Yo! Son Goku and friends! Cell Saga (Chapter 15)
Raditz
Provided with markers and a whiteboard, Cell designed a bracket with 8 spots on it. The camera drone caught it all, displaying it for the tournament attendees to see on the big screen. Raditz eyed the newcomer as he spoke to the venue, slipping out the back and entering the tournament hall.
"Surprised he didn't see me." Raditz thought. "Is he too caught up with his speech or something?" The Saiyan kept to himself as he crept the halls, reaching the outside gates with a sharp exhale of his breath. "Okay…"
Raditz' eyes scanned everything they could as he stepped out into the entrance of the tournament, looking in through car windows and bushy shrubs.
"He said the bombs are under the stadium. Where would he put them? In the grass? Maybe… but if he just snapped his fingers to do it then… was he bluffing? Is he allied with someone? It seems unnecessarily risky to just plant them so close to the ring especially since I know he wants to fight in the tournament. Where else would he put a bomb then..?"
"..."
The cicadas were in full swing, singing their dull song under the sun as Raditz contemplated, peering out into the streets with a blank expression before searching around the tiles, the ticket stands, the shrubbery and the parking lots.
"If he really is the one setting them off, how is he doing it? I didn't sense any Ki from the explosion so assumedly it was a real bomb. How is he detonating them?"
Something caught Raditz' eye. An epic steel door to the underground, a large shiny latch glowing under the near sunset evening.
"The sewer! That's perfect! It runs right under the venue!" Raditz mused as he grasped both sides of his head.
"..."
Klang!
"Yup." The Saiyan nodded as he opened up the latch. "Seal's broken. Dah~" He shook his head with a smile. "Too busy trying to impress the boys with my dragon to go and check the obvious shit."
The Saiyan hopped down the hole, slamming the steel door shut over top of him.
Cell
"I know him." Gohan contemplated from the stands as he elected to stand up instead of sit.
"You what?" Chi-Chi asked nervously.
"I know that guy up there, his name is Cell."
"Whuh~what?" She let out with a whimper. "Don't tell me you're becoming a delinquent."
"No mom, he helped me save some people on a bus. I thought he was a good guy…"
Icarus shot up with a bit of frustration but Gohan calmed her down pretty immediately with a rubbing of her porcelain horns.
"There there, girl. Be cool."
"Cuu~"
"I know~"
"What are we just standing here waiting around for?" Tien asked from the top box, hands on the railing.
"You want all these people to die?" Piccolo rebutted quickly.
"Obviously not, but we can't just sit by and do nothing."
"We're not doing nothing." The Demon barked back. "We're seeing what he has planned and moving accordingly."
"Besides, I hate to be the one to say it, but if it all goes up in smoke, we can just jump him and revive everyone with the Dragon Balls." Krillin stated as he rubbed his hand along the metallic surface of the rail.
"That's what I was thinking." Goku replied calmly as he stared down at the bug man laying out the bracket.
"This is what I have planned for my little game. Every one of your competitors gets their own little fight so that you don't miss out, and they start the bracket fighting my boys."
"He's got fighters?"
"Where? I don't see anyone else."
"Now this is gonna be a riot." Cell remarked as he laughed pompously. His tail opened wide and spawned a large behemoth.
GA-THUNKK!
"I don't believe this ladies and gentlemen! But I have to say, that looks like Giran, folks!"
"Whoaaaaaaaaaa~" The crowd roared as Cell giggled himself silly.
"I thought as much."
"I knew it!"
"Holy cow." Smitty remarked with wide eyes. "The Budokai really pulls out all the stops. They just put criminals in their brackets and say fuck it, huh?"
"I think so, Smitty."
"That is The Draconic Mansion Murderer!"
"That's really Giran!"
Giran opened and closed his palms with careful deliberation, looking around like he had just awoken from a deep sleep.
"What tha hell?"
"Hello~ Been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, what's good, Cell?" The dragon replied with a head nod. He turned his head only to realise: "Wait huh? Why did I..?"
Giran was biologically allied with Cell now, he had almost full autonomy. Almost.
"Huh..?" His thoughts tapered off. "Whatever."
Giran was no longer the same, he had a layer of blue spots all along his being.
GA-THUNKK!
The second one that was spawned curled Goku's fists into a balled rage. He didn't let it out loud but Piccolo could passively tell that his rival's blood was boiling. The second creature was a scaly blue, large bat-like wings and possessed a sharky fin appendage atop his head.
Cricc-Crack.
"Hmm~" The creature hummed as it locked eyes with Goku from aloft. It tilted its head to the side like a dog, as if inquiring about something.
GA-THUNKK!
The last spawn looked exactly like Cell, only a small, infantile version with blue armour-like skin in its stead.
"Ahh~ How cute. I think I'll name you, Cell Jr."
"Eck-Eck-Eck!" Cell Junior laughed like a gremlin.
"You ain't gonna give me a name?" The shark finned creature shouted back.
"No. You're ugly."
"Hmm~"
"Hey Cell!" Goku yelled from aloft, piquing the interest of Cell immediately.
"Yes?"
"Put me up against him!" He shouted with conviction, pointing at the unnamed creature.
"Nice! We have our first volunteer!" Cell answered as he scribbled it in. "Anyone else?"
"..."
"No? Okay. Uhh~ Let's see. Giran goes against Tien I guess."
Skwee-Skwee-Skwui.
"Annd little Cell Jr. goes against Sapa."
Skuu-Wui~ Ca-Clicc.
"There we go." He stated with a smile.
Phwonnnnn~ Earrnnnnnnn~
The microphone echoed harshly as Cell stole it back from Mic for his announcement.
"The Cell Games will start effective immediately! I want to thank everyone for coming! I'll make sure to put on a show for you all!" He said as he bowed deeply and threw the microphone back to The Announcer.
"Mm-Hm-Hmm!" Mic cleared his throat as he furrowed his brow at the bug man taking centre stage. "The first round of The Cell Games is about to begin!"
"He really said it~" Cell said to himself, giddy at the sound like a little child.
"The very first match in our bracket has Cell versus YAMCHAA! Everyone give a round of applause for our two fighters!"
The crowd seemed to have a great degree of trepidation, almost looking to each other for the validation to clap on cue. After a little bit, modest golf claps came in waves.
