Disclaimer: I don't own any of the shown franchises.

A/N: I bet you guys weren't expecting this out this fast cuz I didn't either. Enjoy.

Wait one last thing before I forget, this chapter's gonna be a lot fluffier than I'm used to writing so, uh, a word of warning I guess.

Chapter 6: Puzzle Pieces

The ragtag team found themselves in the N-Tek Command Room. One large holographic stood in the front of the room. An assortment of controls littered dashboards which were scattered all about the room. A giant, glistening, white table sat itself in the center of the room with no short amount of buttons of its own. The room overall looked the inside of some futuristic Star Trek ship.

Unfortunately, Danny was sure Forge wouldn't give him or Tucker the proper chance to appreciate it.

"What in blazes was that?!" demanded Forge. "You all were supposed to stick with the plan!"

"I wasn't about to just let these guys get killed," protested Danny. "Besides, if I didn't do it, Gohan would've."

Forge just glared for a minute before sighing. "I'm getting to old for this..."

"Uh, Commander Ferrus, sir? What are we gonna do about the whole death tournament thing?" inquired Randy. "'Cause I really think we should be talking about the death tournament thing."

Forge rounded on Gohan who returned his look with a calm one. "What do you think? Is a month enough time to beat him?"

"I. . . I don't think so. Even if you guys could build me some gravity equipment and make some sort of healing tank, I don't think it'd be enough. Cell is just on a whole other level. I don't know how it happened, but he got so much stronger since last time."

"Are you sure he's the same one?" asked Jazz.

Danny frowned at the suggestion. Of course, Gohan was sure. He'd just had an anger fueled bout with the android not even ten minutes ago.

"What do you mean?" asked Gohan, apparently sharing Danny's confusion.

"What year did you come from?"

Gohan blinked. "774. Why?"

Danny's eyes just about bugged out of his skull. "What?!"

Gohan looked at Danny, confusedly. "Is there something wrong?"

Jazz waved her hand. "Never mind that! Randy, what year are you from?"

"2012," Randy said slowly, brow raised.

"Commander Forge?"

"2013," said Forge, quickly. "Why is this so important again?"

Jazz grinned. "Because those portals didn't just manipulate space, they manipulated time as well!"

"So, Cell could be from an entirely different timeline," muttered Gohan. He didn't seem too happy about that.

"But that might not be the case," said Tucker. "We could just have different ways of keeping time in our universes."

Jazz nodded. "That is definitely a possibility. Even if we both use B.C.E. and A.D. there could be differences if it was set earlier or later in our time periods."

Gohan smiled. "It's as good a lead as any."

Jazz smiled back. Danny squinted. There looked like there was something more to their smiles. It almost seemed like. . .

Oh God, please don't tell me they're actually...

Danny let out a groan as his friends looked at him, oddly.

"Whatever the case," interrupted Forge, "we still have to find a way to beat Cell. Do you know if he has any weaknesses?"

Gohan crossed his arms as his focused stare seemed to bore through the table. "He's a bit cocky. We could use that to our advantage. As far as physical weaknesses go, whenever I punched him in the gut, he threw up an android-"

"Wait, wait, what the juice?!" blurted Howard. "Time out, time out! Android?!"

Gohan looked sheepish. "Yeah, he had three different forms. His original form, the form he got after absorbing one android, and the form he got after absorbing the other android."

Danny frowned. Just his luck, they were fighting a psychotic, transforming can of bolts. On steroids.

"But when I got him to expel Android 18, he was in giant form. So, I'm not sure it'll work."

"I don't think he just makes the Androids appear out of nowhere," mused Tucker. "So, there could be a way to get them out of him."

"Do you think they shrunk them?" asked Berto.

Tucker grinned. "My man! That's exactly what I was thinking. It's about time somebody started speaking my language!"

"Would gut punching him till he pukes still work when he's normal sized?" inquired Howard.

Gohan shrugged. "Maybe. But I was stronger than him when I did it. Way stronger. It probably won't work if I did it now, giant form or no."

"What if I phased inside him?" asked Danny. He recoiled a bit from the confused yet expecting gaze most of the room gave him. "Uh, y'know, I could go intangible and see if I could find the Androids and take them out of him."

Gohan grinned. "That could work!"

Then, he became a bit more subdued. "I'll have to take him out before he self-destructs."

Danny blinked in surprise. He didn't just say. . .

"Self-destructs?!" shouted Randy. "Geez, who's the shoob who built that thing?!"

"A scientist who really hated my father," Gohan replied, bitterly. "If Cell self-destructs, the whole planet is toast."

Danny raised a brow at that. Gotta love the revenge types, they were always the worst ones.

"Alright, so we just have to take the androids out of him, and then he's beatable, right?" asked Howard. "Before he goes all kablooey?"

"It seems so," said Forge. "We'll have to come up with a plan."

"What do we do until then?" asked a girl with streaks of purple hair. Danny vaguely remembered her name. Clarissa? No, it started with a T. Or did it?

