A/N: Getting ready for Uni, so the uploads might slow toward September and beyond.
Cell's eyes darted upward as the incoming Ki signatures broke through the clouds. His grin vanished, replaced by a momentary flicker of shock as he recognized the faces descending into the ruins.
"More of them...?" Cell muttered, quickly leaping backward to put distance between himself and Piccolo. He landed nimble on the jagged edge of a half-broken skyscraper, his long, insectoid tail flicking behind him as he crouched, peering down at the newcomers like a predator sizing up a fresh batch of prey.
Trunks, Gohan, Tien, and Escallion touched down into the smoking crater surrounding Piccolo, the dust settling around their boots.
Escallion immediately took in the scorched streets, the discarded skin of the monster, and the heavy smell of ozone and ash in the air. His gaze swept past the devastation before locking dead on Cell, who perched quietly above them.
"Piccolo," Escallion said, his voice cold and tense as he kept his eyes pinned to the creature. "Is this thing the monstrosity responsible for wiping out the whole town?"
Cell's eyes darted upward as the incoming Ki signatures broke through the clouds. His grin vanished, replaced by a momentary flicker of shock as he recognized the faces descending into the ruins.
"More of them...?" Cell muttered, quickly leaping backward to put distance between himself and Piccolo. He landed nimbly on the jagged edge of a half-broken skyscraper, his long, insectoid tail flicking behind him as he crouched, peering down at the newcomers like a predator sizing up a fresh batch of prey.
Trunks, Gohan, Tien, and Escallion touched down into the smoking crater surrounding Piccolo, the dust settling around their boots.
Escallion immediately took in the scorched streets, his gaze swept past the devastation before locking dead on Cell, who perched quietly above them.
"Piccolo," Escallion said, his voice cold and tense as he kept his eyes pinned to the creature. "Is this thing the monstrosity responsible for wiping out the whole town?"
Escallion's brow furrowed, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the bizarre, convoluted aura radiating off the creature perched atop the ruins.
"Something's wrong with this bastard," Escallion growled, his voice laced with confusion and deep suspicion as he tracked the pulsing Ki. "I'm feeling Kakarot's energy mixed in there... and the triclops too. How the hell does a bug have their Ki?"
Beside him, Tien shifted into a defensive stance, his three eyes widening in disbelief as he felt his own exact energy signature humming from the monster's core.
Up on the ledge, Cell only sneered, his tail twitching as he looked down at the gathering fighters, relishing the look of sheer bewilderment spreading across Escallion's face.
"I'll explain everything later," Piccolo barked over his shoulder, never taking his eyes off the creature above. He stepped forward, his newly regenerated arm flexing as his aura flared. "Right now, we deal with him."
Piccolo glared up at the broken skyscraper, his voice echoing across the silent ruins. "It's over, Cell. Look around you. You're outnumbered and outmatched; there's nowhere left for you to run."
Cell looked down at the assembled fighters, a slow, sinister chuckle rumbling deep in his chest.
"Surrounded?" Cell taunted, his pink eyes flashing with dark amusement. "Don't be so sure, Namekian!"
With a sudden, violent burst of speed, Cell kicked off the concrete ledge, rocketing straight into the sky. He soared higher and higher, positioning his body directly in front of the blinding glare of the midday sun.
"What's he doing?!" Trunks shouted, shielding his eyes as he looked up.
"Wait... that stance!" Tien gasped, his eyes widening in sudden horror.
Cell threw his hands up to his face, fingers spread flat against his forehead as he drew in a deep breath.
"SOLAR FLARE!"
A blinding, overwhelming flash of white light erupted from Cell's body, eclipsing the sun itself. The intense light engulfed the entire city square in an instant, burning through the shadows and blinding everyone below.
Escallion roared, slamming his hands over his face as the searing, brilliant light scorched his vision.
Beside him, Trunks, Gohan, and Tien stumbled backward, groaning in pain as they shielded their faces, completely blinded by the unexpected attack. Piccolo gritted his teeth, his sharp ears picking up the distinct, high-speed whistle of Ki rocketing away into the distance, but the blinding glare left him unable to track the trajectory.
Cell's raspy, triumphant laughter echoed down from above before fading rapidly into the horizon.
Seconds dragged on like hours until the blinding white haze finally began to recede, leaving the fighters blinking away burning spots and tears. As their vision slowly cleared, they looked up to the broken ledge where the creature had stood moments before.
The roof was empty.
Escallion wiped his watering eyes, sweeping his gaze across the Gingertown skyline, but there was no trace left behind. The bio-android had completely suppressed its energy, vanishing into the countryside as if it had never existed at all.
"Damn it!" Trunks spat, scanning the empty sky in frustration. "He's completely gone... I can't feel his Ki anywhere!"
Escallion slammed his fist into a standing slab of concrete, shattering it into dust as his teeth gritted in pure fury.
"Damn coward!" Escallion spat, wiping the last of the blinding tears from his eyes. His jaw set hard as a bitter memory flashed through his mind, the harsh glare of Cell's light stirring up an old, infuriating sting.
