The air, previously heavy with the smoke and dust of battle, now felt clean. The sun's rays, filtering through the remnants of clouds that were opening slightly, painted the ruins of the Central Capital in gold.
Arthur and Gohan remained in silence for a long moment, simply looking at each other. The sound of the destroyed city was a silence broken only by the slight sound of the wind blowing past.
Gohan descended, landing slowly on the debris a few meters from Arthur. His expression was a mix of caution and deep curiosity. He had never felt a Ki like that of this man.
It was colossal, exaggeratedly immense; it felt like the time he felt Frieza's Ki when he was younger. Feeling as if the immensity of the Universe was crushing him, it was truly somewhat uncomfortable.
—You... who are you? —Gohan asked, breaking the silence. His voice was not one of defiance, but of genuine amazement—. I felt your Ki from afar, and then... I saw how you destroyed them. No one has been able to even stand up to them in all these years, and you defeated them as if they were a simple nuisance.
Arthur sighed slowly, letting his body relax. The greenish energy that enveloped him dissipated completely. He looked at his own hands for an instant; truly, that attack was very costly.
—I am Arthur —he replied, with a calm that contrasted with the storm of power he had just unleashed—. And yes, the Androids are dead. They won't hurt anyone again.
Gohan felt his breathing quicken slightly. Arthur's words took a couple of seconds to process in his mind. Dead? The Androids? His body, accustomed to constant tension, to the adrenaline of every encounter with them, could not quite assimilate the news; he didn't even give importance to the name Arthur, which did not fit for a Saiyan.
The Androids, the nightmare that had defined his life since he was fourteen, that had killed his master, his friends, that had pushed humanity to the brink of extinction... they no longer existed.
—How...? —Gohan managed to say, but the words got stuck in his throat. He swallowed and gathered courage—. How is it possible that you have that power? I... I have trained my whole life, and my maximum power doesn't even come close to what you showed.
Arthur looked at him seriously. He knew he had to give an explanation, and he had already prepared one. He looked at the horizon, as if remembering his life.
—You are a Saiyan, right? I am one too. My parents were Saiyans, but they died when Planet Vegeta was destroyed by Frieza —he began, narrating the story he had fabricated—. I was just a baby, and I managed to escape in one of the ships. My ship wandered aimlessly through space for a time. Until I landed on a somewhat civilized planet.
Gohan listened attentively. A survivor of Planet Vegeta, like Vegeta, like his father.
—For a long time, I wandered from planet to planet, fighting, surviving, and hiding. Until recently I landed on a planet of Frieza's forces; I fought and annihilated Frieza's forces on the planet. But on that planet, I discovered that Frieza had died years ago. By a Saiyan, who apparently lived on a planet called Earth.
Gohan continued listening closely, without asking questions or having the intention of interrupting Arthur.
—So with that information obtained, I embarked on a journey to Earth; I had the chance to meet other Saiyans. Then when I arrived, I found the planet's cities mostly in ruins. So I began to investigate and in the end, I found those two guys. Who, as you already know, were eliminated by me.
Gohan assimilated the information. He found no flaws in his story; besides, he couldn't perceive any lie in him.
—So that's how it is. I understand. You're right, the Saiyan who defeated Frieza is from Earth, his name was Goku, my father. By the way, my name is Gohan, nice to meet you Arthur.
Arthur stared at him. Seeing how he offered his hand in greeting. Before he could respond, both felt something. A vile and twisted presence emerging from among the ruins.
Arthur already knew. Ever since the fight with the Androids began, he could feel that other Ki, hidden, lurking. But he feigned surprise and confusion.
—What is that? —Arthur asked, frowning—. There is something else here. Something... artificial. I can feel several Ki in it, as if it were an amalgam of them.
Gohan tensed instantly. He extended his senses and, indeed, there it was. Hidden under the rubble, a being with an unmistakably sinister energy. But what Arthur said chilled his blood: Amalgam?
—Another Android? —Gohan muttered to himself, clenching his fists—. Did that wretch Doctor Gero create another Android?
At that moment, a mound of debris about a hundred meters away exploded outward. From among the dust and filth, a tall and grotesque figure emerged. His body had horns, a beak-shaped mouth, three-toed feet, three-fingered hands, and segmented armor.
He presented a mixture of emerald green and lime green with black spots on the body, with orange sections on the abdomen, mouth, and back, and two black sections on the chest and forehead. His eyes featured slit pupils without a visible iris and pale blue sclera.
On his back, he has wings similar to those of a beetle, along with a long tail attached to the middle of the back that ends in a stinger.
It was Cell, in his Imperfect Form.
—Curse you! CURSE YOU! —the creature roared, his voice was a metallic and deep screech at the same time—. I've been waiting for years, years lurking in the shadows, waiting for the moment to absorb Androids 17 and 18 to become the perfect being! And you, insect, have destroyed them! You have ruined my destiny!
Cell's fury was so dense that his Ki began to rise, making the ground shake. But in his blindness from rage, Cell ignored something crucial. He ignored that the power Arthur had shown to destroy the Androids was barely a fraction of what he could truly become. Arthur, in his base state, had a power of 0.20 on the scale his system used.
Arthur quickly used his System to measure the power of Cell and Gohan.
