The three beaten and bloody bodies fell on top of each other in a heaping pile, each one making a wet sounding thud as they collided. Cell, Frieza, and Juunana Gou each hopelessly lost their battle to Gohan, Goku and Juuhachi Gou, respectively. These once terrifying nemeses to the Z Soldiers had spent decades in the underworld, only to resurface as practice dummies for them.

But there was little celebration in the air. Goku, Gohan, and Juuhachi Gou stood closely together, ready for the next wave of attack. Something told them this wasn't right. They shouldn't have gone down that easily. And if they were really that weak, Majin Buu wouldn't have helped resurrect them to help fight the Z Soldiers.

On a rocky cliff, nearby main bulk of the action was, Vegeta stood facing Buu with fists raised in front of his sweaty face. In sharp contrast, Buu's posture was more relaxed with arms hanging at his sides, shoulders loose, and a smirk on his pink, demonic face.

"It is time," he said. Buu's eyes began to glow burning red. He raised his fists, tugging his elbows closer towards his body. Muscles in his arms, legs and chest began to tighten as his mouth opened, allowing a gust of steam to escape. The holes that decorated the sides of his head opened up as well, each one shooting out an intense, pressurized jet of steam.

Vegeta had seen this behavior in Buu before, long ago when he first attacked the Earth. Once again, he was beginning to worry. But Vegeta's concern turned into fear when he saw just what kind of secret power Buu had inside of him … or at least, what kind of power he was tapping into.

As if in unison with Vegeta's thoughts, Buu's body erupted into flames, exactly like some spontaneous combustion. But what scared Vegeta was that Buu was showing no signs of suffering. Instead, it looked as if the flames were feeding him with energy. He looked at Vegeta, smiled, and said, "This is why it was necessary to have Emperor Doale on our side. Having absorbed the powers of Son Goken fourteen years ago, the Firebird had inherited some of his power. Despite being separated in the afterlife, the souls of Goken and the Firebird couldn't be completely severed from one another."

By this time, he'd caught Gohan's attention who was listening intensely now, piecing the information together. "So that's why Emperor Doale refused to hurt us before," he said.

"What are you getting at?" Goku asked.

"I thought Doale was Goken," Gohan explained, "because he refused to hurt us when he had the power to. And he also resembled Goken in physical appearance and in energy signature. But all along, Doale was really the Firebird's soul with Goken's attributes. This is all beginning to make sense."

"Very good, you pathetic fool," Buu said, looking towards Gohan. "But you're too late. As we speak, Emperor Doale is supplying us with his powers. You did us quite a favor, Gohan. By killing his physical body, Doale is nothing more than a spirit made out of energy. And now, we are free to harvest that energy using his T3 technology, the same technology that allowed Doale's empire to resurrect us from the dead."

"But instead of resurrecting Doale from the dead, they're using his soul to power themselves us," Goku said outloud to himself and to his fellow Z Soldiers. "This guy is cold."

* * *

"You hear that Trunks?" Goten asked, tapping his friend on the shoulder and the two of the hid behind a boulder, a few meters away from the battle. "Buu is using the T3 technology to tap into Doale's power now that Doale is dead. So if we can revive him, that means…"

"He can't continue to use Doale's powers anymore!" Trunks declared. The two boys looked towards Dende, who's look of straining effort on his face, they could tell he'd heard and understood what they said. It was now more important than ever that they resurrect the fallen Emperor.

* * *

Thank you, Goken, Doale said telepathically, now that you've chosen to join forces once again, the Earth is saved. He could feel the fiery energy of his Firebird energy combining with the powers of the Devotee Goken possessed. As a result of their merge, their combined power increased tenfold, assuring certain victory against Buu and the others.

But something went wrong. Just as the merge was about to be completed, an unseen force tried to viciously rip them from the afterlife into the living world. A dark energy surrounded the two of them, and they could feel their own energy being drained from them.

"What's going on?" Ken asked. It was painful at first, feeling like someone that taken a pole and impaled them on it, and then used it as a straw to draw out their energy. Ken felt like a tool, like someone was using them as a source of energy.

"I'm getting… weaker," Doale said, his eyes starting to close. The two of them had separated, but they had merged enough for their energies to remain as one. And that was what was being attacked. Doale also began to feel another pressure, tugging his soul in the opposite direction. This energy didn't feel evil. He could sense the goodness in the hearts of those responsible. With his remaining strength, Doale pushed himself away from the evil energy, feeling it's grip on his begin to loosen.

But Ken wasn't so lucky. Without having the positive energy tugging on his soul, Doale saw the aura of the evil energy surround Ken, enveloping him it it's cold, blue light. Doale, Ken said, still connecting with his mind, they're gonna save you. I'm pretty sure…that it's too late for me.

Don't worry, Doale replied, I'll tell Gohan and the others about you. There's no way in hell they're gonna let you remain as a slave to evil.

Hurry. I… I don't want to be here. Not like this.

Doale had just met Ken, and already he felt guilty. He was aware of what he'd done in his past life as the Firebird, possessing Goken and making him suffer as a prisoner inside his own body. And now, the reincarnated soul of Goken was once again suffering, something he didn't deserve. At it was all because of Buu. There was no other explanation. The T3 technology of it's kind to be able to transcend dimensions, and the only person with direct access to it was Doale, that is until Buu took over. And that was how he was gaining access to the spiritual world and using it against the two of them.

You'll get out of there, I'll make sure of it. The last thing Doale saw before being pulled back into the physical realm was Ken's soul getting swallowed whole into Buu's energy bubble, with the look of terror in his eyes.