DB Multiverse

Part 22, Chapter 108.

Chapter 108

Translated by npberryhill

Among the infinite universes, there existed a human on planet Earth whose sole interests were science, technology, and progress. He devoted his entire life to this pursuit, chasing that dream until the end. He gave no thought to the consequence of his projects, creations, inventions, or the partnerships he made to acquire funding. He desired progress for progress's’ sake alone.

The madness of his science would finally catch up to him when one day an incredibly strong boy defeated the organization backing all of his research and experiments: The Red Ribbon Army. This only drove him to channel his desire for revenge in order to reach new technological heights, his research on cyborgs, infinite energy, and genetics far surpassing any expected limitation.

From the workings of his limitless technological prowess, Cell was born — a creature endowed with genetic markers harvested from the most powerful and skilled warriors in the entire universe. His purpose would be to rid the world of the disturbance, the one who had broken his dreams. Before Cell, Gero had created cyborgs, living beings instilled with technologically advanced artifices. But Cell was a creature of purely genetic design. He was an enigma, a perfectly designed being possessing unusual prowess in battle instinctively, abilities that could only be matched by the likes of vile sorcerers, or even the gods themselves. Still, Cell was not truly perfect. Like any and every biological creature, he had to be born in imperfection and live, learn, grow, and become stronger. For this, he required several stages of physical evolution. While in his larval state, his appearance was much like an enormous cicada insect, until he was able to gather the energy to break the outer carapace and burst free. Finally a bipedal being, he was also now able to communicate and further develop his ki, though he still required vast quantities of bio-extract energy. Above all, his very dna had been written in such a way that he craved and longed for one thing — to find his brother and sister, two specific cyborgs also created by Gero, and absorb them.

To further his evolution, Cell required 17 and 18, there was no other way. But acquiring them for himself was no simple task, as they also possessed extraordinary power! In many of the infinite universes, Cell managed to succeed. His final evolution would display a moral humanistic exterior. Curious that it would be so, as humans were by rule an extremely weak and inferior species, but perhaps it was by the will of his maker.

Cell grew to loath such imperfections. While his pre-established genetic code came with certain instincts and desires, once he had shed his imperfection he was able to truly make his own choices. This was also by design. As the future was uncertain, Gero didn’t want his ultimate creation to be locked into a single goal — the elimination of a single warrior.

To reach this point, Cell had traveled through two eras of time. He had nearly died numerous times, but like the Saiyans rose stronger from every battle. Each time he was defeated, he grew in progress, even when he was forced to revert to his larval state upon traveling back in time. After all he had been through, would he let himself be forced to start over by some djinn, this time with the risk of never being perfect again? Never!

Now he was compelled once again to face Son Gohan in battle, the same boy whom he had defeated nearly thirty years prior — the same child who in other universes had somehow managed to defeat him in all his super perfect might! The fate of the other warriors present, each now at the mercy of Buu, would surely be much worse than this. After all, this was the reason he had come, to find a true challenge — to once again face his mortal nemesis Gohan.

An immense smile spread across the bio-android’s face, finally preparing for a battle in which he could display his true might. A full golden aura exploded around him, jagged lightning crackling across his torso, down and around his arms, and through the very air.

Across from him was Son Gohan. In his mind, the destiny of a family, and perhaps even the multiverse, played out in memories. Gohan had been forced onto the battlefield while very young, too young... at the tender age of four he had seen horrors and had to participate in a fateful (and fratricidal) fight. He then spent a year in terrible loneliness, frightened by the threat of facing two invincible Saiyans against whom he had not even the shadow of a chance. Friends of his father had been slaughtered before his very eyes. Not even his very own mentor, Mr. Piccolo, had escaped with his life. To resurrect them, he had to travel to a distant planet of the cosmos, where the lad was pit against even stronger foes. Again, he faced danger, death, and the omnipotence of a galactic tyrant.

After, he was once again separated from his father for more than a year. And while their reunion was welcome, it would be soon followed by three years of intense training to counter a future threat — a threat that ultimately led to the birth of a second and much more terrible adversary. His potential for battle was finally awakened, yes, but it came with a cost: the death of his father for the second time. The thirty years of peace that followed were only briefly interrupted by the djinn Majin Buu — a creature with power beyond any they had previously encountered.

Peace, strength... For Gohan, one didn’t exist without the other; he understood this. The strength he had gained in his adventures allowed him to protect his family, friends, and ensure a lasting peace on Earth. Today, that struggle continued. Not only his family, but the entire multiverse was in danger. He had to fight for peace, for life. It was nothing new really. The battle always seemed to inexplicably catch up with him. There was no escape from his destiny, not with a father devoted to combat, training, to constantly surpassing his limitations and confronting stronger opponents. Not when he had been exposed to death and suffering since age four. Not when everyone was counting on him to defend the world, the galaxy, the universe.

