A Storm Was Coming

Waves crashed wildly against the reefs of Turtle Island, roaring loud enough to shake the heavens.

Inside Turtle Hermit House, the once-spacious living room now felt cramped. In preparation for the approaching Cell Games, all the Z Fighters except the Saiyans had gathered there. But no one was training now.

Everyone stared fixedly at the enormous screen in the middle of the living room.

Krillin, Tien Shinhan, and Yamcha stood in a row, cold sweat dripping from their chins onto the wooden floor with dull splats. Master Roshi had unusually dropped his usual lecherous, unserious manner. He had even taken off the sunglasses he wore all the time, and shock filled his cloudy eyes.

In front of the screen, Bulma's fingers flew over the keyboard as she frantically typed in commands.

"Is the feed still not connected?" Krillin asked, his voice dry.

"Quiet! I'm busy, you idiot Krillin," Bulma replied without looking back.

Before this, to prepare for Cell, Bulma and her father, Dr. Brief, had joined forces to repair Android 16, who had been badly damaged by Cell. As a top scientist, while rewriting 16's core program, Bulma had also installed a module that could transmit synchronized video and audio.

She had only meant to give them another way to gather information during the Cell Games. She hadn't expected this backdoor to become their only window into the scene.

Dende stood beside Bulma, still clutching the new Dragon Radar he had only half finished calibrating. As Earth's new guardian, his ability to sense energy was sharper than anyone else's here.

He lifted his head and looked toward the distant horizon through the window of Turtle Hermit House. His slender body trembled uncontrollably.

The electronic noise on the screen finally settled, revealing a clear image of the plaza at Kami's Palace.

Onscreen, Android 16's emotionless mechanical eyes were fixed on the one-armed young man hovering in midair.

His cold mechanical voice echoed through the speakers and around the living room of Turtle Hermit House.

"An energy level of forty billion? Who are you?"

"There's no record of you in Earth's database. My Scouter can't identify you, but based on my analysis, you should be Future Gohan."

The moment the words "Son Gohan" came through the speakers—

Chi-Chi, standing at the back of the crowd, shuddered violently. The teacup in her hands hit the floor with a sharp crash and shattered.

She shoved Yamcha out of her way and rushed to the screen, gripping its edge with both hands.

Onscreen, the young man was bare-chested, his strong muscles sharply defined. But what truly hurt Chi-Chi's eyes were the terrible scars crisscrossing his body—and the empty sleeve on his left side.

"That's Future Gohan?!" Chi-Chi's voice instantly broke with tears.

That was her son. The sweet boy who had cried over shots when he was little, and whom she had hoped would grow up to become a great scholar.

What kind of living hell had her precious son endured in the future to become so battered, with a gaze as cold as iron?

Tears fell like beads from a broken string, splashing onto the keyboard. Chi-Chi bit down hard on her lip, trying not to cry aloud, but her violently trembling shoulders betrayed how close she was to breaking down.

Launch stepped forward and gently put an arm around Chi-Chi's shoulders. She said nothing, just patted her back firmly.

Unlike Chi-Chi, the martial artists present were focused on another, utterly terrifying number.

"Forty billion..." Krillin swallowed, his throat feeling as if it were stuffed with sand. "You've got to be kidding... Can a human really reach that level of power?"

Yamcha forced a bitter smile that looked more like a grimace. "Saiyans... They really are all monsters, aren't they..."

"No wonder that energy felt so familiar, yet was so immense I couldn't believe it," Tien Shinhan said. His fists clenched, his nails digging deep into his palms as the veins stood out on the backs of his hands.

As martial artists who had once competed against Goku for the title of champion at the World Martial Arts Tournament, they had trained desperately, trying to keep up with him.

But they couldn't even catch up to Piccolo, let alone Goku. And as for power on this scale, could anyone truly reach it just by working hard?

This absolute gulf in strength filled the proud martial artists with profound helplessness.

Yet even more than the shock at Future Gohan's power, what weighed on them now was a different fear, more unadulterated and more suffocating.

Onscreen, Android 16's voice continued.

"But even with you, the outcome won't change. New Cell's power has already exceeded the limits of my calculations. No one can defeat him."

His words struck everyone in Turtle Hermit House like a heavy hammer to the chest.

They didn't need Android 16 to remind them. They knew better than anyone just how terrifying New Cell was.

Just minutes ago, that energy had erupted from the other side of the Earth.

If Future Gohan's energy was an endless ocean, then the energy of Ultimate Cell was a black hole in space that devoured everything.

It was utterly evil, chaotic, and filled with a pure desire to destroy.

"Damn it!" Krillin slammed a fist into the wall beside him.

With a bang, his punch left a deep crack in the wooden wall.

"We were already completely helpless against Perfect Cell." Krillin gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot with frustration. "Now an even more terrifying monster has shown up! Are we really just supposed to watch Goku and the others fight with their lives on the line, then hide here and wait to die?!"

Yamcha lowered his head and said nothing.

Tien Shinhan took a deep breath, unclenched his fists, and turned to Krillin. His voice was surprisingly calm. "Krillin, calm down."

Krillin abruptly raised his head. "How am I supposed to stay calm? That monster's about to go after Goku and Gohan!"

"What would you accomplish by going?" Tien Shinhan met Krillin's gaze. "With our strength, we can't even get close to the center of that energy. The shock waves from the fighting alone would tear us to pieces."

Tien Shinhan's words were cruel, but they were undeniably true.

"If we go, we won't help at all. We'll only become a burden to Goku and the others." Tien Shinhan turned back to the screen. "Face reality. This battle is far beyond anything ordinary people like us can get involved in. Staying here and protecting ourselves, without adding to their burden, is the only thing we can do now."

Master Roshi sighed and put his sunglasses back on. "Tien Shinhan is right. What happens next is up to Goku, Gohan, and the others."

Silence settled over the room once more.

Only the sound of waves crashing against the reefs grew louder.

Master Roshi stared silently out the window at the pitch-black sky, then let out a long sigh.