A Wonderful Life
By: SomeRandomPerson648
Chapter 59: The Will to Help
A/N: Hey guys! I'm really glad that my MHA fic is getting a lot of traction, really encourages me to write more in general. But that said, I could never forget about this fic entirely either. So back to the story
Hours dragged by like minutes for some while for others they were mere fractions of a second. Days were mistaken for minutes, and seconds for hours. Although time was linear, three parties of the Dragon Team experienced time at vastly different rates
And what seemed like months to some were only a few minutes to others...
Within the pocket of space and time Goku and Vegeta continued to train past their limits, growing ever stronger through the use of the Senzu Pills and the room itself. Weeks ago the two Saiyans were unable to move or breathe without their strongest forms, but now they're able to train without needing the powers of the God or Primal forms
Currently, both warriors sparred each other in front of Whis, who analyzed their every move with a hawk's gaze. For every punch and kick that was thrown the Angel was able to obtain vital data of the two, culminating in one expert opinion
"That's enough." He declared and immediately the Saiyans listened, floating over to their master for further instruction
"You've been able to grow exponentially in just a few weeks, though at the cost of the Senzu Pills." Whis established, holding the small pouch with only a few bright red pills. "Fortunately, you still have plenty of room to grow."
"So we can defeat Black?" Vegeta speculated, causing the Angel to laugh
"Patience Vegeta. First we must unlock this power." For a moment the god assed his thoughts before finally settling on the best way to explain his discovery
"You are both aware that your forms use different types of energy correct?" He asked, receiving two nods as an answer. "Then you're both aware that the Super Saiyan God and Primal forms are near opposites from each other, one using the inner power of a Saiyan, and the other using the fusion of Godly Ki and Saiyan prowess."
"Yeah, it's why no one can sense my ki." Goku added
"Correct," Whis complimented, "and it is this difference that leads to my next point. For you see, perhaps the mixture of these two energies can result in alterations between your forms." He explained, but by the looks of confusion he continued. "In other words I'm recommending that you try to harness the opposite type of energy that your form uses, that way you may further your development."
"Use God Ki in my primal form..." Vegeta commented
"And Super Saiyan in my God form..." Goku added as well
"May bring you to new heights." Whis finished the collective thought
"I'm not too sure how I'm supposed to become Super Saiyan...when I'm already in God form."
"Or how I can harness God ki." The two spoke up, making Whis chuckle again
"And that's why we're here, to learn and grow stronger. Perhaps we can begin with some simple meditation? Hm?"
Soon the students began to follow the teachings of their master, learning more secrets of their own bodies in the months to come...
In the present timeline the Z team waited slowly and patiently as things fell into place. With the synthesizing fuel and the Saiyans still training it would take a whole day before they could return to the future. But with this disparity and impatience in facing the new threat our heroes are left anxious to throw themselves into combat
Hours had gone by before Bulma was finally comfortable with leaving the lab alone for a while. With the express care she and 21 had to take in order to collect more fuel for the Time Machine she was able to successfully distract herself for a while before she and 21 had finally done all they could
Now with nothing to do the scientist sat in the kitchen with her favorite coffee mug in hand, staring off into space. For a while she took to keeping an empty mind, though the reason was truly beyond her. But in this state of thoughtlessness Future Trunks appeared to give her company
"Hey mom. How's it going?" He asked politely, to which she responded with equal politeness
"It's going great. The fuel will be ready by tomorrow afternoon. How're Goku and your dad doing?"
"They still haven't shown up since this morning. I guess they'll be training till tomorrow too."
"That's good." She sighed, staring at her coffee with empty eyes. "To us it's just a day but to them it'll be practically a year. And who knows how long it'll be for Gohan and Cell in the future."
"Yeah..." He responded as well, leaning against the wall with no follow up. The uncharacteristic silence that remained was almost painful for the two, but with so much to say it was hard to break it
...
...
"Hey mom?"
"...Yes son?"
"What's gonna happen between you and dad?"
To this Bulma could only sigh again and drink from her lukewarm coffee, which normally would've disgusted her if it weren't for the fact that she wasn't feeling well at all. "It's...complicated."
