Krillin laid Poppy down on the ground, his hand moving to her neck. He grimaced, yelping as Cell shoved him away and leaned over her ."Poppy?" he touched her face softly, then touching her heavily bruised neck, "That can't be… It can't be…"
18 flew past them, colliding with a mountain a few kilometers away from them. She sat up, screaming again and launching for the Other Cell again, but Krillin caught her hand.
"18, you shouldn't go in it alone!" Krillin looked up at her, squeezing her hand tightly.
18's face contorted, her eyes getting wet. "He… I… Krillin he-"
"Vegeta you have to fuse with me." Goku interrupted, turning to him.
Vegeta went red in the face. "What? I can't do that dance under so much pressure!"
"It's the only way we can have a sure fire way of defeating him." Goku exclaimed, "We have to try!"
Cell could not hear them talking, his fingers running through Poppy's hair. He could just see her roots growing in. he looked up, face to face with his son, whose face was distressed. "Dad is she okay? Is momma okay?"
"She…"
He clenched his jaw so hard his teeth hurt, his fingers digging into the dirt.
"She is…."
She's dead….
"Fine! I'll fuse with you." Vegeta finally exclaimed, Getting into the pose with a beat red face.
Goku mirrored the pose, smirking at the other Cell. "Hey, Cell, wanna see a cool trick?"
The Other Cell lifted his hand and made a gesture for Goku to continue. "Please, be my guest."
"Fu-Sion-Ha!" Goku and Vegeta both began the dance, their fingers meeting in perfect sync. WIth a swirl of light, they fused, forming Gogeta once again.
"Nice to meet you, Cell." Gogeta smirked, "Call us Gogeta. We hope you will give us at least a bit of a workout."
"I must admit, that is a trick I have not seen before." the other Cell said, smirking.
"How about one you have seen." Gohan stepped forward next, eyes steely, "You want to see it so bad? Fine. I'll give you what you want, and unlike what happened wherever you are from, you will regret ever making me angry."
Gohan spread his stance, beginning to power up. He had figured it out. This Cell had come here because he had nothing left where he was from. He had come here to relive the glory days and fight those he had already killed.
Not this time.
Gohan yelled, the ground around him cracking as he went super saiyan 2 for the first time in quite a while. He stood by Gogeta, and the other Cell laughed.
"You are both ganging up on me? Very well. Come at me, you may be surprised by how powerful I am."
Gogeta and Gohan lunged, Gogeta showing off by spinning as he went to deliver a kick. Cell barely flinched, smirking at him.
Gohan knew it. He still was hiding his power. He had probably been hiding it all along. Just how strong was he now? Hopefully nothing like Jiren. He doubet the boost Vegeta gave him was that big.
Gogeta hmphed, grinning as his hair went blue. "Well then. Guess we better dish out the heavy stuff. Gohan, why not combine your potential with Super Saiyan 2? Should be fun."
Gohan's blazing aura went white, producing a shockwave as electricity sparked over him. "Don't need to tell me twice."
18 meanwhile was crouched by Cell, glaring at him as he remained crouched over Poppy. "What are you just kneeling there for? Get up!"
Krillin put a hand on her back. "18, come on now isn't the time to be nasty to Cell."
"I'll be nasty to him all I want." 18 hissed, "Get up on your damned feet and fight him too. I know it hurts. But get up and fight!"
Cell's hand's clenched into fists. He looked up at her. His eyes were stinging, and he watched as 18 looked surprised for a moment before glaring at him again.
"Kick his ass. Or so help me, I will make you regret ever barfing me up."
Cell vanished from her her vision, and he appeared behind the other him, swinging his leg and kicking him in the back of the skull. Gogeta used that moment to summon an orb of ki that was colored like a rainbow, smirking as he crushed it and tossed it at the other Cell.
"Catch!"
Cell moved out of the way, not even smirking as the other him took the hit, a huge chunk of his torso disintegrating away. He moved to Gogeta's side, hand's at the ready. "Before he regenerates."
"Gotcha, Gohan, let's make this a threesome."
"Oh my god don't ever say that again." Gohan went a bit pink in the face and moved to stand on Cell's left.
"I don't even need to regenerate. I learned this little trick from the Gohan in my universe." the Other Cell smirked, an orb of ki forming in his remaining hand, "Kame… hame-"
The other Cell's ki began to spike, higher and higher. Cell, Gohan, and Gogeta all began to charge their attacks as well. "Kame… hame-"
Cell had never thought this would happen. Him fighting alongside his enemies. Gohan, Goku and Vegeta, though they apparently were one person now. They really did piss him off with how they skirted telling him about all their skills.
