A/N: I see there was a bit of a discussion about power levels. While GT has power scaling, unlike Super, I'm also not going to base the power level on a show that made everyone look like shit compared to Goku. How can SSJ2 Vegeta lose to Super 17, yet SSJ Kid Goku can hold his own? It's ridiculous, personally, but similar issues could be mentioned about Super as well. I appreciate the comments about power scaling, but can we not argue with each other, please? Thank you.
"Trunks?" Gohan questioned concernedly, unable to believe the energy he was sensing was his protégé. It was immense. "Is that really you? Please…be careful, Trunks. That power is too great. I hope you can handle it."
-X-
Hurricanes and tidal waves lashed at shores around the world, fuelled by the vast power Trunks had achieved in his transformation. Power surged through him with each strum of his heart, power he had never experienced before and never fathomed even existed. And yet, despite the strength, Trunks noticed that his thoughts were rather calm, unlike the raging hot-headedness present in the Super Saiyan 2 form. The ground trembled as he walked towards the twins, but Super 17 nonchalantly sneered.
"Wow, so all you did was grow your hair out. Fancy. That was a nice show you put on, but-"
The Burning Strike collected him in the face and shot him like a pinball across the city. Super 18 frowned, trying to calculate Trunks' power level as he glared at her, but she could see the emotions in his eyes and she had to quell Android 18's rising influence.
It was not easy.
"I don't want to hurt you, but if I have to fight you, I will. If it's the only way to save you, then so be it," Trunks said. Deep inside, he really hoped he didn't have to fight Lazuli, but if push came to shove, he would do whatever was necessary.
The tiniest hint of a smirk lifted her lips. "Your funeral, Trunks."
She flew at him. He nailed her with a spinning kick that forced her to shred the rubble with her body. She was back on her feet in an instant, unleashing a pink version of the Flash Bomber. Trunks took to the sky and she chased him with the attack – he cancelled it with a powerful punch that dropped her, once again surprising her with his speed.
"Dammit," Super 18 snarled. "I need more energy."
"Energy?" Trunks questioned and just as he thought about the times his energy attacks had no effect, Super 17 slammed into him, elbow first and Trunks bounced once before flipping onto his feet. "So, that's your secret, huh? You've been absorbing our energy?"
"Well, you're smarter than I give you credit for," Super 17 mused. "It doesn't matter. Your attempt at copying my glorious hair means nothing; you can't fight both of us at once."
Super 18 held her palm upwards and a disc of energy appeared, sparking with electricity. She hurled the Lightning Cutter and Trunks narrowly inclined his head out of the way in time – a thin red line appeared on his cheek. He kicked her through a building, but Super 17 hit him from the side and they traded blows with such force, the city literally shook from the shockwaves. Any building that survived Trunks' transformation was in absolute danger of collapsing from the mighty blows, as their fists slammed together in a power struggle.
"It's not too late to give up," Trunks said, silently impressed and worried at Super 17's strength matching him. "We don't have to keep fighting."
"But it's fun! You're just scared that despite your sudden hair growth, I'll beat you."
"It's redundant. It's also disappointing. I would have thought time in Hell would've changed you."
"Hasn't changed Frieza. Also, heads up."
Trunks broke away and got kicked in the chest by Super 18. She hurled her Murder Blitz at him and he got his guard up in time to defend against the multiple blasts. He was tempted to return fire, but until he worked out how to circumvent their energy absorption, ki attacks were off-limits. Instead, he flew at her – and Super 17 hit him with an uppercut. Trunks flipped over and clipped the younger twin on his chin with a kick, then drew his sword and slashed. Super 17 caught the blade and Super 18 struck the half-Saiyan with a violent punch. She tried to follow up, Trunks blocked and hit her back and Super 17 kicked him away, then created the Shocking Death Ball. He hurled it and Trunks countered with the Galick Gun, pushing it back towards its creator.
