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DRAGON BALL HARDCORE
THE CELL SAGA, part 3
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… He didn't expect the story to go like that. This kid faced more hardships at the age of 16 than Yamcha had his entire life thus far. But he was extremely proud of his son, and did not shy away from the opportunity to say so. Boku didn't know how to react. He never had this kind of feeling before; this feeling of sweet accomplishment of being congratulated by his parents. Maybe his father wasn't like the bum loser that his own diary led him to believe.
Before they could get even more in depth, the autopilot had finally arrived at Goku's house in Mount Paozu. Boku helped his father and Tien to get up while Gohan and Dende were waiting for them outside. It was an unexpected reunion, and it came with bad news. They failed; they managed to defeat those androids, but Gero had more of them; even stronger androids. Long story short; Piccolo is about to do something drastic, the androids will be there eventually and so they need to move out Goku. Dende healed Yamcha and Tien fully, and so they made a plan: keep Goku safe until Piccolo arrives. They needed to stick together to have a chance in the fight, but Boku had other plans.
The androids from this time were not only stronger, but also younger than the ones he knew. Back in his time he could give a fair shot against android 18, but now he couldn't even see them fight and she defeated Piccolo, who is about 100 times stronger than he is. He wanted to go back and investigate what was left of Gero's lab; it might give them a clue of what to do. And so he blasted off.
Yamcha, Gohan and Tien took Goku and Chi-chi to Boku's flier, and decided to hide him in kame house. It might be the second place they'll look, but it's better than here. Dende meanwhile felt that the dragon balls might play a part in their survival, and decided to head back to the lookout, saying that he'll try to keep tabs on the androids with his godly vision. As he flew away, he telepathically contacted Mr. Popo and requested that he start gathering the dragon balls at once. Only King Enma knows what kind of cruelties these androids are doing as they speak.
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They wanted a car. 17 himself wanted to steal it sneakily like good old times, but no one was passing by and it was snowing outside. 16 couldn't sneak around to save his life and 18 was starting to get bored and bitchy. After what felt like an hour in the snow, a food-delivery van finally showed up at the gas station they were stalking. While the two drivers went in to grab a coffee, 17 ducked to the car door but he couldn't pick the lock; he was never very good at it. He took far too long and the drivers eventually showed up. The carjack suddenly turned to stickup. The two drivers saw fit to beat up the troublemakers, but their giant ginger friend kind of terrorized them, and so they gave up the van..
After dumping all the stuff from the van into the pavement, the androids simply took it for themselves. They know they can fly, so why do you ask? It was just fun. When you live with no parents, this sort of thing, to steal and fight, those are your means of both survival and entertainment. But that wasn't even the best part. Turns out they had company. The trio found themselves being chased by a cop car. 17 had a great time in that chase; too bad there was not a single soul in that highway or else it would be more challenging. But after a hot minute in pursuit, 18 was getting sick of the sirens and decided to blast them out of the road. She pointed her hand towards the back, but 16 was sitting there. She told him to crawl a little to the side but he refused. He even questioned her on why she would do it; those cops might die. 18 didn't care for them, but 16 said, "they are the ones making this pursuit fun in the first place. Why ruin it?"
18 realized how unfinished 16's programming was. He was still abiding by the simple robotic code of preserving and aiding human life. She wondered why Gero left him unfinished, but for now he did have a point. And so she decided to leave it up to 17 to get the cops off their tail, and he had an idea.
Suddenly he drove right through the cliff, and they fell through the snowy mountain slope. The cops stopped as they watched the car go all the way down through two kilometers of bumps and bashes. By the end the van fell on the road by the feet of the mountain. Anyone else would've died from that fall, but the kids were fine. And even better, the van was still working somehow, so they just floored out of there.
Now that they did what 17 wanted, it was time to do what 18 wanted; and that was grabbing a change of clothes. Her fight with Piccolo left her on the rags.
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They drove a couple miles into another little town in the countryside. The clothes there weren't much of 18's style but it would be good for now. Just like any other time, she decided to walk away with her new clothes instead of paying. Back then she could only run and hide, but now she has the power to fight back. The owner screamed curses at her as they drove away, and 18 told to turn the van around. She wanted to go back and blow the store to smithereens, but once again 16 questions. She did a naturally bad thing, the owner has all the right to be mad. But this time 18 didn't want to hear it, she wanted to do something fun too. 16 concluded based on his database that fun and happiness can be achieved by the collective enjoyment of all parties involved. Since both 17 and 18 had done what they wanted, it was time for 16 to choose what to do.
