Previously on Dragon Ball HPA! Gohan and Vegeta both fought Buu with everything they had, but ultimately failed. Then, the Z Fighters gathered at the Lookout to discuss a strategy, which turned out to be Metamoran Fusion, a new technique to create brand new fighters to fight Majin Buu. However, before the training could officially get underway, Babidi led Buu to an assault on Hope's Peak Academy after slaughtering a city and turning it into delicious candy! Now Goku faces off against Buu for the sake of hope and the people of the planet. Can Buu be stopped? And what of the people that Babidi has gotten to take an interest in Buu's rampage? What role have they to play? The story continues now in this chapter of Dragon Ball HPA!
EPISODE 10: Surprise Attack From Above!
Babidi remained unimpressed with Goku, even after going Super Saiyan 2. "So, it's this trick again. What a waste of energy. Vegeta did the same thing and look at what happened to him."
Buu laughed, remembering the explosion. "I'm guessing an ascended Super Saiyan isn't much of a challenge for you," Goku said. "So, how about I take it up to the next level?"
"As interested as I am to see this trick of yours," Babidi said, "Time is short. And I have a building to demolish. Majin Buu, hurry up and do something nasty to him. We have an appointment to keep."
Buu was far from listening and did not appear to be taking messages. However, then he started cracking his non-existent knuckles.
On the lookout, the Z fighters, plus Hajime, watched Babidi's broadcast carefully. Akane gasped when she saw Goku go back to normal. "Goku! What are you going to do? You'll get killed!"
"Nah, my dad's probably got an idea," Goten said.
"Yeah, but…" Akane's gut formed a pit. She didn't like this.
She gazed at the projection Babidi was making.
"Why you go down?" Buu asked Goku. "You no play?"
"We'll get to that," Goku said. "First, I thought I'd take a minute to teach you a thing or two about Super Saiyans. Starting with the basics."
"Super…Saiyajin?" Buu asked, a little confused.
"Don't bother with it," Babidi said, smugly. "I never asked you to explain anything."
"You're going to love this," Goku said. "Trust me. What you're seeing now is my normal state." He powered up instantly. "This is a Super Saiyan." Lightning sparked around Goku as his hair got spikier. "And this…" he exhaled, clenching his muscles. "This is a super Saiyan that has ascended past a Super Saiyan. Or, you could just call this a Super Saiyan 2."
Buu nodded, clearly intrigued.
"What's he doing?" Akane wondered, we know all of this.
Videl, flying about 270 kilometers west of Goku's position stopped, to notice what was going on. "Man, Buu really acts like a child if he's impressed by simple lectures like this." She then tore off again.
Babidi was less than impressed. "Ho hum. What a useless transformation. You've changed your hair, so what?"
"Just wait!" Goku exclaimed, grinning.
"What's he…" Akane swallowed. "Going to do?"
"And this…" Goku grunted. "Is to go…even further beyond!"
Goku started screaming at the top of his lungs.
Unbeknownst to all the important players, a certain blonde fashionista sipped grape juice out of a wine glass while fiddling with something on her ipad, swirling the glass and watching the show.
Sweat dripped from Goku's face as his power was felt by everyone that could sense energy.
Thousands of kilometers away, a black-haired teenager, shot her eyes open from the nap she was taking on board a transport chopper.
Her boss, the same man with the eyepatch and the beard said to her, "What's wrong, Ikusaba?"
"It's…it's nothing," the teen responded, but she didn't go back to sleep. What's this I'm feeling? I've had pulses in my head before, but nothing like this.
The ocean started to part as Goku continued to scream, power climbing dramatically. The air around him began to get sucked in towards him.
The whole planet began to rumble, including the lookout.
"S-so much energy, I'm getting goosebumps," Akane stated. "That's Goku?!"
No wonder the wish affected the Hope's Peak students like this, Bulma thought. This is incredible!
However, amidst all the fury and rage, Goku's hair began to grow out behind him, practically all the way down to his hamstrings.
Babidi was awestruck this time. Even he couldn't deny the power of Goku's current transformation.
"I'm sorry this took so much longer than the others," Goku said to Babidi and Buu. "But I haven't had too much occasion to practice this one. This is what I call a Super Saiyan Three."
Goku's newly showcased power provided plenty of time for Videl and Trunks. He manhandled Buu like a dishrag, pummeling the pink blob with ease. Everyone could feel it.
This power is incredible, Akane thought. How is Goku this strong, but it's still somehow not enough to kill Buu? I don't understand.
In addition, due to Goku's placing at the tournament, people were recognizing him by his orange gi. Cheers were erupting. Heck, even some people who remembered Goku from his days at Hope's Peak Academy were recognizing him and shouting him out to passersby.
"Hey! Mr. Satan! Who is that guy? Is he one of your students?" One of the fans before Hercule and Yukizome said.
"Uh…well…"
Femme Fury folded her arms. "Goku, a student of Mr. Satan? Not exactly. That man, Son Goku, he was your champion before Mr. Satan, come to reclaim his title at the world martial arts tournament." She elbowed Hercule to spin the same yarn she was. "And Mr. Satan endorses Goku's abilities one hundred percent, riiiiight?"
"Uh…uh yeah!" Hercule shouted, shouting before the crowd. "That…uh…that Goku fellow…he uh…he softened Cell up for me, you know? He's uh…he's really camera shy so he said I could take all the credit cause he knew a champ when he saw one! I mean, he couldn't even defeat Cell himself so I, Mr. Satan, had to take care of the rest!"
"Oh wow, a former world martial arts champion fighting Buu?"
"And not just a former champion, but a graduated Ultimate," Yukizome stated.
This got the crowd fired up. Morale was high. A former Ultimate and a former champion? Goku had the crowd's support.
"What? What's that sound?" Babidi growled.
Goku hurled Buu into the ocean by his antennae. "Sounds like the cheering of the masses to me," he replied. "You're broadcasting this to the whole world, people were bound to recognize me."
Despite Goku's efforts though, Buu came rocketing out of the water with a smile.
The fight continued for a little while longer after that. By the time they were done, Goku's fight with Buu seemed to spark a primal urge within Buu, to enjoy fighting strong opponents. It also sparked another primal urge: an utter complete annoyance with Babidi.
