Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! is owned by AIC/Pioneer and was created by Masaki Kajishima. Dragonball Z is owned by Toei Animation and Bird Studio/Shueisha, and was created by Akira Toriyama.

CHAPTER 3

Cell calmly looked around at the opposition in front of and behind him.

Cell: I must commend you all for taking a stand against me. But, since you probably have no idea what you're all going up against, perhaps I should give you a little demonstration of my power.

With that, Cell started powering up. The wind from his rising ki sent various objects from the remnants of the carnival flying in various directions. Luckily, Ayeka's shield barrier prevented anyone from being blown away and/or being hit by any flying debris, and Yugi's hench-trio stood their ground.

Hotsuma: Heh. You think that little breeze would've gotten rid of us?

Cell: No. In fact, I would've been disappointed if you hadn't stood your ground. Why don't you three give me your best shot? Go ahead; see if you can even make me move from this spot.

At that moment, Matori, Hotsuma, and Tsugaru all flew towards Cell. All three of them nailed the android at once with a powerful punch, sending Cell flying past Tenchi and friends and into a nearby building. Cell emerged from the building, a little shocked, but unhurt.

Cell: Hmm. It seems I've slightly underestimated you three.

Matori: What? Are you going to give up already?

Cell: No. In fact, the only reason I let you hit me was to test your strength. Now the real fight begins…

Meanwhile, over at the Masaki residence in Okayama…

Azaka: Something tells me that Princess Ayeka and Princess Sasami are in danger.

Kamidake: You're just looking for an excuse to get out of here, aren't you?

Azaka: Yup. Wanna go to Tokyo?

Kamidake: Sure. Houston, we are go for launch.

Azaka: Will you stop saying that?

Kamidake: Not until I say this: LIFT-OFF! *FWOOSH!*

Azaka *thinking to himself*: *sigh* No wonder Princess Ayeka likes me better. *FWOOSH!*

Within mere moments, the guardians took to the skies in order to track out and assist the princesses of Jurai.

Back over at the battleground…

Tsugaru: I think you're bluffing, Cell. Same maneuver as last time?

Hotsuma & Matori: Right!

The trio repeated the same attack they used on Cell before. But just when they were about to hit him, Cell leaned back and dodged their group punch. A few milliseconds later, Cell kicked Hotsuma in the jaw, and, using his out-stretched arms (thanks to Piccolo's cells), nailed Matori and Tsugaru in their stomachs. The bio-android then appeared behind the reeling trio and slammed all three of them into the ground with his tail. The impact of the attack left a massive crack on the pavement. Cell hovered in the air as he watched Hotsuma, Matori, and Tsugaru all struggle to their feet.

Tsugaru: *cough* *cough* Damn! That was a cheap shot!

Cell: Heh. What are you going to do about it?

Tsugaru: This!

Tsugaru fired a whole barrage of energy blasts, but Cell was easily able to avoid them. Taking advantage of the distraction, Hotsuma teleported underneath the monstrosity, grabbed him by the legs, and tossed him toward the ground.

Hotsuma: NOW MATORI!

Matori: I ought to give you a hand for putting up a good fight against us, Cell. Or, in this instance, I should give you a lot of hands. Here!

Matori fired a spell that turned the sidewalk into a bunch of arms. Upon landing on the sidewalk, the disembodied arms forced Cell to stay on the ground. Cell struggled to break free, but was unable to move.

Ryoko: Wow! They're actually winning.

Kiyone: You know, this fight would actually be entertaining if our lives weren't at stake.

Just then, Azaka and Kamidake descended from the sky and appeared before Tenchi and crew.

Azaka: Hello everyone!

Kamidake: Did we miss anything?

Washu: Oh, nothing much, just the fight of the century, that's all.

Cell *struggling to get free*: *urgh!* Great. Now I'm going to have to *guh!* fight two floating logs. What's next? A *nuhh!* robotic lawn gnome?

As Cell continued to try and free himself from the hands' grasp, Hotsuma, Tsugaru, and Matori all flew up hundreds of feet and made a triangle formation. A red aura could be seen around the trio as they powered up.

