"This isn't fair," Pui-Pui muttered. "Master Babidi is cheating."
"Don't accuse our master of cheating," Dabura hissed. "He would never cheat!"
"Oh, Dabura! Looks like you just landed on Mayfair again! How inconvenient for you that every square on the board is Mayfair and belonging to me!"
"Damn it! You're cheating!" Dabura slammed his fist onto the Monpoly board. "You transformed every square into that accursed Mayfair with two hotels!"
"That's not true!" Babidi pointed. "The Chance card square is still there."
"Yes, and all the Chance Cards read 'Go Directly To Mayfair!' This is just like that game of poker last night where you had five aces! I say we play Hungry Hungry Hippo."
"Yakon ate the hippoes," said Pui-Pui.
"What about Chess?"
"Yakon ate the chess pieces."
"Well... why don't we gather the henchman and play a rousing game of Hide and Go Seek?"
"Yakon ate the henchmen."
"I'm bored of this game," declared Babidi. "Who wants to check in the crystal ball and see how Spopovich and Yamu are doing, hmm?"
---
Spopovich stared at the brick wall.
"Spopovich! Shouldn't you be concentrating on our tasks?"
Spopovich's eyes twitched. Yamu frowned. "I realise the evil power of the Majin flows through your veins, Spopovich. That doesn't mean you have to be incredibly stupid."
Spopovich picked up the heavy Majin Needle and began to chew on the edges. "No, Spopovich! That's not food! That is the device with which we drain power for Majin Buu! That's a bad Spopovich! Bad!"
---
"Well, they're doing well," said Dabura dryly. "Lord Babidi, remind me again why you didn't simply send me out to stab people until we had enough energy for Buu?"
"Because then we wouldn't get to destroy Spopovich and Yamu afterwards and laugh evilly about it, of course!"
"This is a waste of time, Lord Babidi. There is nobody on this planet with a power approaching mine--"
"--or mine," said Pui-Pui. "'Cos I'm the Pui-Pui!"
"Quite. We should simply do as I have done to so many other planets that stood in our path - annihilated them!"
"Not so hasty, Dabura! What if it turned out that this planet was home to super powerful fighters, who might provide enough energy to revive Majin Buu?"
"Ha!" Pui-Pui laughed. "I'll bet my Get Out Of Jail Free Card that there's nobody on this planet with a power level over 100 kilis!"
---
Piccolo stepped out of the ring.
"Piccolo," said Gohan, his eyes filling with tears. "Did you really give up the fight?"
"Yes, Gohan--"
"But you'd never surrender! Not Piccolo!"
"He was mysterious!"
"But you're the most mysterious guy I know, Piccolo! If you were to surrender, well, something inside of me would break... I'd lose a role model! Somebody to look up to!" Gohan sighed. "Well, I suppose I could always take Vegeta as a mentor instead--"
"Is it too late to change my mind?" said Piccolo to the announcer. "Because I'm going back in."
"Ah, Piccolo," said Kaioshin mysteriously. "It seems you have decided to fight me after all."
"I couldn't let Gohan down. He believes in me, you know. Just like Trunks believes in Vegeta, and Goku believes your henchman is Perfect Cell."
"So," said Goku knowingly. "Absorbed anybody today?"
"What?" said Kibito.
"Nothing," said Goku, his face sly. "So... want me to get you something to eat? Anything to drink? Maybe an android or two?"
"What are you talking about?"
"And so I must fight you," Piccolo concluded. "For Gohan!"
Kaioshin wiped away a tear. "That was very touching. Very well, we shall do battle!"
"Ladies and gentlemen! The fight is now underway!"
"Ooo!" said Goku. "Let's see how Piccolo does after seven years of intense meditation!"
"He might be a pathetic Namek, Kakarotto, but even you should realise that little blue midget doesn't know he's fighting one of the Earth's strongest warriors. This won't last longer than a second!"
Kaioshin lifted his hands. "Are you ready?" He darted forwards, and suddenly his hands and feet became a stunning blur of supersonic speed. Piccolo was buffeted backwards by the force of his blows, before he regained his composure and started deflecting the blows with his palms.
Crouching to regain his balance, Piccolo lunged forward, hitting Kaioshin with his shoulder. Knocked off balance, Kaioshin was open to attack, and Piccolo pressed his advantage with a mighty kick to the solar plexus.
"Impressive," remarked Kaioshin, regaining his composure and landing a punch to Piccolo's face. He ducked beneath a second kick and returned fire with a kick of his own - Piccolo grabbed his leg and swung the small man into the air, then took flight to pursue him. The crowd gasped.
