Yo! Son Goku and friends! Babidi Saga (Chapter 35)
Piccolo
Vwa-Vuish!
"Piccolo!"
"Piccolo!"
Gohan and Oolong's shouts carried across the garage as the pair of bald individuals entered the space through the aether. Krillin raised a brow only to get into a fighting stance as he saw the many previously upright items knocked over or outright slammed into the wall like the car was.
"What happened?" Krillin almost yelled as he looked about the room, almost dropping the malnourished blue Dragon Ball in the process.
"They took Erasa!" Videl roared as she pressed into Krillin's chest with a palm.
"Which one's Erasa?" Krillin asked in earnest, only to be forced to duck a swing from her Bestie. "Ayy! Honest question! I don't know all of Gohan's friends by name. Gimme a break."
"Erasa's tha blonde."
Krillin looked over at Sharpner staring off into the corner of the garage.
"Not the dude, you dope. The chick." Oolong said with rolling eyes.
"Right. Wait… who took what? They took Erasa? What are you talking about?" Krillin asked again as he eased up on the grip of the sickly cerulean Dragon Ball lest it pulverise right there in his palm.
Piccolo's brows furrowed as a deep sigh rattled through his being.
"Cell."
"Cell was here!?" The One Armed Man shouted out with bug eyes.
"Mmhmm." Piccolo's nod caused everyone to avert their gaze. "Is anyone else hurt?"
"No. But we have the suits ready."
"No delaying. Divide and conquer." The Demon's demonic voice gravelled out.
"Shit. Really?" Krillin asked as he gulped down the lump in his throat.
"What other options do we have, Mongrel? I'm not seeing very many. If the suits are complete then we have to get rid of that gas Bulma's been talking about."
"What about the others?" Krillin asked the group just before Launch pulled the two inside, flopping Goku and Raditz unconscious bodies onto the garage floor.
"I ain't pickin' up Yamcha's dog ass. You guys gonna hafta' get that heffa yaself."
"My man is not a heffa."
"I don't give a damn what he is, Bulma. Youa' man's a lost cause. That ain't even the first time he called me a bitch, neitha'. He can go rot in a ditch as far as I care."
Bulma's jaw dropped and before she could get up in arms about it, Piccolo:
"Get it together, Mongrels! NOW! Is NOT! The time! Got it!?"
Everyone had headaches after that one.
The group held their heads together like their brains were gonna funnel out in the swirling goop of an ice cream machine.
"Goku. You hearin' me, bud? Eat."
Goku's jaw moved mostly of Krillin's will and not his own before he gobbled up the Sensu Bean placed on his tongue.
Gulm.
"... Huu~ Huh-Hah! Thanks, Buddy." Goku commented as Krillin took hold of his hand and stood him up to full stature.
"Take care of your brother." Krillin said as he flicked a green bean into Chi-Chi's husband's hand. "I'll go get Yamcha." Goku nodded in kind and kneeled down.
"You're done making the suits?" Piccolo asked with clenched fists.
"All that needs to be done to finish them is the energy. They need to be charged with energy. You remember the-"
"-Yes. I remember the training room. But charging that takes a long time. We don't have what we'd need to charge six separate suits, nor are we going to humour the idea. Krillin!"
The New Turtle Grandmaster walked in with The Wolf as he slammed his fist into the garage arch, denting it inwards with his hand as he shook his head, filled with grief and regret.
"What is it, Piccolo?"
"She made the suits. But we can't all use em', anyway. We have to charge em'."
"Right."
"We'll make do right here. I'll be back." The Demon said before assuming the position.
Vwa-Vuish!
Klllllluuuuuuuuu~
Flowing streams of water splashed down as a hideaway clearing led to cobblestone steps with vines overtaking the top. The staircase granted access to a cave of some sort, an opening into a wet cavern. Piccolo disregarded it entirely in favour of the water streaming just outside. Atop the steps were statues of Korin, the cat, staff in hand. Piccolo submerged his right hand in some water, as he raised it, it drained into him, not because of an unsteady hand, or because of shoddy execution on the lift, but that it fed into his contents like a plant.
"It's remarkable. How am I granted so much extra in my reserves? I was missing out on this for as long as I can remember… It's been so long I can barely recall when I was whole. When I was one. Those fuzzy memories of Garlic and the Kami before me. Is this what it's like to stand at full power? I can use Instant Transmission more times than I can count…" His brow furrowed and he let his thoughts swim in the water as he brought some up to his face, and then some to his lips. He soon took the plunge, stepping into the puddle atop the steps and crossing his legs in a full meditation. "And this..? After enough experimentation. Realistically, I suppose I could just use this instead of the Sensu Beans. No one else can quell their nerves, calm their minds, or lick their wounds with simple water like I am able. Suppose I shouldn't be greedy."
Slashh!
Piccolo splashed himself in the face then drug his hand across his mug to get it to stick, letting it strengthen his roots as he stood up. The water parted, and trickled ever so slightly down from his robes. He let in a breath through his nose and then looked skyward.
"He told me 9 Sensu Beans. So after those three it's six. Can't afford to waste them on me even if we wanted to." His brows furrowed and his eyes closed as he entered a standing meditation, crossing his arms in thought. "Those beans… they are still more effective. And I don't have to waste energy to get energy back like I have here. How would I carry it? Those Capsules? I suppose that's the most efficient way. … We don't have much time. I wish I had more. This is stressing me out." With no one around to hear him except for the animals of The Sacred Land, he let out a heavy sigh through his lips, cracked his neck, and assumed the position.
Vwa-Voosh!
"Hand me a suit!" Piccolo hollered as he entered the fray. Gohan handed one off as Piccolo's brow furrowed and the madhouse scurried about, tossing ideas, strategies, and insults all at once, a wide array of solutions and incomplete, incoherent schemes. He simply undid the hatch for the glass helmet and put his hand on the inside mesh, charging as much as would go.
"If we stack, things go a lot faster." Krillin relayed to the rest of the group as he hobbled over to Piccolo's position and stuck his hand inside the suit with him.
"Those little units Bulma measured to keep the training room from getting run through have changed. We're a lot stronger. Is there any way we could indicate a stopping point? Because right now, we're in the dark, not only on how strong we are, but how strong the enemy might be. Did you get a look at his power?"
"Nope." Krillin responded to The Green Man, shaking his head and sucking in his teeth. Yamcha, Raditz, and Goku put their hands on one of the orange and black hazmat spacesuits, shoving all of their right arms inside the opening at the dome.
"If you had to guess-"
"Bulma!" Raditz' voice bounced off the many reflective surfaces of the garage.
"What's up?" She asked as she and Videl picked up one of the knocked over tables. Her hands jittered as she leaned over the desk and put her elbows on the cold metal.
"Can you mock up a Scouter?"
"Scouter's those number reading machines you came to Earth with right?"
"Yes. That would be the easiest way for us to know, right? And for us to put in the right amount of effort. I'm not afraid of overshooting, but undershooting. I'm not going to pretend I know the numbers but these Shadow Dragons are capable of taking us all on at once."
"Not all of us." Goku made sure to say. "Tien wasn't there when we fought the spiky one."
"We got him." Krillin chirped with a smirk.
"What?"
"The spiky one is in here." Krillin remarked as he unshelved the hand in the suit and shook the baggy.
"What!? No way!"
"Yup. So whoever that lava guy was that Cell defeated and the one we have locked away in here. We've got confirmed details on at least two of the 7." Krillin replied.
"And this next guy we're gonna beat up will take us to three." The Wolf said as he stared upon the slowly charging suit with solemnity.
