The monster took a step back from the immense pressure being emitted from the namekian. "Not the same namekian you were before? Ultimate namekian? It's true that your power is beyond any of the data I have on you, though you still look exactly like the Piccolo I know of."

Piccolo smirked as he saw the monster take a step back from him, meaning that the fusion truly gave him an incredible power boost. Either that or this monster is incredibly weak. "You sure seem to know a lot about me, shame that I won't get the chance to pick that brain of yours before you die."

As the saiyans were on their way to Ginger Town, Trunks' eyes went wide as he felt a new power appeared in the same place they were headed, this power greater than anything he's ever felt before. "W-What is that power?! Don't tell me there are 2 monsters there."

Raditz looked to see if Nappa would respond the same way, seeing his fellow saiyan looked more shocked than surprised. "That would be Piccolo. I sensed him very briefly for a moment earlier, but his power vanished almost instantly. What we're feeling now is the ascended power of Piccolo and Kami fusing into a complete warrior."

Trunks looked back at Raditz, his eyes still wide as he was in disbelief that such strength was even possible. I heard that namekian fusion is incredible but never in my life would I believe that he would get this strong. With that kind of power, we may not even need Goku to beat the androids!

Nappa clenched his fist and grinned, torn between frustration and excitement. Damn, this is the second time that namekian has completely eclipsed me in power. Though that means just like last time, I'll be able to reach that level of power as well. He turned his gaze to Raditz. "What do you think, should we power up and hurry to him or let him handle it?"

"I have faith that Piccolo will be able to handle himself just fine. Though I'd prefer to get to him sooner rather than later to learn what he was dealing with. After all, we don't know what he's fighting." He put on his scouter again and read the power levels of Piccolo and whatever he was facing. The mysterious being's power was quite high, though nothing he himself couldn't handle if he played it smart. Piccolo's power on the other hand was so high, it went beyond the scouter's capacity. "I say we keep at this pace and keep ourselves out of his way while he fights."

As Piccolo finished showing off his new power, he locked eyes with the monster. "I must say, you eradicating the entire population of the city makes things a lot easier for me to deal with you."

"Oh? And what exactly do you mean like that?" asked the monster, thinking about how much a problem Piccolo might be but also how much power he could gain from absorbing him.

Piccolo raised his arm up and aimed his open palm at the monster. "With them all gone, I'm free to go all-out and do as I please." As the monster went wide-eyed, the namekian fired an energy wave that completely consumed his opponent, resulting in an explosion that created a shockwave felt by not only the approaching saiyans, but the androids as well.

As the smoke cleared, the monster was trembling in pain as it started getting up. It noticed Piccolo approaching swiftly and swiped its arm at the namekian, watching the namekian effortlessly dodge over it and kick it in the back, sending it flying across the ground. It slammed its arms into the ground to stop itself, but was met with another kick from Piccolo before it even stopped, getting launched into the air.

Once the monster had landed, Piccolo forward in a rather intimidating fashion. "Talk about disappointing. I was certain I'd sensed a frightening monster, but if this is all you're capable of, then I guess I was mistaken."

The monster breathed heavily, completely surprised at how powerful Piccolo was compared to the data it had on him. "I must say Piccolo, your strength is quite frightening itself, though it's nothing compared to what I'll possess when I achieve my perfect form."

Piccolo gasped at the information given to him by the monster. "Achieve your perfect form?! So you're telling me that's why you killed all those people?!"

The monster started chuckling as it swayed its tail around. "That is correct. By absorbing their bio-energy, I add it to my own and increase my power. The more I consume, the more powerful I become."

Piccolo grit his teeth. He was in complete disbelief that such an unbelievable reason was why this monster was killing people. "Tell me this! Who was it that sent you to this time through that abandoned time machine?!"

