Words cannot begin to express my sincere apology to all my readers of GT Remastered. I really do hate myself for letting the series go for over a year without any updates, and the chapter provided may not be worth the long wait I've made you endure.

Well... enjoy.

"Yeah!" Pan exclaimed, giving Bra a high-five as they finished off a pair of powerful hellions together. They were about to exchange a quick kiss before something beeped loudly.

"Oh no..." Bra sighed, taking a discarded wrist watch from her pocket, a blue light on it flashing brightly. "Not this stupid thing."

"I dunno, I thought it was kinda fun." Pan smiled, putting hers on and pressing the button, a ridiculous blue costume with a thick helmet concealing her eyes holographicly appearing on her body.

"Do we have to?" Bra groaned.

"C'mon, just this one time, and we can both get rid of them." Pan insisted.

"Fair enough." said Bra, putting on her watch and activating it, now wearing a pink outfit matching Pan's. "I hate this outfit." She grumbled.

"Ah, don't be like that. Have some fun!" Pan chirped, flying off in the direction of the signal her watch was giving her, Bra on her tail.

"We have arrived!" Videl, wearing a light teal outfit with violet undersuit, peach cape, and a white helmet with a pink heart-shaped crest, and the young saiyan girls announced in unison, landing just in front of 'Great Saiyaman' Gohan, who was already in his show-offy fighting pose.

"The Great Saiyawoman!"

"Super Saiyagirl Blue!"

"And..." Bra sighed. "Super Saiyagirl Pink!"

She and her girlfriend held hands as they struck a group 'love pose.'

"The lovely girl lovers, and the new generation of Earth's defenders!"

"And we are...!" All four proclaimed together, striking an elaborate group pose. "The Super Saiya Force!"

"Damn." Ginyu blinked. "They got style."

"How can we compete with that, captain?" Jeice asked, feeling outdone by these new foes.

"Let's see what this Saiyaman can do." Ginyu smirked, standing upright and stepping forward to face Gohan, who in turn stepped forward to meet him. The other four members of Ginyu's team grinned as the two captains stared each other down.

"He's got nothing on the captain." Said Jeice as the leaders continued to stand unblinkingly still, facing one another.

"Whoop his butt, Captain!" Recoome cheered. Appreciating this encouragement, Ginyu smirked, and cried out as though charging a powerful technique. Gohan, knowing the captain would probably be stronger than last time, powered up as well, sparks flying around both combatants, but much to Gohan's surprise, Ginyu's next action was making another pose, standing on one foot, his right hand in a fist raised high with his left crossed over his chest.

"So that's the name of the game, is it?" Gohan grinned, stepping to the side and extending his left arm outward, his right inward facing the same direction, then stepping forward with an open right palm thrust to the sky, his left pointed directly at Ginyu, who seemed stunned that his pose had been bested.

"Not bad." Ginyu smirked. "But how about THIS?" He dropped to one knee, both hands extended to face Gohan, his left an open palm, his right a closed fist. He stood and turned to his right, palm and fist crossed over his chest, then lifted his right leg, his fist thrust out facing his opponent, his palm cocked back.

"Dare to see anyone top that." Burter smirked. "Betcha a candy bar this saiya-guy can't outdo this move."

"Hate to say it, Burter, but Saiyaman's not one of those talentless losers we commonly face." said Jeice. "I'll take that bet, and raise ya two."

Gohan took a breath, and stood upright with his hands raised only slightly by his sides. He stepped forward, placing the ends of his hands together and thrusting forward, as though performing a Kamehameha. He extended both arms on either side, doing a brief run in place, swinging both hands down into a clap, and throwing a ball of ki up into the air with one hand, which pointed straight up into the sky as the ki ball smashed the ground behind him, the shock billowing his cape.

All five of the Ginyus were astonished by this action, Burter reluctantly handing over his end of the bet to Jeice.

"Seems like I've underestimated you!" Ginyu panted irritably. "But try to overcome this secret, mighty Ginyu fighting pose!"

"Are they really having a pose-off?" Bra sighed, shaking her head with embarrassment.

