Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty
Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner
A/N: Happy New Year, nerds!
Chapter 177: Majin Buu
On the Lookout...
Left alone after the departure of Zangya, Bonyu, and Bardock, the Z-Fighters from Turles' ship found themselves beset by a hundred questions at once. Chi-Chi hugged Goten tight, glad to see that he was okay. Blonde Launch ran up to Tien and Chiaotzu and immediately begged if either of them had seen her daughter. Android 18 and Marron were both at Krillin's side right away, 18 fretting over the wound on Krillin's arm and sounding more relieved than she might have wished to let on. All the others focused their attention on Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, and the Supreme Kai.
The sudden explosion in the air had set off an avalanche of fear and panic so loud that the four warriors could barely begin to address anything when, suddenly, a massive power with all the weight of a falling sun crashed down upon all of them.
Videl fell to her knees and gripped her pounding head. "What the hell is that?!"
Piccolo's eyes were wide. "How?! The size of that explosion..."
Shin closed his eyes, giving a wretched shake of his head. "This is the worst possible outcome. The universe is doomed."
Videl and Raditz both looked panicked. Raditz, still gripping his mother tightly, spoke in a hushed whisper. "Is that... Majin Buu?"
Gine groaned, her half-lidded eyes looking in the direction that she had seen him fly. She spoke in a soft, heartbroken voice. "Bardock."
Hearing the love and the sadness in his grandmother's voice struck a chord in Gohan so sharply it sent lightning bolts surging down his back. He turned to his father and Goku nodded. "Yeah, I feel ya. Let's go."
Before anyone could interject, Goku grabbed Gohan by the sleeve and the two of them teleported in an instant.
In the wasteland...
Majin Buu licked his yellow-gloved hands of any missed sugar from his most recent meal as the strange, angry man rocketed toward him with his silly battle cry. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"
The monster smiled wide, turning to Bardock and spoke with nothing less than a genuine childish excitement. "Buu love that game~"
The silly-haired man was upset and Buu couldn't really see why. It was a nice day. This new planet had a bright blue sky and Buu could smell the vaguest hints of sugar and butter being carried on the wind from all directions. It was enough to make him want to sing. The silly man tossed a kick, and Buu jerked his head back with a happy, prattling laugh. And then, wanting to take part in this fun new game, the monster raised his fist back and punched the silly man in the face, making his head flop back like it was on a spring. The silly man and his funny looking, torn up clothes went shooting back, hitting the ground six times like a skipping stone before finally crashing into a rocky outcropping.
Majin Buu could see the crackling electricity of the silly man's aura in the distance and he clapped, laughing and ready to continue with the game. "BUU~!"
From a more grounded perspective...
Babidi gasped in shock at the sight of Bardock bouncing like a stone into the distance. Traitor though he was, Babidi knew that his former "subordinate" was tough. Almost supernaturally so. And yet, in the face of a single blow from this Majin, Bardock toppled like a tower of blocks. Buu cried out his name in triumph, pumping his fists into the air and then dancing around, humming a childish tune.
Babidi cackled at best he could with half of his body missing and called out. "HOW DOES THAT FEEL, BARDOCK?! HOW DOES KARMA TASTE?!"
Over in the rubble...
Bardock pushed himself up with a burbling wheeze, blood pouring from his throat, out of his mouth, like a broken faucet. Alongside that, Bardock saw several of his teeth clatter against the ground. His feet were numb, he couldn't turn his head in the direction of Babidi's screechy voice, and he was having trouble getting his body to listen to his brain at all.
That punch had nearly snapped his neck.
Bardock rolled over onto his ass, like a properly scolded child, and glared at his foe. Buu was bouncing around on his feet, humming and occasionally chanting his own name. As Bardock sat there, watching this unfold, the entire scene in front of him began to shimmer. He thought of that last sight he had caught of his little brother, his own hand reaching out in vain. He thought of Turles' smile and the last words he spoke...
"Bye guys~"
... and the dam inside Bardock's head crumbled. His nose began to run with blood and with mucus and the tears in Bardock's eyes began to stream down all at once. He spoke aloud and barely recognized his own voice. "Goddammit, Turles... how could your sacrifice have not killed this thing?! How?!"
Bardock slumped over. That one hit from Majin Buu had told him all he needed to know. He couldn't stop this thing. He had nowhere near enough power. Even if he had been smart enough to grab a Senzu Bean before chasing after Zangya and Bonyu, he wouldn't have enough power. Not even close. This thing was a monster.
The older Saiyan closed his eyes. He thought of Slug, the crew, Bonyu and Zangya, Hisho, now alone with those four kids, and finally of Turles. And then Bardock got onto his shaking feet and lifted his head. Babidi got one look at the Saiyan's eyes and cackled again. "ARE WE CRYING NOW?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Bardock snorted and then blew one jet of blood out of each nostril. He flared his power to the fullest, all he had left. He thought of the look on Gine's face after his conscience bereft body had fired upon her, shattering an entire lifetime's worth of love and trust in one instant. He thought of Gohan. And then, shutting his thoughts off, Bardock screamed at the top of his lungs and charged at Buu again!
From a more childish perspective...
The silly man, his face now all puffy and bloody, screamed and charged at Buu again. Buu was eager to play the game, but hoped that it would get more fun than this. The mighty Majin had nearly won in one turn last time, so he hoped that the silly man had more up his sleeve than just another frantic kick.
Abandoning his fun little dance, Buu threw his arms behind him and ran away from the screaming yellow guy on the ground. He ran toward the silly man and gave another victorious cry. "BUU~!"
Buu threw another softball punch at the silly man, aiming for his face again. But, this time, the man was prepared. He jerked himself out of the way of the punch at the last second and launched a kick into Buu's stomach, making his massive pink body ripple and sending him flying backward. As he flew through the air, Buu laughed and clapped his hands. "THIS FUN~! THIS BIG FUN~!"
The silly man snarled. "Big fun?! You think this is fun, you abomination?!"
He had closed the gap between himself and Buu in the blink of an eye, shooting down from the sky and plunging his fist deep into Buu's belly. The Majin doubled over, briefly melding around the silly man's fist before bouncing off of it and bouncing off the ground like a ball. The man closed the gap again, rearing his fist back and delivering a massive uppercut to Buu's jaw. The Majin tumbled through the air, eventually reaching an apex and falling back toward the ground. Before he could hit it, however, the silly man was there again with another kick to send Buu shooting back up.
The Majin laughed as he spun upward. "BUU GETTING DIZZY~"
Back in reality...
Bardock snarled in frustration as Buu flipped through the air, laughing all the way. He really couldn't believe this. As hopeless as the whole endeavor seemed, Bardock didn't foresee his every offense being laughed off. He shot into the air after Buu, slamming his knee into the back of the monster's neck and leaving a more than noticeable groove in his flesh. Bardock grunted. "What the hell is this thing made of?!"