"You said The Shadow Dragon is inside this bag?"
"Hey! Be careful! Don't let him out!" Krillin hollered as she womanhandled the bag away from him, looking at its admittedly loose ends. "What are you doing?"
"I'm getting rid of him. You said he's sealed up in this thing, right?" Bulma inquired, raising a brow in tandem with the little baggy she brought up to eye level.
"Yeah."
"Then how about… this?"
Bom!
"You put him in a Capsule?" Gohan asked. "Why?"
"Well, because. You're not supposed to put a Capsule inside another Capsule. A long time ago, dad-"
Dr. Brief just smirked across the way, smoking a cigarette in the corner of the garage next to the unfinished space ship.
"-figured that these small pocket dimensions Capsules are capable of making… g-geh~ uhm~" The whole room looked over at the stuttering CEO, teeth clenched and the muscles in her neck spazzing out. "-could end in disaster if you stacked them."
"Meaning?" Krillin asked.
"Technically, if you put a Capsule inside another Capsule you might cause a black hole."
"WHAT!?" Krillin screamed, especially so as she bent over to grab another Capsule.
"It's a very slight chance, but there's still a chance you could just swallow up everything by putting a Capsule inside another Capsule."
"Then why are you-"
"-Relax. Dad worked around it."
Bom!
The second Capsule swallowed up the first like a russian doll and she presented it to Krillin.
Ga-Chuik.
"Huh?" Krillin hummed.
Gah-Shuikk.
"What happened?" Videl's boyfriend asked as he and she leaned in close to observe the fact that the Capsule was indeed out of contents. Pressing the button did nothing. Bulma clicked it, making Krillin flinch only for nothing to happen again and again.
"If a Capsule detects Capsule Corp. technology in the phasing process it deletes the contents of the original Capsule. You all saw me put in there, right?" The group all nodded in mostly unison. "Well now Krillin can't open it."
"So you mean it disappeared?" Videl inquired, furrowing her black brows at the blue haired executive.
"Yup."
"Where did it go?" Gohan asked, rubbing the back of his head.
"I have no idea." Bulma said with raised shoulders.
"So-"
"-He just got erased from existence." She replied curtly.
"Are you kidding me?" Krillin asked, face like a nodding bobblehead as it swerved back and forth between Bulma and the Capsule that definitely didn't house Syn Shenron.
"No-ho-hope. The whole point is that during the phase, all Capsule Corp. technology and anything inside is wiped at a molecular level."
"..."
"So that bag really had the bad guy in it?"
Krilin nodded his head slowly.
"Then we got him." Bulma said with a thumbs up.
"Yes! Nice! Ha-Haa! Finally! Something to celebrate!" Krillin roared as he swung his real and artificial hand in victory.
"Raditz!" Bulma shouted over the chaos as the mishmash of talking animals, Earthlings, and non-Earthlings alike let their thoughts breathe.
"What!?" He shouted back.
"You said you wanted me to mock up a Scouter? I could~ but like I need more parts. You guys would have to find stuff that's not already destroyed in here or go elsewhere and I'd have to do it from scratch. The whole reason I put the mesh on the inside is so that you could charge it while fighting. Going in blind's not perfect, and I don't want you guys to get hurt but we need you to get a move on. What'd you call em', The Shadow Dragons?"
Krillin nodded in kind.
"That Pollution Shadow Dragon is a serious threat. We have to get rid of his influence right away. I'll make the Scouter if you want me to, but we don't have much time."
"Who's going?" Piccolo barked with authority, looking around the room with a furrowed brow.
"I'll go! One Arm and I have already been to ground zero. We have…" The pair of full Saiyan and full Earthling locked eyes, the both of them nodding in perfect synchronicity. "...Some context."
"Count me in then." Krillin said as he shifted his eyes to the one third Namekian, one third Demon, one third Ex-Guardian.
"We have to stop Babidi. He thinks he's doing something noble. That's what he claims anyway…" Goku commented as he balled his off hand tight outside the mesh.
"How are you going to get back Erasa!? Where did that Cell guy even take her!?" Videl's voice barged in.
"Pua'! Pua'! Did Cell take Pua'!?"
"What?" Yamcha shouted from across the garage, his intonation even more distraught than previous.
"When Cell took Gohan's friend, Pua' went missin'! I don't know where that scaredy cat got off to, but I hesitate to think that he actually tried to stop the guy."
"Grooo~ Groo!" Icarus concurred, nodding her head and nudging it into Oolong.
"Listen!"
"..." The group were all silenced by the demonic growl that echoed through their subconscious. Piccolo's sharp stare shot all across the room in frantic but assured eye contact with each and every member.
"We have two problems. Cell. Pollution Shadow Dragon. Who's going where, and who's staying back? That's All we need to know. I don't want to hear Any argumentation. Any more outbursts and we might as well be handing over the Earth for free."
"..." Yamcha's jaw almost cracked as he gnashed his teeth into each other. "I'm going to find Cell."
"Then it's you and me, Mongrel." The Demon declared as he pointed and accusatory pointer finger at The Wolf who looked less like an Earthling and more like a predator.
"... I'll stay back." Goku's calm voice commented amongst the commotion.
"Then it's up to old One Arm and me to play pest control."
"Debrief! Debrief!" Bulma clamoured with arms flared out and waving around as sporadically as she could manage. The Capsule Corp. CEO zipped over to the middle of the huddle. "I hope I don't have to tell you this but don't let the helmet sustain too much damage. But the real thing is this. The oxygen Capsule lining the hip." She relayed, pointing to the inside of the suit, the singular standout piece that wasn't the neon green and grey mesh. "That's what's gonna let you breathe, so make sure not to get hit on the hip while you're in there. I also designed them to expand and contract cause I know you guys have all those weird techniques."
"Whew~" Krillin let out an exhausted exhale, hyping himself up with a slap to the face and a few hops before climbing into the suit. He zipped it up and let the helmet fall into place.
Shuu~Clicc.
"On that button panel on your left arms, This button. That's gonna suck out all the excess so that you don't go immediately getting swallowed up by that fog." She said as she pointed down to what was effectively a keyboard attached to the left arms of the suits. "And this is a fog light, like, lighthouse level flashlight. I assume it's gonna be hard to see in that storm so I thought it would be silly to go without it. Also, this one, Raditz. This one's for you."
"Hmm?" The Saiyan hummed, raising a brow as she marched over to him and pointed to a button with a full moon icon.
"Bluntz Waves. This should shoot out an artificial moon just in case you need it." As soon as the words left her lips a sly smile crept across his face.
"HAH-HAH-HAH!"
Shuu~Clicc.
Immediately, Krillin undid the hatch on his space helmet and spawned his left arm closer into his chest, finagling his limb to grab one of the Sensu Beans in his pants pocket.
"Alright! That's all for the debrief. Now if you get killed out there, that's your fault. Not mine."
"Thanks, Bulma."
"Raditz!"
Fwip.
Raditz looked down at the tiny bean in his hand before shoving it into the khaki shorts he wore underneath the astronaut gear.
"Just in case. And uhh…" He sighed, looking down at the now more modest number. "I have no energy… I have to take one… damn…" Krillin didn't let aloud. "I guess I'll leave the rest here. That's four. We only got four left."
Goku snatched up the airborne beans and laid them flat on the table. He saluted his friend and his brother with his index and middle finger.
"One more. Goku. Catch!" Krillin yelled as he unzipped his suit from the chest and tossed the unhealthy blue orb across the garage.
"Huh? Is… this a Dragon Ball?"