"As ever, our Ex-Titan is here to play ball! This'll be his sixth time in the bracket for The Budokai! This means that he's the only one in the history of this tournament to be in the bracket for six times! Here's hoping he can finally make an impact!"
"I chose you for a reason, Yamcha." Cell remarked with a killer smile as Yamcha entered the ring.
The Wolf stayed quiet, letting him speak his peace while stretching.
"I've done my research. I know you've never even made it out of the first round."
"..."
"Now don't worry. I'm not gonna give you a free tournament either, I'm going to stand right in the way because if you can't beat the best in the game."
DONGG!
"Then it doesn't count."
"Begin!"
Yamcha VS Cell
Objective: Win the first round of The Budokai!
Cell didn't wait a moment, taking the initiative with a strong dashing start and a billowing thunderclap of his black bug wings.
POOF! Fscyuu~Whapp!
Yamcha faltered a bit, completely taking him off kilter after seeing the ferocious display of speed, barely managing a guard with his left forearm. Cell smirked with a killer smile before he went to town with a litany of jabs and punches. Yamcha showed his unique brand of defence, the characteristic hard to pin down head and chest movement as he kept low to the ground. He found his way with a left backfist, claws still outstretched as he connected with his knuckles. Cell reeled just long enough for Yamcha to sneak in a full commit stepping left thrust kick, throwing him across the ring from the edge he put The Wolf on to almost the steps.
Yamcha breathed out with great care as he eyed the bug man. The Wolf ran rampant, whipping up whirlwinds as he tried to fake out Cell with his superior athleticism. He could barely keep up, looking every which way for the attack.
Fwuu-Fwuu-Fuu~
"He's too~" Is all Cell could get out before he felt it coming, Yamcha with the classic behind the back roundhouse.
Time slowed to a crawl but Cell simply couldn't get out of the way.
WHAMMM!
Cell's neck contorted unhealthily as Yamcha connected and he flew across the arena, stopping himself and causing skid marks on the tile as a result. Yamcha bounded with a few zig-zag lines to muddle his approach. Cell stood up tall as quick as he could, readying himself for the oncoming onslaught. Yamcha went for a frontal assault, throwing a hasty right hand. Cell caught it and used a whippy arm drag to catapult the Earthling towards the crowd.
"Whoaaaaaa~"
Yamcha stalled on the air just before crashing into the people but Cell didn't let up, throwing hundreds upon hundreds of pressuring strikes.
FwuFuScuSwuFuuFwuSfuSufScu~
"Yamcha!" Krillin yelled from aloft. "Get him away from the crowd!"
"You don't think I'm~ trying!?"
FwuFuuSwuScuSwuFwuScuFwuScuFwu~
"I can't feel his energy at all." Krillin thought aloud. "I thought Yamcha was fooling around at first…"
"He wants to win this fight more than anything, there's no way he's not fighting his heart out right now."
Yamcha landed an off-axis blow with his left leg, roundhousing the bug man into the aether high above the stadium. He rocketed off with his flight, flooring the onlookers deep into their stands.
FOOSH! Pa-POKK! Ga-Thunkk! Wsht-Wsst-Wsht!
Yamcha landed a hand-of-God axe kick from the heavens. The impact rang around the stadium, forcing Cell to catch the tile with a forceful crack. Yamcha landed just after, hitting a series of backhandsprings to hype it up and stall the momentum of the fight for just a moment. The pair shot at each other like bullets on the final flip and they clashed over and over with an uncountable amount of strikes in such little time. Yamcha finally got the better of the exchange, rearing back his two hands and palm striking Cell's chest.
WHOKK! Skweeeeeeeeee~
The Wolf let out a bated breath as did The Free Man. They stood opposite each other like cowboys ready to draw until they did suddenly. They moved so fast they left an unintentional After-Image in their wake in the middle of the ring. The wispy lined apparitions stared at each other for an eternity as the pair fought above, below, near the top box, near the announcer, above the tournament hall, near the streamers, almost touching the grass, just outside the walls, above the fans, everywhere. The crowd couldn't even see them, only hearing the popping of sound waves and rushes of wind and maybe a flash of light here and there as their battle raged.
The Wolf and The Free Man landed right back on their After-Images before posing dramatically. Yamcha leaned in deep into Wasteland Stance as Cell took on the pose Maloja executed as he summoned his magics; arms flared out, chest high, and legs locked together, wings fluttering like mad. They connected so harshly from their next attack it almost felt like a Solar Flare was cast out into the rest of the venue.
"I'm sorry, folks! I'm supposed to be commentating and here I am being a spectator! But this battle is something else! I swear, our competitors get stronger every year! I don't like to get religious in my commentary but if there were Gods, I'm not sure they could beat these guys!"
Beerus' ears perked up at the statement and he spared a solitary glance at my staff.
Cell took a sneaky line, appearing right behind Yamcha but The Wolf was prepared, swinging a series of tornado roundhouse kicks starting from behind and ending with a leg sweep on the ground. Yamcha finished with a grounded kick-the-moon which launched Cell over the top. The Wolf wasn't done still, leaping into the air and looking to land an arrow-like left leg from the aether. Cell dodged just barely and the pair threw dozens of blows as he landed.
"Wolf-Fang-Fist!"
ScuFwuScuFwuScuSuuScuSwuScuSuuSwu~
Cell couldn't keep a lid on it, Yamcha clearly winning the exchange and then capitalising on it with a series of left leg lifts to the face. The Wolf tapped his left leg on the ground each time, bouncing off the tile and then Cell's face over and over again until he slammed in a final stepping left thrust kick.
WHAMM!
Yamcha roared to life, sprinting off the tile until Cell conjured everything in his power, Ki Sourcing to the max, slamming a final gut punch right into Yamcha for a forceful counterhit.
DUMM!
Yamcha's eyes whited out and he fell to the tile with a thud. Cell let out a cathartic breath, the kind that you could forgive for thinking he had only breathed a single time since birth. The Wolf was unmoving.
"Yamcha is down! Is this another first round knockout!? One! Two! Three!"
"Hnnnnn~" Cell breathed in sharply through his nose with closed eyes, arms flared out like a deity.
"Four! Five! Six! It isn't looking good folks! Seven!"
Mic pulled at his tie, doing his part to let Yamcha get up as the crowd looked on in horror. Bulma and Puar held their breaths.