Gohan had tremendous power, but did not enjoy fighting. It was never his first choice, rather a necessity. That was true even now. He began powering up, a white aura spinning around his body. Gohan knelt into a defensive stance, and for a moment it was as if he was that same young teen thirty years ago. Then, a single word from Buu triggered the fight.

Instantly Cell and Gohan dashed forward, each right fist cocked at full power, then slammed against one another. The single blow, fist on fist, released an explosive shock wave that caused tremors throughout the entire planet. Even the pink gum, Buu’s gooey essence, vibrated from the impact — though he was not damaged. The shield protecting the arena, likewise, was slammed with the full force of the tremor, nearly giving way.

The two warriors stared at each other a moment, their fists still joined, before resuming the fight. One launched a kick at lightning speeds, then came a parry and a counterattack. The other dodged, leaping backwards just in time while firing a burst of energy. It was deflected harmlessly away. To the eyes of an untrained spectator, all of this would’ve been nothing but a blur, the green fighter disappearing and the dark-haired fighter reappearing a few instants later. Thunderous claps boomed across the tournament canopy, ringing only briefly before being completely drowned out by the succession of cannon-like booms to follow. If a thousand people each tried to clap with the force of a shockwave at once, perhaps it would’ve mirrored the battle taking place.

While Gohan represented crushing speed and force, Cell represented everything technological and genetic. He possessed the genes of Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, but also Freeza and King Cold... not to mention, Cell had trained continuously to maintain and improve his fighting form. Gohan, by contrast, was disinterested in training and preferred to spend time with his family.

Cell quickly realized the importance of dodging the more dangerous of Gohan’s blows — that, or parrying them to cushion against the shock. However, this made it difficult for him to launch an effective counterattack. It was quite annoying to the bio-android, but it was, after all, a deliberate stall employed by Gohan. If neither could manage to land a seriously damaging blow, the fight might drag on, allowing Vegetto more time to potentially return before it was too late.

On the other hand, if Gohan was unable to handle the likes of Cell, how could he hope to defeat Buu? It hadn’t escaped his notice that the day before, during their confrontation along with Bra and his father, that Buu had been half-assing it. The djinn had emerged from the fight unscathed. This, when Bra had passed Super Saiyan 2, even to the point of causing damage to her allies!

In any case, Gohan had already been surpassed by Buu anyway, twenty years ago when the djinn absorbed Gotenks. Now, this version of Buu had absorbed not only himself, but Goku, Vegeta, and countless innumerable other victims across the universe — many of whom no doubt passed on to him unique and useful abilities.

No, it was quite clear. Gohan could do absolutely nothing to stop this ultimate Buu. The best he could hope was to stall for each precious second, and perhaps.... to serve as support, or sacrifice himself if needed... Although, Cell himself knew all too well the value of sacrifice. Suicidal explosion, intending to take out himself and everyone else: check! Oh the joyous surprise when the monster realized he could regenerate himself even stronger than before after such a stunt! What unbelievable luck. Regardless, he possessed a faculty enabling him to progress rather quickly with just normal training. That is how he had reached his present level, achieving power that Dr. Gero would have never dreamed of for his creation, even with two lifetimes!

This confrontation with Gohan, even, was yet another chance for him to improve. It didn’t matter how little or how much. He was Cell, and every fight made him more perfect. His improvements had even come to continually redefine what perfection was, surpassing the limitations of yesterday. One day he might approach the level of the djinn, or that of Vegetto...who could say? A Saiyan, even one fused of two exceptional warriors, was still only a Saiyan. And he too possessed that vital component, genetic material harvested from the Saiyan race. If such power could be obtained by Vegetto, then certainly one day he could achieve it as well!

It was his purpose, his quest, his life.

Against Gohan, he pounded blow after blow, each one louder than the last. Kick followed kick, dodge, parry, and counterattack. There was immense concentration of ki between them...each cell of his body seemed to boil, thrilled and excited by such a great battle — against a Saiyan that no longer required even the Super Saiyan transformation. Not the basic form, ascended, or even the long-haired version. In spite of this, Gohan remained an adversary equal to him in measure. He knew how to manage the force within each individual strike, adjusting and conserving power as required. His speed and resistance were seemingly immeasurable, even after minutes of fighting.

