Chapter 089 – Race to West City
It had been almost an hour since Babidi's broadcast. Corset'd grown anxious and restless since then and in the end had taken to sparring with Krillin, trying to grow stronger but also trying to find something to occupy her mind with. Seeing Babidi and Buu again had woken up her anger and she needed to channel it to a more useful and practical solution. She needed more strength and she needed it fast. Unfortunately this wasn't great news for Krillin; on more than one occasion he had to demand she slow down and calm herself, growing fearful of the level of power slowly seeping its way into her punches and kicks, not to mention the increasingly angry look on her face! In fact he soon grew so concerned he called the sparring session off much to Corset's regret; she hadn't even noticed her temper slipping at all but could understand Krillin's concerns. She had to remember she was not the little girl needing to be protected by his superior strength anymore.
Finally Trunks and Goten had woken up. There'd been a small commotion when the two boys were found by Mr Popo; the two Super Saiyans, thinking the man was hostile, quickly went on the attack until finally Goku stopped them in their tracks. Goten had been pleased to see his father again. Corset'd been glad to see they were both their usual energetic selves but knew there was a far harder task to be done before their training would start. Once they'd noticed her presence, the questions had started to fly, Trunks eager to know what had become of Buu and where there father was, Goten asking about Gohan and his location. They had no idea of the news the others had for them.
It wasn't easy to break it to them.
Neither of them took it well.
"No, my dad can't die!" Trunks yelled, desperately trying not to burst into tears as Goten had. The boy had been taught by their father never to show emotion and that it was always better to repress it. His age had caught up with him, no matter how hard he tried to follow his dad's rule, the sorrow was just too much for him.
"Gohan can't be dead!" Goten wailed bawling like the little child he was. "He can't be!"
It was heart-breaking to see them both like this; Corset struggled to keep her own emotions under check, knowing what both her little brother and Goten were going through.
"We don't have time for crying!" Goku spoke sternly over the two wailing boys. "Learn to fuse fast if you want revenge – got that?"
The boys slowly began to calm down.
"I'm sorry but there's not much time; we don't know when Babidi will find us so we've gotta start now." Goku frowned.
"You could always use the Room of Spirit and Time," Piccolo suggested.
"No; the boys can only use it for two days in their lives," Goku shook his head, "They might need it later. It'll be ok; I'm sure these guys will pick this up fast."
Trunks and Goten had both stopped crying and were looking intensely at Goku, looks of distain and slight resentment towards the fighter. Something about their stares seemed a little menacing to Corset and she grew uneasy. She could see the type of mood Trunks was in; he'd passed the sorrow and was now doing what his father would normally do; his rigid shoulders and clenched fists an obvious sign of many questions and furious answers running through his mind – and he wasn't the only one.
"Let's get started," Goku decided. "This technique will allow you to become far stronger provided it's done right. The fusion will only last for thirty minutes, even if you succeed. Once time is up you'll split back into two and won't be able to fuse for an hour."
"Only half an hour?" Piccolo grumbled fretful. "...That's not much time."
"They'll be able to get the job done," Goku disagreed with a confident smile, "that's how powerful this stuff is." His attention turned back to the boys. "Alright, both of you turn Super Saiyan."
Neither Trunks nor Goten did transform; their angry expressions still pinned to Goku. It seemed it was only now that the Saiyan noticed the resentment drifting from the two miniature warriors towards him.
"... What?" he tilted his head confused.
"What were you doing when Dad and Gohan were killed?" Trunks asked.
Corset blinked in surprise; this was almost instantly replaced with a frown. This wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation. Indeed her brother was not in the most forgiving moods, the silent rage inside of him was about to break free no matter what Goku's response.
It took a while for the Saiyan to come back with an answer and in the end it was the truth delivered bluntly rather than through minced words. "... I was out cold," Goku answered.
"Knocked out? At a time like that?" Trunks snarled, tone rising a notch unimpressed by the warrior's answer. "You're supposed to be strong!"
"What are we gonna learn from you?" Goten grumbled, emphasising a hint of disgust towards his own father.
"H-How dare you!" Piccolo snapped. "This is Goku you're talking to!"
"Goku's saved the universe a number of times already!" Corset stepped forward, her voice not as loud or aggressive as her former mentor's but still holding a tone of agitation for the two children's disrespectful remarks. She wouldn't allow them to show Goku such distaste and lack of faith; he was one of the greatest people she knew and certainly one of the strongest and wisest when it came to battle. He may not have had much brains when it came to society and everyday living but in battle he was almost unrivalled. Any advice he could give should always be taken seriously in her opinion. "Show a little more respect to him you guys; he's offering to teach you something useful!"