"Yamcha~" Puar cooed. "I can't look."
"Yamcha…"
"Eight! Nine!"
Cell tightened his frame, as if bracing for impact.
"Ten!"
Flashes of inspiration crossed his mind as he counted down the final numbers with The Announcer's. The limp body of all of his foes were all that filled his mind until the finale. Cell opened his eyes and smiled larger than anyone had ever seen thus far.
"I've never lost."
"What an upset! This new challenger Cell, is able to take out our Top 4 like it's no problem! He's even introduced other fighters to the bracket! Are they going to be more of the same!? How strong are his competitors!? And who is this mysterious Giran look-alike!?"
The sharkfinned fighter gazed to that of the tournament-goers with a disdain on his maw. He grimaced and cringed just looking at them. Most of the audience was terrified, both of the bombs underneath them, and at the fact that Cell won the match the way he did. An ethereal yellow aura gathered in his palm before Goku harshly shut it down, grabbing his wrist with an iron grip.
"You're not doing that." Is all Goku said before he thrusted the spawn's hand back and teleported back up to the stadium.
Yamcha picked himself off the tile with veins of anger straining harshly across his forehead.
"Fuckin~" Is all he could say as he curled his fists tight and stormed off, flying into the aether.
"What a sore loser." Cell commented as The Wolf left the scene.
"Yamcha~" Puar called out, staring as he vanished beyond the clouds.
"Where's dad going?"
"I don't know, Trunks."
"Where'd you learn that?" Krillin asked as Goku touched back down with jagged lines warping around his frame.
"It was when me and Piccolo went to King Kai's planet a while back. We spent very little actually fighting King Kai and most of it teaching me how to do it."
"Goku?"
The Saiyan raised a brow.
"It's your match next, remember?" Tien reminded the younger brother.
"..? Yeah." Goku glared down harshly at the creature before he hopped down from the top box, landing squarely in the middle of the ring and subsequently on the cracks of the tile.
"Right now?" Mic asked as he whispered a few things with Cell here and there. "You heard that folks, right now! Cell requests that this tournament rush to the finish! With only a small break between the last semi-final match and Grand Finals! The next match we have in the bracket ISSS~ what's your name sir?"
"Pssspssspsss~"
"TAMBOURRIIIIIINE versus! Our very own Son Goku! Now Goku has been here many times but he has yet to procure a victory in this tournament! Are The Cell Games going to be the one to turn the tide for our competitor!?"
"You can do it, dad!" Gohan yelled from the side.
"Be careful!" Chi-Chi hollered.
"Don't worry Chi-Chi, I'll be careful. I'm more worried about him." Goku replied as he stood with stoicism in the middle of the ring.
"Ssssomething about you ssseemss familiar."
"Feeling's mutual."
"..."
"..."
"Now the second round of The Cell Games is about to begin! Are both fighters ready!?"
"..."
"..."
"Fight!"
GONGG!
Goku VS Tambourine
Objective: Win the first round of The Budokai!
"I'm going to enjoy killing you."
"..."
"There's nothing in the rules that say anything about disqualification by fatal injury."
"..."
Goku just took on his low turtle hermit stance as the blue creature edged forward.
Wsst! DUMM!
"Go-Hawckk~"
"Ohhhh! Goku laid him down flat in one hit! I can't believe it! I mean~ maybe I can! It's Goku we're talking about after all! One!"
"Stay down." Is all Goku said as he walked back to a neutral position.
"Two!"
Tambourine clutched at his stomach as he tried his best to let any air in at all.
"Three!"
"Kuuu~ Huuu~"
"Four! That may have been all she~ Wait a minute! Tambourine is getting up! He's got some fight left in him! Five!"
"Now I'm starting to remember~"
"Six!"
Goku made eye contact with a menacing glare.
"Your friend's head made a sweet sound as I caved it right in."
"He's up!"
"Ring the bell, Human!"
GONGG!
BA-BOOOMM!
"Ohhh~ ohh~"
The whole arena gasped as the smoke cleared and only a dusty stain remained of the creature.
"Where'd he go?" Smitty asked with raised brows.
"Wicked." The blonde haired guy remarked as he ate his hot dog.
"Calm down, Goku." He said to himself like a mantra. "We don't get like that anymore."
"B-b-by right of elimination, that orr~ disappearing act~ I'm going to have to declare Son Goku the winner if Tambourine doesn't show himself in the next ten seconds! One! Two!"
"My match is next." Sapa recounted as he sat by his lonesome in the tournament hall. "Who is this Cell? And why is he disrupting the tournament? Does he have something to prove like I did? Much to ponder." Is what the eldest son of King Chappa was thinking as he walked out onto the brick pathway to the arena.
"Three! Four! You can't sense his energy? What are you talking about?"
"PssPssPss~"
"Now you may be forcing me to comply, Cell, but this is still The Budokai! You still have to follow our rules! Five! Six!"
Sapa glanced over at Cell and subsequently the little Cell eyeing him back. Sapa furrowed his brow as the bug child stuck his tongue out and blew it at him.
"Bleh!"
"What a little nuisance."
"Nyeh~Nyeh~ Eck-Eck-Eck!" The critter laughed to itself as Mic finished the count.
"And ten! That's a wrap, folks! Goku moves on to the second round and is gonna go head to head with Cell in the semi-finals!"
Sapa and the little Cell waltzed in the ring at the same time, glaring at each other as they did it. The crowd was pretty silent over the whole ordeal as Mic straightened out his tie.
"Alright folks, we're going straight onto the third match of the first round! In the right corner we have SAPAA! The 25th's champion! He's no slouch but he did win by technical knockout! Perhaps he's got something boiled up for~ Sss-Cell Junior! That's really his name?" Mic shrugged his shoulders and made 'whatever' kind of face. "Now are you ready!? Begin!"
GONGG!
Sapa VS Cell Junior
Objective: Win the first round of The Budokai!
"Gohan? Gohan whatareyoudoing!? That man is dangerous! You get back here this instant, young man!" Chi-Chi yelled from the stands as Gohan hopped the brick walls and Icarus held her back.
"Uhh~" Mic let out dumbly into the mic before tipping down his glasses.
The Director sniffed the eldest son of Son Goku up and down with a concerted effort, giving the go ahead with his thumbs up.