"Pulling a cheap move like that... he's just like that red-haired android," Escallion growled, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low rumble. "Using the same dirty trick to slip away when the heat gets turned up."
Trunks looked over at him, catching the sheer venom in Escallion's tone, while Piccolo stepped forward, shaking his head.
"Forget his tricks for a second," Piccolo said grimly, his dark eyes fixed on the empty sky where the creature had vanished. "You need to hear what that monster just told me. It's far worse than just another android."
"Cell," Piccolo began, his voice heavy as the dust settled around them. "That's what he calls himself. He's an android—or rather, a bio-android—created by Dr. Gero's supercomputer."
Gohan's eyes widened. "Dr. Gero? But we destroyed his lab!"
"We destroyed the lab above ground," Piccolo corrected grimly. "Gero had a sub-bunker hidden far below the bedrock. His computer spent decades down there in the dark, gathering cells from the greatest fighters who ever walked this planet. Goku, Vegeta, Frieza, King Cold... even Tien, Gohan, and myself."
Escallion clenched his jaw, the reality of the monster's mixed energy finally making sense. "So that's why the damn bug carries Kakarot's aura..."
"That's not all," Piccolo continued, looking directly at Trunks. "He came from your future, Trunks. In his timeline, you managed to destroy Androids 17 and 18. But when Cell matured, he found no androids left to absorb. So he ambushed you, killed you, and stole your time machine."
Trunks went pale, his breath hitching. "He... he killed me?"
"You, well... other you, preset the machine for this exact era and traveled back," Piccolo said, his brow furrowing. "And his goal here is simple. Right now, he's hunting down innocent humans to gorge on their life force and build his strength. But his ultimate objective isn't just killing."
Piccolo paused, his dark eyes sweeping over the group.
"To achieve his 'perfect form,' Cell needs to absorb Androids 17 and 18. If he gets his hands on them, he'll become an unstoppable force."
Piccolo clenched his fists, a surge of absolute fury erupting from his body as his white aura flared wildly around him. The ground beneath his feet cracked and shattered under the pressure.
"I CAN'T STAND IT!" Piccolo roared, his voice echoing fiercely through the ruined, desolate streets. "How could I have let him escape?! He's completely out of control!"
"He's out of control!" Trunks gasped, stepping back slightly from the crushing pressure of Piccolo's aura.
"I'll find you, Cell!" Piccolo shouted into the sky, his eyes burning with intense determination. "I'LL FIND YOU!"
High above, a flash of yellow light streaked through the clouds before dropping sharply down toward the crater. Vegeta landed heavily onto the scorched earth, his sharp gaze immediately sweeping over the scene.
"Huh?!" Vegeta's eyes widened in sheer disbelief as he locked onto the Namekian. "The Namek... It can't be!"
"Vegeta!" Trunks called out. "Father!"
Vegeta marched forward, his scowl deepening as he crossed his arms, staring down Piccolo. "Namek, I demand to know what happened here!"
Piccolo powered down his aura, his expression cold as he turned his back to the Saiyan prince.
"If you refuse to speak, answer me this!" Vegeta barked, stepping closer as his frustration bubbled over. "Who are you, really? There's no way the real Piccolo could have such incredible fighting power! Answer me NOW!"
"I'll tell you," Trunks spoke up, stepping between them. "He needed to get stronger to fight the Androids... so he merged with Kami."
Vegeta froze, the words hitting him like a physical blow. "Piccolo merged with Kami?!" he thought, his jaw clenching as a dark, frantic swirl of shock and indignation consumed his mind. 'It seems too incredible to imagine... With that union, Piccolo has become more powerful than I am! Even as a Super Saiyan!'
Vegeta's teeth ground together so hard his jaw ached, his fists trembling at his sides. 'But that's impossible... He's nothing more than a mere Namek!'
Escallion stepped up beside Trunks, folding his arms as he fixed Vegeta with an unreadable glare.
"Save your bruised pride for later, Vegeta," Escallion said, his voice hard. "The monster that ran off isn't just some random alien. He's a bio-android named Cell, built by Gero's supercomputer using the DNA of every single one of us; Kakarot, you, the triclops, Frieza, all of it. Right now, he's slinking around stealing human energy to grow stronger. But his real goal is to hunt down 17 and 18, absorb them, and turn into some kind of complete nightmare."
Vegeta stared at Escallion for a fraction of a second before throwing his head back and letting out a sharp, mocking laugh.
"Hmph! Is that all?" Vegeta scoffed, tossing his head back as an arrogant smirk spread across his face. "Let the bug hunt them, then! If this 'Cell' wants to do my dirty work and destroy those pathetic androids for me, it saves me the trouble of tracking them down myself. Once he's dealt with them, I'll step in and crush whatever's left of him."
"Once again, it's up to us to stop him, isn't it?" Tien sighed, looking around at the devastation. "How do we find him now? I mean, if Cell knows that Piccolo is strong enough to beat him before he becomes complete, he'll probably try to keep his energy concealed from us."
"Well, we better figure something out before he finds those androids," Trunks added grimly. "Or I'll tell you what, guys... we're going to be in big trouble."
