The winds howled across the battlefield as dust from the ruined arena swirled into the skies above. The crowd—both spectators and warriors—stood in tense silence, watching as Vegeta stepped forward. The glint in his eyes wasn't just arrogance. It was challenge, fury, and something far more dangerous: confidence.
"Move aside," Vegeta said coldly to the others. "This one's mine."
Cell raised an eyebrow, amused. "Ah, Prince Vegeta. Come to take the throne back, have you? Do you truly believe you're worthy to face me?"
Vegeta ignored him.
He turned to Master Roshi. "Old man. Give me a Senzu Bean."
Master Roshi blinked behind his shades. "What for, kid?"
Vegeta smirked. "Just give me the damn bean."
Reluctantly, Roshi tossed him one from the pouch. But instead of eating it, Vegeta turned and threw the Senzu directly to Cell.
Gasps filled the air.
The Z fighters who just recovered from eating a Senzu Bean
Krillin shouted, "What the hell are you doing?!"
Tien narrowed his eyes. "Has he lost it?!"
Even Piccolo's scowl deepened. "He's feeding the enemy?!"
But Goku didn't flinch. Arms crossed, a knowing smirk curled at the corner of his lips.
Cell caught the Senzu Bean, stunned. "Feeding me? You must really want to die today, Vegeta."
"I want to fight you at your best," Vegeta said simply. "I want to crush your perfect form, not your exhausted husk. Now eat it, bug."
Cell laughed, amused. Then popped the bean into his mouth.
The effect was immediate. A crackling aura burst around him. His wounds vanished, his eyes gleamed with renewed focus, and his power flared high—a Zenkai boost far beyond what any had expected.
"You fool," Cell said. "You've handed me your death sentence."
But Vegeta only chuckled. "You'll need all the help you can get."
He dropped into his stance—one foot back, hands raised, aura already shimmering gold.
The ground quaked as both warriors launched forward.
Their fists collided with the sound of thunder, sending out shockwaves that shattered the remains of the Cell Games arena. Rocks crumbled, the platform beneath them cracked with each exchanged blow.
Cell's elbow swung, aiming for Vegeta's temple—but the Saiyan prince twisted mid-air, parrying and countering with a spinning roundhouse that forced Cell to block.
Krillin watched in awe. "He's going toe-to-toe with him...!"
Yamcha blinked. "Is this really the same guy who got folded by Zarbon back then?"
Cell grinned as he weaved through Vegeta's flurry. "You've grown strong, monkey. But strength alone isn't enough."
He backhanded Vegeta, sending him tumbling back, but the Saiyan flipped mid-air, blasted toward Cell, and headbutted him with brutal force, sending the bio-android crashing into the dirt.
BOOM!
The crater Cell made smoked as Vegeta floated overhead, smirking.
"You're right," Vegeta said. "Strength alone isn't enough. But I have something more—pride."
Cell rose slowly, brushing debris off his shoulders. "Then let's stop playing."
Suddenly, his aura erupted.
A brilliant teal aura burst from his form. His muscles bulked slightly, his eyes narrowed, and his power climbed—higher than it had ever been.
Piccolo stepped forward, alarmed. "That's not the same Cell we faced before... He's using more of his power now."
Goku nodded. "And so is Vegeta."
Vegeta smirked as golden lightning began crackling around him. His body tensed, aura exploding outward with a shockwave.
"HAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
The sky darkened for a moment.
Electric bolts burst from Vegeta's golden aura. His hair became spikier, sharper, more upright. His eyes more intense.
"Super Saiyan... 2."
Gasps echoed.
Trunks' eyes widened. "I-Incredible, so this is what he was hiding...?"
Raditz and Nappa both staggered back slightly.
Nappa whispered. "What the hell is that power...?"
Raditz clenched his fists. "This is what Kakarot meant by mastering our forms... I get it now."
Cell took a single step forward. "So this is the result of your pride? Good. Let's test how 'ascended' you really are."
Vegeta moved first.
He vanished.
Cell's eyes flicked—too slow.
A gut punch slammed into Cell, doubling him over. Then a barrage of blindingly fast punches and kicks followed. Vegeta moved like a phantom—blazing across the air, weaving between blows, striking with precision.
Cell finally managed to recover, grabbing Vegeta's leg mid-strike and slamming him into the ground like a meteor.
But Vegeta only bounced back up, charging a blast point-blank into Cell's face and letting it detonate with a roar.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The earth shook violently. Smoke engulfed the battlefield.
When the dust settled—Cell was charred but grinning.
"I haven't had this much fun since... ever."
He raised both hands. Twin ki spheres formed, humming with destructive force.
Vegeta's aura surged.
"FINAL FLASH!!!"
Cell's blasts met Vegeta's beam mid-air. The entire landscape turned blinding white.
Even the faraway spectators had to shield their eyes. Buildings trembled miles away. The earth cracked beneath the combined might of the two titans.
For a moment—it looked like a stalemate.
Then Vegeta gritted his teeth, roaring, and the beam widened.
"RAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
The wave overpowered Cell's twin blasts—and hit him dead-on.
BOOM!
An entire mountain range behind Cell exploded.
Cell tumbled from the air—smoke billowing off his body. One arm was burnt, part of his torso singed.
But he landed upright—grinning.
"Excellent. You've truly surpassed yourself, Vegeta."
Vegeta was panting, but he smirked through bloodied lips.
"And that... was just my warm-up."
Everyone stood in stunned silence.
