Chapter 39: Fellness
Author: Rocket (a.k.a. Roketto/RyunoOhi); Editors: Elbadj, Devilman337, & Renalto
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I don't own DBZ or its associated franchises. That's Akira Toriyama's product & pride. I only tenuously own my own O.C.s created for this fandom, & my speculative theories on Arcosians & other things DBZ never delved into. If you would like to use either, feel free, as long as you give me credit & a link back! I'd love to see my ideas become accepted fanon. So with that, welcome back to the action!
Private Seagul couldn't stop himself from glancing over his shoulder several times as the military jeep bumped and rumbled its way around some of the rubble on the outskirts of West City.
"Better stop doing that son," Sergeant Krane said, snapping the private's attention back to the road, "Best not to disturb him. Besides, you need to keep your eyes on the road."
"Yes sir," Seagul said, stealing a glance in the rear view mirror. How could he not? Mr. Satan himself was sitting in the back seat. The hero of Earth was composed, sitting with one leg over the other, his arms crossed and his head tilted down, something approaching a rueful smile on his face, which Seagul found incredible given what he'd signed up to do. The general had phoned him up, and he had accepted straight away. When they had come around for volunteers to drive Mr. Satan into West City to confront Babidi and Buu, Seagul had been quaking at the knees with terror. He'd only just managed to get over his cowardice and put himself forward when it was clear nobody else was going to and when he thought about how Mr. Satan hadn't paused before putting himself forward to save the planet. That was why he was a hero he guessed.
"We're going to have to stop soon," Krane announced, "We're getting in closer to the center, where Babidi has concentrated his people. We don't want the noise giving us away."
Seagul gulped, but Mr. Satan said nothing. "How can he be so calm?" Seagul said, "Doesn't he know what he's getting into?"
"He knows full well son, that's why he's preparing himself." Krane tapped on the dashboard. The grizzled old man smiled conspiratorially. "You hear that noise beneath the jeep engines, a sort of low thrumming sound?"
Seagul concentrated. Yes, there it was. A low vibrating noise was echoing around the car. "What is that?" he asked.
"That's Mr. Satan," Krane said, with a smile, "You see, the old martial arts masters were capable of incredible feats, punching through walls, leaping into the air, flying, shooting pure energy from their hands... All that stuff you saw at the recent iteration of the tournament; that used to be the stuff of legend. They could do that kind of stuff because they could concentrate ki, a sort of life force energy within the body." He nodded at Mr Satan. "That's what he's doing now, he's concentrating his ki, getting himself ready for the battle ahead."
"Amazing…" Seagul breathed, "I had no idea...no idea he was capable of that. I've never seen him do anything like that before."
"Of course not!" Krane snorted, "The previous competitors at the tournament were all wet behind the ears kids who probably thought ki was a type of tea. He couldn't use it on them because he'd just walk it, or potentially kill them. He must have been gutted that he announced he was retiring and then all those super martial artists turned up at this tournament." Krane nodded to himself, with a smile of regret at what might have been. "Now come on, let's keep quiet. Give him the space he needs to prepare himself."
"Yes sir!" Seagul said, keeping his eyes fixed on the road with a new determination and focus, his admiration for the hero increased.
'What the hell am I doing?!' Beneath the well-practiced calm exterior, Mr. Satan was a riot of panic, his heart hammering in his chest so hard he was sure the other occupants of the jeep could hear it. 'I'm going to my death, I just know it! Just when I was thinking I might enjoy retirement...' he groaned under his breath, careful to keep his head bowed so that the military suits wouldn't see his face screwed up in anguish. 'This Babidi guy is bad news, and that Buu monster's even worse from the looks of that footage they showed me at the briefing...' His jaw set, Mr. Satan furtively glanced out the window at the ruins of West City. This wasn't anything close to what he was qualified for. He'd come to understand, in the wake of that whole New Vegeta debacle, just how powerless he was in the universe. Heck, if he'd known that Haabu had been a threat, he never in a million years would have gotten that close to him, much less agree to an impromptu fighting expo with the creep. He'd lost track of Goku and his friends after they flew off earlier at the tournament, but he had a sinking feeling that this time, even they might be outgunned. He frowned deeply, pulling his cell phone out again. He'd called and texted Videl, but there was no sign of a response. 'Man, I hope she's just broken the damn phone by accident again. I won't even be mad. Just please, please let my little girl be okay...' he prayed.
"Haa...choo! Ugh, I think I must've gotten some dirt up my nose..." Videl sniffed, rubbing her nose. "So, should I even ask why the Z-Sword is heavy as hell, or is that some big secret?"
Kibito looked down his nose at her with disdain. "It holds the weight of hardship and responsibility," he said, "We Kaioushin are a race of creators, so it is against our nature to fight to kill. The sacred sword provides an exception, but its weight makes wielding it a conscious burden, to remind us not to take death lightly."
"...Did it sound like he just made all that up on the spot, or is it just me?" Videl stage-whispered to Gohan, "He could just admit that he doesn't know any more about this thing than we do."
"Well, he has a point, even if it's conjecture," Gohan pointed out, "Be nice. After all, we're pinning all our hopes on this sword, so it'd better be as grand as any legendary blade if it's gonna stand up to Buu."
"Point taken," the girl shrugged. She stretched both hands over her head, sighing as her shoulders popped. "So who's gonna train to use it?"
"Huh?" Gohan cocked his head to the side, "Well I mean...no offense Videl, but you can't even lift it..."
The raven-haired human sighed. "Yeah, I figured you'd say that. You'd better give it your all then, Wonder Boy— no slacking."
"Haha, I'll do my best," Gohan laughed awkwardly. He strained, lifting the heavy blade from the ground. "It really is heavy...I'll bet it's so you build muscle and dexterity training with it. Right, Lord Kaioushin?"
"Indeed," Shin nodded, "That would be logical."
"Okay then, no time like the present... Hya!" Gohan swung the sword, grunting at the effort it took to keep from pitching forward with its weight.
"So Gohan, have you ever trained with any type of weapon?" Videl asked, "I thought you and your Dad just did unarmed martial arts."
"It's a funny story, actually," Gohan huffed, dragging the Z-Sword through the air, "Piccolo actually gave me a sword when I was a kid, to surv— I mean, to train with." He shrugged. "So I know the basics."
"Wait, when was this?" Videl laughed, "You're not much older than me, and I can't imagine anyone giving a little kid a sword."
"You don't know Mr. Piccolo very well, then," Gohan grinned, slowly extending the sword in a thrust, keeping his feet planted, "He started training me when I was...four years old, I think?" He scrunched up his face, thinking. "Yeah, that's about right."
"No way," Videl croaked incredulously, her eyes bugged out, a twitchy smile on her frazzled face, "No offense Gohan, but you and your friends are kinda crazy."
"Haha, well, that's nothing, really," Gohan said casually, as though embarrassed, "Plus it was for a good reason at the time. I'm really grateful to Piccolo for a lot of things, but I think the fact he saw potential in me, and wanted to foster it..." He paused, sweat dripping, as he lowered the sword, "...I think that more than anything else means the most to me. He put faith in me with no guarantee it'd pay off. I want to think that I've made him proud, but..." He clenched his teeth, eyes shining wetly.
"But what? If you think for one moment I'm not proud of you Gohan, you're dead wrong."
Gohan gasped, the Z-Sword falling from his hands. "Piccolo! Wha-? How? Y-you're here!" he stuttered in shock at the Namekian, who had appeared in the sky of the sacred world.
"Yeah well, King Enma owed me one," Piccolo grumbled with a smirk as he floated down, "Turns out knowing your Dad isn't just a pain in the neck, and there are some perks after all."
"I...I'm so sorry...for what happened..." the half-Saiyan trailed off.
"Gohan." Piccolo strode up to the lanky young man — just when had he gotten so tall? — and gently rested his hand on his shoulder. "Like I said before, if you don't think I'm proud of you, you're dead wrong. Don't blame yourself for my flaws; that's the only thing that let Babidi control me, and even then, you got through to me. You're my student, my legacy. The greatest thing I will ever produce."
Gohan's eyes welled up, before he blinked the stubborn tears away. "...Thanks Mr. Piccolo. I was feeling really lost without you or my Dad around, and Buu... He's just so monstrous, I don't know how I'm going to beat him."
"The way I see it, our only shot is to force Babidi to reseal him. Do you agree, Kai?" Piccolo asked.
"Absolutely," the Kaioushin nodded, "Although Babidi is a monster in his own right, at least we know he can die."
"To that end, we'll need to catch Babidi off his guard, ideally when Buu isn't right on top of him," Piccolo thought out loud, "Doing that will ensure that he can't just order Buu to blow us away and save him. Maybe a distraction is in order, so that one of us keeps Buu occupied while Gohan catches him alone and forces him to seal the monster."
"Sure, sounds good," Gohan nodded, "Only...who do we have left who can stand up to Buu without getting creamed?"
"Goku, Vegeta, and Frieza are still alive on Earth," the Kaioushin noted, "I can contact them when we are ready to enact our plan, and working together they'll certainly be able to keep Buu busy."
"Working together? Those three? For a god, you have far too much faith in mortals," Piccolo chuckled.
"Are you insulting a Kai, Namek?" Kibito growled dangerously.
"Not at all. Just pointing out the obvious," Piccolo smirked, "You don't know Vegeta or Frieza, and while Goku can be a team player when the chips are down, Frieza would rather die, and Vegeta will inevitably break away to fight Buu solo to satisfy his ego."
"Regrettably, you may just be right about that," Shin sighed, "I was unprepared before because I failed to notice the darkness in their hearts — I won't have them be a liability again, with so much at stake." The air seemed to become heavier in the wake of that remark, with all of them falling silent, at a loss for further strategies.
Then, Gohan grunted, picking up the Z-Sword anew. "Well, whatever we end up doing, I'm gonna train as much as possible so I can fulfill my role in the plan. I'm not gonna be weak or hesitant ever again. Not with this enemy. Not with the whole planet, no, the universe, at stake. If we can't rely on my Dad and the others, well..." He gritted his teeth, leaping and slashing the blade through the air, landing solidly without losing his footing. "...I'll just have to protect everyone in their stead."
Videl nodded with determination in her eyes. "That's right. We can't depend on our parents to take care of things forever...or at all, in my case... So we've gotta step up! I'm not bowing out of this fight either, so I'll train as well."
"Heh. She's a good match for you, Gohan," Piccolo shook his head, laughing, as Videl walked away.
"W-what do you mean by that, Mr. Piccolo?!" Gohan countered nervously, nearly dropping the sword as a blush crept through his face.
"...nothing. Now concentrate, Gohan! It's been a while since you've swung a sword, and it's obvious your technique needs work," the Namek quickly retorted in a gruff tone.
"Yes sir!" Gohan said, settling himself back into a ready stance and trying to remember his swordwork from when he was a kid.
As Videl moved away, Shin broke away from where he was standing with Kibito, who was observing Gohan's training. Shin cleared his throat. "Uh, Miss Videl?" he said.
Videl paused and turned around. "Hi," she said, "is there something I can help you with?"
"I owe you an apology," the Kai said, "I underestimated you, was dismissive of you. But you did something no Kai was able to do, and quite easily in the end. For that I am sorry." He bowed slightly to show his contrition. "You've taught me that I still have much more to learn," he said ruefully.
"Oh that's fine," Videl said with a smile, "I'm a woman on Earth: believe me when I say that being underestimated and dismissed is more or less a daily reality. Even for the daughter of Mr Satan."
Shin laughed, having absolutely no idea what she was talking about. "Nevertheless, I would like to offer something as a token of atonement. If you would permit me, I would be willing to offer you some training."
"Training?" Videl cocked her head, "Sounds good, but what kind of training?"
"Mastery of ki would be most beneficial I think," the lavender-skinned god hummed in thought, "You have a natural talent for it."
"Nah, I'm good, I've got that down," Videl shrugged.