"And not just us, Trunks," Escallion warned, his face dark. "This monster is a danger to every planet in the universe! Remember, Frieza and Frieza's father are both a part of Cell now."
"Big deal!" Vegeta barked, tossing his head back with an arrogant sneer. "I say let him become complete! If Cell destroys the androids, he'll save me the trouble! And fighting one battle is much simpler than fighting four! I don't care how powerful he becomes—I'll still beat him!"
"Hold on, Vegeta," Piccolo growled, stepping forward. "The androids alone were more than we could handle, and if Cell absorbs their power, he'll be stronger than all of them combined!"
"Do not question my ability, Namek!" Vegeta snapped, glaring daggers at Piccolo. "Not unless you want to find out how powerful I really am! I do not fear this new challenge... rather, like a true warrior, I will rise to meet it!"
Vegeta smirked, his eyes burning with boundless pride as he crossed his arms. "Yes, I am now a Super Saiyan... but I won't stop there. I will ascend!"
"What?!" Trunks gasped, his eyes wide in disbelief. "How can he be stronger than a Super Saiyan?!"
Escallion speaks up, his eyes locking onto Vegeta. "I have thought of the same thing."
"I'm sure Kakarot will try to do the same, don't you think?" Vegeta taunted, glancing back over his shoulder. "Now, if any of you would like to take on Cell or the androids while I'm away, be my guest. I'll be back to finish the job once you've failed!"
With a sharp burst of white aura, Vegeta launched himself into the sky, rocketing off into the clouds and leaving the group staring up after him.
"Sometimes he really gets on my nerves," Tien muttered, shaking his head. "He's going to try to surpass a Super Saiyan...?"
Piccolo watched Vegeta streak off into the clouds, letting out a low, frustrated sigh before turning his sharp gaze back to the remaining group.
"We don't have time to dwell on Vegeta's arrogance," Piccolo said, his voice cutting through the tense air of the ruined street. He shifted his attention directly to Escallion. "Escallion, come with me. We need to keep our senses peeled for that bio-android before he tracks down the androids or slaughters any more innocent people."
Escallion nodded slowly, his expression tightening into a hard scowl as he fell into step beside the Namekian. "Lead the way. I'm ready to smash that bug back to whatever pit he crawled out of."
Piccolo then looked over at Gohan, Trunks, and Tien. "The rest of you have a different job. Head back to the site of Gero's old laboratory. There's a sub-bunker buried deep beneath the bedrock that we didn't fully destroy. Go down there, find whatever he left behind- plans, embryos, computers, and utterly obliterate it."
"Got it," Trunks agreed, gripping the hilt of his sword with absolute resolve. "We'll turn that underground base into total dust so nothing else like Cell can ever crawl out of it."
"Let's go, then," Gohan added, sharing a focused look with Tien.
Without wasting another second, Gohan, Trunks, and Tien ignited their auras, rocketing away toward the mountains to finish off Gero's legacy once and for all, while Piccolo and Escallion set off to hunt the elusive monster through the desolate countryside.
Piccolo suddenly froze in mid-flight, his green eyes snapping sharply toward the south. Beside him, Escallion stopped cold, his jaw clenching as a subtle, sickly shift in the air hit him.
"You felt that, didn't you?" Escallion growled, his gaze locking onto a distant cluster of small villages miles away.
"Dozens of life forces... just snuffed out in a second," Piccolo said through gritted teeth, his newly regenerated arm flexing in pure fury. "It's Cell. He's actively feeding."
"The bastard isn't even trying to hide his trail," Escallion spat, his aura flaring with violent intensity.
"Keep your Ki suppressed," Piccolo warned, angling his body downward as they broke into a sprint across the upper atmosphere. "If he senses us coming before we get close, he'll just use another cheap trick to slip away. We drop in silently and hit him fast."
With a sudden burst of silent speed, the two warriors tore through the clouds, racing toward the fading lights of the next doomed town.
They touched down silently on the damp cobblestones of the desolate farming village, the eerie quiet heavy and suffocating.
Escallion's boots crunched against a pile of fabric lying in the middle of the empty road. He looked down, his scowl deepening into a snarl as he nudged a hollow suit of clothes with his toe. Shirts, jackets, trousers, and shoes lay scattered across the town square, perfectly preserved yet completely empty, as if the people wearing them had simply evaporated into thin air.
"Not a single drop of blood..." Escallion growled, looking down the silent street where dozens of ghostly, discarded outfits lined the storefronts. "Just their damn clothes. He completely drained every last one of them."
Piccolo swept his sharp, dark eyes across the surrounding rooftops, his antenna twitching as he strained to catch the faintest trace of Ki.
"He knew we were close," Piccolo spat, his voice laced with venom. "The moment he finished feeding, he masked his energy and slipped into the countryside. He's playing a cat-and-mouse game, staying just far enough ahead of us to keep fattening himself up."
"Cowardly bug," Escallion hissed, slamming his fist against a nearby wooden pillar, splitting the beam in half. "He knows he can't take us head-on yet, so he's leeching off defenseless civilians while hiding like a rat!"