“Not good.” Pan’s mind raced as she considered her next move. Blackness continued to entrench in her vision, threatening to consume her.
Was this it? Had she hit her limit? Should she surrender like her Universe 18 counterpart? But she scowled, hating the idea. After going so far, quitting seemed impossible. She’d entered this tournament to show she could match both her famous grandfathers and her aunt Bra. Just thinking about her aunt made her undead blood boil. If she quit now, Bra would never let Pan live this down.
“Oh?” Cell said, amused as he caught her expression. “Not finished yet?”
“No!” Pan’s ki flared like a torch, ready to ignite everything around her. Cell was caught off guard by the blow she struck to his chest, but snatched the next blow with his fist.
“Better.” Cell kneed her in the chest, driving her back. Pan only struck harder, determined not to lose without a fight, but it proved all for naught. Pan flinched as her next blow barely did anything to her opponent.
“So it’s over then. Pity.” A knee slammed into her stomach, the arena exploding as Pan crashed into it. Energy lanced down at her, explosions blasting everything to dust. Pan’s consciousness fell into a black void, consumed like a black hole.
---
“Is that truly everything you had? So disappointing!” a familiar voice said, rolling her eyes.
“Huh?” Where was she? What had brought her here? Within the black void, a hazy, indistinct figure grinned at her. Pan’s mind was a thick fog that refused to clear. Even recalling her own name was difficult.
“You can’t lose yet! The tournament will get dull otherwise!” the girl said with a pout.
“Be my little monster.” A shark-like grin extended across the familiar girl’s face, stretching far past her eyes. “Tap that darkness. Let your Saiyan blood dance! Bloodshed, murder, death, destruction! Make the multiverse bleed!” The girl spun around in a circle, then cackled. “Such fun!”
“And with all that pesky light-side ki gone, the darkness can flow like a broken dam, ready to drown everything in its path!”
No, that wasn’t right. Pan didn’t want this! But she was powerless to resist as darkness drove into her mouth, consuming her entire being.
---
“That’s it? Sad,” Son Bra said with a contemptuous snort. What was her niece thinking? She didn’t even attempt to destroy Cell’s core. Didn’t she pay attention to her father’s stories? Pan collapsed, hair blackening as she dropped from Super Saiyan.
Much to her disappointment, Cell didn’t explode the zombie freak into tiny pieces. Instead, he allowed his opponent to lie half-covered in the rubble to get counted out. If she were fighting, she’d destroy the monster girl’s every atom as a precaution. But few had Son Bra’s sense.
“Water,” she barked at the nearest Vargas, hoping it would temper her throbbing head. When she’d awoken from her drunken stupor, she’d felt like death. Bra swore she’d never drink again!
“I’m not some servant to be barked around!” the bird-like alien complained, but a death glare from Bra sent him scrambling to comply with her order. She smiled, pleased with herself.
“Pan is down for the count. To avoid what happened last time, we’ll give a ten-count before declaring the winner,” the announcer said. A waste of time, in Bra’s opinion. The monster girl was finished.
“Ten.”
Cell stood still as a statue, arms crossed, patiently waiting for his victory to be declared.
“Get up!” Pan of Universe 18 said in useless encouragement. To Bra’s annoyance, all of Universe 18 threw in their support. Why? They barely knew the girl!
“Nine. Eight.”
“Please, get up,” their Trunks whispered.
“You got this!” Goten added.
“Seven. Six.”
Much to Bra’s shock, even her father joined in. “Get up! You can’t surrender after fighting this far.”
Bra’s mouth curled in distaste, hate burning in her heart. Even her father? Why couldn’t they see Pan for the freak she was? Why was everyone so willing to give her their love? She walked away, fuming.
“Five. Four. Three… What?” the announcer gasped, stunned into silence.
“Huh?” Bra turned, freezing in her tracks as her heart froze.
“Oh?” But there was a hint of apprehension in Cell’s voice. Like Bra, he sensed the wrongness of the girl rising back to her feet. Pan released a guttural growl, her eyes dead void. Her movements were jerky like a demented puppeteer guided her actions.
A smile spread across her niece’s features, sending a stab of ice through her. Bra feared her heart might have stopped for a second. Nothing friendly or jovial was in this smile, only madness and bloodlust.
The Pan creature laughed, her voice like nails against a chalkboard. She fumed forward as though she didn’t know how limbs worked.