Shin smiled. "Miss Videl—"
"Just Videl is fine," the human cut him off.
The deity gave a small sigh. "Videl. What would you say is a key difference between, say, a martial artist and a street brawler? In terms of technique?"
The girl scrunched up her face in thought, clearing anticipating a riddle of some sort. "Oh, well I guess...the thing you see with street brawlers is that they make a load of unnecessary movements. They're sloppy, swing too wide, so they tire out faster and leave themselves open..." It clicked. "Are you saying it's the same thing with ki?" she asked.
"Yes," Shin said, "If you can please produce a ball of energy for me?"
Videl raised her hand and concentrated. A moment later an orb of energy flickered and hovered over her palm.
Shin nodded. "As I thought, your production of ki is a little on the sloppy side; you're losing much more energy and needing more effort to do it than you should."
"Huh...I never realized..." She dissipated the ki ball. "Gohan was a crummy teacher then, huh?" she said with a laugh.
Shin smiled. "I think that's harsh. The problem with Saiyans is that they have such large reserves to draw upon, and ever expanding reserves really, that they don't notice it so much. But for you, with a comparatively much smaller pool to draw on, it's a bit more of an issue. With my training, though, I can help maximize the efficiency. In theory, you should be able to overall become much stronger."
Videl grinned. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"
"I can tell you'll be an eager student and a quick study. Come." Shin smiled back and gestured for her to sit down, doing the same.
He sensed the energy signature coming and the bundle of anxiety within his body shot higher. Chiaotzu ran outside and watched as the figure approached. He squinted but he could only see one… 'Oh no...Don't tell me...' The fear gripped him stronger.
Frieza dropped out of the sky and landed on the field. They both looked at each other, neither saying anything, neither daring to speak.
"Ten...Tenshinhan...Is he..?" Chiaotzu asked tentatively. It was a stupid question. But he had to ask.
Frieza didn't reply. He couldn't. 'What could I even say to erase this?' he thought, 'After this... They'll never...'
Chiaotzu looked closer and saw the mark emblazoned on Frieza's forehead. "Frieza...what is that, is that..?"
Jarred out of his inner turmoil, the Arcosian snapped his head up, meeting Chiaotzu's eyes, before quickly averting them. "It's nothing..." Frieza snarled. He turned his head away, as if in shame, and then walked forward, past Chiaotzu and through the door to the house. Chiaotzu looked back over his shoulder and stared at the house for a long time.
Vegeta stood at the banister looking out onto the horizon. The clouds had parted and he could see the curve of the Earth, such was the height of the Lookout. He wasn't looking at it though, his mind was elsewhere. His hands gripped the banister and tightened.
'I hate you!'
The banister cracked in his grip.
"Hey man."
He snapped out of it and glanced over his shoulder. Yamcha stood leaning at the door, his hands in his pockets. Vegeta scoffed and turned away, crossing his arms.
"Did Kakarot send you?" he demanded.
"Nope," Yamcha said, walking forward a little, "I just decided to come along and see how you were doing."
"Wanting to revel were you?" he asked bitterly.
"Revel? Why would I want to do that?" the human asked, looking hurt.
"I assumed, after I took your woman, you would delight in the opportunity," Vegeta said.
"Huh. Well I'm surprised to know you cared enough about that," Yamcha mused, shrugging, "I figured you didn't even consider me a factor, much less competition. Not that I made it hard for you." Vegeta snorted in derision and Yamcha chuckled. He stepped forward and crossed his arms on the banister, leaning down on it and looking out. "She was never my woman you know," he said after a moment, "Just as she isn't yours. She's her own person. I was upset about it, but you know, we were never quite right for one another and I think we both knew that, deep down. And sure, it hurt when she shacked up with you, the guy who killed me but—"
"I didn't kill you, a Saibaman did the job," the Saiyan sneered acidly.
"Yes, yes, yes," Yamcha interrupted, flicking his hand, "Minor details, we can skip that. As I was saying, it hurt, but you know it makes sense. You challenge her in ways that I couldn't, and she does the same with you. You don't tolerate her bullshit, just as she doesn't tolerate yours. It works in a weird way."
"Is there a point to this rambling?" Vegeta interjected.
Yamcha shook his head. "Not really, I'm just shooting shit."
"Fine then, you can do so on your own." He turned around and walked away.
"You know she sees something in you that others don't," Yamcha said without turning around, "as do Goku and Trunks."
Vegeta froze. He glanced back over his shoulder with a warning growl. "Be very careful, human, I'm not in the mood."
Yamcha nonchalantly swung around and rested his arms on the banister. "Why, what are you going to do? Kill me? The Dragonballs will sort that; pretty sure Shenron would still consider that murder."
"Not if Buu annihilates everything first," Vegeta muttered.
"Well in that case we'd be having a reunion soon. Either in heaven or hell," Yamcha smirked.
"Keh..." Vegeta turned away.
Yamcha sighed. "Look, man. I know you've got issues and problems and had a hard history. I can understand that. My parents abandoned me when I was a kid and I became a bandit in a desert, just to survive. Not on the same scale, I know, but all the same. I know you've got walls and layers of defenses in place and that's fine. I'm not asking you to open up or anything like that." He paused. "But there is a little kid out there who thinks you're a hero. And he's very upset and confused right now.."
"I don't—"
"Don't bother," Yamcha said, waving his hand, "People don't crack banisters in frustration because they don't care about someone's view." He stepped off and walked forward. "It's okay to admit you messed up. It'd probably do him some good to know. And to be honest, he doesn't really care about you turning evil or anything. I guess he figures that a wizard can probably do stuff like that. What's really hurting him is the sense that that horrible, nagging feeling that's followed him all through his life is true: that you really don't care about him or Bulma. It probably wouldn't hurt to let him know that you do." He paused. Vegeta was looking past him, staring into space. Yamcha sighed and headed for the door. "Just think about it," he said, stepping out, "That's all I'm saying."
Vegeta said nothing. He stood alone for a moment before moving back to the banister and staring out to the horizon again, running his gloved fingers over the splintered banister.
"Well, here we are..." Krane said, as he poked his head above the piece of rubble. Mr. Satan and Seagul were crouched behind him, and opposite them was the palace where Babidi had set himself up. The place was deserted, all of Babidi's goons out managing the work camps that had been established. For that reason it had been relatively easy for them to sneak through the streets without anyone catching them.
"They're not even bothering to keep it defended, the arrogant bastards," Seagul muttered, stealing a glance at the place, "That's certainly going to be their undoing."
"We can but hope." With that statement Krane and Seagul looked back over at Mr. Satan.
He exuded calm and nodded his head. "I promise you I will do my best," he declared, "And my best is always good enough."
The two soldiers smiled, reassured. "We believe in you, Mr. Satan, sir," Private Seagul whispered, almost reverently. Mr. Satan crouched down and put his hands on their backs, and Seagul felt himself tense involuntarily at the touch from his hero.
"Now, listen to me very carefully," Mr. Satan said, "What I'm going to do here may look strange, it may look unbelievable, but I need you boys to keep the faith. Don't doubt and don't panic. Whatever you see out there, know that Mr. Satan has a plan and everything he does is going according to that plan."
Seagul and Krane nodded. "Of course," Krane said, "We understand completely." He swallowed. "I know we can't amount to much here, but if you would like us to provide support..." He trailed off, but Seagul nodded his support.
Mr. Satan laughed. "That's what I like to see! You two have plenty of courage in you. And thank you for your offer, but it's not needed. I couldn't allow you to go into such a dangerous place."
"Okay," Krane said, "But we'll be hanging about in the city, keeping an eye on things and doing some recon around these work camps. If you need anything, you just get in contact. You have your transponder?"
Mr. Satan jiggled his backpack. "In the bag, along with some other surprises for Babidi and his pet monster.."
"Then best of luck to you sir," Krane said, holding out a hand, "It's been an honor."
Mr. Satan took his hand. "Likewise."
"Go get 'em Mr. Satan," Seagul said, also shaking hands with him, Mr. Satan smiling in reply.
The hero of Earth stood up and the soldiers watched, wide-eyed, as he boldly strode across the road, through the gates and up to the front doors of the palace. "Buu!" he shouted, "Babidi!"
'That is the bravest man I have ever seen...' Seagul thought, 'How can he just march up there openly like that?!'
Mr. Satan stood, hands on his hips, staring up at the palace for a long, tense moment. Then first Buu, and then Babidi himself, emerged from the palace to glare down at him.
"Who are you?" Babidi called, "You must either be very brave or very foolish to come marching up here."
Mr. Satan smiled up at him. And then he collapsed to his knees and held his hands up in a praying supplication. "Oh great Babidi and Buu!" he pleaded, "Please let me be a servant to you! It is my deepest and fondest wish to be able to serve at your attention and assist you in any way that I can."
Seagul and Krane's eyes bugged.
Babidi blinked slowly, once and then twice as he regarded the figure. "You want to work for me," he said, slowly, as if trying to work out that he had indeed understood correctly, "voluntarily..?"
Mr. Satan looked up only to nod vigorously, before setting his eyes to the ground again. "Yes, that is exactly what I am asking for. It would be a great honor." Out of Babidi's line of sight, his face was blue with fear, teeth gritted to keep them from chattering. 'He's not taking the bait!' he thought desperately.
Babidi blinked again. He glanced over at Buu, who was looking down at the human with a slight smile, though it was hard to tell if that was out of amusement or the prospect of a meal. Babidi looked back and then shrugged. "Fine," he said, amused, "It may be fun to have a companion for Buu around."
"Oh! Thank you sir! Thank you so much!" Mr. Satan grovelled, before standing up and following the two into the palace.
Seagul's mouth hung open and he struggled to process words or thoughts. "Sir...did he just...did he..?" He tried to articulate himself but he couldn't. 'Mr. Satan had just begged? Just pleaded to join those monsters? It couldn't be! It didn't make sense.' And yet he'd seen it!
Krane sighed and shook his head, with a rueful smile. "That Mr. Satan, he's incredible," he said.
"H-huh?" Seagul stuttered.
"Kid, why do you think he was spending that time reassuring us? It's obvious he knew what we'd think if we saw this. But think about it: he's just seen these guys devastate a city. He doesn't know what he's going up against, not fully. So how does he find that out?"
Realization dawned on Seagul. "By going undercover!" he squealed.
"Exactly. It must have eaten him alive to have to beg like that before those monsters. But he has to get in there somehow and find out what exactly he's dealing with in order to work out how best to defeat it." He shook his head. "I can't help but admire him. Many people would be too proud to do that, even if it meant certain death."
"Incredible..." Seagul looked back over, his confidence restored and his admiration growing.
Krane nodded and then pulled back, beckoning Seagul to follow him. "Now, come on, let's find a safe spot where we can set up camp." Seagul returned the nod and the two crept away from the palace.
Mr. Satan let out a small sigh of relief. Phase one of his plan, Operation "get inside without being killed and with reputation intact," was complete. Now he was into phase two, which consisted of a load of question marks, ahead of phase three, "Goku somehow kills Buu, leaving me to take the credit as fearless ambassador and protector of Earth."
As they walked through the palace, Babidi glanced back at him. 'There's some darkness within him,' the alien thought, 'I could use that...on the other hand it might be more amusing to keep him like this and make him a plaything for Buu. Yes, I like the sound of doing that...' He smiled. "So, your duties," Babidi said, making Mr. Satan jump.
"Uh yes, Sir Babidi?" Mr. Satan asked.
Babidi grinned to himself at the tremor in the human's voice. "What I think is missing here is a companion for Buu. So that's what I'd like you to be," Babidi smiled back at Mr. Satan. "Do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Do you think you can manage that?"
"O-of course! It would be an honor!" Mr. Satan exclaimed. 'Whew boy, I think I might've lucked out here!' he thought, 'This Babidi guy gives me the creeps, big time. Compared to him, I think I'd rather take Buu.'