"..." Krillin couldn't keep eye contact, just nodding towards the tile floor.
"Get that to Korin." Yamcha spoke up. "He'll know what to do."
"Alright, Raditz. You ready?"
"A Saiyan is always ready."
Krillin zipped up his suit and hit the node with his index and brought down his helmet, sealing it tight. Raditz did the same just before The One Armed Man waltzed over and put his hand on his.
"..."
"Are we going or not?"
"I dunno. I'm trying to use Instant Transmission but it doesn't seem to want to go. I'm full on energy it just- Oh!" Krillin undid his helmet.
Vwa-Vwee~
The warping lines stopped just short. Krillin nodded at the revelation.
"We'll have to go to the outskirts. I can't teleport unless I touch my forehead. The glass lid doesn't count."
Vwa-Voosh!
"You ready, Young Yamcha?"
"... Where'd he go?"
"You think I know?"
"..."
"I can't sense Cell's Ki anywhere and there's no clues. So our only hope right now is to ask Baba. I just hope we don't have to jump through any hoops to get that old hag to spit it out."
"Guys." Goku prompted before tossing a bean for each of them. Piccolo tossed it back only for Goku to return it again.
"I don't need it, Mongrel. We don't have very many left. We have to save them." Piccolo retorted, throwing the bean back only for Goku to return it right back to sender again.
"When we were at Babidi's, lack of energy was one of our main downfalls. Are you sure you can go without it? I don't think you can, buddy. We've got no more room for mistakes."
"The only thing we have to get done right this second is Krillin and Raditz destroying that Shadow Dragon and then clearing out the gunk. If we have to settle for another scouting mission, then so be it. We're at our worst when we all can't work together. Cell's too strong for only Yamcha and I to engage. We're coming back for you, Goku if we see him." The Demon relayed as he relinquished the Sensu Bean one final time.
"If I see Cell, I'm not gonna stop just to scout, Piccolo."
"... Hmm~" Piccolo grumbled, cracking his neck again and taking in a sharp breath through his long nose. "I know that, Mongrel. Just keep your head above water. Ready?" He asked as he pressed his index and middle finger into his thick green brow. Yamcha let out a sigh and placed a palm on his cape.
Vwa-Vloiish!
"Piccolo. I had a feeling you'd come here."
"Hope the air is treating you well."
"Thanks for your concern." Baba chided, going so far as to wear a gas mask. The ghosts and goblins corralled around the main room, trinkets, bobbles, incense and bubbles from a cauldron in the back fought against the foul odours permeating out from the south winds. Within Baba's Palace, the air might as well have been business as usual, the foul fog seemed to stop just short of the arch. Piccolo's sharp senses took him aback. The winds were far more favourable here than at Capsule Corp. Almost none of the putrid fog seemed to want to pass through the threshold of Baba's Palace.
"Where's Cell?"
"Oh-Ho! You think I just know these things?"
"I think that if you don't tell Young Yamcha and I, things are about to get a whole lot worse. And it's not gonna have to be Me putting you in your place this time."
"Ha-Ha-Ha! I've lived through my fair share of dark ages, Piccolo. This sure is the worst of them all. And you're not even aware of the problems more dangerous than Cell."
"Impossible."
"I see…" Mystical mists appeared from every corner of the main hall as Yamcha clenched his jaw and tapped his feet on the tile. The ether spread out and visions appeared in her divining orb. "An unhealthy appetite that just might put the Earth in danger anyway."
"Speak clearly, Baba."
"You should know well enough by now, that sometimes I'm joking and sometimes I have to make an educated guess. I don't know all the answers, Piccolo. I see… A Dragon! … He's not the one you're worried about. And… I see… pink. Durable, resourceful, quick on his feet, he just won't stay down. I see… well I don't know what that is. Three things." Baba said as she gazed deep into the ball and raised three fingers in tandem. "People? Maybe. Allies? Perhaps. Enemies? Wouldn't doubt it with our luck today. I hear music. Beautiful." As she said it, soft woodwinds aired out into the temple.
"Go back. Pink?"
"Yes! And… three eyes." She said as a bead of sweat dribbled down her wrinkly skin, she stared into the abyss, and three crimson red rings stared back through her crystal ball.
"Unbelievable. We locked him away. You're scrying is off, you old witch."
"... Cell is not here."
"Come again?"
"Cell isn't showing up on any of these prophecies. He's a non-issue. You have other things to worry about. Only in what, a scant few of these tellings is he anything more than a bump in the road. Right now, the dragon's roar is the loudest calling out to me."
"Makes sense." Piccolo responded. "Is that the one Krillin and Raditz are pursuing?"
"Hmm… the sickly winds are a constant. Even if they are to make something happen on their end, to wipe away all that was done unto the planet is no easy task."
"Okay..." Piccolo said as he crossed his arms. The ghosts, ghouls, goblins, and other various members of 'staff' Baba had lined up behind her, peering into the orb like a television screen.
"No. That is not the dragon we should be worried about."
"There's 7 right?"
"No."
"What?" Piccolo's turban almost came off with how erratic his brow twitch was.
"Well yes, but no." Piccolo rolled his eyes at her assessment. "There are now only two Shadow Dragons walking this Earth. Your worry should be placed in finding the other digging through the ground."
"What about Cell? You said I shouldn't worry about him, but why? We need to rescue Gohan's friend."
"This is why."
Baba parted the smoke and presented the crystal sphere, the flashing lights illuminating the dark damped corridors of her temple flared to reveal a giant mound of green gum. It oozed with strange welts, warts, and water dribbling out the bottom. Its surroundings were rattling chains, and all manner of scribbles and papers.
Cell
Erasa's worried eyes darted back and forth as the empty temple smelled of wet metals and old dusty chalks. There were several openings as each floor was held up only by pillars, no walls at the ends of the building, just several stone poles and statues spanning out forever in every direction. Chanting cultsmen blocked her path as the strange bug man with speckled black spots and wings argued with a small mustard coloured goblin. They yelled like a married couple, piquing her interest only for it to return back to survival mode, looking for any conceivable way out.
"I need energy."
"Come again?"
"I can't just use that technique forever! I need sustenance! Can't get that through your thick skull, you big brained retard!?"
"Just great! You're less obedient than Buu and now you're telling me you can't even use Instantaneous Movement whenever I tell you!? Buu was blinking along the galaxy like it was just another walk in the park! I can feel your energy levels! You're stronger but somehow a worse asset in almost every regard!"
"..? Buu? Who's Buu?"
"..." Babidi's jaw went slack as he locked eyes with the murderous and sassy intent of The 'Free' Man.
"..! Wait a second. How silly of me. I don't even have to aim at you. Sorry Erasa." Cell said as he spared a glance for the girl in front of the priests in robes. A purple surge of plasma bounded out of him in arcs of electricity and pulses of barely visible steam. The ground cracked underneath his stature and he yelled for good measure, egging along his prowess. As he did so, Babidi's eyes widened. "Nnn!" Cell's body jolted to a halt and the warping energies wavered, coming, but mostly going as he held his hand out towards the floor.
"You're a wild one~" Babidi claimed as he held his hand out in response. Cell's arm wiggled ever so slightly and his teeth grit together.
"I see now, Babidi. There is a fatal flaw in your technique. Whatever it is that you're using to take control of me requires your attention and focus. You can't make me do something unless your attention is available. Can you outlast me?" Cell said, smiling. "You can't even beat me. I doubt it."
"I thought you said you were out of energy!" Babidi howled as sweat built up on his wrinkly forehead.
"I still have more than enough to blow this little hole you call a home back to the dark ages. It's entirely up to whether or not you can hold out long enough for me to do that."