Buu's neck contorted around 180 degrees. He cackled. "Buu made of Buu~"
Bardock sneered, grabbing Buu by the arm and swinging the monster over his shoulder. With all his strength, Bardock threw Buu into the ground below, harshly gasping for breath as the impact made the entire planet shake. And yet, to the Saiyan's dismay, the monster was already standing back up. Bardock rushed down and, before Buu could react, seized him by the antenna curling from the top of his head. Again, Bardock began to swing. He slammed Buu into the ground and then heaved him up, slamming him again in short order.
With each slam, Bardock thought more and more about the past. He thought of himself, Turles, and Tursa on Planet Vegeta. He thought of talking to Turles after all those years apart. Of having to suffer pranks at his childish younger twin's hands. Of everyone else. He thought of the Demon Crushers and Turles' new family that accepted Bardock into their group. He thought of fighting Hatchiyack. He thought of his sons. His grandchildren. His friends. His wife. His planet.
And then, with a final slam, Bardock thought of that meeting he had pictured so many times. Of him introducing them to Turles and of them all loving Turles as much as he did. He thought of the Demon Crushers joining the family on Earth. Bardock screamed at the prone Buu, staring at the "M" shape on his gigantic belt buckle and picturing the vision that had started all of this. "7 YEARS!"
With that shout, the Bardock that had resigned himself to defeat was gone. The same Bardock that had defended this planet, tooth-and-nail-and-blood, stood above Majin Buu. His power flared again. "7 GODDAMNED YEARS OF TOIL AND SWEAT TO PREVENT YOU FROM DESTROYING ALL OF THIS! I'VE SACRIFICED MY HAPPINESS! MY PEACE! EVERYTHING THAT I ATTAINED DESPITE NEVER BELIEVING I DESERVED IT!"
Bardock charged a blast in each hand. "You... You don't get to take that away. Even if they never speak to me again... even if I have to secret away a wish from the Dragon Balls and then never show my face again... you won't be the thing that prevents my little brother from getting the peaceful family he deserves! YOU WON'T KILL THE PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET! ESPECIALLY NOT THE ONES I LOVE!"
Buu stood and Bardock shot forward, plunging his foot into the creature's rubbery face and sending him flying into a mountain. And then he followed that up with a furious roar. "REBELLION TRIGGER!"
The dual blasts fired from Bardock's palms and created a massive dome of energy so wide it created a crater with a 1-mile radius. What was left of Babidi went flying in screaming panic through the air. Out of the corner of his eye, Bardock saw a familiar flash of orange fabric.
Seeing a moment to catch his breath, the older Saiyan followed that orange flash and two sets of feet landed on the ground in sequence. As smoke curled up and rubble rained from his attack, Bardock turned to face Goku and Gohan with a look of pure shame on his face. Goku, in spite of it all, couldn't help but let loose a wolf-whistle of appreciation at the spectacle. "Holy hell, Dad! You obliterated him!"
Goku turned to his father and raised his hand for a high-five. "NICE ONE!"
Bardock and Gohan both remained silent. Goku stood there, looking awkward. Finally, with a bitter shake of his head, Bardock turned away from his son. "No, Kakarot. Not a nice one. I might have killed that thing, but..."
Again, Bardock's shoulders slumped. "... not a nice one. Not after everything I did today."
Goku groaned, letting his hand fall down. "C-Come on, Dad..."
Gohan, meanwhile, was at a loss. Everything that had happened today, combined with every revelation on that ship in the upper atmosphere, had left him with such a mixture of feeling on the inside that he couldn't very well pick out the emotion to process first. Throwing his hands to the side, taking a step toward the old man, Gohan spoke up. "Why?! Why not approach us from the start, Grandpa Bardock?! That ship was full of people! Send a scout! Send a messenger! Surely that wouldn't have spooked Babidi! Why the elaborate ruse?! Why lock us out?!"
Bardock was silent. Gohan continued. "SAY SOMETHING! Surely it was a bit of foresight, right?! You looked into the future for every way you could have contacted us and saw a problem, right?! You had that Slug guy, he must've helped you with his magic! Just tell me you saw something that would make all of this make sense! Please!"
The older Saiyan was quiet for a bit longer. Slowly, almost rustily, he turned and faced his son and his grandson. "... When I left this planet, you were all at peace."
Goku flinched. Gohan snapped. "And?! What's that have to do with any of this, huh?!"
Bardock gripped his fists, looking ashamed. "... I was hoping to solve this without breaking that peace. Having my conscience removed, plunging myself into Babidi's evil madhouse, following along and waiting for the opportunity...I wanted to leave you all out as much as I could...until the tournament came up and I realized that I didn't have a choice. After 7 years, I didn't want to come back to Earth with a problem to fix. I wanted to just..."
The older Saiyan's voice broke. "... to come back with my brother. I was selfish. I'm so sorry."
Goku frowned, stepping forward. "Dad...that's ridiculous! Why leave us out! We could have solved all of this together! Just like with Vegeta! And Frieza! And Cell! Surely after all of that, you'd have more confidence in us! You should know that-"
Bardock nodded. "I know. I'm proud of my family. I'm proud of the people you are. This was all pig-headed arrogance. Me thinking that I could stop a centuries-old terror, keep the Earth safe by myself, deny you all the chance to have a say and put a stop to things. I... I should've killed Babidi when the Planet Cruiser was taking me and the cocoon away. I was careless. Dammit!"
Gohan and Goku looked at each other. Bardock fell onto his butt. "But now Turles is dead. I've ruined everything. This is all my fault..."
Bardock shuddered. "I betrayed Gine. I... I belong in Hell. I deserve to go right back to that same cave in Hell, and-"
"That's enough."
Bardock looked up and saw his youngest son standing over him, looking stern. Goku crouched down, looking his father in the eye and shaking his head. "You're not the person I met in Hell, Dad. That person would never have gone through all of this just to protect someone's peaceful life. You're not a monster. You're not some blood-thirsty space pirate. You're an honorable person who's tried his best and I won't let you be forsaken over that!"
Bardock could barely meet Goku's gaze. He turned his head and found Gohan standing there. He tried to turn his head away, but Gohan reached down. He grabbed his grandfather harshly by the face, sinking his thumb into the scar on Bardock's cheek.
The two of them looked at each other and Gohan spoke in a quiet, husky voice. "Grandma Gine loves you. Even now. You aren't allowed to give up on yourself when she's waiting. Do you understand me?"
Bardock gripped his fists tight. He looked from Gohan's steady gaze to Goku's and quickly realized that he was outnumbered. In spite of everything, the older Saiyan's chest panged as he realized that he wasn't going to be allowed to wallow in his own misery. He wasn't going to be allowed to fade away. There was no easy way out of this for him. "... I understand."
Hearing that, Gohan smiled. "Good. Then let's-"
Down in the crater...
Majin Buu marched out of his latest predicament with an annoyed little frown. That silly man, the orange guy, and the spiky guy were all ignoring him, too wrapped up in their little talk to notice that Buu's big power had returned. Buu puffed out his cheeks. He would teach them about being meanies and ignoring him!
With a leap and a flourish, Buu jumped from the crater and landed between the three. He stuck his thumbs in his ears and shot out of his tongue, scaring all of them with his triumphant cry. "NYAH NYAH NYAH!"
