Fusion…HA

Fusion…HA! 2- The Dead Zone

Part 8- The New Level of Namek

There was no word to explain what was going through 18's head. The possessed android had the expression of horror implanted on his façade. It was all because of the Namek.

Piccolo hadn't been much of a threat. He never had been. Once upon a time people might have seen him and worried about his power, but with the likes of the fusion to deal with, Boo had never considered Piccolo as one of the elite that had to be crushed. He was always just there. Luckily for the Namek he happened to be away during Boo's first escape from the Dead Zone. Boo would have killed him there. That was part of the reason Piccolo was chosen to follow him into the Dead Zone. Boo didn't have the chance to kill him before, so would do it now… or so was his intentions.

Piccolo had changed quite a bit since coming into the Dead Zone. He still had no hair, but his power level was rising exponentially. That in itself didn't bother Boo. Because of his overwhelming strength he and his family had dealt with this kind of 'uprising' before. Someone from a no-name planet that he was having fun destroying would step forth to fight. Boo would drag it out just for that moment when all hope seemed lost. That's when the fighter would get a huge boost of energy (Boo still had no idea where this came from). This is where the pink demon won his academy awards. He would allow everyone to believe he was actually being beaten (the fools). The warrior would get confident and use his most powerful attack, whatever it happened to be. Boo would be struck by it, and allow his body to become mauled. Then the warrior would give him some long speech about how his evil was coming to an end, yadda yadda yadda. Boo would then heal himself quickly, showing the futileness of the attack. The heart breaking in each and every one of the inhabitants was priceless. He could almost hear their collective hearts breaking. Getting bored with the game Boo would just finish off the shocked fighter and call it a day. He couldn't do that with Piccolo right now.

The part of Piccolo's change that bothered Boo the most was the fact that his power increase was beginning to rival his own power. How was inconsequential. 18 knew that if Piccolo could beat him he wouldn't get his chance to exact his revenge on the fusion.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," remarked Piccolo. His appearance had been slightly altered. He had crescent moon shaped black padding over his now white gi. His belt had also gone black and was longer, tied tightly around his waist and having extra slack hanging off to his side. As if the clothing wasn't enough a mix of white and black energy was crackling all around him, giving the impression of lethal fireworks.

"You are confident; that will be your downfall."

"No. It is your overconfidence, but you don't fool me. You are worried. You can't quite figure out the extent of my power yet. Live with it, Boo. You won't see it until it's too late." Piccolo approached him, almost stalking him. The ki he was giving off was uncanny.

"I was going to make this quick on you, but I think I'll torture you first." He wasn't fooling anybody, least of all himself. 18 was clearly afraid to face Piccolo on a level playing field. He didn't want to let it on, but the Namek was very good at detecting things like that. There really was no hiding it.

"Don't think you can talk your way out of this one. We will fight. You won't be opening any portals just yet, unless you really want to face your brother knowing you failed…" Piccolo blocked the ki ball fired in response to his verbal taunting. It had hit its mark, as he knew it would. Boo had a thing about being stronger than his brother and Piccolo had sensed it. Using it against him was beyond easy; insulting his pride was the most effective way to go. If Piccolo kept it up then Boo wouldn't fight with a clear head. That would make it a short fight.

"Die!" Boo lunged forward with a punch. He didn't realize how much he really did telegraph it. Piccolo didn't even bother to waste energy dodging it. With a slight pivot on his foot and a jerk of his arm he landed a blow right to 18's mouth, nearly caving it in. 18 made a bunch of muffled noises, probably cursing the Namek.

"Shut up! I am tired of your superior attitude!" He let his arm return to his side. His contempt for the demon went as far as to make him not even look in the same direction.

"You don't tell me what to do!" 18 attacked again, this time attempting a kick that was easily blocked before it really got off the ground. 18 hissed, irritated with his attacks not getting the chance to get half way done before they were halted. 18 fired a volley of point-blank range ki balls, hoping and wishing that at least one would hit the damn Namek. None did. The one's that he didn't block with a single hand were fried instantly by the black and white energy that had begun to consume Piccolo's body.

"It's time to teach you a lesson, Boo. Your kind, who use your infinite power for your own gain, don't believe that any rules apply to you. Well I'm going to apply them myself." Piccolo silently closed his eyes and opened his hands wide. Then he touched them together in front of himself, making sure the fingernails were the only parts in contact with each other.

