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DRAGON BALL HARDCORE
THE BUU SAGA, part 3
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In just a few seconds, the tournament, the peace and everything else in Gohan's life started crashing down. He looked straight into Dabura's eyes, and couldn't understand the power before him. All he knew was that it was too much; Dabura was too strong. With a smirk and a threatening silence, he raises one of his hands to the side and it begins to shine. Gohan couldn't even utter a word before he fired. The blast was gonna hit the stands and kill everyone there, but it wasn't just that. His mom, Bulma, Launch, Goten, Boku, Dina, Oolong and Puar were sitting there; too shocked to even react. Someone else had quicker feet.
Tien appeared in front of them, and with his full power he held the energy back. It was burning, his gi was getting destroyed and his hands were bleeding out. He was not strong enough to hold it for very long. But just then, 17 jumps in and kicks the energy to the skies with all his power, and it flies off into space. This is exactly the "Piccolo shit" he's been told to prevent. Tien was left wounded on the ground after that struggle, and now they had to deal with Dabura.
Dabura was surprised that they managed to fight back against his full power. However, he wasn't given the opportunity to fire again. Gohan appears in front of him to deliver a punch that sends him flying through the skies. The rage he felt made him stronger, and he followed up with a barrage of strikes. Dabura managed to counter, and sent Gohan flying back again to the arena, destroying it completely this time. The demon felt his blood running down his chin.
From the ground Gohan announced, "I don't care who or what you are, NOW YOU DIE!"
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Before that even happened, Dende had finished up healing Videl. She finally realized Shen was that cute little green guy that she met on the sky temple. He had to break it to her that she lost and Gohan was fighting in the finals as they speak. Dende invited her to come and see, but she didn't want to; she didn't want to look Gohan in the eyes. After all that training she couldn't win. She wasted so many days of his life for nothing. Videl decided to just walk away to the exit, and Dende was wise enough to just let her go.
He walked out and witnessed everything from then on. Seeing Dabura's power, Dende immediately jumped into action. He left Shen's body and told the confused old man to leave, then he immediately went to heal Tien. People looked at him and screamed in fear, saying that King Piccolo returned with his devils. The normal people started to run for their lives. Goten, Boku and Dina took their friends and mothers out of there through the sky.
Gohan was raring to fight Dabura since he had plenty of rage to dish out. But while he was distracted by a devil up there in the sky, someone approached Gohan from behind really fast. He felt a backstab that paralyzed his whole body, and he turned to see Yamu plunging him with a bizarre object. Not only it paralyzed him, but it was sucking off his energy.
"What the hell…!" he mumbled. 17 tried rushing to help Gohan, but Dabura reappeared and bashed 17 to the ground with all his might, causing an earthquake. Dende couldn't even think to help, as he was paralyzed beneath the pressure of Dabura's gaze. Tien was still too injured to use his arms. Gohan couldn't fight back, and felt close to dying.
But there was indeed someone to make a save; someone Dabura didn't account for. Videl suddenly came with a flying dropkick that sent Yamu crashing against the stands. She decided to watch the fight from far away, but then all this crazy shit happened. Dabura was furious; he decided to kill that girl. However, he found himself outmatched.
Suddenly Kibito and the elder Kai arrive at the scene, and tell Dabura to think again. 17 crawled out of his crater, Tien was fully healed, 18 showed up after hearing all the noise and he had two gods in front of him. Even with all his power he had no hope in defeating the strongest warriors of Earth. Feeling the tension right there Dabura picked up Yamu and both fled the scene at super speed.
Videl desperately checked if Gohan was still alive. There was a gaping hole in his back and his energy was dwindling. Dende quickly came to heal his wound, and Kai thought now was a fair time for proper introductions, since their cooperation is essential.
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To summarize, a powerful mage from the demon realm and his king found a way to break through the dimensions from the other side, and they came to Earth in search of powerful warriors. Their goal is to steal strong energy and revive some ancient evil that caused untold destruction a million years ago. Elder Kai and Kibito reveal themselves to be the respective Supreme Kai of the universe and his pupil. Normally they are tasked with simply creating planets and ensuring that they prosper, but this mage called Babidi threatens the whole universe with his plan, and so they must act. Now that Dabura revealed himself, they could easily follow him to their hideout. Elder Kai needed the Z-warrior's power to aid them.
