Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters from it. Just the ones I created.
Chapter Fifty-Three: The Plot of Majin Buu
Thick silence reigned over the battlefield as hostility between the surviving Z-Senshi and Majin Buu was temporarily forgotten. All eyes were focused intently onto the center of the sky. It was there that a new, stupendous ki was emanating from, and both sides were wondering who the newcomer could be.
"This energy...who is it?" Piccolo was the first speak, grimacing.
Though she didn't say anything aloud, Amara was questioning that as well.
"Are they friend or foe?" Juuhachi-gou asked, voicing the quiet suspicions in both Piccolo's and Amara's mind.
Beside his mother, Koji hoped with all his heart that the power they were all sensing was his father. It could happen; after all, Goten's dad was dead and he got to come back for a day. So surely his father could be allowed to return, too.
None of them had to wait any longer as a shape soon appeared in the part of the sky they were eyeing. As the silhouette hurtled closer and closer toward them, any thoughts of it being Vegeta was quickly tossed aside as this figure was much taller than the deceased Saiyajin no Ouji, and much more broad-shouldered.
*Could it be Goku?* Piccolo thought hopefully, very familiar with his old friend showing up exactly when the planet needed him the most.
After a suspenseful few minutes more, the figure fully came into everyone's line of vision at last.
Piccolo, Amara, Juuhachi-gou, and Koji gasped.
And Goten beamed with what could only be described as utter joy.
Majin Buu snarled angrily.
"It's my brother!" he declared cheerily, jumping up into the air. "Gohan!"
Piccolo, wide-eyed and speechless, watched the dark-haired teenager fly pass them to touch down in front of Majin Buu.
"G-Gohan!" the Namekseijin shouted, shocked. "You're alive!"
"Gohan-san!" Koji enthused. Standing beside him, his mother also looked glad to see the half-Saiyajin back as well.
Amara said nothing, watching the oldest son of Kakarott in quiet amazement.
After staring at Majin Buu for a long, intense moment, Gohan finally turned around to face his younger brother and his friends. His hard handsome features softened to a small degree.
"Long time no see, you guys!" he said, smiling.
"Big Brother…we thought you were dead!" Goten said. "Where've you been?"
"Yeah, I had a pretty close call, but Kaioushin-sama saved me and took me back to his world," Gohan explained. He then swung his full gaze back onto Majin Buu, his face scrunched in unveiled malice. "Up until now, that's where I've been."
Unnoticed by the others, Piccolo stared at his young pupil in utter shock as he couldn't get over different Gohan sounded. Or how he appeared, now dressed in his father's gi.
"Is that…really Gohan?" Juuhachi-gou asked in bewilderment, voicing Piccolo's thoughts. "He's not the same as he was the last time we saw him."
"That's an understatement," Amara replied, her voice lacking the usual biting tone she spoke toward the soft-hearted teen with. "His features…The way he's speaking...The vibe he's giving off. It's completely Saiyajin."
"Hn," Gohan grunted as something occurred to him. "Say, where are Mom and the others?"
"They were killed by Buu!" Koji explained.
"What!?" Gohan replied, eyes widening. "Even Mom and Dende?"
"That's right! Everyone but us!" Goten said angrily.
Both Amara and Juuhachi-gou grimaced bitterly at the reminder, as the two had once again lost people important to them at the hands of Majin Buu.
"Damn!" Gohan swore, his face hardened. "I can't believe Dende's dead, too...The Dragonballs were our last hope."
"They were delicious after I turned them into choco!" Majin Buu boasted, rubbing his stomach at the memory.
That nearly made Gohan erupt in anger, however, he was calmed down by something triggering off his senses. *No, he's wrong! I feel it! A faint ki...*
Buu's arrogant expression turned into confusion when the rage on Gohan's face vanished, and the young man gave him a mocking smile. Then the half-Saiyajin stepped forward, his slow and powerful pace drawing him in front of his enemy. Although the transformed djinn towered over him, there was nothing but confidence on Gohan's visage as he stared up into Buu's eyes.
Abruptly, mild surprise crossed Buu's face. Ever since this new fighter had showed up, the demon had gotten this feeling that he had seen him somewhere before. Now he remembered where, and the memory made him cackle in amusement.
"I remember you now! I blew you away a while back!" Majin Buu jeered. A calculating gleam glittered in his eyes, as his enemies still failed to realize they were just mere pawns in his grand scheme. Even with a stronger power joining their side. "So you got stronger, big deal! I'm stronger than last time, too! What makes you think you can fight me now?"
At Buu's statement, the smile on Gohan's face turned several shades menacing. "I'm not here to fight you, Buu. I'm here to kill you!"
Listening to their conversation, Gohan's claim stunned Juuhachi-gou and the others.
"You kill me?" Buu said incredulously. "Looks like you want to get blown away again!"
The threat only made the disdainful smirk on Gohan's face widen, much to Buu's irritation.