The monster's eyes perked up as the namekian knew of the time machine and that it was connected to it. Interesting, he knows I'm from the future yet doesn't know who I am. "Nobody sent me here, I came of my own volition. I'm surprised you knew of my connection with the time machine. Either way, it doesn't seem you're aware of my ability to do this." It pressed its hands together in an all too familiar position. "Ka.. Me.." The namekian widened his eyes and took a step back at what this monster was doing. "Ha.. Me.. Ha!" It fired a familiar blue beam at the namekian, creating a massive explosion even as Piccolo completely dodged.

Piccolo floated midair as he stared down at the explosion caused from the Kamehameha. I can't believe it, not only does it have a similar energy to Goku, it can use his techniques as well. In his brief moment of hesitation, the monster snuck up behind him and wraps its arms and legs around him, rendering him immobile. As he saw the tail that absorbed the man earlier heading for him, he thrust his body sideways, forcing the tail to stab into his arm instead.

The monster made a sound of annoyance as he was forced to stab into the arm rather than the namekian's core. "Your arm, huh? I suppose it doesn't matter, I'll absorb your immense bio-energy anyway." As it started absorbing from Piccolo's arm, the namekian growled in pain and slammed his head against the monster's face, giving him the opportunity to escape. Both of them landed on the ground, Piccolo's arm completely shriveled up and limp. "I commend you for managing to escape, but it appears your arm is useless now."

Piccolo growled as he pressed his still working arm on the shoulder of his ruined arm as he kept his eyes locked onto the monster. Just before he was about to rip off his arm and regenerate a new one, an idea came to mind. "You're right, I can't move my arm. Maintaining my balance has become impossible, making quick movements too difficult to deal with. I hate to admit it, but I'm finished."

The monster straightened up as its wounds started to regenerate. "Understanding when you're beaten is an admirable quality. If it makes you feel better, I'll be far closer to attaining my perfect form once I've absorbed your bio-energy."

Piccolo's eyes narrowed as the monster was regenerating suspiciously similar to himself. "Before you absorb me, answer me this. How does your energy resemble that of myself, Freeza and even Son Goku? And why do you know the Kamehameha?"

The monster raised an eye in curiosity. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in it, seeing that you're gonna die regardless. My name is Cell, and I'm an android born from the work of Dr. Gero's computer."

Piccolo groaned as the monster named Cell mentioned that name. "Great, again with Dr. Gero?"

Cell ignored Piccolo and continued to speak. "Dr. Gero dreamt of creating a new style of android, one that could be made from the cells of others, so he gathered the cells of the greatest fighters of this world. Due to the amount of time it would take to create even one of those androids, he abandoned the project and left his computer to complete his work. During the attack of the saiyans, we gathered the cell of yourself, Goku and even Vegeta."

Piccolo took a moment to process all this information and a smirk formed on his face. "From the battle back then huh? That explains why your Kamehameha did so little damage."

Once ignoring Piccolo's comment, Cell resumed his explanation. "Fortunate for us, we were able to collect the data of Freeza and his father during their brief time on Earth. And before you ask, the research is well underway. Though I won't be ready for another 24 years."

"But that's impossible! That laboratory was completely wiped out when we went to it earlier!" shouted Piccolo, expecting an answer out of Cell.

"The computer and myself from this time period reside in an underground bunker beneath the laboratory itself. Even if you completely leveled the mountain range, the bunker would not be harmed." Cell uncrossed his arms and took a step forward. "I think I've let you be for long enough. It's time I absorb you."

"Hold on!" shouted Piccolo, causing Cell to stop completely. "I just have one more question. Why did you come to this timeline?"

Cell grinned as he stood up straight again. "It takes more than just absorbing the bio-energy of people to attain my perfect form. The computer gave me the knowledge I need before I made my way here. To attain my perfect form, I must absorb the energy of both Android 17 and 18!" He watched as Piccolo was taken aback in shock. "Sadly they weren't anywhere in the future that I came from. Somehow Trunks found a way to defeat them, but luckily he had a time machine that was already prepared to take me to this time period. And now, here we are." He grinned as he held his arms out. "And the computer also told me that once I achieve my perfection, I'll have attained power the likes creation has never seen before!"

