Chapter 084 – Awakening the Majin
Corset stared as the smoke rose from another part of the arena, another large mass of twisted metal and mangled bodies lay before them. Her mother! She hurriedly tried to locate her friends' ki realising they'd been sitting over in that same stand her father had just attacked, almost choking with relief and tears when she finally sensed them. Thank goodness they were safe, lost somewhere in the frenzy of screaming, terrified witnesses who were all desperate to flee from the murderer standing upon the ring amongst them. Her attention went back to the man before her, the man who'd just killed at least two hundred fleeing, defenceless bystanders.
"Vegeta - stop this!" Gohan made a move towards the deranged Saiyan.
Vegeta glared and drew one arm across his body. "Stand aside!" He bellowed, expelling a gust of kiai which forced Gohan to fall onto his back. "This is between me and your idiot of a father!"
Corset's stomach began to warm further, her brow slowly falling down her face. Something wasn't right here; he wasn't acting like the others had. The other Majin warriors seemed to be under Babidi's complete control. Perhaps her father was too strong to be fully taken over, or perhaps there was a different reason. She didn't fully understand it but she knew there was more to this than met the eye. The others may not have noticed it but she'd lived with the man for years, had grown up into a young woman living with him. It seemed that Goku'd noticed it too. He seemed to be the only one outside the family who'd ever understood her father.
Indeed Goku had had enough. His ki charged up as he transformed into a Super Saiyan.
"Dad, don't." Gohan protested.
"Don't do it!" Kaioshin cried. "This is what Babidi wants you to do, he wants you to fight so he can gather energy for Majin Buu!"
"Vegeta, you surrendered to Babidi's spell to make me fight..." Goku spoke, ignoring Kaioshin, "... am I right?"
'Don't tell me...' Corset stared at her father, fists tightened by her sides. 'Tell me you didn't!'
"... If I hadn't then I wouldn't have been able to fight you. After today you're leaving this world forever." Vegeta responded sounding a little calmer than before.
"... Just to fight him?" Kaioshin was genuinely shocked. "Who are you people? Don't you see preventing Majin Buu from being resurrected is more important than your meaningless squabble?"
Vegeta suddenly flared up, angry eyes turned on the shorter Kaioshin, "... Meaningless? What do you know of meaningless?" He yelled revving up his ki dust flying around the increasingly empty stadium. "Spend most of your life ruled by another, watch your race dwindle to a handful, and then tell me what has more meaning than your own strength! I don't care about Buu or what happens to this planet – this is what I live for! I have the blood in me of a Saiyan Prince; he is nothing but a joke, yet I've had to watch him surpass me in strength – me, the Prince of the Saiyans, the strongest Saiyan of all! He's even saved my life as if I were a helpless child! I can't stand it! He has stolen my honour and his debts must be paid!"
For a moment no one spoke or moved.
Goku glared up to the sky, "Babidi! Take us some place where there are no people – only then will I fight Vegeta."
"Wait!" Kaioshin yelled, "If you believe this is the right decision, then you'll have to go through me first." He stood himself between the two Saiyans.
Corset saw Goku extend an arm out of the corner of her eye, though she was too preoccupied with her father. Her rage was accumulating through her body, building and building, bubbling to the surface as the thought floated around her mind. Had he really let Babidi take control of him just to fight with Goku? Did he really prioritise fighting Goku over everything, even over the safety of his family? Hadn't he changed over the past seven years? Was he still the cold, evil Saiyan who'd never care about others?
Did his family really mean that much to him?
Something had happened; Kaioshin had backed down and had now stepped back to the side. The Budokai arena had been changed for a barren wasteland, dust carrying on the wind. It appeared Babidi had fulfilled Goku's request and had moved them to a different area on Earth.
"Fight as hard as you like," Kaioshin ordered, strangely cheerful than before. "Gohan, Corset and I will break through the floor and fight Babidi and Dabura. Buu may be awakened by the shock but it would be better this way than if he reaches full power with the energy he'll absorb from you."
"Wait."
Kaioshin glanced over his shoulder at Corset.
"Before we go, I wanna confirm something," Corset muttered, glaring at her father with a feverish but controlled rage. "... You deliberately let Babidi win just so you could fight Goku. You let him manipulate the evil in your heart... that's how it works, right?" She quickly looked over to Kaioshin who confirmed it with a nod, before turning back to her father. "Do we mean nothing to you? What about Mama, Trunks and me?"
