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DRAGON BALL HARDCORE
THE BUU SAGA, part 6
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Everyone was so calm at that moment, but Super Buu was just confused. Why are they all so glad to see this one? Kind of reminds him of that blond girl he fought. He could feel no power at all coming from them. The fusion just walked over menacingly to Majin Buu, and with a distorted combined voice it said, "You're looking for trouble, aren't you?"
Android 35 proceeded to grab Buu by his neck and dragged him along to the inside temple. Buu tried to fight against his grip but it was simply too powerful to stop. He couldn't understand the android's artificial power. They dragged him all the way to the time chamber, and threw him inside. 35 enters as well and closes the door behind them. In this pocket dimension they can go all out without caring for the safety of Earth. Buu was mad for being pushed around so far, and the two started to fight.
The first thing that becomes apparent to Buu is how big the difference is. Not only does 35 display better fighting skills, but also bizarre new abilities and techniques born out of the fusion's magical properties. It's most broken ability is the evolution of 17's barrier, that now he can create anywhere at any shape of form, for unlimited time. Buu had lost and didn't even realize it, and the only thing that kept him alive was his regeneration abilities. As a last resort, he transforms 35 into a candy by surprising him with his magic ray, but even that didn't work. All he did was become even more pathetic; getting beaten by a coffee candy.
To his luck, 35 was a complete failure at discipline; retaining the worst aspects of arrogance from 17 and 18 as if the sheer power drove them mad. They kept toying with Buu for way too long. When they finally realized it was about time to put an end to this, they prepared an energy attack big enough to vaporize him. But, just as they were about to fire, the 30 minutes of fusion time ended, and their bodies separated. They both look at each other like, "oh shit…"
They immediately got into position to do the dance again, but this time Buu took the offensive. He appeared right between them and held their fingers back from touching each other. Just like that, the whole plan was ruined. They were picked apart and dragged through the void in a brutal beat down. They had to fuse again in order to win, so 18 told 17 do use their fail-safe technique again.
17 and 18 got into positions once again and started performing the fusion dance. Just as Buu dashed over to stop them, he was stopped by 17's barrier. He perfectly encapsulated the two of them and left Buu outside. He punched the barrier until it cracked and broke, but it was too late. The fusion dance was perfect. Android 35 was back in action and began beating down on Buu again. This time, he was gonna kill Buu.
Buu was left trembling in fear again. Like any cowardly creature, he didn't want his fun to end there, and decided to run for the door. 35 was too late to stop him. The only thing to do was a little drastic, but maybe Dende can bail them out later. With a powerful hand blast, 35 fires against the big hourglass temple in the middle of the void, destroying it completely. By the time Buu could see again he was holding the handle of the door, but there was no door. From the other side, Dende saw the door crack, and when he opened it all he found was an old broom closet. The link between the dimensions had been severed.
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Buu just looked at his escape being thwarted, and he was angry. He was breathing heavily, and just as 35 called him to fight to the bitter end like a real man, Super Buu started screaming blood at the top of his lungs. The summon of an ancient magic; one no different than what Babidi uses to come and go from the demon realm. The pocket dimension of the time chamber had a very weak layer separating it from the rest of the mortal realm. This simple screaming magic was enough to open up a hole through the dimensions, and Super Buu immediately jumped inside as the portal closed right behind him. Android 35 was left just ominously staring at what just happened, and the situation he was in. "Oh… oh no… ooooooohhh no."
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Buu's portal reappeared outside in the huge open area of the lookout. Everyone was in utter shock, and Buu had a massive urge to kill each and every single one of them. However, looking at them now he felt a growl in his tummy, and licked his lips. One by one they all turned into food for Buu. Chi-chi rushed at Buu with no fear in order to defend her son, but she quickly suffered the same fate as most other humans; turned to candy and eaten. Bulma and Launch weren't given any time to react; they were turned into sweets and before they could even yell out for their kids. Puar and Oolong tried running away, but it was to no avail. The only one left was Mr. Popo and the three kids. Popo grabbed all the three in his arms and rushed inside the temple. Dende was trying to fix the door, but out of nowhere Popo came and shoved him inside the broom locker with Goten, Boku and Dina. Buu quickly appeared behind him, and turned Mr. Popo into cotton candy, shoving him down his throat. In one fell swoop, those who couldn't fight were now gone. The few remaining could only wait in silence for Buu to leave while keeping their powers low. He looked at the door of the time chamber and spat on it, turning around and leaving.
