Hey there guys!
I am so sorry that I am posting this chapter so late, but I had a crazy week at school! It was the matric speeches, the matric farewell, annual school play (I was the lead :D), and the matric fashion show this week! (Crazy busy I know!)
Oh well, I cannot freeze time, so I hope this was worth the wait.
I saw that I got quite a number of subscribers this week also! Welcome to you all! :D
*Bows out of respect* for my dearest reviewers: MidnightEvanescence, Timmylaw, Vegetaslave87, Gohan4evamine, starsoldier, Vienne, Unwanted half Saiyan demon, ky111, rawr and Sirius potter2.
*Enjoy!
CHAPTER 24: Extreme Times Calls for Extreme Measures
(Goku's POV)
I internally cringed as the new Buu snapped his neck and cracked his fingers. He turned his neck around 360 degrees and twisted it back, loosening it. I shook off the uneasy feeling that settled in my stomach and stared him down with a determined frown on my brow; Gohan will handle this. Gohan can handle this…I reassured myself.
He turned his head askew and the most bone-chilling smile I have ever witnessed in my life, formed on his lips. He was showing off all his carnivorous teeth in the process. I scrutinized my son's expression, but found that he wasn't showing any emotion other than self-assurance.
The new Buu took large steps towards Gohan, who didn't move an inch; he just stood, with that peculiar frown on his face, still, watching his foe intently as he neared him. Buu stopped in front of him; they were about a foot's length apart. He towered over my offspring greatly; Gohan barely reached his hip.
"This is getting really boring." Raphael yawned from the other side of Buu and Gohan. "Time to create some havoc..." He sung, almost opera-like before he disappeared.
"He is going to otherworld." Luna commented with a slight arch in her perfectly plucked eyebrows.
Gailo sighed. "He is trying to get us away from them; he wants to prevent us from aiding Gohan when he needs us."
Reynard scoffed. "As if Gohan needs our help; he is on fire!"
"Yes, but I would feel much safer if some of you stay behind while the others take on Raphael." The leader of the guard stated. He turned around to face everyone. "All of us will go; we all know how powerful and sneaky Raphael can be, except Rey, Luna and Magnar. You will stay behind with the earthlings and help if it comes to it." He strategized.
Reynard saluted him. "Ay, Ay Captain."
Gailo nodded and teleported away with the majority of the guard.
Luna fell down on her butt with her arms crossed in front of her chest. An annoyed expression rested on her features. "They keep underestimating me." She breathed upset.
I also plopped down to the ground, sitting comfortably on the soft grass as I turned my gaze to the two on the battlefield.
Buu smiled that same horrifying smile down to my son; but instead of cringing (like I did); Gohan crossed his arms over his chest defiantly.
"So, hotshot, you want to fight the real Majin Buu?" Buu asked; his irritating squeaky voice was replaced with a manlier, more threating, deep voice.
Gohan chuckled without a hint of humour in his voice. "Nah." He said in a bored tone. "I dressed in my gi and transformed into my third Saiyan state for a lovely picnic out here in the valley." His hands gestured around him wildly, sarcasm deeply embedded in his voice.
Buu smiled slightly at Gohan's statement and retracted his arm back; abruptly shooting it forward to Gohan's face. Gohan caught the pink clenched fist in his hand without losing Buu's eye contact. A sudden loud yell erupted from his mouth and a power so great, that it sent a sudden shockwave through my entire being, surrounded his body.
His yell intensified and a stronger gust of power blew us all away. I tried standing on my feet but it was futile, I was swept away like a leaf in an angry tornado. Not even the other members in the magisterial army could keep their usual mighty composure.
I felt dazzled as I got up, my eyes meeting the brilliant white flame engulfing my youngest' body. It blazed gracefully as it flickered and danced upward and downward like an excited candle; burning my sockets as I stared into its gloriousness; it reminded me of the sun's surface.
My son looked like a majestic creature with the combination of silver hair and bright, yet intriguing red eyes, looking ready to pounce and rip anyone and anything who angers him into unrecognisable pieces…
Gohan swept Buu's left foot from under him, making him tumble to the side, and quickly jumped into the air, getting on the same level as his face. He let out a sharp cry as he elbowed Buu across the face on his cheek. Buu stumbled a few paces back after the impact.
Gohan softly floated down to the surface again, placing his right foot on the ground first, before he went to stand properly. A soft smile formed on his lips as he saw the big dent his elbow had left in Buu's face.