"You know, I used to think Dad's Saiyaman stuff was kinda cool," Pan raised an eyebrow at the pose fight, embarrassed that the man in green was actually her father now. "But now, I'm seriously thinking about ditching this costume right now."

"Then I haven't failed you as a parent." Videl smiled, patting her daughter on the shoulder.

"So... should we just attack those other idiots while their leader's busy?" Bra suggested.

"I'm actually up for that." Pan agreed, lunging at Burter, but was frozen in mid-air.

"Pan! You do NOT interrupt the captains while they're facing off." Gohan shouted.

"It's alright." Ginyu shrugged. "Boys, you can take care of these kids elsewhere."

"Got it, captain." Recoome confirmed as he and the other Ginyus led Pan, Bra, and Videl elsewhere.

"Phew." Goten panted as a towering gargantuan finally fell to its knees. "There's no end to these things."

"From what I understand, Otherworld, especially Hell, has been thrown into disarray." The Guardian stated. "It seems that even if these hellions are killed again, they can't be sent into Otherworld, so instead they're pushed right back into the mortal realm."

"How is that possible?!" Goten blinked. "I thought they just opened a portal from hell to here? Shouldn't that mean that they're still dead? And that they should be gone for good when we take them out?"

"I don't think they were set loose through the portal without some form of resurrection. And there's someone or something must be sabotaging Lord Enma."

"Then should we see what we can do to help him?" asked Goten.

"I think the best we can do is only to assess the situation, but it's better than tiring ourselves out here." The Guardian extended a hand. "Hold onto me, and I can lead you into Otherworld."

"Just a moment. There's something I need to take care of real quick first." said Goten, quickly dashing off in the direction of his wife and daughter's ki, touching down right in front of them.

"Goten?" Valese blinked.

"Valese, I need you, Ruuss, Bulma, and whoever else who isn't helping with the fight, to gather the dragon balls." Said Goten. "Bulma should have fixed the radar, just go and find her."

"I understand." Valese nodded. She gave Goten a kiss. "Good luck." She flew off on Kinto'un, holding on to Ruuss.

"Alright, that's taken care of." said Goten as the Guardian found him. "Now, let's go."

"Right." The hooded man placed a hand on Goten's shoulder, and teleported themselves off to the Otherworld.

"We should be out of our captains' way now." said Guldo as the Saiyans and Ginyus touched down a fair distance away from the site of the mighty pose fight.

"Now let's see what they can do..." said Burter as he, Recoome, and Jeice pressed the buttons on their scouters, which emitted a series of beeps as they read their opponents' power levels.

"'ey, Guldo, looks like the grown-up's a perfect match for your power." Recoome teased.

"Those kids though..." Jeice muttered. "They're somethin' else. And I doubt they're exerting their full abilities."

"They wouldn't be a match for the Purple Comet, though." Burter responded confidently.

"Let me at 'em first." Guldo piped in.

"Pan?" Videl consulted her daughter. She didn't quite know how to sense energy like her daughter or some of the other warriors could, and she couldn't risk judging opponents by their appearances alone, not after Spopovich...

"This thing's pretty weak." said Pan. "I think Ruuss could take this guy."

"W-what?!" Guldo screamed furiously, humiliated by such an evaluation.

"I might be the wife of some dorky poser," Videl grinned, ditching her watch, her Saiyawoman costume vanishing to reveal more casual (and less dorky) fighting attire. "But don't think I can't put up a fight."

"We'll see about that." Guldo smirked manically. "Just see if you can keep up with me!" He vanished in a blink of an eye, causing Videl to flinch, searching her surroundings for any sight of him.

"Where'd he go?" Pan blinked, unable to sense him.

"Anywhere I want to be!" Guldo cackled, lashing at Videl from behind, who was too quick for him, and kicked him right in the gut, winding him. She then lunged to throw another punch, but just before her fist could make contact with her opponent, he vanished again.

