--- Disturbance, Book 2: Divergence ---
Chapter D08 - Deify
Disclaimer: The fun about this sentence is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything, it's too late to stop reading it. Also: See first chapter.
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-All my devotion betrayed-
"As you've already seen from Oran and Lime's demonstration earlier, the Fusion Technique is kinda like a dance," Goku explained, in a rarely used lecturing tone. "You have to perform a specific series of movements, and your timing has to be right on. It's not that difficult to learn, but it does take a lot of practice, so, if you're ready, we'll begin."
"I should point out," Liran added from behind the older-but-younger man, "If you screw up the sequence one of two things'll happen. The fusion either won't happen, or it will happen, just not correctly."
"What the hell do you mean by 'it won't happen correctly'?" Trunks asked.
Liran just smiled. "It's not something you can really explain; you've gotta experience it yourself to truly understand it."
Goku cut the kids off before the argument he could sense coming could form. "Alright then, both of you go Super Saiyan." With a nod between them, Trunks burst into his ascended form, followed closely by Goten. "Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Next step, raise your levels as high as they can go."
Trunks smirked, casting a quick glance at Goten before saying, "Well, he asked for it, right?" When the younger boy signalled his agreement, the two let out a yell, their auras bursting into life around them as they brought all their power to the fore.
-I am no longer afraid-
"What is that?" Videl asked no one in particular, as she heard a steadily rising rumbling noise. Around her in the Lookout's courtyard, flakes of dust were crumbling away from the pillars and floating in the air, and the water in the pitcher she was carrying for Mr. Popo began rippling as if a series of drops were falling in the direct centre, albeit more violently. "Uh, what's going on you guys?"
Nearby, Krillin smiled. "Don't worry, it's just Goten and Trunks powering up. You haven't really seen the effects of even one person powering up have you Videl?" The girl shook her head. "Well, you'll find this sort of thing happens a lot. It doesn't help that Goten and Trunks are really strong for their age."
"Not surprising," Bulma added, "They do take after their fathers."
-I was too blinded to see-
"Ah, there's a sound I recognize," Popo commented to the nearby Dende. "It's comforting in a way isn't it?" Dende just chuckled a little in agreement. "It makes me think those boys can really do this."
Dende just nodded, letting out a regal-sounding "Yes."
-How much you've stolen from me-
Piccolo couldn't help but gape at the two boys; sure, he'd seen they were strong at the tournament, but he didn't know they were this strong. "Amazing, and at their age." The two boys both wore smirks, their golden auras burning brightly around them, although Trunks' was a little larger than Goten's.
"Good," Goku nodded, "Now raise it to your maximums."
The satisfied smirk was replaced by a look of confusion as both boys replied, "Huh? We did."
"Oh. Well in that case, Trunks, your level's a little too high." Trunks laughed sneeringly at Goten. "If you want the fusion to work, both of your power levels must be exactly the same. Trunks, take yours down a bit to match Goten's."
"Right, take it down a bit. Heh." Dropping his power level slightly, and his aura shrinking to match, he asked, "So, something like this?"
Goku shook his head. "No, that's too low. A little bit more." Trunks raised his level a bit, but it still wasn't enough; however, after three more "More"s, the two boys power levels were equal. "There, that's perfect. Remember how that feels, that's exactly where you guys want to be. Great, now back to normal."
The two boys faded out of Super Saiyan, sighing in relief; it took a lot of effort to control their power levels to an exact amount. "Ugh, that's pretty tough," Trunks grumbled, "But why do I have to do all the work? Why can't Goten raise his level to match mine?"
"I'm sorry... I couldn't," Goten muttered sadly.
"Hey, it's alright son," Goku soothed, "Trunks is a little older than you, so it's only natural that his maximum is a little higher too. Alright then, let's continue."
-You want to know why I feel so horrified?-
"Pi, I've got a plan," Kaen whispered. For whatever reason, in this realm the two could no longer communicate telepathically, most likely because telepathy was mind-to-mind conversation, and currently, speaking regularly was technically mind-to-mind.
Taking her eyes of their opponent for a moment, Pi read everything she needed to from her mate's stance. After so many years of eating, sleeping, training, and working together, she didn't need words to understand what her mate was telling her; at least, she didn't when he wanted to tell her something. With a nod, she flared her aura up to twice the size she needed, and raced forward, as Kaen slipped into stance behind her.
"Pathetic!" Phoenix shouted. "Are you so eager to die you come to me?" A brief scuffle between Pi and her mate's shadow ensued, before the possessed fighter picked up something the roar of Pi's aura hid. Batting her away like a fly, Phoenix quickly threw his arm forward, raising a shield to block Kaen's incoming blast; Chaos Inferno, also known as Inferno Blast, his trademark technique. "Your weakling attack will never break through my barrier!" In truth, the only reason Phoenix hadn't retaliated with a blast of his own was due to lack of time, something they'd been counting on.