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Everything fell apart. Dende failed as Earth's guardian. No matter how hard he tries, this planet may end up facing the same fate as Namek. Now Buu jumped down from the lookout and went right to Korin tower. He quickly turned both Korin and Yajirobe into candy to eat them as well, but he was still not satisfied. He decided to head out to a nearby city to eat more people; all this fighting really took a toll on his nerves.
The kids now walk around into the empty lookout. All they could do is fall to their knees and realize everyone was gone. Dina lost two of her parents in one day, not more than an hour apart. Boku's sole goal as a warrior of protecting his mother was a complete failure. Goten didn't have anger in him, only despair; crying out for Gohan again and again. Dende had to do something.
With the last remaining of his power Dende managed to open a hole through the dimensions, and allowed 35 to exit the time chamber; closing it off forever. Seeing what had happened, 35 was furious, and so was Dende. Before heading out to confront this demon together, Dende drops his cane. He played god way too much, and now it was time to live up to his job; even if that means throwing hands with that monster.
With 35 and the three kids following right after Dende, they blast after Buu's ki signature down on Earth. Far too much was lost; now it was time to end this or die trying.
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As soon as they met up with Super Buu in the city streets, 35 rushed him. "You thought that you could get rid of me so easily?!" they said, continuously beating him down. However, at the opportunity to finish him off, Dende interjects and prohibits him from annihilating the demon. "Dende, have you lost your mind?! The very least we can do now is take revenge!" said Boku.
"Not at all. The very least we can do now is save everyone inside Majin Buu." Dende responded. After everything that transpired since the very beginning, Dende noticed a trend. According to Elder Kai's story, the supreme Kais were gods, and therefore immortal. The only way that Buu could get rid of them was by absorbing them into him, and that made him more powerful. And even millions of years later that hasn't changed; Dende noticed that after eating all the humans that he turned to candy, his power increased. Dende believes everyone who was consumed by Buu now aids in his power, and they are all probably (hopefully) alive inside of him. He has a theory that he's willing to bet his life on it.
Dende tells the others to stay put, and don't lose hope. Even if this works he doesn't know what to expect, and it might take a long time. But if he succeeds, Buu's defeat is assured. With a smile, the last Namekian tells them goodbye.
He went on to challenge Buu one on one. It was clear he wasn't gonna win; no Earthly-born magic could stand up to this difference in power. But at the edge between life and death, he put on an act to Buu. He begged for mercy, and said that being eaten alive was his greatest fear. Upon that reveal Buu smiled. Buu's constant lust to cause harm and despair made him oblivious at that moment. Without hesitation, he turned Dende into a lemon candy, and ate him.
Super Buu now turned his eyes to the others. Now they can only trust Dende is okay and knows what he's doing. 35 told the kids to run off and leave this to him. They'll find a way to pin Buu down until Dende saves their families from inside Buu. Just as the three do so, he steps it up to fight… but the Fusion's greatest weakness wears its ugly head again. With a puff of smoke they were back at being 17 and 18 again. Buu smiled again.
They looked at each other in complete shock, and 18 said. "When we both die in a few minutes, remind me to find this King Kai dude and chop his nuts off…"
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The time inside the world of the Kais was still under the effect of the time spell, still going twice as fast as the mortal realm. For what it was a couple hours between the moment Super Buu took control and the current battle that was ensuing, already half a day passed in there. Old Kai had been conga dancing for about six hours, and he thought they were nearly ready. Videl still felt nothing. Ever since the crystal ball broke, she could only imagine what was going in; how many died, how much was destroyed…
"Weird, I was almost certain it was about time…" said elder Kai, but then he wiggled himself a little more with his dance moves, and finally something happened. Suddenly Videl was surrounded by a circle of blue fire, and it startled her. "There you go!" said the old Kai. Even Gohan could feel something was happening from far away, and decided to head back and see what was going on.
Old Kai continued. "Now, girl… I gotta be honest, I have no idea how strong you're gonna get or for how long it will last, but it's gonna be a bunch! It will be your path to victory and my one-way ticket to retirement."