He didn't even have to argue that much; the threat was clearly serious enough. Gohan, Tien, 17 and Dende wanted to see these Majins for themselves. But out of all the warriors, Videl was the first to put herself up for the mission. Kibito insisted that she stay, as she wasn't strong enough to deal with this kind of enemies. That made her angry, she points out that Gohan was literally going to die if she didn't come back. Elder Kai said it was a fair point, and allowed her to come along. 17 decided to go and deal with Dabura since not even Gohan could fight him. 18 figures those six seem more than enough and decided to stay behind. Personally she saw that as an opportunity to restart the tournament with them gone.
Boku, Goten and Dina had arrived there, only to be told to stay behind and look after the others. This was gonna be too dangerous for them. The three looked shaken by what they saw. They have trained for this, but now it's actually here that frightens them. That Dabura had a power like nothing they ever felt before, and even scares Tien and Gohan. Elder Kai said it was a good idea to keep them away; they will need backup plans.
And so the seven blast off into the sky, following Dabura's energy signature. Gohan then asks who this ancient demon they are trying to resurrect, and Elder Kai begins to tell the tale of Majin Buu. He was a mad creature, made by a mage from the demon realm known as Bibidi. He used its power to break free of the demon realm, and subsequently hunted down the Supreme Kais in order to take over the mortal realm for himself. Normally a god cannot be murdered or die in any way other than his own accord. However, Majin Buu not only had powerful magic and strength at his side, he had the ability to absorb his enemies and become one with them, getting even stronger in the process. Once he absorbed the Supreme Kais, their essence was trapped and they were never brought back. One by one they fought him and were added to his strength. All of them. However, as he tried to absorb the last Great Supreme Kai, he used his last forces to seal himself with Majin Buu in a cocoon state, and there he remained for a million years. Elder Kai was from a previous generation of Kais, the first Great Supreme Kai, and he was brought out of retirement after they were all dead. It takes so long for a Kai to be born that Kibito was the only one in a million years, and was pretty recent too. Now, so many millennia after he was defeated, another mage descendant of Bibidi wishes to resurrect Majin Buu and finish the job. This mage is Babidi.
Soon enough they feel Dabura stop, and they all slowly approach his energy signature. He was hiding in some remote farmlands, far away from any city. The Z-warriors looked down from the rocky hill as Dabura and Yamu met up with Babidi right in front of his underground entrance. The little freak was delighted to see they bring a canteen of energy filled to the brim. Yamu was waiting for some kind of reward, which Babidi thought to be really cute. The reward of working for a demon is not having to do it again; that being, death. With a snap of his fingers Babidi blows up Yamu quite like Spopovich was. A gory red cloud of blood, and then silence. Babidi and Dabura prepare to head inside, but they realize they have guests to attend. Dabura volunteers go to welcome them.
Suddenly, Dabura blasted right where they stood in just a fraction of a second. They were caught off guard; not even with their energies low they were hidden. Dabura could kill literally any of them at that moment, but he saw best to kill Elder Kai, as he knew more than anyone else there. However, as he was about to unleash his point blank blast, Kibito pushed his master to the side and took the blast head on. He was consumed by the light and vaporized instantly. By a pinch Kibito saved his Elder Kai, but Dabura's assault wasn't over. He measured what he knew, and picked two targets. Dende had little fighting power compared to the rest, but had magic abilities that can be distressing. 17 was strong, but Dabura couldn't feel a thing from him; he must be an artificial creation. He had a technique to dispatch the likes of them easily.
Dabura used his magic spit on 17 and Dende, and soon enough they began turning into stone. Elder Kai couldn't warn them fast enough, and they were now completely petrified. Three warriors were gone in just a second, and as if it was nothing Dabura turned his back to them and waved his finger. He wanted them to follow inside, and let the door open. Gohan fell to his knees realizing what had happened. Elder Kai couldn't do anything about their current situation, but states that the only way for the two to be saved now is by killing Dabura. Gohan took a deep breath and accepted it. As if a switch flipped on his brain, Gohan turned back into the warrior he was trained to be. Those innocent eyes he once had were gone. Kai wasn't worried about Kibito's death; his demise on the mortal realm only means that he has returned safely to their planet in the other world, and he'll be alone there for now since he doesn't know how to teleport yet.