"You won't get a chance to do anything!" 18 raised a hand to the sky and created a large, house sized ball. An evil grin spun its way onto his face. He was about to throw it when it all of a sudden lost energy. Undaunted 18 filled it back to its original form, but yet again it lost energy. 18 looked up at it and couldn't believe what he saw. The energy ball he created was being drained by the mysterious energy that Piccolo was wielding. That wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that it was not only being drained from him, but that it was being used by Piccolo, pouring more into his attack.

"Now do you see how fruitless this all is? Do you see what you and your brother are doing is pointless? Give it up now, and it will be less painful when they erase your memory."

BOOM! The energy in Piccolo's hands almost exploded forth, but he held onto it. The violent shaking could be felt for miles around (not that there was anyone to feel it). Boo was amazed that not only could Piccolo generate that kind of power, but that he was also able to control it without it exploding and killing him. That would have been a nice little plus for Boo, but Piccolo wasn't the type to lose control like that. From the little time he had spent with the Namek he was able to discern that.

I have to attack him somehow. If I just wait for him to release his energy then I'm sure to be killed. I've got to pull together my own power and repel his ki! Boo was ready to get one of those bursts of energy that he made fun of so much. He clawed his hands and moved them closer together. Starting with a single pinpoint spot between his palms he began to build the makings of a Super Blast.

"Be scared now, Namek. You won't find it so easy to defeat me when I am fighting back as I should. I can be an overwhelming foe. Are you sure that you want to go through with this battle?" Boo punctuated that point by flaring the ki ball in his hand, almost doubling its size. Piccolo was completely unimpressed.

"And give you the satisfaction of knowing you got away from something you couldn't win? Not in this lifetime. Too bad for you that this is the only one you'll live in."

"Grrrrrrr…"

"Your instincts should have told you already that you are outmatched, Boo. Your brother would know that by now. Are you really that thick headed to believe that your pathetic excuse for an attack will in anyway save you from me?" Boo froze completely, not believing what Piccolo had just said. Somehow the Namek had read his mind. How could that be?

How did he do that? How did he…no! He didn't. He was just stating that. He didn't read my mind. There is no need to worry…no need. He is only a Namek; they aren't a warrior race. He can't defeat me. I will win. The evil smile returned to 18's face as he regained confidence.

"I'm only a Namek, eh? Want to stake your life on that?"

**********

The hospital was very quiet. Dr. Boo had made sure of that when he arrived with his wife, Aspa. Devil powered herself up to make the foundation of the building rumble. That was more than enough to convince the residents of the hospital not to make any noise. Dr. Boo had his wife admitted to the largest room possible. Devil was sent inside to watch over the sleeping princess after the doctor's stabilized her condition. Dr. Boo sat right outside the door, rubbing his eyes. When he took his hands away from his face there were three new people standing in front of him.

"Hello, Goten. Rae, b-chan, it's nice to see you again." The Doctor didn't bother to get up, seeing no point to it. "Let me guess; you are here for Devil."

"No," replied Goten. "We want Videl back! Release her."

"When I am sure that my wife will survive, boy, you can rest assured that I will release her. She will have served her purpose." Doctor Boo finally stood up and faced the trio. Goten looked like he was going to ground his teeth into dust. Rae was giving him a somewhat angry look, and b-chan was doing the same.

"Let her go, Boo," said Rae. "Your wife is safe here."

"You don't need her anymore. You can stay here yourself, Boo," The Doctor seemed slightly surprised that b-chan would make such a statement.

"You would have your own mother stay here unprotected, Android B?" Goten was completely taken aback by the revelation. Rae half knew it was true and didn't let it bother her. B-chan knew the truth as well, but despite that she didn't see it fair that someone be made a slave because of it.

"You have no right to do this, and stop calling me that!"

"Why do you oppose me, Android B? Did I not give you life?"

"WHY DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME THAT?! I AM NOT AN ANDROID! I AM YOUR DAUGHTER! CALL ME BY MY NAME!" The nearby nurses and doctors decided to run at this point. Remembering the Doctor's earlier warning about noise they could see nothing but bad things happening now. The ducked for cover. Boo, however, made no move to make Devil come out and follow through on his threat.