Hotsuma, Matori, and Tsugaru: Tri-Beam Cannon… FIRE!!!!

A massive energy beam was emitted from the combined might of the trio. Cell was still trying to break loose, when he was suddenly engulfed in the huge energy blast. A bright white light, and an incredibly loud explosion followed upon the impact of the blast. The ground shook with a fierce rumble, but thankfully, Ayeka's shield barrier protected every from losing their footing and getting hit by any chunks of pavement or rubble. When the bright light dimmed and the smoke cleared, a humongous crater could be seen where Cell was being pinned down. Inside of the crater was Cell, missing his left arm, his left leg, most of the left side of his torso, and in utter shock.

Ayeka *surprised*: They… did it!

Sasami: All right! We're going to make it through this without losing anyone!

Ryoko: Damn. I didn't even get a chance to fight Cell. Oh well. I guess it's better sometimes to let someone else do the fighting for you.

Cell: H-h-how d-dare you!

Hotsuma: HA! I knew he was just a pushover!

Tenchi: Whew! I'm glad that's over with.

Mihoshi: So am I. Now I'll be able to make it home in time for Space Police Policemen!

Just then, everyone heard an ominous laughter coming from Cell.

Cell: I'm afraid you're all celebrating a bit prematurely. As nice of a trick that was, I have a few tricks of my own. Observe.

Using his right arm, Cell thrust himself upon his right foot and let out a painful moan. Within a matter of seconds, his left arm, left leg, and missing parts of his torso all grew back.

Hotsuma: What the?!

Matori: He can grow back parts of his body?!

Everybody in Tenchi's group saw Cell's regeneration with looks of shock and disgust, except for Washu.

Washu *thinking to herself*: So, Cell is capable of regenerating limbs and parts of his body. Fascinating. If I get though this alive, I want to take a sample of this creature for myself.

Cell: I'm afraid there's more bad news to go along with that. I've only been fighting you at ten percent of my power.

Tsugaru: What?! No way!! You're obviously bluffing like last time!

Undeterred by Cell's statement, Tsugaru descended from the sky and tried to nail Cell with a flying kick to the head, but Cell caught his right leg before his foot could make contact with his head.

Cell: How pathetic.

Cell squeezed Tsugaru's right leg so hard that it broke. Tsugaru let out a giant yell of pain and could barely focus on freeing himself from Cell's grasp, due to the great amount of pain from his now-broken leg. As much as he struggled to get loose, Cell wouldn't let go, and as he hung him upside-down from his leg, he fired a couple of well-placed ki blasts through Tsugaru's left shoulder, left leg, and the right side of his hip. Cell then let go of Tsugaru, who landed hard on the ground. He was barely conscious, barely able to move, and bleeding badly.

Cell: Oh dear. I'm afraid you'll never be able to heal properly at this point. Looks like I'll have to amputate EVERYTHING!

With that statement, Tsugaru tried to flee from him, but was too injured to move. Cell drove the tip of his tail into Tsugaru's back, and began absorbing him. Tsugaru let out a yell of death before he was completely consumed by Cell. Everyone watched in horror as Tsugaru became the latest statistic of Cell. All that was left of him were his bloodstained clothes.

Kiyone: Gross! He just sucked him up like a bowl of soup!

Ayeka: I agree. How revolting!

Cell *talking to himself*: I can feel my KI rising, but when I absorbed Tsugaru, it felt sort of empty, like he was a part of something bigger. No matter.

Cell then turned toward Hotsuma and Matori.

Cell: Your move.

Sakuya screamed in horror after seeing Tsugaru become a part of Cell.

Tenchi: Sakuya! Are you all right?

Sakuya *still in shock*: I-I-I think I will be. That was horrible! I've never been more afraid until now.

Tenchi put his hand on Sakuya's shoulder

Tenchi: Don't worry, Sakuya. Like I said earlier, I will protect you from that demon, no matter what happens. Just out of curiosity, why didn't you escape from here with Amanosuke?

