Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Chapter 166: The Wizard's Terror

The western forest outskirts, atop a rocky outcropping…

The Z-Fighters sat still as statues as they stared at Babidi's most recent henchman to emerge. None of them were fully able to process what they were seeing. It was him, Bardock. But it couldn't be! They all knew the elder Saiyan. They knew what he was like. Even if there was evil left in his heart, surely he would be too proud, too strong-willed, too belligerent to fall prey to any sort of brainwashing spell. The Bardock they knew would rather die than bend the knee and serve.

And yet, despite the mask on his face, the feeling was the same as they all remembered. That person down below was unmistakably Bardock.

Shin, Kibito, and Videl watched their allies in concerned silence. Shin whispered. "What is the matter? What's going on?"

Videl looked back down below at the final man who had just emerged. She gasped, turning and staring over at the gobsmacked Goku. "That guy... he has the same hair as Goku and Goten..."

The two deities tensed up, taking a moment to truly take in the similarity. Videl leaned over close to Gohan. "H-Hey...Gohan? Who is that...?"

Gohan was silent, his entire body feeling equally solid and brittle. Videl gently shook him. "Gohan...?"

Finally, with a voice as dry as a desert, Gohan croaked out. "That's... That's... my..."

Down below…

Spopovich and Yamu both stood in attention as Babidi approached. The wizard chuckled under his breath and held out his hands. "Yamu."

With an equal mixture of eagerness and outright fear, Yamu offered forth the energy cask containing Gohan's stolen power. It was passed to Babidi with the gentleness of a mother swaddling a newborn baby. Yamu was deftly loyal to his master, but had also seen what could happen when the temperamental imp lost his cool.

More than anything, as the two pale ghouls stood there, they both hoped that Dabura had not chosen to share news of their previous stumbles at the tournament. Briefly, Spopovich's eyes locked with Dabura's. What met the lumbering oaf were two hellish yellow moons overflowing with cruelty and malice. It was a common sight from Dabura, but it still made Spopovich avert his gaze in utter dread.

Yamu had also met Dabura's gaze, feeling his skin prickle with hellish heat and his balls shrink to the size of marbles. His gaze flickered back to his master, cooing over the cask to energy. Then to Pui-Pui, stifling a yawn out of the boredom of standing there. And then finally to the seer, Bardock. This man scared Yamu almost as much as Dabura did, but mainly because of the featureless, alien mask he wore. Yamu had never seen Bardock without it.

Babidi stroked his hand over the surface of the cask. "Excellent. Yes... excellent. A fairly substantial amount of energy you boys have gathered. It feels potent, too~"

He turned from Spopovich and Yamu and stared up at Bardock. "An excellent prediction from you as per usual, my dear soothsayer~"

Bardock closed his eyes, reflected by the red pupils shining from the face of his mask, and gave a small bow. "I live to please, Master Babidi."

Dabura smiled wide. Pui-Pui did as well, giving a small chuckle to disguise his finally letting his yawn loose. Dabura spoke. "Does this energy mean the revival of Majin Buu, Master?"

Babidi sighed, still looking pleased in spite of the tone in his voice. "Probably not, but it will take us quite a long way. We should be able to handle whatever percent is left in due time..."

The wizard turned back to Spopovich and Yamu. "Now... for your reward~"

Dabura and Pui-Pui both smiled as they looked at Spopovich and Yamu. The two thugs were grinning from ear-to-ear, not realizing that with each of Babidi's miniscule steps, the grim reaper was approaching ever closer. The wizard himself was buzzing with cruel thoughts. He knew that he wanted to make Spopovich, the dullard, pop like a balloon. But what to do with Yamu?

Very quickly, Babidi decided that he would wing it and then locked his gaze on Spopovich. "I believe we shall start with you, my large friend. You see, your business with me is-"

Suddenly, Bardock fell to one knee and clapped his hand onto Babidi's shoulder. Pui-Pui flinched in shock. Dabura scowled. Spopovich and Yamu both gasped out loud.

After a long, long pause, Babidi turned to his recently celebrated advisor with a much sharper tone to his voice. "What is it?"

