Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.

The Cataylst

Act VI

Chapter 101: Nicky Town

Piccolo:

"I want you to go find Turles and the others," Piccolo ordered Krillin. "Tell them that we've found another location with the monster in it."

"R-right," Krillin was quick to say, his voice stuttering. "W-what do you think it's doing down there?"

Nicky Town was in a complete panic below. There were still the sounds of thousands of people desperately running for their lives and he knew they were going to need to intervene, now. Whatever this thing was, he was certain he would have the strength to stop it. It couldn't be stronger than Android 17, he was hoping, at least.

"Killing people," Tien remarked, his face twisting in revulsion. "Whatever is happening is very bad. I can't sense a significant power, but I can sense people dying very quickly."

"We've got to get down there," Gohan remarked. "Krillin, go get the others, we might need them."

"O-on it," the small human nodded, before blasting off towards the south-west.

This is just great. We're going to need to follow the screams to find this thing.

"Keep your powers low," Piccolo reminded. "We've not been detected yet, and we'll need to get the drop on this thing to pin it down."

"Understood," Tien said, while Gohan nodded in affirmation to him.

This thing was a master of stealth, as far as he could tell, it was lurking around every corner, and had its mind tracked on them at all points. They'd all been keeping their powers as suppressed as they could, while still maintaining flight. It looked like they'd stumbled across it on its first massacre since Ginger Town. The thing Raditz had described almost seemed beyond reason.

The streets below were empty, outside of where the panic was. He could already tell before taking off. Everywhere beneath him was empty, there was no signs of life at all. Discarded clothes and limited property damage left behind the same haunted mess they'd found before. The same twisted experiment, the same horror, was being visited on these people. Only it was worse in one way, the panic in the distance, the sheer terror, it spoke of something that wasn't killing people in any way they'd normally participate in. There were no energy blasts, no energy intensive, wide attacks.

It was killing people with something else, and he almost didn't dare want to know what, but that wasn't their role.

"Let me confront whatever it is first," he ordered.

Hearing the screams pick up in intensity, his Namekian ears narrowed in on where the panic was the most intense, before bursting towards the location as fast as he could, with the minimal amount of energy. Clearing several buildings, his eyes and ears scanned diligently, knowing his senses were more acute than his counterparts, though Tien's vision was exceptional, Piccolo caught sight of people fleeing in a massive wall. They were clawing to get over one another as screams were cut short. Without a moment's hesitation he dropped into the ground, landing in the heart of the panic as the people stopped for a brief second.

There was already a sense of dread in the air. He could hear muffled screams of people dying behind these people, and their own features turned to something akin to even more fear when they saw him. Animalistic growls almost emerged from behind as something sounded like it was pumping in the background, sucking something through a large rubbery tube.

"Oh my god! It's King Piccolo!... RUN!"

Damn it.

The crowd turned into complete chaos, swarming in all directions, trying to get away, but without him having to say anything he caught a clear line of sight to the thing that was now standing amongst a street of discarded clothing. The monster stopped itself, staring back at him with some surprise before its large feet clipped against the ground. It looked with a predatory stance towards the people as they parted, going in all directions, preparing to follow before it noticed him.

One woman was flailing at the end of its grasp. This thing was horrifying. Its huge crest pulled into the air, its spindly, yet muscular form, was covered in slick chiton. The fibres of muscle between its armoured joints looked twisted and alien, and its eyes were slits, like a snake's. Those eyes narrowed in on him as it was making a calculation. This was an Android? It was nothing like the ones he'd fought before. It was nothing like anything he'd seen before. Its tail swung through the air behind it, posing dangerously. The captive in its hand, a younger woman looked frantic, trying to pull away, almost seemingly willing to let her own arm come free to escape.

Her short brown hair flicked several times around her face as she tried to yank herself away again, blubbering coming from her as she started to sob desperately.

"Let her go," Piccolo ordered. "You're dealing with me now, Android."

The cold eyes which were staring at him widened in surprise upon him saying what it was. Slits traveled to the left, and then traveled to the right, looking for something, before looking down at the girl in its hand before looking back up at him.

"How unexpected," its voice grumbled, looking at him with an unknown intelligence.

The hand opened, and the girl scurried away, frantically running to the sidewalk before running into an alleyway. There were still thousands of people in the city, that was going to pose an issue. He needed to get this thing away from here. When Piccolo looked back towards it, the creature just seemed to be reading into him.

"And how exactly are you aware that I am an Android, Piccolo?" it rasped. "Or that I would be here, at this time?"

The beak slipped open as it spoke, its strange tongue sitting within, vocalizing its words. The tone it possessed was almost grating, yet was haunting. He guessed it knew who he was from its programming, but he could hardly imagine this thing was an Android at all. Its two opened, beetle-like wings shivered behind it as it stood its full height, looming above even his size as its tail slipped around again, swaying from side to side, but also loitering dangerously for an attack should anyone come too close.

"That's up to you to decide," Piccolo responded, not having a good explanation anyway, but certainly not wanting to give this thing ideas.

Its beak curved into a smile as it confidently began to step forward.

"It's no matter, you have saved me the trouble of finding you myself, Piccolo, I had wanted a meal which was more substantial than these pitiful creatures could offer."

Looking at the tail again, and then at the clothes gently bristling in the wind, Piccolo began to realized what was happening. Even if he couldn't imagine it… it was using that tail to devour people. The sucking noise he'd heard earlier, the disgusting motion of stretching material, that was what was doing it. It's needle-like point at the end acting as a syringe. It sucked them through that hole, and left nothing behind.

His own lip curled in disgust as it came another step closer.

"So, that's what you've been doing," he said, his tone rife with disdain and revulsion. "You've been eating all of these people? Why?"

It paused, it's foot clanking into the ground as it seemed to consider something.

"My," it started. "You are revealing your limited intelligence, aren't you? So, you are aware that I am an Android, but you are unaware as to what I am?"

Great, he's smart enough to clue into anything he even gets a hint of. This thing is definitely going to be a problem.

Grabbing his cloak and turban, Piccolo cast them aside. Fabric and weights fluttered through the air before the familiar sound of metal clanking against hardened ground echoed out. Standing tall in defiance of this thing, Piccolo already knew that they were going to come to blows, and quite obviously.

"Oh?" it started. "Are you preparing to defend yourself? Any efforts you put into such a task will be wasted, I can assure you."

Bracing himself, Piccolo shifted his arms and clenched his fists, power started to spark around him as his white aura caught fire around him. The world slowly began to rumble as the stray clothing around the street were swept away in the waves of force he was now generating. The giant creature's legs and frame trembled as the energy started to pick up around it. Bits of glass picked up in the air from broken windows as chips of the road for kilometres around them began to rise into the air. Another wave of force rolled off his body, scattering the clothing to the winds as cars were swept over and windows shattered across the city.

Standing at his full power, without using his Demon-Ken, Piccolo stared back at the creature, who seemed to regard him for several moments as it started to chuckle.

"This is a surprise, you are much stronger than I thought you capable of, Piccolo," it chuckled. "But you are still not sufficient to stop a being such as myself."

"I've stopped Androids before," Piccolo warned.

Its eyes blinked before it looked back at him, it's mouth turning to one side in surprise, trying to see if he was bluffing. If it had any ability to read him, it knew he was not. Though there was real disbelief on its face.

"I find that very hard to believe, Piccolo," it responded, before its confidence was reasserted. "However, I am now mere Android."

"Oh yea, then what are you then?"

It paused once more, this time its three toed foot snapping against the road, before the other one did. Its body taking on an almost bulky stance as its grin started to grow once more, pushing the waxy skin of its face to one side. It was getting pleasure out of mocking him… and it was definitely different from the others in another way. Piccolo knew it too. It was reading his power level, something the other Androids seemed incapable of doing.

"You may call me Cell," it responded, before the entire city started to tremble once more.

As soon as its power started to rise, Piccolo felt something cold fill his being. He was sensing more energies than he'd ever expected. In fact, it was rising dramatically, and it was familiar. He could sense Goku, Frieza, Vegeta, and himself at the fore of the power, awkwardly intermixing into a strange hybrid ki source. Wind sucked past him as he felt its power edge past his own. The ground beneath the creature cracked and shattered, before the debris swept past him. A few smaller structures nearby collapsed just as its power ceased rising.

