Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc. With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!
The fighters standing on the nearby hill gazed in awe at Goku and Cell. The greatest villain the world had ever faced was following the world's greatest hero, and both were approaching the group without any sign or movement of attack. Less than an hour beforehand, Goku had been doing everything he could to stop that mutant android freak. Goku's fellow warriors had been just as eager as he had been to defeat Cell and restore peace. Most of them had spent the majority of the last three years both training and praying in preparation for combat with the androids. After Cell had unexpectedly entered the picture and absorbed Seventeen and Eighteen, they had spent the past 10 days expanding their capabilities beyond their previous limits. But now, after such a long period of training, numerous sleepless nights of anguish, and all the fury and frequent feelings of helplessness they had endured, could they have been expected to truly believe that the archenemy of the world had simply given up? What kind of preposterous joke on their lives was this? How could all of this be possible? Was this freak just trying to catch them off guard? Why had Goku actually listened to this monster? "Well, if it isn't the disgrace himself,'" Vegeta said to Goku, as the father of the boy who had just been fighting Cell made his way toward the group. "Oh yes, he had a plan. Risk his son's life by throwing him into the ring without truly knowing if he could win, then crush his honor by taking away his victory and caving in to the foolish deceit of the enemy. You're not just low-class trash, Kakarot, you're a downright ignoble fool! How could you do this to your son?" After Vegeta said his words, Gohan, still in his transcendent Super Saiyan form and still ready to pounce on Cell and destroy him, quickly looked towards his father, then looked away, in no direction in particular. "Vegeta, you and Gohan both know Cell isn't innocent, but you and Gohan also wouldn't want to kill someone who wishes to kill no more," Goku said. "That's ridiculous, Kakarot," Vegeta said to Goku. "If he has killed through his own free will before, then he certainly has the capacity to kill again. He deserves to be killed before he kills anyone else." "Well, um, Vegeta," Yamcha began, "I hate to interrupt, but the same could be said about you." Vegeta was furious. "See here you half-wit, you weren't brainwashed by a tyrannical fiend when you were but a small child, were you? Your race of people wasn't destroyed by such a monstrous abomination like mine was, was it? Those things can make a man have quite a temper and be ready and willing to kill others, as I was, once upon the stars," Vegeta said. "But I've stopped killing because your former woman has helped convince me that killing merely for sport is wrong. However, of course, we must defeat to the fullest extent by any means necessary those who wish to take our lives. In the past three years, I have trained harder than ever before to become stronger so I would not just have the fortunate pleasure of defeating the androids myself, but the knowledge that anyone on this planet who could actually be considered 'innocent' wouldn't have to suffer and die because of the androids. This worthless piece of garbage that Kakarot insists wishes us no further harm is the epitome of a liar. He is the worst of all the androids, fused with the hatred of Frieza and his father, and a thousand times worse than I could have ever been. He was purposely created to kill us. He would choose to do so even now if he knew he could get away with it. He cannot change. He wouldn't change. Kakarot, you imprudent clown, if it wasn't for you getting in the way of your son while he had the chance to finish Cell off once and for all, then we could have truly made sure that we would all still be alive tomorrow!"