The spiky head and the orange guy both yelped as they leapt back, totally surprised. The silly guy went really quiet, his eyes wide as he stared at Buu. Buu smiled wide, pulling his leg back this time, and gave a kick to the silly guy's ribs. Buu felt a bunch of snaps on the end of his boot and laughed out loud, doing a one-person kick line, as his playmate went crashing into the distance with a bunch of ooey-gooey blood shooting from his mouth.
Over with Goku and Gohan...
Gohan's eyes were wide. "Wh-What the hell, Dad?! Grandpa Bardock annihilated that big, pink marshmallow! Didn't he?! D-Did you feel anything?!"
Goku looked genuinely shaken. "No, not a thing. And that guy doesn't look smart enough to know how to mask his Ki signature! Not a chance!"
Gohan gripped his fists. "Th-Then what the hell is going on?!"
Goku shook his head. "I... I dunno. It felt like he was gone. Then, a second before he scared all of us, I suddenly felt him again. Like he stopped existing and then reappeared! Like... like when Turles' ship blew up around him!"
Gohan stared in horror as Buu skipped his way over to Bardock. "This is insane."
Over with Bardock...
Bardock groaned, clutching his shattered ribs. He looked up, attempting to recenter his power, and was met by a large yellow mitt clamping over his face and lifting him up into the air. Buu chuckled, squeezing harder and eliciting a scream of pure agony from Bardock. Buu giggled childishly. "Hm~! Buu let you have your turn but now we play fair! Buu gonna beat ya up real good and then you go bye, bye, bye~"
Bardock formed a Rebellion Edge over his hand and swung it at Buu's wrist, but by the time it would have made contact, the hand was gone. Sunlight poured back in over Bardock's face, but he only got a brief glimpse of the world around him before Majin Buu's colossal, pink head swung in and smashed Bardock in the center of the face. Bardock went flying back, flipping once but managing to land on his feet. He opened his eyes, trying to assess his next move, but then Buu was already right on top of him.
Bardock barely had time to think of two words. "So fast!"
And then, Buu was on the offensive. It seemed like fists were coming from everywhere, showing Bardock in blows from multiple directions. As he took his punishment, Bardock had time to really consider what he was up against. Buu had nearly three feet of height on him. The creature's arms were as long as Bardock's legs. The older Saiyan couldn't be sure of how much Buu weighed, but he was almost positive that it could be measured in tons. From a practical standpoint, Bardock suddenly had no clue how the hell he was really supposed to fight this thing!
The older Saiyan receded inward, drawing his arms close in hope of protecting himself while he tried to spy some form of opening. That opening finally came when Buu raised both fists for an overhead smash. Bardock raised his hands up to catch Buu's arms, leaping back and finding himself unsurprised as Buu's rubbery, pink body stretched. He snarled. "Bubblegum idiot!"
And then, Bardock twisted Buu's arms, continually shooting backward and twisting them into a tighter and tighter knot as he went. Buu stood there, watching with an almost childlike fascination at what Bardock was doing. Once he had done enough twists to satisfy himself, Bardock roughly shoved Buu's fists back toward the monster, watching as they spun and retracted until both fists crashed into Buu's face.
Both massive fists left cartoonish indents and Bardock rushed forward, his Super Saiyan 2 power flaring once again. He kicked and punched Buu with all his strength, leaving dents of his own as he treated the Majin like a heavy bag. With one final kick, Bardock leapt an exact imprint of his sole on Buu's eyes and fell to one knee to catch his breath. He snapped. "How's that feel?!"
Buu glared at Bardock for a second, but then smiled. With a small giggle, Buu sucked in so much air that his stomach inflated like a blimp. Straining, the monster used all his effort to make the dents in his pink flesh pop out one at a time. Bardock stared in disbelief. "What the hell are you?!"
Buu cackled. "ME MAJIN BUU! AND ME GONNA BIG BEAT YOU UP!"
With that declaration made, Majin Buu slung his hands forward, stretching his arms and grabbing Bardock's wrists. Bardock flinched. "L-Let me go, damn you!"
Buu's face contorted into a sinister smile and Bardock felt his blood run cold. There it was. There was the monster hidden beneath whatever this ridiculous exterior was meant to be. Without let go of Bardock's wrists, Buu's arms both split in two, leaving a whole hand to grip Bardock's wrists but producing two new hands to grab his ankles. Bardock flinched. "Wh-What the hell?!"
And then, in an even more shocking development, Buu ripped off all four of his new arms and grew back two more. Then, the monster began to spin his finger in the air and the previous detached arms began to spin around Bardock at high speed. The motion was so fast that Bardock felt his right shoulder tear out of socket. It was so strong he felt his left leg snap in half. He opened his mouth to scream, but then the pink, gooey flesh slapped over his mouth. And then open his eyes. Bardock wretched as he felt it, felt Buu, slithering down his throat, into his tear ducts, into his ears, the pressure of this new bondage squeezing him tighter and tighter until his bones were aflame, his tendons were screaming, his skin threatening to tear at being spread so tightly.
Bardock felt the impact of hitting the ground, but he couldn't even grunt. He could breathe, because his nose was still exposed, but every other sense in the world became darkness as Bardock laid there, feeling like he was buried alive.
And then the first impact came.
Toddling toward Bardock's predicament...
Buu was super pleased with himself. He had finally caught the silly guy. Now, it was time to have some real big fun. Buu loved this. This was the time when he could play really hard. The time when he could play for keeps. The time when, buried somewhere deep in his happy-go-lucky Buu Brain, he could feel a familiar shriek. A shriek that reminded him of something from way way way way way long ago.
The shriek that made him go from feeling like Buu to feeling like Buu.
Buu was having so much fun, he did cartwheels as he got closer and closer to the silly guy's wrapped up form. He left his cute little nosey uncovered because it was no fun when they died before Buu was done playing. He had also accidentally left a little bit of hair uncovered. Buu stared at the hair, his finger poked into his mouth. He watched it billow in the wind, his head cocking from one side to the other.
And then Buu stomped as hard as he could onto the Silly Guy Roll and felt a scream of pain rumble through the goo covering his face. Buu smiled wide. He could feel that shriek again. It tickled against his Buu Brain Goo and it made him feel really good. So Buu kicked the Silly Guy Roll and then chased after it, kicking it again and again and feeling the guy inside scream. Buu leapt into the air and then dropped all of his weight onto the roll, crushing it flat. And then he started punching where the silly guy's face would've been, beating and pounding against it in rhythm with the shrieks in his brain. Each blow made Buu happier, made Buu feel more alive, made Buu feel more free.
No Bibidi!
Just Buu!
Buu raised his fist for one final attack, but then a boot slammed into the back of his head and sent him flying into a mountain. Buu looked up and saw orange guy and spiky guy both standing there, both with yellow hair, and both charging some kind of blue energy attack. The two guys yelled together. "KAMEHAMEHA!"
The two beams crashed into Buu and shredded him to pieces, sending the pieces flying away into an even further off mountain. Buu slammed into the mountain and exploded, turning from shreds into itty-bitty pieces.