But Cell, ever the strategist, knew of other ways to disrupt his enemies. After launching a large kamehameha wave, which the half-Saiyan swept aside without flinching, the green creature moved away.

“What ferocity, what power,” Cell said with a grin. “Indulge me, Gohan. I am curious how you’ll handle these...”

In an instant, he had spat out four blue miniatures of himself, each growing rapidly — in mere seconds they were ready to do battle. These were leagues different from those Gohan had destroyed in the past, but the half-Saiyan did not care. With a grave stare, he approached the group slowly, directly. He recalled offering a single fatal blow to each of them back at the Cell Games, and was prepared to do the same.

The Cell Juniors attacked. Two approached to fight him hand to hand, while the other two kept their distance. From caution or wisdom? No. They were already charging balls of energy in their palms, which they flung with impressive precision, careful to avoid their own.

Gohan dodged the first incoming attacker by turning sideways. With the back of his left hand he swept one of the incoming energy balls away, kicking the second Junior’s kick with his own, then stooped again to avoid two more energy balls and finally caught the fist of one of the Juniors attacking him at close range. He then flung that junior into the other, sending both careening backwards. Both fell to the ground together. A gust of energy seemed to exude from Gohan as he moved instantly to the two farthest enemies. One of them did not even see the punch planted in his stomach, and as he was exploding into a pile of goop his brother barely had time to fire a Makankosappo — but far too late. An elbow to the neck rendered him unconscious immediately. Gohan turned, waiting for the other two juniors to return to their feet, when a huge ball of Ki exploded around him. The half-Saiyan spun, surprised to see his sister appear.

“Gohan!” Bra cried, joining him.

Following the daughter of Vegetto was Vegeta of U13. Together, they continued defending themselves against the pink molasses. The prince was by no means eager to join forces, but he knew all too well that there were beings stronger than himself. To ally with Bra was pure strategy, nothing more. And following her into the ring as she joined the other companion from her universe was also the best plan — to be alone against Buu would be the end.

“What the fuck are you doing!?” Bra yelled towards her brother. “Hurry up and blast the real Cell — you already beat him once before! Stop wasting your time on the small fry!”

Buu merely chuckled, amused at the display. He did, however, recall one of his rules.

“Oh, by all means, you are welcome to help him, if you like!”

Bra glanced at the avatar of Buu as it spoke. He hovered in the air overlooking the arena. She didn’t care about obeying his rules, only seizing every opportunity...

“Fine, I’ll help you finish this, Gohan. Then we’ll take care of Buu!”

“No, Bra! He’s too powerful for us to handle alone, we have to buy time! Plus, Cell might fight alongside us!”

“Are you delusional, Gohan? No enemy from your bygone era is going to help us! Not him, and certainly not that pathetic wanna-be Vegeta following me around!”

“What’s that, bitch?” the Saiyan Emperor yelled. “You got a death wish? If you want me to kill you right now, keep blabbing!!”

“Both of you, STOP!!” Gohan interrupted, throwing his hands between them. “We can’t fight amongst ourselves! The enemy is Buu!” he cried.

Cell chuckled as his eyes turned to Vegeta. He extended a hand towards the prince, and spoke.

“Come, Vegeta, join with me. This girl has no idea what you’re really capable of, I say we even out the odds and show them firsthand. Then we’ll take care of Buu. Together, we can force the entire multiverse to lie prostrate before our might! You’ll be second only to me...”

The Saiyans gaze never faltered. He spoke with pride, rage, and honor. “I am Vegeta, prince of all Saiyans! And I take orders from no one, certainly no filthy green insect! I am royalty, a super elite, and no amount of power you or anyone else can muster will make me bow in submission! Never again!!”

Bra rolled her eyes, scoffing.

Vegeta exploded in anger. “This is infuriating! Not a shred of pride to be found in any of you!” Deploying his energy, he exploded immediately upwards, surrounded by a spiraling golden aura. The prince roared as he flew towards Buu at full speed.

Before reaching the creature, he flung out his hand and fired a burst of blue energy that pierced Buu’s torso (who never lost his eternal grin). His fist then struck Buu’s face once, twice, then a knee followed. Did the creature feel nothing?

From the holes in his body, four ghosts emerged, miniature versions of the djinn that quickly grabbed hold of the Super Saiyan. Unable to fight the fierce little creatures, Vegeta could only struggle as they dragged him rapidly downwards and slammed him into the surface of the ring. The four ghosts then liquefied into pink goo, glueing him down.

