PART TWENTY-SIX: SINISTER CREATIONS

Chapter 129

Translated by npberryhill

“It’s my turn then,” Tapion said. “I’m ready.”

“If you enter the ring without Hildegan’s protective aura, you’ll die,” Raichi warned. “The gravity alone is too much for you — and your opponent this time is no old midget. Have you thought of a strategy?”

“Yes,” Tapion answered, smiling. “Last night I had an idea that should work.”

“Good luck then,” Dr. Raichi said, sketching a rare smile of encouragement.

Tapion turned his gaze to the center of the arena. Cell was already there waiting, arms crossed, staring at him. His eyes were sharp as any predator awaiting its prey, his senses fully alert. The bio-android planned to draw out the huge creature under the Konatsian’s control rather than defeat the young man quickly. Such a beast had utterly outclassed Old Kulilin, who could do absolutely nothing against it. But he himself was much stronger, faster, much more... perfect. He would make use of all the abilities provided by his various cells.

The reluctant hero Tapion wasn’t fully comfortable with implementing his idea, but he knew it was the only way he’d have a chance to win. Decided, he clasped his hands, holding his index fingers to his lips.

“Wrap me in your aura... Be free to unleash yourself against our enemy, let your anger annihilate any obstacle in our way... and protect me from danger...” he whispered.

A sudden wind formed around him on all sides even as he continued his invocation, throwing a swirl of dust in the air. Cell’s eyes widened, watching as a tornado spun up high above Tapion. The hero leapt into the ring, unaffected by the gravity, for he had already disappeared behind the wall of wind. It took shape quickly, forming gigantic arms, titanic legs, a long tail thicker than tree trunks that hissed through the air, and a skeletal head, hollow and empty.

The beast opened its jaws wide in a roar, like a dinosaur announcing its ferocity. Many spectators began to back away, though Cell merely looked at the creature passively.

“What a colossal terror,” he said sarcastically. “Well, hopefully it’ll at least provide me a proper workout.”

Over on the universe 16 patio, Vegetto thought back to his own confrontation with the gigantic monster, years earlier. Its defeat had come thanks to two sacred artifacts, the Brave Sword wielded by Tapion and the enchanted ocarina. Physical attacks had proven ineffective against the titan, and in the end they’d had to resort to a different tactic, such as using particle disintegration. Vegetto was curious what approach Cell would take in the fight. Several from Universe 18 were wondering the same thing, as they had also fought the behemoth. No doubt Cell certainly was resourceful, but how was he going to defeat a practically invulnerable creature?

At the very heart of the animate idol, Tapion himself was prostrate, wrapped in a thin barrier inside the monster’s body like a connected neuron — so that he could fully move through smoke along with the creature. The mow-hawked Konat knew he was no longer in control, Hildegan was autonomous. Nevertheless, he’d managed to anchor in his mind the sole target of destruction, Cell, so as to prevent the demon from attacking bystanders. Although Tapion could see what took place through the eyes of the monster, he was a mere spectator to this fight. Hildegan wouldn’t return inside of him until either he was proclaimed the winner... or he was killed.

From the Universe 3 balcony, Raichi wore quite the surprised expression at the display. He hadn’t known his young companion was capable of such an ability. Certainly, young people could be surprising. Unless... the same mysterious source that had recharged his ball had also intervened in Tapion’s mind. It was suspicious, leading him to question if his ghosts had somehow been altered or trapped. At the next break he would certainly double check.

The first to attack was Cell. Hildegan continued his loud shriek, while the perfect android summoned a lightning-spangled golden aura. Then, with wings spread, he rushed his opponent, speeding over the ground like an insect. The monster swung a massive fist at him, but Cell was much faster. He dodged without difficulty and landed an extremely powerful blow, accompanied by his momentum, to the creature’s leg. But instead of hearing the sound of bones being crushed and the great limb bending under the pressure, the behemoth was motionless. Cell was shocked, the demon having treated his attack like nothing at all. The shockwave from his attack reverberated around, like a water drop falling into a puddle and rippling outward.

Hildegan looked down at him, Cell perceiving a mocking laugh within the monster’s beastly voice. Without warning, the monster’s foot slammed into the insectoid, kicking him into the air. The bio-android quickly spun, stabilizing himself and scratching the corner of his lip. He had to think fast as the monster began to attack again.

“Strange, this doesn’t make sense,” he wondered aloud. “It’s brushing off my attacks as easily as it did Old Kulilin’s, even though these are thousands of times stronger! Could it possess physical invulnerability on par with that of Broly? Possibly... but this brute is nowhere near as powerful, its attack didn’t cause any damage at all. I should have ample time to figure something out.”

As he was immersed in thought, Hildegan struck again from directly in front, prompting an instinctive dodge. The monster’s fist rushed at him, and as it did Cell had time to deflect it aside with his hand, then leap onto it and run up the appendage. Hildegan tried to crush the bug with its other arm but was so outclassed in speed that Cell was able to casually jump to avoid it. He then threw himself at Hildegan’s head, landing a lightning-shrouded fist in the skull-like facial structure.

