"Krillin, be careful of that guy's tail, or you'll get absorbed by him. There are no Dragon Balls on Earth right now to bring you back."
Piccolo turned his head toward Krillin and Yamcha, his tone serious as he gave a stern warning.
"Ah? You mean the townspeople here were all absorbed by his tail?!"
Krillin was startled by Piccolo's words. His expression turned uneasy as his gaze fell on the needle-like tail behind Cell.
"That's right." Piccolo nodded slightly.
"By the way, Piccolo, you came early—did you figure out why this guy has Goku and the others' energy?"
Standing at another angle, Tien's expression was equally grim. He looked at Cell, who was surrounded, and asked with a doubtful tone.
"That's a long story. We'll talk about it later. For now, the priority is to deal with this guy before he endangers other towns."
"You're right!"
Krillin and the others nodded in agreement.
Cell, who had remained silent since Trunks' arrival, finally let out a low chuckle after listening to their conversation.
"Deal with me? Do you think you're capable of that?"
Cell's sudden voice startled Krillin and the others, even Trunks and the usually composed Tien couldn't help but flinch.
Until this moment, they had thought Cell was just another strange humanoid creature—like the many bizarre monsters that existed in this world. But to their surprise, the creature actually spoke.
Facing Cell's mocking tone, Piccolo's expression remained unchanged as he stared coldly at him.
"In this situation, I don't see how you have any chance of winning."
Hearing Piccolo's blunt remark, Cell gave a sneering smile. But just as he was about to retort, his expression suddenly changed.
He sensed a powerful and very familiar ki rapidly approaching from a distance.
It was Vegeta's ki.
Cell's face darkened slightly. He was already having trouble handling Piccolo and the others. If Vegeta joined the fight, he might not be able to escape.
Without hesitation, he raised both hands in front of his face.
"Solar Flare!"
A blinding flash erupted from Cell's body, instantly dazzling everyone in front of him.
Taking advantage of the momentary blindness, Cell leapt into the air and shot off toward the distant forest at full speed.
By suppressing his ki completely as he fled, Cell managed to vanish without a trace. Even Piccolo and the others, once they regained their sight, couldn't sense his location. Vegeta, who was still on his way, lost track of him as well.
...
Meanwhile, without Lazuli slowing them down, Android 16 and Android 17—who had left for West City earlier—had already arrived at the area near Cell's position. They happened to appear directly in front of his escape route.
As Cell fled, he was still planning his next move in his mind: how to avoid Piccolo and the others' ki detection, head to another city to absorb more humans, then grow stronger, absorb 17 and 18, and finally wipe out Goku and his friends once and for all.
The thought brought a hideous grin to his insect-like face.
But his sinister glee froze when two familiar figures suddenly appeared in his path.
Thanks to the data stored in his memory, he recognized them immediately—Android 16 and Android 17.
Because androids emitted no detectable ki, Cell hadn't noticed their presence until he was right in front of them.
At this point, Cell had no time to fight. He decided to change direction and evade them. After all, in his current state, he had no real chance of absorbing 17, especially with 18 likely nearby.
Unfortunately for him, 17 wasn't about to let him go.
Although 17 didn't know what kind of creature this strange being with Goku's ki was, that didn't stop his curiosity.
Originally, Seventeen had only accompanied Sixteen for fun. Now that he had encountered such an interesting opponent, he naturally couldn't resist wanting to play around a bit.
After all, the strange creature before him carried Goku's ki. Even if only to figure out what was going on, he had every reason to stop the guy.
So Seventeen took to the air again, cutting off Cell's escape route and blocking his way.
"Hey, hey. You see us and don't even say hello? Just flying off like that—don't you think that's a bit rude, mister... insect-looking guy?"
Standing a short distance away with his arms crossed, a teasing smile on his handsome face, Seventeen eyed Cell. Cell's vertical pupils narrowed slightly at the sight.
But a moment later, he switched to a friendlier demeanor, putting on a kind expression.
"Now, now, Seventeen. We were both created by Dr. Gero—there's no need to be so hostile toward one another, is there?"
"Huh? You know who I am? And you're saying you're an android too?"
Seventeen's teasing grin faded, replaced by an expression of suspicion.
He couldn't see anything remotely android-like about this insectoid humanoid in front of him.
Sixteen, who had come along but hadn't stepped forward to block Cell, turned his head toward the creature after hearing Cell's words.
Truth be told, Sixteen had little interest in Cell, even though he could sense Goku's ki in him. Unless the stranger threatened the nature and animals he cherished—or harmed those he recognized as companions—he had no intention of interfering.
"Of course. My name is Cell. I was created after you by Dr. Gero, and I only recently emerged from the lab. So it's natural that you wouldn't recognize me."
"Oh, by the way, where's Eighteen? Is she not with you? Or perhaps she's hiding somewhere nearby? Why not ask her to come out so we can all get acquainted?"
Cell took a few steps closer, pretending to be friendly and cooperative.
But before he could get too close, Seventeen cut him off with a cold, disdainful tone.
"Hmph. Don't try to act familiar with us. That old geezer Dr. Gero is already dead—Eighteen and I killed him ourselves. And the bombs inside our bodies have been removed. No one controls us anymore!"
"Eighteen isn't here. It's just me and Sixteen."