"Of all my creations only one still does as ordered. Even after a near death experience he still fights on." Boo held his hands behind his back and started to pace. Rae and Goten knew of whom he was talking about. B-chan did also, but she wasn't taking it the same way as the others.

"You can't keep destroying people's lives…" b-chan stared down at the floor. Without warning she darted for the entrance and took off into the sky in a rush. Goten and Rae were baffled. Boo sat back down and started rubbing his eyes again.

"You know where she went, don't you," inquired Goten.

"Yes I do, boy. She's always been very headstrong. Since I just reminded her about a part of her past that she would most likely rather forget she is going to try to stop a certain fight."

"…You are talking about Hunter and Trunks, aren't you?"

"Correct. Now as far as your friend goes I will make you a deal. One of you comes back with me to my laboratory to return Devil back to her original state. The other stays here to watch over my wife. I will not agree to do anything unless those conditions are agreed to." Goten and Rae thought it over momentarily. Rae was the first to speak.

"Fine. I'll stay here with Aspa. Goten, you follow Dr. Boo back to his laboratory. Since you know Videl a lot better than I it would probably help if you were the first person she saw." Goten nodded, agreeing with Rae's plan.

"Okay. I'll take him back. Sit tight. I'll return as soon as possible." Goten gave her a quick kiss and practically yanked Dr. Boo out of his chair. He barely had enough time to call Devil. The three of them were gone in a matter of seconds, leaving Rae in the hospital with Aspa. She entered the room and closed the door behind herself.

**********

17 wasn't having a good day. Chima and Goku were really laying into him. He was being bounced around like a cue ball, ricocheting off of each of their attacks just to be hit by another. He had finally landed on the ground, and was on one knee. He had to rethink his strategy, or more accurately come up with one.

These two are tough. I don't understand. I should be much more powerful than this. What is going on? That Saiyan male should be child's play at his current level, yet he is making me look like fool. Something is utterly wrong here. 17 hopped up slowly, letting himself float down to the ground. When his foot touched he took off, blazing a trail at Goku. The Saiyan had no real time to move and would have surely been hit had Chima not fired at shot between the two. 17 stopped abruptly, seemingly frozen in time as he stared at the female fusion. Goku saw the gaping opening and reacted.

KA-POW! WHAM!

Two hits and 17 was back on the floor again, a face full of dirt and a mouth full of the same. This was no longer a real fight. They could finish him off at any time. They were slightly toying with him now.

"Have you given up yet, Buu," asked Chima, "or do we have to convince you a bit more? Don't you understand that you cannot defeat us?" Buu spit out a load of dirt and wiped his mouth.

"You can't defeat me; I am all-powerful."

"Whatever. You've already been de-" At that very moment a large ball of energy crashed right into Goku, throwing him into Chima. The two fell back and onto the floor.

"What was that?" Even Buu was confused. It certainly hadn't been him that had thrown the attack (although he probably wouldn't admit it). Everyone's attention turned to the sky where their answer was, hanging in the air with his hands on his hips. It was Android A.

"Goku, did you really think you could get away from our battle? The only thing you did was to give me a chance to power up to my highest level. That's all. I will defeat you." Goku got off of Chima, who was rolling her eyes.

"Where do these people come from?" She had had enough of the interruptions and the idiots that were plaguing the battle now. "You, my friend, are going to die. Then I am going…oh no." Chima frantically began searching around for 17, but he was no where to be found. The damn demon had escaped. Chima used her sixth sense to track him down. He couldn't have gotten too far. She had to stop him before he managed to do something that she would regret letting him do. In a few seconds she found him, streaking toward two other ki signatures. One was very familiar. The other was not. Chima put two and two together and figured the situation out. "Buu is going to the battle between Hunter and Trunks. He thinks he's going to absorb them to become stronger, but I'm not going to let him do that." Chima flared up her ki; she had a lot of ground to make up. Buu might not be as strong as she might, but his speed was nothing to laugh at. It was going to be a close call. She took off without another second of hesitation. That left Goku, Android A, and Krillan. The bald headed monk had been watching the battle from the sidelines. Even Goku's encouraging words couldn't convince him to join the fight against Buu.

