Trunks's Arc

Chapter 4 of 4

Trunks stood golden over Mai. Her chest rose and fell, shallow and slow. Behind him, Kazan lay still against the far wall. The rage held this time. It did not drain. It burned clean and steady in his veins. Cell watched him from the center of the ring, smiling. "Now we begin," Cell said again. He crossed the stone in a blink. Trunks moved. He caught Cell's fist before it landed. The shock cracked the ground under their feet. For the first time, Cell's smile slipped. Trunks drove a knee into his gut and sent him skidding across the ring. The gold power obeyed him. He felt every muscle answer. They traded blows faster than the eye could follow. Trunks blocked, struck, blocked again. His fist caught Cell's jaw. Cell staggered. Then Cell's tail whipped around and cracked Trunks across the ribs. Trunks hit the seating tier and stone rained down on him. He pushed up. The gold did not fade. "Better," Cell said. He wiped green blood from his mouth. "But anger alone will not save her." Trunks glanced at Mai. Her fingers had curled against the floor. She was alive. She was watching him. That was enough. He launched off the broken stone and drove both fists down. Cell crossed his arms to block. The impact split the ring's center. A crater opened under them. Kazan stirred. He dragged himself to one elbow, face bloody. "Finish it, Trunks," he rasped. "You have the form. Use it before he reads enough." The warning landed hard. Cell had come to measure him. Every second of this fight gave Cell more numbers. Trunks had to end it now, or Cell would learn how to beat the gold. Trunks cupped his hands at his side. Light gathered between them, bright and hot. Cell's eyes narrowed. He raised his own hands to answer. Trunks fired first. The blast tore across the ring and swallowed Cell whole. The arena shook. Dust rose in a wall. When it cleared, Cell stood at the ring's edge. His armor was scorched. One arm hung limp. But he was laughing. "Magnificent," Cell said. "I have what I needed." He flexed the broken arm, and it healed before Trunks's eyes. "I know your power now. Every limit. Every ceiling." He stepped back onto the air. "Next time I will match it. Train hard, boy. You will need more than this." Then Cell was gone, a streak against the gray sky. Trunks dropped to his knees beside Mai. The gold held one moment longer, then released. His hair fell dark. She opened her eyes and gripped his hand. "You held it," she whispered. "I held it," Trunks said. "But he saw everything." He looked at the empty sky. He had won the fight and learned the truth. His gold form was no longer enough. Cell would return stronger, and Trunks had to climb higher before that day.