"Oh yeah?" Pi declared from behind him. "Let's test that theory. Titan Cannon!"
He spun half around, flinging his other arm out and creating a second barrier; Pi had placed herself directly opposite of Kaen, forcing Phoenix to split his attention both ways. Focusing on his barrier, he shouted, "You shall never defeat me!"
Kaen and Pi just grit their teeth, focusing more power into their respective blasts. This was all or nothing; one way or another, this play would decide the winner.
-I've let my innocence die-
Goku cast his eyes across the two boys before him, standing to attention like a pair of soldiers awaiting orders. Hands on his hips, Goku gave them the orders they waited for. "This time, I want you to power up as much as you can without actually going Super Saiyan. It'll be easier to concentrate on learning if you're not under so much physical strain." From behind him, Liran snorted in amusement, but she didn't comment, so he let it slide.
Before either of the boys could even begin to carry out his instructions, the ethereal voice of Babidi announced, "Attention Earthlings! Attention! Sorry to bother you once again, but I recently came across some information I couldn't wait to pass along." The group closed their eyes to see what was going on, but there wasn't really anything all that special about the city Babidi was above, save that it looked like it had just been through war.
Babidi continued, "You know Trunks, I am very eager to meet you. If I can't get you to come to me, then I'll just have to come to where you live." The boy was visibly shaking with rage at this point. "It's a place called Capsule Corporation, located in West Capitol. I hope that you're there to see me when I arrive, because if you're not, then your friends and your family will have to pay the price!"
-You want to know why I can't be pacified?-
As the voice fell silent, Trunks was twitching with barely suppressed anger. "Darn! Somebody... somebody told that creep where I live! I can't let him get there; my grandpa and grandma are still at home!"
"Are you going?" Goten asked worriedly.
Before the boy could reply, Bulma raced in, shouting, "I just heard everything! My mother and father are going to be killed!"
"Don't worry about it," Goku replied confidently, "We can just bring them back with the dragon balls."
"Not without the dragon radar," Bulma replied, "In the rush you made us leave in, we left it behind, and if Majin Buu gets to West Capitol, you can kiss the radar goodbye."
"I'll go grab it," Liran piped up. "I can fly faster than any of you guys, and there's nothing for me to do here until my fusion wears off."
Bulma turned to the fused girl. "Do you even know what the dragon radar looks like?"
"Of course I... Not as such, no..." She trailed off.
-You made me bury something-
Turning to the lavender-haired child, Goku stated, "Trunks, listen up. I need you to go to Capsule Corp, and bring back the radar. You know what it looks like right?" The boy nodded slowly, "While you do that, I'll get in front of Babidi and Majin Buu, and try to slow them down. Maybe I'll even be able to talk them out of the attack entirely."
"Are you sure about that?" Trunks asked, "Those guys are pretty tough ya know. They're going to wanna fight back."
Goku smiled. "Slow down isn't stop. I'll be fine. Now, hurry up before they get ahead of you."
"I'm coming too," Liran stated. When the others turned to her in question, she added, "Hey, even dragging Trunks behind me I can still fly faster than everyone here. Now come on, time's a wastin'."
"Fly fast, and stay safe," Goten pseudo-asked resolutely.
With a nod, the two kids started running towards the edge of the Lookout. Pausing a second, Trunks asked himself, 'I wonder if I should even leave?' The decision was made for him when Liran, showing her older brother's trademark impatience, grabbed his wrist and began dragging him. Once they were far enough from the main building Liran leapt into the air, still dragging the off-balance Trunks behind her, and their image seemed to remain frozen in the air for a second before, with a flicker, a flash of light, and a sonic boom, they were gone.
-I won't be sleeping tonight-
Walking up to the green-skinned Guardian of the planet, Videl asked, "Did she just jump from zero to Mach 1 in under a second?"
"Mach 2 actually," he replied automatically, before turning to face the girl and holding out his hand, "Hi, I don't think we've been formally introduced. I'm-"
"Dende, Guardian of Earth," Videl cut him off. "You don't need to pretend. We met a month ago, remember?"
He looked at her curiously, "You remember?" She nodded, a smirk on her face. "Ah. Well, any comment?"
"Let me just say this," Videl stated. "When I track Gohan down, he and I are going to have a long talk." Dende didn't need to be human to tell that by 'talk' Videl meant she would talk, quite probably very loudly, while Gohan would listen whether he liked it or not. "Then Gohan is going to explain everything to me, and if I don't like his answers, I swear to You I'll kill him." (1)
Dende smiled. "I think you and I are gonna get along great."
