Chapter 088 – The Wanted List
Upon the lookout, Krillin, Piccolo, Corset and Dende were all gathered around Goku, who'd finally appeared from his seemingly terrific battle against Vegeta. The Saiyan seemed in good spirits much to their relief though whether or not he was up to speed with the occurrences that had gone on after he'd been defeated was unknown.
"What happened to you?" Krillin gawked. "You've been hurt!"
"Dad really beat you down," Corset frowned feeling a little guilt on her father's part.
"I'll have you fixed up in no time Goku," Dende rushed forwards and began to heal the warrior.
After Dende had tended to his injuries, Goku was then brought up to speed with all that had happened, the news brought to him mostly from Corset as no one else really could account for all that had gone on. She struggled a little when talking about the deaths of Gohan and her father, naturally it wasn't an easy thing for her to talk about but she did so. The news had come as a shock to the seasoned warrior.
"... So Gohan and Kaioshin... and even Vegeta...?" Goku asked slowly. He seemed genuinely shocked and disheartened.
"It's just as Kaioshin feared," Piccolo explained, "Buu defies all imagination. At this rate, every living being on this planet will be wiped out; no one in this galaxy is safe."
"At least you're here now, Goku," Krillin smiled hopeful, "You're the only one who can beat him. You have one full day out of Heaven right? You still have time!"
"Krillin..." Goku butted in, "... I'm sorry. I can't. Vegeta was just as strong as I am and he put everything he had into beating Buu but it didn't even faze him. So what chance do I have?"
The news was a shock to all. None had expected such words to come from the Saiyan's mouth; this Saiyan was the man who everyone could rely on. He'd always come to Earth's rescue and rose to the challenge, never giving up, never letting the bad guys win. To hear him throw in the towel when the Earth was in a crisis was chilling and very disheartening.
"... Hearing that come from you really scares me," Corset mumbled. "You've always been the one who could do it in the end."
"That's not true," Goku smiled sadly, "Gohan beat Cell, not me."
Corset frowned. "... Now he's not here..." She sighed quietly. The memory replayed in her mind; Gohan's helplessness against the blast reminding her of her own guilt and the blame she placed on herself for his death.
"If only Gohan and Vegeta were still alive…" Goku grumbled, "We might have had a chance."
"It wouldn't make the slightest difference how many of us we have," Piccolo butted in.
"No. I mean we could have fused." Goku responded.
"Fused?" Krillin repeated intrigued.
"Oh!" Dende gasped. "Fusion, the speciality of the Metamors!"
"The who?" Corset asked raising a confused eyebrow and cocking her head to the side slightly.
"You know them?" Goku perked up. "I met a couple of them in the afterlife and they taught me the fusion technique. You can only do it with someone of a similar size and power but when they fuse they become a warrior way stronger than the originals. Every one of them was a wimp by themselves but when they fused, they were unbeatable!"
"Then... could you have fused with Gohan or Vegeta and fought Buu as one?" Piccolo asked trying to grasp the concept.
"I'm not sure," Goku shrugged his shoulders. "I've never tried it myself; there's nobody in the afterlife at my level and it took me a while to learn the technique. I guess in the end it doesn't really matter..."
"It does sound pretty useful too..." Corset frowned. "... I take it as well as being the same size and power, the fusees' would also have to be the same gender too... Otherwise that would be weird! How would that even work? What would you even be anymore?"
"Wait Goku, maybe there's still a chance!" Krillin gasped excitedly. "You're going back to the afterlife soon, right? Well when you get there I'm sure Gohan and Vegeta will be there too. You can fuse with them there."
"It won't work!" Piccolo shook his head. "Even if he fuses with either one of them, Goku can't return to the living world ever again. Also I fear that Vegeta will be in a different place to Goku."
"... So it's hopeless then..." Krillin grimaced disheartened. There they'd been given a possible solution to their problem of facing off against Buu – an opponent none of them could beat – and already it had been thrown to the wayside; yet another suggestion that would not be possible to execute.
Corset looked down to the floor and tried to think of another answer. There had to be something they could do. Something had to be done to beat Buu; they couldn't just stand here and wait for Buu to kill everyone and destroy the Earth. As it was she was certain he would now be down there below them, killing innocent Earthlings. It had been the fault of her and her friends (she still blamed most of it on her father) that Buu was around and it would be wrong of them to waste time doing nothing when innocent people were paying for their actions.
"... What about Goten and Trunks?"
The majority of the group all looked up from their respective spots and over to Mr Popo.
