NOTE: Welcome back to another chapter! This is probably the longest chapter I've written, since it's all of the tournament stuff.
The next intermission will be the rest of the Cell Games. I did have one planned for Mother's Day, which would've been about Makima's reaction to being pregnant the first time and Gohan's birth. However, I've decided to save that for something else later on.
Enjoy and Review!
Chapter 9: The Wizard Babadi
"Well, that was one heck of a fight, right?!" Gohan nervously laughs. He looked at Videl, who was giving him an exasperated look. The Youth Division had finally concluded after Trunks' and Hercule 'fought'. Actually, it was better to call that a 'show' more than anything, since Trunks beat the man in a single hit. Hercule managed to play it off as going easy on the kid, which the audience ate up.
"You don't have to patronize me, Gohan. My Papa embarrasses me enough as is." Videl waved her hand. After everything she's seen those kids do there was no way to believe that her father threw that match on purpose. Honestly, she was just happy to see that her father survived Trunks' punch.
"Sorry…" Gohan scolded himself for not being good at cheering people up. His dad always made it look so easy. "We should hurry up and meet with everyone else at the cafeteria. I want to make sure my Dad and Vegeta haven't eaten everything yet!"
"All I can hope is that the tournament's staff can keep you all fed." Videl sweat dropped.
The two arrived at the cafeteria to see Goku and the rest eating…or better yet, they saw Goku, Vegeta, and a woman with pink hair scarfing down food while everyone else watched. Gohan did a double-take, taking his attention to the woman wearing a pair of dark denim shorts and a pink blouse with a picture of Kirby printed on the breasts. "Aunt Fami?!"
The third Horseman of the Apocalypse lazily waved at her nephew as she scarfed down a bowl of ramen. "Yo, Gohan. Funny lookin' clothes."
"Wait! That's one of your aunts?! What is she even doing here?!" Videl questioned. "Only tournament participants are allowed back here!"
"I came to see my brother-in-law/eating buddy." Fami answered before looking back at Goku. The two shared a fist bump with Goku chuckling at her appearance.
"Tch! Trying to hog everything for yourself!" Vegeta grumbled at the Famine Devil.
"Eat faster, then." Fami shrugged. Her response just pissed Vegeta off further, forcing the prince to continue trying to catch up to her head start.
"She was already back here eating when we got here. Vegeta and I are trying to play catch up, come join us, son!" Goku waved over to Gohan. Realizing that with his aunt now involved in the picture, Gohan had to hurry and get his share before the entire tournament's pantry went dry.
Videl, who had settled for a cup of water, watched in utter horror as the four devoured everything in front of them. She had thought she grew accustomed to this after spending so much time at the Son household for lunch, still wondering how Makima kept her kids fed on a daily basis. But what she was currently witnessing surpassed that by a gargantuan margin. Videl was more than certain that there would be nothing left to eat at this tournament by the time they were done.
She turned to Lazuli, who was barely giving her attention to the group, and leaned a bit closer. "I-is it always like this?"
Lazuli just gave her a side glance. "It would be worse if the brats were here."
Videl thought about that for a moment before her face grew a bit pale. Goten, Nayuta, and Trunks joining this pit of hungry monsters would be way worse.
After the Saiyans and Devil had their fill, the group exited the cafeteria to head towards the waiting area for the match lottery. Fami waved her hand at the group. "I'm gonna go find Makima and make her pay for more food. I'll be watching you guys, so good luck." She started walking away from the group.
"Thanks for coming, Fami!" Goku waved back happily.
"See ya, Aunt Fami!" Gohan did the same.
"Just don't lose like the kids did." Was the last thing she said before turning the corner. Gohan just shook his head at his aunt. He could tell his mother wasn't in the best of moods after the ending of the Youth Division, so his aunt bothering her was just gonna make that worse. Hopefully, his dad can calm her down later on.
Piccolo stopped in his tracks, confusing the others. Looking ahead, they saw the reason behind the Namekian's actions. Standing across from them were two strange individuals, the shorter one was even floating in the air.
"Uh…he's floating?" Videl's mention was ignored.
"Hello. You must be Son Goku." The shorter one said.
"How do you know that?" Goku asked.
"Oh, I've heard many things about you. I've always wanted to spar with you. I hope the lottery will pit us together for a match." He smiled weirdly. "Not that I think I'd ever win, but I wish to see just how strong you are. May I shake your hand at least?" The short one held out his hand.
"Uh…good to meet ya!" Goku returned the handshake. His eyes widened as he grabbed the man's hand, feeling a strange energy around him.
"You have a good soul. I'm thankful that it wasn't tainted."
"What?"
"I'll be seeing you." He and his companion walked away from the group. All everyone could do was stare at the two mysterious strangers as they left.
"And who, Goku, was that?" Piccolo asked.
"I don't know. But I can see that it won't be easy to pull off a clean sweep." Goku smiled, growing excited.
"Really? He just looked weird to me." Krillin said.
Vegeta, though he didn't voice it, felt similar to Goku and Piccolo. There was something about those two that rubbed him the wrong way. But the prince wiped it from his mind as he only needed to focus on his main goal today.
As the adults were getting ready for the Adult Division, the hybrids were chilling around the tournament grounds eating ice cream. Goten looked down at his quadruple scoop of mint chocolate vanilla chip. "It's a good thing you memorized your Mom's credit card information, Trunks!"
The champion smirked. "Nothing too complicated. She has like twenty different ones, so it's easy to not get caught."