When they returned back to the front of the shop, 16 opened his window and apologized to the angry owner. Since that wasn't enough he decided to give him compensation. In the glove compartment of the van they found a huge chunk of money; a few thousand zeni. He gave it all to the shop owner; 16 insisted he keeps despite being much more than they own him. The man was radiant with happiness; now he can finally finish paying for his house. He ran inside his store and grabbed a couple dozen stacks of clothes and gave them all to 18. He was thankful like never before in his life, and 18 didn't know how to react. There was never a moment in all the 10 years of her conscious life that she was thanked for something. It was a feeling that she tried to suppress but barely knew how; it felt fuzzy. And so they drove away while the man bathed in money there on the sidewalk.
While 18 had new clothes and emotions to deal with, 17 pointed out that 16 just tossed all their money away for garbage. What to do now? He wanted to go buy a boat to get to Goku's house. Meanwhile, 16 was just looking through the window with a smile on his face.
He knew all these things, but in his mind they are nothing but words, with nothing other than other words to associate them with. He was finally experiencing colors, nature, sounds and sights, and he wanted more. But at the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of something on a notice board. They stopped the van and saw a wanted poster for some serial killer in the mountains. It was an awful lot of cash, way more than they had just given away. 16 thought it might be a good idea to try it out.
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The androids managed to track down where his hideout was supposed to be after talking to a few locals, and they found him with his pants down taking a piss in the snowy woods. An old washed up mercenary in pink that once used to be the world's greatest assassin, and now the world's weirdest cyborg. When the androids appeared before him he showered them with bullets from his robot hand, but it didn't have any effect. 17 snatched his whole arm away from him, and was about to blast him to kingdom come when 16 warned that the bounty required him alive. 17 felt good enough with delivering justice himself, but 16 reminded him that continuously messing up with the mission will never lead to a conclusion. They will never move forward by just doing what is most convenient. They will have to restrain themselves to achieve a greater outcome.
That made sense, they kind of needed that boat. He always wanted to drive a boat when he was young. He can just try to steal one, but… meh; it didn't really matter at the end of the day. Might as well. They took the defeated Cyborg Tao under their custody. He tried one last old trick to kill 18 with his tongue, but it failed. Good thing he didn't have balls anymore or else he would've lost them then and there.
Together they dragged out the crazy assassin in separate pieces all the way back to the town and the sheriff's office. He was just taking another coffee when this couple of teenagers and a seven-feet tall guy just barged in his office, with the killer that he had been chasing for a good decade now. They ripped out his robot legs and arms so he couldn't run, and the sight made him spill out the coffee. They refused to elaborate and simply asked for the bounty money. The man was glad to give them every penny, but then he realized 17 just wanted to buy a boat. The sheriff was so grateful that they finally brought this monster to justice that he even did them a favor. Back when he lived in Coast Town he had a boat himself; a very good one. He was happy to give 17 the keys to it as personal thanks other than the money.
17 was feeling awfully great that day. Much like 18 he had never experienced being treated nicely, but then again he had no super powers before; he was just a street kid. He thought obeying the rules never led to good results, but it doesn't seem to always be the case. Now they had a boat and kept all the money. He didn't know what magic 16 is using, but his suggestions never fail. Finally he asked where this Coast Town he mentioned, and the sheriff sent them off on the proper highway, and told them that it should be after Jingle Village. And so he wished them luck on this little journey of theirs.
The highway got thinner and thinner until it was just a dirt road. Snow was at every corner of their vision. And at this dastard time the engine finally gave in. If the van wasn't a total wreck already, the gas inside froze. They had to move on foot, and even though they are powerful beings, they don't have any skill for saving them from the blizzard cold. Gero didn't think setting themselves on fire from pure energy was a useful function. 16 however was not feeling a thing. The guy he was based on before becoming an android must've been a real beast. Still they needed to find shelter; it was getting dark and soon they happened upon the Jingle village.