Super 18 threw the Lightning Cutter and it sliced Trunks across his ribs. He faltered in pain, the Shocking Death Ball broke through the Galick Gun, igniting a tremendous explosion upon contact. The twins watched the flames burn, hoping for a death, but the flames were extinguished when Trunks blasted out of the wreckage and struck Super 17 with a right hook. Super 18 tried to flank him from behind at the same time Super 17 recovered and attempted a counterattack – Trunks unleashed a Dual Masenko at the twins in response, blasting them across the city in opposite directions.
He could feel it now, the strain of maintaining his new form, could feel the drain on his energy.
"I need more time," Trunks thought. "I need to break Lazuli's fusion and stop 17. But how?"
Super 17 matched him in strength already and that Dual Masenko didn't help him either. Super 18 wasn't as strong, but he couldn't focus on her with her brother around. The twins rose into the sky and Trunks tensed, preparing himself for a difficult fight. He blinked once, his body weakening abruptly and against his will, he was forced into his normal form, his energy drained by the strenuous transformation.
"Oh, awkward," Super 17 commented with a jeer.
"Solar Flare!"
Everyone was blinded in a flash and Trunks stretched his other senses, trying to figure out what was happening. That's when he felt it: Cell's energy signature.
And it was growing.
-X-
Ocarin groaned as he came to, the harshness of the sunlight blinding him momentarily. His head hurt, as he pieced the last few moments before he became unconscious and frustration swarmed him. He had trained relentlessly in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to achieve greater power, to protect this world until he could revive Planet Namek and even though he had achieved a transformation rarely seen or even known among his kind, it wasn't enough. What more did he have to suffer in order to prove himself? He finally achieved greater power and he was still outclassed.
And for what?
He appreciated what Trunks and his mother had done for him in the aftermath of Namek's destruction, but he could not keep fighting these battles for the half-Saiyan. One day, Ocarin was going to end up dead and it would be for nothing. Earth was a temporary home and he would defend it, but he saw no point in dying for the planet that wasn't his home. Unfortunately, his strength was not enough and Ocarin knew he simply had to get stronger.
Slowly getting to his feet and wincing, the Namekian spotted 16's body and a brief sorrow overcame him. He didn't mind the Android, found his peaceful nature to be pleasant, so to see his body like this, it did upset Ocarin. However, he faintly caught hold of Pan's fading signature and he rushed into action, shoving rubble aside in search of the little girl. He soon found her, battered and bruised but alive and he gently lifted her out of the wreckage that had once been a street and set about healing her injuries.
She stirred as his magic restored her and she blinked blearily at him. "What's going on? Where's Trunks?"
"I am unsure, but I do know we are not out of the woods yet," Ocarin replied. "Can you sit up?"
Pan did as he suggested, her injuries completely healed and she even felt stronger. "Thank you!"
Ocarin suddenly froze when he felt an immense surge of unknown power. It wasn't Trunks and was completely sinister, skyrocketing beyond anything the Namekian had ever felt before. It terrified him and he knew he could not walk away from this; he had to stay and help however he could.
Planet Namek would have to wait.
-X-
A harried Bulma was painstakingly putting her laboratory back together after whatever the hell had just happened, her mind in turmoil as the news relayed the events taking place in South City. The metropolis had been devastated by a battle involving the Androids and the scientist could only hope that Lazuli had not reverted to her evil ways, although there were reports of 17 being sighted. She had no doubt Trunks was there, but if the city had been destroyed thus far, was her son in great danger? Was it going to be like the living nightmare all over again?
Was her son going to return?
Fear gripped Bulma's heart and she forced herself to calm down. Her son was capable of handling any threat, but then again, she had once thought that of Vegeta and her friends…and they never came home. She couldn't bear the thought of losing her precious boy, but there was nothing she could do but wait and hope.
-X-
Cell shouted as power surged through him, his body glowing purple and his eyes flashing red from Demigra's influence. He absorbed Super 18 into his system and there was a flash of light as he transformed. By the time Trunks was able to see again, Cell had achieved his Perfect form, bolts of bio-electricity roiling around him with the ferocity of a lightning storm. The half-Saiyan swallowed his concern; one Android 18 made Cell a massive threat to the universe, but with two? His power was at an unprecedented level and Trunks wasn't sure if he had enough strength to stop the Perfect Android.
"You filthy insect!" Super 17 snarled. "Give me my sister back!"
