Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

A/N: I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW FREAKING GOOD DAIMA IS! IT MAKES EVERYTHING I'M DOING LOOK LIKE A FLUFFY PILE OF CRAP! IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED DAIMA BEFORE READING THIS, PUT THIS CHAPTER DOWN AND GET TO IT! OMG! I'M IN LOVE!

Chapter 173: The Lesser of Two Evils

Stage Six, Babidi's Ship…

Babidi pressed his spindly, wretched hands onto the surface of the crystal ball, stroking his fingers down Gohan's face. He hummed. "It's astounding the amount of pure, wretched evil I feel radiating from such a gentle-looking soul. Quite the monster your grandson is, Bardock. Quite the monster indeed~"

The wizard cackled. "Yes! He shall be a most advantageous tool~"

Dabura nodded. "For certain, Master. I cannot wait to see what horrors you shall have the boy commit!"

Bardock was silent, watching the crystal ball with a blank expression on his mask. He turned to his liege and spoke in a cautious voice. "Please proceed with caution, Master Babidi. I've seen the evil within that boy run wild before."

Babidi rolled his eyes. "Oh pish-tosh! Hush your mouth! There is no evil that I cannot bring to my heel!"

The wizard wiggled his fingers at the ball, taking a deep breath, and then he shouted at the top of his lungs. "PA-PA-RA-PAAAAAA!"

Stage Five…

Gohan screamed at the top of his lungs, gripping his hands through massive handfuls of his hair and he fell forward flat onto his face.

Videl reached out to him and managed only half of a word. "GOH-"

And then a black-and-red hurricane of panicked Ki shredded outward with Gohan at the epicenter, slicing the floor around him into ribbons, shattering the glass on the walls, and producing a shriek from Videl that none of the other Z-Fighters could quite trace the source of.

Piccolo and Vegeta were both blown backward into the wall, slamming hard enough to dent it. A lash of energy struck Goku across the face and made him land back-first onto Yakon's back, screaming in pain at one of his new pet's back spikes pierced directly through his shoulder. The swelling winds of Gohan's power sent the now conjoined Goku and Yakon shooting into the air where the pair smashed into the ceiling. Bulla, dumbfounded, stood and watched as a dark, bloody hurricane of claws rushed toward her all at once. Without hesitating, Raditz jumped in and grabbed her, turning his back to the oncoming onslaught and hissing with pain as it tore into his back.

The Supreme Kai held out the longest, throwing up one of his barriers to keep himself steady. But this Ki, this malignant force, that was emanating from Gohan seemed to hate that more than anything. It doubled, and then tripled, its effort against the barrier before shattering it like glass and sending Shin, as well as Raditz and Bulla, crashing into the wall as well. The Z-Fighters were pinned by this explosion of power, unable to do anything but writhe against the pain assaulting them and watch through squinted eyes as Gohan did the same on the ground.

The boy was screaming bloody murder, pounding his forehead against the floor in a horrific effort to make whatever was suddenly digging through his brain stop. He'd kill himself to make it stop!

High on the ceiling, Goku cringed and tried to work himself off Yakon's spike. "G-Gohan..."

Shin gritted his teeth, forcing his hands outward despite the hostile forces slicing into his palms, and tried to use his God Bind telekinesis to freeze Gohan in place. One of the bloody black tendrils sliced the deity across the face for good measure and Shin cried out in agony as his vision suddenly went entirely dark.

Gohan was alone on the floor. Blind as his pupils shrank. Deaf to the sound of approaching footsteps in his self-made hurricane. Dumb from the throat-shredding screams he was letting out. Unable to feel anything but the sensation of Babidi digging like a parasite deeper and deeper into the meat of his brain.

Within Gohan's subconscious…

Babidi was marching around through a liminal space, glancing at the various fragments of memories that were buzzing about. Childhood memories, chilling nightmares, personal fantasies involving him and that girl who killed Spopovich that he didn't care to look any closer at. The wizard reached up and grabbed a memory that radiated nothing but bad feeling. He drew it down and looked closely.

