After John Doe left, Future Trunks and Piccolo continued their search for Cell.
Cell had been hiding, absorbing the bio-energy of humans, until he felt strong enough to reveal himself to Piccolo.
Piccolo pretended to sacrifice an arm, then tricked Cell into revealing his origins and purpose for coming to this timeline.
But Cell had no idea that Piccolo had already fused with Kami, becoming a Super Namekian, and was no match for him.
Piccolo's overwhelming power made Cell realise he was outmatched, so he used a Solar Flare to blind Piccolo and Future Trunks temporarily, then fled.
"So how did you end up fighting Android 16 and Android 18?" John Doe asked.
Future Trunks was speechless. He glanced at Android 18 and said, "Gohan and I were planning to destroy the current Cell embryo, but we met them at the entrance to the underground lab."
"We already knew from Cell that he came to absorb Android 17 and Android 18, so I tried to convince Android 18 to join us, to prevent Cell from evolving into his perfect form."
"But Android 18 refused and thought we were forcing her, so she fought us."
John Doe and Android 17 looked at Android 18, who turned away haughtily, ignoring the two men.
John Doe held up the blueprints and hard drive in his hand and said, "I have all the data on Cell. We'll take it to Bulma for research later."
"As for the underground Cell embryo, it's gone. If nothing unexpected happened, it was probably taken by Cell himself. I don't know his purpose yet."
"Don't worry about Android 17 and Android 18. They'll be with us, fighting Cell together until we destroy him."
"That's great!" Future Trunks and Gohan high-fived in excitement.
Android 18 wasn't satisfied. She said, "Why should I be with them? Can't we handle Cell on our own?"
At this point, Android 17 signalled to John Doe and the others, indicating he would explain. He pulled Android 18 aside and explained.
A few minutes later, Android 17 and Android 18 returned. Android 17 said, "We agree to fight Cell together until he's completely destroyed."
Hearing Android 18's willingness to join them, John Doe immediately became like a passionate fool, saying, "That's great! Let's work together to destroy Cell and restore peace to Earth."
Future Trunks and Gohan happily joined in.
Everyone was delighted, except for Android 18, who wasn't very happy. Android 17 whispered to her, "Android 18, be happy. Don't you think John Doe is a little cute, even if he's a bit straightforward, but without any ulterior motives?"
"I just don't like his self-righteous attitude," Android 18 said, slightly dissatisfied.
"Android 18, have you noticed that John Doe is actually quite smart when he's not facing you? It's only when he's with you that he acts like a fool. I wonder why?" Android 17 said.
Hearing Android 17's words, Android 18 couldn't help but look at John Doe.
John Doe felt Android 18's gaze and was thrilled. He excitedly waved at Android 18, smiling like a fool.
Seeing John Doe's smile, Android 18 couldn't help but smile, but she suddenly felt it was inappropriate, as it didn't fit her image. She forced herself to regain her cold and elegant expression, but her slightly twitching lips showed she was still quite happy.
Everyone worked together to destroy the underground lab, completely eradicating Dr. Gero's evil. Then, they flew to Bulma's house with the data.
Meanwhile, Piccolo and the others were still chasing Cell relentlessly.
But Cell was extremely skilled at hiding. His control over his ki was no weaker than any Z-Fighter on Earth, and perhaps even surpassed them.
The residents of one city after another were brutally killed by Cell.
Now, the whole world knew about a monster that could make an entire city's population disappear. Many journalists and TV stations were tracking the monster's movements, but they couldn't even see Cell's shadow.
At Bulma's house, Bulma and Dr. Briefs carefully studied Cell's genetic map and modification diagram.
Finally, Dr. Briefs sighed and shook his head, saying, "Dr. Gero is truly a genius scientist. His expertise in genetic modification is truly remarkable."
"I can't think of any genetic agent that can counter this monster called Cell. His genes are constantly evolving. The map we have here only shows Cell's most primitive genetic structure."
"In this long period, Cell's genes have undergone tremendous mutations. The only way to deal with him is through sheer force, and we have no other options."
After hearing Dr. Briefs' words, everyone sighed.
Android 17 asked, "What should we do now? Can we only wait for the enemy to grow stronger and come to us?"
John Doe said, "Passive waiting is definitely not an option, but if we take the initiative, there's a risk of being defeated individually. It's a dilemma."
"However, the enemy's purpose in coming from the future is to absorb you and Android 18. This is the only weakness we can think of."
"Cell doesn't know that we've reconciled and are working together against him. We can use this information gap to lure him into a trap."
Android 17's eyes lit up. "You mean we set up a trap, pretend to fight fiercely, make it look like we're going to destroy you and Android 18, and then attract him out to eliminate him together?"
"Yes, that's the best way I can think of to lure him out and deal with him now. Otherwise, the longer we wait, the stronger he becomes, and the more difficult it will be to handle him." John Doe said.
Android 17 and Android 18 discussed and agreed to John Doe's plan, and the other Z-Fighters also expressed their agreement after hearing it.
Especially Vegeta, who had trained for three years to transform into a Super Saiyan. He originally wanted to fight Android 17 and Android 18, but was surprised that they didn't end up fighting.
This time, Vegeta said he wanted to be the first to fight Cell.