Its spotted hide returned to its full height, staring him down.

"Allow me to show you what I've been showing all these humans, Piccolo," it said coolly, before taking another step towards him.

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Cell:

His tail pierced through another victim. A young man, he screamed wetly as his lungs began filling with blood, though the office professional would have little reason to scream for long. None of that blood would matter much longer anyway. In rapid, pulsating motions, his tail sucked the biomatter into his body. With each gulp he saw the figure wither away more and more. Bones liquified as they too were pulled into his body. It didn't take long for something as insignificant as his human victim to simply be pulled into his being. His digestive organs already processed his chemical energies into his own, biomass was transformed immediately into energy and stored within his body. The whole process seemingly only took two, perhaps 3, seconds.

Another lung by its tail pierced another victim, a moment later, another lung, another victim. Each one of their precious nourishment increased his power, but never diminished his appetite. Each one was simply a meal, fuel for his grand goal, the completion he sought… Perfection. So far, this world had been a plentiful bounty…

"AHHHHhhh.,..hh….. … ….."

Another mass of organic material slid through the interior of his tail, leading to him grinning darkly as he continued his feast. Screams from the panicked crowd grew louder and louder, like a great orchestra, each of these pitiful humans was but one instrument in the mass, each one he would play as he continued his great movement through them. Tens, dozens, hundreds, all of them cried out, all of them swarmed like the insects they appeared to be, all of them were devoured by his ambition, and his body. Within himself he could feel the residue of their energies writhing in fear and pain, the last memories of lives turned into the taste his victims left behind.

As the crowd grew smaller and smaller, he suddenly sensed something…

Movement in the air above, His eyes scanned it rapidly, looking for any signs of his adversaries from Ginger Town. Then, it happened…

The world began to rumble as he sensed power, certainly the most he'd detected locally since his arrival on this world. Though he sensed powers rising in the distance… more specifically Vegeta's. There was no adversary he could detect, meaning that he was facing off against the Androids, perhaps 17 and 18 had found the Prince to be to their liking and wished to destroy him. Yes, he would find his brother and sister soon enough.

But even as his mind, tracked on his goal of completion, was drawn to events in the south, events much closer by were of greater concern.

Piccolo.

Scaling several structures as he perched himself on a height closer and closer to his subjects, Cell stopped in his tracks as he saw sets of clothing on the… roof. At least a dozen.

Strange… I do not recall stepping foot on this building. It is too high for this attire to have come here on its own.

Walking to the edge, he peered over the side, looking for the signs of a mass suicide, just to be sure. Nothing, if anything, in the alleyway below, he spied more clothing. What… was… going… on? It seemed impossible, but… was the variant of himself from this time already completed? He had seen those bizarre Saiyans before, though he'd yet to find his prey. There was no other explanation for-

The violence of the next power up was even greater than Piccolo's. The building trembled as if an earthquake was taking place. Bracing himself as the building creaked and rumbled, his head turned towards the source of the power. He felt the most familiar energy he ever had… he sensed… himself.

"Well… isn't this fascinating…" he murmured.

The very beings that made up himself were brought to the fore, before being mixed into the chimera that he was. Better yet, this creature appeared to be weaker than himself. Though he doubted very much that was the case, even after leaving his larval form he had more power than it was exhibiting.

It was playing with its food, which he understood all too well. The terror these creatures felt before their inevitable end was as delicious as their biomatter. It was something to be savoured, certainly. The main problem was, if this other self, if that was indeed the case, consumed Piccolo, it would put them in further contention… wouldn't it?

Clearly, this creature would want to achieve its goal, the consumption and integration of Android's 17 and 18. They were here for their unified purpose. It was more than interesting that there was an intersection with the time machine. Its power was too certainly his own. Leaping up several buildings to the highest point he could, now overseeing what would become a battlefield belong, his own smile emerged.

… Isn't this convenient?

There was no irritation, or anger on his part at having competition for his goal, on the contrary… this other self could prove more than useful, flushing out these pathetic creatures for them to devour. In fact, he could wait for the perfect moment to obtain more energy and biomatter, even from his other self. It sent a shiver up his tail as it flicked behind him, seemingly stabbing at the empty air as he imagined absorbing his alternate self. The amount of power he could achieve through such a feat was more than exciting.

"Yes," he finally said slowly to himself as he visually spied the two fighters staring one another down. "This is more than acceptable to me. To think of my fortune. A chance to absorb Piccolo, and myself…"

His mouth opened in a long purr of excitement before his eyes peered to another building, one of the other larger structures in the city. Atop it he could see two figures, one which he knew instinctively. Tien Shinhan, and Gohan were spying the battle from above. Irritants who would surely find a way to involve themselves in his business. He could still remember the last time he'd stumbled across Piccolo and his friends.

Look at them, standing back and waiting for the Namek to take on the frontal… wait…

Son Gohan was clearly the most powerful combatant there. Either that, or Piccolo was concealing more energy than he thought was possible. The Namek should have been one of the weaker fighters, and certainly weaker than a Super Saiyan. Though even now, the power he sensed from him ascended to a level which Trunks had possessed before he'd killed and devoured him.

This whole situation had grown more and more intriguing with every thought. His excitement grew with every passing moment before he heard something nearby.

K-tch.

Both his eyes widened before he turned his head sharply, narrowing his two eyes as he saw a figure emerge from the building's doorway.

A long, drawn out growl, followed by almost a purr followed, and it sounded all too familiar.

Impossible…

"Well…" his own voice reflected back on him, drawling with its own purr behind the word itself. "I'd thought I'd seen something scaling this building."

How could this be? There was already one of him down there, and now another one of himself up here? This world had Trunks on it as well. Nothing was lining up with what he'd expected. There was even an unknown power he'd sensed once, something which tasted nothing like the power of the others. So that begged the question of how was this happening?

His tail swung around dangerously behind him.

"Today is full of surprises," he said to himself, giving no indication of his intentions or movements.

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Gohan:

Piccolo hadn't turned up his power the whole way yet, but whatever this thing was, it was generating kit from everyone now in some way, even subtly. His father, Vegeta, Tien, even himself, he could sense it all. He could even sense Nappa somewhere in there. What the hell was this? Those energies rose and fell within it like arms outstretching from a pool, its actual energy signature was unique, in so far that it was some kind of energy slurry. It felt disgusting, like it was an abomination.

"What the Hell is that thing?" Tien whispered. "Do you feel that? It's our energy!? Look at it?"

"Keep it down," Gohan chided quietly. "We don't want to draw his attention, Piccolo's trying to learn about it. That's why they've not been fighting yet. That thing isn't even using all of its power yet."

"Really? But its power is already bigger than Piccolo's, it's got to be as strong as Turles, maybe stronger," Tien said quickly.

"It's an Android, and that thing, Garlic, warned us that it was extremely dangerous. It's been killing everyone in these cities. If he told us it was a nightmare, it can't be this weak. That thing is hiding most of its power, and there is no way to know how powerful it is until things get going."

Sweat formed on his own brow, and he looked over to Tien to see the nervous look on his counterpart's face. There was a pause between the two of them, like the silence that followed a desolate wasteland.

"Do you think Piccolo can stop it?"

The creature took another step forward, seemingly trying to intimidate Piccolo into making a mistake. Even if they didn't know its full capabilities, did it know their capabilities? The reason why both sides weren't playing their full hands meant that they didn't know. Or perhaps, this Cell creature thought this was as far as Piccolo could push things. It was hard to read. He knew getting involved right now would be extremely foolish. All of the innocent people nearby needed this fight to leave the city as well.

This is bad.

There was a big spike in Vegeta's power in the south, which meant that they had more Android problems in the south. Damn it! This was bad, because that meant Krillin was headed south to find Turles and the others, but they were probably going to be drawn to Vegeta's energy like moths to a flame. It wasn't that he wished anything terrible on Vegeta, even after the incident with Trunks… it was that they needed to realize that this wasn't a game.

Vegeta was going to be dead very soon, and if they weren't down there to stop the Androids as well, then that meant Turles and Trunks were going to be dead very soon as well, and not to say anything about Krillin himself or Raditz. If this could have gone worse, he couldn't imagine how. Maybe this was all part of that little gremlin's plan? Because right now they were split between two threats, and he wasn't sure there was enough of their united strength anywhere to actually win.