"So you're a liar, too?"
Perhaps. But also, Instant Transmission was mostly off of the table because of the end cost, rather than the buy-in.
"You don't reveal your strategies until it's gametime." Purple arcs of spark slipped out in droves, driving to the ground and rooting in the temple tiles as Cell likewise sweated over his black bug armour and let a smile take shape.
"It wasn't a very good strategy, Cell."
"It wasn't?"
"No!"
Cell felt it in the very core of his being, as if being scolded by a parent, brought right back to a moment in time, watched over by two old men, high expectations, no room for error. The same feeling washed over him as Babidi finally waved his off hand.
"You may have found it out, unlike Buu, but you're still under my command! Any good strategy has a backup!"
"Pappara Pappara!"
As Babidi retracted his right hand, he casted a warping spell underneath, forcing the stray energy Cell hand in his hand to retreat back into his system. As it did so, his left hand shot a mystical spread of energy and a mangy mass of energy exploded into a bouncy ball. The collective explosive shot rang out and slippery slime slapped onto the walls. Cell's tall physique was replaced by a mucky green sphere of a brain, or more accurately, was swallowed up by such, The Sealed Ball Technique.
"Heh…" Babidi grunted out, eyes sharper and more aggressive than ever. Sweat poured down his body and he gulped down breath after breath as the orb slime pulsed with energy and disagreement. "Heh…" He breathed out again, trying to recuperate. He shook his head. "I wasted a Seraph on him? I got too ahead of myself. Buu is a far more worthy candidate for a Seraph. No matter. I can still keep him under lock and key this way."
Dun-Dunn!
The ball sounded off like a beating heart, an organic drum, steady palpitations combined with uneven pulses caused goosebumps to run all along Erasa's arm as she saw the man dragging her into this mess get put away by whatever it was the goblin cast. Her eyes widened further as The Wizard flicked his right hand across the air and spawn an inked feather. In his left conjured a scroll-like piece of parchment that he immediately went to write upon. Her brows contorted as the speed at which he wrote was indecipherable and he stuck various scripts all along the bumping wad of green gum.
"Lock this one up. Get the chains and be prepared to place him over where The Eternal Dragon is."
"Yes, Lord Babidi."
"Yes, Master Babidi."
"Right away, Master Babidi." A few of the clansmen spoke, rolling The Sealed Ball across the tile until they made way towards Oceanus Shenron's chamber.
Puar filed in, swallowing harshly as he saw Babidi's gaze fixate upon Gohan's friend.
"You. You've brought me something special by your being here."
"... What?"
"You've seen one of my family's many headstones. We leave them behind on planets we've visited for extra insights and reminders. My family lineage is long and storied, and somewhere along the way we're bound to miss a few things so we make sure to mark our territory wherever we go. Planet Zoon was the last new planet my family has visited so I made sure to mark one there since my father neglected to."
"..." The previous heat that gave way to sweat turned the slowly trickling liquid into an ice cold stream.
"Now. My patience is running thin. As you can see, I'm a man of diplomacy. If I can avoid hurting others, I'd prefer to do that. And if I can still allow you some modicum of free will I'd prefer to do that too. But I'm more than willing to bend you to my will for our benefit. And… it's not like you haven't been under my spell before."
"..."
"So. What do you say? Will you go and grab up the headstone without fuss? Or are you going to force my hand like my unsupportive subordinate?"
"... Yeah, I'll go."
"Excellent! I'm glad you can see reason, Erasa. My name is Babidi. Apologies for giving you the wrong impression." He said with a wicked smile and an outstretched hand. Erasa gulped down as she pressed her hand into his tiny appendage and shook with caution. "Now! If it wasn't already obvious. We're a far cry from West City. And I'm not leaving here, I have an entire nation to look after. My last… well let's just say, Attendant, didn't work out so well. And the one before that was abducted and taken away from me. So the only real choice I have left is to hope the script I wrote for that Eternal Dragon turns out. So let's see." He said with a bit of hesitation, clearing his throat as he cast another long scroll into existence, except this time with writing already emblazoned all over it. "Hmm…" He clicked his tongue as he pored over the pages, bunching it up as he scanned it with the quickness, able to deduce all the relevant information in a single bat of the eyes.
"..." Erasa spared another glance for the temple's empty structure, unrestrained and somehow still daunting in its presence, claustrophobic.
"I don't think there are any additions I could make right now unless this little thing was willing to come away with more than what it's already given me." The Wizard claimed as he brandished The 1 Black Star Dragon Ball. Puar's whiskers twitched and the shadowy hood covering his face did a good job masking his inability to stay stoic. "So! Our only choice right now is to lay low and make sure this script is as good as it can be, and if it's good enough, that'll mean I can use The Lock on that Eternal Dragon over there."
Snapp!
"Get the girl and I some drinks! I'm parched! And I'm going to go berserk if this weakening script for The Lock doesn't end up working And I'm thirsty! Chop chop! Get to it!" He shrieked, waving his hands like a toddler before waddling back up the steps towards the throne. Erasa gazed back towards the double dose of strange brainmatter-esque pods bleeding and locked in chains. The green and purple goop that oozed out of Cell's pod was washed away by a combination of magics and mop work by the staff.
"Oh gosh~ Cell's in that thing? This Babidi guy is so scary~ He could cast a spell that could defeat Lord Yamcha at any moment." Puar's whimpers almost entered the airwaves but he did as best he could from leaking information. "I thought Cell had a plan and he just got packed up like a Capsule."
Goku
"Yeeeap, this is bad." Kami stated as his whiskers bounced in a melting pot of terror, intrigue, anxiety, and humour. "Ho-ho-holy crap." He laughed out as his toe beans felt the sheen of the blue Dragon Ball. The 1 Star Dragon Ball was clear to see, clear as day, but this time, a blue hue and a deep purple instead of the bright orange and captivating red. It was cracked down the middle and was already in two pieces by the time Goku had handed it off. He placed the shoddy deconstruction down next to The 4 Star Stone. "Weird."
The wind tossed his hair around like a hackysack as he made his way closer, pressing his feet against The Lookout's tile.
"What is it?" Goku asked as he squatted down next to Korin.
"Well look here. This is from The Shadow Dragon, right?"
"Think so. It's the one Krillin brought back."
"Right. But look hea'. This is from the same set. Our set. Kami's set. But one's stone, and the other's this uhh… yanno. Not orange."
"Huh." Goku said with wide eyes. "You're right."
"Depending on how much these little things are influenced it might be a worse idea to make a set mimicking whatever these things are now." Kami pondered as he picked up one half of The 1 Star Ball. "These little guys have been stuck inside those Shadow Dragons all day. They might be more negative than The Black Star Dragon Balls."
"Well that's no good."
"You're right, Goku. That is no good. Hmm."
"Hmm." Goku hummed along, taking on a thinking pose by posturing his right hand underneath his chin, 'standing' at equal heights with the new Guardian of Earth thanks to his low squat.
"There's basically nothin' left in this thing. No energy at all. If you gathered the whole set of these you couldn't do anything with it." Kami said, a sigh immediately following. "Which means my best bet is to use Tha Black Star Dragon Balls Yamcha gave me to make something happen."
Goku's chipper demeanor fell away again and he looked down at the little white cat in priestly white and blue robes.
"Ayy, look. Leave the thinkin' to me, Goku. You go out there and protect the world from its most heinous evils like you always do."
"I'm going to. But…"
"But what, huh? Youa' tha' best. No fear, all action. They respect you cause you get it done."
"..!"