"You'll be staying here, until we can figure out how to properly send you all back. Your hero friends will be training for the battle ahead."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Max. "It seems a bit rude to keep them cooped up in here."

"Oh yeah?" asked Forge. "What do you propose we do?"

"They could come to school with me. I could watch them, and they won't have to be stuck in here all day."

Danny blinked, glancing about the room. Max didn't actually think anyone was going to agree to that, did he?

"Uh," interrupted Howard, "I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I'm perfectly fine with just chilling here and playing video games."

"Seconded!" replied Randy.

"Tripled!" sounded Tucker.

"Quadrupled!" agreed Danny.

"I wouldn't mind going," input Jazz.

Max rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly. "Makes sense. You wouldn't have to really do any of the work since you're leaving soon, though."

Danny snorted at the attempt to safe face. "Tempting, but I'm still gonna pass on that."

"We can't have them leave either way, Max. It wouldn't be safe for them, for us, or the citizens of Copper Canyon. Keeping them here is our best bet."

Max just shrugged.

"Alright, so. . . team meeting over?" asked Randy. He probably wanted to get back to gaming as much as Danny did.

"For now," admitted Forge. "You all are free to go."

'Randy's the ninja?!' thought Heidi. 'Howard's stupid friend?! How could I have missed it?!'

The signs were beginning to make sense. Whenever the Ninja showed up, Randy had never seemed to be there. Debbie Kang had suspected him, Randy's weird freefall reading thing, and Howard had seemed to go from hero-worship to grudging respect for the Ninja.

Still, it didn't make missing the story right in front of her any less annoying. She was supposed to have the eyes for this stuff. She was Heidi freaking Weinerman!

She turned a corner and walked into a room containing Danny, Tucker, Randy, and Howard. She told herself she was only there by chance, but she knew the real reason. She wanted to see the Ninja.

They all were playing some type of car racing game. She couldn't recognize it for the life of her, but she didn't care much about it, anyways.

Randy's face was the picture of concentration. His determination showing through even in something as trivial as a video game. Was that what he looked like every time he donned the mask? And why did it look so darn attractive?

Heidi blinked. 'Uh, what was that?!'

There was no way she had feelings for Randy, right? No, it was just her mind, moving her infatuation of the Ninja onto him. Nothing more.

"Hey, Heidi, are you alright?"

Heidi grimaced. Speak of the devil. . .

Heidi schooled her face into the picture of indifference. "Yeah, I'm fine, Sandy? Why?"

Randy rubbed the back of his head, nervously. "Oh, nothing, nothing. You were just, uh, staring at me for a while. You kinda looked spaced out."

Heidi sure hoped her cheeks weren't as red as they felt. "It's nothing, Randy! I was just thinking about something, geez!"

With that she stormed out of the room.

Randy stared wide-eyed at the door. Had she actually gotten his name right?! She never got it right!

"What was that all about?" asked Tucker.

"I've got absolutely no clue," muttered Randy as he stared down at his controller.

"Forget all that," Howard groaned. "Can we just get back to the game?"

Randy shrugged and unpaused the game. Why had Heidi acted the way she did? He could only guess that she was more than a little surprised that he was the Ninja. It still didn't explain the whole tirade.

'Ah well' mused Randy. 'At least she got my name right.'

"I'm ahead of you, Randy!" goaded Danny. "Better start paying attention if you don't wanna get lapped!"

Randy glared. All this confusing stuff could wait. Forget the Sorcerer's nightmare vision, forget Cell; he had a game to win. "Alright, man, you asked for it!"

Gohan didn't have much of an affinity for hanging around with friends his age, so he found himself in the N-Tek training room. He threw a barrage of punches and kicks at an unseen enemy.

He pictured Cell throwing just as many attacks back at him. His blows became more furious with every reminder of their last fight. It ate at him from the ease he'd been defeated with. He hadn't felt so helpless in years.

"Hey, Gohan, I'm so sorry to interrupt!"

Gohan looked over his shoulder to see the orange-haired Fenton waving at him. He allowed himself a smile as he returned the gesture. "No problem. What's up?"

Jazz rubbed her arm, uncertainly, as she didn't meet his gaze. "Nothing, it's just. . . could you train me?"

Gohan's brows furrowed. He wasn't expecting that. "Why?"

"I've seen how strong you are, and you've told me about Ki, and I haven't been able to help much with Danny. And now there's this thing with Cell, and I-I just want to help!"

She seemed so desperate to learn to fight that he couldn't help but feel struck by her sudden vulnerability. He couldn't turn her down. "Sure, why not? I'll have to warn you, though. It won't be easy."

Jazz nodded, looking like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "I understand."

Gohan sat down cross-legged and pat down the spot in front of him, signaling Jazz to sit. Jazz mirrored him as Gohan held his hands up, in front of his stomach. "To feel your Ki, you have to search inside yourself. You can't force it; you just have to. . . let if shape itself."

A ball of golden light swelled to life inside of Gohan's cupped palms. Jazz leaned in close, entranced by the energy. The light washed over her, bathing her in a golden light. It was almost breathtaking.

"Wow," murmured Jazz. "Am I really going to be able to do that?"