Part of him knew, somehow, if his father wasn't sick that they would have avoided all of this. Somehow, he knew Goku would have known what to do, he always did. There was a sick sense in his stomach as he felt once more the burden of responsibility falling squarely on his shoulders. It'd been the burden he'd worn for years, and that sensation had turned to something toxic when he'd been unable to save his best friend, Trunks. To persist on was his duty, as much as it was anything else, but it wasn't something he was able to do in the same way as before. Especially after coming back to this time and finding it in the state it was in.

Well now they had to figure this out, and quick. It was agonizing knowing he was standing on the sidelines, just like when he was a child and the Androids killed everyone he cared about.

They'd not even started trading blows yet, but he was certain things were about to leave the 'opening' phase of the battle. This creature, Cell, was going to take up the more aggressive stance because he was assuming Piccolo was the weaker of the two of them. He could already tell that was the case from his stance.

Piccolo, I hope you know what you're doing.

In a blur of motion that even his Saiyan eyes could barely follow, Gohan saw the beast sweep forward, its tail swinging out in front of it, trying to catch Piccolo by surprise. The limb passed by Piccolo as his body moved with the sweep, before the huge beast snapped it leg out, coming at Piccolo from the other side, trying to hit him in the body. Much to Gohan's surprise, he didn't sense Piccolo's power increase, not dramatically, but he knew for a split moment he'd engaged his demon-ken, as the green warrior blurred to the opposite side of Cell as its leg caught nothing but air before an elbow slammed into its side.

The monster's body shot to the side, lifted off its feet before it crashed into the road. Its body skidded only briefly before he heard a razor cutting through the air, seemingly, before it flipped to its feet, pushing back against the force it'd just been struck with. Even Gohan could notice the confusion on its features momentarily as it tried to assess what had just happened. If it'd been a straight fight, he knew there had been no way for Piccolo to dodge that kick. This Cell creature clearly realized that as well, but given it'd not increased its power yet.

"He got him," Tien said quietly, though there was excitement in his voice.

"One hit," Gohan reminded. "And that thing's not even hurt yet. It's just confused at the moment. It'll start to ramp things up soon."

"You weren't conscious like I was when Piccolo took on those other Androids," Tien remarked. "You've not seen what he's capable of. He's going to make short work of this guy. Just watch."

That was almost insane to think about. In his own time, he was there when they butchered his friend, his best friend, really. Piccolo had been picked apart by 17 and 18 before he was killed at that hands, and only a short time later Krillin was next. He knew that Piccolo had defeated 17, 21, 22, 23, and 24 in this time but he still couldn't imagine it. Even when he'd sensed his power against Vegeta, only briefly, it was difficult to imagine. But even now, when he'd side-stepped whatever this thing was, he'd just managed to upset it.

When he turned his attention fully back to the fight, Gohan remained patient, seeing as the two combatants continued to scout one another out.

"How interesting," Gohan heard Cell remark, clearly catching onto something. "You should not have been able to dodge that attack."

"I guess I'm lucky," Piccolo responded, his own tone stiff. "Tell me why are you killing and eating these people? I'm not going to repeat myself again."

There was a low growl from Cell as the creature gave a half smile.

"Hmmmmmm…. Allow me to show you, Piccolo."

Cell's power spiked, and fast, a golden aura briefly appeared if only for a second before he appeared in front of Piccolo. The Namek blocked a strike incoming, Cell's huge arm connecting with Piccolo's forearm as he heard Piccolo grunt in discomfort from the severity of the blow. Even before his mentor could rush to his next stage of demon-ken, a huge blow connected, Cell's knee crashing into Piccolo's sternum, before it grabbed the side of his head with hits other hand and tossed him violently to the side. Following his pathway in the air, the huge-bug monster chuckled before zipping into his space, attempting to connect with another attack before Piccolo could recover, but the familiar green flash appeared as Piccolo disappeared from sight, appearing behind Cell just as its tail stabbed towards him, with his leg jabbing out, he stabbed his foot into Cell's back with a vicious kick, sending the monster flying through the air on a high angle, his body twisting and turning.

Gohan grabbed Tien as they both ducked down, seeing Cell pass by them almost at eye level before Piccolo jetted across the city, appearing in front of Cell once more, just as they peaked their eyes up. A green aura saturated Piccolo once again before he saw him drive his fist into the falling monster's gut, the creature gagged for several moments before his body was sent launching back, though this time not as dramatically. The beast slid back along the ground before coming to a stop.

It almost fell to its knees, but managed to hold itself up, its body trembling for several moments as the two of them breathed in and out, both having vien huge exertions for split seconds.

"Very impressive, Piccolo," Cell's raspy voice said faintly in the distance. "You are indeed a more dangerous opponent than I gave you credit for. I did not expect one of the lower tiered enemies in my teachings to be such a formidable warrior. Dr. Gero was clearly wrong about you."

"You are devouring those people to increase your power," Piccolo said coldly. "That energy you exerted there, that wasn't your own."

It gave a low growl of amusement, its mouth opening in an almost primal way as it considered its response.

"Very observant, Piccolo, perhaps my keen intellect was influenced by you," Cell chuckled.

What the Hell does that mean?

When Garlic had described this thing, he'd called it a nightmare. Gohan could see why now. It was devouring these people to increase its own power, but that nightmare seemed to descend even deeper. It was talking about getting its intellect from Piccolo? Was that because it was designed after him in some way? Were some of its combat maneuvers based on him?

There was a pause for Gohan as he realized all those different energies, the bizarre chimeric power he sensed from this Cell creature. There was a small thought being whispered in the back of his head. This thing was made up of them. It didn't seem possible, but if it was utilizing power sources from all of them?...

This is bad. I hope I'm wrong about this thing, but why can I sense my dad, Piccolo, Frieza, and others? It makes no sense.

"I don't see how," Piccolo responded coolly before continuing. "I'd ask you to give up, but after all you've done in Ginger Town and elsewhere, we both know that's not an option anymore."

The creature though, seemed confused.

"Ginger Town?" It reverberated, the tone the monster used sounded almost confused. "Hmmmmmm… … yes… I take it you've seen my work before today. But allow me to demonstrate the futility of further resistance, Piccolol."

He's lying.

That thought however, wasn't expanded on, because a tempest rose amongst the ki in the area, disrupting everything. The tall building Tien and himself were on started to tremble as cracks ran along the roof and alongside the building. People, what few were left across the city, could be heard panicking as the entire world started to tremble.

The monster braced itself as waves of force started to rumble out of it. Wall after wall of power rose as he felt it shatter its previous power barrier. The ground itself all around it started to break and clip apart as Gohan felt the highest power he'd ever sensed in his life coming to the fore. The creature's disgusting voice could be heard as it concentrated its power, roaring as its power continued to rise precipitously. Cars flipped over for kilometres as whole buildings collapsed into themselves.

Even the building which the two of them were on, started to give the tell-tale signs now of full collapse.

"Time to go," Gohan warned as he hopped back, scaling down the building with Tien in tow before the huge structure plunged into itself behind them.

Another ruin had already formed, this time with a high enough peak for a vantage point as the core of Nicky Town imploded in on itself, before the power-wave expanded once more. Before they even made it to the ruin, Gohan felt Tien grab him, shoving the two of them to the ground.

"What the Hell, Tien-" before he could finish, the burst of power exploded over them, blasting away the ruin.

Above them was complete chaos. Scattered remnants of buildings were turned into blunt force projectiles by the billions, scattering in all directions as a golden, but vile, energy emanated across the landscape. A thousand hurricanes seemed to wash overhead as they kept their power low, hiding amongst the intensity of the shock-wave.

Even as the light faded, waves of dust and chipped concrete and building material drifted through the air with the ever-lessening force that had propelled the initial wave. Even as he climbed to his feet, Gohan felt a tremor go through him. That thing was far more powerful than his worst nightmares. Even comparing it to where he knew his own maximum was, as a Super Saiyan, he couldn't imagine something being that strong, giving off consistent waves of energy. When Tien got up, he too looked stunned.

"That… that thing can't be real," the human remarked, before looking at him. The pair of them, standing taller than most of the buildings, looked straight on towards Piccolo and the monster.