"If you're going to talk about me and make accusations about how much I want to kill you all, then why don't you let me have at least some sort of opportunity to explain myself?" Cell asked as he came closer to the group, while Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha backed up, Goku and Gohan stood motionlessly, and Vegeta, Trunks, and Piccolo tightened their stances. Trunks had seen enough bloodshed and horror in his life to never trust any android, and so he justifiably assumed that Cell could not possibly have had anything righteous in mind. "Cell, if you take one more step towards us, this is going to have to be the first time that I will truly disagree with Goku," Trunks said. "We're going to help Gohan finish what he almost did and bring you down for good!" "Yeah!" Yamcha shouted. "That's right," Tien concurred. "Oh, will you all just calm down for once?" Cell asked in frustration as Piccolo regarded the apparently dishonorable comment with great distaste. "I am going to try to gain your trust and understanding even if it seems hard for you to believe that any of you would ever honor me with either of these. Vegeta, let me begin by saying that you and I are more alike than you're willing to admit, and that because of this, you especially should consider my words." "I have nothing in common with you, android, except for the genetic material your bastard of a father cowardly stole from me in my absence of awareness," Vegeta said. "That is where you're wrong," Cell said, as all ears, even Gohan's, perked up out of scorn or legitimate interest. "You shared with everyone here just a few moments ago your opinion that you should not be held completely accountable for your crimes in taking lives because of the conditions of your upbringing. Normally, I think you'd actually agree with my newfound belief that a killer who kills with no remorse, a killer who has a clear choice in his destiny and has relatively free will over his decision to kill, should be put to death. But what of a killer who was horribly misguided by intense evil and malice during his upbringing so as to make him a murderer, such that he never truly had the opportunity to develop the will or desire to think and act otherwise? In your case, I must agree with you that your history limited your free will and hampered your ability to escape a life of causing suffering to others, at least until much later in your life. I also think you would agree with my perspective that even in the case of a person who does not kill entirely out of his own free will but because of predetermination, there should still be some sort of punishment, maybe not quite as severe as death depending on the society passing judgment on the killings, but a punishment nonetheless." "Your words are superfluous and pointless; of course I agree with those sentiments," Vegeta said. "However, while the scenario of becoming a murderer against one's will because of one's upbringing does apply to me, it does not truly apply to you. You are a killer, and you always will be. The malevolent blood of Frieza courses through your veins!" "You know, it's funny, Vegeta, I thought you would have remembered your own words from a few minutes ago and that you would have been more sympathetic to my case," Cell said. Vegeta, enraged with his enemy's seemingly arrogant backtalk, decided to directly test Cell's commitment to peace. He then lunged at Cell and kicked him in the face, a maneuver that Cell made no effort to block. "Android! Answer me! Why didn't you deflect my attack?" Vegeta asked. "You know full well that at your level of strength you shouldn't have expected your attack to do all that much against me," Cell said as Vegeta snarled furiously. "And that's besides the point. Have more patience, Vegeta. I no longer have any desire to attack you and wish no more harm upon you." Vegeta then spat on Cell's foot, and as he walked back to the group and turned his head to look at Cell, he was both perturbed and maddened by the fact that Cell's sullen expression had not changed after his foot had been covered with Vegeta's saliva. This was hardly the reaction that the Saiyan prince had expected from a person whom he believed shared so much of his arrogance and distaste of dishonor. "As I was saying, Vegeta, there is an important bond that we share, one that is much more prevalent than the bonds which hold our common genetic material together," Cell said. "You were brought up in an environment where malice was all the rage, where killing was glorified, and where you were preconditioned to think that killing others to further your own goals was an acceptable enterprise. So was I. Dr. Gero designed me to have very specific feelings and engineered my psyche so that I would not have considerable variation from those feelings. I was never given the choice to truly resist evil temptations if I wanted to. Indeed, I wasn't even given a true chance to develop my own personality. My feelings and preferences were imposed upon me. I couldn't shape them. I had no ability to. I was an artist without a pallet whose