"Where's Raditz at damnit..?" Mic thought to himself. "He bails at the first sign of trouble? What a guard he is. I'm giving him a piece of my mind the first chance I see him."
"Mister Cell."
"Gohan? Nice to see you, boy." Cell greeted genuinely, outstretching his left arm for a handshake. Much to his surprise, Gohan didn't meet it, rejecting it coldly and only giving back steely eye contact.
"Why are you doing this?" Is all Gohan had to say, kind of flooring Mic, The Director, and Cell all at once with the authenticity.
"Why am I doing this..? Well, there's really only one reason, Gohan. Because I can."
"Just because you can? You'd endanger an audience full of people just because you can?"
"..." Cell nodded his head to the side with some comical duck lips. "More or less."
Gohan was at a loss for words, the sheer genuineness in Cell's voice short circuited the teenager's mind.
"Look, Gohan. Remember the bus?"
"..."
"We took care of those goons without even trying. You see-" He put his long spotted arm around Gohan's shoulders, leaning over him like an uncle. "Me and you~ we're not like these people." Cell remarked as he waved his hand over the crowd. "We're better. So if they go, it's just because they weren't fit enough. I'm not Really intending to blow up the bomb, in fact, I'd rather not. It's just a game. I want to show these people that I'm the best. And… I don't really get to if I end up killing them all. They'll only know I'm the best if they see it happen." He reiterated as he tapped on his sleek black chest.
"What?" Piccolo thought to himself as he shook his head in complete disbelief.
"You hear something?" Krillin asked quickly.
"Do you want to know what the name of this tournament translates to?"
"..?"
"It means 'the strongest under the heavens'. I'm going to show everyone in this arena that I am the strongest creature to ever roam this planet. And after that, they'll have nothing to do but bow down to my majesty."
"But what if they don't?"
"Hah-Huh-Hah! That's the fun part, Gohan. If I'm the strongest, then it doesn't matter. I have marked a spot in this tournament series forever. As much as they may not like it they cannot discount it either. Until this planet is eroded by time, people will know my name far after my death."
"..."
"Huh-Hah-Hah! It's so simple. It's like how Demon King Piccolo just took over Central City. It was all over the news. Someone so strong that they just couldn't say no."
Sweat began to run down the child's head as Chi-Chi practically snapped all her nails off chewing them in anticipation.
"Now I'm not looking to control anyone's life or laws or what have you, but I'm going to do whatever I want whenever I feel like it. Sounds like the life to me. Perhaps after I'm done with this planet, I'll simply move onto the next and prove that I'm the best there too."
"Like dojo busting?"
"Ahh~ Yes! Exactly! Prove to everyone just how much they pale in comparison to me."
"..."
"Well?"
"..."
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry Cell, but that's not right."
"Tsk." Cell scoffed. "Can't convince everyone. Huh-Hah-Hah! Be on your way now, Gohan." He asserted, pushing the son of Son Goku away with a forceful left palm.
"Gohan!" Chi-Chi screeched as she leapt onto the grass and cradled him in a bear hug.
"I'm okay…" His thoughts were all over the place as he gazed at Cell. Cell waved back at Chi-Chi with a genuine smile on his face.
"You raised a fine boy, Mrs. Son Goku!"
"Shut your mouth you heartless monster!"
"She's feisty." Cell joked as he jabbed The Announcer with his elbow. "Hah-Huh-Hah!"
POKK!
Jr. backflipped off of Sapa's arm and flew right back in with his little bug wings, laying down a litany of hands to pressure the man into stepping off of the tile. Sapa conceded, stepping off the tile and onto the air. The creature raised a brow at the information.
"Kekekekehh!" It screeched before going back to town with its punches.
Sapa found a way through, stifling the approach by strongarming a knifehand jab between throws, pulling the Cell Junior out of its punching rhythm. After stuffing the pressure Sapa slammed in a thumping right elbow square in the chest of the creature, blasting it back onto the tile in a tumble.
WHUMM!
"Kekekehhh~"
"That's a down! Junior is struggling to get up! One! Too- I didn't say, screw it, begin!"
Whst-Wsst-Woosh!
Sapa backstepped with ease, looking for the right angles to attack into during the bug-kid's relentless pressure. Sapa wounded the whole ring, stepping and juking in every corner. The son of King Chappa found the right spot once again, slamming in a deep karate style punch to the gut complete with a lunging step in that just floored the little creature. Sapa snapped ferociously and subsequently a scorching inferno rocked the Cell Jr's body.
"Eckaaa~"
"Sapa has set the competition ablaze! Can Cell Junior find a way out of this!?"
Still standing and running around the tile with burning embers, Sapa put the small bug out of its mystery with a killer knee strike, folding Junior like a lawn chair on the cracked tile.
"Is that it!? Has Sapa just done it!? I don't see any movement! One! Two!"
Sapa snapped a second time and the searing red flames ceased, wiped away by the wind as he turned his back on the competition and looked up at the box high in the sky.
"You're next, Goku."
"Good job, Sapa!" Goku yelled from aloft, waving down at the kid.
"Hmm." Is all he had to say about the matter, turning around with a hard to put away smile on his face.
"And Ten! Sapa advances to the second round! He'll face off against the winner of this next match! And for this last one of the first round we've got a doozy! The winner of The 25th's Supernatural Division and The Budokai's second two-time champ are here to duke it out!"
Tournament staff wheeled Junior out on a stretcher with starry eyes.
Giran stepped out onto the charred, cracked, skidded, and overall ruined stadium arena with a crude disposition, cracking his neck and letting out flames as he saw fit. Tien touched down opposite the fat dragon with a cold glare in his eye. He placed his left hand over his right and shook it a single time.
"You can't beat me." Tien stated solemnly. "You leave now and I don't have to hurt you."
"You think you're tough shit, huh?" He shot back with a smirk.
"No. This is for your sake." He replied as he slammed his left leg onto the tile, cracking it in even more.
"Cha-Ha-Hah! You're full of it!"
"We'll see."
"Let the last match of the first round~ Begin!"
GONGG!
Tien VS Giran
Objective: Win the first round of The Budokai!
"Tien looks like he's going to-"
POKK! Krunckle~
Stones floated down in slow motion as Tien took a deep inhale from centre stage.
"Giran is out! I think Tien just won! I'm not gonna lie, I didn't even see it, folks! It looks like Cell might have underestimated his fighters!"
