What...is this?! Trunks felt the ki whipping around him, sending debris from the arena tossing into the air. His gi and hair flapped wildly, and the young Prince squinted his eyes as he tried to take in Mifune's transformation. She was a demon; a demon clad in nothing but white. The colour of death. From her head to her shoulders, edging into her arms, the white shroud draped over the alien swordswoman. Her regular appearance was no longer visible, even her eyes shone red beneath the ki. The most off-putting factor, however, was just how the ki felt to him.
Flashes of other individuals filled his senses. He could feel multiple other traces of ki emanating from her now. Gohan...Piccolo...Erasa...Videl...Goten...Rayo...that young Majin...even some of mine is there. What is she?
"MIFUNE'S FACIAL APPEARANCE HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" cried the announcer, looking down from on high. "TO BE HONEST, I'VE SEEN THIS SORT OF THING IN NIGHTMARES BEFORE! SHE'S CERTAINLY IMPOSING!"
High in the stands, Whis flashed the smile of someone who clearly knew what was going on. "And there it is." He said calmly. "The Aarenian's ability to absorb ki and mix it in with their own. It is a unique ability as any among the races within this Universe." He gestured towards the woman's shrouded form. "It lacks refinement, you can see the excess in the very form of that shroud. Though that's neither here nor there. The young Prince certainly has his work cut out for him now."
"I could have sworn I'd heard the name Aarenian before," said Beerus. "Though weren't they those insect folks I'd encountered earlier today?"
"You're thinking of the Arlians, Lord Beerus," replied Whis. "The Aarenian planet of Edo is one of the few you visit most infrequently. Something about disliking their ideas of spirituality, but not having any actual reason to destroy a planet that receives such accolades?"
Beerus snorted. "They just had fantastic traditional cooking, I'll have you know. But too much of it in one sitting makes me bloated. Of course I can't go there all the time!"
"Of course, Lord Beerus."
Chi-Chi was listening to them with the interest of a suspicious media reporter. Destruction? They're talkin' about planets like it's some sort of trade. I'm getting the feeling these two might be dangerous fellows. She did, however, know better than to instigate a potentially dangerous situation when her sweet granddaughter was sitting right on her lap. So the woman, throat dry with nervousness, merely nodded in conversation and turned her attention back to Trunks' battle. Chi-Chi certainly hoped this wasn't the prelude to something.
The unique ki signature of Mifune traveled all the way towards the waiting wings, where the Dragon Team could only look on in amazement. It gave the veterans a disturbing flashback, to feel so many of their own comrades' ki signatures emanating from one single person. Gohan and Piccolo among others were all sources of this newfound strength, and Piccolo felt a slight hint of revulsion at who it reminded him of.
"Cell," the Nameccian said through gritted teeth.
"It does give you that sort of feeling, doesn't it?" replied Yamcha. "That sort of chill you never want to remember."
"In that case, don't remind me," Tenshinhan said. "It's a disturbing feeling to sense so many signatures you're used to coalesced into someone new. The real question is just how powerful she'll be now."
Come on Trunks...! thought Videl, her shining blue-eyes focused on the form of her boyfriend standing in the arena. You aren't out yet. Just focus on your opponent and everything will come up right!
"It would appear that the eyes have been placed on us, Trunks," said Mifune, her shroud distorting ever so slightly as she spoke. "You did well to survive my strike. Your body should be crumbled now, and yet you stand before me, yes?" Mifune's voice displayed nothing but confidence. "When I moved in that last instance, you understood the nature of my power, did you? I am sure you understand now that victory is beyond the grasp of you."
The Super Saiyan Prince was surprised to feel his entire body was shaking. Trembling at the very idea of being in the ring with this woman. Her ki, composed of the efforts of himself and his friends, was absolutely overbearing. He had none of the confidence that she did. In fact, it could be said that her very will was on the verge of causing him to surrender. No...not yet. He felt a bead of sweat drip down his scalp. The torch of the Vegeta line. He was still carrying it. It hadn't burnt to nothingness yet.
"It might be impossible to beat you...though you should know my entire family is a little too stubborn to see reason," said Trunks.
Trunks felt a slash across his face, his hair ruffling with a powerful updraft. He raised a hand towards his cheek, and felt the warm flow of blood drip down. His eyed widened. He hadn't seen her move. In fact, she was still standing in the same spot, but she made a visible adjustment to flick his blood off her sword.