"WHOA! That was WAY too close!" Guldo thought, his breath held, Videl's fist less than an inch away from his face. He took the moment to catch his breath, before a tinge of blue could be seen in his face as found himself losing the ability to hold his breath, meaning his hold on the Time Freeze was beginning to slip. Hurrying back to the fight, he kicked Videl in the back, and unwillingly let go of his held breath, Videl falling forward slightly by Guldo's kick as time began to resume itself.

"What the...?!" Videl blurted, her target not only missing again, but for a moment lost control of her balance.

"Take this!" Guldo cried, psychically ripping a parking meter from the concrete and cutting off the canister, coins cascading across the ground as he sharpened the metal pole into a deadly spear, hurling it at Videl, who dodged quickly to the side, caught the spear, and spun around, hurling it right back at Guldo, who held his breath quickly.

"Crap! I almost got skewered!" He freaked out, the spear grazing the side of his face, a small trickle of blood flowing down his front. Guldo rushed aside, and heaving with all his might tore a massive chunk of earth covered with asphalt and concrete, and released his breath just as he threw it at his opponent. Videl lunged above the makeshift projectile, landing on top of it, and kicking off as she lunged at Guldo, building up a ball of ki in her hand.

"Devil Crusher!" She cried, forcing the ki-amplified fist straight at Guldo, but just before the attack connected, the fat green fighter held his breath once more, but already winded from the fight, only managed to escape the worst of the attack, the Time Freeze wearing off just as he was a few feet away, just in time for the Devil Crusher to pound right into the ground, creating a massive blast upon contact, earth, asphalt, concrete, rock exploding within a twenty-foot radius, Guldo caught in the shockwave as he was bombarded by chunks of the ground from Videl's attack.

"Whoa!" Bra exclaimed. "Pan, your mom's awesome!"

"Yeah!" Pan agreed enthusiastically. "I had no idea she could do that!"

"Give me a break." Guldo panted, starting to panic.

"Okay." Videl appeared right behind Guldo, managing to grab him by his left arm as he backed away with surprise, and snapped it with an audible crunch.

"Oooh!" Jeice cringed. "I could almost feel that one!"

"Argh! Damn!" Guldo growled painfully, grabbing his injured arm. Just as Videl geared for another attack, Guldo lashed his uninjured arm out, causing his opponent to freeze where she stood, unable to move no matter how hard she resisted. He then tried to uproot another parking meter, but his other arm was too injured to even make it budge.

"Looks like Guldo's pretty much screwed." Recoome chuckled.

"Yeah, he'd be all clear to finish her if he could attack with his other arm," said Burter. "But with it broken like that, he may as well throw in the towel right now."

"C-can't... move!" Videl struggled. Guldo knew he was in a no-win situation right now, but as a member of the Ginyu force, he couldn't just give up the fight. He would hold onto the telekinetic paralysis technique for as long as he possibly could. But soon enough, as expected, the technique faltered, and Videl charged ki in her fist yet again, Guldo putting up his best defense, but knew it would do little good.

"Devil Crusher!" And in a second explosive punch, Videl struck Guldo head-on, blasting him to pieces as she formed another massive crater in the streets.

"Yeah, mom!" Pan cheered. "That was awesome!" Videl simply flashed a 'V' for victory as the remaining three Ginyus showed little reaction to Guldo's death.

"Take that, Ginyu!" Gohan proclaimed in his heroic voice as he bested the captain with yet another pose. "You have been defeated!"

"Gotta admit, you've got style." Ginyu conceded, panting. "Now let's begin round 2 if you're ready!"

"Let's do it." Gohan grinned, stretching and meeting Ginyu in a hand-to-hand clash. It was surprising how strong Ginyu seemed, considering how long he had been in hell and without a body. "You're pretty tough, Ginyu." He grinned, parrying and blocking Ginyu's punches and kicks. "A lot tougher than last time!"

"Have we met?" Ginyu asked as Gohan began to turn things around, taking the offensive. "You don't really look familiar..."

"You might remember seeing a little kid over twenty years ago on Namek." Gohan hinted. "Yeah, that was me."

