Menka:

Menka followed Reyak, Goten and Trunks at some distance. The three boys were so excited to see a demon soon that they did not notice Menka lagging more and more behind them. They shared their thoughts with each other about what the creature would look like. Mernka wasn't sure if she was also so curious or if she would rather fly home. She came along more out of a sense of duty towards her brother.

She constantly scanned the surroundings with her senses. Scanning for familiar and unfamiliar auras. When she was younger, the many different energies had frightened her. It was as if she was never alone. It had been Dende and her father who had taught her how to filter out the known energies and how to exclude other auras. Over time, it had become easier and easier for her to recognise small but subtle differences. Dende was thrilled at how good she was at recognising auras. She even found ones that were suppressed.

While she followed her parents, Uncle Vegeta and Uncle Kakarrot with her brother and two cousins, a part of her always kept an eye on the energies. Suddenly, something had changed. It took her a moment to realise what it was.

"Reyak!" She called her brother's name and stopped in mid-air. Annoyed, he turned to her.

"What?"

"Papa's aura is gone."

Reyak closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm sure he just ..."

"He didn't suppress it. Mum's aura was almost gone too and now it feels different." Menka was sure of it. She would always find her parents' auras, no matter the distance, whether they were suppressed, or whether they had changed a little.

Reyak understood and nodded. "We must hurry." He reached out to her and pulled her with him. She was thankful, for he was clearly faster than she was.

"Do you think this demon is dangerous?" asked Goten of the others.

Trunks shrugged his shoulders. "We just want to see what he looks like."

They flew side by side in silence for a while, until Menka cried out. "Mum's not there anymore!"

Irritated, they all stopped and concentrated. "Crap!" exclaimed Reyak. "Menka's right."

"But they're in the complete opposite direction now. That's where we just came from," Trunks said.

"I don't understand. Mum and Uncle Kakarrot are definitely in that direction. And Uncle Vegeta is there too, but his aura feels completely different."

"What do you mean?" asked Trunks. Concern for his father spoke from his features.

"I don't know exactly. It's like something ... evil has interfered there."

"Go, go!" decided Trunks, and flew forward.

Again they flew in silence, this time more grimly. Menka wanted to know what was going on. Why had they changed the scene? Why did her mother and Uncle Vegeta's auras feel so strange? And most importantly, what had happened to their father?

"Shit!" Irritated at Reyak's sudden outburst, they all stopped again. "They changed the battle location again!"

It was true. The location was now back in the original direction. Menka had been so lost in thought that Reyak had been quicker to spot the change this time.

"Shall we go back to Mum and Bulma's place instead?" asked Reyak.

"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Menka. Since she was usually the quietest of them, they all turned their heads in wonder. "We have to find out what happened!"

"All right. Let's go then!" Again Reyak took her hand and they set off again in the direction Videl had indicated.

Gritting her teeth tightly, Menka followed her brother and cousins. This uncertainty brought her to the brink of madness. What if something had really happened to her parents? Her mother's aura was still palpable, but it felt somehow dull, not as radiant as usual. Was she perhaps being suppressed by someone? And she was fighting, Menka was sure of that too. Both her uncles were fighting too. But against whom? She didn't perceive any other aura there.

After endless minutes of flight, she felt something new again. As if a source of energy had exploded and she felt its spurs at great distance. A cold shiver raced down Menka's spine. A glance at Reyak confirmed to her that he had sensed it too. He sped up his flight once more.

"Stop!" Trunks stopped so unprepared that Goten crashed into him. Quick as a flash, Trunks dropped downwards into a small range of hills. The area was surrounded by jagged rocks. Far and wide, nothing but dust and rocks. At least it was an uninhabited area, Menka thought.

"What is it?" asked Goten impatiently.

Trunks indicated that they should follow him to the edge of the rock and crawled forward to the edge.

Then Menka saw what Trunks must have seen before and what her musings had made her notice too late.

Below them stood Gohan with that guy from the tournament. Facing them was a small hatted male with a cape and a tall guy with red skin and horns. Between the two of them, Menka saw a pink ... yes, what was it? Pink, very fat, eyes narrowed to slits, an antenna on its head. She searched her memory for the exploded energy they had just felt on the flight. It had definitely come from this being.

"Hey, do you think that's the demon?" asked Goten.

All eyes shifted to Menka. She nodded slowly.

"He sure looks boring," Trunks remarked.

"But he is very powerful," Menka said so quietly that only Reyak right next to her could hear her.

"I wonder if he hatched from that egg." Reyak pointed to two hemispheres also lying on the plain. A slimy pink mass stuck to the insides.

"Quite possibly. Probably the hatching was that kind of explosion we felt."

"And what would that be?" asked Goten. He pointed to some kind of roundish hut that seemed tiny, standing in the middle of the plain. A collective shrug of the shoulders was the answer.

"Gohan and the guy who was at the tournament seem pretty desperate," Reyak said after watching for a while.

"It probably wasn't planned for the demon to hatch in the first place," Menka replied. That aura was terrifying and didn't seem to fit the pink creature. The aura was powerful and almost inexhaustible. The being - the demon - seemed more like a cuddly toy that was too big.

"I'd love to know what they're talking about down there," Trunks muttered.

They all would have liked to know, but none of them dared to come closer. The guy from the tournament ruffled his hair and seemed visibly distressed. Gohan gazed impassively over at the enemy group. Even at a distance, it was obvious that every muscle in him was tensed to the utmost.

The little male stretched out his arm and the pink demon leapt towards Gohan. He grabbed his companion and tried to flee. He was too slow. The demon caught him hard and Gohan crashed to the ground. He dragged the other one with him.

"Nooooo!" Goten had jumped up.

