"What? Do you want to hold a martial arts tournament too?" Cell asked with a laugh.
"Think whatever you want!" Vegeta snorted coldly, having no intention of explaining.
"A martial arts tournament? What do you mean?" Trunks flew over from a distance, not quite understanding what he was hearing.
"Little baldly, haven't you participated in several World Martial Arts Tournaments? Why don't you explain it to him?" Cell glanced at Krillin nearby and beckoned him over.
Krillin: "..."
Krillin hurriedly flew over, nodded, and explained to Trunks: "Before this, the World Martial Arts Tournament used to be held on Earth."
"Exactly, that's the one," Cell nodded. "I'm going to bring that tournament back! But unlike the World Martial Arts Tournament, this time your only opponent will be me. It will be a series of one-on-one matches. If I win, the next contestant will step up to face me. There's no limit on the number of participants! The more people you bring, the better it is for you. So go ahead, recruit as many as you can!"
Vegeta smirked inwardly.
You're playing right into my script!
Perfect!
This time, I'll be the one to finish off this guy Cell with my own hands.
Kakarot, I can't wait to see the look on your face when I transform into Super Saiyan Blue.
"I'll notify you of the specific time and location as soon as possible, perhaps through a television broadcast," Cell said with a smile. "Heh heh, Vegeta, let's put our battle on hold for now. We'll have a proper showdown when the tournament begins. How does that sound?"
"I'd be happy to oblige," Vegeta replied flatly.
"A television broadcast?" Krillin's expression shifted.
"Remember to prepare plenty of Senzu Beans!" Cell turned around, intending to leave.
"Wait a minute!" Trunks asked urgently. "Cell, what is your purpose for holding this tournament? What is your ultimate goal? I can't see it at all. Do you want to conquer the Earth? Or the entire universe?"
"The purpose of the tournament is to plunge the world into panic, while also serving as a way to hone my strength," Cell said with a laugh. "As for my ultimate goal, I haven't decided yet. I'm no longer interested in cliché things like conquest, and killing Son Goku doesn't have much meaning anymore! You could say that seeking pleasure is my greatest goal!"
With that, Cell immediately took to the sky and soon vanished from sight.
Vegeta watched him go, his lips curling into a slight, cold smirk.
Trunks: "..."
Why does Father look so confident?
Does he really have a way to defeat Cell?
The problem is, in the previous fight, Father didn't exactly have the upper hand.
"That guy... what exactly is he thinking?" Krillin gritted his teeth. "He absorbed Android 18, and I'm not letting him get away with it!"
Trunks gave Krillin a deep look.
Mr. Krillin couldn't have developed a thing for Android 18 this quickly, could he?
"Vegeta, do you have the confidence to defeat that guy?" Krillin asked hurriedly.
Vegeta was just about to answer when Krillin's eyes lit up, and he suddenly turned his head to look upward.
"It's Piccolo's ki! Goku and the others are back! That's great!" Krillin was overjoyed. Ignoring Vegeta, he exploded with energy and flew rapidly toward the Lookout.
Vegeta: "..."
Vegeta's face darkened.
This little baldly is so infuriating!
He asks a question and then just runs off.
Where are your manners?
Android 16: "..."
Didn't you say you were going to take me to Capsule Corp for repairs?
Am I invisible to you?
"Ah... sorry!" Krillin, having flown several kilometers away, immediately doubled back and landed beside Android 16.
Android 16 breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Android 16, I'll take you to Capsule Corp now to have Miss Bulma fix you up," Krillin said with a smile.
"Thank you," Android 16 replied quickly.
"Father, I plan to go back into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to train," Trunks said to Vegeta with a solemn expression.
"Go ahead," Vegeta nodded without objection, then added thoughtfully, "I also plan to go in for another day of serious training."
"Father, you've been focusing on training me lately. You haven't had much time for yourself, have you?" Trunks said guiltily.
"My only hope is that one day you will surpass me," Vegeta said, offering Trunks a rare smile.
Trunks was deeply moved, his eyes nearly welling up.
Krillin stared at Vegeta, completely bewildered.
Is this the same Vegeta I know?
His character has completely broken down.
Are those really words coming out of his mouth to Trunks?
I feel like he should be looking at Trunks with total disdain.
In reality, Krillin had no way of knowing that Vegeta's personality at this stage was actually like this.