"Uh…what just happened?" he asked himself more than anybody else. Krillan scratched his head, piecing the ultra quick scenes together slowly so he could understand them. One thing he was able to understand immediately was that Goku was now alone (besides him) and the new threat was Android A, who seemed hell bent on killing him. "Doesn't the 'kill Goku' motive ever get old?"

"Don't worry, little man,' responded A. "After I'm done with your friend here I'll be sure to make my next motive to kill you. Feel better?"

"…Much." Android A approached Goku, who was now back on his feet.

"Do you have any idea what you just did? You allowed Buu to get away!" The frustration on Goku's face was very small, but it was visibly tensing his muscles.

"You have more to worry about than that when I show you true power."

"…You're just as bad as Vegeta was…"

"Don't put me in the same league as that commoner!" A ignited a wave of energy around himself and shot into the air. Above his head he generated a house-sized energy ball that Goku determined was surely a threat. The sphere was thrown and Goku used an overhead blast of his own to stop it in mid air. Soon it was going in reverse and was travelling away from the earth.

That was close. I can't let his ego get out of control like that again or he might be too quick for me.

"Don't forget about me, Son Goku!" Streaking toward the Saiyan was the android, a very unpleasant look on his face. It was as if he was drunk on his own energy and hell bent on proving himself. Goku slipped out of the way of the first charge, but Android A switched directions so fast that he couldn't dodge the second. He took the hit right to the stomach. A whipped around and kicked Goku's right shin and made him fall backward to the floor. By the time Goku hit he had already positioned himself above again. With a maniacal laugh he raised a hand and created another large ball.

"I can't dodge that!" Goku placed his hand on his head to teleport behind Android A but the unstoppable machine rammed a knee into his gut and reappeared back in his original position within the span of a split second. Now gasping for air Goku couldn't retaliate or move.

"Now, Son Goku, you-"

"Kamehameha!" Krillan launched a powerful beam and it hit its intended target. Android A was enveloped in smoke, but Krillan knew that it wasn't a fatal attack. It didn't matter, though. He had bought Goku some time.

"…So the monk wants to play hero?" Krillan eyes scanned the area for Android A. Even though there was still a thick cloud above him for some reason he knew that wasn't the machine's hiding place.

"I'll do anything for Goku! I owe him my life." A crack on a twig not too far away alerted Krillan of a presence. He created a Kienzan and prepared to throw it, but there was nothing there.

"Poor Krillan…" said a voice from somewhere nearby. "You don't have any clue where I am. How about a clue?" Krillan waited for A to finish. "I'm right-" Krillan spun around and threw the Kienzan with all of his might, hoping to hit Android A right behind him, but there was no one there either.

"What?"

"As I was about to say… I'm right over here…with your friend." Krillan turned around again and saw Android A standing over Goku. Goku was doing better but, just as Krillan had been earlier, was in no condition to fight just yet. That didn't bode well for Krillan. "If you want him to live than take him from me."

"Your damn right I will!" Krillan lifted off the ground with intentions of building his courage to attack, but in the end he never made it over 2 inches off of the ground. A firm knee was planted inside of his own stomach. He now found himself in the same situation as Goku, only he hadn't put up as much of a fight as the Saiyan.

"Is that all? I figured you'd give more of a show than that." Krillan coughed, trying to open the windpipes that felt sealed shut. Android A picked him up by the collar. "You weaklings are all alike. You are nothing but bothersome ants that keep getting in the way. You should be exterminated."

"NO!" A rush of intense Super Saiyan power radiated from Goku as he raised his fighting level past that of the limits of SSJ2.

"Damn him!" A flung the limp body of Krillan at Goku, trying to buy himself some time to think. Goku caught him by the back part of his shirt and set him down. Even being on the floor Krillan was at level with Goku's elongated hair. "You are going to die now!" Android A zanzokened right in front of Goku and started punching away. A single finger blocked each one. Finally Goku formed a ki ball right where A's hand went. It exploded, along with the hand.

"You don't know what you've done…"

WHAM!

The shock waves that the punch produced in A were so severe that he blew to bits on contact. The debris spread along the ground, rattling about for a few seconds. Krillan glanced up at it and was hit in the head with a bolt.

"Ouch!" Krillan rubbed his head and Goku dropped completely out of Super Saiyan mode. He knelt by his friend and helped him up. "Not bad, Goku. Why didn't you do that sooner?"