The houses were all covered in snow but they still could see lights from the windows. 17 thought to give them the bounty money they earned and maybe they'll let them in; 18 suggested that if they don't, they just throw them out by force. They knock on the door and it is immediately answered by a woman; a redhead lady named Suno, who was chief of the town. She saw two teenagers covered in snow, wanting to buy a room or else. She just screamed at them for being irresponsible and pulled them inside by their collars. 16 had to slowly crawl inside.
She allowed them to stay as long as they want, or whenever this snowstorm calms downs. 17 did offer her the money but she didn't want it. Helping others survive is not worth payment, it's basic human decency. They thought she was crazy; who doesn't want money? But Suno was just someone who they never had the opportunity to meet before; a genuinely kind person. She didn't have a reason to help them nor did she get anything from doing so, she just did it. She gave them snow clothes and rugs; she gave them coffee and a place to sleep next to the fireplace. They would never allow themselves to be pushed around like that when they lived in the backstreets of West City, but now they feel a strange sense of comfort. They looked at each other, as if they knew exactly what the other was thinking: "Is this what having a mom feels like?"
The fire was beginning to die down, so 16 volunteered to go get more wood outside. Suno told him to not worry as she had someone on the job already. After a few minutes, a tall and tubby guy with a bulky physique knocked at the door and entered. He looked intimidating, with a huge scar across his head, but once Suno started talking to him he showed himself to be a really gentle giant. He was on a mission out there to deliver more wood to everyone in their houses, and he had succeeded with a bunch to spare for them. He greeted the other androids and sat by the fireplace with them. Coincidentally the guy named Eighter just so happens to meet with kids named 16, 17 and 18. Now that was funny.
16 used his eye sensors and detected no life energy on him at all. Eighter didn't know what he meant with that, but he did reveal that he wasn't like other people. He was made by a scientist in a lab; he was a robot. He was created by some bad people in order to do terrible things, but he managed to free himself and the people from the village were very kind to let him stay with them. Suno remarks how Eighter is underrating himself; he might as well be their guardian angel from how much he helps every day, and everyone was glad that he stayed with them.
Eighter didn't want to bother them anymore with stories since they must be really tired. And so everyone shut off the lights and they all slept side by side near the fireplace, with about three layers of rugs for each. 16 continued to glance at these surroundings all night, since he didn't feel the need to sleep. Neither did 17 and 18. They thought it was better to spend the night just… thinking things over. It was a fun day. A type of fun that I have never tried before. They kept chatting until they fell asleep, seeing that the adult world is way more fun than they expected. Tomorrow was another day; they had a lot of time to finish their mission and kill Goku. It's not like the Z-warriors stood a chance to destroy them or anything.
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Boku had returned to the mountain range where Gero's lab was located, and it was still afternoon by then. All that remained was the destruction Piccolo had unleashed. There was still rubble scattered around, and he decided to open up the field. Soon enough he uncovered a staircase going down. He knew this lab had more secrets; he was about to get in the real meat of his work.
What he found down there was the most impressive stuff he could imagine. Supercomputers, perfect 3d printers, and a lot of experimental machinery that he couldn't tell what it was, but he knew that the androids were probably made using them. He looked left and right for any answer there, but the old man was too clever. Years of entries were encrypted in a very intricate code; from all the way back since Goku alone destroyed the red ribbon army. But Boku was smart, and soon enough he managed to recompile everything into readable stuff. He found entries about all the androids with their abilities listed, and soon enough he even found blueprints. He printed out any page that had any mention of serial numbers or the word "android" in it.
Finally, he had in his hands the entire history of the greatest enemies of his life. He tried finding any weaknesses they might have, but what he found most interesting were their origin and design. It dated as far as some throwaway androids starting by number 13; test subjects to start his learning process. It was by testing on them that Gero created something called Ultra Reactor; a special core that can be compared to the power of the sun, contained safely inside a strong generator that was shaped like a battery.
His next android, number 16, was modeled after his own deceased son. Gero wanted to, in a way, allow his son to avenge himself against Goku. But the Ultra Reactor didn't quite function well with him. The android was noted to not fully harness its power thanks to its lack of natural energy. 16 became a walking bomb that could blow up the entire world if he ever chose to, but with no better fighting capabilities than the last three. It was dangerous, so Gero tucked him away and never finished his programming. Despite that, he continued updating his fighting capabilities and functions through the many years, out of some twisted form of grief.
