In the darkness of her mind she saw it, perfection of the mind and body, combined into one ultimate...
Struck with horror, she wrenched herself away from that image and forced her eyes to open. She looked up into Cell's eager face, and the anticipation in his eyes made Bulma shudder in disgust. With that feeling of revulsion throbbing in her weak, broken voice, she gave him her answer to his unasked question.
"No decent person would use knowledge for that sort of power." She raised her chin as his face grew incredibly cold at his rejection.
"Perhaps," he whispered, "you're not as intelligent as I thought you were." With a contemptuous sneer he formed a small ball of energy and blasted Bulma into the ground.
She was silent.
* * * * *
"Is she..." Eighteen couldn't bear to finish the sentence. Then after a second of silence, they all felt Bulma's life force; fluttering and tiny, but definitely there. They breathed a collective sigh of relief.
All except for Pan. It wasn't just his power that made her angry, it was the way he used it. He was toying with them as if they were mere playthings. She growled softly. And even as she flew forward, she felt blinded by her anger. She ignored her mother's cry as Videl reached out to stop her, and with a loud yell, she attacked.
* * * * *
Cell was actually caught unprepared by the speed and ferocity of Pan's attack. Moving like a tiger, she darted swiftly in and out, agilely blocking his attacks and delivering slashing blows of her own. However as she moved backwards to prepare another attack Cell powered up a sphere of green light around himself, then floated there and simply waited. Goaded by that gloating look in his eyes, Pan charged. As soon as she came in contact with the green light that surrounded him a huge shock ran through her body like an enormous electrical charge. With a cry of pain she was zapped away from his force-field.
"Like an insect in a bug zapper." He said, sounding supremely satisfied with himself. Pan groaned and tried to blink away the fog in front of her eyes. Groggily she forced herself to stand up, then fly. Without changing his expression, Cell released three lightning fast flashes of energy which sped through the air towards her. A few strands of black hair sifted down through the air as she just managed to pull herself backwards out of the way.
But Cell was not finished with his attack yet. His three flashes of energy whirled around and sizzled towards her once more. She could do nothing but run as they blazed around the cave towards her, following her every move. She grew more and more frustrated as she was forced to avoid the oncoming attack, until finally she cried out and unleashed three balls of her own energy. After a collision of sparks and intense heat, the air cleared and the two faced each other across the water, glaring.
"Come now, child! I thought that your elders would know better than to bring a mere baby before me." He mocked her, and her face burned. She was very conscious of her friends and family watching her. Then she caught her father's eye from where he hung in the cage, and she stood up proudly.
"You've been defeated by a 'baby' before," she snarled at him, and his eyes flashed with anger. He attacked once more.
Pan was growing weaker; she could feel the energy draining out of her even as she fought. She felt something solid against her back - it was the hard rock wall. Cell had quite effectively backed her into a corner. She gasped for air as he started to pummel her with strong punches, and now she was helpless to defend herself. She started to cry out, the screams being torn from her mouth despite her desire to stay silent.
* * * * *
Videl felt all of the blood drain from her face. She was trembling uncontrollably. She had heard those screams before. She was back in her dream, and her daughter's screams echoed through her mind. She dimly perceived that the others were holding her back, and she struggled in their grip.
* * * * *
Finally, Cell stopped.
"Pathetic..." he murmured derisively. And then his voice changed, became gentler. "But still, for one so young... you have an enormous amount of potential. I know that you can feel that power inside yourself. And I can teach you how to use that power. Let me help you." His eyes narrowed. "Dare to become what you ARE!" Pan's heart seemed to shrink inside her. She could not have that desire for power in her. She WOULD not.
"I will never give in to you." She grated out, and the old angry fire burned through her veins.
"What a life I could have given you." He said softly, seemingly with regret. Then he drew back his fist for one last blow.
The young girl dropped to the floor like a stone.
* * * * *
MORE A.N: Only two or three chapters left including the epilogue... almost finished!!!!!