-I only wanted a blessing made-
Goku walked over to the worried-looking Bulma who still stood in the doorway her son had exited. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he said, "Don't worry Bulma. Trunks is a resourceful little guy. He'll be alright."
"I know," she replied automatically, but her tone still sounded a touch doubtful.
"No I mean it," Goku pressed, "Vegeta isn't the only one of his parents he takes after you know."
That brought a smile to the blue-haired billionaire-ess. "Thank you."
Walking over to his youngest - now only (living) - son, Goku asked, "Goten, I want you to stay here and hold down the fort for me, okay?"
"'Kay," Goten chirped instantly.
"Good." Rubbing his son's head affectionately, Goku stated, "You're a good boy." Withdrawing his hand again, he placed two fingers to his forehead, searching for Babidi's location, before, with a sharp whistle, he disappeared.
-Now I've been labelled a renegade-
"No, too fast!" Babidi screeched, trying desperately to hold on to Majin Buu's purple bed sheet of a cape as the fat monster tore through the sky at high speed. "I can't hold on. Slow down! Please, slow down!" As if just to spite him, Buu did a loop-the-loop, before diving down to the city below and firing a few blasts randomly into the deserted streets below. Growing angry, the diminutive wizard shouted, "Will you quit playing around like a child and get me to West Capitol?"
"Okay, okay!" Buu muttered back, a glare on his face going unseen by Babidi. Flying away from the city, Buu screeched to a halt as a strange man in an orange outfit appeared in the air before him; his cape, and thus Babidi, were flung into the air above him for a moment before flopping back again behind him.
"What happened?" Holding his head, Babidi slowly floated out from behind his pet monster. "Why did you stop?"
Babidi's eyes opened in shock as he saw Goku floating a few feet in front of Buu, a confident battle-smirk on his face as he greeted coldly, "Hi."
"You're alive?" Babidi asked wondrously, "I was certain Vegeta had disposed of you."
"Well, it's hard to kill a man who's already dead," Goku shot back, cutting off whatever tirade Babidi was about to jump into.
"Well good," Babidi drawled, "I was afraid I wouldn't get to thank you for your help in freeing Majin Buu. I never would have been able to do it without you."
-It seems so clear now what I must do-
Goku scowled. "Vegeta and I both underestimated your monster. We didn't want to believe the stories were true. We never would have let you succeed if we knew he'd be this powerful." Buu laughed gleefully at the praise.
"Of course you wouldn't," Babidi sneered mockingly. "So, why did you come? Did you come to tell us how powerful we are? Because I assure you we already know that. Or, did you come to join our efforts?" Goku remained silent, letting Babidi rattle off his list. "Maybe... Maybe you came to tell me where the rest of the brats are."
"Don't be an idiot," Goku replied icily, "One of those kids is my son. I'm here to give you a warning."
"Warn us?" Babidi asked incredulously. "You came to warn us? Oh that's rich." Babidi started chuckling. "Oh I'm so scared! Now this is something I think the whole planet should hear." Using his magic, Babidi began projecting the scene to the population of Earth.
"I want you to listen very carefully," Goku stated in a deadly serious tone, "The people you're looking for will appear soon enough. That I promise. So if I were you, I wouldn't touch another thing until they get here."
"Why should we wait?" Babidi asked mockingly, "Are they planning something special for us?"
"Yes," Goku smirked, "They're training to destroy Buu."
Babidi couldn't contain his laughter. "Defeat US? Hah!" Buu started laughing as well. "They could train for a thousand years and still not be stronger than the two of us."
"I didn't say anything about you" Goku stated dryly. "You're no threat to them; their will is too strong for your magicks, and without them, you're nothing but a weakling. Majin Buu is the real threat; without him, you're less than nothing."
Babidi growled. "How DARE you! You're going to pay for that! After we finish with you, we're going to kill everyone we find at this Capsule Corp, and everyone else on this planet if we have to, until those pests show themselves."
-You're no immortal-
-I won't let them deify you-
"You know," Goku cut in, "Before you get to Capsule Corp, you're going to have to go through me."
Babidi laughed, "That's a good one. Well, you heard him Majin Buu, go through him. I suppose he wants to end up like his friend Vegeta. Show him what happens to those who insult the great wizard Babidi!" Majin Buu, however, did nothing, merely floating there with his usual placid expression. "You great lummox! Why are you just floating there? Destroy him already!"
Buu just scratched his head. "Okay, I do it." Turning away from the pink monster, Babidi sighed in relief.