Goku smiled, arms still crossed. "Looks like I'm not the only one who held back after all."
Smoke drifted like ghosts across the shattered battlefield. Bits of broken tile from the Cell Games Arena hovered mid-air before dropping like feathers, the world holding its breath.
Vegeta stood tall, golden aura sparking violently around him. His Super Saiyan 2 form still glowed bright—his chest heaving, lips curled into a determined sneer.
Cell, bruised and burnt, chuckled through the smoke. "I must say… I underestimated you, Vegeta."
Vegeta spat to the side, blood and saliva. "Of course you did. You always do."
Then he vanished.
The air cracked as Vegeta blitzed forward, his fist colliding with Cell's jaw in a clean, earth-rending uppercut that sent the bio-android skidding through the mountains beyond the arena. A sonic boom followed.
Everyone stood in awe.
Krillin blinked. "He's doing it... He's actually winning!"
Trunks' fists clenched. "Father...!"
In the crater far off, Cell grunted as he pulled himself to his feet—but Vegeta was already on him, kneeing him in the gut and launching a rapid barrage of ki blasts that exploded like firecrackers all across the valley.
Cell screamed.
Vegeta panted, sweat dripping down his face. "It's over, Cell."
And in truth—it almost was.
Cell dropped to one knee, coughing. His regeneration was slowing. That last Final Flash had taken a toll, and even his increased strength from the Senzu and Zenkai wasn't enough to dominate Vegeta's refined Super Saiyan 2.
The arena trembled as golden lightning arced from Vegeta's aura. His Super Saiyan 2 form flared like a storm unleashed, eyes locked onto Cell's smirking face.
"You're finished," Vegeta growled.
Cell dusted off his chest, blood trailing down one corner of his mouth. "Such confidence. But I—"
"Big Bang Attack."
Cell's eyes widened in the instant before Vegeta appeared right in front of him—his palm pressed directly against Cell's chest.
BOOOOOM!!!
A colossal explosion engulfed the battlefield. The blast swallowed everything, turning the arena into a crater and vaporizing the landscape in every direction. Mountains split. Clouds scattered. The air went still.
Dust choked the horizon.
Everyone watching held their breath.
Krillin's jaw dropped. "He… did it?"
Trunks gasped. "That was point-blank…"
Even Goku, standing off to the side, nodded with a small, satisfied smile. "That was his best shot."
As the smoke cleared, it was clear Vegeta hadn't held back.
There was nothing left.
No trace of Cell. No energy. No body.
Vegeta collapsed to one knee, panting heavily, his armor cracked, blood trickling down his face. His golden aura sputtered as he forced himself to stand.
"You underestimated me, you freak…" he muttered.
"Did I?"
The voice came from above.
Vegeta's eyes widened.
Something pulsed in the air—a flicker of green light.
From the swirling dust, a form began to take shape. Bones. Muscle. Skin. Regenerated from a single surviving cell.
Cell reformed. Whole again. Stronger.
"No…" Vegeta whispered, his golden hair flickering with disbelief.
Cell stretched his arms. "What a gift, Vegeta. You gave me the opportunity to evolve once more."
His aura exploded around him, darker and sharper. The air warped with the pressure.
"Now let me return the favor."
With a single movement, Cell fired a blast of condensed ki from his finger—a beam like a laser, sharp and precise.
It tore through Vegeta's shoulder and gut, exploding on contact and flinging him across the battlefield like a ragdoll.
"FATHER!" Trunks screamed.
Vegeta skidded to a stop, unconscious and bloodied, his Super Saiyan form snuffed out.
Cell hovered in the air, laughing. "Saiyans. Always so dramatic."
He gathered another blast, aiming it at Vegeta's fallen form.
"You die now."
Just as Cell fired—
"RRRAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
A golden blur intercepted the blast. Trunks slammed into Cell mid-charge, sending the attack careening into the sky where it exploded harmlessly.
"You're not touching him!" Trunks roared, eyes blazing in fury. His golden aura pulsed violently, every strike fueled by desperation and rage.
Cell grunted, blocked, and countered, but Trunks kept pushing, forcing him back.
Then—
"Giant Crusher!" Nappa slammed into Cell from the side, a devastating punch that cracked the ground beneath them.
Raditz followed, spinning mid-air and launching a barrage of ki blasts. "THIS IS FOR VEGETA!"
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Piccolo, Tien, Krillin, Yamcha—they all leapt into the fray, ki flaring in unison.
Cell snarled. "You want a dogpile? FINE!"
The battlefield exploded into chaos. Blurs of gold, red, and green danced across the arena. Fist met fist. Ki beams illuminated the sky.
While the others held Cell back, Goku reappeared beside Vegeta's body. He gently lifted the prince's head, pulling a senzu bean from his sash.
"You're not dying here, Vegeta."
He placed the bean in his mouth, helping him chew it.
Vegeta groaned, blinking awake. "K-Kakarot…?"
Goku smiled. "You did great. Now rest. We'll take it from here."
Vegeta's breathing steadied as his wounds healed, but he could barely rise.
He looked to the battlefield—his son and comrades fighting Cell with everything they had.
His fist clenched. "Don't… let that monster win."
As the sun beat down on the cratered battlefield, Cell swatted Raditz and Nappa aside with explosive force, but his laughter was strained. His body, though regenerating, showed cracks.
Trunks, panting heavily, floated across from him.
"This isn't over, Cell."
Cell grinned. "Good. I wouldn't want it to be."
The final phase of the Cell Games had begun.