Quick facts
Host: Perfect Cell · Location: the Coliseum, North City · Sponsor: Heatap · Announced: C1.5 Chapter 02 (heard in C2 Session 56) · Held: C1.5 Chapter 03 (reported in C2 Session 70) · Outcome: Cell destroyed; Terra Misu, Sophie, Greene and Elyon left standing; Shenlong restored Cell’s victims
The Cell Games were a tournament called by Perfect Cell at the North City Coliseum, with the fate of the planet as the prize. Arlia’s homegrown heroes won. The fight itself is the finale of Campaign 1.5; The FAM was in the Coliseum for it in Campaign 2.
Announcement
Cell interrupted a radio broadcast, just as a masked singing show revealed “Tim McRoth and Faith Hillspire,” to introduce himself to Arlia and list the towns he had absorbed. He announced he would leave the planet forever, after blowing it up, unless one of its champions could beat him. The Cell Games, sponsored by Heatap, would borrow some rules from the Greatest Below the Heavens tournament, with no bracket and Cell as the only opponent. He would fight The Cacklers first and then take on all comers, at the North City Coliseum, at noon, ten days later (C1.5 Chapter 02).
The FAM heard the announcement over a radio at an inn on the road to the Saline Coast. Perfect Cell declared that the Cell Games would be held at the North City Coliseum in ten days, and that he would destroy the planet unless the world’s champions defeated him in combat. The party arrived on the coast with eight days to go.
Ellery was set on getting to North City. After the deaths of Thalorian Valedriss and Lazra Vant, the party followed The Whisper through The Underdark to get there.
Lead-up
The days before the tournament were crowded:
- The party settled in at Ye Olde Inn, and Ellery clashed with Prince Vegeta after the Whisper revealed himself as a Mind Flayer.
- Escher was caught trying to steal from the Cacklers’ private collection. The Cacklers revealed that five of the seven Star Orbs had been stolen around the world and worried about the timing.
- The Whisper triggered an Ozaroo rampage in the warehouse district and was killed at CAGS.
- The assassin Scorch, really Fable, struck at Bulma Briefs. A radio broadcast by Marrow Vane tore into the Cacklers for the damage from the Ozaroo rampage. The tournament was then thirty-six hours away.
- On the eve of the Games, vendors hawked bootleg merchandise to the crowds gathering near the Coliseum. With all seven Star Orbs now in reach, the party debated using them for a magical “redo” if the battle went badly. Greene arranged a mission to Planet Namek to find a new guardian for the orbs, and Vegeta agreed to go as emissary before the tournament.
The tournament
Bulma invited Wilbur and the rest of the FAM to her private suite overlooking the Coliseum, with full-course meals, a buffet that Ellery immediately abandoned the party for, and Bulma’s newest invention, air conditioning.
The announcer declared Cell defeated. Terra Misu, Sophie, Greene and Elyon were left standing. The fate of the other fighters was unknown to the FAM, since they vanished from the battlefield; see the fight below. When a reporter shoved a microphone in their faces, Terra answered with a punch.
The fight (Campaign 1.5)
Jimmy Firecracker called the fight live across Arlia. He introduced Ruby Capulet, Belle Pepper, Master Toshi, Elyon, Oolong, Terra Misu Umber, Sophie Umber and Greene (C1.5 Chapter 03).
- The Cell Juniors. Cell squeezed seven blobs out of his tail that hardened into small blue copies of himself. The Cacklers destroyed them all; Toshi’s kamehameha reduced two to ash.
- Invisibility. Cell turned invisible, rained meteors on the arena, knocked everyone flat and stunned Greene out of the air. Sophie goaded him into showing himself: “I know you’re playing me, but you’re right.”
- Belle’s lightning. Belle Pepper’s lightning hurt him more than anything ever had, and she dispersed his kienzans in midair. “Cute.”
- Toshi falls. Cell caved in Master Toshi’s face and later fired a kamehameha through him, leaving a pile of ash (the wish after the Games brought him back). Greene sliced Cell from head to torso; Cell stitched himself back together.
- The Trickster’s bargain. Ruby used divine intervention to wish everyone healed. The Trickster granted it on the condition that she come with him now. Everyone was healed and Ruby vanished.
- The end of Cell. Sophie’s arcane ward saved Oolong from a kamehameha. Oolong hugged Cell, then let go, and Belle’s lightning blew Cell apart. Oolong took Cell’s form with Seerow’s Kindness. Cell reformed (“You think you could get rid of me that easily?”) and beat Oolong-as-Cell unconscious. Terra cleaved the real Cell down, and Elyon’s kienzan carved every atom of his body so he could not come back.
When the Games were over, Belle Pepper popped off the battlefield. She and Ruby had been summoned by their gods to serve as representatives in a civil war among the deities, The War in the Heavens; Ruby went through the Trickster’s bargain, Belle was summoned by her own god. Oolong also popped off the battlefield, and has not returned. Terra, Sophie, Greene and Elyon were left standing.
The wish
After the Games, the Cacklers summoned the dragon with the Star Orbs and wished to restore the lives of everyone Cell had killed and absorbed. Master Toshi, 17 and 18, and the people of Ginger Town and the other towns Cell had absorbed came back (C1.5 Chapter 03). See also Open Mysteries.
Around the Games
- Scuzz, the Pale Fang handler who had hired Fable, tailed Escher and warned him the organization would come for him and his brother.
- Nelda’s old classmate Mia Vex warned her that she had been ordered to plant the Asset Songbird tracker on her.
- Escher overheard a VTC strategy meeting led by Mia’s father, Cadbury Vex, who confirmed Escher had been spotted entering the stadium with the Fellowship.