So, I got done with one of my exams and it was one of my harder ones, and I want to celebrate by posting the newests chapter early! (I still have two more to do, but that's besides the point). This chapter is what I would call "The Piccolo Chapter". Most of the chapter will be told from his perspective and the reason I'm doing it like that is because of the changes to his 1st fight with Cell that are present here. Plus, I think Piccolo needs to get more credit than he gets every now and again. (We all know it's true, so don't try to deny it).
Anyway, last we left off, everyone was trying to figure out what's going down in Gingertown, and Piccolo is facing off with a being that bears the face of Trunks! What does this all mean?! Find out, now!
A little bit of a warning here guys; there's a bit of what might be considered slight body-horror here, along with a somewhat gruesome character death. I recommend not eating anything while reading this chapter. You have been warned!
Son Squad Ch.43
Piccolo was still trying to figure out what this thing was after the dust settled. He had hit it head-on with a powerful blast, and he had hoped it would take some form of damage from his attack. Still, he had questions. Why did its face look like Trunks'? How did it know who he was? How did it get sent back in time? Why did its power feel like his and other notable fighters? And why kill the people of Gingertown?
There was one good thing about the people of Gingertown being gone, though; Piccolo could go all out with this monstrosity and didn't have to hold back in fear of harming innocent civilians.
As everything quieted down, Piccolo kept on his guard. He knew that the beast wasn't dead yet. If it were that easy to kill, Kami wouldn't have been so horrified back at the Lookout. Where are you, creep? Piccolo thought to himself.
Suddenly, from underneath the remains of a building, the creature reemerged and took to the air. Piccolo turned to face it as it glared him down. It was like a western showdown between the two green beings. Neither moved for a moment, waiting to see who would make the first move.
In this case, it would be the creature. It put its index middle finger to its head in a way that was relatively familiar to Piccolo. It couldn't have been what he thought it was, could it? Not the- suddenly, the creature fired off the beam, and sure enough, it was the Special Beam Cannon. Piccolo was so shocked that he barely had time to deflect the blast away. This thing knew his techniques too?!
Using this as the opportunity to strike, the creature tried swooping in to deliver a kick to Piccolo's chest, but the Namekian warrior quickly dodged in the knick of time. Using this momentum, Piccolo turned and delivered a swift kick to the monster's back and knocked the wind out of it momentarily. It tried going in for another attack, but Piccolo was too fast and sent it flying into the air with a punch to the gut. Then, the two beings were going at it with each other, exchanging fists and kicks as they went. The being with Trunks' face gritted its teeth at Piccolo as it kept missing its mark.
After a while, Piccolo managed to kick the creature under the chin so hard that it was sent into a sizeable crater in the ground. The Namekian made his way there and waited for the beast to come back. He wasn't done with it yet. He'd get answers out of it before killing it, that was for sure.
When the creature reemerged once more, it stood a distance from Piccolo and wiped some purple blood dripping from its lip. Or rather, Trunks' lip. Then it smirked.
"I know for a fact you're holding back on me," Piccolo told the monster. "Why hide it, freak?"
The creature laughed. It was a dark version of Trunks' laugh, and it would've freaked out anyone else who would've heard it. "You are strong, I'll give you that," It said in Trunks' voice. "But, I doubt even you would be able to do anything once I've reached my final, perfected form."
Piccolo raised an eyebrow in confusion when he heard this. What did it mean by that? "Perfected? How?" Piccolo questioned allowed.
It just chuckled as it looked back at him, wanting him to guess for himself.
"Wait, that's why you wiped out the people in Gingertown?!" Piccolo shouted upon realization.
"Yes," The creature said. "I needed their bio-energy to gain power. They weren't going to be using it anyway. All they were doing was wasting their human lives. Now they are a part of a noble cause."
The Namekian gritted his teeth as he glared at the monster. It had no decency for human life whatsoever and was just a hungry beast. He had to get to the bottom of this. "Tell me, beast, who sent you in the time machine?! Was it another one of your kind?!" Piccolo growled at the monster, who raised an eyebrow in surprise. "And why do you look like Trunks?!"
However, it dropped its surprise and answered him with a smirk; "I sent myself back. It was too big for me to fit in, so I had to condense myself down in order to fit."
Well, that answered that.
"But I am surprised you know so much about the time machine. And Trunks….You seem to be full of surprises. But," The creature then crouched down and cupped its hands together at its side in a very familiar manner. "I bet you didn't expect this, though."
"W-Wait," Piccolo stuttered, sweat going down his head. This couldn't be the-.