Oh well, Buu get 'em next turn!
Back with the Son Dynasty...
Goku held the pink, gummy wrapper imprisoning his father while Gohan unraveled it. As he watched his son work, Goku thought back on everything he had done today. First, showing off to Mr. Satan for no reason. Then all of the Instant Transmission he did, but those didn't account for a lot. But now, Super Saiyan 2 and a Full-Power Super Kamehameha?!
Goku closed his eyes and did simple mental math. His brain returned to him with less than a minute. He stomped his foot on the ground and snarled to himself. "Dammit! What is that?!"
Gohan looked up. "Dad?"
Goku shook his head. "Just keep unrolling your grandfather."
Gohan did as ordered, unrolling more and more of Bardock. Once Gohan had reached Bardock's mouth, he realized the goo here was much more tightly stuck. He gave two pulls and realized, to his disgust, that a ton of whatever this creature was had gone down his Grandpa Bardock's throat. Gohan motioned to his father and Goku obliged, pulling Bardock in one direction while Gohan pulled in the other. By the time they had finished, they had dislodged two feet of Majin Buu from Bardock's throat, alongside whatever it was he had eaten for lunch.
And then came the eyes.
Bardock was in a daze, unable to provide any input. Gohan had managed to free Bardock's ears of Buu Goo easy enough. He honestly wasn't thinking when he pulled at the eyes. Gohan gave the goo a solid jerk and it came off easy enough, but it also came off with a sharp, double pop and Bardock immediately started screaming.
Goku and Gohan moved to check on their older counterpart, but Bardock quickly got to his feet. He opened his eyes and they were bloodshot, streamers of blood were trickling down his face like tears. Bardock moaned and pressed his hands to his face, now partially blind.
And then the feeling hit the three of them again and they heard a sickly sweet humming in the distance. Buu wasn't even winded by the previous attack. Gohan took on a fighting stance. "Dammit all!"
Goku joined him. Bardock quickly called out. "NO! Both of you back off!"
The two of them turned to Bardock, both looking annoyed. Gohan snapped. "Didn't we just have a conversation about trust?! What do you think you're doing telling us to-"
Bardock shook his head. "I'm not telling you to go away! I'm telling you to be smart! If all three of us fight this thing at once, all three of us are going to get the same treatment. If the beating I've taken so far should have shown anything, it should show that you can't gang up on this thing in the traditional sense!"
Both younger Saiyans looked like they seriously wanted to argue, but neither could bring themselves to. They both knew that Bardock was right. Goku sneered. "So, what do you suggest?"
Bardock sighed. "Let me keep going at it. I'll do my best to get this monster to reveal his weakness. The second he does, the both of you spring in and go at it with your full power!"
Goku turned to his father. "And if you die in that process?!"
Bardock spoke calmly. "Dragon Balls. But Turles first."
Happily dancing over the rubble...
Majin Buu was bouncing into view, looking forward to playing with his two new playmates. Orange guy and spiky guy seemed a whole lot more stronger than the silly guy. So, Buu couldn't wait to show 'em his stuff~
Buu's smile turned into a frown as he crested the last hill and saw that only silly guy was still standing there. Buu pursed his lips and called out. "Hey! What going on?! Where orange guy and spiky guy?!"
Silly guy snarled. "Forget them! They mettled for no reason! I'm your opponent! Me! Bardock!"
Majin Buu cocked his head. "Burdock?"
Buu planted his fists on his hips, glaring down at Burdock with a sneer. "Burdock is big weak against Buu who is big strong! Burdock a sissy!"
Burdock chuckled. "Sissy, huh?"
Buu giggled. "Yeah, sissy! Big fat sissy!"
And then the two were laughing. Both of them, laughing from their bellies. Buu was impressed that Burdock could laugh through his belly after Buu had been so mean to it. Maybe Burdock was tough after all~
All of a sudden, Burdock's laughter stopped and he shot up at Buu with a scary face. He smacked his hands against Buu's face and yelled. "ANGRY LAUNCHER!"
The blast exploded into Buu's face and he stumbled back, smoke erupting off of his skin. Buu shot his head forward out of the smoke, taking a deep breath and then spitting a ton of blasts at Burdock. The former silly guy dodged each of the attacks, landing on his funny shaped leg and only suffering a small wince. Burdock snapped. "Are you going to fight?! Or are you only going to spit?!"
Buu loved an invitation. He charged forward with giddy glee. Burdock launched another blast, which Buu opened his mouth and chomped down on. The blast exploded in Buu's mouth and made his head swell up extra big. Burdock jumped forward to follow up, but then the smoke from the attack came shooting out of the holes on Buu's head with a chorus of tea-kettle whistles. Burdock stopped in place, genuinely perplexed by what he was seeing, and Buu took advantage with a mean-spirited punch to the chest.
Buu giggled and clapped his hands and Burdock floated there, stuck in mid-air. Burdock gritted his teeth and kicked Buu in the face. The force of the kick sent Buu spinning and Burdock rushed into Buu's back, sending him flying across the battlefield with an elbow to the spine.
Burdock shouted. "This isn't a kid's game, you dumb brat!"
Buu erupted forward, swinging both fists at Burdock as hard as he could. In spite of being so beaten up, Burdock managed to dodge 'em all pretty good. He did a backflip and then kicked both his feet up, smashing Buu under the jaw and sending him flying back. Burdock charged after Buu, pummeling him from every angle. And then that silly goose sent Buu flying with a punch and started firing blasts after him.
Didn't he know that that didn't work?!
Back out of la-la-land...
Bardock was well-aware that his attacks weren't working. Whatever the hell this Majin Buu was, it was pretty clear that he was utterly impervious to attacks. But, at the end of the day, nothing was immortal. At least not without the Dragon Balls.
And then, as Bardock was catching his breath, a chilling thought ran through his mind. 'Wait... did Bibidi make this thing immortal with the Namek Dragon Balls?!'
At that same moment, Buu shot up from the dust cloud covering the ground like a bullet. Bardock dodged, just narrowly missing a full force impact and turned, punching Buu in the stomach so hard that the air exploded from the monster's mouth and rendered him flat. Buu billowed in the air like a piece of paper, but Bardock didn't let his guard down.
Then, the monster smiled and chuckled. "You big fun~!"
With a deep breath, Buu de-flattened his body and loomed over Bardock in the air. "Big fun~! Big fun~! Big fun~!"
Bardock snapped. "Shut the hell up!"
Buu giggled, and then he took in another deep breath. This time, his stomach expanded and quickly formed into the shape of a giant fist, punching Bardock's entire battered body and sending him flying toward the ground. The Saiyan opened his blurry, damaged eyes and saw four yellow-gloved hands shooting toward his limbs. He snapped. "HELL NO! NOT AGAIN!"
Forming a Rebellion Edge on both hands and both feet, Bardock diced the four oncoming limbs into pieces and then obliterated them with a massive blast from his mouth. The older Saiyan glared up into the air, trying to discern the next attack, when Buu's antennae came shooting down and whip-cracked against the bridge of his nose. Bardock hissed at the sudden sting and instinctively pressed his hand to his face.
