Part 19
The Return of Phil
By Bobcat
Disclaimer: Most of this wasn't my idea. Other authors may, with my permission, use those ideas that are mine.
Vegeta was having difficulty keeping his eyes open. Ever since the IRS had abducted him, the suit-clad men had forced him to sign pile after pile of paperwork. It is a simple fact that tax forms are so insanely complicated that one cannot help but make a few mistakes. Vegeta wasn't very adept at paperwork (having been of noble birth, he hadn't been trained as a scholar), so he had made numerous errors on each form. This necessitated even more paperwork, which brought on more mistakes, which meant that Vegeta had to fill out even more forms, and so on. In this kind of situation, how long somebody is forced to fill out paperwork is in direct proportion to how much they anger the agent who brings them in. And Agent John did not like being blown up.
Vegeta slammed his pen onto the pile of paper. "There! Finished! May I leave?"
"Not quite. You must fill out the dreaded forms 15897-A through 2080938-X! Bwahahahahahahaha!" The Saiyan moaned as another stack of paperwork was placed before him.
"I think this pen is out of ink."
GoChibi suddenly awoke. At first, she didn't know where she was. After a few moments, she realized that she was in a tank of some sort. Even with the breath mask over her mouth and nose, she could smell the familiar stench of Bacta. Then, she remembered why she was there. "Damn! I got my head handed to me by that pink marshmallow thing!" She knocked on the side of the tank. "Hello? I'm ready to come out!" There was no response. She floated upwards, and found that there was no door handle on that side of the egress hatch. She was about to blast through it when it opened up to reveal the face of a strange man.
"Hi, everybody! My name is Doctor Nick Riviera! Now, don't strain yourself, or you'll give yourself skeletosis jumpesi!"
"Huh?"
"It is a rare condition in which the skeleton tries to jump out of the skin."
Another Doctor laid his hand on Doctor Nick's shoulder. "Why don't you go watch some TV?"
"OK!"
GoChibi was very confused. "Who are you?"
"Hello, I'm Doctor Hibberd. Now, the quack was right; you almost died!" He then began to chuckle. "But seriously, you should be fine in a few minutes. Now, go join your friends."
The Moon Princess noticed that Goku was still floating in his Bacta Tank. "Will he be all right?"
"Oh, he'll be good in about another day or so. Most people would have died with the kind of exhaustion he was suffering from." Once again, he chuckled.
GoChibi thought that the guy was nuts! "Uh, thanks. G'bye!" She homed in on a familiar Chi signature and used the instant transmission to teleport into the Rec room. Directly in front of Ralph.
"ACK!" The Jedi clutched his chest. "GoChibi? DON'T DO THAT!"
"Sorry. Watcha doing?"
"We were just planning our next hit and run strike against Majin Buu."
"That won't be necessary."
"Phil?" It was indeed the Physics Policeman, and Gohan was with him.
Ralph queried, "Where's Kaio-shin?"
"He decided to stay on his home planet. Something about not being strong enough to contribute meaningfully to any battle."
GoChibi stretched out her senses. "Uh, Phil, you aren't any stronger."
"Oh really?" He focused intently on a spot just behind Ralph's head. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, the air around Phil began to shimmer, and Phil's Chi began strengthening. The portable computer and hologram projector Ralph had been using to explain his plan began to lift of the table, levitated by waves of power. The deck of cards began to spread about, moving to different corners of the room. Then, there was an explosive aura of Chi surrounded Phil. Unlike the various other power ups available in this universe, the aura had no color; the air around Phil simply shimmered. The visual effect ceased, and Phil stood there as if nothing had happened. However, those sensitive to Chi signatures could read that he was head and shoulders above Majin Buu.
Over the loudspeakers, Chief O'Connor's voice could be heard. "Phil, cut that out right now before you knock the building over!"
"Sorry! I'm already finished anyways."
Tein looked at Phil in open-mouthed shock. "I-it's impossible! You can't have gained that kind of power in one day!"
