“You still wish to continue this, Cell?” her father asked, eyeing his opponent across the room. “You’re missing your mighty ‘M’”. It seems Babidi has lost. You’re weaker than before.”

  “That fool doesn’t concern me. The power he granted me was inconsequential,” Cell replied, amused. “Besides, I’m having too much fun! Why stop now? Don’t tell me you’re quitting already?”

  “Not a chance,” her father replied. “I’m more than ready to settle this score.”

  “Excellent!” Cell said, more than enthused. He entered a fighting stance, and her father did the same. They circled each other, neither making the first move.

  Little Pan watched the scene with her arms crossed, ready to intervene if Cell tried anything dirty. Despite draining her power, she kept her transformation up, her aura flaring like a blazing candle. Her transformation to Super Saiyan 2 had surprised them both, amazed someone so young accessed such a potent transformation. Even the proud, arrogant Cell had given her a respectful nod.

  Her sour expression amused the bio-warrior. “You’d best call your daughter off, Gohan. This is between me and you. Relax, child. I have no intention of killing your father—just putting his head under my heel.”

  “It’s okay, Pan,” her father said, not taking his eyes off his opponent. “I’ll be fine.”

  “But—” Little Pan replied, her lip trembling. She’d already seen one of her parents die today, and she’d sworn it’d never happen again.

  “I won’t let anything happen,” Gohan said, finally ripping his gaze away from Cell. “I have no intention of losing this fight.”

  “Okay.” But Little Pan didn’t dismiss her Super Saiyan 2 transformation. Although Babidi had clearly lost, she wouldn’t rest until everyone got wished back to life.

  “Is that right?” Cell said, delighted at the prospect of a true fight. It seemed his previous battle with the alternate Gohan hadn’t been enough for the bio-warrior. Little Pan supposed the Saiyan blood rang loud to him.

  Together, the two warriors sprang into action. Even with her heightened state of power, their speed astonished her. Their skill was magnificent, no attack wasting an iota of movement. It became abundantly clear how far Little Pan still had to go. In a flash, each fighter had already exchanged hundreds of blows.

  “You’re stronger than when you fought Pan,” her father remarked. “Is there no limit to how high your power can grow?”

  “Limit?” Cell replied. “The perfect being has no limit. You may have reached the pinnacle of your power, but I’m just getting started.”

  “Power isn’t everything,” her father said, his power flaring to incredible heights. “How about I show you how much I’ve improved since I killed you?”

  “Good! That’s exactly what I want, Gohan!” Cell’s ki spiked next, the entire building shaking from its sheer power. Their fists clashed, its impact like thunder.

  But both warriors froze as an odd sensation struck them. Power washed over her like a tide wave, ki that pounded you to dusk. Both Cell and Gohan gasped in surprise, amazed by the power they felt.

  “What the?” Cell said. “Who can that be? Has Vegito returned? No, it’s not him. Is it Goku?”

  “No.” Her father said, his tone contemplative. “It must be Bra. She must have reached Super Saiyan 2 too. It’s the only explanation.”

  “I see.” Cell frowned. Little Pan sensed his frustration. Despite his best efforts, he still wasn’t even close to the strongest being in the multiverse. The warriors of Universe 16 still outclassed him. But then his good mood returned. “Very well then. It’s just another hill I’ll have to climb. Come, Gohan. Fight me so I may tower to even greater heights.”

  “Is there no limit to his ambition?” Little Pan thought.

  “Again, you’re underestimating me.” Her father exploded with power, his face full of purpose. “Because I’m, going to knock you down that hill.”

  This earned a smile from Cell and the two resumed their bout, the air booming from their strikes. They were so quick, Pan soon lost sight of their attacks. Despite Cell’s boasts, they seemed evenly matched. From their smiles, it was obvious they were enjoying themselves. But who would win this rematch?

  “That’s enough for a warm-up.” Cell said. “How about we fight for real now?”

  “Sounds fine with me.” Her father replied.

  “They were only warming up?” Little Pan said, astonished. Before they could resume their fight, the two combatants froze as an aura of pure darkness struck them. Little Pan sensed it too, shuddering in revulsion. Bile gathered in her throat, threatening to burst.

