Disclaimer: I own nothing but my ideas.
The Green Monster
"Huh?!"
An orange and blue clad figure came into view, proceeding to place one firm hand on the orange belly of the beast. Upon feeling a very well-known energy signature, the young pre-teen's tear stained face rose up to meet that of his father's, who looked at him with a calm yet very proud expression, his lips curving into a warm smile.
"Hey, you put up a good fight son, I'm proud of you."
"D-Dad? What are you?"
"You listen to your mom and keep hitting those books okay? Tell her I'm sorry but I'm not gonna make it home this time."
Gohan's turquoise eyes widened with disbelief as he gazed at his father's matching orbs, the peaceful look he wore never wavering, even for a moment.
"Goodbye, Gohan."
Then he was gone, taking the bloated green monster with him.
"Don't leave us!" Hollered the son of Goku, refusing to accept that this was the last time he'd see him alive.
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"Wahhhh! What is wrong with you?! You can't bring that guy here!" The pudgy blue ruler of the North Galaxy, known as King Kai, cried out in alarm, his fellow pets Gregory and Bubbles mimicking his horrified expression.
Goku, making an irrational split second decision, thought that it'd be a good idea to bring the villain to the Kai's tiny planet.
"Sorry King Kai! I had no choice! I'm kinda short on options!" The Saiyan said, wearing his famous cheesy grin, despite the situation he's current is in.
"Well…you could have called!"
The bloated beast, not being able to hold himself together any longer, released a powerful roar that shook the entire planet down to the core, creating dozens of deep fissures on its surface until ultimately it could take no more and exploded into millions of pieces, obviously taking everyone along with it.
Once the smoke and debris settled down, a single reddish-pink microscopic cell floated near the yellow clouds that obscured Snake Way, which lead to the Check-In Station where a certain large red Ogre resided in. The tiny cell hovered lifelessly for a short period of time before it finally began to show signs of life by twitching and jerking about. It then started to grow bigger and bigger, gradually changing from pinkish-red to green, until it finally took shape of a humanoid figure. First his head formed, followed by his upper and lower body, finishing off with all his appendages.
The creature took in his first breath of air upon revival, his pearly icy blue eyes brightening with bafflement. He hastily focused his vision on one of his hands and to his disappointment he saw that it was mix of dark green and black, nothing like the perfect ivory color he had grown fond of. As he took in the rest of his body, swinging his long dark orange and black tail violently, he could no longer deny the evidence presented in front of him. I am perfect no more…
That's when realization finally hit him like a ton of bricks. I am alive… his look of shock broke into a wide wild grin.
"I AM ALIVE!" The creature bellowed out gleefully, fingering the top of his head to make sure he didn't have the Other World halo. To his satisfaction he didn't.
Things didn't make sense at first, but it all fell into place when he really thought about it. He went in, activating the self-destruct programing that all of Dr. Gero's Androids had, not caring that he was succumbing himself to his own death. The way he saw it, as long as the Earth and everyone in it goes along with him, he'd die happy because there was no way he was going to lose to a mere child. However, things didn't go as planned as he could never have expected the foolish Saiyan, Goku, to use his Instant Transmission technique to teleport them out of Earth, making his sacrifice vain, useless, all for nothing. But it seemed like the tables had turned once again, since it had been the foolish Saiyan who died for nothing instead. Dr. Gero's had indeed created me with perfection in mind! As long as I have a single cell remain in the living world, I can always regenerate, which is something that I never imagined was possible! My regeneration abilities are well beyond a Namekian's! I WILL LIVE FOREVER!
Once his excitement extinguished, he began to plan his next move.
He froze.
There was no way he could win. The half Saiyan boy simply outclassed him in every way, now more so since he was no longer in his perfect form. His loss of Android Eighteen had made the already impossible odds even more impossible. Sure he did get a Zenkai boost from the Saiyan DNA within him, but that didn't even come close to the amount of power he had in his perfect body. If anything he was a tiny bit stronger than an Ascended Super Saiyan, but he was still sure that either Vegeta or Trunks could give him quite a fight, though he just might be able to handle them both. Thankfully Goku was gone and the others didn't pose a treat. Grahhh as if the boy would sit by and watch me take out all those weaklings he calls 'friends'.