"Big deal." Nayuta rolled her eyes. "I long since memorized our Mom's information to use to our whims." The female hybrid bragged.
Trunks leaned in closer with his smug grin. "Still upset over losing to me? It's fine to be salty that you're still weaker than me."
"You cheated! Using our Mom as a distraction was unfair, otherwise I would've won!" Nayuta huffed.
"I think it was fun!" Goten joined the conversation.
"You think everything is fun, Goten." Nayuta huffed.
"No, I don't! I don't think school is fun!"
"You enjoy recess and recess is a part of school! Therefore, you enjoy school!"
"No, I don't!"
"Yes, you do!"
"I do not!"
"You do too!"
Ignoring the bickering siblings, Trunks observes the time on the clock. It reminded him that the next division would be starting, and was a reminder that they had gotten cheated out of fighting the adults. If only there was a way for them to join without getting caught by the adults… "Hm?" He looked down to see a strangely dressed man standing near the waiting area. An idea started forming in his head.
"Hey, guys!" Trunks nudged the twins.
"Huh?" They turned to him.
"I think I have an idea on how to get us into the adults' tournament." Trunks pointed at the funny looking man. "We beat him up, take his outfit, and pretend to be him!"
"Trunks, that's crazy! What if our parents catch us?!" Goten exclaimed.
"They won't, because we'll be disguised." Nayuta smiled evilly. "I think I like this idea, rich boy."
"But-"
"Do you want to fight with the adults, Goten?" Nayuta asked her brother.
"Yeah."
"Then there's no problem. Trust your big sis!"
Goten thought about it for a moment before nodding his head. "Okay!"
Standing near the waiting area, the weirdly dressed man waited for the lottery to start. That was until he felt a very strange chill. Looking up, he froze in shock as the last thing he saw were three little demons lunging at him with excited little giggles.
After knocking the guy out, dragging him into a corner, and stripping him down, Nayuta frowned as she realized there wasn't enough space in the costume for all three of them. Goten and Trunks were already putting the outfit on. "Well, that's great! What am I supposed to do?!"
"I don't know! Figure something out!" Trunks hissed back.
"Ugh…" Nayuta poked her head around the bushes to see what she could possibly do. That was when she noticed a feminine looking man with long blonde hair walking towards the waiting area. It would be a bit difficult, but Nayuta remembered her mother showing them a special skill about controlling and manipulating one's appearance. Goten hadn't paid attention and Gohan wasn't interested…which meant…
"Heh. Found mine." Nayuta lunged at the man before he could realize what was happening.
With all sixteen competitors now joined together, the announcer was now ready to begin the lottery for the Adult Division. "Alright, now that everyone's here, let's start the lottery! Please step up and draw a number when I call your name!"
Krillin started a prayer. "Please God, don't let me get matched up with these guys in the first round…"
"You do realize God is Dende, right?" Piccolo snorted.
Goku saw two guys standing away from everyone else, their grey skin and bulging muscles had taken his attention. The way they were clearly glaring at everyone made him feel a bit weird. "Those guys seem like the ones to watch out for, but what's with those faces? Maybe suffering from stress?" Then he saw a weirdly shaped guy standing next to a blonde-haired man(?). "Is that guy competing? He's got a weird shape."
"First up… Killa!"
"Coming." A dark-skinned boxer stepped up to draw his number. He pulled out a rubber ball with '14' drawn in black ink.
"Killa is number 14! Next is Kibito!" One of the strange guys from before, the taller one with pink skin, stepped up to draw his number. "You will be number 7!"
"Next up is Krillin!" The shortest guy in the tournament drew his number. "You'll be number 1!"
"First match, huh? This'll be something." Krillin said.
"Great Saiyaman!" Gohan strolled up to get his number. "You'll be number 8!"
"8? I'll be fighting that guy?" Gohan's attention turned to Kibito. He felt his father place a hand to his shoulder.
"Don't let your guard down with him." Goku warned.
"Yeah, I know." Gohan nodded.
"Lazuli!" The cyborg grabbed her number. "You'll be number 9!"
"Shin!" The short mysterious companion of Kibito with the white mohawk took his number. "You'll be number 3!"
"Shin? I've never heard of him." Goku watched Shin walk back over to Kibito.
Trunks and Goten, who were disguised as one of the fighters, realized something important. "Hey, Goten? What's this guy's name?"
"I don't know."
"What do you two mean you don't know?!" Nayuta, disguised as well, hissed.
"It's not like this guy had a nametag on him!" Trunks hissed back. "Do you know the name of the guy you're posing as?!"
"Nope."
"Then don't judge us!"
"Next is Spopovich!"
"Is that us?" Goten asked.
"I don't know, we should hurry up and-" Nayuta grabbed their cape to stop the two idiots from embarrassing themselves. Trunks whipped his head at her with a glare. "The hell was that for?!"
"Look, genius!" She pointed at the standalone duo; the bigger guy was slowly making his way towards the lottery box. "We don't know the names of these guys, so just look around and give it a minute to be safe. There's not that many people left, and we know most of the people here."
"Wow, Nayuta! That was pretty smart!" Goten giggled.
"Why do you sound so surprised?!"
After Spopovich was designated as number 6, the next name called up was someone named Jewel. After giving it a few seconds, Nayuta realized that was her, so she quickly made her way to the lottery box and drew her number. "Number 16."
"Son Goku!" The Saiyan of Earth casually walked forward to draw his number. "That's number 11!"
"Next is Videl!"
Videl walked up to the announcer with a question burning in her mind. "Do you know where my Papa is?"