His next attempt was with human subjects; anything that could harness energy in a functional way. He managed to find quite suitable hosts for this project; two children of a high-ranking member of the Red Ribbon army that abandoned them. The brats proved to be quite formidable in strength and genes, and so Gero kidnapped them for his plans. They were 8 years old by then, and the completion of the project took several years. He had to genetically modify them down to every cell, and had a bunch of surgical implants to make although most didn't make the cut like energy censors. The final piece was replacing their hearts with Ultra Reactors, and linking it to their bodies. The first test already far surpassed anything Gero had envisioned. Subjects 17 and 18 now harnessed infinite energy and their powers were exponential.
However, it soon showed that applying the Ultra Reactors to living beings had a terrible downside. The reactor itself was their life support, and without precautions its power would fade with time. The androids would suffer an astounding aging process, and he expected them to die in less than 20 years after their reactors were fully activated. Their youth and power were to decline with time. For a while he thought them to be successful, but soon realized that the subjects remained strong willed. His attempts at brainwashing weren't that successful, and the twins kept their rebellious and unpredictable nature. Those factors ended up counting 17 and 18 as complete and dangerous failures. He was so scared of them going rogue that he created a remote control that could access their Ultra Reactors functions to shut them off and kill them.
Gero would have to try with another pair of subjects, but his health was quickly deteriorating; he wouldn't have time or resources to try again, and so began from scratch. With his studies on ki reaching their peak, he developed an engine that could absorb energy from simple contact with living beings. It was quite a powerful weapon, for he would use the Z-warriors' own power against them. These plans worked perfectly with his classic android style, without the need for human subjects. With that in mind, he created android 19 and subsequently experimented on his own body to become an android, saving him from death. All that was left of him was his brain and appearance. He thought this model of combat to be perfect, and was ready to execute it once proper planning was in order. He was sure that his victory would come to be.
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The last entry depicted his plan; made just a couple of months ago from today. The entire development of his android plans go as far as 18 years ago. Finally, after all these years Boku finally understood what he was up against. In the end he wasn't fighting murderous machines that were created to destroy mankind. He was facing… some kids. Some orphans who were kidnapped and experimented on against their will. Boku felt sick on the inside the more he read and the more he thought about it. His greatest foes are nothing more than lost kids just like him. Did they even have a choice?
He didn't like questioning himself about that now. He was too deep in his plan to destroy them. They must be stopped even if they're not doing it on their own volition. Boku liked all those blueprints, especially that remote control for the reactors. There was nothing else he needed there, and this place is too damned to continue existing. He started blasting everything in there; all that marvelous technology was going down. Finally he flew way up in the sky and threw a ki bomb that caused a huge explosion. Gero's lab was completely done for. He felt like it was a good idea to deliver these plans to his mom. She is the smartest person he knows, and she could probably help him make something out of these plans.
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By the time Boku was leaving with his new discoveries, the Z-warriors managed to escort Goku to kame house. The medicine had taken action already; he didn't seem to feel all that pain anymore and was breathing normally, but still not awake. Launched was worried sick because it was past noon and Tien had not returned until now, and it seems they haven't won yet. She prepared the room upstairs and they left Goku to rest.
For now Tien and Yamcha could only wait. They didn't have a say on the situation anymore; 17 and 18 wiped the floor with them. To leave enemies so strong just hanging around the world is a problem, and Dende hasn't contacted them yet. Yamcha knew that Goku would have it all covered once wakes up; not to mention Boku must have found something in Gero's lab; there's no other reason for him to take so long. And there's the situation with Piccolo and his father. Everything seemed to be going along without them.
It was at that moment of calm that Yamcha spotted something near the window sill. It was a little baby crib. And there he spotted a little baby girl, sleeping peacefully. Of course he knew that to be Dina from Boku's future story, but he didn't realize until now that she was already born. Tien noticed him and admitted not wanting to tell everyone yet. He and Launch didn't want any extravagant marriage, not to mention the authorities would've jumped on the opportunity to arrest her. To Yamcha it only seemed natural; he didn't think anyone would be shocked to hear the news. It was like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Little Dina would grow up to be a pretty girl; kind and responsible… and sometimes the complete opposite. Tien was surprised that he knew her name already, to which Yamcha just aggressively changes the subject as a response.