"Baldy?" Ginyu blinked. Gohan froze as the captain derailed his revelation, causing him to miss a mean punch from Ginyu, hitting him right in the face and knocking him to the ground. "You sure look different. Still pretty clumsy, though."

"The OTHER kid!" Gohan groaned, getting back up. "The one with the bowl cut."

"Oh..." Ginyu blinked. "...I don't really see it. Your haircut's a pretty big improvement since back then, though."

"You know," Gohan sighed. "Style doesn't mean anything if you don't have power to back it up."

"I see why your teammates call you captain." Ginyu smiled.

"Well, they don't, but..." Gohan muttered.

"Okay." Ginyu cracked his knuckles. "No more silly poses. Now we fight for real!"

"That's what I like to hear." Gohan grinned, tossing his helmet and cape aside.

"Is there anything we can do to help dad?" Ruuss asked as she and Valese flew over the city, which was being ravaged more and more by the minute.

"All we can do right now is stay safe." Valese assured her. "Ah! Look out!" She directed the flying cloud to avert a missile as it zoomed past them. She turned around to see a jet fighter on their tail, piloted by a tiger-like man with a red scarf around his neck.

"Damn! Slick little buggers!" He grumbled.

"You do not try to hurt my daughter." Valese glared back at the fighter pilot. "Ruuss, sit tight for a moment." Ruuss blinked at her adoptive mother, her tail curling into a question mark shape. Valese stood and jumped as hard as she could at the plane with her fist raised.

"The hell?!" The pilot blurted as Valese pounded right threw his windshield, and even impaling through the bottom of the plane, which spiraled out of control to the ground. Ruuss directed Kinto'un around to catch her mother as she fell.

"Are you alright, mom?" Ruuss asked.

"Absolutely." Valese smiled, but her victory was short-lived as they were fired upon by several bullets and shells from the ground.

"What do we do?" Ruuss panicked, never liking it when she and the rest of the Starship GT crew were attacked.

"Just stay calm, Ruuss." Valese took a deep breath, pulling the cloud in for a landing. "What do you want from us?" She asked the legion of soldiers who all pointed weapons at the mother and child.

"Hands where we can see them!" A young blonde man in the turret of a tank ordered, pointing his handgun at them. Valese raised her arms high in a sign of surrender, but Ruuss, taking the phrase too literally, simply held her hands out, showing them to the army. "Hey, kid! I said hands where I can see them!"

"But you can see them, can you not?" Ruuss asked, still not entirely understanding.

"Don't try to be cute with us!" another soldier snapped.

"Sorry, she thinks you're being literal." Valese giggled. "Now!" She threw a ball of ki that she had been charging into the fray. Though it wasn't as strong or concentrated as her husband's or the other fighters she knew, it did kick up a lot of dust as it impacted on the ground, many soldiers opening fire at this sudden action, only to find both parent and child missing. Several officers were on the ground in a coma, and the general yelped as his tanks was lifted off its treads.

Valese, thinking she had seen enough surprises from her daughter, stared, as the army did, in complete disbelief as the little saiyan girl held a two ton tank over her head. Ruuss was clearly exerting herself beyond her normal level of strength, sweating profusely, her reddening, sweating face contorted in an expression of strained exhaustion, but she still managed to heave the massive war machine up over her head, throwing it to the ground with a deafening crash, General Blue tumbling out as it crashed on its side.

"You little brat!" Blue growled, pulling out a handgun and firing two shots at Ruuss, who screamed with pain.

"Bastard!" Valese screamed, punching Blue in the face, knocking out several teeth as he fell to the ground, before she fought off every other soldier who charged her way, the army eventually retreating after suffering too many injuries at the hands of the supposed 'normal housewife.'

"Are you okay, Ruuss?!" Valese panicked, sitting her adopted daughter up as she, much to her surprise, opened her eyes and hopped back onto her feet.

"Yes." Ruuss nodded, rubbing her arm and chest where she had been shot.

"Will wonders never cease with you, Ruuss?" Valese laughed, seeing not even minor bruises where the bullets hit her little girl. "Anyway, let's get going before we run into any more crazy things."

