Chapter Seventeen
Her True Destiny
Gohan watched silently while Shin had his hands on Videl's temple. He wanted to ask if it was working, if they were able to see what was real and what wasn't in the visions Videl had.
He couldn't believe it, and the boy couldn't help feeling hopeful. If the visions weren't reliable, then maybe, just maybe, Videl wasn't going to change because of their relationship, which never made any sense to him anyway. It had to be it. Gohan couldn't imagine wanting Videl to be any different. She was perfect just the way she was.
And now, maybe he could actually be with her. Well, after this whole Babidi mess was over with, obviously. Still, it meant he had a chance. He could actually get together with the girl he loved. If this worked, if Shin managed to fix whatever had tainted Videl's visions, if, indeed, that part of what she had foreseen wasn't real and would never come true ━ he could finally and properly ask Videl out like he'd been wishing to, from the moment he realized he liked her.
It had to be it, right? It never made sense to him, because he would never want Videl to change. It had to be what was tainted.
And, maybe, hopefully, the part about Mr. Buu being Majin Buu was real. It would mean that they wouldn't have to fight him, that they could make an ally out of him instead. If they could do it with Piccolo and Vegeta, both of which had wanted to respectively rule the world with fear and kill everyone on Earth, surely influencing Buu to be good was just as feasible.
"This is going to take a while," Shin said, his eyes still closed.
Gohan reached out with his senses to keep track of the others. They had stopped and remained still for now, probably assessing the situation. And then the demi-Saiyan scowled. Spopovitch's impure ki separated from the group. Apparently he had kept his end of the deal and Kibito and the others were letting him go.
Gohan's fists clenched, his blood still boiling with rage. He didn't care what Shin had promised that monster: he was going to get back at him for what he did to Videl. The young warrior vowed to make that bastard pay.
"I'm sure the others can handle themselves," Gohan said in reply, knowing that Shin implied that he should probably go and help his friends fight whatever Babidi was going to throw at them. "I'm pretty sure that Vegeta is stronger than me anyway."
It wasn't such a reassuring thought, putting the universe's fate into the Saiyan Prince's hands, but Gohan reminded himself that Vegeta wasn't the same man who had landed on Earth many years ago. He had changed and even settled down with Bulma, taking his role as a Trunks' father more than seriously. He truly cared about them, and Gohan believed that he even enjoyed the family life. Having people he cared about changed everything. It meant Vegeta wouldn't be so rash, reckless or self-absorbed, because the slightest mistake could cost the lives of his family.
"Gohan," came Videl's nervous voice. Her eyes still closed, she reached out to him. "Can you hold my hand?"
He felt a warm glow in his chest. "Of course."
He took her hand and held it firmly, feeling the familiar and intoxicating sparks ignite at the simple touch. She squeezed back, and a gentle smile formed on his lips. He rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand, trying to soothe her.
"It's going to be alright, Videl," he said, his voice full of hope.
She swallowed. "I just don't get it. Why did I get those visions? And why would they be partly false? It makes no sense."
"I'll look into it after I'm done cleansing them," Shin promised. "But it does appear that what you feared most isn't going to come true. I can't be a hundred percent sure however…"
Gohan felt his heart jolt in hope and excitement. He knew it! He just knew it! There was no way he would ever let Videl turn into something she didn't like. He would never want her to change at all.
"I'm looking for the source of the problem so I can fix it but…" Shin's brow furrowed further. "This is tricky. I'm doing the best I can, but it's going to take a while."
"It's okay," Gohan said, holding Videl's hand firmly. "I'm sure the others can stop Babidi from releasing Buu without me."
"Let's hope so."
"But even if they can't, if Buu might become good like I saw in my dreams…" Videl offered.
"Indeed, it's a possibility, as hard as I find it to believe," Shin said. "Majin Buu has killed countless people, destroying entire planets, wreaking havoc across the whole universe and enjoying every minute of it…"
"Maybe he just needed a better role model," Videl said.
"Like your dad?" Gohan couldn't help his mocking tone. Mr. Satan was hardly someone he would consider a good role model. But, despite his many flaws, Gohan also knew that he was a good man deep inside, and if he somehow managed to befriend Buu in the future, then he may have actually saved the world for real this time.
"Apparently," Videl replied in amusement, obviously finding the concept as ridiculous as him. He gave her hand a squeeze.
He couldn't wait to put this whole Babidi and Buu ordeal behind them. Because then, once everything was resolved and the universe was safe again, then, he would finally be able to ask Videl out.
The group was watching the top of Babidi's spaceship from afar, staying out of sight on a rocky plateau.
"So that was why we couldn't find his ship," Kibito realized. "It was hidden underground!"
"What are we waiting for?" Vegeta asked impatiently, cracking his knuckles. "I'm ready for some action."
"We have to be careful," Kibito said. "If we barge in, Buu might wake up from the shockwave. Even without his energy fully restored, his power would be monstrous."
"Hmph, I'm sure he's not all that," the Saiyan Prince sneered.
"And if you're wrong, you'd be putting Bulma and Trunks in danger," Krillin cut in, knowing how to reason with Vegeta by now.