"I could do that," sulked Vegeta.
As Piccolo prepared to hammer his opponent back down to the Earth, Kaioshin's image blurred and the Namek swung at empty air. His eyes widened for a moment and then a foot slammed into his back, sending him hurtling into the ring and creating a cloud of dust.
"Oh no! A cloud of dust!" Goku bit his fingers nervously. "I hate the tension of those things! Is he still alive!? Or is he not alive!?"
The dust cleared, revealing Piccolo standing in a small crater, his gaze set on Kaioshin. "You're not from this Earth," he said.
"No," said Kaioshin. "I must say, I am amazed to find anyone who can stand against me in battle. If my needs were not so pressing, I would like to extend our fight. But I must end it now."
Piccolo smirked. "You really think I'm going to let you off this easily?"
"You don't have much choice," said Kaioshin, descending to the ring. He extended his hands in front of his body. Piccolo stepped backwards, braced himself, and then Kaioshin let a blast of invisible ki erupt from his palms, slamming the startled Piccolo from his feet and sending him flying out of the ring.
"A cheap shot!" said Gohan angrily.
"Want me to hit him with a Kamehameha, Gohan?"
"No, dad!"
"You sure?"
"I'm sure!"
Goku waited. "Really sure? Because I could!"
"You're not going to hit anybody with a Kamehameha!"
Piccolo pulled himself to his feet, feeling the grass under his hands. The grass of DEFEAT. "Curse you, grass of defeat! Curse you!"
"Interesting," said Vegeta. "He seems small, yet he fights with the strength of somebody much larger."
An official reached over and patted Vegeta on the head. "What are you doing here, little guy? Shouldn't you be in the audience with your mummy and daddy?"
"Damnit! I am not short! I am merely slouching in a prideful Saiyajin way!"
"Well," said Kaioshin, leaving the ring, "I thank you for the battle." As he left, Spopovich half rose from his position, and their eyes briefly meet. A nifty blue filter rose between them, and Kaioshin's eyes widened. The mark of the Majin!
---
"Yakon!" Babidi sighed. "Forget it. We'll never get it out now."
"I can't believe he ate your crystal ball," complained Pui-Pui. "What if, for example, the Kaioshin was here to kill you and the crystal ball would have revealed him through Spopovich's eyes, complete with a nifty blue filter?"
"I doubt it," said Dabura.
"Don't accuse our master of cheating," Dabura hissed. "He would never cheat!"
"Oh, Dabura! Looks like you just landed on Mayfair again! How inconvenient for you that every square on the board is Mayfair and belonging to me!"
"Damn it! You're cheating!" Dabura slammed his fist onto the Monpoly board. "You transformed every square into that accursed Mayfair with two hotels!"
"That's not true!" Babidi pointed. "The Chance card square is still there."
"Yes, and all the Chance Cards read 'Go Directly To Mayfair!' This is just like that game of poker last night where you had five aces! I say we play Hungry Hungry Hippo."
"Yakon ate the hippoes," said Pui-Pui.
"What about Chess?"
"Yakon ate the chess pieces."
"Well... why don't we gather the henchman and play a rousing game of Hide and Go Seek?"
"Yakon ate the henchmen."
"I'm bored of this game," declared Babidi. "Who wants to check in the crystal ball and see how Spopovich and Yamu are doing, hmm?"
---
Spopovich stared at the brick wall.
"Spopovich! Shouldn't you be concentrating on our tasks?"
Spopovich's eyes twitched. Yamu frowned. "I realise the evil power of the Majin flows through your veins, Spopovich. That doesn't mean you have to be incredibly stupid."
Spopovich picked up the heavy Majin Needle and began to chew on the edges. "No, Spopovich! That's not food! That is the device with which we drain power for Majin Buu! That's a bad Spopovich! Bad!"
---
"Well, they're doing well," said Dabura dryly. "Lord Babidi, remind me again why you didn't simply send me out to stab people until we had enough energy for Buu?"
"Because then we wouldn't get to destroy Spopovich and Yamu afterwards and laugh evilly about it, of course!"
"This is a waste of time, Lord Babidi. There is nobody on this planet with a power approaching mine--"
"--or mine," said Pui-Pui. "'Cos I'm the Pui-Pui!"
"Quite. We should simply do as I have done to so many other planets that stood in our path - annihilated them!"
"Not so hasty, Dabura! What if it turned out that this planet was home to super powerful fighters, who might provide enough energy to revive Majin Buu?"
"Ha!" Pui-Pui laughed. "I'll bet my Get Out Of Jail Free Card that there's nobody on this planet with a power level over 100 kilis!"