"Then can you explain it? If you want to. No pressure." He asked, though his immediate backtracking made Bulma smile for a moment
"I...don't know what to think anymore." She answered, pushing away the coffee and resting her head in her hands to collect herself. "I still love him to death but to think that he was keeping that type of secret from me. To think you were helping him too."
"Sorry..."
"Don't worry, I get it. Even if I hate it I know why you did it." She assured him
For her it wasn't that hard to see his reasoning behind keeping the secret, especially given that he's her son. Sure she wasn't her mother until a decade ago but knowing that she was in another time helped as well. She understood that Trunks came from a rough time and only wanted to keep things stable. Sure it didn't keep her from staying mad at her boy but in looking at the bigger picture she couldn't help but feel sad that it came to this
But for Vegeta on the other hand...
"But Vegeta...I don't think I can trust him again. Before I could sweep everything under the carpet since he was a changed man but even that didn't stop him from screwing everything up and making one of our biggest enemies, and not to mention the horrible things Cell had to go through on my watch."
"None of us knew until it was too late mom."
"That's what makes it so frustrating!" She exclaimed, clenching her hands into fists. "I could've done something sooner and then maybe everything would be...less awful..."
Now that her brain was finally flowing the pain from earlier resurfaced, the clashing emotions inside of her forced a small tear out as she tried to get her bearings. "I want to love him and forgive him...but I just can't do that right now."
Trunks, now sitting down just in front of Bulma, remained silent as he processed her words. He understood exactly what she was saying and agreed with everything, but it was a shame what had to be lost for it
"Dad's actions should be punished...even if we don't like that." He rationalized, though just what type of punishment or its severity was not something Trunks could think about, especially after all Cell did to him in return
"But let's change the subject, I can't handle this right now." She said, wiping yet another tear away as more threatened to form. "What about you? How're your feeling about this?"
"I...don't know either." He confessed as well, sighing as his mother did. "I'm not like Goku or Gohan, I can't forgive father for what he's done behind closed doors. But after all that's happened, I really don't know if I should at this point."
"You and me both..." She replied, chuckling at their similarities
"How did the others do it? Assembling a team with people that they've hated before?" Trunks wondered
"It wasn't that hard." Bulma answered. "Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu weren't really bad people when we met them, so it was easy. Piccolo on the other hand took a while but after he died protecting Gohan we all knew he turned over a new leaf, so it was easier to trust him. But Vegeta, now that took a while."
"How'd you know when to start trusting him?"
"To be honest we really didn't. Even after Namek and Frieza happened he wasn't the type to trust us so suddenly, so he upped and left for a while until he came back. When he did he was the same as ever, but not wanting to kill us was a start. Then he lived here for a while, disappeared, came back, fought the Androids and suddenly he started to get comfortable around here, and we got comfortable too. I got comfortable."
"So in the end you just forgot what happened?"
"Well when you put it like that I guess we did." She responded, taken aback by the simplicity of it. "He risked his life for us, I fell in love and had a beautiful baby boy with him, and he started to change. Which is why this hurts so much...knowing that he never did...it hurts to think that maybe...he just didn't care about us all that time."
Again Trunks found himself agreeing with his mom, since the two had similar mindsets. Unlike Goku they weren't as likely to just forgive and forget, yet getting stabbed in the back made things so much harder too. Yet Trunks' thoughts went to another person as well
"So then can we trust Cell? After everything he's done?" He asked, making the room go silent again
For a while Bulma had to think on the subject, searching her past and present feelings on Cell and form one collective, definitive opinion on him. But she found that very hard to do. Unlike with Piccolo or Vegeta, what Cell did felt too personal to let go, killing her family twice and threatening to do it for a third time if it wasn't for simple happenstance. And for a while he made no effort to really integrate himself into the team until recently, fighting Frieza, training Prestina, Chocolata and Broly, even fighting Cell Black for them too
Yet his relationship with 21 spoke volumes as well. Her kind hearted, pure nature seemed to always be glued to Cell's presence ever since she appeared unconscious a few years ago. Through 21, Bulma could at least guess what Cell's intentions were as well as how he truly felt. The biggest example being the ring from her that he still wore, as well as his attendance at the baby shower meant that he was trying to integrate into the team, whether through his own efforts or 21's
And in the end both of these stark contrasts kept Bulma from settling on one definitive opinion. She couldn't forget what he'd done but she recognized how far he's come since then, like the flip of a switch in a way
"I think..." She began hesitantly, "I can say for certain that I'll never forget the fact that he took my family from me. But I can still see the progress he's making. And because of that...maybe I'll be able to sweep it under the rug, just like everyone else has."