"Hercule is taking a break in his personal quarters. I'll be drawing for him." With her question answered, she drew her number. "And you'll be number 5."
"P-Papa?! She's related to Hercule?!" Goku gawked.
"Yup!" Gohan giggled.
"She doesn't look anything like him either. I bet he'll let you marry her if you scare him a little." Krillin jokes.
"W-why would I want to marry her?!" Gohan shuttered with a blush.
"Aren't you guys in a relationship? That's what Nayuta said." Goku mentions.
"Nayuta doesn't know what she's talking about! We're not dating!" Gohan continued to deny.
Goku made an 'oh' expression, then smiled. "Ah! I see! It's pretty similar to your Mom and I, then! We didn't date at all and got married immediately!"
Gohan sweat dropped at his father. "I don't think I should ever take relationship advice from you or Mom, Dad."
"Probably for the best."
"Next up is Punta!" A large man in Arabic clothing stepped up. "You'll be number 2!"
Punta turned to Krillin, clearly not taking the little man as a threat. However, Krillin was more than happy to see that his opponent was just a regular human. "You're my first opponent?! Sweet!"
"You're Krillin, right?"
"Yup."
"Don't expect any pity just because you're tiny, I'm sending you out on a stretcher!" Punta threatened.
Krillin just shook his head. "Oh boy…those lines just scream 'one-shot character'."
"Vegeta!" The announcer called the prince to take his number. Vegeta reached into the box and smiled gleefully upon seeing the number on the ball. "Number 12!"
"WHAT?!" Goku and the others exclaimed upon hearing the announced number. They turned to the bracket to see that Goku and Vegeta would be fighting in the first round.
"No way…" Piccolo muttered.
"Goku and Vegeta right off the bat?! Is the tournament even going to survive this?!" Krillin gulped.
"Yes! YES! I drew Kakarot! I've been waiting for this day! The day I finally beat him!" Vegeta chuckled to himself as he walked back to his previous spot.
"So, it's Vegeta, huh?" Goku felt his own excitement bubbling up. He knew that out of every match in this tournament that theirs would be the most explosive and exciting one.
"Our Dads are fighting first. I wonder who's gonna win." Trunks wondered.
"Our Dad, of course! Right, Nayuta?" Goten looked at his sister. The disguised girl rubbed her arm nervously.
"U-uh, yeah! I think Papa will win!" Nayuta agreed.
"No way! My Dad is stronger, because he isn't dead!" Trunks argued.
"But Gohan and Mommy said that he's been training in the afterlife!" Goten argued back. Nayuta wondered just how much stronger a dead person could possibly get, since they weren't really alive.
"Mighty Mask!" The hybrids looked over to see the announcer staring in their direction. "I've been calling your name!"
"S-sorry!" Trunks deepened his voice as Goten moved them over to the box. The rich boy plunged his hand into the box and pulled out a ball. "Number 13." The announcer looked at them weirdly as they walked away.
"Ma Junior!" The announcer called up Piccolo next. The Namekian pulled out his number and gasped in shock. "You're number 4."
"He's my opponent?!" Piccolo stared at Shin. "Perfect. This'll be a great opportunity to learn more about him."
"Since Hercule isn't here at the moment, I'll be drawing for him." The announcer pulled out a ball. "He'll be number 10!"
"Hey, you're up against Hercule!" Krillin happily exclaimed to his wife.
"I'm sorry you had to face my Papa in the first round!" Videl genuinely felt bad for Lazuli.
The blonde cyborg just stared at them both with a bored expression. "Who is that again?"
"Finally, we have Yamu who will be taking the last spot, number 15!" The skinnier grey skinned man drew the last ball.
"AND HERE'S THE RESULTS!"
Match 1: Krillin vs Punta
Match 2: Shin vs Ma Junior
Match 3: Videl vs Spopovich
Match 4: Kibito vs Great Saiyaman
Match 5: Lazuli vs Hercule
Match 6: Son Goku vs Vegeta
Match 7: Mighty Mask vs Killa
Match 8: Yamu vs Jewel
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THANK YOU FOR WAITING! IT IS TIME TO CHOOSE THE STRONGEST UNDER THE HEAVENS!" The crowd cheered loudly, once it quieted down enough, he continued. "Here are the sixteen competitors who have survived the preliminaries!"
Due to their heightened senses the Devils and hybrids were able to see the bracket clearly, not needing to listen to the announcer read them out. Makima's eyes widened once she saw the sixth match of the first round.
"Goku vs Vegeta in the first round?! This is gonna get intense!" Yamcha exclaimed.
"Is it really that big of a deal?" Denji asked.
"You remember how the kids' matches were, right?"
"Yeah."
"Imagine that but a hundred times bigger." Denji was not good at math, but he could make sense of that.
"Welp, it was nice knowing this arena. It had some pretty good food." Fami shrugged as she swallowed her fifteenth sandwich that Makima had bought her. She looked over at her older sister as the Control Devil's aura started to leak out a tiny bit. But even that much was enough to put the humans around them on edge.
Bulma, who had been pretty smug up to this point, nervously looked at Makima. "U-uh… Makima? Are you okay?"
The mother of three slowly turned her head towards Bulma, her face shadowed by her hair and sun hat. "Yes, I'm just looking forward to something."
"L-looking forward to what?"
Makima's face looked demonic as she smiled widely. "Revenge."