“You have an untapped reserve of ki then? Or a new form perhaps?” But growing tension hid behind Cell’s typical sarcasm. Everything in Bra’s existence told her to flee until her legs gave out. The entire crowd became still, rigid like statues. No one felt like cheering anymore.
The pair faced off, Cell keeping an uncharacteristically wary distance from his foe. The bio-android pounced, lancing a barrage of ki blasts at Pan. But Pan bounded forward, slipping through each beam with casual ease. Before Cell could utter his surprise, a fist tore through his gut. Purple blood oozed from the wound, Cell howling in pain. Pan used her hands to rip her opponent in half. Each half landed in a bloody mess. Cell’s face twisted in pain. His eyes widened in terror as Pan leaped on him.
Bra only stared, speechless as gentle, goodie-two-shoes Pan brutalized Cell with her fists. Purple blood stained her white tunic beyond repair, but Pan cared little beyond hurting her opponent. Little remained of his top half beyond a stain on the arena floor.
But Cell wasn’t dead, of course. His bottom half leaped to its feet before sprouting a new upper torso and head. He wasn’t his usual smug, smiling self, however.
“You aren’t Pan anymore, are you?” Cell said. “More like an uncouth animal bent on nothing beyond violence and bloodshed. Even that brute Broly had better manners than you. How dull. But it doesn’t matter how much you tear me to pieces; I’ll always regenerate.”
Pan, in response, only swaggered forward, a predatory grin growing wider across her face. Her aura flared like a black candle, suffocating everything around it with its oppressive power. Cell flinched as Pan approached, his green exoskeleton losing some color. Some of the audience started becoming faint, almost losing consciousness.
“Is that how she’s staying up? By stealing ki?” Bra asked. Cell’s brag about regenerating forever might not hold much weight if Pan robbed the ki he needed to heal himself.
Cell jerked back, his movements sluggish as he backed away. But he only gritted his teeth, the arena exploding into blinding dust as Cell blasted the floor beneath them. A clash happened within the cloud, Bra straining her eyes to see inside. When they emerged, Cell was missing a chunk of his torso. But Pan had suffered worse; her right arm was missing. Bra cheered, pleased things were going better. Her brothers stared at her, scandalized, but she didn’t care. Finally, this monster would get put down.
The pair exchanged another set of blows, but Pan was losing momentum. Savage as she was, Cell fought smarter. While every exchange cost him, the bio-android made Pan pay more.
She snarled at him, but Cell only smirked. “You’re a fearsome opponent, I’ll give you that. I can feel you seeping away my ki, but how long will that tattered body last, I wonder?”
Cell spread his arms wide. “How about we end this little farce?”
Pan collapsed as a barrage of ki blasts exploded into her chest. This time, her snarling crumbled as she lay against the rubble of the arena, motionless. Cell paused, wondering if he should wait for the count again, but decided against it. He stood over Pan’s helpless body, arm raised to decapitate her and finish this.
---
“Hm?” Pan said, eyes droopy. She gasped as a hand slashed down at her, just avoiding the killing blow. She blinked, her foggy mind unsure where she was. “Cell?” She entered a combat stance but blinked in confusion when a limb didn’t work as it should.
Pan glanced down at her right shoulder. “What the heck happened to my arm?!”
“Your sanity has returned? Fascinating.”
“Huh?” What was he talking about? Pan noticed something odd. The crowd wore a pensive expression, some seeming like they hadn’t slept in days. When she turned to her family, they avoided her eyes. Were they afraid of her?
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“I see your predicament is finally settling in,” Cell said. “You see how they fear you? Not surprising considering you’re a monster, Pan, not unlike me.”
“I’m not a monster!” But Pan’s words contained a hint of doubt, her eyes wide like a frightened animal.
“And look at you. You were almost completely out of ki, but now it’s partly restored. Seems you’re putting your stolen ki to good use. Brings back memories of my incomplete form. We are remarkably similar, aren’t we? Still, the ability to steal ki passively is annoying. I can’t allow this fight to continue any longer.” Cell wasn’t kidding. Pan detected a wobble in his step. This battle had depleted almost all his remaining ki.
“Um.” Pan raced as Cell leaped into the air, energy gathering for a Kamehameha.
“Isn’t this nostalgic?” Cell said, taking in a pleased breath. “Wasn’t this how your father died as well? A desperate Kamehameha struggle with only a single arm to defend yourself? What symmetry! Father and daughter dying the exact same way. Deflect this, if you can!”
“Oh crap!” Pan’s undead heart thumped in utter panic. With one arm, there was no way she could fight off Cell’s Kamehameha!