Buu barred his fangs agitatedly at my son. "You are making a big mistake…" He sneered; his tone of voice reminded me of the hiss of a snake. "I am going to make you dead!"
Gohan waited for Buu to finish speaking before he made his next move. He jumped up so quickly that it escaped my eyes, and kicked Buu right in the stomach making him skid back a long distance; smoke due to the fiction settling around his feet. Gohan landed softly behind him, their backs were now facing each other.
Buu turned his neck around without moving his body, so he could look over his shoulder at his opponent. "You…" He breathed with a growl. "Stupid boy."
Gohan didn't move a muscle; he stayed in his silent position with his back faced to Buu, I saw that his eyes were closed. I smiled, I knew that expression; he was concentrating on all the ki's and sounds around him for miles, making sure that he wasn't missing any other evil vibes that might have escaped him before. A feeling of pride washed through my body; I taught him that!
The pink warrior stared intently at Gohan's back, waiting for him to turn around with anticipation clearly engraved on his features. His face transformed from pink to red as he realized that my son was mocking him.
Buu let out an angered set of growls. "Stop ignoring me!" He yelled and aimed his quivering fist at Gohan's back. Gohan spun around too quickly for the eye to see and caught his foe's fist in his own for the second time this day.
Buu's grunts grew more agitated when Gohan didn't lessen his grip. I saw a slight smile starting to twitch up the corner of his lips as he witnessed Buu's struggles from a first-person's view.
He turned Buu's arm around, making the former blob scream out in pain. He used this stance to his advantage and abruptly embedded his right foot under Buu's jaw, making him tumble backwards, but as he was in the process of falling, Gohan appeared underneath him and punched him in the stomach with both his hands.
Buu's back bent into an unnatural angle as he gasped out in pain. Gohan stared him down with the same cold, bone chilling stare I remembered him having during the Cell Games; waiting patiently for his opponent to get back on his feet again.
Just as Buu raised himself, with great struggle, from the hard ground, Gohan's rock-hard elbow connected with his abdomen. The attack was so severe that Buu's eyes dilated so wide that it seemed as if they were going to pop out of his head.
He doubled over in pain and spit-up a gooey, thick cream-coloured liquid over my son's shoulder.
A disgusted frown formed on the hybrid's brows as he retracted his limb from the pink creature's stomach. Both of Buu's arms flew instinctively to his stomach as he backed away at a turtle-like pace; he was still gasping wildly, in desperate need for some oxygen.
"I cannot fathom how much Gohan has improved over the years…" Piccolo's voice trailed off. "He is not a fighter anymore, he is a warrior." Pride clung to Gohan's first sensei's voice.
"No kidding, I barely recognise him." I commented.
Piccolo scoffed. "You were so absent in his life, that doesn't surprise me at all; I must say, I am surprised that you remembered his name after all these years." He retorted.
I ignored his rude comment and turned to Gomih. "You said that the sensei that trained Gohan, also trained you?" I tried to steer the conversation to another safer topic; my patience getting real thin for Piccolo's constant hostile mood towards me.
She nodded and tore her chocolate brown eyes from the battle, shifting it to my gaze. "Yup; he also has a sort of hyperbolic time chamber on his realm where he trained me for a year." Her eyes lit up with excitement. "Daddy, I learned more from him in one year than I have ever learned from you, Piccolo and Vegeta over all my life!"
I forced a smile; I was kind of jealous that Gomih thought that someone else was a better teacher than me, her Dad! "That is great sweetie."
Vegeta scoffed. "He can't be that good." He remarked bitterly.
Gomih raised her eyebrows and placed her hands on both her hips. "We will see about that Veg; as soon as this war thing is over, I take you on." She challenged.
He shrugged indifferently. "Bring it on, harpy junior."
I saw Gomih roll her eyes from my peripheral vision when I turned my gaze to the fight again.
Gohan got out of his flawless fighting stance and stood up straight as he smiled arrogantly at the quivering Buu, who was still heaving and caressing his sore abdomen.
"What's wrong? I thought you said something about making me dead…" He mocked his injured opponent.
Buu grunted angrily after Gohan's mock and uncrossed his arms from his middle. With a severely bruised ego fuelling his movement, he also got up straight and shot his arms above his head, followed by a short yell. Small traces of lightning momentarily danced around the massive dent Gohan's elbow left behind, and quickly stopped when his flesh popped back up like it was made of rubber.