Videl was shaking. Three people just died in front of her, and she is going to go down a hell hole to kill some demons. Her conviction became fragile; she never fought to kill before, not even against people who tried to kill her. That changed once she spotted a little farm house not too far from Babidi's ship. While the others discussed a plan of attack, she flew over to check the place. A few minutes later she came out, telling that the whole family had been murdered, possibly tortured. She didn't have anything to say anymore. It was just an ugly, morbid and horrible business now, she just wanted to see the end of it. She took off her bloody white shirt and prepared to go in. Tien asks why don't just destroy his ship, but then old Kai demonstrates the magic barrier that just bounces any kind of energy attack. They had no choice but to go in and fight floor by floor. They safely placed Dende's and 17's stone bodies away, and finally entered. Gohan, Tien, Videl and Elder Kai could already feel an ominous vibe just by steeping in.
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Babidi's ship was a long vessel with a lot of floors separated by round hatches. As soon as the four entered, the first hatch was already there. They jumped in, and it closed behind them. They found themselves in a large room, empty if not by the presence of one Majin that stood there. He announced himself as Puipui, looking like a bizarre guy with a long head, an exoskeleton over his chest, with the same M on his forehead that all others had. He was plain and simple, if they wanted to get through this floor, they would have to defeat him. Tien and Gohan noted that he clearly lacks the ability to sense their energy; either that or he has something up his sleeve.
Videl proposed rock paper scissors to decide who gets to fight him. They go ahead and do it while elder Kai's chuckles and Puipui's snarls angrily. Videl ended up winning, and she stepped up to fight the demon. Gohan tells her to not hold back one bit, and she gives him a thumbs up.
It ended up being a fair match. Puipui was strong, but Gohan was not soft while training Videl. Not even she is fully aware of this, but most threats, from space to even other dimensions, would struggle to keep up with her now. In the end she left Puipui on the ground; he who spoke so high and mighty, but couldn't even beat a girl. Helpless, Puipui begs that Babidi uses his power to give him the advantage. And so the room magically turned into a desolate place with an open view to the void. That place not only had increased gravity, something that Videl wasn't accustomed to, but also had a special property that made Puipui's power skyrocket and changed his form to something more monstrous. Now it was time for him to beat up Videl, but elder Kai intervened. He said it was poor sportsmanship to fight so dirty, and turned the room back to normal with a snap of his fingers. Puipui was back to negative, and so Videl put him into submission by pinning his arms and sitting on his back.
Even now she didn't want to kill him. The others were understanding of her morals; she won, it was her choice. She forces him to promise that he won't interfere anymore, and Puipui cheaply does. With the hatch opened, it was time to move on to the next floor. However, Puipui, as it's common for any Majin, decides to sneak attack as soon as she turns her back. He was about to launch a strong ki bomb at Videl, but Tien fired a Dondon Ray fast as light. He aimed for the energy bomb he was making. Once it got hit it exploded, blowing up Puipui's upper half.
Videl watches as his legs without torso fall to the floor. She was getting furious from how disgusting their enemies are, and Gohan calmed her down. What they are in now is not a match, it's a fight for survival. They gave Puipui the benefit of the doubt, and he still decided for a low blow to kill them. He wasn't the first and probably won't be the last to do this. If Videl doesn't want to kill them then fine, but she can't lower guard just because he's down. Videl slaps herself awake and thanks Tien for the save. The four jump to the next floor.
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Now they found themselves in a dark room; too dark to even see their own hands up close. They called out for whoever is there to show himself, and soon enough he did. From the shadows Tien and Gohan felt the energy coming at them for a strike; they grabbed Videl and Kai and jumped away. The creature continued following Tien and Kai, and he was forced to fire a Dondon Barrage to stop him. For the split second he could see thanks to the light, he saw that his opponent was a huge green demon. Just as the energy beam was about to hit him, the demon opened its mouth and swallowed the attack whole. He called himself Yakon, and welcomed them to his domain where no light survives.