But the behemoth was immediately shrouded in mist, vanishing and reconstituting himself behind the cyborg, arms raised high to smash the insectoid. Observing the process carefully, Cell raised his right hand to unceremoniously block the giant’s attack.

‘Well, unfortunately its power is pathetic,’ he thought to himself. ‘If this is the extent of the beast’s abilities, the best I can hope for this match is to try and improve my reflexes and combat strategy. But there’s no challenge here...’

Cell continued musing to himself as he methodically evaded another massive swing from the demon.

‘Since I can’t predict where he’ll reappear after vanishing into smoke, I’ll focus on spotting his reappearance right away. Even if he attacks immediately, I’ll sense his movements the first fraction of a millisecond. If nothing else, it may sharpen my senses, I imagine...’

Though he’d only attributed a vague glance toward the creature while thinking, Gero’s perfect android had easily continued to dodge. Within the beast, Tapion was getting desperate to end things quickly. In spite of Hildegan being fully unleashed, none of its attacks held staying power — worse, Cell didn’t seem to be fighting seriously. From the sideline, Vegeta of the 18th could also tell Cell’s focus was elsewhere. In the same way Tapion had given Hildegan full autonomy, Cell’s reflexes were in complete control as a means to improve his reactivity. Vegeta had no doubt the bio-android was doing so in preparation for their upcoming encounter.

For the next several minutes, the monster shook the asteroid as he spat sheaves of magma or flung his massive arms against the shields — producing a deafening shockwave. Yet none of his efforts had the slightest success; the insectoid fluttering before him was untouchable. Fully enraged, he unleashed a piercing roar that overloaded the eardrums of all present, including even Cell — who possessed enhanced hearing himself thanks to his Namekian dna.

“Would you shut up, beast!” he yelled, hurling a swath of Kienzan.

The skulled brute, provoked, vanished into smoke and the discs flew harmlessly through it. Cell quickly glanced around, no longer sensing his foe but determined not to miss its re-emergence. A sharp whipping sound cut through the air behind him, capturing his attention a tiny microsecond later. The sharp end of Hildegan’s tail struck like an assassin’s dagger, but through extreme concentration Cell managed to block the attack with his left arm. Trunks of Universe 12 felt a shiver go up his spine. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would’ve been run through by an attack like that, he simply didn’t have the reflexes to fight against this monster. He had to admit that Cell was nothing like the opponent they’d faced in the past — in his present state he would’ve crushed all of them, including Gohan, effortlessly.

Hildegan used its tail to quickly strike like a snake several times, but revolted in growing wrath each time Cell playfully dodged. It again spewed a jet of flaming lava from its mouth that engulfed his opponent, causing him to vanish from view. Tapion, inside, was hopeful that this time he’d finally found an effective means of attack; a moment later he was bitterly disappointed at the emergence of an unscathed Cell. The bio-android’s body was covered with ashes, but his green and black frame underneath was solid as ever.

“What ridiculously low attacks!” he cackled. “By all means keep trying, but by now you must realize... you have no chance — for I am the perfect warrior! I could keep up this meager level for actual years, do you understand? I wonder if the same could be said of you...”

Hildegan bellowed as though he actually understood, a shrieking cry of frustration that brought a grin to Cell’s face. Attributing comprehension to the behemoth, the bio-android continued taunting.

“What a valid and well articulated point you make,” he chuckled. “The audience would indeed grow weary if the fight were to drag on... but that’s not my problem! I aim to better myself through this fight, and to show everyone who’s truly the most powerful being in all the universes! For that, I need to even up the playing field, so all may know my perfection! See for yourself!”

Cell began concentrating energy into the muscles all over his body, his insectoid exterior growing in volume — doubling, tripling, and more all while remaining in proportion as the ring lowered around him. The Namekians watching, including both Piccolos, recognized the ability unique to their race, which allowed Cell to match the imposing size of Hildegan in a few brief moments. The shadows of the two creatures were large enough to cover a decent portion of the bleachers, many of the spectators now quite terrified.

Down on the universe 18 patio, Goku mused aloud. “Hmm, I wonder why he never used that against us?”

“He could have,” Piccolo replied, a drop of sweat beading on his forehead. “Another example that his potential seems limitless, but I’d guess at that point he hadn’t experimented with the ability before. Gohan would’ve still won, but one thing is clear — there’s no telling what abilities Cell could have now.”

Cell exposed a wide grin, staring directly at the behemoth’s, as if he were glaring straight into the frightened eyes of Tapion. None of Hildegan’s attacks had been able to damage Cell before, and now he was a titan of equal stature... how could he be defeated?

“Minosha...”

While all eyes were focused on what was literally the biggest fight of the tournament so far, something strange was going on throughout the arena. It mostly went unnoticed or was ignored as insignificant, but one by one various spectators began to grasp their heads in pain. Some even screamed, though it only lasted a few seconds until they were back to normal. That is, except for being suddenly enraged. Many were offered help or advised to see a doctor, but each one refused assistance, claiming only a minor headache.

