36 Tournament Saga[3]

Piccolo demonstrated his strength, surpassing his previous level. Even Android 17, someone who couldn't sense Ki, could tell that Piccolo was on par with him. If 17 wanted another chance against Vegeta, he would have to take this fight seriously.

But would Piccolo give him that chance?

The answer was no.

After Piccolo went to the Lookout, he spent most of his time convincing Kami to fuse with him while keeping his personality intact. Kami saw that Piccolo was no longer an "evil" part of him but his own individual. Kami had already considered passing on the title of God of Earth to Piccolo, as he had become incredibly strong, surpassing even Kami's expectations. With Piccolo as the new God, Kami could find peace more easily.

Now, standing in front of everyone, was a true Namekian warrior with a power level of 8 billion, facing off against an Android with a power level of 5 billion.

The battle began, and soon they disappeared from sight. The drones could not keep up with their movements; all they could capture was a sonic boom coming from all directions.

The other warriors could follow their movements to some extent, but for a simple camera, it was impossible. The only thing captured was a loud explosion from the ring, and nearby, a defeated Android 17 with Piccolo standing triumphantly over him.

The exchange between them lasted only a few moments, and Piccolo dominated throughout. Unlike the Saiyan pair, he held nothing back. Even with the supposed infinite energy, the fight seemed to be over in a matter of seconds.

As Piccolo looked down at the injured 17, he saw him attempting to get up. 17 had injuries all over his body and was bleeding from his nose and mouth.

"Wait right there, you... It can't be over now when things were starting to get interesting," 17 said, smiling. He never expected to be beaten so swiftly. He smiled, but he was also angry. Each one of them was surpassing him with ease, and it was becoming irritating.

"Hmph. It would be more fun if you were slightly stronger. Too bad you're not," Piccolo retorted. He kicked 17 out of the ring without any consideration. 17 would never admit defeat, and killing inside the arena was prohibited, so this was the only way to end the battle.

17 glared at Piccolo, still wanting to enjoy himself and regain his dignity. But Piccolo stepped down from the ring and said to him, "I welcome a rematch anytime you want, that is if you want to lose again." He smiled confidently. 17 was a bit angry and felt his pride was wounded, but he relented. After all, he was still young at heart.

Android 18 shook her head at her brother's antics. Although he was smart, he was always overconfident too.

Most people on the internet and TV didn't understand the match that had just taken place since it ended so quickly. But they became excited again when Vegeta and Cell stepped into the ring. It was finally time to see if the android, the most perfect creation of Dr. Gero, was a match for the Saiyan.

"Vegeta, huh? Although I have data about you, I failed to see how you will entertain me in this charade," Cell smirked. It never occurred to him that Vegeta could be a worthy opponent.

Vegeta smirked back and transformed into his Super Saiyan 2 state. Electricity crackled around him, and his hair stood on end. Even veins popped out on his arms.

"On the contrary, I'm the one worried that you won't even be a warm-up for me," Vegeta crossed his arms in front of him, ready for Cell to make a move.

"Vegeta's power is incredible. But with this alone, it's impossible to go against Cell," Goku commented as he observed the fight.

"Yeah, he was able to match Cell, but it's still only a draw," Krillin added his observation.

"He is far stronger than this," Android 18 sat and watched the fight with great interest.

"Yes, Father is still holding back... This is only the beginning," Trunks had full confidence in his father since he had witnessed his new form.

After some time, both Cell and Vegeta started to move at high speed. Within seconds, they were already far away from the ring, exchanging a flurry of blows.

Their blows shattered the surroundings as they reached an impasse. "Hmph, if this is the maximum that you can do, then it's already too disappointing," Cell taunted.

They clashed their elbows and continued trying to hit each other while dodging each other's blows.

"Disappointed is me. Even with my superior cells in your body, you're still only at this level," Vegeta punched Cell in the gut and kicked him far away. Cell began to recover as he saw Vegeta raising his hand to the sky, gathering energy to create an energy ball.

When Vegeta threw the energy ball, the entire area turned to dust, and even the ring disappeared. However, Cell emerged unscathed.

"Hmph, I would drop the fight if you could handle even this," Cell taunted.

"Stop playing around, Vegeta. We both know that I'm far from my true power. I'm only holding back because you're too weak to handle it," Cell replied.

Vegeta's eyes grew cold. The failed machine truly believed he was superior in this battle, a battle that couldn't even be considered a warm-up.

"I see," Vegeta said.

His aura disappeared for a moment, only to reappear at the exact moment Cell's soul-crushing screams echoed through the area.

"Uggghhhhhhhhh!!!!"

Cell crashed through mountains, spitting out a mouthful of blood when he finally came to a stop.

"W-what just happened... right now...?" Krillin asked, directing his question to no one in particular. Goku and Piccolo wore serious expressions, both sensing the immense power unleashed.

"Hehe, I told you. This man is on another level already," Android 18 proudly smiled. Trunks nodded in agreement, already confident in predicting the outcome of this battle.

Even Android 21 was surprised by the display of strength. She had confidence in her own power and had even more confidence in Cell. But even with his guard down, this blow was impossible to defend.

Vegeta in his Red form exuded such immense ki and pressure that being close to him felt like being submerged in water, making it hard to breathe.

