Part 14

Things Heat Up

By Bobcat

Disclaimer:  I own nothing.

Note:   I use the names Shin, Kaio-shin and Supreme Kai interchangeably, depending upon what would work best for the story.  Also, obviously not everything said is verbatim with what is said in the Anime.  For those purists who care, find another Fic.

Apologies: In my last fic, I spelled Babadi's name "Boppity."  This error will be corrected.

            The announcer's hyperactive voice began again.  "Last time, on the Ballad of the Physics Police…"  Suddenly, the ominous hum of a lightsaber could be heard.  "No!  Wait!  Arrrrrrgh!"

            Ralph had a few splats of blood on him.  "I warned him!"

            "Improved Kamehameha!"  Phil jerked his hand back, sending an invisible beam of energy towards the Supreme Kai.  The purple skinned man was unable to avoid the attack in time.  There was a sizeable explosion that carved a large chunk from the ground surrounding Kaio-shin.  Kaio-shin stood there in shock.  No damage had been done, but the blast shouldn't have been that strong.

            He isn't powerful enough to launch that kind of attack!  He's hiding something!  Phil flew in at his top speed towards the Supreme Kai. The two warriors came to blows with each other.  For a few moments they were dead even.  Kaio-shin was gradually gaining ground, and Phil was forced on the defensive.

            "Well folks, this is turning out to be an explosive match!  It looks like Shin has the upper hand!"  An uppercut from Kaio-shin sent Phil across the field.  "Oh!  This could be it!"  Phil flipped back onto his feet.  A small trickle of blood seeped from his mouth.

            "You're holding back, Supreme Kai."

            "Tell me how you know my name right now!"

            "No."

            "Don't make me destroy you!  I'm not even using half my power!"

            "And I'm using a hundredth of mine.  Isn't that interesting how it works?"

            "What?"

            "Improved Kaio-ken times ten!"  A dim red glow surrounded Phil.  The Physics Policeman punched Kaio-shin in the gut three times, and then kicked him in the face. 

            From where he watched the battle, Vegeta smirked.   "Impressive.  Still far weaker than myself, but impressive nonetheless."

            Goku's brow was furrowed in concentration.  "This isn't right."

            Krillin, having recovered from his battle with Ryoko, looked up at his friend.  "What do you mean?"

            "Even with the Kaio-ken, Shin should still be beating him.  This guy's incredibly good at masking his power level.  Also, where did he learn the Kaio-ken?  Only King Kai and I know that maneuver."

            "Yes Kakorot, you have been holding out on us for a long time."

            Goku's voice was terse.  "That isn't the important thing, Vegeta!  That guy shouldn't be this strong.  Period."

            Piccolo remained silent, not wanting to cross the Physics Police again. 

            Shin still sat in the crater he had created.  "What are you?"

            "Ally to me!  Nightmare to you!"  Kaio-shin sat in awe. 

            "How…"

            "You're using outdated techniques.  You see, it isn't a matter of how strong your Chi is.  It's what you do with it.  I've developed a technique that both increases the efficiency of my Chi and hides it at the same time.  You really don't stand a chance."        "Are you allied with Babadi?"

            "Nope.  I'm just a fellow competitor who happens to know more that he's letting on."

            Pulling a white flag from his pocket, Kaio-shin began to wave it around.  "I surrender."

            "And the match goes to Phil!  Let's give it up!"  The audience was roaring in approval.

            Those around the arena sensitive to Chi fluctuations were looking at Phil in wonder.

            Ranma was in complete shock.  He stood there with a blank look on his face. This man's strength was greater than all of his opponents put together. And from what he'd heard, this guy wasn't using even half his power.  He was mumbling to himself.  "No way no way no way no way no…"

            Ryoko, though strong, wasn't very good at reading Chi. She knew that something had happened, but didn't really know what.

            As if nothing had really happened, Phil flew into the stands to join GoChibi.

*                                              *                                              *

            Spopovich and Yamu were impressed by the occurrences as well.  However, instead of feeling fear, they were giddy.