Tien continues firing his energy at him, but Yakon just ate everything. Elder Kai said that he was a Majin with the ability to eat light to become stronger. Tien immediately found a way to defeat him. Tien made countless clones of himself, and spread them across the room. All of the sudden all the clones use the Solar Flare technique to light up the room in a constant stream of flashing lights. Yakon was dumb and tried to eat it all without limit, and learned his own weakness at the same time. He ended up eating so much light that he was choking on it, and eventually burst through his belly; killing him. They were done there, and Gohan used his finger shining with ki as a torch to find the next hatch to the third floor. Now it was his turn to fight.
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While the Z-warriors were getting through the floors, Babidi and Dabura were about to use the energy canister with Gohan's full power on their machine. The giant cocoon egg was connected to it, and Majin Buu was sealed within. They were surprised to see that Gohan's energy would absolutely complete the resurrection, although it will take a little time to empty the canister. They didn't even have five minutes to discuss things before they realized Puipui was defeated, and even less than three minutes to find out Yakon was also dead. With no minions or mind controlled servants left, Dabura was their last line of defense. He had to guard the third floor and defeat them there.
Dabura was relaxed. He knew that Puipui and Yakon had no chance against those Earthlings and the Saiyan. But after petrifying 17, none of them could match up to him. He stood there, in this magic room of red lakes and sharp peaks, and waited for them. His home turf. Once they arrived, he and Gohan exchanged a deadly glare. They had a fight to finish. Gohan tells Videl and Tien to stay away, and Dabura welcomes the challenge. Gohan would be the first mortal to ever step up in a fight against the king of the demon realm. Even the most savage of Saiyans would dread what Dabura experienced in his hundreds of thousands of years. Gohan didn't have any grand speech; he told Dabura to turn his friends back to normal, but the king reinforced that only in his death would they return. So be it.
Their fight began and the land was already starting to collapse. Gohan was now focused instead of enraged; less power to fight Dabura, but now he was using strategy. However, Dabura could very easily tank all of his attacks, having an assortment of magic and fighting skills at his disposal. Eventually he came to materialize a huge sword of dark metal to kill Gohan with, and left him on the back foot.
Tien was impressed while Videl was absolutely confused. She couldn't comprehend the level of violence and power on display. She asked Tien what changed Gohan so much, and he explained that this was Gohan's true power. Tien figured that Gohan kept the truth hidden from her; he probably had his reasons, but Tien has enough respect to tell how it is. Gohan endured fights against the most powerful beings in the universe; no amount of training would allow her to catch up in just a year. Perhaps he didn't tell her the truth in order to protect her, or maybe protect the image she had of him. Questions were racing through Videl's mind, and amidst them came poisonous thoughts.
If she were to win against Spopovich and reach the finals, would he fight Videl with all his power? No, Gohan never fought with full power in any of their matches, why would he do it now? Of course not… Gohan would let her win. He would pretend he's just a buffoon, take two or three hits and then fall down. He would give her the win like she's an oblivious child. Videl would get everything she ever wanted without knowing any better. That's why he entered the stupid tournament in the first place.
As the realization hits her, a deep angst begins to grow inside. Her victory would be nothing more than a lie; just like her father. Is that literally all she can do? Did he train Videl all along just because he took pity on her? What was his end goal? Did he just want her around as some sort of pet? Maybe he thought that helping her achieve her dream would make her fall in love with him… as it was the case.
"Damn it Gohan… Why did you…" she mumbled out her frustration.
Gohan was getting cut all over his body and his gi was being slashed to tatters. He clearly wouldn't win like that, and Tien called out from the back line. "Gohan! This is not gonna work! It's time to use it! You're gonna need the power of the Super Saiyan!"
Everyone looked shocked at Tien. Both Kai and Dabura knew the legendary Super Saiyan myth from hundreds of years ago; they knew Gohan was a Saiyan, but was he really the actual Super Saiyan? Videl was even more annoyed; does she know anything about Gohan, at all? Being encouraged by his friends, Gohan unfortunately had to break it down for them.
"I can't…" he said.
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He tried hundreds of times, just like his father told him; trying to replicate those emotions with his memories, but it never worked again. Either by Gohan's inability or his bad genetics, the Super Saiyan remained dormant within him.