"Buu make you dead now!" The pink fighter yelled with an angered expression. "What Buu say, Buu do!" He jumped into the air and was heading straight towards Gohan with a great speed. "Now you die!" He yelled mid-air as he aimed his right fist directly at my son's head.
Gohan dodged the first punch with ease, side-stepping it quickly before it could hit him. Buu retracted his remaining fist past his head, to get momentum, and flung it speedily towards Gohan again in a second attempt; this time my son crossed his arms in front of his head in an X-formation as he blocked the potentially devastating blow.
Buu fumed and continued to assault my son with a series of kicks and punches, but neither of them ever connected with his body; he caught each and every one of the approaching fists or feet, to Buu's utter frustration.
Buu jumped backward a few paces, staring right into the smug eyes of my demi-Saiyan. He bowed his head and closed his eyes shut as he uttered an agonised yell. "Buu had enough of this!" He bellowed and shot like a bullet out of a gun toward my son.
Gohan braced himself for an attack that never came; just before Buu could directly crash into Gohan's body, he jumped into the air with a retracted fist, but I saw in Gohan's expression that he was anticipating this move. Buu thrust a magnitude of fists to my son's head, but none ever actually hit him.
With the naked eye, it seemed like Gohan was standing perfectly still, not moving an inch; the punches going straight through him, but as I concentrated more of my ki on his spot, it was noticeable that he was moving very quickly.
Buu growled and flattened his fist high above his head, it looked like he was playing 'paper' in the classic 'rock, paper, scissors' game, and tried to slice it through Gohan's middle, but Gohan jumped up into the air, making one spin in the middle of the half-circle. Using gravity and momentum to his advantage he jumped forward immediately as he reached the ground, pushing more force into the attempt with his ki.
Buu's back was still turned to the scene that was occurring behind him. His head started to turn around, in slow-motion, but his head was barely turned halfway when Gohan's knee collided with his face, making him fall flat on his back; skidding backwards at a great speed.
After a few hundred metres he stopped; a deep ditch was left behind by his friction. Gohan teleported a few feet away from the pink warrior with a deep frown on his brow. He took two steps forward towards the quivering Buu, with his arms crossed over his chest.
"You can get up now; I know you are not hurt." Gohan stated in an 'as a matter of fact' tone. "Not from an attack like that."
Buu lifted his head up first, staring at Gohan with a slight arrogant smile on his lips. He pushed all his weight to his arms as he pushed himself up on his feet in one swift movement. His head was turned askew as he stared Gohan down with a puzzled expression.
Gomih grunted. "Ugh, what a faker, he is not hurt." He commented besides me.
But Gohan smiled as he noticed that Buu was okay. I sighed; Saiyan battle-lust seriously always bites him in the butt.
Buu mimicked the happy gesture as he wiped a few drops of stray purple blood off the corner of his mouth. "Time to fight real." He stated and clenched his fists next to his sides. I flinched as a set of pink feet appeared in front of me.
Sensing the danger, I immediately transformed into my second Super Saiyan state, already in a fighting stance. I saw that the others did the same. "What are you..?" Before I could finish my sentence, Gohan appeared in front of us with his left forefinger on Buu's chest. He slowly pushed the Majin away about a metre with only his finger.
"You stay away from them." He ordered in a bone-chilling voice. "Your fight is with me," He pointed to us. ",not them…"
Buu smiled. "They can't defend themselves…" He observed.
"Say that again punk!" Vegeta challenged as he transformed into his first Super Saiyan form.
He smiled deviously as he tore Gohan's finger from his chest. "You are weak, Buu is strong." He said again; obviously making the egocentric Vegeta and Piccolo fume.
"Stop it!" Gohan ordered while looking over his shoulder at us. He tackled Buu, getting his arms around his waist in the process, and throwing him in the opposite direction as us.
"We don't need him to fight our battles for us." Vegeta spat. "We can handle that pink faggot ourselves."
"Vegeta, don't be an idiot; you can surely feel the major difference in power: Buu towers over us greatly." I reasoned.
He growled and squinted his eyes angrily at me. "What did you call me?" He asked agitated as he grabbed my shirt in his fist.