"Hey, why you go back to normal?" Buu asked once Goku powered down. "You and me not fight no more? Buu have fun!"
"Well, I had a lot of fun too," Goku stated. "But, unfortunately I have somewhere else to be and time won't allow me to play with you all day, Majin Buu. It's time for me to say goodbye."
Babidi tried to tell Buu that Goku wasn't leaving, but Buu didn't seem interested in listening. Goku, taking the opportunity, spun yarn about Goten, Trunks, Akane and Videl's training again, citing that they would come to Buu and Babidi to fight them in two days' time, cutting his original one week plan down to next to nothing. Time, it seemed, would be of the essence.
"Are they really strong?" Buu asked.
"Unbelievably," Goku told him.
Buu seemed pleased by this, but Babidi seemed to continue to state the same tired story about how Buu was invincible and no one could defeat him, yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah.
Goku took a moment to take a jab at Babidi. "Well, to be honest, they're only going to fight one of you because the other seems to do nothing other than bark orders. Oh, and Majin Buu, I think you're much too gifted of a fighter to be controlled by a coward like Babidi." Unknowingly, Goku was attempting a similar plan Sonia had enacted when Buu first emerged, only this time it was working.
And then Goku left without another word, much to Babidi's fear, and Buu's confusion.
Babidi then began shouting orders to Buu again, demanding he find Goku this instant. Buu, as usual, like a traded level 100 Pokemon when its trainer only had 2 badges, refused to listen. More than that, the look on Buu's face seemed to suggest he was completely fed up with Babidi.
"Mr. Babidi," Buu said turning around. "Buu have idea."
"You have an idea? Now there's a neat trick. Why don't you tell me the idea you have in that walnut sized brain of yours?"
Buu floated closer to Babidi. "Buu have really good idea."
"You said that already," Babidi said to him. "Just cough it up so we can get on with the serious stuff."
Buu laughed cruelly and then clenched Babidi by the throat. Most importantly…the wizard had yet to turn off his broadcast.
"Now you no can talk," Buu said. "Now you no can say no more words to seal Buu back up in ball. "Now you can say no more words to seal Buu back up in ball. No. No. No."
Then, with his free hand, Buu reared his fist back. "Bye bye." He exploded Babidi's head off with a single punch. "Bye bye, Babidi. No more tell Buu what to do. No more meanie."
Buu then blew up what was left of Babidi with an energy blast.
Nagito sighed. At Babidi's death, the broadcast was cut off immediately. "I warned you," he said, referring to Babidi. He then smiled. "Good work, Goku. I knew the Earth could count on you."
In her dressing room, having been watching Babidi's broadcast with excited fervor, Junko Enoshima threw her head back and laughed her ass off, kicking her boot laced legs in the air. That was priceless.
"Ohhhh, the despair Babidi must've felt in his final moments. A dog turning upon its master." She smiled as she stood up, smirking at the mirror. "Idiot. This is why you make sure an attack dog is grinded under your thumb before you start barking orders. But this Buu character. And Goku too. What interesting people." A not nice smile crossed Junko's lips. "That gives me a wonderful idea."
"Sir," Ikusaba said from her seat. "Babidi is—"
"Yeah, I'm contacting his majesty now," Ikusaba's boss said. "We'll see if we're still moving in to eliminate Buu on his own."
Ikusaba nodded and then drifted off to sleep to the hum of the transporter.
Buu danced a little jig of joy at now being his own man blob thing free to do as he pleased. He then took a moment's pause to remember the blonde that had tried to be nice to him when he first met her. "Babidi made Buu her blonde lady. Blonde lady was nice lady." Buu tried to think of how to feel about this but just kind of mentally shrugged. "Oh well." He then took a joy flight through the archipelago around him.
"Two days?!" Akane exclaimed. "I thought you said we had a week!"
"S-sorry," Goku said. "Buu seems like a really impatient guy so, like, words came out of my mouth before I knew they were exiting!" Goku laughed nervously.
There was more bad news piled on top of this. Goku had less than an hour of his "not being dead" vacation.
"An hour?!" Akane exclaimed.
"B-but it's barely been half a day, not even," Hajime said. "The sun's not even setting."
"Why do you have to leave so soon, dad? Please don't. I like you," Goten said.
"I like you too, Goten," Goku said. "But it seems Super Saiyan 3…is a level that can only be handled in other world. The living world has more rules than other world and transforming takes too much energy."
"Dammit!" Akane exclaimed. "Then there's no time to waste. Hurry, show us the dance, Goku!"
"Huh? I mean, yeah I was gonna, but like—"
"My talent is the Ultimate Gymnast," Akane said as she punched a fist into her awaiting palm. "I'm not very good at memorizing routines. And…and I always improvise my parkour when I'm in a competition. But…but I'm really good at memorizing stances. I wouldn't be any good at gymnastics if I just did a bunch of nothing moves."
"So it's more you string together your moves on a fly to make a routine, but still know the individual moves?" Hajime asked.
Akane nodded. "Yeah, so teach us the dance! I memorized your fighting pose from only seeing it once, Goku. I'm sure I can memorize the fusion dance! Hurry up and show us!"
"But, Trunks and Videl aren't back yet," Goten pointed out.
"That doesn't matter! Show me! I know what I'm doing!" Akane insisted. "I'll practice with Goten if I have to!"
Fortunately, before Goku could answer, Videl and Trunks returned with the notes and the radar.
"We're back!"
Bulma saw what Videl was carrying. "Is that…" she squealed like a little gir. "Oh my gosh! This is my old school research notebook!"
Videl gestured it to Bulma to take. "I asked Headmaster Kirigiri if he still had any of your old notes and he pointed me in the direction of this book in the library. When I peeked through it and saw the dragon radar's blueprint, I had to take it."
Bulma took the book from Videl. "Wow. This really takes me back."
"Hey! Less talking, more training!" Akane shouted.
"Huh? You seem awfully anxious, Akane," Videl stated. "What happened?"
Akane didn't want to waste another second, but Goku quickly brought her up to speed. And then, just to make matters worse, Fortune Teller Baba let everyone know that Goku only had thirty minutes left.