Seventeen spoke openly, not even trying to hide anything. Of course, he didn't mention Eriri's existence.
At this point, the only person he truly respected—and perhaps feared a little—was Eriri.
He revealed all this because he didn't see Cell as a threat. After all, his words wouldn't weaken him in any way.
But on the other hand, Cell's heart leapt with excitement at the revelation, though he kept his expression calm.
He had been worried that Seventeen and Eighteen might have been killed by Goku and the others due to the remote control device that could deactivate them. But now, with that danger gone, he had a perfect chance. If he could just catch Seventeen off guard and absorb him, he could then hunt down Eighteen and achieve his Perfect Form.
The thought filled him with glee.
However, he could sense Seventeen's clear hostility. To pull off a sneak attack, he would first need to earn his trust.
As long as he could get close enough, Cell was certain he could absorb Seventeen before the latter even realized what was happening.
So he immediately switched tactics. If he couldn't act as a fellow creation of Dr. Gero, he would act as a comrade who shared a common hatred for the scientist.
"I see... so you already killed that old fool Dr. Gero, huh? I was planning to take care of him myself once I became stronger."
As he spoke, Cell shook his head with a regretful sigh.
"As an android myself, I also despised being under someone's control. From the moment I was created, I've been striving for freedom."
"To think you two already helped me achieve that goal—I can't thank you enough."
A look of deep gratitude appeared on Cell's face as he once again took a few steps forward, trying to get closer to Seventeen.
"You..."
Seventeen was momentarily dumbfounded by Cell's words—especially when he saw the creature's hideous face wearing such a strangely sincere expression of gratitude. For a moment, Seventeen didn't quite know how to respond.
Though he still felt a strong sense of disgust toward Cell's approach—because, frankly, the guy was just too ugly—he didn't immediately stop him this time.
Sensing the distance between them closing rapidly, and with Sixteen still standing silently behind, unmoving, Cell's excitement grew. Of course, he hid it perfectly beneath his calm facade.
Within seconds, Cell was only two meters away from Seventeen. Without giving him any time to react, he struck in an instant—his tail's needle expanded into a trumpet-like opening and engulfed Seventeen's upper body.
Due to his lack of information, Seventeen had no idea that Cell could absorb others. He hadn't prepared for such an attack, which was why Cell succeeded so easily.
"Not good!"
Sixteen's expression changed drastically the moment he saw what was happening. Without hesitation, he charged toward Cell, trying to rescue Seventeen.
But Cell had already anticipated Sixteen's interference. The moment he caught Seventeen, he shot into the air, fleeing at full speed.
If he could hold out for just ten more seconds—enough time to finish absorbing Seventeen—he would gain overwhelming power, easily surpassing Sixteen and even Vegeta.
There was no reason for him to hold back anymore. He released his suppressed ki in full, his energy flaring wildly as he flew, making his presence immediately known to Vegeta and the others.
However, before he could get far, a beautiful girl suddenly appeared before him.
She was wearing a black sailor uniform, several elegant shopping bags dangling from her left arm, and a bright smile still lingering on her face.
In the next moment, that smile vanished, replaced by cold fury. Her right hand raised sharply, and with a swift downward motion, a brilliant slash of energy sliced through the air.
In an instant, Cell's tail was severed cleanly from his body.
Seventeen, whose upper body had already been swallowed—only his legs still visible outside the tail—fell free as the detached appendage hit the ground.
The moment his feet touched the earth, a torrent of energy exploded from him uncontrollably. The sheer force distorted the terrain around them.
Yet the girl beside him stood calmly, completely unfazed.
"Cell, you damn bastard! You dared to ambush me?!"
Seventeen's fury was overwhelming, his killing intent toward Cell now utterly unrestrained.
Knowing his absorption had failed, Cell didn't even think about stopping. He didn't bother to regenerate his tail either—he simply turned and fled, panic gripping him.
He didn't have time to question why Eighteen had suddenly appeared, nor why her power far surpassed anything he remembered. None of it mattered. He just needed to escape.
Yes—the girl who had appeared out of nowhere and saved Seventeen was none other than Lazuli.
Just seconds earlier, she had been cheerfully shopping with Eriri and Arifureta when the world around her abruptly changed. Before she could even react, she saw the grotesque creature before her—and instantly recognized the situation.
She had clearly been teleported here by Eriri. And the pair of legs sticking out of Cell's tail told her all she needed to know about her unfortunate brother's predicament.
Without hesitation, she unleashed her immense power, casually following alongside Cell's flight path. With a simple hand strike, she severed his tail and freed her brother with ease.
Sixteen, who had been frantically pursuing Cell, came to a stop the moment Lazuli appeared. His expression relaxed, the tension leaving his face entirely.
As for Cell, his only thought now was escape. If he stayed any longer, he might actually die here.
But could the siblings—Lazuli and Seventeen—possibly let him go so easily?
Of course not.
Just as Seventeen prepared to give chase, Lazuli appeared before the fleeing Cell again in a flash. With a single powerful kick, she sent him crashing back down to the ground.
The impact created a massive crater tens of meters wide.
Cell was gravely injured from the blow—even though Lazuli had intentionally held back most of her strength.
Had she not, Cell's body would likely have been obliterated with that one kick.
—
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