"I don't get it," Goku commented, curious and morbidly amused by what was going on, "You're a thousand times stronger than Babidi, maybe more, so why do you let him boss you around like this?"
Majin Buu paused, seeming to consider this. Babidi, however, merely growled angrily again. "Don't listen to him!" He stated to his pet, before turning his attention back to Goku, "And you better keep your trap shut if you know what's good for you! I resurrected Majin Buu so he belongs to me! Of course he's going to do what I say!" At this, Majin Buu glared at him, growling slightly. Turning back to his monster and noticing the look, Babidi asked heatedly, "Hey, do you want to go back inside your ball for another million years?"
Buu's expression didn't change. "If Buu stuck back in ball you go bye-bye; he gonna make you dead." Inside, Babidi winced, thinking, 'That's the problem with cronies. No matter how dumb they start off they all end up trying to think for themselves...' He was drawn out of his musing by Buu clapping and announcing, "No worry, Buu make you safe. Me no like this guy more than you." Babidi sighed in relief again; it was getting harder and harder to make Buu do what he wanted him to.
Goku sighed in irritation. "Well, so much for talk." With a yell, he flared straight into Super Saiyan 2, skipping the first level entirely.
-They view you as the new messiah-
"Whoa," Trunks commented, "I can sense Goten's dad all the way from here. He must be as strong as my dad."
"Well yeah," Liran replied, still dragging the younger boy along, "If he wasn't, do you think the two of them could really have gone toe-to-toe for almost an hour?"
"You've got a point there..." Trunks admitted begrudgingly, "Now hurry up and get us there! We've gotta get the radar before Buu gets there."
"You know," she pointed out dryly, "We'd go a lot faster if you'd use your own energy rather than making me drag you like a sack of potatoes."
"Uh... Right, I knew that." Flaring into Super Saiyan, he 'pushed' while she 'pulled', and with another sonic boom they jumped up to Mach 3.
-Deify you-
-Renew belief in some demented man-
"So it's this trick again," Babidi cackled from what he felt was a safe distance, "What a waste of energy. Vegeta did the same thing, and look at what happened to him!"
Goku smirked. "I'm guessing an Ascended Super Saiyan isn't much of a challenge for you. So how about I take it up to the next level?"
Babidi stared at him vacantly. "The next level of ascended super something-a... what? What's that?" Babidi shook his head. "As interested as I am to see this trick of yours, time is short. The good people of West Capitol are expecting us. Maybe next time. Majin Buu, hurry up and do something nasty to him, we've got an appointment to keep.
Watching Buu's childish antics, Goku mused to himself, 'The way he acts, you'd never guess he could really be that strong. Then again, Vegeta probably thought the same thing. I'll have to be careful. I only have to distract him long enough for Trunks and Liran to find the dragon radar.' Stretching his senses, he could sense the two kids nearing West Capitol's borders. 'Good, they're almost there. Still, I need to buy some more time. I guess I'll need to give these guys a demonstration.' That decided, he faded out of Super Saiyan.
"Why you go down?" Buu asked childishly, "You no play?"
"We'll get to that," Goku replied. "First, I thought I'd take a minute to teach you a thing or two about Super Saiyans, starting with the basics."
Buu stared back blankly, though Goku could see a touch of curiosity. "Super... Saiya-Jin?" Whether by luck or some hidden knowledge, Buu managed to stumble across the archaic name for the Saiyans.
"Don't bother with it," Babidi commented, bored already. "I never asked you to explain anything."
"Who said I was explaining to you?" Goku shot back, before continuing to Buu, "What you're seeing now is my normal state." With a flash of light, Goku jumped into Super Saiyan, his yellow aura burning strongly around him. "This is a Super Saiyan. There are a bunch of variations on this form, usually sacrificing speed for strength, but I don't use any of those. And this-" with another flash of light, Goku jumped up to the next level, his hair spiking up further save one massive bang that hung before his eyes, and blue lightning dancing around his form. "-is what is known as a Super Saiyan that has ascended past a Super Saiyan. We call this an Ascended Saiyan, or, a Super Saiyan Two."
Buu nodded his head, taking all the information in like the proverbial sponge. Babidi, however, just yawned. "Ho hum. What a useless transformation. You're changed your hair; so what?"
Goku smirked, chuckling to himself. "Just wait."
-You want to know why it seems the passion's died?-
"Yeah! Made it!" Trunks exclaimed, as the two kids touched down outside Capsule Corp. Wasting no time, they raced inside, Trunks making a beeline for his grandfather. The two found the old man inside the nature reserve inside the main building; because it was designed using capsule technology, the room was actually larger inside than the building was outside.