painting was already done. Gero cultured me in a culture of death, and he made sure that killing others was an integral part of my self-preservation and advancement. He gave me profoundly wicked incentives and made sure my attention would be focused on them, as in order to reach the ideal of perfection and become as strong as possible, I was guided into feeling justified in killing countless individuals through absorbing them for my own power. I even felt justified, as per Gero's design, in killing my own siblings to make myself even stronger." Cell closed his eyes for a moment, reflecting upon many memories he now considered to be intensely unpleasant. "Vegeta, do you know what it's like to wake up one day and realize that your entire life has been a lie?" Cell asked. "Do you know what it's like to feel remorse for so many things you've done when you never felt remorse for those things before? There is somewhat of a difference between you and me regarding our experiences, since your thoughts were not completely engineered the way mine were. After many years, you were able to gain the ability to become somewhat capable of questioning the morals of your deeds. I never had such a luxury. I was never able to contemplate if what I was doing was wrong because I was built to assume that it was impossible for my motivations to be imperfect. I had not been allowed to have the potential to feel remorse for my actions, which could have enabled me to question the legitimacy of my previous deeds, as you have done. And you, Vegeta, have had the ability to gradually reform yourself over many years. Enlightenment almost literally hit me a little while ago, shattering the darkness with light in an instant. It's been quite a psychological shock, to say the least. But please believe me, despite your misgivings. I am sincere in all of this. I don't want to commit acts of evil anymore. I deserve to be punished for the horrors I have caused, and I want to atone for everything I've done. I'm extremely eager to start helping the world as soon as possible." "That's the lousiest excuse for cowardice I have ever had the displeasure of listening to," Vegeta said. "No matter what commonalities you might think we share, you should have enough intelligence to know that there are so many more variables that should be taken into consideration than those you just described in determining how feelings can be changed. Furthermore, Cell, while to the untrained mind your argument may be convincing on face value, let me ask you this question: 'How is it that all this just happened to have coincidentally occurred at a moment when you were on the brink of defeat?' You must admit, it seems rather improbable, and close to impossible. People don't just have epiphanies on the spot, certainly not like the one you're clamming to have experienced. You wanted to ravage the world just an hour ago, and now you're saying you wish to go out of your way to do good things for the people you eagerly wanted to kill? Do you really take us all to be fools? Maybe you were counting on how much of an idiot Kakarot truly is, deciding that taking advantage of his softness in battle would be an option even now. After all, you might even have the truly unique ability to profoundly understand his unadulterated magnitude of stupidity based on the fact that you share some of his genetics. Maybe you thought you could fool him and prolong your life temporarily, but you can't fool me." After Vegeta's comments, Goku looked down toward the ground. He closed his eyes and began to feel a sense of shame for the idiocy that he felt Vegeta might have been correct in ascribing to him for this entire situation. Had he really been that gullible? Maybe he should have listened to Vegeta's advice from all those years ago when Vegeta had said that his propensity for naivety should be constrained because of its potential to advantage his enemies and threaten his loved ones. "You're nothing but a trickster," Vegeta said, while Cell continued to intently listen. "I swear, even if you think you've somehow won some time, you're not leaving here. And you know why you're not leaving here? It's because Gohan's about to kill you. Isn't that right, boy?" Goku suddenly looked in Vegeta's direction out of nervousness for what might come next. Vegeta was tempting the emotions of not only a Saiyan who had reached a level of power vastly above that of a basic Super Saiyan, but of a boy who was going through profound emotional turmoil. There was no telling what sort of actions Gohan might make in the midst of his internal strife, and no way of knowing if he could truly be stopped from committing deeds that he would later regret. "Vegeta, calm down," Goku said. The warrior's anger intensified. "You know something, Kakarot? I think you're right," Vegeta said, sarcastically. "Maybe I should just let Cell go and kill my wife and my child. I mean, he's certainly such a nice guy." Cell didn't know what to say, and began to look down at the ground as Goku had done some moments ago out of shame. "Your idiocy, Kakarot, is appalling," Vegeta said. "In fact, I think I've lost any tinge of respect I might have ever had for you. Your son, … now there's a warrior who truly reflects the spirit of Saiyan pride. He might be the offspring of a twit like you, but he's not one to let his honor go to shame. Gohan, why don't you show your father what it's like to be a real Saiyan and