Up in the Varga control room, the main announcer heard one of her comrades collapse with a huff into the next chair. The anchor sighed with relief, turning to the other.

“You’re finally here! Rough morning I take it... your feathers look a bit ruffled!”

“It’s nothing,” the other Varga replied, eyes staying straight ahead fixed on the displays. “I just didn’t get any sleep last night.”

The broadcaster didn’t want to press the issue, and shrugged. The other, who now possessed dark circles underneath his eyes, grinned with cruelty. He had all the access he needed to accomplish master Babidi’s mission, no one would suspect a thing.

From his apartment, Babidi was majinizing more soldiers by the minute. He only paused briefly to recover his energy, as the spell could be quite tiresome when used in succession. While he rested, he carefully crafted a fallback solution, just in case things went awry. What he required for it to work was a hostage, someone weak enough to be taken with ease, and one that the good-hearted heroic types would protect and defend at any cost. He could use them as a bargaining chip, or even for a quick getaway if the need arose. Babidi reached out telepathically to his new slaves seated above the Universe 17th, 18th, and 19th apartments.

“Listen closely, I have a task for you, my minions,” his shrill voice cackled with laughter. “I’d like each of you to make your way down to the Universe 18 apartments, without being seen of course. There’s a female there, the weakest one among them... subdue and bring her to me!”

“Understood, master babidi,” each of the slaves answered inwardly.

In the wizard’s eyes, Universe 18 seemed by far the biggest threat to his plans. While the 16th concerned him also, he didn’t want to risk Vegetto wising up to his schemes. Those of Universe 18, Vegeta in particular, didn’t seem quite as... all knowing. He was less likely to be caught, and he expected those of Universe 16 and 18 would both be held captive by this particular hostage anyway.

The four majin spectators were discreet as they left their seats, which proved an easy task thanks to the spectacle of Giant Cell vs Hildegan. As they encountered various keypads and locked doors, the Varga in the control booth made sure each one was bypassed, directing their path into the underbelly of the grounds. Powerful blows could be heard in the distance wherever they went, echoing through the corridors, along with the occasional earthquake and the cheering of the multitude.

One voice distinguishable amongst the many cheers was that of the spectacular fused Saiyan, who yelled “Oh yeah, nice combo!” While Babidi’s henchmen would’ve certainly enjoyed watching the battle, their mission was far more important. Not only were their master’s orders unquestionable, but carrying out his commands gave them a fulfillment like nothing they’d ever known. Once they arrived at the Universe 18 apartments, they waited briefly in the shadows until one of their potential victims approached the corridor. So far they had gone undetected, and once inside the apartments they’d be free to do as they pleased.

Videl had left the arena for a quick trip to the restroom, not quite sure what to make of this Giant Cell. She’d grown up being fed the same hogwash as everyone else, falsified recreations of the Cell Games by the media or her father’s own altered accounts of what took place — later she’d discovered it was Son Gohan, barely more than a kid at the time, who’d saved the entire planet. She never felt safer than when she was at his side, but all the same Cell still creeped her out, especially when he’d addressed her husband earlier with his demented eyes. Well, at least her father Mr. Satan wasn’t there... seeing Cell again might have been a bit much for him to handle, she thought, giggling.

The four majin acolytes, waiting behind the door, felt their moment to act had arrived. One of them struck the door violently with a kick, and they all rushed inside quickly before closing it. Out on the patio, Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and Piccolo all spun immediately to the entrance. Since the incident with Buu their senses were constantly on guard, and even what took place within their apartments didn’t escape them. Nearby, the other Gohan and Piccolo, as well as Vegetto and Bra, had also noticed the disruption and turned their gaze to the corridor. Gohan of the 16th was about to join his counterpart when Vegetto stopped him.

“Hang on, Gohan,” he said, grabbing his son’s shoulder. “Notice Vegeta?”

The Saiyan Prince had grabbed Gohan of the 18th’s shoulder as well, who’s anger was visibly frightening. Stoic as ever, Vegeta turned towards the youngest fighter of their group.

“Pan, hurry to the apartment, you mother needs your help immediately!”

Realizing quickly that something had happened, the girl rushed into the dark hallway, weidling the power pole she’d inherited from her grandfather. Stunned, Gohan turned to Vegeta, still unable to say a word.

“Let her handle this alone,” Vegeta instructed him, his voice soft but stern. “She needs it to help her grow up.” Gohan remained tense as the other Saiyan continued. “Were you any different with your independence on Namek? She needs this to become stronger. Her counterpart of the 16th has traveled the whole universe... and you can see the difference, without an overprotective Dad!”

“But that just it, I’m identical to that Gohan!” he objected, still agitated.

Vegeta turned away while Gohan gulped, worried as he turned to see the smile of his Dad and PIccolo. The Namek held his gaze, before turning to Pan as she disappeared inside. His little girl had become an incredible fighter, true, but Gohan couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Who would dare to attack them in the first place, and his wife of all people? What kind of gumption led them to believe they could get away without being caught, and above all else, why?