WHOOSH!
Goku materialized directly in front of Cell, his expression hardening as he took in the bio-android's new, formidable form. "You achieved it. The Perfect Form."
Cell started, his composure flickering for an instant. "You… know of my design? No matter. I have absorbed Numbers 17 and 18. As I am now, I have already surpassed you, Son Goku!" With his declaration, an overwhelming pressure erupted from him, cratering the ground beneath his feet into a wide bowl.
And within that energy, Goku sensed a chilling cocktail of familiar power signatures—his own, Frieza's, Piccolo's, and several unknown, vicious strains.
'Damn it! That bastard Dr. Loke… he's been watching me all this time? How did I miss it?' A dark suspicion settled in Goku's gut as he felt the scope of Cell's stolen power.
"Precisely," Cell answered the unspoken question, his voice a buzzing smirk. "Dr. Loke was a fugitive. During his flight, he discovered you and chose to observe from the shadows—collecting data, gathering genetic material. To avoid your notice, he remained cloaked within a ship of his own design, one capable of masking all energy signatures and visual detection. You never stood a chance of finding him."
'If that's the case, then Cell isn't the end of it,' Goku's thoughts raced, worry knitting his brow. 'The real problem is that other one, "Nok." He probably fused my cells with Frieza's, King Cold's, maybe even Cooler's… or Broly's. If that's the trend, this is going to get very, very ugly.'
"Son Goku. It is unwise to lose yourself in thought before your enemy."
In a blur of motion, Cell vanished, reappearing behind Goku. His arms and legs clamped around Goku in a crushing hold, and his tail—its tip splitting open like a horrific flower—lunged to engulf Goku's head. He intended to absorb him, too!
"Hmph! Trying to make a meal out of me? You picked the wrong dish!" Goku snorted. Golden light exploded from him as he transformed into a Super Saiyan 2. A violent surge of energy erupted outward, breaking Cell's grip and hurling him back. In the same instant, Goku flashed behind the staggering android, seized the flailing tail with both hands, and yanked.
A gleaming Kienzan—Destructo Disk—materialized in his left hand. With a swift, clean slash, he severed Cell's tail at the base.
"GYAAARGH!" Cell shrieked, tumbling through the air before skidding to a halt dozens of meters away. He stared at the bleeding stump where his tail had been, his face contorted in rage and pain. The attempt had backfired spectacularly.
"Let's see you try absorbing anyone now," Goku sneered, incinerating the severed appendage with a quick Ki blast.
"You think that's enough? Do not forget… I possess Piccolo's cells as well!"
With a furious roar, Cell focused. The flesh at the stump writhed and bulged, regenerating a new, fully-formed tail in seconds. Goku's scowl deepened. 'He can regenerate like that without having absorbed Piccolo directly? More of Dr. Loke's enhancements…'
"Enough talk! Let the true battle begin!"
Cell unleashed his full, terrifying power. The mountain road beneath him vaporized as he shot forward, his fist aimed like a piston at Goku's face.
"Perfect! Show me everything you've got!" Goku bellowed, meeting the charge head-on.
BOOOOOOM!
The shockwave of their first collision sheared the peaks from the surrounding mountains, sending them crumbling into valleys of dust.
Once engaged, Cell fought with the relentless, brutal efficiency of a machine built for annihilation—a testament to Dr. Loke's cruel design. Goku, however, refused to be outdone. You want to be ruthless? I'll show you what true ferocity looks like.
Their figures became streaks of gold and green, moving faster than sight. Only the thunderclap of their impacts and the periodic, cataclysmic destruction of the landscape—mountains pulverized, rivers diverted, forests flattened—marked their passage. Goku had abandoned all concern for the planet's integrity; his sole focus was the fight.
"Incredible! To think you could rival my Super Saiyan 2 strength! This is impressive! HA!" Goku laughed, the thrill of the contest burning in his eyes as he launched another barrage.
THUD! THUD! CRACK!
Their fists and feet met in a continuous, deafening symphony of force, golden shockwaves ripping through the sky. It was a savage, close-quarters war where every blow could shatter continents.
BOOM!
Suddenly, mid-exchange, Cell's eyes glinted with cold calculation. As he threw a punch, he opened his mouth and roared, firing a thin, incandescent Death Beam directly at Goku's eyes—a point-blank kill-shot.
Goku had no room to dodge conventionally. In that split second, he had no choice.
He vanished.
THWACK!
He reappeared behind Cell, his foot connecting with the android's spine in a devastating kick that hammered him into the earth, plowing a trench hundreds of meters long.
Goku had been avoiding using Instant Transmission, fearful Cell might analyze and replicate it. But at that range, it had been his only option.
"Hmm? What was that technique? Fascinating…"
Cell rose from the rubble, his head tilting with analytical curiosity as he replayed the spatial jump in his data-banks.
A chill shot down Goku's spine. If Cell learns Instant Transmission and decides to flee, how could anyone ever track him down? He couldn't allow a moment's pause. Blazing forward, he aimed a world-shattering punch at Cell's torso.
Cell twisted aside; Goku's fist instead obliterated the ground, creating a pit dozens of meters deep. Goku lunged after him, and the brutal exchange resumed.
THUD! CRACK! BOOM!
Each collision quaked the world, splitting the earth and shredding the clouds. A nearby city, already battered by their earlier shockwaves, was finally reduced to nothing but dust and memory.
All other concerns were burned away in the furnace of combat. Goku's only goal now was to measure the limits of Cell's power, to calibrate the true threat. For if Perfect Cell was this strong, how monstrous would the still-hidden Nok be?