"I didn't know I was going to have to. When I finally was able to comprehend just how much stronger he had gotten I knew that I could overwhelm him in SSJ3." Krillan peered around at the proof of the lying on the ground.

"You sure did that, but now we have to worry about 17." Goku nodded.

"I can teleport us to Chima, but I can't lock on to Buu and 17. It has to be the fact that he's taken over an Android body." Goku placed his fingers on his forehead and searched out Chima's ki. "We have to stop him. If he absorbs either Trunks or Hunter he might become too strong."

"Can he absorb while he's in 17's body?"

"I don't know, but let's not find out the hard way." Krillan agreed and put his hand on Goku's back just before they teleported to Chima."

**********

It was finally over. Trunks had been victorious over his archrival, and he could finally rest. There were other battles going on around him, but that didn't really matter right now. He had won. No one could take these few precious moments from him.

"Trunks." Except Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince lowered down to the ground. Trunks confronted him, not knowing what he would hear. Vegeta tended to be unpredictable and say the farthest thing that anyone would expect, especially in situations such as this.

"Father…"

"You've done well, but you aren't done by a long shot."

"What do you mean?" Trunks frantically asked. How could he have not finished off the job? Hunter was dead…wasn't he." Trunks then remembered that Hunter was 'dead for sure' before, and what happened? He came back and this battle was the end result.

"He's not dead. He's behind that rock mountain over there. You left pieces of him on the ground. He is a Buu-droid, so regenerating isn't going to be a problem." Trunks couldn't believe he had been so careless. It hadn't cost him anything but Hunter's life, but that was bad enough.

"I can't stop him from regenerating either. He'd probably just move. He knew that I had forgotten about the rest of his body. That's why he told me what he did." Vegeta nodded.

"Buu is on his way. I can feel it. You have time but very little. Decide what is more important. This is your battle, so I'll fight him. You decide."

"Decide what?" Vegeta was already too far-gone, leaving Trunks stranded on the ground waiting for Hunter and not knowing what the hell his father was talking about. Confusion wasn't needed in a fight.

"LUCY! I'M HOME!" yelled Hunter from the other side of the rock mountain. Trunks could see him peeking around the side, then ducking back behind. Games! He was playing games!

"Damn it, Hunter! Fight!" Trunks started above his head what was going to be an energy ball big enough to shatter the rock, but then stopped. He was going to let Hunter make the first move. He still needed to figure out exactly what the hell his father was talking about.

"What da matter, daddy?" Hunter asked in a kid voice. "Don'tcha like me anymore?" A vein inside Trunks' forehead threatened to break out and put Hunter's eyes out.

"You disgust me, Hunter. Everything you are and stand for. Why don't you just die?!"

"Because I'm such a people person. Trunks, when are you going to understand that you can't beat me? I'd have to give up and die before you would be able to win this battle. Understand that before you try dicing me into bits next time. By the way…I think I might just kill you for that stunt."

"So what else is new. You were going to do that anyway."

"This is true, Trunks, so I guess it isn't new. Maybe I'll poke you in the eye before I do it. That'll make things even. Yes, that sounds good."

"Don't you ever get sick of hearing your own voice, Hunter?" Hunter scratched his head and looked up, obviously trying to be funny. His comedy was lost on Trunks as always. It was at this point that Trunks finally sensed the approaching Buu. There were also a couple of other ki's coming as well. That and his father was going to join the party. That left Trunks and Hunter alone again. This time could be different.

"Hey, Trunks!" Once again Trunks turned his attention over to Hunter, who demanded it like a 6-year-old. "Why don't you like me?"

"Damn you, Hunter! I'm going to finish you off like I should have before." Trunks was gone in an instant, homing in on the stationary Hunter. Trunks nailed him with a heavy blow to the chest and Hunter exploded…

"Wha-" The bits of Hunter sailed past Trunks and collected into a body that had been rushing him the whole time. Trunks then knew that Hunter had done a split form and left the other body as a decoy. He stopped mid-flight to block, but he couldn't even do that. Hunter dropkicked him across the face and he went barreling through stone and dirt. Hunter couldn't stop laughing at the scene.

"Nice dive, Trunks. Out of 10 I'll give you an 8. Care to try again?"