Either way the Bio-Android looked at it, he was royally screwed. The plain and simple fact was that if he went back there recklessly he would surely be killed. I think… After all, if he survived an explosion which he himself activated by using his own body then who knows how much he could take. He wasn't stupid enough to test that out and waste his second chance though.
"Grahhh curse it all! If only I could go back and not provoke the boy to release his-" He paused as the perfect answer came to his perfect mind. "The boy, Trunks's time machine! If I could get my hands on it I will indeed have my second chance! All I need to do is type in the exact coordinates to the same destination I arrived the first time I came to this timeline, since it will most likely take me just as long as before to break out of my pupal state when I regress to my larval form. Hopefully it will happen faster than the other version of me that will most likely be there. He will not take my perfection!"
With that plan in mind, all he had to do was get out of Other World, which he didn't have a clue on how he was going to accomplish that, get a hold of the boy's time machine and proceed in obtaining his second chance to perfection. Hmmm knowing Goku's Instant Transmission would have been-
Yet another brick hit him. He didn't know why, but he felt like he did know the Instant Transmission technique! Maybe since he had been near the Saiyan when he perished, his cells might have managed to acquire the knowledge of it. Yes, that must be it! Gero had truly out done himself and he doesn't even know it!
The green monster placed both his index and middle finger to his forehead and began to concentrate on the highest energy signature on Earth. Sure enough it was Gohan's, followed by Vegeta, Trunks, and Piccolo. The others aren't even worth mentioning!
However as he said before, he couldn't go there so he had to locate someone who would know of the location of the time machine capsule. But who?
His icy blue eyes widened. "The boy's mother, Bulma…" But her energy signature was so faint that it was practically non-existent. Well he did have Goku and all his friends' cells within him…of course that human's DNA would have surely sullied his 'perfectness' so he thanked Kami that it was left out. Blast! I better hurry before I get discovered! Wait…The Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi!
And with a look of triumphant plastered across his face he was gone.
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"Man! We have no idea what's happening right now! Did the fight end? Did they win or lose!?"
Master Roshi, who was staring out of his window thoughtfully, spoke softly. "I'd think if they lost, we'd be all dead..."
Bulma sighed as she let Baby Trunks loose on the rug, giving him the freedom he desired since he didn't like being held for a long period of time, now that he could roam by his lonesome.
"True…maybe I should-"
Roshi's eyes, which were hidden beneath his red rimmed sunglasses, boarded with shock as he quickly turned towards Bulma seconds before-
"Whahhhh! It-It-It's C-Cell!" Bulma wailed out in horror as her body began to tremble, not believing what she was seeing.
The malicious monster bowed mockingly with a smirk spread across his lips. "At your service!"
While Bulma, Puar, Oolong and Turtle were frozen in fear, Roshi wasn't. So he decided to ask the question everyone wanted the answer to.
"Why are you here?"
Cell laughed as he eyed the Turtle Hermit. "Haha wouldn't you like to know. I came here for one reason and one reason only. I want to know where the time machine is. And guess what?" The Bio-Android turned his gaze on to the blue haired woman near him. "YOU are going to tell me!"
Bulma whitened, but nevertheless responded to his demand. "W-What if I told you I d-don't know where it is?"
"Then I'd say you were lying my dear. Now tell me this instant or you will all die!"
"B-But you'd pro-probably kill us afterwards anyways." Oolong foolishly said.
Cell, not liking the pig's interference, frowned as he lifted one finger and pointed it at the wide eyed shape shifter, releasing Frieza's signature Death Beam attack, killing him instantly as the deadly move had pierced a rather large hole through his chest.
"Oolong!" The shape shifting cat cried out as teared began running down her eyes while the other looked on helplessly, not being able to comprehend what just happen.
