Fusion…HA! 2- The Dead Zone
Part 7- Origin Of A Hunter
Hunter nearly severed Trunks' head from the rest of his body with the elbow that he delivered to the back of Trunks' neck. Despite the impact Trunks recovered fairly quickly to get back in position to fight. Hunter came barreling toward him, twisting in a corkscrew-like fashion. The attack was dead on- a headbutt to the gut, and had great affect. The air tried to escape so quickly that the air pipe in Trunks almost burst from the pressure. Didn't matter to Hunter; he was just starting.
"You seem quiet now, Trunks. Why is that?" With great pain Trunks opened his eyes and socked Hunter under the chin with a solid right, but he couldn't get any power behind it so Hunter simply pretended it hadn't happened. Trunks tried again, this time hitting Hunter in the sides with hook punches, but the affect was the same. Hunter was on the verge of laughing out aloud. The battle, which he had waited so long for, was almost over.
While Hunter was pondering about the length of the battle Trunks sneakily slumped down to the level of his opponents feet and grabbed both of them, using force that was sure to take Hunter off of them. Hunter's head smacked into the ground just before Trunks hopped up and buried a knee into his nose, crushing everything down further. Trunks somersaulted forward and rose to his feet. He was immediately in the air, putting distance between the two. He was going to need it for the next move.
"Damn Saiyan." Hunter wiped the blood from his nose. It had been embarrassing for him to get him with such an obvious attack. He was the strong one, not the stupid one. Hunter was supposed to fool Trunks into doing things like that, not the other way around. The worse part was that the knee Trunks gave him to the nose had actually hurt like hell. The pain was still swimming around his face. "Well that sure was unpleasant. Won't let that happen again." Then Hunter looked up and saw what was the making of 'it happening again'. Trunks had his hands cupped to the side in a familiar fashion. That wasn't what bothered Hunter. What did was the unheard of amount of ki energy that he was gathering. It shouldn't have been possible for him, but there he was doing it just the same.
"KA…"
"Trunks…is that what his true power is…?" Hunter was almost frozen in fear for a moment, but quickly passed. His mind then began to think about a counter to the imminent Kamehameha. He could use his old Vulcan eraser, which was just as powerful…
"ME…" Hunter slow built up his aura until it was visible. He had to charge it slowly or else Trunks might see it coming. He still had time. After all, everyone knows how slow the Kamehameha is…
"Punch!"
"Punch?" That wasn't how it was supposed to go. Trunks launched himself from his spot in the air and all but ripped through Hunter's stomach with a ki charged punch. To say the wind was knocked out of him would be an understatement. Hunter's mouth hung open as if it were waiting for donations.
"KA-ME-HA-ME…HA!!!!!!!!!" This time Trunks fired the beam that Hunter had expected the first time, and this time he fired the entire thing down Hunter's throat. Trunks fired up his Super Saiyan strength and mustered up enough to outrun the explosion that he created with his attack. Looking back he knew that it would not be enough to beat Hunter, but it would give him an edge. That thought was substantiated when Hunter became visible again. He was in the same spot as before, but then again, he was also on the floor below… and behind… and in front… and to the sides somewhere. Trunks wasn't done though. Hunter's ability to heal would have him ready for action in very little time, so Trunks intended to vaporize all traces of the Buu-droid so that he couldn't do that. He spotted all of his targets. There were 6 in all. Hunter's head was the lone part of his body that was still afloat in the air. His arms, legs, and one of his hands had been severed and spread over a decent distance. Trunks clenched his right fist and homed in on his first victim. Even then Hunter grinned, cooking up some plan to turn this negative into a positive.
"Don't turn your back on me!" With the strain of breaking tissue paper Hunter regenerated his entire body from just his head. Trunks felt the sudden resurgence of power just in time to feel the shock run up his spine due to a double foot to his back. He was plowed into the ground, almost belly flopping. His face was nearly ripped to shreds by a rock that he hit on the way down. Luckily for him his head was so damn hard. Even after that he wasn't done.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!" Trunks used his ki to repel Hunter off of his back. The Buu-droid backflipped to a safe distance. Trunks stood up out of what could have been mistaken for his grave, clearly upset at what had just happened. He let his guard down again. How many times was he going to get off easy before Hunter just simply killed him? His focus had been his only downside the entire fight. Trunks believed he was, and when he was doing well he was. When things started going too well, though, he was trying to hard and leaving openings. Hunter was capitalizing on that. After digging himself out of his hole, though, he had more to worry about than his focus. Or that might have been the problem, seeing as how there were now six Hunters. Trunks looked like he was asked a nuclear physics question.