And the Buu was on top of his, childish laughter ringing through the air.
Buu went to make a move, but Bardock moved first. Dispelling all four Rebellion Edges, Bardock circled around Buu and wrapped the Majin into a tight headlock. Buu looked annoyed and began to struggle, but Bardock quickly locked one of the monster's arms with an even tighter leglock. Buu struggled and grunted and Bardock flipped in the air, using his energy to propel them both into the ground and planted Buu's head directly into the solid rock. The entire battlefield shattered apart and Bardock quickly leapt away. He wasn't going to allow himself to be fooled into thinking this was over. Not yet.
And, sure enough, that paranoia was rewarded when Buu pulled himself from the ground. He shot Bardock a sour frown, but it quickly turned into a smile. Walking on his hands, Buu rushed at Bardock and started in on him with a barrage of kicks. Bardock managed to block a few, but then both feet slammed into the back of his head and he lost his patience. Summoning another Rebellion Edge, Bardock sliced off both of Buu's legs.
Buu looked perturbed for just a moment before Bardock sent him flying with a harsh kick to the face. Buu tumbled and landed and Bardock prepared to attack, but then both of the severed feet slammed into his back and knocked him onto his chest. Bardock looked up and watched as both of Buu's feet floated back to their master, reattaching and allowing Buu to stand up.
Bardock stood as well and spat to the side. "Disgusting freak."
Buu flinched, and then his face took on a darker color. "What you say?! Freak?! That an insult! You insult Buu?!"
Bardock was rather taken aback. Was this really the first piece of trash talk that the monster had understood?!
The older Saiyan nodded. "Yeah! Freak! Disgusting freak! What are you gonna do about it?!"
And then, to Bardock's shock, Buu crossed his arms over his chest and began to concentrate his Ki.
On a nearby rocky outcropping...
Goku and Gohan both flinched in horror, feeling Buu's energy compress and watching as he turned bright red. Goku grabbed Gohan by the sleeve and pulled. "We have to move! Now!"
BIG ANGRY...
Majin Buu stared at Burdock, the stupid guy, and frowned miserably at the insult echoed around in his head. Buu hated insults. Bibidi always insulted. Buu hate Bibidi. Buu make meanies who say mean words go away. Buu seethed, gritting his teeth. "Big power."
Burdock, the stupid meanie dumbface, turned tail and started to run. "Oh shit!"
Buu thrust out his arms, letting all of his energy rip out at once. The maelstrom of power quickly picked up Burdock, and orange guy, and spiky guy, and sent all three of them flying as Buu shrieked in both his own voice and in Buu's voice. "YOU GO AWAY NOW!"
In the aftermath...
Goku and Gohan both hit the ground hard, both of them smoking from being enveloped in the massive attack. Goku groaned. "Ow... owowowow..."
Gohan pushed himself up, his forehead bleeding. "D-Dammit. Where's Grandpa Bardock...?"
The boy got to his feet and shouted. "GRANDPA BARDOCK, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"
Bardock emerged from the rubble. "Y-Yeah... I guess I'm-"
Buu came rocketing in, uncaring about Goku or Gohan, and punched Bardock in the stomach. The older Saiyan went flying and smashed against the ground, his fingers searching for something to register went and eventually just sinking into the solid rock. The older Saiyan caught himself and struggled to his feet. Buu spat an energy ball at him and Bardock leaped into the air to dodge, only to suffer a massive Majin Buu punch to the head that sent him smashing back to the ground below.
Not willing to face the consequences of staying put, Bardock tried to retreat as far from Goku and Gohan as he could get, but Buu was proving to be much faster. The Majin zipped behind Bardock and clapped his hands together on the sides of Bardock's head, flattening the Saiyan between two skillet sized palms and leaving Bardock stunned. Bardock stumbled forward and Buu helped him along with a solid kick to the ass.
Bardock hit the ground rolling and Buu lunged at him with another brutal punch ready, but Bardock quickly countered with a Rebellion Edge slash. This slash cut Buu from stern-to-stem, lengthwise. The two halves of the Majin hit the ground on either side of Bardock, but the older Saiyan was not an idiot. He sprang into the air just as the two sides slammed together and reformed where he had been laying. In his frustration, Bardock almost called Buu a freak again, but quickly bit his tongue, not wanting to make things worse.
And that was where the first fears of hopelessness wriggled their way back in. Bardock had never been one to hold an insult, but his was different. He was afraid of what this thing might do if he insulted it again.
With a scream of exhaustion, more than anything else, Bardock rocketed down toward Buu again and continued to try and combat the pudgy, pink monster. Buu, however, was proving to be a terrifyingly fast learner. Bardock went to cut him with the Rebellion Edge again, but Buu simply dodged around each and every swipe, as if his few experiences with the move had taught him everything he needed to know about Bardock's little trick.
The older Saiyan went for a roundhouse kick, but Buu ducked under and then served Bardock into the air like a volleyball. The Saiyan started to fall, but Buu gave a little hop and sent him shooting even farther into the air with the second serve. Buu flipped away and fired a Ki blast, but Bardock dodged that and quickly fired six of his own.
Buu happily danced around each attack, his rubber body shifting and swerving past each blast with ease. Finally, Buu caught the final of the Ki spheres and spiked it back at Bardock with all his strength. Bardock deflected his own attack, hissing as his hand went tingly, and quickly found that he had lost track of Buu.
Feeling for energy, Bardock's blood ran cold and he looked up. Buu was over him, both cheeks puffed out like a squirrel. Buu spat two massive energy balls at Bardock and both hit him at the same time. They exploded and the final pieces of Bardock's chest armor shattered away.
Uncaring of his bare-chested state, Bardock rushed back in and slammed his fist into Buu's cheek. Buu flinched back, but gave an amused chuckle. Veins bursting from his forehead, Bardock continued to pummel the creature. Hundreds of punches were thrown, each about as effective as the last. But then, to Bardock's surprise, he threw a punch and simply found himself sinking into the beast.
Bardock glared at his arm, a quarter submerged into Buu, and began to tug. "Goddammit! Let me go!"
Buu chuckled. "Nuh-uh~"
And then, he began to return the favor for every blow that Bardock had dealt him. The older Saiyan's head snapped back and forth, left and right, up and down. Every time he felt like he was about to pass out, a wrecking ball crashed into him to remind him that sleep was no reprieve from pain. With a furious shout, Bardock thrust his free hand into Buu' face and fired a barrage of Destructo-Darts that shredded away at Buu's face.
The Majin quickly released Bardock's arm and retreated back, his head reforming from the goo, and Bardock snarled. Buu chuckled. "More fun~ More fun~"
He launched forward and slammed his knee into Bardock's gut. The Saiyan's eyes rolled back for just a moment, but then he steeled his resolve and punched Buu directly in the face.
Buu blew a raspberry and kicked Bardock in the jaw, but Bardock threw a punch in turn and left a dent in Buu's chest. Bardock was trembling with fatigue, but Buu was smiling at the fun. The Saiyan was frustrated, screaming in fury and unleashing another barrage of punches at his foe. Buu matched each punch blow for blow until he saw and opening he couldn't ignore and kicked Bardock in the already demolished ribs.