"Say please," Cell said calmly. "You know, I never thought to achieve a power like this. Perfection was all I dreamed about and now I have achieved it and then some. I am eager to test it, so come forth, 17."
Super 17 growled and shot at his former absorber. Cell smirked when his face was punched and Super 17 unleashed a furious combo of punches and kicks; Cell slapped him and he smashed into the road. When Super 17 stood up, Cell suddenly appeared and kicked him in the gut. Super 17 gagged, but he recovered and smashed home a right hook. Trunks shivered, his drained body coping miserably with the strain of the Super Saiyan 3 form.
He was torn. He wanted to help 17 rescue Lazuli, but that would leave the problem of Super 17. He remembered in the past when Gohan had forced Cell to regurgitate 18, but he knew it wouldn't be so easy here; Cell's power was far greater than anything he'd ever felt before. It hit him then that he had potentially lost Lazuli for good if nothing could be done to save her.
He had lost Lazuli and in that moment, Trunks recognised that he'd been a fool in failing to see how much she had meant to him.
He didn't know what help he could be and he weakly descended towards the ground, as Cell hit Super 17 so hard, the Android flew from the city and ended up halfway across the world. In response, Super 17 unleashed the Super Flash Bomber, shooting the ki blasts across that same distance at his target. Cell dodged the barrage and flew after the owner.
Trunks sank to his knees on the ground and he realised with surprise that tears had formed in his eyes. Deep down inside, he recognised his need for Lazuli and how much of an ass he'd been towards her because he'd been too hung up on the past. How foolish of him. His heart seized in agony at the thought of Lazuli gone for good and the tears streaked his cheeks as a deep ache sawed through him. He had failed her and now it was the Cell Games all over again.
"Trunks!"
He barely looked up as Pan slammed into him for a tight hug, barely felt her with his mind wracked with anguish, his body numb as despair gripped him. He had lost Lazuli; the thought kept repeating itself. He had lost her and he felt he couldn't save her. He needed her back, he wanted her back – he had to get her back. He couldn't work out if it was genuine feelings he had for the beautiful Android that he was just discovering or simply a continuation of primal need, but he knew this: he couldn't let her go, not when his want of her was so strong like this.
A hand landed on his shoulder and Trunks jumped in surprise, relief sagging him when he saw it was only Ocarin and Pan drew back from him, her brow knitted together in concern.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Lazuli has been absorbed by Cell," Trunks stated dully. "And I'm not strong enough to save her."
Sensing his low energy, Ocarin immediately put his hands to the half-Saiyan's shoulders, trying to restore his lost energy. Trunks felt his body ease under the healing magic and his energy slowly return, but despite it, he felt it wouldn't be enough.
An island exploded, followed by the destruction of a second island. Cell smirked cockily, his arms crossed casually as he dodged another Shocking Death Ball, a third island crumbling to Super 17's rage. As Super 17 prepared a fourth Shocking Death Ball, Cell held his hand out and launched a Big Bang Crunch. The two energies combined into an explosion that knocked Super 17 across the sky and Cell smashed him with a kick that pummelled him into the ocean.
"Guess this is payback for all the times I used to beat him up," Super 17 thought as he stopped his descent into the ocean depths. "Funny, that's why I died in the first place. But I don't care how much stronger he's gotten, nobody makes a fool out of me and absorbs my sister!"
He blasted out of the water and snarled at Cell's relaxed appearance. It was as if the Bio-Android was merely teasing him and not even trying. In frustration, Super 17 fired a series of energy blasts and when Cell smacked them aside, he struck with a powerful punch. Cell's head rocked back from the blow and he used the momentum to twist into a retaliatory spin-kick that knocked Super 17 away.
"Not bad, could do better," Cell commented. "Fight me like you mean it, 17."
Super 17 flew forth and the Bio-Android threw the Lightning Cutter. A few strands of black hair floated through the air; the Ultimate Android lashed out with a kick that Cell neatly blocked and the pair exchanged a series of ferocious blows. The sky light up with the flashes of their strikes, shockwaves affecting the sea below and Cell smirked to himself as the battle raged. The power that charged through his veins was impressive, to say the least. It was everything he'd imagined and even more. Now he just needed to find a way to restore himself to life so he could finally be free of Hell for good. He had the power to stop anyone from trying to send him back to that realm, but until he was alive again, he would always have that threat hanging over his head.