Before I could answer, I let out a horrified shriek as something gooey engulfed me along with Vegeta. It consumed my entire being and made me choke as it slithered into my mouth and nose, rendering me breathless. I desperately tried to fight it, but as black splotches started to fill my vision I knew that it was too late…
(Gohan's POV)
Piccolo's agonised yell, and all my other friend's gasps caught my attention behind me. I turned around and my mouth fell open as I saw Piccolo, Dad and Vegeta's whole beings engulfed by the same pink goo that previously assaulted Gotchi. "NO!" My shocked voice rang through the planet.
Buu shook wildly as he laughed. I let go of him and teleported to Dad and Vegeta's side, who were both shoved together in one blob. Luna, Rey and Magnar were all scratching at the pink goo, trying desperately to get it off their bodies.
"It won't come off!" Luna yelled frightened. "It is like the goo attached itself to their flesh!" I noticed through her voice that she was on the brink of tears.
All their attempts were left futile when the blob shot from under their grasp towards Buu, colliding head-on with his stomach.
"This can't be happening…" Gomih's stunned voice breathed disbelievingly.
All of our gazes turned to Piccolo who heaved and grunted heavily as he tried to fight off the ghastly goo.
He punched and kicked the goo violently with all his might. I didn't waste any time, I was soon next to him and tried pulling it off him, but suddenly it tightened, mummifying him completely. The fierce movement under the blob ceased as it started to shoot towards Buu.
"No!" I yelled with a tear in my eye. I jumped forward and extended my arms in front of me, jumping into the blob's path. My muscles bulked and started to quiver under the strain of the blob that desperately tried to reach its master.
With all my might I started to push back, but the blob made me screech backward towards Buu. My arms bended under the extreme pressure and flashed past me. I heaved with dread in my eyes as I saw it had a clear path to Buu.
I watched in horror as the wiggly blob merged with its creator, making Buu glow again like he did the first time when he merged with Gotchi.
I threw my hands in front of my face to shield them against the streaming light. As I let go and rested my hands next to my sides, I stared wide-eyed at the new appearance of Buu. His physical appearance didn't change much; the flabby horn seemed longer and his face was more squared, but his aura held a new vibe of intelligence that never paired with Buu before...
After a few stretches he floated down to where I was standing. "So Gohan, what do you think of it?" A cocky smile formed on his lips as he spoke with a voice that held a vast amount of intelligence, similar to the aura that shined from his body.
I frowned at that. Piccolo…
He looked himself over for the first time from the transition; examining his hands, staring at it a few moments before he spoke again. "New clothes to match my figure and some new abilities as well..." He remarked; the illiterate tone that used to occupy his voice completely vanished.
He shot his clenched fist next to his sides. I cringed as I recognised the stance; Vegeta's power-up stance…
The whole planet started to shake and crack underneath our feet as he unleashed his power. I felt Vegeta, my dad and Piccolo's ki mixed in with his. This bastard was no better than Cell.
"Guys, get out of here!" My alarmed voice rang through the planet, shaking with the tremors the planet made as Buu released his energy.
"But…" Luna started.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself.
"This is not a negotiation Luna." My eyes did not leave that of Buu's; he was almost done transforming. "If you do not leave this planet immediately, I will forcefully escort you from here myself." A heavy weight of threat clung to my voice.
She frowned at me. "You don't tell me what to do."
"Luna, please…" I begged. "Just this once, listen to me just this once."
I just wanted them as far away from here as possible. I knew that when Buu's transition was complete, that we would be equally matched, and that would be a catastrophic battle. That would spell trouble for me if they hang around, making me worry about them instead of the fight.
"Don't join me!" I yelled at Reynard's approaching form. I forced a whimsical smile at my dearest friend. "No offence bro, but you will just slow me down!"
"I hate doing nothing!" Reynard grunted next to me.
"You and me both Buddy…" Magnar breathed and put his arm on Reynard's tense shoulder.
"Glad we are on the same page." I stated impatiently. "Now get the hell out of here."
"Fine!" Luna yelled angrily and teleported away. Magnar and to my surprise, my sister, soon followed, but Rey stayed behind with Trunks.
Reynard got a wary smile on his lips as he scratched the back of his head. "I am not sure if you may enter the sacred lands of Magisterial…" He directed to the lavender haired Saiyan.
Trunks' mouth fell open. "Are you really going to bring up such trivial idiocy at a time like this?!" He pointed to the planet shaking wildly like a fat woman's thighs during exercises. "The planet could explode any minute now!" He grabbed Reynard by his collar.