"Okay." Ruuss agreed, calling Kinto'un and flying off once more.

"Our turn now." Jeice grinned, stepping up to the plate, Burter at his side.

"I got the red one." Bra whispered as she and Pan walked up to face their tag-team opponents.

"Blue one's mine, then." Pan agreed.

For several seconds, all was totally quiet as the four combatants took their positions, Recoome and Videl's eyes fixed unblinkingly on them, until, in a brilliant flash, all four fighters disappeared.

"Those runts are finished." Recoome chuckled, eyes on the sky.

Up in the air, Pan was being pursued by Burter, who was hot on her tail, the young girl unable to shake the incredible speed of her swift opponent.

"Jeez, he's fast!" She muttered, looking back, to find the blue reptilian fighter gone! She was brought to a halt as she crashed into something, and looked up to see none other than Burter right before her.

"Damn right! I'm the absolute fastest fighter in the universe!" He sneered, striking a pose. "Burter!"

"Is that so?" Pan raised an eyebrow snidely. "How about a race, then? First to the top of that building and back wins."

"You're on, kid!" Burter smirked, vanishing as he dashed towards the building, reappearing only when he tapped the side of the rooftop, only to vanish again. Pan, still on her way to the building, stuck out her arm, which Burter ran headlong into, falling down to the ground.

"I won." She teased, touching down next to him, throwing a few ki blasts at some strange green, plant-like people as they made to gang up on her.

"That was a cheap shot!" Burter growled, panting as he got to his feet.

"Someone as fast as you should have seen that one coming." Pan laughed, sticking her tongue out.

"Little brat!" Burter snapped, striking out at his Saiyan opponent.

As Bra traded blows with Jeice, she felt largely disappointed by not only how easy of a fight he was, but also how unimpressive he was compared to the rest of the eccentric Ginyu Force.

"Hey, if you don't mind my asking," Bra spoke up, as she dodged a lunging strike from Jeice, causing him to stumble in mid-air. "What exactly is your special gimmick?"

"Eh? Gimmick?" Jeice blinked.

"Yeah, that fat kid was psychic, the big orange-haired guy's super strong, your friend's super fast... what are you?"

"Me? Well, I'm Captain Ginyu's Number Two guy, of course!" Jeice said confidently, laughing with his hands on his hips.

"Doesn't that just make you second best?" Bra asked.

"No! It means I'm the tough... Well, I'm the best with, er... I'm..." Jeice paused, scratching his head. "What do I have? Oy, Burter! What's my special skill again?"

"Not now Jeice!" Burter grunted, even his magnificent speed being dwarfed by Pan's skills, the girl punching him right in the face upon his distraction.

"Whoa, those kids are good!" Recoome commented thickly, watching the tag-team fight in the sky.

"Yep." Videl grinned, putting her hands on her hips with pride at her daughter's fighting prowess.

"Ya wanna fight me now?" Recoome proposed. "I wanna see how tough you are."

"I'm all for it." Videl gave a brief stretch before facing her giant opponent.

Ever since their reluctant battle, Goku and Uub had desperately tried to look for a way out of hell, only encountering powerful resistance from their now 'immortal' enemies, who, despite being beaten repeatedly, only got back up to fight the master and student all over again, leaving both of them extremely worn out.

"There really is no way out, is there?" Uub panted.

"There is." Goku grunted, sitting down on a nearby rock. "If there's a way in, then there's a way out."

"But what about the guardians?" Uub reminded his teacher. "Shouldn't we rescue them?"

"I don't disagree." Goku admitted. "But the problem is that if we were to rescue them now, without any means of escaping, we would only be putting their lives at risk... so to speak." He amended, recalling that the guardians were already dead to start with.

"Wouldn't they know of a way out better than us?" Uub proposed, Goku, having never thought of that, flinching.

"Yeah, now that you mention it... That just might work!" He exclaimed. "Hehe, Uub, I'm glad you're the smart one, or I don't know what I would do!" Uub simply chuckled. "So now, we just need to find them..."

