Kera:
They waited. Kakarrot did indeed come back. With him came a small Namekian. Piccolo smiled. "Dende, it is good to see you again." Dende smiled at him too. "Do you think you are up to the task of being the God of Earth?"
Dende nodded eagerly. "I am a member of the Dragon Family and, according to the Chief Elder, the most gifted of my generation."
Kera smiled encouragingly at him.
"I'll go get Gohan and Krillin then. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see you." Again, Kakarrot was gone.
"It's getting pretty crowded in here, isn't it?" asked Kera.
Piccolo rolled his eyes. "There goes our peace and quiet." He actually seemed a little offended. Kera felt flattered that he cared so much about spending time with her.
Only a few minutes later, Kakarrot was back. With Gohan and Krillin, both clearly happy to see Dende. They greeted him with glee.
"Dende, can you make us new Dragon Balls?" asked Kakarrot.
"New ones? I can also reactivate the Dragon Balls that have turned to stone here on Earth. For that, I just need a model of the Dragon. Is there such a thing?"
"Popo?" Piccolo called the servant's name, who nodded complacently and disappeared inside the palace. Shortly afterwards he returned with the small model of the Dragon Shenlong.
Dende placed the vessel with the model on the ground in front of him and spoke a few words in Namekian. Light rose from the model. Small flashes of lightning shot out and enveloped the vessel with the model so that it was no longer recognisable. As quickly as the light had come, it had disappeared. The vessel was empty.
Dende wiped his forehead once and exhaled slowly. "The Dragon Balls are now available again. The Dragon Shenlong will be able to grant two wishes and also revive several people with one wish."
"Great!" Everyone present was very happy about Dende's deed.
"All right, now I'll quickly get the dragon radar from Bulma and find the Dragon Balls." Kakarrot put his hand to his forehead to teleport, but Kera still had a question burning on her mind that she desperately wanted to get rid of.
"Kakarrot, what is your plan? Do you know of a weakness of Cell's?"
Irritated, Kakarrot looked at her. "Cell has no weak point." With those words, he disappeared.
Kera cursed. Had that been a white lie to disappear quickly or did he really not know more? How could he remain so calm? She herself felt uneasy, almost uncertain. She had no idea what to expect and at the same time she wanted to fight at all costs. She had trained so much. It shouldn't have been in vain.
"Do you really think Kakarrot doesn't have a plan?"
Piccolo shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't." He sighed. "I'm going to take Dende around the palace with Popo so he can settle in. Would you like to come?"
Kera shook her head. "I'm going to stretch my legs a little more."
She watched Gohan and Krillin talking animatedly and doing a little practice fighting. As dusk fell, Piccolo returned from his tour with Dende and offered them both a place to stay. Trunks, who had come back to the palace after a short visit with Bulma, also stayed the night.
The next morning Trunks paced restlessly up and down the edge of the platform and kept casting glances towards the entrance of the palace. Kera eyed him for a while before standing by him.
"What is troubling you?"
Astonished, he looked at her. He seemed to wrestle with himself whether he could trust her with his thoughts. She tried to follow his train of thought. He knew her, or rather, he knew a Kera from the future in whom he had had a lot of trust, and this was not the person who was standing in front of him right now, although she looked the same.
"I don't know if I should train again," he finally said quietly.
Kera put a hand on his shoulder to make him look at her. He was a good half a head taller than her. "You can still achieve more, Trunks! There's a great warrior in you."
Smiling, he returned her gaze, then nodded and walked towards the Palace. At the entrance, he turned to her once more. She raised her thumb in the air and tried to put all her confidence into the gesture. Trunks also raised his thumb and then disappeared into the palace.
Kera felt good. She had been able to give someone else confidence and that was a great feeling.
The remaining days flew by and the day of the fight had arrived. They had arranged with Kakarrot to fly out together from the Palace of God. Vegeta, who as usual did not want to stick to agreements, had already flown off.
Kera stood at the edge of the platform and stared down. She couldn't see much. Clouds drifted by and now and then gave a view of the forest below. Lost in thought, she wrapped her thick braid around her hand.
'Kera,' Piccolo called her in her head. She looked around. She couldn't spot him anywhere. 'In the palace.'