"Corset..." Gohan murmured nervously but she continued.
"What about the possible threat of Majin Buu? Do you not care that we're at risk? Are you so selfish and egotistical you'd rather fight with Goku than try to protect the ones that care about you?" Her anger was threatening to override but she desperately tried to keep control, fists trembling tightly. Her ki was rising and she knew it; she had to stay in control. "What about the last seven years? You stuck around and finally started paying attention to your family! You started to take an interest in training Trunks and me! Does that mean nothing to you? Are we important to you... or do you still see us as people holding you back?"
"Knock it off Corset, it won't do any good," Goku muttered sternly.
"You chose your own selfish desires over your family!" Corset's ki was threatening to start up her aura, tears pricking at her eyes but still she desperately struggled for control.
"My goal has always been to defeat Kakarrot and become the most powerful Saiyan alive." Vegeta muttered. "This is none of your concern."
"... So we never mattered... Is that it?"
There it was. Corset's anger had more fuel added to the already wild fire burning inside of her. She stood still, stiff and struggling to restrain herself from moving, clenching every muscle in her body to keep her standing on the spot.
Vegeta suddenly screamed and hunched over, clutching his head and falling to the ground. Struggling against the strain he slowly started to rise, "... I... won't! They... have nothing... to do with... my fight!"
"What's going on? Is it Babidi?" Goku asked, Kaioshin nodding, eyes still fixated on the Saiyan Prince.
"It'll take more than head games to stop me! You may have enslaved my body and my mind but there's one thing a Saiyan always keeps – HIS PRIDE!" Vegeta roared loudly as his ki skyrocketed, aura chucking buckets of dust away from him as he powered up, electricity dancing around his body as he stood strong.
"... You wanted to fight me that much?" Goku asked.
"We must waste no more time," Kaioshin ordered, "Gohan, Corset; it's time. We must confront Babidi and Dabura."
To their shock, the door in the floor opened up. "Hey, they opened it!" Gohan exclaimed.
"They must not want us to damage the ship," Kaioshin muttered.
"Yeah..." Gohan turned to his father, "Alright Dad, we're off."
"Yeah, good luck," Goku dug into his pocket, "I have two more senzu beans left; you and Corset should both share one and get your strengths back."
He chucked a senzu bean over to Gohan who broke the bean in half, chewing on his part before glancing over. The demi-Saiyan noticed the reluctance and fury still present on her face as he passed her the other half of the senzu bean. "... Corset, come on..." He frowned.
Corset glared furiously at her father.
"... You couldn't have been more selfish if you wanted to... and this is the worst thing you could have done..." she spat before snatching the bean from Gohan's grasp. As she chewed on the disgusting bean she'd never grown to like the taste of, she looked to Goku. "You'd better beat him down, Goku."
The Saiyan remained quiet as she wandered over to the entrance to the floor, ignoring the sweet father-son moment happening between Goku and Gohan. She was far too busy trying to keep her temper, trying to keep herself from charging on the spot and attacking her father in rage. She thought he'd changed. She thought over the seven years since Cell, he'd stayed on Earth because he'd settled down and started caring about his family. He'd taken an interest in training his two children. Had that really meant nothing to him?
'I hate you.' Her temper was still flaring as the trio descended down the shaft and soon landed on the next level. Before them were around twenty or so soldiers, each wearing the same uniform and the M on their bodies. They all seemed a little scared of the three that had appeared before them and stood huddled close together.
"It looks like we'll have to plough our way through these guys before Babidi will show himself," Kaioshin muttered.
"Leave it to-" Gohan gasped and hurriedly put up a force field. "Corset!"
Corset yelled out aggressively and expelled a kiai around them, flattening the terrified soldiers against the ship's walls with a heavy crunch. None rose to face them. She'd hoped the cathartic movement would have released some of the emotional energy within her, have released it from her body. It hadn't done anything; she was still as angry as before.
"... You're gonna have to try and calm down," Gohan warned, "What if Babidi and Dabura sense some kind of evil in you whilst you're angry?"
"I... I know that..." Corset grumbled. "How else am I supposed to feel? He's messed up everything, the selfish, idiotic moron!"
"Hey, seriously," Gohan stepped towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. "... I'm sorry."