“Pan, you got this!” her father said, regaining faith in his daughter. “I believe in you!”
“But—”
“Cell’s powerful, but he’s forgetting one thing!”
“Kamehameha!” Cell’s beam lanced down at her.
“You’re right!” It all clicked into place. Her aura flared golden as she turned Super Saiyan. She smirked, gathering energy for her own Kamehameha. She faced the incoming beam without fear. “In my universe, you lost, Cell! Kamehameha!”
Their beams clashed, Pan gritting her teeth as she struggled to fight the beam back. Her feet implanted deep into the broken arena as she fought to keep the beam at bay. But she stayed firm, ready to fight to the bitter end.
Yet, something felt off. Cell wasn’t giving his attack everything he had. He was holding back! Her mind raced for why. While he claimed he wanted to defeat Pan as he’d done to her father, this wasn’t an exact reenactment of their final encounter during the Cell Games. She’d heard the story a million times, and each difference stood out like a sore thumb. He had something else planned, but what?
Instead of exhausting her ki, Pan held the beam at bay, pretending to struggle harder than she was. She’d make him waste his ki instead. The moment seemed to stretch into eternity as she waited for whatever trick Cell had planned.
“There!” In a blink, Cell vanished. He’d used the Instant Transmission technique. Pan responded, cutting her ki. She held it ready in her palm.
There! Pan sensed Cell behind her, Kamehameha ready for the killing blow. But Cell was slower than he’d expected, the hairs on Pan’s head searing as she leaped away. Cell’s eyes widened, realizing he’d left himself vulnerable.
“Kamehameha!” The one-armed blast consumed the bio-android, with no room for him to dodge away. She used everything she had left, ensuring not even an atom remained of her opponent. When the dust cleared, nothing remained of Cell but the faint smell of burnt fish.
Pan collapsed, a smile on her face. The darkness crept back, but she had enough ki to hold it at bay. She’d done it. Somehow, she’d won. The entire audience broke into applause.
“Cell from Universe 17 has been defeated. Pan of Universe 16 is the victor!”
“Congratulations, Pan,” her father said, his smile proud. “You did it.”
“Daddy!” The Cell Jrs stared, stunned, many breaking into heartbroken tears. It brought Pan a pang of sympathy. While a monster, someone still cared about Cell.
“Like Cell stood any chance,” her grandfathers said, smug at his kin’s victory. “Well fought.”
“Are you guys ignoring what she did to win?” Bra said, ruining the joyous mood.
“What do you mean?” Pan said, wary.
“You were an animal, delighting in the pain and death you caused,” Bra replied.
“There’s no way that’s true!” But the guarded look in her father’s eyes deflated her protests. It couldn’t be true, right?
Her father grabbed both her shoulders. “We’ll figure this out, okay?”
“Dad!” Pan was speechless. What had happened when she’d blacked out? She eyed everyone else around her. They seemed guarded around her, unsure what to think of her.
“Hey, Vargas. Pan attacked the audience. Shouldn’t you disqualify her?” Bra said.
“What?!” Pan gasped in shock.
“Not directly,” her father was quick to add. “No one got hurt.”
“Um.” The Vargas looked pensive, unsure how to reply. “We’ll have the council discuss this.”
“So stupid,” Bra grumbled. “You’re still giving this thing more chances?”
“T-thing?” Pan said, mortified. Had she fallen that far out of her aunt’s favor?
“Son Bra,” her grandfathers said, showing his displeasure. It was rare for him to call his daughter by her full name. Bra tensed as her father got in her face, intimidated by his towering height and overwhelming presence. “Enough. Apologize to Pan right now. What’s gotten into you?”
But Bra held her ground. “I don’t know. What do you think, Dad?”
Something passed between them that Pan didn’t understand. There was something beneath the surface that went beyond Bra bullying her niece. Was this even about her, really?
“You’ll never progress as a warrior if you keep clinging to the past. Suck it up and get over it already. Grow up!” her grandfathers replied. “We’ve all had enough of your bad attitude.”
Bra clicked her tongue. “Grow up, right. Dumbass.” She turned and walked away.
“Don’t you walk away from me!” her grandfathers seethed. Dear Lord, Pan had never seen him this angry before. She feared Vegito, mighty hero of Universe 16, might actually strike his daughter.
Her father noticed it too and stepped in before an altercation happened. “Just give her some space to cool down, okay, Dad? Let’s cool things down.”