"Does Gohan know what he's doing?" Juuhachi-gou said with a look of a concern, voicing the thoughts of her fellow Warriors at the moment.
Amara was pondering the same thing. Although she could sense the radical change in the teenager's ki since she last saw him, was it enough for him to put up a fight against this new Buu?
*I-it's hopeless! * Piccolo thought bleakly. *Judging by Gohan's ki, he's powered-up, but no matter how he much, there's no way he can win by fighting him head on! *
"I-it's too dangerous!" Goten exclaimed, looking to Koji. "We have to use Fusion and fight together with him!"
"We can't!" Koji reminded him. "We can't do that until an hour as gone by!"
"I know! But let's at least try what we can!" Goten replied. Looking back toward his brother, who was about to fight Buu on his own, he appeared on the verge of crying. "After all, at this rate, Big Brother will be…!"
"Goten..." Koji said, understanding his friend's feelings. "All right! Let's try fighting together, even if it's hopeless!"
Piccolo, Juuhachi-gou, and Amara looked around when they noticed Koji and Goten jumping onto a large rock behind them. They got into position beside one another.
"What are you two doing?" Amara asked. "An hour hasn't gone by yet!"
Ignoring her, Koji and Goten started. But before they could even finish doing the first step of the Fusion Pose, the two paused as they and the adults looked back over to where Gohan was after hearing Buu let out a scream of rage.
In reply, Gohan let out a fierce cry of his own, as he released some of his power. It erupted from his body invisibly, whipping up clouds of dirt and dust. The ire on Buu's face shifted into shock, as the sheer magnitude of Gohan's ki washed over him.
Gohan then finally attacked, catching the demon by surprise with a foot sweep, knocking him off balance. Before he could even hit the ground, Gohan spun and caught him in the face with a spinning back-fist, causing Buu's features to contort into actual pain.
All the bystanders let out noises of astonishment at what they just saw.
After staggering backwards a few steps by the blow, Buu stopped and glowered down at Gohan irately, gnashing his sharp teeth. There was a visible bruise on his face. That strike had hurt more than he cared to divulge. Gohan gave him no time to recover, as he promptly moved back in, hitting the djinn in the face with a roundhouse kick this time, sending the demon sliding rearward across the terrain until he was able to stop himself.
As he still stood off-balance, Gohan flew in toward him again. Surprisingly, though, instead of continuing his attack, he alighted behind the demon instead. Eyes broadening in bewilderment, Buu turned to see what he was doing. Gohan stood with his back to the djinn. He was mutely telling him to attack if he could, and that enraged Buu.
"N-now you've done it!"
Gohan continued to stand facing the other way.
Meanwhile, Koji and Goten alighted by Juuhachi-gou and the others, all of them looking evenly amazed.
"B-Big Brother…!" Goten stammered in awe.
"A-awesome!" Koji agreed.
Latterly, it was Majin Buu who struck Gohan. At least, that was his intention, however, his foe as had easily turned to catch his punch with one hand. The dangerous, mocking smile returning to his face, Gohan then kicked Buu in the chin, proceeding with a vicious punch to the gut, leaving behind a dent. Buu buffeted rearward, holding his stomach in pain.
"Way to go, Gohan-san!" Koji cheered.
"What's the matter?" Gohan inquired tauntingly. "I thought you were going to blow me away?"
Offended, Buu swiftly healed himself with a wrathful snarl.
"I will blow you away!" Buu vowed. "I will blow you away! I will blow you AWAY!"
In a fit of rage, Buu tried to attack Gohan again. Any lingering doubt about Gohan's chances in this battle was put to rest, as he effortlessly dodged and blocked every punch and kick the dijinn threw at him. Flipping over Buu to avoid a chop, the young hybrid smoothly surged back in and bashed him in the face with a knee strike. The evil Majin went plowing through the rocky terrain; the trench that he dug with his back got half a mile long before he stopped. Gohan touched down near the end of the trench, watching the fallen Majin coldly.
"Gohan's amazing," Juuhachi-gou said, astounded.
*Unbelievable! What the hell has happened to him!? * Piccolo pondered, staring at his former pupil in unbelief. *It's hard to believe that this is the same Gohan. And he's not even a Super Saiyajin, but that power…!*
*Gohan's nothing like he was in his fight with Dabura, * Amara mused, scowling. *He hasn't even transformed, and yet he's overwhelming Buu so effortlessly! How is this even possible!? *
"That level of attack couldn't have had any effect on you," Gohan stated, his eyes still on Buu. "So it's useless for you to try and trick me."
Proving him right, Buu lifted his head to glare indignantly at the warrior, bleeding from the mouth. He then hurriedly jumped back to his feet, his mouth stretched in a grimace.
"Drat! It hasn't effected him at all!" Koji griped.