Yoru shivered as she felt Makima's leaked aura, knowing exactly what's getting her big sister so excited. She couldn't exactly blame the Control Devil, because even she was excited by the prospect of the sixth match. "That idiot better not lose to Vegeta." Asa looked at her weirdly. "What? My feelings about my brother-in-law may be…complicated, but the idiot is strong. Losing to that prince is unacceptable as a member of our family."
"PUNTA IS OUT OF BOUNDS! KRILLIN WINS!" The announcer declared as Krillin walked out of the ring with his fist raised. "NOW IS MATCH TWO! SHIN VS MA JUNIOR!" As Piccolo and Shin walked out onto the stage certain people recognized his attire and skin color as one of the people who were at the Cell Games seven years ago.
"Is this Shin guy really that interesting?" Krillin asked.
"We have no idea what he's capable of…but now we'll find out." Vegeta glared at the blue-skinned man.
Piccolo stared down his opponent with sweat dripping down his forehead. They hadn't even engaged one another in combat and yet something about him has already made him feel uneasy. "Who is this man?"
"You'll find out. Let's just enjoy the game for now." Shin responded to Piccolo's mental question, shocking the Namekian. Piccolo stepped away from Shin with a small gasp, shocked that his mind had been read by this individual.
"I give up." Piccolo announced, stepping away from the ring.
Shin was confused until he remembered a certain detail. "Ah, of course! He used this planet's God… He must have sensed who I am!" A small smile crept onto his face.
Goku and the others turned to Piccolo. "Was it that bad, Piccolo?"
"...Yes. He is a different order of being."
"Don't say that! I gotta fight him next!" Krillin whined.
Makima's eyes narrowed at Shin's retreating back as she sensed the divine energy surrounding him. For someone of that kind of power showing up at this tournament could only mean that there was something going on. And her bad feeling only increased when she took in the malicious evil aura surrounding Videl's opponent. It felt almost devilish by nature, but magical in the other.
She could tell Piccolo had realized who this individual was, which would be the only reason he'd forfeit a fight. Or at least Kami would forfeit the fight, since those two had fused back together. There were times she could see Kami's attitude and personality coming out of the usual battle hardened Namekian. Seems this was one of those times. She shifted her eyes to a bird flying overhead and took control of it. Makima commanded the bird to follow after Piccolo and Shin to keep an eye on them both.
With that disappointment of the match, the announcer could feel the crowd's energy had depleted some, so he hurriedly continued with the next match. "M-MOVING RIGHT ALONG! MATCH 3: VIDEL VS SPOPOVICH!"
Gohan took notice of the way the crowd exploded at Videl's name. "Wow! You're really popular! Good luck, Videl!"
"Thanks!" She nodded at him and walked out with Spopovich right next to her. As Shin walked past, he glared angrily at Spopovich's back.
"GO, VIDEL! KICK HIS BUTT!" Erasa cheered on her best friend.
"Ha! This'll be nothing for her." Sharpener smirked.
"Right! Videl is tougher than some musclehead!" Asa agreed.
"I wonder…" Asa turned to Yoru with a confused look. "That guy feels nasty and not in the way that I like."
Makima watched through the bird's eyes as Shin was confronted by Piccolo. "Even I may be mistaken, but I must ask you this…" Piccolo began.
"Ask me what?"
"Are you the Grand Kai?" Piccolo asked.
"No, I'm not." Shin denied.
Kibito walked up behind Piccolo, surprising the Namekian. "He's the Supreme Kai."
"T-THE SUPREME KAI?!" Piccolo cried. Makima had never seen the once feared Demon King look so utterly terrified.
"Please keep it quiet for now. I don't want anyone to know." Shin requested as he left to join Kibito.
"I've heard rumors of a Kai…one who stands above even the four King Kais and the Grand Kai, their leader…but I never wished to believe the rumors were true." Piccolo said. Goku walked over to check on his friend, clearly concerned by his scared demeanor.
"What's wrong, Piccolo? Was he bad mouthing you? Want me to talk with him?" Goku asked.
"N-NO! DON'T DO ANYTHING!" Piccolo warned the Saiyan from Earth. His eyes then shifted to the bird watching them. "The same goes for you too." Piccolo wasn't distracted enough to not sense Makima's energy coming from the bird. The bird's eyes turned back to normal after an annoyed 'tch' left its mouth.
"Why are you talking to a bird?"
"Just shut up, Goku."
Videl landed a devastating kick that sent Spopovich flying across the stage, but the brute recovered pretty quickly. He charged at the female fighter, clashing against her in a brawl that still sent him skidding back. As he got back up, Goku realized something about Spopovich that unnerved him. Videl continued wailing on Spopovich, but no matter how much she hit him the guy kept getting back up.
"W-what's going on?! Spopovich isn't even tired yet!" Gohan exclaimed.
"There's something weird about him. She better forfeit." Goku said to his son's surprise. He wasn't the only one with this thought as his wife and sisters-in-law were thinking the exact same thing as they watched the fight happening.
Spopovich kicked Videl in the chin, which knocked her off of the stage. Luckily for her, she activated her flying ability to keep herself airborne. She landed back on the stage with a beaten and bloodied face.
"Oh yeah! I taught her that one!" Gohan cheered.
"...It might've been better if she had fallen." Goku said.
"Huh?"
"Something is wrong about this Spopovich. He's way too unfazed by the damage he's taken and I don't sense any KI from him at all." Goku explained. As he said this, Videl kicked Spopovich in the head so hard that his head twisted all the way around. Audience members screamed in terror at the very violent act, but what freaked people out the most was the way Spopovich twisted his head back to normal.