“The brat never listens.” Her grandfathers turned away. “It only shows she doesn’t have what it takes to become a true warrior. She’s nothing but an unruly child who can’t control herself.”
“Tsk.” Bra scoffed before flying away. “I hope you lose your match.”
“Oh dear. What’s with these two?” her father said, sighing as they watched Bra disappear. “Sometimes, I think Vegito’s fusion was the worst thing that could have happened. Dad, my dad, was more compassionate and understanding than this.” This earned a glare from her grandfather, but he didn’t argue the point.
“We invite Tapion from Universe 3 and Kulilin from Universe 9 to get in the ring!” the announcer said.
But Pan paid no attention to the next match, too busy fretting over her family situation. Both her grandfathers and Bra had such anger bubbling beneath them. She desired to ask about the incident that caused such resentment but knew they’d never answer. What a bother. Was there any way to fix this?
“And I’ve lost an arm, too. What a day.” Pan waved her stump experimentally before sighing. And since she was a zombie, she couldn’t use a Senzu bean to regrow it. Now she needed to learn to fight left-handed!
“Victory for Tapion of Universe 3!” With that, the fight concluded, and the next meal break began. Since she couldn’t eat, she would spend her time doing something else.
“Big Sis Pan, do you want to hang out?” Little Pan asked, sipping her udon noodles as Pan passed. Unlike many others, she didn’t seem as frightened of her.
“Maybe later. I don’t want to interrupt your meal.” From Pan’s reckoning, her counterpart from Universe 18 was already five bowls in.
“Okay.” Little Pan said. Pan pretended she wasn’t jealous as her counterpart dug into a rice bowl.
Pan walked over to Uncle Piccolo. Unlike many others, his gaze was friendly and understanding.
“Uncle Piccolo, could you help me train?” The Namekian stood in his usual spot, leaning against a wall in brooding silence.
Piccolo smiled, understanding her reasons. She wanted to get her training in early. Her next opponent was Tapion, the mysterious warrior. She needed to cope with her new handicap quick. “Fine by me. With your dominant arm gone, you’re at a considerable disadvantage.” Together, they left for a spot free of people. Much to their surprise, a towering green shape intercepted them.
“Gast! Would you like to join our training session?” Pan asked. “A little practice goes a long way.”
“No, I wish to check something.” Pan caught onto the fused Namekian’s meaning and allowed him to put a massive hand around her head. He closed his eyes, channeling some deeper magic.
“Well?” Both Pan and Uncle Piccolo gave Gast a curious look.
“I see. Whatever’s hiding within you is clever. I didn’t sense it before, but its taint is still fresh,” Gast replied.
“Taint?” Pan bristled, fearing what that might mean.
“A darkness has taken hold of you, Pan. Be cautious of its power over you. I don’t believe you’re evil or a monster, but something evil hides within you. Don’t give in to it,” Gast said.
“Is there some way to exorcise it?” Pan asked.
But Gast shook his head. “No. It’s too ingrained in this body. I fear even dying might not separate you from it.”
“Wonderful.” What news. But there had to be a way. If she won this tournament, she’d use the Dragonballs to free herself from whatever this evil creature was. It had to work.
The mighty fused Namekian caught onto her thoughts and nodded, giving her a slight smile. “I wish you luck, Pan. I have my own wish, but I won’t protest if you win the prize instead.”
“Thanks.” They waved Gast goodbye. This revelation gave Pan plenty to think about. “You know, Uncle Piccolo, you come from a pretty cool race.”
“That Gast is something else,” Piccolo said in agreement. “His magic is formidable. He won’t be an easy opponent.”
“Yeah, but the fight will be fun.” It was a pleasant change from the psychos she’d been fighting so far. Tapion was her next opponent. Worry bubbled in her heart, but she tamped it down. Fretting about her next match wouldn’t help. “Let’s hurry. We have little time remaining until grandpas’ fight starts.”
---
“What the heck just happened!” Pan glanced around, trying to locate her grandfathers’ ki. Had he somehow been utterly obliterated? People muttered amongst themselves, theorizing what might have happened.
Tense moments passed as they waited for her grandfathers to reappear. Old man XXI stood stock still, his wrinkled face calm but smug. He was certain his opponent wouldn’t return in time.
“What’d he do?” Goku asked, perplexed. “I didn’t sense any attack.”
“It must be some type of magic,” Vegeta said with a snort. “He got careless and got caught in the spell.”
“Well, that’s not fair,” Goku said, scratching his head.
