Dragon Ball © Akira Toriyama, Shuheisha, Inc.

Chapter 28: Bug Extermination

Were insects the thing she fear the most in the world? Or was it something else?

"…and I killed him, took the machine and came here. So, here we are."

The moment she heard the very sentence, everything around her became blurry on the edges. She felt like her entire being was sucked into the darkness where she was standing alone, surrounded by the sequences she hated the most…

The moment she lost her family…

When she almost lost her footing, Tenten quickly shook her head and clenched her fists as if it would help her to get a grip on herself.

"Y-you… killed Trunks?"

How many more should be taken from her?

Hadn't she lost enough already?

Cell let out a sinister laugh. "You were looking exactly like this when you saw your boyfriend being killed before you. So helpless, powerless, and hopeless." It laughed again. "I didn't kill you just so you can suffer being pitiful throughout your life."

He was being killed before her and she could do nothing about it?

Something burning surged from her centre. The memory of how everyone she loved was taken from her was being replayed in slow motion in the most agonising movie she ever saw. Her clutch on Piccolo was tightened without her realising, trembling at the image of how Trunks was being slain by the creature before her. Her vision was darkened; her lungs were deprived of oxygen and she had to use all of her might just to breathe.

"Tenten!" Piccolo's deep tone took her back to reality.

She immediately shook her head and asked, "W-why did you choose this time?" Her voice was still trembling so she gulped to retain her stance.

"I didn't. Trunks' time machine was set to this time. All I did was push the button."

She exchanged looks with Piccolo, knowing that they shared the same opinion regarding this. That Trunks might've defeated the androids and was probably going to this time to tell the warriors about it.

"The computer also told me this- that when I'm complete, I will have unimaginable power!"

Piccolo clenched his jaw. "Why do you want so much power!?"

"Why? Stupid question…. The computer was programmed to create the strongest being in the cosmos. Or maybe it's just the blood of the Saiyans or Freeza… or you… flowing through me. The computer also told me this, when I achieve my perfect form, I will be the most powerful being imaginable!"

All the person she loved was being killed…

Just for the sake of this creature becoming the most powerful being?

"I see. Thank you for clearing up those mysteries." Piccolo smirked. He suddenly deflated his arms off and regenerated a new arm. "You've given me a lot to think about."

"You… you did that to make me talk!"

"You have my blood. Didn't you realise that I can regenerate my arm? I can't and won't allow you to reach your perfect form! Even accounting for the energy in that one arm, I'm still stronger than you."

"You're pretty smart. You pretended to lose that arm to get me to talk."

"That was God's wisdom." Tenten immediately recalled the God her brother told her. He was said to be the Namekian who became the God on Earth and was the reason behind Dragon Balls' existence.

"I see! You're what happens when God and Piccolo fuse together!" That explained why Piccolo seemed like a different person.

"Tenten!" There was a wash of relief to see him after what Cell told them about how it got the time machine. He was floating in the mid-air along with Krillin, both were scrutinising the horrible creature before them. It turned out that Cell knew a lot of things around them—from Goku's supposed death, the techniques, and how things were going separately from what Cell knew itself.

"I will get my hands on #17 and #18! You won't be able to stop me from obtaining my perfect form!" They were flabbergasted by the fact that Cell was pulling the manoeuvre they knew too much. Before they got to react, a blinding flash spread from him. "Taiyōken!" They immediately covered their eyes, not having any chance to stop Cell from escaping from their sight.

That fact drove Piccolo beyond furious that he released his energy, shocking all of them with his newly acquired power. He could easily defeat Cell with that power; it was unfortunate that they didn't properly use the chance.

Tenten fell silent, gripping her fists so tightly as she recalled what Cell had just told them. As if the three androids weren't enough, they had an extra disgusting creature to be worried about.

"Hey…" She was too drowned in her thought that she slapped Trunks' hand off her shoulder, startling both him and even herself. "A-are you alright, Tenten?"

"Y-yeah." She put both of her palms on her eyes as she squatted. "I need to get rid of that giant insect image out of my mind." Just the thought of the insect-like image had sent shivers down her spine along with a tickling sensation underneath her skin that she unconsciously scratched her arms.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. That thing shouldn't be a problem as long as we destroy the androids before it finds them, okay?"