"Splendid," Babidi replied, turning his gaze forward. Humans were so amusingly desperate and malleable. Even without skimming the surface thoughts, it was clear that this oaf was relieved. "Do you like the sound of that Buu? Having a playmate?"
Buu giggled and clapped his hands. "Yeah! Yeah! Buu get to play with you!" the creature said, patting Mr. Satan's head.
"G-great..." Mr. Satan forced a smile, wincing when his voluminous hair didn't quite cushion the force of Buu's gloved hand atop his skull.
A smile quivered on Babidi's lips. "Well I'll leave you to it. Enjoy, Mr. Satan," he said, before turning around and floating away.
"Come! Buu will show you his room!" Buu said, continuing down the corridor.
"Oh, that sounds wonderful!" Mr. Satan replied, hurrying after him. They walked along the corridor a little way and then Buu opened a door into a medium-sized room that looked like it was once a conference room, though the only remnant to indicate as such was a large TV set into a wall. The rest of the room had a bed, two pod-like chairs and a bath that had all been built out of something that looked vaguely organic. Mr. Satan took in everything in the room, trying to see if there was anything that could be used to his advantage.
"Do you want candy?" Buu asked, interrupting his thoughts and bringing him back to the creature with a vague sense of panic and dread. He peered at the creature's hand where three small, round candies were held out expectantly.
"Sure," Mr. Satan said with a smile, reaching out and plucking up the candies. "These look nice, what are they?" He popped them in his mouth. They were sweet, almost unbearably so, but not altogether unpleasant.
"They're candies Buu made from people!" Buu said, seemingly delighted that Mr. Satan was eating them.
Mr. Satan nearly vomited, but he just about managed to keep his cool. 'People? People?!' he shrieked mentally, feeling as though he was in a nightmare. "Oh, yes, they're very nice..." he said, pretending to eat them. "Good god what's that?!" he shouted, pointing out the window. Buu whipped his head around, and the human spat the candies into his hand and shoved them into his pocket.
"Buu doesn't see anything…" the creature said, turning back.
"Oh, I think it was a fox, or a bat, or a bat-fox," Mr. Satan said, "I wouldn't worry about it."
"Oh. Okay." Buu paused for a moment. "What game Mr. Satan want to play?" Buu asked, "Beat people up?"
"Uh?" the World Champion said, confused and wary now. After the candy incident, he had to watch himself.
"Buu can get some people and we can fight them," the pink blob explained, laughing, "It's a lotta fun! They go crunch when you squeeze them! Then they get all drippy, and Master Babidi makes me turn 'em into candy so they don't make a mess."
"Right, okay… Well that sure sounds like fun! But I have another idea!" Mr. Satan put his bag on the ground while Buu cocked his head in confusion. Mr. Satan took out a capsule, clicked it and threw it in front of the TV. It burst into the form of a video game console with two controllers, and he hooked it up to the TV. He tapped the console's power switch and it came to life, the TV lighting up to show a game called Budokai Tenkaichi, a peppy tune playing from the main menu. Buu's eyes widened, staring at the screen in wonder. Mr. Satan maneuvered, with some effort as they were heavy, the pod chairs so they were facing the screen and plonked himself down in one, picking up a controller and pointing to the other chair. "Come on, sit yourself down!" he called to Buu. The blob walked forward and sat in the other chair, picking up the controller hesitantly. "So this is a fighting game," Mr. Satan explained, "We get to pick different characters and battle it out with one another— but there's no squishing and no mess, so your master won't be mad."
"Uh...Buu doesn't understand..?" he said, in confusion, popping one end of the controller into his mouth, "Bleh! Buu no like!"
"No, no, you don't eat it, Buu..." Mr. Satan sighed, before something clicked. "Wait. You've never played a game before?"
"Buu's played games. He's played 'kill village,' 'kill planet,' 'destroy that stuff'—"
Mr. Satan cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Okay, okay, well... Look, it works like this."
Mr. Satan took Buu through the process, explaining the controls, helping him choose a character and then going through the battle tutorial. It took a little period of adjusting, but by the third PvP battle Buu was able to defeat Mr. Satan, though he was going easy on him. Buu laughed in delight. "Buu won!" the creature giggled.
"Yeah! Well done!" Mr. Satan said with a smile, "You see, we can have fun like this without having to hurt anyone."
"Hurt?" Buu looked at him quizzically.
"Hurt, you know, when you cause pain?" he said. Buu just looked confused. 'He goes on about beating people up and killing them but he has no idea what hurting someone means..?' Mr. Satan was dumbfounded. "Oh...well, uh, hurting is when you do something and the other person...feels...ah heck, hang on I'll show you." He stood up and went back over to his bag. From inside he pulled out a knife. He flicked the blade out and walked back over to Buu, and then held out his palm and drew the blade across it. He winced and let out a hiss as the blade cut deep and blood pooled out of his palm.
Buu was transfixed. "Uh-oh. You're doin' the drippy thing Master doesn't like..." he said, suddenly peering at the door as if expecting Babidi to come in and chide him for making a mess.
"Okay, but look," Mr. Satan said, getting Buu's attention again, "See, this is what hurt means," he said, "It's the sort of pain you get from this kind of stuff. It feels bad, like you can feel the sensation in the area and it's constantly throbbing and stinging."
"Oh..." Buu said quietly, "Do all people have that?"
Mr. Satan nodded. "Everyone I know. Then you have emotional and mental pain, when you lose someone close to you. That can hurt inside, but it's not like this sort of pain. It doesn't heal over so easily. Sometimes not at all." He stared into space for a moment, mind elsewhere. Then he came back to reality as his blood dripped onto the floor. "Oh shit! I'm sorry, I'll clean that up. First I need to get a bandage for this though. Damn it, Satan, think these things through..."
He started to move off, but Buu reached out and grabbed his hand. "Too slow. Buu fix." There was a pulse of warmth, and then the wound healed over.
Mr. Satan's eyes lit up in delight. "Hey, you healed it!" he laughed, flexing his hand, "I didn't know you could do that! Thank you!"
"It's okay," Buu said with a smile, but his expression was slightly troubled.
Goku walked towards the room, his head hung low. The day was just going from worse to worse. Yamcha was right ultimately; what little hope they might have had rested on getting two of the most stubborn people on the planet, who both hated each other and disliked him, to work together. And he couldn't deny that he himself was not all that keen on working with Frieza. Krillin's aura disappearing could only mean one thing. He stopped, rage building and his fists shook. 'That bastard...After everything, is he really only a demon at heart?' he thought, 'Is there really no way he's going to change? Was I just blinded by his act?' He released his anger by punching the wall next to him, caving it slightly. He let out a sigh. 'Come on Goku, now's not the time. You knew this was going to be difficult...and besides...' He was displacing his emotions, something Chi-chi explained to him in frustration, when he'd tried to slip away to go spar instead of discussing Gohan's future. He hadn't wanted to deal with that hard topic then, and he didn't want to confront the real problem now. He recognized that he was displacing over his own guilt and anger at Gohan's death. Videl's death. Another mess. Another promise broken. And he couldn't force himself to square up with it. It just felt so insurmountable, compared to the problems he knew how to solve with his ki, his hands, and his determination. Compared to that, this felt like trying to punch a ghost. He knotted his hands in his messy hair, clenching his eyes and jaw shut in frustrated stasis.
"Oh, hi Dad."
He looked up. Goten had emerged from the room. The kid was looking slightly nervous and Goku gave him a reassuring smile. "Hey Goten," he said, "How are you doing buddy?"
"I'm...I don't know...not so good..." Goten sat down gingerly, as if ready to bolt at any moment. "I just...I never imagined that Gohan could die, you know? That you could get beaten. That all this stuff could happen. I mean, I know the stories and everything but even so..." He rubbed his eyes, sniffling.
Goku nodded. Sometimes he forgot that Goten wasn't Gohan. He'd grown up in a period of peace and wasn't used to this kind of desperation. The spiky-haired Saiyan walked over and sat down beside him, putting his arm around him and hugging him close. Don't you worry," he said, soothingly, "It's all going to be okay. We've been in tighter scrapes than this one. We'll pull through. After all, Vegeta and I were both tired after hitting each other. We just need a little rest and then we can go after Buu no problem! And you know we've got the Dragonballs, so everyone is gonna be coming back."
"I know. But it still hurts..." Goten curled into his side, balling his fists into the stiff fabric of Goku's gi.
Goku ruffled his hair, soothing him as he usually did when Goten was reluctant to go to sleep at night. "It does, and that matters. 'Cause that hurt, that's what gets us to keep going. To keep trying. To get better. So that we don't feel it again."
Goten nodded. He pulled back slightly and wiped at his eyes and smiled. "Thanks Dad, that helps. You know, when I grow up I'm going to be the strongest fighter ever, so no one ever dies!"
"You're going to beat up death himself huh?" Goku asked, with a tiny smirk.
"You bet!" Goten declared, giggling when his father made an exaggerated expression of shock.
Goku laughed and rubbed Goten's hair. "That's my boy! Now why don't you go and find Trunks? I think he could use his best buddy right now."
Goten nodded firmly. "Okay. What happened with Trunks' Dad? I didn't really understand."
"Ah, it's complicated. Vegeta has a difficult history and Babidi, well he's a wizard so he could exploit it. It's not his fault. Same with Frieza really," Goku said calmly, though inside, his emotions were just as conflicted as before.
"Okay. I'll go out and find him!" Goten started to run down the corridor.
"Hey, is Mom in the room?" Goku called.
"Yep!" Goten called back, not slowing down.
"Right...good..." Goku paused and turned his gaze to the room. He swallowed and took a step forward, crossing the threshold.
Chi-chi sat at the other end of the room, staring out of a window.
"Hey Chi..." Goku said softly.
She glanced over at him and gave him a small smile. "Thanks for comforting Goten," she said, "I think he needed that from you more than me. Sometimes I just can't... I just can't connect with him like you can..."
"Ah, you heard that?" Goku said sheepishly.
"Yeah. It was nice."
He was quiet for a moment. "Look, Chi-chi, I'm sorry...about Gohan and..."
Chi-chi held up a hand. "It's alright Goku, you don't have to apologize. It's not your fault."
"I feel like it is..." he murmured. He sat down beside her. "I could have been better prepared for this."
"How could you prepare for something like this?" She looked at him seriously. "This is your problem Goku, you take on too much burden in trying to do everything. Sometimes you just need to accept that there's things you can't control."
"I always seem to attract trouble though," Goku said, a hurt look on his face, creating uncharacteristic lines in his face.
Chi-chi took his face in her hands, looking him in the eyes. "Or perhaps the trouble would have come anyway, and without you we would have all just died a lot younger."
"Maybe." He shook his head, despondent. "I don't know what I'm going to do Chi. There doesn't seem to be anywhere further to push our power and even if we all join forces, it's not sure we can beat Buu."
"Was it ever sure though?" She looked at him. "When you fought Piccolo did you know you were going to win? When you fought Vegeta? Frieza? When have you ever known you were going to win? When was there a situation where it wasn't hopeless? What matters isn't that you don't know how to win Goku, what matters is that you do. Whatever the situation, you always find a way." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "And you always will."
Goku smiled. "Thanks Chi. I think I needed that." He hugged her tight and they sat together for a while.
Mr. Satan sat in the room, arms crossed. He was alone, Buu having gone off to do something or other. It had been a couple of days now and he had learned a lot about the general operation. Babidi was building some sort of ship to get off world, which meant the planet had a stay of execution for a while but no prizes for guessing what was going to happen when that was done. Buu was, for all intents and purposes, immortal. He'd tested Buu in the guise of "playing" with him— poison, stabbing, bullets, and every single other method he'd tried had less than zero effect on the Majin, who chortled and laughed through it all. There was absolutely no way he could do anything to stop him. But even if he could...he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to.