Bardock spoke bluntly. "Forgive my impertinence, Master Babidi. But it is my opinion that Spopovich and Yamu have not quite earned that reward from you yet."

Babidi hummed in curiosity. Bardock continued. "No. I reckon that they have one more task that they must do before they are ready for your generous reward, Master Babidi. I hope you'll trust my judgment on this."

The wizard looked incredulous at the idea of Spopovich and Yamu having any use beyond acting as a couple of errand boys. And yet, the malice in his aura faded. He stopped going for the kill at his future-seeing advisor's words. Yamu, feeling nervous and not realizing that his life had just been saved, spoke in a quivering voice. "M-Master! Have we done something to displease you?! I swear, if the seer has had a vision that shows we are not worthy, we will do anything in our power to-"

Pui-Pui snapped, marching forward and giving Yamu a shove. "QUIET DOWN, FOOL! NEITHER OF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO INTERROGATE MASTER BABIDI!"

Spopovich and Yamu both shrank back. Bardock, meanwhile, leaned closer to Babidi and whispered in his ear. "It would appear as if our friends have been followed. And I can be sure that this pursuing group has a Namekian in their midst. Please speak in the lowest whisper you can, Master Babidi."

The two thugs gasped in shock. Dabura sneered at them, speaking in a low whisper himself. "Followed, eh?"

The Demon King scanned the area, adopting a smug smirk as he felt the different energy signatures. "Yes. The fools seem to believe they're well hidden~"

Bardock nodded. "They do. And, thankfully, that's to our advantage."

Pui Pui was confused, but tried his best to appear like he was following along. Babidi sneered. "An explanation is due at once, Bardock."

Bardock nodded. "As you are aware, Master Babidi, this filthy planet was my home once. I know several strong fighters that reside here, and those same fighters are the ones that have followed Spopovich and Yamu."

Babidi was starting to become angry, but Bardock quickly soothed the temperamental warlock with his words. "It is a good thing that they were led here, though. For, up on those rocks, we have sitting the rest of the power we shall need for you to revive Majin Buu, Master Babidi."

Babidi shifted his gaze. "Dabura?"

Dabura nodded in response. "The soothsayer speaks the truth, Master. Their number hiding amongst the crags and boulders is 11. There are nine warriors of varying strengths, plus... our old acquaintances in the Supreme Kai and Kibito."

Babidi sneered, a look of pure hate shining in his bulging eyes. Bardock closed his eyes to concentrate. "Yes. Both of my sons. My grandson. The arrogant Saiyan Prince. A Super Namekian. Two strong humans. Two pieces of trash. And two Gods."

The clairvoyant Saiyan turned to Dabura. "Five stages in the ship, plus the bottom chamber if we're really coming down to the wire. At most, we need six of them to drain."

Dabura returned a hellish grin. "And creationist energy such as that of the Kais would be worthless for this endeavor..."

Babidi nodded, fully invested in the plan his two favorite subordinates were calculating. "Be that as it may, I demand that you leave the Supreme Kai alive to accompany whichever six warriors you spare. Once our task is complete, I plan to seal him and his dreaded Buu in the same room and watch the show. A perfect vengeance for my dearly departed father~"

Dabura nodded in compliance. Babidi turned to his other men. "Pui Pui! Take Spopovich and Yamu into the ship and, by the dark gods below, do something about the larger oaf's missing hand."

Pui Pui nodded. "Yes, sir!"

As the three of them entered the ship, Babidi turned to Bardock. "You are sure they will be useful, correct?"

Bardock nodded. "Indeed, Master Babidi."

Babidi smirked. "Then let us put them to work~! You, my faithful seer, shall stay by my side."

Dabura turned his back to the rocks and bowed as his master and begrudged compatriot disappeared into the ship. Left standing alone, the Demon King adopted a hateful smirk, baring his fangs as a chill wind suddenly blew on an otherwise balmy summer day. "Now, let's begin~"

Up on the rocky outcropping…

The Z-Fighters were still recoiling, their attention torn away from Babidi's ship as they attempted to regroup from the shock. Gohan shook his head. "Wh-What could have happened?! Grandma Gine told me that he went into space to look for his brother! How could Grandpa Bardock have..."