  “What the—?” her father said, sensing the unnatural ki. Like her, he seemed ill.

  “What is that?” Cell said, narrowing his eyes. Even the proud, seemingly unstoppable bio-warrior paled after sensing that vile ki.

  “Anpan?” This vile ki had the same property as when her counterpart faced off against the imposter Pan, but its properties were ten times more foul somehow. What was going on?

  “Anpan?” her father said, confused. Cell also eyed her, waiting for an explanation.

  “There’s something wrong with that girl,” Little Pan replied. “When she fought against Big Sis, she emitted that same vile ki, but it wasn’t as powerful. I don’t know what the heck she is.”

  “We’ll have to continue this another time, Cell,” her father said, already dashing towards the foul ki.

  “Very well. I’m also curious about what could cause that,” Cell replied, joining him. Sensing something was terribly wrong, they put their battle aside.

  Little Pan followed, hackles raised. It was like jumping into a sewer as they approached, and she feared she’d never feel clean again. As they got closer, she felt more light-headed, like getting dizzy after standing too quickly. The reason for their plight soon became apparent.

  “Buu?” Gohan said in astonishment as he stared at the shorter, more feminine pink Majin.

  “And here comes my newest playmates. Right on time.” Buu said, tossing away a battered Bra, as if she’d been expecting them. Little Pan’s stomach turned as she stared at the pink monstrosity, barely able to look at her. It was as though her eyes had trouble keeping focus.

  “Gohan!” Bra said in a wheeze, struggling to float. “She absorbed both Pans. I couldn’t stop her.”

  The entire scene was a bloodbath, warriors she’d considered amazing had all fallen. Beyond one of the Piccolos, none had any life remaining. No, that wasn’t true. Somehow, one of the Supreme Kais—the female one—still clung to life.

  “Don’t worry. We’re here to help,” her dad said, giving Cell a side-eye, unsure if he could trust him.

  But the bio-warrior only stared at Buu, lost for words. “That pink tub of lard became that? It’s like she’s distorting reality itself.”

  Little Pan realized he was right. Even Buu’s movements made no sense, as though they were free of any coherent continuity. But her vile ki was the worst aspect, smothering her like an avalanche of darkness. Even breathing was difficult around their newest foe.

  “What can we do against this monster?” Little Pan scowled, knowing how much she lacked in the power department, she created space between herself and the other fighters. She’d play backup while the others fought. She jerked as a hand touched her leg.

  “Pan.” A voice that rose barely above a whisper said. Pan gasped as she saw its owner. In the excitement, she hadn’t noticed him.

  “Uub!” Her friend looked terrible, almost mummified somehow. His skin seemed thin against his flesh, almost like paper against his dark skin. Much to her revulsion and horror, the other fallen fighters appeared the same.

  “Don’t worry, Uub.” Little Pan said, looking frantically around for something that might help her friend. But her heart fell as his body went still, still as the grave. Tears stung her eyes, knowing they’d been too late. But she saw he’d only passed out, his chest still rising and falling, if faintly.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “This should be fun,” Cell said, intrigued by his newest opponent. “While your regenerative abilities are impressive, they're nothing compared to mine!”

  With a leap, he launched himself at Buu. Much to Little Pan’s astonishment, the blow seemed to phase through the warrior like she was smoke. Cell’s eyes widened as his punches struck empty air, Buu doing the bare minimum to dodge them.

  “Cell!” Her father cried out, but the warning came too late. He cried out in pain as the blow delivered to his back hurled him into the ground, creating a plum of dust.

  “What the—?” Cell said as he emerged from the cloud. He heaved like he’d just fought an intense battle. “She sapped away my strength that easily?”

  “Yeah, that’s how she got me too,” Bra said, though she didn’t seem too concerned about Cell getting seriously weakened.

  “Considering the situation, Cell, we must work together. We can’t fight her alone.” her father said, taking charge.

  “Must we?” Bra didn’t sound too enthused, but won’t argue.

