"More or less," Whis sighed.
"What exactly happened?" the Oracle Fish asked, practically vibrating with gossip. "You ran off so fast you didn't even tell me."
"Honestly… the Supreme Kai…" Whis let out another weary breath.
"What did the Supreme Kai do this time?" the Oracle Fish asked, puzzled.
"He actually mistook Zeno-sama for being with that wizard bunch," Whis said, still not sure how to even describe it.
"Y-You said what?" The Oracle Fish's eyes went wide with pure shock.
Then it seemed to click, and it blurted out, "Wait… you mean Zeno-sama came to Universe 7?"
"Yep. You were asleep in your bowl earlier and nearly choked yourself," Whis said evenly. "I didn't tell you because I was worried you'd actually choke for real if you heard."
The Oracle Fish: "…"
"And then… Supreme Kai went to see Zeno-sama?" the Oracle Fish asked, wiping imaginary sweat.
"He did. And Zeno-sama came this close to wiping Universe 7 clean," Whis said with another sigh.
The Oracle Fish's mouth twitched as cold sweat broke out all over it.
Off to the side, Beerus was sweating just as hard, shaking from head to toe like he'd short-circuited.
"Looks like Beerus-sama finally grasped how real the danger was," Whis said, oddly moved.
"No wonder he nearly wet himself," the Oracle Fish said, half-laughing, half-crying. "Our universe almost stopped existing."
"Good thing I showed up in time," Whis said with a small nod. "Otherwise… it would've been unthinkable."
"Yeah, that checks out," the Oracle Fish agreed. "Let's just… not bother him."
"Speaking of which, I'll go fix the decorative planets he shattered," Whis said, already floating up.
…
Universe 6, Earth.
Capsule Corporation HQ.
Ken used his staff to project the fight between Android 16 and Cell into the air.
Bulma and Emily watched from the side.
Trunks was still nursing.
Ai had already led Broly away.
It was… not exactly a pleasant scene to look at.
Bulma: "…"
Every so often, Bulma glanced at Emily, then at Trunks, then back again.
Emily: "????"
"Bulma, why are you staring at Trunks?" Emily said. "Look at that guy Cell. Haven't you ever seen a baby nurse before?"
"Emily… you're breastfeeding right in front of Ken," Bulma said, genuinely at a loss. "Do you think that's appropriate?"
"We're mothers," Emily said with a bright grin. "Why would I care about something like that? Besides, looking doesn't cost anything."
Bulma had no reply.
Ken didn't look over.
Like I haven't seen everything before. What, do you think I'm that kind of guy?
"Ken, have you seen Bulma's?" Emily giggled.
Ken's expression darkened.
A perfectly good hot-blooded battle story, and you have to drag it into the gutter.
"Emily," Bulma said, taking a deep breath as her chest rose and fell, "does Vegeta know you're like this?"
"Probably not," Emily said, completely unfazed. "But even if he did, he wouldn't care, would he?"
"Emily, are you trying to make Vegeta turn into a Legendary Super Saiyan?" Ken asked, exhausted.
"Can he?" Emily's eyes lit up. "Vegeta can turn into that?"
Ken decided he was done engaging.
Do you seriously not understand what I meant?
"Look!" Bulma suddenly pointed at the projection. "Cell's getting the upper hand!"
Ken turned back to the image.
Emily followed.
Even Trunks stopped nursing and blinked up at the projection as if he understood what he was watching.
In the projected battle, Cell drove a fist into Android 16's body, then snapped his tail forward toward 16's neck.
His tail pierced 16's neck.
"Heh heh heh!" Cell cackled, smug, immediately trying to drain his life essence.
Instead, he sucked up a mouthful of oil.
"Pth—pth—pth!" Cell spat furiously, wiping his mouth. "Damn it—he's a full machine!"
"Did you notice that?" Bulma said, thinking aloud. "He absorbs through his tail… but spits it out through his mouth."
Emily frowned, pondering with complete seriousness. "So… does that mean he'd spit poop out through his mouth too?"
Bulma: "…"
Ken: "…"
"Emily," Bulma said, sweating, "you're a mom. Can you please talk like one?"
"You don't get it," Emily said, utterly confident. "After raising Trunks, you handle enough poop and pee that you stop caring about these things."
Trunks stared at his mother with huge eyes, unclear whether he understood even a word of it.
"So Trunks grew up eating poop and drinking pee?" Bulma said, horrified.
"New topic," Ken said, sincerely. He couldn't do this anymore.
In the projection, Android 16 grabbed Cell's tail with one hand, roared, and swung him down, slamming him hard into the ground.
Cell hit with a heavy thud.
Still gripping the tail, 16 planted a foot on Cell's backside and yanked.