            The men were very similar.  Each was rather tall, with pale white skin.  The inside of their mouths were blue, and a black "M" was tattooed on their forehead.  The two were weak compared to the Z fighters, but far above average power nonetheless. 

            In Yamu's hands was a white device that resembled an older Geiger counter.  During the height of the battle, the small device had indicated that Phil possessed the "pure energy" required for their purpose.  Now that he wasn't actively battling, Phil was no longer a candidate. 

            "Yamu, we aren't strong enough to take him on.  A shame, though.  He could have provided enough energy to revive Buu."

            "Shhh.  The next battle is yours.  This "Ranma" may prove equally strong."

            "I doubt it."

            Up in the stands, the people in the adjacent seats were all cheering for Phil and attempting to get his autograph.  This was starting to wear on his nerves. 

            "For the last time, no, I don't give autographs!  Back off!"  Attempting to ignore the groupies, Phil addressed GoChibi.  "So, who's next?"

            "I think its Spopovich verses somebody named Ranma."

            "This could prove interesting."

            Several minutes later, the next contestants were in position.  "In this corner, we have Spopovich, a veteran of the Tournament!  He fights newcomer Ranma Saotome!  You all know the rules, so let the fight begin!"

            Ranma could sense that this guy was strong.  I have to end this quickly!  "Hia!"  Leaping into the air, Ranma kicked Spopovich in the face.  The giant was forced back.

            "Sweet Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire! *" Ranma's hands became blurs of motion, striking Spopovich repeatedly in the gut.  Finishing off his assault with an uppercut, Ranma leapt back before his opponent could launch a counterassault. 

            "Is that all you got?"  Spopovich began to fire Chi bolts at the pigtailed martial artist.  Barely dodging the attacks, Ranma was forced onto the defensive.

            Think, Ranma, think!  After a few moments, he got an idea.  There was a large crater about three meters ahead of him.  It was a remnant from Phil's battle.  It was about two meters deep and was conical.  Ranma made a beeline for it and dove in.  Using the Soul of Ice technique to calm himself, he began to prepare his most powerful assault.

            "Trying to hide, eh?"  Spopovich took to the air and flew over to see what Ranma was doing.  Ranma was running around the crater in a spiral shaped pattern.  "He's gone nuts.  Oh, well."

            By then, Ranma had reached the bottom and was fully charged.  "Hiryu Shouten Ha!**"  A powerful bolt of energy lanced up at Spopovich.  The man, completely unprepared for an attack of that intensity, was thrown out of the arena. 

            After a few moments, Ranma emerged from the hole.  His breathing was ragged and came in short bursts.  When Spopovich didn't return, the pigtailed warrior breathed a sigh of relief.  The announcer touched his earpiece, and then turned towards the audience.  "Spopovich has been found outside the arena.  He appears unhurt, but we can confirm that he touched the ground.  Ranma Saotome is the victor!"

            Phil began to power up.  It wasn't noticeable, but he was ready for any potential threat.  "GoChibi, it's Kibito versus Gohan, right?"

            "Think so.  Why?"

            "Things are about to heat up."

*                                                                      *                                                          *

            Spopovich was enraged.  How could I loose?  How?

            Yamu snorted.  " I told you not to play with him."

            "Shut up!"  The enhanced strength given to him by Babadi allowed him to shake of the physical injuries, but his pride was still aching.   Kibito and Gohan were speaking on the field.  "Yamu, can you make out what they're saying?"

            "The Master didn't improve our hearing any.  They're too far away."  The pasty man turned the white sensor at the pair.  "They're both strong, but their energy isn't pure."

            "We'll simply have to wait for this "Phil" to fight again.  Or perhaps Goku and Vegeta will possess the power."

            Meanwhile, Gohan was talking to the alien. "Transform?  OK, if you insist."  Gohan's hair turned a bright yellow, and an aura of the same color surrounded his body.

            Phil chuckled.  "Look's like your Dad's IQ just dropped twenty points."  Those surrounding him stared in confusion.  "You know, dumb blondes?  Just like Usagi!  Ha!"  Again, no response. Phil sighed. "Damned cultural barriers."