"So Trunks. You've been having so much fun with just one of me, why don't we bring some friends to the party? I'm sure they are dying to meet, er, kill you." All of the Hunter's gave Trunks the distinct impression that they had more vindictive thoughts on their minds besides just killing him. Just the sheer numbers of them was scary enough. How could he handle six Hunters? A sneak attack? Not with them all watching his every move. Even if one didn't see it, the other five would. He would just have to kill one of them… if that was possible.
"You haven't one yet, Hunter. I can take all of you on. Your multi-form attack won't scare me."
"Just who do you think you are kidding? I can see it in your eyes," said one of them.
"So can I," said another.
"Yep. He's scared," said the third.
"He's probably wet his pants," said the forth.
"And soiled himself," said the fifth. The sixth said nothing important. All he did was give a cutting motion over his neck and point. With that five super powered Hunter's closed in on their lone prey.
**********
"Welcome to my home Piccolo," said the fake 18. She moved her arms in a to her sides and held out her hands as if to show him the area around. Piccolo was awestruck by the completely waste of space. He now understood why people tried so hard to escape the Dead Zone. The utter silence; you could literally hear your own breath or a pin drop if there was a solid object beneath you. If you stayed in there for too long you could easily lose your mind. It wouldn't take much effort. Someone like Piccolo could probably take advantage of the surrounding silence to train without interruption, but even he needed some sort of life form around. Piccolo eyed the new and improved Android 18.
"Why waste your time with me, Boo? What is your purpose?"
"It's very simple really. I need someone to spare with."
"…"
"I can see by your lack of speech that you are surprised by that. What did you think I was going to say? That I believed you to be the only person capable of defeating me? That would have been humorous. I should have thought of that."
"Maybe I am and you just don't know it." Piccolo knew that was bull. He didn't stand a chance unless he had a hefty donation of power coming sometime in the near future. That wasn't going to happen, so Piccolo had to try to do everything to survive long enough to get out of the Dead Zone alive.
"Oh? Are you really? Please show me. I just have to see this. If your power comes to even a fraction of my own I'll be impressed." 18 bowed her head and closed her eyes. "Look; my defenses are down. Do what you wish. I'll give you one minute." The Namek didn't waste a moment guiding his middle and index fingers to his head momentarily, but then his arms just fell to his sides.
That's just what he wants me to do. Attack at random, attempting to hurt him little by little in hopes that I can do some damage before the time is up. That won't work. He's too strong. There probably isn't anything that will work, but I have an idea. If he's expecting a collection of small attacks, he has a big surprise in store for him. Piccolo moved his large arms until they made an "X" over his upper torso. His gaze never left 18 for a second; he took a brief moment to remember the coming of the androids and how his battle with 17 ended in him being destroyed by Cell. He also remembered how Buu had completely vaporized the planet after being defeated (he remembered waking up in the afterlife anyway). Piccolo made no sound and no attempt to attack. He just stood there like a gargoyle, watching 18.
Hmmm… what is this Namek doing? I've given him a chance to try to defeat me and he refuses. He must know that I'm stronger than he is, but if he is anything like his friends he won't give up that easy. He must be trying something, but does he really think anything he can do will hurt me? Not only am I more powerful, but I have unlimited power thanks to this new body. The Namek may fool himself into believing that he can beat me; that's what I want. Once his spirit is broken I'll make sure to follow up with is spine. Crush it into jelly and- 18 cut the thought short and concentrated on Piccolo's increase in energy. It wasn't much or very speedy, but the demon was curious at what kind of power Piccolo was going to use on him. The Namek knew the effort was futile, didn't he? Why bother.
"You have some fight, Piccolo, and for that I'll commend you. You don't, however, have a working brain. Maybe I'll examine yours after I'm done cracking your head open." 18 began to laugh at his own joke despite how bad it was. Piccolo didn't laugh, but he did smile.
"Keep talking. I only need a few more seconds."
"…A few more seconds? What are you going to pull now?" Piccolo managed to get a raised eyebrow reaction out of Boo when his eyes went completely white. He knew that Piccolo was still looking directly at him, but even he was slightly unnerved by the change. It was only momentarily; 18 was back to his cocky self in no time.
"I get it now. You think you can scare me?" Sparks of lighting and electricity mixed lightly with waves of white and blue energy to answer the question. "Nice light show."
"Even someone as deluded by their power as you should understand what's going on here, Boo. I didn't come in here to die. If you thought that then you are going to be in for a very long fight." The friction of clashing energy's increased around Piccolo's body once again as if to try to prove his point. "You and your brother are too drunks with your own power to recognize another's when it begins to threaten yours."
"And your power is supposed to threaten mine? You need a couple thousand years more training for that to happen, Piccolo."
"No…I don't." That received another raised eyebrow response.