She turned away from the edge of the platform and walked towards the palace. Trunks, who now had long hair again since he had trained for 24 hours in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, looked at her questioningly. She ignored him as well as Gohan and Krillin who were sitting at the entrance of the palace waiting for Kakarrot.
Kera entered the palace through the main entrance and looked around again. She was about to ask a question of Piccolo, not seeing him nor sensing his aura, when she was yanked aside by the arm. For a moment she wanted to resist, but then Piccolo's scent enveloped her.
He pulled her to him and she let him. "Only five minutes," he whispered. In the last few days they had only exchanged a few caresses. Piccolo was not the type to show feelings openly and they both felt it was not the right time. Besides, it was quite crowded in the Palace with Dende and the visitors. Only at night, when everyone was asleep and Kera was lying on the bed next to Piccolo, could they give in to their feelings. But after months of having to look after themselves in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber not leaving each other's side day and night, Kera missed Piccolo's touch.
Kera leaned against him and closed her eyes. For a moment she just breathed quietly, listened to the beating of his heart and felt his arms around her. It was wonderful.
She looked up at him, disengaged her feet from the floor and brought her eyes up to his level. Kera looked at him for a long moment.
"No heroics, okay?"
"Neither are you," he replied. They both knew they wouldn't necessarily stick to that promise.
Piccolo leaned down and kissed her. Kera felt only him. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to have already put the fight behind them and they could finally live something like a normal life.
"Oh, sorry." Caught off guard, Kera and Piccolo broke away from each other and looked in the direction from which the noise had come. Dende was standing in front of them. He was visibly uncomfortable that he had disturbed them. He deliberately looked away from them.
"It's all right, Dende," Piccolo said, disengaging himself from the shadows between the pillars. Kera landed on her feet again. She held onto Piccolo's hand as she did so, not yet ready to let go of him.
Dende looked to them. "Oh, Kera, Piccolo. I didn't mean ... I didn't know ... I'm sorry."
"It's okay. We just wanted a few minutes to ourselves. I thought you were still outside," Kera tried to reassure the little Namekian.
"Popo explained a few more things about the palace. It really is bigger than it seems."
"Indeed it is." Piccolo took a step towards Dende and knelt down in front of him to be at eye level with him. He pulled Kera with him. "Kera and I have made the bond. Most of our friends know, but we didn't think it was the right time to push our happiness on the others."
"You made the friendship bond with her?" Dende looked at him questioningly.
"And the warrior bond. And ..." He turned Kera's left hand, which he was still holding, so that the inside of the wrist was facing up. With one finger he stroked it and the Namekian markings lit up brightly. Dende's eyes widened even more in astonishment.
"This is rare," he whispered in awe. Then his astonishment turned to obvious joy. He jumped at Piccolo and put his arms around his neck. He hugged him briefly. Then Dende hugged Kera too.
"Think about it, you came from two different planets and then met on a third planet."
Kera blushed. She had actually never thought of it that way.
Piccolo, who was a little uncomfortable with the situation, rose. "Now let's get this fight over with first."
"I wish you good luck," Dende said, walking past them.
Piccolo pulled Kera to him once more, hugged her tightly and gave her a kiss on the hair. She reluctantly broke away from him when she sensed Kakarrot's aura in front of the palace and walked towards the exit. She had to blink a few times before her eyes adjusted to the bright light.
Kakarrot nodded at them all with a grin, but he too seemed tense. "Where's Vegeta?"
"He's already flown off," Piccolo answered his question.
"He's in a hurry, though. Shall we go too then?" Kakarrot looked around questioningly.
"There's one more thing." Krillin looked down at the ground in dismay. "The Dragon Balls can't revive anyone who has died a second time."
Dende looked contrite as well. "I'm sorry. I guess it said that in the small print."
"The solution is simple, isn't it? We just don't die." Kakarrot's confidence seemed to be shared by no one, but there was no other plan at the moment.
Kakarrot, Gohan, Trunks, Piccolo, Kera and Krillin said goodbye to Dende and flew off. Kera kept close to Piccolo. His closeness did them good.
Silently they flew side by side until Kakarrot called out, "Up ahead!" Tien and Yamcha hovered in the air and seemed to have been waiting for them.
"Hi guys! We can't compete against Cell, but we will support you mentally," Yamcha said. Tien nodded in the affirmative. Now eight of them flew to Cell's battle arena.