Videl placed her hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Gohan. I'm... so sorry..."

The rest of the Z-Fighters looked shell shocked. Goku snarled under his breath. "Those bastards..."

Piccolo and Tien were tense. Chiaotzu and Krillin were downtrodden. Vegeta had a look on his face that suggested he was genuinely lost.

Shin frowned. "This is awful. To think that Babidi would be a step ahead of us in such an unexpected way. I am so sorry..."

Having not moved from his ledge, Kibito turned and glared down at the various mortals standing near his master. He spoke bluntly. "Cease your whimpering, mortals. We have a task at hand."

The Z-Fighters all glared up at him. Videl scowled. "Could you give the 'mortals' thing a rest for 5 minutes?! They're experiencing a loss, you callous prick!"

Shin frowned. "Some tact would be appreciated, Kibito."

The larger man solemnly nodded. "Forgive my tone, Master. But I was merely trying to inspire our compatriots. Surely, your eminence has not forgotten the ironclad rule of all magic, both light and dark."

The Supreme Kai gasped. Kibito glared down at the Z-Fighters once more. "The lifeforce of a spell is tied to a medium or to the caster. When it comes to spells of the mind, it is almost universally the caster. If Babidi were to vanquish, his hideous spell would disappear with him."

Goku, Gohan, and Krillin all smiled. Krillin called out. "Y-You mean that all we have to do to get Bardock back is kill Babidi?!"

For the first time, a friendly smile appeared on Kibito's face. "Quite so. So, we should be forthwith. Let us lead the charge into the mad wizard's hideout, and let us-"

A shadow darker than the deepest black set over Kibito. He began to turn, right as Shin cried out in shock. Kibito turned and the tip of his nose brushed against the palm of Dabura, the Demon King. His last thought was the errant observation that Dabura's skin was hot to the touch. Then, with a vicious roar, Dabura unleashed a column of searing flames that engulfed Kibito!

Kibito shrieked as his entire body was bathed in flames originating directly from the Demon World itself. The phantom pain and hellish agony far outlasted his actual nerve endings. Kibito was charred all the way to the bone, his hair exploding off his scalp, his eyes boiling and popping like grapes, his skin shriveling and cracking, the fat from beneath melting off in sloughs, and the muscle and meat beneath that carbonizing into weak charcoal. And then, with an extra burst of power, all that pain was blown away in one fell shot.

The Supreme Kai shrieked in panic. "KIBITO!"

Gohan cried out in surprise. "Kibito!"

A burst of black smoke exploded out and quickly dissipated. And then the Z-Fighters watched as Kibito's carbonized skeleton clattered to the ground at their feet.

Shin fell to his knees, his face twisted in pain as if he was reliving every nightmare his long life had ever delivered him. He picked up the blackened skull and sobbed out a whisper. "... Kibito."

With a furious snarl, Gohan rushed up into the air and swung a heavy kick right at Dabura. The demon quickly side-stepped and slapped Gohan out of the air for his trouble. Then, the Demon King produced a blast and shot it right at the gathered warriors below. All the Z-Fighters dodged out of the way, Videl grabbing the dead weight of the Supreme Kai and jerking him into the air.

The Demon King scanned from left to right, from person to person, and then he charged at Goku. Goku shouted and rushed right back, exchanging a barrage of punches with Dabura and getting kicked to the side. Next, Dabura rushed at Vegeta and sent him flying out of range with an uppercut. The Demon King scanned again. He needed three more to be cleared out of his way.

Before he could move again, however, Dabura suddenly found himself held tightly in place by telekinesis. He felt a strong power level off to the side and found his fourth as Tien launched a furious attack. "TRI-BEAM!"

With a furious roar, Dabura broke his way out of Chiaotzu's grip, swinging his arm and sending a high-pressure air current slicing through the oncoming attack. Tien gasped and dodged, watching as the pressure wave sliced through a rocky spire like butter. He turned back to face his foe and was met by a boot under his jaw.