Something close to dismay appeared on Buu's face when Gohan began to move towards him again. That confident smile was still on his face. Involuntarily, Buu took a step backwards.
"What's the matter? Aren't you going to come?" Gohan scoffed. "In that case, I'll go!"
Gohan then vanished, reappearing a second later to kick Buu in the stomach. He easily started to overpower the djinn again, his assault ending with him spinning the monster around by his head tentacle several times before flinging him away. Standing in the path of the direction Buu had been tossed in, the other Z-Senshi hurriedly moved out of the way.
Consequently, Buu crashed into large rock structure. Gohan was on his way to deal more damage to the demon, when a mild explosion from the rock made him stop and touch back down on the earth. Seconds later, the smoke cleared, and Buu unleashed a Chou Makouhou that nearly hit the others on its path toward Gohan had they not jumped out of its way in time.
As soon as the blast was in range, Gohan easily backhanded it away. The beam landed somewhere behind him, resulting in another detonation.
From where he stood, Buu glared lividly at the half-Saiyajin. What would it take for him to take down this annoying insect? Ah, yes, the plan! If he stuck to his plan then he would be able to obtain victory, but there was a slight problem. He couldn't really put his plan into action right now because the timing still wasn't perfect. So, he would just have to endure Gohan until the time came and then…A crooked grin stretched his lips at all the horrible things he would do when that wonderful moment arrived.
Buu then dematerialized, rematerializing across from Gohan. The young warrior fixed him with another disdainful smirk.
"Despite you growing stronger since we last fought," he said, "if this your best Buu, then I'm very disappointed."
The djinn took great exception to that and grimaced very wrathfully at him, steam surging out of the holes on the side of his head. Buu was about to just say the hell with the plan he'd conjured and destroy everything! He would not be made a fool of! But no, he was determined to stick with his scheme! He wouldn't let his anger get the better of him.
His features darkened abruptly as he grinned in mad delight; ah, yes, just like the little dark-haired runt watching the fight nearby, he could smell the scent of that annoying woman he'd altered into an egg earlier on Gohan. Something else had noticed about that was that they also smelled like the one he fought the other day before he killed Babidi. Which meant those two must be...
"Dumb Earthling, why don't you give up already!?" Buu taunted abruptly. "If you do I promise I'll turn you into an egg and smash you into pieces…just like I did your mother!"
Even with his heightened senses, Majin Buu hadn't even seen Gohan move, until a very sharp pain spiked through his entire body. His eyes wide as saucers, his body stiffened in place from where the half-Saiyajin plunged his fist into Buu's gut again.
That blow really hurt!
With an angry growl, Gohan battered Buu some more with another violent flow of strikes. As Buu was hit over and over again, he wondered if enraging his opponent on purpose had been such a brilliant idea.
Miles away from that battlefield, a battered and miserable-looking Mr. Satan strolled aimlessly down a rocky roadway. Down beside his feet, Wan sauntered alongside him, looking just as tired as his owner. They had been walking for what felt like an eternity and still hadn't seen another sign of life.
What had happened to everyone?
He thought about everything that's occurred these past two days and wondered again why this had to happen. Especially after he had gotten the old Majin Buu to promise not to kill anymore?
Mr. Satan paused when he heard a noise behind him. Whirling, he briefly gasped when he saw Wan sprawled ungainly a few inches behind him on the ground, breathing heavily as sweat dripped down his face.
"Wan-chan!" Hastily, the World Champion rushed over and gathered his pet into his arms. "Wan, I know you're tired and hungry boy, but we have to keep moving," he said soothingly, running his finger through Wan's pale fur. "Because if we don't, then we'll eventually die of exhaustion or be eaten alive by vultures or maybe even worse…"
That worse being Majin Buu, because who knew where their former friend was lurking at.
After a while, Mr. Satan began to walk off along the pathway, toting Wan. And after walking for another length of time, luck had finally decided to be on their side when he spotted a city to the east…
KRAAABOOOMMM!
An explosion followed the brilliant flash of light that had briefly encompassed the wasteland after Gohan had just assaulted Buu with a fierce ki bolt. His brother and his friends shielded themselves as the backlash of Gohan's attack lashed out at them.
Soon the light had died out and everything had fallen silent. When it was safe again, the other Z-Senshi dropped their arms from their face and stared up ahead. Gohan stood in front of a long, deep trench that seemed to go on forever, the ground was greatly chewed up. Both of his hands were still stretched and smoke swirled around his thick fingers from where he had fired the gigantic blast.
"Piccolo, do you think that was enough to destroy Majin Buu?" Koji queried when he was able to speak again.
Piccolo gulped and remained silent for another second before he answered. "Well, that was a pretty impressive attack, but we shouldn't get our hopes up too soon. This is Majin Buu we're talking about here."
"Well, if Buu wasn't destroyed last time, Big Brother will get him next time!" Goten said proudly, his face twisted in a mask of confidence.