Turning at the sound of the door opening, the older Briefs' asked, "Ah, how's my grandson today?"
"Oh hi Trunks!" His wife, Bulma's mother, exclaimed as she walked up; despite being about as old as her husband, she still looked as young as her daughter, if not younger. "What great timing; I just made some tea! And who's your little friend?"
"I'm Liran," the girl replied, "But we don't have time for this! Majin Buu is on his way here as we speak and we need to find the dragon radar."
"Dragon radar?" Mr. Briefs' questioned, to the kids' collective nod. "Well, the last time I saw it, it was, uh..."
"Hurry up!" Trunks almost shouted, "We don't have time!"
-We've all been living this lie-
'They haven't left Capsule Corp yet... Damn, they must be having trouble finding it,' Goku mused to himself. 'Oh well, guess I have no choice.' His smirk slipping, Goku dropped into the traditional power-up crouch, saying, "And this... is to go... EVEN FURTHER BEYOND!"
With a rising shout, Goku's power level began increasing exponentially, much to the shock of those observing through Babidi's magicks; well, those who could sense power anyway. Within seconds, Goku's translucent yellow aura was replaced with a solid circle of golden light; for some reason, the light did not hide Goku's form just yet. At the back of his mind, he thought he could hear King Kai's voice shouting, "No, stop it Goku! If you do this now it's going to drain away all the time you lave left on Earth! And I'd say you need every second of it as it is!"
Still Goku's power continued to climb, the swirling energies dragging in every cloud in the sky and disintegrating them, while below huge tidal waves were kicked up, drenching the coast of the nearby town in ten foot walls of water. Within the mini-sun that was Goku, his body began fading from view, taken over by golden light, as his voice began sounding hoarse from the massive, continual shout; thanks to his Saiyan heritage, he could breath and shout at the same time, so the sound never ended.
-You want to know why my will's been fortified?-
"It's... unreal!" Piccolo shouted, as the Lookout began to shake, "How is he generating that much power?"
"Do it dad!" Goten stated firmly, strong in the belief that his father could, and would, avenge his brother.
"It's... too much!" Krillin shouted, as the shaking began to worsen.
-You've made me hunger again-
"Whoa. Can you feel that?" Liran asked, staring out the window towards the direction she felt Goku's energy.
Pausing in his ransacking of the room, also known as searching, Trunks asked, "Is that who I think it is?"
The girl nodded; she would have been helping in the search, but she didn't know what she was looking for. "Yeah. That's Goku alright, although where he's getting this strength from, I can't say."
-Good luck sleeping tonight-
Unseen by the evil duo before him, Goku's hair began growing, stretching and recoiling as it lengthened down his back. Below, gale force winds ravaged much of the city, tearing loose signs and whipping trees, while the waves continued to batter the shore, and up to almost a mile inland. The light was so bright that Babidi and Buu had to shield their eyes. "Stop it!" King Kai's voice screamed, "Stop it now Goku!"
It was too late to stop even if he wanted to; the transformation had begun, and one way or another, it would finish. As windows cracked, then shattered, across the city, and televisions exploded, Goku's gathering energy reached critical mass, and with a massive flare of light, blinding those observing for a good minute, the clouds around him were blown away, revealing a whole new Goku.
Pulsing with golden light, Goku's hair now extended down near to where his tail began, the golden-furred appendage now waving behind him rather than hidden around his waist. One massive lock of hair still hung across his face, which in turn had changed. His eyebrows were gone, a caveman-like face replacing Goku's usual cheer free guise, and his eyes, for possibly the first time ever, contained visible black pupils amidst the blue-green iris.
"I'm sorry that took so much longer than the others," Goku stated, his voice deeper and more coarse than before, "But I haven't had much occasion to practice this one. This is what I call a Super Saiyan Three."
-I only wanted a blessing made-
The Z Sword held aloft, Gohan stood stock still, staring out past the horizon. "Do you feel that energy?" He asked the two gods with him. "If I didn't know better I'd say that was my dad. But that's... crazy."
"It... is Goku," Shin stated stutteringly. "I have no idea how, but it's definitely your father. I'm certain."
"Impossible!" Kibito shouted, "That can't be Goku. Saiyan powers are not strong enough to be felt this far away!"
"Well, it is," Gohan replied, sounding the world like he'd reached his limit for being surprised for one day, "And I don't think that's a good thing."
-Now I've been labelled a renegade-
"Unbelievable," Avarrdo commented, "There's a third level of Super Saiyan."
One hand to his chin, Kellre mused, "There must be a fourth level..."
"What makes you say that bro?" Truniz asked.