"You think this is something, you should feel Gohan. He's a little stronger than I am. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a pink monster to squish." The energies of the Mystical Powerup still flowed through his body. Before leaving the Rec Room, Phil looked Piccolo straight in the eye. "Oh, and I don't want any of you leaving here until we're done with Buu. Especially you, Piccolo; if Majin Buu absorbs you, he'll become more powerful than either Gohan or myself. That would not be a good thing. See you later."
As Gohan and Phil walked towards the transporter room, the young Saiyan looked at Phil with some confusion evident in his eyes. "Uh, Phil, why did you say that I'm more powerful than you? I mean, your ultra efficient technique..."
"Isn't compatible with the Mystical Powerup. Apparently, the author thought I would be too strong if the strength of Freeza was combined with Kaio-shin's technique. Something about, "making the story believable."
"Hold on... you've met the author?"
"Well, I am the main character of this story, so yes, I am privy to his thoughts. You aren't, because he's trying to keep you in character."
"Oh."
As they entered the transporter room, Phil immediately noticed that something was wrong. "Jack, what happened?"
He had a black eye, and his nose was possibly broken, which affected his voice. "Well, some chick in a Sailor Fuku came bursting in here and punched me in the face!"
"Gee, that's tough luck, pal. I need a wormhole for two to..."
"Universe FC-1?"
"How'd you guess?"
"That's the only place anyone goes these days."
"Oh, and happy birthday, Jack."
Jack sighed. "Not so far."
Universe FC-1
Slightly north of Tokyo
Babadi was chortling evilly. Over the past day, he and Majin Buu had been tearing across Japan, slaughtering tens of thousands and causing billions of dollars worth of property damage. At the moment, they had forced a train to a halt. Buu was hovering on the right side of the train and stared in with a grin on his face. He summoned a chi bolt, and was about to let fly when he felt an energy fluctuation.
Babadi glared at the wormhole. "Are those fools attempting to stop us again? We've already dealt with their most powerful fighters. Buu, make sure they don't escape this time."
"Yes, master." Gohan and Phil calmly floated out as the gap in reality closed.
Phil began to pose in a manner not unlike Sailor Moon. "Majin Buu, you have killed far too many simply for the pleasure of doing so. You have forfeited your right to live. I am Unit Commander Phil of the Physics Police, and in the name of the Physics Police, I am gonna enjoy kicking your fat, pasty pink ass!" Phil hadn't ever powered down, deciding that it took more energy to start it up than to maintain it for a few minutes. Faster than either Majin Buu or Babadi could track, Phil flew in and caught the pink monster with an uppercut.
Buu screamed in surprise and pain as he flew upward. His flight was halted, as Phil appeared directly overhead, elbowing him in the gut. Then, Phil kicked Buu in the face, sending the pink creature into a nearby forest. The fat creature flew through several mighty trees before he was able to stop himself.
Buu levered himself into a sitting position, and found a pair of fighters levitating above him. It took him several moments for him to realize that it wasn't the pair he had been fighting a moment before. "Who are you?"
Goten and Trunks had transformed into Super Saiyan mode. Having finished a year of training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, the young Saiyans had grown immeasurably more powerful. Also, Phil had given them several tapes of an Anime starring them (they had thought that was particularly cool) and a few technique scrolls so that they could learn the Fusion Dance without Goku's tutelage.
"Ready, Goten?"
"You know it, Trunks!" The pair began a complicated dance, which involved kicking, bending, and extending their fingertips to touch the other dancer's fingers. If any step of the dance was performed incorrectly, it would result in a warrior weaker than either Goten or Trunks alone. However, a year of trial and error in the Chamber had given them complete mastery of the technique. After a few moments, there was a bright flash. When the light subsided, one warrior stood where two had been. He had black hair reminiscent of Vegeta, and the Saiyan Prince's characteristic look of arrogance.
By this time, Gohan and Phil had caught up with the battle. Gohan looked at the tiny fighter. "Who's that?"
"Remember that Fusion Dance I told you about?" Gohan nodded. "Well, I gave them some research materials and told them to learn it. That is Gotenks, a combination of Trunks and Goten. We have to get him out of there. Now."
"What do you mean?"