"Aaaagh—easy!" Cell screamed, howling in pain.
"Yes!" Tien shouted excitedly from the distance.
Android 16 tossed the torn-off tail behind him, fired a quick energy blast, and blew it into scraps.
"Now you can't absorb Android 17 and the others," 16 said with a sharp snort.
Android 17's eyes narrowed—he clearly hadn't expected 16 to be this strong.
Android 18 looked stunned.
Android 21 didn't look surprised so much as worried, as if she'd expected this… and feared what came next.
"What a shame," Cell said coldly as he pushed himself up. "Did you forget I've got Piccolo's cells?"
Android 16 froze, not understanding.
Behind Cell, the severed tail stump twitched.
In the next instant, the tail regenerated as if it had never been cut.
Android 16's expression changed.
"Piccolo can regenerate," Cell said with a satisfied grin. "So can I."
"Then the only way to stop you from reaching a complete form…" 16 said, voice dropping, "…is to destroy you completely."
"Destroy me? Impossible!" Cell sneered, clenching both fists as his energy surged. "Let me show you what I can do!"
Android 16 didn't waste words. He kicked straight at Cell.
Cell sprang up, dodged, and counter-kicked, smashing 16 in the torso and sending him tumbling through the air before he crashed to the ground.
Cell rushed in and drove a heavy punch into 16's face.
Android 16 hit the ground again.
But he rose quickly, lifted his arm, and his fist suddenly detached—launching forward like a missile.
The flying fist slammed into Cell's face, making him shriek.
Android 16 shot forward, caught his own fist midair, and reattached it to his arm.
Then he punched Cell down from the air, seized his body, and lifted him high.
With a sharp grunt, 16 smashed Cell into the ground, leaving a crater.
Android 16 crossed his arms, detached both forearms, and revealed the dark, gaping muzzles of built-in cannons aimed at the crater below.
"Hells Flash!"
Two torrents of overwhelming energy fired at once.
The blast lit the entire island as pillars of light erupted upward like volcanic geysers, turning the scene blindingly bright.
…
Far away, Krillin, Gohan, and Piccolo fled at top speed.
Even in the air, they felt the earth shudder, and their faces tightened again and again.
"Piccolo-san, please hang on… don't die!" Gohan pleaded, voice shaking.
"Gohan, I'm sorry," Krillin said grimly. "The more you panic, the more mistakes you make."
"Huh? What do you mean, Krillin-san?" Gohan asked, startled.
"I still have Senzu Beans," Krillin said. "Yajirobe brought them over a couple days ago—you were there."
"Right! We didn't finish them!" Gohan's eyes lit up.
"We didn't," Krillin admitted, a little embarrassed. "But they're still at Master Roshi's place. I'll go get them right now. You wait here—don't drag Piccolo around."
"Is 'drag him around' really the phrase you meant to use?" Gohan muttered under his breath.
Krillin: "…"
Krillin stopped responding and veered off, flying hard toward Master Roshi's island.
…
"That android is insane!" Emily blurted, stunned.
"He really is," Bulma agreed.
On the projection, Android 16 reattached his forearms, then stared down into the pitch-black crater with a heavy, guarded look.
"He was hiding that kind of power?" Android 17 said, wide-eyed.
"Incredible…" Android 18 breathed.
Android 21 remained calm, saying nothing.
"Why are you still here?" Android 16 snapped, turning to Android 18 and Android 21. "Get out of here!"
"Relax. He's finished," Android 18 said with a quick, confident smile.
"I'm not leaving," Android 21 said, shaking her head.
"He isn't dead," 16 said sharply. "I hit him hard, but not hard enough to kill him." He glanced toward Android 17 in the distance. "Android 17—leave now, while you still can!"
"No way," Android 17 growled. "He made me suffer. I'm not running. He's badly hurt, right? I'm ending this myself! Come out, Cell!"
From a tunnel behind Android 17, Cell's head slowly emerged—quietly appearing right behind him.
Cell's tail opened into a suction cup, lining up with Android 17's head.
Tien had the perfect view, and his blood ran cold.
"Android 17! He's behind you!" Tien screamed.
"What?" Android 17's face shifted as he whirled around.
"Damn it!" Android 16 shouted, alarm flaring.
"Just like you wanted," Cell purred with a smug smile. "I'm out… and I'm right behind you."
His tail snapped forward, wrapping Android 17 tight and unleashing a powerful pull.
"No!" Android 16 lunged toward them.
Too late.
Cell's absorption was faster. In moments, Android 17 was reduced to struggling legs outside the tail's grip.
Then, with a single gulping motion, Cell swallowed him completely and fused him into his body.
"Ha… hahaha!" Cell burst into manic laughter as his energy exploded upward.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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