Gohan really hoped she hadn't caught him staring as he straightened. "Ye-yeah, you'll be able to do this with some practice. Like I said, though, it'll take time."

Jazz nodded as she cupped her hands in front of her. She quickly began to scrunch her brows in apparent frustration. Gohan held in a laugh. "You can't be all stiff like that. You have to relax, otherwise it won't come out."

Jazz scowled as she glanced up at him. "This is harder than I thought it wou- Are you laughing at me?!"

Gohan made a bit of a strangled noise in his throat from holding back a chuckle. "No way. I wouldn't do that."

She gave him an unimpressed look as she returned to channeling her Ki.

Gohan felt a bit bad for laughing, but he couldn't help the small smile working its way across his face. He hadn't had fun in so long, not since the Cell Games.

Just like that his sour mood returned. And Jazz took notice.

"What's wrong? I'm not that bad, am I?"

Gohan cracked a small grin. "No, you're doing great. I'm just- It's nothing."

Jazz watched him, piercingly. It felt reminiscent of how his mother would look at him to get him to tell the truth.

It worked just as well, too.

Gohan ran a hand through his hair. "I screwed up."

At Jazz's expecting look, Gohan continued. "You know how I said Cell killed my father?"

She nodded.

"I'm the actual reason he died. I let the rage of my transformation take over, and my dad paid the price. He took Cell away from the Earth before he could fully self-destruct."

Gohan couldn't meet her eyes. He hated himself every time he remembered that fight. He hated himself every time he heard his mother crying for Goku whenever she thought he wasn't listening. He hated himself every time he used Super Saiyan 2. He hated all of it.

"Gohan," murmured Jazz, her soft voice breaking his reverie. "It wasn't your fault."

Gohan's head shot up to see Jazz's sympathetic eyes. He recoiled at that. He didn't want the pity; he didn't deserve it. "How can you say it wasn't my fault? If I hadn't gotten angry and finished Cell off, my dad would still be alive."

"You don't know that. Cell could've done something sneaky and killed your father, your friends, or you."

Gohan shook his head. "No, it's my fault. I could've stopped it. He wasn't able to do anything."

His voice was beginning to tremble a bit. If he'd been in a clearer state of mind, he would've been disgusted with himself.

Jazz took his hands in hers, forcing him to meet her gaze. Her eyes were so accepting and pure that he couldn't look away. He'll, he was loathe to admit that he didn't want to look away. "Gohan, there isn't any use in beating yourself up over this. Your father doesn't blame you, does he?"

"No, but-"

"Does your mother blame you?"

"No-"

"Do your friends blame you?"

Gohan sighed. "No. They don't."

"It's not your fault, Gohan. Your friends and family don't blame you. I don't blame you. You weren't in your right state of mind then. That wasn't your fault. It was a new form with a whole set of abilities and weaknesses you weren't prepared for. All that was out of your control. What matters right now is forgiving yourself and beating Cell. Again."

Gohan took a deep, shuddering breath. His eyes had long since begun to sting as he could feel the tears welling inside. 'If Vegeta could see me now' Gohan mused. 'He'd probably kick my butt for being so soft.'

"Thank you, Jazz. I needed that."

Jazz smiled. "Hey, what are friends for?"

Gohan felt the first real smile in a while stretch across his face.

Beeep! Beeep! Beeep!

"That's the emergency comms!" Gohan muttered, standing to his feet. "That's strange. I don't sense anything off..."

"Gohan! Randy! Danny! Report to the Command Room immediately."

Max and Forge stood in front of the holographic large screen.

Cell was broadcasting live across the world. They'd been able to determine that much from Berto's astute technical prowess. If even half of what they knew about him was true, he wanted the entire world to fear him.

And he'd likely succeed.

"People of the world, I am the perfect life form, Cell!" boomed the android, lounging casually in a chair. "I will be hosting a martial arts tournament known as the Cell Games. If someone can defeat me, the world is safe. If no challenger can defeat me, your planet will be destroyed. For those of you unsure of my power, here's a little taste!"

Cell, without looking away from the camera, took aim at the wall behind him. His hand flared with golden energy before it shot off for the wall. With a bright explosion, smoke billowed out from it. When the smoke cleared there was a clear hole outside with the building in front of the hole completely leveled.

Cell smirked, lowering his arm. "The tournament will be a month from now. August 27th. Remember that date well. The location will be Copper Canyon. Trust me you won't miss it. The time will be 9:00 A.M. For your planet's sake, good luck."

The broadcast winked out in the mess of static.

"Well, somebody has a flair for the dramatic."

Max turned to see Gohan, Randy, and Danny's eyes fixated on the screen.

"This is almost just like last time," muttered Gohan.

"Hey, at least you beat him last time," encouraged Max.

Gohan looked at him as if startled before offering a strained smile. "Yeah."

"So, what now?" asked Randy.

Somehow, Max knew the answer even before his Uncle spoke. "We train and make Cell regret ever setting foot in this dimension."

A/N: See y'all later! Please review, I can totally use the feedback lol.