Standing a short distance away, Amara observed everything without comment.
"Looks like we're about to see if you're right, Goten," Juuhachi-gou said, noticing movement. "Because here comes Buu again."
Up ahead, Gohan glowered as he, too, spotted Majin Buu racing back towards him. As Majin Buu alighted himself in front of Gohan, the dark-haired teenager arched a brow as he noticed there was no trace of malice or anger on Buu's face. Instead, he was chuckling.
"What's so funny?" Gohan asked coolly.
"So, it was you after all."
Gohan stared back at him in bewilderment. "What?"
Buu laughed maniacally. "I knew about it! Ever since I was fighting those runts and those women! Far, far, in a faraway place, I felt a strong power. And I won't stand for any power stronger than mine!"
"So that's it," Gohan realized. "You were testing me, just to make sure that I really was greater than you. Then I guess that's just too bad for you, Majin Buu."
On the sideline, the others listened to Buu's words with expressions of surprise.
"Y-you mean even during the height of that battle, he became conscious of Gohan's existence!?" Piccolo asked, befuddled.
"I-in that case, what in the world was the meaning of that fight with Gotenji and Juumara!?" Koji queried. He exchanged confused looks with Goten.
"It appears Majin Buu is a lot craftier than we thought," Amara remarked with an unreadable expression.
Juuhachi-gou nodded in agreement. "It seems so. Under any capacity can we never underestimate him again. We must expect him to do anything and everything from now on."
"Fool!" Majin Buu roared at Gohan in rage, his eyes flashing a malicious crimson. "I will not stand for you! Absolutely not, absolutely not! I will not stand for you! I'll kill you...RIGHT NOW!"
Gohan immediately zeroed in the last part of Buu's sentence. Was Majin Buu about to try something?
*Maybe not...* Gohan thought when Majin Buu suddenly subsided. What was Buu up to? Gohan quickly got back into a fighting stance as peals of green electricity did an eerie little dance around the Majin's body, with veins bulging rapidly. Yet to Gohan's utter confusion, Buu was making no bid to attack.
"What is he waiting for?" Amara asked Gohan's unspoken question.
"I don't know, but I sure as hell don't like this picture!" Piccolo snarled, something about the way Majin Buu was standing there covered in those green lights, and also the way he twitched made the Namekseijin's skin crawl.
Beside Piccolo, Juuhachi-gou's eyes widened in horror when realization sunk in.
"Gohan, get out of there!" Juuhachi-gou screamed urgently. "He's going critical!"
Piccolo, Amara, Goten, and Koji gasped in dismay.
"Dammit!" Gohan swore. Wasting no time, he hurriedly flew over to the others.
And then, pink light burst violently through Buu's body-
KEEERRRRBBBOOOMMM!
Smoke, dust, and rock fragments filled the region where the battle for the Earth had just raged on only minutes ago. If Gohan and Majin Buu hadn't destroyed everything during their violent brawl, then Buu's desperation attack surely exterminated everything else. Nothing could've survived the attack. Well, not unless you were quick enough to retreat higher into the air to avoid the explosion.
High up over the battle-scarred landscape, Gohan, Piccolo, Juuhachi-gou, Amara, Goten and Koji regarded the roiling smoke below, issuing from another giant crevasse.
"T-thanks, Gohan," Piccolo said gratefully, breaking the silence. "You really saved us."
"No problem."
"Thanks, Big Brother!" Goten said.
"I still can't believe he blew himself up," Koji said.
"Neither can I," Amara murmured, frowning. Almost absentmindedly, she finally regressed back to her normal state.
Juuhachi-gou made no commentary, staring down in quiet contemplation.
Moments later, the five were standing on a cliff overlooking a once lively and peaceful countryside. Not too far from there, they could clearly see the smoke still rising from the spot Buu self-destructed.
"Do you think Majin Buu is really dead?" Piccolo asked Gohan.
"No," Gohan answered succinctly.
The others looked at him in varying levels of surprise.
"He blew himself up, didn't he?" Koji inquired. "He was trying to take you with him."
Gohan's eyes darkened briefly. "That's not it. If he really wanted to catch me in that explosion, it would have to have been much bigger. There'd be nothing left of the Earth."
"What does this mean?" Piccolo exclaimed. "Has he fled? I don't feel his ki at all!"
"Could this be some kind of plan of his?" Amara wondered.
Gohan nodded. "Without a doubt. Even though he can hide his ki just like we can, I can still sense Buu."
"This whole thing gives me a bad feeling," Juuhachi-gou said. "What exactly is that bastard plotting!?"
"It's like he's hiding because he's waiting to attack at the right moment!" Goten said, faintly alarmed.
"If he is still alive, he's done!" Koji said confidently. "He couldn't even touch your brother back there. Gohan's probably almost as strong as Super Gotenji and Super Juumara."
