Lookout Below! (Cell v. Sairai)

Still distraught over the loss of East City, Sairai had gone to the only person he could find that would possibly understand the loss he was feeling at the moment. Unfortunately, Kami seemed to be busy with something, so Mr. Popo had offered to take the Changeling aside and help him with what he could.

“So... what is it you want to talk about, young one.”

“Do you recall the events that transpired in East City?” he asked the genie, eyes glazed over. He could feel the eyes of the other man upon him, which made him most uncomfortable. It was almost as though his soul was being peered into.

“Well, yes, I do remember. You had to expend an incredible amount of power to prevent that demon from wiping out even more innocents, isn’t that so? Why do you feel so melancholy over something like that?”

Sairai looked away from the genie, his eyes beginning to water up once more. “It wasn’t just that. I completely lost it. I was... I was angry, angry beyond anything I had ever experienced before. It may have been a demon, but...”

“You wouldn’t have cared who it was. And you shouldn’t a monster is a monster. There’s nothing you can do about what transpired, but I will tell you exactly what Kami would tell you. If you have no choice but to kill to protect something you love, then it’s your responsibility to do so. This isn’t an excuse to just walk around and kill whoever you please, but if a threat is great enough it is forgivable,” Mr. Popo said, assuming a lotus position and levitating slightly above the ground.

Sairai followed suit. “People keep telling me that, but I’m not sure whether I killed him out of vengeance for the city he destroyed or to protect those who would have died at his hand.”

“Whichever it was, you did an undeniable service to this world. Your attack might have caused destruction, but it also prevented further destruction. This cloud in your heart is your own doing. The resolve to stop the one who would cause harm to others, no matter the cost, is something a true Guardian of Earth needs. You claim you want to help defend this planet. Do you not have the stomach to do what’s necessary to ensure its safety? Not everyone will run away just because you beat them.” The genie drew a line with his finger in the air. “There are those who will run away if you beat them, and they might never return, but there are those with tainted hearts who will stop at nothing to get what they want. This demon was one of the latter. He would not have given up until he was destroyed.”

Sairai cocked his head to one side and Mr. Popo looked at him with a mildly bored gaze. “Many more would have died had you just beaten the creature and spared his life. Nothing good would have come of it. Their blood would have been on your hands as well as his.”

That caught the Changeling’s attention. “So, the only option was to kill him?”

“Or lock him in a prison from which there is no escape. Since we can’t do the former, the latter was your only option, yes.”

Sighing, the Changeling tried to quiet his mind and reassure himself that all was right in the world. He had done a good thing. However, he knew that he would not truly find peace until he had managed to collect all the Dragon Balls and returned the entire city of East City back to life, minus one troublesome demon of course.

“Where is Kami, anyway?”

“Training some new students. He’s been quite popular lately. I’m just out here taking a break. They might be taking a break here soon, too. Why don’t you stick around and catch up on your training? You might have passed all the tests, but there’s still much more left for you to learn, of that I can positively assure you.”

“Alright, Mr. Popo. You’ve got my attention. I’ll stay here for awhile longer and get some training in. It’s been awhile, but I think I can knock the rust off these bones.”

“You give yourself too little credit, Sairai... Ah, here comes one of them now.”

WC: 725

Cell walked out from the shadows cast by the arching doorway to the main room. He had just finished his 'training' with Kami. Though in reality he never trained with Kami at all. He killed to troublesome creatures and fought a human that was probably the best example of how powerful a human could become. As well as why one of their most powerful traits was how diverse they where at a genetic level. He had actually gained a bit of respect for the human race, hating them a bit less. This did however increase how greatly he desired eating all of them. After all, he had just seen why doing so could be more useful than he had previously thought.

Despite not being able to kill and consume Franken, he did gain quite a bit of power. He guessed he had increased his overall power by nearly 80% just from the trials and the single training session. He had felt the need to test out this new level of power. Though the word new would have to be used lightly because he was still far from the power he had been before nearly being destroyed by that despicable little hybrid. That aside, he had felt a good test subject nearby. Even though his power level was definitely being lowered he could tell a good few things about it.

Firstly, it was probably around twice Cell's level going by how most fighters hide their level of power to about one percent. It also held a what Cell could only describe as 'personality traits'. It held a tone of naivety, probably a younger individual but prideful. He could also tell it was certainly not coming from a human, nor was it a Saiyan. It from just a cursory glance it could have been mistaken for Broly due to being near his level of power. Cell new better though, as he had fought the abnormal Saiyan before upon their first meeting as most individuals did. His was 'hard' and imposing while this one seemed soft.