"No…" Trunks climbed out of the hole and to his feet. That sneak attack had been pretty effective. He was shaken up by it, but it wasn't going to keep him down. Trunks still had confidence that his first defeat of Hunter in the battle was not as Hunter liked to believe it was. Trunks was sure that he had been the reason Hunter was able to call himself a family.

"Then let's start the real deal. You know all about me now, Trunks. There can't possibly be two of us in this world, can there? One must die, and I choose you." Hunter cupped his hands to his side. "I'll be original, though. You want to see my true power? I'll be happy to show you." Hunter flew backward, staying in the same hand position. Streaks of blue light began to shine from his hands.

"…He's going to use the Kamehameha." Trunks smirked and copied his motion.

If he thinks that he is going to beat me with Goku's move then it's not going to happen. I'll win out this battle simply because I've practiced the move much more than he has. Hunter has bitten off more than he can chew this time. Similar streaks of light began to gather around Trunks' enclosed hands. That brought a roar of laughter from the belly of Hunter.

"This is good! It truly is. Do you really think I'm going to use that pathetic move on you? How original is that? No, no, Trunks. My plans are far more grand!" In an instant all of the energy around Hunter tripled. The ki surrounding him expanded to the nearby mountains and promptly flattened them. Trunks rose his own ki, but it wasn't nearly as high as Hunter's was.

"You don't scare me, Hunter!" Trunks squeezed out more power for his blast, but his Super Saiyan power was reaching its limit. At this rate he wouldn't last long.

"I don't have to scare you, Trunks. All I have to do is fry you."

"Not a chance. Kamehameha!" Trunks aimed his hands and released his beam. It bore a hole through the air that was directed at Hunter.

"If that's all you have for me you might as well give up now. MEGATON BLAST!" Hunter also aimed his hands and released his beam. However the difference was ridiculous. Hunter's blast was almost 5 times larger than that of Trunks and when the collided it proved that it was that much stronger as well. The overpowering beam was moments away from reaching its target and Trunks was caught dead in the middle.

**********

Piccolo's attack was nearly complete. His hands were constantly being jackhammered by the trapped ki, but the assault would only last a few more seconds. Then Boo would have to deal with it…now. Piccolo released the attack, nearly losing balance in the recoil. The mega wave of ki tore a line through the Dead Zone and streaked right at 18, who now knew that he couldn't block a thing. There was an ensuing explosion, and then quiet darkness as the smoke took over what little light there was.

Damn! That was too out of control. I can't tell if that did it or not. I haven't trained enough in this new form to wield the power as I should. I'll have to remember that. If that was the end of him I'll have a long time to train while I figure my way out of here. That seemed to be the new problem. Piccolo had to find his way out of the Dead Zone.

"Maybe I shouldn't have killed him." A quick joke from Piccolo seemed out of place, but who was going to tell. The smoke cleared and all that was left was a shell of the body of 18. Upon closer inspection Piccolo saw that it was more than a shell; it was the entire body and 18 was breathing faintly. She opened a single eye and winked.

"…Thanks."

"How sweet." Piccolo swung around and came face to face with the demon behind the possession. He wasn't inside the body of 18 this time. He was simply Boo. The figure was imposing. He was one of the few people that Piccolo had to look up to in order to be face to face. That didn't mean he was scared, though. Far from it.

"You survived. I'm not surprised. If I had controlled the blast more accurately then you wouldn't be standing here."

"Possibly, but it's your fault; you were too worried about the Android to kill me." Piccolo flinched, proving that Boo was right. "I figured it out at the last moment and just blocked. I barely took a scratch. The Android looks like she might need some repairs. This is all thanks to you, of course. Give yourself a hand." Boo clapped his hands together, admiring the Namek's work.

"Your mind games won't work on me, Boo, and I'm not going to give you a chance to collect your power together either. You are going to fight me now." Piccolo swiped his hand hand in a half circle like he was grabbing something out of the air and then did a throwing motion, expelling a ball of ki. Boo countered with one of his own.

"This is going to a bit harder on you than that, Namek!" Boo pointed into the air with a finger. A small point appeared. Piccolo recognized it right away.

"You didn't…" Piccolo had been getting some mixed signals from Boo, like his ki wasn't pure. It had happened when Buu had absorbed people before as well. That much Piccolo knew. Boo had to have absorbed someone, but the question was who? That was easy to answer now. Boo absorbed Frieza.