"Is he a Devil?" Aki asked immediately. He was put on alert the moment the brute hadn't died from such a fatal wound.
"No, but he's something else entirely." Makima explained. She could feel Power and Denji attempting to stand, but she forced them both back down. "Neither of you make a move or I'll punish you."
"But Videl-" Makima's gaze stopped Denji from continuing his sentence.
"She will be fine as that man will not kill her. Do not do something to jeopardize your existence." Makima warned him. All Denji could do was comply and watch as his friend was brutally punched in the nose by the monstrous brute.
He wasn't the only one who felt helpless as Asa gripped her skirt with tight fists. Yoru was preventing her from interfering, telling her that Spopovich wasn't going to kill Videl. But still she didn't want to watch her friend face something that clearly wasn't human.
Videl flew back into the air to try and catch her breath, assured that Spopovich couldn't reach her from this height. Unfortunately for her, Spopovich DID know how to fly and stared her down like a hungry predator. "W-what…?!" Videl gaped at him.
"H-he flew?!" Gohan gasped.
"I-is flying the new fad or something?!" Pencil asked.
"V-Videl!" Erasa screamed.
Spopovich charged at the young girl, smashing his large fist into her body. Videl coughed out blood but before she could try to recover Spopovich unleashed a wave of air at her, blasting Videl back into the ring floor. However, she managed to release a small KI blast to push back against the momentum to keep herself from hitting the stone tiles.
"T-that was a KI blast…but without much power!" Krillin yelled.
"No, he weakened it on purpose to avoid killing her." Vegeta corrected him.
"But how does he…?!" Gohan asked.
"He has powers beyond his natural abilities…but why?" Goku also wondered.
The fight was no longer a fight, but a slaughterfest as Videl no longer possessed the strength to even defend herself. Spopovich proceeded to unleash the ultimate beat down on Videl, knowing that as long as he avoided killing her then he could have as much fun with the Champion's daughter as he wanted. After landing several rough gut punches into her body, he smashed his fist against her face, knocking Videl towards the edge of the ring.
"P-Please concede defeat!" The announcer pleaded with Videl.
"N-no… I can still win.." Videl struggled to her feet.
"...Why is she being so stubborn?! She'll get killed! That jerk doesn't care if she's a girl!" Gohan yelled, his anger starting to rise.
Spopovich ate a desperate kick from Videl and grabbed her by her hair, raising her up to smash his knee right into her face. Videl coughed out some teeth and blood, Spopovich threw her onto the ground with sickening glee.
"V-Videl…!" Erasa looked away in horror.
"Give up!" Sharpener yelled.
Asa couldn't stand it anymore and jumped up from her seat. She started pushing past people to reach the stairs of the stands. She could see Yoru floating besides her with a frustrated glare. "What the hell are you going to do?!"
"I don't know, but I need to get down there!" Asa replied, but it was hard for her to move with all these people in her way.
Makima watched the scene with indifference. She admitted that the fight was basically over and the brute was just torturing the girl at this point, but that was no reason for her to get concerned. She likes Videl and accepts the girl as a potential daughter-in-law, but she was in no danger of dying. Unfortunately it didn't seem like her son understood this fact as she felt his power rising, her eyes shifting down to see a golden light flashing by the waiting room. Makima tried to send a mental signal to Gohan to calm him down, but the boy forced her out of his mind instantly. "Dammit…!"
The moment Spopovich started crushing Videl's head with his foot, Gohan exploded forth in rage. However, before he could reach the stage, some else intervened. "ENOUGH FOOLING AROUND! END IT, SPOPOVICH!" Yamu's shout stopped the brutal massacre.
Gohan returned to his base form as Spopovich kicked Videl out of the ring. He moved quickly, catching the girl in his arms, holding her with extreme care.
"A-AND VIDEL'S OUT OF BOUNDS! SPOPOVICH IS THE WINNER!" Nobody cheered for the victor, all too concerned for Videl's health. Gohan watched as Spopovich walked out of the ring to join Yamu with a heated glare.
"Spopovich!" He called out the brute, who turned to face him. "I'll make you pay for this…!" Gohan's eyes glowed a dangerous color. "You'll pay…!" Spopovich stopped smiling, a slight shiver encompassed his body. He flew away with Yamu, hoping to get away from the hybrid youth.
Goku turned to his friends. "Does anyone have a Senzu Bean?"
"N-no! We came here to have fun, after all!" Krillin responded.
"That's okay! I'll be right back!" Goku used Instant Transmission to teleport to Korin's Tower.
"See, she's fine. Get over it." Yoru said uncaringly to Asa's back. The two had made it to a relatively empty hallway after witnessing the end of Videl's match.
"Will you shut up?!" Asa snapped at the War Devil. "I get that we lowly humans mean nothing to you, but she's my friend! Regardless of how you feel about it, I want to at least do something about what's going on!"
"And what exactly do you know about what's going on?"
"Just about as much as you, and that's why I need to see Gohan and the others!" Her exclamation made Yoru pause.
"NO." Yoru stepped in front of the clumsy girl. "That is the last thing we are going to do!"
"It's not like I'm going to interact with your sister!"
"Interacting with Gohan is a surefire way to get Makima on my ass! While the others won't be able to see me, he will!"
"And what makes you think Gohan hasn't seen you already?! All this time we've been stuck together and he hasn't said a word! Maybe he just doesn't care!"
"You don't know my nephew like I do."