"Then let's get started!" Akane exclaimed. "Come on, Goku! Hurry up!"
"All right, all right. Just calm down, Akane. Being riled up won't help you at all."
Thus, the training to learn the fusion technique began with Goku showing off three distinct poses. Videl, Trunks and Goten all looked at bit worried. Not only were the poses silly, but they also required precise movements.
"So," Akane said, taking the initial pose. "Like this then?"
"Wow, that's perfect posture, Akane. That's exactly it! Everybody copy Akane."
Videl had a little bit of trouble maintaining her balance while Goten and Trunks felt really really weird.
"Right, so then it's…" Akane began to mirror Goku's moves just as she saw them. "Fuuuu-sion! HA!" She struck each pose with fluid precision.
"Akane! That was perfect! Wow! You really are the Ultimate Gymnast!"
Akane giggled, rubbing the back of her head, patting herself on the back metaphorically.
"Goku. Let me practice with Videl by myself," Akane requested. "You keep working Trunks and Goten. I'll have more breathing room if I practice with a smaller crowd."
"Huh? You sure?"
Akane nodded. "That all right with you, Videl?" She asked.
Videl nodded.
The girls kept practicing, Videl mirroring Akane whilst standing in front of her, over and over again. who Each time, Akane criticized her posture. "Not good enough! Your hips aren't at the right angle!" Or "Nope! Wrong! Try again!"
"You know for someone who free forms their gymnast routines, you're being pretty strict about this," Videl complained.
"Look, you heard what Goku said. 30 minutes of fusing and then an hour after defusing. And we don't have long to get this perfect! I'm impatient enough as it is. So we do it right! I have faith in you Videl. Let's show Goten and Trunks some real girl power!"
Videl nodded. They continued practicing in front of each other until Akane felt it was comfortable enough to do it side by side. Seconds turned to minutes. And then, 20 minutes after the girls had started practicing lining up and trying the fusion for real. Akane suggested they not tap their fingers until they were absolutely ready.
"We don't want to fuse by accident until we know we've got this," Akane told her. "The moves look simple, but it's actually a really difficult technique." She laughed. "I could add this to my next gymnastics routine." She then cleared her throat. "Right, sorry. Let's keep working."
It was five minutes later when Goku decided to show off in front of Trunks and Goten. However, turning Super Saiyan 3 before them, even momentarily, drained his energy of the last few minutes he had remaining.
"Piccolo, just pick up where I left off, okay?" Goku asked.
"Wait!" Akane exclaimed.
"Please wait!" Videl exclaimed.
"Huh? You girls all right? You look out of breath," Goku said to them.
"M-Miss Baba, c-can you let Goku stay for just a few more seconds?" Akane asked.
"I suppose I have enough time for goodbyes," Baba said.
As if on cue, Chichi came rushing out of the room where she was sleeping and threw her arms around Goku, not wanting him to leave.
"Chichi, you'll be all right," Goku told her. "You still have Goten to look after you."
"And…what if Majin Buu takes him away from me like Gohan?" Chichi sniffed.
"That won't happen. Once he masters fusion. Goten can't possibly lose the fight," Goku told her. "I'll tell Gohan how much you really miss him when I see him there."
"Gohan isn't dead!" Akane shouted. "He's not! I won't believe it! My gut's never wrong! And it's telling me Gohan is still alive! He's still alive, dammit!"
"I'm with Akane!" Videl exclaimed. "I have the same gut feeling! Somewhere in my heart, there's a sensation telling me that Gohan is still alive."
Goku put a hand on Akane and Videl's shoulders. "Akane. Videl. You take care of yourselves. I'm counting on you two to support Trunks and Goten."
"Oh! Yeah! Speaking of support!" Videl exclaimed. "We didn't exactly know you were leaving, we just rushed over here when we felt your energy."
"Huh? Then what did you come over here for?" Goku asked.
Piccolo gasped. "Wait, don't tell me."
Videl and Akane both powered up and smirked. "How about some breathing room?" Akane asked.
Baba allowed Goku to observe this. It would be a good memory to go out on…or the funniest joke if it failed.
Goten and Trunks stared with laser focus intent and intrigue.
"So, which one do you think is your brother's girlfriend?" Trunks asked.
"Shhh," Goten shushed him. He wanted to see what would happen.
Goku watched as Akane and Videl's powers equalized each other after flaring momentarily. The girls nodded at each other as they took the initial pose.
"Did they really figure it out so quickly?" Krillin wondered.
The two began to move. Perfect synchronized movements. Perfect synchronized breathing.
"Fuuuuu-sion! HA!"
Performing the routine perfectly, their fingers touched and there was a big flash of blue light.
Goku looked positively gleeful. He expected the boys to be the Earth's last hope, but with this, the girls had a shot too it seemed.
"HA!" A kick let off an amazing pulse of energy through the blue light. A fist, striking fast and swift like a cobra followed suit.
And then, there she stood. Standing at a little over 5 and a half feet tall, with white pants, a black shirt and broad, gold shoulder pads, a new being, not Akane or Videl, but a combination of the two, stood before the Z-fighters. She had wild black hair as untamable as Akane's. Her fair skin rang reminiscent of Videl's tanless beauty. Her Amazonian muscles and titanic chest made it clear that this woman was strong.
"This energy…incredible," 18 blinked. "That's Akane and Videl?"
"Not quite. It's them all right, but it's them stronger than either could ever be by themselves. Why don't you say hello," Goku said, "And introduce yourself."
The woman folded her arms. And then, she put her fists at her sides. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then powered up even more, surprising everyone at the intensity of their energy.
"Is…is she still human?" Yamcha stuttered.
"Hi there," she said. "Name's Adel. Nice to meet all of you." With a smirk to the group and a fist clenched, she turned her body almost 90 degrees. "And I'm the warrior." Her energy flared once more. "That's going to take Buu down!"
"That's incredible! It really worked!" Piccolo exclaimed.
"Well, I guess I can leave this in your capable hands, girls." He looked to Piccolo. "Keep training them, okay?"
Piccolo nodded.
With one last hug to Goten and with a whisper of "I'm proud of you, son," Goku then left with fortune teller Baba, disappearing in the sky.