Due to the power he felt from it, he felt his hungers begin to rise again. He knew that he could not kill and consume it however. It was not because of the power the creature held, but because of the location. On top of that, it he had told Ryouji that he would restrain himself here. While he was for the most part an evil mass murdering monster, he was a monster of his word. With this in mind he subdued that particular hunger as much as he could. The other hunger, the one to experience and learn however, he would sate with the help of this 'man'. As he had gotten closer to them he had overheard their conversation. The hearing abilities of a Namekian had been granted to him and he was not at fault for eavesdropping. After all, it was not something he could 'turn off'.

Somehow, this sparked something new in him as well. It was not a hunger, but more of a desire. He, for some reason, felt the need to teach this creature in some way. A normal sapient creature would dwell on this new feeling and would want to think and speculate on it. Cell was not a normal creature however, and knew all he needed or cared to know about it.

It was probably due to a great number of his cell's coming from individuals that tended to teach. Roshi, Goku, Piccolo, and Kami. He also knew he could sate this desire without bringing unwanted negative attention to his presence, something he had decided against gathering this time around. Last time it had been a large reason around his near-death experience. Besides those things, he didn't care to explore it in any way but to do exactly as he felt he should to sate this desire.

He could see both Popo and the Changling clearly once he came outside. He was surprised a bit to see a member of that race here. More to the point, he was surprised to see one with that type of aura...he had actually believed it to be likely that it was impossible. He was wrong, which was fairly uncommon in and of itself. Cell knew that this Changling was alone because he had not noticed a presence of other foreign energy signatures.

Cell couldn't help but think to himself " I guess every species has it's black sheep members. Seems also that being a black sheep doesn't prevent one from being strong. I'll have to be sure to eat this one later, but for now I have to sate this new desire"

It also did not stop Cell from having an innate respect for the black sheep in front of him. He held respect for most of the Changling race. Even if their methods different between members or clans of the species, they still knew how to get shit done. They were also naturally intelligent and much more powerful than the pathetic human race that resided on the planet below them.

As he approached Popo and the peaceful Changling both looked at him, acknowledging his presence. Then again, how could they not? Even if he was weaker than the alien before him, he was still a seven foot tall insect looking humanoid. It didn't help that he had distinctive alien features and a scorpion-like tail that was tipped with a six-inch long needle-like spike. The bug-like insect wings he sported on his back also did not help. He was a very noticeable creature, though monster would likely describe him more accurately. That prevented him from doing a good bit of things, though nothing he really cared about.

Once he was within a few yards, he spoke. His voice sounding creepy and ominously dangerous as it always did. It was deep and raspy, with what seemed almost like a hiss in the background. " I did not expect to see a Changling out here...especially one with your type of aura. I also heard you two talking from inside. The only name I was given was Cell so you can call me by that name...So tell me Changling, what is your name an what is the reason for your weak heart? Why would a changling care about the 'weak' race of creatures below us? Wouldn't it simply be easier for you to "cleanse" this planet and sell it to the highest bidder?" he did not acknowledge Popo at all besides a single glace before speaking.

WC:1100

As the strange humanoid bug walked up on Sairai, he turned his head and had to stifle a small smile from creeping across his face. My, how interesting, he thought. The creature before him was large, green, and had what appeared to be a beak instead of a normal mouth. All of this, combined with that strange tail, made for one strange looking Xeno. That was all he could think to call the creature, as it did not look like anything he had ever seen from Frieza #79 nor Earth.

He floated up to a little bit, but did not uncross his legs. His eyes met the strange man’s with an icy coolness. A thoughtful look crossed his face as he considered his answer to the creature’s line of questioning. “Well... I honestly don’t know why I prefer to protect the weak instead of destroy or...” he coughed, “in the cases of some of the more untoward members of the PTO, devour them.”

He turned toward the edge of the Lookout and looked down through the clouds. “Part of it is that I don’t particularly care for material wealth, outside of how useful it is in furthering my own purposes.” He picked up a clump of dirt from one of the nearby flower beds and dropped it off the side. “Eventually that clump of sod will hit the ground. But on the way, it can take any path, depending on the way the wind blows, prevailing air currents, and even its own particular molecular structure.”