'Buu's just a kid really,' he thought, 'At heart I don't think he's evil. He's just ignorant and doesn't know what he's doing. It's that Babidi and Bibidi he's mentioned, they're the ones who've pushed him to this.' He ground his teeth. He'd seen it many times before, in charity programs, working with young offenders. The kids there weren't evil of their own volition: some were in bad places, some were in bad circumstances. Most had nasty people pushing them towards it. It did, however, present something of a solution to his problem. 'If I could somehow get rid of Babidi, then Buu wouldn't be a problem anymore. I doubt he'd cause trouble. Babidi himself doesn't strike me as too strong, so long as he can be kept away from his magic, but it'd be getting close to him with all his thralls around. He's an arrogant bastard though so he might not be paying attention. Maybe I can casually walk behind him and snap his neck...'
He rubbed at his chin and sighed. It was something of a plan but it definitely needed more work. But he had a few days to play with, maybe another two or three, before he'd have to act. Maybe in that time he could actually convince Buu to join his side and work against Babidi? Even if Babidi sealed Buu away, that would leave him open for Goku to attack. Assuming Goku was still alive of course... 'No, don't think that! He's just planning something or training or something. He'll come in for the battle, no doubt about that.' He shook his head and stood up, heading out to see where Buu was.
"This won't work, Kakarot," Vegeta stated, "Even a fool like you can't possibly think that we can do what you're suggesting." He wasn't surprised that the tactless idiot had left him no time to stew and sulk in his corner of the Lookout, but the absurdity of this plan was too bold to spring at this point, even for him. "You said yourself that Buu killed Gohan, and the others. I don't think you realize how dependent you are on your little friends to distract and harass your foes until you make your move. Without them to act as meat shields, I don't see any way for any of us to scrape together enough power to finish that blob off." He crossed his arms, closing his with a sharp sigh.
"Yeah, I know, but..." the taller Saiyan trailed off, "...you're not even willing to try? That's unlike you, Vegeta."
"Don't talk like you know me, Kakarot," the prince said in a dangerously low tone, "I know despair, and I know that that thing creates it. Revels in it. Even the strongest warriors would quail at the sight of it, and even supposing we found someone stupid and reckless enough to help us attack it, we will all still die just trying to put a dent in it."
"But—! I mean, don't you want to at least try?! If not for yourself, then for Trunks, surely!" Goku argued.
The older man stiffened, flinching as though he'd been struck. "Don't," he said quietly, "Don't you dare try to twist my emotions like that." However, Kakarot's words had germinated the seed of a desperate idea that had already been buried in his mind. He would never admit it to a single soul, not even to Bulma, but that boy meant the world to him. His admiration. His awe at Vegeta's prowess. His childish adoration was the balm to decades upon decades of grappling with despair and a constant sense that he would never be good enough to rise above his tormentors. With Trunks, he finally felt like he had a victory. A legacy of his triumph, made flesh. Reflecting on this, he gritted his teeth, eyes almost imperceptibly softening. "...alright," he whispered, more to himself, before raising his eyes to his rival. Kakarot stared back at him, unyielding and stubborn as ever. "Fine, I'm in. But if this all goes sideways, I don't care what barriers there are between us in the afterlife; I plan to break through all of them so I can kick your ass eternally for leading me into this folly."
The spiky-haired Saiyan grinned. "Gotcha. Now all we've gotta do is convince Frieza to fight with us."
Vegeta snorted in amusement. "Yeah, as if it'll just be that easy to do. Your idealism is boundless, truly."
"Well what's really the point of gettin' you on board if I'm not gonna get Frieza's help too?" Goku asked, missing the insult, or perhaps just ignoring it. "I know I felt him earlier, so he's got to be alive somewhere...there!" He placed two fingers to his forehead, holding out his other hand. "Come on, if I can't convince him, then I'm gonna need your help."
The prince of Saiyans groaned, rolling his eyes, before grabbing Goku's wrist.
SHHFFT!
After the momentary nausea of the interdimensional trip, Vegeta blinked. They were somewhere high in the mountains, if his ears had anything to say about it. He flexed his ki, popping his ears, and looked around. A small, close to ramshackle cottage looked out over the valley below. Frieza's unmistakeable ki came from within. "So, is this..?"
"Tenshinhan's house, yeah," Goku said, striding up to the front door, "With West City destroyed, I guess he came back to the safest place he could think of." He knocked on the worn wooden door. "Frieza? Can we come in? Me an' Vegeta need to talk to you."
"Goku," a small voice caught their attention. Chiaotzu. "He wouldn't tell me anything that happened, and his mind's so turbulent and chaotic, I can't get anything out of him. I know Ten's gone, but..." He paused, and sucked in a shaky breath. "...what happened out there? To Frieza, I mean? I haven't seen him this...afraid...in years."
Casting a glance at the still-closed door, Goku smiled sadly at his old friend. "I wasn't there, but... He an' Tenshinhan were trying to fight Buu." He let the words hang in the mountain air, awkwardly searching for how to describe what he'd felt at a distance.
Vegeta coughed. "Frieza likely watched him die. Then he ran," he stated gruffly.
"Vegeta..!" Goku hissed, "That wasn't—"
"Oh spare me, Kakarot, if we waited for you to come up with a way to sugarcoat it we'd still be standing here when Buu comes to kill us," Vegeta snapped. "Let's cut to the chase. We need Frieza to get his pathetic tail out here, because apparently the three of us have the best chance at beating this thing. He and I both broke free from Babidi's curse, and that caught that little worm off guard. If we hurry up and take the fight to him with a united front, we may still be able to survive."
"I don't think you understand the state Frieza is in," Chiaotzu said, a cold edge in his normally cheerful voice, "He's in no shape, mentally, to fight, much less face you. Or anyone..." he trailed off dejectedly.
"Pah! So the tyrant's a little rattled, we all are," Vegeta growled, "He can get over himself and his hangups after we kill this thing."
"Vegeta..." Goku pleaded, feeling the ki within the house stir.
"No! We tried it your way, Kakarot, and now we're going to do it the warrior's way - my way," Vegeta sneered, sticking his jaw out in defiance. He thrust a finger at the spiky-haired Saiyan. "Your hesitance— mercy— has cost us dearly!"
"And your attitude is what got you possessed in the first place," Goku countered, "Maybe if you hadn't caved to Babidi, we wouldn't be in this mess!" He knew they didn't have time for this, but if venting all their frustrations would clear the air, he was more than willing to get it out of the way. "You can blame me all you want for givin' people chances, but guess what? That's the only reason you're here!"
Vegeta's eyes widened, his mouth snapping shut from his prepared retort as if he'd been slapped. Regaining his composure, though just barely, he forced a nasty smirk onto his face. "So, you do regret that, do you? Not so pure and perfect as everyone paints you after all, are you, Kakarot?"
"I'm sure everyone who has had the opportunity regrets not killing you, Vegeta," Frieza's voice carried over the creaking of the door opening, "At least I can say I took my chance and followed through. Even if it didn't stick."
"Frieza!" Goku exclaimed, ignoring the ugly look on Vegeta's quivering visage, "Glad you came out on your own— now we can go back to the Lookout and figure out what we're gonna do." He paused. "Look, I... The fact is, we don't have time for apologies an' stuff right now. Hate to admit it, but Vegeta's right about not takin' our time to regroup and strike back at Babidi. I'm not gonna ask about what you did while I was busy fightin' Vegeta, although I think I already know. Anger isn't gonna help us right now, though. That's what Babidi wants. So...let's just ignore all o' that for right now, and after Buu's defeated, we'll go from there."
'Hmph..."we'll go from there" he says...like he's just going to let this go,' Frieza thought, nevertheless caught off guard by how angry the Saiyan wasn't, considering who he'd killed. He had genuinely expected Son Goku to kill him, without pretense, without ceremony, just end him like crossing out a bad decision. The thought hadn't chilled him as much as he'd expected, though whether that was from his earlier encounter with Buu numbing his fear response completely, or derived from his current self-hatred, he couldn't tell. Still, he smiled hollowly, pushing down all of his lingering emotions on the matter. "A sound strategy, for now," he concurred, "If we are victorious, we shall all have to reconcile. If we all die, well then, all the better."
Both Vegeta and Goku looked at him incredulously. Chiaotzu looked mildly concerned.
"Your sense of humor is sorely lacking," Vegeta deflected, "Anyway, if you have any qualms about surviving the battle, I'd be happy to remove that burden for you, just so long as Buu is dead first."
"Uh...okay then," Goku laughed nervously, "Let's hope it doesn't come to any o' that. Time's wasting, so let's get back to the Lookout, haha..." He grabbed both of their wrists unceremoniously, placing them on his shoulders to free up his hand. "Okay, hang on!" He waved at Chiaotzu, putting his other hand to his forehead. The small jianshi didn't miss the worried look in his jet-black eyes, but he soberly returned the wave as the three disappeared.
SHHFFT!
The three reappeared on the Lookout. Dende and Yamcha were both standing in the center waiting for them. "Goku, glad you're back," the Guardian smiled, though the stress of the past few hours was evident in his face. He gestured to one of the wings of the palace, to where an open-air pagoda contained a table set with food. "This way. I figured if we're going to strategize, we may as well be comfortable."
"Great thinkin' Dende. Okay guys, come on," Goku said, following the small Namekian to the table and then sitting down. Vegeta and Frieza did the same, and Yamcha joined them. "So," Goku started, "we need to put together some kind of a plan for beating Buu. At this stage I think we're going to have a rule of no stupid ideas, so whatever you've got, let's hear 'em."
"And what are these two contributing?" Frieza asked, glancing at Dende and Yamcha.
"I'm just here to get the snacks and contribute my wry comments," Yamcha said, earning himself a glare.
"I think as much input as possible would be good," Dende said, "Plus, I can keep an eye on what's going on below and let you know if anything changes."
"Wonderful," Vegeta muttered.
"Come on guys," Goku said, trying to get something going, "We're the only three that can do this."
"It's a pointless endeavor," Frieza said, his pessimism returning, "We all fought that thing and we all lost. We can't kill something that's unkillable."
"Pointless or not we will be fighting it," Vegeta said firmly. Frieza looked over at him. "That monster killed my wife. I intend to make it pay. And the best hope we have is if all of us work together. So that's what we're going to do." He glared at Frieza, challenging him.
The Arcosian smiled. "Well, we must truly be in dire straits for you to propose an alliance. I accept — can't have you being the bigger man, and besides that I have vengeance of my own to consider." He flinched at the sound of a dry crunch, only to see Goku stuffing a cracker into his mouth.
"Mmfph...thorry," the Saiyan mumbled, gulping, "With all this craziness, I just realized how hungry I was."
"Saiyans..." Frieza rolled his eyes with disgust, though he shuddered and pointedly turned away from the food.
Across the Lookout, Trunks' eyes widened in surprise. 'Dad's...really going to work with Frieza?' he thought, 'Maybe...maybe it does mean something to him...'
Goku wiped some crumbs from his mouth and smiled. 'Alright, first step's out of the way,' he thought, 'Now we just need to come up with something resembling a plan.' He looked around the table. "Okay, who has an idea?" he asked the group.
A noise and commotion came from the main hall. With a sense of trepidation, Mr. Satan headed towards it. In front of him he could see Babidi sitting on a throne on the balcony, looking down to the hall below. Buu was standing nearby, as were two of his muscled, vein-pumping thralls. He stepped out onto the balcony and looked down. His eyes widened in disbelief.
A boy, no more than twelve, lay on the floor, encircled by four other Majin-marked men, among them Rudin and the prison guard, who were smirking and laughing. The boy was dressed only in some shorts and his body was bruised and bleeding. He was crying and begging the men around him. "I'm sorry," he pleaded. "I didn't mean to... I messed up, I promise I won't—"
The prison guard punched him and he slammed onto the ground. "No kid, you sure won't," the man said, and the group laughed. They looked up at Babidi. The kid raised himself up and looked pleadingly at the wizard.
Babidi smiled. "I'm sorry child," he said, affecting sympathy, "But you know the punishment for trying to run away. Put him to death."