Piccolo then looked at Adel. "You're strong Adel, but I doubt you can beat Buu on your own. Not to mention you've been standing here for at least a minute. Defuse and try again when you're at full strength."
"What are you saying?" Adel asked. "I'm gonna fight Buu right now!" Her power flared again. "And no one's going to stop me!" She flew off the lookout with intense speed.
"Adel, wait!" Piccolo exclaimed. Oh. This boded poorly.
Hajime watched the form of Adel fade into a speck on the horizon. Krillin put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, tough guy. We got work to do."
"Uh, yeah," Hajime nodded.
"You boys as well," Piccolo said to Trunks and Goten. They nodded.
"Oh, I hope those two will be all right," Bulma worried.
"Akane's brashness and lust for battle are going to keep them in confrontation," Roshi stated. "But…Videl's a critical thinker. Even if they lose, they'll survive."
"Wait, what did you just say?" Piccolo asked.
"Hmm? Something wrong?" Roshi asked.
"Akane's fighting style is simplistic, but Videl…Videl uses her head," Piccolo panicked. "Dammit. This could be bad."
"What's the matter, Piccolo?" Yamcha asked.
Bulma immediately ran to the edge of the lookout. Using the skills Vegeta taught her, she put feelers out for Adel and locked onto her. "I don't see what the problem is."
"The problem isn't now, it's when the battle starts to get serious." He growled. "I can't focus on that right now. Trunks. Goten. Let's get to work."
"Right!" Both boys exclaimed.
Wondering what Piccolo was on about, Roshi, Dende and Yamcha joined Bulma at the edge of the lookout to feel for Adel's fight. Meanwhile, Krillin, 18 and Hajime trained together and Piccolo taught Goten and Trunks the fusion dance.
At top speed, Adel flew through and then below the clouds. She could sense Buu from miles away and she was not going to let the pink blob get away from her now.
"BUUUUUUUU!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.
The blob was coming into view faster than Buu would be ready to defend.
Adel made the first, satisfying blow on Buu's body, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick to the monster's face, sending him flying into a building. Buu quickly recovered from the assault, the dust disappearing quickly. He seemed happy.
"Yayyyyy!" Buu clapped. "Fighter here! Fighter here to fight Buu!"
"Yeah, that's right! I'm here! And I'm gonna kick your butt!" Adel shouted, her voice carrying the echoes of both Videl and Akane's voices. "Let's go! I've been waiting for this!"
Buu grinned, showing the malice in his eyes as the fighters flew straight at each other, arms colliding. A rippling shockwave like a midair earthquake tore through the surrounding area, cracking the ground, shattering nearby windows, and ripping trees right out of their roots.
Adel then decked Buu in his pudgy pink face and delivered hard, swift strikes to the monster's face, knocking him across the air.
"What's the matter?" Adel asked. "Tired after your spats with Goku, Gohan and Vegeta? Good! That suits me just fine!" She reared her fist back as it ignited with energy, consuming her entire arm. "BURNING BISON!" Adel's fist tore into Buu's fist, sinking deep into the rubbery flesh, burning a hole deep into Buu's body, but didn't penetrate to the other side, as he was blown back into a mountain. Adel flew forward with righteous anger. Her rage and fighting instincts guiding her body.
However, this time she lacked the element of surprise. As she flew towards Buu in a murderous rage, Buu saw her coming and finally began his counter attack. Launching energy blast after energy blast he blanketed the sky with the projectiles as they all converged towards Adel.
They were coming in so fast. It would be near impossible to dodge them all. Adel stood open mouthed trying to figure out how she'd get out of this predicament.
"What's she doing? Why is she just standing there?" Yamcha wondered. He, Roshi and Bulma had their hands on Dende's shoulders to be able to see the battle for themselves.
Roshi's mustache twitched as if she had some kind of an idea.
"Get out of the way, Adel!" Bulma shouted.
Get out of the way. While Bulma's shout didn't reach the fused girl, that simple idea was blaring in her head. However, conflicting information was running through Adel's head right now.
"I can't…I can't go blank," Adel stated. Her ability to tap into her instincts was hitting a wall. Panicking, she did her best to fly in between Buu's projectiles, but was caught unawares by a few of them, the blasts knocking her body to and fro like a kite caught in a hurricane. She was like a pinball caught between multiple bumpers.
And Buu's fist made it worse. Appearing from seemingly out of nowhere, his fist landed in Adel's stomach and it hurt so badly she thought she was going to die from the shock. Buu's gloved palm then sent the girl reeling as it smacked the side of her left temple. Down and back Adel flew beyond her control, slamming into the ground and making a deep crater.
She sat up, blood running down her right arm and head, clutching her throbbing forehead with her left hand. What's…what's wrong with me? I should…I should be stronger than this.
She tried to tap into the instincts of the part of her that was Akane, but thought was the exact opposite of what was needed to achieve that state of nirvana. Worse, she had very few precious fractions of seconds as Buu flew towards her at high speeds, laughing like a kid on a water slide.
Adel at least had enough sense to fly into the air and away from Buu's impeding tackle. The pink monster slammed into where Adel had been. Buu stood up then, using his hand atop his head above his eyes to scan the horizon for his missing opponent, the way a child would.
Wordlessly, Adel took this moment to ambush Buu with her foot to his face. She then took a moment to bludgeon the pudgy pink blob into submission. Her fists and feet clobbered Babidi's creation like a Morningstar coated in lightning.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" After the combo of blows, Adel finished by unleashing a powerful energy wave at point blank, burying Buu into the wall of the crater. However, this attack did not have the bite Adel wanted. Buu flew through the attack, unexpectedly and then landed what passed for a skull into Adel's chest. Adel was launched back, skidding across the water multiple times before falling into the waves.
"ADEL!" Bulma shouted.
"I don't understand. Shouldn't they be way stronger than this?" Yamcha wondered.
"So…it's as Piccolo feared," Roshi said.
"What do you mean, Master Roshi?" Dende asked.