The Saiyan scoffed, but didn't object further. Tien watched him in surprise. Unlike the others, he hadn't been around for the past seven years, so he hadn't witnessed the Prince change over time. It seemed that Vegeta truly cared for Bulma and Trunks, which wasn't that hard to believe when Tien thought back to the way Vegeta reacted when Cell killed Future Trunks. Vegeta did care. He actually changed. While Tien would always have reservations about the Saiyan warrior, what with him being the reason he had died eleven years ago, the three-eyed fighter admitted that Vegeta could be a valuable ally.
As long as he didn't pull another "let's help the villain get stronger so that I can have more fun fighting them", that is.
The fact that simply telling Vegeta that Bulma and Trunks could be in danger if he didn't behave proved that something like that was unlikely to happen again, however. So Tien decided to trust the Saiyan Prince, as much as he still resented him for ordering his and his friends' deaths all those years ago.
"You said a shock could wake Buu up, right?" Yamcha asked Kibito, who nodded in response. "But what about just forcing the door open? Surely that wouldn't be enough to release Buu from his cocoon, right?"
"Indeed," Kibito agreed.
"Good," Vegeta said. "Then let me do the honor."
He didn't wait for the others and flew toward the top of the ship, landing on the overturned earth. There was no doorknob. It was probably a sliding door.
His hand glowing with energy, Vegeta sliced through the alien metal. The others had joined him by the time he was done, creating an entrance without so much as a shake.
"Nice job," Krillin complimented.
"Are you sure you want to come along?" Vegeta remarked snidely, a cocky smirk curving his lips. "You're probably gonna get yourself killed again, and Shenlong won't be able to revive you this time, will he?"
"Maybe he's right, Krillin," Yamcha agreed. "You have a family now. You can't risk your life recklessly."
"You have a family?" Tien repeated in surprise.
Krillin blushed. "It's a long story, but yes, I'm married and I have a daughter."
"Wow. Congratulations, Krillin!" Tien mumbled, blinking at the shorter man.
Vegeta rolled his eyes and jumped through the hole to get inside the ship, not waiting around for the lot of them to catch up and waste any more time. Piccolo followed him wordlessly, and then Kibito went in.
The three Earthlings hesitated.
"What about you guys?" Krillin asked. "If you die again…"
"Porunga was the one to wish us back, remember?" Yamcha reminded his friend. "Shenlong could bring us back if we died. But not you."
"We could always find New Namek though," Krillin reasoned. "I mean, if I die, you guys could ask Shenlong to bring you there and wish me back with Porunga."
"It's settled then. We're going in too," Tien concluded, receiving nods in return.
"We might not be relevant anymore," Yamcha said as the three flew down the dark, circular, tube-like hallway, "but we can still help."
"Yeah!" Krillin agreed with enthusiasm. "Like how Tien stopped Cell and gave 18 and 16 the time to escape! And my Kienzan is no joke, either."
The three-eyed warrior smiled. While using the Kikoho was dangerous for his health and put his life at risk, he wouldn't hesitate for a second to use it again if the need for it arose. It was a deathly technique that could hinder even someone immensely stronger than himself, and it was Tienshinhan's best asset among Saiyans and Namekians and other kinds of aliens who had long outmatched him and his fellow Earthling fighters.
They landed in a circular room. The round door on the floor to get to the level below was closed. But there was a single door in the room, and it soon slid open, revealing an alien with an M tattooed on his forehead. The back of his head was long, oval and white. He had no nose, no eyebrows, no pupils, the slits for his eyes glowing yellowish-green. The rest of his face was black, continuing down his neck, but a white, armor-like body covered the upper part of his torso, and it was hard to tell whether it was a suit or his actual skin. The lower part of his stomach was smooth and black, as was the rest of his body, but he was wearing white gloves and boots. Maybe the armor was a suit after all, but they couldn't be sure.
"Who the hell are you?" asked Vegeta in his usual well-mannered way.
"I'm PuiPui, and I'm here to kill you."
The Earth's special force all rolled their eyes at the line. Another alien who underestimated the people of this planet, ignorant to the fact that the Earth inhabited powerful aliens as well as super-skilled martial artists.
"Master Babidi is on the last level, and he'll send a fighter for every floor," PuiPui explained, a cocky smirk on his ugly face. "Which means that your descent ends here, because I'm not letting you out of this level alive!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Vegeta said in a bored tone. "Piccolo, why don't you take care of this pest? He's so weak, he's not even worth my time."
"How very kind of you to offer," Piccolo said, rolling his eyes. He stepped forward anyway.
"What, you plan to go one-on-one? Master Babidi didn't tell me I would be dealing with idiots!" mocked the ignorant alien.
Piccolo attacked first, growing tired of the stupidity coming out of PuiPui's mouth. He landed a powerful kick that sent the alien crashing onto the ceiling, rebounding against the wall before finally impacting on the ground with a loud thud.
"Easy!" Yamcha warned. "You could wake up Buu if you're not more careful."
Piccolo scoffed. "It's not my fault he's so weak."
The room around them then faded out, and suddenly they found themselves on another planet. The gravity felt a lot heavier, but it was nothing either of the fighters couldn't handle.