"I'm curious to know," Cell said, even as Super 17 punched him, "what would happen if I absorb you again?"
"Not gonna happen," Super 17 growled as he threw a punch and Cell caught it. "I'd rather die before I ever let that happen again."
"At least you'll be able to join your sister. Together, forever," the Bio-Android said as he caught Super 17's other fist and his tail extended from his back to rise over his shoulder, his stinger opening. "Let's find out, shall we?"
The open bell shot for Super 17 – a flash of steel – and Cell grimaced as his severed tail retracted. Super 17 saw the opening and slammed a kick into Cell's flank, driving him away and turned to Super Saiyan Trunks.
"I didn't need your help."
"Of course not. I'm sorry for getting in your way," Trunks said as he sheathed his sword. "Listen, we need to work together if we want to save Lazuli."
"Why do you keep calling her that?"
"It's her real name from when she was human."
Super 17 made a face. "Bah. I don't need you to save my sister. I'll eventually get the better of Cell and I'll save 18 on my own. You'll just get in my way."
"And how do you intend to do that?" Cell cut in. "As long as I don't use any energy attacks against you, 17, you'll never get stronger. Yes, I know about that. I also know this. Kamehameha!"
Super 17 immediately prepared himself for the absorption. The energy slammed into him and his muscles swelled as he started converting the energy into his own and that's when Cell struck. Super 17 gagged, the Bio-Android's fist stabbed all the way through his torso. Trunks was shocked as Cell tore his hand away and backhanded the Android. The half-Saiyan chased after his lover's brother and caught him, taking him away to a nearby island that hadn't been destroyed yet. Cell watched them go, unfazed. He would give them a few extra minutes before he destroyed them.
"I'll admit…that was stupid," Super 17 groaned, a gaping wound in his torso. "Ah man, I think he destroyed my energy absorber. He knew where to hit."
"Can you still fight?" Trunks questioned.
"I'll be fine. I can still take him."
"No, you can't. Not on your own. We need to work together to take him down."
"What, the enemy of my enemy is my friend?" Super 17 questioned. "Really?" Trunks gave a half-shrug, basically agreeing with him and the Android reluctantly sighed. He didn't like the idea at all, but without his energy absorber, he had no choice but to agree. "So, any plan on getting 18 out of him?"
Trunks flashed back to the Cell Games. "We somehow have to make him so agitated, he'll increase his bulk for extra power and when he's slowed down, we hit him hard enough in the stomach to make him regurgitate her."
Super 17 frowned at him. "Sounds like you've done this before."
The half-Saiyan shrugged casually. "It was in the past. Gohan got so much stronger than Cell and it pissed him off so much, so that's how it happened."
"Wait, Gohan? Dude could barely fight me. How could he do that?"
"Doesn't matter. It was in the past. This is now and we have to save Lazuli."
Super 17 watched him closely and a terrifying conclusion came to his mind. "You…care for my sister? Even after everything we did to you? We killed your friends, remember?"
Trunks hung his head. "I know. But…things have changed, 17."
"Yeah, you banged my sister. I suppose, she could've done worse. So, what, you're in love with her now or something?"
"No, nothing like that…but…I can't explain it. I realise now I care about her and I can't bear the thought of losing her, like I've done now. I was a fool, 17. I…turned her offer of something more."
"You…turned down my sister?" Super 17 stated incredulously and then he threw his head back in laughter. "Oh, man. I am so saving her now just so I can see her kick your ass."
That earned him a glare. "Like you said, after everything you've done to me, can you blame me for being cautious and uncomfortable about the whole thing? It wasn't something I intended to happen, it just did. And now, I've realised that I actually want to be with your sister in some way and that should be freaking me out, but it's not. I just want her back."
Super 17 rolled his eyes at the sentimentality. "Whatever."
"Alright, boys, you've had more than enough time," Cell called out. "It's time you face your deaths, unless you prefer to die cowardly."