"It's like I said before, Akane fights simplistically. Her determination and instincts are her guiding principle. Recognizing this, Krillin, 18 and I helped developed those into finer points. Her entire fighting style revolves itself around knowing what to do before she does it. Anticipation through instinct," Roshi's face grew grim. "But…Videl is the complete opposite. You saw it when she and Goku fought at the tournament. She doesn't rely on her instincts, but her experiences. She uses her knowledge of fighting to shape her abilities, recognizing her weaknesses, strengths, and her opponents', and her opponents' and capitalizing on them. So, in cases where Akane would rely on instincts, Videl would rely on her mind."
"So, it's like I predicted," Piccolo had taken a break from Goten and Trunks to address the group, having heard what they were talking about. "Adel can't tap into Akane's Battle Instinct. Videl's intelligence gets in the way."
The others looked at him with expressions of worry and concern. Yamcha was the only one to gasp. "But then…what does that mean for Adel's capabilities. Shouldn't the fusion make up for that?"
Piccolo folded his arms. "Akane and Videl are stronger than Trunks and Goten without the use of Super Saiyan, it's true, but…that's why I wanted their fusion to use Super Saiyan in the first place. Adel's Battle Instinct might've made up the same gap, but now she's unable to use it. Akane and Videl…are too incompatible!"
Now. Everyone gasped.
Flying around, Adel did her best to assess the situation. Buu was flying right behind her and could strike at any moment. Worse, something was dulling her instincts. And she wasn't exactly sure what. She was now also trying to wrack her brain of how much time she had left before she separated.
Her brain answered 15 minutes. Why? She didn't know. It could've been Akane's instincts or Videl's academia, but it mattered little. Half her time was up.
Best case scenario, she could spend the next 10 minutes fighting Buu and then use the last five to leg it while suppressing her power. Sure, retreating from battle was not what she considered ideal, but something was clearly wrong with her. She couldn't go all out. The best she could hope for right now was to hit Buu with almost everything she had and then high tail it out of there.
The light of the sun disappeared quickly enough that it gave Adel just enough time to tumble sideways across the air and avoid Buu stomping her in the back. In an attempt to stop himself, Buu somersaulted through the air and then laughed.
"Buu go rolly poly," he stated, snorting.
Adel clenched her right fist, squirting more blood out of her arm inadvertently. She had to figure out some way to catch Buu in a really powerful energy blast, but after what happened in the crater, she doubted her ability to pull it off.
No! I can do it! Something in her brain clicked and told Adel she was fully capable of catching Buu unawares. And she only needed to use Buu's own lack of intelligence to do it. "Hey! Buu! Wanna play a game?"
Buu clapped. "Game! Game! Buu play game!"
"All right then," Adel said and then put all of her power to fly around Buu as quickly as possible. Her speed magnified by the two fighters comprising her, to Buu, it seemed as if there were five Adel surrounding him.
Confused, he turned his head side to side to side in confusion.
"What's the matter?" Adel asked. "Can't keep up?"
Buu swatted the ring of air where he thought Adel was going to be, but he missed. However, one copy of Adel disappeared, but only briefly.
"If you can't tag the real me before time's up, then you lose the game, win the game and…well we'll see what happens."
"Buu not lose!" Buu exclaimed and his body bloated. He then ejected steam from his body. "Buu win game! Lady cheat!"
"It's not cheating!" Adel shouted and then raised her arms above her head, one palm pressed into the back of the other. Yellow energy gathered in her uncovered palm.
Buu quickly realized what the stakes were for this game. He then chuckled. "Buu now like game. Buu play." He charged up an energy blast with one palm. "Buu win game," he said with a tone of pure malice.
Adel gulped but kept up her strategy. She just had to make sure that Buu didn't hit her. But, she already knew what she was doing. If this worked on the Supreme Kai, albeit with underwhelming results, it'd work on Majin Buu.
"MAAAAAAA—"
Adel and her mirages charged the attack, pouring every ounce of energy she could into it, even drawing away precious seconds and minutes from the fusion to pull it off. If nothing else, it'd help her gauge Majin Buu for a possible rematch.
Buu watched and waiting with anticipation and malicious intent, his own energy blast growing marginally bigger.
"Hrn HrHrrrrrrrn!" Buu chortled and then used both hands to charge his attack. "Bye Bye! HAAAAAAAAA!" Buu unleashed the pink energy blast just as Adel stopped to fire, blowing her away.
Buu had no idea that he'd been duped by the ol' switcheroo.
"SENKO!"
In the back, Adel's energy blast tore through Buu's back, causing him to scream as he was blown across the air with every single ounce of energy Adel could muster. Shards of energy cut into Buu's face, ripping it as a gaping hole tore through Buu's whole body, mangling it like a wolf on a fresh kill.
Buu fell towards the ocean, still relatively in one piece. Adel didn't wait to see if he'd get back up or not. That attack was do or die and clearly Buu didn't die. She could feel the fusion ebbing. She had to get out of there now.
At top speed, Adel flew off, suppressing her power as she felt her body splitting in half. She was barely able to gracelessly land on top of the lookout on her chest as she separated into her halves of Akane and Videl.
"That…could've gone better," Videl groaned, getting up, rubbing the back of her head.
"Are you two all right?" Chichi had barely been paying attention to the unfolding events, more concerned with her little Goten's health.
Krillin, 18, and Hajime stopped their training to check on the girls.
"What happened?" Krillin asked.
Akane and Videl got to their feet. Both folded their arms looking puzzled, gazing down at the floor, facing directions not opposite, but not exactly towards each other either.
Akane was the first one that spoke. "It was like…I hit a wall mid-fight, like someone was stifling my power and I couldn't use all of it."
"You too?" Videl gasped, fists clenched, leaning over.
"Yeah, like, normally I should've been able to just use my Battle Instinct and we would've dealt with that spread of energy blasts no problem," Akane explained.
"That's ridiculous! I could memorize the pattern perfectly! All we had to do was weave through it and we would've been able to punch some sense into Buu!" Videl shouted.
"Ah!" Both gasped, realizing where the wall was coming from.
"The two of you are strong and work well together as a team, but your fighting styles are incompatible. It's lessening your ability to focus and hampers your ability to fight," Piccolo told them.
"But…NO!" Akane shouted. "That's not fair! I…I have to avenge Gohan! Videl…Videl is my best friend! We can do this!"