PuiPui laughed, claiming that they were done for. "This planet is ten times the gravity of the Earth! And I grew up here!"
Vegeta rolled his eyes so hard his pupils disappeared. "Only ten times? And that's supposed to impress us? Piccolo doesn't even need to take off his weighted clothes to deal with you. How pathetic."
And, indeed, despite the planet's gravity making his weighted cape and turban feel ten times heavier, it wasn't hindering Piccolo in the least.
He had no time to waste, however, so he attacked PuiPui again, peppering him with hits. The alien fighter crashed into some boulder, making it explode, and Piccolo landed by the rubble, not waiting for his poor excuse of an opponent to get up. He grabbed PuiPui by the neck, holding him up. Then, he raised his spare hand and placed it on the alien's stomach.
"Have fun in hell," he said, before blasting the body to smithereens.
"Nice job, Piccolo!" Krillin cheered.
The door on the ground, which came with them even when they were teleported to another planet, opened to the level below. The group went down the tube one by one.
"This feels like a video game," Yamcha commented, mirth in his voice.
"A very lame game," Vegeta said, causing Krillin and Yamcha to snicker. Tien rolled his eyes, while Piccolo and Kibito didn't pay them any mind.
They landed in the level below, which was a room identical to the previous one. The single door soon opened, revealing a horrific monster. His body was distorted, his limbs lean but muscular; his upper body was bulging yet his skeleton was visible. He had claws on his pork-like feet and three-fingered hands, and he also had short claws on both of his forearms.
"Um, Piccolo, are you feeling this one?" Krillin asked nervously, taking a step back. "Or should Vegeta step in?"
"Why, don't you want a go at this thing?" Vegeta taunted the former monk. He smirked in satisfaction. "This one looks stronger. He might be a slight challenge. You don't mind, do you, Piccolo?"
"Knock yourself out," the Namekian replied, his arms crossed. "I had the first round. You can have this one."
"Don't underestimate Yakon!" Kibito warned the warriors. "He's extremely powerful!"
"Yeah, yeah," Vegeta waved him off as he stepped toward the horrific monster. "Hopefully he's more of a challenge than that pathetic PuiPui guy."
This time, their surroundings changed before the fight could begin. Obviously, Babidi didn't want to risk waking up Buu too soon. Everything faded out, leaving the group in complete darkness.
They heard a sickening snicker they could only assume was Yakon's. The monster attacked Vegeta, thinking he could catch him off guard in the dark, but the Saiyan warrior easily evaded the blow.
"Is that all you can do?" he taunted the creature. "I don't need to see you to kick your ass, moron. Though I have to admit, not being able to see your ugly face is certainly a plus."
Yakon growled angrily. The claws in his forearms extended as he slashed at Vegeta. But the Prince was too fast and dodged effortlessly. Yakon kept trying to hit him, again and again, and Vegeta easily evaded each of his attempts.
"I'm disappointed. I thought you would be more fun," Vegeta taunted the monster, who snarled in rage and frustration as he failed to slash through the Saiyan yet again.
Growing tired of the fight, Vegeta turned Super Saiyan even though he didn't need to. The others shielded their eyes at the sudden bright light.
"Now let's see the fear in your eyes while I take the life out of them."
But a moment later, the light was snuffed out.
Vegeta smirked in the darkness. "Interesting. You feed on light," he observed.
He turned Super Saiyan again, and Yakon opened his mouth once more, sucking in the light of the transformation. Vegeta didn't let up, powering up as Yakon kept swallowing the light he created, even absorbing his energy in the process.
"So it's like that, huh?"
Vegeta ascended, a shot of electricity surrounding the bright aura that Yakon was sucking in. The monster over-ate and exploded as a result, and Vegeta turned back to his normal form, a smirk of satisfaction on his lips.
The Earthling fighters lighted their hands with energy, creating light so they could find the door on the ground and get to the level below. It was open, as expected, and one by one they slid down inside, getting to the next room which was, once again, identical to the ones before.
"Hopefully the next fighter will be more of a challenge," Vegeta said. "I've barely warmed up."
Yamcha leaned closer to Krillin and Tien and whispered, "I have to admit, I don't hate having Vegeta on our side."
His two friends nodded in agreement.
The next fighter didn't appear immediately. Vegeta tapped his foot impatiently, his arms crossed as he kept his eyes glued to the door, willing it to open and show his next opponent. He was sure Piccolo wouldn't mind letting him fight again. It was unlikely that the Namekian would be strong enough to face the next enemy, as they steadily grew in strength the lower they got in the spaceship. Vegeta wasn't sure Piccolo could've killed Yakon that easily, though he doubted that the monster surpassed the Namekian if he fought seriously.
"Well? Are you out of fighters already?" Vegeta called out, not doubting that Babidi was watching them in some way and could hear him.
But the door finally slid open. Kibito gasped in horror, his eyes bulging out. The Earthlings backed away at the strong reaction, their senses telling them that this enemy was ways above the previous fighters.