"It's simple," the older brother replied, "When you compare the maximum potential of this Super Saiyan Three transformation, and compare it to the estimated power of the Golden Oozaru, the first Super Saiyan who destroyed our home world, there is a fairly major difference in power. I theorise there must be a fourth level, with power equal to that of the legendary Golden Oozaru, but the control of a regular Super Saiyan."
"How do you plan on testing this theory of yours?" Avarrdo asked.
Kellre just grinned. "Patience, my old friend. Patience."
-It seems so clear now what I must do-
Babidi gaped in horror, but Buu was merely impressed, and slightly amused. "Buu not scared. Big hair make you big funny!"
Forcing a grin to his face, Babidi added, "Yes, I'm inclined to agree. This Super Three whatever you said, it's ridiculous. Majin Buu, I think our friend's in need of a haircut."
"I'm ready," Goku stated. "Show me what you've got."
"Do it!" Babidi shouted. "Take him down!"
Before Buu could act Goku blurred forward, appearing between the wizard and the monster, and kneeing Buu in the head. As Buu sailed down towards the city Goku appeared in front of him, kicking him skyward before grabbing him by the head tentacle and batting him around like a tetherball with the other hand. After a few minutes of this, accompanied by Babidi's incredulous screams, Goku grew tired of it, grabbing the head tentacle with both hands and swinging Buu around, hurling him towards the city, where he sheered straight through a building before digging a massive crater in the street.
Within minutes, Buu was airborne again, a massive grin on his face as he raised both arms towards Goku. A horrified thought of 'That's one of Vegeta's attacks!' ran through his head as Buu began firing off wave after wave of yellow blasts, and he was hard pressed to swat them all away; most of them were hit towards Babidi, but the diminutive wizard barrier'd up. Not willing to give Buu any more chance to fire blasts, Goku sped towards him, and the two began trading blows at lightning fast speed.
-You're no immortal-
-I won't let them deify you-
"Keep it up Goku!" Krillin shouted excitedly.
"My dad's stronger than ever," Goten observed.
"This... is getting dangerous," Piccolo stated. "Goku may be more powerful than ever before, but the harder he fights, the more Majin Buu's strength increases. There seems to be no end to it!"
Eyes widening in shock, Bulma exclaimed, "I can't believe I forgot. Trunks is looking in the wrong place for the dragon radar." Everyone turned to her in surprise. "Sorry, it must've slipped my mind, but after we got the dragon balls earlier I left it in the airplane."
"What?" Krillin screeched, "Does Trunks know?"
Stamping her foot, Bulma yelled back, "What did I just say?"
Krillin paled. "Oh yeah, I know, but in situations like this it's really hard for me. Oh, I just crumble under pressure!"
"We have to get in touch with Trunks immediately," Roshi stated. "Krillin, go find a phone and call him."
Hanging his head, the former monk replied, "I wouldn't know where to start. I haven't seen a phone up here my entire life."
Videl raised an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that none of you have a phone?" They all shook their head; she sighed. "I always carry my phone with me." To prove her point, she produced her mobile phone from her pocket, having changed after the tournament into more comfortable clothes. In a condescending voice, she added, "I know you guys are used to using your special powers and all, but you should really look into technology some time; I don't know what I'd do without it."
"Thanks Videl!" Krillin exclaimed, taking the phone off her, "I'm gonna call Trunks right away. Now, how do you use this thing..."
-They view you as the new messiah-
"Wonderful Buu!" Babidi shouted, as the monster and the Saiyan continued to trade blows. At the sound of his supposed master's voice Buu paused to pose triumphantly, and received a kick to the side of his head for it. Holding a hand to his forehead, Babidi muttered sourly, "What a fool..."
'What's taking them so long?' Goku wondered to himself. 'I can't go on fighting like this forever. My energy's draining fast, and Majin Buu just keeps coming back for more.' In an effort to conserve energy, when Majin Buu charged forward again Goku simply phased out, reappearing fifty metres away. With a growl, Buu sped forward again, and again, Goku phased back.
This made Majin Buu mad, a fact he let known by venting steam and throwing a temper tantrum. "What? Are you leaving so soon?" Babidi asked, flying over to his pet monster's side. "Do you think you can just quit any time you like? You're through when we say you're through!" With a cry, Majin Buu sped forward again, and again Goku phased back. This time, however, Majin Buu didn't stop, continuing to fly towards him, forcing Goku to phase back again and again, until the city was long behind them, whereupon, instead of phasing back, Goku charged forward and buried his foot in Buu's face, caving it in.