"What about you? Did Dad knock you out as well?" Trunks redirected his attention – and unsympathetic attitude - towards his sister. "Why didn't you try to save him?" He demanded, the scowl across his face almost identical to that of his father in his early days.
"Guys, it's ok..." Goku interrupted before Corset could answer, "It's fine. I'm weak now; I could never beat Buu but I can still teach you this trick. If you want to get back at Babidi and Buu for everyone's deaths, this is the only way."
The boys whispered amongst themselves, unsure of whether to trust the man or not. As they contemplated it amongst themselves, the other demi-Saiyan fell into her own thoughts as her brother's words and accusations sunk in. Again she'd been given a reminder that she hadn't been able to save her dad and best friend. It burned her inside. It felt worse coming from her little brother than it did herself. She turned and was about to walk out the room when suddenly a voice spoke out:
"Hello again Earthling,! It's Babidi and Majin Buu!"
Instantly Corset closed her eyes; she could see Buu and Babidi floating above a large city. Her fists began to tighten as she began to anticipate the carnage that was about to happen. What were they now planning to torture them with?
"I've found an even bigger city this time!" Babidi spoke, "and it's about to be reduced to nothing unless Ma Jr., Trunks, and Goten show themselves…"
"H-Hey, he's talking about us!" Trunks gasped.
"Close your eyes Trunks – you can see them!" Goten exclaimed.
"No!" Piccolo warned. "Don't watch; it's better that way!"
"Whoa!" Too late; Trunks had followed his friend's advice and could now see the images for himself.
"It looks like no one's going to help me..." Babidi muttered, "Looks like the casualties will increase! Maybe this time Buu will turn them into chocolate?"
Buu's antenna shot forwards and fired off a bolt of light, once again shooting off some magic. Corset watched furiously as once again thousands of people were turned into food; Buu using his magic to bring them towards him in a large mass, bottlenecking as he attempted to pile them into his mouth in one big go. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed an energy beam reducing the city to rubble.
'Damn it!' Corset hated this; she hated staying quiet! Her mind screamed to go and fight Buu but her body kept her still. She knew better than to run off; she knew she was no match for the tubby monster. She had to stay alive and become stronger.
"Now that Buu's stuffed with chocolate, I think we'll just blow up the next town." Babidi cackled. "Where shall we go next?"
"Babidi!"
The voice came from nearby, inside the very room she stood in. Corset's eyes shot open alarmed and fell on Trunks.
"This is Trunks!" The boy snarled, fists shaking in front of him.
"I'm Goten!" Goten had joined in, shaken but furious.
"We can't do it now but soon we'll kill you both!" Trunks growled.
"Stop talking to him, he'll find out where you are!" Piccolo yelled making both the boys jump. Neither of them spoke another word much to Babidi's annoyance as he jeered and taunted them. Thankfully the boys resisted and the warlord bid his goodbyes to his worldwide audience, reminding them of the deadline they held and reinstalling fear into their hearts.
"So, are you boys ready to learn?" Goku asked once the talking was over.
Trunks and Goten both nodded.
It was at this point Corset quickly left the room to let the training start; she didn't want to be a distraction towards any of them. As she wandered down the hallways, she could feel the vibrations of the boys' powering up, sensing their ki bolt through that threshold as they transformed into Super Saiyans. She wondered what kinds of strategies Goku had in store for them but appreciated the suspense, feeling she had more pressing matters to focus on, namely her own training plans. She still hadn't worked out what to do yet...
She made it outside the palace and sat herself down on the steps. Trunks and Goten had started their training. What was there she could do to grow stronger?
"Everything alright?" Videl had wandered over, standing a couple of steps away from the thoughtful demi-Saiyan. This had been the first time the two friends had spoken since the events of the Budokai and a lot had happened during that time.
"Yeah, everything's alright," Corset nodded. "Why'd you ask?"
"You seem a little confused," Videl replied, "... as if you're trying to think of something."
"Yeah... I'm trying to think of what to do," Corset frowned, "the boys are inside getting trained and here I am with no training ideas. There's gotta be something that I can do..."
"Hello Earthlings!"
Babidi's voice pierced through the conversation; Corset bolted to her feet and clamped her eyes shut. 'What? Again?' She grumbled in her mind.