After a few miles, they landed at Cell's requested time on the plane Cell had chosen for his battle arena. Vegeta was already standing at the ring and only gave them a quick glance. He was not alone, however, as they discovered. 16 was also at ringside. Bulma and her father had done a great job on the android. He looked like new again.
Then Kera's eyes fell on a group of three men who were already standing in the ring. The tallest of them had curly black hair and towered over the other two by at least two heads. Another black-haired man with glasses was holding a microphone out to the tall one, while the third in the group had a camera pointed at them. A television crew had indeed ventured out. Kera shook her head inwardly at so much stupidity.
"There you are at last, Goku. I've been waiting for you." Cell paid no attention to the humans and had turned to the fighters. "Shall we begin?"
Kakarrot nodded determinedly and walked towards the ring, just then the big guy with the curly hair jumped towards him.
"Wait a minute, kid. You certainly don't know who you're dealing with here." Kakarrot stumbled and looked at his counterpart in confusion. "This is Cell, a dangerous monster. I am Hercule, the best Catcher in the world and I will defeat him. This is far too dangerous for you." Kakarrot looked questioningly at his friends. Krillin shrugged his shoulders.
Since his speech had not elicited the reaction Hercule had hoped for, he reached for a small stone stuck in the ground next to the fighting ring. He pulled it out with obvious effort. The stone was much bigger than he had expected. He smashed it with his bare hands. This display of strength also caused no reaction from those present.
The reporter commented on every action performed by Hercule. "Ladies and gentlemen, you have seen the power of Hercule. Our national hero will now step into the ring and finish off the monster Cell."
Triumphantly, Hercule raised his arms in the air.
"Goku, let the weirdo fight first. He deserves it no other way," Krillin said. Kakarrot nodded and let Hercule go first.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the battle scene has now been joined by a few more people who actually think they can take on Cell. This blonde was actually about to enter the ring first." The reporter laughed while the cameraman pointed his camera at Kakarrot.
Reporter and cameraman left the ring while Hercule got into position. However, before the first fighting action could be performed, everyone looked up when they heard a noise. A pink helicopter hovered above the ring. The side door opened and a slim man with long blond hair jumped out. He landed gracefully in the ring.
After him, a second man jumped out of the helicopter. He had on a blue tight full-body suit, wore an elephant mask and was at least three times as wide as the blond. After landing, he immediately turned around and spread his arms. A woman in a red dress let herself fall out of the helicopter. The burly man caught her.
The helicopter moved away from the scene and the three newcomers found themselves with the reporter, the cameraman and Hercule. They talked at length.
Kera could not understand anything because they were standing on the other side of the ring and they were talking quietly. She looked questioningly at Piccolo.
He rolled his eyes and answered her in his mind. 'They are two of Hercule's students. Supposedly the best. And their agent.'
Kera didn't know whether to laugh or despair. Hopefully they weren't going to go up against Cell too.
After a few minutes the group dispersed and the slim man stepped into the ring. His white bell-bottoms and sleeveless white top with a red rose looked out of place in the fighting ring. He struck a ridiculous pose that was probably meant to represent a defensive stance.
"Dear viewers, Caroni, one of Hercule's best students, will be given a unique opportunity to prove his skills and will be the first to enter the ring." The reporter now spoke to the camera again. They had positioned themselves next to the ring.
Cell did not move, but Kera clearly felt the brief surge of his energy, which he sent outwards as a burst of momentum. Caroni was hit unprepared, flew high into the air and landed with a loud thud at the feet of his agent outside the ring. Kera smiled in amusement. His hair was a mess.
The reporter was momentarily at a loss for words. Stuttering, he began to speak again. "Dear viewers, Caroni is outside the ring. He has lost. Next to try is the great Piroshki, also a disciple of Hercule."
The man in the elephant mask now entered the ring. He took off his mask, crushed it, formed a ball out of it and threw it up. He caught the ball with his mouth, chewed briefly and then swallowed. Disgusted, Piccolo and the others screwed up their faces.
Piroshki began to whirl his arms and ran towards Cell. Just before he reached him, he stopped as if he had run into a wall. He tried to fight it, but got no further. Again Cell emitted a pulse of energy and Piroshki rolled over the surface. Only outside the ring did he come to a halt.