"They're the same size and have similar power." The assistant suggested, "Can they fuse?"
Everyone stared in silence. The realisation all hit them.
"... Mr Popo, you're a genius!" Goku grinned with anticipation leaping to his feet. "I'll coach the boys until I run out of time but the time I have left won't be enough. Piccolo, could I ask you to sit in and pick up where I leave off and continue to teach the boys?"
"Of course," Piccolo nodded.
"Finally there's hope!" Krillin cheered. "Those two will do it for sure!"
"Hold on a minute," Piccolo interrupted, "It might take some time before Trunks and Goten learn the fusion technique. In the meantime, millions of innocent people will probably be killed by Buu. Humanity may be wiped out, the planet may be destroyed! This is a risky gamble we have to take!"
"True, but as long as you and the Dragonballs are safe, it can all come back," Goku nodded.
"Great, I'm gonna quickly go and grab my family!" Krillin rushed over towards the edge of the lookout once again.
Corset pondered the notion to herself, pleased that there did seem to be a glimmer of hope that had derived from this fusion technique after all. If the boys were gonna be taught this fusion dance by Goku and Piccolo, what was she going to do? She didn't want to sit here and do nothing.
The sky suddenly darkened, startling everyone on the lookout. The sudden change in the sky put them on edge.
"Why'd it get dark all of a sudden?" Goku queried nervously.
"... It's... It's Shenron!" Piccolo realised.
"Someone's called forth the Dragon? Why?" Goku asked baffled, uncertain of whom it could be.
"... It's gotta be Mama!" Corset gasped alarmed. "She was at the tournament when Dad killed all those people!"
"She's wishing them back to life!" Goku grasped onto the same thought.
"This is bad!" Dende cried. "If she uses all the wishes now then the Dragonballs will be turned to stone for a year. I'm sure after the wishes have been made, Buu will end up killing more innocent people who won't be able to be wished back to life!"
"Alright, I'll go stop her." Goku put his fingers to his forehead and began to concentrate, looking a little worried after a while. "... Everything's so muddled up down on Earth and Bulma's ki is hard to find..." It took a couple more moments before a smile appeared as the Saiyan vanished.
"I can't believe Bulma managed to find all seven balls so fast..." Krillin mumbled as he walked back over to the group.
"Mama already had some of the Dragonballs at home," Corset explained. "I think she had at least four of them already found. She was gonna try and collect all seven during her breaks from work but stopped after a while."
"Dende, they've already made a wish!" Goku's voice echoed through the air telepathically. Although none of them questioned it out loud, Corset couldn't help but wonder since when had Goku been telepathic?
"Tell Shenron you don't need any more," Dende instructed. "You'll only have to wait four months until the Dragonballs can be used again."
"Right. Since everyone's here, tell Krillin I'll bring them all there."
"Heard him," Krillin chuckled before anyone could attempt to wryly relay the message!
Quickly the sky turned back to normal. A few moments later, Goku returned along with the remainder of the gang.
Corset joined her mother and Videl and greeted them both; both women seemed a little surprised to see her. Videl in particular was showing a great interest in observing the strange floating palace she now stood in! Corset felt a little bad for her; the poor girl had been forced to absorb so much information that Corset was sure conflicted with every one of her logical beliefs. "So how'd everything go at the tournament?" She asked casually.
"Never mind the tournament!" Bulma snapped. "Tell me what's going on! Why did your father kill all those people? How did you guys all suddenly appear then disappear? What's been happening?"
"Um... Hey, where are Grandpa and Nana?" Corset hurriedly asked wanting to avoid her mother's questions. The answers would not be easy to give and right now she wasn't sure she could handle being strong for her mother's sake. She wasn't entirely sure she was the best person to be answering them anyway.
"Good question, are they still on Earth?" Krillin asked.
"They said they couldn't leave their precious pets!" Bulma folded her arms. "They told me to bring them back to life if anything happens!"
"That's crazy," Krillin snorted. "Man, if I knew where Tenshinhan was I'd tell him and Chaozu to get up here."
"Hey, where are Gohan and Goten?" Chichi asked noticing the boys weren't present amongst them.
"Yeah, and Trunks and Vegeta?" Bulma added.
Corset glanced down, trying not to give any indication off that something bad had happened. She didn't want to be the one to explain it to them, it was still a sore wound for her. She couldn't face telling the two mothers and wives that one of their sons and the other's 'husband' were no longer in the land of the living, or the circumstances the Earth was now in. She joined the reluctant others who were in the know, leaving the rest of the group answerless and growing increasingly worried for the whereabouts of their loved ones. The pressure was immense, Corset felt as if she were being crushed by some powerful force, squeezing her lungs and stopping her from breathing comfortably.
