Cell the Lab Rat

"Kakarot, come on. Beat this guy up."

With that, Vegeta charged in and pinned the other guy down, pummeling him mercilessly.

Still furious over Earth's destruction, Sun Wukong joined the fight. For a while, they beat Cell until he was utterly hopeless.

Five minutes later, Vegeta flew toward Bulma, holding Cell by one leg. Cell had only a breath of life left in him.

In a secret underground laboratory, Bulma proudly showed off the Time Machine she had built. It still needed a little more work, but what she had accomplished was already something to be proud of.

"What do you think? Pretty impressive, right?"

Gamos crawled out from underneath the Time Machine, covered in dust, his eyes gleaming with pride.

"Not bad, not bad. It's definitely impressive."

Gamos got straight to work, using telekinesis to manipulate the tiny parts. His hands flew about, and the nearly finished Time Machine was promptly taken apart.

"What are you doing?"

Seeing her creation dismantled just like that, Bulma couldn't help shouting.

"I'm making some improvements."

Gamos flashed a smug smile, then added a bunch of parts. The machinery whirred as countless components began to assemble themselves. Less than five minutes later, a brand-new Time Machine stood before them.

"It's done."

Bulma stepped forward and tried pressing the buttons. A series of readings immediately appeared.

"W-wait, it's done? You finished my work?"

Astonishment filled Bulma's eyes. She had spent more than ten years working on this, and she'd been unable to get that last part working no matter what she tried. Yet the other guy had wrapped it up in no time.

Staring at the little monster, Bulma didn't know what to say. This kid was even more of a genius than she was!

Just as Gamos was about to boast about himself, he sensed Vegeta's ki.

"Sun Wukong and Vegeta are back."

The two of them left the lab. As soon as they reached the entrance, they spotted the pair.

Seeing that they had returned safely, Bulma finally relaxed. The worry she had carried for more than ten years vanished completely in that moment.

As long as Sun Wukong and Vegeta were around, they would always return victorious.

"Gamos, I brought you something."

Only then did the two notice the green creature being dragged behind Vegeta, limp as a dead dog.

"Cell?"

Gamos hurried over. It was even Perfect Cell—a pretty good specimen for research.

"You're always messing around with experiments, so I figured you'd like this Ultimate Android."

Vegeta smiled slightly. He wanted to see just how advanced Gamos's technology was. Could he use it to create an even more powerful Android?

"Not bad, not bad. Perfect Cell should make a pretty good specimen."

Hearing the two of them talk, Cell was beside himself. He was the mighty Ultimate Android, Perfect Cell, destined to rule the entire universe. And now they were treating him like a lab rat, planning to experiment on him! The sheer audacity!

"I—!"

Cell couldn't get a word out. The people in front of him were all terrifyingly strong. He'd better keep his head down.

If he got the chance to escape, he would absorb more powerful life-forms. Once he grew stronger, he would come back and kill everyone who had dared to humiliate him—then absorb them, too.

Looking at Cell, who was on the verge of death, Gamos took a Senzu Bean from his pocket and shoved it into his mouth.

Cell chewed instinctively. After a couple of crunches, he suddenly felt a surge throughout his body. His wounds seemed to have healed.

With a whoosh, Cell sprang to his feet and felt himself over. Sure enough, he was completely healed—and he seemed even stronger than before. This was amazing!

"Ahahaha! I, Cell, am back—and stronger than ever! Vegeta, prepare to die!"

Cell thought he could take on the world now, but Gamos immediately punched him in the stomach. With a thud, Cell's insides lurched.

With a retch, Cell spat out a glob of phlegm that looked like it had been sitting around since 1982. He doubled over, clutching his stomach, and stumbled back a few steps.

"Behave yourself."

"You—you—"

Cell stared at the little one in disbelief. He was just a kid, yet he had that much power? How was that possible?

Cell was thoroughly crushed. He had been told that Perfect Cell would be invincible in the universe, but everyone here was more monstrous than the last. His little body just couldn't take this.

Cell felt just like Vegeta had back then. Vegeta had thought that with Frieza dead, he would become the strongest in the universe—only to discover that there were plenty of people stronger than him. It was a truly shattering feeling.

"I-I'll behave."

Seeing the unfriendly look in Gamos's eyes, Cell could only surrender obediently.

"Good!"

From then on, Sun Wukong and Vegeta had nothing to do with it. Gamos took out a Capsule Corp Capsule, found an open area, and tossed it down with a bang. His laboratory appeared.

As a scientist, it was good practice to carry your laboratory around with you.

Seeing the enormous laboratory, which looked like a palace, Bulma stared in amazement and followed him inside.

Vegeta could guess what would happen. When two scientists got together, Cell's fate wouldn't be a pleasant one.

Sure enough, before long, bloodcurdling screams came from inside.

Let's observe three minutes of silence for Cell.

Ignoring him, Vegeta turned to Sun Wukong.

"What should we do about this timeline? We can't stay here forever. We have to find a way to bring the people in this timeline back to life."

Sun Wukong's expression turned grave as he replied.

"I went to see King Kai. He searched for Namek, but couldn't find it. The Namekians may have met with disaster. We have to prepare for the worst."

"This is already the worst-case scenario. Earth's Dragon Balls are gone, and the Namekians have disappeared. How are we supposed to bring the people in this timeline back to life now?"

With no set of Dragon Balls available, the two of them couldn't help feeling overwhelmed.

"Damn it, if only we could bring the Dragon Balls from our world here."

Sun Wukong scratched his head with both hands and blurted that out without thinking.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the two of them looked at each other. It might actually work.

"If we bring the Dragon Balls from our world here, we should be able to bring the people in this world back to life, right?"

Vegeta thought about it, then shook his head.

"It doesn't sound very reliable. Logically, it should work, but something about it feels off."

Just then, Bulma came out of the laboratory and looked at Sun Wukong.

"Goku, I forgot to tell you something. Here, take this. Remember to take your medicine on time."

Sun Wukong looked at the medicine in his hand and asked in confusion, "What is this for?"

"In the future, you died of the Heart Virus. Your timeline hadn't developed a specific medicine for it yet, but this one has. Take this bottle, and it should cure you."

"You absolutely mustn't die again."

Bulma warned him sternly, then turned and went back into the laboratory.

Sun Wukong looked at the medicine in his hand and sighed.

"I never thought I'd get sick, even as a Super Saiyan. What a tragedy."

"Hmph. That Heart Virus probably had something to do with your Kaioken. You use it whenever you fight, no matter what. I'm surprised your heart could take it."

Vegeta said with a scowl.