He turned back and looked into the catlike eyes of the being once more. “Well, part of it is I’ve always been the black sheep of my family, of my race in fact. I’ve never been prone to violence, except for fun.” He pondered for a moment before uncrossing his legs and touching the ground. He couldn’t help but look at the creature with a bit of curiosity.

“Strange. Some of the markings on your body are reminiscent of those of my own race. A distant cousin race, perhaps? Hmm...” He then noticed what he was doing and stopped himself. “My apologies. I often find myself becoming interested in strange puzzles.”

He brought a delicate finger up to his chin and thought about things for a moment, before deciding that knowing the strange bug creature’s race was not of enough importance to keep bugging him about it. A small part of him warned him that behind those strange eyes was something that he did not want to get to know all too well, but a part of him felt a certain kinship with the man, as though the two of them were not a dissimilar as he’d like to believe.

A smile crept slowly across his face as he looked the other man up and down, having now completely forgotten he was even talking to Mr. Popo before. “As far as my weak heart, well...” His tail rose slowing over his shoulder and wrapped around his neck, “It’s always been a bit of a soft spot, something which many have considered my weakness.”

The silence of the Lookout was almost overwhelming. Sairai’s blue-skinned tail twitched nervously back and forth as he continued to count the moments till he was able to claim the rest of the dragonballs. Perhaps then he could finally forgive himself.

“However,” he said as he levitated a rock up beside himself using his telekinetic powers and unwrapped his tail before smashing the clump of earthen material to dust. “The stoniest of hearts crumbles most easily when faced with adversity.”

“Since you’re here training with Kami, might I assume that you yourself are a fighter of some sort? I don’t mean to pry, but it had been awhile since I’ve had a nice practice match, something to keep the rust off, but nothing... too deadly, if you catch my drift,” he said. The winds began to pick up and he could smell the scent of the sandalwood incense Kami often burned, Sairai’s own constant companion as he had trained in the Lookout before. He allowed his tail to drag slowly across the white marble of the Lookout’s flooring.

Without a second to spare before Sairai opened his mouth, Mr. Popo spoke up and clamped one of his chubby hands over the Changeling’s mouth. “Remember, not on the Lookout. It’s hard enough to get raw materials to rebuild this place. I don’t need two of you wrecking the building.”

The Changeling rolled his eyes and nodded, a small smirk crossing his face. “Alright then Cell, my name is Sairai. Would you like to spar me? I could use a little practice, and it seems like you might have a bit of newfound experience that you’d like to put to the test as well.”

The wind seemed to howl even louder as Sairai’s anticipation grew. Fighting opponents he had never faced before, now that was something he could definitely use to cheer himself up.

WC: 830
TWC: 1,555

Cell was not surprised that he had seen just the very start of a smile form on the Changlings mouth. He was also not taken aback by the icy stare that meet his own. After all, Cell himself had a much colder look in his eyes than the white and blue creature in front of him. He waited patiently while listening intently to his soon-to-be opponent's answer. He did however, interrupt him quickly at one point.

"Do not apologize for the curiosity and eagerness to learn that is natural in your species. More importantly, it is those things that separates a fighter and a warrior." he said in his signature voice. He did not say that it was also what separated a killer from a fighter, but the Changling should know that very well anyways after a moments pause he spoke again.

"I am a product of the human race. A brilliant scientific mind created me, he was also an imbecile. I was created with the intention of becoming perfection in the flesh of a warrior. Inside my blood contains the cells and genetic information of the strongest warriors the Earth has ever seen. Human, Saiyan, Hybrids of those two, Changlings, Namekians, even a few random aliens with sufficiently strong genes. That is why you feel like I'm similar to you." He said, and then waited for his opponent to continue speaking.

Once Sairai had been interrupted he walked to the edge of the outlook and looked out into the distance before speaking. "I refuse to hold back in a battle of any kind...We'll fight over there." He said, staring out at what would be impossible to discern from their current location.

He them jumped off the tower without another word. He allowed himself to enter free-fall for a few moments before effortlessly engaging his flight and surging towards what the humans called the "wastelands." It was appropriately named, as nothing lived there. The climate was simply too inhospitable. The terrain was simply desert and cliffs. Many battles had a happened here that would decide the fate of the Earth. This time, the area would be disappointed to see nothing more than a simple battle. Cell knew he could not hold himself back against his opponent, and now he had no need to. He would 'spar' him, but if he killed the Changling then it was due to his own weak heart.