Dabura sneered and whispered to himself. "That's four. Here comes five."

*POP*

Raditz appeared behind Dabura and summoned a Ki blast. Dabura turned and punched the Saiyan in the stomach, sending him flying into the recovering Goku and Vegeta. Dabura hissed. "One more..."

Right above him, Piccolo spoke. "One more what?!"

The Demon King of Demon World looked up, facing the former Demon King of Earth. Dabura smiled a wicked smile. "You'll do."

And then, he took a deep breath and blew out a tornado of pure evil, catching Piccolo off guard and sending the Namekian flying into the air. With his six choices out of the way, Dabura looked back down to the ground below. He saw Krillin preparing a Destructo-Disc to be thrown, Chiaotzu panicking that Tien had been sent flying, and Videl placing the mourning Shin into safety. "Now, for the detritus~"

Marking the short one and his energy disc as the most fearsome of these remaining three, Dabura cleared his throat and then shot a massive gob of spit out of his mouth.

The expectorated phlegm splattered right into Krillin's face, right where his nose would have been, and the former monk dispersed his attack, quickly trying to rub it away. "EUGH! GOD! THAT'S DISGUSTING!"

Snapped briefly from his devastation, Shin gasped. "Oh no!"

He saw Dabura eyeing Videl and Chiaotzu and cried out in panic. "NO! DON'T LET HIS SPIT TOUCH YOU!"

But it was too late, Dabura heaved in and spat two more sinister globs of saliva at Videl and Chiaotzu. Videl flinched in shock, though not enough to avoid the oncoming projectile. Chiaotzu tried to catch both with his telekinesis, but found himself unable to fully concentrate in his panic. The spit came within inches of the two unfortunate warriors...

*SPLAT* *SPLAT*

Both globs of spit hit the ground, slapped down by the quick swiping motion of Tien's palms. The warrior glared up at Dabura and the Demon King sighed. "Damn. You would have been worth quite a bit of energy..."

Shin screamed. "NO! FOOL! YOU'VE DOOMED YOURSELF!"

Tien sneered at Dabura. "I can handle an injury to save my companions!"

Dabura smirked. "Pathetically noble~"

Deciding to cut his losses, Dabura nodded at Chiaotzu. And then, with a snap of his fingers, he summoned a wickedly-shaped dagger and threw it right toward Videl's heart. Chiaotzu gasped, diving toward the blade but skidding to a halt when he looked out the corner of his eye at Tien.

Videl was dead to rights, but then Gohan rushed into the fray, wreathing his fist in energy and shattering the dagger with a single chop. Dabura scowled, but neglected to rush in as Goku, Vegeta, Raditz, and Piccolo all returned to the fight. The Demon King cackled and beckoned. "Come at me."

Gohan snarled. "You bastard!"

But then, before the young half-Saiyan could charge the Demon King once more, Krillin's horrified shriek rang out behind him. All the remaining warriors quickly turned and were met by a ghastly sight. Krillin had an expanding cloud of slate gray stone spreading out from the center of his face, his mouth already frozen into a horrified grimace. The infectious petrification was rapidly spreading around, covering Krillin's eyes, streaking up through his hair, and spreading down his neck to the rest of his body. In addition, the malady seemed to be spreading from his palms as well, going down his arms like a mineral fungus. Thrashing in terror, Krillin smacked his wrist into a nearby rock and a miniscule chip broke off, falling to the ground and breaking into dust.

Most of the horrified Z-Fighters missed that crucial detail in their sudden panic, but not Vegeta. The prince's eyes went wide and then, seeing the petrification spreading to his comrade's ears, he quickly called out. "KRILLIN! LAY DOWN! NOW!"

His panicked screams warped, his face frozen in place, Krillin just barely understood Vegeta's command. But understand it he did. He quickly laid flat on his back, as the spreading curse finished its work. Soon enough, the man was no more. He was replaced by a huddled mass of stone shaped in the image of a panicking, terrified martial artist.

Goku ran forward, his hands held out. "KRILLIN!"

