The Corridor of Time
BY MARA ROBERTS
Oolong was ecstatic about winning the bet of 800 zeni. "Now that weirdo owes me 400 zen! I can't wait to collect. Where is that guy anyway? He isn't holding out on the payments is he? C'mon, lets go look for him."
For lack of anything better to do, Bulma accompanied Oolong, interested about this desert guy. Yamcha's from the desert, and he's really, really cute! I wonder if this stranger is cute, too. Out of mild curiosity she asked him how his first gambling trip had gone.
"Terrible," he replied.
At The Casino
Several months earlier
/'Yamcha took me to this new place, called the Kamehameha. He thought the name sounded interesting. Anyway, as soon as we arrive a gaggle of girls surrounded us, attracted surely by my looks, but I threw Yamcha a bone and gave the girls to him. So there I was, all by my lonesome…/(1)
The inside was dim, but not run down. It was lively with excitement, the hustle and bustle of the crown, the thrill of a dice roll, the flip of the cards. A jazz band played loudly at the far end of the entrance. People were congregated at the tables, slots and bar. Few were unoccupied. Oolong spied Yamcha and his horde of females having a few toasts. And they call me a pig.
Oolong wandered over to the card tables to a game of poker. He thought he could handle that and asked to be dealt in next hand. He sat down, got out his chips and began to play. He was winning – beginners luck, he was assured by the others, but Oolong knew it was his innate skill and had finally been revealed. Too bad there weren't any ladies in a quiet, secluded room where they could play stri-
"Deal me in, please," a raspy voice was heard from under a cowl. He was garbed in a multitude of desert robes. A nomad, obviously. Things went downhill from there for poor Oolong.
/"I mean all of a sudden, this weird little guy from no-place, started kicking my rump! He looked like a cheat; he was swathed in these really bulky desert robes and it was hot in there! I felt like I was turning to bacon, being fried in my own perspiration. I guess the A/C musta broke, but I tell you it didn't seem hot until he sat down. Anyways…/
Oolong started to sweat; he was in debt four hundred zeni. There was no way he could pay that amount! The nomad stood as though to leave. Oolong began to feel desperate.
"Say, friend," the stranger began. "I was wondering if you knew of any other form of betting. Fights, perhaps. I've always loved a good fight between strong warriors."
Oolong brightened at the prospect. He knew exactly how to turn this deal around. "Well, the Supreme Martial Arts Tournament is coming up a few months from now. We could bet on that. Double or nothing, what do you say?"
"You mean those weak human fighters?"
"Weak! They aren't weak. Why just last tournament they were shooting light beams at each other and going invisible and moving faster than anyone in the crowds could see. Weak, hah! Not by the hairs of my chiny-chin-chin!" Oolong responded, quoting the old rhyme.
"Light beams? Do you mean energy attacks?" The stranger looked up with interests. His eyes pierced the darkness of his hood, burning Oolongs very core. He felt like he was loosing himself in those eyes. He fought to maintain control. A wave of dizziness passed and he was himself again.
"Uh, yeah. I guess so."
"The bet is satisfactory. I look forward to these fights."
"…But the whole thing was kinda freaky. It was like he could read my mind every hand, there's no way anyone could be that good at poker! At any rate, I'm now debt-free! In fact, he owes me 400."
Mie entered the conversation. "That's a very interesting story. Thank you for sharing it with us." And thank you, Oolong, for filling me in. That was the last piece of the puzzle. It answers everything, Mie thought.
Mie got up and stretched her arms.
"I think I'll go for a walk," she said before walking to the door. She looked back at Gohan and caught his eye, gesturing with her head for him to follow. Curious, Gohan got up and walked out as well.
Gohan caught up to Mie and they walked in silence for a while, taking in the beauty of the starry night sky and cool air. Then Mie started talking.
"Once there was a great warrior, known as Gohan, a sprightly young man full of kindness and purity. He had heard of a strange, unnamed evil plaguing his hometown. People were suddenly turning on each other for little or no apparent reason. He sought to find the cure, which he believed would be the destruction of a nameless and unknown foe. For surely someone had to plant the seeds of discord in his peaceful village.