He turned on master Roshi's old TV, only to be met with urgent matters from the news channel. The reporter spoke from Ginger Town, who has been seeing weird disappearances and kidnappings today. Random people have been vanishing with no signs of struggle left behind other than clothes that were left lying around. The police were now in search of a few dozen naked guys and ladies and were open to any call regarding the matter. The news cuts back to the two main reporters, as they begin discussing what could've been the reason. The man had a wild guess remembering the Piccolo crisis of fourteen years ago, as well as the random bursts of destruction that have been happening randomly the past years. All the while the lady next to him thought that the disappearing must've been some festivities of that backward town. Before they get more in depth they receive another call from the reporters at Ginger Town, apparently with breaking news. But as it cuts back to them, all they see is the camera with a cracked lens on the ground, filming the clothes that the lady reporter was just wearing, now laying on the empty street. The two host reporters were left shocked and silent. The lady picked up her stuff from the table and ran away, while the man started sweating heavily and announced an emergency state before running away after her. Everyone started leaving the building as the camera cut to commercial.
Everyone at kame house was silently looking at the screen. Gohan questioned what could've been all that; the androids? Tien shouts while looking at the sky, calling for Dende. He asked, "why didn't you tell us about the androids attacking the town?!"
Suddenly Dende speaks at the back of their minds. It was simple; that wasn't the androids. He kept watching the androids ever since he arrived at the lookout, but those simply aren't them. He can't even tell what exactly the androids are doing; they are just hanging around small towns and they refuse to go directly to Goku's house by flying. This enemy in Ginger Town is mysterious. He appears for a moment and then slits away back to the shadows, as if he could hide his presence like they do.
Yamcha was worried. Ginger Town is super close to West City, and he could feel Boku is already there with Bulma. They had to move out. Yamcha blasted off into the sky and Tien told Gohan to keep an eye on Goku. They will see what this new enemy is all about; then he blasted after Yamcha. Gohan has been told to keep out of the fight for too long now. Five years ago he would've stayed behind like he's told, but now he had built unwavering courage. He asked Dende about the androids one more time, and Dende confirms that they haven't even arrived at Mount Paozu yet. Most likely they won't even get there until tomorrow. That was all he needed to know before blasting towards West City, but in the opposite direction of Tien and Yamcha.
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Boku had arrived at Capsule Corp mansion with the schemes for the androids, and thankfully his mom was already there. He still didn't know if he should call her "mom" or call Yamcha his father. But when he arrived his grandparents had already chosen him. Apparently Bulma had told them all about it. Bulma's mom was on his face the entire time offering food, birthday presents, even money, while dr. Briefs was jumping up and down in excitement because his grandson is the inventor of god damn time travel. They were happy as if the end of the world wasn't tomorrow. Eventually Bulma and her baby came to rescue him from that situation. How come she grew to be so serious with the two of them around is a mystery to everyone.
She gave Boku his own baby self to carry while she looked at Gero's blueprints. That remote looked a little complex, but she had everything needed to make it. They were about to go down in the laboratory when Boku felt a shiver through his senses. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked away; from Bulma's experience that meant he caught someone's energy. Boku mumbled, "Dad? No… Goku? Piccolo? Gohan? No, it isn't them… was that… King Cold?!"
Just then he rushed outside to the street, seeing the town flooded with people going about their day. What the hell did he just sense? It was like everyone, even people that have already died. He closed his eyes and tried to feel it again. Soon it reappeared in the outskirts of the city, and he blasted after it.
He found himself on an empty road. There was a food stand there but no one in it; just clothes lying around. There was an empty car left open in the middle of the road. The sounds of the busy streets faded away already. He was left with the sound of the wind passing by and the droplets of an air conditioner hitting the floor. Someone was watching him.
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Just then, at the back of his head, he heard Dende tell him to watch out, "Behind you!"
Boku was fast enough to dodge something that looked like a spike that was about to plunge him in the back, and jumped away. He looked back at the creature; dark green and full of spots over its body. Sharp snake eyes looked at him; a cold stare that left Boku speechless. He could feel everyone coming from him; Goku, Tien, Yamcha, Gohan, Piccolo; even King Cold and a few others that he didn't recognize.
Without saying a single word, Cell appeared.
Just as mysterious as he arrived, he attacked Boku head on. Boku didn't have that much time to catch up because Cell was really strong. In that short time he wrecked Boku to the point that he couldn't get up anymore. The giant bug humanoid was slowly walking up to him; his big tail was quivering. The creature showed no emotion at all; it was about to stab Boku with its tail when reinforcements had arrived.