Once Cell had landed, he spoke bluntly. " I suggest that you do not take this as a light sparring match." he waited another moment before speaking. This damned new urge wouldn't calm down. He felt he HAD to impart some knowledge on him. He spoke again before attacking.

"You made the analogy of a hard heart being brittle, but you have misunderstood the meanings. The strongest opponents i've ever faced where soft-hearted. Your heart Sairai, is soft...and it is weak. My heart is hard, but it is strong. In respect to your rock analogy...your heart is closer to what you demonstrated. My heart is closer to steel, you can beat and bend it, but you can not break it." He said, and then he attacked without a single bit of hesitation.

He filled his muscles and tendons with a sudden surge of ki to aid his speed. He charged forward, his clawed fingers on his right hand pressing together just as he lunged forward aiming the razor sharp weapons for his opponents right eye. He did not expect this to hit, but if it did that would be just fine by Cell. Not counting on that however, he continued his assault.

He spun his body half-way around to face his tail towards his opponents body. It would lung forward and attempt to lodge itself into his opponents abdomen. The needle-like tip aimed to pierce into his opponents liver, or at least where that would be in a human. Both of these, while serious attacks in and of themselves,were really just to set up his last attack. The lung with his tail causing him to finish his spin, he brought his left hand around.

Ever since the first attempted strike, Cell had been gathering his energy into the very tip of his left index finger. It was more than charged and ready by the end of the second strike. With that in mind, he pointed the finger directly at Sairai's throat. If he was lucky, the attack would cause him to be briefly stunned allowing for a follow-up. If he was extremely lucky, it would pierce and damage his spine, paralyzing him from the waist down. That would certainly make it easier to consume him.

The tip of his finger began to glow a bright purple as Cell stared directly into the eyes of his opponent. If he managed to survive this, then he would truly realize how deadly serious Cell was about his earlier statement. The beam was let loose, and it burned through the air with a clear and deadly intent.

WC: 838
Total:1938

A byproduct of a human scientist... He couldn’t possibly mean that Dr. Gero or whatever his name was. I’d heard of him, but I’ve never come across any of hiscreations. How strange. I wonder how this will turn out, the Changeling thought to himself as he beheld the being before him. So Cell was made using the DNA of various species, the Changelings included. That certainly explained a few things about his appearance, the odd reflective bits on his forehead and chest in particular. While Sairai still couldn’t tell exactly what had caused his own race to develop them, at least he had an explanation for why this creature had them.

Without much further talk, Cell led him toward the wastelands, an area the young man had heard was quite the remarkable place for fighting. It was a land where no one could get hurt from collateral damage, and that was something the Changeling could respect. It would prevent him from having to hold back, at least. A small smile crept across his face as he followed Cell toward the area.

The wind licked his face and kept him cool as the two warriors continued flying. The clouds beneath them rushed by as streaks of white while the humans below, living their lives with the other races that dotted the planet, looked like mere ants in comparison to the two warriors flying overhead. If Sairai had been more like his kin, he would smirk and allow the metaphor to make him feel superior.

As the two landed, Cell began talking about his heart once more. He called it brittle and weak, in addition to being soft. There was some truth in his words, even Sairai had to admit. He had allowed the destruction of East City to weigh heavily on him, and it was something that many of his own race, and perhaps many of other races would see as a weakness.

After all, there was nothing he could have done about the destruction. He’d have been able to absorb maybe two of the blasts from the annihilation attack before he himself would have died, and it wouldn’t have saved anyone in the long run. He’d have perhaps saved a single life, maybe one group, but in the ensuing chaos, and without him to turn to, East City would have been truly doomed.

Fighting back a sigh of exasperation, the Changeling prepared himself for the combat to come, putting himself into a ready stance. His ki flared out around him as he released the holds on his power. This Cell creature might have had the strength of several of the galaxy’s strongest races, but Sairai had both experience and power on his side. There was nothing he could not do against an opponent like this, or so he thought.

As the hybrid launched toward him at incredible speed, Sairai moved his head slightly to one side as he dodged the raking blow his opponent was attempting to strike him with. The second attack was a surprise, though, the needle tip of the being’s tail smashing Sairai in the chest plate as Cell continued to spin around. The attack caused Sairai to lose his breath for a moment before he noticed the being releasing an outstretched finger toward him. Sairai moved and allowed his left shoulder to take the attack. A searing pain tore through his arm as the beam of energy grazed his arm and left a deep laceration. At least it didn’t tear all the way through my flesh, he considered.