"You think that little ragtag group a' yours woulda' been here for you if you hadn't shown them the way?"
Goku's thoughtful face shifted into a sharper declaration, and a passage of rage and determination wrote over him.
"Youa' the reason I'm even wearin' these robes, Goku. Don't you ever forget that."
"That's not true. You earned em' fair and square."
"That's not true either. We were dead in the water if you hadn't been there to protect Kami and myself time and time again."
"Thanks, Kami."
Vwa-Vuish!
As he came back into the garage, everyone gasped and then relaxed.
"I'm not gonna lie. I get antsy everytime I see those little lines." Bulma breathed out.
"Seriously. Everytime I see one of those I don't have any idea who it's gonna be." Chi-Chi said as she held Goten close to her chest.
"Dad!"
"Hey, Goten." He replied with an earnest pat on the head as the little tyke rushed to grab onto his pants leg.
"Goku!" Videl shouted from across the way.
"..?"
"My phone."
"What about your phone?"
"I don't know if I got this right but… you put him, In my phone, right?"
"Yeah. Piccolo used The Evil Containment Wave to lock Babidi's right hand man away. I don't know much about the technique other than Master Roshi, Tien, and Piccolo can do it. I saw Piccolo do it back at The 23rd Budokai. Why do you ask?"
"Well… how long do they stay in there?"
"Forever is what I heard." Bulma said.
"Yea'. I rememba' back at The 22nd, Roshi said Piccolo was locked up in it after his old master put him in a rice cooka'." Oolong said, hands in his pockets as he looked up at all the people in the room who were taller than him, which was everyone.
"Piccolo was?"
"No, no, not that Piccolo. Demon King Piccolo."
"..." Goku stared back, gulping down and fixing his tank top.
"Apparently they stay in there foreva' unless someone undoes the seal." The Pig replied with a shrug.
"That's what I'm worried about." Videl immediately put forth.
"What for? Ain't Piccolo and Krillin lock that thing away in The Lookout? It's Gotta be safe there, right?" Oolong raised a brow.
"No. My phone's just got a little problem with the back. … I guess it's no big deal."
"It's seems like a big deal to me, sista'. What are you on about?" The Pig asked, putting all eyes on her.
Majin Buu
Clicc. Clacc.
The soft shapes evolving and distorting in the desolate chasm of the chamber cared not for anything, they amassed untold characteristics only to discard them mere moments later. The unstable nature of the colours were the only thing not constant in The Room of Spirit and Time, not even the phone that used to lay perfectly still.
Mopp! Clatta~
The back half of the phone just detached, popping off the hinges and rattling onto the floor, spilling out the battery with it. Only the lego block detachment came with a lot more than just a three card pickup. Buu's body sprouted into existence, a flash of white and green as ghostly auras escaped with him. His three eyes opened and revealed an unknown landscape to him. He looked right, empty jars and jugs, he looked left, vacant beds and unstocked shelves. His face twitched as the ethereal air pressed into him and he stood tall over Videl's phone on the table, cracking its face as a result, but he was far more concerned with the shifting shades of mostly blue but most assuredly purples and greens. The otherworldly bend The Room of Spirit and Time possessed compelled Majin Buu to hop off the stone plate and land on the steps.
He ventured forward and reached out for the contorting visions. As soon as he placed his brown boot on the mystical force he slipped in.
Gloop!
"Mmm!" He let out with a strange grunt as his 'foothold' slipped and he fell further into the mist. The floor beneath him was not floor, but not exactly a liquid either. He sank down deep on his right but somehow stayed completely afloat, held sternly by the aura on his left. It kept going until he was forced into a split position and the rest of his frame got gobbled up by the unknown environment. He clamped down hard on his foot, repositioning squarely over his left.
"..!" His brows shot to the roof only to actually catch it this time as an untold force prevented his eyebrows from going any higher. Even then, his attention was stolen by the fact that the floor beneath his right side just sidled back into a position, a puddy, a malleable flooring. He sauntered backwards onto the more stable ground of the last tile steps and kept his focus.
"Right." Buu stated as he came too, his autopilot fading by the moment. "This is some sort of training room set up. What's this place called? The Lookout. This body seems to remember." The Madjinni's thick pink gummy worm eyebrows curled in and his menacing red stare almost lit the oaken wood denoting the exit on fire.
Before he even realised it, his hand was on the knob, turning it.
"..!"
A cold silence ushered in. The room was truly dead silent, the only sounds were his own, his life's system, the strange sounds the inner workings of his body made were the only things audible. He blinked, and then he blinked a second time, taking a step back from the door.
"Babidi's out there."
"..."
"Babidi!"
"-abidi! -abidie~ -oddity~"
He shot a glance backward only for the shape of his thoughts to come to fruition. The Wizard glared at him from the shifting mist.
"Babidi?"
"Hyahaha-Ha-Huh-Heh-Hah-Hah!"
ZNNNN! Wshahhh~
His fist carved through the ever changing blue fog like butter. The Wizard disappeared, his voice nothing but whispers until they stopped echoing through the chamber.
"Wait..? Babidi can always hear me when I say his name… Babidi!"
"..."
"Babidi!"
"-abidi! oddity~"
"Babidi!"
"Babidi!" He shouted up towards the ceiling.
His last shot rang out, scrunching up the mist in the back from a gelatinous form into a bricky block. A stone wall of strange force only for it to mellow out soon enough, spilling back out into the aether like an emptied pool.
"He's not here… He can't hear me…"
"Babidi!"
He pivoted away from the brown wood and retracted his hand from its handle. Surveying the land, no traces of The Wizard. His brow furrowed, the last memories one of intense struggle but more importantly, and more accurately, his real last memories being much the same as this.
"In one place and out the next."
If you recall. The Evil Containment Wave actually maintains the consciousness of the being placed inside the medium. So they aren't allowed to skimp out on the process of what it's like in solitude. The recent reality of the electronic captivity was all too familiar.
Buu scoured the place from top to bottom, the call to action in his gut not present. He felt it in the recesses of his being. Babidi couldn't tell him what to do, not in here. He shouted one more time, mostly for himself. The callout rang through the aether and a wry half-smile formulated over his lips before he knew it.
This is The Law of Separation. Only beings on Angel level are capable of bypassing this rule. When a magic, spell, or technique is used upon a target, much like Majin Buu here, it's capa-
"I already know this, Whis. Can't you just skip ahead?"
"Hey~ But I like watching in real time. It's more fun that way. Having to wait it out like a regular Earth mortal is fun."
"No it's not. You're omniscient, you fae bastard."
"You interrupted my explanation. I'm going to have to start over again."
"No you won't. See it's like this, audience, The Law of Separation is basically what happens when you use an EMP on an electronic device. So long as you stay in a separate dimension from the original technique you'll no longer suffer the adverse effects of the curse. And in some instances, the devices will lose total function instead of just temporary loss in use. Like this one to Majin Buu. See how he doesn't have the M anymore? That means my boi is no longer under Babidi's control."
"Oh, so he's your boi now?"
"This is a classic underdog story, Whis. Majin Buu is against the odds, having to fight against a slave master, rambunctious Earthlings who don't know how rowdy they are, and several Shadow Dragons. You think I'm not going to root for the little guy? He's the only one even interested in becoming a Destroyer. I have things riding on this you know."
"Sounds like you're quite invested."
"Put a sock in it."
"Is someone here?"
"What is it, now? I was watching something!"
"Ah-hem."