"What a mouth on him," Super 17 said. "I want to smack it off."
"Remember, I'm only doing this for Lazuli," Trunks said and he rose up from the island, Super 17 by his side.
"Yeah, yeah. You think you can do that long-hair thing again?"
"I…I don't know," the half-Saiyan admitted. In truth, he'd been surprised by the transformation, owing it to the extreme training measures he underwent in the Chamber in order to cope with Lazuli combined with the thought of Lazuli being lost to the Super 18 transformation. "Let me try."
Super 17 flew at Cell and the sky was bombarded by their fight, as Trunks concentrated on his energy, unsure if he could achieve the transformation again. Lazuli flashed in his mind and she smiled at him and that drive, that urge to see her again, to free her from Cell's body – Trunks knew he had to do everything he could or else lose her for good. He couldn't bear that thought and his power skyrocketed and the Earth quaked once more as he ascended to Super Saiyan 3.
Even Cell stopped to witness the change and it left him open to a vicious left hook from Super 17.
Snarling, Cell responded with a Galick Gun that Super 17 failed to dodge in time and Trunks took his chance to leap into the fight. The desire to free Lazuli drove his blows and Cell countered the fury, noting the strength in Trunks' strikes. He attempted to exploit an opening, but Trunks parried his fist and drove his own deep into the Bio-Android's gut. Cell hit an uppercut and Super 17 slammed home a powerful kick – Cell grabbed his leg and hurled him, followed by a Kamehameha Wave. Super 17 couldn't help the yelp that escaped him – with his absorber destroyed, attacks like this hurt him.
"Final Flash!"
"Oh goodie," Cell smirked as the powerful energy beam blasted towards him. "Show me – oh crap."
The Final Flash slammed into him with the intense rage of a tsunami and drove him across the sky. Cell struggled to fight it off and the winded Super 17 added to his problems by fuelling the Final Flash with his Super Flash Bomber. The relentless combination culminated in a ferocious eruption that made Trunks think for a split second he had actually landed a death blow. The smoke cleared and Cell was still there, although he was missing an arm and a leg. The Bio-Android whined before his missing limbs regenerated and he sighed in relief, flexing his new arm.
"Well, that was a surprise," Cell stated. "But I'm afraid you've had your fun."
He moved. Super 17 was rocked by a blow to his face and Trunks lost the air in his lungs. Cell smirked and he snapped a kick against Trunks' chin. Utilising the power in his veins, Trunks nearly caved Cell's face in. The thrill of the fight, the thrill of fighting a powerful opponent coursed through Cell's veins as he started trading blows with Trunks – until Super 17 decided to join in, his fist slamming into Cell's flank. That opened him to an assault from Trunks and he drove a Double Buster upon the Bio-Android. Cell didn't have a chance to recover as he was immediately set upon by Super 17's Hell Storm. As the two Androids clashed, Trunks hung back, trying to figure out a plan.
He'd hoped that he could force Cell to somehow vomit up Lazuli, but with the Bio-Android on or stronger than his power level made the job difficult to accomplish. The other option was to try and completely annihilate Cell, send him back to Hell and then revive Lazuli with the Dragonballs. However, that was an idea Trunks immediately banished from his mind. He still had quite some time until the Dragonballs were ready again and he couldn't bear the thought of spending that time without her. He'd never fathomed a scenario where he would actually miss the Android, but here he was now, wishing now more than ever that she was here.
He clenched his fist, determination burning within his heart. He brought his hands in front of his chest, Trunks created a ball of ki in both palms, spun his arms in a semi-circle to create a ring of ki, then placed his hands within the ring, palms open.
"Burning Cyclone!"
Cell punched Super 17 away and turned around as he was engulfed by the massive cloud of fiery energy. Super 17 launched a pair of ki blasts that fuelled the Burning Cyclone and ignited a secondary, larger explosion. However, the dissipating smoke revealed Cell safe in his barrier and he smirked as he dropped it, then launched at Trunks and landed several blows in rapid succession. Super 17 hurled the Shocking Death Ball, apparently not giving a damn about Trunks and the half-Saiyan blanched at the oncoming attack. The resulting explosion dropped him into the ocean.