"Are you sure you even know them that well yourself?! All you've done is constantly complain and complain about them. The brats are annoying, Gohan is too nice, Goku's an idiot, and Makima's a controlling bitch!" Asa's mocking of Yoru made the War Devil go silent. "From what I know Gohan is the sweetest boy I've ever met and he's not even human! Isn't that crazy?! The most human of us all is a hybrid between an alien and a Devil! I don't care if you're afraid of your sister finding out about whatever plans you have, because what's important to me is vastly different from you! I'm going to go check on my friend!" Asa stormed away, leaving Yoru to silently stew on her words.
The War Devil clenched her fist, sizzling with anger at the teenager for daring to question her and her motives. No human has ever had the balls to talk to her, a Horseman of the Apocalypse, with such disrespect. That girl didn't know what the hell she was talking about! "O-of course I know and care about them! If those brats weren't strong, if Gohan wasn't strong, then they'd be a waste of time…any progeny of Control's should be ruthless, destructive, malicious, and uncaring. But…they aren't and that's a disappointment…right?"
Goku arrived back from Korin's Tower with a bag full of Senzu Beans. Gohan, who was lucky enough to delay his match, cheered at the sight of his father. "Dad! Did you bring the Senzus?!"
"Yup! Korin hadn't grown any in a while, but he had three ready!" Goku handed one to his son.
"Thanks, Dad!" Gohan turned to Kibito with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'll be right back." Kibito didn't say anything, just watched as Gohan rushed towards the infirmary.
Gohan entered the infirmary to see Hercule and some doctors monitoring Videl. "Excuse me! I brought you something, Videl!"
"Hey! She's supposed to be resting!" Hercule glared at the boy.
The superhero ignored him and brought the Senzu Bean to Videl's mouth. "Videl, trust me and eat this bean." The doctors and Hercule attempted to stop him, but the two teens were trapped in their own little world.
"Knowing you…something miraculous will happen…won't it?" Videl smiled softly.
"Yeah." He lowered the bean into her mouth and watched as she started chewing. Knowing that he didn't have much time, Gohan rushed out of the infirmary to get to his match.
"HEY! That little brat! I'll make him pay for that!" Hercule threatened. Behind him, Videl stood up on her bed as all of her injuries healed instantly. The Champion and doctor turned around to see the teenager jumping up and down on her bed enthusiastically.
"WOW! I'M ALL BETTER!" Videl laughed.
Gohan re-entered the waiting room to see Asa panting heavily after running all the way over here. "Asa?! What are you doing back here?!"
The hybrid blinked at him for a moment as she tried to get herself back together. "G-Gohan… I was just wanting to check on Videl is all!"
"Right…! You and the others came to watch the tournament!" Gohan remembered when Videl handed out invitations to their group. "Well, don't worry, Videl's just fine now!" He reassured her.
"W-wait-!"
"Sorry, I gotta go!" Gohan continued running towards the stage. Though, he did take a moment to wave at his aunt, who he noticed standing near the back wall. The War Devil flinched at his actions before turning her head away with a huff.
Asa watched the hybrid disappear through the entryway, where she could hear the announcer doing the introductions. "She's all better now? How would that even be possible?"
"Senzu Beans." Yoru answered, gaining her attention. "Instant healing medicine. Your friend will be good as new after eating one."
"I-I see…thanks."
"Shut up and watch the match."
"I wonder where Asa went?" Erasa looks around for their friend.
"She probably couldn't stomach what happened to Videl, I don't blame her." Sharpener said. As they were talking Pencil was using his binoculars to get a better look at the Great Saiyaman.
"Hey, isn't that Gohan?"
"What?!"
"He has the same hair!"
"Give me that!" Sharpener tore the binoculars away to use them himself. He got a better look at the hero and gasped. "You're right! It's Gohan! He's the Great Saiyaman?!"
"Don't be silly, he's probably using the name to sneak in." Erasa clearly didn't believe it.
"Why use a disguise?" Sharpener questioned.
"He's a shy boy, I wouldn't be surprised." Erasa shrugs. She stood up and started waving her hands. "GOOD LUCK, GOHAN!" The other two joined her. "FIGHT HARD, GOHAN!"
"FIGHT HARD, GOHAN!"
"HUH?!" Gohan screamed as he realized his classmates were calling out to him. It seems like his durag had fallen off after his explosive transformation earlier. "Great…goodbye to a normal school life." He tossed off the glasses since they were useless now. "What do I do? I can't show my full strength. Like Mom and Bulma said, it would cause problems when I go back to school. That was the purpose of the disguise. And he doesn't look like an easy opponent either."
"Transform into a Super Saiyan."
"Eh?!" Gohan blinked.
"I want to see if you're strong enough to help us." Kibito continued.
"Wait! How do you know about Super Saiyans?!" Gohan asked. "And what do you mean help you?"
"You'll see soon enough. First, change into a Super Saiyan."
"Are you kidding? I can't change into a Super Saiyan in front of everyone!"
The rest of the group watched, unable to hear the conversation (Except Piccolo). "What are they talking about?" Krillin asked.
"He wants Gohan to turn into a Super Saiyan." Piccolo answered. "Gohan!" He got the boy's attention and gave him the green light.
"Piccolo…" Gohan muttered.
Goku looked at his former rival. "What's going on, Piccolo?"
"I don't know for sure but-"
"We're going to use Gohan, my deepest apologies." Shin interrupted the Namekian. "Please, no matter what happens, don't interfere!"
Vegeta hissed at the God. "I don't answer to those I don't know. Who are you?!"