"No, he's stronger!" Goten answered automatically with his usual guilelessness. "He's stronger than both Super Gotenji Level Three and Super Juumara Level Two!"
"Well…maybe he's a little stronger than them," Koji was forced to admit.
Amara glanced at Koji after hearing that, then her eyes shifted back over to Gohan, scrutinizing him. As much as she didn't like it, she knew the kids were right. Gohan's power was definitely greater than Super Gotenji Three and Super Jummara Two. While she, Juuhachi-gou, and the kids struggled against the upgraded Evil Buu-even after they themselves transformed- until the later half of their fight, Gohan just came in and completely overwhelmed the demon from the beginning. Well, if Gohan could defeat Buu before she and her rival were able to form Juumara again, then she certainly wouldn't complain about it.
Meanwhile, within the chasm, underneath the pile of rocks, Buu began to slowly reconstruct himself. Yes, that attack had taken a lot out of him, but it was worth it. Just like he plotted, the fools rushed away from the scene thinking he was defeated. Inwardly, Buu cackled wickedly; yes they truly were fools! And when the time came to set the next part of his scheme into his motion, that Earthling who'd dared to become stronger than him would never be able to touch him ever again.
"All right, Gohan did it!" Goku whooped, jumping to his feet. He leaped into the air in joy.
By the crystal ball, both Kaioushin and Kibito cheered as well. The Universe was safe once again, and Majin Buu was finally destroyed.
Up on the hill, Rou Kaioushin glanced up from his manga and over at his younger counterpart and the others. He shook his head toward them in quiet condescension. *What simple-minded people those three are. Majin Buu is far from being destroyed. In fact, things are still just beginning…*
"It really is good to see you again, Gohan," Piccolo said, placing a clawed hand on Gohan's broad shoulder.
Gohan smiled as he looked up at his mentor.
"It's good to see you, too, Piccolo," Gohan replied. He looked toward his brother and the others. "All of you."
"Enough mush, boy!" Amara broke in, getting impatient with the sentimental scene, especially since there were some questions to be answered. "Now that Majin Buu is out of the way for the moment, care to tell us where you've been licking your wounds at all this time? And how come you're able to fight Buu, whose stronger than the one who your father faced as a Super Saiyajin Three and said he couldn't beat, without transforming?"
"I'm curious about that as well," Piccolo admitted.
Gohan sighed and smiled, thinking he had kept them in the dark long enough. "Well it's like this…after getting hit by a big-time ki blast from the original Majin Buu, I was sure that was the end of me, but then Kaioushin-sama and Kibito-san had found me. Kibito used his healing powers to restore me. Afterwards, they took me back to their world, the Kaioushin Realm, to prepare me to challenge Majin Buu again. And while I was training Dad showed up-"
"Goku's in the Kaioushin Realm!?" Piccolo interrupted, surprised by the news. Subsequently, he recalled what the Uchuushin said to Goku before he went back to Other World. *So that's what Kosumo-sama meant...*
Gohan negligently copied one of his father's gestures by bringing a hand to the back of his head and laughing. "It's really kind of hard to explain, really. After Dad had showed up, we accidentally broke the Z-Sword I was planning on using against Majin Buu, and inside was another Kaioushin-sama, an ancestor of the one we know." Gohan informed, which truly shocked Piccolo that time. "Seeing that the sword couldn't be used anymore, Elder Kaioushin had me undergo a ritual to awaken my dormant power inside of me, and now I can use it without needing to be angry first like in the past. And that's why it took me so long to get back here. I'm really sorry I hadn't been here for you guys."
"It's all right, Gohan-oniisan," Goten told him. "We're just glad you're back now!"
"Yeah!" Koji agreed.
"So, what do we do now?" Juuhachi-gou inquired.
"Normally, I would have suggested we go collect the Dragonballs," Piccolo said, his countenance grim. "However, now that Dende is dead, the Dragonballs are just ordinary stones now.
In the face of Piccolo's bleak words, Gohan smiled.
"Actually, Piccolo…Dende's still alive," he announced.
"He is!?" Piccolo blurted as he glanced back at Gohan in unbelief.
Gohan nodded reassuringly. "It's faint, but you can still feel his ki."
Immediately, the others closed their eyes in concentration, searching out into the ravaged world for the young god's ki.
"I-it's true!" Piccolo said, breaking out into a grin. "I feel him!"
"I've found him!" Juuhachi-gou and Amara said at the same time.
"Yeah, I can tell, too!" Goten exclaimed.
"He's over that way!" Koji said, pointing in the direction he felt the familiar energy from.
Piccolo smiled. "Yes, now we can still use the Dragonballs! We can revive everybody and everything Buu destroyed!"
"Who has the Dragon Radar?" Gohan asked.
"Hoshi gave it to me," Piccolo answered.
His expression hardening again, Gohan added, "Let's hurry and find him. There's no telling when Buu will reappear again."