"Akane," Videl looked at her with forlorn eyes. She felt the same, but banging their heads against the wall wouldn't solve anything.
"There has to be a way! A way we could fix this!" Akane shouted.
"That's a pretty tall order," Roshi said, stroking his beard. "You and Videl might be friends, but you'd have to perfectly understand each other to overcome this weakness."
"That could take years," Yamcha stated. "Goku only bought us two days."
Akane looked frustrated. She hated feeling powerless. There had to be something they could do. "We need more time!"
"Perhaps this is dangerous to suggest, but…"
Everyone looked in the direction of Mr. Popo.
"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber could be opened if it would help."
"Hyber tonic what now?" Akane asked, tripping over the name.
"Mr. Popo, that…that's ludicrous," Dende said, "Sure, they're strong, but this could be—"
"It's a risk, but it could be worth it," Piccolo said, cutting the guardian off. "Akane. Videl. We could give you two a full year's worth of time to overcome this weakness."
"A year?! Why didn't you say so before?!" Akane shouted.
"You said it's risky," Videl said. "What's the risk, exactly?"
"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber is a dangerous tool if used incorrectly and by those that aren't strong enough to survive. You two could die in there. But, spend a year in there together, and only an hour would pass out here."
"You could train for a whole year in one day's time," Krillin said.
"Hang on," Videl said. "I mean…that's great and all, but…like, there's gotta be complications, I don't want to get behind in my studies, even if a day would only pass out here. Not to mention we need to eat, bathe and—"
"Let's do it," Akane said.
Videl's head whipped in her friend's direction.
"I don't care what kind of risk is involved. I'm doing this for Gohan!" Akane exclaimed. "He…Videl…sensei…you all helped me believe." She punched her hand into her awaiting fist. "You all helped me believe that there's something more to fighting than for its own sake." She grit her teeth, finding it difficult for the next words out of her mouth to pass her lips. "I didn't have friends growing up. The people I talked to…any day after I could be talking about a corpse. So I just stopped caring. I even lost my parents, multiple times. Even when I was training with Master Roshi, Krillin and 18, I was afraid one day you guys would disappear. But…when I got to Hope's Peak and spent that month training with everyone, I knew it then. I knew that I had nothing to worry about. I had people I could count on, and remember, people that weren't going to just disappear! And Gohan…Gohan was the strongest out of everyone I met! Every time…every time I think about our promise about the idea that he broke it…" Akane looked glum, swallowing, only to turn back up her anger once more, "I won't accept it! Someone that strong can't die! I'll prove it! I'll beat Buu within an inch of his life and prove it! So…I don't care what the risks! For the people I've grown to care about…for my siblings…for Hope's Peak…it's worth any risk! And don't you dare tell me you don't feel the same, Videl!"
"I just…" Videl gripped her fists and stared at the ground. "I'm scared, okay? You might be able to take all of this in stride, but it's really hard for me! Until recently, I thought my dad was the best, but now I'm quickly realizing just how weak he is compared to everyone around me and how weak that made me feel. Goku…Goku helped me realize that I don't have to be the strongest, I can just be as strong as I can be to make a difference. But…people are dying and I'm really not ready for this. World ending threats? Giant blob monsters summoned by potato headed wizards? I didn't sign up for this when I went to the tournament this morning!" Tears formed in the corners of Videl's eyes. "I don't want to die. Buu…Buu nearly killed us. And now you want to get stronger and fight that monster again? What the hell is wrong with you?"
Bulma put a hand on Videl's shivering shoulder. "No one asked for this, Videl. I'm sure when Goku came back for the day, he only wanted to spend some time with his family one more time, see everyone again and do what he does best: fight."
"Videl, I'm going to ask you one question, if Gohan and our friends were still here, they wouldn't let fear stop them. We're best friends, aren't we? Please…I'm only asking you to trust me."
Videl took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Bulma and Akane had a point. Sure, the thought of fighting Buu again was scary. But that's not what you would do. Is it, Gohan? She thought. You'd train and fight Buu again. You stared down Cell when you were barely 11 years old. Videl closed her eyes. An image of Gohan flashed through Videl's mind as she pictured herself trying to run towards him to grab his hand as an equal. If I'm even a fraction of your strength and courage… Videl's eyes flashed open. Determination and readiness were emblazoned in her gaze. Then I can take on Buu when I'm older now than you were then.
"Open the chamber," Videl said.
Mr. Popo nodded. Videl, Akane, Piccolo and Dende all followed him to the large doors. "Remember, you only get one day," Mr. Popo told them.
"We'll need the rest of the time to train Goten and Trunks potentially once you're out. In that time, do what you can," Piccolo told them.
The two girls nodded at him and went in, letting Mr. Popo shut the doors behind them.
"What the…" Akane gaped, the second she and Videl entered inside. "There's nothing in here."
Videl put a finger to her temple, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "A martial artist's greatest opponent is against himself," she said. She dropped her arm and opened her eyes. "This expanse is near endless. This is a place to unleash our fullest power and not worry about anyone getting hurt but us. We'll have to set our own regimen and use intuition to know how much time we're gaining or losing."
"So…what should we do?"
"I think we should practice some techniques first and then fuse again. After that, I recommend we try and use your Battle Instinct by pretending we're fighting Buu. We just have to envision him. We both felt what that was like. There's no way we can forget it."
Akane nodded. "All right, let's try it."
Gohan, Kotomi, Gundham, Peko and Sonia, at Shin's behest, had all been taken to his home world, much to Kibito's chagrin. Upon arrival, the servant to the Supreme Kai donned the new arrivals with proper attire, earrings included.
"Whoa! Check it out!" Kotomi exclaimed, floating around when her clothes had changed, looking at the bright, yellow hues of her outfit. She made a peace sign and grinned. "We're like the protagonists of a Sentai show."
Gundham had cackled. "We have become acolytes towards some higher plane of existence. Nay! Not even the gods could match our future power now!"
Sonia had also been elated, eyes shimmering, voice cooing. "This is just like that episode of Crystal Heart Maiden Season 3, where the Ichiko discovered the secret mountain of the seventh dragon and the fabled training arc began."
Their outfits were predominately colored blue for Gohan, yellow for Kotomi, purple for Gundham, ashen and onyx gray for Peko, and pink for Sonia.