"Nah, man." Giran fought back as he hopped out of the crater in the stadium wall. "Fuck that. I'm coming back for your ass!" He declared with a sharp pointer finger.
Tien cracked his neck as Giran rushed back in, but before the blue beast could even clear the distance he was sniped utterly by none other than Cell.
Zyuu!
"You lost. Let's play by the rules, Giran."
Blood dribbled down from his mouth and once again the blue dragon was dead, right at Tien's feet this time.
"Oh my! Cell took out his own fighter~ …" Mic even had trouble commentating it, stalling for the right words. "-for the sanctity of this competition!? A round of applause for this uhh, welcoming display of sportsmanship!"
Cell bowed to the crowd with a shiteating grin, lapping it all up.
"You're too kind."
Tien looked down to the dead body before him, shaking his head with disapproval before kicking him up to his hands like a hacky sack and walking him out of the ring as if it were a briefcase. The Three Eyed Man stood right in front of Cell and dropped the corpse at his feet this time.
"When you make trash, You throw it away." Tien stated as he stuck his pointer finger right in between the divot of his black armour-like chest.
Cell smiled.
The Free Man and The Announcer began to hash it out as Tien flew back to the top box.
"We're really gonna do it right away?"
"Psspsspss."
"Alright folks, let's get it started! The moment you've all been waiting for! This second round has Cell facing off against Goku! This is sure to be a match for the already very storied record books! Is everyone ready!?"
"Gohan, honey, what did he do to you?" Chi-Chi cried as she pinched the not-so-little boy's cheeks.
"He didn't do anything mom, and that's what scares me the most."
"What?"
"He thinks this is all fun and games. Like he joined the tournament just as valid an entrant as Yamcha, Dad, or Mister Tien."
Chi-Chi brushed her hair out of the way as Goten put his arms over the brick wall, marveling as Cell stepped into the ring.
"I don't know what's worse. The fact that he's using threats to get what he wants, or that I kind of believe him when he says he's not really in it to hurt people."
Chi-Chi averted her gaze to the arena as her husband landed on the tile and proceeded to bust out some stretches.
"Goku~"
"You know, one of these days Puar it's gonna get so ridiculous coming to these tournaments that people aren't going to show up, not because they don't want to, but because it'd be safer not to."
"Don't jinx it, Oolong!"
"What, relax. Goku's got this one in the bag. Yamcha just can't clutch the dub. If he had his head on straight he would have knocked Cell's ass into next week. Any day other than The Budokai and Yamcha woulda' sent his shit packing."
"Be careful, Goku." Bulma called out with worry.
"So this is the guy my dad always talks about. Why is Goten's dad so good?" Trunks thought to himself as he leaned on the very tips of his toes to see. "Mom!"
"..?"
"Pick me up." He said, embarrassed, cheeks flushed red as Bulma put him over her shoulders.
"This just gets my heart pumping." Cell stated with a bright smile that sparkled in the fading sunlight. "I'm right here, standing toe to toe with you, Goku. Isn't this exciting?"
"Yeah. It is." Goku replied as he hopped around on the balls of his feet.
"I hope we can have a good match."
"I feel the same way, but I really wish you entered the tournament fairly."
"But I was unable to, Son Goku, that's the reason I did this whole thing anyhow."
"Really?" Goku questioned with a raised brow.
"Yes. The tournament organisers had made a few changes specifically because Majunior and Sapa's entrees. For safety reasons you need background checks and all that other garbage to even enter. More than that if you want to apply for The Top 4. I said to hell with all that, because I knew the people wanted to see me." He said with a smile, spreading out his wingspan as the crowd tuned in. "And now they can't take their eyes off me."
Goku spared a few glances to the crowd.
"Can't argue with that."
"I mean you can, but that's not to say that you'll win. It's a fool's hope to argue against Perfection."
Goku responded by taking off his undershirt, wristbands, and boots, throwing the unnecessary training gear to the side. He put his arms through the thin orange vest and hopped up and down on his bare feet.
"No one's perfect, Cell."
"They're all gonna say that, before they meet Me."
Goku VS Cell
Objective: Win the second round of The Budokai!
GONGG!
"Begin!"
Cell rushed in first just like his previous endeavor, trying to prove that he would make an impact. The Free Man threw a three piece of lefts, sizing up the competition. Goku respected the offence, staying light on his toes as he moved around in a clockwise motion with his opponent. Cell tried to cut him off at the pass with a right leg but Goku saw it coming, jumping up and sending out a compact left leg of his own off the air. Cell caught the ground and dashed right under with a baseball slide, gathering a Ki blast in his palm and shooting it at the young father while he was still stalled in the air. Goku ballerina twirled in an epic flourish in the air, the Ki blast wrapping around him like a compact pocket of air in the ocean, flinging the energy into the clouds above as he landed.
BOMM!
The Ki blast exploded a safe distance away from the audience and Cell whistled, unable to keep a smile from forming on his face.
"I see I've still got some more studying to do~" He cooed, smirking as he readied a dash from the tile.
Goku responded by taking on the Instant Transmission pose as Cell rocketed from his position.
FOOSH! Vwa-Vzh!
Cell had duck lips in excitement as his foe vanished from view and entered from up above him, dropping a mean elbow. Cell caught it just in time, throwing the Saiyan for a loop and towards The Director. The dog-man barked as Goku caught the air and dashed off it with his flight.
"These two are going at it! I expect nothing less from Goku! He was just inches away from crashing right into The Director! What a disaster that would have been!"
Goku entered range 0 and hit the kung fu hand roll to stall out his pressure and see what Cell had in store. Cell reacted with counterpressure offence, swinging for the fences as Goku had hard-baited him.
Fwuf~
Like a deer caught in the headlights, Cell could only look on as Goku dropped low to duck the right hand and kicked up both legs for the dancer-like backflip dropkick.
SMASHH!
"I have an idea!" Goku thought during the midst of battle, his fight IQ running a mile a minute.
This is the difference between Goku and everyone else. His willingness to put an idea on the table, good or bad as soon as it comes to him is what makes him an excellent fighter, his raw creativity and confidence in his abilities to execute it. He recalls a similar technique used on him from 18 years previous.
Goku hit a quick Instant Transmission while still stalled upside down from the mid-way of the flip, appearing right above Cell and dive bombing him with a cross-armed chop.
