Back in said town...

...

The only two signs of life left in the decimated city continued their battle, both their energies clashing viciously as they went head to head.

Piccolo seemed to have the upperhand however, his fusion with Kami nearly doubling his speed as he easily dodged ever attack the strange creature threw his way. Just at the insect-like monster swung his fist again, Piccolo flew out of the way, appearing behind him less than a second later as he spun around, landing a kick that sent the monster flying. Before his opponent had time to react, Piccolo dashed past him, landing another kick before chasing him down yet once more.

"RrghhRAHH!" The bug-like fighter growled, stopping himself in mid-air as both of them stared each other down. Piccolo growled as the creature launched himself into the air, stopping above him and pausing for a moment before raising two fingers to his forehead.

"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!" The monster shouted, Piccolo's eyes going wide as he watched a familiar looking blast heading his way.

The Namekian growled, bracing himself before he smacked the beam away, the deflected attack sailing a good distance away before exploding violently. "Rrgh... How... How did he...?" Piccolo mumbled, thinking out loud as his opponent took advantage of his momentary distraction.

Both fighters went at it again, battling it out in mid-air as Piccolo still seemed to have the advantage. It wasn't long before the fight was tipped in his favor again, his enemy only able to block as he continued to explore his new speed and power.

He's gonna kick me again, isn't he? The bug-like monster thought, his eyes going wide as Piccolo's foot came crashing down against his face, sending him sailing into the rocks below.

The super powered Namekian descended slowly, touching down on the ground across from the monster as he blasted through the debris around him, looking back at the other fighter angrily before speaking.

"Alright, I'm gonna need you to do me a solid and not kick me anymore..." He growled, growing tired of having to deal with this new challenge...

"Start by telling me how you know my technique and maybe I'll consider it..." Piccolo countered, wanting to get some information out of this stranger before going any farther.

"Well what can I say? Imitation is the greatest form of flattery... Speaking of which..." He went on, moving his hands into a familiar pose as Piccolo's eyes went wide yet again.

"Ka..."

No! That's impossible! Piccolo thought, watching as he powered up the attack that he had seen so many times before. The only one who knows that technique is Goku!

"Me..."

And Gohan... Piccolo thought, really thinking about it as he realized that wasn't all. And Master Roshi... And Krillin... And Yamcha... And me that one time I tried it just to see if I coul-

"HAAAA!"

Piccolo jumped, dodging the massive blue blast of energy at the last second as he reappeared above the battlefield, wondering how this monster knew their techniques...

What is going on here? Who taught him-

Piccolo jumped, his thinking interrupted suddenly as he sensed the monster behind him one second too late. Before he could react, the giant insect had wrapped his arms and legs around the Namekian, trapping him in his grasp as his tail swaying ominously behind them...

"Heh heh heh... I've got you now..." The monster behind him rasped, his tail hovering above Piccolo's chest as he struggled to escape. A second before the tip of the appendage darted down, Piccolo jerked to the side, the needle striking his arm instead as he let out a yell.

"RRGAHHH!" He shouted, feeling his energy slowly disappearing as he fought against the larger fighter.

"Resistance is useless my friend..." The creature chuckled, his grip getting tighter as he drank in his victims very essence. "In no time at all, your energy will be mine..."

Rrgh... No! Piccolo growled, knowing he couldn't let things end like this as he tried to think of a way out. "AHHH!" He yelled, his arm feeling as though it was on fire while the creature behind him absorbed his life force, his arm slowly disappearing like the man he had witnessed on the street...

"NO!" He shouted, panicking suddenly as he slammed his head back into the monster's face, surprising him just long enough for him to knock himself free. Piccolo flew back, descending to the ground quickly as he struggled to catch his breath, watching with a frown as the green monster lowered himself to the ground as well.

"Hmpf hmm hmm... You may have escaped for the moment... But I'm afraid that with only one arm you won't be able to hold me off much longer..." The strange creature chuckled, staring at the Namekian's shriveled limb confidently. "Face it Piccolo... Time's up."

"Yes... You're right..." The Namek said quietly, surprising the insect across from him.

"Hmm?"

"It's clear that I'm no match for you..." Piccolo lied, trying to make himself seem exhausted as he looked up at his opponent. "I can't fight without my arm... I have no choice but to surrender..."