"Reynard get out of here!" I yelled loudly in angst, Buu was finished with his power-up.
"Reynard this, Reynard that; I am everybody's slave!" He moaned as he placed one of his fingers disgustedly on Trunks' shoulder and teleported away.
A feeling of relief settled in my stomach when I felt them all safely away at Magisterial's realm, I just wish I could have said the same about Dad, Vegeta and Piccolo.
Buu smiled down at me. "I suppose the sudden loss of your friends and family have left you speechless Gohan; hurry and drain your tears so we can fight!" He snickered as he saw my face.
"How could you do that to them?!" I growled. "They have been fair in this fight from the start! They had nothing to do with it, they did not intervene!"
He pointed his forefinger at me. "I am not interested in fairness; I am interested in the extinction of every living creature in this universe." His voice was cold. "A good fighter knows his mental and physical limitations, but a great fighter would figure a way around them." He defiantly placed his hands on his hips.
"From the moment that I have felt your power I knew I was beaten, and then I thought about something." He smiled deviously. "If I could hatch a plan to absorb Piccolo and Goku along with the one you named Gotchi, no living force on this boring pathetic planet would ever stand a chance against me again." He chuckled softly. "Getting Vegeta too was a pleasant bonus… He was at the wrong place at the wrong time." For some reason he found that very funny.
He stared right into my eyes; I suppressed the feeling to flinch at his cold black and red eyes. "And then another important factor came to mind, you Saiyans are worthless to me when you are in your base form; I cannot control your transformations after you have been absorbed into my body." He pouted. "Which I learned after I absorbed Gotchi; fortunately for me he was still very powerful, even in his base, but not enough for me to overpower you. So I waited…" His voice trailed off. "I waited for the perfect chance to enrage your father 'till the point he transformed; all I had to do was get him angry…"
I stared him down with angry squinted eyes. "Congratulations, you got me angry too." My smile turned arrogant. "You know, if you wanted the best, you should have come after me. You just absorbed the wrong super Saiyans Buu, but if you are using Piccolo's brain, you probably already know that."
He laughed deeply and pointed at me. "I didn't absorb you, because I needed a punching bag. What is the point in having strength but there is nothing to hit. I kept you around because I am stronger than ever, and I have to try it on someone."
My determined smile did not falter. "Sounds fine…" I choked out with hatred. "I am all yours Buu," I got into a crouching fighting stance. "Give it your best shot!" I challenged.
He shook his head slowly with a slight smile on his face. "All right then, but be warned, in my new super form, I have the body of Buu, the intensity of Goku and Vegeta and all the cunning of a Namek, ready to drive the nails into your coffin."
I rolled my eyes at his failed attempt of a threat. "I am tougher than my dad and Vegeta and smarter than Piccolo, so I guess the only thing you have to worry about, is if I am stronger than you." I countered.
As he clenched and unclenched his fists he smiled brilliantly, showing off all his sharp carnivorous teeth. "You know I am going to kill you Gohan…" He stated in a tone, that I should have found it obvious.
My eyes did not leave his gaze. "Let's hold off on the gravestone, Majin Buu."
Sensing that he was silently charging some energy for an attack, I jumped up into the air; I saw that he mimicked the gesture and was at the same level as me. With my feet resting about shoulder's width from my body and my arms crossed nonchalantly across my chest, I floated in the air, slowly in a circular motion.
Without any further adduce, I made the first move; I sprinted toward him fist-first and delivered the first punch, but he quickly retaliated and in no time we were both driven through the air by our separate punches and kicks. Neither of our blows actually did damage at first, we were both blocking the blows accurately.
I was lucky to find a gap in his flawless defence, and shot a quick elbow-blow up his chin. The crunch sound of his teeth clicking together vibrated through his entire body. But that attack made me open for an attack as well, and to my surprise, he recovered quick enough to send a bone crushing punch to my face.
Fuelled by anger, pain and pride, I threw a quickly charged beam right into his face, surprise coloured his features as the bright light blue beam reflected in his eyes. The energy of the beam drove him back; he came to a standstill about five metres away with a still shocked expression on his face; but the confused stare quickly turned into a scowl as he saw my smiling face.