Syn
In a flash, Syn Shenron was blasting, tearing the surreal khaki brown sandscape around him with laser blasts, swinging fists, and lightning bolts that ultimately did nothing to the prison that housed him. He roared, yelling his head off as he made true effort after effort to make any headway out of the Sensu Bean bag he inhabited. But before he knew it, it was all over. A bright bang, a soft metal hum, a brilliant white light overtook everything.
Immediately after, The White Shadow Dragon appeared in a galaxy-laden tunnel of sorts. His frame warped and distorted under the powerful currents that blasted into him from below. They also tore his frame on all sides, from left to right, right back the other way, and pressing down on him like the hand of God itself wanted to squash Syn Shenron like a bug. The only item anchoring Syn's position was a truly titanic set of double doors somewhat aloft from his shifting position. Try as he might he couldn't move, nor could he conjure up any of the energy or electricity bubbling up inside him. His rage came to a boil under the air-based assault and the two gigantic slabs of wood opened swiftly only to close the same way.
TAH-TOOOHMMMM!
"What in the Hell are you doing here?" A maroon ogre matching the size of the doors he just came through was adorned with a viking cap, and a pinstripe suit. He fixed the glasses donned over his bulbous nose, gazing down at Syn Shenron's somewhat impressive resistance against the flow. "Well I can tell you've got a couple more seconds than the last couple people who came through here. Annin!"
"What's up?"
"You were the one who let people into this entrance of Other World last time. Care to explain?"
"What do you mean, King Yemma?"
"... Nevermind. Looks like this one came from somewhere else."
"... Gshahhhhh~" Syn looked to burst or slash his way forward but the invisible pressure bearing down on him from all sides stalled him out.
"Welp." Yemma grunted, scratching his bushy beard on the side before shrugging his shoulders. "I guess I'll just send you where I sent the last set of troublemakers. I got work to do."
Syn made one last rampant approach as the suspended air current chamber depressurized from Yemma's opening of the large doors. The White Shadow Dragon barely caught on, cracking the wood and preventing The King from closing it completely.
"What the fuck is this!?"
"Bruh, the reason I killed myself was because existence was NOT hitting, you telling me there's a whole life after all this crap? Gimmea break."
"HUH!? What's behind the door, bruh!?" The cloudy white line of mostly impure souls stretched on farther than the bridge leading in did.
Blue demons in suits and ties yelled their heads off as they saw Syn Shenron hold his own against King Yemma's attempted closure.
"King Yemma!"
"No! Like really! Who is this guy!?" Another tiny ogre shouted with shrill vocals, falling on her ass as the spiky, razor sharp White Shadow Dragon barged through the barrier.
Syn's body almost immediately sucked back into the aether but he fought for every inch as Yemma took a retreating step, his heavy foot shaking the foundations of The Check-In Station. He sniffed a big one and let The White Shadow Dragon through.
"King YEMMA!" His demonic associates yelped in unison as the doors were breached by The White Shadow Dragon.
King Yemma's brow furrowed and he reared back both of his enormous arms. They came together in a showstopping clap as the whipping winds from behind started to suck the unfortunate souls of North Galaxy's Check-In Station.
You didn't think there was just one, did you? Of course not. If there are four Quadrant Kais then of course there have to be four different denominations for The Check-In Station. There are four red ogres hard at work filing papers for the undead, but there is only one King Yemma.
South Galaxy.
A maroon ogre, the same as Yemma, everything down to the minute details of his scraggly beard, except his suit was green, vanished. The clouds waiting in line stood stunned as he vaporised out of thin air.
"He can do that?"
"Bruh."
"Who's gonna approve my paper?"
East Galaxy.
Much the same. Even across the epic expanse of orange clouds spanning the entirety of Other World, the sheer oomph on King Yemma's clasp could be heard, and when everyone did, King Yemma's other forms dissipated.
"Am I going to Heaven? Or Hell? It's like a fun little game."
"This is fucked up."
West Galaxy.
"What gives? This dude can just up and leave!? He was on MY paper! Come on Mannn~" Her cloudy form cried real tears onto the carpet as she floated at the front of the line.
The rest of his three variants flowed through him, instantly materialising in his body as soon as his massive hands touched from the clap. His muscles bulked, barely contained by the previously baggy suit. Syn launched from the doorframe only to be shoved right back in by an assured left palm strike. He spun out wildly and Yemma compelled him upwards with a point from his left index, bookending it by closing the door on him for sure this time.
"Whoa! What was that!?"
"He can do more than just sign papers!?
"Alright, that's enough."
CLAPP! THOOOOOOOOHMMMMM!
"Below. Above. Below."
"..."
SUUUUUUUUUUU~
The galaxy surrounding him fell away to another bright light, and then to water as he plunged headfirst into an unfamiliar lakebed. He breached the fluid with sharp eyes, looking for any reason to throw hands. Electricity trickled off of him as he waded the water and climbed onto the shore line. His body trembled with a two-piece of anger and energy as the yellow arcs traveling his frame rooted down into the grass below. Pink skies and a lack of trees pulled Syn's vision forward to a group of three critters in butler's outfits.
"It's bustin' my balls workin' for this creep! I can't do this anymore!"
"Uhh~ I don't know, Sire. Working for Beerus ain't that bad."
"Think about the benefits, Emperor. We don't have to pay for our own electricity anymore. And Lord Beerus is actually really nice."
"I ain't paid the government shit! That's why they tried to get me for tax evasion! And another thing! When we're not right in front of him, stop calling him Lord Beerus! He's not a Lord, I am!"
"Yes, Emperor."
"Who's dat ova' dea'?" Shu asked, taking a hand off the tray and pointing towards the spiky aberration drenched in fluid.
"I don't know, but I'm kicking his ass! I had a rough day!"
"Sire, it was just one batch of bad cookies. You can make a better set next time."
"That mangy hairless cat doesn't deserve a single cookie from me ever again!" Pilaf howled as his head ballooned up to epic proportions. "Hey! You!"
"Dah~ Emperor!" Mai yelped as Pilaf tossed his silver platter aside, dangerously close to letting the metal touch the grass had she not utilised ninja-like reflexes.
"Nice goin', Mai."
"Thanks, Shu."
"..." Syn stared back with a vengeance, his red eyes glowing with power as the lightning resonated off his frame. The water flowing from his body all but disintegrated from the aura that kept expanding outwards.
Ttzztztzt!
"You ain't got free passage! There's a toll! Pay up! 50,000 P-Bucks!" He roared, firing off multiple repetitions of his middle finger and thumb's contact. "And make it snappy!"
"But, Sire! How's he supposed to pay!?" Shu barked as he shivered and his wagging tail went stiff. " Ehhh~ We haven't established an economy yet! He don't even have P-Bucks!"
"He'll be our new lackey! We'll make him swab the floors and clean the fishtanks!"
"That'd take the load off." Mai said as she shifted her body language into an off-centre-line sassiness. "Those fish are freakin' ruthless."
"You! Payub-"
THOKK! PYUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu~
Pilaf's body flew across the realm, twinkling like a star as he reached the apex of the skyline. Screaming all the while, his yodel ceased soon enough as well before he landed in an epic cannonball across the lake.
"You!"
"Yessah?" Shu answered back, standing stiff as a board. It didn't last long, while he maintained good posture, his body shook terribly and the last burnt cookie atop the plate he held jittered off onto the grass.
"Where am I!?" His grouchy, gravelly voice boomed, shaking the pair to their core.