Yamcha suddenly appeared in front of Cell, looking up at the slightly taller bug man he just found. His hands were on his hips and he simply told Cell to get his hands off his son. Cell tried to punch him but Yamcha easily dodged, and countered with a strong punch that sent Cell flying towards the sky, where he was kicked back to the ground by Tien, forming a huge crater on the street. Yamcha apologized for being a little late, and Boku mocked him by saying, "you didn't need to spend twenty seconds thinking of a line."
Tien flew down and they wondered if the thing had died, since they couldn't feel its energy anymore. Suddenly a ki bullet came from the crater full of dust right towards them, but Yamcha easily swiped it away towards the sky where it exploded. He shouted for the bug man to come out, but they were caught off guard. The monster's green arm burrows from the concrete road right under them, and it releases a point blank explosion. A huge smoke cloud settled from where they stood. From all that smoke, Tien jumped up into the sky to get a clear view, while feeling Yamcha that jumped behind him. "That thing is clever," he said, "we should move far away from the city, right Yamcha?"
Just then, he saw Yamcha with Boku on his back jump away from the smoke below.
That startled him, and he quickly turned around to see Cell right behind him. He was impersonating their ki signatures, and that caught Tien by surprise. Without time to react, Cell grabbed him from behind, locking his arms and legs onto Tien, and quickly stabbed him in the stomach with his huge tail spike. He screamed in pain but the attack wasn't a simple-minded stab. That tail had a special ability. Tien could easily fight back against the stab and the grapple lock; probably would tear the thing apart in the process. But just like his fight against 19, his energy was being drained from his body by contact. This was no normal enemy, this was one of the androids. But how can there be more?
His energy was being drained so fast that he almost passed out. Seeing this happen, Yamcha jumped into the sky to slash that monster in half with his energy claws. Cell saw Yamcha and jumped away to save himself, however Yamcha still managed to cut his tail clean off. Tien had been completely depleted of his own energy and was left unconscious, and started bleeding out from where he was stabbed. Yamcha carried him down and put him next to Boku, ready to take Cell on a one versus one. Without that tail, there was no way he could defeat Yamcha so easily, right?
Well, yes. But this creature perhaps had too many cards up its sleeve. Out of nowhere, he regrew his tail from the base that was cut, perfectly although with struggle and visible pain. Yamcha was shocked; he knew that was a Namekian technique, as Piccolo used it a couple dozen times. This thing just got way weirder and stranger than before. Not only that, he now revealed its true power. Having absorbed Tien's energy, its power now overshadows Yamcha. He managed to hold his own in a fight for a while longer but Cell quickly picked up the pace. Out of nowhere he began using the Ultimate Wolf Fang Fist that Yamcha was also using, and grew energy claws from his hands. Did that thing just copy his technique on the fly? How?! Yamcha was losing and it was getting ugly, but he had prohibited himself from falling down at that point. He was the only one protecting his son from the future and one of his best friends. But just as Cell jumped in to attack, a rage-boosted Gohan came in with a headbutt that knocked Cell away from them. He still had his personal Senzu Bean he got that morning, and he gave it to the wounded Tien. Add another point to "times Gohan saved their butts."
Now Cell was in a predicament. He could stay and fight, maybe get two of them down quickly, but fighting isn't his main mission now. Without saying a single thing since arriving, the bug monster ignores all their questions and turns around to leave. The Z-warriors weren't happy by his lack of response and they all charged him. But just then he turned around, with hands over his weird forehead as he unleashes the Solar Flare technique. He blinded all of them for a few seconds, and by the time they looked again he was gone. He fled the city in mere seconds. That was somehow a cheap victory; they didn't know if they could win even fighting together.
That monster stole all of Tien's power away in a flash, and unlike the other androids 19 and Gero it didn't fade as he used it; he kept that power for himself. They could feel he was flesh and muscle; he wasn't artificial. What got them most confused was the technique's he used. Yamcha thought he had copied him by pure skill, but Tien didn't use the Solar Flare in the battle yet. The bug man knew how to use their techniques before the fight even began. Could be mind reading, or maybe something even more illogical.
After it was safe, Bulma arrived on a little scooter to check the cause of all those earthquakes and lights flying out. Everyone was pretty much fine despite the sudden encounter. It was getting late and there were too many new mysteries being uncovered. They decided that enough was enough.