In his previous life, Bulma was already pregnant with Bulla, even though she hadn't been born yet.
Combined with the death of Bulma in Future Trunks' timeline and the wish she left behind, Vegeta's mindset had undergone a massive shift.
It could be said that the experiences of those years had caused Vegeta to mature rapidly into a responsible and family-oriented man.
...
Atop the Lookout.
Zip!
Son Goku used Instant Transmission and quickly brought Dende back from New Namek.
Dende looked around in confusion.
But upon seeing Gohan, he immediately rushed forward to greet him excitedly.
"Dende, long time no see," Gohan said, his expression much calmer. After all, in the future world, Dende had also become the new Guardian.
"Dende?" Piccolo was slightly surprised.
"Hello, Mr. Piccolo," Dende bowed.
Piccolo nodded in greeting.
"Eh? What happened? Why do I feel like Cell's ki has gotten even stronger?" Goku asked, startled, turning to Piccolo.
Piccolo had no choice but to recount everything that had just happened to Goku.
After finishing, Piccolo added irritably, "You probably knew Android 18 would be absorbed, didn't you? You went to New Namek just because you didn't want to see Krillin's heartbreak, right?"
"As expected of Piccolo, you really know me!" Goku didn't deny it, sighing softly. "Cell has finally reached his Perfect Form after all."
Goku also learned about Cell's plan for the martial arts tournament from Piccolo.
Originally, Goku and Piccolo had intended to go and fight Cell.
But since Cell was holding a tournament, it saved them a lot of unnecessary trouble.
"Old dog Goku, you saw Vegeta fight just now, didn't you?" Piccolo suddenly turned to ask.
"I saw it. Super Saiyan God is truly incredible," Goku remarked quietly.
"How do you think it compares to my Orange form?" Piccolo's expression shifted slightly as he looked at Goku with hope.
Goku looked at Piccolo, resting his chin in thought.
"Just tell me the truth," Piccolo said, squinting at him.
"It's hard to say for sure, I can only give a rough estimate," Goku mused. "Based on what you've told me, I think your Orange form has a slight edge."
"Whoa! Uncle Piccolo has become that strong?" Gohan was overjoyed for his mentor.
Piccolo gently ruffled Gohan's hair, a doting smile on his face.
Gohan felt a bit embarrassed.
"And how do I compare to Cell?" Piccolo asked.
"Cell clearly hasn't shown his true strength yet," Goku walked to the edge of the Lookout, looking down at Vegeta and analyzing. "And it's obvious that Vegeta hasn't shown his true strength either."
"Now that you mention it, I noticed that too," Piccolo nodded. "Vegeta clearly has a lot of power in reserve, and he seems very confident."
"Vegeta and Trunks are flying this way. They probably want to use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to keep training," Goku said to Piccolo, looking down.
Piccolo nodded slightly.
"Dende, could you please restore the Dragon Balls first?" Goku called out to Dende.
"Sure, no problem," Dende agreed readily, then asked, "Do you have a model of the dragon?"
"I'll get it!" Mr. Popo said, filled with excitement.
A minute later, the seven Dragon Balls were restored.
...
Vegeta and Trunks soon appeared on the Lookout.
The group met face-to-face.
"Mr. Goku, Master Gohan, Mr. Piccolo," Trunks greeted them politely.
"Trunks, you're amazing! That was incredible!" Gohan said excitedly, grabbing Trunks' hand.
"Uh... haha... Master Gohan, you're overpraising me... it's all thanks to Father's guidance," Trunks said bashfully, then suddenly realized something. "Master Gohan, you already know what happened?"
"Yeah, Uncle Piccolo fused with Kami, so he can see everything happening down there from here," Gohan nodded.
"Hmph. Kakarot, I hope you've been training hard," Vegeta said to Goku with a smirk.
"I definitely need to do some serious training," Goku replied with a smile.
"So, are you going to use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" Vegeta asked.
"Gohan and I won't be using it for now. If you want to use it, go ahead," Goku chuckled.
Vegeta: "..."
"Mr. Goku and Master Gohan really aren't going to use that room to train?" Trunks was a bit surprised. "You can get twice the results with half the effort in there."
"No need... Gohan and I will just train outside. You guys go in," Goku waved his hand, showing no intention of entering.
"You can only enter that room for two days in a lifetime—that's 48 hours. If you exceed 48 hours, the exit will seal, and you'll never be able to come out," Piccolo interjected suddenly.