  “Very well,” Cell replied. “Just this once. We’ll work together. But don’t assume we’ll ever become friends. This won’t become a habit.”

  “Good enough,” her father said, nodding.

  “Be careful,” Bra said, fanning out like the others. The three warriors got into position, making it easier to assault Buu from all sides. “She can even fool ki reading.”

  “Huh?” It didn’t seem possible, but Little Pan realized Bra was right. Even Buu’s ki was slippery and ethereal, making it impossible to get a proper target on her. How the heck were they meant to defeat her if they couldn’t even rely on their senses?

  As one, the trio sprang into action, each a streak of light as they zipped around their opponent. Buu only laughed, launching herself at the nearest target. But her father proved quick, darting out of the way. Instead of launching a counterattack, he zipped away.

  Annoyed, Buu gathered a ball of ki into her palm and hurled it at Bra next. She deflected it easily enough, but her opponent only hurled more at her, Buu’s attacks getting faster and faster. Bra frantically fought them off, struggling to handle the barrage.

  Thinking his opponent distracted, Cell hurled a beam at Buu’s blind side. But Buu sensed the attack, her body contorting away. Amused, the pink demon hurled a kick at Cell’s exposed head. But her father used the distraction to knee the back of Buu’s neck. The force of the blow stretched her neck forward, and Buu glared daggers at her attacker.

  “Thought so,” her father said. “You can’t drain me just from touching me. It needs to be a conscious effort.”

  “Who cares? I will drain you to death!” Buu snarled, hurling herself recklessly at Pan’s father. But it was Cell and Bra’s turn to deliver a punishing blow. The bio-warrior threw a kick into Buu’s stomach hard enough to blow her body apart. Bra, in contrast, hurled one-armed beams into Buu’s disintegrating form. But Buu quickly reformed herself—the damage wasn’t enough to destroy her.

  This incensed Buu further, and Cell gave a self-satisfied smirk. “Your ability to distort our senses is annoying, but not impossible to overcome. A gimmick, little else. Only a novice would fall prey to such a petty trick.”

  “Are you trying to start something?” Bra said, annoyed.

  “Not now, Bra,” her father said. “That’s right, Buu. Don’t tell me that’s all you’ve got? I’m already getting bored.”

  “Bored?” Buu was hopping mad now, steam venting from her pores. Were they trying to provoke her on purpose? Little Pan realized that was her father’s and Cell’s plan. As the Majin warrior fueled her fury, reality seemed to distort to near incomprehensibility, but her attacks became more erratic. Instead of engaging their opponent, the three warriors kept their distance, riling Buu up even more.

  “I will kill you!” Buu screamed, hurling random beams in every direction. Little Pan shrieked in fright, creating a barrier just in time to protect herself. While destructive, the attack still hadn’t harmed its intended targets.

  “And now you’re throwing a temper tantrum, like a child,” Cell said, his voice mocking. He stood in front of his opponent, arms crossed, wearing a pleased smile. “I suppose it isn’t surprising. You’ve only absorbed children.”

  “You die!” Buu hurled herself at Cell, but Bra and her father were upon her in a flash, energy gathered in their palms.

  “Kamehameha!”

  “Big Bang Attack!”

  But her distortion couldn’t make the two point-blank attacks miss, and Buu’s body blasted to pieces. Still, it hadn't destroyed her completely, Buu’s body reforming moments later.

  “Come on! Even that didn’t work?” Bra said, her voice tense.

  “It’s her draining ability. I’ve already lost almost a fourth of my power,” her father replied.

  “Buu mad! Buu…” But then the Majin warrior calmed herself, reigning in her emotions. “Better. You won’t fool me into making a mistake again.” Then, for whatever reason, her eyes glazed over for a second. She muttered herself before readjusting her gaze back at Cell. “I’ll kill you first. You’re the only dangerous one.”

  “What the heck was that?” Pan thought, baffled.

  “So you’re ready to take this seriously, then?” Cell replied, nonplussed. “I haven’t even started yet.”

  “Are you serious?” Bra snapped. “Stop messing around!”