Corset bit her tongue and exhaled slowly before giving a small nod. This wasn't going to be easy for her, she felt she'd just had her heart ripped from her chest and had it trampled on. She'd thought she and her brother and mama had mattered to him; how wrong she'd apparently been. He'd always been a funny kind of role model for her, always uncertain about what he would do next or where it would lead them all. He'd betrayed the team in the past by letting his ego get in the way, he'd shown disregard in terms of her own life but he'd never done anything like this. Slowly, she'd been watching him change, most of it for the better, change and slowly but surely edge over to their side, from being the murderous monster he'd first appeared as to becoming an outwardly cold but inwardly welcoming individual. She thought they'd gotten under his skin, she thought they'd made a mark on him. Apparently she'd been foolish to believe this. It was too good to be true, she could see that now. He'd been evil long before she'd been around; a baby made out of vengeance on his part, born to take on the likes of Freeza should he fail. Her life was down to a selfish action on his part, she was just a tool in his mind, not a person worthy of his respect or attention. Blood meant nothing to him… so perhaps it was time to stop chasing, maybe it was time she stopped caring also. "... I'm sorry too." She mumbled quietly, appreciative of the affection her best friend was showing towards her. She'd never say it outloud but she knew Gohan also knew of the pain of being disappointed and rejected by a father – albeit his was through different experiences. At least his dad actually loved him.
The elevator door opened.
"Quick, let's move," Kaioshin ordered dropping down to the floor below; the two demi-Saiyans followed suit.
This room was different to the ones before them, a lot larger than the previous rooms. Finally they were face-to-face. Before them was a large pink ball sitting on a raised panel. In front of this ball stood Babidi and Dabura.
"Welcome," Babidi smiled.
Corset glared venomously at the two blocking their way; just hearing Babidi's voice and knowing what he'd done irritated her. Her temper was starting to rile once again even though she'd just attempted to calm herself down. It couldn't be helped; he was the one responsible for all of this. He was the one who'd taken advantage of her father (or had it been her father who'd taken advantage of him?) and had provided him with his repugnant newfound energy.
"That's Buu's shell?" Gohan asked.
"Yes," Kaioshin confirmed.
"I finally meet you, Kaioshin," Babidi muttered stepping forward, "... you who killed my father."
"I've come to defeat you Babidi and stop you from resurrecting Majin Buu," Kaioshin retaliated, a serious and determined look on his face.
"Oh I don't think it'll be as easy as you think," Babidi smiled, "I have Dabura on my side after all."
"You think that bothers us?" Corset snorted. "You're the little bastard responsible for turning my dad against us! Worried Dabura couldn't handle us so you set someone stronger than him against us?"
Babidi smirked, "Ah, so that Vegeta had a daughter? I wonder if she has any evil in her heart I could manipulate? I bet you're pretty mad with what I've done and with what he's done to all of those poor weaklings at that tournament?"
Corset growled under her breath, desperate to bolt forwards and crush the little bug under her boot when Kaioshin held out a hand in front of her.
"Don't act rashly; remember Babidi has powerful magic. It was strong enough to take your father down," He warned.
"Dad wasn't overpowered," Corset snarled through gritted teeth, "He let himself be controlled."
"In any case we'd better hurry," Gohan interrupted. "Dad and Vegeta may be fighting right now!"
"You're right," Kaioshin agreed, "You two should fight Dabura; I'll fight Babidi."
Babidi smiled, "You're out of time, Kaioshin! Buu should be nearing full power any minute now! I don't want these fools to destroy my ship so I'll teleport us to the surface... PA-PARA-PA!" At Babidi's words their surroundings rapidly changed. Indeed they were immediately outside the ship.
"So be it," Kaioshin muttered. "We'll still defeat you and stop Majin Buu, somehow."
"Just to make sure Dabura... you can beat these guys, right?" Babidi checked.
"Of course!" Dabura snorted, "I battled the boy earlier; it won't be hard to dispose of these little brats."
"You ready, Gohan?" Corset asked. With a yell she began to charge up her ki, aura surrounding her as she suddenly transformed into a Super Saiyan, then to the next level and to a Super Saiyan Two. This was it; this was the final push to halting Babidi's plans. She had to do something about her father; she had to beat Babidi down and make him turn her dad back to normal. Beside her Gohan had also transformed into a Super Saiyan.
"You won't be able to stop me," Babidi jeered. "I have far more magical power than my father and Dabura can take these-"
A high pitched beeping sound interrupted the conversation, catching Babidi and the others attention. The small wizard turned around and stared over to the large bulky shell. Corset's eyes fell on the shell; she was sure that's where the sound was coming from, plus both Babidi and Dabura were staring at it...