            "Spopovich, his energy is pure!  Get him!"

            "Right!"  The two flew forward.  Before the Saiyan could respond, Yamu had him in a full Nelson.  Spopovich took a large syringe with the same M that adorned his forehead and jabbed it into Gohan's body.  The boy screamed in pain.

            In the waiting area, Kaio-shin was struggling to hold back a raging Goku.  "Stop!  This is how it needs to be!"

            In the stands, Phil was surrounded by a red aura.  He had GoChibi by the tail.  "Stop!  It's for the good of the timeline!  Your Dad's going to be fine!"  Phil's grip slipped, and the young hellion flew off to her father's aid. 

            Having drained the boy of his energy, the pair of minions flew off to return to their master.  The announcer called after them, "You're both disqualified!"  And nobody cared.

            Spopovich and Yamu found their exit blocked by GoChibi.  "You hurt my dad."

            "Get out of the way, girly!  You're out of your league!"

            "You're right, but not in the way you think.  Special Beam Cannon!"  She had learned Piccolo's attack in the future, but hadn't attempted to apply Phil's conservative techniques to the move.  Two beams, one straight, one curving around the first, flew out from her fingers and incinerated Yamu where he stood.  Spopovich was preparing his own assault when Phil stood between the vengeful GoChibi and the pasty warrior.

            "Run, Spopovich.  Run away, and never return.  May you enjoy the fruits of your labors."  Still holding the energy collection device in his hands, he flew back to his master's space ship.

            "And as for you, young lady, I told you not to interfere.  Just for that, you don't get to come with me to fight the evil wizard and the demonic ruler of a parallel world."

            "What?  That's not fair!"

            "You know the rules: no disrupting the timeline.  Now go back there and keep an eye on your mother!  And don't try that pouty face on me!  I invented that face!  March!"  With a grimace on her face, GoChibi flew back to the stands. 

            Phil pulled a book from his pocket.  It read "Dragon Ball Comic Collection # 16". He flipped a few pages. "Now, let's see here… ah, now Kibito heals Gohan with his magical powers, and they all fly off in pursuit of Spopovich."  He turned another page and saw a picture of himself reading the comic.  He looked up, and the picture in the next panel did the same.  "Spooky.  Looks like the comic changes to reflect reality."  He studied his likeness more closely.  "Hey!  My eyes aren't that big!  Slop Artist!" 

            By then, the Z fighters were flying off.  "Better follow them.  No way of telling what they'll run into.  Unless…"  He flipped ahead a few pages.  "I don't remember those two. Looks like they're a couple of Babadi's servants. And it looks like I'm there. That settles it. Improved Kaio-ken!"  The dim red glow surrounded his body and he flew off after the various warriors.

            The announcer stammered.  "I-it looks as if most of the competitors have left!  The contest will be thrown into complete disarray!"  Of course, everybody was still ignoring him, scrambling for what they perceived as safety.

            Goku felt the new presence behind them.  "Phil?"  The Physics Policeman finally caught up with them. 

            "Hey, Vegeta!  Remember me?"

            Vegeta scowled.  "Puny human.  I'll crush you later, but we'll wait for this purple pipsqueak to tell us what's going on."

            "That was almost poetic, Vegeta.  Try not to strain yourself.  Besides, I can tell you what happened."  Kaio-shin decided to hold his tongue to see how accurate this human's sources were.

            "Y'see, a while back Kaio-shin and Kibito here fought with a powerful wizard by the name of Bibidi.  Bibidi had created a horrendously powerful monster by the name of Majin Buu.  He doesn't look like much, but this guy is more powerful than any of us.  I don't know the details, but they managed to defeat Majin Buu and kill Bibidi.  However, they were unable to destroy Buu, so they locked him in some sort of stasis and buried him deep underground.  I don't see why; you should have just chucked him in the nearest black hole or something."

            Kibito glared at Kaio-shin.  "That's what I said!"