"Congratulations on defeating Yakon and making it to level three. Alas, your journey will end here," the newcomer said. He looked like the devil himself, with horns on his head, reddish skin, and a goatee. He was dressed in a fancy blue and white attire, with puffy sleeves and bottoms as well as a tall collar and a long cape.
"This is Dabura! The Lord of Darkness!" Kibito sputtered in shock, stepping back in fear.
"The Lord of Darkness?" Tien asked, glancing at the white-haired man out of the corner of his eyes. "What does that mean?"
"He's the King of the Demon Realm," Kibito explained. "He's the strongest being from his world. Do not underestimate him," he told Vegeta in a warning tone.
But the Saiyan Prince scoffed. "Yeah, right. You said the same thing on each level, and yet we outpowered Babidi's fighters easily. I'm starting to think this Buu is going to be a joke too."
"In that case, why don't you give us your energy so we can revive him?" Dabura suggested with a smirk. "Then you'd finally have an opponent worthy of your time."
"Tch, don't mock me," Vegeta scoffed. "Let's see if Kibito is right to be so scared of you."
On cue, the scenery around them changed once more, and the group was transported to a wasteland of a planet ━ the perfect place for a violent battle.
Vegeta went Super Saiyan, sensing that his opponent was indeed much stronger than the previous fighters. He smirked. Finally, a challenge. After seven years of boredom, even if, as much as he hated to admit it, he did enjoy the family life, the Saiyan warrior was long overdue for some real action.
While four of the contestants were nowhere to be found, the show must go on, so it was decided that Yamu, Spopovitch, Shin, and Kibito had forfeited their fights since they didn't show up when their names were called.
It was quite lucky for Mr. Satan, to say the least. Even when Yamu regained consciousness, he decided that his best option was to flee, because he had no doubt that Master Babidi would blame him for Spopovitch's betrayal.
And so, with those four out of the way, Mr. Satan was the favorite to win the championship once again. Not that he was aware that he could have lost, for the man truly believed he was the strongest man alive. Years of deceiving the world made him believe his own lies.
He won his fights fair and square, one after the other. His fans were wild, cheering him on as loudly as they could, acclaiming their hero. He faced up Punta in the last round, and while the heavy challenger had put up a good fight, showing he deserved his spot in the final round, Mr. Satan still managed to throw him out of the ring.
And thus, he was proclaimed the world champion once more, proving that nobody could beat him. The Tenkaichi Budokai ended with applause and ecstatic cheers as the unbeaten champion stood proudly in the middle of the ring.
Not that he needed the extra ten million zeni, but the prize money was still a great addition to his wealth. He should get something nice for his daughter. Maybe the newest jet copter model? A red one this time, to make it pop more. She would like new training equipment too.
Where was Videl anyway? He hadn't seen her since she left the infirmary to get cleaned up. A scowl formed on the world champion's face as an unpleasant thought came to his mind. She better not be hanging around that scrawny boy. Who did he think he was, just turning up and hugging Videl like that was okay? Yes, Mr. Satan was grateful to him for healing his daughter with his weird bean thingy, but that didn't give him the right to lay his hands on his little girl!
And what about Spopovitch? Did that kid actually get to him and somehow beat him up like he had said he would? That little wimp? Seriously? When even Videl, who was almost as strong as the champ himself, had lost to Spopovitch? And what about the other fighters who just dropped out of the competition for some reason? What the hell happened there?
Mr. Satan sighed as he got to his personal lodge. Oh, well. What mattered was that he had won again. Videl should turn out soon enough, and she was going to be so proud of him. He won fair and square. Even though she found out the truth about the Cell Games, he was still the world champion, and nothing could take that away from him.
He sat in his chair, frowning at his reflection in the mirror. Mr. Satan admitted to himself that his daughter did have her chances at beating him. Videl was immensely talented, she was his daughter after all, and she had been getting so strong in the past years. He had seen her easily beat criminals who were several times her size ━ which made her loss against Spopovitch all the more confusing.
He had beaten Spopovitch himself in the last tournament, and the fighter, while huge and definitely strong, had lacked finesse and skills, and it had been a pretty easy win back then. How was Spopovitch able to overpower Videl and put her in such a horrible state? It didn't make any sense.
If he ever got his hands on that bastard, though… Mr. Satan shook with rage just thinking of how hurt Videl had been because of that monster.
And a part of him did hope that kid had pummeled Spopovitch, if anything. Someone ought to teach that poor excuse of a man the concept of sportsmanship. Tournament rules needed to be more strict about that kind of behavior. It was unacceptable that anyone should get that violent and sadistic in the ring. Someone should've stopped the fight before it got that far. Videl shouldn't have gotten so horribly hurt.
His poor little girl… Yes, he was grateful to that kid, indeed. She had been in such a state… How could this happen? Videl was so strong. Just how much stronger could Spopovitch have gotten in the past seven years?
Stroking his unshaved face, Mr. Satan sat there in thought. He got hungry after a while and ordered some food to his lodge, not feeling like getting out and mingling with his fans right now. He was too worried about Videl and just wasn't in the mood for that now. He hoped she was going to turn up soon. He had a bad feeling. Videl should've been back already. Where the hell was his daughter?