It was a strange answer, but nonetheless her only conclusion to the matter. Just like she ignores Yamcha's bandit past, Tien's old hatred for Goku, Piccolo's attempt at world domination and even Vegeta's attack on the world then maybe she can ignore Cell's past too, but only if he's willing to leave it to the past as well
Perhaps somewhere in this laid her answer for Vegeta's recent crime as well, but to her great sadness she was simply unable to move on, unable to ignore such a thing
To this the mother and son remained at the kitchen, thinking and concluding in their heads. The topic of forgiveness was a confusing and complicated topic, but just maybe they were able to form their collective answers together
As Bulma took time for herself to refresh her mind Android 21 continued to oversee the synthesizing of the fuel. Along with Android 16 and Giru the three were able to remove much of the workload from Bulma's hands, leaving her with ample time to rest. But as for 21, rest was the last thing on her mind
Standing in front of the large machine 21 held a tablet that contained all of the information she needed to take care of the machine. While the giant hunk of metal was busy processing materials for the glowing blue fuel she was hard at work to make sure everything went smoothly
Also helping the her out was Android 13, who was only now returning from more errands. He set down a pair of large metal gear pieces that only few would recognize, and less would understand why they're here
"Got the stuff ya' wanted," 13 stated with a huff, "ya' know, after you asked so politely and all."
"Huh? Oh thanks 13." Was her only comment as she walked over and continued to tap and swipe at her tablet, obsessing over its contents
"Has she been like this the whole time?" Asked the redneck Android, who received a few nods
"21 had been absorbed in her work for the past few hours." 16 informed. "Although Bulma insisted on doing it herself, she ultimately insisted on taking the brunt of the operation."
"Giru worries that 21 is getting upset." The little space robot said as the three watched the scientist curiously
"If I use these parts to optimize the machine by adding more electricity into the flow of the machine..." She rambled out loud, glancing back and forth between the machine and the tablet
In response the soul inside of her commented on the matter at hand, and whether it was okay to mess with the machine that was producing the fuel
"I've revised the contents of the machine and realized it could use some improvements to make it produce more fuel in a shorter time." She answered out loud, which confused everyone around. "If I could maybe make use of the parts I can get my hands on then we'll have the fuel sooner rather than later."
"Everything is running at full capacity," Android 16 cut in, who scanned the machine with his built in sensors, "Bulma created this machine using every resource she could gather as optimally as possible."
"But maybe if we improve on some of these parts then-"
"The parts that were used to build this machine are the best that are available."
"I know, but if we could maybe tweak some of them..." She theorized, though 16 continued to disagree
"That would be out of our reach."
"But maybe not that of the Red Ribbon Army... Scientists as intelligent as Gero are bound to have the improved parts we need to upgrade the generator." She suggested, surprising the other two Androids. "13 do you happen to have contacts from the Red Ribbon Army?"
"Not since I defected no." He responded, baffled by the request
"Is there a reason as to why you want to contact the Res Ribbon Army?" 16 asked, though 21 only continued to look at the tablet on hand
"If we could get the parts we need from them then I could upgrade the generator to be more effective."
"But what's the point of these 'upgrades' your talking about?" 13 inquired
"It's just to make this thing faster, and the faster we get this fuel then the faster we can get to the future." She concluded
"And what of Vegeta and Goku?" Giru asked. "They're still training."
"Then...I don't know. Maybe I could pop in to see how they're doing?" She half answered, though clearly not putting much thought into it
"21, is there a reason why you would go to such lengths?" 16 asked, putting her on the spot
"Because I want to see if Cell is alright." She answered, sighing to herself
"You're worried about that guy? Shoot I bet he's having the time of his life." 13 predicted
"But what if Black and Zamasu are too much for him? What if they're too much for Gohan? Maybe in the time we get there everything will be over and Cell will die." She panicked
"But the Time Machine will bring us to a fixed point in time regardless of how soon we use it." 16 added again, making 21 groan
"You're right...no matter how long we take there's always the chance that we're too late." She concluded, sitting down on a chair that was left out
For a moment the three robots beside the scientist took a moment to glance at each other before addressing the most glaring issue, 21's negativity
"21, are you really worried about Cell's health?" Giru wondered, to which the woman huffed in a fit of anger that was almost uncharacteristic of her
"Yes, I am." She stressed. "Why would he stay and distract Black and Zamasu for us? He could've came back and been perfectly fine."