Without uttering another word, we both sped to each other and clashed right in the middle. Momentum was on my side, and the force tried to knock him back, but I shot my right arm out to catch him and flung him to the ground, but he stopped himself right on time before he could crash into the stream.
I muttered a silent curse under my breath at my failed attempt. What is wrong with me? That was a rooky mistake! I have been trained better than that.
We engaged in an equal levelled boxing match in the sky as he reached me again. We flew from the east to the west with an expeditive speed from horizon to horizon. I am sure that if the others were here that they would only be able to see the energy waves made when the two mindboggling powers clashed with each other, not our actual movement.
The sound that lighting made as it thundered was created with each of our punches that collided with one another.
Screw this!
I teleported away from his constant array of attacks, and reappeared behind him. He spun around quickly, but was greeted by my incredibly strong kick across his unsuspecting face before he could make a move, but as soon as the blow was received he shot upright and punched me through my face, so hard that I tumbled down, looking like I was participating in a 'how low can you go' competition.
I growled as the stinging pain travelled through my jaw line.
"You see, I…" He started to say, but I interrupted his speech attempt by throwing all my weight forward with extended arms, directly into his stomach area. I felt how his breath escaped his lungs and rushed out of his system underneath my grasp, as he tumbled backwards with closed eyes.
His body moved past me in slow-motion, but as his foot scraped by me, I tuned into combat mode again, grasping his right leg, around the ankles, with both my hands and using his weight to his disadvantage; I let out a small yell as I pushed some of my ki into my biceps as I threw him down toward the rocky landscape with a great force.
I smiled as gravity did its job: he blasted through the mountains, the giant rocks collapsing as soon as he exited.
I pulled my arms to my side as I sped up towards his collapsing frame, but I was surprised to see a pink ball emerge from the dust cloud Buu resided in. I stopped in my tracks and flew upwards, trying to get out of the ball's path, but saw that it followed my every movement. I sighed irritated, as I waited for the energy to near me, so I could kick it out of my way. It flew past my head and into the deep space, leaving a grand display of fireworks as it exploded.
Annoyance filled my body as I saw another pink ball heading for me, but this time I teleported away just before it could hit me. It exploded on the exact spot I had levitated just a few moments ago, leaving a pink array of smog-like clouds behind.
I flinched as I felt Buu's presence behind me all of a sudden. I turned around, only to see a purple-ish energy beam rushing toward me. I instinctively jumped up; just barely scraping by the long beam. Thank goodness it wasn't one of those beams that follow you where ever you go!
Pink-ish smoke shot up in the sky as it collided with the ground.
I saw him aiming another hand in my direction, but I quickly jumped up the sides of the mountain to gain leverage while I charged my blast, and as soon as I was in the clearing I retracted both my hands together to my left side and charged the last needed energy together to form an attack. A yellow ball started to glow in my palms and I flung that energy downward to Buu's location.
He let out a yell as he released hispink wave, probably strategizing to block my blow with his blow.
The two powerful energies met precisely in the middle, exactly as I anticipated and grew bigger and bigger into a giant ball of solid energy as we pushed more of our power into it. After a while it grew so big that it started to neutralize mountains and trees it came in contact with.
I frowned as I felt my arm begin to quiver with strain from the blast. I saw him charge a narrower beam in his left arm, shooting it right through his original blast. It travelled straight through the collided giant energy ball and finally through mymuscular beam before it shot out towards my body.
What the hell? Was the last thought I thought before the narrow beam shot through my right shoulder, making me let go of my grasp on the blast.
Too late I realized that that attempt made it possible for his original blast to overpower mine, and consume me. Both my, and his beam, engulfed my body. I uttered a strong yell as the burning physicality churned on my skin and started to gnaw at my flesh, but the intense energy of Buu and me combined cancelled the noise, making my agonised scream fall on deaf ears.
The energy of the fused beams ran out and exploded, after what seemed like an eternity, with me still left vulnerable in the centre of it, but like a body that rejected a new organ after a transplant, I was spit out from the ball, making it explode in the process and shooting me towards a nearby mountain.
Too weak to prevent the collision, I shot, back first, into the giant rock. My face twisted into a frenzy of pained emotions as I bounced from the mountain side back into the air, only to fall, face first, into the solid, sharp, hot ground.
Ah gravity, thou art a heartless bastard… I cursed the magnetic pull of the Kai's planet.