"Like your Dad, Gotenks can become a level three Super Saiyan. And also like your Dad, he can't maintain that state long enough to do any significant damage to somebody as strong as Majin Buu. To my knowledge, he can't reach level two, so he'll either be too strong or too weak to fight Buu." Phil flew down next to the pint-sized warrior. "You better back off, Gotenks."
"Ah, blow it out your ass, old man! I'm twice as strong as you'll ever be!"
"Not exactly true, but still, you can't beat Buu. If you go to Super Saiyan level three, you'll exhaust yourself. Now, leave this to the professionals."
"Back off! He's my kill!" The tiny warrior began to collect energy in preparation for a Chi attack against Buu. By this time, the portly demon had realized that three to one odds was not in his favor, and was attempting to slink off. "Come back here!" Gotenks sent his Galick Gun into the pink warrior. A blast shook the forest, and felled trees that were several centuries old.
Phil sighed. "He's just as egotistical in this universe as he was in the Anime. Just swell."
The attack had little effect of Majin Buu. However, the boy had a great strength. If I can just absorb him, I can take those two fighters! The pink creature fired his own blast, which Gotenks skillfully dodged.
Phil sighed dejectedly. "The only thing to do now is to hope that Gotenks found a way to improve the level three transformation. That jerk'll fight until either he or Buu is dead, and he won't let us help him." Phil decided to just fly out of range and let events occur without his intervention.
The yellow aura surrounding Gotenks expanded outwards, consuming a stand of oak trees. Buu grinned. Yes! Even more power! The portly demon came flew at about mach three to engage Gotenks, and was rewarded for his efforts with a right hook that sent him crashing through another stand of trees.
Phil grinned at Gohan. "I'm surprised Green Peace isn't throwing some kind of hissy fit right about now."
Gotenks didn't give Majin Buu a chance to recover. The Saiyan was already at close range, punching and kicking Buu. Each blow caused him significant damage, and even his improved restorative abilities weren't able to stand up to the stress. A kick to the back of his head nearly rendered Buu unconscious. Gotenks floated down to earth and looked at Majin Buu with a disdainful smirk on his lips. "This is the mighty Majin Buu? Ha!" With a speed that belied his girth, Buu kicked the legs out from under Gotenks. The young Saiyan then was caught under the demon as Buu body slammed his opponent.
"Get offa me, you Fat Bastard!" He attempted to force the creature off of him by using his aura to physically shove Majin Buu. However, Buu was putting all of his strength into fighting the field of energy, and Gotenks' energy supply was dwindling. After nearly a minute of this, the yellow aura surrounding Gotenks collapsed, and the exhausted boy was crushed beneath Majin Buu. The pink demon lifted him by one leg and dangled him before his face.
"Get...in...mah...belly!" After unwittingly quoting a villain from the Austin Powers series, Buu expanded his jaws and swallowed the unconscious Gotenks whole.
Gohan looked at the scene. "It's horrible! Goten!" His eyes turned blue, and tendrils of electric blue energy began to crackle around him.
Phil grabbed Gohan by the shoulders and forced the Saiyan to look him in the eye. "Gohan! Get control of your emotions! If you go to Super Saiyan, Buu will kill you for sure!" As Gohan calmed slightly and began the Mystical Powerup, Buu was going through his own changes. He glowed a bright pink, and everything except for his outline became indiscernible. His shape shifted, with the fat being burned away to fuel the transformation, and he shrank several inches. When he became visible again, Buu was exactly as he had been, minus several kilograms of cellulite. Also, the distinctive yellow energy of the Super Saiyan now surrounded him. Phil and Gohan could sense that the demon now had far more power than either of them.
Phil grimaced. At least he didn't get Piccolo too. "Gohan, we have to work together if we're going to have the slightest chance of victory. Now, I'm going to be communicating with you telepathically. Follow my instructions."
"Affirmative."
Majin Buu looked up at the pair. "I'm sorry; before we were so rudely interrupted, I believe that we had our own battle. Shall we continue it?" There was no verbal response. Phil activated his lightsaber, and waved the yellow blade menacingly at Buu. Together, the two Mystic warriors began their assault.