As Cell finished his chain of attacks, Sairai considered his options. He’d always prided himself on his ability to think on his feet, but there was something wrong. His eyes went glassy for a moment as his thoughts turned inward. He reached deep within and tried to bring forth his transformation, but found that it was impossible to reach. There was something blocking his ability to access his full power in combat.

“Wh-what’s going on?” he asked himself. As no answer presented itself, he could feel the gnawing doubt overwhelming his mind. Without even thinking about it, he pointed his finger at the beast before him and poured his ki into the space directly before it before unleashing his signature Death Beam attack.

His body was acting on autopilot now, and his mind was not allowing him a moment’s rest. He could feel the power was still held within him, but he could not access his higher forms.

It’s almost like my transformations have rebelled against me. What’s going on?! This isn’t possible. I should be able to fight better than this. Come on, Sairai! Pull yourself together!

WC: 780
TWC: 2,335

Cell was slightly disappointed that the armored part of his opponents body was hard enough to prevent a puncture. This was overshadowed however by the fact that it had connected as well as seemingly done some slight damage. It was more so overshadowed by the fact that he had manage to put a nice puncture wound into his opponents shoulder with his final attack. It would probably cause him to be weaker in that arm alongside causing a fair amount of pain. Cell did so enjoy causing pain.

He had expected the Changling to do what his was known for, changing. However, he could see that he was having a difficult time doing so. He knew the reason, his weak heart had been damaged. It was preventing him from so much that normally Cell would take advantage of this and kill his opponent. This urge was not stronger than his strange urge to make this man move past this. He felt the urge to make him stronger just so that he could consume him later. It was true that he could see how much potential this creature had. If he killed him here he would miss out on a potentially powerful foe to consume and strength himself. Perhaps he could even become an ally until then.

For now, he knew he was going to show him how the difference between a strong heart and a weak heart. Show him how being strong or weak goes alongside both hard and soft hearts. Cell was probably not the best teacher, but this way his only way. He would beat and torture and maim if needed to get his point across. If his 'student' failed, then Cell would decide that he had reached his potential and consume him without hesitation. Though he hoped that would not happen so that he could sate his new found desire as well as consume a much more satisfying meal later on.

He spoke quickly, knowing that regardless of this trouble an attack would be coming. It would be quick and decisive. Cell had vast amounts of experience to draw on due to having the experiences of all of the 'donors' which made up his being. Their cells transferring knowledge to him through some unknown process. It was not something Cell dwelled on, though. He simply found it to be profoundly useful. Cumulatively he had hundreds of years worth of battles packed into his brain, along side any other experiences that Gero had decided would be useful. The amount of battles he has 'experienced' easily numbered in the hundreds, perhaps even the thousands.

"Whats wrong Changling? Having a hard time keeping up due to that weak heart! A strong heart knows what must be done to survive and to win. Losing is always pointless, one must always succeed to achieve their goals! A weak heart does not have what is needed for you to protect this planet! If you can not strength your heart, then you will die here." He said, his voice as deadly serious as it could be with it's deep raspy sound.

He watched as the Death beam came at him. It was much faster and stronger than his own, but that meant little to him. He was Cell, and he would achieve perfection. This would not be enough to even discourage him. In fact it would only serve to further his hunger for power, knowledge, experience and even his urge to teach this creature before him the meaning of a strong heart.

He outstretched his right hand, holding his ground even though in all normal situations this would be a suicidal move. However, when Cell was involved, it's never a 'normal' situation. The next event would prove that beyond a doubt to his opponent.

The powerful beam slamming into his hand, and through it's power instantly began to burn away his palm. This would only last a moment however. Cell was a creation of Gero after all. The beam began to be consumed by the biological androids body. The instantaneous boost of power caused his Namekian healing to take affect and heal the wounds to a degree. His hand would still be burned, but functional in all respects. He had grown very resilient to pain, due to his experience of 'coming back to life'.

His muscles bulged up a bit, as the ki was absorbed fully into his body. He would not, however, keep this energy long. He raised the same damaged hand into the air, and in a power sweeping motion, he would bring it down. For just an instant this seemed like a pointless gesture. The sudden emergence of a power blade of purple energy would change that. It was at least eight feet tall, cutting into the ground and still being taller than Cell was. It cut and destroyed everything in it's path as it rushed towards Sairai, intent on cleaving him into two even and neat pieces.