As I fell, I somehow manoeuvred my hands in front of me, making me dive into the ground as if it were a giant brown pool, and making it possible for me to control my movement. I shifted my arms upwards, allowing the energy to push me above the surface; I popped out like a flower in spring, out of the dry, merciless ground, and fell flat on my face.
Ignoring the screaming pain and throbs of the open sores on my arms and legs provided, I pushed myself up with my crying arms, allowing myself to stand in a doggy-position while strained sweat poured off my face.
You are fine, you are fine… I chanted over and over in my head; mind over matter…
I got up and turned around towards Buu's ki just to see him curled into a ball, heading with a flashing speed toward me. I frowned and jumped up, making him crash into the ground instead of my spine.
Seeing that he was embedded in the rock, I jumped crazily like a chamois in its natural habitat from rock to rock in the adamantine landscape, trying to get the longest distance possible away from Buu before I attacked again.
I saw from the corner of my eyes that he managed to wiggle himself out of his stone hold and was heading towards me again in the same annoying ball form.
This is my chance…
I used the side of a small cliff as leverage and kicked myself forward with both my legs, getting more force behind my movement, and extended my left leg forward. I saw him pop up, out of the ball he was before; mimicking my attack precisely. We were now both heading towards each other in the same stance.
Our bodies intertwined as both our attacks hit simultaneously. His right leg rested on my left hip and scraped over my left arm and shoulder to connect with my left cheek.
And on the other side my left leg scraped across his stomach and planted itself nicely under his jaw.
My head twisted backward by the sheer force of his attack, and I felt the same happening to him under my foot. A few reaps of our reserved spit was forced out of our mouths and hung in the air before falling on our clothes.
Both of us grunted in pain, but neither let go.
After a few seconds the force of both kicks tore us apart and made us shoot into the opposite directions of each other. I gracefully spun around and shifted my ki to my legs to slow down and effortlessly land on my feet on a pedestal-like cliff.
As I got upright I saw Buu catch himself with his hands on the cliff lower than the one I was residing upon, and somersaulted as he got to his feet. My fists clenched next to my sides as I saw that he was not damaged at all from the impact while I felt sore.
The wind lightly ruffled my gi as it swept past us into an eastern direction. The grass below also bowed and danced in the slight gust.
"That was fun, Gohan." Buu said through clenched teeth. "Why don't we try it again?"
I ignored him flatly and he laughed. "It seems like you are not as strong as you once thought. Is your confidence dwindling yet?" He mocked in a higher tone than his usual voice.
"Can it…" I blurted out, tired of his annoying voice.
"You know there is no shame in quitting here; you can just walk away any time you want." He suggested in a seductive tone.
I rolled my eyes. "You really think that that is all it is going to take to get me to quit? I must say, I am offended…" My voice trailed off. "But don't you worry big guy, your mind games are not going to work on me." I smiled arrogantly. "I have been trained much better than that." My voice turned more angered as the battle lust seeped through my muscles and bones, fuelling my desire to fight and kill…
"Now let's go again!" I yelled.
I attacked him head on. He turned his neck to the side, making my foot just barely miss him and wrapped his right hand around my ankle. I let out a frustrated grunt as I lifted up my other leg and thrust it towards his face as well, but it had the same fate. I was held in a very awkward position around his neck now.
He chuckled. "Awww, I bet the hurts doesn't it?" He said in a taunting tone. "Your teacher Piccolo is not impressed Gohan…" He continued.
I breathed out heavily through my clenched teeth as I charged a blast and threw it at his face. He retracted his head into his body and popped it out again as soon as the blast went by. "He thought you were smarter than that…" He finished.
His flabby horn curled around my neck and he let go of my feet and dragged me to his face height. "And Vegeta thinks you are a cowardly deserter," His voice turned slower and more menacingly, "just like your father…"
"Keep them out of this!" I choked out, the pressure around my neck made me barely able to speak.
My hands instinctively curled around my restraint, trying to pry it off me, but it was circled around my neck twice, making it impossible to remove. He laughed so hard that I could see his little tongue behind his palate moving and swaying in rhythm with his laughs.
An uneasy feeling spread through my body as he lifted me up in the air, defying gravity, and shot me down to the ground, back first. I gasped as the air left my lungs. He lifted me up again, but this time he flung me towards him, punching me away devastatingly when I was close enough. I spiralled asymmetrical around as I tumbled through the air, the force of momentum too strong to stop.