"You're on Lord Beerus' Planet, sir! He's Universe 7's God of Destruction, sir! He usually doesn't take kindly to visitors, sir! This is not Earth if that's what you're asking, Ma'am! Oohp!" Shu shat out, dropping the platter and cowering, covering his furry head with his hands. "Oh, please don't kill me! Honest mistake! I didn't mean it! But also, sorry, maybe that was insensitive to assume you were a man eitha'! You could be anything! Maybe you don't even identify by labels! I didn't mean to-"
"-Shu."
"Huh?" The dog asked as he parted his paws, looking through the gap of his toebeans at Mai.
"He's gone."
"Whey'd he go?"
"I mean… I think that guy's doomed. He went towards Lord Beerus."
"Really? …" The dog underling of Emperor Pilaf's employ fished a pair of binoculars out of his suit jacket, watching as The White Shadow Dragon flew past, soaring along the grassline of the field.
Previously relaxing on a lawn chair, Beerus bickered back and forth until his ears twitched at the uncanny echo that breaking the sound barrier let off.
"Is someone here?" I asked, craning my neck down as I saw the hairless upper appendages of Beerus' head wiggle and The Cat God himself groan and shift to get off the chair.
"What is it, now? I was watching something. …" Beerus's brow furrowed and before Syn even got close he shelved his arms behind his back and radiated a quiet and collected aura, his energy a low hum and not one of dramatic bombast like Syn's as he tore across the skyline. "Oh how bothersome. I think it's one of those Shadow Dragons."
"I can't believe it." Syn remarked as he touched ground across the way, the three of them mere steps away from the palace.
"Well?" Universe 7's Cat God snarked. "Can't believe what? Out with it. It's not polite to leave a Destroyer hanging."
"Exactly that. I heard rumours of The Destroyers from Zalama. Your energy is pathetic. It might as well be a match for those fools I saw when I first landed here."
"Oh. You're talking about Pilaf, Shu, and Mai. Hnn-Hnn. Yes. Lord Beerus' power is near theirs at the moment."
"Then how in the world can You be a God of Destruction!? If that's the case I'll take the reins for you! You clearly aren't deserving of such a prestigious title!"
"You Literally couldn't make your way out of a paper bag. Get the Hell off my planet before I wipe my ass with one of your dragon scales." Beerus stated as he squatted down low on the grass and reared back his head, keeping both arms locked behind his back.
THOOOOOOOHHNNNN!
Beerus lunged forward, pressing into him as Syn Shenron darted forward as well. Beerus' chest touched his but his low to the ground effort was nothing in comparison to the weight, height, and positioning advantage. It didn't matter though. Syn was pushed back ever so slowly until he endeavored to throw. Universe 7's God of Destruction sidestepped with ease and reared back his head once more, readying a headbutt. But it wasn't a headbutt, he coughed, gagged, and then spat out a hairball.
"Guhuuuwhkk!" Beerus coughed up, slamming the hefty furball into Syn's face. It was covered with thick saliva and fluid dribbled down Syn's face in a mixture of spit and blue blood as The White Shadow Dragon died on the spot, falling limp onto the grass as the innocuous weight of Beerus' excretion continued to build.
"Should I get rid of that, Lord Beerus?" I posited as the ground beneath us started to sink and tremble, digging a ditch all of its own volition, a black hole of funky matted fur.
"What a silly ending, I thought you were an Eternal. But uhm~ looks can be deceiving." Beerus' nose twitched and he was incapable of holding back a stink face. "Oh Gods! That one was gross! Eugh! Hurry up and get rid of it!"
"As you wish, my Lord."
Majin Buu
Buu stood in front of the door once more, contemplating.
"What's on the other side? Is this too some sort of trap? I think this place is called The Lookout but what if Babidi or someone else has run the long game on me?"
Not just three minds, but four. Majin Buu's two halves in addition to Tien's knowledge and the technical skillset of Zauyogi.
Majin Buu's pink skin turned into nothing but a memory, his form completely blanketed by the stoic surroundings of the chamber. He took in a breath and delicately pressed open the door, taking a firm grip over the handle. The Madjinni looked left. Nothing. Right. Nothing, but mostly because it was just a wall at the end of the hall leading to nothing else, just a back alley shoved at the end of the corridor. He closed the door behind him and crawled on all fours, sticking to the floor and then ascending to the walls. He shimmied in selected, careful strides. His breath kept to a minimum as he stalked the unattended Lookout halls.
With each corner, each archway, each door or turn, Buu would shape his third eye's positioning along his skin, letting his arm slither around like a snake and scout ahead of him, Tien's contribution to the sneak appearing in the middle of his fleshy palm. Buu's brow furrowed.
"Two energies. There's some sort of gathering up at the top of The Lookout. If I had to guess… Kami. Popo."
Tien's visage flowed freely through Majin Buu. To copy a technique is no easy task, replication takes time, but Majin Buu was a master. The memories were like riding a bike, something he had already done despite not actually having done it before. Madjinni's are incredibly skilled with energy in their own right, and even if they weren't they have an inordinate amount of Ki to brute force the knowledge gathering process.
Buu serpentined around the hall with no hiccups until a booming surge of unignorable energy popped into existence like nothing.
"..!" Buu's antennae jolted at the presence. "... Goku! I can't let him feel my energy, or see me."
Buu's body glowed a mystical energy and the radiation surrounding him dulled even further as he crawled along the ceiling of The Lookout.
"Goku. What are you doin' hea'? I didn't expect to see you back so quick."
"Emergency! I'll tell ya later! Where is The Room of Spirit and Time?"
"At the very bottom of The Lookout that's not the separate entrance down into The Shinsekai." Popo answered in earnest.
"Bye!" Goku hollered as he hauled ass past the new Guardian of Earth and Mr. Popo to make way towards the temple's innards.
His rapid movements echoed and almost as soon as he entered, he came across Buu, dashing right under him.
Skweee~
"..?" Goku raised a brow, looking around only to see a slight cobweb hanging in the corner. "Hmm." He hummed, furrowing his brow before darting further into the recesses of The Lookout.
Buu's brow matched the father of two and he continued making headway up through the passage. Goku flung open the door to the chamber and his face tightened at the revelation. After picking up the pieces, Goku galloped back up The Lookout in a flash. He rummaged through the building, examining every nook and cranny, turning on the water facets, flinging open doors that lead to nothing but empty rooms. There were as many closets as there were guest bedrooms, not a sign of The Madjinni in sight. Armed with new intel, Goku sprinted back up the hall, passing Buu again before he had managed to breach the outside. His kung fu shoes squealed along the tile as he grinded to a halt.
"Did you guys see a pink guy with three eyes come through here?"
"No, Goku. Can't say I have… wait a sec. Isn't that the thing Piccolo and Krillin came here with?"
"Yes. And the guy we had locked in here escaped!"
"Oh boy."
"And you really haven't seen him!?"
"Sorry, Goku. If I have, I definitely wouldn't skimp on the details."
"Just great. How'd he get by me? Is he still in there? I didn't actually check the room! I'll be back!" Goku yelled as he dashed back into the hall at mach speeds. Winds bellowed and rocked out in all directions as Buu was forced to relocate lest he be run right over. Goku's shoes squealed again and the bottoms tore to shreds, basically nothing less than socks still hanging on by a thread at this point. "..?" Goku gazed back at nothing.
Majin Buu's brow sharpened as he locked eyes with the Saiyan, veiled by his borrowed technique.
"Sorry, Kami! I'll pay ya back later! Hmm!" Goku posed up, chambering his right hand at his side as he stared at the invisible nature of Majin Buu's frame.
"No way he can see me. No way."