Hercule looked very confused for a moment before he regained his composure. "A trick, that's all." Determined, he climbed into the ring.
"What do you think? Five seconds?" They grinned at Krillin's remark. But before Hercule walked towards Cell, he pulled a hoipoi capsule out of his pocket. There was a click, a pop, and next to Hercule was a sports bag. Calmly opening the bag, he now unwrapped brick after brick and stacked them in front of him. With a flick of his wrist, he broke fourteen of the fifteen bricks placed in front of him.
Kera would have loved to get into the ring and pulverise the bricks. In the meantime, this fidgeting was getting on her nerves. She felt Vegeta and Kakarrot losing patience too.
Piccolo briefly touched her arm and brought her out of her tunnel. Kera exhaled slowly and watched the action in the ring again.
Hercule had positioned himself in the meantime, collected himself briefly and then attacked. Cell did not move. Kera wondered why he allowed Hercule to hit him several times with kicks and punches. But this was short-lived. When Hercule was right in front of Cell, he lashed out with his arm and flung Herculen out of the ring. "You suck."
Hercule slid down the rock wall holding his aching face.
"Look at that, he's even still alive. It's probably even beneath Cell to kill such an idiot." Piccolo laughed and the others joined in briefly before becoming serious again.
"Goku, can we finally?" Cell looked expectantly at the fighter.
Kakarrot nodded and entered the ring.
Vegeta:
'Let's see what you can do then, Kakarrot,' Vegeta thought, retracing his every step.
If Kakarrot flew out of the ring, he would be next to fight. Vegeta's thoughts were distracted by Hercule, who had meanwhile rejoined the reporter and cameraman. When asked why he had fallen out of the ring, he answered confidently: "I slipped and confused my opponent. If Cell is finished with this half-portion right away, I'll get back in the ring."
Vegeta's jaw dropped and he stared in Hercule's direction. "A guy like that, dumb as dry bread, can only be world champion on Earth."
He heard Kera chuckle behind him and turned to her briefly. He couldn't suppress a smile. Her laughter always triggered a feeling of happiness in him. He made a mental note to spend some time with her outside of training after the fight.
"Look at that look. When he's got that, he rarely misses a beat," Piccolo said, gesturing with his head to Kakarrot, who had positioned himself in an attack stance. His eyebrows were drawn tightly together, his gaze fixed on Cell. Vegeta had to agree with the Namekian. He knew that look all too well himself. When he had fought him on Earth, Kakarrot had looked the same.
"Goku is a fantastic fighter," Trunks said. Vegeta's head jerked over to his son for a moment. His own son admired Kakarrot more than him. Kakarrot, the underclass warrior. That was humiliating. Hurtful. Vegeta swallowed and half-heartedly focused on the fight before him. At his back, he felt Kera's questioning gaze. She was always worried about him.
Cell and Kakarrot faced each other again after the initial exchange of blows and appraised each other.
"They are evenly matched. It's going to be a long hard fight," Piccolo said. With a curt nod, Vegeta agreed with him.
Cell attacked. Kakarrot dodged and they both disappeared from their field of vision. Vegeta looked up and continued to watch the fight. Behind him, the first ones were already moaning that they were getting headaches and couldn't follow the fight. Wimps!
From one moment to the next, the opponents reappeared in the ring. Kakarrot stood dangerously close to the edge of the ring, but before he fell down, he disappeared for a moment and appeared under Cell. He kicked him upwards, overtook him in mid-air and slammed him back onto the ring. Just before he came up, Cell caught himself and then landed slowly back on his feet.
He grinned at Kakarrot. "Well, we've warmed up enough now, haven't we?"
In response, Kakarrot focused his energy. His hair seemed brighter and his body was surrounded by a golden pulsing glow.
Vegeta and the others wrenched their arms in front of their faces as Kakarrot's energy spread out in all directions, kicking up dust. Vegeta refused to say it out loud, but Kakarrot's energy was impressive. The Saiyan in him wanted to fight at last, but he also sensed another small part of him that wished it was all finally over and the people he cared about were no longer in danger. He would rather fight Kakarrot. His desire for revenge was not at all as prevalent as it had been at the beginning. He wanted to compete, to prove who was the stronger of them. And afterwards, to continue training, to push new boundaries. Just the thought of it made the energy in him crackle.