Sakuya: I didn't want to leave you, Tenchi. I couldn't stand the sight of you going up against that monster alone and getting yourself killed. As I said once before, I will always be by your side, no matter how bad things get.

Tenchi: Sakuya…

Kiyone: Aww! How sweet! Those two are really devoted to each other.

Ryoko *thinking to herself*: Grrrrrr! Sakuya, step away from my Tenchi, you lousy tramp! *angry sigh* If I had my way, though, things would be a lot different…

*Begin fantasy envisionment, complete with SD versions of all the characters*

Ryoko: If Tenchi weren't so close to you, I would've had you fight Cell first. (Ryoko envisions SD version of herself tossing SD version of Sakuya into SD version of Cell. SD Cell blasts SD Sakuya into dust.) Hee Hee! And while I'm at it, why not let that stuck-up princess go next? (Same as above, only with SD Ayeka getting blasted.) And just for good measure, throw in that idiot Mihoshi (same as above), her too-smart-for-her-own-good-partner Kiyone (same as above), that mad genius Washu (same as above), Nobuyuki (same as above), and then have Sasami and Katsuhito blow up the demon with dynamite strapped to them. (Ryoko envisions SD versions of Sasami and Katsuhiko with dynamite strapped to them, running toward SD Cell. All three blow up.) And then Tenchi and I can fly off into space, where we'll spend the rest of our days together on a paradise planet. (Ryoko envisions SD versions of herself and Tenchi flying off into space aboard Ryo-Ohki). HA HA HA HA!

*End fantasy envisionment*

At the same time, Ayeka was thinking the same thing.

Ayeka *thinking to herself*: Sakuya, don't you dare come any closer to Lord Tenchi, you little hussy! *angry sigh* If I had my way, things would be a lot different…

(Ayeka basically has the same envisionment as Ryoko, except that Ryoko would get blasted instead of Ayeka, and Cell would be obliterated by the entire Juraian space armada at the command of Ayeka. Then, Ayeka, Tenchi, and Sasami would fly on back to Jurai, and live happily ever after.)

Ayeka: HA HA HA HA!

Sasami: What do you suppose those two are thinking about?

Washu: Knowing them, it can't be good for anyone.

Back on the battlefield, Hotsuma and Matori were trying to recover from the shock of Tsugaru's death at the hands of Cell.

Hotsuma: Bastard! You'll pay for the death of Tsugaru!

Hotsuma and Matori charged toward Cell in a style similar to the Androids. (Writer's note: See the Trunks Special to understand what I mean by that.) The duo quickly began exchanging a number of punches and kicks with the biomechanical menace. As much as they tried to gang up on and overpower Cell, the monster countered and/or repelled every one of their attacks. Spotting an opening, Cell grabbed Matori by her head and tossed her into Hotsuma. The demon then leapt up into the air and fired a Masenko toward the pair. Luckily, the devious duo dodged the blast, and, taking advantage of the error, Matori summoned up a massive demon from the rubble of the building where Cell was thrown into earlier. The giant concrete-like monster (writer's note: think The Thing, but more craggily, less lovable, and more demonic-looking) appeared right in front of Cell and let out a terrifying roar. Cell simply smirked, and before the giant beast could lay a finger on him, fired a Kienzan (Destructo Disk), which sliced it in half, and effectively terminated the demon's existence. Spotting Matori from a distance, Cell did a flying tackle right into her, sending the hench-villain flying. Mere moments later, he appeared right behind Matori, grabbed her while in mid-flight, and body-slammed her right into the pavement. Sensing his partner was in danger, Hotsuma rushed to where Matori was, but was cut-off by Cell's mouth-beam. Cell then picked up the half-conscious Matori by the legs.

Cell: Make a wish, Hotsuma.

Cell bent Matori's legs as far apart as they could go, before there was a loud crack. Matori let out an immensely loud scream of pain. Her hip had been split into two pieces. Tenchi and crew winced at the sight and sound of the damage that Cell had caused. Hotsuma gazed in horror as Matori's lower half of her body was now permanently disabled.

Hotsuma: MATORI!!