The initial intention was simply for Gohan to take out the Z-Sword and use it accordingly.
"BAHAHAHA! Is the Hero now a King pulling a sword from a stone?" Gundham had cackled at the time.
"Don't worry, Gohan, if you draw it and still perish against Buu, you could still make a wish upon the Holy Grail," Sonia had added.
Shin and Kibito nervously wondered if there was something wrong with their guests, not getting their references.
Heaven help the group, Peko had tried to lift the sword in Gohan's stead…and it amounted to naught but failure.
"Such a hefty blade," Peko said. "Gohan could barely pull it out with his Super Saiyan 2 strength, but as it stands, as a swordsman, his technique is lacking." She sighed. "If I could wield it, its power might be unmatched."
"I might be able to help with that," Gohan said.
And so it became that Gohan helped Peko adjust to the Z-Sword's weight, constantly swinging it in tandem with her, boosting her ki little by little over time.
For Peko, the blade was still unwieldy and she sorely lacked the strength to wield it, but progress was being made. When her arms would give out, she'd let Gohan take over, trying to instruct him in basic swordsmanship.
"No. That angle is all wrong. You're putting too much effort in. It's a sword, not a baseball bat!" She'd admonished.
Sonia, Kotomi and Gundham were busy advancing themselves through other means, picking up right where Vegeta's training had left them off.
"Okay!" Kotomi exclaimed. "From the top! Super Dragon Sentai! Assemble!" Kotomi then lifted one leg and proceeded to make a pose crying out, "Dragon—"
Only to fall on her back when she heard Shin and Kibito screaming. She, Gundham, and Sonia rushed to the scene to see Goku, halo shimmering above his head, and a few locks of his hair fallen to the grass below.
"Oh my," Sonia gasped.
Gundham chortled. "My, how unexpected. Welcome, Son Goku, to our humble training ground."
"Dad?" Gohan called for him in confusion. "What…are you doing?"
Goku, who had fallen to the ground, stopped holding his head and looked up at Gohan. "Who? Me?"
"Sixth Ranger Orange!" Kotomi exclaimed.
"Let's set the matter of the Super Dragon Sentai aside, shall we?" Peko asked. "Goku's presence here is a bit…alarming."
"You can say that again," Shin stated.
"Oh, wow, Gohan, you look great," Goku said. "Oh, wow, everyone's outfits have changed."
"Keheheh, we were blessed with these threads by the god emperor of this humble universe. Our power is now far more than we were in the time since Buu's initial rampage."
"Wow. Yeah. You guys all feel a lot stronger," Goku said. "Gohan and Peko especially." He then looked around Gohan's shoulder. "Oh! Hey, Supreme Kai!"
Shin raised an arm of salutation to Goku. "Greetings, Goku!"
Kibito was beside himself. "It…it defies all logic. How…how did he get here? It's not possible."
"Quite," Peko said. "I'd assumed Goku would be spending his minutes and hours on Earth after Buu began his attack. If he's here, then the situation must have changed."
Gohan looked at Goku with less surprise and more serious concern. Peko had a good point. "Dad. What's going on down there?"
"Well, son. Nothing good," Goku said as Gohan leaned the Z-Sword against a rock. "Everywhere Majin Buu goes he leaves a path of death and destruction in his wake. Goten and Trunks and Akane and Videl are trying to perfect the fusion technique, but in the mean time millions and millions of innocent people are dying."
"Quite a grim fairy tale of news you've brought us, Son Goku," Gundham stated. "Might we offer our assistance."
Goku scanned the four extra warriors at his disposal. He shook his head. "Sorry, you guys don't stand a chance against Buu still and you don't seem compatible with each other to perform the fusion technique."
"Fusion technique?" Peko inquired.
Goku explained the details to the group.
"By that logic, should Kotomi and I not be able to fuse?" Sonia questioned.
Goku shook his head. "The difference in your power is way too great. Kotomi's got more than just one leg up on you, Sonia."
"I could come down to her level!" Kotomi exclaimed.
Goku smiled and ruffled Kotomi's head. "Don't worry, Kotomi. It's fine. You guys are a lot stronger than I last saw you, so whatever you're doing around here is working wonders. Uh, what are you doing, exactly, anyway?"
"Sword practice," Peko said. "Sort of." She sighed. "The sword is too heavy for me too wield and Gohan has no aptitude for swordsmanship. But we're making do."
"Ouch, harsh Peko," Gohan said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Mind if I take a look at it," Goku requested.
"I doubt your success will be any better than Gohan's, but I fail to see the harm in it," Peko stated.
"Keheheh," Gundham chortled. "Would only that the Great Swordsman could fuse with the archangel or the noble hero, t'would be an unfathomable being of untold power. Majin Buu would stand naught a chance!"
"If only things were that easy, yes," Shin stated.
"Regrettably, Gohan is the only one who can lift the sword and Peko is the only one who can wield one effectively."
"Grrrrr, Peko and I are in the same range of ability," Kotomi stated. "If only she and I were compatible." Kotomi folded her arms and pouted.
By this point, Goku was already swinging the sword around. Peko was surprised that, despite the clumsiness of the swings, Goku already showed more promise with a blade than Gohan. "Goku, forgive me for prying, but…are you accustomed to armed combat?"
"Huh?" Goku asked, stopping as he suddenly lurched forward, the Z Sword making contact with the ground. "Oh, well, uh, I did use to use a weapon when I was a kid. It was a staff though. I've never used a sword."
Peko gave one of her rare smiles. "Ah, I thought as much. Your movements suggested you know the weight of a weapon in your hand." Her smile vanished in an instant. "Of course, a bo staff and a sword are quite different. Neverthless…"
"Forget it, Peko. If you think teaching me is hard, dad's even worse," Gohan said.
Goku could barely hold back his laughter. "Oh come on, Gohan, that's a little harsh."
Kotomi's stomach then growled. She bent over and wrapped her arms over it, looking embarrassed. "Gosh, it's been so long since I've had a good meal."
"Perhaps all this training has taken its toll on our bodies. Even the master of the dark arts would not see us pushed past our limits."
"Master of what now?" Goku asked, not used to Gundhamese.