"I see, so he achieved a new form... That's why he was so confident," Goku observed, smiling. Vegeta was already walking ahead of him on this journey.

"Did you know about this?" Piccolo asked Goku, sensing Vegeta's ki, which felt different from the others who could only feel the pressure.

"Nah, it's new even to me. Though I might know how he achieved it," Goku replied.

Controlling god ki was difficult, as it held immense strength within it. However, for Vegeta, someone who had spent nearly all his time honing his control over his ever-growing ki, the action came easily for him now.

Vegeta approached Cell, floating and looking down at him. "Where is your superior power, Cell? Don't get it wrong, you were the challenger today, not the champion."

Cell wore an angry expression now, devoid of any smirks. He no longer held back and powered up to his maximum, causing the mountain behind him to shatter. The tournament was over—nothing mattered anymore except defeating this man.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Cell charged forward again, but Vegeta effortlessly dodged without even moving from his spot.

"Even if we stay like this forever, you'll never hit me when you're so damn slow," Vegeta smirked and taunted him.

"Shut up!" Cell ascended into the air and formed a green energy ball with his two hands, throwing it at Vegeta. However, Vegeta simply pointed his finger at it, releasing a blast that completely shattered Cell's attack.

Cell was shocked, but he still believed. He was born perfect, destined to be the ultimate life.

And it was true that he had potential. Coupled with Vegeta's cells, if used correctly, he could continue to grow stronger. But Vegeta wouldn't give him the chance. He intended to end Cell's life here and now.

Vegeta vanished from his spot and kicked Cell as high as possible, the shockwaves reverberating around the place. Cell had no way to stop his ascent until Vegeta appeared behind him, delivering an elbow to his back, sending him crashing to the ground.

Upon landing, Cell created a crater of enormous size, causing the entire area, including the nearby island, to shake. Cell didn't stay down for long, rising up with a bloody face and a broken arm.

Vegeta landed in front of him, and for the first time in the fight, Cell retreated a step. He was unprepared to deal with this level of power.

"It's already over. Vegeta was far stronger than I thought," Piccolo remarked, observing the fight and unable to devise any strategy to combat Vegeta.

"Yeah, the current Cell can't defeat him," Goku nodded and smiled. Even though he lost his chance to fight Cell, knowing that Vegeta was growing even stronger motivated him to work harder.

Vegeta looked at Cell with a disappointed expression. "You're almost dead. Hmph, maybe if you heal yourself, your power will grow too. Why don't you try it, you scaredy-cat?" He smirked as Cell's eyes bulged from this information. He had been so afraid that he had forgotten about his ability to regenerate.

Cell followed Vegeta's suggestion, using Piccolo's ability to regenerate his broken state with ease and indeed, with Vegeta's cells, his power increased significantly, even tripling in strength.

However, it still wasn't enough for this fight.

"!! Cell's power just skyrocketed out of nowhere..." Piccolo was surprised, and even Goku wore a serious expression now.

"Hahahaha! I'll grow stronger as I fight. I'll become even more perfect!" Cell was already intoxicated by his newfound power. But to Vegeta, it was still like a candle ready to be extinguished by the wind.

Cell prepared himself and kicked the ground, causing the entire area to explode into bits. He aimed his strongest blow at Vegeta and landed the hit.

The sheer shockwave alone made the entire area tremble, and Cell could feel that he had made contact.

However, he nearly choked in surprise when the only effect was a trickle of blood from Vegeta's nose. "So that's everything you can do right now. Even by unleashing your full power, you can't take me out of this state of boredom."

He punched Vegeta again, now in a desperate flurry, relentlessly striking again and again. The shockwaves made everything tremble, yet his punches amounted to nothing against Vegeta.

Vegeta spat out blood onto the ground and looked at Cell with a smirk. "You may have been designed to handle Kakarot, but I doubt anything in this universe was built to handle someone like me."

With a powerful punch, Vegeta struck Cell's gut so hard that his arm went right through him. Cell's mouth filled with blood, and his body became paralyzed. He tried to grab Vegeta's arm, but he was slowly losing strength.

"You... You... I'm the... perfect...!" Cell's words were strained as he struggled to speak.

"Yes, yes, I've heard it already," Vegeta replied, withdrawing his arm from inside Cell.

"A failed machine like you has no right to fight the strongest," Vegeta declared, pointing his open palm at Cell's face and blasting it, obliterating not only Cell's corpse but also the entire area behind him.

"D-Dammit! Dammit, all!!!" Cell shouted in frustration.

Vegeta exerted so much power that most of those observing had to close their eyes briefly. When they opened them again, the dust had settled, and Cell was nowhere to be seen, leaving behind only a gigantic scar in the area.

"W-Wait, he died that easily...?" Krillin was somewhat shocked by the quick defeat.

"Yeah, just like that. Now that everything's over, I can finally go shopping," 18 said with a slight smile on her face.

21 had a mixture of surprise and relief on her face. She knew that Vegeta was stronger than her, but she never imagined him to be so much more powerful than anyone else.

'Truly interesting species, these Saiyans are,' she thought to herself.

"Man, what a waste to kill him. He could have grown much stronger... But there was something strange about him too, so maybe it's for the best," Goku said with a slightly dejected expression.

"Doesn't that mean Vegeta-san was disqualified...?" Gohan raised the question, and everyone nodded in agreement with the young boy.