Dragon Ball Z: Return Of Cell

Chapter 4 - The Return

"Someone tell me what just happened?" Videl asked, finally stepping forwards toward Gohan. 

Gohan turned around to Videl, who knew all about Cell and what he had done - and more recently the true story as to how he had been defeated - and swallowed hard, preparing himself to try and explain the baffling event that had just taken place. 

"I think... I think we have to fight Cell again." Gohan explained simply. "That guy there, he was one of Doctor Gero's Androids - a group of synthetic humans that were designed to fight; or more specifically, fight and defeat my father before he died. Cell is one of those Androids, but a much more powerful one. I'm not sure where this guy came from, because Doctor Gero is dead, but it's worrying, because he clearly had more plans than we could ever realize."

"But why? Goku is dead. There's nothing left for Gero to take out, Goku was his only target." Piccolo argued, trying to make sense of the situation. 

"Unless... Unless this Android was created for the sole intention of reviving Cell if he should fall." Dende cut in, stepping forwards. 

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked the young Namek, and the newest Guardian of the Earth.

"I mean, when Trunks first came here from the future all those years ago, he warned you guys of 2 Androids, that were 17 and 18, that were going to terrorize the Earth, right?" Dende waited for the others to nod before he continued. "Yet he had no clue about Cell coming here, or Android 16. Or the fact that 17 and 18 would turn on Doctor Gero so early." 

"What are you getting at, Dende?" Piccolo asked, becoming impatient for the younger to make his point. 

"Gohan, you also said that Cell came here in Trunks' time machine, yet Trunks had his on him the whole time he was here?" Gohan nodded again, beinning to catch on to what Dende was telling him. "Which means the only possible way for that to happen is that there's another split timeline. Even though both Cell and the future Trunks came from the same timeline, there would have to be a split somewhere in order for both to exist in one place at the same time. 

"All I'm saying is, what if there's more timelines going on than we thought? What if in one of those timelines, Doctor Gero predicted that Cell would be defeated - or perhaps Cell had already been beaten - and he created this Android for the purposes of bringing him back for another chance. After he died in our timeline, or any other, if he knew about his own death in any other timeline, he would have become enraged at Goku, you, and all the others who fought at the Cell games and helped you beat Cell, and he may want revenge for that." 

"That makes sense. But I just don't understand why it happened now." Gohan sighed. 

"I guess because this is the first time we've gathered the Dragon Balls in one place and summoned Shenron since we beat Cell." Piccolo interjected. "Maybe this was the first chance he had." 

"Either way, we need to focus on finding this Android to get some information, and maybe our last wish can help us do that." Gohan looked to Piccolo, who nodded. 

"What? No! The last wish was to bring mom back, remember?" Goten yelled angrily, tugging on the leg of Gohan's pants to get his attention. 

"Hey, little guy," Gohan bent down to his 7-year-old brother's height, and placed a hand atop his head, "we can wish mom back another time, but we really gotta find out what's going on here. The whole Earth could be in danger."

"But why can't we bring her back?" Goten asked again, not seeming to understand the circumstance. 

"Look, Goten," Piccolo stepped forward, gaining both brothers' attention, "we can't wish your mother back now. We don't want to risk it. If we bring her back now, and Cell is on the loose, if she's killed again we can't revive her. But if we wait until we know the world is safe, then we can bring her back peacefull without any problems. Understand?" 

Goten looked between Gohan and Piccolo for a moment, tears filling his eyes, but he nodded. Taking a moment before he spoke, the child sighed and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. 

"Do you really thing we could be in that much trouble?" Goten asked. 

"Afraid so, bro." Gohan replied, standing up. 

"Your wish. I am growing impatient." Shenron finally spoke up, reminding everyone he was still there.

"This isn't exactly a wish, but can you tell us where you revived Cell to?" Gohan asked, willing to try anything to get the information he needed. 

"No, I can not. But I can tell you that you need not search for the creature "Cell". In time, you will discover the plans of Doctor Gero. But you must be ready. That is all I can say. Farewell." 

With the final words, Shenron slowly faded away into a beam of light, which served as a centre for the ring of Dragon Balls to rise up around, spinning in a circle. They began spinning faster and faster, until finally they broke apart, disappearing in an instant to all corners of the globe, and the dark skies finally returned to normal.

Gohan thought hard about Shenron's words as he looked out to the now-clear skies. He had a lot of explaining to do to everyone, and a lot of training to do if it was true that Cell was back. They had to be ready.