---
Piccolo stepped out of the ring.
"Piccolo," said Gohan, his eyes filling with tears. "Did you really give up the fight?"
"Yes, Gohan--"
"But you'd never surrender! Not Piccolo!"
"He was mysterious!"
"But you're the most mysterious guy I know, Piccolo! If you were to surrender, well, something inside of me would break... I'd lose a role model! Somebody to look up to!" Gohan sighed. "Well, I suppose I could always take Vegeta as a mentor instead--"
"Is it too late to change my mind?" said Piccolo to the announcer. "Because I'm going back in."
"Ah, Piccolo," said Kaioshin mysteriously. "It seems you have decided to fight me after all."
"I couldn't let Gohan down. He believes in me, you know. Just like Trunks believes in Vegeta, and Goku believes your henchman is Perfect Cell."
"So," said Goku knowingly. "Absorbed anybody today?"
"What?" said Kibito.
"Nothing," said Goku, his face sly. "So... want me to get you something to eat? Anything to drink? Maybe an android or two?"
"What are you talking about?"
"And so I must fight you," Piccolo concluded. "For Gohan!"
Kaioshin wiped away a tear. "That was very touching. Very well, we shall do battle!"
"Ladies and gentlemen! The fight is now underway!"
"Ooo!" said Goku. "Let's see how Piccolo does after seven years of intense meditation!"
"He might be a pathetic Namek, Kakarotto, but even you should realise that little blue midget doesn't know he's fighting one of the Earth's strongest warriors. This won't last longer than a second!"
Kaioshin lifted his hands. "Are you ready?" He darted forwards, and suddenly his hands and feet became a stunning blur of supersonic speed. Piccolo was buffeted backwards by the force of his blows, before he regained his composure and started deflecting the blows with his palms.
Crouching to regain his balance, Piccolo lunged forward, hitting Kaioshin with his shoulder. Knocked off balance, Kaioshin was open to attack, and Piccolo pressed his advantage with a mighty kick to the solar plexus.
"Impressive," remarked Kaioshin, regaining his composure and landing a punch to Piccolo's face. He ducked beneath a second kick and returned fire with a kick of his own - Piccolo grabbed his leg and swung the small man into the air, then took flight to pursue him. The crowd gasped.
"I could do that," sulked Vegeta.
As Piccolo prepared to hammer his opponent back down to the Earth, Kaioshin's image blurred and the Namek swung at empty air. His eyes widened for a moment and then a foot slammed into his back, sending him hurtling into the ring and creating a cloud of dust.
"Oh no! A cloud of dust!" Goku bit his fingers nervously. "I hate the tension of those things! Is he still alive!? Or is he not alive!?"
The dust cleared, revealing Piccolo standing in a small crater, his gaze set on Kaioshin. "You're not from this Earth," he said.
"No," said Kaioshin. "I must say, I am amazed to find anyone who can stand against me in battle. If my needs were not so pressing, I would like to extend our fight. But I must end it now."
Piccolo smirked. "You really think I'm going to let you off this easily?"
"You don't have much choice," said Kaioshin, descending to the ring. He extended his hands in front of his body. Piccolo stepped backwards, braced himself, and then Kaioshin let a blast of invisible ki erupt from his palms, slamming the startled Piccolo from his feet and sending him flying out of the ring.
"A cheap shot!" said Gohan angrily.
"Want me to hit him with a Kamehameha, Gohan?"
"No, dad!"
"You sure?"
"I'm sure!"
Goku waited. "Really sure? Because I could!"
"You're not going to hit anybody with a Kamehameha!"
Piccolo pulled himself to his feet, feeling the grass under his hands. The grass of DEFEAT. "Curse you, grass of defeat! Curse you!"
"Interesting," said Vegeta. "He seems small, yet he fights with the strength of somebody much larger."
An official reached over and patted Vegeta on the head. "What are you doing here, little guy? Shouldn't you be in the audience with your mummy and daddy?"
"Damnit! I am not short! I am merely slouching in a prideful Saiyajin way!"
"Well," said Kaioshin, leaving the ring, "I thank you for the battle." As he left, Spopovich half rose from his position, and their eyes briefly meet. A nifty blue filter rose between them, and Kaioshin's eyes widened. The mark of the Majin!
---
"Yakon!" Babidi sighed. "Forget it. We'll never get it out now."
"I can't believe he ate your crystal ball," complained Pui-Pui. "What if, for example, the Kaioshin was here to kill you and the crystal ball would have revealed him through Spopovich's eyes, complete with a nifty blue filter?"
"I doubt it," said Dabura.