The tension hung thick over the Cell Games arena like a storm waiting to break.
Cell stood calmly, hands behind his back, his perfect form emanating a soft yet terrifying hum of energy. He wore a faint, amused smirk, the kind of expression only someone confident in their utter dominance could wear.
Across the tiled floor stood the defenders of Earth. The Z Fighters, Saiyans, and their allies had gathered in full strength. Their auras were calm, yet turbulent—suppressed but ready to erupt at a moment's notice.
Trunks stepped forward.
His voice cut through the silence like a blade. "Listen, we don't have to do this the old way. We should fight him together."
All eyes turned to him.
"Cell's too powerful," Trunks continued. "We've seen what he can do. If we fight him alone, one-on-one, we're just giving him a game. But if we hit him all at once—if we work together—we have a chance to take him down before he gains any momentum."
Krillin nodded. "Trunks is right. This isn't just some pride match. This is the fate of the world."
Yamcha cracked his knuckles. "Team effort, huh? Been a while since I liked our odds, but I'm in."
Tien grunted in agreement. "Let's end this quickly."
But not everyone shared their optimism.
Vegeta scoffed, arms crossed. "Hmph. Pathetic. A group dogpile? How disgraceful."
Nappa contemplating, I'll fight with Raditz
Raditz nodding, We'll fight together. It's shameful but we have to surpass our limits and Cell is just the right stepping stone for that.
Piccolo shook his head slowly. "I want to fight him myself to test my limits"
Even Gohan stepped forward, eyes serious. "I want to fight him alone"
From the sidelines, Goku watched with unreadable calm. His arms were crossed, his expression neutral—but his eyes… they flickered with something more. Pride. Anticipation. Hope.
Trunks in disbelief turned back to the battlefield. "We'll buy time. Hurt him if we can. You can argue about pride later."
The four warriors stepped onto the field.
Cell blinked once. "Ah… I suppose the warm-up is over. Entertain me."
And then, with a sudden BOOM, Tien launched forward—blazing red with Kaioken x30, hands glowing with Tri-Beam energy.
"HAH!!!" Tien screamed, slamming both palms into Cell's face with a point-blank Tri-Beam.
The blast scorched the arena, the earth cracked beneath Cell's feet, and dust erupted upward. But as it settled—
Cell stood unharmed, the smallest scorch mark on his cheek. "Impressive… for a cockroach."
Without warning, Cell struck, elbowing Tien mid-chest. The force sent him flying backward like a ragdoll, smashing through three stone columns before skidding to a stop.
Yamcha appeared next, fists ablaze with Kaioken as he shot forward with a flying kick. "WOLF FANG RUSH!"
Blow after blow rained down—fast, coordinated, relentless. For a brief second, it looked like Yamcha was pushing Cell back… until Cell parried with a single wrist and caught Yamcha's foot mid-kick.
Crack!
Yamcha screamed as Cell twisted his ankle mid-air and tossed him away like a piece of garbage.
Krillin and Trunks moved in together.
Trunks, already in Super Saiyan, let out a roar and swung his sword downward with blinding speed. Cell raised his arm to block, but Krillin, flanking from the other side with Kaioken x30, fired a point-blank Destructo Disc to Cell's ribs.
Cell was forced to dodge, shifting to the side—just enough for Trunks to land a clean slash across Cell's chest, sending bio-plasma splattering onto the tiles.
The perfect warrior staggered back slightly, touched the glowing cut—and laughed.
"Hahaha… I felt that."
He blurred—vanished—and reappeared behind Trunks in the blink of an eye.
"But now I'm bored."
A crushing uppercut sent Trunks flying into the sky.
Cell blurred again—above him this time—and slammed both fists downward, launching Trunks into the ground like a meteor.
BOOM!!!
The crater exploded in a shockwave of dust and debris.
Krillin rushed in. "SOLAR FLARE!"
Light erupted across the battlefield. Everyone—Z Fighters, the crowd, even Cell—was temporarily blinded. But Cell didn't panic.
He grinned. "Nice trick."