"I understand that you're worried but Cell is not one to take risks uncalculated." 16 added. "Should there be no one left to distract Black and Zamasu then it'd be likely that they wipe out the remainder of the human race along with Gohan. Cell is also one of the strongest available fighters at the moment and can hold his own."
"You're right, Cell always puts himself into harms way when he knows there's a way out."
"Like the time he nearly blew himself up along with your evil self?" 13 questioned, making 21 even more upset
"Please don't remind me." She said with frustration, rubbing her hand against her temple. "He's always so reckless, fighting Beerus and Frieza one on one, fighting Black the first time and even now. He doesn't know how to take care of himself."
"That's because of all people, Cell is the least caring of his own well being." 16 added
To that 21 jumped from her seat and yelled in her own burst of fury, outraged by the very factual statement. "And it shouldn't be that way!" She proclaimed. "He should know that people care about him enough to not throw his own life away! Even if he can shoulder a burden there should be others that care enough to lift it from him no matter the cost!"
"H-Hey it's not that's serious, I'm sure he'll be fine." 13 added, but was objected heavily
"But it is serious! He shouldn't be standing against the biggest threats we've known all alone! He shouldn't have to gamble his life like he did for me just because he can!" She cried, sentimental tears falling from her face as she sat back down to wipe them away. For a moment the others were unsure as to how to respond to such emotions, no clear answer being present as to how to deal with them
"I just want him to be safe and happy...for someone that I care about to be safe and happy... Is that too much to ask for?" She asked herself
Flashes of her old family resurfaced yet again, her husband, her son, both were gone from her life in seconds. She was unable to keep them safe and by her side, so much so that a copy of her son now stood before her, made from her now dead husband. And yet while Cell has allowed her into his life this new action left her confused
"Why does he gamble his life so much?" She thought to herself. "Does he just not care enough?"
Inwardly the soul inside her helped soothe the pain she was feeling. The soul felt similar feelings as 21 though not to the same degree. While the soul was only mildly upset, 21 was very distraught by the idea of Cell pulling another death-defying stunt without her knowing
After a while 21 found the three robots standing before her, each kneeing down to her level as to not make her feel any worse
"You really do care about Cell 21." Giru stated, making her nod in agreement
"From the moment I've met you you've gone above and beyond for those that you care for 21." 16 added. "It's truly an admirable quality that you possess."
"But if it makes you feel any better, in a day's time you'll get to fight right next to the guy right?" 13 added as well
Wiping her tears she regained her composure, responding to the kindness seriously. "I want to return all of the favors he's done for me. And that means that I'll do my best to help him in anyway I can!" She reaffirmed, re-centering herself
But unexpected, 13 was the one to ruin the moment by snorting, then devolving into senseless chuckling
"What's so funny?" They asked
"Sorry but I just realized, you're the exact opposite of that other you I know. You two couldn't be any more different despite having the same body."
Now understanding the 'joke', Android 21 smiled with relief, taking it as the greatest compliment she's ever received
"Thank you, that means a lot to me."
It was only a few hours later that Prestina and Chocolata both encountered Future Trunks sitting idle at the kitchen table. Of all the places he could be he chose to sit alone in the empty space. It wasn't hard to figure out something was wrong
"Hey Trunks, what's going on?" Prestina asked rather casually, surprising the man
"Oh hey Prestina, Chocolata." He replied with a low tone
"Got nothing to do?" They asked, to which he nodded slowly
"Teen me is out with Mai, mom and dad are doing their own things too. I kind of wanted to visit Gohan but I thought I should stay here until things calm down." He explained
To the two girls they understood why that would make him lonely, though his mood and tone of voice meant that there was more too it than being bored
"Is everything okay?" She asked, taking a seat beside him. "You look a little down."
"Its...a few things I guess." He replied, drawing in their full attention. "A while ago I talked with my mom about dad and what he did. She's still pretty upset and I can't blame her but...I just wish things could go back to like they were before."