Shortly, the six fighters were airborne, searching for Dende. They had flown for quite a bit before movement from below caught Juuhachi-gou's eye. Wondering if it might be Buu, she stopped completely to confirm it; the others noticed this and paused as well.
"Is something wrong, Mama?" Koji asked.
"Humph!" Juuhachi-gou said, disdain decorating her face. However, it wasn't directed at her son, it was aimed at the figure she saw moving beneath them. It wasn't Buu, nevertheless, it someone almost as unwelcoming as the Majin was. "Of course he of all people would still be alive after everything that's happened."
As the others wondered who the Jinzouningen was talking about, she pointed earthward. They turned in one motion. Where Juuhachi-gou pointed, they could all make out a very, very familiar person walking through the desert below them, carrying a puppy.
"Eh! That's Mr. Satan!" Gohan said in surprise.
"Why does Mr. Satan have to be the only person to survive?" Koji asked sullenly. "He sure is a tough one, though."
"Let's go pick him up," Gohan decided.
"Why?" Amara asked irritably. "A nuisance like him will just get in the way."
"I'll go get him," Juuhachi-gou surprisingly volunteered. Ignoring the questioning stares from her son and the others, she swooped down quickly and silently.
With no ki-sensing abilities and just plain tired, both Mr. Satan and Wan had been unaware of the Z-Senshi hovering over them. They were just trying to reach safe grounds again after the convenient store they found shelter in was demolished in a mysterious blast. Satan was so exhausted that he didn't see the rock in front of him and promptly tripped and lost his balance. But before the two could hit the ground, they were aloft and amazingly didn't fall.
"Huh?" Satan thought he was finally starting to lose his mind, when he saw he and Wan were heading further away from the ground. What in the world? Closing his eyes and shaking his head, Satan then took another look back down. His face slowly twisted into confoundment when he saw he was several yards away from the ground. Soon, he became aware that arms were wrapped firmly around his waist. Gazing around, horror covered Satan's face when he saw the beautiful, smirking face of Juuhachi-gou.
"I-it's you!" he exclaimed. "J-Juuhachi-gou!"
"Don't think I'll let you get away from me that easy!" she told him frostily. "You're not weaseling your way out of our deal by dying out here in the desert!"
"Ou-our deal?" Mr. Satan asked. And then he remembered it, the deal that was made between them back at the tournament where Juuhachi-gou would let him win in exchange for twenty million zenni. "Oh, that one."
"Normally, I would have added on an extra million for saving you," Juuhachi-gou added. "But lucky for you, I'm in an agreeable mood right now."
"T-thank you!" While that was a relief to hear, Mr. Satan still felt like crying over the whole matter.
Successively, he became aware of the other figures surrounding him, Wan, and Juuhachi-gou. On his right: the green man, the woman who had attacked the arena and the boy, who resembled Juuhachi-gou a little, that punched him into a wall during their exhibition match after the Junior Tenkaichi Tournament. To the left was the little boy who was undoubtedly the son of that guy who fought Majin Buu. And lastly, in front of him was the very boy who had flown away from the tournament with his daughter.
"You're here, too!?"
Hearing him, Gohan glanced his way and smiled. "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Satan-san."
"Uhh, umm, hi," Mr. Satan replied awkwardly.
"Hey! There's Dende down there!" Gohan stated when he abruptly glimpsed a familiar figure down below, waving at them from atop of a rock formation. Staring earthward, the others also spotted the young Kami.
In a short matter of time, the group had reached the Namekseijin-deity's location and dropped down in front of him.
"Piccolo-san! Everyone! You're all here!" Dende beamed joyously, running over to greet them, grasping Piccolo's hands.
"Dende, how in the hell were you able to survive?" Piccolo asked, extremely glad that he was still alive. "I was certain that Majin Buu had turned you into food and ate you like he did the others!"
Dende was crestfallen as he had to answer his mentor's question; releasing Piccolo's hands, he turned the other way.
"Actually, it was Popo-san who saved me. See, before Majin Buu could hit either of us he managed to push me off the Tenka in time, telling me that the Dragonballs must remain active for you guys to use them."
"Then we owe Mr. Popo a whole lot of gratitude," Piccolo remarked, clapping a clawed hand on the younger Namekseijin's shoulder. "And as soon as he can collect all of the Dragonballs, we're going to wish Mr. Popo and everyone else back to life!"
Behind the two green aliens, Satan eyed Dende curiously. Although he had seen the older-looking alien at the Cell Games years ago, this was his first time seeing the other one. Wanting some answers, he turned to the closest person to him, which was Koji.
"Say, who's that guy with the sickly complexion?" he whispered. "He looks kinda important."
Koji scowled in annoyance at the adult's incompetence. "Idiot, that's Dende-sama! The Kami-sama of Earth! Don't you know anything?"