Even blinded, he moved by sensing their ki. **He anticipated Krillin's next blow—**and intercepted him with a brutal knee to the ribs.
Krillin coughed blood.
Tien and Yamcha regrouped, both roaring in tandem, firing twin ki waves toward Cell. Trunks, battered but not broken, rose and unleashed his full power.
The attacks converged into a massive blinding explosion.
Smoke.
Silence.
Then—
Cell walked out, arms behind his back, utterly unharmed, save for a few scorch marks.
"You are amusing," he said calmly. "But you are outmatched."
All four warriors lay bruised, winded, and bloodied. Trunks forced himself upright, teeth clenched.
"He's… even stronger than I imagined…"
From the sidelines, Gohan stepped forward, fists clenched.
Goku raised a hand. "Not yet."
Gohan paused.
Smoke drifted in the air like a veil of despair.
Krillin lay unconscious, a shallow breath the only sign he remained alive. Burnt marks and dried blood marred his orange gi.
Yamcha lay nearby, his body twitching slightly from a recent ki blast that had clipped his shoulder and rendered him barely conscious before he passed out.
Trunks, armor cracked and golden aura dimmed, had given it everything. His breathing was ragged, his consciousness slipping away.
Only one warrior remained upright on the battlefield.
Tien Shinhan.
He stood with both feet planted firmly on the ground, Kaioken x30 burning across his body in a crimson aura. His chest heaved. Sweat poured from his brow. Every muscle trembled—but not from fear.
From determination.
Across the field, Cell stood completely still. Bits of dust clung to his bio-armor. He looked over the battlefield with idle amusement.
Then he tilted his head toward Tien.
"Ah… Still standing?" Cell's smirk widened. "No Krillin to hold your hand? No Saiyan blood to fall back on? You're not an Android… Not a Namekian… Certainly not a Super Saiyan. Just a bald, little three-eyed man clinging to life. How quaint."
Tien didn't flinch.
His response was steady. Calm.
But beneath it—there was fire.
He clenched his fists and whispered one phrase that would be burned into everyone's memory.
"F*ck power levels."
Cell raised an eyebrow, amused.
Tien's aura flared.
"F*ck Super Saiyans."
Cell took a step forward, curiosity glinting in his eyes.
Tien's teeth grit, veins bulging from his neck, his third eye glowing.
"And F*CK YOU."
He dropped into stance. Two hands forming a triangle. Fingers spread wide.
The ground cracked beneath him.
Tien roared—"SHIN!!! KIKOHOOOOO!!!!"
A titanic golden beam tore through the arena, obliterating tiles and vaporizing dust in its path. Cell's eyes widened, and for the first time since the Games began—
He cursed.
"SHIT—!"
The blast struck Cell directly in the chest, launching him backward through a wall of stone columns. Explosions rippled through the landscape. Shockwaves sent boulders flying into the sky.
Tien stood still, arm trembling.
"Not done yet…"
Another blast.
"SHIN KIKOHO!"
Boom.
Cell's silhouette emerged, wounded but still on his feet.
Tien gritted his teeth."SHIN KIKOHO!"
Boom.
Cell stumbled slightly now. His armor cracked, a burn mark across his midsection. He clenched his jaw.
Tien's body shook violently. Blood streamed from his nose. His eyes were unfocused—but his spirit, unbroken.
"SHIN—!!"
His knees buckled.
"KI—!!"
His body nearly collapsed.
"—KOHO!!!"
BOOM!!!
The final beam hit Cell square in the chest once more, kicking up a mile-wide crater of scorched rock and dust.
Tien fell to his knees.
His vision blurred.
He could hear his heart pounding.
The world rang in silence.
Then… the dust began to settle.
A shadow stepped out.
Cell emerged—tattered, scuffed, but smiling.
"Impressive. That actually stung."
He raised a hand.
A glowing green orb formed.
Tien didn't have the strength to dodge. His head hung low. His body limp.
But as Cell prepared to end him—
Tien smirked.
"We give up."
Cell blinked.
"What?"
