Bringer of Death

Tournament Saga - Part 11: The Face of Your Affliction

Tournament Saga - Part 11: The Face of Your Affliction

Trunks swallowed. His hands were still shaking, his fingertips tingling. Cell's power...it was beyond description. He could only feel it, like an awful pit of utter emptiness that just went on and on and on. The time-traveling Saiyan never could have expected anything so overwhelming.

It was hard to believe, now. It seemed that only yesterday he and the others had been so close to destroying Cell in his semiperfect form, preventing him from ever reaching this transformation. This had been what they had fought to prevent, but it had been to no avail. Even now, with the bio-android powered up, Trunks knew their foe could go higher still.

'If only I had known he'd be this strong,' the frustrated half-Saiyan thought. 'Maybe we could have found a way to stop him from ever becoming perfect!'

But even as the words floated through his mind, he knew they weren't true. Cell had been too crafty, too brilliant in his manipulation. No, Trunks knew he couldn't waste time looking at the past. He had no room for regret, only purpose. He had pushed himself to his limits in his training; now he would put second-guessing out of his mind and simply fight.

His eyes darted over to Goku, whose aura shone with absolute confidence. How hard must he have pushed himself in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to achieve this level of power. The Earth-raised Saiyan, Trunks reasoned, might even be just as strong as his father now. Both of them had risen to such heights, and had done so in less time than he had taken. It was frustrating. But at the moment, he was simply glad that Earth's greatest hero might actually have a shot against Cell.

The two warriors, Cell and Goku, each transcendent in power, stood across from one another anxiously. There was one peaceful, calm moment, in which Trunks almost thought he could hear the friendly chirp of a nearby bird. A small cloud obscuring the sun began to dissipate, the warm rays calming him for a moment. The next moment, it began.

Goku made the first move, blasting forward toward Cell with an explosion of speed that left a deafening shockwave behind him. The Saiyan's punch was aimed for the center of Cell's chest, the android bringing up his arms in a cross pattern to block. The hero's fist struck soundly against the block, neither fighter flinching as they tested one another's strength.

Cell then quickly pushed his arms forward, in between Goku's fists, and spread them wide. Now with a wide opening to attack, Cell kicked upwards into the Saiyan's gut. But Goku brought up his knees to meet Cell's at just the last second. Their thick, muscular hips absorbed all the impact of the blow as the two pounded their knees into each other. Intent, they grabbed onto one another's shoulders; Goku smashed his head forward in an attempt to daze Cell. The fighters strained, pitting all their strength against each other.

Trunks and Cell Jr were both motionless, watching the other fighters with awe and wonder.

Grunting, Goku detonated a ball of energy in each hand while he was still gripping Cell's shoulders, blasting him away. Using the momentary advantage, he plowed forward head first, sending the monster tumbling to the edge of the ring.

At the last second, Cell's boots gained purchase on the very edge of the tiled surface. But the Super Saiyan had caught up already, darting in for a speedy jab to end it all.

"Woah, you think Goku might get him?" Krillin asked hopefully. "This could be it!"

"I doubt it," Tien said. "But if anybody can beat Cell, it's Goku."

Just as Goku reached him, Cell grinned. The Saiyan's punch was lighting-fast, but it passed through nothingness as the creature's afterimage faded and disappeared.