If only his father shared the very same idea.

"Why not let him fuse if that's what he wants? It'll give us less people to fight and more room to act? You're wasting your time with this planning. I don't care how strong my opponent is… I'll still kill him!" Vegeta, along with Tienshinhan happened to sense Cell's Ki and happened to come almost at the same time.

"Don't underestimate him, Vegeta! You were barely able to touch #18, and Cell is much stronger than her," Piccolo said.

"I'm not going to listen to you badmouth me! Do you want me to kill you before I kill the androids?! I'll surpass them… No matter what, I'll surpass them! I'll even surpass the Super Saiyan!"

"You're going to surpass Super Saiyan?" Trunks said.

"I think Kakarot's going to do it too… I'm sure of it." Vegeta turned around and smirked. "You bastards can do whatever you want." Then he dashed to the sky.

"If you're going to be like that in the future, I'm going to leave you forever. Don't expect me to be as patient as Bulma-san," she muttered under her breath as Trunks sheepishly laughed at this. His stubbornness alone had killed her most of the time and his father was even worst.

"But surpassing Super Saiyan… Is it possible?"

Tenten shrugged. "Who knows? But I think it's possible if our fathers are thinking of the same thing."

"So, what do you think we should do now? Going back to the past to destroy #17 wouldn't solve anything, right?" Krillin asked.

"That's right. It would save that dimension's future but it wouldn't do anything for this dimension."

"So, it probably wouldn't do any good to go to Dr. Gero's lab and destroy Cell there…"

"It would," Tenten suddenly said. "Let's go there so we wouldn't have to worry about another Cell in this future." She cracked her finger and dashed to the sky.

"Wait, Ten—" She topped up her speed without waiting, noticing that both Trunks and Krillin followed her suit.

"You were looking exactly like this when you saw your boyfriend being killed before you. So helpless, powerless, and hopeless."

Tenten gnashed her teeth. The fire seed that was searing the first time she heard the news was once again flaring inside her, burning every vein in her body that she topped up her speed again until she reached Dr. Gero's now wrecked lab. It was almost impossible to find the underground lab under the wreckage but she didn't know what possessed her when she went down and walked straight into what seemed to be a hole…

Where Cell was born.

She went into it, pretty amazed by the computers and the equipment that was close to what they had seventeen years later. Dr. Gero must have done something prior to protect the inside of the underground lab as everything seemed to be perfectly working. There was a glass in the middle of the lab, equipped with the lights that made it look like the main show of the lab; inside it was a liquid with an embryo inside. Judging from the shape, she was pretty certain that it was none other than Cell.

This thing killed Trunks…

"Hey, look at this!" She glanced over her shoulder when Trunks approached the table and scrutinised a blueprint.

"What are the blueprints for? Cell?" Krillin asked.

"No! It says '#17" right here!" Trunks excitedly said. "I better let Kā-san have a look at this! She might be able to figure out their weaknesses!" He then approached Tenten. "We found it! We finally found a clue to their weaknesses!"

"Yeah. That's great," was all she could say. Trunks was confused with her flat reaction, raising an eyebrow, insisting her to tell what was going on. "Let's go and give that to your mother."

"Okay, let's destroy this place…" Krillin prepared his stance to shoot his energy Ki.

"Can you please let me do it? Destroying this place?" Both Krillin and Trunks were exchanging looks at her request but they nodded in response. "Okay, you two go outside." And so, they did. Tenten circled around the glass, watching how the embryo slightly moved once in a while.

"I didn't kill you just so you can suffer being pitiful throughout your life."

Fury.

How long it had been since she felt it?

"You're not killing him…" She extended both of her arms, mustering her energy on her palms and formed two balls of light. "You're not killing him, not on my watch… Not in my watch!" She then clapped her hands together, forming combined energy that glided in enormous speed towards the glass, piercing through it and destroying the computers behind it.

The huge explosion startled both Trunks and Krillin, who were waiting just outside in the sky. Among the billowing smoke, Tenten came out in her grandeur, dusting herself off the invincible dust.

