NOTE: Here's a new chapter! Thanks for the support and I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. The next few intermissions will be Namek focused, so basically the Ginyu and Freeza battle.
Yeah, I saw the recent Chainsaw Man chapter. It has no correlation to this story at all, so yeah. I don't care too much about how other people feel about it, since that stuff isn't too far out for CSM. Will I ever do something like that in this story? NO.
Enjoy and Review!
Chapter 10: The Fallen Prince
Videl winced as she tried to keep her eyes open, still not used to flying at the speed they were currently going. She listened to Kibito as he recalled the monstrous tale of Majin Buu and his evil master, their nightmarish rampage across the cosmos that led to the deaths of several Gods, and the destructive entity's sealing. To hear that the mastermind's son was now planning to continue his father's exploits by reawakening such a thing that makes Cell and Devils look like babies in comparison was terrifying.
Honestly, this entire day has been one hell of an emotional ride for her as a whole. Just a day ago she was excited for a fun day at the tournament with her friends, to have the chance to compete against Gohan (And possibly confess to him), and hopefully watch her dad get knocked down a peg. But now?
Turns out there's some universe destroying threat that's just been sitting God knows where on their planet for centuries, one of her best friends has been playing Devil host to one of Gohan's insane aunts for a year, and she is entirely out of her depth here! And she thought her life was freaking crazy, but apparently, she's nothing more than a regular girl compared to Gohan. Who wasn't even human to begin with, in fact, he and his siblings are hybrids between an almost extinct alien race and a Devil. Not once did she think that Devils could reproduce, but the world was just full of surprises.
"I'm sorry."
"Eh?" Videl looked at Gohan, who had slowed down to talk with her. His aunt and Kibito were still flying straight ahead, the War Devil grilling the Godly apprentice for more information about Buu. She found herself growing lost in the boy's unique eyes as if he was allowing her into the mystery that was Son Gohan.
"I never meant to lie to you or get you dragged into all of this." All of the barriers he had built were slowly lowering themselves to her. "I'm not human as you've probably realized by this point. Even though I may look like it, there's so much about me that's different from everyone else, especially people my own age."
"It's why you always kept to yourself, right? You were afraid of people looking at you differently." Videl's guess earned her a nod.
"My Mother and Bulma said that, because of who I am, I can never be like everyone else. If people were to find out what I am, then I can never hope for a regular life."
"You never had a choice in that matter, Gohan."
"Yeah, it's why I never blamed my parents for my problems. I can't fault them for falling in love and having me and my siblings. But there are plenty of others who think the opposite, who find us to be abominations. That we shouldn't exist…" Videl's eyes widened at that, utterly baffled that someone could've said that about him.
"There's a reason only a certain number of people know the truth about my Mother's actual identity. How do you think people would react to finding out one of the most powerful and worse Devils in existence had offspring? More of her running around the world to cause chaos and destruction." Memories of his behavior during the Cell Games resurfaced in his mind. "Nothing more than monsters-"
"They're wrong!" Videl's shout caused him to stop. It had also gotten the attention of Kibito and the Yoru/Asa duo. The floating spirit of Asa stared at her friends with concern and wondered what they had been talking about this whole time.
"You're not an abomination, Gohan! And you deserve to exist just as much as anyone else! Attacking and hurting others for even thinking that just because you're different you don't deserve the same right to live is monstrous! They're the monsters in human skin! You may not be human, Son Gohan, but your heart is more human than anyone else on this planet!" Videl declared fiercely.
This time it was Gohan who found himself growing lost in her eyes. Sure, he's heard his mother and friends tell him over and over again that he wasn't an abomination. That his Devil heritage didn't solely define his existence. But to hear that from Videl, someone who has always been distrustful and suspicious of others, had caused an eruption of emotions inside of his heart. Those words of hers meant more to him than Videl would ever come to realize. "Videl…"
"Videl…" Asa smiled with a hand to her heart. It made her happy to see that her friend had fully accepted Gohan's abnormal heritage, something that had taken her much longer to do. Yoru scoffed at the overly emotional atmosphere, not understanding her nephew's distaste at people seeing him as something to be afraid of. He's a Devil for death's sake!
"As heartwarming all of this is, I would like to catch up with the rest of the group." Kibito's sour mood had knocked the teenagers out of their trances.
"Exactly! Keep the kissing and shit to yourselves!" Yoru added. Gohan and Videl blushed brightly at the accusation thrown at them, stuttering as they tried to deny them.
"You have no tact!" Asa hissed.
"Shut the hell up!" Yoru yelled back.
Videl got over her emotions and frowned at Kibito's back. "He's right, Gohan. You guys have to catch up with everyone else. I can't keep up with you guys nor do I feel equipped to handle all of this Majin Buu business."