He paused, placing two fingers to his forehead in concentration, Uub imitating his gesture to aid his search.

However, both fighters could sense nothing but dark energy that lingered across all the seemingly infinite space of hell.

"Should hell really feel like this?" Uub asked, shuddering as he felt the pain the dark ki wrought.

"Not quite." Goku shook his head. "I've helped to keep the peace down here once or twice before, but never has this Jigoki been so powerful!"

"Jigoki?"

"Do you feel that dark ki that's surrounding us?" Goku replied. "It's a hellish energy that Tartarus spreads across this plain of existence; it's part of what makes this place truly hell."

"It feels like... poison." Uub cringed, his face turning pale.

"Be strong, Uub, it'll only hurt you if you let it." Goku advised.

"When I was seven years old, I was bitten by something in the ocean. An eel of some kind..." Uub stammered in horrified recollection. "It poisoned me, I was in pain you couldn't imagine! I..."

"Uub! Pull yourself together!" Goku shouted. "If you let the Jigoki affect you, it'll take you over!"

"Wha...!?" Uub gasped sharply. "What happened...?" He panted, before quickly remembering. "...Sorry, Goku."

"Just calm yourself, Uub." said Goku, standing up. "This is what they want; to wear us down in every way possible until we can't fight anymore."

"But how can we overcome something so powerful?" Uub asked, at a total loss as to why Goku seemed to be completely unaffected by such a hellish force.

"You're forgetting; this is hell, the domain of the dead." Goku explained. "This evil energy is meant to affect those who've died, whose hearts are filled with dark energy themselves. You're pure-hearted, and very much alive, so if you don't let yourself succumb to fear, then it's as good as non-existent to you."

"Then... why aren't Freeza or the others being affected?" Uub asked, recalling the number of times they were attacked in the past few hours.

"Who said they weren't?" Goku replied. "Freeza and Cell have been down here so long, they're probably too used to it to care, and Koru? Well... there are some denizens of hell so evil, they practically thrive on Jigoki. I remember there was some guy called, Dabura, one of those individuals who liked to call himself 'Demon King.'" He chuckled as he recalled just how many pretentious enemies he fought over the years that have used such an alias. "Enma knew he would enjoy hell so much, it would be a reward to him. No doubt, just being exposed to a bit of Jigoki would have thrust him into utopia."

"Oh, believe me!" Barked a deep, menacing voice. "'Utopia' doesn't even begin to describe it!"

"What?!" Goku whirled around to find just the demon he was talking about standing before him. "Dabura?!"

"In the flesh." The demon smirked, walking briskly towards his opponent, his white cape billowing behind him, a look of delight in his demonic yellow eyes. He stopped, breathing deeply, fire streaming from his mouth as he exhaled. "Over 15 years, I've been locked in that sickening prison above. 15 years, of wide-eyed, cutesy, delightful heaven. How disgusting it was!"

"What are you doing down here?! How?" Goku demanded. Then he remembered that Dabura was not the only one that was brought to this dimension. "Did Babidi do this too?"

"Babidi?!" Dabura barked with laughter. "Do you really think that scraggily little twit could have orchestrated all of this?"

"Uh... you mean he isn't?" Goku and Uub blinked.

"Babidi could hardly keep a leash on his own followers, never mind the entire underworld." Dabura chuckled, jerking a finger at his horned forehead. The last time Goku had seen this demon, a black 'M' was branded upon his forehead, much like the one on Uub's several hours ago. Now, however, the brand that marked him as Babidi's henchman was gone. "No, I'm here to fight you of my own volition."

"Alright..." Goku shrugged, taking a fighting stance. "But I'm warning you; I've gotten stronger since we last met."

"I've become more powerful since our previous encounter as well." Dabura smirked, flexing a hand as he tossed the side of his cape impressively.

"Let me handle him, Goku." Uub insisted.

"Uh?" Goku blinked, facing his student.

"He's obviously just distracting us." Uub pointed out, Dabura looking none too concerned that he'd been found out.

"And what might I be distracting you from?" Uub jumped back as Dabura had appeared before him in the blink of an eye, throwing a strike that Uub crouched to evade.