"The God of Earth…?" Mr. Satan echoed thoughtfully, then glanced back at Dende in amazement. "H-him!?"
Amara's scowl shifted from Satan to Juuhachi-gou.
"Che! I told you should've just left that idiot back in the desert," she grumbled.
"I don't like it either," Juuhachi-gou said, tucking some of her hair behind her left ear. "But that guy owes me big. That's why I saved him."
"Wait a minute, where's my daughter!?" Mr. Satan demanded when he'd gotten over his baffling discovery over who Dende was. "Is she around here somewhere?"
Gohan lowered his head despondently, hating to have the be the bearer of bad news. Walking over to a nearby large rock, he took a seat on it, then he looked directly at Videl's father.
"Well, you see…" he began uncomfortably.
"She's dead!?" Mr. Satan exclaimed shortly in horror after Gohan had finished telling him the truth. "No not her, not my one and only baby girl!"
The World Champion frowned as he whirled blazing eyes on Gohan.
"And just where the hell were you when all of this was going on!? You're supposed to be her boyfriend, right!?" Mr. Satan demanded angrily, as he stepped in Gohan's face and grabbed a fistful of the front of his gi shirt; being a father who was just told his daughter was gone, right now he could care less about how much stronger the teen was than him. "Why the hell didn't you protect her!?"
Gohan appeared even glummer as he really couldn't blame Mr. Satan for being so crossed at him. He was mad at himself for not being there for Videl, his mother, and the rest of his friends.
"Look Mr. Satan... I'm really sorry, but I promise I'll wish Videl back with the others as soon as I can get the Dragonballs!"
Mr. Satan's angry face changed into confusion. "Dragonballs? What are Dragonballs?"
"I think it would be less stressful for all of us if we just show him instead of trying to explain it to him," Juuhachi-gou said bitingly. Her son and Goten nodded in assent.
In the next instant, those who could sense ki stiffened, their eyes enlarging in surprise and a bit of dismay.
Mr. Satan noted their expressions. "Hey, what's wrong with you guys?"
"I-it's Majin Buu!" Dende said apprehensively.
Amara swore, while the kids gulped and tried to put on brave faces. Gohan and Juuhachi-gou only scowled.
"W-what!? Buu's coming here!?" Mr. Satan asked, eyes wide.
"He's coming back for another fight already?" Piccolo growled, finding the whole thing suspicious. "Could something have changed in the hour that's gone by?"
Soon, everyone could see a fully revitalized Majin Buu approaching them at breakneck speed. His face battle-ready again, Gohan rose to his feet on the rock.
"This time, I'll finish Buu for sure!" he vowed. Glancing at the others, he told them, "Everyone, be careful not to get caught between us."
With those words, Gohan took off to go meet Buu in a charge of ki. He alighted at a distance where he thought the others wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. Even so, the rest still found nearby vantage points so they could watch the impending battle. Within minutes, Buu had finally disembarked on a ledge a short space away from Gohan.
"Buu!" Satan called out angrily from beside a rock, with Wan right beside him. "Why did you kill everyone!? You promised me, didn't you? That you wouldn't kill anymore, right?"
Buu laughed dementedly, paying the World Champion no attention. His eyes were focused only on Gohan.
"Don't you know who I am, Buu?" Satan asked dejectedly.
"It's no use!" Piccolo told him. "He's not the same Buu you knew!"
Mr. Satan balked at the Namekseijin's words. It just couldn't be true! Even if Buu was different now, there just had to be some of the old Buu left within him, right? In a stroke of inspiration, Satan picked up Wan and looked back to Buu.
"L-look! This is the cute little guy you saved!" Satan reminded him. "See how lively he's gotten?"
Buu still ignored him.
"Didn't I tell you it was useless?" Piccolo growled, never taking his eyes off Majin Buu. "Stop it, already. You'll get in the way of Gohan's fighting!"
Mr. Satan was about to protest against Piccolo, when he looked at the green fighter's face and saw the austere expression on it. Deflating, he turned back to Wan and caressed his head.
"What does he want me to do?" he muttered helplessly. "Damn..."
"About time you showed up again," Gohan said, clenching his fists at his sides, a lopsided smile on his face. "Let's settle this once and for all!"
Unexpectedly, Majin Buu snapped out his hand to forestall the half-Saiyajin.
"Wait! Before we fight again, I'd like to have another go at those fighters from before!" Buu appealed, pointing towards the kids and the women.
The Warriors and Dende gaped at him questioningly. Then Gohan quickly retorted, "Request denied. Your battle is with me!"
Majin Buu chuckled. Ah, yes, he'd already predicted Gohan would say something like this, and he was prepared for it.
"But first I want to settle things with them!" Buu replied. "I'll save you for last!"
"I don't understand," Gohan said. "Why be so backwards all of a sudden? I'm the one you really want to defeat, right!?"