Gohan agreed with her feelings. "Thanks, I was gonna tell you to turn back after hearing everything. When you get back to the tournament, can you tell my Mother and siblings what's going on? I don't know why my Mother didn't follow us, but she should know what's going on anyway. Worrying her is the last thing that I want."
"She creeps me out."
"She creeps everyone out. My Mother thinks it's funny."
Videl sighed a bit but nodded her head. "I'll tell them. Just confirm something for me really quickly."
"Sure." Gohan said.
"It was you guys who defeated Cell seven years ago, right? After everything I've experienced in the past month or so, there's just no way he could've done that."
Gohan nodded his head, confirming her question. "Yeah, I was the one who defeated Cell." He was surprised to see such a genuine smile appear on the tomboy's face.
"In that case, there's no way you're gonna lose! Kick that Babadi guy's butt, Gohan!"
"Yeah!" Gohan responded with a wide smile of his own. As Videl began to slow down, Gohan increased his speed to join back up with Kibito and Yoru.
"Are you done?" Kibito asked.
"Yes, sorry for the delay!"
"Finally!" Yoru exclaimed.
"S-sorry, Auntie." Gohan's soft smile caused the War Devil to flinch with a blush.
"Ugh…whatever." She pouted, ignoring the giggling coming from Asa. The three took off with a huge burst of speed that left Videl speechless.
"Man… I really was slowing them down. Be careful, Asa, Gohan." Videl turned around to head for the tournament but not before saying one last thing. "And the next time I see you, Gohan, I'll ask you out on a date!"
"Dad! Everyone!" Gohan called out to his father's group. Everyone looked back to see that Kibito, Gohan, and Yoru had finally caught up, giving the boy relieved smiles. Except for Vegeta, who just ignored them all the same.
Goku blinked at Yoru, recognizing the scars. "Oh! War, you were at the tournament! You look different too!"
Yoru's eye twitched at the friendly tone before frowning. "Wait…how did you know I was at the tournament?"
"You may be inside someone else's body, but your presence wasn't that difficult to pick up on." Piccolo responded.
The War Devil's stomach dropped a bit as Asa ended up reaching the conclusion first. "So, if they all knew you were there. Then doesn't that mean-"
"That fucking bitch…" Yoru hissed, realizing that Control was fully aware of her the entire time. Not only was she aware, but she didn't care enough to ever actually intervene or question her, treating the Devil of War as nothing more than a child on a leash.
"EVERYONE!" Shin's shout gained their attention. "Spopovich and Yamu are making their descent!" The group descended down towards a rocky mountain area, staying hidden behind a plateau.
"But we've checked this area already!" Kibito gasped.
"Seems Babadi made sure to hide his ship from wandering eyes." Shin glared at the small white entrance of Babadi's ship that stuck out of the ground.
"Keep your KI suppressed to avoid detection." Piccolo advised everyone. They watched as the two minions stood in front of the entrance with the device full of Gohan's energy. "We should make our move now before they can use Gohan's energy to resurrect Buu."
"No." Shin disagreed with the idea. "They'll move Buu's egg outside to resurrect him to avoid destroying the ship. We'll make our move then."
Something in the distance caught Gohan's eye, the hybrid noticing the wrecked farmhouse close to the ship. He could see the corpses of the family that lived in the home sprawled all over the ground. Clearly the small family had been murdered when the warlock made this spot his recent home. Such unnecessary acts of cruelty fueled the hybrid's desire to stop this madness before it could get worse.
"Someone's coming out!" Piccolo's warning had Gohan's attention placed back on the ship. The entrance opened up to reveal two distinct figures, one incredibly short and the other incredibly tall.
The first one has red skin, goatee, horns, large, pointed ears, and animalistic yellow eyes. He wears a light blue suit which covers his entire body minus his muscle-bound chest, along with a white spiked cape, a white circular belt, and white boots. There was a similar "M" symbol on his head just like the two minions.
The second one has a large bug-like shaped head with sickly brown colored skin, and large round eyes sticking out of his head. He wears a long orange cape over his small black top with a long teal colored skirt that covers his lower half. A white buckle with the "M" insignia sat attached to his waist.
"Dabura?! Babidi even has the king of demons under his command?!" Kibito gasped.
"That's trouble, he's the last one I expected to see." Shin sneered.
"Which one? The big guy?" Goku asked for clarification.
"Yes." Shin answered.
"Is he that tough?" Goku wondered.
"You don't become the king of demons through niceness. You may be the strongest in this world, but in the world of evil he wins without contest!" Shin declared.
Yoru scoffed with huge skepticism. "I highly doubt that."
"You would be wise to take our words seriously, Devil." Kibito warned her.