"I think I'm getting close," Shin said, his eyes still closed, his brow deeply furrowed in concentration while his hands were still touching Videl's temples. "I found where the stain came from. It's your fears, Videl. Your fears were used to distort the future you saw."
The girl could barely believe it. Shin had been fixing her visions, slowly cleansing them from the false reality she thought would be real. She was seeing her true future now, the visions changing, showing another life. A better life. A perfect life, really.
She wasn't going to lose her fire, to lose herself in her marriage with Gohan. That part was all lies. She was still herself, and they were so happy together. She would also have a career, setting herself on the path of eventually becoming the police commissioner of Satan City. Gohan would become a scientist and researcher, and they would raise their kids together, often getting help from Piccolo or either of their parents when they were busy, or when they simply wanted to have a night out.
Her life was supposed to turn out pretty much perfect. Her career, her family, her marriage. She was meant to have it all. And be a badass while she was at it.
Videl was confused. Why were her visions tainted? Why did they make her believe she would become that dreadful woman who was only defined by her love for her husband?
She opened her eyes and glanced to her right, where Gohan was standing, still holding her hand, smiling that handsome smile at her that never failed to make her melt. For some reason, her dreams had made her think she would be doomed if she ever got together with Gohan. That had to be the reason behind her false visions. To push her and Gohan apart.
But why? Or, rather… who? Was someone responsible for this mess? Who would do something like that? Who would want to take away the perfect life that was destined for her?
Videl's eyes fell shut again as a frown took up her features.
Could it be someone she had helped put away? Some scum who wanted revenge on her? It would make sense. She had been helping the police fight crime for over a year now, so she was bound to make enemies in that line of work. She could think of tons of bad guys who would want to make her miserable out of spite. But who among them did it? Who had the power to give her those false visions that pushed her to reject the potential love of her life?
"We'll get to that after we take care of Buu," Shin replied to her silent questions. She still disliked it when he did that, but Videl was starting to get used to it.
"Get to what?" Gohan asked.
"To find out what, or rather, to who gave Videl those false visions. Videl thinks it might be someone that she had locked up seeking revenge."
"Oh," the boy said, a frown slowly taking up his traits. "Yeah. I'd like to know also."
"The parts about Mr. Buu seem real, though," Videl commented.
"Yes, indeed. I'm almost done cleansing all of the dreams you had, but it does seem that Mr. Buu indeed becomes good, somehow," Shin said thoughtfully, still doubtful despite seeing the truth in his very mind.
"Doesn't seem like Buu will get a chance to be released though," Gohan mused, looking far ahead into the sky, in the direction where he'd last sensed the group, supposedly in Babidi's spaceship. "So maybe it's not going to matter whether Buu can be good."
Somehow, their kis kept disappearing and reappearing, as though they were being teleported off the planet. And then their adversary, who would have left with them, would not be returning with the group, meaning that the enemy got killed in the time they were away.
While Gohan couldn't sense the current battle, he had felt the ki of Vegeta's opponent, and even though the guy was certainly much stronger than the previous fighters that Babidi sent at the group, Gohan surmised that he wasn't even at Cell's level. And Vegeta had long since surpassed Cell, so, really, this shouldn't take much longer. Unless Babidi had another, even stronger fighter to send at Vegeta, but Gohan doubted it. The gap of power between the last guy and the one before that was huge, meaning that Babidi was getting desperate and had sent his best fighter to finish the job. But Vegeta would take care of that guy, Gohan was confident. The Saiyan Prince had been training like a madman in the last seven years. While Gohan lay back and enjoyed the peaceful times, Vegeta focused on getting stronger, and the demi-Saiyan was pretty sure the Prince had surpassed him.
Maybe if he had kept training more frequently since the Cell Games, he could still have measured up to Vegeta, and maybe if he focused more on his training from now on, he could catch up to the Prince and even surpass him again eventually. In the meantime, Vegeta was the strongest being in the universe. Which was fine with him, to be honest. While the Saiyan warrior wouldn't be his first choice to protect the planet, he did care about Bulma and Trunks, and that was enough to keep him from straying from their common goal to protect the world. Well, Vegeta only cared about protecting his family, really, but that was still progress.
"Almost done…" Shin muttered, his eyebrows twitching as his focus never wavered.
Gohan's heart jolted in excitement. He gave Videl's hand a squeeze, and she gave one back. This was it. Shin would soon finish cleansing Videl's visions, and they would then go to stop Babidi once and for all. And then, Gohan would finally be able to officially become Videl's boyfriend.
He was giddy at the thought. To think they never had anything to fear! He did want to know why and who was the cause of this mess. Gohan frowned. That person had caused him and Videl so much pain and emotional torture. It was such a sadistic way to get revenge on someone. Who would do something so cruel?
Vegeta smirked. Dabura wasn't like the others. He was actually stronger than he had initially thought, proving to be more than a challenge. But the Saiyan Prince knew he was the superior warrior. He was just having too much fun to end this fight too quickly.
"Vegeta, quit playing around and finish him off already!" Piccolo called to him from the ground, his voice laced with impatience.