Tien coughed blood and looked up, eyes burning with defiance.
"That's it. We're done. The team gave it our best. You win this round."
He gave a raspy chuckle.
"You wanted entertainment, didn't you? Well… that was the first act."
Cell's expression shifted slightly. Confusion? Annoyance? Or amusement?
Hard to tell.
He let the blast dissipate.
"Well, well…" he said, brushing a bit of blood from his lip. "You may be weak, but you've got spine. Fine. I'll let you crawl away… for now."
Tien collapsed fully.
Behind the ruins of the arena, Goku stood with arms crossed, eyes narrowed. Gohan clenched his fists, teeth grinding.
"Dad…" he whispered. "He gave everything."
Goku nodded. "He did."
Vegeta scoffed. "Foolish."
Piccolo remained silent. But his respect for Tien had grown.
Back on the field, Cell turned toward the Z Fighters' direction. "Next."
Location: Just outside the Cell Games ArenaTime: Minutes after Tien's Final Shin Kikoho
The rumbling had only just settled.
Dust blanketed the air. Chunks of rock and molten stone were scattered across the wasteland like crumbs after a titan's feast.
And yet—
From his heavily cushioned lawn chair, nestled beneath a large red-and-white parasol, Mr. Satan dramatically sipped coconut juice from a golden thermos. A camera crew, reporters, and his loyal students stood nearby, staring slack-jawed at the distant chaos.
"Now, now," Mr. Satan waved a dismissive hand. "This is clearly all an elaborate light show. Probably some special effects budget from Hollywood, eh?"
Jimmy Firecracker, the lead reporter with the giant sunglasses and slicked-back hair, adjusted his mic and shouted over the wind, "We're live at the scene, folks! And we just saw a man shoot a golden laser beam that nearly split the sky in two!"
The cameraman zoomed in on the crater where Tien now lay unconscious.
"Was that a… Kamehame-whatever?! A Shin something?! WHAT IS GOING ON?!"
Mr. Satan leaned back with a smug grin. "You gotta understand, Jimmy. These guys are illusionists. Martial theater. You know, smoke bombs, levitation wires, smoke and mirrors. I've done all that on stage back in East City."
His students nodded vigorously, though sweat poured down their temples.
Then Cell's deep, echoing laughter rolled across the land.
BOOM.A ki blast exploded far off in the arena's center. The shockwave kicked up another dust storm that made Jimmy nearly fall over.
The broadcast signal shook violently.
"Holy—! Are we safe here?!" the cameraman whimpered.
Mr. Satan didn't flinch. He stood up, dusted off his championship belt, and struck his signature pose.
"Safe? Of course we're safe! That so-called Cell? Please. I've wrestled dinosaurs and suplexed giant robots live on pay-per-view! This is nothing!"
The reporters were unconvinced. But the live feed kept rolling.
Suddenly, the camera zoomed in again—this time catching glimpses of Krillin, Yamcha, and Trunks being dragged away to the sidelines. Cell's figure was clearer now—he stood tall, arms crossed, with not a scratch from the Z Fighters' earlier onslaught.
Jimmy swallowed hard.
"Mr. Satan… are you sure that isn't real? That looks pretty real."
"Pfft." Mr. Satan scoffed. "Do you see blood? No? Then it's fake. That green guy—probably a guy in a suit. Hollywood makeup. They use this stuff for those Dragon Men movies or whatever the kids watch."
BOOM!Another explosion echoed—this one a massive dome of energy released into the sky. For a second, even the sun seemed dimmer.
The students cowered behind the news van.
Mr. Satan's left eye twitched.
"I'll fight this Cell Guy again and he'll know who's Champ!" he shouted suddenly, walking stiffly toward the crater while shaking his limbs theatrically.
Jimmy's jaw dropped. "Wait—you're going in there?! LIVE?! RIGHT NOW?!"
Suddenly
"UGH MY STOMACH IT HURTS SO MUCH" Mr. Satan roared as acted out like he was really in pain.
Jimmy's jaw dropped, the whole world fell silent.