"Let that be a lesson to those who dare to speak when not spoken to!" Cell jeered out wickedly as his attention returned to the blue-green haired woman, who took a step back in fear. That's when her eyes settled on her son, who was not too far away from the monster. Unfortunately the Android saw this and grinned evilly yet again. He extended his hand towards the defenseless baby, who upon noticing the Android's gaze, stopped his movements and looked back at him curiously, making him an easier target for Cell.
"No! Don't!" Bulma's eyes watered as she began to make her way towards Trunks but stopped mid-way when the Android aimed his free hand at her.
"I wouldn't move an inch more if I were you. Tell me where the time capsule is and I will spare the boy." He made sure to leave out that he was no longer willing to spare her life since she had already made this more difficult than it needed to be. The fact was that she was wasting his time and it probably wouldn't be long before the others found out that he was alive. If they did, then well he was as good as gone.
Roshi, seeing that he was momentary distracted, took his chances by hurling himself towards the Android, only to have Cell slap him aside effortlessly, sending him crashing right through the window he had be looking through not too long ago. Whether that hit kill him, Cell didn't know and he obviously didn't care.
Bulma, not liking that her friends were getting hurt because of her, decided to give the villain an answer.
"Okay…I'll tell you…"
"No! Bulma don't!" Puar and Turtle yelled out.
"Silence!" Cell hissed out, smiling victoriously. "Do continue my dear."
The blue haired woman stuttered unpleasantly at the way he said 'my dear'. "J-Just take me to Capsule Corp. and I will show you where it is…" She said as her gaze burned into Cell's, the previous evidence of fear all but gone, slightly impressing the Android himself.
Cell frowned, not liking her response because he couldn't use the Instant Transmission to get to Capsule Corp seeing as how there were no noticeable energy signatures within that area. Oh well, I guess I have to fly us there. I'll just make sure to keep my ki level down…wait that would mean I have to run there! Blast!
Cell, deciding that enough time was wasted, replied with one word only. "Fine."
Before Bulma knew it, the Bio-Android had snatched her away and proceeded to tear right through the wall, heading on to West City at supersonic speed, while on foot.
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"Gohan?"
"What the? Dad?
The young boy's head snapped lift to right, trying to figure out where the familiar voice of his father was coming from. When his father disappeared with Cell in order to save the world from the explosion that was to come, the poor boy was devastated, deliberately berating himself for his arrogant behavior. If he had just killed the monster when he had the chance, all of what occurred could have been avoided. Krillin's encouraging yet soothing words did nothing to calm his mind and stop the guilt that was coursing within him. The Z-Fighters were making their way back to their own home when the pre-teen suddenly stopped and spoke. Even Vegeta, who had taken off to the air, paused mid-flight.
"D-Dad? Is that you? Where are you?"
"Yeah it's me. I'm in Other World."
Any hope that his father was still within the living realm was knocked right out the window then and there. Nevertheless he kept his head up, refusing to breakdown again.
"But how are you talking to me?" He asked as the Z-Fighters looked at him strangely.
"Heh you can thank King Kai for that, but listen, I didn't contact you to say hello son. I got bad news…"
Gohan's eyes narrowed. "What could be worse than your death?! I'm so sorry dad! It was my fault! I-"
"Gohan don't blame yourself! Stop being hard on yourself! We all make mistakes, but the one that I just made is much worse…"
This perked the young boy's interest. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"Cell… he's not here in Other World!"
Gohan's eyes widened, taken aback. "He's…not? Are you sure?"
Piccolo, having had enough of the one sided conversation made his voice known. "Gohan? What is Goku telling you?"
"Cell…Dad says that Cell is not in Other World!" Gohan replied with shock still written on his face. Piccolo along with the others nearly fell off their feet at the awful news.
"Dad? Are you sure!?"
"Yes. When King Kai and I didn't see him with us after the explosion, we immediately took a trip to King Yemma's office, the Check-In Station, and when we asked if someone by the name of Cell ever made it there he said no. We even checked the line were the dead are making their way to Yemma and he wasn't there! Gohan, listen very carefully…If Cell really is alive, then he most likely is heading back to Earth as we speak!"