"I don't take orders from the likes of you." Yoru and Kibito glared at one another, sparks dancing between them.
Krillin, who scooted a bit closer to Piccolo, shivered slightly at the information. "King of demons? I don't like the sound of that."
"Which would mean the little guy is Babidi." Gohan realized. "He doesn't look so tough."
"Don't let his physical appearance fool you. After all, his magic is strong enough to allow someone like Dabura to become his minion." Shin replied.
"His magic can overpower such a foe?" Piccolo asked, concerned.
"No, his magic allows him to manipulate the evil and greed already lurking in someone's soul. Much different from the abilities of your wife, Son Goku." Kibito informs them.
"True." Goku nodded his head. "Makima's abilities work if she views those lesser than her, but they can still fight back against her if their wills are strong enough."
"Or if they're just too dumb for them to work." Yoru rolled her eyes.
"If you have nothing nice to say, then don't say it." Asa scoffed.
"That's why I said it in my head, dumbass!" Yoru hissed at Asa's spiritual form.
Ignoring Yoru's quiet hissing match with the air, Kibito continued on. "It is imperative that none of you possess evil in your hearts once we engage in battle with Babadi."
"Would being a Devil automatically make us targets?" Gohan asked, pointing at himself and his aunt.
"Regardless of your biological nature, your heart is much like your father's, Gohan. I doubt Babadi's magic would be able to influence you. The War Devil, however," Shin's eyes stared at the Devil. He could sense the second soul within the body, the one that didn't contain any evil whatsoever. While it contrasted heavily with the malicious nature of the War Devil, he could sense the long term influence the second soul had on her. "...I am uncertain."
Vegeta scoffed with an eye roll. "Do you believe that we can't beat him?" When Shin didn't respond, Vegeta continued. "The world will end if Buu's awakened, right? Hmph, then I simply won't be defeated."
"I've heard that before." Yoru's snide comment earned a heated glare from the prince.
Goku turned to his best friend, who he could tell was currently scared out of his mind. As strong as the little man was, this was clearly out of his depth. "Krillin, you should hurry back to the arena. It's too dangerous."
"Y-you're right, maybe I should head back." Krillin agreed with the idea.
Babidi examined the energy device, pleased with the amount of power his minions had managed to bring back. "You filled it to the brim! Wonderful job! Now we are much closer to Buu's resurrection!"
"Thank you, sir." Yamu smiled.
"It was nothing for us!" Spopovich added.
"...And now I no longer have any use for you two." Babadi's sudden declaration sent a shiver down their spines. His magic filled the area, announcing his sinister presence with a proud exclamation. The two minions stepped back, fear gripping their hearts as a shadow of death loomed over them.
"Wait, Master Babidi." Dabura's calm voice prevented the warlock from ending their lives.
"What is it, Dabura?" Babadi's eyes shifted to him with clear impatience.
"I believe these two may still have some use to us, they did manage to collect such potent energy for Majin Buu. Especially with the group that believes we don't know where they are." Dabura explains his reasons. Babidi hums in thought, realizing that his subordinate might be correct in his idea. There may be potential to get more energy for Majin Buu if he kept these two along.
"Fine." His magic relaxed, allowing the two minions to breathe once again. "I'll keep you two along for a bit longer. Prove your usefulness to gain us more energy for Majin Buu. Now back into the ship."
"Y-yes, Master Babidi!" Spopovich and Yamu hurried inside the ship, now wasting the mercy granted to them. Now that it was only them outside the ship, Babidi and Dabura got right down to business.
"I sense four energies capable of feeding Majin Buu along with the Supreme Kai, Master Babidi." Dabura informed his master.
Babidi nodded along. "I see, then they'll be the ones to give us the energy we need. Kill the riffraff to lure them into the ship. Just don't kill the Supreme Kai, I reserve that honor for myself."
"Understood, Master Babidi. I'll make sure you get to have your fun." Dabura smiled maliciously as his controller retreated back into the hidden ship. The King of Demons stood there for a few seconds, confusing the heroes.
"What is he doing? Dabura's the only one out there?" Goku wondered.
"Heh." Dabura exploded into their direction with a burst of speed, shocking the entire group.
"THEY KNOW WE'RE HERE!" Vegeta shouted. His warning came too late as Dabura stopped right in front of Kibito with a raised palm. KI exploded with devastating force, obliterating the apprentice, leaving not a trace of him left.
"K-KIBITO!" Shin cried.
"DAMN IT!" Goku snarled, angered that they had been caught lacking by their enemies. He would've charged at the Demon King, but the demon's next action surprised them even more. Two shots of saliva were thrown at Piccolo and Krillin, much to everyone's confusion.