"Ka-me," It began.
No. No, it couldn't be!
"Ha-me."
Just what was this creature?!
"HA!"
The familiar beam was fired directly at the Namekian warrior. He barely had time to dodge it and avoid being reduced to dust. That's impossible! Piccolo thought as he hovered above the dust. How does thing know the-?!
Suddenly, Piccolo found himself being restrained from behind by the monster. It had such a tight hold on him that Piccolo had no way to break free. It was almost similar to the way Dr. Gero had snuck up on him before. (Ironic, is it not?)
As he tried to break free, Piccolo suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arm and saw that the creature had used its tail to stab him. "Perfect~," The creature purred in Piccolo's ear. "Your bio-energy will definitely give me the boost I need, Piccolo. You should feel honored that you'll become a part of me~!"
With that said, it began sucking the life from Piccolo's arm, causing the Namekian to scream out in pain. This was unlike anything he had felt before. The energy was literally being sucked out of him. Every second that passed was agony for him, and he knew he'd have to act fast, or he was going to end up like the people of Gingertown. Thinking quickly, Piccolo headbutted the creature from behind, which momentarily stunned the beast long enough for Piccolo to escape to the ground. While he had made it out with his life, Piccolo didn't make it out completely unscathed; his left arm was totally useless, looking like a shriveled-up vegetable and incapable of being used for further combat. This did not look good for our favorite green-man. To put it bluntly, it looked like he was done for.
The creature wearing the face of Trunks soon came down to meet Piccolo on the ground. "You managed to get away," It laughed. "But, with that arm of yours, I'd say you're back into a corner, Namekian."
Piccolo gritted his teeth in anger. He hated that this thing could read him so well. Merging with Kami was supposed to make him nearly unstoppable. Still, even with his new strength, he had a lot to learn about his new-found powers. He had to think of something quickly, or he'd end up just like the richest guy in Gingertown. "….It seems the tables have turned," he admitted, although he hated the idea of admitting defeat. For now, he'd stall and get as much information out of this thing while he had the chance. "Unfortunately, as it is, I don't stand a chance in hell of beating you."
The creature chuckled to itself, its ego being boosted by Piccolo's admittance. "I wouldn't feel too bad, Piccolo," It stated. "Once I absorb you, I'm sure to be close to reaching my next form. Your bio-energy is so rich that I can hardly stand it~." It licked its lips at the idea of absorbing Piccolo.
It made it sound like Piccolo was a walking meal, and that terrified the Namekian a bit. However, he had to do what he needed to in order to stay alive. The others would surely come at any time. If he could just stall this thing long enough, the others could show up and at least see the creature. He just needed to be strategic. "Before you add me to your twisted collection, you should at least tell me what you are….You've got Goku's, Frieza's, all of our energies. You even know the Kamehameha, and you have the face of Trunks! So what even are you?!"
Would it go for it? Sweat trickled down Piccolo's face as the creature eyed him, debating whether or not to answer its food's questions. The time dragged on and on, and Piccolo feared it wouldn't fall for the bait.
Come on, Piccolo thought to himself.
After a long moment of debating to itself, the creature spoke, "Very well, I will tell you before I feed." It stood up straight and smirked at the Namekian as it crossed its arms over his chest. Then, suddenly, right before his eyes, the creature's face began to shift from looking like Trunks to looking like what a monster should appear to be. The way it twisted was sickening to watch, but Piccolo couldn't look away as the face of the young half-saiyan melted away and twisted into something else. It had a strange head with the top of it appearing to be a boomerang almost, and its eyes were still slitted as it looked at Piccolo. Its mouth was beak-like in appearance, and, other than that being orange, the rest of its colors matched its body. "I am Cell, and I am an android." Its voice no longer sounded like Trunks, but just as Piccolo envisioned a monster to sound. The whole thing sent slight shivers down Piccolo's spine.
"What?!" Piccolo gasped aloud. There was yet another one?! What did that make now, six?! Good grief; this Gero really had it out for Goku, didn't he? "Not another one!"
Cell smirked. "That's right. Seems you've run into a few," Cell said. He then explained his story to Piccolo, how Dr. Gero made him from the DNA of the strongest warriors on the planet using tiny insect bots. Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo all had DNA taken from back during the saiyan invasion and Frieza and King Cold had their DNA taken during their brief fight on Earth. "We could've taken the DNA of Trunks and Chinku when they were there, but the computer determined that there was enough Saiyan DNA."