The creature was chuckling already, he could hear it over the sounds of the falling rubble all around them.

"Tell me Piccolo, are you afraid?" he heard Cell's voice whisper through the dust. "Do not worry, brother, you will soon become apart of… Perfection."

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Cell:

So far, this Namekian's power largely outpaced even the most optimistic expectations for Piccolo in Dr. Gero's projections. He knew that the Namek was hiding perhaps half, maybe even two-thirds of his power. That calculation had become obvious in their previous scuffle. He had even found a creative way of hiding it, letting it out in short pulses at the right moments in order to deceive lesser opponents. However, with his own full power on display, Cell was more than certain that the limitations of his counterpart would become painfully obvious. In fact, he was certain that his victory was assured.

Even now, the Namek looked nervous, taking a step back as he tried to keep himself balanced in the face of his overwhelming power.

A quick side-ways glance allowed Cell to observe the next courses to his meal. That was Tien, and the one next to him was someone he was already familiar with. Son Gohan had already become apart of his being, in the timeline of his origin. The time-traveler had allowed him to utilize a vehicle to arrive here, in this world. He had already proved to be a satisfying meal, and had allowed him to unlock several new techniques, such as the Masenko. Though Cell was certainly uninterested in conversation with the Saiyan, or Tien. Their bio-matter and energy would be extremely satisfying to consume.

Bursting forward, even as Piccolo's aura flashed, just as he expected, Cell predicted where his prey would move, cutting off his advance before catching him in the side as soon as the two reappeared, the Namekian gagged as Cell's fist plunged into his ribs, before striking in from the other side, the Namekain tried to dodge only to be caught again, another blow landing on the other side of his body. Without giving him even a chance to continue, Cell drove his crest into the Namek's head, striking into him with a vicious headbutt before shoving the Namek forward, his body jetting back down the street on the same path he'd sent him.

Appearing above him seemingly before he could recover, Cell's beak pulled into a grin as his arm pulled back for his next strike. His meal was not tenderized enough yet to allow him to be consumed so easily. The Namek's eyes however, followed him, much to his own surprise. Piccolo's collapse was inevitable based on his own calculations, but he hadn't even expected him to properly trace his movements. The Namek struck back, lashing out with a kick, sweeping his own foot off the ground to get more leverage. Seeing it, Cell caught the leg with one hand before straight kicking back, hitting Piccolo in the head with a vicious motion of his own three-toed foot. Driving his head into the ruined road beneath them.

Still holding his limb, Cell almost road the Namek for several metres before letting go, leaving the bloodied mess in the ground.

"Your resistance is futile," Cell commented.

Hoisting him into the air with one hand, still clinging to his leg, Cell looked at the already badly mauled Piccolo as he smiled, his tail poising behind him.

"Consider it an honour to become apart of me, Piccolo."

When the Namek's eyes flashed open, Cell realized quickly what had just occurred. He'd been lured into this moment. At close range, the Namek threw both his arms forward, pointing them directly into his face before the Masenko was unleashed. Hot fire and ki scorched his skin and crest. His grip released immediately as his body shot back, sliding across the surface of the street as he roared in pain, his own aura pushing back the worst of the attack.

Fine! You wretched fool. I have better things to do than continue this pitiful act.

Leaping into the air, Cell scowled and growled, his arms both thrusting forward as the bloodied Namek pulled himself up from his feet, looking up at him defiantly.

"KA…"

The surprise on his adversary's face was the key. He could sense exactly what he was doing.

"Wh-what the-?"

"ME…"

Shifting his body in the air, a familiar blue aura saturated Cell's frame as he started to chuckle briefly, concentrating his energy.

"… Haaaaa…"

The familiar pulse followed him now in the air as the energy took form. What few humans remained in the ruins of the city looked on in shock. He knew without even looking, those fools Gohan and Tien were left none the wiser as well. They were all of them nothing before his design. He would hunt all of them down, one by one, devouring each before he moved onto his ultimate goal, the unification of his final, perfect design. Creatures such as Son Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, and all the others were no match for him.

Though Piccolo had said one thing that interested him…

"Meeeeeeee…."

"How?" Piccolo demanded, finally beginning to come to his senses. "With Goku's energy? How do you know this?"

"HA!"

Throwing his arms forward, the surge of blue energy exploded outwards. It became a wall within seconds, expanding and expanding as it made its way towards Piccolo. The Namek's eyes widened in horror at the size, scope, and power of the attack. The whole of Nicky-Town itself was once more ravaged and savaged by the mere presence of his power. Buildings even further away crumbled and shattered, before the entire half of the city was enveloped in the Kamehameha. When the blast domed outwards, saturating hundreds of square kilometres, he sensed Piccolo's power vanish in it.

The thunder of the blast now rumbled across the surface of the Earth as a gigantic crater formed. Debris barely had a chance to spread within the blast, even as force-waves had annihilated much of what had been left of the city. Descending to the ragged street below, Cell's feet clipped into the ground as he smirked to himself.

Unfortunate, but necessary. That meal could have dragged out our little engagement. Even if they are all delicious, the prospect of wasting power on that scale is not necessary to me. Son Gohan and Tien will be much easier meals.

Turning his attention to the two figures, he smiled as he took several steps in their direction.

"Y-you killed him," Tien gasped.

"Yes, and you're next," Cell chuckled.

"Wait," Son Gohan said, raising his hand in opposition. "Please, we're not going to be able to beat you. You killed Piccolo and he was stronger than either of us. I'm guessing you're made of us, am I right about that?"

Pausing, Cell looked into the eyes of one of his previous victims and felt his own intelligence take stock. That was impressive, wasn't it? He'd deduced all that from simply watching his battle with the Namek? How very interesting. These two were hardly a threat to him, though his mind was already wandering to the multitude of powers in the south.

None of them were a threat either, and certainly not to himself or the Androids. So, this left him with some time to play with his food, now didn't it?

"Your assertion is correct," Cell remarked. "I am composed of the most powerful warriors in the universe. Each and every one of the fighters on this planet, baring some of the more pitiful examples, make up components within my cellular structure. Even creatures such as Frieza, or his Father King Cold, make up my very being."

The pitiful creature before him looked just as stunned as the moment he'd taken his life before. Still, Cell took another step forward, and no transformation had occurred yet.

"Gohan, we've got to move back-"

"One more question," Gohan said quickly, causing Cell to cease his movement as he grew ever closer to striking distance. "Why are you here? We know you came from the future. Why come back here to this time?"

That revelation was enough to give him pause. They not only had known he was an Android but they knew he came from the future? These creatures were far too prepared for his arrival. The battle powers across the planet also made increasingly less sense to him, including two significant power that was not apart of his being, as well as another large power. Something had gone awry in this timeline. There was little sense in hiding his true goal, when the only two remnants of his opposition were so pathetic in comparison to himself.

"You seem like you'd die to know my purpose," Cell chuckled. "You have already, though in our last encounter, Gohan, I decided not to divulge my intentions before devouring you."

There was a stern look in response before Cell saw a familiar energy emerge around his prey. The aura of a Super Saiyan. In their first encounter, it'd been not quite as dramatic, though this time as it emerged around Gohan, he did indeed sense an increased power from before. He was still nothing compared to a being such as himself, and was significantly weaker than Piccolo had been only minutes ago, before e was consumed by the Kamehameha wave.

Still, rolling waves of dust swept past him as Cell grinned. It was fitting that he given the Saiyan his last wish, this time, given his clear willingness to fight. The human would be of little consequence, of course.

"Very well, let it not be said I am without mercy. I will answer this last question for you, Son Gohan, before I consume you for your energy."

His tail swept back around with amusement as the other fighter just braced himself. He could already taste the familiar power of the Super Saiyan. It would be a most satisfying meal. With the inclusion of these 2 into his body, he was confident that he would be able to integrate the others into his being. For now, though, he would provide this creature with the answer he desired, if only to watch the worm squirm on the end of the hook. Perfection was inevitable.

"In my own time, you had discovered a way to destroy Android's 17 and 18. These two artificial, cybernetic organisms were designed as components in my overall being. In a world without them, I could never become complete. Even with warriors such as yourself in my genetic structure, it all means nothing without the Androids. The computer which finalized my design and completed by very being, informed me that with them, I would become the perfect being, and I would become the most powerful being that has ever lived."