"HA!"
Three waves of ki clashed with one. The three men put all into their attack, but the Other Cell seemed to still have more power despite the handicap.
"Kame-"
Cell's eyes Darted to his right. That was… That was Mita's voice.
"Hame-"
Cell could not recall teaching him that yet. Maybe Trunks had snuck in a bit of training lessons during a playdate.
"Ha!" Mita hovered just behind him, his own wave of ki joining the three of theirs, making the clash equal.
"Hey Cell, Did Goku ever show you the Kaio-ken?" Gogeta asked, smirking as he cast Cell a glance.
Cell did not recall that move at all. "The what?"
"We will take that as a no." Gogeta's smirk grew, "This should do the trick. Kaio-ken times three!"
Gogeta's Kamehameha grew even larger, enveloping the other's and merging them into one. It quickly began to overtake the other Cell's blast. They watched as He grew his arm back to try and make up the difference, but it wasn't enough to stop them now.
"Now, Give it your all!" Gohan yelled.
Their attacks finally overcame the other Cell, who Disintegrated away in the blast, his screams of rage and frustration echoing over the Island. Cell kept his hands up, frowning a moment as he sensed carefully.
Nothing.
Not a spike. Not a whisper. He lowered his hands finally. Smirking. "I must admit… Killing myself was everything I hoped it would be."
He grunted as Mita's arms wrapped around his neck, his son burying his face into his neck as he clung to him.
Gohan panted a little, then laughed awkwardly. "Well I'm glad you had fun."
Gogeta flicked a bit of lint off his vest, glancing at Cell. "Hopefully more fun for you then us." He held his hands out to Mita, "Come here kiddo, your dad has a job to do."
"What kind of job?" Mita asked, peeking from over his father's shoulder. Cell already knew what this Gogeta would say.
"Your dad has to go make a wish."
Mita reluctantly allowed himself to be handed over to Gogeta, wiping his eyes again as he started crying anew. 17 arrived looking annoyed, the Cell Juniors in tow, all of them a little scuffed but otherwise fine.
"You guys really had to fight on my island?" he asked, hands on his hips as he looked at his sister.
"Shut up. Poppy is dead, you moron." 18 hissed.
"Oh…. Well I feel like a jerk now…" 17 mumbled, grunting as 18 punched him in the arm. She looked like she was ready to start crying.
Cell cast 17 a glance before he spoke. "18, watch my children for me. I will be back soon."
18 nodded, wiping her eyes a bit before taking on her flat look again. "Yeah… I'll watch them. We'll be at the look out."
"So, is he dead, King Kai?"
"Yemma just contacted me. He's very dead and getting the same punishment Frieza did."
Goku smiled and looked at the others, hands on his hips. "That Other Cell is dead and in hell as we speak."
"Hopefully he doesn't do whatever our Cell did in time and come back." Piccolo mumbled, glancing over at 18, who was holding a crying Mita. Pan was assisting in the comforting, rubbing his tail.
"Your mommy will be back soon!" Pan said, climbing onto the bench with 18 and tugging on Mita's wing, "Then you can give her a big hug."
Mita turned to Pan and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Pan hugged him back, a pout on her face as she squeezed him tightly. "You are bigger than me now."
Mita pulled away a little surprised, then he giggled in his momentary distraction, wiping his eyes. "When you're ten I'm gonna be almost as big as my dad."
"What?! No fair!" Pan frowned, clenching her fists, "I'll never catch up with you!"
18 put her hands on both their heads, rubbing. "Being a bio android has its advantages." she said, sounding mildly amused. She moved Mita off her lap, letting him and Pan chatter as she went up to Goku. Vegeta was standing away from everyone else, red in the face and still embarrassed over having to do the fusion dance.
"Goku, will she be able to be wished back?" 18 asked once she was sure she was out of earshot of Mita.
Goku looked a bit surprised. "She's never been wished back before," he said, "So I don't see why not."
"She has died before though." 18 said, and Goku looked even more surprised, then confused, then he seemed to get it.
"Oh right. Uh… I mean. I think wishing for her specifically to come back would be a different wish."
"You think or you know?" Krillin asked, frowning at him.
"Well, I dunno. Did all the people Cell eat revive when we wished them back after Buu?"
Everyone frowned and held their chins in thought.