Pah-POKK! SKFFF~
"What the heck, Goku!? You see somethin'!?" Kami shouted across the tile towards the entrance of the building. Tile ruptured and flew aloft as Goku's Kiai tore it to shreds, denting in the tile and causing debris to rain down into the hallway below. Majin Buu dodged and ducked to the outside.
"I can feel something! When I ran past him this time I felt the wind from my dash roll off his body! There's no way he's not here! King Kai trained me to feel everything in my surroundings! I can't sense his Ki or anything but his mass-"
Goku's sharp, truly focused stare burned a hole into Kami. His whiskers twitched and he saw the seriousness written all over him.
"He's here for sure." Goku claimed as the streams of Pure Ki radiated off him. His nose perked up and his ears shivered like a dog's. The wiry nature of Buu's invisibility became all too clear and his eyes widened. "You're holding my friend hostage! I won't go easy on you!"
Sparking! The second time today Goku had enacted the technique. Once is already an achievement, to enter a headspace totally enveloped by battle is difficult enough, but to do it again after your first activation before 2 hours had even passed is almost record breaking. As much as he loathed to admit it in front of Cell, this is most assuredly Goku's favourite kind of combat. True danger, a Saiyan's natural habitat.
Majin Buu dashed out of the way, making a break for it. With a pulse of Ki Sensing, nothing pinged back Goku's way, but with an addition of Pure Ki backing it, the second wave of Sensing revealed the shiny pearlescent outline of his foe, still no energy nor aura, but a physical, titilating sensation pulsed back into him. Buu curled up into a licorice strip and vaulted off The Lookout.
"Get back here!" Goku roared, following suit and leaping off the building on his own.
The storm raged, Haze Shenron's influence in the backyard of The Lookout. Electrical currents ran the gambit between acidic rains and caustic clouds. Goku flew through the air chasing after an invisible man, but soon enough, even he had to call it quits. The burning sensation eating away at his skin forced him to grit his teeth and pull out as not only did he have very little trail to follow, the corrosive effects of the storm shoved him out. He assumed the position and touched down back at The Lookout.
"Oh my~"
"Goku! Put some clothes on! What happened out theya'!?"
"The Shadow Dragon. His… his fog is almost at The Lookout."
"Yeah. I know that one, been smelling it for a while now. It getcha clothes?"
Goku nodded as he shook out the eroding rain still left in his hair.
"He used it as cover. I couldn't track him. I don't know if he got swallowed up in the mist or if he was lucky enough to get through. Couldn't tell…" Goku's fist trembled with equal parts anger, and disappointment with himself.
"Well alright, but let me get you situated. Don't want you going back down there without any clothes on."
Goku just looked down at the ground as Popo popped a new set out of thin air, dressing Goku in his garb.
"Thanks." Goku replied as he shed the turban and placed it over Kami's head. He flapped the red vest before:
"Piccolo."
"Son Goku?"
"Krillin."
"..."
"Looks like he's busy."
"Son Goku. Did something happen?"
"Yup. Babidi's henchman got away."
"WHAT!?"
"He's not in the phone anymore, and in my haste I let it get eaten up in the storm that Shadow Dragon kicked up."
"Goku just calm down and let me read your mind. It'll be faster that way.
Goku's jaw slacked and he let his rival take over.
"Tcheh. Unbelievable. So he got out through the mist."
"Yeah. Couldn't track him after he left The Lookout. That Shadow Dragon's pollution was the perfect smokescreen. I don't know how he was able to hide his sound, Ki, and make his body invisible all at the same time. I know I could get him in an enclosed space but there's no way I could track him down through that mist."
"Krillin and your Mongrel of a brother should be finishing that Shadow Dragon as we speak. Baba said there's something pink in our future and it looks like you just proved her right. Also."
"What is it, Piccolo?"
"Cell might be off our radar for now."
"How come?" Goku asked as a single bead of sweat formed over his temple.
"This is a bit of a leap on my part, but don't you remember this?"
Goku's mind was supplanted with an image of his own memory. A pulsating mound of sickly blue flesh.
"Yes!" Piccolo shook his fist in victory as the image came through and then reverberated back to him.
"Huh? What's that got to do with anything?"
"Babidi. Apparently you saw that when we were invading his sanctuary. It looks like some sort of spell he can cast. This one's Cell."
Sure enough, Goku saw a similar gummy sphere of brain matter but this time a forest green with black speckles strewn about its bumpy surface, bleeding greens and purples instead of blues and purples.
"Or at least that's what Baba claims. He's in some sort of forced hibernation I think."
"So all that we have left is to rescue Erasa?"
"Something like that. But I have no doubt that Babidi's going to be ready for us. We can't just break in like last time, if we even can."
"So Cell's working with Babidi?" The Wolf thought out loud.
"Yamcha!"
"Hey, Goku."
"Well I don't know. Apparently their partnership isn't working out very well if he just shut him out and turned him into a ball."
"But, so, Cell took Erasa to Babidi's utopia?" Goku asked.
"Most likely. If we want to get her back we'll have to storm the castle again."
"If they're not ready for me, it's already over." Yamcha pulsed through the line as he cracked his knuckles, his earnest intention surging through and lifting the three of their spirits.
"Baba!" Piccolo barked, making her and her entourage of ghosts and ghouls flinch. "I know you have some wards, and trinkets, and whatever else to nullify magical influence."
"Oh! So it's not just my fortunetelling abilities you'd like to use for free but you're actually here to steal my wares?"
"Bitch, the Earth is in danger."
"That doesn't matter. I still need some form of payment."
"Listen here. I'm not in the mood for your stupid jokes. We'll pay later if we have to but you're not really in a position to bargain." Piccolo stated as he dragged her off the orb by her robe collar.
"Alright, fine! Let go! Is that how you treat an old lady!?"
"I treat people how they deserve to be treated, you greedy old bastard." Piccolo parted ways, thrusting her back on the floating sphere of influence.
"Goku."
"What's up?"
"Yamcha and I are gonna line our pockets with some of Baba's anti-magic items. This is her whole job so if she sucks at this, that's on her, not us."
"..."
"You're gonna have to stay back until Krillin or Raditz come through on their end. We need to make sure Bulma and the others make it through."
"We need Korin safe though." Yamcha interjected. "He's making another set of Dragon Balls. If Goku wasn't there to scare Babidi's guy away then it might have been a disaster."
"It's already a disaster, Yamcha. I don't know how much worse it could get."
"I'm just saying we need someone to keep an eye on Korin as much as we need someone to guard Capsule Corp." The Wolf asserted a second time.
"Hmm. You're right."
"I'm going back to Capsule Corp. but I've wasted a lot of energy using Instant Transmission so I won't hesitate to use a Sensu Bean if I have to."
"Alright. We'll send communications your way if something changes on our end. See you around, Son Goku."
The husband of Chi-Chi nodded and assumed the position.
"Wait!"
"What is it?" Kami asked, forced to lift his head back a ways to gaze up at Goku's form.
"The Nimbus! Krillin saved The Spirit Ball from whiffing by asking Nimbus to catch it. Whatever happened to it? Nimbus!"
"..."
Fwoooooooooooooo~
The air brushed along the now unsanctimonious Lookout, moldy winds and thick gaseous clouds forming a miasmic barrier just outside on the back half of the temple in the sky. Nimbus took its sweet time, finally arriving through and pulling up close.
Vwerrrrrttt! Bvwoooww~ Bwowww~
Goku's stoic demeanor peeled away to reveal an intense, valiant smile as he stared at the still picture perfect Spirit Ball, energy radiated in perfect synchronicity.
"We'll save you for the right time, Buddy. Thanks for holding onto her, Nimbus." Goku said as he patted the cloud down like a pet.