A massive glacier stretched across the land beneath the sky. Bone-chilling winds howled, sweeping ice crystals along with them as everyone's Battle Suits flapped in the gusts.
"This place really is completely different from the future I know. In my world, only Android 17 and Android 18 went on a rampage. I never imagined there would be so many androids in this era."
Trunks's expression darkened as he sheathed his sword. Even though he'd been prepared for this, he was still shaken.
"What happened on your end?" Son Gohan came over and asked.
"Gohan, I was having dinner with my father in West City when an android named Cell came after us. He showed no restraint and even started slaughtering civilians."
"Dad and I had no choice but to lure him here to fight." There was a trace of fear in Trunks's eyes. He and his father had been utterly powerless against Cell.
"Your father?"
Son Gohan cut Trunks off and leaned close to whisper in his ear, "You and Uncle Vegeta have acknowledged each other? Aren't you afraid changing history like that will make you disappear from the future?"
If Vegeta and Bulma deliberately avoided each other because of this, Future Trunks might never exist.
Trunks scratched his head and smiled shyly. "I already have one."
"What!? You have one? Vegeta's? Future technology has advanced that much?" Son Gohan was even more shocked than he'd been at seeing two Cells.
"No, no!"
Trunks hastily waved his hands and explained, "With my help, Dad and Mom got together in less than two months. I was born in this world a few days ago."
"You scared me! Don't leave out so many words when you talk." Son Gohan patted his chest, took a deep breath, then let it out.
Suddenly, the hairs on his body stood on end. It felt as if some primordial beast had fixed its gaze on him. He turned and met Vegeta's murderous glare.
Vegeta clenched his fists. If they hadn't been facing a powerful enemy, he would have attacked already.
Realizing he'd said the wrong thing, Son Gohan gave an awkward smile. "Trunks, go on."
"Hahahahaha!" Despite the tense atmosphere, Krillin and the others burst out laughing.
Trunks felt a little embarrassed himself. He glanced at the furious Vegeta, then continued:
"Once Cell attacked, Dad and I realized he wasn't even in the same league as us."
"At that critical moment, Uncle Piccolo arrived and fought Cell with everything he had." Trunks spoke with gratitude as he looked toward Piccolo.
"I happened to be near West City," Piccolo said.
"During the fight, Cell shot two little monsters that looked exactly like him out of his tail. They were terrifyingly strong."
Trunks shuddered at the memory. They'd nearly been killed by the Cell Juniors.
"Then a few more androids showed up. Everyone stopped fighting at the same time, and then you all appeared."
"I see." Son Gohan nodded. Now the whole sequence of events made sense.
Dr. Gero's plan was truly terrifying. If the Z Fighters hadn't trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber this year, they would have suffered heavy casualties in this attack.
Son Gohan then explained where the androids across from them had come from, leaving everyone stunned.
"One of those Cells came from the future, just like me!" Trunks was too shocked to speak.
"So he came to take revenge on me?" Son Goku had nearly forgotten that he'd destroyed the Red Ribbon Army when he was a boy.
Son Gohan fixed his gaze on the two Cells. A few questions still nagged at him; he needed to get answers from the other side.
"Which one of you is Future Cell?" Son Gohan asked confidently.
"Kid, you know far too much." Dr. Gero still couldn't figure out how his information had leaked.
"Dr. Gero, what does it matter if I tell him? I'm the Cell from the future." Lightning Cell's eyes were full of amusement.
He had Frieza's cells inside him and had inherited the galactic emperor's cruel nature.
He loved laying the truth bare before his opponents, savoring the process as they went from hope to utter despair.
"Son Gohan, you've grown far beyond what I expected." Lightning Cell's words could have been praise or mockery.
"I thought those useless fools like Bojack would cause you some trouble. I never expected that not one of you would die. What a disappointment."
"So you really were the one who released Bojack."
Son Gohan had never been certain. The timing had always seemed wrong to him, and Cell's strength was limited. The moment he saw Lightning Cell, he understood.
"That bastard's unbelievable. He brought such a powerful enemy to Earth and acts like it's nothing." Yamcha seethed with anger.
"I released them from their seals to collect their cells. I figured I might as well get some use out of them, but garbage is still garbage."
Lightning Cell tilted his head and sneered, as if recalling something amusing.
"You absorbed the cells of Bojack and his crew?" Son Gohan suddenly felt a chill.
Dr. Gero had said the Insect Spy Robots could fly beyond Earth, which meant they hadn't just been following him and the others around.
Just how many elite warriors from across the universe had Cell absorbed?
"Surprised?"
Lightning Cell had finally seen the expression he wanted. His interest rose, and his eyes gleamed.
"Over the past two years, you went to Namek and fought Frieza, growing stronger. Did you think we were just sitting around?"
"I took Dr. Gero with me to all sorts of nearby planets. We collected the cells of powerful fighters and acquired their advanced technology, which greatly accelerated the gestation of the other androids."
He glanced at the Cell in his first form. That one had clearly hatched early because of technological advances: the Cell from this timeline.
Otherwise, the Cell from the main timeline would have needed another twenty-six years to mature naturally.
Tien Shinhan and the others shuddered. Their faces went pale, sweat ran down their brows, and they stood frozen, dumbfounded.
"How could this happen?" Son Gohan muttered. The situation had completely slipped out of his control.
Future Cell carried the cells of countless elite warriors from across the universe, meaning his potential was unimaginably vast. Lightning Cell definitely wasn't the limit of his power.
"Wait, that doesn't make sense!" Son Gohan suddenly remembered something.
"When you came to this era, you should have regressed into an egg, then spent three years underground before maturing again."
"I don't understand how you matured so quickly."
"And collecting the cells of powerful fighters wouldn't directly increase your strength. It would only increase your potential. Did you secretly absorb an android?" Son Gohan ventured.
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
Lightning Cell applauded unhurriedly. The amusement in his eyes turned to admiration. "Son Gohan, I like you more and more. I'll save you for last."
"Because as soon as I arrived in this era, I found Dr. Gero and told him everything. He created me, so of course he could make me mature faster."
Cell spoke of Dr. Gero with deep respect, which made Son Gohan look at him more closely. This guy definitely had something up his sleeve.
"Future Cell told me that Android 17 and Android 18 in his timeline were killed by Trunks, so he couldn't evolve into his perfect form," Dr. Gero interjected.
He also enjoyed the thrill of toying with his enemies. They were all about to die anyway, so there was no harm in telling them.
"Future Cell came up with an idea: if he could absorb Android 17 and Android 18, could he absorb the other androids as well?"
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