Flashback
It was a windy day. The area was completely vacant of all life. All of the animals had run for cover in the caves and holes of the surrounding area. The sky was dark and the weather showed the makings of a storm. There was one being outside in this storm; Piccolo
He never opened his eyes. The wind washed over him, wanting to move his position. He did not concede and he did not open his eyes. The rain poured down on him, drenching him and adding extra weight to his training gear. His cape carried so much water it could barely flap anymore. It simply hung down behind him. Yet Piccolo did not open his eyes. Debris had been picked up off of the ground and flung through the air and him. He had even been struck with a large boulder. A rabbit watched from its hiding place and flinched when the two forces collided. Piccolo was left undamaged; the boulder became an assorted collection of pebbles. He sat in the air with his legs crossed Indian style and his fingertips lightly touching each other.
I must concentrate. I'm am so close. The storm will help me reach the next level, but only if I don't lose control. If I focus enough I'll break through the barrier that's been holding me down. I'll go to the next level. No Namek has ever reached it, and that's why I will. No Namek has possessed my combination of mind, body, and soul. I have united all of them and mastered each. I can call upon them at will in a fight to aid me, but my use of them is limited. I don't wield as much strength as the Saiyans…possibly never will, but I should be able to raise my fighting power substantially. I will give birth to a new breed of Namek on this day.
Thunder crackled in the background and lighting struck Piccolo on the right shoulder. He didn't so much as flinch, as that would have ruined his concentration. Besides, lighting was what he needed. It would give a jump-start to the power within him. He could draw more in; it would make concentrating harder, but it was a necessity to break through. Two more bolts dived down at him in hopes of turning him into an extra-crispy Namek, but all they did was give him the boost he needed.
That's it. Don't lose it now. The storm is now acting as my generator, keeping me at my full strength. That allows me to use my power to heighten my maximum level. Goku could probably do this on his own without the aid of a natural storm, but it might be better to use one. If I can get my power past the breaking point I will have succeeded.
Still his eyes did not open. Instead the lids over them tightened, showing his full commitment to the project. A low grumble could be heard in his throat. The process had begun.
There is no turning back now. I have to keep a constantly increasing level or the storm will disperse. I have to draw more power!
Piccolo bared his fangs, trying harder than ever to will the storm along. It was now functioning solely to meet his demands, and to do so it had to get more violent. The wind and debris picked up heavily, doing twice as much has it had before. Hundreds of objects pelted his sides and face, but Piccolo easily blocked them out. That was small stuff compared to what he was doing. He wouldn't let those things ruin his chance. The thunder and lighting picked up as well, crashing down with frequency nearing once per second for each. Piccolo sucked it all into himself; even the incredible sounds waves that were crashing all around. The sheer speed at which he was consuming the newfound energy resources was alarming. At this rate he wouldn't be able to keep harnessing the storm for a long enough time to reach the breakthrough point.
This seems to be getting harder as get closer. I can feel it now. I'm there at the door, but it's going to take a large boost in power to break it down. This storm combined with my own power can do just that, but my mind has to calm itself first. The strain is working against me; I must concentrate.
For the first time since he started Piccolo opened his eyes, but gone were the black pupils or any other color. They were now pure white, ghosts staring out into the world that they drew their strength from. The burst of energy was going to be intense. Piccolo prepared his body and mind for it. It could easily destroy him, but the Namek had more respect for himself than to allow such an exercise to do him in. This would be his ultimate success.
KABOOM!
Pain and fear ran through every pore of his being. Piccolo had never felt a mix of the two like he was right now. The pain was excruciating; the influx had been much more than anticipated. He could handle it, but not for very long. It was overloading his senses, and his body would just as soon quit on him as it would endure the onslaught. The fear came from allowing just that to happen. The energy inside of him, his combined with the storms, would be free to roam. Needless to say the surrounding area wouldn't be very safe. Thankfully it was uninhabited, but what about the closest towns. Piccolo wasn't weak; he was completely capable of destroying the planet. If his energy was released without control it make for horrible results. Still Piccolo was able to fight through the pain and fear with little more than a blood-curdling scream…
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
End Flashback
Boo was more than stunned. Even in his new body he couldn't believe what was actually happening. The Namek had never once even been entertained as a threat to the brothers in their quest for the death of the fusion. The other fighters were thought to probably be just play things until they were ready to fight Gogeta. Boo had intended on kicking Piccolo around and then staying inside the Dead Zone, just to make everyone wonder about his condition. Even after the return portal was opened he wasn't going to jump straight out. Boo wanted the drama to reach a climax just before he nonchalantly stepped out of the void, crushing all hope in the hearts of those outside. That fantasy didn't look like it was going to take place.
"There is no way you could do this! How?!"