Gohan, being the stronger of the two, attacked Buu head on. The two began exchanging blows, and neither was making any appreciable headway. Flanking Majin Buu from the left, Phil sliced down, cleaving away the demon's left arm. While Phil vaporized it with a Chi bolt (to ensure that he didn't use it to assimilate either of them), Gohan took advantage of his opponent's injury to hammer his left side. Phil joined in, and for a few moments it looked as if victory was within their grasp.
That was when Majin Buu finished regenerating his lost limb. A vicious left hook sent Phil flying, and Buu kicked Gohan in the side of his head. The pair decided to keep their distance.
Majin Buu then took the initiative, forcing the pair back with a volley of kicks and punches. The pair of Mystical warriors was being slowly battered into submission. Phil reached into his pocket and pulled out a pistol-like device. Pointing it at Majin Buu's face, he sent a green, gelatinous blob onto the demon's face. It blocked his vision, and he wasted several precious moments attempting to remove it from his head. "Gohan, fall back!" As they retreated, Phil threw a small, spherical device at Buu. It detonated, and Buu collapsed, clutching his ears and screaming.
The pair flew away at top speed. "What was that?"
"Sonic grenade. It'll really mess with his sense of balance and it hurts like hell. I just bought us a few seconds. Better use them wisely." At that moment, Buu appeared in front of them.
"Boo." He held each fighter by the throat, cutting off their air supply. Thinking fast, Gohan struck out with his foot, catching Buu in the solar plexus. Temporarily stunned, the pair punched him simultaneously, sending Majin Buu flying. Towards Tokyo.
They simultaneously said, "D'oh!"
In an exhibition center in Downtown Tokyo, what was normally a Sumo Wrestling arena had been converted into a more western style ring. Ropes connected four poles, but in this kind of tournament, the ropes were more of a weapon than a barrier. An announcer, who bore a striking resemblance to the announcer of the World Martial Arts Tournament (now the World Strategy Games Tournament), yelled, "And today, we have for you a special treat! Hercule, Champion of the Earth, versus The Rock, all the way from America!"
The wrestlers were posing. "HA! You gaijin weakling! Do you truly think that you can match the might of the one who beat Cell?"
"Do you smell what the Rock is cooking?"
It was at this moment that Majin Buu crashed through the ceiling and was embedded several feet into the ring. Hercule and the Rock both called for their mommies, then ran from the stadium. The crowd went wild, thinking that it was all part of the show.
"Look at this, folks! It's Majin Buu, the horrendous monster who has held Japan in a state of chaos for over a day now!" Phil and Gohan dropped in on either side of him. "And even better: it's Phil, a competitor of the now defunct World Martial Arts Tournament, and the Great Saiya Man! Let's give them a hand!"
Ignoring the cheering audience Phil and Gohan began to beat on the stunned Buu.
Miles away, Babadi still didn't understand what was happening. "Father's journal never mentioned an ability to absorb other beings!" Caught up in his musings, the wizard never saw the stinger embed itself in his back and suck him dry.
"An excellent appetizer." The being sensed a trio of great powers only a few miles away. "Now for the main course."
By this time, Buu had recovered and had the pair of warriors on the run. He punched Phil, sending him back into the ropes. Using the springy cords to his advantage, Phil rebounded at high velocity to catch Buu with a clothesline.
The over exuberant crowd would occasionally yell bits of advice. "Give him the chair!" Gohan complied, beating Buu over the head with a folding chair that had materialized out of thin air.
"Give him the can!" Phil jammed a metal garbage can over Buu's head. It had come from the same place as the folding chair.
"Give him the 13 megaton nuclear device." Fortunately for all involved, neither Phil nor Gohan followed this particular bit of advice.
"Enough of this!" Majin Buu caught the pair with a pair of simultaneous uppercuts. They were thrown from the arena, and crashed into a nearby housing complex. "Go riddance to bad rubbish." It was at this moment that a fist caught Buu across the face, knocking him to the ground. "What the hell?"
Cell stood over him, smirking. "You were only one letter off." The pair squared off, the winner ready to absorb the loser.