"What did she say?" They wondered, making him sigh again
"She's having a tough time forgiving him. After lying to her for years she doesn't think she'll be able to trust him again, or at least as much as she did before. We talked for a bit about it, him and Cell too, and now we've reached our answers." He informed, which was rather good news rather than solemn, meaning that there was something else
"And is anything else bothering you?"
Now this is where Trunks seemed to deflate in front of the Majins, holding his face over his hand in mild frustration and annoyance, not directed towards them
"You both know that I'm a time traveler." He established, to which both nodded. "So all of this alternate future timeline stuff is really messing with me."
At this point in time both girls recounted the story of Trunks, his journey to the past only to return to a destroyed future. It was heartbreaking to hear but in the end he seems to have made his peace with the matter. But looking at him now it seemed like an old pain was coming back to bite him yet again. It took a bit of restraint for Prestina not to peer into his mind, but instead they let the Hybrid Saiyan speak
"It's been so long since I've thought about my old home that it just hurts to think about it now." He confessed. "If only I was stronger...then I would be able to see everyone from my time again."
"You did the best you could." Chocolata intervened but her words didn't have the effect she wanted
"I know but...if only things really could change the way I wanted them to..."
To that no one had a proper response, filling the room with silence as Trunks could only sigh
"Sorry for bringing down the mood guys I was just feeling a bit down."
"It's okay, I know you didn't mean it." Prestina smiled. "Then maybe it's nice to know that somewhere out there everything did go right...right?"
"That's true... A world where the Androids didn't exist at all...that's must be something." Trunks wondered, his depressive aura now shifting
"At least your friend Gohan was able to live in a different timeline right? He's still out there fighting." Chocolata reminded them, making Trunks smile
"Yeah...I'm glad I could talk to him again." He stated before becoming more confident again
"And hopefully I can help stop Black this time, in anyway I can."
"What do you mean?"
"Well I have to man the Time Machine if dad and Goku want to go back in time. So maybe we'll stop Black permanently." He confessed
"That sounds great! I just hope you three will be enough to stop him."
"I do too... I do too."
"And maybe," he thought, "I'll make up for all of those times that I was powerless to stop it."
Finally the day came for the departure of the Z team, the fuel for the Time Machine having been made and the training of the two Saiyans finished. And with a full day of rest there was nothing left to stop the Z team from facing the danger ahead of them
In the bright and sunny afternoon of the next day the core of the team gathered yet again to send off the three warriors, these being the Son and Briefs family, the Majins sisters and the God and Angel duo
"Take care okay?" Bulma advised as she held both of Trunks' hands within her own, and soon after he received a hug from Prestina as well
"Do your best, and come back to us!"
"I will. Thank you." He said, waving his goodbye as he flew into the open Time Machine
As Goku was busy hugging his family and saying his temporary farewells, Vegeta stood idly by the Time Machine, impatient as always. But to his surprise Bulma strode up to him with a serious demeanor. For a moment it seemed as though she would hurl a barrage of insults again before she sighed to herself
"Don't die." She spoke plainly, devoid of any emotion in her voice despite the conflict stricken on her face
In response Vegeta nodded as well, matching her mask of seriousness with his own stoic expression. "I'll be sure to bring our son back."
Along with a quick wave of goodbye to his youngest son Vegeta joined Goku as they both joined Trunks at the Time Machine. To Vegeta it wasn't a major deal, going back to the future, and if anything with Cell, Kakarot and himself Black and Zamasu should be dealt with accordingly. But it never hurts to make sure you say goodbye, after all one could never know what happens
Following the three Saiyans and Half-Saiyans was also an unexpected arrival in the form of a familiar woman dressed in a bright red and blue outfit
"I'm going too." 21 declared, to the shock of the others
"Are you sure? Black and Zamasu are pretty strong." Goku warned, yet 21's defiant will ignored the warning
"I want to help, and that means I'll fight with you!"
