Android: Cell

On the battlefield, a pile of rubble amidst the ruins suddenly shifted. Immediately after, an invisible force pulverized the massive boulders and the surrounding stones—the monster's figure reappeared before his eyes.

Before it could even rise, Piccolo had already surged forward. Forced to endure the searing pain, the monster struggled to stand, throwing out a punch. But the gap in their strength was too great; Piccolo dodged it with ease, circled behind it, and delivered a brutal kick to its back. The monster lunged forward, barely catching itself with its hands. As it scrambled to rise and counterattack, Piccolo's next assault was already upon it—a sweeping roundhouse kick forced the monster to retreat repeatedly, barely managing to evade.

Piccolo gave it no room to breathe, his fists and feet raining down like a violent storm, using his superior speed to send the monster flying back and forth like a ball.

Just as Piccolo prepared to kick it away once more, the monster suddenly halted, creating distance as it flew high into the air. It pressed its right index and middle fingers to its forehead, and power began to gather frantically at its fingertips.

Piccolo's pupils constricted. He recognized that opening stance—it was his own creation, the Special Beam Cannon. He had only ever taught it to one person, and Gohan would never have taught such a thing to this creature. How could this monster know it? The moment the incredulous thought crossed his mind, a Special Beam Cannon pierced the air toward him. Piccolo used his hand like a blade, swatting the energy beam aside.

"Th-that just now was..."

Taking advantage of Piccolo's moment of shock, the monster lunged. Piccolo had no choice but to engage in close-quarters combat. Although the monster had the initiative, the gap in their combat power soon became apparent. Piccolo quickly adjusted his state, and when the monster retreated to attempt the same move again, he flew directly behind it and kicked it hard back to the ground, sending a massive plume of dust into the sky.

The monster threw off the debris pressing down on it and knelt on one knee, staring at Piccolo, who had descended back to the ground. It stood up again and assumed a fighting stance.

Piccolo landed and mirrored the pose, sparks of golden electricity flickering around his body. "So, this is the extent of your power. It seems I misjudged you earlier; I actually mistook you for a monster with unfathomable strength."

"Although I haven't reached my Perfect Form yet, you're quite impressive to be able to fight me to this level." The monster spoke defiantly, but its words revealed a critical piece of information that played right into Piccolo's hands.

"P-Perfect Form?" Piccolo frowned slightly, his tone slowing, though the corner of his eye never left the creature before him. "Could it be... is that why you've been consuming people?"

"They are merely energy sources for my growth," the monster replied dismissively.

"How despicable! Then, who put you in that Time Machine and sent you here? Is it your accomplice?" Piccolo suppressed his rage, continuing to fish for information.

"I sent myself here. That Time Machine was much smaller than my body, so I had to regress myself to the egg stage." The monster smiled. "Though, I am surprised you even know what a Time Machine is."

"However... there's no way you could know this, either..." As the monster spoke, it assumed the starting stance for the Kamehameha Wave. Witnessing this, Piccolo was deeply shaken.

"Ka--me--ha--me--ha--" As the monster gathered energy, the aura of Goku radiating from its body grew increasingly powerful. This not only stunned Piccolo but left the warriors far away in other locations feeling utter disbelief.

"Th-this stance... could it be... how could such a thing be possible!" Amidst Piccolo's shock, the monster's Kamehameha Wave blasted toward him.

"It really is—" The energy wave whistled through the air, and Piccolo finally snapped out of his daze. An explosion erupted, filling the air with smoke—Piccolo had used high-speed movement to escape the blast radius, and he stood in the air, gazing at the dense smoke below with a grave expression.

The monster had seized the opportunity to close in quietly. Although Piccolo sensed the danger at the last second, it was too late to dodge. He was firmly locked in the monster's grip, unable to break free.

"I'm taking your life." The monster stared at the trapped Piccolo, its tail lashing out to pierce his heart.

Piccolo struggled desperately, shifting his body to avoid the fatal strike—the tail pierced his shoulder instead. He let out a cry of agony.

"You managed to hit my shoulder. But it doesn't matter; I'm going to drain your powerful biological energy anyway." The monster was slightly surprised the stinger missed its target, but it didn't care. In its eyes, the outcome was decided.

Below, a tank division dispatched by the government had arrived. The commanding officer spotted the monster through binoculars and followed protocol, shouting for it to cease resistance and surrender.

Disturbed during its meal, the monster didn't hold back. A flash of red light sparked in its eyes, and two beams shot directly at the commander's tank. The commander and his deputy scrambled to jump from the vehicle as the tank exploded in a roar of fire.

"Open fire!"

Incensed, the commander ordered an attack. Countless shells rained down on the monster; the explosions were incessant, smoke billowed, and the sky was lit up in the distance.

The smoke cleared—the monster was no longer there. The commander thought it had been destroyed, but the others broke his illusion: the monster had already appeared on the other side. The barrage had thoroughly enraged it. The monster cleared the area with ruthless efficiency, and after disposing of the annoying flies, it immediately continued absorbing Piccolo's energy.

Under the monster's continuous draining, Piccolo's entire arm withered. He delivered a back-headbutt, slamming it into the monster's face. The monster recoiled in pain, its grip loosening. Piccolo seized the chance to break free and dropped to the ground, gasping for air. He clutched his left arm—it had shriveled into a ghastly state, the once-plump green skin turning yellow and coarse, like an autumn leaf.

The monster landed as well, looking at Piccolo clutching his withered arm with a triumphant smile. "Your ability to run is decent. It's just a pity that you can't use that arm anymore—the outcome is clear."

"True. In this state, I can barely maintain my balance; continuing to fight is to my disadvantage." Piccolo held his left shoulder, his tone filled with frustration. "Though I hate to admit it, you've won."

"It seems even you have to concede defeat. I'm delighted. After absorbing life energy of your caliber, I will be much closer to my Perfect Form."

"Perfect Form?"

"You must feel honored to help me become my Perfect Form, right?"

"Before you absorb me, let me ask you one question." Piccolo clutched his shoulder, his voice weak. "Who exactly are you? Why do you possess the ki of Goku, Frieza, and the others? And how can you perform the Kamehameha Wave?"

Seeing Piccolo's pained expression, the monster let its guard down completely. "Fine, since you're going to die anyway, I'll tell you." It paused, a smug smile curling its lips. "My name is Cell—I am an Android."