Vegeta's expression didn't change.
After all, he already knew this.
"In other words, I don't have much time left to train in there," Trunks' lip twitched, feeling a bit disappointed.
"Um... I can upgrade the extradimensional space..." Dende said weakly, raising his hand.
Everyone's eyes immediately focused on Dende.
"Dende, that's great! Then I'll leave the upgrade to you," Goku said, patting Dende on the shoulder.
"The upgrade will take at least a day," Dende announced after checking the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
"That's fine with me. Thank you so much, Dende," Trunks smiled.
Afterward, Dende went to upgrade the room.
Goku then took Gohan and left the Lookout to head home for a bit.
Before leaving, Goku asked Piccolo if he wanted to come along.
Piccolo shook his head, saying the Lookout was his home now and he wasn't going to go back and feel out of place.
...
The next morning.
Cell appeared in a beautiful mountainous region.
"I'll set the tournament grounds here," Cell muttered to himself, slowly descending from the sky. He held out his hand, aiming at the distant ground. "Let's make the arena a bit more spacious than the one at the World Martial Arts Tournament!"
BOOM!
A blast of energy, similar to a Tri-Beam, struck the ground ahead, leveling the entire area.
"Next step..." Cell grinned, telekinetically lifting a massive boulder into the air.
Then, his fingers moved rapidly, invisible energy slicing through the rock.
Soon, the boulder was carved into a perfect cube.
"The stone here is of excellent quality," Cell said with a smile, his fingers dancing again.
Instantly, the cube was sliced into individual square tiles.
Cell waved his hand forward.
The tiles flew out and laid themselves neatly across the leveled ground.
"Alright, I'll add more decorations later. Now, I'm heading to the TV station," Cell said, turning and flying toward the city.
...
Kame House.
Krillin had already called Yamcha to inform him about Cell.
When Yamcha heard the news, he was playing with a girl and was so startled that he physically shuddered.
The girl turned her head, her face full of disdain.
"Huh? Only three seconds?" she scoffed.
Yamcha: "..."
What the hell do you mean, three seconds?!
"Uh... I have something very important to do. I have to go," Yamcha hurriedly put on his clothes and turned to leave.
"Hey, you haven't paid yet!" the girl cried out.
Yamcha exploded with energy and immediately took to the sky.
The girl stared blankly at the flying Yamcha, completely stunned.
This guy can fly!
He seems like someone really important.
But only lasting three seconds? Isn't that a bit much?
Yamcha soon arrived at Master Roshi's house and learned everything about Cell from Krillin.
"I thought the whole Android thing was over. I didn't expect such a terrifying guy to exist," Yamcha sighed deeply, unable to stop shaking his head.
As they were talking, screams erupted from the television.
Krillin, Yamcha, and Master Roshi all looked at the screen.
A green, spotted monster appeared on the TV.
"Is that Cell?" Yamcha asked, startled.
"Yes, that's him!" Krillin nodded. "That guy really did go to the TV station!"
"How cruel... killing innocent people," Master Roshi said grimly.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the world, hello. I'd like to take a moment of your time through this station," Cell declared on screen with a smile. "Today, I bring good news to all of you living in peace—news that will make your days much more exciting and thrilling."
The TV station staff stared at Cell in terror, trembling with fear.
"My name is Cell. You all know about the monster that was eating people a few days ago, right?" Cell introduced himself. "I am what that monster became after evolving."
At those words, the staff grew even more terrified, not daring to make a sound.
"I obtained a lot of life essence back then, and for that, I am deeply grateful," Cell said with a smile. "But don't worry, I no longer need life essence! Now, let me announce the good news."
Cell's declaration was quickly broadcast across the world.
Countless people pricked up their ears, listening intently.
"The good news is that starting today, in nine days, on the 17th at noon, a martial arts tournament called the Cell Games will be held," Cell chuckled. "The venue is in Area 28KS5, northwest of Central City. I've already prepared the grounds! Unlike the World Martial Arts Tournament, your only opponent will be me. There's no limit on the number of participants! You'll face me one by one, and if you lose, the next contestant will take your place! So, the more participants, the better it is for you. As powerful as I am, I might just get worn out by a battle of attrition."
Goku's family was also watching TV while eating.
Goku saw Cell's declaration as well.
However, Goku didn't have much to say about it. Instead, he just ate several more bowls of rice.