"And so he set out, and on this quest his strength grew everyday. The wizard Bibidi began to fear, for it had been he who set the evil upon his land. He did not fully understand the limitations of humans just yet and fully believed the warrior Gohan could gain great strength and overcome him. From the Turtle Hermit Master Roshi he had learned the makings of Ki and energy, and how they could be used to further strength. He saw and experienced first hand how one could force their way into another's mind with a special sort of Ki, called Psi. He started putting pieces together, learning how through different mind-channels one would be able to influence another, and in time learned how to control another's will, though of course he never used this knowledge. Gohan became convinced it had been some sort of Ki manipulation that had turned his home into a pit of evil. And so it had been. He studied energy and learned how to right people's Ki to how they had willed it.
"He went home with his newfound cure and began to help the village people. It wasn't easy; all resisted him mightily. With newfound strength from this foreign evilness Gohan had to face many horrible battles. Only through his purity did he gain strength necessary to defeat his possessed friends. He startled them when he spoke of love, for the possessed needed to resist, if only slightly the strange and evil power if Gohan was to deliver them from this evil. And one by one, he did so. His village was saved, and the people were relieved to be free."
Young Gohan was silent, mulling over Mie's words. Why was she telling him this? And how could she know any of it? Was it even true? Mie continued.
"Gohan was still greatly worried. Whatever had hurt his people so was still out there, and could come again, or cause great harm elsewhere. He found Bibidi, and Bibidi was defeated. Gohan continued to wander for many years, years that spanned into decades, until he found a little baby boy in the wilds of the forest and finally settled down to raise him, planning give his quest to future generations."
Gohan had realized Mie hadn't said just who had defeated this Bibidi, merely implied that it had been his grandfather, Gohan. Why would she do that? Did someone else defeat the wizard?
"However, as if often the case, sons grow up to be as evil as their fathers, and Bibidi did have a son. His name is Babidi. It was Babidi that set the evil upon Chaotzu's realm, by plaguing the minds of the Szaybahn, and turning them against their oldest allies. He sent his henchmen, Crane and Tou to search for the strongest warriors they could find and bring them back. And so they did so, bringing back Tien and Chaotzu. It was under his influence that both did such evil deeds. I freed them of Babidi earlier. You probably noticed a subtle change coming over Tien's Ki when he was in the ring and he fought it off. I helped him; in fact I had freed Tien and Chaotzu earlier during the qualifying rounds."
"So that's what I sensed! I felt someone's Ki raise slightly, but it wasn't long enough for me to get a lock on."
Mie nodded at Gohan. "I knew you had sensed me, and was uncertain if you were good, evil or perhaps controlled. I didn't dare let you find me again.
"Wouldn't it be hard to free a person's mind? I'm sure such tasks must be very difficult and mentally draining."
"Were the situation different I would not have been able to help them at all. The victim must first want to be freed, and Babidi's hold had been weakened over the years. He had never sought to strengthen his hold until today that he have might use them. The fact that both of them are pure-hearted helped me greatly as well."
"Could you free Tou and Crane?" Gohan inquired.
"No. They are truly evil, and had willingly accepted the yoke of enslavement in return for the power they sought. Of course, they did not fully realize the price they must pay, but I believe they would have agreed to it anyway."
"Is freeing Tien and Chaotzu what changed their personality?"
"Yes, it was. This is their true self. They are both good people."
"Were they the only ones manipulated by Babidi?"
"No, nor was Babidi the first to manipulate people."
"Bibidi? You already told me about Grandpa's village." Gohan didn't even realize his slip, and Mie said nothing of it.
"No, I was speaking of the demon, Piccillo."
Gohan was flabbergasted. How could anyone know about Piccillo? He hasn't shown up yet! "Wha… what?"