  “You’re still holding back, aren’t you, Cell?” her father said. “You haven’t tapped into your full strength?”

  “Perceptive as always, Gohan,” Cell said, pleased. “No, I still haven't used my full ability. How about a demonstration, then?”

  A gasp escaped Little Pan as the power emanating from the insectoid bio-warrior struck her. Even Bra seemed shocked as Cell’s power spiked past anything either of them had suspected.

  “Impossible. You were holding back during our last fight,” Bra said, her mouth hardening. While her Super Saiyan 2 form was awesome and formidable, Cell was catching up at an alarming rate. It made Little Pan’s jump in power seem like a pitiful bunny hop.

  “Naturally. Like I’d need my full power against a child,” Cell replied, ignoring that he’d used just that against the other Pan during their tournament fight—and lost.

  “Why you?!” Bra said, seething. Her smile turned dangerous. “You’re nothing to me now. You’re the child here compared to my power.”

  “Stop it, Bra. Don’t let him needle you. We’re still in the middle of a fight here,” her father said, trying to restore some peace between tentative allies.

  Buu, for her part, had frozen when Cell unveiled a level of strength she hadn’t expected, but her confident smile returned. She seemed pleased about something. The pink monstrosity gestured for her opponents to attack.

  And Cell obliged, leaving his allies in the dust. Little Pan marveled at his speed—it was like Buu’s ki draining had barely affected him. His blows made Buu stagger back, her opponent incapable of keeping up. Buu’s expression turned desperate as she failed to fight off her opponent, and then Cell disappeared. Confused, the pink monster searched around, losing track of her opponent. Then Cell appeared right beneath her, catching her off guard, hands cupped together. Flat-footed, Buu was in no position to dodge away in time.

  Smirking, Cell unleashed the signature attack he’d stolen from her grandfather. “Kamehameha!”

  Before the beam connected, however, something odd happened to Buu’s body, it expanded like a balloon. Before Little Pan could see what else was happening, the beam obscured any sight of Buu. She exploded, bursting into a million pieces.

  “And that’s that,” Cell said, pleased. “A little trick I stole from your father, Gohan.”

  “We’re meant to fight together, Cell,” her father said, though his tone lacked any real rebuke.

  “Did this guy team up with us just to show us up?” Bra asked, barely reigning in her temper. Little Pan had to agree, Cell hadn’t been what you might call a team player.

  “What’s the point of being magnificent without an audience?” Cell spread his arms wide before offering a slight blow.

  “Wait, something’s not right,” her father said, stopping the banter.

  Little Pan felt it too—the nauseating aura still hadn’t dissipated. In fact, she would swear it’d gotten worse. Then what had happened became apparent, Little Pan widening in horror.

  “Change, cupcake!” A pink beam shot at Cell, but the biowarrior seemed unfazed by the sudden sneak attack. He braced himself, ignorant of any danger.

  Her father saw it too, shooting a warning they both knew would fail. “Cell, look out!”

  “Nice try, Buu. You disappoint me!” With a hand, Cell tried deflecting the beam. But it was useless—an attack impossible to deflect.

  A pink cupcake with colorful sprinkles fell from the sky and dropped to the hard ground, smashing into pieces.

  “Fool,” Gohan said.

  “Indeed, the fool thought himself unbeatable. Now he’s a pink confetti stain! He thought he could kill me, but I saw it coming!” Buu pointed a finger to her head and cackled.

  “Saw it coming?” Little Pan thought. “What did that mean?”

  “But I thought Cell obliterated her?” Bra said, frustrated.

  “I’ve been learning. I figured you can’t blow me to bits if I explode myself first!” Buu replied.

  “So that’s it.” Little Pan thought she’d seen bits of pink as Buu exploded. She’d made herself combustible, so she exploded instead of disintegrated. To demonstrate, Buu inflated and deflated her body on whim.

  “How the hell did you kill this guy before?” Bra said, annoyed.

  “Through a Spirit Bomb. Though I doubt that’ll be useful in this instance,” her father sighed. “And Cell wasn’t as big of a team player as I’d hoped. If only he hadn’t… never mind. It seems it’s up to us, Bra.”