Matori *barely conscious*: H-Hotsuma…. Do it…now…while he's distracted…

Hotsuma: But, Matori, you'll…

Matori: I said do it, dammit! Blast him now before he consumes me!

Hotsuma *thinking to himself*: Forgive me, Matori…

Without another moment's hesitation, Hotsuma fired a huge energy blast directly at Cell. The explosion from the blast sent chunks of pavement and rubble flying in every direction.

Hotsuma: I…I think I got him.

Just then, Hotsuma heard an ominous voice behind him.

Cell: Nice move. It probably would've worked, too, had you not hesitated for those few seconds.

Cell was hovering right above Hotsuma, with Matori still in his grasp.

Cell: Say goodbye to your girlfriend.

Sasami: Oh no! He's going to do it again!

Everyone in Tenchi's group did one of two things: they either gazed in horror, or they covered their eyes; Ryo-Ohki put her paws over her eyes.

In an instant, Cell placed his tail in Matori's back. Too weak to scream, she could only emit a faint whimper before being completely absorbed by Cell. Matori was gone; all that was left of her were her now-vacant clothes.

Cell: Here, Hotsuma, a little something to remember your dead teammate by.

Cell tossed Matori's clothes to Hotsuma. He caught them and clenched them tight in his fist. A lone tear rolled down Hotsuma's cheek.

Hotsuma *thinking to himself*: Damn you, Cell! You took from me two of the only three people I ever cared for. Sure, Matori and Tsugaru were only servants for Mistress Yugi, but, even though they, like myself, were nothing more than physical manifestations, they were like family to me. I never thought that it would come to this, but it looks like it's up to me now to stop Cell.

Hotsuma: Tsugaru, Matori, you shall not have died in vain! I swear that I shall wreak vengeance in your names!

Ryoko: Huh. I never thought that that guy had any emotions. Go figure.

At that moment, Tenchi had an idea.

Tenchi: Everyone, I need to have a word with all of you.

Everybody gathered around.

Tenchi: Listen, if any of you do get the chance to confront Cell, please fight him with extreme caution. We've all seen what he's capable of, and the last thing I'd want to see happen is for any of you to get hurt, much less killed by Cell. With that in mind, should any of you get seriously injured in battle, I want the person nearest to them to distract Cell while Sakuya and I get that person to safety, in order to prevent him/her from being sucked up by Cell.

Ryoko: Wait a second! Why does Sakuya get to assist you, and not me, Tenchi?

Tenchi: Because she's the only one who doesn't have any super powers/abilities!

Kiyone: I'm afraid to say this, but, imagining the worst-case scenario, what if all of us fall in battle against that demon?

Tenchi: That's the reason why I've called you all here. Everyone, please give me your crystals.

Mihoshi: But Tenchi, what good are these crystals going to do you?

Kiyone: Mihoshi! Have you forgotten what happened the day we all met?

Mihoshi: Oh yeah! Now I remember! Wasn't that the day of Second Impact?

Kiyone: You lunkhead! Oh well, at least most of us remember what happened then.

Ayeka: If you don't mind me asking, Lord Tenchi, what do you plan on doing with these crystals, anyway?

Tenchi: I'm hoping that it doesn't come to this, but if all else fails, I may just have to take on Cell myself. As of this moment, we are the only things standing between Cell and the complete destruction of the world's population.

At that point, everyone knew what Tenchi was talking about (except for Sakuya, who had no idea what the crystals' hidden ability was). Everyone handed Tenchi their crystals.

Sakuya: But Tenchi, how are you going to fight Cell if your friends from the Monster Busters can't stop him?

Tenchi: Don't worry, Sakuya. I'll think of something.

Ryoko *whispering to Ayeka*: Look at that! She's already seen us a couple of times and she still thinks we're Monster Busters.

Ayeka *whispering to Ryoko*: Yes. Someone should give that wench a full-frontal lobotomy.

Ryoko *whispering to Ayeka*: Mind if I get to do it?

Ayeka *whispering to Ryoko*: Don't you dare even think about it!