“Is he dead?” Pan said, fighting back tears. Sure, he’d eventually get wished back, but it was still a terrible blow.
“Relax, child,” XXI said. “I only sent him into another dimension. He’ll break out of it soon enough with an exertion of ki.”
“Um. It’s been thirty seconds and Vegito has not reappeared, so XXI of Universe 5 is the winner!”
“What? Is this allowed?” Pan said, glaring at the nearest Vargas. “He sent Grandpas into another dimension!”
“Weapons, magic, technology? Anything’s allowed.” The bird person replied.
“But that was basically cheating!” Pan said, glaring at the Vagras. He flinched, backing away in fear. Gee, she hadn’t meant to scare him that much.
“Oh, right. Zombie.” Pan thought, her mood damping.
“Yeah, it doesn’t seem right at all,” Goku said. “We came here to fight, didn’t we?” Their argument had captured the attention of the other tournament goers, who watched the exchange with some curiosity.
“No, you’re all wrong.” The Vargas said, chuckling to himself. “What XXI did what we Vargas call the peak of combat brilliance. He won the match without even having to throw a punch. Vegito got careless, so he lost.”
“Yeah, but this is a martial arts tournament,” Pan replied. “It’s not really keeping in its spirit. What if XXI wins every match like that?”
“The girl’s right.” Buu of Universe 4 said. “We’re here to fight, not defeat each other through technicalities.”
The Vargas only shook his head, laughing to himself. “You don’t understand, you do? If XXI wins like that, he’s the ultimate warrior, the peak of fighting perfection. If you can’t keep up, you were never worthy from the start.”
“So lame.” Pan watched as XXI left without a word. As usual, he returned to his apartment instead of watching the other fights.
“Fighting perfection? If you say so,” Goku said, scratching his head. “It improved our chance of victory, but I wanted to face Vegito in the ring.”
“Some tournament.” Vegeta snorted, mouth twisting into a displeased scowl. “I wonder why we’re even bothering to fight if they allow such cheap tricks.” The other combatants voiced similar complaints, even Frieza.
“Tsk. Vegito deserves a rematch. Your audience is most displeased by this.” Buu from Universe 4 seemed partially annoyed by the Vargas’ argument. And the Maijin warrior wasn’t wrong. The audience seemed both bewildered and annoyed by this unexpected turn of events. This unusual victory hadn’t satisfied them one bit.
The Vargas fumed, stomping his bird-like feet. “If you don’t like it, then start your own tournament! Let’s see you do better!”
“Our own tournament?” Buu of Universe 4 seemed partially intrigued by this suggestion.
“Anyway!” The announcer said, directing the conversation in another direction. If everyone left, the Vargas would lose everything. “After that strange victory, here is Mary Sue, the wonderful, beautiful warrior of Universe 2.” Then, bizarrely, the announcer entered a ten-minute speech about Mary Sue and how wonderful she was. As usual, he offered contradictory tidbits about her past that never added up.
“Oh, there you are, Mary Sue,” Pan said as her friend appeared. “Where have you been?” She had a peculiar habit of disappearing.
“I was cooking some ramen. Sorry. Did I miss something?” Mary Sue gasped when she noticed Pan’s missing arm. “What happened to you?
“Such compassion! How she cares about everyone around her! Her soul’s as beautiful as her face! Please marry me!” Trunks howled as Goten elbowed him in the ribs.
“No way! She’s going to have my children. We’re having nine of them, all just as marvelous as her!” Goten said, his expression a mask of rage. Huh? What was going on with those two? They were in each other’s faces, almost ready to brawl.
“I’ll say. I’ll explain later.” Pan said, unnerved by her uncles’ behavior.
“And the horrible, rotten Android 18 of Universe 14 will be her opponent.” The announcer said in an angry hiss.
“Boo! You suck!” Almost the entire crowd hurled insults at the android warrior, sometimes saying such hateful things it made Pan’s ears red. 18 was a bad guy, but wasn’t this going overboard?
“What?” Android 18 scowled and sent the audience an angry glare. “Got something to say? Come down here and say it!”
“Um, won’t hurt her too badly? Will you, sis?” Android 17 said, tentatively.
“Not you too!” 18 said, exasperated. “She’s not even that pretty!”
Pan signed. It would be a strange fight. She just knew it.
---
Author’s note:
Next time: Mary Sue vs Android 18, what the heck’s with this girl?! Bra shows her ruthless side, no mercy to the evil! Bra spills her guts to Lila. The Dragonballs are used to revive the lost. What does this mean for Pan?