"Even now?" She inquired, referring to the obvious difference in their ability from the sheer fact that Trunks couldn't track her movements.
The Saiyan Prince put on a confident smile. "Yeah."
"Then I will beat you to a centimetre of what is allowed." Mifune gripped her bokutō, and swung it mightily. With that simple motion, a violent blast of air pressure erupted from the arc of her swing. It was more than an air cannon; it was the breath of a dragon. Trunks felt the pressure bare down on him and completely force him backward. The entirety of the arena in which she sent this blast careening down was demolished, exploding into particles that faded away due to their MatterWave nature. Unable to withstand the torrential blast, Trunks was blast off of the arena.
Falling towards the ground, the half-Saiyan saw Mifune dive down after him, her shroud leaving a trail like a demented comet. Gripping the wooden blade in her hand, she swung it forward in a downward slash. History repeating itself, the wind exploded in a violent, crescent arc. Trunks' breath forced itself out in a violent gasp, the forceful blast of wind striking him in the centre of his abdomen. The collision with strike pushed Trunks down at a quicker pace than ever, and he crashed into the ground with all of the grace of a descending meteor.
Pained screams erupted from Trunks throat, the ground indenting in the shape of his form. The crashing was followed by Mifune, who slammed her blade into the ground next to Trunks' head. She crouched directly on top of his torso, placing a hand on his throat. Her strength was absolutely crushing, and the Saiyan Prince found he could barely breathe.
"Rest now, warrior boy," breathed Mifune, leaning her masked visage in towards Trunks' face. "The clock will tick away until I win."
In the air, the announcer focused the image on the monitors to Trunks, pinned to the ground, and Mifune, planted firmly atop him. "TRUNKS IS TOUCHING THE OUTSIDE OF THE ARENA! I WILL BEGIN THE TEN-COUNT! ONE...! TWO...! THREE...!"
Trunks struggled beneath the woman's light weight, yet her deceptive strength kept him planted to the ground. He couldn't remove her vice-grip. He couldn't make her budge. Damn it...! I can't lose like this! He began to focus his ki, the golden aura of a Super Saiyan flaring around the two of them. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" Trunks' throat rumbled with a roar, and he placed both hands on the ground. They flashed blindingly with ki, and he forced them both into the air.
"AND TRUNKS HAS RISEN INTO THE AIR!" shouted the announcer. "JUST IN TIME TO AVOID A RING-OUT!"
The two rose high into the sky, and and Trunks managed to force Mifune off, her grip loosening by the suddenly jolt. He kicked the woman in the torso, sending her flying away to gain some distance. He cartwheeled in the air, looking slightly hilarious in the process, managing to stabilise himself. He coughed, rubbing his throat. He could still feel her grip on his throat. There's something...completely different about the way she fights. Even in a tournament like this, with rules...she fights like she's trying to avoid killing me.
Mifune landed hard onto the tiled surface, cracking and breaking further portions of the arena, and stood tall. Her masked visage turned upwards to face Trunks, the glowing red eyes staring right through him. "I do believe you will regret this. The outing of the ring might very well have saved you from further pain. If you wish to deny my kindness, I will show you what I can do."
The perspiration on Trunks' neck was more than an indication of how nervous he was. The shaking wasn't subsiding, and he had no immediate plan on how to beat her. She was stronger than he was, and that was undeniable. Unlike Goten, he still couldn't push the Super Saiyan past its limit; he was stuck at the Super Saiyan wall. Trunks chuckled weakly. "I might be out of options." He descended towards the ever breaking arena, his boots clacking onto the cracked tile.
"You know you cannot win, but you continue to do battle?" asked Mifune. "You would be a considered a hero on my planet. In this ring, where you can walk away, I consider you a fool."
"This is a tournament match," replied Trunks. "I've been training for years now. I don't see any reason not to try and test my limits."
"Test your limits? It must be nice to be able to have that sort of complacency," She gripped her bokutō, and settled into a partial crouch, bending both of her knees. She drew back her left arm, and extended the right limb forward. With her left hand, Mifune gripped the end of the bokuto's hilt. The tips of her fingers just barely resting near the end of the blade, the wooden blade glinted.