End Part 19
The Return of Phil
By Bobcat
Disclaimer: Most of this wasn't my idea. Other authors may, with my permission, use those ideas that are mine.
Vegeta was having difficulty keeping his eyes open. Ever since the IRS had abducted him, the suit-clad men had forced him to sign pile after pile of paperwork. It is a simple fact that tax forms are so insanely complicated that one cannot help but make a few mistakes. Vegeta wasn't very adept at paperwork (having been of noble birth, he hadn't been trained as a scholar), so he had made numerous errors on each form. This necessitated even more paperwork, which brought on more mistakes, which meant that Vegeta had to fill out even more forms, and so on. In this kind of situation, how long somebody is forced to fill out paperwork is in direct proportion to how much they anger the agent who brings them in. And Agent John did not like being blown up.
Vegeta slammed his pen onto the pile of paper. "There! Finished! May I leave?"
"Not quite. You must fill out the dreaded forms 15897-A through 2080938-X! Bwahahahahahahaha!" The Saiyan moaned as another stack of paperwork was placed before him.
"I think this pen is out of ink."
GoChibi suddenly awoke. At first, she didn't know where she was. After a few moments, she realized that she was in a tank of some sort. Even with the breath mask over her mouth and nose, she could smell the familiar stench of Bacta. Then, she remembered why she was there. "Damn! I got my head handed to me by that pink marshmallow thing!" She knocked on the side of the tank. "Hello? I'm ready to come out!" There was no response. She floated upwards, and found that there was no door handle on that side of the egress hatch. She was about to blast through it when it opened up to reveal the face of a strange man.
"Hi, everybody! My name is Doctor Nick Riviera! Now, don't strain yourself, or you'll give yourself skeletosis jumpesi!"
"Huh?"
"It is a rare condition in which the skeleton tries to jump out of the skin."
Another Doctor laid his hand on Doctor Nick's shoulder. "Why don't you go watch some TV?"
"OK!"
GoChibi was very confused. "Who are you?"
"Hello, I'm Doctor Hibberd. Now, the quack was right; you almost died!" He then began to chuckle. "But seriously, you should be fine in a few minutes. Now, go join your friends."
The Moon Princess noticed that Goku was still floating in his Bacta Tank. "Will he be all right?"
"Oh, he'll be good in about another day or so. Most people would have died with the kind of exhaustion he was suffering from." Once again, he chuckled.
GoChibi thought that the guy was nuts! "Uh, thanks. G'bye!" She homed in on a familiar Chi signature and used the instant transmission to teleport into the Rec room. Directly in front of Ralph.
"ACK!" The Jedi clutched his chest. "GoChibi? DON'T DO THAT!"
"Sorry. Watcha doing?"
"We were just planning our next hit and run strike against Majin Buu."
"That won't be necessary."
"Phil?" It was indeed the Physics Policeman, and Gohan was with him.
Ralph queried, "Where's Kaio-shin?"
"He decided to stay on his home planet. Something about not being strong enough to contribute meaningfully to any battle."
GoChibi stretched out her senses. "Uh, Phil, you aren't any stronger."
"Oh really?" He focused intently on a spot just behind Ralph's head. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, the air around Phil began to shimmer, and Phil's Chi began strengthening. The portable computer and hologram projector Ralph had been using to explain his plan began to lift of the table, levitated by waves of power. The deck of cards began to spread about, moving to different corners of the room. Then, there was an explosive aura of Chi surrounded Phil. Unlike the various other power ups available in this universe, the aura had no color; the air around Phil simply shimmered. The visual effect ceased, and Phil stood there as if nothing had happened. However, those sensitive to Chi signatures could read that he was head and shoulders above Majin Buu.
Over the loudspeakers, Chief O'Connor's voice could be heard. "Phil, cut that out right now before you knock the building over!"
"Sorry! I'm already finished anyways."
Tein looked at Phil in open-mouthed shock. "I-it's impossible! You can't have gained that kind of power in one day!"