Tien's smile faded as he started to sweat. All these years he was under the impression that Gohan could turn into the Super Saiyan at any moment like Goku did. Now he was worried; he demanded that they fight Dabura together, but Gohan refused. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve, although he hated it. This next technique that he will use was directly passed down from Goku, but Gohan swore to himself he would never give it a thought.
It was the technique that killed his father. Kaioken.
One of the strongest techniques you can learn in this universe, and also its most dangerous. It can be performed by anyone, although races with sturdier bodies, like the Saiyans, can use the technique to absurd levels. Most never heard of it; it was made by King Kai of the north galaxy after millions of years observing fighters all over his realm. You can't imagine Dabura's surprise when that boy's energy took a bright red color, and he started kicking his ass. Just a three times increase was enough. Gohan knocked him around like a pinball, and finished his assault with a full power Kamehameha. It didn't kill him, but it destroyed Dabura's cape. It had a magic property that made it incredibly resistant, but even so it was ruined by the blast.
Enraged, Dabura brings out his Stone spit technique again, but Gohan was expecting it. He blocked it with his wristband, and quickly slashed it off his pulse before it petrified. Dabura tried shooting spit at him like a gatling gun, but Gohan dodged them all until he had enough, and used a wave of Kiai to send the spit back at Dabura, hitting him directly on his eye. It didn't turn him to stone like Gohan wanted, but it gave him a good opportunity for another Kaioken rush down. By the end Dabura was flat on the ground while Gohan was fatigued and injured, but victorious. He never used the Kaioken since he learned, and his inexperience is showing.
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All the while, Babidi was watching the fight through his magic vision. He couldn't believe this boy; this mortal was able to fight Dabura. If it keeps up like this, Dabura will lose and the energy to awaken Majin Buu is only 75% done. Babidi needed to buy time, and he saw the perfect opportunity right there in the middle of their group. That girl that defeated Puipui; she was strong, Gohan clearly has a weakness for her, and most importantly she's having doubtful thoughts and is in emotional anguish. And from that she's easily controlled by Babidi's magic.
Tien and Kai were startled when Videl suddenly started holding her head and screaming. She was in clear pain, and spoke as if something was squeezing her brain. Gohan ran to help but Dabura caught the drift, and attacked Gohan to prevent interference. Elder Kai immediately understood what was happening and he raised his hands in order to block Babidi's spell. However, that only seemed to make Videl scream in pain even more. If their forces were to fight and use her mind as a battleground, it would cause irreversible damage to her psyche. They need to go after Babidi right away and stop him physically. Dabura was so occupied in his fight that he couldn't prevent them. As soon as they found the final hatch, Tien punched his way in and they jumped inside. It was a long fall.
Babidi set various traps and illusions to slow down their descent, but Tien could see and fight through it all. When they finally arrive in the final room and stand face to face, Babidi sets forth a yellow barrier to block their passage. Tien's attacks could do nothing to that thing. Elder Kai tried to break it with a reverse spell, but it was too late. Babidi managed to control Videl. Sort of.
Gohan's fight with Dabura was interrupted once someone stood between them. It was Videl, now with dark circles around her eyes and the big M on her forehead. "Oh no… Videl, what happened to you?!" Gohan could feel an unnatural amount of power coming out of her; power that didn't belong to her; demonic power like Spopovich had. Videl demanded that he fight her with his full power, threatening to break his neck if he loses. Dabura takes the opportunity to blast for the hatch and stop Tien and Kai. Gohan tries to go after him but Videl stands in his way and punches him back. "You're not gonna go anywhere! We're gonna decide who's the strongest here and now!"
Gohan watched as the barren land became the arena of the tournament. There were no people, no cameras or rules; just a huge ring for them to fight with all they got. No matter what he couldn't bring sense to Videl. Babidi made her intrusive and most degenerate nature take over her body. She was going to fight but refused to do anything else he asked. She rushed towards Gohan, throwing punches and kicks that Gohan dodged with minimum effort. "I'm not gonna fight you, Videl," he says.
"Why?! am I not even worth the trouble, huh?!" she said. Now she saw right through everything that Gohan told her. His deception escalated into the worst possible scenario. She called him names and attacked while he effortlessly dodged all she threw at him. "I thought you were different! I thought you understood me! Did you even listen?!"