            "The process left Buu without any energy, so he is unable to escape.  A few hundred years passed.   Now Bibidi's son, Babadi, has gotten the idea into his head to avenge his father by reawakening Majin Buu.  Wait a sec… Bippity, Boppity, Buu… Disney's Cinderella!  Now I get it!"  There was no response, except for several puzzled looks.  Phil coughed into his hand.  "Anyways, what Shin here doesn't know is that Babadi has managed to enslave several powerful beings, including Dabura, the King of a dark Earth in a parallel universe.  Sorta like hell, but not quite."

            "What?  He never did that!"

            Kibito was frightened.  "If he's right, then what?"

            Kaio-shin felt helpless.  "I… wasn't prepared to fight a being of this power.  We're doomed."

            "You just aren't very good at reading power levels, aren't you?  Heck, Gohan here could probably take that weakling, and he's sorely out of practice.  We just have to be careful, seeing as how Dabura has a bunch of nasty little attacks.  He breathes fire and can turn you into stone with his spit, so watch it."

            As they flew onward, Kaio-shin pondered the meanings of this new development.  Dabura's here.  This changes everything. How does this human know so much?

            Spopovich was still flying away as quickly as he could.  He still had a death grip on the container of pure energy.  "The Master will reward me!  Yes, and protect me!"

            Several Minutes Later:

            "I'm telling you, we should attack them now!"

            "No, Phil, Dabura is too strong for any of us."

            "Not true.  And Kaio-shin, while we sit here they're just getting that energy to Buu.  Things have shifted beyond your control, and you can't deny it."  Instead of one underling meeting Spopovich, there were two that Phil didn't recognize.

            By now, Babadi and Dabura had left their ship.  The former was a tiny yellow alien.  He was about two feet tall, with froglike eyes and very little hair.  He didn't look like much, but his magic skills made him a force to reckon with.  The latter was nearly four times as tall as Babadi.  Dabura looked like Satan himself, with red skin, long demonic ears, the stereotypical "devil mustache," and an air of evil that surrounded him.  The black M marking his forehead indicated that he was under Babadi's sway.

            Babadi looked at the device in Spopovich's hands.  "Give me that energy!"  The underling complied.  "Yes, well done.  This will be an excellent start.  Now, I will no longer be needing you.  Goodbye, Fool!"  Cackling madly, Babadi gestured at Spopovich, and an aura of energy surrounded him.  Crying out in pain, the pasty warrior collapsed.  Before he exploded in a ball of energy, Spopovich wondered if this was what Phil had meant by the fruits of his labors.

            Goku and the others stood in silent shock.  "How could he do that to his own ally?"

            "Goku, Babadi is a force of pure evil.  That is why he must be stopped."

            "No duh, Shin.  Why aren't we attacking?"

            "Phil, you're sarcasm doesn't help anybody.  We never asked you to come along!"

            "And you can't get rid of me, either."

            Babadi's eyes scanned the rocky outcrop that the warriors were hiding behind.  "My, my.  It seems that we have some eavesdroppers.  Dabura, deal with them.  Don't kill the stronger ones; if we can lure them in, we can harvest their energy.  You two, come with me."

            "Yes sir!" 

            The demon lord flew towards the assembled Z fighters.  Before any of them could respond, he was upon them.

            "Kibito!  It's been a long time.  Sorry, but I'll have to kill you.  Nothing personal; strictly business reasons.  Goodbye."  He fired a massive Chi bolt that fried the healer where he stood.  He seemed to study each of them.  "Four of you are worthy, but you three are too weak to continue."  He spat, sending a glob of green saliva at Krillin.  It struck the short warrior in the chest.

            "It hurts!  What's happening to me?" He looked at his hand, which was now a dark gray.  The gray spread down his body, converting the carbon based life form into a statue.  The same attack subdued Piccolo. 

            When Dabura attempted to spit on Phil, the Physics Policeman vanished from sight, and then reappeared behind the demon King.  The double fisted blow caught Dabura in the back of the head.  The inertia caused him to fly into the rocks at their feet.  He quickly recovered and flew back to the ship. That one is stronger than he looks.   "Catch me if you can!"