Trunks lifted an eyebrow. "You're definitely in a foul mood right now."

"Probably. But doesn't everyone after what was going on?" she nonchalantly answered. Krillin shifted his eyes to Trunks, inquiring for an explanation.

"Entomophobia. She hates insects and she considers Cell as one," Trunks said.

Krillin chortled. "That drastically changes my view on Saiyan people."

Trunks let out a small laugh. "How different? We're still partly ordinary humans and…" he sighed, "We never consider ourselves more than humans. We might be stronger than ordinary but we still have our own weaknesses."

"That's why I'm glad, Trunks." Trunks widened his eyes. "You're not losing that human side of you and that's good. I'm really glad to have kind Saiyans like you and Goku on our side."

Trunks smiled. "Thank you, Krillin-san." So, he dashed to the sky with Krillin. Despite saying that, Trunks couldn't stop thinking about the way to surpass Super Saiyan his father mentioned. Getting stronger was one of several reasons he wanted to go to the past. Tenten's ambition to surpass Super Saiyan might not be as much as he did but he was certain that she wouldn't let the chance slip from her grip. "Krillin-san, could you take these blueprints to my mother?" He seemed to say it loud enough for Tenten to slow her phase.

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"I want to train with my father. If he can pass Super Saiyan, then I…" He looked up to see them finally catching up with Tenten. She looked at him with a knowing look as if she had seen this coming.

"No problem, but do you think Vegeta will let you?" Krillin asked.

"I don't want to work with a father like that. But even Tō-san knows that having a training partner lets you improve faster than on your own. What do you want to do after this, Tenten?" He finally stopped flying.

"My father's place. I need to be on guard in case the androids are coming." Trunks held her hand, caressing her knuckles in assurance. Tenten used her other hand to hold his as tightly as she could as the reminiscence of Cell's words haunt her again. She was so afraid that letting him go would equal her losing him forever.

He already had the feeling that there was something wrong with her, but sometimes, Tenten was too stubborn to say anything. He knew that she worried about him but at the same time understood that he needed to go for good reasons. Without Krillin's presence, he'd definitely pulled her into his embrace so he used his index and middle fingers to lightly caress her cheek.

"I'll be back, okay? I'll see you later."

"Good luck. Don't kill each other." Tenten raised her hand and made a small wave as Trunks raised his hand in response before flying away. "I really mean it. Don't kill each other," she kept saying even though he was out of sight already.

"Uhm…" Krillin scratched the side of his face. "Are you two going out?"

Tenten tightened her lips for a moment before saying, "Yes, we're going out," believing that Krillin wouldn't ask questions as much as Bulma.

"I see. Wow." Though he said it flatly, Krillin was truly surprised and shocked by that fact. "Thank goodness Trunks is different from Vegeta."

This time, Tenten was the one who smiled. "Well, you can't say that yet, Krillin-san. Apple doesn't fall from the tree. He's still a Saiyan and when it came to the battle, I can see no difference."

Krillin laughed in response, lightly patting her back before resuming their way to their destination.

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author's note

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AN: Long time no see, everyone! I hope I'm not making you mad for not updating for so long.

Truthfully, I've been through the hardest time in my life. Never in my wildest imagination that I'd go through what I've been through the past months. What was making it worst is that I have to go through those bad moments while staying normal while working as if nothing happened that I have to bottled everything up to myself.

It is so hard to get back to both drawing and writing moods that I've been so unproductive these past months so here I am pushing myself to update today. I know that no one is pressuring me to update but honestly, both drawing and writing are my sweet escapade. For a moment, I can feel myself escaping reality. Readers' feedbacks are so rewarding and every time I received positive feedbacks such as reviews, votes, and comments, I feel like at least I make you feel good by reading my stories.

Thank you for making me feel like continuing this story. =)

Favorite, follow, and most importantly—review are gold for me! As I mentioned in the previous chapter, the story is also posted in Wattpad. Since the site allows me to post videos and images, I might be able to pamper your eyes there. Check my account in ReikaNanatsuki!

Thank you for reading and have a nice day!