"If you want to join then go ahead, but don't think that this'll be an easy fight." Vegeta warned, making room for the woman to stand next to them
"I expect the you lot to come back successfully. Otherwise, you two will pay the price." Beerus threatened, pointing at Vegeta and Trunks
"We won't fail." Vegeta responded, a mixture of confidence and uncertainty resting at the bottom of his stomach
"I hope you've learned enough to come out on top." Whis encouraged, but interrupting their conversation were two more appearances
"Just incase, I think we have something that can help." Said a new voice as everyone turned to see the Supreme Kai and Kibito floating just behind the other pair of Gods
"Ah, if it isn't the Supreme Kai. What an unexpected surprise." Beerus mocked as he yawned
"And what a surprise to find you doing your job for once, Lord Beerus." The Supreme Kai commented with a bright smile, hiding a clear distain for the cat god
"One of us has to."
"Please settle down you two, there's no need for conflict." He advised. "Now, Supreme Kai Shin, is there a reason for your visit."
"Only one, and it's to give the mortals a much needed edge in battle." He said, pulling a familiar pair of pink earrings and handed them to Goku, who accepted them and stored them in his pocket, along with his pouch with a few measly Red Senzu pills
"Giving the mortals a tool of the gods? Guess you're finally showing how useful you are." Beerus added
"At least I'm trying to deal with the problem, rather than spending my time eating."
"Why you..."
"That's enough you two." Whis intervened yet again, reeling the conversation back to the subject at hand. "Good luck." He advised as Trunks readied the Time Machine, closing the hatch above them
"I'm pulling up the latest Time Travel coordinates so we don't overshoot our mark." Trunks briefly explained as he pushed in the proper inputs
"Are you sure that we won't be too late to arrive?" 21 worried
"We won't. Trust me, I'll make sure if it." Trunks replied
Soon the Machine floated up into the air where it began to create sparks of electricity, ultimately making a storm of lightning that ended with a flash of light. Eventually the Time Machine disappeared, throwing itself and its passengers back into the fray of battle
Even more time passed in the future, now almost half a day had gone by with no real end to the battle in sight. Yet for Cell and Cell Black this was the least of their concerns
Almost locked in place as they restricted themselves to the same bubble of space in the sky the two continued to fight with equal power and skill, neither of the two able to outclass the other
Evading a string of punches and kicks Cell shot a powerful ki attack to momentarily blind his opponent, rushing forward to strike only for his fist to be blocked. From within the dust that was generated Cell Black flipped in place, landing a kick to the chin and sending Cell flying upwards. Seeing his opportunity Cell Black launched himself after the vulnerable Cell, but just as he was about to slam him back towards the earth he disappeared, reappearing just beside him and landing a clean kick to the cheek, pushing him backwards
"You may have my power," Cell said, "but I've had it for longer!"
In seconds he bagan dashing in circles around his opponent, using his maximum speed to make After Images that each created the illusion of being everywhere at once. But quickly the speed and frequency of the after images increased, each figure being a blur to the naked eye
"Quite the trick, but you forget that I can see through it." Cell Black boasted as he took a moment to recognize the patterns of the green bio-weapon
Suddenly he shot after Cell in the blink of an eye, throwing his fist and puncturing Cell's stomach to keep him in place. But to his surprise the afterimages remained, dashing around him in a tight circle
"What the-" He exclaimed before he received a foot to the face and a fist to his back
Surrounding the Ex-god were three clones of Cell, one behind him, one at his left and the other was skewered by his right hand. Without a second of delay the three began mutilating Cell Black, the two at each side tore away both of his arms and the final one ripped off both of his wings and tail
And yet the imposter remained stoic as the collective of Cell each landed a downwards kick to his head, sending him rocketing towards the ground as the trio huddled together to create a concentrated hailstorm of yellow ki blasts, each raining from above to ruin Cell Black's exoskeleton. Yet he was able to restore all of the damage with little trouble, soaring into the sky to slice one of the clones with his energy blade, causing it to disappear
Immediately the two Cell's used instant transmission to disappear and reappear behind his imposter. But the ex-god easily read their movements and countered by turning around and slicing the both of them in half, and while one became a bundle of light and energy the other regenerated the cut. The true form of Cell, having his full power restored, formed a ki sword as well on his right hand and used it to clash with Black. The two pressed their glowing arms in an attempt to overpower the other, though both knew this neither was going to win like that
"You're holding back your full power." Cell Black mocked, confident as he stared into the eyes of his enemy
"As are you." Cell added, to which the two dashed backwards and took to talking instead
"You've grown a lot since last we've met." Cell stated almost mockingly. "I take it your last two defeats proved to be a rude awakening for the pathetic God."