When Goku leapt back, Buu reinflated it's head, and with another temper tantrum, he disappeared. Goku looked around in shock for a few moments before Buu phased in directly in front of him, sending him flying with a headbutt. Righting himself in mid fall, Goku drew his arms back to his side, focusing energy and firing it with a cry of, "Kamehameha!"
The heavenly blue beam tore clean through Majin Buu, much to Babidi's horror, but within minutes Buu had regenerated completely once again. "Do you see now?" Babidi shrieked. "Majin Buu is unstoppable!" The pudgy pink monster dropped into a very familiar stance, his hands cupped at his right hip, and Goku's eyes widened in terror as Majin Buu executed a perfect Kamehameha, albeit pink instead of blue.
Winding up, he batted the blast back at Buu, and the monster, in turn, batted it away to the city behind them, just missing Babidi in the process. With a massive explosion, and gale force winds, the city was no more. In the glow of destruction, Majin Buu smirked, hands on his hips, seeming very satisfied with itself.
-Deify you-
-Renew belief in some demented man-
Gohan paused in his training once again, as he felt the battle on Earth raging on. 'Father, you must be fighting one incredible battle. I can sense it all the way from here.'
"Gohan," Shin said quietly, drawing the teen from his thoughts, "I fear this may be the one fight your father won't be able to win. Majin Buu is just too powerful. If you want to put an end to Majin Buu, you must learn how to fight with that sword. You must use it as an extension of yourself. That is the only way."
"Visualise, Gohan," Kibito added, "See the sword and yourself as a single entity; one not complete without the other."
"Okay," Gohan nodded, and with no more words, he returned to his training.
-All my devotion betrayed-
"Buu! You bulbous moron!" Babidi shouted, "Are you trying to kill me along with the rest of the planet?" The evil glare on Buu's face, unseen by Babidi, seemed to suggest 'yes'. "And as for you, mister would-be superhero, you've done a great job protecting this world so far. Do you have any idea how much of it you just destroyed?"
Ignoring the wizard, Goku stated, "Buu, I'm a man of courtesy, as well as strength, so I've got to tell you that I'm quite impressed by your fighting techniques. I've fought beings from beyond nameless galaxies and you, by far are the best I've faced."
"Thank you," Buu replied, brimming will false modesty.
-I am no longer afraid-
The sound of the ringing phone was almost drowned out by the sound of rummaging, but nevertheless, at least one occupant of the house heard it. With an overly cheerful voice, Mrs. Brief's picked up the phone, "Capsule Corp. Oh hi Bulma! How is this beautiful day treating you dear?" There was a pause as she listened to her daughter on the other end, before continuing, "He's a little busy, let me see if I can get him." Placing one hand over the phone, she called out, "Trunks, your mother's on the phone."
"Tell her I don't have time for a pep talk right now!" The boy shouted back, still ransacking the house.
"I'll take it," Liran replied, walking over and taking the phone off the older woman. "Yo B, wassup?" Oran's personality could clearly be seen in Liran. Nodding at the reply, Liran commented, "Would've been nice to know that earlier, but thanks anyways." Hanging the phone up, Liran shouted to the lavender-haired child, "Yo Trunks, the radar's in the airplane."
"For real? Awesome." Racing past his grandfather, Trunks shouted to the reclining older man, "She said she left it in the airplane-" Halting mid-step, he asked, "Wait, do we even have an airplane?"
Slightly bemused at the younger boy's antics since arriving, the older Briefs asked, "So now you're looking for an airplane?" Taking a capsule case off he mantle, he opened it up, stating, "This is an airplane."
"Thanks a million grandpa!" Trunks shouted, snatching the case out of the man's hand and, wasting no time, diving out a nearby open window, Liran in hot pursuit. He popped open the capsule mid-fall, and leapt inside the second it landed, searching hurriedly. With a triumphant, "Hey! Here it is; I found it!" the boy climbed out again, returning it to it's capsule and throwing the case back in the window.
"That's just wonderful Trunks!" Mrs. Briefs exclaimed, "Now we all have time for a relaxing lunch."
"What is it with you and food?" the boy questioned; she'd been pestering the two of them ever since they arrived. The two kids raced off, preparing to take off as Trunks yelled back, "Gotta go! Love ya!" With a pair of ki flares, the two kids took off, Liran once again dragging the Super Saiyan Trunks by the hand, with Trunks using his ki to help push them along."
"Gosh," Mrs. Briefs commented. "I can't believe he came all this way and left without eating anything."
-I was too blinded to see-
'Hmm. There they are. Good. They're on their way back to the Lookout. They must have finally found the dragon radar. I guess it's time for me to wrap up my business here so I can head back too.' Igniting his aura again, Goku powered down through the three forms of Super Saiyan, until he was back to normal again.