There it is..her combat stan—! Before Trunks could actually brace himself for the impact of the blow, he felt immense pressure in his side. This was quickly followed by the flow of blood, doubled with excruciating pain. Blood spurted from his mouth, and it was only then that he realised Mifune had struck him with her Issen technique before he could sense her move, much less see it. Brutally, Mifune pulled the sword from Trunks' gut, blood splattered along the arena's surface. She shook further amounts of it from her blade, cleaning it in one fell movement.
"T-TRUNKS HAS BEEN STABBED!" crowed the announcer, horrified. "YOU SAW IT HERE, TRUNKS HAS BEEN STABBED! BUT...!" He glanced at a monitor which was now focusing on Mifune's bokutō, which had not changed shape or been altered by any method he could see. "...MIFUNE'S SWORD IS STILL WOODEN! DID SHE DO ALL OF THAT WITH PURE PHYSICAL STRENGTH?!" The announcer spoke directly to Trunks. "TRUNKS! DO YOU WISH TO WITHDRAW? WE CAN TAKE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL WING!"
The Saiyan Prince waved the announcer off, before gripping his side, blood flowing freely. "You really are...ludicrously fast..."
"Do you truly still intend to fight?" Mifune asked. "That wound will limit your time. This tournament frowns upon killing, so I missed your vital organs. However, the pain will not lessen, warrior boy."
Trunks gripped a portion of his gi, shredding it off of his shoulder. In doing so, he removed a portion of decent size, and tied it tightly around the wound, attempting to suppress the blood flow. He took a deep breath, and shuddered slightly. "I want to keep going. You're...ridiculously strong. I can see, though...that you're also the perfect person...to help me become stronger!" His aura flared around him, the conflagration of ki rising into the sky. Both palms began to shine with ki, and Trunks raised them into the sky, forming a large, golden sphere.
"Burst Buster!"
Trunks let the blast loose, the giant sphere barreling down towards Mifune. The woman readied her sword to disperse the blast, however, Trunks cut his hand through the air in an arc. The sphere exploded into a multitude of spheres at the instance Trunks readied the hand motion. The orbs bombarded Mifune, caught off guard as she was by the suddenly multiplication. Within the smokescreen of explosions, Trunks snaked his way through, ignoring the pain in his side as he slugged Mifune's shrouded visage.
The blow dealt no pain, though the force was more than enough to send the lithe woman flying. She broke through the smokescreen, and was pursued by her opponent, who gripped her by both shoulders and flew high into the air. Trunks made a sharp turn, and dove downward, spinning as he did so. Nearing the ground, the Saiyan Prince let her loose, sending Mifune spiraling to the ground as he did.
"T-THIS IS AMAZING!" shouted the announcer. "DESPITE HIS SERIOUS WOUND, TRUNKS SHOWS NO SIGN OF RESIGNATION AND EVEN LESS OF FATIGUE! HE UNLEASHED AN IMPRESSIVE PHYSICAL ONSLAUGHT AGAINST MIFUNE! HAVE THE TABLES TURNED?"
"They do say even cornered prey will fight back if pushed far enough," Beerus mused, watching Trunks' display.
"But that wound has more than done its fair share of work," observed Whis. "It's quite safe to say that Mifune didn't even register those blows."
Trunks raised both hands to his side, coating them in glowing golden ki. "HAAAAAAH!" Thrusting his arms forward multiple times, he let loose a volley of kikōha. The shimmering rain descended onto the arena, crashing against Mifune's fallen body and creating a cacophony of explosions.
"So he's resorted to Vegeta's maneuver ," muttered Piccolo. "It's clear to see he's desperate to end it now."
The explosions from Trunks' onslaught died down, his breathing becoming slightly ragged. That entire combination just now had been physically strenuous, and he could feel the strain on his body from the effort. Combined with maintaining the Super Saiyan form, it could be said that Mifune was more than giving Trunks a run for his money. He could see the smokescreen fading away as the wind swept it into the air, his eyes widening in terror when he saw what was contained within.
Mifune rose from the rubble, her obscured face giving no indication as to whether or not she was in pain. She raised a thin hand to her shoulder, dusting herself off.
"S-She's still standing...!" Trunks gasped. "Did she even feel it?"
"AMAZING!" gasped the announcer. "DESPITE ALL OF TRUNKS' EFFORT, MIFUNE IS STILL STANDING! THE MATCH CONTINUES, FOLKS!"
