Trunks vs. Cell

Cell's plan was simple.

He wanted to exploit the Saiyans' arrogant, conceited, battle-hungry nature to give himself a chance of survival.

Cell's body contained Saiyan genes, so he understood their temperament all too well.

If he told them he could become even stronger, he was sure it would bring out their thirst for battle.

From what Trunks had just said, Android 17 and Android 18 seemed to have already been eliminated.

Still, as long as there was a chance, he could figure out the rest later.

"Huh? Do you take me for an idiot?"

Trunks sneered, his eyes filled with killing intent.

This monster was already fairly strong. If he gave it more time to grow, Trunks might not be able to defeat it.

Wouldn't the peace humanity had worked so hard to achieve go up in smoke?

With that thought,

Trunks didn't let up. His attacks only grew more ferocious, and his energy continued to surge.

Today, he had to snuff this monster out before it could grow.

"What's going on?!"

Cell struggled to fend off Trunks's attacks.

When he sensed Trunks's ki grow even stronger, he cursed inwardly.

"Weren't the Saiyans supposed to be a warrior race?"

"Weren't they supposed to love fighting? Weren't stronger opponents supposed to excite them even more?"

"I'm so weak right now, so why is this bastard getting more fired up the longer we fight?!"

Cell's assessment wasn't wrong.

Saiyans were naturally battle-hungry. There was no question about that.

Unfortunately for him, he'd run into the one Saiyan in Dragon Ball who never let his guard down: Trunks!

After everything Trunks had been through, he was nothing like an ordinary Saiyan anymore.

The arrogance in his genes and the conceit in his heart had long since been worn away by life.

"Shhk!"

A sharp blade sliced through flesh.

"Argh!"

As Cell cried out, Trunks's sword carved another chunk of flesh from his ribs.

Purple blood dripped onto the ground, dotting it with blossoms of blood.

Cell gritted his teeth against the pain and quickly retreated five or six steps.

Only then did he manage to get out of Trunks's range. If they kept fighting, he really would die here...

Ji Yun had been watching the battle from the sidelines the whole time.

"Tsk, Trunks is ruthless..."

"But I like that about him!"

Ji Yun smiled, watching Trunks with admiration.

Trunks was one of Ji Yun's favorite characters in Dragon Ball.

It was because he liked how Trunks never let his guard down and was decisive when it came to killing.

Goku was too kindhearted, and sometimes he wasn't very bright.

Vegeta was arrogant and unruly, far too conceited.

With their personalities, if they hadn't had the protection of the protagonist's plot armor,

they would've died hundreds of times over, and the story never would've continued.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield,

Cold sweat poured down Cell's forehead as he panted heavily.

"Trunks, I've got nothing against you. I haven't even done anything bad. Why are you so determined to go after me?!"

With nowhere left to turn, Cell shouted at Trunks.

He knew Trunks had half the blood of an Earthling.

Earthlings were kind by nature. If Cell argued his case, perhaps Trunks would let him go.

"Heh. You haven't done anything bad?"

"By the time you do something bad, it'll be too late!"

"So I have no choice but to ask you to die before you get the chance!"

Trunks replied with a cold laugh.

He'd had enough of the life he'd lived before.

He didn't believe for a second that Dr. Gero had created a monster like this to benefit all humanity.

Hearing Trunks's answer, Ji Yun nodded in approval.

He hadn't interfered with Cell because he wanted to see how Trunks would handle things.

The result hadn't disappointed him. Trunks really was his favorite character.

Of course, that wasn't the main thing. The most important thing was that damn system hadn't given him a quest.

So he'd simply stood aside, watched the fight, and enjoyed the show.

"Damn it... Am I really finished?"

Cell muttered bitterly, his hands clenching tighter without him realizing it.

He still hadn't carried out his grand ambitions of conquering Earth and the universe.

How could he die just like this?

He wasn't willing to accept it. He began to roar helplessly inside.

"Cell, accept your fate. If you want to blame someone, blame Dr. Gero for creating you!"

Trunks spoke with an indifferent gaze.

At the same time, he aimed his sword at Cell and gathered energy throughout his body.

He planned to finish the monster off in one final strike.

Cell felt the killing chill in Trunks's gaze.

His heart trembled.

He could feel it too: he was as good as dead in the next exchange!

Suddenly, Cell remembered that Trunks had a young man traveling with him.

He glanced at Ji Yun from the corner of his eye.

The man's face meant nothing to him.

His ki was also very weak. He must've been just an ordinary Earthling fighter.

"Trunks is traveling with him, so they must be close friends."

"If..."

A flicker passed through Cell's eyes. It seemed he'd thought of a way to escape.

"Cell, die!"

Trunks roared and shot forward, his sword aimed straight at Cell's head.

Seeing Trunks move, Cell didn't dare hesitate.

Summoning every bit of strength he had, he charged at Ji Yun without a second thought.

"Whoosh!"

Cell was fast, but Trunks still managed to slice off his tail in one clean stroke.

The severed tail flopped on the ground twice, then fell still!

Trunks's attack missed, and he felt a flicker of frustration.

When he saw Cell charging toward Ji Yun, he froze. "H-He's going to do what?!"

In an instant, Cell had slipped behind Ji Yun.

His sharp claw hovered right above Ji Yun's head.

It could come down at any moment, splitting Ji Yun's head open.

"Trunks, if you don't want him to die, let me go."

"I promise I won't hurt him at all!"

A triumphant smile tugged at Cell's lips.

He was already plotting what to do if he got away: disappear quickly and lie low.

When the time was right, he'd return to avenge himself for today.

Trunks stared at what was happening, looking at Cell as if he were an idiot.

Why would Cell take Mr. Ji Yun hostage? What was going on in that monster's head?

Though Ji Yun was being held hostage, he felt no unease. If anything, he almost wanted to laugh.

"So that's why Cell was eyeing me earlier. This was his plan."

"Fine. In that case, I'll send him on his way myself. At least he'll have had a reason for coming into this world."