"If you don't have any of his DNA, then why the hell did you have Trunks' face?" Piccolo questioned.
"To be honest, I just borrowed his face for a bit," Cell smugly answered, causing Piccolo's eyes to widen. "I thought it would inspire more fear from people if the one who killed them was someone they thought as one of their own. All I needed was a small sample of his blood to do the trick. (Think Stain from My Hero Academia). Ironic, isn't it? Using the face of someone who swore to protect the Earth from danger to take bio-energy. The fools here don't know it, but I'm sure Trunks is rolling around in his grave at the idea that I used his appearance to inspire fear~." The creature then turned to look at his reflection in a piece of glass that was shattered on the ground. "Of course, this face would do that just as well. However, I look for a more optimal form of terror to inspire in others. That's why I use different faces. For you see, Trunks' face is not the only one I've acquired for my collection. Care for a demonstration, Piccolo~?"
"W-What are you talking about?" Piccolo questioned.
Suddenly, without warning, Cell's face began to shift and crack, forming into something different. Again, it was a sickening process, but this time it seemed to go a lot quicker than before. It soon stopped its shifting and revealed a much-more familiar face to Piccolo: his own! Seeing it made Piccolo's skin crawl. However, the transformation went down to Cell shoulders as well this time around. Cell's upper arms looked more Namekian-like in nature and he had the tops of the purple sleeves of Piccolo's gi. Honestly, if you didn't know any better, someone could confuse Cell for the real Piccolo from a distance. "Surprised?" Cell asked, sounding precisely like Piccolo. "I think with my new power acquired from Gingertown, I can replicate the appearance of others much better now. Perhaps, I'll be able to do more than just the face and shoulders. Now doesn't that sound truly terrifying~? Being anyone in the world sounds like a real delight, don't you agree~?"
This sickened Piccolo to his core. Seeing his own face being used by this disgusting creature made him so infuriated. Hearing this creature use his own voice to spout such nonsense only added to his fury. "You said that the computer was what made you, but Gero's lab was destroyed! It's nothing but ashes!" Piccolo shouted, trying to take his mind off of what he had just witnessed and heard.
"True, but did you bother to look under the lab? Hmm? Gero had a hidden bunker beneath it where the computer is working even now."
"I see," Piccolo quietly remarked. Just as Cell was approaching Piccolo, ready to kill the Namekian and get it over with, Piccolo quickly said, "If you really are from the future, then why wait until now to show your ugly face?"
"Ugly?" Cell laughed, finding it funny how the Namekian could call him ugly. After all, they had the same face. "I didn't realize you had such self-loathing, Piccolo. But, if you must know, I needed to shrink down into my larval state in order to fit into the time machine. I needed four years to emerge as the being before you now. After all, you can't rush perfection, now can you?"
"You disgusting creep. Fine, one last question then: you came back for a reason, didn't you? Why else go to the trouble of taking the time machine?"
"To achieve perfection, I needed more than just the bio-energy of humans. Besides, humans in my time were nearly wiped out. Hard to get a proper meal when most of humanity is gone, don't you think? To get to my perfect form, I need to absorb two beings, or else I never will reach perfection."
Two beings? Piccolo thought to himself. He was slowly starting to piece things together. If this thing was an android created by Gero, and it had come to the past to absorb two beings, then that could only mean one thing.
Before Piccolo could say it aloud, Cell said it for him: "I need to absorb two androids: 17 and 18."
If he wasn't freaked out before, Piccolo surely was now. The two androids from before, the ones who took everyone out like it was nothing, were what Cell needed to become perfect?! It made sense, though; having Cell go after 17 and 18 to achieve this "perfection" seemed like Gero's last fail-safe if he couldn't control the two androids. Still, Cell was already a bit of a challenge on his own. Add in the powers of the two androids who mopped the floor with everyone earlier, and that just seemed like a recipe for disaster.
"Unfortunately, in my time, 17 and 18 were destroyed by some meddlesome do-gooders. But luckily for me, they had a time machine."
Flashback, er Flashforward? (Whatever!)
Chinku huffed as she looked around for where her opponent had gone. The rubble of the city was perfect for it to use as cover to hide from her. She had to keep on her toes as blood dripped from her wounds and dead silence surrounded her. This was the worst day of her life, and she had plenty of those to compare this to.