"What do you mean with that, old man?" Videl asked, but old Kai was ignoring her at this point. She was even paralyzed; unable to get up or move from the inside of this ring of fire. Before the inevitable, old Kai walked it up to Kibito. He immediately understood what old Kai was about to do. He had chosen Videl as his champion. "Master, you can't leave me like this! You barely taught me anything all this time; I'M NOT READY TO BE A SUPREME KAI IN YOUR PLACE!"
Old Kai started picking up stuff from his nose. "Kibito, I'm gonna be honest with you, you showed yourself to be better qualified for the job since day one. I was kind of holding off for a while, trying to teach you some humility, but now I realize I was just buying time for myself. If you want to learn all the magic stuff then calm down, they'll come to you eventually. You can have these, I won't be needing them anymore" he said, taking off his earrings and giving them to Kibito. "Good luck…"
Then he walked over to Gohan and pulled him down to his level to speak in his ear. "Look boy, I know this might look a bit drastic, but I just want this whole situation cleared out as fast as possible. To be fair I don't trust your girlfriend that well with winning the day, so keep on training. When you're ready, an old friend of mine is gonna try reaching out for you, and he'll tell you what to do next." He said, then he tapped Gohan on the shoulder and finally walked towards Videl.
He steps inside the ring of blue flames as if it was nothing, and he stands over Videl with a smile. "To think I would be the first one to ever do this… And to a cute teenage girl even. Imagine how jealous they would've been… Well, Videl Satan… When you fought Spopovich against my wish, you showed some serious determination and will to not give up, and continue even at the worst of times. Dare I say that it touched my little old heart… But now I believe it's time to back up those guts with enough power to match."
He extended his hand to her, but she was reluctant. In a way, even if she beats Buu, it's not gonna be out of her own merit. It would be a gifted victory; a certain type of victory that she truly despises. But now, the burning desire to do the right thing, protect those she cares for and put an end to all of this has overshadowed her pride as a fighter.
Perhaps this is what her father was thinking all that time, when he faked his victory over Cell. Maybe he had this same burning desire to give his only daughter a good life. At least now, at the very end, she understood…
She finally took his hand. "I promise I'll not waste this opportunity." she said. With a handshake, old Kai and Videl were consumed by those blue flames.
When they died out, Videl was the only one sitting there. The energy inside of her was jubilant and absurd; far surpassing Gohan. But at the cost of the life of the oldest being in this universe. Videl just looked at her hands for a moment while the others remained in silence.
Just as the quick realization gets to her, she clenches her fist and stands up. "Let's go… let's just end this once and for all," she said. Kibito got up with the same surge of determination, now shrugging off his tears. Before they go, she told Gohan, "When you're done swinging that sword around, I want you to come over and help me pound that bubblegum freak into oblivion. I don't want to hog all the fun."
The two end up with a fist bump, and Videl walks over to Kibito to teleport back to the mortal realm. However, Kibito soon realizes… he doesn't know how to do that.
Things get a little chaotic, but Kibito figures it out. He decides to put on the earrings, and out of nowhere, all the knowledge and magic just flashes through his mind. It was really that simple. He grabs Videl by the shoulder and disappears by simply saying "Kai-kai!"
Gohan was left behind in this empty world. He has to master this sword; now or never. He has a terrible feeling now, and it is time to measure up once again. Everyone else must have been suffering tremendously while he's busy; he can't let that be for nothing.
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Once Videl put her feet on the ground, she felt a terrible shiver and fell to her knees; almost as if she could feel how many people were gone. Then she felt Buu's ki sparking up, and that meant he was fighting someone. Videl was eager to go, but then realized she was still wearing her same bloody straps from the tournament. She asked Kibito if he could use those thunder hands and give her a cool gi like everyone else. She hushed the details on Kibito's ear, and so he zapped her with the Clothes Beam.
She got a gi similar to Gohan's with different colors. It is pure white from shoulders to ankles. Her wristbands and belt were colored purple, and used a black spandex shirt to cover the neck, cleavage and her arms until the elbows. She thanks Kibito one last time, and follows her senses towards the fight. She was unbelievably powerful now, and was struggling to adapt. She blasted off at full power and almost shot herself into space by accident, in a split second. She had to watch out.