"Hey, why you go back to normal?" Buu asked, "You and me no fight no more? Buu have fun!"
"Well, I had a lot of fun too," Goku replied, "But unfortunately I have some place to be and time won't allow me to play with you all day Majin Buu. It's time for me to say goodbye."
Babidi laughed. "Not likely. We've been over this; we'll decide when you leave! Majin Buu, don't listen to a word he says. Get over there and crush him! All you have to do is brush this pest away and I promise you'll get your chance to level West Capitol. That should be more than enough to lure those other rats out of the woodwork."
"Don't bother," Goku replied, looking a little worse for wear; the fight had clearly taken it out of him. "Give them two days and they'll be ready to fight." Buu seemed to consider it. "There's no need for you to destroy West Capitol or kill anyone else; they want to fight you. I'm asking, have some patience. They'll come to you."
-How much you've stolen from me-
"Are they really strong?" Buu asked.
"Unbelievably."
Babidi laughed again. "Like it really matters. Even if we gave them two years it wouldn't make a difference. They will never be strong enough to beat the two of us."
Goku smirked. "Well for starters, they're only going to fight one of you because the other seems to do nothing but bark orders. Second of all, if you're so confident you won't be beaten even if you wait, there's no reason you shouldn't wait is there? Oh and Majin Buu? I think you're much too gifted a fighter to be controlled by a coward like Babidi."
The wizard gave him the finger. "Shut it!"
Still smirking, Goku raised two fingers to his forehead. "See ya." And with that, he was gone.
-Deify you-
-They view you as the new messiah-
Gasping in fear, Babidi quickly dived behind Majin Buu, thinking this may be some kind of attack. "Can... you see him?" The wizard asked his monster, the pink blob looking one way, then the other, making curious noises all the while. "Did he... Did he just vanish into thin air?" This angered Babidi, so he took it out on the closest target; Buu. "Buu you're incompetent! Don't just stand there floating, get your doughy pink body moving and find him RIGHT NOW!" Majin Buu did nothing. "Do you have wax in your ears bonehead? I am giving you an order!"
Unseen by Babidi, Majin Buu had a dark, menacing glare on his face, one that spelled trouble for the wizard. Heedless of the danger, Babidi ranted, "I am not going to tell you again, okay? You start moving and you find him! Fine, you want to act like a child then I'll treat you like a child; you have until the count of three! One! Two!"
Majin Buu turned around, a massive grin plastered across it's face. "Mister Babidi. Buu have a better idea!"
-Deify you-
-Renew belief in some demented man-
"You're actually having an idea?" Babidi parroted incredulously, "Doesn't that sound like a great trick." Buu floated closer. "Okay then, why don't you tell me what you've come up with in that walnut-sized brain of yours?"
Holding one hand before his mouth as one would to tell a secret, Buu stated, "Buu have a great idea."
"You said that already," Babidi replied as he looked away; that was his mistake. "Just cough it up so we can get on with the serious stuff."
Buu's left hand lashed out, grabbing Babidi around the throat; by the voice box, to be exact. Laughing, Buu exclaimed, "Now you no talk. Now no more can say word to seal Buu back up in ball, no no NO!" Babidi gagged, trying desperately to breath as he clutched at Buu's arm, his eyes bugging out of his head. "You teach me lots of good games, but Buu think it time Babidi go. Bye bye bye!" Buu raised his right hand, balled into a fist. "Bye bye!" With a spray of crimson, Babidi was no more.
-Deify you (All my devotion betrayed)-
-They view you as the new messiah (I am no longer afraid)-
They had failed. They had underestimated Phoenix's endurance once again. They had maintained their blasts at full strength for however long it had been now, having tapped into reserves even they weren't truly aware off, but in one minute, maybe two tops, they would be tapped out, and Phoenix could, and certainly would, finish them off.
Without warning, Phoenix seemed to be wracked by pain, as what looked like black smoke started seeping from his form. With a horrified "No!" he realised exactly what had happened; Babidi had fallen, and with him, the source of his continued strength. The 'M' on his forehead was last to go, washing away like windswept dust, and second later, his shields collapsed, and the combined furies of Titan and Chaos met with devastating force.
It was over.
-Deify you (I was too blinded to see)-
-Renew belief in some demented man (How much you've stolen from me)-
To be continued...
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Author's notes:
(1) I wonder how many people are gonna get what I mean by 'swear to You'...
Like the chapter before it, the editing on this one was finished mere minutes before posting. The chapter content itself, however, was finished about 5 hours ago. I had to give it a run through my pre-reader first. Now, it should be downhill from here, at least for the next couple of weeks.