"He's the Supreme Kai! The Kai above the rest!" Piccolo revealed, shocking the group.
"I've heard about you from King Kai! You're the Supreme Kai?!" Goku exclaimed.
Krillin looked pretty nervous about the situation. "What's going to happen when Gohan changes into a Super Saiyan?"
"I think Yamu and Spopovich will attack him. But like I said, please don't get involved. Don't worry they won't take his life, just his energy."
Goku felt a presence and turned to see a bird staring him in the face, one that had similar eyes to his wife. It didn't take him long to realize that his wife was already on the move, having overheard the entire conversation. "I don't think it's us you have to worry about!" He vanished with Instant Transmission.
"What is he-"
"Makima." Shin turned to Piccolo. "If anyone is going to get in the way of this, then it's going to be his wife."
"Videl!" The martial artist, now dressed in a dark blue shirt with 'FIGHT' printed in red on the front and white pants, turned to see Asa running over to her.
"Asa?! What are you doing back here?! Non-fighters aren't allowed to be back here!" Videl exclaimed. Suddenly Asa wrapped her up in a hug, confusing Videl for a moment before she returned the gesture. "I'm sorry. I should've given up the fight sooner."
"It's okay, I'm just happy to see that you're alright." Asa sighed. "The others will be happy to see you as well."
Videl nodded her head, then turned to the ring. "But first…" Asa looked over as well, feeling the power building up from Gohan.
"W-what is that power?" Asa muttered.
"That's Gohan." Yoru answered. The host couldn't believe her senses as she felt the literal depths that Gohan's power reached. It felt almost bottomless in comparison to everyone else in the stadium.
Makima floated over an oblivious Spopovich and Yamu, prepared to blow the two into chunks for even daring to think about attacking her son. She would've gone through with it had Goku not suddenly appeared in front of her. He grabbed her wrists before she could do anything and teleported away with her.
Yamu looked up in the skies, believing he had felt something. "Y-Yamu!" The skinnier of the pair turned back to his partner. "Look!" Yamu looked down at the energy reader in Spopovich's hands and grinned.
"Looks like we found our target." Yamu grinned.
Gohan's aura shifted from blue to yellow, his eyes turning to a teal color with his spiral pattern still thriving within them. The ground beneath him began to shake in reaction to his ever growing power. "Fine, I'll do what you want even though I don't know why you want me to do it. But is it fine if I go into my Ascended State too?"
"Ascended…?!"
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Lightning danced around his form as his energy exploded righteously. Golden light illuminated the stadium as Gohan completed his transformation into the ascended level of a Super Saiyan. Years ago, it had taken a considerable amount of practice to achieve this form without tapping into his Devil half, but thanks to his mother and Piccolo such a feat had become possible. "Okay, so now I'm a Super Saiyan. Do you still want to fight me like this?"
Videl gaped at Gohan's transformation. "Gohan…changed?!"
"This is the next level of a Super Saiyan." Yoru explained to the stunned Asa.
"Holy crap… Gohan's power is so awesome!" Denji yelled.
"G-Gohan's the Golden Warrior too?!" Sharpener gaped.
"What colossal power… I can't believe he's a mortal!" Kibito was sweating from the pressure of Gohan's might.
Vegeta scoffed with a disgusted snarl. "He was much stronger when he defeated Cell! He's not only slacked off his training during peacetime, but he's also ignoring that other power of his, isn't he?!"
"Still, it's more than what we imagined. I don't know if I'll be able to stop his power like this." Supreme Kai said. Right as he said that, the dastardly duo jumped out from their hiding spots to attack Gohan. The powered-up hybrid would've stopped them if some mysterious force hadn't forced him to hold in place. Gohan could only watch as Spopovich grabbed him tightly, allowing Yamu to jab some strange device into his body.
"GOHAN!" Several voices cried out.
Kibito did nothing but watch as the two drained Gohan of his energy, his Super Saiyan form dissipating at the same time. "Finished! We got all of his energy! Let's go!"
"Ha ha! That was easy!" Spopovich declared. The two of them immediately took off to the skies with the stolen energy. At the same time Goku had arrived, his clothes slightly disheveled, but mostly unchanged.
"I felt Gohan's power drop, does that mean-" He looked out onto the stage to see his son laid out unconscious. "Gohan…!"
"Don't worry! Kibito will get his power back to normal!" Shin reassured them. "I'm going to follow them. I'll be careful not to be spotted. If you want, you can come along. It'll be greatly appreciated!" Shin said and took off after the dastardly duo.
"W-what do we do?!" Krillin asked, clearly scared.
"I'm going with him. He said Gohan would be fine, and I want to see what's going on." Goku told the group. Only one person there was clearly against the idea, and to nobody's surprise it was Vegeta.
"Quit playing games, Kakarot! What happened to our match?!" Vegeta grabbed the taller Saiyan by his collar.
"Eh? Now's not the best time for that, don't you think?" Goku raised a brow.
"Don't you dare cheat me out of this! I don't care about this Supreme Kai person, whatever his business is doesn't matter! All I want to do is settle the score, one-on-one! That's the whole reason I came to this blasted tournament in the first place!" Vegeta explained.
"Okay, okay! I get how you must be feeling. We'll fight later for sure, even if it's not at the tournament."
"Fool! You only have one day left in this world!" Vegeta reminded him.
Goku inwardly sighed, having forgotten just how stubborn Vegeta could be. They really didn't have the time for this. "Just follow me for now, we'll fight later, I promise!"