After feeling his energy in such a close and almost intimate way, being absorbed into his body and all, he was sure now. He knew exactly what he would be doing to this 'man'. As much as he hated humanity as a general rule he did like a few practices. Like their practices with bovine.

Humans had a magnificently brutal way of killing these creatures though. Letting them live and mature, even giving them proper nutrients to speed the growth and better the meat. They then used a rod powered by air pressure to break the skull and destroy the frontal lobe. In doing so it ensures the creature can not fight back, but the brain stem would continue to make the heart beat. Killing it and then eating the parts they wanted. Humans did, on occasion, bring some slight respect on from Cell for their race as a whole. This did not stop him, however, from finding them weak and pathetic creatures barely worth absorbing into his perfection.

He wondered if he had successfully demonstrated what he meant by the difference between his 'strong' heart and Sairai's 'weak' heart. Even if Sairai was physically much stronger, he could not defeat Cell with his heart being so weak and currently damaged.

WC: 1046
Total:2984

Sairai watched in strange fascination as his attack was so easily shrugged off by the being before him. His power had obviously taken a hit as well. The creature’s strange aura grew even stronger from Sairai’s attack, and he could feel it growing much more powerful. Not one to take such a thread lying down, the Changeling steeled himself and finally decided that enough was enough. If this creature was prepared to kill him to prove a point, he had to be willing to do the same to achieve his own goals.

No matter what hardships may befall me. No matter how many people die, I will not quite in my goal to keep this world safe from threats both from within and from without.

His resolve seemed to open up a well of power within him that was unmatched by anything he had felt up until that point. The creature was right, his heart had been both soft and brittle. It should have been as soft as a marshmallow while still retaining the strength that the Changeling race was privy to. To be soft did not mean to be weak, as he had proven himself, and as Cell had said he’d encountered before. It was the combination of being soft and firm in the face of opposition that would make him the best defender this planet had.

As Cell swiped his hand across the threshold of the air between them, the young man knew what was coming. Sairai had used this attack himself before on numerous occasions. The fissure slash was nearly impossible to block, but there was something to be said about it. It could be avoided. He dove out of the way and didn’t so much as look back before he broke through his mental blocks and charged his power up to his maximum.

“Alright, Cell... You’ve made your point. Now allow me to make one or two of my own,” he said as his power spiked beyond his maximum. The bone coverings over his horns disappeared as they grew out and his body increased in mass to at least a good six and a half feet tall. He could feel his muscles bulging out and filling with the power he had earned through months of dedicated training and hard work. He had come to this planet, had learned of something called purpose, and now had finally found his own.

“I will protect this planet. No matter how many die, there are always more that I have to protect... I will stand strong in the face of anyone who threatens them!”

With that out of the way and his power finally pushed to what was normally considered his true maximum, he stood there with a strange smile on his face. “Now, to make my own point, Cell.”

His eyes began to glow blue as his power increased further. He waved one hand in front of him in a strange manner, creating a line of ki that seemed to do nothing on its own, but then he swiped his hand back across and the line cracked into thousands of tiny shards before homing in on the hybrid creature before him with deadly intent.

“Since you were so kind to attempt to kill me to get your point across, I figure it’s only fair that I don’t hold anything back either,” he said, that strange smirk still on his face. He looked up at the sky for a moment, breathing in the sweet air. It felt good to have the weight of thousands of lives off of his shoulders. He could feel that power as it coursed through his veins once more.

This was true power, the willingness to protect anyone who came across him and needed his help. He would start his own group on Earth, a group devoted to acting as protectors in the world, and it was all thanks to the help of the strange monster he had come across. He crossed his arms as he continued to look at the sky, his eyes glazed over slightly. He could only wonder how much stronger he would continue to grow as he continued to seek more power for the sake of protecting the world he now knew as his home.

WC: 713
TWC: 3,048

Cell watched and listened intently. He didn't really need to, because he could sense that he had succeeded. His aura became sharper, more defined. It was subconsciously changing as his heart was repaired, becoming stronger. It was true, sometimes things needed to be broken in order to become stronger. Sairai was a fine example, and so was Cell. Cell had his own reasons for helping this creature, wanting to absorb him later on to get more power...but those thoughts and reasons had come after the fact. Even if he hadn't ever thought of that, he would have helped Sairai.