Either Piccolo or Goku will take care of the androids, they'll just have to calm down and wait. Nowhere seemed safe anymore. Yamcha wanted to take Bulma and her parents along to kame house but they refused. Dr. Brief and Bikini didn't want to leave their house for the sake of safety, and Bulma needed the underground lab to make the reactor control to stop the androids. It was the safest way they could defeat the androids with. The night was beginning to roll in and so everyone got in a flier. Before they parted ways, the little family got into a big hug as Yamcha decided to believe in Bulma and Boku's plan, as they were easily smarter than him.
People around the world heard the reports spreading across all news channels, and you could rarely see a soul out on the streets. Most were even going to bunkers and barricading their doors. Photos of Cell started spreading like fire on the news, calling him the new king Piccolo. All of the sudden people were afraid like never before, and they were in need of a champion.
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In the middle of the night, Dende was relieved that every person on Earth was preparing for the worst. He can't protect all of them and it's good that they take action themselves. Perhaps what Popo said was quite true; they don't really need a god to watch over their every step. Last time he checked, androids 16, 17 and 18 were at someone's house during a snowstorm. They weren't destroying anything or even harmed the locals. Dende started to think that these androids aren't evil at all. Clearly something must had happened for them to turn evil originally, or perhaps something is turning them away from that path this time.
The dragon balls were now at his possession. No one has ever summoned the dragon ever since he made them, and he won't himself. They still don't know what powers his dragon must have; he hoped it to be like Guru and have the ability to grant 3 precise wishes. His fail-safe plan was to wish the androids to somewhere far away into space, but they still have done nothing wrong to deserve that kind of aggression. Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha and Boku were left alive by them after they fought, despite them being the aggressors.
While Dende was deep in thought and deliberation he heard someone approaching him from behind. It was Piccolo. Dende asked where he was all this time, and according to him he was just taking time to think things over. Now he was ready for what comes next. He tells Dende to stay in watch; it will take a while to convince his father to fuse with him. And so Piccolo walked into the temple.
He passed by the many staircases and magical rooms; all the pocket dimensions and such of the millennium old temple. Eventually he happened upon a room of artifacts and entered. It was an endless dark void with just spotlights over displays of strange objects on pedestals. They were lined up all the way to the end, and they were getting weirder looking with every step. Eventually he reached the last showcases there.
On the left was Goku's old Power Pole; the key for normal humans to reach this temple. And at the right, a cheap rice cooker with a seal tag on it. Out of hundreds of artifacts full of magic, the most important thing here is this common electronic device. And so he grabbed it, removed the seal, and tossed it into the void. A light and powerful wind went through the room for a moment, and soon Piccolo heard an evil laughter.
King Piccolo's plan had worked.
…
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…
For all of the chaos and fighting that happened during the day, the night was awfully peaceful. The Z-warriors returned to kame house, where they took a much needed night of sleep after almost dying three times each. In the next morning things already started picking up pace again. Chi-chi stood beside Goku all day and all night, but this morning she found the bed empty. She screamed in shock and got everyone to run upstairs. They all got freaked out for a moment, but soon they heard the sounds of the waves getting stronger outside.
Skipping stones out by the sea was Son Goku; back from hell. It was a huge relief for everyone; Chi-chi even jumped on him for a huge kiss. Goku kissing was not something most of them expected seeing in their lives. The Super Saiyan; the universe's last hope finally awakes.
At the same time, a warrior in Kami's lookout emerges from inside the temple; radiant with an enormous power that balances the greatest good, the darkest evil, and the will of his people on his back. That was Piccolo; the last warrior of the Namekian race.
And while the world's strongest duo made their comeback, the world's smartest woman was pulling an all nighter to finish up a present for her only son. Bulma finally completed the remote to turn off the androids power, and was eager to save the world herself for a change. Not to mention, those androids were already on the move. They thanked Suno and Eighter for the hospitality and went on their way to Coast Town, where they got their free boat and were soon to arrive at the other continent to reach Goku's house. And all the while, a dark and mysterious new enemy hides away, getting stronger by the minute.
All the pieces are moving, and soon they shall meet. People hide in fear of a monster they can't comprehend, but in the name of easy fame- I mean, justice, the world's champion has risen to the occasion.