"You think this is something, you should feel Gohan. He's a little stronger than I am. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a pink monster to squish." The energies of the Mystical Powerup still flowed through his body. Before leaving the Rec Room, Phil looked Piccolo straight in the eye. "Oh, and I don't want any of you leaving here until we're done with Buu. Especially you, Piccolo; if Majin Buu absorbs you, he'll become more powerful than either Gohan or myself. That would not be a good thing. See you later."
As Gohan and Phil walked towards the transporter room, the young Saiyan looked at Phil with some confusion evident in his eyes. "Uh, Phil, why did you say that I'm more powerful than you? I mean, your ultra efficient technique..."
"Isn't compatible with the Mystical Powerup. Apparently, the author thought I would be too strong if the strength of Freeza was combined with Kaio-shin's technique. Something about, "making the story believable."
"Hold on... you've met the author?"
"Well, I am the main character of this story, so yes, I am privy to his thoughts. You aren't, because he's trying to keep you in character."
"Oh."
As they entered the transporter room, Phil immediately noticed that something was wrong. "Jack, what happened?"
He had a black eye, and his nose was possibly broken, which affected his voice. "Well, some chick in a Sailor Fuku came bursting in here and punched me in the face!"
"Gee, that's tough luck, pal. I need a wormhole for two to..."
"Universe FC-1?"
"How'd you guess?"
"That's the only place anyone goes these days."
"Oh, and happy birthday, Jack."
Jack sighed. "Not so far."
Universe FC-1
Slightly north of Tokyo
Babadi was chortling evilly. Over the past day, he and Majin Buu had been tearing across Japan, slaughtering tens of thousands and causing billions of dollars worth of property damage. At the moment, they had forced a train to a halt. Buu was hovering on the right side of the train and stared in with a grin on his face. He summoned a chi bolt, and was about to let fly when he felt an energy fluctuation.
Babadi glared at the wormhole. "Are those fools attempting to stop us again? We've already dealt with their most powerful fighters. Buu, make sure they don't escape this time."
"Yes, master." Gohan and Phil calmly floated out as the gap in reality closed.
Phil began to pose in a manner not unlike Sailor Moon. "Majin Buu, you have killed far too many simply for the pleasure of doing so. You have forfeited your right to live. I am Unit Commander Phil of the Physics Police, and in the name of the Physics Police, I am gonna enjoy kicking your fat, pasty pink ass!" Phil hadn't ever powered down, deciding that it took more energy to start it up than to maintain it for a few minutes. Faster than either Majin Buu or Babadi could track, Phil flew in and caught the pink monster with an uppercut.
Buu screamed in surprise and pain as he flew upward. His flight was halted, as Phil appeared directly overhead, elbowing him in the gut. Then, Phil kicked Buu in the face, sending the pink creature into a nearby forest. The fat creature flew through several mighty trees before he was able to stop himself.
Buu levered himself into a sitting position, and found a pair of fighters levitating above him. It took him several moments for him to realize that it wasn't the pair he had been fighting a moment before. "Who are you?"
Goten and Trunks had transformed into Super Saiyan mode. Having finished a year of training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, the young Saiyans had grown immeasurably more powerful. Also, Phil had given them several tapes of an Anime starring them (they had thought that was particularly cool) and a few technique scrolls so that they could learn the Fusion Dance without Goku's tutelage.
"Ready, Goten?"
"You know it, Trunks!" The pair began a complicated dance, which involved kicking, bending, and extending their fingertips to touch the other dancer's fingers. If any step of the dance was performed incorrectly, it would result in a warrior weaker than either Goten or Trunks alone. However, a year of trial and error in the Chamber had given them complete mastery of the technique. After a few moments, there was a bright flash. When the light subsided, one warrior stood where two had been. He had black hair reminiscent of Vegeta, and the Saiyan Prince's characteristic look of arrogance.
By this time, Gohan and Phil had caught up with the battle. Gohan looked at the tiny fighter. "Who's that?"
"Remember that Fusion Dance I told you about?" Gohan nodded. "Well, I gave them some research materials and told them to learn it. That is Gotenks, a combination of Trunks and Goten. We have to get him out of there. Now."
"What do you mean?"