"... We'd have had to have told them at some point..." Goku spoke out releasing the others from their tension. "... Goten and Trunks are going to be alright... Gohan and Vegeta are dead. Buu killed them."
No one seemed to know what to say.
Corset stayed silent, clinging desperately to her own thoughts. She noticed Chichi fall in the corner of her eye, caught by her father who called out her name in distress. 'Poor Chichi...' Corset frowned miserably; the poor mother had always been highly protective of her eldest son, mellowing out with her youngest. To lose him was surely going to be one of the most painful events of her life, equivalent to the two times she'd already become widowed. Gohan was her studious baby; the boy who was destined to grow up and to help others... and he'd died doing just that. Chichi would never quite understand the need Gohan had to save others but she'd always accepted it.
As Goku rushed over to his unconscious wife, Corset could hear her mother's sobs.
"... Vegeta... is dead?" She mumbled quietly with disbelief, voice almost choked off with the sheer emotion swirling inside her.
Corset flinched as her mother screamed out, tossing her face up to the sky. To her relief Yamcha went to comfort her, trying to calm her mother down as best he could with a touch to the shoulder and a soft tone. After a moment Corset turned on the spot, no longer able to accept not doing anything to comfort her mother and wrapped her arms around her briefly before walking away. She had to get away and be alone somewhere for a while. Hearing her mother's sobs made her feel like the smallest person on the planet; she couldn't listen to it and not be disturbed in some way. It was always the last sound she wanted to hear, the last sight she wanted to see (or one of them.) Her mother's tears to her meant she'd failed.
The news of Gohan and Vegeta's deaths had all been hard for the group to hear. Everyone had made their ways to different parts of the palace; some of the warriors outside keeping an eye on Earth, whilst others were inside mourning their losses.
Corset sat around the back of the palace slumped against the exterior wall. She sat alone as she wanted, thinking over what had happened in the last four hours. Gohan was dead. Vegeta was dead. Kaioshin was dead. Goku was still with them but had little time left before he had to return to the dead; not even he felt he could beat Buu. They were in a right pickle. Piccolo wouldn't be strong enough to take down Buu. Krillin wouldn't stand a chance. It left her, Goten and Trunks as the only hopes for the planet. She knew right now she couldn't beat Buu; that had been made painfully clear to her earlier on today. That left Goten and Trunks and this fusion dance.
Was it right for them all to be relying on the boys? Trunks was eight years old; Goten was seven. Was it really right to put all that pressure on them? They were just little kids, naive and unaccustomed to life-and-death battle. To them fighting had just been a way to bond with their families and to compete with one another, never had it been about do or die.
'I won't leave it all up to them,' Corset told herself. 'I've gotta get stronger too!'
"... Hey, mind if I sit with you for a minute?"
Corset turned, surprised to see Goku standing before her.
"...Sure." She nodded uncertain of what to expect.
The seasoned fighter perched himself against the wall as he sat down. "Sorry about this but I've gotta ask," Goku apologised. "... Piccolo told me you fought with Buu before Vegeta did. Since you're the only one still alive who fought him, you're the only one I can ask. Tell me all about the fight you had, what kind of powers are we dealing with."
The talk went well. It had been useful and Goku had gone away with more of an idea on how Buu fought. As she feared, Goku had admitted defeat against Buu. The discussion had its uses but not for Corset. It was like pouring salt on a wound. She wandered into the building to get out of the sun for a little while, maybe find somewhere to rest up. It had been a long, draining day and it was starting to take its toll on her...
"Can you hear me, Earthlings?"
Corset gasped, turning on her heels and speeding down the corridors towards the entrance to the palace, Babidi's voice still talking in her mind. Confusion struck her; hadn't Piccolo gotten rid of that little worm earlier on? If so then why could she hear him?
"I am the great wizard Babidi. Don't bother looking for me; I'm speaking directly into your minds through my magic. Forgive this intrusion into your peaceful lives but I had a terrible day, thanks to these four brats!"
"Goku!" Corset yelled as she burst outside; the fighters outside giving a quick nod. So they could hear this too.
"Close your eyes and I'll send you a vision of what these four brats look like!"
Corset did as instructed. To her horror a picture of her, Piccolo, Trunks, and Goten emerged.