"WATCH OUT! IF HIS SALIVA TOUCHES YOU-" Shin's warning was much too late, as Krillin and Piccolo started turning to stone.
"NO!" Goku raced towards his friends, but he was helpless to prevent them from becoming statues.
"Don't touch them! In that state their bodies are incredibly fragile!" Shin warned Goku and the rest. "If you break them, then they'll never turn back!"
"How do we turn them back to normal?!" Goku asked.
"The only way is to defeat Dabura." Shin spoke the harsh truth. However, to his surprise, Goku looked extremely confident.
"Really? That's easy." Goku jumped up to the cliff's edge, next to his son. They watched as Dabura retreated back to the ship, laughing at the misfortune that had befallen their comrades.
Yoru stood next to her family as Asa floated next to them, her eyes focused on the states of Piccolo and Krillin. "It happened so fast, Kibito's death and all of this. Could we have prevented it?"
"Even if we could, there's no point in worrying about it. As long as we kill Dabura, then those two will return to normal." Yoru responded to her host.
"Dad! Auntie! We need to hurry after Dabura!" Gohan exclaimed.
"Of course!" Goku yelled.
"I didn't need you to tell me that, kid!" Yoru huffs. The three of them take off towards Babadi's ship, completely ignoring Shin's hesitance.
"W-wait! We mustn't fall for their trap! They're luring us into their ship!" Shin yells at the three.
"Sorry, but I'm not one for waiting." Vegeta takes off next after the Son family members. Shin cursed the four of them for being idiots and followed them into the lion's den.
The remnants of the group now stood within an empty room with a single door leading somewhere else. "An empty room?" Goku tilted his head.
"There's a door over there! Let's break it down!" Gohan suggests.
"Wait." Yoru stops her nephew. "I feel something off about this place, some weird energy is surrounding this entire ship."
"That would be Babadi's magic!" Shin answers as he lands next to them.
"Oh, so you did come!" Goku smiles.
"I can't leave you all to your own idiocy!" Shin hisses at him. "We won't be able to leave Babadi's ship until we defeat Babidi himself."
"Then let's blow the ship up." Vegeta suggests.
"NO! That will wake Majin Buu!" Shin stops the prince. "Even if he's not a full power, Majin Buu will still be too powerful for us to stop! He'll destroy the entire universe! We need to take this seriously!"
TSST!
"Unfortunately for you, this is where your journey ends." The group turned to the door to see Spopovich and Yamu walking into the room. Gohan's mood instantly soured at the sight of the brute, remembering everything he had done to Videl.
Goku put his hands to his hips. "Sorry, but I disagree with you there."
Shin furrowed his brows at the two. "We won't be able to proceed to the bottom of the ship until we defeat Babadi's men."
"Is that all? Alright, then let's decide who gets to go first!" Goku stuck out his fist. Before the others could say anything, Yoru walked past him to stand in front of the minions. "Huh? War, we still need to-"
"They need to pay." She turned around to reveal that the scars were gone, meaning that Yoru was no longer in control. "Those two hurt my friends, and I won't let that go unpunished."
"Asa…?!" Gohan gasped.
"Huh? Who is she?" Goku asked. He could still sense Yoru's energy, but he had no idea who Asa was at all.
"That's one of my classmates, Asa Mitaka. She and Auntie are…sharing a body." Gohan explains.
"Ah, I get it."
"He doesn't." Vegeta mentally scoffs. The prince didn't care about whatever feud this human girl had with those minions, but he was interested to see how much stronger War had gotten.
"Don't underestimate them! Babadi's warriors are-"
"It's fine, Supreme Kai!" Goku stopped the blabbering God. "War and her friend can handle this."
Spopovich grinned at what he was assuming to be an easy target. "Heh! And what does some puny girl expect to be able to do against us?!"
"Be warned that any damage we deal to you here will be transferred to Majin Buu." Yamu explained.
"So, they don't get energy if we don't get hit. Hmph, sounds easy enough. Don't screw this up like you always do." Yoru warned.
Asa ignored the Devil in her head and glared at her opposition. She tore off a fingernail and flicked it towards Yamu. "Fingernail bullet." The nail blitzed the slender minion before he could blink, stabbing right into his left eye.
"GAH!" Yamu held his face as blood poured from the wound.
"Yamu?! You bitch!" Spopovich rushed the girl to retaliate for his partner, his larger fist barreling down on the teenager. Asa leaped into the air with a pulled back leg and met the brute's eyes with cold glare.
"Wait your turn." Asa smashed her leg against his jaw, skidding him across the room's floor. Yamu recovered enough from the earlier attack to rush her with a barrage of punches that the Devil host continued to dodge. She twisted his left arm and smashed her palm against it with enough force to cause the bone to penetrate outwards. Asa touched it with her finger. "Yamu Left Arm: Bone Sword!" Responding to the call, Yamu's left arm was torn off completely to transform into a grotesque blade.