Shin quickly interjected, his knuckles white as he gripped Kibito's skull. "Goku! Don't touch him!"

Goku turned, looking blindly furious. "WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?!"

Shin flinched, looking guilty. "T-Turned to stone. I neglected to explain in our collective shock over the presence of Dabura and your Bardock... Dabura is the Demon King. A master of several arcane arts and hundreds of dark curses and spells. One such spell is applied to his saliva. Any living being struck by his spit is fully petrified into stone."

A vein popped out of Goku's forehead. He quickly turned to face Dabura. "You son of a-"

But the Demon King was gone. Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo all rushed to the edge of the bluff they were standing on and glared down at Babidi's ship, seeing the wicked Demon King ducking to enter the doorway. He turned and smirked up at the three of them. "This is your last chance to run away! Take it! Unless you'd like to join your two petrified friends!"

Piccolo and Vegeta both snarled. Goku flinched, his eyes going wide. "Two...?!"

From down below, Tien concurred. "Two."

The three warriors turned back to the scene below, seeing everyone else gathered around Tien. Goku and Piccolo both leapt back down. Videl was green in the face. Tears were pouring down Chiaotzu's bright red cheeks. "T-Tien..."

Tien was standing there, both of his hands slightly cupped and entirely petrified into that position. The three-eyed warrior had several veins popping out across his scalp and a look of pure, overwhelming exertion on his face.

Goku shook his head. "No. Not you too, Tien..."

Raditz turned away from the group and walked over to Krillin, kneeling down and staring forlornly at his friend's terrified face. He sighed. "It was a good call on Vegeta's part to make Krillin lay down. He's entirely solid stone, but it's quite a porous stone indeed. If he were to fall over, he'd shatter like glass."

Tien flinched in pain and the petrification spread a bit farther down his sleeves. "It's... taking every bit of energy and concentration I have to halt this. And... just... holding it in place... burns like fire."

He shakily turned his gaze to Goku. "I... don't think I'm... going to come along..."

Piccolo was pragmatic. "We could simply cut your arms off. It wouldn't take too long for Goku to take you to Dende and bring you back."

Tien shook his head. "A waste of time... Majin Buu is about to... receive all of Gohan's... energy..."

The warrior flinched again, and the malady spread even further, almost reaching his elbows. "Go on without me... stop them..."

The sickened look on Videl's face quickly gave way to tears. She and Chiaotzu were both crying, both knowing that Dabura's spit was meant for them. She hiccuped. "I-I'm sorry. If I had been more observant, I could have evaded. And then you wouldn't-"

In spite of his agony, Tien managed a small smile. "None of that. We all... failed to notice... Dabura..."

He groaned. "And none of us... knew... about... his spit..."

Videl's face twisted up in grief. Gohan pulled her close. Tien sighed, maintaining his smile as he slowly sat down as well, crossing his legs into lotus position and folding his petrified hands in his lap. He bowed his head. "Don't worry... the people who... can defeat a Demon King... are... gathered here..."

Tien's smile faded, replaced by a contemplative look of harmonious peace. And then, he simply let go. Less than 30 seconds later, he was a petrified statue of a man in deep meditation. Chiaotzu let loose a hideous sob, falling to his knees. Videl buried her face in Gohan's chest. A lonely wind blew as the Z-Fighters took in their new, horrific predicament.

Shin shuddered, pressing Kibito's blackened skull into his breast. "Damn you, Babidi..."

But then, Vegeta spoke. "Those arrogant swine have left their door open."

Everyone turned to him. The prince looked back over his shoulder. "Krillin and Tien are petrified with enchanted saliva. Spells are broken by slaying the caster. That leaves us one option, no?"

He, Goku, and Piccolo locked eyes. All three of them were outwardly calm, but quite evidently furious. They spoke at the same time, triple-echoing the same sentiment. "Kill Dabura."

Shin cried out. "WAIT!"

But the three warriors had already taken off, rushing toward Babidi's ship with a singular mission in mind. This was no longer just about the Earth. This was personal now. The Supreme Kai called out again. "WAIT! COME BACK!"