"Then let's make sure you don't get that way!"

Both Cell and Piccolo's eyes widened as they heard that shouting, an energy blast flying towards Cell from above. Cell swatted the attack away with his arm and was immediately met by a fist that sent him flying. He did a flip to land on his feet and his mouth went agape as he saw the forms of Raditz and Nappa in front of him. These 2?! But how, they're supposed to be dead!

Piccolo was still in shock at the arrival of the 2 saiyans, Trunks showing up soon after. He ripped off his arm and instantly grew a new one, shocking Cell as the android realized he was tricked. "What are you doing here?"

"On our way here, we realized we couldn't feel any movement from your fight so we were worried something might have happened, so we came here faster than planned." said Raditz, charging up an energy ball with a paralysis effect.

Nappa surrounded his hand in energy as he prepared a Blast Geyser if this thing makes any sudden moves. "I gotta say, that's one ugly freak you were dealing with. And considering it's giving off the same feel as pretty much everyone we know, it's even more of a freak."

Cell aimed his eyes back and forth between the 4 in front of him. Not only are Raditz and Nappa alive, but Trunks is here as well. This is quite the unique timeline I've stumbled upon. It doesn't look like I have a chance to win in these conditions, but perhaps I can make some use out of my situation. "It's nice to meet you, Raditz and Nappa. But I'm afraid I'll be leaving now." He raises his hands up to the side of his face and spread his fingers. "Solar flare!"

Everyone growled as a blinding light hit them from Cell's direction. By the time their eyesight recovered, Cell was nowhere to be found and his energy was nowhere around. Raditz put on his scouter to try and search for the energy and groaned. "I can't pick him up. Even though we could sense him, I don't think my scouter can."

Nappa knelt down and slammed his fist into the ground, creating a crater. "Damn, I had the perfect shot and I completely blew it. If I'd just fired it off when we got here, it wouldn't have gotten away." He turned his eyes as he felt a familiar energy heading their way. Great, Vegeta's coming. Hopefully he's in a better mood than earlier.

Vegeta landed on the ground, sweating a little bit as he walked up to Piccolo. "You, tell me what happened."

Piccolo turned his head to look in a random direction. "Tien's on his way here. Once he's arrived, I'll explain everything."

"Then tell me, how were you able to surpass even myself as a Super Saiyan in such a short amount of time?" asked Vegeta, taking a glimpse at Nappa for a moment before turning back.

"It appears that he fused with Kami to become even stronger than before, apparently like he did on Namek." answered Trunks, going off the information he had gained from Raditz on the flight there.

Once Tien showed up, Piccolo began to explain everything to the others, making sure to to leave out any of the details that he learned when he tricked Cell into spilling everything. "That's about it. If he manages to absorb the other androids, then not only the Earth, but the entire universe will be in big trouble."

"You're just a bunch of spineless cowards." said Vegeta. "If this 'Cell' wants to absorb the androids, I say let them. It'll make things easier than just fighting all of them individually. Besides, it doesn't matter who the enemy is, I'll wipe them off the face of the planet."

Piccolo groaned and uncrossed his arms. "Think about this objectively Vegeta. You weren't even able to beat one of the androids, and you expect to beat Cell if he greatly surpasses even them?"

Vegeta snapped and glared at the namekian. "Are you looking down on me?! Perhaps I should start with you!" Nappa tried putting his hand on Vegeta's shoulder but the saiyan prince slapped it away. "I'll surpass them. I'll surpass everyone! I'll go beyond even Super Saiyan!" He turned around and took one last glimpse at everyone. "Whatever you're going to do, you can do it on your own." With those words off his chest, he flew off.

Nappa watched as Vegeta started to fly off and growled. "Damn, the fight against that android woman has pushed him too far."