"That's my move! He's using my move, Dabu!" Nam shouted from the left side of the arena, opposite Bulma, Gohan, and the rest. He laughed jubilantly. "I cannot believe it!"
"HYAHH!" Goku shouted as he absolutely smashed into Cell from behind, taking him all the way down to the tile.
WHAMM! FYUUUUUU~KROKK!
"Ohh! A big move from Goku! Does this spell the end!? One! Two!"
"Phew~" Goku said as he hopped on the balls of his feet. "Not in a million years."
Cell stood up from the rubble, wiping himself off.
"Three! He's up! Are you ready to continue!? …"
Cell took stock of his surroundings, gazing at the messy state of the ring.
"You have to give us some sort of confirmation here, Cell, or we can't continue. Four!"
A warping aura appeared around his hands as he went to town and shifted the stones in and out of place.
"It looks to me like he's cleaning..? It? … Well alright! There's no rules against that! Five! Six!"
"We deserve a much more glamorous arena to fight in, don't you think?" He asked plainly as he went out of his way to build and manage the white chalky stone of the ring.
"I wasn't ever all that interested in where I fought at. Anywhere's fine with me as long as we're not hurting anybody."
"Good."
"Seven! Eight! These fighters seem to have built a cordial relationship! It's not as up and arms like it was with the Ex-Titan! Careful Cell, you don't have much time! And nine!"
"Come on~" Chi-Chi cringed. "Just count him out already!"
"Start the match!" Cell yelled to The Announcer.
"Begin!"
"Whenever you're ready." Cell called out as he flexed his frame, curling in his fingers dramatically on each side.
Wsht~Wsst~Fwafuush~Wshtahh~Wsst~Wsht~Swasuff!
Goku and Cell kicked up dust all over the ring as they skipped along the tile, clashing and connecting on each other's guard, unable to break through until:
WHAMM!
Goku snuck in a tornado roundhouse with his left, pivoting off the air smoothly as Cell fell back first onto the grass.
"Did he do it!? No! Cell caught himself just before hitting the grass! What a maneuver!"
Cell laughed out with great jubilancy as he floated up like a vampire from a casket, arms crossed and everything.
"A ring out? Perhaps you should try a better strategy."
"Hey, if you want to come here and beat us at The Budokai, you've got to make sure you know the rules. I don't have to knock you out for a win."
"Hmm." Cell remarked. "I'll try to remember that."
"It's been a pretty even match so far but keep in mind that Goku's the only to have scored any downs! This could be the deciding factor if they trade downs over and over until the end!"
Cell zig-zagged with his flight path, trying his best to juke out the younger brother but Goku had him well scouted.
"HYAHH!" Goku roared as he sent out a thunderous elbow to the left of himself preemptively.
Cell's face contorted from the blow as Goku hyped up a back fist with the same limb. Cell palmed it with his own left hand and the pair fought it out with punches, parrying and blocking as they walked around the arena.
"What a stunning display these two have put on for us! I can't believe what I'm seeing! After all that they really just seem like they're sizing each other up for the next big swing of momentum!"
"Te~Yahh!" Cell screamed throatily as he landed another banger of a gut punch with his left, forcing Goku to bend over from the stress.
"Gohawww~"
"You might like this one." He remarked with a sly smile as he assumed Wasteland Stance, miming his hands in claw shapes. "Wolf Fang Fist!" His posh voice echoed out into the crowd as he waylaid the father of Gohan and Goten with a flurry of swipes.
ScuSuuSwuScuScuScuSwuuSuuScuuScuSsuSwuScu~WHOKK!
Cell finished it with a weighty kick that blasted Goku right back towards The Announcer.
"Oh boy~"
Fwof~ FOOSHH!
"Leave it to Goku! I knew I wasn't in any real danger! Eh~heh." Mic straightened out his tie.
Goku leaped from the air right onto Cell, miming a few different angles of attack as he floated on target. He didn't end up choosing any, just landing right in front of him as The Free Man whiffed a huge left leg lift to the skies.
"He didn't..? Damn~"
WHOKK!
Goku's left knee blasted Cell's head in a whiplash, on the return the Saiyan stepped in close for a mean right haymaker to the tile.
"HYAHH!"
SMASHH!
"He's down! Cell is down! An unbelievable right hand from Goku knocked him flat! One! Two!"
"Hmm."
"He's susceptible to fakes." The Demon thought to himself as he watched The Free Man struggle to his feet. "No matter how strong you are, that stuff comes with experience. He's probably never even fought a fighter who uses them. And that Mongrel is one of the best." Piccolo made sure to keep a lid on it as he stared down at the arena.
"Three! It looks like that last one may have actually done some damage! Four! Cell's stru~ well, maybe it's a stretch to call it a struggle but it took longer for him to stand up this time! Five! Are you ready, sir!?"
Cricc-Crocc.
Cell tapped his feet on the ground as if trying to get the mud off his shoes that didn't exist. He blinked a few times and watched the clouds go by.
"Six! Seven!"
"Okay, not bad, Goku. I'll give it up."
"Huh-Hah! Thanks."
"Eight!"
Cell smirked.
"You can stop the count." Cell stated as he turned his head to the staff.
"Begin!"
"I've got you downloaded now."
"What's a download?"
"..? What? How can you not know what a-"
WHAMM!
Cell was knocked for a loop, eyes white as Goku cleared the distance like nothing.
"Bell rang, Cell. Keep your guard up."
"Why you~"
"Huh-Hah! Got your nose."
Goku really just did that and it infuriated Cell, not just him either.
"Watching Son Goku fight really just pisses me off." Piccolo let aloud as he couldn't hold back a smug grin.
Cell swung for the fences, trying to take his head off with a left hook only to miss due to Goku falling into a pushup position. He hoisted himself up from the tile and punished the linear strike with a right hand chop at the throat while staying completely level on the air. Cell let out some uneven spit before Goku reared back his left hand full of Kiai and blasted, spinning himself out in a flourish and sending Cell towards the stadium wall at the same time.
Wsht! Whapp! Pa-POKK! Skweee~
Cell flared out his wings and arms, stopping just short of making contact with the brick.
"Your head looks stupid, don't you know that?" Trunks taunted from inches away with childlike hand movements. "Your head look like the Dai Gurren shades but shitty."