"I've just heard some interesting news! It seems one of my targets lives in the Capsule Corporation house in West City!"
"NO!" Corset almost screamed, panic striking her as she realised the imminent danger that would put her family in as well as any other plans involving the Dragonballs. "Nana and Grandpa are still at home! Who told them?"
"Where's Goku?" Bulma cried. "We've got bad news! If they go there now-"
"I know!" Corset nodded as she grabbed her mother by the arm and dashed back inside the palace, down the corridors whilst still listening to Babidi.
"That's where we're headed now! You'd better show yourself Trunks or your city will disappear!"
So it had been Trunks and not her who'd been found out? It didn't matter either way; her grandparents were in danger. Corset bolted into the room the boys were training in, "Goku! Nana and Grandpa are gonna be killed!" She cried with dismay.
"Don't worry, the Dragonballs can bring them back to life," Goku replied rather coolly about the matter.
"West City will be destroyed as well!" Bulma added not sounding as panicked as her daughter but still her voice suggested some significance of the problem. "The Dragonball Radar's in the lab, Goku. It uses special parts; I can't make another radar here without them. We won't be able to make a wish if we can't find them."
"What? That's not good! …Trunks, go home and grab the radar," Goku instructed. "I'll stall Buu and Babidi!"
"Are you sure?" Trunks asked unconvinced. "Won't you get killed?"
"You sure you wanna send Trunks?" Corset added worried. "I'm a lot faster than him; I could go get it!"
"Nah, Trunks will be just fine," Goku smiled. "Hurry and get there as fast as you can."
With that he put two fingers to his forehead and teleported.
The race was on.
Corset anxiously paced the floor as she and the others waited for Trunks and Goku to return safely. Whilst her little brother was rushing home to grab the Dragonball Radar, Goku was stalling for time and had confronted Babidi and Buu head-on. Babidi had relayed the scene to every person on the planet in a bid to make an example of Goku; thankfully it meant Corset could see the fight happening right before her eyes.
What happened next completely blew her mind.
Goku had transformed into a Super Saiyan. "This is a Super Saiyan."
He then transformed again. "This is the level that goes beyond a Super Saiyan. I guess you could call it Super Saiyan Two... and this..."
'... And this?' Corset repeated in her mind unsure. 'Is he kidding? Can he really go one step further?'
"You're joking right?" Krillin asked out loud. "There's more?"
"This is the next level beyond that!"
Goku began to scream loudly as his ki started to rise higher.
The lookout began to shake under the atmosphere; it was incredible that a place as far away as this was still being affected as if Goku were right there. Goku's ki continued to build, pushing higher and higher above anything Corset'd ever sensed. She could feel it starting to rival even that of Buu's ki!
"It's incredible... and he's still going!" Piccolo exclaimed.
With a final scream, Goku vanished in a blinding light. What emerged was amazing. He stood opposing Babidi and Buu. Electricity danced around his body; hair reaching down his back. That was the most noticeable thing; the hair. Corset could feel herself trembling under the pressure. Goku's ki was astounding!
"This is Super Saiyan Three," Goku spoke in a gruff voice. "Sorry that took so long; I'm still not used to it yet."
The battle was incredible. Corset hadn't seen anyone dominate Buu this way. Goku was all over him, dealing hit after hit after hit. Buu had scared her on more than one occasion; sucking Goku into his overgrown belly at one point, then using both the Kamehameha and one of her father's attacks.
She wasn't sure whether or not to be happy the battle didn't last long.
Goku powered down from his Super Saiyan Three form.
"Hey, why you turn back?" Buu asked. "This is fun, I want more!"
"I'm honoured," Goku smiled, "but I can't play with you forever. I'm heading back."
"Did you think you could escape alive?" Babidi sniggered. "Buu, kill him to teach them all a lesson!"
"Babidi!" Goku spoke sternly. "The ones you're looking for will appear in three – no – two days. Just wait for them! Stop this needless killing, wait for two days, ok?"
"... Are they strong?" Buu asked.
"Why should we do what you say?" Babidi sneered. "Maybe we'll kill more people just to spite you!"
"Too bad," Goku sighed, "It would have been a lot of fun for Buu... I'll make sure they chew you out when you get to Hell!"
With that, Goku vanished. His ki shifted rapidly and in a flash he was back on the lookout.
"Daddy!" Goten cheered, running up to his father and hugging him, amazed with the intense battle he'd just witnessed. "You were awesome, Daddy!" He chanted eagerly.
Corset rushed up to Goku, "What the hell was that?"