"Ha ha ha HA HA HA HA! So... You have finally realized the futility of your efforts..." The monster laughed, relaxing as he knew victory was close at hand. "But don't feel bad Piccolo..." He continued, licking his lips creepily again as he stared the Namekian down. "You will soon be a part of something far, far greater than you could possibly realize..."

"What do you mean?"

"You will be absorbed into... Perfection."

"Alright... But before I submit to you, I ask that you honor my final request..." Piccolo stated seriously, wondering if this monster would really be stupid enough to fall for his trick. "Tell me... Who are you?"

"Hmm... I thought we were done talking..." The insect sighed, his eyes narrowing as Piccolo knew he had to egg the creature on somehow.

"Unless you don't have anything important to say..."

"No, no... It's just... You're the first person to ask me 'who' or 'what'... Normally they just ask... 'Why'..." He trailed off, his tone incredibly creepy before his begin his story. "Well to start us off then... I'm sure by now you're more than familiar with my father, Dr. Gero..."

"Oh god dammit..." Piccolo growled, holding his crippled arm as the monster continued.

"But wait, there's more... I am purely biomechanical, unlike my brother and sister, cyborg's 17 and 18-"

"We call them androids..."

"Well good for you, you're wrong." The green bug stated, crossing his arms in front of him before continuing. "As I was saying, our father created me with the sole purpose of becoming... Perfect... Infused with the genetic makeup of the galaxies strongest warriors, collected over several decades..."

"So that's how you know our techniques!"

"Oh, but I know much more than that..." The monster rasped, narrowing his eyes as he prepared to explain. "I know that in this timeline, there lies the secret to my true, perfect form... A secret that I had all but conceded lost to me..."

"This timeline?" Piccolo mumbled, thinking out loud as he realized what was going on. "So you're from the future... But how?!"

"Oh..." The fighter across from him chuckled darkly, remembering who he really had to thank as he envisioned the lavender haired Saiyan who had made this all possible. "I found a way... All you need to know is that I'm here now and I will stop at nothing to achieve my perfection." He promised, clenching his fists as he imagined finally achieving his perfect form.

"Well then, I guess I know your story..."

"You're welcome."

"But I don't know you're name..."

"Oh, truth is, I don't really have one..." The insect-like monster admitted, smiling evilly as he considered his options. "But all things considered... I think I'll go with... Cell."

"That's kind of boring..." Piccolo admitted, smirking as he knew he prepared to unleash his long awaited counter attack.

"Coming from the guy named after a woodwind instrument... You know what? Doesn't matter anyway... I'ma drink you now..."

"Wait! Before that... Do you wanna see something cool?" Piccolo asked, a devious smirk on his face as he grabbed his crippled arm.

"Now I know you're playing me... And I do."

Cell watched with an amused expression as the Namekian in front of him snapped his drained arm off, shouting intensely while instantly regrowing a new one in it's place.

"Oh that is hardcore!" Cell said, his cat-like eyes narrowing as he knew he must possess powers of regeneration as well. "Also not good for me..." He mumbled, jumping as he sensed a few fairly strong power levels headed their way...

"Also not good for me..." Cell growled, his tail swishing behind him angrily as he watched two fighters he didn't recognize land next to the super powered Namekian.

"Piccolo! Wha- What the hell is that?!" Luna questioned, her emerald eyes going wide as the monster in front of her jumped back, landing on a cliff behind him.

"What the..." Kaito mumbled, grabbing the hilt of his sword as they all watched the strange bug creature float above them.

"Sorry kids, not telling the story again!" Cell chuckled, holding his hands up next to his face as he smirked. "But I will leave you all enlightened... SOLAR FLARE! Ahahahaha!"

"Ow! My eyes!" Luna shouted, panicking as she was rendered temporarily blind for the moment.

"Rrgh... Bastard!" The white haired man growled, getting Piccolo's attention as his ears picked up on the new voice. "Was that one of the androids?"

"Yes and no..." Piccolo stated, both Acaiians squinting his way as they all struggled to recover from Cell's attack. "He calls himself 'Cell'... He said he was created by Dr. Gero, but he's in a different class than either of the androids we've faced so far..." Piccolo admitted, narrowing his eyes as Luna listened to him carefully.

