Chapter 23: The Android #21

I flew as fast as I could toward Cell, though after a few hours of search it seemed hopeless. But the one thing I learned above all else from DBZ was that there is always hope.

The city was full of piles of clothes, and these piles once contained living beings. Cell had been feeding here recently.

The only thing I could think of was to find Piccolo. In the show, he'd be fighting Cell about now. But Piccolo was still on the Lookout, getting ready to Fuse with Kami.

Damn! I gotta find him! If I can get Cell while he's still in this weaker form, I may be able to stop him and save us all a lot of trouble.

Then I heard a scream. Cell was attacking, I knew it. I sensed it. I ran toward the scream to see the needle-like tail of Cell slither out from a pile of clothes. He had just finished off some poor soul. He saw me and grinned his bug-like grin.

For the record, Cell looks like a giant bug/human. He walks on two legs, has two arms with human-like hands, and he has this weird head shape. He has two black wings that are useless, and his syringe-like tail. That tail was the most dangerous thing about him. His skin is different shades of green and covered in black spots. He also has green, booger-colored blood. In this first form, he has an orange, beak-like mouth and cat-like eyes.

"So someone worthy of my digestion has finally arrived? And it's the Sayjin, Katie. The girl from the other dimension."

"And you're Cell, the bio-android that Gero created by combining all of the cells of the best warriors on earth."

"Well, now that we know each other, shall we get started?" he hissed.

"One question, do you have any of my DNA in you?" I asked as I got into my stance and thought up a plan. I was stalling.

"Yes, Gero thought you'd be a perfect match for an android, but he decided to put some of your DNA in me instead."

"Figures."

That's what the compatibility thing meant. He thought of turning me into an android like he did 17 and 18!

Cell got into a fighting stance as well and waited for me to make a move.

Keep your friends close and you enemies closer.

What do I know about Cell? Cell can regenerate as long as any of his cells are intact, so using Arina is out if I wanted to finish him off. He has all the others' attacks, too.

Wait, does he have mine, too? I better be careful…

I launched at Cell and drew Arina as I attacked, using my speed as well as my strength to slice at him. It cut clean through his right arm, and when I landed I turned to face Cell. He was regenerating as I turned. His new arm burst out of the bloody, green stump.

"So, what was that?" he asked as he flexed his new arm.

"Just a test."

"Good. I'm still so hungry, and now that you're ready, I can feed." Cell's tail twitched behind him as he spoke, and it moved as if it had a mind of its own.

"I won't be such easy prey as these normal humans were."

He launched himself at me, and used his tail like a spear trying to jab me. I protected myself using Arina and blocked his tail. I got going and started to fight offensively more than to defend myself. I had transferred some of my Ki to Arina and that made it more powerful. We jumped back from each other to read each other's expression. We were both tired, and Cell was angry.

"You can't defeat me! I must become perfect!" he screamed as he powered up. I did the same, knowing that if I defeated him now I could stop the androids, too.

But I was too cocky, and as we both charged one another Cell knocked me down, sending Arina out of my reach. My Ki normally would have brought it straight back to my hand (like the Jedi's!), but Cell had broken my concentration, and my Ki left Arina.

"You'll make me much stronger, than I'll find 17 and 18 and become perfect." He raised his tail over his head and swayed it back and forth threateningly. I was going to get up then, but Cell leaped from twenty feet upon me and held me down. I struggled, but that made Cell smile more. He used his hands to hold mine still and his legs were squeezing mine tight together. I couldn't move.

"I won't let you absorb me!"

"Who said you had a choice?" he struck my shoulder with his tail and started to absorb my power.

I knew normal humans would be gone almost instantly, and this tail would grow wide so he could absorb the androids, but this was different. The absorbing process was slower because of my power, and it hurt immensely. It hurt to move, to breathe, and even to think.

I have to fight back! I can't let it end like this!

I took my right hand and started to form a Ki ball for my Sneak Attack Ball. The worse the predicament, the more powerful it became. This attack ran on adrenaline. I blasted Cell in the face and he leaped off me and screamed in pain, holding his bloody face. While he screamed I got up. I had been weakened, and I could barely see straight. But I walked over to Arina and replaced it into the sheathe. His face was regenerating as I steadied myself.

"You wretched little beast!" he screamed as he launched at me. But I was ready this time.

We attacked with volley after volley of punches and kicks, hitting hard and fast. The logical part of me said I should do something to stop this, but the Sayjin in me rejoiced at the fight. I couldn't do anything except listen to both, so I jumped away and shot a quick Kamehameha wave at him. His whole body from the waist up was gone, but I knew he'd be right back as the disembodied legs fell over.

"Katie!" Piccolo, Krillen, and Trunks arrived.

"Hey, what's shaking?"

"Kid, what's going on?" Piccolo asked.

"That thing over there is Cell. He'll be fine in a minute, so don't let you're guard down. He regenerates, like you, Piccolo. It's a long story, but Cell is a bio-android created by Gero from the DNA of all the best fighters on earth. That includes all of us. He came here to absorb 17 and 18 to become more powerful."

After my statement, Cell's legs got up and his upper body regenerated, shooting out of his lower body with blood oozing out. He was fully recovered.

Damn, I forgot! Since he has Sayjin DNA in him, he'll be stronger now. But how much?

"More food, how nice. The Namekian Piccolo, the runt Trunks, and the monk Krillen." Cell hissed.

"Watch out for his tail, he'll try to absorb you with it. That's how he feeds. He has all of our attacks, too."

The others nodded and then the four of us got into our different stances and then attacked Cell. Though I couldn't see him, I felt Vegeta nearby, and he was watching us. I felt his aura fill with anger. Cell was doing poorly, but I wasn't thinking clearly through the rush of the battle. Cell knocked us all back with a Gatlik Gun, one of Vegeta's attacks, and faced us.

Ironic that Vegeta shows up to see Cell attack us with a Gatlik Gun.

"It's been fun, but I have to find the androids now. Solar Flare!" Cell blasted the bright light right at us, and I don't think anything had ever stung my eyes so bad. I'd rather rub lemon slices into my eyes than have that happen again.

"Everyone okay?" I asked. I couldn't see to tell for myself.

"You mean except for being blind? Yeah I'm okay." Krillen said.

And with perfect timing, my SG went off.

"Goku's up!" I called happily.

"Good, he can take care of Cell." Krillen said. Everyone knew of my SG, so they weren't too surprised.

"No, Cell is too strong. We have to find him now or it'll be too late later."

"If you say so." So we broke up into pairs and searched for Cell. And I was with Trunks.

I have to admit, Trunks is a great guy. What! I'm doing it again! He's a cartoon.

Wait, no he's not! Not now. But it won't work. He's from the future, and I'll get to go home to another dimension if I'm lucky. It just won't work…