"Are you crazy?!" Trunks dragged Goten back down. "They're going to notice us."

Menka's pulse quickened. They couldn't just stand by and watch now, could they? Could they really feel so helpless? Not able to do anything even though someone they loved was hurt in front of them?

Menka would have liked to put her hands over her eyes. She didn't want to watch the demon kill Gohan and the other.

When Reyak gasped, she looked back down.

The demon had a spear stuck in its body. Menka's eyes slid across the plain to identify the thrower. It had been the guy with the horns. Hadn't he been on the demon's side? Menka was confused.

The demon seemed as confused and surprised as she was. Without hesitation, he pulled the spear out of his torso. A black hole passed through him. Only seconds after removing the spear, the hole had closed.

"Oh no, he's invulnerable," Menka cursed.

"Not good at all," Reyak hissed.

"I wonder if the Evil Containment Wave can be used against him?" pondered Menka.

Reyak shrugged his shoulders and continued to concentrate on what was happening.

The demon had turned towards the spear thrower. The fleshy antenna on his head jerked forward and sent a flash of lightning at his opponent. It glowed brightly.

The guy with the horns had disappeared.

"Where is he? I can still sense his aura," Menka said. She looked to Goten and Trunks, who seemed just as perplexed as Reyak.

Slowly, the demon walked to where the other had disappeared and picked up something from the ground. He looked at the little something for a moment and then put it in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed.

"No!"

"What?" Reyak looked to his sister.

"The demon turned the other one into a biscuit or something and then ate it!"

Kera:

"Wait!"

"What now?"

Kera closed her eyes for a moment. She traced the golden thread that was her connection to Piccolo. He was no longer petrified. He was alive. A tear rolled down her cheek and she smiled. Quickly she wiped away the trail of tears.

"Piccolo. He's fine."

"I still find that soul connection creepy."

"You're just jealous ..."

"Now, then, can we? Kakarrot's son's aura has also disappeared by now."

With horror, Kera realised what Vegeta meant. She felt panic rising inside her and shook it off resolutely. "Go on then!"

Vegeta reached out and blasted the floor hatch. For a moment, her vision was obscured. Not only did rocks and dust swirl up, but also lots of metal fragments. Vegeta had indeed destroyed most of Babidi's spaceship.

They were no longer standing on the rocky plain, but in the remains of the ship. Above them, it was bright.

"Off to the top!" said Vegeta, pushing himself off the ground. Kera followed him immediately.

They left the remains of the spaceship below them and landed next to the charred components of the front door. Kera tried to take in everything she could see and feel as quickly as possible.

A few steps away from them lay the Supreme Kai. He did not move. Kera was not sure if he was unconscious or already dead. His energy was intangible to her. Gohan was nowhere to be seen by her, nor did she continue to feel his aura. What on earth had happened?

There was something pink next to Babidi. "Is that the demon?" asked Kera quietly.

"I guess so. I imagined him a little different," Vegeta returned in a whisper.

"Ah, Vegeta! There you are again!" Babidi's high-pitched voice made Kera whirl around.

Vegeta straightened up a little more. "Thanks for the powers, by the way."

Babidi glared at him angrily. "I knew you weren't entirely under my control. Never mind. Boo!" The pink blob twitched once briefly, but paid no further attention to his master. Babidi grumbled at the demon, who seemed to take little notice of what Babidi was saying.

"Oh, no!" snapped Kera.

"What is it?" asked Vegeta, not taking his eyes off the demon and the cursing mage.

"Piccolo and Krillin have been transformed back and they're fine. Apparently the demon ate Dabura."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Our kids are here."

"Are you kidding me?"

Kera shook her head. "Piccolo just told me. Menka, Reyak, Trunks and Goten are with him at the spot where he was petrified."

"Tell them to get out of here." Vegeta went to stand wide-legged, bending his knees slightly and raising his arms. Every muscle, every nerve fibre was tense. He was ready for an attack.

"Because that always works out so well when we tell our children something." Kera smiled and took the same position as Vegeta.

"What are you doing?" he snapped at her.

"We're fighting together here."

"I'm not fighting ..."

"Don't argue."

Vegeta growled and continued to fix the mage and the demon. The latter, meanwhile, had his arms crossed in front of his chest and was looking in one direction in a huff while Babidi was jumping up and down angrily.

"Kakarrot was always a notch better than me. He has stepped into the breach for us. In doing so, he humiliated me more than once. Now it is up to me to save this planet." Vegeta spoke softly, keeping his eyes on the demon. It seemed to Kera that these words cost him great effort, but he had to get them off his chest. He wanted to make sure that only Kera heard his words. "I know I have made mistakes in the past. I have failed. But this time I'm going to finish it. Kakarrot sacrificed himself against Cell for all of us and now it's my turn. I will protect our family, our friends and this planet. If it kills me, I don't care. I'll fight to the bitter end. I'll take care of these two lunatics. I'm not going to hell alone. I'm definitely taking these two with me."

Kera's mouth pulled into a brief smile, then immediately turned serious again. "Flaming speech, big brother. There's no way I'm leaving your side. And don't think you can just knock me out like Kakarrot."

For the first time since they had come out of the spaceship, he looked at his sister. "You are a true Saiyan princess." Then he turned to the demon. "Hey, onion! Do you always let this dwarf order you around?"

The demon looked at Vegeta and seemed undecided about what to do now.

"Buu, that ugly guy there insulted you. Aren't you going to punish him for it?" exclaimed Babidi.

"Insult Buu?" To Kera and Vegeta's surprise, little clouds of steam came out of Buu's head. The corners of his mouth pulled down demonstratively. Angrily, he tilted his head as if to race towards the two.

"To a good fight, my king!"

"To a good fight!"

Together, Kera and Vegeta leapt forward.