Trunks swore, releasing a powerful slew of kikōha to rain down on Mifune. The woman flickered completely out of existence, the spheres exploding against the arena and destroying them. She re-materialised behind Trunks' back, slamming the hilt of the bokutō between his shoulder blades. The blow stunned him, and Mifune swung her blade into his side. After a brief moment of stillness, Trunks was propelled downward, crashing into the arena with the strength of a cannonball. The dust flew up around him before dissipating as a white aura flared up.
While sheer strength of Mifune's strike had knocked Trunks out of Super Saiyan, he refused to stand down. His vibrant white aura gave off a vibrant glow, the Prince forcefully keeping himself moving.
In the stands, Chi-Chi watched Trunks fight with horror. "Sh-Shouldn't he quit? If he pushes himself any harder, he might bleed to death. Trunks has got his company and Videl to think about!"
"That's true, but it is said that when a warrior pushes themselves to their absolute limit, they can break their limits for greater power," stated Whis. "You said Son Gokū was your husband, yes? His Super Saiyan transformation — at least how he achieved it — is an example of this. Your husband broke his limits in that titanic battle on Namek precisely because Freeza pushed him to his limits. And in the end, he became your planet's greatest defender for some time."
"That's what my Gokū did?"
"You weren't there for Namek, were you?" inquired Whis.
"No. I didn't even want them to go, but they felt it was critical," replied Chi-Chi. "So I don't really know what happened when they went out for all that time." When Gohan had returned with the others, Chi-Chi didn't want to hear a single detail of what had happened on the alien planet. Her husband hadn't returned with them, had later refused to returned when the Nameccian Shénlóng had been used to wish him back. By the time Gokū did return, Chi-Chi had wanted to put the entire Nameccian debacle behind her.
How hard did he push himself for their sakes? Chi-Chi wondered.
"Regardless, he won't be breaking any limits if he falls flat on his face," said Beerus. "That boy may be the second most foolish Saiyan I've ever met."
Whis chuckled. "That remains to be seen, Lord Beerus."
"Your transformation cannot be maintained further?" Mifune noted. "Then it truly is over. I thought to be impressed by your showy fighting, but you only talked in the end. I have never heard talk of the 'Saiyans' before you, warrior boy. But if you are the best the Saiyans offer the Universe, they are not much." She gripped her bokutō, readying the wooden blade for her next strike. "This strike is the final. I will avoid killing you, but there will be no continuing after this.
She isn't bluffing...! thought Trunks, his vision beginning to blur. The blood loss was finally starting to kick in. If he couldn't ring her out now, he wasn't going to win. And that was his only hope of victory. If that hits me...I'm finished! His eyes flashed, and lightning began to crackle around his body. Is this the end of his resolve, then? How could he carry his father's torch forward, if he couldn't even stand in this ring?
It happened in an instant. Mifune was a distance away from her opponent, and then suddenly in front of him. It only took a single step. "Issen - Tenken!" Her sword arm cocked backwards, and then thrust forward, propelling them both towards the edge of the arena with immense speed. The duo of opponents skidded across the arena, ripping up parts of the stage as they did so, and only came to a halt at the exact edge of the near demolished fighting platform.
"INCREDIBLE! MIFUNE'S SELF-PROCLAIMED FINAL BLOW CONNECTED! DID IT WORK?!" The announcer's voice crowed into the stadium.
Betraying all expectations, however, it did not. Standing at the edge of the arena, his body shimmering and letting loose a conflagration of golden ki, was Trunks. Rivulets of lightning flowed through the aura, crackling madly. His hair had become spikier than ever before, standing higher on end than in his previous transformation state. Blood rose into the ki as well, stemming from Trunks hands. Clenched between both palms was the wooden bokutō Mifune had just attempted to skewer him with.
"I'm not done yet...!" Trunks grinned, feeling the incredible rush of ki flood his body. He recognised the feeling, as he'd experienced it only once before — when he and Goten had become Gotenks. This was the level of Super Saiyan that exceeded the original Super Saiyan. Gokū had dubbed it the Super Saiyan 2.
Mifune's glowing red eyes widened; behind her mask was nothing more than an expression of shock. She hadn't been aiming for his vitals, but to stop the Tenken? No opponent had survived the blow on the battlefield, and that was when she was aiming to kill. "Perhaps my judgement was excessive in speed? To be standing — nay, to have defended yourself against my Tenken...the Saiyans are impressive indeed, warrior boy."