"Like your Dad, Gotenks can become a level three Super Saiyan. And also like your Dad, he can't maintain that state long enough to do any significant damage to somebody as strong as Majin Buu. To my knowledge, he can't reach level two, so he'll either be too strong or too weak to fight Buu." Phil flew down next to the pint-sized warrior. "You better back off, Gotenks."
"Ah, blow it out your ass, old man! I'm twice as strong as you'll ever be!"
"Not exactly true, but still, you can't beat Buu. If you go to Super Saiyan level three, you'll exhaust yourself. Now, leave this to the professionals."
"Back off! He's my kill!" The tiny warrior began to collect energy in preparation for a Chi attack against Buu. By this time, the portly demon had realized that three to one odds was not in his favor, and was attempting to slink off. "Come back here!" Gotenks sent his Galick Gun into the pink warrior. A blast shook the forest, and felled trees that were several centuries old.
Phil sighed. "He's just as egotistical in this universe as he was in the Anime. Just swell."
The attack had little effect of Majin Buu. However, the boy had a great strength. If I can just absorb him, I can take those two fighters! The pink creature fired his own blast, which Gotenks skillfully dodged.
Phil sighed dejectedly. "The only thing to do now is to hope that Gotenks found a way to improve the level three transformation. That jerk'll fight until either he or Buu is dead, and he won't let us help him." Phil decided to just fly out of range and let events occur without his intervention.
The yellow aura surrounding Gotenks expanded outwards, consuming a stand of oak trees. Buu grinned. Yes! Even more power! The portly demon came flew at about mach three to engage Gotenks, and was rewarded for his efforts with a right hook that sent him crashing through another stand of trees.
Phil grinned at Gohan. "I'm surprised Green Peace isn't throwing some kind of hissy fit right about now."
Gotenks didn't give Majin Buu a chance to recover. The Saiyan was already at close range, punching and kicking Buu. Each blow caused him significant damage, and even his improved restorative abilities weren't able to stand up to the stress. A kick to the back of his head nearly rendered Buu unconscious. Gotenks floated down to earth and looked at Majin Buu with a disdainful smirk on his lips. "This is the mighty Majin Buu? Ha!" With a speed that belied his girth, Buu kicked the legs out from under Gotenks. The young Saiyan then was caught under the demon as Buu body slammed his opponent.
"Get offa me, you Fat Bastard!" He attempted to force the creature off of him by using his aura to physically shove Majin Buu. However, Buu was putting all of his strength into fighting the field of energy, and Gotenks' energy supply was dwindling. After nearly a minute of this, the yellow aura surrounding Gotenks collapsed, and the exhausted boy was crushed beneath Majin Buu. The pink demon lifted him by one leg and dangled him before his face.
"Get...in...mah...belly!" After unwittingly quoting a villain from the Austin Powers series, Buu expanded his jaws and swallowed the unconscious Gotenks whole.
Gohan looked at the scene. "It's horrible! Goten!" His eyes turned blue, and tendrils of electric blue energy began to crackle around him.
Phil grabbed Gohan by the shoulders and forced the Saiyan to look him in the eye. "Gohan! Get control of your emotions! If you go to Super Saiyan, Buu will kill you for sure!" As Gohan calmed slightly and began the Mystical Powerup, Buu was going through his own changes. He glowed a bright pink, and everything except for his outline became indiscernible. His shape shifted, with the fat being burned away to fuel the transformation, and he shrank several inches. When he became visible again, Buu was exactly as he had been, minus several kilograms of cellulite. Also, the distinctive yellow energy of the Super Saiyan now surrounded him. Phil and Gohan could sense that the demon now had far more power than either of them.
Phil grimaced. At least he didn't get Piccolo too. "Gohan, we have to work together if we're going to have the slightest chance of victory. Now, I'm going to be communicating with you telepathically. Follow my instructions."
"Affirmative."
Majin Buu looked up at the pair. "I'm sorry; before we were so rudely interrupted, I believe that we had our own battle. Shall we continue it?" There was no verbal response. Phil activated his lightsaber, and waved the yellow blade menacingly at Buu. Together, the two Mystic warriors began their assault.