kill Cell right now?" Gohan, at this moment, was on the edge of a great emotional divide. Should he respect the wishes of his father, however misguided they appeared to be? Or should he go with his true feelings and listen to Vegeta, despite the arrogance and darkened fervor the Saiyan prince seemed to be inflecting? Vegeta had called his father rather unsavory names, but didn't he deserve those minor verbal attacks? He did, didn't he? Trunks also did not know what to do. Cell was an android, after all, and from everything Trunks had experienced throughout the course of his life across timelines, he knew that the androids had been born to be murderers and should never be trusted. Out of logic and reason, he acknowledged that Sixteen had demonstrated the capacity for change, but was that even a realistic possibility for Cell? Cell had seemed to have been enjoying the prospect of annihilating the Earth, and his claim that this had suddenly become no longer the case seemed outrageous. Cell had almost killed his father in battle, and Trunks' memories of the dark day in which Cell had gained his so-called "perfection" remained fresh and poignant in his mind. Cell's words seemed far too good to be true, and Trunks felt as though he had no personal desire to believe Cell at all. But his father was tempting Gohan, who seemed emotionally confused and psychologically exhausted. Vegeta was taking advantage of his rage in a way that had the potential to make Gohan possibly bend to killing without thinking things through the way he might have under other circumstances. And what if Cell actually was not lying? What if Goku actually was right about all this? If Cell really had changed, would it be an unthinkable atrocity to kill him now without enabling him to have the opportunity to redeem himself and help the world? It seemed almost impossible to Trunks that Cell could have suddenly and genuinely reformed, especially under the circumstances in which he had claimed his sudden enlightenment had occurred, although Trunks knew very well that impossibility was not the same thing as mere improbability, which enables even very unlikely circumstances to have the potential of being true. Was it his moral duty to step in and stop his father from succeeding in making Gohan kill Cell, or would the Earth and the universe be better served if he just let Cell's life come to and end to make absolutely sure that any further threat he might pose would be extinguished? Would enabling Gohan to make the choice be the best option? Gohan began to walk toward Cell, and Trunks stood still. Goku did not move either. Cell observed Gohan's approach, and he then sat on the ground, anticipating what was to come. Gohan decided, after the events which had transpired, that it might be best for him to kill Cell without using a Kamehameha, and that he would instead use a Masenko, a signature attack of his other, symbolic father. Trunks, for Gohan's benefit, decided that he should not remain entirely silent while the upcoming events unfolded. "Gohan, at the very least, you need to give some thought to this," Trunks said. Gohan momentarily stopped walking, and turned to face his fellow warrior. After a moment of pause, and without verbally responding, he then turned his attention back toward Cell, continuing his approach. Within a few seconds, Gohan came within one meter of Cell, then raised his hands above his head and brought them together. But then, he halted his movements, as he was interested in what, if anything, Cell, who was staring into Gohan's eyes, would do next. After a minute of inactivity, Gohan asked Cell a simple question. "Well?" Cell then closed his eyes. "I am about to kill you, you know that?" Gohan asked. "I can see that my words from before meant nothing to you and that your mind was made up, justifiably so, even before I spoke a word in my defense," Cell said. Gohan began to collect energy near his hands, and Cell remained calm. As the glowing ball of energy glistened, illuminating Cell's face with the fiery power of destruction, the android spoke again.
"I want you to know before you kill me that when you punched me in the head during our fight, you profoundly changed my mind and opened up a new world that allowed me to finally experience at least a hint of what it's like to be a real person," Cell said. "I have to thank you for that, and I truly do hope that you grow up to be a strong leader and a kind father who will always defend this world and protect his children." Gohan kept his gazed fixed on Cell while the energy glowed near his hands. Both fighters were stationary now, with the energy near Gohan's hands constituting the only sign of movement among them. Then, Gohan made a decision. The visible energy faded, Gohan lowered his hands, and he brought his fists to rest positions. He still remained in his transcendent form of Super Saiyan, however, as a tactic of precaution. "I must be crazy for doing this," Gohan said. Vegeta realized what was happening and became furious. "What do you think you're doing?" he screamed. "Are you really going to let that android get away with what he's done? Are you really going to let him have the opportunity to kill everyone you love? Tell me! Tell me what sudden wave of irrational ignorance is making you do all this. It's emanating from your father, isn't it?" "Stop making fun of my father, Vegeta," Gohan said. The psychological impacts of Gohan's form beyond Super Saiyan then prompted him to say some things he otherwise would not have been likely to so openly express. "He may be ignorant at times, Vegeta, but so are you," Gohan said. "So am I if I