The young woman couldn't believe the situation she was in; she and Trunks were just trying to get to the past after they had finally defeated the androids. Daichi and Chibi had come to send them off and everything seemed to finally be going right for once. This was supposed to be a joyous and celebratory time. Just as Trunks was starting up the time machine, a being with energy that matched Piccolo, Vegeta, Frieza, his Father, and Goku showed up. It quickly killed Chibi and Daichi and then got Trunks in a surprise attack from behind. Now, Chinku was all that stood between it and the time machine.
Gripping her sword in her hand, Chinku tried to sense the creature out to see where it was. It said nothing as it killed her little brother and sister and refused to say a word after doing the same to Trunks and then retreating to the shadows. Where did you go?! Chinku thought to herself. You couldn't have just vanished into thin air! "Show yourself, coward!" She shouted aloud.
That's when Chinku heard something behind and quickly turned to swing her sword at it. However, it was easily caught in the creature's hands and held in place. She was about to blast it in the face when she saw something that stopped her in her place; the creature no longer had its bug-like face but instead the face of her Father! Chinku felt her blood run cold as the creature looked her dead in her eyes and bore her Father's features. Why did this thing look like her Da-
Then, without so much as a single warning, the creature's tail flew out from behind it and stabbed Chinku right through the neck. Blood spurted from her mouth as she gagged on the liquid before falling to the ground dead, right next to Trunks, Chibi, and Daichi.
Seeing his work done, Cell smirked as he shifted his face back to his true appearance and climbed into the time machine. He quickly reverted into his smaller form to fit inside. As he did, he pressed the button that started the machine up and then began his journey into the past.
End of Flashback/Flashforward
Hearing the story of how Cell came to the past made Piccolo's blood boil. Not only did this monster steal the time machine, but he killed Trunks, Chinku, Chibi, and Daichi in the process. He hated the idea that the four worked so hard to beat the androids only to be killed by Cell when they didn't see him coming. The fact that he used Goku's face to distract Chinku so he could go in for the kill really got Piccolo even more steamed. All four of them figured out how to beat the androids in their time and tried to come back to tell us how to do it, Piccolo thought to himself. And then this thing had to show up. "So what then after you absorb the androids, huh?! What's your plan then?!"
"Plan? Who said anything about a plan?" Cell chuckled. "I want to get stronger for the sake of being stronger. I seek power for power's sake. It's what the computer designed me for. Or maybe, it's the saiyan DNA within me, or Frieza's, or even your's, Piccolo." Without warning, the creature's face shifted again, this time to Vegeta's, going down to his shoulders. "If I had to make a guess, though, I'd say the saiyan genes in me have more to do with it than anything else, particularly Vegeta's. He always was the more ambitious one between him and Goku after all."
That was all Piccolo needed to hear. Now that he had the full story with this thing, now was the time to act. Before Cell could try and go in for the final kill, Piccolo ripped his arm off his deformed arm from his shoulder and then regrew a new one, taking Cell entirely off guard. "You know, for someone who shares my DNA, you should've realized I could regrow severed limbs. Now, because of your incompetence, you're going to die."
Cell growled, angered that he could be so easily tricked by the Namekian warrior. How could he let himself be so easily duped into revealing everything? That's what made Piccolo a worthy opponent for sure. Cell was very aware that he was outmatched when it came to Piccolo's newfound strength, and he needed to figure out how to get away. The problem was, there was no way he could just sneak away without the Namekian stopping him. And after that little scuffle earlier, it was clear to Cell that Piccolo far outmatched him, and the only way that could be was if he and Kami remerged with each other. While that did present an opportunity for him, Cell still needed to get away somehow.
Just as he was trying to figure out an escape plan, some surprising guests arrived on the scene; Trunks, Daichi, Chibi, and Krillin, who had met up with the three future warriors to go with them to check out the damage at Gingertown. All four of them stopped in the air and looked down at the scene, first at the new and improved Piccolo, and then at the monster that they knew had to have come from the time machine. However, none of them expected that the creature would have the face of Vegeta!
"What the heck?!" Daichi gasped when he got a better look at the creature.
Chibi wasn't sure to make of this…thing. It was definitely the creature from before, but it had Vegeta's face? How did that work? Just what the heck was this creature?
"….Uh, you guys see the thing with Vegeta's face too, right?" Krillin questioned, completely flabbergasted by what he was seeing. This was what had killed the people of Gingertown? And it had Vegeta's face?!
Trunks was probably the most shocked out of everyone. How could a monster like this have the same face as his Father? None of this was making a lick of sense! "That has to be the creature that came back in the time machine," Trunks said through gritted teeth.