If Bardock felt that, it didn't show. He charged a blast in his hand, ready to fire. But Buu adopted a mean smile. In response to Bardock's resolve, Buu punched him in the throat and a waterfall of blood erupted from Bardock's mouth.
Bardock was drowning upright. He looked up at the sinister smirk on Buu's joyous face and briefly considered dropping dead right there. Then, the Saiyan's resolve came through and Bardock let loose a hellish uppercut. Buu went tumbling back and Bardock followed that up with a kick. With a giggle, Buu caught the kick and then sent Bardock flying away with a kick of his own. The Majin followed that attack up with a machine gun blast of Ki bolts, shooting at Bardock as an enemy pilot would another plane and watching him crash to the ground in a plume of black smoke.
Bardock landed on the ground with a thud and opened his eyes to a massive shadow plummeting at him. Once more, the full weight of Majin Buu crashed on top of Bardock and blew all the wind out of him. The Saiyan let loose a silent scream of agony and Buu bounced into the air. Suddenly, to Bardock's horror, the shadow above him became a lot bigger.
A Majin Buu of five times the size of the original landed on Bardock in a childish belly flop.
Buu rolled over, squealing with joy, and Bardock lay in a bloody, Bardock-shaped imprint in the ground as the toddling monster reveled in his own playful cruelty.
Over with Goku and Gohan...
The father and son duo both watched in horror as Buu rolled off of the now embedded Bardock. Looking at one another, a silent nod between parent and child was quickly exchanged. Both warriors went flying into the fray. They were unwilling to just stand by and watch anymore. The two of them landed on the ground, facing the gigantic Majin Buu. The monster stared at them both and smiled, giggling with glee. "Oh! It you two! You come to play with Buu?!"
Neither Goku nor Gohan responded, both going Super Saiyan 2 and both preparing for the worst. One last fruitless time, Goku did his inner calculation and realized, to his dismay, that he would only be able to maintain its full output for 7 seconds at this point. He gripped his fists and turned to Gohan with a nervous smile. "Well... ya ready?"
Gohan returned a confident nod and made his power flare. He was going to fight to the death if he had to. Buu hooted with glee and began to roll toward the two warriors again. Goku and Gohan both braced for the worst when the rubble began to creak behind them.
Two bloody hands shot forward between the two and Bardock's gruff voice roared out. "KAMEHAMEHA!"
The blue beam crashed into Buu's stomach and sent him flying with a giggle in the opposite direction. Bardock didn't even bother to watch Buu crash into the mountain in the distance, knowing that this reprieve wouldn't be long. He turned to his son and his grandson and nodded. "Once more."
Standing side by side, their various energy levels surging, the three warriors watched as Majin Buu came leaping over the horizon. Goku led off. "KA..."
Gohan followed. "...ME..."
Bardock snarled. "...HA..."
All three of them spoke in unison, adjusting their stances so they were all aiming at the same target. "...ME..."
Buu sprang into the air again, kicking his feet out and giggling. "What we doing now?!"
All three warriors shouted at once, firing their attacks in unison. "HA!"
Majin Buu's face, for the first time, registered genuine surprise as all three beams unified into a much bigger one and hit him hard as it blasted him into pieces. The various bits of Buu goo splattered across the battlefield with wet splats, raining down into 127 individual puddles on the expanse in front of Goku, Gohan, and Bardock.
With that, Bardock fell to his knees. "We splattered him. Surely, that-"
Without any hesitation, all 127 puddles of pink goo warbled and each formed into their own miniature Majin Buu. Shrill laughter filled the air as each one sounded off in a little roll call. "BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU! BUU!"
Goku and Gohan were dumbfounded. Bardock screamed in frustration. "GOD-FUCKING-DAMMIT!"
And then each little Buu fired a massive Ki blast from their mouth, all 127 attacks homed in on the same target and Bardock cried out in pain as he was assaulted from 127 different directions at once. The miniature Buus all rushed toward the same point, quickly forming together into a normal sized Majin Buu, who rushed forward with ill intent and palm thrusted both Goku and Gohan in the chest. Both separately agreeing that they had never been hit harder in their lives, Goku and Gohan went flying back and crashed hard into the ground, groaning in pain as their Super Saiyan 2 forms failed them.
The two Saiyans shakily got back to their feet, watching as Buu did a little victory dance over the fallen Bardock. They were both starting to cotton on to the same mindset that Bardock had come to, that this fight was unwinnable and that they were just waiting to die.
Goku, of course being Goku, quickly pushed this mindset away and took to his feet, reactivating Super Saiyan 2 and calling defiantly to Majin Buu. "Well then?! Come on! Bring it!"
But then, a spanner fell into the works that neither Goku nor Gohan had ever considered they'd see down on the battlefield. As Gohan recovered to his feet, a meek voice called out from his and his father's right. "D-Daddy? G-Gohan? Is that you...?"
Robotically, Goku and Gohan both turned their attention to the bloody, battered form of Chika limping toward them. The little girl looked terrible. Her lips were split in multiple places, she had a black eye, one of her baby teeth was chipped, and one of her horns was entirely broken off. Someone had beaten her senseless.
The daughter of Goku's face was streaked with tear stains, like she had laid there in her battered state crying for a long while. Chika was never a fighter by nature, her parents and her siblings each knew that. In that one instance, Goku and Gohan were both filled with near murderous rage for whomever had done this. But then, a familiar shadow loomed close and that rage was instantly replaced in Goku by fear.
Chika groaned. "D-Daddy..."
And then she fell unconscious, never touching the ground as her big brother raced to catch her. Goku and Gohan both looked back over to the matter at hand and were scared spitless at the sight of Majin Buu looming, that same haunting smile on his face. "Who this~? She wanna fight too~?"
Goku stood, ready to die if it was required of him to protect his daughter, when a gruff voice suddenly spoke from behind Buu. "Hey, fat-ass!"
A vein bulged from Buu's forehead. "You call Buu-"
Using his Tyrant Lancer, Bardock charged into Buu and sent the monster flying into yet another distant mountain with a hardy punch to the face. Goku and Gohan both looked shocked. It had seemed like Bardock was truly down for the count after that last assault. Bardock grunted and fell to his knees, looking more than hospital-bound as damaged as he was. Goku ran up to him. "Nice punch, Dad! But-"
Bardock cut him off. "Is that my granddaughter? Little Chika... a tyke now?"
Goku was taken aback, but then he nodded. "Y-Yeah..."
Bardock's voice was low. "She's almost the spitting image of Gine. Chi-Chi's eyes and hair... but the rest..."
Goku nodded. "I mean, that's true... but that's not what's important right now, Dad! What are we going to do?!"
Gohan quickly ran over to join them, Chika hanging from his arms. "You spent all that time around Babidi, Grandpa Bardock! Surely you heard something! Or, maybe, is Babidi still alive around here?! Maybe we could-"
Again, Bardock interrupted. "Kakarot. You are going to take my grandson and my granddaughter and you are going to get out of here right now."