  “Useless.” Little Pan chastised herself, raging at her impotence. She watched as Bra and Gohan struggled against Buu, her natural distortions making it impossible to track her movements. She winced as a blow to the chest doubled Bra over.

  “Hey.”

  A voice got her attention. Much to Little Pan’s astonishment, it was the West Supreme Kai. She barely clung to life, but her teeth gritted with determination.

  “Don’t talk,” Little Pan said, flying over.

  “No, listen. We must stop Buu.” A pained cough escaped her lips. With shaky fingers, she removed an earring from her pointed ear. She tried her other ear, but her remaining strength failed. Instead, she opened her palm, presenting the single piece of jewelry to Little Pan. “Use this. Take my other earrings and give it to Bra. Fuse together. It’s the only way to win.”

  “Huh?”

  But then the Kai’s meaning became clear. Weren’t these the earrings that allowed someone to fuse with another? Didn’t they create Universe 16’s Vegito from her grandfather and Vegeta?

  Little Pan gasped as she realized something. “But isn’t it permanent?”

  But the Kai lacked the strength to respond, only giving Little Pan a meaningful look.

  Her head spun, wondering what she should do. Little Pan realized the situation was dire, but to fuse permanently with Son Bra? It was inconceivable! What would that fusion even produce? Would she disappear forever?

  “But haven’t I been useless until now?” Little Pan thought, hand trembling.

  This way, she’d change the tide of battle. “I… okay.”

  Though the thought of fusing with Bra caused bile to bubble in her stomach, she’d do it to save her father. She wouldn’t lose her father today, too!

  And not a moment too soon. Since she’d gained the upper hand, Buu had been toying with her two opponents. While they’d put up a valiant effort, it hadn’t been enough.

  Her father screamed in pain as a fist implanted itself in his stomach, tearing the life from him. Little Pan gasped in horror as the life seeped away from him, leaving him gaunt and skeletal. He pushed away in time to avoid getting completely drained, but he’d lost any ability to fight.

  “Gohan!” Bra launched herself forward, but a blow to the dome sent her reeling. Another punch drove her flying, and a cloud of dust exploded as she crashed into the ground.

  “No!”

  But thankfully, Bra seemed okay, stumbling to her feet. Little Pan saw her chance, hurling the earring at her.

  “Bra, catch!”

  “Huh?”

  Bra caught the thrown object on instinct, staring in confusion at the earring in her hand.

  “Put it on!” Little Pan said, rushing to grab the fallen Kai’s other earring.

  “But—” Immediately, Bra realized the implication of this.

  “Another one?” Much to Little Pan’s astonishment, Buu’s eyes glazed over again, like she was viewing something only visible to her. Then, much to Little Pan’s dread, Buu’s attention jerked in her direction, noticing, her clutching the earring attached to the East Supreme Kai's ear. A light dawned in the pink monster’s eyes, realizing exactly what they were attempting to do. Buu had Big Sis’s memories and knew all about the earrings’ power.

  A fist drove into Little Pan’s chest, pain screaming throughout her body. She heaved, trying to gather breath. She stared up in terror as Buu stood over her, her face distorted with a demented smile.

  “I won’t let you create her. I saw what you were about to become. But you can’t if you’re dead!” Buu whispered and opened a hand with an energy ball clutched within it.

  “Saw it coming?” What the heck was Buu talking about? Could she see the future somehow? The light from the ki ball illuminated the terror on Little Pan’s face, knowing she was meeting her doom.

  Before the ball could obliterate her, a sudden uppercut drove Buu clear across the destroyed arena.

  Little Pan stared, unsure of what had happened. She gasped when she saw who her rescuer had been. His golden aura seemed like a torch in the night, dispelling the dark aura that’s been suffocating them.

  “Grandpa?” Little Pan said in utter disbelief.

  “You guys did good,” Goku said, giving her a smile that shone like the sun. “But don’t worry. I’m here to help.”

  Author’s note:

  Next Time: Goku joins the battle? Can even he change fate? Fusion! A new warrior emerges? But with who?