"Trunks~" Bulma laughed out as the nerves fired while Cell death-stared them.
"I like this kid already!" Oolong chuckled loudly as Cell had his attention stolen by Goku fighting him at the edge.
"Trunks! Why in the world would you try and antagonise him like that!?" Bulma questioned worriedly, dipping down and forcing him onto the seats.
"Uhh~ It's called strategy. Learned that from all the documentaries you put on when Piccolo comes over. 'Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting'. Come on, this is basic stuff that Old Head Sunny Zoo said or whatever. I'm just trying to secure the dub, mom. You're taking this stuff too serious." He relayed as he reclined and crossed his arms behind himself.
Goku threw rapid strikes against Cell's own, walking their way back to the middle of the ring on the wind.
SuuSuuSwuScuFwuFuuFwu~
"They're at each other's throats! Doesn't get more heated than this!"
Goku threw his classic one-two set up to judge the distance before going all in, jumping and spinning for his back thrust kick banger. Cell blocked it, but at what cost? His armour-like skin cracked and bled under the contact of his left forearm. He let out a harsh breath out of his cheeks, his smile all but gone under the mid-match pressure Son Goku provided.
"Te-Yahh!" Cell screamed as he went for it, slamming in a high left leg, looking to take Goku's head off.
The Saiyan backed out of the way with skillful backhandsprings off the tile.
Whush~Wsst~Whuf!
Cell appeared right above him during the midway point of the last bound off the tile, dropping an elbow from above. Goku had the option covered, already swinging his right leg in a tornado during the movement. Cell's smile returned once again as he stalled out and grabbed Goku's ankle with firm resolve. Goku's eyes widened immensely.
The fake was all Cell's this time, he stopped short of connecting with the elbow, baiting a preemptive response just the same as he did moments ago.
"Sayonara~" He said as he put his index and middle finger overtop his black dome, Instant Transmissioning Goku's back directly onto the grass.
"No!" Mic yelled without thinking. "The-the- I… Goku has just been eliminated! I-i-iii~I can't believe what I'm seeing! With a stunning reversal play, he's just used that teleporting ability to catch Goku off guard!"
Goku actually laughed it off, impressed more than anything, palm on his forehead as he let out dumb chuckles.
"Whoa~ that's like. I didn't think of using it like that~"
"You like that?"
"That was Pretty good, Cell. I won't lie." Goku replied as he kipped up from the green. "But you're not getting past Sapa or Tien."
"Oh please. Sapa is a joke. He's just some loser who needs assistance to function at your guy's level. I'm waiting for Tien, and then I'll prove I'm the best by beating the two-time champion."
"Piccolo?"
"What is it? You don't think Tien can beat this guy?" The Demon remarked as immediately as Krillin prompted him.
"Did you use the Instant Transmission when you saw Cell using the Dragon Balls?"
Piccolo's brow furrowed.
"Yeah, I did."
"Because Cell already had it by the time he got here. Remember when he showed up? He just teleported in, I didn't see him fly in or anything. I remember because he held the pose for so long. Do you think this guy is like Goku?"
"What do you mean, like Goku?"
"He learns fast. He used the Wolf Fang Fist down there too."
"That's exactly what I was thinking, Krillin."
"I've got an idea." Tien interjected.
"..? Shoot."
"If he learns so fast, he's gonna be in a world of hurt. That's all I'm gonna say." Tien stated with a cocky grin, running his hand through his beard one time before rolling his shoulders.
"You've got to get past that Mongrel, Sapa first. Shouldn't be too hard."
Crocc-Cricc.
"Goku~" Sapa lamented from the tournament bench. "I see. It would appear this Cell fellow is someone to be feared. He's not just powerful, he's smart too. Once I get past Tien I'll have to tread very carefully."
"Remember folks, no breaks! We're about to get the next match of the tournament started in no time! This next match is another battle between champions! The 22nd and 24th's champion versus The 25th's champion! Who will reign supreme in this battle of titans and go on and face possibly one of the greatest break-out performers in this tournament's history!? You can only find out by staying tuned in to The 26th Tenkaichi Budokai! Are our fighters ready!?"
Tien shook his fist in his classic display of sportsmanship.
"It's unfortunate that you have to be in my way, I'd like to use as little energy as possible so I can defeat Cell."
"It's funny that you think of me only as an obstacle." Sapa responded as he unsheathed the right shoulder of his gi top, letting the red fabric dangle downward. "Your overconfidence is astounding."
"Time to put everything to the test." Tien mused as he closed all three of his eyes. "This is gonna use a lot of Ki, but if this goes well, I should be able to end it in one strike, and I'll have plenty of leftover stamina to use in the finals. Phuu~ Here goes."
Tien and Sapa signalled to Mic and subsequently the staff in charge of the gong.
"Let the last semi-final match~ Begin!"
GONGG!
Tien VS Sapa
Objective: Win this in one shot!
Tien stood opposite Sapa, the two staring each other down, unwilling to move.
"Good, this is exactly what I wanted." Tien remarked. "Stay right where you are."
Sapa sidled very carefully and slowly, trying to get a better angle. Sapa couldn't see it yet, but another Tien popped right off of his back, creeping out of him like a shadow.
Multiform Technique, a technique that allows the user to create copies of themselves at a steep rate of Ki consumption. It's a technique discovered by Tien during the lead up to The 23rd Budokai. After a stunning defeat by Goku, Tien realised that the technique ate up too much Ki to use efficiently and spread his power in direct proportions to how many copies existed on the battlefield. He decided it wasn't a very useful technique, but there's always a time and a place for everything.
"HUAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Tien roared, screamed, the volume was intense, almost as if amped with Ki.
It was.
There were shockwaves caused by the total boom in volume The Three Eyed Man created. Sapa faltered, simply confused by the strangeness of it all. Out of nowhere, his vision was pulled abruptly by another Tien just to his right, sitting on the rightmost corner of the ring. This Tien had his index and middle finger pointed at his third eye on both sides, and as soon as he made eye contact with it, everything else disappeared, tuned out, he struggled to pull himself out of the trance, enticed utterly by the ethereal pull the illuminati eye had on him. The eye was large, unnecessarily so, try as he might, he couldn't look away.
"Nail! Hammer!"
Pa-POKK!
Sapa flew right past the staff and right onto his ass inside the preliminary area, dazed and confused.