There was a look of horror on the two combatant's faces. It was all too familiar to him. It was one of the most satisfying looks a creature could give him. He suspected the sensation was born from Frieza's DNA, or perhaps from one of his Saiyan contributors.

"So… you killed me, and stole the time machine, to come back here to consume the Androids?" he asked, his voice almost trembling. "You can't exist solely for that reason. There had to be more to your design than that-"

"The soul purpose of my being is to achieve more power," Cell chuckled at the ignorance of his counterpart. "And I will achieve perfection…"

K-tch.

Cell paused, hearing a familiar footstep to his side. Atop a ruin, what looked to be an office-building, stood a far too familiar figure. His slit eyes narrowed as Cell felt himself almost jolt in surprise.

Intriguing.

"Gohan, is that another one?" Tien asked.

"Yea, that's another one," Gohan uttered before taking another step back.

"Brother," the cell atop the building said.

K-tch.

Now another one came from behind the two human warriors, seeing his own tall frame standing there, its arms crossed.

"A fascinating discovering," he heard himself say. "We find ourselves in a common cause with another being for the first time. As short lived as it may be, there are more obstacles in this world than originally imagined, and not nearly enough bio-matter to make the difference."

"What the Hell?" Gohan asked next, though seemed to be ignored. They would make a play for one to escape, soon, but that wasn't what was the immediately thought on Cell's mind.

"Together, we achieve perfection. One of us will climb to the top of the mountain, the others will be left behind, as evolution says. But if we do not work together, we'll never overwhelm eight Androids, as this world appears to have them in such quantities."

Eight? That number could pose a problem, especially when factoring in these weaker warriors.

The ground however, started to tremble. His own senses went wild as he began looking for the source of the power, but he couldn't narrow in on it, not yet. It was like trying to track an ocean and its currents. Despite its enormous size, there was so much of it that it could be disorienting. Rocks started to lift from the ground as Cell turned to look at his counterparts, their own power wasn't being hidden, but it was far from what they were experiencing. It was growing, like a tsunami forming on the edges of the ocean's surface, gaining power beneath the surface as it started to grow even greater.

"What now?" Gohan asked, clearly not anticipating what was happening either.

The rumble across the city grew and grew with every passing moment. Soon, chucks of the road were ripping up instead of small pebbles of wreckage from the battle prior. Whole cars started to lift into the air, before the ruins around them, even with chunks clearly weighing several tons started to shake, vibrating into the air as the larger whole started to break and divide. Whatever power it was, it had now grown past his own.

Cell's eyes now scanned frantically, looking for the heart of the power before he felt it. As soon as his senses locked onto it, he sensed a figure behind him, looming over him like a giant standing over his shoulder. His head peaked just as his other two counterparts looked past him. When he turned to see the figure, he saw nothing, but he felt it. His own beak twisted into a grimace as his eyes looked for the source, seeing only the ruins of Nicky Town as far his senses could project.

Only when he grasped the enormity of the energy that he was sensing did he realize who it was.

No, no that's impossible. This much energy… from…!

The ground in front of him irrupted like a great cataclysmic volcano. The road itself didn't just explode, but nearly a square kilometre around it. The plum of dust shot into the air like a mushroom cloud before the shockwave had fully formed. When the wave blasted past him, he felt his feet push back against the surface of the road, his own body, despite his own size and power, struggled to remain in place. He pushed himself and his power forward, breaking the invisible energy wave as it swept past him. Now, all of the debris around the city started to rise, even as it broke apart. His own body trembled with anticipation and from trying to resist the power now surging over him. Golden light emerged next is the form of a massive dome, sweeping past with yet another rising wave of energy.

He was still aware enough that the look on his own face had gone to one of complete shock as he tried to keep his own composure.

His other two selves had already increased their power, trying to resist the oncoming wave as the Saiyan and human were sent hurtling backwards by the force of the new power emerging nearby, even the Super Saiyan couldn't seem to hold himself up as the two were sent out of reach. Even the figure that had emerged behind them was so occupied with just holding on, that the other two had just sailed past him.

Huge chunks of the very clay beneath the city itself, as well as rocks which hadn't seen the sun since the formation of the world itself, rose from the gigantic crater as a single lone figure started to rise from the heart of the crater. Resonating waves of energy washed over him as Cell felt himself continuing to hold back against the rising walls of dust still washing over him. A golden energy pulsed at the core of all this, as green energy crackled around it, surging and resonating within.

How is this possible? Such a power eclipses even the Androids! This being should not be able to have acquired this much energy.

"Piccolo," he rasped, finally managing to fully centre himself and maintain his balance. "This much energy generation should not be possible from one such as yourself. This is a deception, a kind of ploy, isn't it? A technique to bolster your power level in a false manner?"

"How can his battle power have climbed this far beyond Vegeta's power in the south? Vegeta was objectively weaker than him on every level," his other self observed. "It is not possible for you to have done this."

"He is still only one being," the other self then remarked. "He is not as powerful as all three of us together, even if this power is real. This is nothing more than a display to ward us off."

Finally, the Namekian himself however, spoke.

"If you think this is just me showing off, then you've got another thing coming," Piccolo remarked. "You aren't going to the Androids, because you three are going to die, here, and now."

"Oh?" Cell asked. "You truly believe you can fight all three of us at once?"

"Yes, because you three have shown that you'll not only kill everyone on this planet, but you're more than willing to destroy most of the city, including your food source. It means I can't hold back against you."

Ah, the noble knight, coming to save the world. I do so enjoy those who view themselves the hero… and end up being my victim.

His tail swished behind him with excitement as he started to chuckle. There was more than a sense of anticipation now coursing through his veins. The prospect of consuming this one, and then consuming his counterparts was very much real. To acquire that much bio-energy in a single encounter would ensure his evolution.

"But yet, you've been nothing but talk so far," his other self chuckled. "As far as I can tell, you'll be nothing but a meal for the three of us. Such power will do nothing but feed into our quest for perfection."

"Look at him, holding back," he scoffed himself. "The moment he moves to attack us, his power will diminish-"

Piccolo pointed one hand out towards them, and Cell felt his back straighten for a moment as the power didn't diminish at all. The aura around the Namek seemingly vanished for a moment as all around him, for a hundred metres, particles danced in the air, all drawing into a single point, as if being pulled into him, all of it centring on his hand. Cell's slit-pupil expanded as he sensed all of that power pulling itself into one point. His counterparts must have seen it for themselves. The one off to the side, rather than the one behind him, already grounded itself, pulling up its guard. The waves of force from the Namek hadn't stopped yet either.

My quest for perfection, all I've worked so long to achieve, my very purpose, this creature stands in my path. I cannot allow it to…

The particles vanished as a critical mass was seemingly met. Disappeared in the opposite pattern to which they had originally appeared. It was like watching an expanding circle snuffing out every golden light dancing around him. There was a strange coil noise that pulsed through the air as Piccolo started to roar.

When the Namek straightened himself, Cell immediately pulled his guard up, much as hie counterpart hard. In a flash of light, in front of him became a wall of golden light. Cell's eyes expanded further, half of his entire eye becoming black seemingly as his skin and eyes themselves burned before the wave itself had even fully hit him. He roared himself, in confusion, pain, and disarray as his body was swept up in the wave of power that collided with him. Behind him, the city itself vanished in a heartbeat as the surface of the earth itself responded to the wave… by exploding… in a magnificent display of pure power.

Searing white hot blasts burst around him, sending him tumbling aimlessly through the air as he heard his 'brothers' call out in the same agony he faced, the world going from light, to complete darkness, as a tidal wave of destroyed earth, even as it vaporized, swept by with them next.

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Piccolo:

What was left of Nicky Town, was gone. A few buildings to the north still existed, but really in name only.

Several arcs of green energy wrapped around him as he decreased his power from 6 times his normal energy, to 2. It'd already become easier to master his highest power point. After his confrontation with the Androids, he'd found better ways to control his own energy, and now, he was sure he could keep expanding on what he'd built. The only problem was it would still drain his energy faster than he wanted. He couldn't sustain such huge efforts for nearly as long as another being just fighting at their peak condition. That kind of power was reserved for when he needed a knockout blow.

