The Gap

On the island.

The changes in Cell's body continued.

Vegeta saw what was happening and didn't think anything was wrong. The corners of his mouth began to curl upward.

"Damn it, what's going on?!"

Trunks couldn't get close to Cell and was furious.

He began gathering powerful Ki Blasts in his hands.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Golden energy blasts struck Cell's body, but they were like stones sinking into the sea, making no impact at all.

The aura radiating around him simply blocked them.

"Ah!"

Cell let out a loud roar.

His body underwent a complete transformation, and a blinding beam of light shot into the sky.

The surrounding rocks were crushed into powder, and the ground around him sank two feet.

About five minutes passed.

When the dust settled, Cell's frame had shrunk to the size of an ordinary adult.

His ugly face had become sharply defined, and on closer inspection, he even looked devilishly handsome.

"Heh. Does this mean you've evolved?"

Vegeta folded his arms and spoke with a sneer.

He was delighted. He hadn't expected Cell to grow stronger once again.

Still, that was fine. He would make Cell suffer the humiliation he himself had endured.

"Damn it!" Seeing Cell's completely transformed appearance, Trunks knew he had finished evolving. He threw a frustrated punch at the air!

Cell seemed much calmer now.

His eyes kept studying his hands, as if he were sensing the power within himself.

"So this is the Perfect Form? It really does feel different." Cell looked over his body and spoke coolly. "But it seems like something's still missing."

Although his power now matched that of a normally evolved Perfect Form,

he had lost a great deal when it came to unlimited energy.

After all, he had only Android 17 inside him and lacked Android 18's unlimited-energy reactor.

With just one reactor, he couldn't keep such a powerful body running indefinitely on unlimited energy.

Vegeta slowly walked up beside him and said disdainfully, "You call that the Perfect Form? You don't look all that powerful."

Cell flexed his brand-new body a little and replied calmly, "I have you to thank for that. Without you, I might not have managed to evolve without Android 18!"

He beckoned to Vegeta with a finger. "How about helping me warm up again?"

Vegeta looked at his calm expression and assumed he was just bluffing.

If Cell was so eager to warm up, Vegeta didn't mind humoring him.

Besides, it wasn't just Cell who had grown stronger. Vegeta's own power had increased as well.

After all, Saiyans grew stronger after recovering from near-death.

Li Lin had beaten him within an inch of his life, and after he recovered by eating a Senzu Bean, his power had naturally surged.

"Whoosh!"

In the blink of an eye, Vegeta powered up and charged forward.

He swung both fists, launching a fierce assault on Cell.

This time, Cell didn't just let Vegeta beat on him like before.

He caught every one of Vegeta's attacks without missing a single one.

Cell kicked out, and Vegeta twisted away. The two of them put some distance between themselves.

Vegeta then unleashed his signature move, the Prince Tactics, and began trading blasts with Cell!

"Ha-da-da-da-da!"

Cell kept dodging, moving from the ground into the air.

Countless energy orbs exploded overhead.

Vegeta's Ki Blasts poured upward like bullets from a machine gun with an endless supply of ammunition.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Faced with the dense barrage, Cell stopped dodging.

He let the attacks hit him.

In an instant, smoke filled the sky, and thick black clouds obscured his body.

After the barrage ended, the smoke cleared.

But Cell had disappeared from the sky.

Vegeta's eyes darted around as he searched for him.

"What are you looking at? I'm right here!" Cell's voice came from behind Vegeta.

Vegeta hurriedly turned around.

Cell wore a faint, wicked smile as he said calmly, "To be honest, you're not much of a sparring partner. Your attacks barely tickle!"

Vegeta felt a surge of anger at his words. He powered up, raised both hands, and hurled another barrage of Ki Blasts at Cell.

"Ha-da-da-da-da!"

Explosions filled the air, and smoke hung there for a long time.

"Damn it!" Seeing that Cell was unharmed, Vegeta began to panic.

He immediately charged into the smoke and engaged Cell in close combat!

But it was no use. As Cell grew accustomed to his body, he nimbly dodged every attack.

Suddenly, Cell vanished in a flash, and Vegeta lost sight of him.

Cell was already on the ground. Arms folded, he looked up at Vegeta, who was flying around like a headless fly.

His power had far surpassed Vegeta's. They were no longer even on the same level.

"Dad, he's down there!" Trunks called out anxiously.

He hadn't expected the difference between his father and Cell to be so enormous.

Vegeta was giving everything he had, while Cell seemed to be playing around.

"Tch!" Vegeta gritted his teeth as he looked down, then shot toward the ground.

The two clashed again. Vegeta's iron fists pummeled Cell, but they had no effect.

Seeing how effortlessly Cell handled him, Vegeta felt his pride had been insulted. He growled, "Damn it, show me your full power!"

"Heh!" Cell gave a contemptuous laugh and said slowly, "As you wish!"

He suddenly vanished in a flash.

The next moment, he appeared behind Vegeta.

Vegeta sensed Cell's presence and kicked backward, striking him in the head.

Cell smiled faintly, as if he hadn't felt a thing.

Seeing that his attack had failed, Vegeta quickly retreated.

Now he understood the difference between them, and he trembled with fear.

Trunks watched from the sidelines, his heart aching for his father.

He wanted to go help, but was afraid of hurting Vegeta's pride.

He now understood what kind of person his father was.

It looks like I can only wait until Dad loses consciousness before I deal with Cell.

Trunks thought to himself.

His results from training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber were nowhere near as simple as they seemed.

Deep down, he had always believed his power had surpassed Vegeta's.

He had only kept it hidden out of consideration for his father's pride.

On the battlefield,

Vegeta stood frozen in place.

Taking advantage of the opening, Cell charged forward and kicked him, sending him flying into the sea.

"Damn it!" Vegeta slowly climbed out of the water.

Seeing this, Trunks grew furious, and the muscles throughout his body began to swell.

But he still held firm to his resolve: he would wait until his father lost consciousness before joining the fight!