"When Bibidi first came to Earth the Kai's fought with him and imprisoned Majin Buu so he could not harm anyone else. Majin Buu was the wizard's greatest and most terrible creation. He destroyed solar systems and galaxies… I won't go on. Eventually due to complications from his battle with the Kais, Buu was so weakened he was sealed in an energy ball. Bibidi planned to gather pure hearted energy so he would regain his strength. Thus, Earth became his next target. Fortunately for everyone the remaining Kais managed to catch up to Bibidi and banished him to the far corners of the realm. They would have killed him save they were worried that doing so would awaken Majin Buu. We know now that was not the case, but a wise precaution considering how little they did know."
We? Who's this 'we'? Is she a Kai?
"Yes, I am the granddaughter of the Supreme Kai. And I'm telepathic. But first before you ask any questions, allow me to finish my story." Gohan quieted and she went on.
"Bibidi made his way to Earth at an inconvenient time for Kami. His ship was emitting search rays so he could locate Majin Buu. These rays interfered with Kami's spaceship, sending him crashing to Earth. It was ironic – his parent (2) had sent him to Earth to escape Majin Buu, as Namek would have been the next target, and here he runs smack into him (3).
"Bibidi sensed Kami and planted a seed of darkness within him, hoping to use Kami later if needed. Kami fought back, and when he became Guardian, spew out this evil, which called itself-"
"Piccillo. Piccillo is Bibidi's creation?" Gohan interrupted. "How horrible! Can Babidi still manipulate him?"
"Probably, as he is Bibidi's essence."
"Oh, no…"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of that."
Gohan looked up in relief. Mie kept talking.
"Anyway, around that time, give or take some centuries…" Mie blushed, "I was training with my father, and erm… made a slight mistake. That's why I'm here to correct this one. To make up for my error and to learn from it."
"I'm here because of you?"
"No. The two instances are unrelated. Mostly," Mie amended. Gohan looked at her, and she thought he was accusing her of wrongdoing.
"I was only seven! I didn't mean to interfere with space-time, but it all worked out for the best anyway so it doesn't matter and don't look at me in that tone of voice!" she yelled, words tumbling out, speaking in a rush before she slapped him on the jaw.
Mie was blushing more fiercely than ever. Boy, whatever she did she's pretty embarrassed. What sort of look was I giving her?
Mie stood straight and cleared her throat. "Anyway, there was that whole Gohan Sr. vs. Bibidi thing, then Babidi took over."
Mie sorrowed at some inward thought then plunged on, looking at him with soulful eyes. "You know that Goku trampled his grandfather when he transformed. What you don't know is that Babidi was able to control your father is his animalistic state and forced him to kill Gohan. Your father was completely unaware of this, and very much possessed until the night was over.
"Babidi had wanted revenge for his father's death." Mie finished.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"After observing you I realized you were the boy from the further down the timeline whom I was sent to retrieve."
"You were sent to bring me back?"
"Something like that."
Gohan glanced at her as they completed a circle around the tournament grounds. Dawn was breaking over the horizon. The rising sun illuminated Mie's face.
"Babidi is still at large." Mie turned and looked Gohan square in the face. The wind bushed her hair across her face before she pushed it back behind her ear. She turned to Gohan and pined him down with a serious look. He stopped what he was going to say when he saw her eyes.
"Mie…"
She shook her head, silencing him. "Gohan, I need your help."
To Be Continued… Be on the lookout for the second part of the Bibidi, Babidi. Buu Chronicles, entitled: Time Distorted. Enjoy, and please review! (I have only three more chapters left to write, so how fast it comes out is dependent on writer's block and free time).
(1) Oolong's voice is overlaid against the flashback.
(2) Nameks (if I understand correctly) are neither male nor female and give birth through eggs. I only know what I have read from DBZ sights and other fanfictions when it comes to the Namekian species. Regardless, for this fic they are neither gender, though decidedly masculine without actually being male. Also, I will no longer type up definitions as I lose my train of thought when I make these little notes. I'm only doing them now to clarify the plotline and writing style.
(3) This is sort of like Superman, only Krypton exploded naturally. Namek was actively threatened. The only reason it escaped unscathed was because of the Kais. They had fought and weakened Buu, so he went to Earth to gain energy. Am I being repetitive?