Something he was hoping he'd achieved.

The still burning wreckage of the endless expanse in front of him that was seemingly destroyed, continued on for as far as he could see, even while floating there. Thousands of tons of rubble came crashing down from above as his power ceased pushing up thousands of millions of tons. The sound of scattering debris was the only thing that filled his ears in the moments of tranquility since the attack. The calm after the storm, it seemed.

A huge crater had been cut into the surface of the earth, though it was elongated. It was where the heart of the blast had been, burrowing through the foundations of the city itself before it gradually faded into a mere wasteland of rubble. Two of the three Cells had been at the core of the blast, and he was hoping they'd been destroyed, but even now, he could sense their energies, even if somewhat wounded from where they had been.

Remaining static in the air, Piccolo didn't even raise his guard, bating his now invisible opponents to try their luck. He could sense movement in the distance around him, though it wasn't in flight, if he'd expected that, he'd have already closed the gap with them. Any movement at all he was keeping his awareness locked towards. A few blurs came about him before two of the monsters appeared, scorched looking and furious.

The first strike came from a fist at the front, Piccolo's head shot to the side as the attack moved past him. The motions of attack became legion and lightning in their motion. He immediately turned his power up to 4 in response, his body slipping past every attack as tails tried to shoot through him and fists tried to find him. Looking for an opening, he was still trying to adjust to how this thing fought. Its tail was used in a different way that Frieza's, and its motions and fighting style were very different from anything he'd faced before, a combination of savagery and accuracy, something he'd not expected.

With one striking at him from behind, and one striking at him from the front, Piccolo had to shift his form to dodge both attacks he could see, and attacks his ki was allowing him to sense. His options for offense had vanished as these two creatures were much more powerful than Android's 22 and 23, though he knew they had yet to achieve power close to Android 17 yet. Their confidence was born of their common cause and numbers, and likely arrogance. He'd heard where these things came from.

Finally, he saw an opening as the two swept around him, trying to get a better position. He struck out, his fist trying to make its landing on Cell's head. The creature saw it at the last moment, barely pulling its head and body aside, but distancing itself from Piccolo too much, allowing him to push his other hand out, sending a wave of force at it, buying him distance. As the other monster struck him from behind, Piccolo feeling its knuckles slamming into his back, he winced while he heard it growl with satisfaction.

Rounding on his attacker, Piccolo in mid-air was more than capable of going on the attack. The beast was surprised as they traded blows in rapid succession, its attacks were blocked or dodged while his own were desperately held at bay, and its defense was rapidly eroding. It only took a few seconds before he broke through Cell's defense. The first blow landed hard, his fist cracking across the front of the creature's beak before he landed another blow on its armoured midsection. The chiton flexed under his attack and a surprised gag emerged from the monster before the Namekian warrior snapped both his legs forward, driving both his feet into the creature's chest.

Raising his power as the beast sailed back, it's face twisted in pain and surprise, he let power flow into both of his hands, charging the explosive demon wave.

Instead, he sensed motion around him as the other Cell almost tackled into him from behind. This time, he aborted his attack before shifting around, using this gathered energy to place his hands on the other Cell's chest, intent on blasting him out of the sky. It realized the folly of its attack, its eyes widening as it seemed to realize its mistake. Only again, he found himself disrupted as the other Cell recovered, thrusting its tail towards him. He barely managed to slid aside before pointing his other hand towards it, two bolts of golden light shooting out of his hands as both creatures raised their guards to block. Forcing the two of them back hadn't been apart of the plan. What was worse, was that he could sense a larger energy source nearby, predictably, pointing at him from above.

How long as he been doing that?

Energy coursed around the third Cell as it smirked down at him. He could see its two fingers placed it its head and he realized only a second before it attacked what was happening. The glint of malice in its eyes almost reminded him of himself, in a life before this one. It was drinking in the moment, though not compromising its attack.

"Makankosoppo!"

The light from the world was sucked away as the beam was launched. Flares of purple, orange, and golden light washed over him. In a flash of energy, Piccolo rapidly turned his demon-ken to times 6. With all his concentrated power, he threw his hand back at the blast as it nearly connected with him. The beam carved into the air, swirling as it did before the blast expanded in the air atmosphere. A purple and orange star seemed to open up behind him as he winced, trying to keep himself together before he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, before a pair of legs locked in next.

The laugh he heard from the sinister creature was obvious. What was worse, was that he knew he got caught, and it was his own fault.

"Well done, Piccolo," it chuckled. "But it looks like I get to be the first to dinner."

Its tail looped in front of him, pointing towards his chest. Frantically, he prepared to try and pull out, but his limbs being as restricted as they were, even when he increased his power, he didn't have leverage to break out.

"Goodbye, Piccolo."

The limbs suddenly broke from his body as he heard a thunderous boom behind him. The familiar sound of a Super Saiyan aura resonated past him as he sensed Gohan at his side. The surprised, and clearly furious Cell went flying towards the surface of the wastelands that were once a city. Its body plunged into the surface a moment later, leaving a trade of smoke in its wake.

It was fitting that Gohan was the one to come to his aid in his time of need. He didn't have time to be shaken by the experience either, he immediately composed himself, staring down their adversaries.

"You okay?"

"Yea, thanks," Piccolo responded as he formed up with Gohan, seeing the other two monsters descending from above, lining up next to one another as they locked onto them.

Gohan won't be able to keep up for long, his getting involved is going to complicate things.

"How touching," one of them said. "The student saves the master."

"It'll be even more touching once one watches the other die."

They were operating in sync with one another. It was obvious to Piccolo that these creatures intended to turn on one another at some point, their body-language didn't denotate trust, despite their mutually beneficial tactics. He'd learned that kind of posturing quite well with Vegeta and Turles being around as often as they were.

"You ready?" Gohan asked.

"Follow my lead," Piccolo advised, still sensing Tien in the area as well.

Before he could launch forward, he heard the ground rupture beneath them as a frenzied Cell shot towards them, the sound of razors cutting through the air following him as the Android launched its assault.

Damn it.

Cutting off the creature in mid-flight, Piccolo smashed it's face almost in with a hard right, catching it unaware before he zipped to intervene on the two other Cell's as they'd charged forward. As the other bug drifted towards the ground, Piccolo's guard blocked two strikes from the others, a resonating wave of force rolling off his guards. Before they could follow-up, Gohan swept in from the side, kicking one of the creature's in the side of the head, driving its skull into the other's mantle, upsetting the balance of both. Ramping up his demon-ken, Piccolo drove into the two, colliding with their bodies as he landed three hard blows, a kick and two punches, each one sending blasts through the air before energy crackled around his hands, preparing the Demon-Wave. All it would take was focusing his energy a little longer, and he could-

"Gallic Gun Fire!"

"Shit!" Gohan yelled.

Turning quickly, Piccolo threw both his hands down towards the Cell from below. The purple wave rising towards them was met by an orb of golden power a second later. Gold and purple lightning exchanged between the two attacks before the purple wave shattered where it was. An astonished Cell looked up from the ground before the demon-wave collided with him. The entire world wrapped in the multi-colours of his assault, before its golden core exploded outwards. The fireball expanded at the core, throwing the four of them in the air back.

Inside the energy he knew he'd failed to kill Cell, he'd not gathered enough energy to perform that feat, but he also suspected that kind of attack might have taken that one out of the fight. The question was going to be if he could track it down after this, if it survived.

Before the light had even faded behind them, a boom exploded past him as Gohan's body shot towards the fading blast in front of them, Piccolo dodged under a sweeping kick, before driving his foot upwards, cracking into the next monster's abdomen this time, cracking its armour. It gagged once more, though its eyes expanded dramatically.

The tail at its back stabbed at him a moment later, though Piccolo easily dodged it, grabbing it by the tip and squeezing. The noise it made, something between pain and anguish, was more than disturbing.

"Did you need this?" Piccolo asked, his tone cold and lacking any empathy. "Let's see how you do without it."

Before he could make good on his threat however, a solid blow landed from the side as he was sent tumbling through the air, this time hitting the ground. When his back crashed into the Earth, he saw the monster already diving on him.

"MASENKO!"