Raditz sighed. "Mr. Shin, it's too late."

The Kai turned and faced the obese Saiyan. Raditz glanced over at him. "They're pissed. And they're not the only ones. Not only are two of my friends essentially dead now, but that piss-yellow imp has taken over my father. If you wanted to plan this out, you should have done a better job."

Shin flinched. Raditz's gaze hardened and he marched to the edge of the bluff. "Everyone in that ship, with one exception, is a dead man walking."

*POP*

The Supreme Kai shook his head in disbelief. "Th-This is so reckless! We've already lost three of our numbers and they barrel headlong into it?! We must replenish our forces! Multiple strong warriors were left at the tournament! We should get them so that-"

Gohan clapped a sentimental hand on the Supreme Kai's shoulder. Shin looked up at him. "I know you must be quite upset about the loss of Kibito. Let us handle this."

The young man stepped forward, briefly turning and looking back at Chiaotzu. "You and Videl keep 'em safe, okay?"

Chiaotzu scrubbed his wristband over his puffy red eyes and nodded. "Yes, sir!"

Videl flinched. "Wh-What?!"

Quickly, Gohan took off after the others.

Shin was stunned with disbelief. Slowly, he looked down at the skull of his former companion in his hands. He brought the skull up and pressed its forehead against his, mumbling a small promise under his breath. "I will avenge you and everyone else, Kibito."

Shin set the skull down, plucking his mysterious earrings off and placing them before it as some form of offering. And then he took off as well.

Now alone, Chiaotzu and Videl both stood there with looks of resigned despair on their faces. Chiaotzu turned to her. "D-Don't worry, everyone will-"

And then, without warning, Videl took off after the others as well. Chiaotzu cried out. "Hey! Wait!"

In the lowest level of Babidi's ship, Stage 6…

The door to Babidi's personal chamber slid open and the wizard led the way into the room, followed quickly by Bardock and trepidatiously by Spopovich and Yamu. The two goons had never been allowed into this place before. What they saw upon entering shook them both to their very core, a shuddering gasp escaping Yamu's throat. Sitting there, attached to a stone pedestal with a power meter attached to its base, was a massive pinkish-purple cocoon. This, Yamu quickly concluded, was the prison of the fearsome Majin Buu.

Without delay, Babidi plunged the sharp tip of Yamu's cask into the flesh of the cocoon and then squeezed a hidden trigger in the handle, watching with a wicked little smirk as the stolen power poured into it. Not long after the transfer began, the door slid open again and Dabura strolled into the room with a ghastly, satisfied grin. Bardock glanced over at him. "How'd it go?"

Dabura cackled. "Kibito is but a pile of charred bones. And two of the humans have been petrified, one of them with a look of delicious terror on his face."

Bardock flinched back. Dabura glared at him. "Are we feeling a level of sympathy for our former compatriots, seer?"

The Saiyan growled back. "No. I'm concerned that you only petrified two. I thought the agreement we came to was that we only needed six warriors to drain. Sloppy work, Dabura. Sloppy."

Dabura scowled, immediately remembering everything he disliked about this man, despite their recent triumphs. Dabura had one person on his mind that he constantly wished to spit on in Bardock. "Watch your tongue, Saiyan. Or shall I turn you to stone?"

Bardock snorted. "Save the baseless bluffs. If I ever saw a future with you spitting on me, I'd have seared your damn mouth shut in your sleep."

Dabura snarled. "You little-"

Suddenly, Babidi gasped in shock, reeling backward and falling onto his butt. "Th-This cannot be!"

Dabura was immediately at his side. "Master!"

Bardock stepped forward as well. "Is there a problem, Master Babidi?"

Babidi was shaking. "N-No problem. J-J-Just... look at the dial!"

Bardock and Dabura both turned their attention to the dial and shared a gasp as well. A wretched smile twisted on Babidi's beak. "Over 75%! In one shot, we've gone from under a tenth to three-quarters of the way toward Majin Buu's revival!"

Dabura couldn't force the words. Bardock crossed his arms, sounding smug. "Excellent. As always, Master Babidi, I am pleased to see my work as your personal advisor results in dividends leading toward your triumph."