"GAAAH!" Yamu screamed, holding onto his bleeding stump.
"Yeesh!" Goku winced at the ability. "I forgot how gross War's abilities could be, but they did always make her fun to fight against." Gohan sorta agreed with his father, Vegeta looked stone faced, and Shin wanted to throw up a bit.
"Finish him." Yoru ordered.
"Got it." Asa rushed forward at the deathly injured minion. Yamu attempted to kick at the fiend, but Asa flipped over his leg to place her hand on top of his head. "Yamu Spinal Cord: Sword!" The War Devil's power responded to her call, forcing the man's head to twist like a corkscrew.
POP!
With a satisfying noise, the minion's head and spinal cord was torn from his body. His body dropped to the ground like a sack of meat, blood and innards spilling all over the floor. Now with two bone swords, Asa turned her attention to the fuming Spopovich. As angry as he was, the man was clearly terrified of the girl's effortless handling of Yamu. Asa used her sleeve to wipe the blood from her face, her eyes never leaving the brute's bulking form. "Do you regret it?"
"W-what?!" Spopovich stuttered.
"Everything you did to Videl. Do you regret it?" Asa repeated.
Spopovich stared at her for a moment, then spread his lips with a malicious grin. "Nah! My only regret is that I didn't get to crush Satan's daughter's head like a watermelon!"
"Bastard…!" Gohan growled.
Asa didn't say anything at first, just staring at the floor with her bangs covering her eyes. She looked up, cold indifference glowing with icy hue. "I see. Then, I won't feel guilty about any of this."
"DIE!" Spopovich raised his palm, a big ball of purple KI was ready to blow. However, Asa was much quicker and infused her bone sword with KI, then sliced the brute's arm clean off. Spopovich screamed loudly as blood erupted like a waterfall from the severed wound, and his pain was only going to continue. Asa took her spinal sword and sliced off the minion's other arm with efficient ease. With his arms completely gone, Spopovich was completely helpless against the approaching teenager. "W-wait-please-!"
"Just shut up." Asa spat and decapitated the minion in one fell swoop. Spopovich's head rolled across the ground as his body dropped with a loud thud. The girl relaxed herself once the fighting was done.
"Hey, not bad!" Asa perked up and looked over to see Goku walking over. "You used War's abilities pretty well, even as good as her."
"You're nowhere near as good as me!"
Yoru went ignored once again, and Asa blushed a bit from the praise. "O-oh, it's no big deal! I just zoned in on making them pay and all that! We have more important stuff to focus on, after all!" She was correct as the floor opened up to allow them passage onto the next level.
"Oh, the floor opened up! Hehe!" Goku exclaimed like a giddy child.
"Hurry it up. The smell of their blood is making me sick." Vegeta grunted. He jumped down the hole with Goku right behind him.
"C'mon, you guys!" Goku called out to them.
Gohan jumped down the hole with Asa following behind him. He turned to his classmate with a worried look. "Are you okay, Asa? That was pretty brutal."
She gave him a nervous laugh. "I-uh-guess it was, huh? Don't worry, I've gotten pretty used to all the gore. At the beginning it would make me utterly nauseous and uncomfortable. Now, I'm just numb to it."
"Heh! Sounds a lot like me when I started fighting. My stomach could barely handle all of the actions, but Piccolo never gave me the time to stay nauseous. Had to get over it quickly." Gohan said.
"Sounds a lot like Yoru."
"Yoru?"
"Oh, that's the nickname I gave your aunt. Felt weird just calling her War all the time."
"Yoru…huh? I guess she finally decided on a name like how my Mom and Aunt Fami had." Gohan smiled. "I like it!"
Yoru, who had been silent up to this point, blushed a bit. "Shut it, brat! You're not allowed to call me that!"
"Auntie Yoru has a nice ring to it." Gohan giggled at his aunt's blustering cries. "I'm sure Goten and Nayuta will like the sound of it."
"Do not tell them! I forbid it, Son Gohan!"
Asa laughed loudly, enjoying the way Yoru was flustered by her nephew's affection. She thought back to the War Devil's feelings on her family, but the more she watched them interact the more she came to realize that her partner is probably not being completely honest with herself.
Behind them all, the Supreme Kai couldn't help but be utterly flabbergasted. Not only had this normal human teenager, host to one of the most powerful Devils, utterly obliterated two of Babadi's henchmen but they were all chatting as if this were a game. "I-I can't believe this…"
"How disappointing…" Babidi drawled with scorn. The two blunders hadn't even managed to hit the girl and lost in the most disappointing ways possible. "To think Earthlings could've gotten this strong, however…"
"It matters not, Master Babidi. They still have 3 floors to get through before reaching down here." Dabura reassured him. "Who shall be sent next?"