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Super Buu was just having awesome fun beating the hell out of the two androids. Of course, he kept both far away from each other so then they couldn't do that stupid dance and call out that strong one. The two were left broken and beaten; unable to even stand up and do the fusion fast enough to fight Buu. He thought to just eat them and get over with this planet, but all of the sudden he felt something else. Something powerful was coming.
Suddenly, Videl showed up in a flash, putting her hands up to stop because she was too fast. 17 and 18 looked up to see Gohan's girlfriend of all people. Although they told her to leave, Buu looked at her differently. He was hesitant; recognizing the girl from before, the one that was so far below everyone else. Now he looks again and she scares him. In doubt, Buu rushed at her. She managed to read right through his simple movements; dodging and punching right back with so much force that sent Buu flying into the horizon and crashing with such a thunderous sound far away. Needless to say, everyone and even Videl were impressed. It was possible.
Goten, Boku and Dina decided to head back after feeling that ungodly power that just showed up at their doorstep. And it was… the last person in the world that they thought could be; it was Gohan's girlfriend. She explained poorly; she came to beat the hell out of Buu, there's a god inside of her, and this is too dangerous for elementary school kids. Regardless of her warnings, they come along; comically leaving 17 and 18 behind to just sulk in.
"I guess we're gonna live another weekend, huh…" said 17.
"I maintain my previous statement" replied 18.
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Now joining Super Buu at the soon-to-be-destroyed forest, he and Videl begin their fight as the kids watch from afar. It becomes very clear to them that she's way over her head. She most certainly has the power to take down Buu, but she's struggling to get accustomed to this level. Not only that but her approach is a little too innocent to the kind of enemy she's facing. She tried grappling and breaking Buu's arm, as if he had any bones or logic applied to his existence. She was running out of ideas, so she decided to try a ki attack. Not her specialty to be sure, but it's worth a try.
She put her hands on her forehead, gathered her power and released a Masenko. But that energy was something else; she had no idea how much of a powerful energy she just fired. Buu barely dodged it as the huge light went off into space. By sheer luck it actually managed to hit planet Mars, creating an explosion so great that everyone could see. It completely cleansed the whole planet from existence. "I'm not gonna get in trouble for that, am I?" Videl asked in shock.
Regardless of how awkward the beginning was, Videl quickly picked up the pace. Buu realized there was jack shit he could do to this girl; his attacks were null. She got plenty of opportunities to put him down, but Boku shouted that she can't kill Buu yet; nearly every single person on Earth is inside him. All she could do for now was stall Super Buu for more time, but that option wasn't gonna cut it. Dina noticed that Videl's power was gradually decreasing as time passed by. What's up with gods having strong abilities with shitty time limits?!
Now Buu had quite a bunch of ideas on his mind. He could, one, blow up the planet; two, keep it together until her powers run out and kill them all, since they are all clearly reluctant about killing him; or three… he could do something even better. But no matter that, because someone else came to steal the spotlight during that battle. It wasn't Gohan, or Kibito… It was Mr. Satan.
He arrived in this huge tank making a lot of noise and challenging Buu out with a megaphone. He wanted Majin Buu back, and Super Buu just laughed at him. No matter what guns Mr. Satan had, he couldn't lay a scratch in Buu. You simply can't tell if he's running on pure ignorance or sheer bravado at this point. A huge part of Buu was demanding that Mr. Satan be left alone, but he did not want to hear those voices anymore. His attempt to kill Mr. Satan was stopped by Videl. Mr. Satan wanted Videl as far away from the fight as possible. Buu used that to his advantage and attacked Mr. Satan, since she couldn't defend her father and herself at the same time. Videl was getting damaged in the process as her power was running down.
It reached a point where she needed to set her foot down. Videl holds her father by the shoulders, looking beaten and with dry blood on her face, but still standing like it's just a scratch. Mr. Satan reinforces that this isn't what he wanted; not for his only daughter. He promised his Videl's mother that he would give her the world, and never let anything harm her. "Don't worry, baby girl! Let the champion take care of that freak, okay?"
"NO! You can't! You know you can't! I'm not just gonna sit and pretend you're the strongest one around while your life it's at stake. And it's okay… you don't need to put this act for me anymore. I know better than anyone else how scared you are. Listen- I get it, you want to protect me and that's all you ever wanted. But now I need you to believe me! I'm thankful for all you did, dad. I would never get this far if we never left our old crumbling apartment; I would never meet any of my best friends if it weren't for you… but now it's time for me to return the favor. I don't want this to be another story where you die in my place. Please, dad, let me be the champion in your place!"