Raditz walked up and placed his hand on Nappa's shoulder. "I think this time you should go after him. You're the only one who'd be able to calm him down. Besides.." He pulled out a spare scouter and handed it to his fellow saiyan. "If he plans to go beyond Super Saiyan, then you'd benefit training with him." He turned around to face Trunks. "You should go too. You still have your own time to save so any training you can get would be good."

Nappa looked at Trunks and nodded as he watched the future saiyan a bit stunned. "Yeah, we should go. I'll be sure Vegeta include you in the training." He gave Raditz a thumbs up before flying after Vegeta, Trunks close behind.

"What do you think Piccolo? What's our best course of action?" asked Tien, who felt a little overwhelmed as he was surrounded by Super Saiyans and a namekian who's gone even beyond that.

"I say we go after Cell. If we can keep him from raising his power beyond the androids', we'll be saving ourselves a lot of time." said Piccolo.

Raditz had his scouter on again as he looked south. "You can go and do that. If there's a bunker underneath Gero's lab, there might be something down there that we can use."

"Alright. If any sort of trouble happens, boost your power for a moment, then power up to full. Don't want to mistake you turning Super Saiyan for speed as being in trouble." said Piccolo before flying off with Tien.

Once he was sure everyone was gone, he sighed as he stared at a low power quickly moving south through his scouter. "Sorry I had to lie to you guys, but he's clearly trying to bait someone. May as well be me." He then activated the Kaio-Ken and started flying south to Gero's destroyed lab.

After a not so long flight, he took his scouter off his head and held it in his hand, not powering down from the Kaio-Ken. He found a hatch leading underground, leaping down to find a barren pathway. He noticed at the end of the pathway, there was a large metal door that was already opened. Please, you couldn't be more obvious. He rushed in with his free hand covered in energy, preparing to fire a paralysis shot as he scanned the room for Cell. His eyes widened as he could hear the sound of the tail swish as he looked up, seeing Cell dive down from the dark ceiling. The saiyan barely managed to dodge but Cell's tail broke through the visor of his scouter and impaled his side.

Cell started to laugh as he started to absorb the saiyan, grabbing onto his arms to keep him form firing. "You were a fool to come here. Now not only are you blind without your scouter, but your energy shall become mine."

Raditz grinned as he pointed his tail directly at Cell's. "I think you're the only one blind here!" He concentrated energy though his tail and fired a thin beam from his tail, slicing right through the android's, causing him to back up and scream in pain. Raditz quickly reached into his armor and pulled out a senzu bean that he kept on his person ever since the fight with the androids earlier. Upon eating the senzu bean and being restored to 100%, he transformed Super Saiyan and stared down the android, who looked shocked that the saiyan could do that. "If you're gonna run, I suggest you do it now. The others will know that you're here. Even with that energy you absorbed from me, there's no way you could take on Piccolo as he is now."

Cell took a step back as he stared at the Super Saiyan Raditz. This isn't possible. I may have little data on him, but he was seen as an absolute weakling. How could he become a Super Saiyan. I underestimated him. Though if I can absorb him before anyone else gets here, even Piccolo might have a problem against me. As he was about to lunge at the saiyan, he could see the yellow aura start collecting around Raditz's right arm. "W-What are you doing?"

Raditz chuckled, hiding back the incredible pain he was currently in. "This is my ultimate technique. I've never had a chance to test it out. How would you like to be the first?!" He took a step forth to intimidate the android.

The intimidation worked as the android went wide-eyed and ran off through the exit. Before he flew out the hatch to the outside, he turned back to face the saiyan. "Your technique won't scare me once I reach my perfect form. Once I attain perfection, I'll be sure to give you a death fitting your original demise."

Raditz's muscles started to tense up increasingly as the pain of holding the energy in his arm was getting worse and worse. "You think I'll allow myself to be killed by a simple beam to chest again?"

Cell's eyes perked up in interest. "Oh, so you don't know, do you? How interesting, perhaps you should ask Trunks about how you died. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to tell you how you and Nappa were killed." Without another word, the android flew out of the hole and started to run off, dropping his power level to hide from the saiyan.