Gohan, being the stronger of the two, attacked Buu head on. The two began exchanging blows, and neither was making any appreciable headway. Flanking Majin Buu from the left, Phil sliced down, cleaving away the demon's left arm. While Phil vaporized it with a Chi bolt (to ensure that he didn't use it to assimilate either of them), Gohan took advantage of his opponent's injury to hammer his left side. Phil joined in, and for a few moments it looked as if victory was within their grasp.
That was when Majin Buu finished regenerating his lost limb. A vicious left hook sent Phil flying, and Buu kicked Gohan in the side of his head. The pair decided to keep their distance.
Majin Buu then took the initiative, forcing the pair back with a volley of kicks and punches. The pair of Mystical warriors was being slowly battered into submission. Phil reached into his pocket and pulled out a pistol-like device. Pointing it at Majin Buu's face, he sent a green, gelatinous blob onto the demon's face. It blocked his vision, and he wasted several precious moments attempting to remove it from his head. "Gohan, fall back!" As they retreated, Phil threw a small, spherical device at Buu. It detonated, and Buu collapsed, clutching his ears and screaming.
The pair flew away at top speed. "What was that?"
"Sonic grenade. It'll really mess with his sense of balance and it hurts like hell. I just bought us a few seconds. Better use them wisely." At that moment, Buu appeared in front of them.
"Boo." He held each fighter by the throat, cutting off their air supply. Thinking fast, Gohan struck out with his foot, catching Buu in the solar plexus. Temporarily stunned, the pair punched him simultaneously, sending Majin Buu flying. Towards Tokyo.
They simultaneously said, "D'oh!"
In an exhibition center in Downtown Tokyo, what was normally a Sumo Wrestling arena had been converted into a more western style ring. Ropes connected four poles, but in this kind of tournament, the ropes were more of a weapon than a barrier. An announcer, who bore a striking resemblance to the announcer of the World Martial Arts Tournament (now the World Strategy Games Tournament), yelled, "And today, we have for you a special treat! Hercule, Champion of the Earth, versus The Rock, all the way from America!"
The wrestlers were posing. "HA! You gaijin weakling! Do you truly think that you can match the might of the one who beat Cell?"
"Do you smell what the Rock is cooking?"
It was at this moment that Majin Buu crashed through the ceiling and was embedded several feet into the ring. Hercule and the Rock both called for their mommies, then ran from the stadium. The crowd went wild, thinking that it was all part of the show.
"Look at this, folks! It's Majin Buu, the horrendous monster who has held Japan in a state of chaos for over a day now!" Phil and Gohan dropped in on either side of him. "And even better: it's Phil, a competitor of the now defunct World Martial Arts Tournament, and the Great Saiya Man! Let's give them a hand!"
Ignoring the cheering audience Phil and Gohan began to beat on the stunned Buu.
Miles away, Babadi still didn't understand what was happening. "Father's journal never mentioned an ability to absorb other beings!" Caught up in his musings, the wizard never saw the stinger embed itself in his back and suck him dry.
"An excellent appetizer." The being sensed a trio of great powers only a few miles away. "Now for the main course."
By this time, Buu had recovered and had the pair of warriors on the run. He punched Phil, sending him back into the ropes. Using the springy cords to his advantage, Phil rebounded at high velocity to catch Buu with a clothesline.
The over exuberant crowd would occasionally yell bits of advice. "Give him the chair!" Gohan complied, beating Buu over the head with a folding chair that had materialized out of thin air.
"Give him the can!" Phil jammed a metal garbage can over Buu's head. It had come from the same place as the folding chair.
"Give him the 13 megaton nuclear device." Fortunately for all involved, neither Phil nor Gohan followed this particular bit of advice.
"Enough of this!" Majin Buu caught the pair with a pair of simultaneous uppercuts. They were thrown from the arena, and crashed into a nearby housing complex. "Go riddance to bad rubbish." It was at this moment that a fist caught Buu across the face, knocking him to the ground. "What the hell?"
Cell stood over him, smirking. "You were only one letter off." The pair squared off, the winner ready to absorb the loser.
End Part 19