Goku flinched. "What?!"
Gohan was instantly on the attack. "THAT'S SUICIDE AND YOU KNOW IT IS! WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY HAVE LEFT?!"
Bardock shrugged. "Possibly something. Maybe nothing. That's not the point though. I've failed this family once already... I've shattered Gine's heart today... I won't let either of those things happen again..."
Gohan sneered. "You're going to avoid shattering Grandma Gine's heart by dying?! How stupid are you, man?! Did that old Namekian bastard take your common sense and not give it back?!"
In spite of his injuries, in spite of the situation, Bardock enjoyed a laugh. Just a small chuckle. He looked at Gohan with the same, hard love in his eyes that Gohan remembered from his youth. For a moment, the boy softened. "G-Grandpa Bardock...?"
Bardock smiled. "Thank you, Gohan."
Gohan flinched and Bardock saw the same boy that he had saved so many years ago. It made his broken heart swell. "Thank you for seeing me as your grandfather at the end of it all."
And then, before Gohan could respond, Bardock sucker-punched him with a chop to the side of the neck. For one fretful moment, he feared that Cumber was going to re-emerge, but then Gohan fell to the ground entirely still. Gently, Bardock flipped his grandson over and started down at him, then shifted his glance to Chika. She was curled up on her brother's chest, suckling her thumb. Bardock turned to Goku. "Kakarot..."
Goku looked at Bardock, entirely numb. Bardock nodded. "There's still a lot I want to say to you. A lot I wanted to tell and wanted to ask. Who the hell knows how that will end up going forward..."
The older Saiyan gripped his fists. "I'm not going to ask you anything about the afterlife. We've both been down that road more than once and, honestly, I know where I'm going even if you deny it. Should that be the case, should we never each other again... I'm proud of you."
Goku silently nodded. Bardock continued. "I'm proud of Raditz too. I'm worried that, in the past 7 years, his grief might have made him forget that. Please remind him."
Again, Goku nodded. Finally, Bardock sighed. "And... tell your mom... tell her..."
Bardock couldn't finish the sentence. Goku nodded, his voice shaky. "I-I'll tell her, Dad. But wh-what are you going to do...?"
The older Saiyan took a deep breath and sighed it out. "Just grab my grandkids and go, Kakarot. Let me finish the problem that I helped start..."
Goku considered saying something more, but the words failed. With a noticeable bit of empty air between him and his father, Goku reached down and scooped up his unconscious son and daughter. And then he took to the air trying not to look back.
Once again, returning from the rubble...
Majin Buu marched, his arms swinging by his sides. Eventually, Burdock came back into view and Buu scowled. "HEY! YOU MEANIE! YOU CALL BUU BAD NAME AGAIN!"
Something was different about meanie-head Burdock as Buu drew closer. He was all shiny and stuff, little sparklies glinting off of him. His hand was glowing like crazy and he was gripping the forearm attached with his other one. Burdock was breathing hard, like he was hurting.
Burdock snarled. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU, YOU DUMB BASTARD! THIS ONE FINAL ATTACK WILL END IT! IT'LL AVENGE TURLES AND PUT A STOP TO YOUR ROTUND ASS FOR GOOD!"
Buu cocked his head as the energy blew outward. He looked up in the air and, in the distance, he saw the orange guy floating and watching. Buu turned back to Burdock and the meanie started running toward him, the energy in his hand crackling like golden fire. He screamed "SURGING BRAVE HEAT!"
The massive fireball exploded out of Burdock's palm and engulfed Buu, as well as all the land behind him. For miles, the ground was blackened and splintered and charred. Buu screamed as he was blown back, his tongue flopping out of his mouth as all of him was burned away. For a moment, Buu was scared. But then he remembered something and his scream of panic quickly turned into a squeal of excitement.
On the desolate battlefield...
Bardock was breathing hard, his Super Saiyan form failing him as he fell to his knees. The older Saiyan looked down at his forearm, now a charred and blackened stump. He clenched his teeth and seethed. "Worth it."
Bardock stared out at the ruins of the land in front of him, feeling around for Buu's energy signature. The Saiyan grunted to himself. "Surely... surely... that finished him. I burned him all away... it had to 've..."
5 minutes passed, neither Goku nor Bardock moved or said a word. They were both feeling around. They had to be sure that this menace was gone for good. Finally, satisfied, Bardock breathed a sigh of relief. "It's over. Thank God it's-"
The rubble shifted to Bardock's left and he flinched in shock. He had nothing left and he knew it. With fear in his eyes, Bardock scanned the rocks. And then he breathed a sigh of relief when he locked eyes with the source of the noise. "Still alive, eh pest?!"
Laying on his chest, looking near-dead, was the wizard Babidi. He growled in his throat, a feeble noise, and glared at Bardock. "YOU BASTARD! YOU FILTHY, FLEA-BITTEN BASTARD! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BUU?!"
Bardock struggled to his feet, straining the entire way. He limped toward Babidi, grabbing a massive rock in his one remaining hand as he did. Across from him, Babidi was screaming something or other, but Bardock wasn't listening. He gripped his stone weapon with purpose, murder burning in his eyes. 3 years had been wasted listening to that voice talk and talk and talk and talk. And now, Bardock was going to bring it to a permanent end.
The older Saiyan loomed over Babidi, raising the stone high. Babidi spat at him. "HELL! I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL! I'LL WAIT FOR YOU IN HELL! I'LL SEE YOU BURN, YOU FILTHY TRAITOR!"
Bardock returned his barb bluntly. "Die."
As the rock was crashing down, the rubble behind Babidi exploded and a massive column of pink erupted out. All at once, Bardock felt the familiar sensation of energy crashing down on him. His arm froze and he dropped the rock right next to Babidi's head. Looking up at this tower of Buu's goo, Bardock saw just a brief glimpse of blood... blood from his eyes... getting swallowed up into the reforming mass. This was the bit of Buu he had been wrapped up in.
Very quickly, the pink tower formed legs. Then arms. And then a head. And then with a victorious shriek, the monster was back. "BUU!"
Bardock was dumbfounded. Up in the air, he heard Goku cry out. "DAD! RUN! COME ON!"
But, before Bardock could react, Buu slammed his fist as hard as he could on top of the Saiyan's head and sent him crashing to the ground. Bardock laid there, twitching in silent disbelief. How could this thing still be alive?! This was worse than Cell. Maybe this thing really was immortal...
Bardock looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Majin Buu, the towering titan, staring down at him and licking his lips. And then, the monster said something that sent a chill down Bardock's spine. "Hm~ Buu hungry~"
Babidi was cackling. Screaming encouragement to Buu to finish the job. But Bardock's attention was locked firmly on Buu. He heard the growl of the beast's stomach, saw the hunger in his eyes. And, just as Bardock tried to move to flee, Buu smiled wide and cackled. "Me know what to do~"
Buu kicked Bardock under the jaw, sending him flying into the air. And then, the monster flipped his head antennae toward the free-falling Saiyan and squealed out. "YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU... TURN INTO A COOKIE!"