Gohan could only watch as the attack failed. He’d known there was no hope of it succeeding, it would’ve been impossible. He had, however, been somewhat afraid when the prince crashed near Bra and himself. At that moment, he’d made the decision to rescue Vegeta from the clutches of the Buu ghost juniors — only to face a sneak attack from behind! He was too late to dodge Cell’s surprise assault, receiving a massive punch in the face as he’d only begun to spin around.

But the attack was stopped short at the last instant. Bra smirked, having never relaxed her attention to Cell (or anyone). From the moment Cell made his move, she’d been ready to interfere. The girl had positioned herself just in front of Gohan, catching the bio-android’s fist in her left hand. He was clearly shocked, staying still a few seconds as Bra glared up at him.

“You’re outmatched,” she said. “And even though you don’t side with Buu, if you mess with us I’ll give you the punishment you deserve, larva!”

Bra swung a quick kick at her opponent’s chin, but he was fast enough to evade backwards. Only, she was already behind him waiting!

No sooner had Cell jumped on the ground that Bra grabbed hold of him by the wings. Then, with her feet, she pushed hard, digging into the creature’s back. The two wings tore away, snapping like twigs and dripping with liquid. The bio-android screamed in pain, falling on one knee before retreating quickly, taking to the air, barely avoiding a blow that might’ve severed his spine. Their eyes met again, briefly, and Bra offered him another of her smug grins.

Down below, in the area of Universe 7, a great Namekian warrior had remained passive all the while, untouchable. He’d neither moved nor spoken, using the opportunity to get a good idea of what Buu was exactly, and how to deal with him quickly and easily. Finally, deciding the mess before him would not be repaired, neither by the Vargas nor the Kaioshin, he intervened.

“Stop,” he said, simply stretching out his arm.

As if by magic, the pink goo did just that. All around the Namekian, the gelatin began to contract, as if being affected by some great invisible force — within moments it had fully yielded. Bit by bit, the molasses was sucked towards the great Namek’s palm, amassing into a pink spherical blob. Instantly, the other parts of Buu in the arena rushed back to the closest body.

Not even the two avatars of Buu, one gliding above the ring like some sort of god, and the other remaining quiet down in the Universe 4 area, were immune. They tried to resist, but in vain as the magic seemed to suck them in.

“What! Wh—”

Buu fought with all his might, he knew of no magic capable of performing such a feat and thus he could not counter it. Thus, in a few seconds, Buu’s filth had been scrubbed from every corner of the ring and reduced to a ball of gum levitating a few inches above the green hand of the Namek.

“How...

“Is this...

“Possible?”

“You keep calm now,” instructed the Namekian, like a chastisement of a good father.

The entire arena, previously overrun with pink, was completely free of the invasion. Each prisoner was released and the particles of Buu were contained. Gast had, in an instant, defeated the djinn and saved everyone!

Everyone was finally catching their breath, most turning to check on their friends, family, allies, or henchmen (though some clearly didn’t care for their minions).

“This Namekian’s power is incredible!” Goku said, utterly in shock. If it had been this easy to beat Buu twenty years ago, the Earth would’ve never been destroyed (among avoiding several other inconveniences...)

“Hurry, send him back to his own universe!” a Namek ordered up in the control tower.

“I’m sorry, but it’s still broken...”

Momentarily speechless, the Namek then instructed a team to return to their universe and bring back ample spare parts for the device.

The western Kaioshin arrived up in the tower, hoping for an update. She of course wanted to ensure the djinn who had the audacity to strike her was banished to his own universe permanently. But at the moment that wasn’t possible. Her only hope was that Gast could continue restraining him while they figured out a plan. She hurried to the Namek to thank him.

“We owe you so much, Gast Carcolh. You saved us all, and probably many more.”

“Can you not send him away?” the green giant asked, already dreading the answer.

“Unfortunately, the machine is broken, as well as the backups. We’ll send a group back to our universe to get the required components.”

“Very good then.”

“Or...we could return to his universe and leave him there. Can you hold him that long?”

The Namek reflected a moment, glancing at the pink blob hovering over his hand.

“Long enough for your team to return with parts and repair the device. Have no fear.”

The next few minutes passed slowly, helping those injured and everyone discussing what had transpired. Before long, all had regained their good spirits and resumed their seats in the bleachers or in their designated dugout areas. Well, except for Bra, still on high alert — even remaining in Super Saiyan form. Her hair remained golden until finally, Vegetto returned.

ZIP!

The fused warrior was instantly aware of the apparent tension, remarking to himself that he had for once failed to detect anything unusual from his place of refuge. This from he whose senses were attuned enough to feel things happening from billions of lightyears away...

