Planet Pui was a revolving orb of shimmering sapphire and attractive white clouds, with a solitary moon hunting in orbit around it. Babidi's spaceship skimmed through the atmosphere and brushed up against the treetops before slamming into a mountain and destroying twenty kilometres of pristine wilderness. Underneath the attractive sky, however, a constant pall of shadow kept the land dark.

"Nice landing," said Babidi. "You're really improving."

"Really?"

"No! That sucked! I'm going to kill you!"

"Oh, damnit," said the pilot, and then his muscles expanded and ruptured, splattering his insides all over the room. The co-pilot dived for cover. "And if you ever crash land like that again, I'm going to... to... to explode your exploded parts as well!"

Dabura emerged from the shadows. "Babidi--"

"You mean MASTER Babidi, Dabura."

"Right. MASTER Babidi. I have ensured that there are no immediate dangers to you outside this spaceship."

"Good! Good!" Babidi clapped his hands. "And how did you do that?"

"I destroyed the entire population of the planet."

"What?! What about my victim?"

"Well, I assumed that somebody strong enough to be worth controlling would survive my massacre. Plus, I was really, really bored."

"Well, we won't worry about that now. Let's go investigate the scenery."

As they picked their way through the fallen rubble of the crash site, the grey evening above them faded to a nocturnal twilight, stars emerging to point and laugh at Babidi as he tripped and rolled violently down a steep slope lined with jagged rocks.

"Ouch!"

"Are you alright, Babi-- MASTER Babidi?"

"I'm fine! In fact, I meant to do that!" Babidi jumped to his feet and gingerely removed a shard of rock from his brain. "Now, if my Babidi Senses are right, there is still one person left alive on this planet. And he's nearby!"

"FREEZE!" A shadow emerged from the rocks, fingers extended towards Dabura and Babidi. His long white exoskeleton curved around his gleaming yellow eyes, and a silly mouth that seemed fix in a permanent stupid grin. "Are you responsible for the slaughter of millions upon millions of innocent, harmless Pui's?"

"Yes," said Dabura.

"Ah. Well, would you be scared to find out that I am the Great Pui-Pui, Scourge of the Galaxy?"

"No," said Dabura.

"You should be. It may look like I am merely holding my hands in a ridiculous way, but I can in fact shoot energy attacks that would destroy you in an instant!"

"You mean, like this one?" Dabura lifted his hand and fired a ball of sparkling energy that slammed Pui-Pui in the chest and sent him flying into a nearby boulder. It crumbled, burying the bandit underneath a crushing weight of rubble.

"Dabura! Did you just kill him?"

"If he was killed by that, Master Babidi, he doesn't deserve to be in our crazy gang."

The rubble began to quiver, and then the pile of rocks slid away as Pui-Pui stumbled to his feet. "Okay. So, you can fire energy blasts too. I'm not afraid! I can see by your expression of pure agony that you're having trouble with the gravity on my home planet, which is ten times heavier than your own!"

Dabura smiled. "So that's what that tiny tickling sensation was."

"Ha! You tell him, Dabura! We're not scared of ten times gravity! We can take it!" Babidi punched a little fist in the air. "So there-- wait. Did you say TEN times?"

"Yes," said Pui-Pui sulkily. "It's a very scary amount of gravity."

"I can't handle that much! I'm going to be flattened like a pancake! Dabura, save me!"

Dabura glanced at the non-flat Babidi. "You seem to be fine."

"Well, yes, but that's because I'm using my energy barrier and-- oh, that's right! I have an energy barrier. I don't have to worry about the gravity. What a relief!" Babidi patted his chest. "Relax, heart, relax. No flattening for us today."

"Is he always like this?" Pui-Pui whispered. Dabura nodded.

"Well, enough small talk!" Babidi's fingers spread apart as he pushed his hands forward. "It's time to control you, Dread Pui-Pui! PAPPARAPA!"

"Papparapa? Is that some sort of rap term? It's not verGUGUGG! GUGHG!" Pui-Pui face was a mask of agony as the M insidously crawled over his forehead. "What's going on? I feel like somebody just put a giant cannibal spider INTO MY BRAIN!"

"It only hurts for a week or so," said Dabura. "I found that beating my skull against a metal wall before I went to sleep helped dull the pain."

Pui-Pui sunk to his knees, evil energy beginning to form a dark aura around his body. "Is my vision meant to go dark like this? What are you doing to me? Make it stop!"

"It won't stop until you obey me, the Great Babidi!" Babidi did a little jig of victory. "Say, 'You are the best, Lord Babidi!'"

"You're a stupid little wrinkly thing!"

"No, you got it wrong," said Babidi, focusing harder. The M tore into Pui-Pui's skull, and he released a final scream of agony as his will was lost forever.

"You're... you are the best, Lord Babidi." Pui-Pui shakily stood again. "And I will obey your every command."

Dabura frowned. This one wasn't pretending, like he was. Truly, Babidi COULD possess others and control them in every way. He would have to be careful, and to ensure that his free will remained absolute. Yes. And then, in time, he would grow tired of these games and finish things in his own way. It was worthy of an evil laugh. "Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA! GWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"Er, Dabura?" Babidi was looking at him strangely. "Why are you laughing?"

"Uh." Dabura cleared his throat. "Yes. I just remembered an extremely funny joke."

"Well, tell us! I love jokes!"

Dabura glanced around nervously. "Why did the... the man... and the... two of them, went into a bar, and... and... oh no! I sense an incredible energy approaching!"

"What?! An incredible energy! Dabura! Pui-Pui! Get me back to the spaceship!"

Dabura and Babidi began to return to the ship, but Pui-Pui stood in the growing darkness, his expression one of confusion. Then slowly his face cleared and he began to laugh. "I get it now! That Dabura makes the best jokes!"