"Ha-da-da-da!"
Piccolo's hands whipped about, rapidly gathering golden energy blasts that he hurled at Android 17.
The blasts rained down on Android 17.
His Prince Tactics were exceptionally well-honed.
Android 17 kept darting through the air, dodging the explosions.
Seeing that his energy blasts weren't even slowing Android 17 down, Piccolo's mouth suddenly swelled. When it reached its limit, he opened wide and unleashed a massive shockwave that roared toward Android 17.
Unable to dodge in time, Android 17 was swallowed by the blast.
Before Piccolo could even celebrate, a gust of air burst from the center of the explosion, scattering all the smoke.
Android 17 emerged, protected by a barrier.
He looked down at Piccolo with a mocking smile, then charged with overwhelming force.
He slammed into Piccolo and sent him flying.
"Gah!"
Piccolo spat out green fluid. The impact had left his insides reeling.
He struggled to his feet, panting heavily. He was clearly running out of strength.
Android 17, on the other hand, still stood tall, his expression growing more confident by the moment.
"You're no match for me. My stamina and energy are unlimited."
"Heh. Let's see about that!"
Piccolo had as much pride as Vegeta and still refused to admit defeat.
He wouldn't allow himself to lose to the same person twice.
With that, they charged at each other and collided once more.
Boom! Boom!
Their attacks were fierce. The clear sky was suddenly filled with peals of thunder.
On a mountaintop.
Wang Shen and Android 18 were watching the battle. Android 16 had gone back to fiddling with his little bird.
Wang Shen could only shake his head.
I'll send you to Whis one of these days.
Watching the two battered fighters, Lazuli couldn't help speaking up:
"Honestly, Android 17's gotten carried away."
"It's incredible that Piccolo can actually match Android 17."
"Actually, if you knew the reason, you wouldn't find it so surprising."
Wang Shen explained.
"Piccolo is a Namekian. If he assimilates or fuses with one of his own kind, his strength will increase dramatically!"
"So you could say he's a Super Namekian now!"
Lazuli's mouth fell open as understanding dawned on her face.
Wang Shen smiled, pleased.
Then he scanned the surrounding sea, frowning as he murmured:
"Strange. Why can't I sense Cell's energy?"
According to the story, Cell was supposed to take advantage of the fight between Android 17 and Piccolo, absorb Android 17, and evolve into his perfect form.
Android 17 and Piccolo were both badly hurt.
Wang Shen shouldn't have done anything to disrupt Cell's plans.
So why hadn't Cell shown up?
Bang!
Piccolo poured all the energy left in his body into one final Demon God Barrier, unleashing a massive area-of-effect attack.
But even that wasn't enough to defeat Android 17.
In the end, he lost. Android 17 knocked him out of the air with an energy blast, and he crashed helplessly to the ground.
"Piccolo!"
Krillin and Tien Shinhan finally arrived, just in time to witness the scene.
Krillin hurried over and took a Senzu Bean from his pocket, feeding it to Piccolo.
Android 17 saw what was happening and tried to stop him.
In the files Dr. Gero had given him, he'd learned about those beans.
Android 17 took a step, and a low voice rang out.
"Neo Tri-Beam!"
In an instant, a triangular energy attack descended from above. Android 17's body sank under its force, freezing him in place.
A moment later, Android 17 had just broken free when another familiar attack followed close behind.
"Neo Tri-Beam!"
Android 17's body sank again, leaving him unable to move.
He gritted his teeth and looked up.
Tien Shinhan was hovering in the air, his hands forming a triangle as he repeatedly launched the attack, holding Android 17 in place.
"Neo Tri-Beam!"
"Neo Tri-Beam!"
"Neo Tri-Beam!"
Under the relentless barrage, Android 17 was furious and helpless. It felt as if the weight of an ocean pressed down on him, pinning him in place.
Meanwhile.
Piccolo had eaten the Senzu Bean and recovered his strength and injuries. He stood up again.
Android 17 saw him and growled, "Damn it!"
Piccolo stared at Android 17, still trapped by Tien Shinhan, and felt immensely relieved.
Thank goodness his friends had arrived in time.
Otherwise, he'd be the one lying dead on the ground.
Piccolo placed two fingers of his right hand against his forehead and gathered energy. A dense mass of power quickly coalesced there.
When purple light began to glimmer on his fingertips, Piccolo thrust his right hand toward Android 17 and shouted:
"Special Beam Cannon!"
A powerful beam spiraled out from his two fingers, shooting toward Android 17 like an arrow.
The deadly force of the beam enveloped Android 17.
At last, the arrogant Android 17 was afraid. His pupils shrank, and he screamed in despair:
"No!!!"
On the mountaintop, Lazuli also sensed that something was wrong. Worry filled her face as she hurriedly called out:
"Wang Shen..."
"Don't worry. He'll be fine."
Wang Shen remained calm. In a flash, he moved in front of Android 17.
Faced with Piccolo's devastating attack, Wang Shen stopped his ultimate move with nothing more than one hand!
"What!?"
Piccolo gaped, his eyes wide with shock.
No one had ever stopped his Special Beam Cannon so effortlessly!
Ignoring Piccolo's astonishment, Wang Shen's expression turned grave as he looked around.
Even after activating his Mind Sense Technique to its limit, he still couldn't sense the slightest trace of Cell's energy.
This extraordinary situation unsettled him.
What's going on? What have I missed?
"Get out of my way! Let Android 17 go!"
With Android 17 out of danger, Lazuli rushed into the air and kicked Tien Shinhan down while he was still firing the Neo Tri-Beam.
With Lazuli supporting him, Android 17 struggled to his feet.
His face was deathly pale, his expression haggard. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, staining his tattered clothes.
His stamina and energy might have been unlimited, but his injuries were real.
Wang Shen took a Senzu Bean from his storage space and tossed it to Android 17.
"Here. Eat this."
Wang Shen turned toward Piccolo, Krillin, and Tien Shinhan, who were on high alert, and said calmly:
"There's no need for that. I won't attack you."
Even so, Piccolo and the others didn't let their guard down.
They couldn't help it. Their opponent was simply too strong.
He could say that, but they couldn't just take him at his word.
"What exactly are you after?"
"The same thing you are. My target is Cell."
"Android 17 and the others aren't bad people. You can get along peacefully."
By then, Android 17 had eaten the Senzu Bean and walked over. He said coldly:
"Hmph. I don't want to make peace with them. If you've got the guts, then let's—"
Wang Shen gave Android 17 a long look, cutting off whatever he was about to say.
"Son Goku's at the Heavenly Temple, right? I need to see him."
The Heavenly Temple!
Clang!
The door to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber finally opened!
Son Goku looked up sharply.
Vegeta and Trunks slowly walked out. Their blue battle suits were both badly torn.
But Vegeta once again wore his usual arrogant, defiant expression.
"Ha ha ha ha! Kakarot, I've surpassed Super Saiyan!"
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