"I take no order from you, Namekian," Vegeta scoffed in response. "It's not like I could lose against this guy anyway. Let me have my fun. It's been too long since I had a good fight."
"Tch." Piccolo glared at the Prince from down below, cursing his own inability to finish off Dabura himself. Alas, the King of the Demon Realm was closer to Vegeta's level than Piccolo ever got, even as hard as he'd been training since the Cell Games. Saiyans and their natural advantage in getting stronger. So unfair.
"You are quite the extraordinary fighter, I must say," Dabura complimented his opponent, his tone extremely polite in an unsettling way.
"Hmph, you've seen nothing yet," Vegeta taunted.
"Oh, is that so?" Dabura queried. "Why don't you show me, then?"
The Prince gave a cocky smirk. "Are you sure? You're gonna regret asking me this."
"Then don't let me die ignorant," Dabura replied, not an ounce of sarcasm in his tone.
"This feels like a trap," Piccolo muttered.
Kibito glanced at the Namekian in worry. "You're right. Vegeta!" he called at the Prince in the orange sky. "It's most likely a trap! Don't fall for it!"
Vegeta scoffed. "And what's he gonna do once I ascend? Drown me in his tears of fear?"
"Indeed," Dabura confirmed. "You are clearly the superior warrior. I merely want to witness the extent of your power out of curiosity."
"See?" Vegeta called to the ground where the group of fighters stood to watch the battle. "Even he knows he's done for. Wouldn't I be heartless to deny him his dying wish?"
Piccolo gritted his teeth. This was a trap. How could Vegeta let that demon fool him? Couldn't he see that Dabura definitely had something up his sleeve? Why couldn't he learn from his past mistakes already? Vegeta always got overconfident when he clearly surpassed his adversary, and then he would get prone to making poor choices, usually leading to his own downfall. Couldn't that damn Saiyan finally realize when he was getting played?
Vegeta clenched his fists, his legs apart as his ki increased. And then he yelled and his power skyrocketed. His golden hair became thinner, more defined, his muscles bulged, veins becoming visible on his body, and bolts of lightning danced around him as his golden aura shone brighter than ever.
His power was monstrous, that was for sure. He had even surpassed Gohan's level against Cell. Dabura's ki was nothing in comparison.
Piccolo's fists clenched tighter. What was that demon planning? Why did he coerce Vegeta into powering up to his maximum? What was his goal here?
A sinister smirk curled Dabura's lips. He then turned to the group on the ground and spat several times in their direction. Piccolo shoved Kibito out of the way out of instinct, but Krillin got touched and started to turn into stone. The others watched in horror. Vegeta frowned at the turn of events. Tien pushed Yamcha out of the saliva projectile, but soon turned into stone as well.
"What the hell! Vegeta, do something!" Yamcha yelled in distress.
But Dabura has phased out of sight.
"What the…?" Vegeta started saying, and then the demon reappeared behind him and wrapped his long limbs around the Ascended Super Saiyan, immobilizing him with his poisonous fingernails, digging them into Vegeta's skin, preventing the Prince from trying to break free from the vice-like grip.
Damn it, he couldn't move! That two-faced scum! What was he going to do to him now?
No sooner than the thought left his mind that an odd, oval item with a long and pointy tip appeared in the demon's hand. The same M that was tattooed on his forehead was marked on the object.
And then he shoved the pointy tip through Vegeta's side, breaking the skin. His eyes widening, Vegeta felt his energy being drained. Soon he felt himself grow weaker, his strength leaving him and going directly into the ki-absorber.
"No!"
Piccolo quickly got rid of his weighted clothes and powered up. Yamcha and Kibito did the same, preparing a combined attack. They had to stop Dabura from stealing Vegeta's energy, somehow, some way. They had to do something! This could mean the release of Majin Buu!
With a guttural yell, the three remaining fighters shot a joined, humongous ki-blast at Dabura's back. But the demon wasn't even phased by the attack.
"Aim at the ki-absorber!" Kibito commanded.
They did, again and again, but Dabura's grip on the item didn't lessen. Vegeta's hair turned back to jet-black.
"Damn it! This can't be happening!" Kibito cried out in frustration as he and the two other fighters kept shooting ki-blasts at Dabura.
"Kaioken!" Yamcha yelled, multiplying his ki by several dozens of times, uncaring of the noxious effect it would have on his body. But his attacks still had no effect on the demon.
And then Dabura let go of Vegeta, who dropped to the ground. Piccolo dove to catch him. At the same time, the scenery around them changed once more, bringing them back to Babidi's ship. Dabura quickly left through the single door in the circular room, throwing a polite, "Thank you for your help," over his shoulder before the door slid shut behind him.
"Shit!" Yamcha cursed angrily, panting heavily, his whole body feeling like one big bruise.
"Piccolo, get Vegeta to me, I can heal him," Kibito commanded.
Piccolo lay the Saiyan Prince on the floor and Kibito crouched down, putting his hands over his chest. They started glowing, and soon, the color came back on Vegeta's skin.
"Can't you go any faster?" Yamcha asked impatiently.
"Do you realize how much power I have to restore? How much energy Dabura took from him?" Kibito snapped back.