"No!" the boy screamed. "Please! Don't—!" The men came in closer, snickering and readying their fists.
And then Rudin slammed across the room, skidding to the floor. The other three leapt back, confused.
Mr. Satan, his face thunder incarnate, glared at them. "This stops now..!" he snarled.
Babidi smirked, and Buu looked on, his eyes wide in surprise. "So, you decide to show your true colors," Babidi said, "I was wondering when this would happen. The perfect scenario for it really."
The thralls grinned, the one who had been knocked down standing back up, all recognizing the champ and the opportunity this represented.
The boy sat up, amazed, jaw dropping. "Mr...Mr. Satan you're..."
"Get out of here kid," Mr. Satan said.
"Huh? I don't—"
"Go!" he shouted.
"Y-yes!" The boy scrambled to his feet and ran for the front doors.
Eying the fleeing child with apathy, the diminutive alien snapped his fingers. "Kill him," Babidi said, and the thralls leapt forward, as Buu looked on.
The boy pelted outside, jumping and leaping over the rubble. His whole body hurt and he wanted to be sick. But he kept running. Mr. Satan had saved him and he needed to save himself to honor that.
"Hey kid!" a voice shouted, and he looked back in terror to see a man and woman, both Majin marked, running after him. "We heard the Boss saying he wants you dead!" the man shouted.
Tears stung the boy's eyes as he kept running, past the gate, but the other two were faster and were closing on him. "You didn't really think you were going to just escape did you?" the woman crowed, as the man reached out, fingers almost grasping the boy's hair.
A bang echoed out and the man's skull split in two, spraying blood and brain into the air, splashing onto the woman. The woman shrieked as the man's body fell and she wiped at her hair and eyes. "What the hell?!" she screamed, "What the hell was th—"
Another bang blared and the back of her skull burst. Her eyes rolled back and she crumpled to the ground. The boy cowered on the ground, eyes wide and terrified. "Kid!" a voice shouted. He glanced over.
Private Seagul stood by the entrance to a ruined building, waving frantically at him. "Over here! Quick!" he shouted. The boy stumbled up and ran over to them, Seagul embracing him and swinging him inside. He checked out, to see if anyone else was coming, but seeing no one he pulled back and shepherded the boy upstairs, where Sergeant Krane was settling back, the sniper rifle still in hand. "No one seems to be coming," Seagul said, "but we'd best move out of here to a new position anyway."
"Seems like the sensible thing to do," Krane said.
"W-wait!" the boy spoke up, and they both looked at him. "You have to go in there, you have to help him!"
"Help who, son?" Krane asked, gently.
"Mr. Satan! He saved me, he's fighting them!" He was nearly panicked and Seagul had to hold him tight to calm him down.
"He broke cover to save the kid," Seagul said, with admiration.
"He's finally decided it's time to take them on then," Krane said, looking back at the palace, chewing his lip, debating.
"Sir, we need to get in there and provide support. He needs—"
"He knows what he's doing," Krane interrupted, "This is at a level beyond us now. We'd just get in the way. What we need to do is fall back, and get in contact with the base. Get them to send the army in. And put our faith in Mr. Satan."
Seagul's face scrunched up in frustration and anger at himself, anger at his own weakness and inability to do anything except sit on the side lines. "Okay sir..." he said at last, "We... We do need to get this boy to safety."
"Don't worry," the boy said, smiling, his first genuine smile in a long while. "I know Mr. Satan will stop them."
Mr. Satan lay flat on the ground, bleeding, his face badly bruised. The Majin men chuckled and stepped away from him. Babidi clapped and laughed.
"Oh what a delight!" he cheered, "A brutal take down. I can tell you must have really hated him." Beside him Buu was looking on, his eyes having grown even wider at the sight of Mr. Satan's beaten body.
"A pompous ass," Rudin snorted, "I always knew he was just a showman. I'm just happy I was able to prove it."
There was a soft chuckle behind him. Rudin paused and turned around. Mr. Satan groaned as he sat back up. He was smiling. "Is that it?" he said. He poked a loose tooth out with his tongue and spat it out onto the floor. "Did you boys really sell your souls for that miserable amount of power? You could get the same with two weeks' workout and dedication at my gym."
Rudin snarled, as did the others, bristling at the insult.
Mr. Satan stood up and ripped off his gi. He wove his hands through the air as he spaced his body into a ready stance, finishing with his right hand further out than the left. He flipped his right hand around so the palm was facing up and flicked his fingers back twice, beckoning them forward. "Come on then," he taunted, "Let me show you what this showman can do."
Rudin roared and charged forward, throwing out a haymaker. Mr. Satan ducked under it, grabbing the wrist with his hand and hyperextending Rudin's arm, throwing him off balance, and then he slammed his elbow into Rudin's, popping the joint through his skin and shattering the bone. Rudin howled and clutched at his arm, dropping to his knees as Mr. Satan continued his movement, spinning around and smashing a kick into his face, sending the man sprawling onto the ground. He settled back into a ready position and regarded the other three men, who were now advancing much more cautiously.
"Buu!" Mr. Satan called. "I know I said before that hurting people was bad, and it is. But I want you to see this. There's a difference between causing hurt and pain for selfish reasons, for the sake of causing pain, because you think it's fun," he spat the last word and spun away from a punch, sweeping out a leg to trip the assailant to the ground, before ducking under another strike and uppercutting the prison guard. "And causing hurt to defend others," he continued, backing away from the third combatant, as the other two raised themselves back up. "This is one of those times. Can you see the difference?"
"Keh," Babidi snorted, "Are you really appealing to my Buu? For help? You fool, Majin Buu cares nothing for these things, he is—" he looked over and was startled. Buu was looking forward, expression focusing, listening to every word Mr. Satan was saying. "Buu..?" Babidi said, confused.
Mr. Satan blocked a series of strikes and then returned with his own volley of punches, a clean one striking the third man on the chin and sending him staggering backwards. The second man crashed a fist into Mr. Satan's face from the side, and he toppled towards the ground, but at the last moment he managed to put out a hand and turned the fall into a spin, slamming his foot into the man's head and bouncing it off the ground. He crouched away from the prison guard's swing, and then spun across the floor to evade a kick. He was breathing heavier now. "I know you can tell the difference Buu, and you could do so much good!" he said, "You could defend people from evil bastards like this! You could save them from natural disasters! You could heal them! You're more than just a weapon for monsters like Babidi and his father!"
Buu wavered, starting to step forward—
"Enough of this!" Babidi roared. The assailants paused and backed off, cowering from Babidi's rage, except for Rudin, who had now staggered back up, his broken arm leaking blood onto the ground.
"No!" Rudin snarled, "I'm going to kill that bastard!" He charged at Mr. Satan with a hateful cry.
"Papara-pa!" Babidi screamed, and Rudin's head exploded, showering blood across the room. His body staggered forward a few more steps before collapsing onto the ground with a dull thud. The others cowered back further.
Mr. Satan turned his angry gaze up to Babidi.
"Buu. Kill him," Babidi ordered soberly, his teeth gritted as he pointed at Mr. Satan, "I've had my fun with this clown."
Buu stared at Mr. Satan, his eyes wide. He opened his mouth. "No." It was a simple word, but devastating. Buu stood stock still, not rising to obey Babidi's command. Mr. Satan allowed himself to smile.
"What did you say?" Babidi said, barely keeping the disbelief out of his voice.
"No," Buu repeated, "I don't wanna."
"Oh you think he's special do you?" Babidi snarled, "You think he's good? Well I'll show you! There are no good people!" He turned and pointed his hand at Mr. Satan.
The human let out a yell and collapsed to the floor, clutching at his head as Babidi invaded his mind, digging through his insecurities, his worst memories, his failures, his boasting, his lies. Mr. Satan screamed and collapsed further to the ground, clutching his head tighter as Babidi grinned. As quickly as it had struck, the pain stopped. "You see," Babidi said, grinning patronizingly down at the man curled in a fetal position, "Just like all the others. Evil deep down."
Mr. Satan was still. "You're right," he said hoarsely, surprising Babidi, "I'm not a good person. I was a terrible husband, truth be told. A... A pretty bad father I'm sure... I've messed up in all sorts of ways." He raised himself up onto one knee. "I boast too much. I tell lies. I take credit for all sorts of things that I shouldn't." He heaved himself up to his feet, staggering a little before steadying himself. "And I'm a hypocrite, I know that. I give moralizing lectures all the time and I don't follow through on my own advice. But you know what?" He lifted his head, revealing his forehead, free of a Majin mark. He jerked his thumb at himself. "I'm Mr. Satan. And I don't bow to bullies, no matter who they are."
Babidi lost it. He shrieked in rage and pointed his hand forward, hissing a spell so quickly that it was lost in the sea of gasps around the room in the wake of Mr. Satan's words.
The champion of Earth grinned defiantly up at him, as the spell found its mark. His heart exploded. Mr. Satan's eyes widened as his body wavered. Blood bubbled up through his lips. He staggered slightly and then collapsed backwards onto the ground, his arms splaying out.
Babidi panted and whirled back to Buu. "There, he's dead!" he shouted, "Now get in line, you great blubbering piece of lard, or I'll seal you away for good! Do you understand me?!"
Buu wasn't listening. His eyes were transfixed on Mr. Satan's corpse. Despite the violent way in which he had died, the human still bore a slight smile on his bloodied lips. The Majin's eyes twitched, his mouth bending into a snarl of rage. A voice whispered at the back of his head. His skin started to bubble, like the top of a pot of water slowly coming to a simmer.
"Are you listening to me?!" Babidi screamed, oblivious.
"Hraaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Buu screamed, steam erupting out of his head, the force of it knocking Babidi and his thralls onto the ground. Buu's skin bubbled and boiled, excesses shearing away, more and more steam erupting out until it cloaked his whole body.
Babidi raised himself up, bulbous eyes wide, the snaking grip of terror weaving its way through him as he began to have an inkling that he'd done something fatally wrong. The profusion of steam died away, the last mist hanging about. Buu's scream was gone. "B-Buu?" Babidi queried, voice quavering. A shadow appeared in the mist, but it was different somehow. A little taller. Thinner. "Buu? Come out here now and—"
A hand shot out of the mist and gripped Babidi about the mouth. Babidi screamed, but his cry was muffled and the hand snapped backwards, the mist disappearing to reveal the leering face of Buu. He was different now, his body no longer fat, but lean and muscular. And his eyes were now omnipresent, irises red and sclera black, crazed. He was grinning.
'What...what is this?!' Babidi panicked, thumping at the hand holding him, his eyes bulging further, veins appearing in them. 'Father's notes never said anything about—'
"A single word you said," Buu spoke, voice gravelly and playful, a dark eloquence radically different from his prior form.
Babidi's eyes widened even further, as his mind raced, trying to work out what the hell was going on.
"A single word to seal me away. Faster and stronger than anything I can do. Shall we play a game?" Buu asked, "Shall we see which is faster? Your word or my fist?"
Babidi tried to speak, tried to protest.
"Let's play!" the beast announced, in a twisted reprise of its former joviality. Buu removed his hand from Babidi's mouth and the wizard started to drop, realizing he had only one chance—
"Pa—"
Buu's fist thundered through Babidi's face, obliterating the top part of it. The corpse collapsed to the ground, the lower jaw hanging slack, squirts of blood pumping from the remains. Buu grinned with satisfaction and turned his gaze around. The Majin mark disappeared from the thralls and they stared at Buu in terror, the two on the balcony soiling themselves. Buu grinned wider, the fanged mouth nearly splitting his face, and raised a hand.
Seagul, Kane, and the boy ran down the street, trying to get away from the city.
An earth-shaking boom echoed behind them and a thermal pressure wave slammed into them, knocking them onto the ground and skidding them across it, the intensity of the heat blistering their exposed skin. The boy screamed as his skin was peeled on the ground and his back burnt. Seagul got up immediately and grabbed up the boy, holding him tight, keeping him safe.