"I was just trying to make you happy. Isn't this what you wanted? To do these incredible things, to surpass reality- to win the tournament?!"
Dark energy was bursting all around her, "I RATHER LOSE AND DIE BEFORE I WIN WITH STUPID LIES!"
Her power continued to grow with her anger. She started using the ki attacks that she hated in the blind hope that Gohan would take her seriously. The overuse of the Kaioken left Gohan super sensitive, and Videl's attacks would hurt really badly despite their difference in power. After a few minutes she started to distort her physique quite like Spopovich had. Gohan knew he had to end this quickly. He finally understood what he did wrong. Above all else he had to admit it to himself why he did, so then maybe Videl will understand.
Using his full power against her for the first time, he instantly appeared in front of her and grabbed her with a bear hug that trapped both her arms under his. As she struggled to free herself Gohan just pulled her even closer and let her head rest on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry, Videl. I knew that you wouldn't like for things to go that way, but I decided to do it regardless. I wanted you to win, because… because you reminded me way too much of my father. You tried so hard every day, I felt like you deserved to win. I'm not a fighter like my father was, I never enjoyed fighting like he did. I'm just someone with a lot of responsibility because of my power. When I started training with you it was like I found something I lost long ago. I felt happy.
I'm sorry for not being honest with you. We can talk about it later, but you need to stop. He's messing with you- I know that this is not what you want. Come on… let's just get this over with and go back to how things were. Please."
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Gohan felt her tears running down his shoulder. Videl started crying heavily for the first time since she was a toddler; she couldn't hold it back. The Majin symbol on her forehead was slowly fading away. She continued to hug him tight as they both flew down and landed. The room returned to its original form. Both of them looked like they've been through hell that day; full of blood, scratches and bruises. Videl was still mumbling through her tears, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I don't know why-"
"It's okay," Gohan said, "it's over."
Before the scene turned from wholesome to romantic, the things at the final floor were getting heavy. The ground under the two started shaking, and soon they felt a force erupting below.
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Dabura was now fighting Tien, who was struggling really hard to keep both himself and elder Kai alive. Thankfully, Gohan softened him up earlier and that gave Tien the upper hand. Ever since he entered this place he couldn't sense the world outside. He gathered enough natural energy for one last Shin Kikoho, and he was waiting for a good opportunity to use it and kill Dabura. All the while Kai was trying to break Babidi's barrier, but both stood with equal magic power.
Babidi only stopped when he saw that the energy from the canister was drained completely. Majin Buu's cocoon began to emit a powerful light. Babidi undid his barrier, and claimed victory; there was nothing they could do now. Elder Kai cursed at himself, but Tien could still do something. He turned away from Dabura, and assuming his pose he unleashed the strongest, most powerful Shin Kikoho at Majin Buu's cocoon. The light took over the entire room, and its power erupted towards the ceiling. Gohan knew what just happened and held Videl closer to protect her from the explosion. The entire ship was destroyed from the inside out with a single technique. All you could see from the outside was the nuclear destruction.
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The Z-warriors and the Majins found their way out of the wreckage, and on to the newly formed wasteland they all witnessed as Majin Buu's cocoon stood in place. The huge thing cracked open, and pink smoke came out. There was nothing; whatever once was Majin Buu was obliterated by that blast. However, Gohan and Tien could still feel that energy in the air; something scary and powerful beyond their imagination. They looked up and saw that pink smoke that came out… beginning to take shape.
From the smoke came a fat being of friendly appearance. He dressed funny, looked funny and his face showed no menace. Dabura approached him. "It is great to finally meet the legendary Majin Buu. My name is Dabura, I am your king and master. As you can see, I find myself in a predicament and I need your help. How are you?"
Majin Buu simply responded with, "I'm hungry."
Out of nowhere, a crazy beam of rainbow light came out of his head tentacle, and hit the unsuspecting Dabura. Before he could do anything about it, he was turned into a… cookie. Buu just walked over and ate Dabura whole. It apparently tasted so bad that Buu spit it out and stepped on it, turning into crumbles. The Z-warriors watched horrified as that powerful enemy was killed off in such a stupid manner; Dabura's ki vanished. And now the pink demon looked to them; hungry for more. Elder Kai could recognize that frighteningly-silly smile as if it was yesterday.