"You aren't the only one with secrets, demon!" Piccolo's entire body started to glow a blinding white. Although not visible because of the overabundance of reflected shine, Piccolo's costume was undergoing a transformation of sorts as well. 18 braced himself against the shock waves; they were so intense that 18 might be taken off of his feet at any time. Boo took this time to reflect and think.
"Can it be possible that the Namek can really reach another level that rivals my own?" Boo realized that in his utter contempt for Gogeta and the burning desire to kill him he had not left room for wondering about the others. It had been 10 years since they had fought. It could be possible for anyone to increase his or her power level…but that dramatically? One thing Boo knew for sure was that Piccolo had indeed reached a new level, and as things were he had somehow gotten stronger.
**********
Goku looked around, and what he saw he didn't like. Krillan was still not at one hundred percent. He was now standing on his own without too much trouble, but he wouldn't be able to fight. Even at one hundred percent Krillan might not be able to contribute to this battle. B-chan and ChiChi were now up. In a few moments they would be ready. Goku was unsure of b-chan, but he had witnessed first hand ChiChi's battle power. She was quite impressive for her years of rust. Bulma was also available for immediate battle. That wasn't going to happen though; Goku had a plan.
"Bulma." The human-turned-Saiyan looked at him from behind.
"Goku?"
"Go and check on b-chan and ChiChi. Make sure they are okay. We'll need their help…or you might." His instructions processed quickly, and Bulma understood the underlying motive. She complied and went over to the two women who had finally begun to see straight.
"ChiChi? B-chan? Are you okay?" The two women gave her murderous looks that convinced her not to ask again.
"Who hit me?" asked b-chan.
"That's not important right now," replied Bulma. "ChiChi, you know what we have to do, right?" ChiChi nodded. They both moved slightly apart. B-chan watched intently, not knowing what to expect.
"Ready." They nodded and started the dance. Everyone, Goku and 17/Buu included, watched.
"FUSION…HA!" Their fingers touched perfectly. The entire dance was a success, thanks to the repeated practicing during the recent years. It was only a few steps, so they practiced a few times a week. Every so often they actually fused into the warrior Chima just to make sure they had the dance down together. Now it was just like a practice session. There was an ensuing explosion, completely expected by all those watching, followed by a swirling cloud of dust and power. Then there was Chima. B-chan started to look around for ChiChi and Bulma whom had mysteriously disappeared during the whole situation. Looking at the new woman standing where they used to be she put two and two together.
"They can do that by using that dance?" She thought back to the fusion dance, which seemed like a foolish mix of moves without any real purpose. Easily duplicated, but they didn't look like they could produce the kind of results they did. The two had become one…and then there was her power. B-chan recognized immediately that she much stronger than anyone else there. Was she stronger than Buu? That remained to be seen.
"Buu." Chima stepped in front of Son Goku, who moved out of the way and flew over to Krillan in hopes of waking him up into the real world. As he did he felt a couple of approaching powers. Rae and Goten were on their way. Vegeta, who at first looked like he might have been on his way now had disappeared from Goku's senses. What that meant he was unsure of, but he trusted Vegeta to do the right thing. They right now everything was up to Chima.
"It's the woman fusion. This will be fulfilling." Chima stare stayed cold.
"You're right. I am going to enjoy this." Chima clapped her hands together, making sure that they were facing upward. Instantly a brightly glowing ball started to push them back apart. Chima kept her pressure constant so as not to allow it to grow to big too fast. As a matter of fact she kept it at that size, restricting its movement while trying to fill it with as much power as possible.
"You think I can't do that?" 17 mimicked Chima's motions from earlier, right down to the clapping of the hands. He too formed a ball of energy. "Your little trick can't scare me, woman."
"It's not meant to scare you; it's meant to tear you apart from the inside out!" With all of her power Chima smash the back ends of her hands that were closest to her body together, forcing the red hot energy ball to fire forward. 17 reared back and threw his at the incoming blast. When the two collided it wasn't even close to a contest; Chima's attack rocketed forth as it had just passed through a feather pillow. It ripped and slashed its way into 17's chest, where it promptly exploded. Chima didn't even cover up after the blast. B-chan and Goku watched the spectacle with Krillan.
"That's the fusion dances power?" asked b-chan. Goku and Krillan nodded, although Krillan's was more astonishment than anything else. No matter how many times he saw it happen he would never understand how people could get so strong.
"Yes," answered Goku after analyzing the situation before them. He knew the outcome. 17 (or Buu) had just been taught to take Chima more seriously; nothing more than that. "I noticed that you were following the moves. Do you think that you could do them over again if you had to?"
"Me?" b-chan looked right at Goku, but he still had his gaze locked on the battlefield. "I guess." B-chan went over the moves again in her head, reading each one. They hadn't been too tough. She probably could do it without too much of a problem.