"Vegeta, dad," Gohan stated. "And yeah, maybe we should eat something."
"Then, follow me," Shin suggested. "I'll help us round up a fine banquet."
Everyone, especially Goku, thought this was a great idea.
Adel stood in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with her legs spread, knees bent, fists at her hips, her body was straining. Her teeth were clenched and her throat was making noises like she was trying to lift invisible weights tying down her wrists via shackles. However, after a few more moments of this, she collapsed backwards on the ground, gasping for breath and then, in a puff of smoke, separated into the now panting Akane and Videl.
"Ouch," Akane groaned, sitting up, rubbing her unkempt head of hair.
"Aargh! This is pointless!" Videl exclaimed. She was standing up now, hands running through her short black hair in a frenzy. "We'll never get this to work."
"It's not pointless!" Akane exclaimed, standing up, punching a fist into her palm. "We just have to try harder!"
"Akane, we've been able to fuse more than sixteen times already and we've made zero progress towards fixing our fused form's largest problem," Videl said, holding up a finger. "We've stood here and practiced and practiced, but all we're doing is getting marginally stronger. At this rate, Goten and Trunks as Super Saiyans without this bonus year, could absolutely clobber us."
Akane bit her lip, looking upset. "I know. I know, okay? I just…"
Videl folded her arms and looked a little fussy. "This was your idea, Akane. You seemed to think that we could pull this off, but we've spent more than 24 hours just going through the motions and not making the progress we need to. I trusted you with this idea, but all we've done is run drills. Remember what Master Roshi said, we need to understand each other."
"But we do understand each other! We're friends! Best friends!"
Videl nodded. "And best friends should know a lot about each other. I grew up with a good friend of mind named Erasa. Did you know that about me?"
"Huh? No, I didn't. What's your point?" Akane asked, confused.
"My point is, there's a lot you don't know about me and there's a lot I don't know about you," Videl said. "I don't even have the names of your siblings memorized."
"Yeah, but that's—"
"Relevant," Videl pointed out to Akane. "If we're going to pull this off, we need to be in perfect sync with each other. That's not going to happen if we're constantly wondering about each other."
"Videl…I…" Akane suddenly looked like a skittish wolf, unsure if it was ready to run or fight.
Videl took Akane's fist in her hand, holding her arm gently. "Akane, I think I know what's got you so wound up. Your power is the one propelling us forward, but it's your fear that's holding us back."
"Shut up! I'm not scared! I'm not that week! You don't know what you're talking about!" Akane shouted.
"I didn't say you were weak, I said you were afraid. You're afraid to let other people in because you're afraid to feel pain, not from a physical blow, but here," Videl said, putting a hand on her own chest, "in your heart." Videl could feel the sweat pour down Akane's arm. She was never completely sure she was right this. "You said it yourself, you lost your parents multiple times. You come from Inner Center City. I can't even begin to imagine how many people you've had to watch die before your very eyes. You said you admired Gohan because he's strong, so am I weak to you, Akane? Are you afraid to get to know me and trust me because you're afraid that I'll die?"
Akane lowered her head. Videl felt Akane shake momentarily. She was worried she'd gone too far, that Akane would throw her at the pillar of the time chamber and yell at her.
But, Akane surprised her. "Yes, it's true. I'm afraid." Akane bear hugged Videl so tightly then, Videl was half afraid Akane was going to break her in half. "I'm afraid to take this chance, to let people see me for who I am…and be left behind again."
Videl loosened her way out of Akane's grip and wove her fingers into Akane's right hand, clenching her hand firmly. "I'm not planning on going anywhere, Akane. Not with you around. Because that strength of yours, it's reassuring. You're brash and hot headed, but…I kind of like that about you. I mean, at first you just seemed like some ditzy barbarian to me. However, as we trained together at Hope's Peak, I understood a couple things about you. You're kind to others and that recklessness of yours is a bravery that most envy. You're not exactly dumb as much as you simply block out things you deem unnecessary. It's a simple way of living that I guess suits someone like you."
"You know all that about me?" Akane asked, blushing, scratching her cheek. She wasn't exactly about to deny it. Videl was correct.
Videl nodded. "I bet you know more about me than you care to admit because you're worried that memorizing stuff about me will make it hurt worse when I'm gone. If you don't remember me, you won't feel hurt when I'm gone, that's what you were implying, right? But…" Videl squeeze. "I promise you, Akane, I won't go anywhere. I'll be the best friend you need."
Akane rubbed her eyes with her arm and clenched Videl's hand too. Even now, the tears still wouldn't fall. "Videl…you…" She remembered Gohan's promise. "Even now…" she said, shaking, arm lowered, eyes shut tight. "Even now I want to believe in Gohan's promise. It hurts, Videl. It hurts more than I can reasonably bare." Her eyes opened, looking wounded and nervous.
"I know it does," Videl said. "We'll help him, though. I believe in you. I believe that Gohan is still out there and we'll save him. I know we will. Gohan isn't the type of guy to break a promise. And, if he did," Videl smirked, "I'll kick him in the head until he apologizes."
Akane nervously laughed. This was the connecting point between the two teens: their love and respect for Son Gohan. She then ran her fingers over the back of Videl's hand.
"Hey, Videl."
"Yeah?"
"Your hand is…really warm," Akane said, blushing.
"I…uh…y-yeah, whatever," Videl said, turning her head to the side, blushing.
Akane let go of her friend's hand and sat on the ground, legs crossed. "Well then, I guess we should talk."
Videl nodded and sat down on the ground with Akane, holding her ankles with her hands. "You first, if you don't mind."
"Well," Akane began. "When I was a little girl…"
Akane then began to tell Videl in great detail all of the ups and downs of her life. She opened up to her more than she had any other person in her life so that Videl would know what made Akane Owari tick. And, when she was done, Videl knew she would let Akane know everything there was to know about her too.
Having faced the terrifying force of Majin Buu, Akane and Videl have learned of a glaring weakness within their fusion form of Adel. Will the year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber be enough to overcome this crippling flaw? And what of the training of Gohan and the other Hope's Peak Academy Students? Will their training bear any fruit? Find out on the next exciting chapter of Dragon Ball H! P! A!