"Well then, I'm glad we got here when we did..." She commented, looking around at all the destruction before glancing back at her green friend. "Though I have to admit... I'm sad I missed the fight... I bet it was good-"

"Guys!" Trunks shouted from above, interrupting the purple haired woman as the half Saiyan and Krillin landed near them all.

"You're all alright..." Krillin sighed, putting a hand on his hip before tilting his head in confusion. "But jeez... What happened here?"

"I found out what happened to the citizens of this city..." Piccolo explained, his tone dark as everyone grew quiet. "That monster... Cell... He absorbed them all for their life energy..."

"What?!" Krillin stammered, everyone else listening in shock as well as Luna spoke up.

"It's just like the one that got Yamcha... And the one Vegeta fought!" The lavender haired woman remember, thinking back on how those androids sucked energy out of their victims through their hands. "No way..."

"This one is different..." Piccolo warned, touching his newly grown arm subconsciously while remembering how much it had hurt when that monster had stabbed him. "He's much more dangerous... And now he's on the loose again!" He growled, his anger taking over as he realized he had let him get away. "Damn it!" Piccolo shouted, his ki flaring wildly as Luna looked over in surprise.

His energy is incredible right now... She thought, smirking as she thought about testing out his new power in a sparring match once this was all over with. At least now we'll have a better chance of taking out the androids...

Just then, yet another high power level approaching got all of their attention as Vegeta landed nearby.

"And now we have this..." Trunks mumbled, making Luna giggle as the Prince of all Saiyans stomped over.

"You! Namekian!" He shouted, glaring at Piccolo as he marched right up to him. "Too strong! Explain NOW!"

"He fused with Kami so he could become stronger." Trunks said, trying his best to avoid any confrontations right now...

"The fuck's a 'Kami'?" Vegeta spat, tired of everything around him surpassing him lately.

"Basically God." Krillin chimed in, raising an eyebrow as the spiky haired Saiyan seemed more confused.

"But I'm still here!"

"Do you really believe your own hype that much?" Kaito commented, tilting his head as he was already making some pretty harsh judgements about this 'friend' of Luna's...

"I AM THE HYPE!" Vegeta shouted, glaring at the silver haired man next to Luna while deciding he didn't have time for this.

"Hey, finally found you guys..." Tien said, landing next to all of them as he nodded. "Just followed Vegeta's screaming..." He said seriously as Kaito and Luna exchanged identical smirks. "What'd I miss?"

"Piccolo fused with Kami." Krillin explained, making Tien raise both eyebrows before speaking.

"Oh, that finally came full circle..."

"More importantly," Piccolo growled, figuring he'd better explain the whole story now that most of them were here. "There's a new threat... Another android created by Dr. Gero!"

Everyone looked at him in shock as Trunks sighed, knowing exactly what was coming...

"DO I HEAR FIVE?!" Vegeta shouted, Kaito tilting his head in confusion as he was sure he was missing something...

...

Back at Kame House...

...

"Everyone! You have to come quickly!" Chi Chi shouted, running into the living room as everyone wondered what was up. Before anyone could ask, the dark haired woman was off again, dashing up the stairs as they all followed after her.

"Look! Look at Goku!" Chi Chi said happily, pointing at her husband as he slept sounding for the first time in hours.

"What a miracle we have witnessed..." Oolong said sarcastically, "Allow me to go call the local news..."

"I've had to deal with him screaming bloody murder for the last three hours... I'll take what I can get." Chi Chi said seriously, just thrilled that his condition was improving at all.

"I wonder what he's dreaming about..." Master Roshi said curiously, staring at the sleeping Saiyan as the tiniest smile graced his features...

"Yayyy! I'm pirate Goku!" Goku said happily, adjusting the straw hat on his head as he jumped up towards the front of the ship. "Are you ready for an adventure sword guy Piccolo?" He questioned, glancing back at the Namekian who for some reason had mint green hair and multiple swords on his belt.

"Uh, actually I think you need to wake up..." Piccolo answered, frowning as he glanced at the goofy looking man. "The androids are-"

"Adventureeee!" An orange haired Luna cheered, appearing from the other side of the ship in nothing but a tiny bathing suit top and a pair of shorts as she interrupted an irritated looking Piccolo. "Let's go Gohan!" The Acaiian went on, turning to the boy next to her in the giant pink hat with antlers before tossing him into the air playfully.