"Good. When Rae gets here then you should fuse with her." Both b-chan and Krillan almost fell over with shock.
"What?!" was the reply from both of them at the same time.
"You and Rae can fuse, right? She knows the fusion dance. I'm sure she does. Rae watches Goten and Trunks do it all the time." Goku looked at b-chan. "Don't worry. It will be easy. I know you can do it." B-chan nodded.
"Dad! Krillan!" Everyone glanced into the sky to see Goten and Rae, whom had just made it to the site. They floated down to the ground and landed in front of the three, with Chima and 17 off to the side. "I heard what you said from the sky, Dad. Do you think they could pull it off?"
"Sure. Why not? Rae can fuse with anybody, right? She is a Buu-droid." Rae nodded to confirm.
"It's true. Let me just check and make sure I get this right." Rae stepped over to b-chan while everyone turned their attention back to 17. Goten rose an eyebrow at the legs standing with no body. Goku could see his confusion written all over his face.
"That's Buu. He took over 17's body and is now fighting Chima." Goku's eyes seemed to wander around the sky for a bit. "This would be a great time to have Gotenks here."
"I just left Trunks, Dad, and he's not going to be able to make it. He's fighting Hunter. He made Rae and I leave."
"I know. He wants to face him alone. Vegeta told me about Trunks and how he felt about not beating Hunter the first time. I'm not surprised at his decision at all." Goku let his aura start to flow. "As far as my decision; I'm not going to sit by and watch Chima get the only shots at Buu." At that moment Goku was replaced by his Super Saiyan level 2 self. Goten smiled, unable to hide his pride in his father's strength.
"I'm ready too." Goten showed off his strength by reaching SSJ. The two stood side by side, not yet joining Chima in front of 17.
"Just remember to watch yourself, Goten. Draw out all of your power." Goten flashed a thumbs up sign his father's way to tell him that he understood before he put his battle face on. By this time 17 had regenerated his injured parts.
"Nice touch, fusion." He cracked his neck in typical Buu fashion. "I see you have back up."
"Scared?" she asked, still completely devoid of emotion.
"No, but you should be. I'm going to have to punish you for cheating. The odds are stacked against me. It's not fair."
"It's about as fair as you destroying the earth just because you can!" In what looked like one fluent motion Chima appeared in front of 17, stopped, did a front flip over, turned around and used her ki to propel her down the ground. Her left foot dug into the ground and popped itself under 17's foot all before he could blink his eye. Goku took advantage and rammed right into the upward rising leg, forcing it to find an "immovable" object to stop it. That was his face. Goten jumped in, not really able to follow too much of the action, but he anticipated his chance coming. He crossed his hands over each other as if he was going to do a Masenko, but then brought them to the side for the Kamehameha wave.
"Masenkame-HA!" The attack produced was much larger than any other Kamehameha wave (except Gohan's against Cell) and it easily encased 17's small frame. Goku and Chima stood to either side.
"HA!" A counter blast erupted from 17's mouth that overwhelmed Goten's. He dodged just before the reinforced wave reached him, but he moved into the path of the freight train known as Buu. He took a right to the face. 17 threw a ki ball behind him that stopped and did a U-turn, exploding on Goten's back and putting him in perfect position for an elbow under the chin. Goku and Chima flew up and squashed 17's head between their fists. Looking much like a pancake he puffed his head back to normal proportions before throwing a punch at Goku. It was blocked with a forearm. Goku lurched forward with a hard headbutt. The attack dazed him more than 17, though, and soon thereafter he felt two hands slap close on either side of his head. They directed him toward 17 again, who was using his head like a hammer. Goku took almost 7 hits before shoulder-blocked 17 from behind again and knocked everyone to the floor. Goku stayed while Boo flipped up and moved about 7 feet in front. Chima somersaulted, rolling heels over head, to a standing position. Frozen for a slit in time to gain balance she was easy prey for the back kick.
"Oof!" 17 made a flip out of the kick, halting his motion while upside down to throw a large amount of ki directly in Chima's face. That occupied her, forcing her to dig her feet into the ground. From behind and above came Goten, not giving up as easily as one would think. He locked his hands together in a fist and swung, but the attack found nothing but air.
"You don't think you can hit me with such trivial attacks, do you?" 17 sneered at Goten, expressing his intentions on killing him with only a gaze. Goten read that as a challenge, which he felt more than up to. He twisted around with an elbow and a quick punch follow-up. 17 swiftly moved out the way. Goten shot a kick right at the spot where he figured 17 would move. To his shock and amazement he did hit 17, but the androids body was so tough and hard that the blow almost cracked some of the bones in Goten's foot.