            Phil and the remaining Z fighters flew in hot pursuit.  Kaio-shin attempted to stop them. "Wait!  Don't go in there!"  Phil spun about.

            "These conflicting instructions are really starting to get on my nerves, Supreme Kai.  Make up your mind.  Either we play it safe and run, or we stop the evil wizard from destroying the world with some ancient monster.  I choose the latter."

            Vegeta grinned at Kaio-shin.  "I hate to agree with him, but he's right.  I say we charge head on!"

            The four warriors flew into the hatch.  Kaio-shin stood for a moment.  "These beings will destroy themselves!  Hey!  Wait for me!"  With a dejected look on his face, Kaio-shin followed them.

            They happened up on a door with the same M that adorned everything owned by Babadi.  "I think somebody is a little possessive.  Marking everything, and keeping everything he owns white and sterile?  I'd say he's an obsessive compulsive."  The hatch opened, and the quintet of fighters began to float down through the earth.  The soil had been removed to form a large cylinder, and there was a light at the other end.  When they arrived in the circular white room, the two warriors who had appeared before stood. 

            "Greetings.  I am Galka-Jo, and this is my sister, Nelka-Jo."  They looked like normal humans in every detail. One was male, the other female. Each was dressed in form fitting spandex, and ridiculous cape and had black hair. Like all of the others under Babadi's control, they sported a black M in the center of their forehead. They radiated an air of confidence and evil.   "There are…"

            Phil interjected.  "…three levels of this ship.  We are on level one, and each is guarded by increasingly powerful warriors.  However, you probably think that we shouldn't worry about them, seeing as how you think that we are showing our full potential.  Phil smirked.  "Am I right?"

            "How did you know that?"

            "I have my sources.  Now, the only thing I don't know is how come you guys are human?"

            "We aren't humans, you primitive fool!  We are Kryptonians, the last of a proud race!  Your yellow sun gives us…"

            "Powers beyond mortal men.  Faster than a speeding bullet, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, blah blah blah. Plus whatever upgrades Boppity gave you. Can we just fight already?"

            Nelka-Jo addressed her brother.  "Galka-Jo, I wish to fight that one.  He needs to be taken down a few notches."

            "Only if I win this little match."  Phil and the Z fighters began to play "rock, paper, scissors." 

            Kaio-shin looked in awe at the warriors.  "What the hell do you think your doing?"

            "It wouldn't be fair if we all fought them.  Have to have some challenge."

            "Vegeta, you can't possibly win alone!  These two are amongst the most powerful warriors in the galaxy!  We need to attack together!"  That was when he realized that he was being completely ignored.

            Phil beamed at Gohan.  "Ha!  Paper covers rock!"

            "Dang!"  Vegeta was having similar luck with Goku.

            "You're strong, Kakorot, but you always lead with paper.  Predictable."

            Phil and Vegeta took up fighting stances.  "Last one to beat their opponent buys the drinks."

            "You're on, human!"

            Galka-Jo rushed forward at the Saiyan Prince.  His punch was blocked by Vegeta's arm.  The kick that followed an instant later passed through Vegeta's afterimage.  Galka-Jo also disappeared, and then reappeared in midair.  "Where is that cocky little…"  His question was interrupted as Vegeta placed his fist into the Kryptonian's back.  Galka-Jo smashed face first into the bulkhead.

            Meanwhile, Nelka-Jo was assaulting Phil with a blindingly fast series of kicks and punches.  The Physics Policeman avoided them all with ease.  "Stay still, damn you!" 

            "If you insist."  Phil came to a halt, and all of her blows began landing on his gut.  After several moments, Nelka-Jo realized that she wasn't making any headway.  Also, her hands were beginning to hurt.  She attempted to use her heat vision.  The twin beams of light burned through Phil's shirt, but stopped once they reached his skin.  "That feels kind of nice, actually.  Is it my turn yet?"  He faded away, and then rematerialized behind the confused Kryptonian.  Phil punched her in the back of the head, sending her to the floor.

            Phil lifted her up by the cape.  "You know, these things are a real liability in battle."