"Oh no..." Krane breathed.
Seagul looked over, keeping the boy's face pressed into his chest, so he wouldn't see. Seagul's eyes widened. A large explosion rose from the palace, the ground around it obliterated and flaming. And in the center of the explosion, rising in the air, loomed a laughing shadow.
"So that's our best hope here," Goku said, "Me an' Frieza will serve as a distraction to fight Buu. Meanwhile, Vegeta will sneak in and corral Babidi and force him to reseal Buu."
Vegeta nodded. "That will work," he said, "I doubt he'll be aware that my Majin mark is gone, so he won't know to keep an eye out for me." He smiled. "I'm going to enjoy torturing that little shit."
Frieza couldn't disagree with the logic, much as he wanted to torture Babidi himself. But it was too much of a risk: the wizard might still be able to exert some influence over him. Besides, his presence would keep his attention drawn and away from the fact that Vegeta wasn't marked anymore. 'Maybe after Buu is sealed, I could have a go... Provided that Son Goku doesn't spoil my fun,' Frieza thought to himself.
"Great thinking guys!" Yamcha said, standing up, "Looks like you've got this all settled, we can—" Suddenly, Yamcha, Vegeta, and Goku's heads snapped to the side, eyes widening.
"What?!" Frieza asked, "What's going on?"
"It's...it's Buu..." Goku breathed, "His power just spiked!"
"What?!" Frieza gasped, standing up, "What the hell does that mean?!"
Dende stood at the side of the Lookout and looked on in horror as the others ran up to him. "Dende!" Goku called, "What's happening?!"
"Buu...he just..." Dende breathed, "Babidi killed Mr. Satan, and Buu just flew into a rage. He's transformed somehow... He feels different...stronger yes but...somehow he feels more cruel, too." Dende flinched. "Ah! And now he's just killed Babidi!"
"What?!" Yamcha shouted, "But then how is he going to get sealed up again?!"
"He can't be sealed..." Vegeta growled, "It looks like we're going to have to do this the old-fashioned way..."
"How though?" Goku said, gritting his teeth, "The old Buu was bad enough, but if this new form is stronger..?"
Frieza extended his left arm, and removed his faishin. "I can use this," he said, "His smaller pieces should be weaker, less able to defend themselves. If I can chop him up enough, we can destroy the smaller pieces and obliterate him entirely."
"If we do it often enough he might get tired as well," Vegeta added, "His regeneration might slow down."
Goku blinked at Frieza, gasped, and pointed. "Hey! Your mark! It's gone!"
"So it is true. The little bastard really is dead. Whatever influence Babidi had on you, it's disappeared," Vegeta said, "You didn't even have to fight for it."
"I would have found a way to rid myself of it anyway," Frieza growled, "But now...this makes everything much harder."
The three shared a look and nodded at one another. Then Vegeta and Frieza reached out and gripped onto Goku's arms, with Goku raising one hand to his forehead, locking onto two energy signatures below.
"Good luck guys," Yamcha said.
"Go get him!" Trunks screamed from across the Lookout, Vegeta glancing over in surprise. "Kill him for Mom!"
Vegeta smiled at his son.
SHHFFT!
"Go on, kid, run!" Sergeant Krane said. The boy, adrenaline pumping through him, stumbled away through the city. The flames and smoke around the palace were dissipating, and Buu emerged from the smoke, glancing around him, before his eyes locked onto Krane and Seagul.
Seagul's legs shook as he took in the monster gazing down at them. "I can't believe it..." he moaned, "Mr. Satan...he lost? He was killed?"
"Even the best can lose sometimes kid," Krane replied, slinging his rifle out and aiming it at Buu, "Now we just have to follow his example and do the best we can."
Seagul looked over at him and then his face set in determination. He slung out his own rifle and aimed it. "Right you are sir," he said. "It's been an honor."
"Likewise." They both fired, the bullets rippling up and smacking through Buu's skin. Buu didn't even feel it. He smiled and raised a hand, and an enormous blast of energy thundered forward, tearing the street apart as it ripped towards them.
SHHFFT!
And then with a crack-boom, the blast ricocheted away, shredding up through the sky and detonating miles above the city.
Seagul stared up in shock. Three figures stood in front of him, two seemingly human, but with glowing, spiky, blond hair and lightning flickering around the bodies; the other an alien with armor plating, a bulked-up body and a cybernetic arm, holding a sword.
The man in the middle turned around and smiled at Seagul and Krane. "Get out of here," Goku said, "We'll take it from here."
The two army men nodded and then scrambled away, running after the boy. "Who are those guys?!" Seagul said, "They look familiar but I can't quite place them!"
"Must be more martial artists," Krane replied. "Friends of Mr. Satan most likely. He must have been gathering intel and waiting for them, before he had to jump in to save the kid."
Seagul turned his head. "Kill that bastard!" he shouted at them, before pelting away and around the corner, out of sight.
The Saiyans and the Arcosian turned their gaze back to Buu, who looked down on them with amusement.
"You three," Buu said, dropping down to the ground. He idly scratched the side of his head, squinting. "I seem to remember I already beat you."
"You did," Goku said, "But not all together. And not all at full strength."
Buu laughed. "Come then! I'm bored and this could be fun!"
"Okay, Vegeta and I will hit him head on," Goku said, "Frieza, you pick your moment."
Frieza nodded. Then Goku and Vegeta screamed and blasted down the street, kicking up rubble and dust as they shot towards Buu.
Buu watched them approach and then flew upwards at the last moment. Vegeta and Goku immediately veered to follow him up, but the Majin monster shot two energy blasts down at them, forcing them to leap out of the way. As he did this, his tentacle flicked forward and aimed at Frieza.
"Turn you to chocolate!" Buu laughed, and a beam shot off from the tentacle.
Frieza swore and dove out of the way, just evading the attack. The cracked pavement behind him transformed into a pile of chocolate bars. He eyed them, fighting back the horror and nausea in his chest.
Goku slammed a leg into Buu's back, knocking the creature forward slightly, but Buu slipped back over Goku's strike and delivered a punch into his chest, winding him. Vegeta struck a moment later, firing an energy blast that took out Buu's legs. Buu glanced over at Vegeta and raised a hand to fire a riposte, when Frieza flew in and sliced his head off, immediately firing a blast and destroying the flying head.
A moment later Buu regenerated his head and legs, grinned, and launched himself at Frieza, throwing out a punch. Frieza hastily raised his sword to block, and the punch split on the blade. The two halves of Buu's arm, however, carried on forward and a finger poked out from each one to stab Frieza in the eyes. The Arcosian roared in pain and flailed backwards, clutching at his face. Buu's arm reformed and he swept forward, when Goku flew in with a kick and sent the creature smashing along the ground.
"Frieza! Are you okay?" Goku called.
Frieza, furious, drew his hand back from his face, blood weeping from his eyes. His vision was a little blurry, but he could still see. "Yes," he snapped, "And don't kick him away! If we knock him back too far he'll get more time to regenerate."
"Shit! I forgot!" Goku said, "I keep forgetting he's not like—"
"Pay attention Kakarot!" Vegeta shouted as Buu disappeared. A second later Buu appeared in his peripheral vision and Vegeta whipped his head around in time to see Buu's jackhammer strike slam into him, sending him rocketing to the ground and impacting with an enormous boom. The shockwave from the impact split the foundations of the nearby building, which toppled forward and crashed into the crater.
Buu pointed and laughed, kicking his feet wildly and clutching his stomach. "And you were so confident! Hahahaha!" he crowed.
A moment later Vegeta shot up out of the wreckage and halted across from Buu, his face bloody and clothes torn. "Now I'm pissed..." he snarled and leapt forward, aura flaring and engaged Buu in a furious battle. Goku dove in and added his attacks.
Frieza hung back, waiting for an opportunity. As he watched, though, he saw that Buu was fairly comfortably holding them both off. "This is not good..." he muttered, throwing caution to the wind and shooting forward to join the assault.
"Taaa!" Gohan shouted as he finished his sequence of swipes. He was getting the hang of the sword and its weight, and was able to move much more freely with it, his attacks smoother and faster. As a result he could feel his power growing as well.
"Great, Gohan," Piccolo said, with a satisfied smile, "You've nearly got it perfect. Now, take a small break, and then we'll move into the next sequence."
"You got it!" Gohan sat down, placing the sword on the ground as he took in some deep breaths. He looked over. Videl sat with Shin and was concentrating hard. He'd asked her what she was doing with him, but she'd refused to say and had apparently sworn or terrified Shin into silence as well. It seemed she was wanting to keep it as a surprise.
"What!?" Kibito's shout snapped everyone's attention to him. He was holding a crystal ball, his hands shaking, and he was staring at it in horror. Every line on his weathered face seemed taut with fear.
"Kibito!" Shin called, rushing over with Videl just behind him, "What's happening?"
"I decided to check in on what was going on on Earth and..." He held up the crystal ball so they could all see. Gohan's eyes widened in shock. His father, Vegeta, and Frieza were currently engaged in a desperate battle against Buu, but the Buu they were fighting was...different. Leaner and stronger-looking than its earlier form. Goku, Vegeta, and Frieza were attacking, Frieza slashing with his faishin, and destroying parts of Buu as they broke off, but it barely seemed to slow the creature, who was smacking them around with relative ease.
"He's changed..." Gohan said, "How has that happened?"
"I don't know..." Shin said, fearful, "Is Babidi still alive?"
"I can't find him when I search in the mortal realm," Kibito replied.
"Dead then," Piccolo said, keeping calm and trying to reassess the plan. He set his face in a grim frown. "So we can't rely on forcing him to reseal Buu..."
"What are we going to do then?" Gohan asked.
"The way they're attacking," Videl said, peering closer, "It looks like they're trying to chop Buu to small pieces and destroy him."
"Yes. Maybe trying to force him to regenerate enough to wear down his endurance," Piccolo added.
"In that case..." Gohan hefted the Z-Sword, "If I join in, then we can maybe do it more effectively. And who knows, the sword might have some special properties."
"What do you mean you join in?" Videl barked.
Gohan looked over, pained. "Videl..."
"If you think for one moment you're doing this on your own then you are dead wrong." She planted her hands on her hips. "I've not just been sitting idle around here, I've been getting ready. I'm coming too."
"Videl please, I don't want to lose you," Gohan said quietly.
"Oh, and it's fine for me to have to lose you?" She stepped forward and held out her hand. "We do this together Gohan."
"It's a wise move," Piccolo counselled, "The more people you have, the more damage you'd be able to do. If I wasn't dead I'd certainly be coming as well."
Gohan glanced at his mentor and then sighed and smiled. "Together," he said and took Videl's hand and she smiled back at him. "Though, you could help with..." Gohan gestured at his clothes and Piccolo smiled.
"That is one thing I can do." He opened his hand and zapped Gohan. The hybrid Saiyan's clothes changed into a gi, which had the orange of his father for the top half and pants, and the purple of Piccolo comprising the long-sleeved undershirt and leg wraps. On the front was the Son kanji, and on the back was Piccolo's Ma kanji.
Gohan looked down at himself and smiled. "Perfect, thanks!" He gripped Videl's hand tighter as Kibito stepped forward, putting a hand on each of them.
"Good luck!" Shin said.
"Ready?" Gohan asked.
"Let's go kill the bogeyman," Videl replied. They blinked out of existence in an instant, bound for Earth...and battle.
Frieza threw out a series of telekinetically-enhanced punches that slammed through Buu, but barely slowed his momentum as he smashed into him, sending the Arcosian hurtling backwards. Frieza smashed into the ground and bounced, losing his grip on the faishin, which skittered across the ground.
"Final Flash!" Vegeta roared, and an enormous beam of yellow energy punched into Buu, ripping his body to pieces. Goku fired a series of energy blasts out, slapping apart some of the pieces, but other parts quickly reformed and shot at Goku, Buu smashing a disembodied fist into Goku's stomach. The Saiyan vomited stomach acid, and Buu whirled around and crashed a leg into his back, tunnelling Goku across and under the street until he came to a halt near where Frieza was climbing back up.