Cell, meanwhile, was shocked to see the three time travelers from the future were here. That explained how Piccolo knew about Trunks. However, Cell wasn't worried about this "backup" that had arrived on the scene. They would be easy to kill off without the slightest issue. History would just repeat itself here.
Landing on the ground, the four new arrivals stood beside the new and improved Piccolo while keeping their eyes on Cell. What were they supposed to make of this monstrosity? They couldn't wrap their heads around what it was. They all thought it would be more bug-like in appearance and not sport a face they all knew.
"So, uh, Piccolo, this is the thing that attacked Gingertown?" Krillin asked the Namekian, just double-checking that this was what had caused all this damage.
"Yeah, that's right," Piccolo answered. "And watch out for that tail of his. He uses it to absorb energy from people until there's nothing left." The last thing wanted was for one of the half-saiyans or Krillin to get caught by that tail and give Cell energy.
"But why does his energy feel like Goku, Vegeta, and everyone else wrapped up in one?" Krillin followed up. "And why does his face look like Vegeta's?!"
"We can save the questions for later," Piccolo stated. "For now, all that matters is taking this thing down."
"Sounds good to me," Chibi agreed, cracking her knuckles a bit. She preferred talking with her fists anyway. Plus, as a bonus, she could get her frustrations with Vegeta out by fighting this monster. She thought it was a win-win situation here.
Cell laughed at Piccolo and Chibi's remark, his laughter sounding like a mix of Vegeta's and something monstrous. "Someone's confident," Cell stated. "But there's no way you can stop me."
"Holy crap, it talks!" Daichi gasped while the others went wide-eyed.
"Save your breath," Piccolo coolly replied. This monster thought he could intimidate them? He was just all talk and no bite now. "You're outnumbered and outclassed, Cell. There's no way you're walking from this thing alive."
"For once, Piccolo, we can agree on something," Cell spoke. "My best bet would be to retreat for now and absorb more bio-energy."
"You disgust creep! If you think you can get away from us, then you're mistaken. No weak Kamehameha will save you this time!"
"The what?!" Krillin gasped. "How does this thing know Goku's moves?!"
"Oh, why wouldn't I know Goku's moves, Krillin?" Cell questioned, gaining the small monk's attention. Then, right before everyone's eyes, Cell's face shifted once more from Vegeta's to Goku's, matching him in every way possible from the nose down to the familiar spiky hair and even had part of Goku's famous orange gi wrapped around his shoulders. "Goku's DNA is a part of me. I know all his moves from Kaio-ken to the Spirit Bomb." His voice even sounded like Goku's too.
Call everyone else flabbergasted by seeing Cell's face shift into Goku's. Having only just met their Father when he was being moved from his home, Daichi and Chibi weren't sure what to make of this. It just made their skin crawl. This was not how they wanted to get to know their legendary Dad.
"…..Uh, so how you think Dad's gonna take it when he finds out this thing not only stole his face but his moves too?" Daichi squeaked out, still freaked out that this creature's appearance shifted to that of his Father.
"What was that?" Cell questioned, raising one of his new eyebrows ever-so-slightly. "Goku is alive?"
"Of course, he is!" Krillin shouted at the creature that wore the face of his best friend. Why was he always in these awkward situations?
Interesting, Cell thought to himself, glancing over at yet another piece of broken glass on the ground. He briefly studied the face of the warrior he now wore, and it made him excited. The idea that Goku, the Son Goku, was still alive just brought up this thrilling notion within him that perhaps he'd get to fight this legendary warrior. Of course, he'd have to wait until after achieving his perfected form. Maybe then he'd no longer have to rely on using the faces of others to inspire fear.
Jumping into the air, Cell declared his departure and warned the others that they'd be as good as dead if they stood in the way between him and perfection. Then, using his position in front of the Sun to his advantage, he unleashed a solar flare onto the group and blinded them instantly, and then quickly left the scene, suppressing his energy along the way to completely disappear from their radar.
By the time everyone got their vision back, Cell was long gone.
So this Cell is definitely different from the one we all know, but also not-so-different at the same time. I like to think he's slightly more sadistic by changing between all these people's appearance just to make people's skins crawl. (More of that will definitely be talked about later). Again, this Cell was inspired by amartbee on Twitter so go check out their work if you can.
For now, what do you guys think? I know you all were shocked and excited about the last chapter, so I hope to continue to throw some surprises you guys' way. What do you think will happen next? Let me know in the reviews and maybe I'll reply to ya.
Thank you all so much for the continual support. I appreciate it a whole lot, especially after seeing we're at over 25k views! Have a good day guys, and remember to wash your hands!