Raditz grunted in pain as he dropped to his knees, dispersing the energy that he'd kept around his arm for such an unhealthy amount of time. Powering down from Super Saiyan, he picked himself back up and panted. He was about to put his scouter on, but noticed that the visor was broken. "Damn, this was the my personal scouter too. It was the only one with the tracking capacity to track him down. Either he's lucky or he knew I wouldn't be able to track him without this." He turned back to the lab and walked inside, letting his arm rest to recover from the pain.

As he stepped back into the lab, he took this chance to actually look around, seeing the large computer inside. As he looked to the left, he could see a tank full of fluid with a small organism roughly the size of a large cockroach. "So this is the Cell of this time huh? This little thing's supposed to cause us trouble in 24 years? If Gero had access to tech I stole from Freeza, he probably could have done it in 5. God, what am I doing?! This isn't the time to be talking to yourself about this." He looked around the room a little more and found some blueprints on a table. His interest grew more and more as he studied the details of these blueprints and learned they were the blueprints for Android 17. "Now isn't this interesting." He rolled up the blueprints and stuffed them into the back of his armor. He took one last glimpse of the Cell in the fluid filled container. He pressed his hand against the container and grinned. "I think I know the perfect thing to do to you that'll satisfy me."

Meanwhile, Nappa was sitting on a rock, trying to contact Raditz through the scouter. He'd convinced Vegeta to allow Trunks to train with them and was currently giving the kid a turn while he tried to report to Raditz. Damnit Raditz, what happened to you? Don't tell me something bad happened. He then heard noise on the coming from his earpiece and believed Raditz to finally be responding. "Raditz, finally. You shouldn't scare me like that, I thought something happened to you."

"Mr. Nappa?"

Nappa blinked a couple time as he had to register what he heard. He knew that voice and it definitely wasn't Raditz. "Raditz's kid? I-I mean Nion? What are you doing with a scouter?"

"Mommy let's me use it to talk to Daddy when he's away. Where's Daddy? Is he coming home soon?"

Nappa grunted, unsure how to answer the little kid. He wanted to tell her 'yes' but was afraid of what might happen if Raditz had died. "I'm not sure kid, we split up a while ago. I'm sure he'll be fine. You'll see him soon."

"Nion honey, are you talking to Daddy?"

"No Mommy, I'm talking to Mr. Nappa."

There was a brief moment of quiet before Nappa heard things again, the voice of Raditz's wife being louder. "You better tell me where my husband is. Nion told me he went to go check out some kind of monster and hasn't come home."

Nappa started to sweat a little. He really did not know Raditz's wife well enough to comfortably lie to her. "L-Look ma'am, I haven't seen him in around an hour. If anything, I should have heard from him a whi-"

"Oh, honey. You're back. Ah, what happened to your arm?!"

"I got a bit careless. Are you using that scouter?"

"Oh, Nion was using it to talk to you, though she got your large friend instead."

As he heard Raditz start talking to his daughter, Nappa couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the cozy life the saiyan has. Once he heard that Raditz put on the scouter, Nappa finally decided to speak. "It's about time. What happened to your own scouter?"

"Look, a lot happened while I went to Gero's lab. Listen, what I'm about to tell you is to remain a secret."

"Sure, you got it." Nappa sat on a rock as he listened carefully to everything Raditz says, learning about what entirely happened at Gero's lab. At the very end, his eyes widened as he abruptly stood up. "You did what?!"

Once more, another chapter done and gone. I gotta say, I kinda like getting to write unique dialogue for Cell and it's just gonna get better the more I progress. Meanwhile I'm still being a jerk by holding out on Raditz's technique that I've been building up since the end of chapter 11 and only teasing it. I don't seem to have much else to say for this one. Leave a review to tell me what you thought and follow/favorite it if you haven't already. Tune in next time for the next possibly exciting chapter of Dragon Ball Z: A Saiyan's Tail.