Frieza panted as Buu flew through a hail of energy blasts to engage Vegeta. "Damn it!" he snarled, "We keep hitting him but he doesn't seem to be slowing down in the slightest!"
Goku groaned and raised himself up out of a deep furrow. "I guess this plan isn't working quite as well as I hoped..." he muttered, "And this time I don't even think we can retreat and recover. This Buu looks like he'd be quite happy to destroy everything."
"So we're finished then?" Frieza asked, his already-tense voice rising slightly.
As if to underline that point, Vegeta hurtled down the street with a yell before smashing through two buildings and then crashing to the ground. He raised himself back up with a snarl of pain and frustration. At the opposite end of the street Buu smirked and began to slowly advance towards them.
"Well if anyone has any really crazy ideas they want to try, now would be the time," Goku said, "I'm all out."
"I have one," Vegeta said, "But I doubt that bastard would sit still for long enough for me to pull it off. And there's no guarantee it would work, given what he's capable of."
"Looks like that's it then..." Goku sighed, casting his eyes down.
"Oh come on, Dad, it's not like you to give up so easily."
All three's eyes widened and they whipped around to see Gohan and Videl standing behind them, Gohan holding a sword in hand.
"Gohan!" Goku yelled in delight, leaping up to hug his son, "You're alive! Where have you been?"
"The Supreme Kai took us to Otherworld and we've been training up there," Gohan replied, hugging his father back.
"I'm fine too by the way!" Videl put in, and Goku laughed and hugged her as well.
Frieza noted the sword and smirked. "So, copying my style now are we?" he asked.
"Well two swords would be better than one," Gohan replied, "We saw what you were doing; we think it's a good strategy. But with the five of us we should be able to take him."
"We can certainly give it a better go anyway," Vegeta said.
Down the street Buu had paused and was squinting at the group and the new figures. "Didn't I...kill...them..?" he muttered, confused.
Gohan stepped forward and roared, his aura bursting around him and lightning flickering about his body. Goku and Vegeta stepped up beside him. "We'll hit him directly," he said, "Frieza will come in for support, different angles to keep him off balance, Videl—"
"I know, I'm not stupid enough to go in directly," she said, with a hint of stubborn snark, "I'll provide support."
"Let's go," Gohan declared and then shot forward, Vegeta and Goku following. They overtook Gohan and charged at Buu from different angles. Buu blocked both of their attacks and then kicked them aside as Gohan swept forward and slashed with the sword.
He cut off Buu's arm and the beast let out a yowl of pain, and jumped backwards, glancing at his stump. Which stung.
Gohan smiled. "Don't like that much do you?" he queried.
Buu's arm dropped to the ground and then was suddenly obliterated as it was struck by a kiai wave. Buu glanced up and saw Videl standing high on a building above, pointing one hand forward with two fingers extended.
'Yes!' Videl thought, 'Like I thought, this wouldn't do much on Gohan or the others, but Buu's body's not so durable, so focusing the wave like Shin showed me destroys him.'
"Krrr..." Buu snarled as he regenerated his hand—
And then Frieza slashed, cutting his legs from his body, and Goku and Vegeta fired energy blasts, destroying the legs and taking out a portion of Buu's upper body. Buu regenerated quickly and kicked Frieza back, firing blasts at Vegeta and Goku as Gohan swept in and split him from shoulder to hip. Buu roared, and Videl fired two bullets of ki that obliterated his lower half. He swung away and regenerated, firing another blast at the building where Videl stood.
"Shit!" Videl shrieked as she dove off the building, the top half of which exploded from the blast and sent her spinning through the air.
"Bastard!" Gohan yelled, leaping in to swing with the sword, but Buu swept aside and smashed a kick into Gohan, knocking him through a building.
Frieza shot forward and slashed off one of Buu's legs, which operated independently to crack Frieza into the ground and then reattach itself. Goku flew in and attacked with a series of punches and kicks that Buu deflected. Then, he punched Goku aside, before Vegeta flew in and kicked him in the side of the head, Buu whirling around to grab and smash Vegeta into the floor. Another kiai wave smashed apart Buu's shoulder and he fired a furious volley in the general direction Videl's attack had come from as Gohan shot out of the ruined building and slammed both feet into Buu, knocking him into the path of Frieza's slice. The faishin took his head off, and Goku fired a blast that destroyed it, before Buu's body kicked up and leapt out of the way and into the sky, his head popping back out of his body with a wild, furious look in his eyes. He looked terrifyingly angry now, snarling with irritation, and he raised his hands to fire. Suddenly his body froze, unable to move. Buu's eyes widened in surprise and his body shook as he tried in vain to move.
Below, Frieza held up both hands, using his telekinesis to keep Buu locked in place. A small trickle of blood dribbled from his nose with the effort. "Get...him..." he gasped, through gritted teeth.
Gohan shot upwards, heaving his sword aloft, intending to slice Buu into as many pieces he could and then destroy them.
Buu panicked, roared, and just broke free of Frieza's control, the Arcosian slumping back with the effort, and then threw himself out of the way of Gohan's sword strike. Vegeta slammed both feet into Buu's back, cratering him into the ground. With a roar Vegeta fired an energy beam into the crater at the same time as Goku fired a Kamehameha in. The two beams slammed into Buu at the same time and the explosion shook the ground, the thermal winds from the blasts shredding the buildings in the street to pieces. Then they followed it up with a volley of small energy blasts, pumping more and more orbs into the wreckage and expanding clouds of dust. Buu emerged with a roar, his aura expanding like a shield to block the blasts and knock away the wind. Vegeta and Goku broke off, falling back away from the explosion. "This stops!" Buu roared in anger and frustration. His explosion ceased and he dropped down onto one knee, breathing slightly, face contorted in rage.
The five warriors dropped around him, Gohan allowing himself to smile. "Looks like he can get tired," he said, "We're getting to him."
Vegeta smirked. "The great Buu, not so tough after all then?"
Buu glanced at all of them, spitting with fury. "Krrrrrrr..."
"What's the matter?" Frieza sneered, "Not having fun anymore?"
"No..." Buu snarled.
Vegeta laughed and held up his hand. "Well then, maybe it's time we ended this game then?"
Unbeknownst to the five, small pieces of Buu that escaped notice after Vegeta's Final Flash attack were slithering along the ground towards them. They crept closer and closer, until they were just coming up behind them.
Buu grinned. "Yes, it is," he said. The five pieces burst up from the ground, expanding to shrouds that flew over their bodies as they turned around, caught by surprise...and the folds of grotesque pink flesh snapped closed around them, muffling their startled screams.
Hello my loyal SoD readers! Happy Leap Year! Just like the extra day this month, it seems Buu has crept up on our unsuspecting protagonists, but unlike the extra day giving the SoD writing team a little extra leeway, Buu's surprise doesn't bode well for them. The timeline has diverged quite completely from canon at this point, & so the Buu we see here is, visually, Super Buu, even though his powers & strength are not quite the same. Without the added conflicts, there was no initial split between Skinny Buu & Fat Buu; so this was a pure transformation. On to the Q&A!
Q: Awesome chapter. I can really imagine this as real episodes of Dragon Ball Z.
A: I mean like...that's the highest compliment you can give a fan-writer. (≛ヮ≛)
Q: Everyone always forgets the easy solution. The heroes already have someone who can 1 shot Buu, and they never use him. Bring in Devilman and have him explode Buu, or Babidi, or both! I jest of course, but always nice to see more Supreme kai. It seems like a weird balancing scale. If one character I like comes back (Supreme) then I lose another one (Ten). That being said I'm curious if your way to resolve Buu is the same one as I'm writing in my eventual to be posted story. LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE AND HAPPY NEW DECADE!
A: Shh, Devilman is too OP. Plus, I very much doubt Baba is willing to lend out his services for anything less than an astronomical fee. Canonically, I personally feel like he shouldn't be too much of a threat to the Z-era villains because his Devilmite Beam, & he himself, would be too slow. Anyway, sorry about killing one of your favorite characters, buuuuut that's what I do, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Pretty sure this is technically the highest kill count I've ever had in a main chapter. I have a very specific way of defeating Buu in mind, so we shall see if it's anything like what you're planning. Happy 2020!
Q: A new chapter for "Savior of Demons", such a fine way to start off the New Year. :D
A: You bet...& it's not even delayed this time! It's a post-Christmas miracle! ô▂ô
Q: Now THIS is how to start the New Year right! Nothing beats SoD! Have a Happy 2020!
A: Well I mean, some champagne & caviar is how I start the New Year right, but if you're satisfied by my fanfiction, then I'm honored.
Q: "GET ME MR. SATAN." Man, what a way to end the chapter. It sounds so epic, but we all know what's really up with that guy, lol. This chapter was jam packed full of action, suspense, and a bit of drama and angst, too, which was perfect! I never really realised how much I needed that moment of weakness and grief between Vegeta and Trunks. But I did, and I'm glad I got it. The emotions expressed, though brief, were raw and powerful. Vegeta's vengeance and short-sightedness has come back to bite him in the ass in the form of one grieving little boy. It almost seems ironic or poetic, that the one condemning him is the son whose birth he didn't even bother to attend. He never dwelled on how much his family actually meant to him, I imagine, and by the time he finally came to his senses and repented, it was too late. Tenshinhan died pretty quickly, and I was honestly shocked how there was no build up to it other than Freeza's flashbacks to childish bedtime stories and teasing. That just made the effect of the death better. And, of course, Bulma's parents are living in their own fantasy world, haha, even up to their deaths. Bulma's desperation, on the other hand, was palpable through the words and made me heart ache a little. Even in a world where death is only temporary for the main cast, you can really see the way she loves and cares for her son and just wants him to be safe. I think my favorite part of the chapter, though, was Videl and the kaioshins. Amidst all the darkness and despair we got to kick off the decade, Videl's interactions and moments were a beam of golden sunshine. Really love it when homegirl uses her brain and outwits the gods themselves. Man, I had the smuggest smile on my face when I imagined their slack-jawed expressions. Great chapter; really looking forward to the next chapter!
A: I just love having a super-serious chapter, & then BAM, Mr. Satan shenanigans in your face. Or the reverse, a comedic chapter with a horrifyingly sober ending. Everything Vegeta does seems to come back to bite him, & this is no exception. I find it odd in canon that Trunks (who's a smart kid) never really commented on or seemed upset by the Majin mark. That's kind of a big thing, especially to a young boy who idolizes his father. Tenshinhan's death is absolutely meant to be jarring in its suddenness, juxtaposed with the absurdity of being turned into a cookie. I remember the first time Buu demonstrated that ability in canon, & it just...shocked me. At first because it's just so silly, but then the Fridge Horror crept in, & then it was absolutely horrifying. The fan commentary on how death isn't permanent for DBZ characters overlooks the fact that death is, in & of itself, a traumatic experience. Plus, non-fighters like Bulma don't have the mental tools to deal with that kind of thing, unlike seasoned warriors who are more familiar with death. "Normal" characters like Bulma & Videl are great ways to showcase the fact that the Z Senshi are not always okay, they're not living normal lives, & their version of normal is wildly, sometimes frighteningly different from everyone else's. Videl is especially interesting to write in this respect because she's a new initiate into their inner circle of friends - she didn't grow up with all this, so she still has a layman's perspective & prejudices. I do like writing her as a smart, opinionated, feisty gal who isn't dead weight despite her human-level strength, & having her show up the Kaioushin was very fun to write.
Q: Krillin has full right to be mad at Frieza when all is said and done. Even if the argument could be made that his mind wasn't his own, being tortured to death isn't exactly the kind of thing that an apology can make go away, despite what Star Trek might tell us. As for Gero as mentioned by a lot of reviews... I can see him entertaining the idea of trying to get a sample of Buu in order to improve one of his creations, but I see him turning the idea down. There is a rule about most Occult practices in real life that I can't help but feel like Gero understands on a level that Babidi doesn't: Never summon something you cannot cast down. Gero doesn't really have the means to destroy something like Buu in the event he turned on him and thus he wouldn't risk it.
