Dante's Abyss Spectators

[Cell]

Ah, this was more like it. The attention he so richly deserved was finally being given to him. Reporters with pens and pads and rolling cameras surrounded him, firing off questions about the battle. Cell stood with his arms folded, eyes closed and wearing a self aggrandising grin.

"How do you feel after your first win?" one said, pen poised over paper.

"It's all par for the course, really," Cell said as smugly as he could. "When you are the perfect being, winning isn't all that surprising. More like a birthright."

Cell continued to smile but his teeth were clenched behind his lips. The ending of the battle played out over and over in his head. The chainsaw blade penetrating his chest and tearing his arm apart, the knife sliding through his cheek, the immense last ditch effort he made to secure the battle... it had all been too hard. He may not have reached his perfect form yet, but to struggle like he did to claim victory was beyond insulting. Why was it so difficult? Was he weak, or were his opponents strong? Worse, would he have to actually rely on his partner to get him through this tournament? Cell didn't rely on anyone.

"How do you think the next fight will go?" another asked.

"As well as this one, maybe better," Cell said, keeping the facade alive. "I've yet to show everyone my true potential. I wouldn't want to go unveiling it so early in the competition. What would my adoring fans have to look forward to if I did that? No, I understand the value of holding one's cards to their chest. This isn't my first televised tournament. No rookie mistakes from me."

Were the ogre and elf possessors of some arcane knowledge that the bio-android didn't know about? How did she turn invisible, and how did her attacks seemed more fluent and precise than his own? He had the combined skills and battle sense of the greatest warriors ever to step foot on Earth and yet an afterlife administrator with a sharp knife ran circles around him. Not to mention that elf - what sort of dark magic did he wield to transform from that non-threatening form to that monstrous creature?

"Can you give us some insights into your combat strategies?" a reporter asked. "Do you have any secret moves or manoeuvres you would be willing to share with us? Anything involving you and Ricter?"

Cell opened his eyes and focused on the humanoid weasel not far from him, who sat in relative silence compared to him. To be fair, he had fought admirably and his fur was made of tougher stuff than the bio-android would have expected. Plus his sword that let him heal by stabbing his allies was out of the ordinary and surely deserving of more attention. Yet Ricter seemed downcast. Normally Cell wouldn't bother with the feelings and emotions of anyone except himself, but this wasn't a normal situation. As the first fight made abundantly clear, Cell couldn't fight two opponents at once - not in this universe. He would be depending on Ricter to shoulder his weight of the fight, and if the weasel was sad or losing confidence in himself, it would adversely affect the bio-android's standing in the competition. 

In order to keep a firm grip on the tournament, he had to - he grimaced - make someone feel better about themselves.

Cell chuckled. "Strategies? Why would I give an edge to my competition just so you can get better ratings? You can all wait for the next fight like everyone else. Now if you'll all excuse me, I need to confer with my partner about our next match."

The ultimate creation of Doctor Gero pushed through the throng of reporters and strode over to Ricter. The weasel lifted his head as Cell approached him. How was Cell going to do this?

"So... uh... good fight," Cell said awkwardly, looking away.

"You think so?" Ricter said. "I think I could have done better."

The bio-android shook his head. "No, you... uh... did a great job. Just... superb. Really... top notch." Ugh. I think I'd rather fight Gohan again. "And the way you stabbed me with your sword? Very... unexpected. In a good way, of course. It was lucky you started healing me as fast as you did, because if another second had gone by, I might have - oh, but that's not the productive area of conversation, is it?"

"Well, uh, thanks," Ricter said, unsure of what Cell was trying to convey. "You did amazing out there."

Cell shrugged nonchalantly. "In other news, the sky is blue. But just... be confident. You guard my back and I guard yours. We stick together -" Man I feel like punching myself in the throat right now - "and we'll win this thing."