“Why is everyone so tense?” he dared ask, turning to the members of universe 16. Their faces were lacking a certain understanding.

Gohan was the only one amongst the group with the patience to explain. “I’ll tell him...”

Over in Universe 11’s area, Babidi was caught up in reflection. His twisted but brilliant mind was mulling over an array of different schemes, each ripe with calculated risk, probability... when he was approached by Dabra...

“Master. You possess the magic to seal away this Buu forever. It would be an excellent occasion to win favor with the organizers, no?”

“Interesting idea, Dabra. Perhaps later. Now, be quiet.”

“Uh...yes, master.”

‘What an imbecile, as if I didn’t already know that!’ he thought to himself. ‘But in all likelihood the sealing spell would imprison my own Buu as well. Such a shame... it’s not worth the risk.”

Babidi glanced towards Universe 7’s area to his left. Buu had been captured, but for how long?

The djinn himself was also wondering what magic the Namekian was using. He had been so certain that his own magical abilities were supreme in all the multiverse — how was it possible that he could’ve been imprisoned so easily? Nothing he tried was able to free him, and none of his abilities seemed to work. He couldn’t unleash his strength, and had no control over his body. It was a mystery, but one he was excited to solve! If he could not break free by force, he would try an alternative approach.

“I’m... sorry!” Buu offered to the Namek.

“What?” Gast Carcolh replied, clearly surprised.

“Please, give me another chance!”

“Are you kidding?” his captor replied. “After all you’ve said and done, you...”

“I have thousands of personalities locked away inside me! I won’t let them get out of control again, I promise!”

“Your promises aren’t worth much, creature.”

This time, Buu raised his voice to carry further and make himself heard to everyone.

“Let me participate again! I’ll behave, even repair all the machines. You can send me back if I do anything strange.”

While Gast was scratching his ear, Universe 1 was stunned.

“Out of the question, there is NO WAY we’d allow that!” South Kaioshin shouted.

“Hey, good idea!” Vegetto piped up, voicing the opposite. “We should totally forgive him! I’ll keep an eye on him myself!”

“Shut up, Dad,” Trunks replied, annoyed.

Fortunately, the gods didn’t hear.

The Grand Kaioshin stepped forward to speak, and everyone instantly hushed in order to listen.

“Taking unnecessary risks such as this goes completely against our age-old policy.”

“Ah, he agrees,” South Kaioshin chuckled. “Good.”

“But...” the Grand Kaioshin continued, “this is a unique event. And this creature is indeed comprised of many very different personalities.”

“Wha...?”

“Buu has been accustomed to omnipotence, acting as a god in his own universe. There were no rules for him to follow, no one to whom he had to submit. With this in mind, we will offer him a second chance. However, I will only release him for his matches.”

The other Kaioshins were in shock. How could their great leader have pardoned such an overwhelming threat, one capable of endangering them all again were he to get free?

After overcoming his brief shock, Gast objected.

“Venerable Grand Kaioshin, I don’t intend to personally contain him for such a length of time.”

“There will be no need of that. I will handle him myself.”

“You can do that?” asked the East Kaioshin from behind him.

“Of course. I’ve analyzed Gast Carcolh’s technique, and I’ll simply replicate it.

Those of Universe 18, not far away, heard everything.

“Woah, a technique that incredible can be copied?” Goku said. “I assumed it was Namekian magic or something!”

“Well, he is the greatest of the gods,” Piccolo reminded him, though even he himself was astonished.

The Grand Kaioshin stood opposite of Gast and held out his hand. As he did so, the Great Namek passed Buu over to him, as if he were handing him a ball. The change went without a hitch. Buu was still unable to free himself.

Before he’d even arrived back in Universe 1’s area, the Grand Kaioshin declared aloud:

“Let the matches resume!”

Baddack and Cold had still not moved from the ring. The Saiyan had no allies below to be concerned about after Buu’s attack, and Cold cared nothing of his henchmen. Perhaps a little of his sons, but they were fully grown and independent.

“Kfff. That was unpleasant!” he said, sighing as he brushed debris off his shoulder.

‘That’s for sure,’ Baddack thought. ‘We’re both far outclassed by Buu! But if even Vegetto was eliminated, anything can happen. And regarding this fight...Cold will lose, and he’ll end up in bad shape!”

The Saiyan turned to his opponent, boastful. “I’ve foreseen your defeat, and it’s not a pretty sight... But it’s possible to change the future, I know that better than anyone. For example, you could give up.”

“You think I’m afraid of an opponent that can see the future? ... My opponents have no future!”

His reply sounded only the beginning of the fight between the pair...