truly am falling for the greatest façade I've ever encountered while letting this charlatan get away with murder. You know what, though? I'm going to respect my father's wishes. If he's so confident that Cell won't hurt anyone else, let's see what happens. If he's wrong, I think he'll feel sorry after this monster right here kills countless more, but we can always wish them back. It will still prove a point and, after all, the pain so many will feel will be merely temporary. They'll be able to come back after a wish and, depending on how we play our cards, they may not even remember what had happened. It's a valid way to test Cell's intentions, and I really don't care how we do it so long as no one is actually permanently out of commission. Let the horror come if it's destined to come. It would prove my father wrong for the grandiose idiocy he's exhibited today." When Trunks had asked Gohan to consider the situation before taking action, he had not imagined that Gohan would make the vicious considerations he had so evidently made. Trunks didn't believe his former master's counterpart was quite right in the head at the moment. "Gohan, do realize what you're saying?" Trunks asked. "From what you've said, it sounds like you think Cell's still going to be a killer after we let him go, but that you'll let him get away with further murder just to prove a point to your father. There are many parts of this that lack common sense and are very unlike things the Gohan I know would normally say or believe. I remember when I reached a level beyond Super Saiyan for the first time and how my thoughts and emotions were thrown off from what they would normally have been. I also expect this might be even more so the case with you because you've reached a higher level than any of us. Please, Gohan, don't just throw your morals and good sense away." Goku felt he had to speak, despite the emotional pain he knew he had already caused. "Son, you need to calm down. Trunks is right," Goku said. "You're not acting like yourself right now. If you really think that Cell is still going to kill people, then maybe my intuition was wrong and yours is right. But don't let him escape and murder many more people just to prove a point. That's foolish, Gohan. You're much smarter than that." Gohan considered his father's words for a moment, then responded. "I am the one who will ultimately decide what happens next, as none of you have the power to stop Cell while the reigns of that capability rest in my hands alone," Gohan said. "Whether he lives or dies is entirely up to me. I have the power to kill him as well as the power to permit him to live. The idea that Cell might actually have gained some sense of positive morals is intriguing, to say the least. His most recent actions, both emotional and physical, are so different from what they had been an hour ago that I really do wonder if he is telling the truth. I did punch him in the head with a great deal of force, and come to think of it, the readings on biology that my mother assigned me when I was younger taught me that the area where I punched Cell is an important area regarding memory and personality. That piece of evidence makes Cell's claim more plausible than if that piece of evidence was not there. However, we all know the type of monster Cell has shown himself to be more than capable of being, and this could all be a dire attempt at deception. If Cell is lying, he
knows I'll kill him. He has every incentive to refrain from killing anymore because he knows I will be even stronger after I recover from this battle and that I will kill him without restraint. In fact, I'd even go to Hell with him just to smash him vigorously for all of eternity if he's even thinking about betraying our confidence now. I hope Cell can tell that after I transformed earlier today, I had merely been toying with him." Gohan then addressed Cell directly. "That's right, Cell. I could have killed you at any time," Gohan said. "If you betray my trust and harm anyone, you will have no chance to survive. Regardless of whether my father is right in all this, if you harm anyone, you will die. The ball's now in your court, Cell. What will you do?" While Cell pondered Gohan's words, Vegeta decided that he would no longer tolerate the apparent pacifism his so- called "allies" were showing in dealing with this murderer. "That's it. If no one's going to kill Cell right here and right now, then I'll do it myself!" he yelled, while his power level began to rapidly increase. As Vegeta's aura vibrantly flickered, he lunged forward to strike the android. Before his fist made contact with Cell's head, Gohan moved between Vegeta and Cell, blocking Vegeta's fist and then grabbing both of his arms. "What in the name of the Saiyan race do you think you're doing?" Vegeta asked with intensified fury. "You were about to punch him in the same area that I did," Gohan said. "On the chance that Cell is telling the truth, it would be a shame to deprive him of the opportunity to mend his ways, just like the opportunity you've had, wouldn't you agree?" Vegeta, who had become even more enraged, turned to face the others. "Kakarot, I know I can't rely on you to help defend the honor of our race; Trunks, come over here and help me kill one of the androids that has haunted your nightmares." Hesitantly, Trunks responded. "I … I don't know if I can, father," he