"Queen…"
The moment Bulma heard that word, she completely melted.
Who could resist Vegeta calling them that? Most women couldn't— and Bulma absolutely couldn't.
Even though their relationship was already established, and even though she always knew Vegeta was the Prince of all Saiyans, she had never imagined she would be called queen.
But to hear it directly from Vegeta's own mouth…
That meant she wasn't just his partner— she was the most important person in his heart.
Sweet warmth surged through her chest.
No romantic line in the world could rival that single title.
It took Bulma a long moment to recover.
Only then did she notice Vegeta was still scolding Nappa— and still in his Super Saiyan form.
The earlier explosions, the shockwaves—of course those were from him.
But the fact that he hadn't dropped the transformation meant something else had happened.
Curious, she asked him.
Hearing her question, Vegeta finally stopped berating Nappa and explained everything:
encountering Cell, the ambush, Cell's origins, his purpose, and everything Vegeta was willing to reveal.
In the past, he might have concealed some things—
after all, how could he explain how he knew all of this?
But now?
There was nothing he needed to hide from her.
These people were the ones he trusted most.
So Vegeta spoke openly about Cell coming from the future.
And because Bulma had lived with him on Yardrat for two months, she knew about Vegeta's future-vision ability. In fact, if not for Pybara's prophetic visions guiding their fates, the two of them would never have become this close, this fast.
"So basically…" Bulma summarized smoothly,
"this 'Cell' stole the time machine that the future me built, then traveled into our timeline. He wants to grow stronger here, then kill all of us. Is that correct?"
Bulma was brilliant— even without detailed explanation, she pieced together almost everything.
Vegeta nodded.
"Yes. According to what I foresaw, Cell is the ultimate android created by a scientist named Dr. Gero, from the Red Ribbon Army— a terrorist group that once plagued Earth. In secret, he collected genetic samples from strong fighters to engineer his artificial humans.
"You once asked why I push myself so hard—this is one of the reasons. On Yardrat, I foresaw their arrival. In that future, even Super Saiyans weren't enough to win…"
Vegeta's eyes narrowed slightly.
"But now? I don't have to worry anymore. I'm strong enough already. And since this future Cell appeared early, I get to eliminate him ahead of schedule."
Then he added:
"That's why I need you to track down Dr. Gero. If possible, I intend to destroy the threat at its root.
"As for the time machine—the one the future you built—we also need to locate it. You should be able to find it. Anything built by you leaves traces you can detect."
Just as Vegeta finished speaking, he sensed something.
His lips curled.
"You two keep discussing. I need to clean up the leftovers."
Then he turned to Nappa:
"Nappa, stay here and guard them."
With that, Vegeta vanished.
Nappa blinked—then his eyes lit up with fanatical admiration.
His respect for Vegeta had already reached worship, and after witnessing today's overwhelming display of power, that devotion only deepened.
Bulma immediately understood what Vegeta meant by "clean up."
Cell wasn't dead.
She wasn't worried—she knew exactly how terrifyingly strong her man was.
"Never thought this would circle back to the Red Ribbon Army… Those guys still want to conquer the world with androids? I thought Goku wiped them out ages ago. I guess they hid underground and kept plotting," Bulma muttered.
Dr. Brief, who had been listening, snapped his fingers suddenly.
"Oh! I remember now. Not long ago, we hosted a scientific conference—Dr. Gero was one of the attendees. He said he specialized in robotics and bio-engineering. I never imagined he was making androids."
Bulma's eyes widened.
"You met him?! Did he leave any contact info?"
"Of course," Dr. Brief said. "We record all invited scientists."
He lit a cigarette calmly.
"Though future events may not match our timeline. The Dr. Gero I met seemed gentle and polite."
Bulma rolled her eyes.
"Dad, that's because you're useful to him. If he's infiltrating scientific circles, he'll act friendly to avoid suspicion."
She wasn't wrong.
This was the same man twisted enough to convert himself into an android using Android 19 as his assistant.
Nappa listened quietly, trying to understand…
but his simple brain was overloaded.
He would need a long time to digest all this.
Scene Shift — Gizard Wastelands
Among the ruins, a pulsing lump of flesh throbbed like a beating heart.
Slowly, tissue reformed.
The fist-sized core reshaped itself…
Into Cell.
He had clawed his way out of death.
Even he was shocked— thrilled— at this rebirth.
His power didn't just recover; it surpassed his previous state.
"Heheheh… Vegeta… you never expected this, did you? By failing to kill me completely, you've only made me stronger."
He tested his new strength, exhilarated.
Something felt… different.
His evolution no longer seemed limited to its original parameters.
Even without absorbing Android 17 and 18, he felt he could eventually reach perfection—though it would require an enormous amount of life energy.
"This place isn't safe. From now on, I must act with absolute caution. Vegeta's power… it might be even greater than the future version that 17 and 18 killed…"
Then Cell froze.
"Wait… how did he know me? Even in the future, I never showed myself. No one should know I exist…"
A horrifying possibility formed.
"Could Vegeta also be… from the future? Or maybe reborn… after I altered the timeline?"
Before he could think further—
A crushing force smashed down on him from above.
Cell froze.
No.
No, no, no—
There was no ki signature.
No warning.
And yet Vegeta stood right in front of him, golden aura blazing.
"You—You—how?! I hid my energy completely! How could you possibly know I was still alive?!"
Cell trembled violently.
Vegeta stepped forward, expression cold.
"Surprised? Once I know you exist, I know everything about you. Did you really think you escaped me? You never did. You've been in the palm of my hand from the beginning."
Cell's knees nearly buckled.
"You… who ARE you?!"
Vegeta smirked.
"Me? I'm Vegeta. Who else?"
Cell's breath hitched. His mind shattered.
He couldn't comprehend this.
He couldn't fight.
He couldn't flee.
His survival instinct finally broke him.
"P–Please… spare me…"
The so-called "ultimate bio-android" was reduced to begging.
Pathetic.
"You really think I'd let you live? You're worthless to me, Cell."
Vegeta raised his hand, pointing straight at Cell's core.
"Tell me… is your real core in your brain? Your heart? Or somewhere else?"
Vegeta slowly shifted his aim.
Cell's face contorted in horror—
~~~~~~
If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
pat reon .com /DanglingPointer
~> Bonus Chapter every 300PS!!