It broke its flight, pulling up as the gigantic storm of energy rolled overhead, energy cutting through the air and scorching the Earth.

"You insect," Cell snarled. "I'll distract Piccolo, kill the annoyance."

The order went to the other Cell, but not before Piccolo spied something from above as he pulled himself up.

Tien, what the Hell are you doing?

Both Cells turned up to see the human hanging in the air, a look of determination on his face.

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Cell:

So, his counterparts hadn't seen much success so far. In this entire affair, it'd been him driving them towards victory. It was him, who warned them about the other Androids. It was him, who'd tried to capitalize on Piccolo with his own Beam Cannon. It'd been him. The others were little more than pawns from inferior timelines. They had been wasting their opportunities on futile attempts to stop Piccolo, and he had been the one waiting for his times to strike. And now, instead of covering him, when he had a real opportunity to put damage on the Namek, that other fool had allowed Son Gohan's attack to intercept him.

The truth was, even in their numbers, they would need to withdraw, and likely separate. None of them would consent to being absorbed by the others, which meant it would be a race to perfection between the three of them. One of his counterparts had lost a significant portion of its energy in the blast it'd absorbed on their behalf. The other would act as little more than cannon fodder as far as he was concerned. This had been going so well, it was unfortunate that they would need to cut their losses.

Only now, the human was seeking to involve himself. He was only paying attention to him because of the obscene spectacle that it was. Even the other two warriors, his allies, were gawking up at the fool.

"What exactly do you think you are doing?" Cell asked mockingly. "You can't be serious, is this a desperate cry for attention?"

"…"

"Or are you trying to feel important? Allow me to enlighten you, human, that the most important thing you can do is achieve absorption from a being such as myself. Such pitiful displays of power are unnecessary, once we are finished with your friends, we'll get to you."

His hands formed into the position of the tri-beam and Cell almost rolled his eyes.

"We'll see," was all the human said.

There was a brief crackle of power as his aura came to life. There wasn't even a reason to dodge an attack such as this-

His own power, his counterpart's, suddenly spiked above the battlefield, drawing everyone's attention once more, even Tien's. Cell recognized what was happening immediately as he dropped to the ground, lowering his power level. A smart decision on his part, this would save them all a great deal of effort, wouldn't it?

"Forgive me, human, but I do not have time to indulge your fantasies of importance. I have to find my destiny with my beloved siblings…"

"SOLAR FLARE!"

He'd already turned his attention away, scurrying through the debris as his body pounced and jumped towards the treeline, before ploughing into the forest at full speed. The powers behind him even felt confused as he sensed his other two brethren disappearing from his own radar. It was important to keep moving, he needed to gain distance. To match a being such as Piccolo, without absorbing either Android's 17 or 18, he would need a significant amount of biomass. In fact, his consumption of humans would need to increase dramatically. He had barely devoured two small cities worth of humans, to meet that power he would need to devour a half a dozen significant settlements, perhaps one huge city, to have an opportunity to meet Piccolo in one on one combat. That would not be the ideal either.

But there was a hidden advantage as well. Namely, that he was scattering in the light, with two others of his ilk. They would be needing to track all three of them. Or, tracking the Androids, creatures which did not emit a power level. One of them would live to climb to the top, the first one to consume all they needed to achieve the power necessary, would devour their components, and then they would achieve perfection.

Eating one another was near impossible at this point, without one revealing their power level for long enough to be caught. So, it was off to the races.

A race which I will win.

The smile on Cell's face only grew as he skipped and hopped through the wilderness, his huge, but thin frame leaping between the trees and streams in his path.

Now… where to begin my next feast?

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Gohan:

The light burned his eyes. It was unbearable even as they all cringed in pain.

"My eyes!" Gohan shouted.

"That was my move!" Tien shouted in pain.

"We noticed!" Piccolo shouted.

Every power level nearby, outside of their own, had vanished. The three chimeric powers having disappeared into the winds. They were all strong, and far too strong to be held at bay for long for anyone but Piccolo. The fact that there were 3 of them complicated things even more. Just how much were they working together? How did you track them? Were they moving as a group? Did you just follow the bodies and hope you got lucky?

Damn it. DAMN IT!

Anger boiled to the surface as his Super Saiyan aura emerged around him, his sight returning, even if blurred as he felt the ground rumbling around him. Nicky Town had been turned to less than rubble, its occupants had been devoured or killed in a series of blasts. This planet was turning into the same nightmare he came from, where Dr. Gero's creations ruined everything.

"We lost them, we lost all of them," he managed. "We're letting everyone slip through our fingers! It's all happening again! Everything I wanted to save is being destroyed and it's all just getting worse!"

The energy around him warped for a moment before he allowed his futile anger to just fizzle out around him. When he looked at the ruins in front of him now, all he felt was shame. They'd all died for nothing, or worse, they'd died to feed monsters who were going to keep up their carnage until they destroyed the whole world. This was the nightmare the world had become. It was the nightmare he had seen unfold once before, only this time everyone he knew and cared about would be powerless enough to watch it happen before their eyes, rather than being mercifully dead by the time it happened.

Everything had gone wrong since the moment he and Trunks returned here. Vegeta losing his mind and flying off the handle, Trunks getting too involved and not being able to see him for what he was. Turles manipulating everyone around them, all for his own gains. His dad still getting sick with the heart virus. More Androids than before, and them beating the hell out of everyone. Now these new androids, monsters from the future, stalking the planet to kill everyone and absorb the other Androids. And that didn't even touch on the fact that there was a secret cabal of monsters guiding things from the shadows, who had manipulated Raditz, Turles, Cooler, himself, and surely countless others for their own gain, and were manipulating them by even giving them a hint about this Cell monster.

He punched the ground as soon as he fell to his knees. The boom that followed was sent a fissure down the now homogenized, desolated earth. It was a desecration of the grave this city, a city that was alive only a few hours, and he hated it.

It was strange, but in the storm of disappointment, sorrow, and emotion he felt, there was a rock there for him.

"Gohan," Piccolo's voice cut in, pulling him out of his self-pity and anger at everything going wrong. "The powers in the south are still there."

His senses reached out, sensing Turles, Vegeta, Raditz, and Trunks, and they were clearly fighting for their lives. For everything else going wrong here, the worst thing he could imagine was Trunks getting himself killed in all this. They needed to get down there minutes ago, only…

If we go to save them, we can't pursue Cell… Cells? We can't pursue the monsters.

What a terrible bargain. Go to save their friends, and maybe condemn the Earth. Or… if the Androids were there, if they went now, they had a chance to stop 17 and 18, for good. Which meant that even if the Cells killed most of the planet, they could stop him still.

Climbing to his feet, he looked at Piccolo, and then at Tien.

"If we don't get a handle on one of these situations," Tien started. "We're going to have a problem, a big problem. We need to get ahead of this. I say we head south, now, and see if we can help the others."

"I agree," Gohan said bluntly. "If the other Androids can be stopped, we stop those monsters from achieving their ambitions."

"By the time we get there, not everyone will be alive," Piccolo said bluntly. "There could be casualties, remember, no matter what happens, we've got to keep ourselves together. There are still Dragon Balls on Namek. This can all still be fixed."

Nodding to him, Gohan already knew what he was implying. Trunks might be dead by the time they get there. He was weaker than Turles or Vegeta, and he already could tell Raditz, despite being weaker, had a survival instinct about him.

"I understand," Gohan said tightly. "Saving the world comes first, and we're all going to keep our heads together."

He knew Piccolo was mostly referring to him, but it felt better to affirm it in the collective. It seemed fitting, going south.

Because as far as he could tell, things had been going south for a long time. He was wondering just when they were going to hit the bottom, because at this point, he didn't even know. Even if he didn't say it out loud, even if he didn't want to admit to anything, let alone a concern that this might have all been a terrible gamble that was never going to pay off…

He didn't want to be the one to say it.

They were fucked, weren't they?

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Garlic Jr.:

The Cold dynasty was at least understanding to his recent warning, in regards to their most powerful and indeed, insane leader. Because of all of them, King Piccolo had become the defacto leader, of what had been an alliance of partners before. The mad king seemed to do as he pleased, and Garlic no longer had an understanding of what the grand plan was anymore. All he knew was that his recent outings hadn't gone unnoticed. The shield of immortality was an important one, it offered him a great deal more protection when he'd made his move to prevent things from going completely haywire. If King Piccolo wasn't willing to share the plan, and part of that plan involved letting Cell run rampant across the globe, especially as he was a creature very much outside their control, then he wasn't going to abide by the plan, now was he?