"Arrrgh!"
"Hmm…" 17 held his chin between his thumb and index finger. "I don't think I quite broke your bone enough. Here. Let me finish the job."
"Not while I'm around!" A light almost blipped unnoticeably from behind. 17 faced it holding out his hand and dissipating the incoming attack. However Goku was not there. The realization came too late.
"You-arrghhhh!" 17 took an ultra-hard kick to this chest that almost broke through to the other side. He didn't go far, just a few feet, but the effects of the shot were showing. The indent in 17's chest cavity went in about 2 inches. He couldn't touch it; the pain was too great.
"Now, Goten!" The reminder from Goku was not needed. Goten had already started to set up his Masenkameha again. This time it wasn't going to be abrupt; he was going to pour everything he had into it.
"MA…" Goku levitated off to the side, watching his son. He thought it interesting that Goten hadn't taken on the Kamehameha like Gohan. He instead combined two of the most powerful attacks in the Gohan/Goku arsenal. The result was quite impressive.
"SEN…" Goten had now moved his arms and hands to the side to start increasing the limits of the energy ball that he was harnessing in his hands. Not to far away from him were Rae and b-chan, who had stopped doing their preparing to watch the spectacle that was Goten's Masenkameha.
"KA…" The lights show emitting from between Goten's fingers was awe-inspiring. It came up in thick columns that almost made it look dark. Goku was impressed; he was doing all of this off of SSJ power. If Goten ever broke through to the next level he would be every bit as good as his brother. The thought of Gohan turned some lights on in Goku's head. Gohan's absence hadn't been rectified because of the battle, but there was no need for everyone to stay.
"ME…" Some could go and some could stay. It was crowded anyway. Rae and b-chan could go. Dr. Boo would be more their level. Goten could probably go too. Of course he would have to finish the attack first. Krillan would have to decide on his own. Goku once again was intently watching his son Goten, wild ki and all.
"HA!" The resulting explosive power ball was much more potent than the last. 17 saw it coming and was genuinely scared for a fraction of a second. Gaining his wits he held his ground and hands. He caught the massive ball and directed it all over to his left hand. Slowly he took off his right and allowed all the weight to push against his left side. A single punch sent the blast rolling back to its owner. Goten's eyes filled with the deadly glow of his attack. Had his father not stepped in front and tossed it aside he might have seen more heavenly things.
"Goten, it's time for you to leave."
"But dad, I just got here. I need to help somehow."
"You can. Take Rae and b-chan and go find your brother. We must find Videl as well." Goten stared at the back of Goku's head as if it were talking to him.
"But I can help you here!" Goten wasn't really arguing about going to find his brother. Finding Videl was a good idea too. He just didn't like getting kicked off of the battlefield so many times in one day. It was like saying he couldn't cut it, but he had just shown that he wasn't afraid of 17. Wasn't that enough?
"Goten, everyone has a part to do. I need you to find your brother and Videl. We can't allow Dr. Boo to escape with them." Goku cocked his head slightly so that the two could see each other's face. "Think of it this way. Gohan will owe you a favor, so you might be able to get him away from his studies long enough to train with you."
"B-…" That was a pretty good proposition.
"Good. Take b-chan and Rae with you. You may need the help of the fusion.
"Dad. Trunks is fighting Hunter." Goku nodded as if he knew that and left it at that. He had to focus on 17, or Buu's incarnation of him. The android was motionless, not hurt but not attacking. Goten retrieved Rae and b-chan and they flew off.
"Krillan?" asked Goku. His longtime monk friend landed next to him. "Are you ready for this?" Krillan wiped his mouth with his wristband.
"Yeah. I'm fine now, but I don't know if me being around is going to help much."
"Don't worry about that. We've fought together for so long, it just doesn't seem right without you fighting side by side with me." Krillan smiled at that. Goku had always been a good friend. If he didn't want Krillan to go, then there was no one tearing him away from this fight.
"That is very amusing, but you still have to actually fight me." 17 stalked forth. "And I'm not even working up a sweat with this meaningless sparing. If you plan on fighting me at this strength I'll have to kill you." He pointed to Goku, and then at Krillan. "And you…"
"And you will die before any of that ever happens." Chima was right there to the side of him, a death grip on what was soon to be his unrecognizable hand.
"Damn you!"
"You forget that I am here. I don't think you have enough power in that scrawny body of yours to beat me. Would you like to prove me wrong?"
"I wouldn't like to; I will!"
**********
Vegeta was barely over a mile away, and that distance could be easily covered. The fight between Hunter and Trunks was far from over, but he couldn't help but to monitor it. Just by feeling out their ki he could tell what was happening down to each punch. At that distance it wasn't too hard. Trunks was making what felt like rookie mistakes, but at the same time Vegeta never knew his son to really want to defeat anyone like he did Hunter. Maybe someone had finally insulted his pride enough.