"Wh-What? No! Then that means that you died for nothing!"
"Gohan! Forget about me, what's done is done! I don't regret it and so shouldn't you! You can still save the Earth! He's still in his imperfect form most likely so ending him for good shouldn't be a problem! You have more than enough power son! No go, before it's too late!"
Gohan's widen eyes stared at empty space, not believing what his father was telling him.
"G-Gohan, what did Goku say?" Krillin asked, with the unconscious Android Eighteen in hand. However, he and the others already knew what the answer would be.
"W-we failed you guys…Cell is on his way here or he's-"
That's when his father cut in once more, and this time his voice sounded more urgent. "Gohan! Cell is most likely there right now! King Kai told me that there is no way he could have left Other World by himself! I don't know how, but I think he might have learned Instant Transmission!"
This of course caused the young half Saiyan to panic even more. "Guys! Dad says Cell might have learned Instant Transmission! He's probably here right now!"
"And it just gets worse…" Yamcha muttered with dismay.
Trunks looked around frantically. "But if that were true…wouldn't he have had appeared right here, where we are now?"
"Or maybe he is here…he's just buying his time and possibly planning something." Piccolo stated thoughtfully, with his arms crossed tightly.
"Oh man this just gets worse and worse huh…" The scarfaced bandit complained once more.
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The annoyed Bio-Android tore into the top side of the Capsule Corp dome, causing large chunks of debris to fall inside, disrupting the kitchen and the living room furniture. Bulma's mother, Panchy, who had been within the kitchen, shrieked loudly when the pieces of the dome began to spill in. Luckily, she was able to move to safety before a big piece could crush her. Her moments of relief were gone the instant her widen blue orbs landed on Cell, who had all but tossed her daughter on the tiled floor roughly.
"O-Oh my! Dear are you okay?" Panchy asked with concern as she quickly ran towards her daughter, however that was put to a stop when the Android blasted a warning shot at her feet, stopping her inches away from the floored Bulma.
"Stay right there. Do not interfere if you value your life!" Cell scoffed out as he walked to the blue haired woman and harshly plucked her up onto her feet by the arm, making her wince in pain. "Now tell me WHERE the boy's time machine is!"
Then things became worse when Dr. Briefs stepped into view, obviously hearing all the commotion from his lab. He dropped the cigarette that was resting between his lips when he saw the green monster manhandling his daughter.
"What the? L-let go of her!"
Cell lifted his free palm and blasted the ill-fated doctor, vaporizing him, leaving nothing but destruction where he once stood.
"Daddy/Honey!" Bulma and the now late doctor's wife cried out, tears drenching their cheeks, the latter falling on her keens, feeling complete despair.
"Oops, I'm so sorry. When insects appear out of nowhere, I tend to kill them without a second thought. They are disgusting, wouldn't you say?" The Android said, smiling cruelly, truly enjoying the looks of dismay on their faces. Then his eyes widened with panic. Damn it, that attack might have revealed my location! I have to hurry!
"Tell me now!"
"No."
"What? What do you mean no? Don't you realize that I will kill not only you but your mother if you don't!?" Cell shouted out in frustration.
Bulma would forever hate herself for the words that she said next. "D-doesn't matter. The Dragon Balls will bring everyone you killed back to life." She made sure to keep her aqua eyes focused on the floor, shamefully.
Cell couldn't believe what he was hearing, his icy blue eyes showing the growing dread that was seeding its way towards his mind. No…how can I find the damned time machine capsule-
The Bio-Android's luck charged once again as he eyed a particular indigo jacket that was on the living room couch. Isn't that…isn't that the boy's jacket? His shocked expression morphed into a disgusting smirk. He turned his attention to the blue haired woman, who he had yet to release. Her pale look further confirmed his theory. Yes, I remember seeing him wearing that before I killed him, well the version of him from the timeline I originated from anyways.