Babidi rushed closer and went quiet for quite some time. "...He's at... full... power! Majin Buu's at full power - he's finally awakened!"
Corset's heart momentarily stopped as the reality dawned on her. They'd barely been standing here and yet all that power had gone to Majin Buu? '... This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't let it!' She cursed clenching her fists tightly. "Dad you idiot!"
"H-How could this have happened?" Kaioshin spluttered horrified. "How could they have dealt this much power already?"
"Dad and Vegeta must be fighting at a level beyond Super Saiyan limits." Gohan realised. "The damage is greater."
"We felt it from Goku earlier; he's definitely capable of Super Saiyan Two," Corset added.
"I've miscalculated at every turn!" Kaioshin held his head, "This is the worst-case scenario!"
Smoke suddenly began to pour from around the shell through small vents, hissing loudly and rising into the sky above. Corset watched helplessly, short on ideas. Her mind raced; Majin Buu was waking up, he was going to come out of his shell and then who knows what would happen! There had to still be something they could do! "... Gohan, let's go!" She yelled determined to at least attempt to stop the monster from appearing.
"No, it's too late!" Kaioshin was quick off the mark. "We must retreat now; it's our only option!"
"What?" Gohan gasped with disbelief the Kaioshin was suggesting such a thing. "We can't leave now, not like this!"
"Listen to me!" Kaioshin roared. "You can't beat Buu, no one can beat Buu! If we stay here we'll die! Hurry!"
"What do you suggest we do once we run away?" Corset protested unconvinced. "If we leave now he'll start destroying this planet and killing people!"
"Don't be rash!" Kaioshin bellowed. "We have to leave, trust me I know what we're dealing with! Neither of you can beat him, even as Super Saiyans!"
"... He's gonna be at full power anyway, we may as well stay and try to do something!" Gohan decided, eyes turning to Corset. "Let's do this!"
"Right!"
Both fighters began to charge up their energy. Gohan drew back his hands in a Kamehameha stance; Corset pulling both her hands to her side and charging up separate ki balls. The ground began to tremble from the pressure, dust spreading across the ground and through the air. With a loud yell the duo fired off their respective attacks straight for the shell. Dabura hurriedly grabbed Babidi and rushed out of the way; both were in the line of fire! The Kamehameha and Kentoka Flash struck the shell, fighting to dislodge it from its seal. Corset kept her attack going, joining it to Gohan's Kamehameha and increasing the pressure on a single point instead of two separate points. She could feel it moving against their attack slightly; the steam still venting out into the sky. Just a little more...
The ball suddenly shot up into the air about twenty feet before crashing back down to the ground with a heavy thud, displacing dust and loose debris from the ground. Corset stared observing the large lump unsure; had it worked? The shell suddenly split in half, each half rolling back and releasing a large plume of smoke.
"Here he comes!" Babidi cried. "Majin Buu is free!"
A few moments passed.
Nothing had appeared out of the shell.
No monster had popped its head out from the two halves.
"... It's empty?" Dabura stuttered baffled.
"... No..." Babidi gaped in shock, "... That's not possible... How? ...Why?"
Corset's heart had lodged itself in her throat the instant the shell had split. She'd been sure it was all over. Yet she hadn't seen a monster appear...
Kaioshin began to chuckle nervously, quickly turning to a full-blown laugh. "It's a miracle! Sorry Babidi but it seems your Majin is dead! Looks like his years in captivity have weakened him so much the energy must have killed him."
Babidi grunted in frustration.
"So what if we don't have Buu? I'm still here master, and we still have control over Vegeta!" Dabura smiled.
"This is all for nothing if we don't have Buu!" Babidi wailed now close to tears.
"Goku and Vegeta are probably evenly matched; I'll wrestle Babidi down and you two take on Dabura!" Kaioshin ordered sounding far more optimistic. "It's just like your father said, Gohan! Now's the time to unleash your rage and show your true power! Peace is within our grasp!"
"... No." Gohan shook his head.
Corset's eyes were kept solely up to the sky. As Gohan muttered something about a strange ki getting bigger, she noticed there was something odd above them. The smoke that had come from Buu's shell... it hadn't dispersed in the air. It slowly began to move. Corset gasped in disbelief. "He did come out of the shell!"