Babidi cackled. "Yes! Yes, Bardock! Fantastic work!"

Dabura sneered, casting a hateful glare at the Saiyan. But Babidi's praise wasn't finished. "And you as well, Dabura! Your dispatching of Kibito warms my heart. It's good to know another worthless Kai is now burning in Hell~"

The Demon King smiled. He and Bardock both kneeled, Babidi turning to them with a big smile. "You two are truly my prized possessions~"

Dabura nodded gratefully. "Yes, Master."

Bardock closed his eyes, bowing his head. "It is an honor to be your property, Master Babidi."

As the two of them subjugated themselves to the yellow imp, Pui Pui quickly entered the room, holding a relatively small demonic hatchet from Dabura's private collection. He saluted Babidi. "Master Babidi! I came to report that several of Spopovich and Yamu's trackers have entered the ship! Six in total, plus the Supreme Kai have been picked up by the security cameras and the kili meters, sir!"

Babidi smiled. "Excellent, Pui Pui."

Pui Pui nodded. "Sir, I also am happy to report that the door has been sealed behind them. Once they enter stage one, they will be cordoned off and left to our tender mercies!"

Babidi cackled. "And in you, Pui Pui, I have yet a third prized possession."

Pui Pui smiled, crossing his hand over his chest and giving Babidi a deep, grateful bow. Babidi nodded. "Why don't you be the first to greet the fools, my pet. I am sure that you can handle all six on your own."

The Zoonian smiled wide, eager for the opportunity. But, to his dismay, Bardock quickly spoke up. "Master Babidi, it is my humble suggestion that Pui Pui be saved for a later occasion, sir."

Babidi turned to his clairvoyant. "Oh?"

Bardock nodded. "Yes, Master Babidi. It is my humble suggestion that, after installing the ax that Pui Pui was so kind as to procure from Dabura's collection, we test the waters with our intruders by having Spopovich and Yamu prove their worth."

Despite his dismay, Pui Pui nodded in agreement. Dabura hated Bardock, but he smiled in cruel delight. Those two, alongside Babidi and Bardock, turned their attention to the quivering Spopovich and Yamu in the corner.

Babidi cackled to himself. "Yes. A fine idea indeed."

The top floor of Babidi's ship, Stage 1…

The Z-Fighters all dropped through the hatch at the top of Stage 1, landing in sequence. Goku landed first, followed by Vegeta. Piccolo was next, his cape laying oddly stagnant in spite of his rapid descent. Raditz was right after him, followed by Gohan. And then Shin landed. The warriors all nodded toward one another as the hatch above started to close, only to be surprised by the sudden intrusion of Videl.

The girl landed next to her boyfriend, sighing in relief. "Phew. Almost didn't make it..."

Gohan gasped. "V-Videl?!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Oh for godssake, must you follow everywhere and act as dead weight?!"

Videl glared briefly at Vegeta, mentally deciding against shouting some form of vulgarity at him. She sighed. "I... had to come. I need to be helpful in this, if I can. I..."

She flinched. "... he said it wasn't my fault, but I played a hand in Tien getting petrified. Even if it's just to provide moral support, I want to help solve this."

Shin groaned. "Then you are the biggest fool of them all, young lady. I don't know if any of you have realized it yet, but we're trapped in here now! Held in Babidi's clutches! Our only way out of this now is to descend to the bottom of this ship, miniscule party that we are, and slay the wizard!"

Vegeta nodded with a smirk. "Excellent. All according to plan. Let's go see him!"

The prince thrust his palm toward the floor and summoned a massive Ki blast. He sneered. "I reckon I can kill everyone in this ship, barring Bardock and Dabura, in one shot! Into the air unless you'd prefer to be among that number!"

Seeing the writing on the wall, Gohan grabbed Videl and immediately shot upward. The rest of the Z-Fighters lazily rose into the air as well. The only two left standing there were Vegeta and Shin.

The Supreme Kai quickly stepped forward, grabbing Vegeta's wrist in a panic. "Wait! You must not!"