"W-we don't have time to..." Piccolo mumbled, glancing at her outfit quickly as he felt his cheeks getting warmer. "To..."

"Wait, look! It's ninja Goku!" The Saiyan went on, getting distracted as another version of himself in an orange jumpsuit appeared.

"Hey pirate Goku!" The dark haired ninja cheered, "Let's go on an adventure!"

"Yaaayyyy!"

"Yeah..." Goku mumbled in his sleep, still smiling as he continued to dream.

...

Back with the rest of the Z Fighters...

...

"So if Cell manages to find whatever he's missing... He'll become even stronger?" Tien questioned, not sure he liked where this was going...

"I guess? He was pretty vague about it..." Piccolo admitted, not sure what most of this meant. "No matter what though, if he and the androids join forces... None of us will stand a chance."

"Says you!" Vegeta piped up, making Tien roll his eyes as he sighed.

"And here we go..."

"I don't care how many people you fuse with..." Vegeta growled, holding a fist up in front of him while speaking. "You'll never be as strong as a Super Saiyan!"

"Not really much of a milestone anymore..." Piccolo noted, raising one brow as the dark haired man in front of him kept going.

"As for me, I will find a level beyond a Super Saiyan!"

"So what? Like a Mega Saiyan?" Tien asked sarcastically, chuckling a few times before continuing. "Ultra Saiyan?"

"You're mocking me."

"Maximum Over Saiyan!" Tien taunted, everyone staying out of it as the prince finally snapped.

"FUCK OFF TRICLOPS!" Vegeta shouted, blasting away while leaving them all standing in the dust.

"Why do you antagonize him like that?" Krillin asked curiously, looking over at the other bald fighter. "You know he can kill you, right?"

"At this point, it's a game. If he gives in, I win... And he knows that." Tien explained, crossing his arms in front of himself as Luna chuckled nervously.

"Crazy thought..." Trunks mumbled, knowing they had to stay focused. "If that Cell's from another timeline, then there's gotta be one in this timeline too."

"Pretty sure that emotional episode you had earlier leveled Gero's lab..." Tien commented, raising one brow at the Saiyan as he frowned.

"Well, he was a mad scientist..." Krillin piped up, knowing there was at least a chance of him being right... "Shot in the dark, maybe he's got a basement?"

"Aw crapbaskets..." Trunks sighed, looking down dejectedly as Luna tilted her head.

"Oh you say that too..." Krillin said casually, as Kaito wondered what the hell was going on...

"Alright then..." Piccolo said seriously, his gaze lingering on Kaito as he narrowed his eyes. "Trunks, you go back to Gero's lab... I'm going after Cell." He growled, knowing he could take that monster out if he could just find him... "The rest of you should head back to Goku-"

"You're going alone?!" Luna spoke up, looking up at him with a worried expression before frowning. "Me and Kaito will come with you-"

"Luna." Kaito said evenly, raising one silver eyebrow at her before sighing as everyone looked his way. "You know Ryuuto gave us both direct orders..."

"But..."

"Don't worry, I'll go too." Tien said, nodding once as Piccolo sighed, noticing Luna seemed to relax the tiniest bit.

"Come on, we should get back to the temple..." Kaito said quickly, grabbing her arm lightly as the green fighter frowned.

"Wait."

Luna glanced back, her emerald green eyes meeting Piccolo's intense gaze before he spoke again.

"Be careful out there..."

Even Krillin and Trunks seemed a bit troubled as Luna sighed, looking somewhat depressed before following after the silver haired Acaiian as they both took off, Luna casting them all one last glance before rocketing away...

"I wonder what's going on with her..." Krillin questioned, glancing over at Piccolo who was apparently deep in thought. "Well, I'm going with Trunks to go after Cell." The shorter fighter sighed, noting the irony of his words while hoping the one in Gero's basement was easier to deal with than the one Piccolo had fought...

...

A/N: Hopefully the people who are still interested in this story (are there any left? m( _ _ )m) are enjoying the multiple updates... Big thanks to everyone who has reviewed, voted and commented so far!