"Whoops, didn't see you there," Super 17 smirked at Trunks and he started unleashing ki blasts at the recovering Cell. "Why don't you just give up?"
"You first, 17."
The Bio-Android hurled a series of Lightning Cutters with frightening speed and after one ripped Super 17 across his ribs before he had time to process it, he threw up a barrier to deflect the rest – the last one broke his barrier and sliced his face.
"Argh! Damn you, you bastard!"
"Admit it, you cannot stop me," Cell gloated. "I am perfection."
He dodged Trunks' sword in time and hit him with the Big Bang Crunch. Trunks tumbled out of the cloud of smoke, back in his base form, his energy spent from maintaining the Super Saiyan 3 form for a second time in such a short stretch. Super 17 watched him, unable to help the sneer at his apparent weakness, but even he had to admit to himself that he couldn't fight Cell alone. All he wanted was his sister back and as Cell prepared a second Big Bang Crunch to finish Trunks off, Super 17 intercepted with a kick to the Bio-Android's jaw. The Big Bang Crunch went wide and missed its mark and Super 17 dived towards the ocean, picking Trunks up before he sank beneath the surface.
"We can't beat him," the half-Saiyan said miserably. "We can't save her."
Super 17 glanced up at the grinning Cell. He had an idea, but it was the only idea he had left, a one-shot only and if it failed…well, it didn't matter in the end for him. Super 17 knew he loved his sister deeply and was willing to do anything for her, but it struck him then how far he planned to go and the realisation made him feel…human. He was willing to give it all up for her without a second thought and it did make him think of Gohan briefly, how he fought until the very end, regardless of the outcome.
"When I tell you to, stab Cell," Super 17 said.
"What will that achieve?" Trunks questioned. "He can regenerate."
"Just do it, alright. I've got a plan."
"What are you two maggots planning now?" Cell droned in a bored voice. "It better be a way to entertain me, because I'm starting to get bored and if that happens, you both die."
"Distract him," Super 17 told Trunks.
The half-Saiyan focused what little strength he had into a Final Flash. Gathering the energy required took every ounce of willpower he had to not pass out from exertion and he brought his hands together to unleash the beam. Cell smirked as he took it head-on, knowing that it wasn't powerful enough to hurt him – the distraction worked when Super 17 grabbed Cell in a full-nelson hold.
"Now!"
Without hesitation, Trunks charged and sliced his sword straight through Cell's mid-section, impaling Super 17 as well and pinning them together. "Now what?"
"Now, you get the hell out of here," Super 17 said. "And hope that this works. Just make sure you take good care of my sister, got it?"
"Whatever you think you're going to do, it's going to fail," Cell said, even as Trunks high-tailed it.
"Oh, is that so?" Super 17 smirked in his ear, his body glowing. "See, you and I are going back to Hell, because this is how I'm going to save 18."
"It won't work."
"All that energy I've absorbed, plus whatever I had originally. There's no way you'll survive that."
"You can't save your sister like this!" Cell cried, panic filling him.
Super 17 smirked. "Yeah? Let's find out."
The pair were contained in an orb of energy, fuelled by Super 17 and once he reached the pinnacle, he detonated. The explosion ripped through the surrounding area, the ocean fiercely lashing the islands, a massive plume of smoke reaching high into the atmosphere. Trunks felt the shockwave, was knocked out of the sky by the intensity. He floundered in the ocean as he tried to regain his bearings and when he surfaced, he saw the mushroom cloud. Surprised at the idea of 17 sacrificing himself, Trunks flew back towards ground zero. Even now, the smoke was thick and only just started to clear and that's when he saw it: an orb of energy flickering within the dust. The ocean roiled in the aftershocks and Trunks slowly approached as Super 17's energy barrier wavered from existence and Lazuli and her Hell twin plunged towards the ocean. He dived and caught her, cradling her close to him. She was unconscious and slick with innards' juice, but she was alive and separate from her duplicate and that was all that mattered to him.
"17….thank you."
A/N: I had that idea for two weeks or so...and then episode 127 aired.