Something inside Cell kept welling up and demanding he do and not do certain things. Of course, by the time the demands had made it to the forefront of his consciousness, they had been twisted and changed. Deep down, somewhere inside the monsterous amalgamation of genes and cells that made him, he had strong 'good' streak. if his mind was not what it was, he might eventually give into this. However his mind was how it was...twisted and filled with hunger and hate.

The perfection-seeking creature watched his opponent even as he transformed, without a movement. He did speak though, and as always it sounded strange but clear. There was no fear in his voice, nor did anything but the slightest sliver of pride in another creature come out in the tone.

"So you finally learned to strengthen that soft heart of yours? Good, but it's still not strong enough!" he said just as the Changling began creating his attack. Every fiber of Cells being told him he did not want to get hit by that unprepared. He could tell, somehow, due to his experiences that this would probably be a very fast and very wide-spread attack. If he did not react properly, he might very well die. He looked at the ground quickly, and used something he had only recently reacquired. He 'carved' out an area of the ground in front of him, and held it firmly together his the force of his mind. It was still much weaker than it had been before...in the past, Frieza had been able to uplift a large hillside without effort. At the very least, this would help him however.

He raised his hand up into the air, and brought his powerful fist down with all of his might. He his massive seven foot frame certainly aided the force of the attack as well.. It collided and he winced a bit as he felt some bones in his hands crack from the force of striking what was basically a block of concrete thanks to his mental manipulation of the ground. It uplifted with the far side from Cell gouging upwards into the air, it was at least taller than himself by three feet. It was a little big being a massive chunk of ground that was at least three feet thick. Cell was no fool however, this would not be enough to stop the oncoming attack.

He then crossed his arms in front of his chest and face. He forced his ki in front of him and compacted it as much as possible. A thick yellow shield of ki energy formed from this exertion. This was still not enough in Cell's mind however. With that in mind, even though it was already strained holding together the large rock in front of him, he created a secondary barrier by pushing outwards just inside his ki barrier using his brain.

The 'line' of energy broke and hundreds of ki-made needles surged forward, They tore into the rock in front of Cell, which managed to stop a great deal of them as they exploded over it. Many others however, pierced right through only to collide with Cell's shield. Each shield held firm for a small amount of time before being shattered by the onslaught. Dust from the protective stone slab rose into the air and obscured Cell's imagine.

Soon however, his silhouette could be seen. He spoke as he walked forward.
"Thank you, Sairai...you showed me something I've never seen or known of before. the next time we meet that ability will also be part of my perfection. However...if you plan to kill me you need to to aim much better than that. Maybe I should make that our next lesson" He said, but his voice sounded stranger than usual. More labored and wheezy. Once he could be fully seen, it was obvious why.

He had blood sliding down his face from a hole in his cheek and clearly went through his head. He also had a hole in the area that would indicate a needle had gone completely through his lung. That was the main reason for the blood that also dripped from his mouth as he spoke. His arms were dotted with holes and cuts from the passing needles. He was most certainly damaged heavily. However, Cell was not one to remain looking so pathetic. If he did, he wouldn't be any better than those weak humans. It was a good thing he had absorbed so much Biomass in the Pendulum room, otherwise this would be a problem for him.

Soon, thanks to said biomass, his wounds began to heal. If Sairai looked closely enough, he would noticed that he could seem them closing up, and the oozing blood stopped flowing from the holes in his abdomen, chest, and arms. A few moments later, and you wouldn't have even known he had been damaged if it wasn't for the acidic blood lining his body. A few drops fell from his hand and landed on the ground. It began to sizzle and it burned the hot desert sand. He spoke again, this time sounding normal, or at least normal for him. He began to turn as he did so.

"Feel free to find me if you want another lesson." he said, but as he walked away he said one more thing, due of course to his damned cells urging him to say something. It came out as nicely as a mass murdering monster could say it. "Maybe I won't even try to kill you...but I doubt it." He said, walking away.

His mind was so full of thoughts of how amazing it would be to eat him now. The meal he would provide would be absolutely excellent. However, that would not be the most wise decision, to him. He had to fatten him up. He and Broly, with the power and abilities of those two, he would be so much closer to perfection.

For now however, he had to go take care of something. He felt a huge amount of hatred he needed to take out on something. He could use a snack anyways.

WC: 1138
Total:4222