"Sorry…" Yamcha sighed, glancing at his friends who were now stone statues. "Can you do anything for them?"
"No, that is beyond my power," Kibito replied. "The only way to turn them back to normal is to kill Dabura."
At that moment, Vegeta's eyes snapped open. Kibito stood and stepped back, giving the Prince the room to get to his feet.
"So I only have to kill that two-faced bastard?" Vegeta asked for confirmation. "Well, should be easy enough."
"Because it went so well the first time," Piccolo retorted, his voice filled with sarcasm. "We told you it was a trap, but what did you do? You let your arrogance get to your head again. You just never learn, do you?"
"Would you like a taste of my arrogance, you overgrown pickle?" Vegeta snarled angrily.
"Hey, now, this isn't the time," Yamcha said, getting in between the arguing warriors with his arms raised, trying to calm things down. He winced slightly as his body protested painfully. That Kaioken times fifty might have been too much for him.
"Let's hurry," Kibito agreed.
"Fine," Vegeta grunted. "But next time you won't get so lucky, Namekian."
"Tch. Says the man who can't even reach the top shelves," Piccolo bit back snidely.
A vein pulsed visibly on Vegeta's temple, his fists clenching tightly as he scowled at the tall green man.
"I can fly, you dolt."
"Good thing, too, because otherwise you'd never be able to get your favorite snacks in the top cabinets, now would you?"
"Why you…!"
"Enough!" Yamcha snapped. "My body hurts like hell and Dabura just got a hold of your energy, Vegeta! You and Piccolo can settle scores after we've stopped him and Babidi from releasing Buu into the world!"
"Indeed. We cannot let that happen," Kibito agreed. He then stepped closer to Yamcha and put his hand on his shoulder, the glow healing the scar-faced man.
"Thank you," Yamcha said with a sigh of relief.
"Now let's go," Kibito said. "We have to stop Babidi at all costs. Buu is a monster, and you can't even begin to imagine just how powerful he is."
"Tch. I still think you're underestimating me," Vegeta said in arrogance. "I bet I could take that Buu just as easily as that Dabura."
"Yet you still got your energy stolen," Piccolo reminded him sourly.
"Enough already!" Yamcha stopped them again. "We're wasting time!"
At that moment, the door on the floor opened, allowing them to get to Babidi without having to break through the lower levels.
"Babidi doesn't want us to wake Buu too soon," Piccolo observed darkly as the four flew down the remaining levels.
They got to the lowest level. An ugly and tiny creature who had to be Babidi was with Dabura, both standing by a giant red egg that was covered with what looked like veins. Yikes.
"I have to thank you for your energy," Babidi said, his high-pitched voice as grating as his appearance. He looked like an insect. "Buu is very close to hatching now."
"Babidi, you monster," Kibito gritted out.
"Where is Kaioshin?" the insect-like creature asked in curiosity. "I was hoping to kill him with my bare hands and avenge the death of my father."
"Not important," Vegeta said, before powering up in an instant and shooting a devastating ki-blast at Dabura, obliterating the demon before he could realize what was happening.
Babidi stared in shock at the spot where Dabura was standing just moments ago, now replaced by smoke and a pile of ashes.
"You… You…"
"It's over, Babidi," Piccolo said darkly. "You've lost. Now step away from the cocoon."
The ugly creature gritted his teeth in anger. "Paparappa!" he suddenly shouted, waving his hands in the air, and their surroundings changed once more. Babidi had teleported them outside of the spaceship, the giant egg as well. He hadn't forgotten Krillin and Tienshinhan either; he didn't want to risk leaving any of them in his ship.
"Guys! You're back to normal!" Yamcha exclaimed in relief. Krillin and Tien looked around in confusion, not quite caught up with what had been happening.
"What now?" Vegeta asked, ignoring the reunion going on behind him, focusing his attention on Babidi. "You're cornered and you know it."
"I didn't want it to come to this, but you lot have left me with no other choice…"
Piccolo reacted quickly, unwilling to give the wizard the time to do another spell, but Babidi yelled, "SHIELD!" and a ball of protection appeared around him just as Piccolo tried to slice through his being with a deadly chop. He hit the shield instead, getting zapped with bolts of electricity for his efforts.
He took a step back and rubbed the side of his hand while glaring darkly at the tiny ugly creature.
And then Babidi turned to the pulsing cocoon and recited a spell, gesticulating wildly with his arms.
"No! He's letting Buu out!" Kibito exclaimed in panic.
"But he's not fully charged yet!" Yamcha cried out in response.
"It's his only chance now that his best fighter just got killed!" Kibito said.
"We have to do something!" Krillin said, fear making his voice tremble.
"Let's give it everything we got!" Tien said. "Maybe we can kill Buu before he gets out!"
"Tch. Like I need maggots like you," Vegeta scoffed at them.
"Not the time, Vegeta!" Krillin berated the Saiyan. "Let's do this!"
"Pff, fine."
He ascended to the level beyond the Super Saiyan, while everyone else powered up to their maximum as well. They all gathered as much ki as possible, getting ready to strike Buu's fuming prison in hopes of killing the monster inside before he could get out.