"What?"
"That transformation!" Corset exclaimed. "That was incredible, you totally beat Buu down! Teach me how to do it!"
"Uh, I'm not sure I can." Goku smiled sadly, "It took a long time for me to be able to reach that form and even now, I don't have complete control over how much energy it takes to sustain it."
"Yeah, you do look pretty tired..." Corset frowned. Back to square one: there had to be something she could do!
"Trunks is on his way back," Piccolo muttered. "He should be here soon."
Goku turned to the right; Corset unsure why.
"... Buu's done it," the warrior spoke, "He's killed Babidi."
"... Oh yeah," Corset noticed Babidi's ki had vanished. She couldn't help the smile that broke upon her face. "Good riddance; that guy was such a pain!"
"I figured he'd get to that sooner or later," Goku nodded.
"If there's no one giving Buu orders, perhaps he won't keep on killing people," Corset suggested.
"I'm not too sure, there's a chance that might happen but there's also a chance he'll keep on killing," Piccolo replied.
"I guess we'll find out," Goku agreed.
Corset felt something tug on her clothes and glanced down to see Goten, "What's up, Goten?"
"Since Trunks isn't here yet, can we spar?" Goten asked. "Dad said Trunks is stronger than me; I wanna be as strong as Trunks is."
"Sure, we can spar until Trunks gets back though, ok?" Corset nodded. "Your dad's gotta finish teaching you the fusion technique after all."
"Yeah!" Goten cheered, jumping on the spot. As Goku and Piccolo chose to watch over the edge of the lookout, Corset and Goten got into battle position, a couple of the non-fighters gathering to watch the small match.
"You guys be careful," Bulma called.
"Don't fight too hard!" Krillin cheered.
"Whenever you're ready Goten," Corset smiled putting up her guard.
"Kay, here I go!"
Goten charged forwards and tossed out a fist; Corset blocked and blocked again as Goten unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks. Indeed the boy was almost as strong as Trunks but Corset felt she had to concentrate more as his fighting-style was different. It reminded her of when she and Gohan used to spar when they were younger. A kick towards her ankle grabbed her attention and Corset jumped up into the sky; Goten pushing himself up after her and continuing his assault.
For the majority of the session Corset was on the defensive, choosing to let Goten attack so she could sharpen her reflexes. The challenge soon became rather dull for Goten's liking, so the rules were changed, both sparring up in the air above the palace so as not to cause any damage. Goten's speed was impressive; it was true he was a little less capable than Trunks but Corset appreciated the challenge the miniature-Goku posed, it was reminiscent of a young Gohan only a little less experienced and more bold. Soon after a long and gruelling session the two parted for a breather.
"You're pretty tough Goten," Corset spoke praising the cheerful fighter, impressed with his strength. "At this rate you and Trunks could really become something!"
"Thanks!" Goten grinned proudly, "You're a lot faster than Gohan was."
"Hey, why don't we see what happens if you become a Super Saiyan and I don't?" Corset suggested. "That would be fun, wouldn't it?"
"Are you sure?" Goten asked a little concerned. "You have to promise not to turn into a Super Saiyan at all! You can't lie like Trunks did at the tournament!"
Corset chuckled at the remark; Goten was indeed a little too trusting, just like his father. She wouldn't mislead him. "Don't worry Goten, I won't transform. I promise."
"... Ok then!" Goten's ki began to rise, his hair floating up into the air, turning a golden yellow along with his aura as he transformed.
Corset almost missed his movement; an explosive sound echoed as she blocked Goten's kick, another as she blocked a punch. His attacks definitely had more power to them and his speed had greatly increased, which was expected. Corset found it harder to dodge and had to resort to blocking as Goten threw attack after attack after attack. With one hard blow to the cheek, Corset shot backwards, flipping over and pushing off one of the roofs of the palace. Both fighters' fists met in another bang, shaking the palace floor slightly. In a flash Goten had struck Corset in the stomach; Corset's fist connecting with Goten's cheek. Several more attacks were thrown and connecting, causing the tiles on the floor to crack under the pressure.
"Trunks is back!"
Both Corset and Goten stopped; glancing over to Piccolo. Indeed Trunks appeared seconds later, landing before them. Quickly forgetting the battle, both demi-Saiyans approached the boy along with the others.
"Here, one Dragonball Radar," Trunks held out the Dragonball radar; Bulma taking it from her son's hands.
"Good job Trunks," Goku nodded. "We don't have much time. Let's get your training started!"