"That's what I want to find out." Uub grunted, blocking another attack and countering with a kick to the demon king's chest. "I'll handle this, Goku! You go on ahead! Find out what's going on here!" He gave a pained shout as he dodged an infernal jet of fire that shot from Dabura's mouth, the flame just grazing his arm.

"Right." Goku nodded, moving on and understanding that his student could handle someone like Dabura.

"I'm not letting you go that easily...!" Dabura scoffed, making a dash for Goku, only for Uub to grab onto his cape. He pulled hard enough for Dabura to lose his footing, allowing him to spin his opponent in circles several times. However, before Uub could finish the grapple his master taught him, Dabura summoned a sword seemingly from nowhere, and slashed his cape clean off. He gripped the severed cloth and pulled it over his opponent's face, taking advantage of his vulnerability to get in several powerful punches and kicks, finishing off his act of foul play by breathing another jet of fire at his helpless target.

"Your singed remnants shall serve as a demonstration for all who reside in the underworld." Dabura sneered, striding confidently towards his opponent. "Nobody underestimates the Demon King and lives!" Just then, however, he saw only a few burned remains of his cape, and a blackened stone floor, with no human in sight. His eyes widened as he understood a few seconds too late that now he was the one in a vulnerable position.

"Majin Breaker!" Uub shouted, firing a mass of ki that blew Dabura away into the shadows.

"How cunning, using my own trick against me." The Demon King's voice echoed.

"Come on out." said Uub. "I know you're only trying to lure me into letting my guard down again, but it's not going to work, so cut the tricks."

"Very well." Dabura's deep voice sounded right in Uub's ear, the boy vanishing just as Dabura swung his sword. "Then I shall show you my new power."

"Bring it!" Uub grinned, reappearing opposite the demon, powering up a red Kaioken aura.

As Goku continued his search, the dark stony surroundings became hotter, and the endless cave became illuminated by fiery red light. Almost instantly, his surroundings shifted, from a cold dark cave, to a primordial volcanic wasteland, and as he looked back, it seemed as though the cave he once traversed was nonexistent.

Minding his step around rivers of lava and veins of toxic volcanic gas, he continued his travels, trying not to be unnerved by the occasional screams of agony that reverberated around him, ignoring the grotesque incinerated forms of tortured souls that feebly reached out to him in desperation. Goku almost took pity on them, but knew that they were now beyond helping, even if he wanted to save them.

"Isn't this quite the unusual sight..." He stopped as he set eyes on a somewhat familiar figure. "A living soul, pure of heart no less, walking freely in the depths of hell. A sight quite out of place in the room of tortured souls."

"Tartarus." Goku said, somewhat relieved. "I almost thought I'd never find you."

"And you may wish that you hadn't." The cloaked figure of Tartarus said in an amused tone. "Now that you're here, your time is up."

"What are you talking about?!" Goku asked, Tartarus giving a deep, composed laugh.

"It is amazing how easily pure-hearted beings such as yourself can be manipulated." He sneered. "I only wish that the others were so easy to control."

"Wait..." Goku gasped, coming to an understanding. "Freeza, Cell, Koru... YOU freed them, didn't you?!"

"I freed ALL of them!" Tartarus stated. "Didn't you think it was odd that beings of hell, people imprisoned for eternity, were being granted physical form? Why do you think that is? It's because I wanted them to."

"So this whole mess... YOU'RE the one who's pulling the strings behind this invasion on earth!" Goku deduced.

"Not earth." Tartarus corrected, striding towards Goku. "The entire realm of the living."

"That's not going to happen."

"No? And why not?" Tartarus asked. "Powerful though you may be, Son Goku, you are now mine! You see, there is no escaping from hell, unless I want you to. I AM hell!"

To Be Continued...

Once again, I am dreadfully sorry for making this chapter take so freaking long! I truly hope that the next few chapters will be finished quicker, because this saga is going to be exciting.

See you all next time! (Here's hoping that next time is just a few months, and not another full year! ^^;)