"Scared?" For a moment he had been, but then he remembered that he had surpassed Frieza long ago. Piccolo let his headbutt do the talking for him. Boo grasped at his face, trying to clear his slightly blurred vision. He smacked away Piccolo's next punch, rose higher in the air, and sweep kicked him right in the face. Piccolo recovered from the attack remarkably quick and delivered the punch that was blocked the first time. Boo floated back, firing a spread of ki that resembled a collection of small lasers. The cover fire worked and Piccolo backed off, defending against the barrage, giving Boo a moment's peace to think things over.

This isn't going well. At this rate he'll simply keep attacking me and draining my energy until I have nothing left. Then he'll kill me. I have to be able to recharge back to my original level, but he knows that. Piccolo won't make the mistake of letting do so, which means that I have to make a way.

By this time Piccolo had created an energy buffer to distance the attack that Boo was using. It gave him enough room to fly around and charge. Boo dodged the flurry of punches and kicks, though it was no easy task. He backed up again and threw a ki ball at Piccolo. At the same time he made another one and smashed it in Piccolo's face, trying to burn his eyes out. Piccolo wasn't able to defend against it, but his own power saved his sight. The burning light did disorient him a bit, which once again gave Boo time. This time he had already decided what he was going to do.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Piccolo, but I think I'm going to have to say adieu. You have fun with the Android in your new home. You might be staying here for an eternity or two." Even though fighting Piccolo was taxing and demanding Boo managed to open up a Dead Zone portal with no problem. Piccolo couldn't see it straight, but he knew that's what it was. He attacked with a ki blast, but Boo wasn't waiting for him to try to keep him from leaving. He was long gone, and the portal long closed.

"Damn!" Piccolo shook his head. "He got away! I could have killed him if I had just been more aggressive. This power…I can't control it just yet." Piccolo closed his eyes and powered down to his normal level. While he had some time he had to check on 18. The news was good; she was nearly back to herself.

"I feel like I was hit by a brick wall…" She held her head, indicating a headache.

"That's my fault. When Boo was in your body I had to fight him, whatever the cost. He managed to get away; he and his brother are very good at things like that I guess." Piccolo peered down at the shorter Android 18. "That's not the problem now. He left the Dead Zone and closed the portal. He's loose in the world and we can't try to stop him until we get out of here."

"Good luck." Piccolo nodded, understanding what she meant. He felt the same way. How were they supposed to escape? He thought back to when Buu escaped from the Room of Spirit and Time. He had done so simply by using his power and allowing it to rip around freely. Piccolo could do something like that, but there was no guarantee that he would open up a portal to earth. They could end up anywhere.

"Well, 18, we seem to be at a crossroads. We have two choices. The first one is that we can wait in here until Goku and the others are done battling the Boo brothers. It may or may not go in our favor. If they can't defeat the demons then we may be here a while."

"I'm sure that you can come up with a better plan than that, Piccolo." 18 rubbed her head one last time. "I don't like the idea of staying here at all, never mind waiting for someone to come. What is your other plan? It does include some course of action by us, I suppose."

"Yes. We try to combine our powers. I realize that you are not empowered by ki energy, but that doesn't mean that we can't try to link them together. If we concentrate the energy in one place then we might be able to break out of this dimensions binds. The fabric might rip back into earth, and then we would simply step through.

"But there's a catch, isn't there?"

"Yes."

"I can figure the rest out." 18 sighed before finishing. "We can try that, but we can't tell if it will work. Not only that, but if we do open a portal we don't know if it will bring us back to earth. We could end up somewhere in space, or in another dimension. That about it?"

"Right. It all depends on luck."

"I never liked depending on luck, Piccolo."

"Me either." Piccolo clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "But I won't allow that guy to destroy the earth! That and I have a little unfinished fight with him. He ran away this time. By the time we find him again he will probably be much stronger, probably too much for me to handle, but I will finish what I started."

"You seem more determined than ever." 18 said, examining Piccolo's change in demeanor. "I haven't dealt with either Boo as much as you have. Did he do something to you that would make you want to kill him anymore than you normally would?"

"No. He just keeps coming back." 18 closed her eyes and tipped her head forward. She understood.

"He's like a reoccurring nightmare. No matter how many times you stand up to him and win he can't be defeated. He just keeps coming back and back and back until you can't stand it anymore." Piccolo began to float forward. After a few paces he stopped.