"The rules are similar to the World Martial Arts Tournament: you lose by surrendering or being knocked out of bounds. Although I'll show some mercy, you also lose if I kill you," Cell said with a laugh. "If all the contestants fall to me, I will kill every human on Earth! I want to see your faces contorted with fear as I wipe out every last one of you!"
"That bastard!" Trunks trembled with rage.
"I hope those with confidence will sign up for the tournament," Cell said, letting out a loud laugh. He then blasted a massive hole in one of the walls with his energy.
Cell flew out through the hole and disappeared.
"Father, Mr. Dende should have finished upgrading the Hyperbolic Time Chamber by now, right?" Trunks asked.
"Just about. You can go train now," Vegeta nodded.
"Yes!" Trunks' expression grew more solemn.
My goal for this training session is to try and close the gap between my strength and Father's.
...
Mount Paozu.
"Father, I want to train hard too. I want to try and unlock that special form my future self had," Gohan said in a low voice, looking at his father seriously.
"Speaking of which... Gohan, that form you saw in the future—besides the change in appearance, was there anything else special about it?" Goku asked curiously.
"It felt like there was a beastly aura surging within him," Gohan mused.
"Then let's call it 'Beast' form. How about that?" Goku suggested.
Gohan: "..."
"Okay... Father," Gohan said, quietly wiping away sweat.
Father, isn't that name a bit too casual?
But 'Beast' form does seem to make sense.
After all, I could feel that the form was indeed like a wild beast running rampant, giving off a very primal feeling.
"But how do I transform into that form?" Gohan felt a headache coming on.
"That... is hard to say," Goku shook his head, not knowing much about it himself.
After all, in Goku's previous life, he had never seen Gohan's Beast form.
Furthermore, Goku had already conspired with Piccolo to set up a situation to push Gohan.
So Goku didn't dare say too much now, fearing he might let something slip.
"By the way, I haven't seen what this world's Perfect Cell looks like yet. I'm going to go take a look!" Goku said, vanishing instantly with Instant Transmission.
Gohan: "..."
Why do I get the feeling Father is hiding something from me?
Zip!
In the blink of an eye, Goku appeared behind Cell on the martial arts arena.
Cell, with his back to Goku, easily sensed that the ki appearing behind him was Goku's.
"Is that Son Goku?" Cell asked with a smile.
"Yeah, it is," Goku replied.
"This is the venue for the Cell Games, which will decide the fate of the world in nine days," Cell said with a smile. "Are you satisfied?"
"As a venue for deciding fate, it's still a bit too small," Goku replied.
Cell: "????"
Still too small? What do you mean by that?
Are you... are you serious?
But Cell didn't ask further. He turned around to face Goku, a confident smile on his face.
"Son Goku, I'm curious," Cell said with a laugh. "Since even Vegeta is this strong, you should be even stronger than him, right?"
"Eh? Why do you ask?" Goku was startled.
"Am I wrong?" Cell chuckled. "Haven't you always been stronger than Vegeta?"
Goku remained silent.
"Also, where is Broly? Where is he right now?" Cell asked.
"He's not on Earth. Do you have business with him?" Goku asked back.
"Will Broly come to the tournament?" Cell inquired.
"Hard to say... I can invite him," Goku replied.
"Hmph. That would be excellent," Cell nodded with satisfaction.
"But you shouldn't get your hopes up about Broly coming," Goku said, taking a deep breath and sighing slightly.
"Why?" Cell was taken aback.
"I'll definitely be at the tournament. Until then, please don't kill anyone else, okay?" Goku urged Cell.
"Hmph," Cell chuckled and agreed readily, adding, "But if some fools come looking for death on their own, don't blame me for not showing mercy."
Goku: "..."
It seems what's meant to happen will happen anyway.
The King's Royal Guard will probably still attack Cell, won't they?
Fortunately, we have the Dragon Balls to bring them back.
This means the Dragon Balls will be used more and more.
But even if a Shadow Dragon appears this time, with my current strength, I can definitely defeat it.
And didn't Old Kai say it? This world is completely different from my previous one.
No matter how much we use the Dragon Balls, a Shadow Dragon shouldn't be born.
Should I find a way to see if I can return to my own world for a visit?
Goku's mind wandered for a moment.
"Hey, Son Goku, what are you dazing off for?" Cell asked, his face darkening as he saw Goku staring into space.
To be continued…
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