Back on the battlefield…

Hotsuma *thinking to himself*: Dammit! Cell's too powerful for me to fight in this form. I didn't want to have to do this, but after watching my teammates' best attacks fail against that monster, I have no other choice.

Within moments, Hotsuma began his transformation into his more powerful form. His muscles and arms expanded in size as his facial features changed shape. Slowly, he began to take on the form of a half-human, half-tiger hybrid. Just as he was about to complete his metamorphosis, Hotsuma felt a sharp pain on the back of his neck. Cell had stuck his tail in the back of Hotsuma's neck during his transformation.

Cell: A word of advice: Never transform into a different form while in the middle of a fight. You leave yourself wide open to your opponent's attacks.

Hotsuma collapsed to his knees as he felt his power being sucked away. He then reverted back into his regular form before falling to the ground and being completely absorbed.

Cell: Ahhhh! That was refreshing! *thinking to himself* There's that same energy I felt twice before, when I absorbed Tsugaru and Matori. It's as if somebody created those people, someone more powerful.

Suddenly, Cell felt a sharp pain on his back. It was as if thirty bees all stung him at once.

Kiyone: Keep firing, Mihoshi! Do it while he's distracted!

As Cell slowly turned around, he noticed Mihoshi and Kiyone, both of whom were firing their blasters at him. Moments earlier, while Cell was busy consuming Hotsuma, the Galaxy Police duo moved to the front of Tenchi's group, outside of Ayeka's shield barrier, and began firing away at the behemoth. Unfortunately, none of their bullets had any effect on Cell, and as the monster slowly began to face them…

Mihoshi: Oh, no! I'm out of ammunition!

Kiyone: Quick Mihoshi! Reload!

Cell was now gazing directly upon Mihoshi and Kiyone, catching and/or dodging any bullets that came his way.

Mihoshi *panicking*: WAAAAAHHHH!!!! I'm too scared to reload!!

Kiyone: You idiot! Snap out of it!

Mihoshi *really panicking*: Imgonnadie-imgonnadie-imgonnadie-imgonnadie-imgonnadie…

Cell: Heh. You really crack me up, but your punch line needs a little work. Allow me to improvise!

Kiyone: Look out!

Tenchi: Hit the deck!

Cell fired a whole barrage of ki blasts. Everyone ducked for cover, while Ayeka's shield barrier protected everybody within Tenchi's group from Cell's attacks. Just then, Cell stopped firing.

Kiyone: Hey! He completely missed us!

Ayeka: Us too! But why?

At that moment, everyone turned to their left and noticed a somewhat-charred Mihoshi.

Kiyone: MIHOSHI!!!

Mihoshi *dazed*: I'm not Mihoshi…. I'm Captain Tita of the Cha Cha Maru… uhhhhh….*THUD!*

As it turned out, Mihoshi somehow drew all of Cell's attacks toward her. Mihoshi landed hard on the ground, unconscious from taking all of Cell's blasts. Washu and Sasami quickly ran outside of the group and dragged the now-unconscious Mihoshi back inside.

Cell: Your blasters are completely ineffective against me. How do you plan on stopping me now?

How, indeed! With four people having already succumbed to Cell's might (three of whom are now dead), how will Kiyone get herself out of this one?

To be continued.

Author's notes: And so ends chapter 3 of Cell-Out! Next time, the struggle for survival against Cell continues. And what role, if any, do a couple certain Z warriors have in all of this? Find out in chapter 4 of Cell-Out! I'd like to thank Rowan Seven, JAAAg18@aol.com, WilliamKim07@aol.com, POkeMasterBaLL@aol.com, res08k81, and Morion1@aol.com for all of their feedback on the last two chapters. But most importantly, I'd like to thank you, the reader, for checking out this fan fic. As for that surprise I mentioned at the end of chapter 2, keep your fingers crossed for it. Like I said then, it will happen at the end of the final chapter. Before I go, I'd also like to thank everyone for being so patient in waiting for me to release chapter 3. Your patience has been rewarded. Remember, send all feedback to insaneben@yahoo.com. See ya next chapter!

Webmaster: Larry F
Last revision: January 7, 2006