Trunks grinned. "That's great...! Now...let's...start...the second...ro—" He trailed off, his eyes closing. His hair reverted back to its normal hue, and his aura of golden flames dissipated. Trunks' consciousness faded long before his body swayed, falling backwards. He descended to the ground, crashing like a meteor. There was no hesitation in the next call by the announcer.
"T-TRUNKS HAS FALLEN UNCONSCIOUS!" He stammered, nearly failing to do his job. "MIFUNE IS THE WINNER!"
The shroud that covered Mifune faded away with the simple swipe of her hand, her pale face revealed again. "Trunks, was it? Your potential is vast. I will be interested in meeting you again in the future...warrior boy."
"Trunks!" Videl propelled herself from the waiting wings, flying past the medical stretchers who were already on their way towards Trunks, and crouched next to her unconscious boyfriend. She placed two fingers to his neck, and breathed a sigh of relief. He was weak, but alive. She reached into her gi, and pulled out a tablet that contained green liquid. Steadying Trunks as she held him up, she opened his mouth and tossed the tablet it. Videl forced him to swallow it, and the effects were present after only a moment. His wounds began to heal, and his consciousness recovered.
When he saw Videl, he smiled weakly. "Hey...looks like our positions are reversed, aren't they?"
"You're an idiot," she said simply. "The most intelligent man on Earth is simultaneously the stupidest."
"Sorry," replied Trunks. "She was just that strong. For once, I wanted to try and fight like a Saiyan. Like Father would have fought."
"I can't say that makes sense to me, but the important thing is that you're alright," said Videl. "Come on, let's get you onto this stretcher. The medicine may have worked, but if the doctors don't check you out, Bulma will be out for my blood."
Trunks chuckled. "I shouldn't laugh. She'll be hysterical after this."
As the two walked over towards the medics, the announcer snapped his fingers, and the stage instantly repaired itself, returning to its former glory. "THAT WAS AN IMPRESSIVE BATTLE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! BUT NOW, WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT MATCH! ARE YOU ALL READY FOR ROUND 6? KISUA VS. YAMCHA!"
The white-clad martial artist glanced over at the cloaked man who was to be his opponent. You've been silent this entire time. Kisua...what sort of challenge will you give me?
A/N: Now this was a fun chapter to write. Not going to lie, I don't often enjoy writing "outclassed" fights. Perhaps its because I know just how irksome it is to participate in a battle where your opponent so vastly outclasses you that he can take you on while also eating ice cream with the other free hand, but regardless, it isn't a fun concept to write. Regardless, with Trunks and Mifune, the moment she took in that ki, there was no doubt about it. Trunks couldn't win this fight. But I tried to make this a fight that led into some development for Trunks as a character, since Dragon Ball gave present Trunks ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Same with Goten, but I'm working on him too. This is one of those moments where the character attains something but still loses. This isn't my favorite transformation in my series, but it's definitely up there. So, for name puns, the "Tenken" in the "Issen - Tenken" technique means Heavily Punishment (天譴). And now, for the next character bio:
Name: Son Erasa
Age: 27
Blood-type: B
Birthdate: Age 757
Height: 160 cm (5'4")
Weight: 49 kg (110 lbs)
Zodiac Sign: Rat/Virgo
Favorite Food: Takoyaki & Tonkatsu Curry
Marital Status: Married to Son Gohan
Martial Arts School: Shinma School of Martial Arts
Master: Son Gohan
Likes: Teaching Martial Arts , taking care of her family
Dislikes: Cruelty of any sort
Basic Trivia:
Erasa and Videl have been friends for years. She initially took up martial arts like Videl when the two were young but didn't take to it the way she did.
Her mother, Quille, died two years after the Cell Games.
Beyond martial arts, Erasa has taken up calligraphy as a hobby since opening up the Shinma Dōjō.
The stuffed bear that Erasa received to Gohan now sits in Pen's room.
Ranking her individual strength among the Dragon Team — discounting characters such as Beerus or Whis — the author places Erasa as the second strongest.
Erasa wants to fight Videl and Son Gohan.
As always, thank you to Demod20 for proofreading. I'll see you all soon! This arc is shaping up to be quite fun!