A pink beam fired from Majin Buu's appendage and struck Bardock like lightning. He screamed at the top of his lungs, feeling the magic from the monster change everything about him against his will. Bardock's muscles stiffened, his arms with ramrod straight, as did his legs. He felt the muscles of his face stiffen, going taught. His eyes were going out of focus.
Bardock thought of the cherry jello with whipped cream. He thought of the teal and orange lollipop. He knew where Bonyu and Zangya had disappeared, and he screamed in his mind. As the world went dark, one last thought slipped through Bardock's mind before the horror fully engulfed him. A smell. Shortbread and cinnamon.
*POOF*
Buu ran forward, cheering all the way, and held his arms out to collect his treat. The massive flat, Bardock-shaped cookie landed in his open hands and Buu cheered. Up in the air and down on the ground, Goku and Babidi could both only watch on in disbelief. Buu opened his mouth wide and shoved the Bardock cookie in, making his cheeks expand outward. Buu put his hand to his cheeks and danced around as the rich, cinnamon and butter flavor of his shortbread cookie spread through his mouth.
Lost in flavor town...
Buu hummed and hummed, very happy with this latest treat. He felt the cookie becoming soft as it started melting in his mouth. After a couple of minutes, he began to chew and, just like with the jello and the lollipop, the strangest thing happened. Buu heard a screaming in his head that sounded like it was coming from his mouth.
But he just ignored it as he finished his yummy treat~
Up in the air...
Goku watched, sick and numb, as Majin Buu chewed up what used to be his father. The creature rocked back and forth on his feet, munching and crunching and savoring every swallow. He looked content. Goku's hands were shaking.
And then Buu's gaze jerked up at him, the creature smiled, and then he charged. Goku cried out, quickly pressing his fingers to his forehead and using Instant Transmission to escape. A split second later, Buu's massive fist tore through the air where Goku's face once was.
Buu looked around, grumpy that his new playmate had escaped. The monster grumbled and snapped his fingers in annoyance.
He briefly considered where to head off to next. Surely the orange guy couldn't have gotten too far away. But then, a shrill voice rang out from the ground below. A vein bulged on Buu's head, because he thought he recognized the tone. But surely Bibidi couldn't still be alive, right?
With a huff, Buu descended to the ground below.
Once landing, Buu stared down in disgust at this little jerk in front of him. On the ground, Babidi was pale and nearly desiccated. His single arm weakly slapped the ground as he barked orders, just like Bibidi had once done. Buu already didn't like him.
Babidi screamed. "DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?! I KNOW YOU CAN DO MAGIC! USE HEALING MAGIC! RIGHT NOW! FIX ME!"
Buu regarded Babidi with stony silence. The monster crossed his arms and huffed. "NO! DON'T WANNA!"
Babidi was incredulous. "DON'T WANNA?!"
Buu shook his head again. "NO!"
Babidi snarled. "Fine then, you useless idiot! Don't heal me! I'll just die! But first, I'll seal you back into that miserable little ball of yours where you can never be free again!"
Buu snorted. He didn't believe Babidi for a second. Only Bibidi was able to seal Buu back up and, seeing as he wasn't here, it was clear that Bibidi was dead. Babidi snarled. "YOU FOOL! I AM THE SON OF BIBIDI! I KNOW ALL HIS MAGIC WAYS AS WELL AS HE DID! INCLUDING HOW TO SEAL YOU! AND YOU HAVE UNTIL THE COUNT OF THREE! ONE! TWO! THREE!"
That caught Majin Buu's attention. Babidi shouted as loud as he could. "STROKOF-"
That instilled an almost primal fear into Buu. Without hesitation, the monster flipped his antenna at Babidi and fired a ray of healing magic. The wizard stopped his incantation, feeling the magic wash over him. All at once, his missing arm and missing legs returned to their proper positions. Babidi felt his fragile little body flood with fresh blood as the wounds and injuries he sustained throughout the day vanished away.
The magic faded away and Babidi got to his feet, good as new. "Oh Buu! This is amazing! Good work~"
Buu glared at Babidi with disdain. The wizard turned to him. "Now, let me introduce myself. I am Babidi. I am your Master, the one who freed you from your prison. Welcome to my employ~"
Buu's face was sour. He was openly thinking of the best way to kill Babidi right away. Babidi snarled. "How about a thank you, fatso?! Or would you like the words?! Let's try again: STROKOF-"
Buu cringed, immediately turning on the charm and making a big show of his fealty. "Yes, Master! Yes, Master! Thank you, Master Babidi!"
Babidi smiled with malicious glee. This was exactly what he wanted. Now, with Buu under his control, the next step in the plan was to hunt down those meddlers that had caused him so much pain. It was time to hunt them all down, and-
*thud*
Babidi and Buu both turned and stared in surprise at the sudden appearance of Dabura, his body laying sprawled on the ground as if dropped from a great height. Babidi cocked his head. "Dabura?! You're still among the living...?"
Dabura moaned from his spot, barely conscious. Babidi was trying to process this sudden appearance when, to his shock, another person limped into the fray. It was that girl he had brainwashed when Vegeta was tormenting him on the ship. Her name was... Son Ranch.
Beaten and battered, Ranch limped over toward Babidi and the rest, eventually falling to her knees right next to Dabura. She groaned. "Master Babidi...please help..."
Babidi glared in disgust at his two subordinates on the ground. Dabura, with his sucking chest wound. Ranch, so easily dispatched by Vegeta. Both were worthless. With a hateful glimmer in his eye, Babidi turned to his monster. "Buu~ I have your next task! I want you to work your magic on those two~"
The wizard pointed at Dabura and Ranch and Buu nodded. "Yes, Master! Yes, Master!"
The monster stomped over to Dabura and Ranch, flipping his head antenna and firing a stream of magic at the two. Babidi's hateful little eyes widened, wondering how Buu was planning on killing these two. He hoped it would be gruesome~
But then, to Babidi's shock, Dabura and Ranch didn't die. Just like Babidi, their wounds magically repaired themselves. In the blink of an eye, Dabura stepped away from death's door and Ranch perked back up. The magic faded away and both the lesser minions looked themselves over, then turning their attention to the Majin standing before them. Ranch smiled. "Y-You healed us~"
Dabura was in disbelief. "You saved my life..."
Majin Buu smiled wide, planting his fists to his hips. "Yeah~! Buu work Buu magic! Fix buddies who where same symbol Buu wear on belt~"
Buu thumped both of their heads with his thumb and then tapped his belt buckle. "Buu save buddies! Buu save buddies! Buu save... friends~!"
Babidi growled in his throat in frustration. "That wasn't what I meant when I said work your magic. But... whatever."
Elsewhere, near the ruins of Babidi's ship...
The winds blew near the smoldering wreckage of Babidi's ship. The land was a scarred hellscape, left that way by the firing of the T.U.R.S.A. Cannon. Sitting up, facing into the chill breeze, Kibito looked around. "Where am I?"
He rose, glancing around and feeling a massive sense of foreboding in the air. "I must hurry and locate Lord Shin. I have a bad feeling about how things might have turned out in my absence..."