"I-Can't-Be-Lieve-It! Tien has just ended the match in another total display of dominance! Both matches ended in one move! The two-time champ isn't gonna let the belt go so easily! We have a Grand Finals ladies and gentlemen!"
The All-Seeing Eye. Tien's newest technique. By localising Ki into his third eye he can cast this high level illusionary spell, drawing the attention of whoever makes eye contact with it. He can't actually do anything other than draw someone's attention, but in a serious contest a mere second makes the difference. Once you make contact with the eye, you are forbidden from looking away for a full second, no matter who you are. Tien used the unorthodox tactic of screaming to force Sapa into a stall and root his defence instead of scaring him off with the threat of pressure that seeing the copy might induce. An all-or-nothing strategy to get the win as fast as possible with the available means.
"What… the hell was that?" Piccolo laughed out. "What a goddamn genius."
"What was that move!? He spooked Sapa with that second Tien it looked like! I haven't seen that technique since The 23rd! It looks like Tienshinhan is busting out all the stops for this tournament!"
The Three Eyed Man and The Free Man shared a killer glance from across the arena, Tien still standing on the tile while Cell crossed his arms calmly on the grass.
"You're next."
All Cell did was smile wickedly.
"We're going to take a 30 minute rest period before the last match to make sure our fighters are ready for the Grand Finals! I want to thank everyone for sticking with us through The Cell Games!"
At this point it was routine, some people in the audience genuinely thought The Budokai was just an eccentric program that was really pushing the boundaries of theatre, especially one X.S. Cash sitting at home, watching on a gigantic television.
"That punk, stealin' my ideas. I can't believe he'd have the gall. Really grinds my gears." He said as he took a long toke from a cigar while in his bathrobe.
"I can't wait for next year, these tournaments just keep getting better and better!"
"I agree, Smitty. They really know how to hype a show!"
"Outta my way, busta'! Move it! Who the hell is this!?"
"Oh, hi Launch." Gohan waved diplomatically. "This is Icarus. Say hi, girl."
"Kraaah~"
"Damn, she's somethin' else." The blonde lady remarked as she filed in right next to the son of Son Goku. "Tien's match is next, right?"
Gohan nodded a single time.
"I got here as fast as I could as soon as I seen that weirdo on TV say he was gonna blow up the joint! I ain't gonna let that happen to my man." She claimed with crossed arms and a furrowed brow. "You can do it! Come on!"
"Launch."
"Hmm?"
"The last semi-final just ended, they're not gonna start for another 30 minutes."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Huh. Bummer. Tien's in the finals though, right?"
"Yeah, he is."
"Who's on the other side?"
"Cell. That weirdo who said he's gonna blow up the arena." Gohan replied.
"Launch? It's dangerous, what are you doing here?"
"Danger is my middle name, Sweetheart. Besides, if I was ever gonna bite the dust, it's-"
"-It's gonna be an explosion." They stated together as if she'd said it many a time before.
"Yeah, I know, but I'm worried about you."
"Worried about me!? You should worry about that heffa you have to fight in the finals! He's the one that's gonna blow the joint and you're the one fightin' him! Cut me some slack!"
"Hehhh~" Tien breathed out as rubbed the top of his head, letting out a bit of a laugh. "Yeah."
She grabbed him by the sides of the head and bent him over, kissing the top of it.
"You're gonna win for me, right?"
"I wouldn't ever lose." Tien replied as he grabbed her hands. "Not while you're here."
The pair stared at each other, not sparing a care in the world as practically the whole arena looked at the couple, the sun lowered its place in the sky, casting its light just over the horizon now.
"Contestants! It's about that time! It's about to get dark so let's wrap this up! This match is the final match of The 26th Tenkaichi Budokai! In the left corner we have none other than the indomitable, unconquerable, some might even say perfect~ CEEEEEHELLLLLL!"
Cell walked into the ring with gallant and careful strides, even though he had taken the tournament under siege there really were still cheers and claps for him.
"YEAAHHHHHHHHH!"
"That Tien guy's a goody two-shoes!"
"Knock his block off, Cell!"
Cell took a bow on all three sides of the arena, smiling brightly and appealing to the crowd.
"Ahh, they love me."
"And in the right corner we have the one, the only, TIENSHINHAN!"
Tien pulled away from Launch's soft hands and started making his way towards the ring from the grass, marching around the long way diplomatically to hype it up and actually walk the few steps up onto the tile.
"How cute." Cell commented as Tien filed in opposite the bug man.
"Tien is one of few contestants in this prestigious tournament scene to have not only one, but two tournament victories under his belt! During The 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai Tien battled it out against a young Goku! If memory serves, Jackie Chun actually blew away interference from The Crane School during the match with a Kamehameha wave! These folks have seen some stuff! And the most normal tournament in recent history had Tienshinhan duking it out with Raditz in a fair contest with no funny business! Tien came out the victor of course and won The 24th in convincing fashion! These two competitors are sure to bring a Grand Finals that will stand the test of time!"
"So what's the move?" Krillin asked Piccolo and Goku in the top box.
"... I guess we just revive everyone if he blows up the arena. I'm not sure what our other moves are. If we can pull a fast enough attack that he can't snap and blow up the arena maybe that'd work but we're still risking the lives of innocents here."
"Maybe we can try and use Instant Transmission to teleport him out of here." Goku replied as he looked at the sunburnt clouds in the sky.
"I was thinking the same thing."
"Do you think Tien can win?" Krillin asked.
"Yeah. Tien can definitely win." Goku replied with a smile. "He's really strong now. I really want to see what he has in store for us. He's been training this whole time so I know he's got something up his sleeve."
"I want to believe you, but Cell just beat you at your own game, came up with a fake during the match after he learned from watching you. His potential is monstrous."
"Well, anything can happen. My grandpa used to say: 'fighting is like the weather, there are no guarantees'."
"If that's true, that paints Cell just as likely an outcome as Tien."
"That's no problem either. We'll find a way to defeat Cell, just you wait."
"Tcheh. Unbelievable."
"Are you two ready!?"
"As ready as I'll ever be! Prepare to witness Perfection!"
Tien spared a nod Mic's way, signalling combat.
"Let the final match of The 26th Ten-Kai-Ichi Budokai ~ Otherwise known as The Cell Games ~ Begin!"