said. "After hearing what Gohan said, I just don't know what to do, even if Cell is an android." "Then to Hell with you; you're no son of mine," Vegeta said. "I'll be sure to raise my real son to not be a fool like his counterpart." That comment hurt Trunks like a blast through the heart. The proud Saiyan from the future looked down at the ground, with solemn sorrow building within him. "Well, aren't any of you going to stop just standing there and choose to help me vanquish this threat before he escapes?" Vegeta asked. "Aren't any of you going to defend your honor as warriors and help me save your planet from further harm?" Not one of the Z-Fighters budged. "Namek, surely you have more sense than this!" But Piccolo kept his eyes affixed to the situation, and did nothing else. "Damn you all to Hell!" Vegeta yelled. "You're all useless! Every last one of you!" With that, Vegeta kicked Gohan quickly in the stomach to break free of Gohan's restraint, and out of shock and surprise, Gohan let go of his arms. Cell watched as Vegeta came racing forward, and did not stop Vegeta from firing a Galick Gun straight toward him. The blast collided with the android, and when the dust settled, Cell was still there, seemingly unaffected by Vegeta's attack. His android body was, after all, quite durable. The scowl on Vegeta's face became more severe. "It is my destiny to be the best and it is your destiny to die!" he yelled.
"If I had actually still wanted to kill you, Vegeta, I would have done it by now," Cell said. "Please, we don't need to fight anymore." "You're a fool if you still think that I would ever believe you!" Vegeta yelled. Vegeta began to unleash a barrage of punches at Cell and then kicked him many times. Although the android was too strong for Vegeta to deal any real damage, the Saiyan prince kept up his attack. Then, Gohan shoved Vegeta away from Cell, pushing Vegeta from his right side and removing the Saiyan from the combat he desired. Gohan then floated between Vegeta and Cell, prompting the Saiyan prince to view the boy with substantial derision. "You …you're a greater imbecile than your father," Vegeta said. "You are acting irresponsibly in trying to stop me from defeating this threat once and for all. I swear that when that android goes ballistic and kills your mother, you will have only yourself to blame. I can't stand this stupidity any longer." With that, Vegeta flew off, with his golden aura echoing in the trail that it was leaving behind. Cell, after a long time of remaining silent, decided to chime in. "Does this mean that you will give me a chance?" he asked. "Be quiet, you insufferable cretin," Gohan said. "I still don't fully believe you, but for some reason I can't quite explain, I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt because of what my father has said and done today. Maybe the biological evidence I put forward before is relevant. I don't know. One thing is certain, though. I'm not going to just let you fly off and do as you please. You're under my watch now, you freak. And you'd better feel sorry for all the pain you've caused, because believe me, all the hideous acts of terror and malevolence you have committed will never be truly forgivable. And don't believe for one moment that you will not face some sort of judgment for what you've done. After the proper determinations are made, you will be punished for your misdeeds, whether that punishment comes through me beating the crap out of you, or from your freedom being restricted in some other fashion. Do you understand that?" "I understand completely," Cell said. "I will accept the terms of my salvation." "Good," Gohan said. The transcendent Super Saiyan turned around and walked toward his father, who watched him approach. "Gohan, do you now understand why I spared him?" Goku asked. "No, I do not understand, father. I don't think I will ever truly understand," Gohan said in a sullen tone, with a hint of intonation that Goku took to mean that his son felt both his father's actions and his own in the last hour had been somewhat pathetic. Gohan looked up at the sky for a moment while everyone else stared at him, except for Krillin, who was staring at Cell and wondering what horror Eighteen must be going through as a part of that beast. As the news crew from ZTV that had been providing coverage of the Cell Games began to rush toward them for commentary on the recent developments, Cell decided to speak. "Gohan, you will not regret this," Cell said. "It will be your life if I do," Gohan said. A few moments passed, and the news crew arrived at the scene. The cameraman had managed to fix his camera's visual and audio inputs in the interim between Cell's change in persona and Vegeta's departure. The reporter wiped a rag across his black hair to remove some of the sweat that had been caused both by his running and his anxiety, and he then stuck out his microphone to Gohan after adjusting his glasses. "Young man, why has the fighting stopped?" the reporter asked. Gohan would have been coarse in his mannerisms on the air because of his roguish persona at the moment, and wanted to say, "Because this loser over here decided to chicken-out," but he thought of what his mother would say if she heard him sound nasty and mean-spirited on worldwide television. Her predicted actions were enough to temporarily calm the rage of the transcendent Super Saiyan.