Letting out a scream in unison, the warriors released their energy, giving it everything they had, while Tien shot a Kihoho, knowing it was his best attack and their best chance at getting Buu. The blast hit the cocoon and threw it high into the air, before it landed with a loud thud onto the ground. Still protected in his shield, Babidi floated closer to the giant egg as it split in two.
It was empty. There was nothing in the cocoon. Babidi cried in desperation, while Yamcha, Krillin, Tien and Kibito cheered at their victory.
"We did it! Buu is gone!" Krillin exclaimed. "We saved the world!"
"Who said we weren't useful, huh?" Yamcha said with a sense of satisfaction. Finally, they actually played a role in saving the day. They were still relevant, even as much stronger as the Saiyans and Piccolo got over the years.
"Good job, all of you," Kibito said gratefully. "I can't believe it's finally over."
"You fools," Vegeta gritted out. "Have you forgotten how to sense ki? Look up, you dimwits!"
They did, and so did Babidi. A pink cloud of smoke was slowly taking form.
"No…" Kibito breathed out in horror, recognizing the shape of the evil monster.
Vegeta powered up even further, his aura shining brighter than ever as bolts of electricity slithered around him. He smirked.
"I guess this is when the real fun begins…"
"This doesn't feel good…" Gohan said, holding Videl against him as he flew alongside Shin to get to Babidi's ship.
"Buu… It's Buu… They failed to stop Babidi," Shin mumbled in horror as the traumatizing and familiar ki invaded his senses.
"But it'll be alright, won't it?" Videl offered. "I mean, we now know that we can influence Buu to be good. You guys don't need to fight him. We just need to convince Buu not to listen to Babidi anymore. He was like a big child in my visions… He just needs to be pushed in the right direction."
Shin still gave a shudder at the feeling of the astronomical energy. "I guess so. I do hope we can do it…"
"Maybe we should bring Videl's father? He's the one who befriends Buu, right?" Gohan suggested.
"Not a bad idea," Shin said, nodding thoughtfully. "I could tell Kibito to go get him. He can teleport."
"That'll come in handy," Gohan commented.
"Well, hurry up, then! We have to get to Buu before Vegeta pisses him off!" Videl said in a bossy tone. Gohan cracked a smile at her words. It was a good guess that Vegeta would get Buu mad if he was left with him long enough. The Saiyan Prince had a knack for pushing anyone's buttons if given the time.
"Then I'll go ahead, alright?" Gohan said to Shin. Tightening his hold on Videl, he turned Super Saiyan. "I'll try to calm Buu down and we'll tell Kibito to go find Videl's dad."
"Okay. Don't wait for me and go," Shin agreed.
With a serious nod, Gohan looked ahead of him and sped up, soaring through the sky at breakneck speed. Videl's arms tightened around him while she buried her face in the crook of his neck to shield herself from the strong wind.
"We're almost there," he told her, speaking up to be heard over the wind. He didn't really like the idea of putting Videl right in the middle of danger, but she was probably the one who knew best how to talk to Buu and persuade him to turn against Babidi, ending this whole ordeal once and for all without having to kill Buu.
"I'll be fine," she assured him, as though she had read his mind.
"Trying to sound like Master Kaioshin?" he asked her in a joking tone. Videl laughed slightly.
"I know you're worried about me, but you don't have to," she said. "We can do this. We can convince Buu to be good. And then we'll only have to get rid of Babidi."
"Yeah, I hope it works."
"It will!"
They smiled at each other. And then Gohan saw the raging battle from afar. "Well, we're here. I'm going to stop the fight. You stay with the others, okay?"
"Yeah, okay."
Gohan landed by his friends, who welcomed him with great relief.
"Thank god you're back, finally!" Krillin exclaimed. "I don't like trusting Vegeta with the fate of the universe."
"Preach," Yamcha agreed.
Gohan let go of Videl and put his hands on her shoulders, his teal eyes serious as they pierced through hers. "Explain everything to them, okay? To Kibito, especially."
She nodded to show she understood what he meant, remembering what they agreed on with Shin earlier.
His throat tightened as the irrepressible urge to kiss her suddenly took over him. His heart raced while his gaze lowered to her full, cherry lips. He swallowed, his face burning red.
Videl bit her lip and looked away with a blush, maybe guessing what was on his mind. Gohan turned away and looked up at the sky where Vegeta and Buu were fighting, his eyes narrowing as he forced his mind to focus on his mission. He gritted his teeth and yelled as he ascended beyond Super Saiyan, the power of his electric aura pushing the others a few steps back.
"Be right back," he said, before taking off to the sky, right into the middle of the raging battle. And fully intending to put an end to it.
Videl let out a long breath and rubbed the back of her neck, trying to regain her bearings. She had seen the way Gohan had looked at her, and for a moment she really thought he was going to kiss her.
Not that she would have minded…
"What is it you have to tell me?" Kibito asked, bringing her out of her musing.
She turned to the tall, wrinkly, pink-skinned, white-haired man. Right. There was a crisis going on. Her love life could wait.
Time to put their plan into action.
February 27, 2021