[Cell Bio Android - Imperfect Form:
Power Level: 2.3]
[Gohan:
Base Form Power Level: 0.032
Super Saiyan: 1.6]
Arthur was left speechless seeing these power levels, especially Gohan's in his base state.
On the other hand, Gohan beside him, upon seeing the creature and hearing its words, felt a cold and deep hatred being born in his chest. Not only were the Androids an experiment, but this monster was another creation of Doctor Gero, another abomination destined to sow chaos.
—So you're another of his creations? —Gohan said, taking a step forward, his own Ki beginning to rise, a white and golden aura covering his body. His hair began to stand on end, transforming into the golden color of the Super Saiyan—. First the Androids, and now you? How much more suffering do that cursed man's creations intend to cause?
—I am no simple creation, brat! —Cell screamed, his body trembling with rage—. I am Cell! The perfect warrior! And even if the Androids have died, I can still absorb them! I will extract their remains, their energy, whatever! But I will reach my perfection! And you, the ones who got in my way, will be the first to die!
Without another word, Cell lunged at them. His tail extended like a whip, aiming directly at Gohan. Gohan, with the speed and reflexes of a Super Saiyan, dodged the attack and counterattacked with a spinning kick that impacted squarely on Cell's side. The impact was brutal, but Cell, with his superior strength, withstood the blow and responded with a beam of energy from the palm of his hand.
The fight between Gohan and Cell began.
Arthur stayed on the sidelines, observing. He could see it clearly. Gohan, despite his fury and determination, was inferior to Cell. He fought with the technique of a trained warrior, but Cell, even in his imperfect form, had a pure power advantage. Gohan's blows pushed Cell back, but they didn't cause enough damage. Little by little, the creature began to dominate the combat, using his tail and his energy attacks to corner Goku's son.
—It seems the power of the Saiyans has diminished over time —Cell mocked, blocking a punch from Gohan and throwing him against a collapsed building—. Your father, Son Goku, was much stronger than you!
Gohan, in pain, emerged from the rubble. He was bleeding from an eyebrow. He knew Cell was right. He was stronger. He glanced at Arthur, who was still watching the fight.
—Arthur! —Gohan shouted, desperate—. Help me destroy him! If that monster achieves what he wants, he could be worse than the Androids!
Arthur nodded. It was the moment. With a flash of energy, his body transformed again into the Pseudo Super Saiyan. His hair was dyed slightly with a greenish and blue color, his aura shone with a blinding intensity.
Cell felt Arthur's power and for the first time, a spark of true fear crossed his mind. But it was too late. Arthur appeared in front of him in an instant, with a speed that surpassed everything Cell had seen. A punch to the abdomen doubled him over. A knee to the face sent him upward. Before he could react, Arthur was upon him, hands together, ready to deal the final blow.
—No! Wait! We can negotiate! —Cell pleaded, in a desperate act—. I could serve you! I have Doctor Gero's knowledge!
Arthur did not respond. Simply, with a downward movement, he struck Cell with all his might, slamming him against the ground and creating a huge crater. Cell's body was shattered, but it was still twitching, trying to regenerate.
Gohan, seeing the opportunity, joined his hands and channeled all his energy.
—Masenkö! —he shouted, launching a powerful beam of energy over Cell's battered body.
Gohan's energy, combined with the previous damage, caused Cell's body to begin disintegrating slowly. The creature released one last and heartrending howl that died out in the echo of the ruins.
—No... it can't be... I... I am the... —were his last words, as his body turned to dust and disappeared forever.
Silence reigned once again. Gohan fell to his knees, exhausted, breathing with difficulty. Arthur descended to his side, returning to his normal state. He looked at the place where Cell had died and then at Gohan.
—Are you okay? —Arthur asked.
Gohan nodded, breathless. He looked at Arthur with a mixture of gratitude and admiration.
—Thank you... —he said, panting—. If you hadn't been here... I don't know what would have happened. That guy... was incredibly strong.
—He was —Arthur replied simply.
Gohan slowly stood up. He looked around him: the destroyed city, the rubble, Cell's dust fading in the wind. Everything was over. Finally, after so many years, the nightmare had concluded.
—Do you have somewhere to go? —Gohan asked suddenly, breaking the silence.
Arthur looked at him, a bit surprised by the question.
—No —he admitted—. I arrived here recently and... well, this is what I found. Besides, my ship no longer works after so much time, so I destroyed it.
Gohan sketched a small, trembling smile, left speechless. Though it was the first genuine smile in a long time.
—Then come with me. I know a place. Capsule Corporation. The mother of a friend lives there, Doctor Bulma. She is the most intelligent person in the world and has an underground shelter. You can stay there as long as you want. It's the least I can do for someone who helped me save this world.
Arthur looked at him for an instant. Capsule Corporation. Bulma's home. The place where young Trunks lived. A new beginning in this desolate future.
—All right —Arthur accepted, nodding—. I'll go with you; after all, I have nowhere to go right now.
Gohan smiled more widely. He extended his hand and Arthur shook it. In that handshake, in the middle of the ruins of the Central Capital, two warriors from different worlds sealed a friendship that would be the first step toward the reconstruction of a world that, finally, was beginning to see the light.