Suddenly, Cell's face appeared on every television screen across the globe. He announced the Cell Games just as he had in the original history, but with one added taunt:
"Android 18, cherish these final seven days of freedom. After I emerge victorious, it will be time for us to finally become one."
Bulma frowned at the screen. "Husband, is that him?"
"Yes," Turles replied. "That's the Android who came here from the future."
Bulma nodded thoughtfully. She turned her gaze to Lazuli. "Lazuli, follow me. I'll show you to your room."
Lazuli gave Turles a long, lingering look before following Bulma into the house.
That Night.
Bulma lay in Turles' arms, her face flushed. "Be honest with me," she whispered. "Do you have feelings for that Lazuli?"
Turles suddenly felt a cold sweat breaking out. "Honey, how could you think that? You know me better than anyone!"
Bulma looked at him with a half-smile, her eyes full of knowing amusement. "It's because I know you that I'm asking. Forget it, I'll handle this myself."
To be honest, Bulma had been thinking about finding a "sister" to share the load. Turles' physical endurance was becoming a bit too much for her to handle alone. Back in the future timeline, she had even tried to sound out her future self, but Future Bulma had dodged the question for some reason.
Now that Turles had brought Lazuli home, he clearly had some interest in her. Besides, the way Lazuli looked at Turles was far from normal; she clearly felt something for him. If that was the case, why not just make it happen? It would certainly take some of the "pressure" off Bulma.
If Turles knew what was going through Bulma's head, he would have been speechless. What is this? My wife is actively trying to set me up with another woman?
"Bulma, I..."
Seeing the guilt on Turles' face, Bulma rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. Just stay out of it. After all this time, do you think I don't know exactly what kind of man you are?"
The Next Day.
Two very unexpected guests arrived at the Capsule Corp estate. When Turles saw them, he froze in sheer disbelief.
One was Future Bulma. (To distinguish them, she will be referred to as Future Bulma.) But what left him stunned was that she had become an Android.
Behind her, Trunks hung his head in shame, unable to meet Turles' eyes. Turles had warned him, yet he had still been careless.
Looking at Future Bulma, Turles sensed a staggering battle power of 80 billion. He swallowed hard. What on earth happened? How did she become an Android? And why is she this strong? She could solo Fat Buu with power like that...
"Future Bulma? Trunks? What are you doing here?" Turles asked. "And Trunks, why are you hiding your face?"
Trunks looked up, his expression full of regret. "Master Turles... it's my fault. The Cell from my timeline stole my Time Machine and escaped to this era. My mother and I came here to hunt him down."
Future Bulma patted Trunks on the shoulder. "What are you talking about? I was in the middle of a critical stage of my cybernetic reconstruction. You only let Cell succeed because you were trying to protect me. It isn't your fault."
Turles' brow furrowed. If that was true, there were now two Cells in this timeline. Where was the second one hiding?
"Future Bulma, how did you...?"
She looked at Turles and smiled. "I didn't want to experience that feeling of powerlessness ever again. Sometimes, having strength feels quite good."
"And you regained your youth, didn't you?" the present Bulma interjected, walking over. "No wonder you wouldn't agree back then. You had this planned. Honestly, though, you're reckless. Turning yourself into an Android? I guess I really am the only person who would do something that crazy."
Bulma shot Turles a look before turning back to her future self. "You really are something. I won't even start with you."
"Come, Future Me. Let's go see Mom and Dad. I assume you've made your decision about why you're staying?"
Future Bulma smiled softly. "Yes. It's time I started thinking about myself for a change."
As the two women walked away, Turles turned his attention to Trunks. "Not bad. You've improved quite a bit. Your base power is at 600 million now?"
Trunks' face stiffened. Of course I've improved! Ever since his mother's reconstruction was successful, she spent her time either building Time Machines or sparring with him. Under his mother's iron fist, his progress had been terrifyingly fast.
"Master Turles, this strength is nothing compared to yours. But regarding Cell..."
"Cell isn't a problem," Turles said casually. "So what if there's one more?"
"One more?"
"Yeah. One Cell already arrived in this era from a different timeline. Now another one has fled from yours. That makes two."
Elsewhere, the Perfect Cell from the first timeline looked down at the Imperfect, First Form Cell that had just arrived. A cruel smirk played on his lips.
"Well, well... look what I found. I didn't expect to find another version of myself in this era. The embryos in the lab were destroyed, but with you, I should become even more powerful."
The First Form Cell looked at his Perfect counterpart with a mixture of envy and caution. "How did you find me?"
"Simple. You were careless," Perfect Cell chuckled. "A whole town of people suddenly vanishing? I'm very familiar with that technique. A few quick calculations and I knew exactly where you were. After all, who knows me better than myself?"
"I see. That makes sense..."
"Enough talk. Since I'm here, you might as well become part of me!"
In an instant, Perfect Cell appeared behind his younger self. His tail expanded, enveloping the First Form Cell. Without any hope of resistance, the interloper was completely absorbed.
Cell's power began to climb higher and higher. Feeling the surge of energy, he laughed maniacally.
"Hahahaha! This power is magnificent! I hope Son Goku and the others can provide me with some entertainment in a few days..."
At the Lookout, Piccolo sensed the sudden, massive spike in Cell's Ki. His face turned an even deeper shade of green. "That terrifying Ki... Cell has become even more monstrous."
Goku looked toward the horizon, his expression expectant. "Yeah, he's really something. But Vegeta should be out soon..."
Piccolo looked at Goku and let out a bitter laugh. "Goku, you really are an optimist. I just hope you can actually beat him when you come out of the chamber."
"Don't worry, trust me," Goku grinned. "Besides, you're forgetting about Turles. He still feels way stronger than Cell to me."
Back in West City, Turles felt the shift in the atmosphere. Well, it looks like there's only one Cell left now.
Cell's power wouldn't have skyrocketed like that for no reason. It was easy to deduce: the Cell who had fled from Trunks' timeline had just been eaten.