Nijuni flew leisurely, arms crossed and eyes surveying the passing landscape. She had finally reached the mainland and was following a winding road through nearly endless green plains. A smaller road branched off of the main one, and, bored as she was, Nijuni decided to follow it. After a bit, it ended in a decently sized town composed of mostly suburbs.

I suppose it won't hurt to look around for a bit. Cell will probably have his hands full with the half-breed anyway, Nijuni reasoned as she descended a ways outside of town. She meandered around the streets, ignoring the occasional stare from the townspeople. Eventually, she came upon a fairly busy shopping centre. She looked down at her clothes. It couldn't hurt to have a new wardrobe, could it? One store in particular caught her eye with its displays of mannequins in sleek black attire. The bell above the door jingled as she stepped in, surveying the room with an impassive eye. The only other occupant was a decidedly bored young woman wearing an outfit not unlike the ones in the store. The woman looked Nijuni over for a second, then turned her attention back to the small TV on the counter.

Nijuni found several outfits she liked, and went to the back to try them on. Her favorite among them was a black tank top paired with dark jeans and a cropped gray jacket with military-esque details. She stepped out of the dressing room in it, carrying the rest of her new clothes in her arms. The woman was still glued to the TV, and Nijuni soon found herself paying close attention as well.

"We apologize for this interruption in programming. It is only temporary- we hope."
The camera remained stationary as Cell rose through a large hole in the floor, smirking cockily. The woman changed the channel as he passed out of view, only to see the same scene repeated during a cooking program.

What are you up to? Nijuni narrowed her eyes.

"And now it's time for the international news," an anchor announced cheerily, before half of his desk exploded as Cell came into view. He grabbed the man by the neck and questioned him:

"Is this studio B?" He dropped the man.

"Of course it is, call security!" The anchor attempted to crawl away. A small glimmer of pink light appeared in Cell's hand before an explosion occurred slightly off-screen.

Show off, she chuckled inwardly.

"I, am Cell. I have a message for all the people of Earth. Now, pay attention to what I say-" The camera was dropped, then panned up from Cell's feet, "Your boring lives are about to get a lot more interesting, thanks to me. I have enjoyed terrorizing Earth, but now I have something far more entertaining planned for this pathetic planet. For those of you who don't remember me, take a close look at my face," his voice changed for a moment, "The big monster of Nicky Town. I am the evolved form of that creature."

Get to the point, Nijuni rolled her eyes. At least he was eloquent.

"But the reason I'm here is to announce my decision to hold a martial arts tournament. I'm calling this competition 'The Cell Games,'"

Oh Kami, could you be any more conceited?

"It's a catchy little title, don't you think? The Cell Games will be held nine days from today in area S point five, twenty-eight miles northeast of Eastern City. You will find an arena that I have designed myself. I modeled it after the one used in the original World Martial Arts Tournament. I believe it is the ideal location to crush my competitors. Bring me your best fighters and I will face them one by one in a contest of strength. This is the last chance for planet Earth. If I am not defeated, it belongs to me!"

His broadcast continued, but Nijuni did not hear it. She was speeding through the sky to the area Cell had described to her. The land below her was a blur as she scanned for her destination. Tentatively, she reached out with her mind, searching for the familiar alien presence. She found it unexpectedly close, surrounded by a cloud of fear, which wasn't that unexpected at all.

"Here, you forgot this!" Cell laughed as he tossed a car at the fleeing humans.

"Enjoying yourself?"

He tried to suppress a grin, but it broke out all the same. Turning, he took a quick glance up and down her frame, eyes coming to rest on her expressionless face.

"Just a little bit," he chuckled, turning back to watch the last stragglers disappear over the horizon.

"Why do they run when they know that there's no point?" Cell turned back to her, pure curiosity on his face.

"How would I know?" Nijuni shrugged.

"You're a human, I thought that you might understand how they think better than I," he hovered off the ground, wings lifted.

"Hm. Perhaps they simply can't grasp the magnitude of your abilities,"

He seemed satisfied with this answer as she joined him in the air, a mischievous smirk suddenly on his lips.

"Want to race?"

"On the count of three. One!" Nijuni took off immediately, rocketing over the line of abandoned cars.

"You said three!" Cell called from far behind her.

"I lied!" She shouted back.

Nijuni looked back, white hair whipping in the wind. Cell was catching up to her, occasionally using the ground to propel himself forward; he looked like a stone skipping across water. Soon, they were neck and neck, and just as one gained an inch, the other gained two.

"You can't beat me, Nijuni. I'm the perfect being, after all," Cell taunted, moving so that he was flying underneath her, looking up with his arms crossed.

She looked down at him, then put more effort into her flight and pulled ahead. Together, they flew so close to the ground that they left twin gashes in the earth. A plateau rose up before them unexpectedly. Nijuni was able to skirt around it, but Cell was forced to go up and over.

"What was that about not being able to beat you?" She teased.

He quickly caught up with her, and they were deadlocked again.

"Stop right there!" A voice yelled over a megaphone.

They came to a quick halt in front of a "blockade" of police cars and helicopters.

"You are under arrest! Anything you say can and will be used against you!" The voice continued shouting as cops anxiously gripped their weapons.

"Imbeciles," Cell hissed, irritated at having his fun interrupted.

"Why don't you show them the error of their ways, mister 'perfect'?" Nijuni grinned slightly.

"Excellent idea," he smirked.

He extended two fingers and quickly raised his arm, bathing the area in a bright blue column of light. When it dissipated, the world around them had turned into a massive crater, desolate of all life.

"Don't you think that was a bit of overkill?" She turned her head to look at Cell, only to find him gone.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of me winning," he yelled, already a speck on the horizon.

"Cheater!"

Cell laughed as she struggled to catch up to him. She was starting to tire out. Almost imperceptibly, he lowered his speed until she caught up with him again. A large, white arena with conical spires on the corners came into view.

"The finish line's in sight, if you've got any tricks up your sleeve, now would be the time," Cell goaded.

Suddenly, he stopped in mid-air. He struggled, but found he couldn't move a muscle.

"What the-"

"I win!"

Whatever force that was holding him dissipated, and he slowly descended.

"You weren't supposed to take that last remark seriously, you know," he sulked, arms crossed.

"You and I are both well aware that you let me win,"

"Was I being that obvious?" He uncrossed his arms and tilted his head.

"To me, yes," she confirmed.

He said nothing in reply, but took the opportunity to revive their telepathic connection. Nijuni relaxed; the familiar presence of Cell's thoughts was comforting. But, she realized slowly, something seemed off. As if there were a part of him that she couldn't quite reach. As though he was hiding something from her. She didn't press the issue however.

I'm exhausted, Cell, she sat down, leaning her back against his leg. He looked down at her, then sighed deeply.

Sleep, then. I will be here when you awaken, he assured.

Nijuni closed her eyes and drifted off slowly.