"Well would you look at that? Looks like you won't be needed anymore." Faster than the blue haired heiress could react, Cell reeled her in and grasped her neck tightly, causing her eyes to bulge out from the pressure and lack of oxygen. He then tilted her head to the side, snapping it smoothly, killing her right on the spot. Panchy cried out with anguish at the fact that she had witnessed not only her husband die before her, but now her own daughter.
Cell grinned wickedly as he tossed the dead weight to the floor, briefly turning his focus on the terrified blond haired woman before averting his gaze to his desired target, Trunks' jacket. I think leaving her to morn is better than death. Besides, it's like the foolish woman said, the Dragon Balls will make it all better!
Not wasting a moment more, he strode to the jacket, picking it up as he then hastily checked its pockets. He found three capsules, one labeled 'fridge', the other two labeled with the number one. Under the number label was the word 'HOPE' written across its curved surface. He knew he had what he was looking for the instant he saw that because he clearly remembered that word painted on the time machine. Feeling that his ticket out of this timeline was at hand, he took off outside the dome and throw both of the capsule on the lawn, a loud 'POOF' echoing shortly after. Once the smoke when vacant, two time machines were revealed, one being the one that he came to this timeline with, the other being Trunks'. Obviously he wasn't going to use the damaged one, so he blasted it to smithereens. Just in case the fools get any ideas. Sorry boy, looks like you won't be going back home anytime soon! Ha or many never!
With that task done, he walked towards the working time machine and lifted the hatch door open. Just like last time, he had to revert to his larval stage since he was much too large to fit inside. Now more so that I'm in my second form! Let's see, all I need to do is enter the coordinates for the time and place I landed in when I arrived here. That of course wasn't a problem for the Android since he after all had a perfect memory.
He quickly entered in the coordinates and began to regress to his larval form, but not before sensing the Z-Fighter's ki closing in on him. He hurriedly pressed the power button, remembering that it took about a minute to take off, which was more than enough time for him to transform. Too bad it takes years for me to return to normal.
Indeed, within less than a minute, Cell was comfortably nested within the time machine's cushioned seat as the hatch dome door sealed shut firmly, the power having been activated completely at this point. Within several seconds, the fuel ignited and he was off.
Too bad the Z-Warriors arrived on the scene just moments after the Bio-Android entered time and space, heading to another timeline for a 'fresh' start.
A/N: Ha how many of my readers expected that? Now I know Cell should have turned into his perfect form (Super Perfect if you prefer) when he self-destructed, but then he wouldn't have had a reason to leave the timeline. Sorry for killing off a few characters, but of course it doesn't matter. Why? Because we will NEVER hear from that timeline again =P This chapter was really fun to write and surprisingly, I did not struggle much with it.
Anyways the next chapter will continue in this story's canon timeline.
I know some (probably all) are like wtf? Why did I change the story's title again? Listen, I tend to be an indecisive person lol!
First it was named "Across Time" Then I liked HOPE so I added hope in the beginning of the title. Now out of nowhere, Eternal Hope came to mind. I however, keep Across Time in the title because I was bound to confuse many reader. I'm truly sorry for this and I promise that this will be the LAST time.
There was only one question that caught me off guard (And I think its from a guest reviewer that reviewed multiple times for the same chapter, but I could be wrong.) He asked me what happened to Dr. Gero in Bra's Timeline since there was no Android Saga. I was like wow...I never thought of that XD! Well here is the answer to that. It could either be said that he dead at some point, way before he created the later Androids (leaving out Android 8 since he was created during the time Goku was a child.) or he was killed from a freak accident during the time Goku was taking out the Red Ribbon Army as a child. I mean Gero was never seen during Dragon Ball right? Sorry if I got the facts wrong because I never really paid much attention to Dragon Ball, preferring DBZ(Hell even GT despite its flaws).
Anyways, thanks for the reviews, adds and follows! Til next time!
(Posted: 2-15-2014, Midnight, 1:00AM)
~Gater~