Seeing his daughter rise up to the occasion so triumphantly, Mr. Satan couldn't help but weep. He has no better words of encouragement to her other than "Go show him what for!" And she blasted off back into the fight. As she leaves Mr. Satan confides in the memory of his late wife, "Our baby girl found the way of the warrior that I couldn't. Please don't let this be the last time, dear."
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Meanwhile, into a dark, gloomy and viscous place of endless walls of pink goo, there was a mount of sweets scattered around the ground; all of them connected to this fleshy floor. Everything seemed quiet until suddenly a lemon candy that was lying next to the others began to twitch. In a few seconds the candy puffed into a cloud of smoke, and out appeared Dende. He was gasping for air while on his knees; he didn't expect that would take so much out of him to turn himself back to normal, but it worked. He had to fight to not get stuck into the floor, as he felt it draining his energy. Everyone else was there, although not in normal shape. With no apparent exit, he puts all the candies he found into his pockets and begins searching for a way out.
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After that longtime-coming pep talk with her father, Videl came out in a flash to tag out Goten. To their dismay, Dende still didn't get out of Buu after an hour of fighting, and they had to expect the worst. The kids were still forbidding Videl from killing Buu, since their only parents are somewhere inside of him.
All the talking was cut short when someone else suddenly appeared for the third time. 17 and 18 finally managed to recuperate, and now used the fusion to become 35 once again and confront Buu. With both they and Videl fighting together, Buu could do nothing, and Buu hated that. For the past few hours of constant fighting, he has been nothing but humiliated again and again; forced to flee and fight hopeless battles, not to mention getting wrecked by an amateur like Videl. In this moment of deep outrage, Buu goes back to his most primal instincts; back when he was nothing but a shapeless, powerless blob. Finally it returned to him, a memory of his true purpose and his greatest skill. It was time to use it.
The earthlings made one terrible assumption about Buu, and it is that he needs to turn them into candy first in order to absorb their power. The others immediately knew something was wrong when Buu stopped. Behind him, a mass of pink goo detached itself from his back and slipped through the cracks under his feet; no one saw it. He just waited there until they approached a little more. 35 was still careless and arrogant; he was an easy prey.
Suddenly, the part that Buu detached itself suddenly burrows from the ground, and lunges to 35 and Videl's backs; restraining their arms and legs as they spread around their bodies. Without hesitation Buu jumps towards 35, opening himself wide as he becomes a pink rug. 35 was completely consumed, and though there was much struggle, eventually the pink blob stopped shaking. 35's last words that they could hear were "Why does this give me Deja Vu?!"
After a few seconds of silent shock from everyone, a bright light started emanating from the pink blob. It began taking shape once more; back to Super Buu's original state. But when they finally had a good look at him, he got a little taller, and was wearing 35's clothes. But the most important aspect is this overwhelming power they are now feeling. Buu's power just increased exponentially, and he was still hungry for more. He now lunged towards Videl, on his way to do the same thing and get even stronger. Videl was helpless; all she could do was struggle and stare at the monster approaching.
However, in the last possible second, someone headbutted Videl out of the way, getting absorbed in her stead. It was little Goten; making reckless decisions in place of others, like Tien told him to. He didn't think at all he was gonna die; all he wanted at that moment was to save one of the few friends he had. And at that he succeeded beautifully, to the absolute dismay of the others. He was easily absorbed, and his power was added to Buu.
Videl, Boku and Dina just watch in horror. Videl was the first to act, screaming out all of her pain and frustration into a big explosion that freed herself. She rushed towards Buu once again, but now he had the upper hand, and the difference was just too great. Buu was toying with her, but she was no longer fighting alone. While Boku just couldn't think of what to do next, Dina knew exactly what to do. Dee took control once again and she rushed at Buu without a care in the world, all the while screaming how she was sick and tired of this bastard taking everything away from her. And as you might imagine, it didn't end too well. Buu just trapped her in a bear hug, and before she could fight it, he swallowed her into his chest. Her power was now his.