"Cell has decided to back down from his challenge," Gohan said. "I fought him just as my father did, and to me, Cell conceded defeat." Hercule Satan and his band of devotees had followed the television crew in their procession to the Z-Fighters, and now Mr. Satan, who was standing live at the scene, felt it was his time to chime in. This was especially so if he was to maximize his potential gains in glory form this situation. He in no way wanted a person who from his perspective was no more than a random teenager to take all the glory and make him appear weak. "That's ridiculous, my dear boy," he said as he put a hand on one of Gohan's shoulders, and act which the Saiyan found to be quite demeaning. "As I said before, you and your light shows, and the invisible wires and mirror reflections that made it appear like you were flying around, these are all cheap tricks done by amateurs. You might have scared Cell a little with your hocus pocus, but certainly I'm to get credit for striking fear into him with my ferocious power! I'm the one who's most responsible for Cell's defeat!" The world watched as the exchange between Mr. Satan and Gohan took a fateful turn. "My friend, the world deserves truth for so important an event as this," Gohan said. "Are you really willing to stick by your story? After all you've seen today, are you really going to take as much credit as you are for defeating Cell?" Mr. Satan hesitated for a few moments with a partially perplexed look on his face; the boy indeed seemed to be a clever one and was putting him into an uncomfortable position. He weighed his options, and went for what he felt would be most likely to deliver the maximum. "Y-yes. Yes I will," Mr. Satan said. "You know it. They know it. And Cell knows it." Hours ago, Cell would have likely pounded Mr. Satan into the ground for making such outrageous comments that tarnished his reputation, but now, Cell did not say a word or flinch as inch as he was curious as to what Gohan was trying to do and did not wish to spoil whatever Gohan had in mind. "Very well, then," Gohan said. He then turned from the camera and shifted his gaze toward the sky. "Everyone, I believe it would be best for us to go to the Lookout now." With that, he lifted off slowly in the direction of the guardian's Lookout, and eventually, Yamcha, then Krillin, then Trunks, then Piccolo, and then Tien rose into the air and followed him. Goku lingered for a moment, the camera caught him looking briefly at Cell, and then he rose into the air and followed his son as well. As the camera crew approached Cell, the android stayed still, unsure of what to do. High above, Gohan stopped mid-flight and waited for the others to do so as well. He had continued to observe Cell from above, making sure that Cell would not do anything unscrupulous, and was waiting for Cell to fly toward them. After a few moments, during which Cell had remained on the ground, Gohan then yelled to his former teacher, "Piccolo, send that idiot a telepathic message asking him to fly toward us." Back below, the reporter placed his microphone in front of Cell and asked the combatant a question. "So, how does it feel to have lost in your own tournament against the champion of the world, Mr. Satan?" he asked. "Well, I …," Cell began to say, while pausing to think of a tactful way to respond to the rather confounding question. Then, he received Piccolo's message. With that, Cell darted off into the sky, with the downward thrust of his energy knocking the reporter back a few feet. Hercule Satan looked upward as the camera captured the scene.
YOU ARE READING
Honor Trip
Science FictionCell becomes one of the Earth's greatest heroes in this epic twist of Dragon Ball reality! Experience the impact of this dramatic and empowering change!