"Send down Pui Pui."
When Babidi's next henchmen, Pui Pui, arrived it was easy to tell that he was much stronger than Spopovich and Yamu. However, instead of being afraid, the Saiyan males decided to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets to fight him. "A-are they always like this?" Asa asked.
"Oh, they're usually much worse." Yoru shook her head.
Vegeta won the game, meaning that it was his turn to fight. As cocky as Pui Pui was of his victory, he was utterly unprepared for the strength and speed of the Saiyan Prince. Babadi decided to change the setting to that of Pui Pui's home planet, a world with 10 times Earth's gravity, to give his warrior the advantage. Which still didn't work since Vegeta had more than enough experience training in much higher levels of gravity. Within seconds, Pui Pui was blown to smithereens. "Feh! Another boring one!" Vegeta spat.
As they waited for the next opponent, the one that Goku will be facing, Vegeta's patience was starting to thin. "This is ridiculous! Let's just blast through the ship already and be done with it!"
"No! As I said already, Buu will awaken even if he's not at full power!" Shin protested.
"Hmph! I bet this Majin Buu isn't anything to speak of, just like Dabura!" Vegeta claimed, much to Shin's confusion. "What I'm saying is that Dabura isn't as powerful as you think. Anyone of us here could've easily dealt with him as long as we avoided his saliva. Kibito froze like an idiot and died like one."
"...Goku? Is this true?" Shin asked.
"Yup, Vegeta's telling the truth. Sure, seven years ago Dabura would've been an issue but we're much stronger now." Goku explains. "There was a guy named Cell seven years ago, he and Dabura are about the same power wise."
"As strong as Cell…" Asa muttered, feeling a bit uncomfortable. She remembered that monster's rampage, how it led to the death of her parents, so she wasn't too enthusiastic about something being as strong as him.
"Relax." Yoru interrupted her thoughts. "Even if it came down to us facing Dabura, I can handle him just fine. For once, those two aren't wrong that things just aren't adding up." Asa nodded her head, but still felt a bit off about everything.
Shin was once again left flabbergasted. "Are these Super Saiyans really this strong? Come to think of it, I did struggle to restrain Gohan and he wasn't even at full power. Not only that, but that War Devil hasn't shown everything she can do. And if she's just as strong as these Saiyans, then the other Horsemen must be just as powerful as well."
Soon enough Goku's next opponent, a light eating monster known as Yakon, appeared within the room. Just like with Vegeta's, Babadi changed the location to Yakon's Dark Planet. "Hey, I can't see anything in here!" Goku exclaimed.
"But I can see you!" Yakon attacked, but Goku was still able to dodge his attacks. The Saiyan kicked him away, leaving the monster flabbergasted.
"We're better than ya think! Even in the dark I can tell how you're going to attack by sensing the air currents." Goku explained. "Plus, there are other ways to see…HAH!" He transformed into a Super Saiyan, illuminating the dark space. "Do you get it now? Making it dark won't get you anywhere."
Instead of being afraid, Yakon smirked. "Oh, oh, oh! I get it!"
"Huh?" He, and the rest, were surprised to see Yakon open his mouth and suck the light energy right out of Goku. Without his transformation, the room was back to being pitch black once more.
"I-it's dark again!" Asa exclaimed.
"But how did he do that?!" Gohan asked.
"Of course, Yakon's race eats light! Goku's Super Saiyan is the perfect food!" Shin revealed.
"Delicious! I've never had light that tasted so good before!" Yakon licked his lips in satisfaction.
Gohan took a step forward. "Dad! Don't go Super Saiyan! He eats light energy!"
"Really?" Goku blinked. Within that small brain of his, an idea formed that was certain to get him out of this situation. "Okay, then! I know what to do!" Goku transformed into Super Saiyan again. His actions confused the group, who hadn't caught on to whatever idea he just got.
"No, Dad! I'll fight too so that you won't have to turn Super Saiyan!" Gohan yelled.
"Nah! I can handle this myself!" Goku stopped his son from interfering.
"Hooray for morons! I'm gonna eat my fill!" Yakon declared. His mouth opened wide once again and started sucking the energy from Goku.
Shin glared at the Earth Saiyan's back with layered annoyance. "That fool! Why do you all insist on fighting alone?! This isn't a game!"
"He's not stupid. He has a plan." Vegeta refuted.
"That dumbass is planning something. Keep your eyes on-" Yoru's eyes widened into saucers. She, and everyone else, felt Goku's power skyrocket briefly. It was such a split second that they would've missed it had they not been paying attention to the battle. That burst of power was too much for Yakon, and it caused him to explode into chunks.