"See them? These are the four I want. Come out! You know who you are!"
Corset felt her fists tightening at her sides. "... That bastard!" How had he lived? What had gone on after her father's self-destruction and why did this little demon have to survive?
"Allow me to introduce myself… The person you see now is me," An image of Babidi appeared, quickly replaced by Buu. "This is Majin Buu, my even more fearsome servant. No one can defeat the great Buu – no one!"
The images turned to a city; Corset didn't recognise it but she couldn't shake off the horrible feeling wrenching inside her.
"Watch this city closely. If those fools don't show themselves immediately..."
"No, don't!" She gasped.
"Wizards hate to be messy... so we'll kill them neatly! Do it, Buu!"
Buu raised his arms out. Far off screams and cries could be heard as suddenly the population of the city began to appear, floating higher and higher into the sky as if the gravity had been switched off.
"That monster! What's he doing?" Goku snarled.
"Buu don't!" Corset yelled.
Buu's head tentacle extended and a strange light bolted forwards, striking the helpless floating people. Suddenly the screams stopped as every person was turned into candy! Those upon the lookout watched in horror as Buu breathed in, sucking the sweets into his mouth until his cheeks puffed out, crunching on what used to be people.
"Do you begin to understand?" Babidi sneered. "It's still so messy leaving an empty city around with no people in it… I suppose we'll have to clean this up ourselves! Buu! Don't scrub too hard or you might blow the planet away!"
Buu stepped forward and inhaled deeply. He expelled his gathered breath, turning left and right as he completely demolished the city before them, reducing it to a cloud of dust and rubble.
"Oh, it looks like we may have made more of a mess!" Babidi sniggered. "I'll show you them again..." Again images of Piccolo, her, Trunks, and Goten appeared. "Tell me where they are, if you don't want to be turned into candy and eaten. We'll finish killing everyone on Earth in five days so you'd better speak up!"
Corset could feel her whole body shaking, trembling with anger and hatred towards Babidi and Buu.
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you how to contact me. Just speak out to me in your mind; I'll pick it up. I'll gladly accept calls from those four fools."
"... I can't take this!" Corset snarled livid. "I've gotta tell him to stop!"
"No!" Goku barked hurriedly. "Stay quiet and stay safe!"
"There are people being killed!" Corset bellowed back. "I'm not gonna let them kill anyone else!"
"Stay here and hold your ground. You know as well as I do if you go down there you'll be killed." Goku ordered harshly. "If we lose you we only have Goten and Trunks left; do you want to get yourself killed and then leave it all up to them?"
Corset growled under her breath and turned away. "... No..."
"Then stay here and grow stronger before you go off to fight," Goku's voice was suddenly a lot softer as he calmed down.
"Oh, it seems we have news already!" Babidi's voice butted in.
Another voice began to speak, one which Corset didn't recognise. "I was one of the staff at the Tenkaichi Budokai. We definitely know three of them registered, we're not sure on the fourth! The ones we know of are Ma Jr, Trunks, and Son Goten."
Silently Corset thanked herself for remembering to wear a costume and changing her name. Thankfully she hadn't been recognised; her disguise had worked.
"I don't care what their names are!" Babidi spat. "Where are they?"
"Oh... Um... I don't have their addresses."
"What a waste of time!" Babidi grunted.
The image changed. Corset recognised the uniform as that of the ones the Budokai staff had worn. She guessed they were watching the guy who'd stupidly wormed out the names of her little brother and friends. She couldn't ignore the chill that ran down her spine as the man suddenly grabbed his head, which had started to inflate! Babidi's magic, no doubt. It was terrifying knowing just what the little warlord was capable of. Corset watched revolted as his head began to expand, blood pouring from his nose. With a loud boom his head exploded.
"Let that serve a lesson to you humans, no crank calls!" Babidi appeared again. "You don't want to die like that, do you? I'm much too busy going around the world killing humans; I might be coming to your town next. There's no use running and hiding; in five days you'll all be gone. I'll be waiting!"
With that he vanished.
"That madman!" Piccolo snapped.
"They're horrible," Dende nodded glumly.
"We can't see any more people be killed; I'll go!" Piccolo decided.
"No Piccolo!" Goku butted in. "If you go who will teach the boys the fusion technique? We can't beat Buu without fusing. They'll destroy the Earth anyway – we can still put it all right with the remaining wishes on the Dragonballs."
"He's right," Dende agreed.
"... Alright, I'll stay..." Piccolo reluctantly grumbled.