"If I allow people to insult my pride too often he doesn't allow it enough. He's too forgiving. This is exactly the kind of battle he needs."
The two kis clashed again…and then there were seven. Hunter was using an advanced split form technique, similar to the one Buu could use when regenerating.
"The fool. He's spreading his ki out too far. He won't last long in that form. Trunks will destroy him." The utter pride on Vegeta's face could not be hidden, not that there was anyone to hide it from. He could feel the ki's far off fighting. Goku and Chima were with the bald headed monk. They were fighting what seemed like one of the thousands of demons that they always had to fight. At that point Vegeta saw no immediate danger, so taking a moment to watch his son fight in probably his most important battle of his life didn't seem like it was a big deal. If Kakarotto really needed some kind of help he'd be sure to send Vegeta a signal. The low class Saiyan tended to do things like that.
"Trunks. You have more potential than you even realize. You will defeat him."
**********
Trunks took about 3 punches at the same time to his right side, and 3 kicks to his left. He didn't gasp for air or scream out in pain. The demi-Saiyan didn't have the clarity of thought to do that. The assault on his body was making coherent thinking something of the past. He wanted to fight back, but each time he went to face one another came in, and another and another. The cycle was endless. The 6th one stayed back and just waited, picking his spots. That had to be the controller, the original. If he could get enough damage inflicted on the original he would be back to one again. That, of course, meant he was going to have to get away from the 5 stooges first.
"Hunter! You jerk!" Trunks fired three ki attacks to his right, all of which were dodged. At the same time he was kicked in the small of the back. Going with the momentum he twisted off of the foot and snagged the offensive limb. The attacking Hunter was more than surprised. With his new weapon Trunks hit a grand slam taking out four of the Hunter's with one swing. He let go of the fifth, and they all tumbled away. That left numero seis.
"I see that you've managed to fight the rest of them pretty well." Trunks didn't answer. He lifted his right arm so that it was level with the ground. His hand was in a fist. It opened slightly, no more than a couple of centimeters.
"I'm going to shred you into a thousand pieces, and fry every single part of you that remains."
"Do you really think you can do that? I don't think you can." From inside Trunks' hand sprang forth a power blade. When it cooled down it was apparent that it was the sword his future self had held.
"I'll be happy to prove you wrong." Trunks raised that blade for the first strike, but it wouldn't do anything other than that. 5 strong pairs of hands had found a grip on the sword, and they didn't want to let go…but they did. Swiftly they all locked their arms around a vital limb. Two on the arms, two on the legs, and one around the head. The sixth Hunter stood face to face with him…then smacked him
"Silly Trunks. You talk too much." The Hunter on Trunks right arm tightened his grip and forced Trunks to drop his sword. The 6th Hunter bent over to pick it up, placing his head in perfect position to get punted to the moon by even the weakest of hits. Trunks knew that and wanted badly to do so, but the Hunter's so snugly attached to his leg didn't want to part ways with him. All he could do was struggle. Hunter picked up the sword, pretending to admire it.
"Damn you and your games, Hunter!"
"Poor Trunksy doesn't want to play around. Fine; we'll get right to the point." Hunter held the blade sideways almost at eye level, staring right at the demi-Saiyan as if telling him his plans telepathically. Trunks responded by struggling even more to get free.
"You can't-"
"Oh shut up! I'm sick of your whining and complaining. Just let me stab you and we'll both be happy!"
"I'll be happy when I chop off your head and turn your friends here into confetti!" Hunter brought the handle of the sword to his chest, pointing it outward at the area Trunks' heart resided in. He jabbed with one swift move, but when he did he only managed stab one of his own in the heart. Luckily there really was no heart on him (that couldn't be regenerated) but the sword still hurt like hell. There was comfort when it was taken out, but that was short-lived when all of the Hunter's realized that none of them had retrieved the sword.
"He did it…" The sixth Hunter looked around for Trunks. He flew around along the ground, wondering exactly where the boy had gone.
"Looking for me?" asked a man in hiding. Hunter instantly was in the spot where the sound came from, but when he arrived there was nothing there. In a flash he remembered how Gotenks had played the same game with him just before he killed him. That more than pissed off the Buu-droid. If Trunks thought he was going to repeat history exactly…what was that sound? Around Hunter small pieces of what looked like very thin paper were falling. They were, of course, the remains of his army of clones.
"…Trunks." This time Hunter felt him in the sky, and this time that's exactly where he was. Trunks was motionless, serious look on his face, his sword held in one hand and the tip pointing right between Hunter's eyes.