"Ginger town still has everyone in it." 18 said, nodding, "If that's the case then... Yeah. Poppy should come back just fine."
Goku put his hand on his chest sighing. "Oh good. I'd hate to have to go all the way to Namek to use their dragon balls. No one there is strong enough to sense for instant transmission."
18 promptly stomped on his foot, making the man yelp, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Jerk…"
Krillin put his hand on her back, smiling at her. "Oh you know Goku. Speaks before he thinks."
"What did I say wrong?"
Mr. Popo came out of one of the buildings, still sporting a bump where the Other Cell hit him. "I have managed to distract the Juniors for a bit with some food. They shouldn't make too big of a mess in the-."
He turned as with a swish, Cell appeared on the lookout, behind him the dragon balls hovering. He tossed the dragon radar to Bulma, who managed to catch it.
"You really should hide that thing better." Cell said flatly, smiling as Mita ran up to him and hugged his leg.
"I mean we use it so often… Seems like hiding it would slow things down." Bulma tucked the radar in her pocket.
Cell hmphed, moving the dragon balls to the tiled floor of the lookout. He bent over and picked Mita up, kissing his cheek. "Where are your brothers?"
"They are eating." Mr. Popo said with a smile, "They were digging up my garden so I had to distract them for a while."
"And Poppy?"
"We placed her in one fo the rooms on the lookout." Dende said, "Mita was very upset. We felt it was best to put her somewhere comfortable while you looked for them."
Cell held Mita closer, nodding. He looked down at the Dragon Balls, holding his free hand out over them. "Eternal Dragon, by your name, I summon you forth: Shenron!"
"This is the first time he's used them huh?" Goku asked, frowning as Bulma snorted.
"He used them to clean one of Poppy's shirts." She said, covering her mouth a moment.
The familiar darkened skies signaled the dragon's summon, Shenron appearing in a blaze of blinding light.
"I am the eternal dragon. State your wishes and I will grant them." Shenron boomed, Mita pressing his face into Cell's neck with a whimper.
"Great Dragon, I wish for Poppy to be returned to me."
18 clenched her fists, for a brief moment nervous.
"Your wish has been granted." Shenron said, the dragon balls growing brighter a moment, "Your second wish?"
"I have none. Bulma, want to be 5 years younger?" Cell turned to look at her, the woman getting red in the face.
"Why you smug… Arrogant…. No! I don't want to be five years younger!"
Cell smirked, looking back up at Shenron. "It appears then we have no other wishes for you."
Shenron vanished, the dragon balls separating into parts unknown. Several of them let out sighs of relief. Good. No trip to Namek necessary.
Cell headed inside the look out, making a bee line for Poppy's ki signature, the others following after him. She was still on the bed. Cell crouched by her, touching her shoulder.
Poppy jerked. "No, you can't cut me in line you-" She stopped, looking around a moment, her eyes stopping on Cell.
There was a long pause, Poppy lifting her head up off the bed. She looked him in the eyes for a long moment before she smiled up at him. "You are my Cell. I can see it in your eyes."
"Momma!" Mita reached for her, Poppy taking him from Cell and squeezing him tightly. She squeaked as Cell suddenly scooped her up and gave her an equally tight squeeze, kissing her hard on the mouth.
"That's so gross." 18 said flatly, leaning on the door frame. Despite what she said, she was smiling.
Cell pulled away, looking down at Poppy. "So, about what I asked you the other night… Poppy I am ready. I'm ready to commit and leave all that behind. I-"
Poppy put her finger over his mouth, smiling up at him. "Yeah yeah… I'll marry you. I'd be an idiot to not marry the perfect being."
Cell kissed her again, and Goku looked excited. "Finally! It's about time!" He turned to the rest of the group, "Cell and Poppy are finally tying the knot!"
"And you are all invited." Cell said, Poppy sitting on one arm, Mita on the other, "Let's do it now."
Poppy got red faced. "Now? Are you serious?"
"Fine, a week. Chi-Chi, would you make the cake for us?" Cell asked.
Chi-Chi smiled. "I'd love too."
"Alright, then a week from now, You will all come to my home and see us get married. No need for gifts. I have everything I could ever want." Cell looked up at Poppy, squeezing her closer. "Let's get you home. You need to rest."
"I'll get the Juniors back to the Island." 18 said, watching as the mentioned juniors swarmed in and surrounded Cell.
She had to admit… They made a good family. And maybe, just maybe, she didn't hate Cell quite as much as she used to.