Ignoring him, Buu kept speaking to Juuhachi-gou, Amara, and the kids. "What's the matter, you four? Are you afraid to fight me? Ha! I knew it; they were nothing more than talk to begin with. Finding out that they're actually cowards isn't really surprising!"
He inwardly cackled with wicked joy when he saw the four look openly offended by his comment.
"Who are you calling a coward!?" Koji retorted accordingly. "Last time I checked, you would've been toast if our time hadn't run out!"
"Then why don't you show me that near win of yours wasn't a fluke after all!" Majin Buu countered.
Howbeit, as he spoke, his back rippled in three places. Suddenly, those three sectors of his skin slid off his back, more of his odd tissues and muscles refilling the missing sections. The three globs pooled onto the ground unnoticeably and began to slither stealthily toward the Z-Senshi.
Amara grinned horribly as she stepped forward. "Well, if you're in such a hurry to die, then we'd be more than happy to oblige you!" she told him, glancing sideways at Juuhachi-gou. The other woman looked right back at her and gave her a brief nod of understanding.
"Ready, Goten?" Koji smirked, glancing over his shoulder. Goten nodded, his face a mask of pure determination.
At the same time, the four disappeared, both sets of Fusion partners reappearing respectively on the two rocks in front of Gohan.
"Looks like I've been outvoted," he said in resignation. Having no other choice to, Gohan stepped aside…for now.
Piccolo's eyes narrowed suspiciously when he observed Majin Buu's grin widening as Amara, Juuhachi-gou, Goten and Koji moved into position to begin their personal Fusion processes.
*Something about this isn't right,* Piccolo thought apprehensively. *He seems to really want them to become Juumara and Gotenji real badly. I don't like the feel of this.*
Dende, who had taken cover with Mr. Satan and Wan behind some rocks further back, was thinking the same thing.
Meanwhile, the boys were in the process of the doing the Fusion Pose while the women stood side-by-side, their bodies already glowing and starting to draw into one another.
"FUSION…HAAAA!" the kids shouted at the same time.
Prevailing those words, Juuhachi-gou, Amara, Koji and Goten fused simultaneously. Everyone except for Majin Buu and Gohan shielded their faces as blue-white fury blinded them for several minutes.
"Oh, so this is Fusion!" Gohan said, astounded.
When everything cleared, Juumara and Gotenji stood where four people stood only seconds ago, the former a Super Saiyajin Two while the latter was a Super Saiyajin Three, but both ready for action.
Majin Buu's cold, calculating eyes sparkled with sinister delight; the fools had fallen for his bait. The trap was sprung, and now he only had to reel them in.
"I-incredible..." Mr. Satan said, looking completely mystified. "For four people to become two...t-this just can't be real!"
Gotenji gave Majin Buu the victory sign. "Dum, dum, dum! It's the Grim Reaper of Justice, Super Gotenji Three!"
"All right, Majin Buu. You got your wish, here we are!" Juumara told him, her energies searing around her. "And this time, I am going to kill you!"
Majin Buu only grinned, which served to heightened Piccolo's suspicions of their being foul-play at work. In the meantime, the three globs had successfully slipped under the Z-Senshi defenses, journeying ever closer to their primary targets.
But Majin Buu's tactic didn't go entirely undetected. Within Satan's clutches, Wan started growling when he noticed the three globules slinking around.
Mr. Satan stared down at Wan quizzically as the dog started squirming wildly in his arms.
"Hey Wan, what's the matter, boy?" he asked in concern.
Dende frowned mildly when he saw Wan wriggling desperately to escape his owner's grasp. What had gotten the puppy riled up? As he glanced back over at the scene before them for clues, his face paled when he caught sight of the three Buu globs slinking across the rocky ground towards...Piccolo, Juumara, and Gotenji.
"WATCH OUT!" Dende shouted at the last second.
Hearing the urgency in Dende's voice, the three he was trying to warn pivoted around just in time to see the fragments of Buu's skin rise up like walls before crashing down on them. Now caught in Buu's essences, the three struggled with all their might to escape, but in the end, it proved futile as the globs soon devoured them.
"N-no!" Gohan screamed consternatedly.
Majin Buu's eyes glinted deadly pink lights as he flung his head back in let out a long bark of laughter, sending out a wordless order for the globs to return to him with his captives. The order was received, as the gobbets rose into the air and summarily made their way back to their owner. The gobbets affixed themselves back onto Majin Buu, covering his head/face and his upper body, molding as one whole skin while reconfiguring the horrible demon. After some time, the transmutation came to an end, and those who remained were stunned at the sight of the transformed djinn.
Majin Buu guffawed manically as he showcased his new self. He was now dressed in a black vest- Gotenji's vest- and his forelock almost touched the earth now. Finally, Buu spoke, his voice startling rich and cultured.
"Feast your eyes on the mightiest Majin, Gohan-kun!" he boasted. "Because this moment in history will never come again!"
To Be Continued