Vegeta shot him a sharp glare. "Hands off. Now!"

The Kai stood his ground. "No! You don't understand! Any random shock could undo the seal on Buu. That's why Kibito and I didn't just immediately blast his cocoon the last time we saw it! And, to make matters worse, he has most likely been nourished with Gohan's stolen energy! So, we especially can't afford to make the mistake of letting him loose now! He most likely isn't at 100%, but even an undernourished Buu is a calamity!"

Vegeta scowled. "And who's fault is that, fool?!"

Shin flinched. The others all landed as Vegeta dissipated his blast. Videl frowned. "I hate to agree with this jerk, but he has a point. You and Kibito were the ones who helped Spopovich and Yamu attack Gohan. Pretty stupid gamble for a wise, all-knowing God, eh?"

The Supreme Kai was speechless as he considered the ramifications of his own actions. The other Z-Fighters all sighed. Vegeta looked annoyed. "They'd better send someone out soon, or I'll total this place and deal with Majin Buu myself."

Back in Stage 6…

Babidi and his minions were all gathered around the wizard's crystal ball, watching their ridiculous intruders with varying expressions. Dabura was astonished. "What a hateful, little man..."

Bardock was blunt. "Forget about Vegeta for a minute, fool! Why is that human girl, out of anybody, still here?! Could you not have petrified her or killed her or burned her alive?! Did you just give up halfway, you lazy bum?!"

Dabura shot him a furious, cutting gaze. "Monkey, there are limits to what I am willing to accept from that wretched sewer you call a mouth!"

Bardock turned toward his hated contemporary. "I will not simply stand silent seeing this foolishness! Krillin or Tien would have provided far more energy than this random girl! Are you trying to sabotage Buu's revival, idiot?!"

As Babidi's two best subordinates snapped and barbed at one another, Pui Pui and Yamu watched on in silence. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Pui Pui's face. Babidi had a look of resigned annoyance that suggested these arguments were irritatingly frequent. As everyone else went about their doldrums, however, Spopovich's eyes were set onto the crystal ball.

The brute's wrist stump, which had recently had an ax handle jammed into it and welded on by Pui Pui, was hideously pulsating with his escalated heartbeat. He gripped the razor-sharp blade with his other hand and a stream of purple blood dripped onto the floor. He was staring into the crystal ball at one person and one person only, imagining in his head the feeling of burying his new weapon into her brains.

Spopovich was huffing like a furious beast as he glared at Videl, the hated Mr. Satan's special little princess. Pui Pui turned to him in disgust. "Cease that dreadful noise in Master Babidi's presence, you fool!"

Panicking, Yamu harshly whispered. "Spopovich! Be silent you idiot! Or we'll be-"

Bardock stepped in, shoving Yamu back and taking in the hate radiating from Spopovich's eyes. "One moment, Dabura, I think I've found the solution to your folly..."

Back in Stage 1…

The Z-Fighters were growing impatient. Especially Vegeta. His hands twitched in impatient anger, his gloved finger tapping harshly against his bicep. Goku frowned. "Look, I know we can't blast our way down to the bottom, but would it really bother Buu's seal if we were to at least try to kick that door over there down?"

The warriors all turned their attention to the door on the other end of the room. Shin genuinely seemed to be weighing the option when, suddenly, the hatch began to rise. A blinding light filled the room, and all of the warriors shielded their eyes. Gohan squinted through and saw what he thought was a familiar shape. "Wait... is that-"

His question was both cut off and answered by a furious howl. "SATAN GIRL!"

The hatch slammed shut behind him and there stood Spopovich, his face a mask of pure rage and his ruined hand replaced by an ax which looked very similar to the knife that had nearly pierced Videl's heart just a few minutes earlier. The brute's eyes were self-contained spider webs of burst blood vessels. He appeared more encumbered than normal. Something other than that ax was weighing down upon him.

Spopovich sneered and motioned at Videl. "I'm not gonna stop at your spine this time, you little bitch!"

Videl's eye twitched. And then, a mask of pure rage overtook her face. "Try me!"