            "Wh-who are you?  How did you become so powerful?"

            "I wouldn't expect anybody dumb enough to be controlled by that midget to understand."  He kneed her in the gut, and then used the Force to shove her up against the wall.

            In the lower levels of the ship, Babadi was looking into his crystal ball.  He was becoming very concerned.  Today had been such a good day; he had discovered that Spopovich and Yamu had successfully gathered more than half the energy he had needed, and those fools had led even more powerful beings to his doorstep.  Now, however, victory seemed less certain. The energy lost by Phil and Vegeta should have been going directly to Majin Buu, but they hadn't weakened in the slightest.  "Those weaklings are beating up on poor Galka-Jo and Nelka-Jo!  What should I do, Dabura?"

            "Master, why not give them the home field advantage?  Transform the room they are in into a replica of their home world of Krypton."

            "A brilliant idea!  Papparapar!"

            Back on level one, the air around the fighters began to swirl, and all the world was obscured in a cloud of dust.  When the spell ended, Phil and Vegeta found themselves floating above a strange forest.  All of the foliage was a bright red.

            "What the hell?"

            Nelka-Jo grinned.  "This is the famed Scarlet Jungle of Krypton.   We know this place well; my brother and I played here as children.  You don't stand a chance."

            Phil smirked.  "Idiots."

            "What?"

            "Fact: you get your powers from the rays of our yellow sun.  Pop quiz: what color is that sun?"  Far above their heads was a replica of the red giant that Krypton had once orbited. 

            Galka-Jo gasped.  He could feel his strength waning already.

            At this point, Babadi realized his error.  "Oops."

            "Shall we, Vegeta?"

            Vegeta fired a Chi bolt at Galka-Jo, reducing the warrior to his component atoms.  Phil had grabbed Nelka-Jo by the cape and began swinging her around.  He threw her into jungle floor, and then sent a beam similar to Vegeta's into the unfortunate minion.  Her scream of agony filled the room.  After the Kryptonians were dead, the room resumed its previous state.

            Phil cursed.  "Dang!  Too slow." 

            "You've become much stronger, Phil.  I think you would almost give me a good warm-up."

            "Vegeta, that is as close as I've ever heard you come to a compliment.  Now, how about we try the next level?"

            Kaio-shin sat there in shock.  "Y-you got very lucky back there!  The next warrior will not be so easily defeated!  We'll need to fight together!"

            Phil smirked as he entered the next tube.  "We shall see."

            Now, Babadi was using his scepter to bash Dabura on the head.  "You idiot!  That was the worst idea ever!"

            The demon ignored his master's weak assault.  "This Phil is impressive.  If he could be turned, he would be a powerful ally."

            "Yes!  A brilliant idea!  Glad I thought of it!" Dabura smacked his forehead. In the back of Babadi's mind, there was a voice.  The wizard recognized it as Phil's.

            "Thanks for the assist.  Now, I'm turning on my manna scrambler.  It'll take any other attempts at remodeling and turn the energy into a form you can't control.  The resulting explosion will destroy the ship.  We'll survive, but somehow I don't think that you will.  Talk to you later!"  Of course, Babadi could still do anything that didn't have a physical manifestation, but Phil wasn't about to mention that."

            Babadi shuddered.  "Who is this being?"

                                                                        End Part 14

                        Author's notes:  Galka-Jo and Nelka-Jo are my creations.  I decided to make four guardians so that Phil would have somebody to fight. 

            Footnotes:

* One of Ranma's techniques, which allows him to move his hands at very high speed.  The technique gets its name from the fact that you become fast enough to grab a hot chestnut from an open fire without burning yourself, and the usual method of learning the technique is to start a fire and continually grab hot nuts until a) you burn your hands into carbon stumps, or b) develop the necessary speed. 

**  This attack requires one to a) calm oneself completely (Soul of Ice), then b) move in a spiral.  This is one of Ranma's most powerful attacks.  I've heard that he developed a version that didn't require moving in a spiral, but I can neither confirm nor deny it.  Please don't correct me in this matter; I truly don't give a care.