The castle, sitting between the darkness and light of what had been the fissure within the Deadzone, hung there like a contrast between black and white marble. It was the two-faced mask of madness and anarchy. Anarchy was never his goal, or the goal of the Colds. For them, it was all about control. For King Piccolo, however… it was about something else. Even when he'd taken possession of the Earth in the past, he'd wanted random acts of violence, or anarchy in the streets of the world. That same streak had shown up now.

Even as Garlic ascended the steps, he heard his old ally talking, as if he was mad.

"I don't understand, you should have the visions," he growled.

"Yea, and you shouldn't exist anymore, I don't know what to tell you," another voice commented. "They're gone. They've been gone since you brought me here. Torturing me isn't going to change that."

"Oh, well, torturing will change your attitude at least."

There was a scream, a howl of pain that seemed to last almost a minute. It was delicious, if Garlic was to be honest, though it was hardly why he was here.

Entering the empty throneroom, he stood there, awaiting his comrade's arrival.

"Oh, so there you are," Piccolo commented. "You have been busy, haven't you? I didn't recall you being ordered to tell Son Goku's friends about Cell."

Ah, so it was straight to business then?

"Apologies, King Piccolo, my plans required that they know of the Android."

"You don't have plans," King Piccolo remarked stiffly. "I, have the plans. You are a token of my will. I have noticed you growing ever more agitated, my minion, is this because of my lack of communication? Is that why you decided to move against my intentions?"

"How astute," Garlic scoffed.

There was a grin on his counterpart's face as the demon-king stood up.

"Do you know what I discovered when traveling the void between light and darkness, between good and evil, between time and space? Where my evil was trapped for so very long, without form? I discovered my physical form after eons of observing my failures coming to fruition. I saw worlds of discipline and order come about from the chaos I so much wanted for them. I saw my progeny, my revenge on the Earth, become its defender and unite with the part of me I hated most."

Garlic was almost tempted to let him continue rambling, but instead, gave a small smile.

"Well, that certainly sounds like motivation to me, but it doesn't explain the rejection of the agreement. Do you really think our schemes and plots could go on as they were, with you hiding things from me? Do you really think our revenge could be achieved in such a way? Worse, did think the Androids, or Dr. Gero, pliable in a world where we vanquished the ones responsible for your sorrow?"

"You misunderstand, Garlic," King Piccolo said bluntly. "I care to see Son Goku and his family, and his friends, die, that much is very true. But I have engineered events to come to these moments. Their deaths would have been enjoyable, regardless of if they came from me or not. But how do I ensure my revenge across the entirety of creation?"

The demon listened and suddenly felt a shiver run up his spine as King Piccolo stepped towards him.

"How do I ensure that the Gods themselves vanish, and all of time unites into one reality. A reality of anarchy, chaos, and violence?"

Garlic took a step back as King Piccolo's grin only grew.

"You discover the point, the fissure between darkness and light, here. I have gleamed much, as have all of us. But my revenge goes far beyond what you have ever imagined, Garlic. But worse yet, I can no longer trust you to be my minion. I no longer need you."

There was a smirk on Garlic's face as he looked back at his 'master', taking a bow.

"Well, it appears that you've lost what was left of your mind," he remarked. "So, our arrangement is at an end? How tragic. Though, I will admit… I will ever so miss our collaborations. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Just as the darkness pooled at his own feet, Piccolo's clawed hand shot out, faster than anything he'd ever witnessed on his own, not through his sight into the future. It was only by a second that he was sucked into the outsider shell of the endless void of the Deadzone, hiding his power as he did.

Flashes of light struck out across the void, from the centre of a universe composed entirely of darkness, save for the opening of light into another world.

How does he intend to bring all of time and space into one world? How would that be possible? He's surely mad.

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Author's Notes:

I can't believe I got this done in time for this Sunday. Lol

I'm exhausted upon completing it. I just wanna say that next week's chapter is very, very unlikely to be done in time. These fight chapters take tons out of me, and are very hard to write. Also, I've been writing non-stop since like, January, and I really wanna take a couple days to just unwind, listen to some audio books, and paint, which I've not done since literally February, lol. My wrists also need a break, if I'm honest. But fear not, I'll be trying to get 102 out for the first weekend of July.

More content is on the way though, Chapter 102 is heading back to the other Androids and Saiyans. I'm still working on a name for it, but it's going to be flashy! Lots of things need to happen next chapter!

Also, Tien getting cock-blocked by Cell was perfect. lol

So much fighting. I think I'm gonna die from writing it, lol.

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Reviewers:

FabDuwangIsFab: Answered by PM.

Thomas-The-TMC: Answered by PM.

RulesofNature626: Answered by PM.

Guest1: You'll also note, that those plotlines and twists are all still harkening back to events in the content posted from 2013. Most of what's happened up until this point was planned by the time that I finished writing Chapter 20, lmao. Some changes have come, but they are mostly around the edges. Raditz's arc doesn't reach the fulcrum in the next chapter, trust me, we've got a lot of running space for the 00's to produce that. But it's coming.

Red Power: I love seeing everyone's reactions to 22/Raditz's reunion. Some are saying she needs to die for Raditz to move on, others are saying they want to see her live. It's great, especially since I know the truth, and won't be revealing it until we get to a very special chapter ahead, lmao. I will say this, whatever comes, it'll be extremely important, and is a huge part of the story.

Perfect Carnage: Answered by PM.

Luke: Thanks Luke! I just want to say, 22's development is because of the other Androids. If she existed in a vacuum, and never had interactions with 16, 17, 18, and 24, she'd end up being as soulless as her predecessor. She's grown, along with the other Androids, because they grew together. I think it's pretty beautiful, personally, lol. Which Cell do you feel worse for, btw? Lol

Blades of Fury: Answered by PM.

Guesst: Thank you for the kind words! Though on a technical level I am somewhat lacking as an author, I like to think I make characterizations and plots interwoven enough to make this story work, lol.

TheItchyCocoon: Answered by PM.

Idea: I don't really do multipliers or anything like that. I write based off where fighters are tiered and in a more abstract way. People like the fight scenes, they seem to think they work. I've always been not a big fan of the set, numerical power levels. I just think they're kinda bullshit, personally. This isn't an attack on other people enjoying them, I just don't write that way. :)

Super Mystic Gohan: Answered by PM.

Guest2: Vegeta's arc in this is similar, but at the same time dramatically different than in the canon. I've already got the scenes planned out for what he's got coming up beyond the 00's. It's going to be epic, I promise, lol. Big Picture Turles is always looking to win, win over others in the group, or win over outside threats like the Androids. Turles just doesn't tell people about his little secrets, lol. I can say though that your best-case scenario is wrong, lmao. Things are going to work out very differently. :)

Guest3: Thank you! Yea, getting to 100 felt like it was crazy, honestly. Violet's dead my friend, you mean 22 won't avenge her, XD.

Uraqt393: Answered by PM.

Silas: 24's a soldier. He's respectful. :)

AngryShadow04: Answered by PM.

Instinct: Vegeta's happiness is dependent on Raditz's unhappiness! Lmao. And you kinda nailed it, but, Vegeta's still a great character.

Guest4: Oh god, chapter 200, are you trying to kill me? Lol

DarkFalconZ: Answered by PM.

RedHunter87: Answered by PM.

Mouse From Hell: Not gonna spoil your first question, lol. I personally, expect it to start off as a blood-bath, and I expect it to be a nightmare to write, lol.

Maximussj: Answered by PM.

ThePowerfullKira: Raditz is gonna get pegged! Nah, he's got some great bits coming up. Just watch. I know it sounds crazy, but I based his entire arc up until the end of the Cell Saga, loosely just on a song, not his character development, of course. But Raditz's chance to live by the ocean might be on the horizon.

FightingChampion: Answered by PM.

RoxaShadow: Answered by PM.

Ardee: Answered by PM.

AC 97: Answered by PM.

Kacarrot: Answered by PM.

Herraidous: Answered by PM.