"I'm going!" Piccolo took off after Shin. As he did that both Videl and Asa rushed onto the stage to check on Gohan. Videl held the boy carefully in her arms, not caring for the hundreds of people still watching them. Asa stuck close, checking Gohan's pulse to see if he was still alive.
Goku walked over to Kibito with a serious look in his eyes. "Can I leave Gohan with you?"
"As soon as Gohan is fully healed, I'll catch up with you. He'll probably want to come along too." Kibito replied. Goku nodded his head and took off to catch up with Shin, Vegeta was hot on Goku's tail. Krillin was seen flying after them after telling Lazuli that he'd be heading out to check things out.
"Where are they all going?" Asa asked.
"Wherever they're going, we're going too. As soon as Gohan stops taking a nap." Yoru and Asa for once came to an agreement.
Kibito kneeled down, placing his hand on Gohan. "He isn't even at full power. Isn't there any limit to his potential? With all of this pure…no, not all of this is pure energy, clearly due to his mixed heritage. Thankfully he only relied on the positive one." Kibito pumped a shit ton of energy into Gohan, instantly waking the hybrid teen back up. "You're fine now."
Gohan removed himself from Videl's arms, standing back up to his feet. "How did you?"
"Come with me. I'll explain everything." Kibito said before taking off into the skies.
"Can I come along too?" Videl asked. "There's a lot of things I've been meaning to ask you. Please."
"It won't be safe."
"I won't get in the way. I just want to come along."
"Will you promise to leave if things get dangerous?"
"Bleh!" The two looked over to see Asa with two scars running across her face, belching at them. "You two lovebirds make me sick."
"Auntie/Asa?!" Gohan and Videl exclaimed, then turned to each other. "Auntie?!" Videl exclaimed.
"I'll…explain that too." Gohan sighed.
"Let's move it!" Yoru flew off with Gohan and Videl following close behind her.
Denji watched as three of his friends flew off from the tournament, clearly going off somewhere to do…something. He started getting out of his seat until Aki yanked him back down. "What do you think you're doing?" Aki asked.
"What do you think?! My friends are heading off to deal with somethin'! Imma go check it out!" Denji yanked his arm back.
"Did you forget Makima's warning?" Aki's reminder made the boy flinch. "You are not allowed to go anywhere without her permission at this time. Nor are you allowed to transform either, so sit your ass down!"
Denji reluctantly complied with the order, only because he knew Makima would be upset if he disobeyed. Still, he wanted nothing more than to find out what was going on. Spopovich and Yamu had hurt two of his friends and there was nothing he could do to help him. Today was supposed to be a normal day, but now everything was suddenly going haywire.
And somewhere in his heart, Denji felt like things were about to go from bad to worse real soon.
Makima sat alone on a bench, her clothes were a bit disheveled, and her eyes held a loving gaze as she watched her husband, and others fly off to God knows where. Normally she would've followed after them, especially after the attack on her son but…
"I promise that everything will be fine…" Goku promised as the two held each other tightly, their bodies pressing intimately together.
"...You better not break that one." Makima muttered as she tasted his tongue against her own. She wished that they could take things further, but Goku soon broke their embrace to teleport away.
"I let him get away with that too often…" Makima sighed. She heard a crunching sound and looked over to see that Fami was now sitting next to her on the bench.
"Want one?" Fami held out her bag of chips.
Makima stared at her sister before reluctantly taking a chip from the bag. All she could do was have faith that Goku would handle whatever was going on. She didn't want him to waste this day away.
Supreme Kai looked back to see that Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Krillin had caught up with him. "I'm glad you came. Without you here, I don't think I'd stand a chance!"
"You can't beat those two?" Goku asked.
"No. Those two are just pawns in this game. A game orchestrated by a cunning magician." Shin revealed.
"A magician?"
"Yes!" Shin responded. He began going deeply in detail of a wizard known as Bibidi awakening a terrifying creature known as Majin Buu. This creature had no fear, no emotions, as it was born to kill and destroy. In a few years he had obliterated several hundred planets."
"We Saiyans can do the same." Vegeta thought.
"Wrong, Vegeta!" Shin's mind reading caught Vegeta by surprise. "There used to be five Supreme Kais. Each one strong enough to defeat Freeza with a single blast! Four of them were killed by Majin Buu."
"What?! He's that strong?!" Goku gasped.
"Buu's power put a huge strain on Bibidi, so he sealed Buu away. However, after sealing away Majin Buu, he brought him to Earth, which was his next target. I had been waiting for him in surprise and before the seal could be undone, I killed Bibidi. I didn't destroy the shell, since only Bididi could undo it…however I was foolishly wrong! I discovered something terrible!" Shin exclaimed.
"What was it?" Piccolo asked.
"Bibidi had a child! He's as evil as his father, and his name is Babadi!"
Chapter End
NOTE: This was exhausting to write! I'm likely going to take a day or two off from writing just to heal.
I decided to keep Makima away from the Babadi's ship stuff, because she'd end it all immediately. If Babadi's henchmen are capable of succumbing to a form of mind control, then Makima can very easily just sever their connection to him and bring them to her side. This would just end with Majin Buu never waking up. So, I needed her to stay out of things for a bit. She's decided to let Goku handle things, and we'll see how that all ends.
Asa/Yoru weren't originally going to join but realized that there's no harm in them being a part of the action. Sucks for Denji, because he's still going to have to sit out for a while.
Nayuta's body changing ability will be further explained later on. Think of it like the transformation jutsu from Naruto.
Have a great day!