"I think that's enough thinking about how I feel about Boo and his brother. Now it's time to get back in the hunt. Are you ready?"

"What do I do?" Piccolo crossed his legs in mid air and settled himself in his Indian-style pose.

"Meditate, and we will combine our powers."

**********

17 started one of his maniacal laughs again, head swiveling from side to side until it resting in an upward-looking position on the right side.

"Vegeta…"

"That's Prince Vegeta of the Saiyan race. You won't interrupt this battle." Vegeta and 17 were about 20 yards apart, but the gaze between the two met at the same spot. Vegeta knew that Goku and Chima were on their way with Krillan. 17 knew the same.

"Let me make this more of an even battle." 17 let his body go limp and lifeless. For a few seconds nothing happened. Vegeta waited, ready for anything. Then he could hear a sludge-like sound. Then he saw it; the pink goo rising from the back of Buu. He was shedding the body of 17.

"You expect me to be impressed by that? I can defeat you as you are now with no problem." Vegeta believed that too. He had fought Buu when they originally met him, but that was only at SSJ2. Now he had full use of SSJ3. He could completely fill his aura, so Buu would be a thing of the past soon. That was until Vegeta felt his power start to rise… His expression said it all.

"I see you can feel my true strength. Don't worry; it gets better. This is just the beginning. Still want to fight, or do I have free passage to the spawn and the Saiyan?"

"You will not interfere with the battle between my son and his rival! I don't care how strong you think you have gotten!" Vegeta flared up to SSJ level. "He is a Saiyan, and when a Saiyan battles his rival there must be no outside interference!" Vegeta's power skyrocketed to SSJ2. "You have the gall to try to break a Saiyan code? That can not be tolerated!" Finally Vegeta reached SSJ3. "I am sick of you and your brother. Somehow I will end both of you. This nightmare will come to an end this time. You will be no more."

"Great speech! Encore!"

"And you will not mock me!" Vegeta launched himself off at Buu. "Honorless and prideless; you do not deserve to exist!" Buu stayed put, motioning for Vegeta to come. Just as he reached his target Vegeta zanzokened away. He reappeared behind Buu and zeroed in on the lower back with a sniping kick. Buu grabbed Vegeta's foot before it had a chance of connecting and twisted it, sending a streak of pain right up the leg. Vegeta's eyes widened and his mouth fell open like a bottomless pit, but no sound came out.

"I enjoy this the most," said Buu. "When the pain is so severe that you can't possibly express it with a scream." Buu released Vegeta's foot. "Now you understand that it is your pointless attacks that will not be tolerated." Buu smiled. "Oh look. The Calvary has arrived. The question is can they do a thing to stop me?" He turned to Vegeta who was lightly holding the spot above his ankle. "Well, can they Vegeta? You seem to want to talk so much. It's the only thing you do well. You mean to tell me that you don't have an answer?"

"I swear I will kill you, demon. I will find a way, and when that time comes I will make you scream out in pain and fear."

"Did you come up with that fairy tale on your own, Vegeta, or has Trunks been helping you with that?" In the next moment Goku and Chima landed on the ground. Krillan was about 20 seconds behind. They all stood behind Vegeta. Goku approached him and placed a hand on his back. It was promptly pushed off.

"Vegeta…your ankle…"

"I'll live…" Goku's eyes narrowed. He directed his attention to Boo, then back to Vegeta.

"You need a senzu. Here." Goku reached into his side of his boot and grabbed a small bean that he always carried with him. He handed it to Vegeta, who was more than a little hesitant to put anything that came from Goku's boot into his mouth. Goku finally coerced him to eat it, and in no time Vegeta's ankle was back to normal.

"Damn you, Kakarotto. You should have saved that." Vegeta turned to Buu again. Instead of a scowl Vegeta displayed his famous smirk. "Buu here is going to need that in a moment."

"You and what army?" The army of Goku, Chima, and Krillan stepped forward. "I see. Well if you think that you can beat me then attack. Just don't expect me to go easy on you at all." Goku raised his level up to SSJ3. Krillan powered up to his maximum. Chima flared up to SSJ level. They all levitated off of the ground. Vegeta sparked his newly revived SSJ3 power. With the determination to destroy all that remained of him the group took off. Their target; Buu.

**********