"Phew!" Goku released a breath. He looked down to see that the floor's hole had opened up, allowing them to pass to the next floor. "Hey, guys! It's open!"
As Asa, Gohan, and Shin quickly followed after Goku, Vegeta furrowed his brow. "I see, so you also surpassed the Super Saiyan wall, Kakarot…" His fists balled tightly, his anger boiling at the tip, and it was damn near ready to explode.
"Y-Yakon blew up…?" Babadi muttered in disbelief. That was four of his henchmen that had been easily bested by these Earthlings, and not a single one managed to gather even a bit of energy for Majin Buu.
"The bonehead fell for a trap. He sucked in too much energy." Dabura snarled.
"No…it looked strange. The way Yakon swelled up in that instant…" Babadi came to a terrible realization. "These Earthlings aren't normal…"
"Fear not, Master Babadi. I shall deal with these nuisances myself." Dabura stepped towards the exit. "I'll ensure that enough energy is zapped to give to Majin Buu."
"Dabura, if you lose then I'm out of options. You better have a real chance out there." Babadi warns his strongest minion.
"Heh…? A chance? I'm the King of the Demon Plane! Nobody is as powerful as I!" Dabura declared darkly.
"You're up next, Gohan! Have you been training?" Goku asked his son as they waited for their final opponent.
"U-uh…" Gohan struggled to answer the question. He didn't want to disappoint his father by telling him the truth. So, it was a good thing that Vegeta was in the room with them to do it instead.
"As if! The boy's taken peacetime as his chance to slack off. He's too busy fooling around as a superhero to take training seriously. We're far stronger than him, Kakarot." Vegeta's gaze then shifted to the nervous hybrid. "Of course, we never know what might happen when he gets mad."
Asa decided to stick her nose into the conversation. "Well, Gohan felt pretty strong at the tournament when he went into that ascended state."
"I wouldn't expect a child like yourself to understand, however I'm certain War understands perfectly. Gohan was far stronger when he fought Cell." Vegeta's cold remark shoved the nail deeper into the boy's back.
"As much as I hate to agree with the smug bastard, he's right. When he was younger, his power exploded tremendously whenever he lost his temper. And against Cell…it hit its peak." Yoru explains to her host.
"But it shouldn't be an issue now, should it? There's no point in training yourself to death when there's nothing to fight." Asa tries to defend her friend, and Gohan appreciates it a lot. Though, the boy's eyes did trail to his father, who had been silent. He was hoping that his father wouldn't be too disappointed in him upon learning of his…lack of diligence.
Shin was stuck in his own little world as he listened to the conversation. "No wonder they've all been so relaxed! They have access to such incredible power! To think mere mortals could make me this unnerved!"
TSST!
The group turned to the door to see Dabura stepping into the room. Shin was immediately put on high alert as the greatest danger other than Majin Buu had finally made himself known. "You've defeated Yakon and reached stage four, not bad for a bunch of Earthlings. But this is as far as you go, you'll have to deal with me now."
"Oh…! If the top dog is appearing then that must mean Babadi is getting nervous." Vegeta chuckled, much to Dabura's annoyance.
"Talk is for pretenders. Come at me, all of you!" Dabura motioned for them to attack.
"No way! It's my turn!" Gohan stepped forward with a determined look. He'll have to make this quick just like how everyone else had.
Dabura growled at the teenager for his cocky remark. "What?! You dare make a fool of me?!"
As the landscape was once again changed to suit Dabura's needs, Asa started to question if everything really would be alright.
Several minutes have passed since the battle between Gohan and Dabura had commenced, and nothing had changed at all. Compared to the previous three battles, Gohan has officially taken the longest to finish off his opponent. Even after transforming into his ascended state, he was only matching the Demon King blow for blow.
Gohan dodged the blast of dark flames that erupted from Dabura's mouth. He took this chance to attack the demon, but the king had used afterimages to distract him. "I'm over here!" Gohan had no time to dodge as a dark fireball exploded against him, burning his green GI, and blasting him into the red waters below.
The hybrid recovered quickly, now only in his torn black spandex, gloves, and boots. Gohan cursed himself mentally for letting his guard down so easily. Not only had his fight been taking the longest, but he was also the only one of the group to actually get hit, thus supplying energy for Majin Buu's revival.
Goku hummed at Dabura's techniques. "So, he uses magic, huh? He's tougher than I thought."
Vegeta scowled at the fight, disgusted by the display in front of him. "He was still stronger at the age of nine! He shouldn't be having so much trouble against someone like Dabura!"
The Saiyan raised on Earth frowned slightly, now understanding Gohan's weird behavior all day. "Man…he really has been slacking."