"Your taunts no longer faze me, for you lack the power to defeat me." Black retaliated, smirking with pure confidence
"Oh really? Then how's about we stop the charades and go all in."
Without hesitation Cell began to yell, summoning his latent power to the surface. In a flash of yellow his body transformed into gold and purple before his color scheme changed, the aura becoming a black color as his body retook the same colors as before. Now floating before his imposter with a black colored exoskeleton, the overwhelming amount of ki that radiated from him made the air vibrate as he stared down his enemy
"Fine. Since you've shown me yours, I'll show you mine!"
Cell Black tensed his muscles and began copying Cell as he yelled to release his ki, a white aura of power enveloping him before it sparked a bright pink color. As opposed to Frieza's transformation and Cell's mimicking of it, this new power held a strange mix of it's own, shaking the Earth beneath them and causing the air to grow hot like fire
Eventually the transformation revealed itself, flashing a blinding pink light before it subsided to reveal the new Cell Black. The color of his body shifted the original color of green into pink and leaving everything else as is. His aura that surrounded him was now a malicious dark pink, and his energy was, interestingly enough, untraceable to his senses. Despite radiating an intense aura and presence Cell found himself unable to detect him, like he was staring down a source of fire rather than an actual person
"Just like Goku and Beerus...he's using God Ki with his transformation." He realized, masking the worry in his heart with a cocky smirk
"This is the extent of your power mixed with that of a true God! Be proud, creature, that your body has been used to craft the perfect weapon of extermination!" Black boasted proudly, flexing his fingers as he admired his stolen skin
A sort of fear gripped Cell's heart as he stared at his doppelgänger, harnessing a perverted form of his own body. While before he was able to sense the presence of himself within his opponent, which was a conglomeration of multiple warriors, now he was unable to recognize the color and feeling of this alien body. For a moment it felt as though he was staring at a creature rather than himself in another person, a being that radiated an invisible fire that threatened to overtake him
"Is this what 21 felt?" He wondered, the differences between himself and his doppelgänger now having been made evident
"You can pretend all you like," Black continued with a devious smile across his face, "but I'm fully aware that I outclass you."
But to that statement alone Cell began to laugh, all feelings of fear and worry were pushed aside and replaced by sheer disbelief. The implication that he'll ever back down against someone was an oddly hilarious joke to him
"And you think that I'll run away scared? Don't make me laugh!" He exclaimed.
"Then let's see if you can keep up with me." Black threatened, going in for the attack to start a much shorter battle than before
"I hope I can last long enough. And the same goes the others." Cell worried, shifting his full attention to his opponent
A/N: Hey again guys! I'm so glad to be writing for Cell here and as much as I've shifted my attention to other things I still feel a certain joy when writing this story
As for what took me so long, I've primarily been writing for the newer story (Good In Evil) and establishing it as it's own. Though it took months I'm finally able to return to this story with peace of mind, but I did have to catch up on my own work to see where I left off
Secondly, I'd like to state here and now that my next few uploads will be of this story as the arc ends (I swear it's gonna be a shock to read) and following its end I will properly split my time between the two stories of mine, one upload for one and the next for the other. This is mostly to better improve on my revising and editing as well as to continue both stories
Other housekeeping concerns (Cause it really has been a while), updated chapters 25-?? are still a weird subject. Originally, in order to better the quality of the story and improve my revisions, I went back and re-read the whole story fixing grammar mistakes and even adding more details that I felt to be more appropriate (Like chapter 24 in which I had to change the whole interaction between the team and Cell). And as much as I kinda want to continue doing I believe it's better to make changes gradually as they come up. Again, not world shifting changes but rather more detail where there wasn't any
Finally, (if you're still here, and if so thank you so very much) I just wanted to say that I'm slowly going to get the handle of things, with improved writing school (or at least I hope so if that second story is to show for it) yet with ever decreasing free time I'm certain that upload times for the next few chapters will be around 1-2 weeks in between, with that gap getting bigger after I start worrying about my second story
Anyways, this is all one really long winded way of saying that I'm back and that I'm taking the reigns of this story again, as well as my writing hobby in general. I'm definitely also trying to justify to myself and you all what I've been doing with my time. With all of that said, thanks for reading!