"Now I'm going to decapitate you, shred you into bits, and fry your every remain."
"Don't get overconfi-" Hunter was finding it hard to talk with Trunks fist knocking on his jaw like a door. With sword mastery that would take years for a normal man years to obtain Trunks sliced and diced the last Hunter into a million and one pieces, leaving only the head.
"Did you say something about being overconfident?"
"You don't think you can really defeat me this easily, do you? I will come back, and stronger than before."
"Don't bother; I sick of seeing you. I'm sick of you threatening everyone I hold dear. I sick of your face. Hunter, you are defeated. Not by a fusion, but by me. Remember that, Hunter, when you go to the afterlife. You were defeated by me, and no one else. Do you think you can handle that? Knowing that you have no more excuses? This is it. If you have anything to say, say it now. Your death is eminent." Trunks shifted the sword to his left hand. His right hand he pointed at Hunter, closing the thumb, pinky and ring finger together. The index and middle fingers were slightly crooked.
"That was a nice speech, Trunks. I have to commend you. You have done remarkably well. Don't you just hate it when the bad guy always has the advantage though?"
"If you think you have the advantage, you are mistaken. In fact, any attempt to regenerate your body can easily be stopped by this." Trunks made the growing energy ball flash with power to assure Hunter that he would use it at a moment's notice. Hunter still was unafraid.
"That's all fine and good, Trunks, but that doesn't change the fact that I know something that you don't…"
"Why should I care?"
"Because it has to do with why I want to kill you." That silenced trunks. Hunter had been after him for so long that he had never gotten to find out why Trunks wanted to kill him. Dr. Boo didn't seem to have any interest in him, so why was Hunter always trying to 'hunt' him down? In his current state Hunter had nothing to lose, and neither did Trunks. There was no reason not to let him talk. Still Trunks was getting a bad feeling that he wasn't going to like what he heard.
"Tell me then; why do you want to kill me? What have I ever done to you to make you hate me so much that my life must end in agony for you to be satisfied?"
"Because, dear Trunks, it was you that gave me life."
"…" It wasn't until a couple of seconds later that Trunks realized the look of confusion on his own face. Hunter began to smirk evilly, obviously enjoying it.
"You really are dense, aren't you? Let me spell it out so that even someone with your limited mental capabilities can understand. I am a Buu-droid. Dr. Boo created me. You know that already. A Buu-droid is made up of Buu and an Android. Buu you've already met; I've heard you are good friends."
"Hardly."
"It doesn't matter. An Android is made up of a human with robotic parts. That wasn't going to cut it in the Doctor's design, so he used something more powerful than a human."
"…A Saiyan."
"I'd stick a golden star on your head, but you might get ki happy if I tried to regenerate my arms and I wouldn't be able to finish my story. You are correct. I was made from a Saiyan as well…but that's not the best part. I was made from the most unlikely of sources."
"Unlikely…?"
"Any idiot with half a brain knows that Goku and Vegeta are the strongest Saiyans. They are also full-blooded. They would be the prime candidates for Buu-droids, but the Doctor had other plans. He figured that if the Buu-droids job was to keep the others occupied while he used them as his pawns, then the Buu-droid should be more like them."
"You are talking in circles. Get to the point."
"Besides Goku and Vegeta, you and Goten are the most obvious threats. Therefore the Doctor decided to make the Buu-droid from you two." Trunks almost jumped back 2 feet, the shock almost taking over. Had he not been careful with his reaction Hunter might have gotten away. The bodiless head, though, made no attempt to move.
"You were made from Gotenks…?" Trunks asked himself more than anyone.
"If only I were that lucky. It seems the Doctor couldn't do the process with a fusion. The power was too great. He instead decided to use the two of you. There was a problem with that too."
"I suppose you are going to tell me," asked Trunks sarcastically, but with a serious tone in his voice.
"Why not? You're such a good friend. Goten's DNA wasn't playing nice with yours. Despite that fact that you two fuse so easily the Doctor couldn't combine the two DNA strips together. They didn't want to cooperate. They kept fighting. So the Doctor had to throw one away and keep the strongest. Trunks, I never knew that your genes could kick ass like that!"
"…Kami no…"
"Kami had nothing to do with this one, Trunks. You did. You gave me life, Trunks, though the magic of modern science you allowed me to take my first breath. Trunk…I love you." The sadistic, sarcastic, and all around mean smile that Hunter showed looked like it would never stop going up.
"YOU BASTARD!!!" The ki ball that had started to lose energy exploded to about three times its original size. "NO WAY! I COULDN'T HAVE…YOU CAN'T BE…!"
"Face it, dad; I'm you, just a lot more handsome." The last thing Hunter saw was a large ball of light incinerated his head, melting it away.
**********