Now matter how much things might look forward to them, Buu always bounces back in a flash. His persistence, his immortality and sadistic deeds brought such a sense of dread to Boku. Everything crumbled around him faster than he could think. He falls to his knees and watches as Buu continues to beat down Videl to a bloody pulp. He always kept quiet and composed, with a cold exterior and a knack for doing things alone in his own way. Now he realizes that he tried his hardest, but everything failed. His friends, his mother, his mentor and the universe are as good as gone. He cries, and begs for the only remaining option they have.
"GOHAAAAAN! Why are you taking so long?! If you're the fighter that everyone has so much faith in, then why don't you come out and fight?!" he shouted.
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Gohan was at the last mile of his training. When Videl and Kibito left him, all he could do now was focus on getting in touch with the sword. After a lot, and I mean a lot of soul searching, he now had that same spirit he had so long ago. The Z Sword now weighed nothing, and that could only mean that it found Gohan to be quite worthy. His training came to a close when during a moment of silence, Gohan started hearing a flute melody echoing in the wind. He stared down at the sword, and started having hallucinations.
Emerging from the darkness, now he sees what looked to be a supreme kai from millions of years ago, Orange hair, fancy earrings, playing an ocarina and with the big Z Sword in his back. Once he's done playing the melody he talks to Gohan in a very disassociated way. All that he knows is that another beast is running loose, and they need the power of his sword to stop it. He's touched by Gohan's tale, and is more than willing to help him. He was worthy in every sense of the word. The Supreme Kai, referring to himself as Tapion, pulls out the sword from his back and wields it to Gohan. Together they held the handle at the same time.
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Kibito only arrived to see the aftermath. He could tell something was wrong in the mood. Suddenly Gohan appeared beside him with the Z Sword on his shoulder. The sword gave him a certain awakening, and his power grew tenfold. Kibito explains that things have gone from bad to worse, but Gohan states that he's finally ready. It's time to put an end to Buu, and Kibito is honored to help the wielder of the Z Sword into battle. They teleport out of there, leaving the other world. If Gohan is to come back here, it will be as a dead man. That won't be the case. Gohan won't accept failure from himself anymore.
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The two arrive just in time, now feeling Buu's power, Gohan can only wonder how this monster just keeps getting stronger and stronger. And soon enough, he found out.
He and Kibito arrived in time to see Buu holding Videl by her neck and Boku crying alone. Videl looks at him, putting up a faint smile through her tears of frustration and pain. They couldn't make a move; she was finished. "Took you long enough… Gohan. I couldn't live up to what you needed of me… please… forgive me…." she mumbled as Buu squeezed her neck. Gohan could only watch as Buu's pink mass envelops her body into himself. After the light surrounded his body, he was wearing Videl's white gi; calling Gohan for a fight against his godly power.
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Gohan just watched silently, as emotion inside of him started to build up. Kibito could see something was wrong; his instinct told him to go as far away from Gohan as possible. Gohan looked around and saw this barren wasteland, and barely felt any familiar energy on the planet, he turned to Boku down there, and asked "… what happened?"
"He took… everyone. Everyone is gone. I… We couldn't do a thing about it. Mr. Tien… mom… Dina… even your mother… and Goten. I'm sorry, Gohan. I just couldn't-" Boku was saying, but then he looked up to see Gohan's eyes. They had that murderous gaze of a Saiyan that can make even the gods flinch. No words needed to be uttered; Boku and Kibito knew something was about to happen, and so they picked themselves up and flew away. Gohan's energy was skyrocketing, but he's just standing there.
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To have to experience this level of trauma twice in a lifetime… Perhaps Gohan was the warrior that suffered the most between his group of mad men and warriors; from four years old, all the way to eighteen now. But with that suffering, comes the power to turn any table. The power to right any wrong. And it all begins like a flame shooting through the dark. In a scream of absolute anguish, he reaches a boiling point. His veins were popping; the Earth was shaking violently; reality around them was being warped and destroyed. With that scream, Gohan's hair turned into that golden of legends, and his eyes green as emerald. He became the Superior Saiyan once more, and so he wields the Z Sword, increasing his power even further. Now Buu and Gohan share a certain balance of power. Now they are the strongest powers in the universe; the strongest mortal to have ever lived against the ultimate demon, killer of gods.
The final battle has begun.