A: Indeed. A big theme of SoD is that actions have consequences, & you have to deal with your problems instead of running away or suppressing them. I agree with you on Gero & Buu; besides the fact that magical beings probably don't mesh well with the scientific method, Gero is a little more paranoid than Babidi when it comes to control, & he wouldn't want to deal with Buu without a safeguard.
Q: I love how yamcha is the voice of reason here haha.
A: I mean, he IS one of the closest characters to normal, so it stands to reason he'd have a logical, objective perspective on this crisis.
Q: Well, this chapter has been quite the emotional ride, hasn't it? Of particular note I found Frieza's fear based on childhood flashbacks very interesting- really anyone who freak out if they discovered childhood monsters were real, especially if you couldn't do anything to stop it. Buu may look silly, but in a different light he could easily be a horror villain. Though I guess horror stories aren't usually on this scale? Ah well. I also especially liked the bit of levity where Videl manages to get out the Z-Sword, and seeing Kibito humbled was just awesome. And then there's near the end where Trunks is furious at his dad and... well, I imagine Vegeta must be feeling horrible. Anyway... all in all, a great chapter! I look forward to the next one.
A: The one thing I like about Buu is the sheer inconceivability of this horrifying, world-destroying monster...who looks like a candy-colored buffoon. It just throws you so entirely that when he starts doing his thing, it's genuinely frightening. I do like to throw in a bit of comedy to reduce the stress on readers, so having Videl banter & one-up literal gods was too funny to resist. As for Vegeta...well, if there were an award for Most Regretful of Actions, he'd win it.
Q: Definitely set up to be an uphill battle this go around, wonder if the old kai can unlock two peoples potentials at once? Wonder who'll be involved with the Potara this go around, if any, Kuhan? Vegehan? Vegito? Godel or Vihan because that'd be hilarious, would they be some mix of boy and girl? Be the dominant fuses gender like old kai? (I could totally see that fusion being a girl in that case due to the fiery personality of videl) That's enough weird musings in your reviews, excited to see the next part!
A: Uphill battle is putting it mildly. It's more like a sheer vertical war against a force of nature. This is an altogether different universe, so if & when the Old Kai & Potara Earrings come up, they're likely to be utilized in a very different way, if at all.
Q: These last two chapters really drive home just how incredible Buu actually is despite his childish nature. His immense power coupled with his incredible regenerative abilities and magic makes for an almost unbeatable foe. And Babidi continues to look almost competent and then reminding us that he is not. Good reaction to Roshi's attempt with the Mafuba only to fail at explaining what was about too happen to Buu and thereby sowing resentment. And now he is thinking a bit more long term and realises he needs a ship to get around... only to have killed some of Earth's best scientists just before that. Seriously, Dr. Briefs or Bulma would have been such a huge help in getting a great ship built. I really liked that you included that mob scene. Meanwhile Frieza is experiencing a complete nightmare that just gets worse. All those stories are true and now his best friend has been eaten by the very demon he helped unleash. I think he's drowning in guilt at this point. Speaking of which, Vegeta is also facing some real consequences for his actions. And I'm really feeling for Trunks. The poor boy just lost his mother because of his fathers selfishness. Good luck fixing that Vegeta. And poor Goku is beating himself up for what he thinks happened to Gohan and Videl. Good summary by Yamcha on the situation with the three strongest fighters on Earth. And we're also out of Mafuba users. Videl is awesome in this story. Good thinking there with the sword. And the Champ is once more thrown into the fire. Just as he retires. Now let's see if his legendary luck holds out even in the face of this challenge. Babidi is still around, though perhaps Mr. Satan will have a hand in his downfall? I know it's a bit late but a happy New Year too you.
A: Buu is a monster, & his innocuous looks combined with his immature mentality actually make him more deadly. Stack that with his regenerative abilities & all his unique powers, & it's easy to see why he's universally feared. Babidi definitely zigzags a bit in the competence department, but the fact he hasn't made a fatal mistake yet in this universe is just coincidence. I think in a misery competition, Frieza & Vegeta are tied this chapter. Trunks & Goku tie for second place, & Mr. Satan is about to sweep the competition as soon as he picks up that phone.
Q: Ah, Videl, good on you for knowing the story of the Gordian Knot XD I'm digging her presence in his arc and what seems to be a set up for her to keep up with the main cast The tragedy running around this chapter is alive and well; especially all the moments different characters are unsure where others are and assume the worst. It makes the stakes all that much higher. The tensions are high, what with the mob on Capsule Corp and the mass killing of the city; and they rise even higher with that last wham line. Frieza's moments here are brief but I just must say they're some of the best (well, worst for him) you've written in this story. Likewise, Vegeta's short 'screen' time lends him a truly messy scene with his son. Buu continues to be absolutely menacing here (and he may be underestimated by his opponents but he's quickly gaining everyone's fear), and Babidi keeps tugging those strings instead of being dead. Six years! It's crazy! But I'm along for the ride for all the years yet to come- I've loved this story since 2015 and I'll love it long after its finished. As a side note, it was wonderful to see the words Uncle Frieza again, although the moment was far from wonderful for our heroes and us readers alike
A: Videl's pretty sharp, & extraordinarily self-confident, so this was definitely not OOC for her to do. The fear & panic of losing loved ones & friends both metaphorically & literally is one of the most poignant things about disaster movies/scenes, & we were definitely channeling that when we wrote this chapter. Even with a ki sense, communication isn't perfect, so this all adds a layer of humanity to these otherwise superhuman folks. I'm glad you liked Frieza & Vegeta this chapter, despite them both having Really Bad Days & not dealing with it well. It still doesn't feel real that I've been able to keep up the momentum this long for SoD, but that just shows how powerful my obsession is!
Q: Freeza has a heart and it's only for Tenshinhan
A: ಠಿ_ಠ ...okay.
Q: Ah, I've missed this story. Sorry it took me so long to start typing this up. I've been sucked into a new video game I got and, I've been kinda laser focusing on it. Goku has a point, once you hit a certain threshold, you've done as much as your body can handle. Hell, the only reason Goku was able to hit Super Saiyan 3 was because he was dead, and thus just a spirit, he didn't have the limitations of a body made of flesh and blood. That said, Saiyans, much like Roshi in the Tournament of Power, have a tendency of telling their limitations to go straight to Hell. So, I suppose we'll see how things play out. It's rare to see Goku break down like this. But, I kinda like it. For all his joking and light heartedness, he very much cares about those close to him. And this is why few are inclined to mess with Buu. He may act the part of a clown, but even Fat Buu is capable of razing cities with little to no effort. Yeah, Goku seems to be an unfortunate magnet for evil. Such is the Curse Of The Protagonist. Mob mentality is an ugly thing. Seems being rich and famous can have its downsides. Poor Bulma. She has nothing to do with all this. Uh, Frieza? You of all beings should know not to judge a book by its cover. You don't look particularly menacing in your Final Form, but it's your strongest. Using telekinesis to increase the strength of his blows. That is pretty clever. And part of why I think telekinesis is arguably the scariest psychic power. Sheer versatility. Tien's going to Shin Kikoho, isn't he? Uncle Frieza. That's, unexpectedly cute. Well, he's made of magic so, he's as close to immortal as one can get without being completely unkillable by any means. And Frieza is using his mind. Smart. He's figured out that he can't beat Buu, but if he beats Babidi, that's one less problem. "Shin Kikoho!" Oh is that right? Well I do sure hope somebody picks up that phone. Because I fucking called it! Oh, the Cookie Beam. One of the scariest techniques in all of Dragon Ball. He, he ate them all. I, well first of all kudos to you for being able to accurately portray how nightmarish Majin Buu is. And second of all, holy shit. Yeesh, poor Chi-Chi. She's just being put through the emotional ringer. Ah, a good way to deal with telepaths. Make them see something they really don't want to. A dirty trick, but an effective one nonetheless. I wonder how the Z-Sword would work against Buu? Would it be able to cut through him and negate his healing factor? Because that would be really interesting. Or maybe it's stronger the more evil the person it's being used against is? Or it just evens the playing field, stripping away supernatural advantages, giving either side a 50/50 chance of winning? "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise king born of all England." I couldn't resist. Cutting the Gordian Knot. BRILLIANT! Like Videl said. The Kaioshinkai is akin to paradise. No obstacles. Nothing to make you get creative. I think this is the first time we've seen Vegeta this shaken. Much as I hate to agree, Yamcha's not wrong right now. More Majins. Hah, the dog man barking at someone. Sorry, I can't resist wordplay. Especially if it's shitty. Mr Satan? Oh that poor man is way in over his head.
A: Hey don't worry, look how long it took me to respond! You would be surprised at the number of angry reviewers who hate that I'm not giving Goku a Deus Ex Machina SSJ3 transformation, or even hinting that he may not reach it in this universe. Goku is an emotional creature, despite often displaying feelings in an unorthodox way, & he definitely cares in canon for a lot of people. This sort of thing devastates him. It's a good thing he didn't witness Tenshinhan's death, because as badly as Frieza dealt with it, I believe Goku would fare worse. Thank you for recognizing the effort I put into making a pink bubblegum buffoon terrifying. I always thought that the Kaioushin were strangely...passive & naive, for being gods, & I wanted to try to explain why that might be. Their planet really does seem like an effortless utopia. Hey now, if you don't like my crummy word puns you can go read another fanfic about a series based on crummy word puns. ;^P
Q: How many chapters are left until your fic finally reaches its conclusion?
A: ┐( ̄ヮ ̄)┌ Who can say? It depends on my workload & free time month to month.
Q: The Mask:Well I'm bad at actually reviewing things. But i imagine like Youtube, more reviews/comments help you get seen better. Glad you're still around Roketto. Looking forward to how this will go.
A: Well, I thank you for your efforts & considerateness. I just hope you're enjoying the story. ◠‿◠
Q: Random Citizen:I LOVE YOU RYU NO OHI!
A: I platonically appreciate you too, random citizen! (≙⌄≙)
Q: Chapter 1: Revenants: "...Killing frieza wouldn't make him merciful, it would make him no better than frieza in the end!" BULL FUCKING SHIT! Letting frieza live while being electrocuted every five minutes for the rest of his life would make goku like frieza killing the almost already dead alien so he won't suffer anymore is absolutely merciful. Just a bull shit excuse to keep him alive. [Author's note: implied reaction: (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻]
A: ┬──┬◡ノ(° -°ノ) Sir, this is a fanfiction. If you do not like the premise of the story, I am certain you can find another to read that suits your tastes more.
Q: Chapter 2: Famicide: :s***
A: ..sighs & gets out the soap..
Q: Chapter 13: Irresolution: Was interesting until you killed off Vegeta, I know death isn't final in Dragon Ball but even your version of Goku has no reason to wish Vegeta back to life.
A: Is he a jerk? Yes. Is he also evil & extremely dangerous? Yes. The real question here though is, is he fun to fight? Unfortunately for everyone around him with common sense, Goku thinks he absolutely is.
Q: Chapter 12: Infrangible: This is completely random, and I'm pretty sure this chapter isn't even applicable to this comment, but it's extremely funny to me that this Frieza longfic has the best characterization of Bulma's mom of any fic in DBZ, period. Which isn't to say that the other fics with her out there are bad or anything. You just went above and beyond turning her into an actual character from a literal gag. So kudos for that.
A: It's no secret that I love minor characters who are often treated as one-dimensional. It can be hard to lavish attention & character development on every single character in a series with Loads And Loads Of Characters like DBZ, but for this story, since crucial parts of it take place in her house, I figured I needed to flesh out Pansy Briefs in a plausible way. Thank you for noticing all my effort!