Asa just continued to hope that her friend could win this fight, while Yoru just watched in disappointment. She turned away, no longer interested in watching the pathetic display in front of her
Anger continued to seep through Vegeta's words and mannerisms. "I'm beginning to lose my patience…!" The worsening of his attitude didn't go unnoticed by Dabura, but the king had to give his attention back to Gohan, who was charging right at him.
Dabura spat his saliva at the teenager, who blocked it with his gloved hand. Gohan acted quickly, tearing off the piece of clothing before the effects could spread to his body. This was an opening that Dabura happily took to summon his sword to slice the hybrid in half. Gohan stopped the blade between his palms, a short struggle happened before Gohan broke the sword in half.
The prince finally had enough of this farce of a battle. "That's it! I'll finish this myself!"
Goku intervened before Vegeta could do something drastic. "Wait, Vegeta! Gohan still has a chance-"
"I DON'T CARE!" Vegeta exploded, surprising everyone. "I did not come here to entertain some notion of friendship with you and your freak-show of a family! All I want is to settle the score with you, Kakarot! That's the entire reason I went to that blasted tournament in the first place!"
Asa gasped, stepping forward at the prince. "Hey! That's going too far-"
"Shut up! None of this is your business, child! For your safety you better stay over there!" Vegeta threatened, his KI starting to rise dangerously.
Yoru glared at the prince, prepared to swap places with Asa in case shit started to hit the fan. And if she had noticed the devious smile on Dabura's face, then she would've realized it was already too late.
Suddenly, the room shifted again, taking them back to Babadi's ship. Dabura lowered himself to the floor and quickly entered the exit. Gohan gasped at his opponent's sudden departure. "Hey! Are you running away?!"
"Running away? On the contrary, I simply found a fighter better suited for the job." Dabura chuckled darkly as the door shut.
Gohan lowered himself back down and returned to his base state. "A better fighter? Who is he talking about?"
"I'm not sure." Goku furrowed his brow in thought.
It was at that moment several things happened. Firstly, Shin came to a realization based on the events that just transpired during the fight. There would be no reason for Dabura to leave the fight unless he and Babadi had a plan up their sleeves. Secondly, Asa found herself back in her spiritual form, which meant that Yoru had taken control back. Thirdly, Yoru rounded on Vegeta as she felt the dark magic descending towards him. "YOU GODDAMN DUMBASS!" Yoru attempted to run her sword through Vegeta's heart but an explosive wave of KI sent her flying into Goku, who caught her.
Vegeta gripped his skull as sinister magic began to work itself inside of him. "AAAARGGGH!" His body forced itself into Super Saiyan as some kind of defense mechanism against the invasive magic.
"I KNEW IT!" Shin cursed himself once again for allowing something terrible to happen. "Vegeta! Babadi is trying to use the evil inside of your heart! You have to fight it!"
"S-shut up! S-shut up! SHUT UP!" Vegeta roared, electricity and KI exploding with tremendous force that would make a nuke jealous. Everyone was forced to defend themselves as the prince's unhindered power threatened to blow them all through the ship. "AAAAAARRRGGHHH!"
"V-Vegeta! Don't let his power control you!" Gohan yelled desperately, but even he knew it was hopeless to try. Yoru snarled nastily at the Prince, while her partner trembled at the overwhelming weight of Vegeta's evil KI. Shin stumbled back in shocked horror at the former ally.
Goku didn't say a word, but his body could feel the wave of malicious hatred that was being aimed solely at him.
Muscles and veins bulge across his body, heavy pants escaping his lips as he slowly brings his torso back up straight. Vegeta's eyes spoke nothing but disastrously malicious as he stared at his former allies. All the while, glowing hot red on his forehead, was the "M" insignia of Babadi's.
Majin Vegeta, the Fallen Prince, was born.
Chapter End
NOTE: Oh no! Vegeta has fallen to the dark side! Who could've seen this coming? Anyway, next chapter will be all the tournament stuff. I didn't want to include it in this chapter otherwise it would've been too long.
Last night I did get the idea of having Yoru also get corrupted, but then wondered how that would've affect Asa. I might still try that out as a what if scenario in the future. What do you guys think?
This was not supposed to be Gohan bashing, but the boy does it to himself. And it's all for his development anyway, so it's fine.
Asa easily beat Spopovich and Yamu, because they were underestimating her, and she had Yoru giving her power the entire time. If Asa had gotten hit even once, then Yoru would've taken over to finish the job herself. Those two weren't that big of a challenge, since Asa and Yoru have had more time to be in-tune with one another in this story.
Yes, Makima knew Yoru was there the entire time. She simply didn't care enough or see it important to interact with her. Which pisses Yoru off a lot.
Have a great day!