I stopped myself by kicking against a mountain that came into view, but it was a bad move by my part. The force of momentum combined with the sudden stop, was brutal for my legs. I could have sworn that I felt something snap in my leg as I fell on my back, with my foot dangling loosely above my body in the air.
It would have been less painful to kick an unbreakable concrete wall, barefoot.
I got into a sitting position and wrapped my arms around my throbbing left leg as I surveyed the area, looking intently for Buu. Too late I registered the incoming purple-ish ball of intense energy heading my way. The excruciating pain from my leg made me delusional for a few seconds, seeing four balls heading towards me, but I quickly shook the feeling off and threw my remaining hand defensively in front of my face.
I got dug deeper into the mountain as I caught the ball, its energy steering me backwards without my consent.
Sweat poured off my forehead with strain as I tried to push the blast upward, away from my damaged body. I sensed another ki beam heading for me. "Crap…" I whispered under my breath as the ball exploded in my hand.
I formed a ki-shield around my body, just in the nick of time, preventing more damage to fall upon my already pained figure. Thick brown smoke blasted up into the sky as the energy ball exploded on the ground, making dust rise from their resting place and swirl drunkenly in the sky.
I lowered my ki to untraceable as I sat in a small crevice in a hole the blast left behind to get my thoughts in order and rest for a bit.
The thick smoke did not clear and Buu let out a frustrated yell when he couldn't locate me.
"Remember, not so long ago, I was the one in hiding, I needed time to stall." His voice echoed down. "Is that what you are doing now Gohan?" He asked. "Are you hiding; are you trying to think yourself out of this mess?" His tone was full of mock. "You seem to have forgotten that your beloved Piccolo is a part of me, and I can sense that you are alive down there kid." I flinched as Buu's voice turned exactly into Piccolo's unique tone.
He is trying to mess with my head again!
"I might not be able to feel your energy, but I can feel your life force." He confirmed.
I clenched my fist in anger, cursing yet again the fact that I was alive. And then it hit me; a brilliant idea flashed through my mind…
I waited for the smoke to settle and weakly floated up, sitting on a pedestal across from Buu.
"I must say, I am impressed Gohan…" His voice trailed off. "Piccolo has many memories of you being a coward in battle…"
I smiled bitterly as he surfaced one of my sensei's memories. "I was never a coward Buu." I stated. "I was a child, a child who knew that he wasn't supposed to witness and go through the things that he did, which made him scared..."
My smile turned more real. "I also thought like you for many years of my life; I thought I was a coward, I thought I was weak, but I am not. It is exactly when one is weak, one is at its strongest… It just took me a while to figure that out." I exclaimed wisely.
He also went to sit, but cross-legged on the opposed cliff he currently resided on. "You know you are going to die now…" He said with a gleeful smile.
I smiled the happiest smile that I could muster without choking. "I know."
He frowned at my strange behaviour, puzzled that I agreed about me about to die. "Death is staring you in the eyes. The reaper is excitedly waiting to claim your final breath, and you smile?" His voice was full of confusion. "How can you be so happy about it, happy about your damnation?"
"Because it won't happen by your hands…" I yelled loudly and positioned my right hand directly above my chest.
"What are you doing?" He asked curiously as he started to get up.
I didn't answer him with words, I replied by thrusting my hand into my chest. I gasped at the uncomfortable and painful feeling that surged through my body from my chest area. My fingers were the first to dig through my flesh.
I yelled loudly at the excruciating pain I was inflicting on myself, but still pushed more power into my arm as it dug deeper and deeper, past my protective ribcage, luckily for me, that rib was already broken, making it easier to get through.
Blood involuntarily gushed out of my nose and mouth as my body went into shock.
I smiled softly as I saw Buu froze on his spot in confusion. "You… Ain't.. G..got.. noth…nothing ..on.. nn.. me." I heaved out as I curled my fingers around my throbbing vessel, which recently caused too many problems for me.
"W…what are you...?" Buu stammered out.
I used the last bit of my remaining energy to flash a toothy smile at my foe, as I ripped my heart out of my chest…
Omg what just happened? Is Gohan maybe possessed again? Was he daydreaming this whole ordeal just now due to his injuries? Or does he have something else up his sleeve (even though his gi doesn't even have any sleeves… O_o) THE HORROR?!
Hahaha, keep me posted on your thoughts!
See ya!