It was a first-person view of Bardock, of all people, not wearing his mask. He was bloodied and kneeling and then, oh dear, a massive burst of Ki exploded through his chest and showered the viewer with his blood. Behind him, a green, insectoid fellow smirked and uttered a single word. "Ten~"

Babidi smirked and gripped the memory. "Yes, this boy's core negative feeling has very recently risen to the surface. Must have been from seeing his dearest grandpapa under my control back outside the ship. What a shame~"

The wizard gripped the memory in both hands, using his magic and casting out hundreds of thin wires that quickly began to pierce their way through the rest of Gohan's mind. He cackled. "Focusing on this one insecurity, just by itself, will allow me to dominate this boy very quickly indeed~! Oh yes, soon he will be my-"

"Hello~"

A cold shudder ran up Babidi's spine and he turned toward the source of the voice. Sitting there, at a small wooden table beneath an outdoor ceiling fan setup, was a miniscule, inky black, faceless monkey. The little beast was sitting with its legs crossed, chin resting in its hands, blank face staring at Babidi with more intensity than the wizard had ever experienced from a creature with eyes.

Babidi sneered. "And just who in the hell are you?!"

The monkey cocked his head. "Who... am I?"

He made a big show of stroking his little, monkey chin. Rolling over twice and making a question mark with his tail.

Babidi sneered. "I am not amused! Answer me!"

The monkey kicked his little feet. "Hm. Well..."

Somehow, he managed to spit without a mouth. Then, he spoke with a cheery smile in his voice. "See, this is why I love having a smart Fight Buddy for once! Not that Cassava and B-Boy are dumb, but Gohan is one smart kid! He uses all sorts of phrases and crap that I'd never be able to think up on my own~"

The monkey began to titter. Babidi snarled. "GET TO THE POINT, OR I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

The little monkey went still, turning its lack of a face back toward Babidi as the wizard's shrill shout echoed into the distant corners of Gohan's brain. The two of them stood there for the longest time, in hostile silence, just staring at one another.

Babidi felt his skin crawling as the little thing's lack of a gaze bore deeper and deeper into him. For just a moment, the wizard was sure he was going mad. And then, the monkey spoke. "My Fight Buddy used this phrase before in one of them learnin' papers he was writing for school..."

He jumped off his table and padded right up to Babidi. "Ever hear the phrase... 'The Lesser of Two Evils'?"

Babidi snarled, gripping one of his facial whiskers. "I have. The point?"

The monkey giggled and poked Babidi in the chest. "That's you~"

Babidi flinched. "What?"

The monkey said it again. "That's you~! The lesser of two evils. And the greater?"

It poked itself in the chest with its thumb. "Right here!"

Babidi snarled, gripping Gohan's worst memory tight. "JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! EXPLAIN YOURSELF, WRETCH!"

The monkey cackled again. But this time, something else came along with that shrill laugh. A fleshy tear appeared across the blank face of the monkey. A hideous, glasgow grin dripping with black and red bile formed from ear-to-ear. And the monkey's shrill, shrieking voice spoke in a register deeper than the lowest pit of Hell. "I am Cumber. The Evil Saiyan."

And then, in a violent explosion of terror, the monkey burst from an almost cartoonish creature into the shape of a full-blown adult Saiyan. His muscles were massive and well-defined. His hair jet black and shagging all the way down to his middle back. His face still lacked any features besides the horrible grin. He seized Babidi in both hands, jostling the horrible memory of Bardock's execution from the wizard's grasp. Babidi shrieked in pain as all the bones in his body shattered into dust.

Cumber opened his red and black maw wide, thrusting Babidi's head into an endless heat and he screamed at the top of his lungs. "NOW GET OUTTA MY FIGHT BUDDY'S HEAD!"

The Evil Saiyan's jaws clamped down hard, but he felt no spiritual essence slide down his throat. Cumber looked down at his now empty hands and then began to look around as Babidi's threads dispersed from Gohan's mind. "Where'd the lil' bastard go?"

Back on Stage Six…

Babidi rocketed back from the crystal ball as if he had been kicked, copious drams of blood gushing from his snout as he gibbered on the floor. Dabura went rushing after him at once, panic rising in his voice. "MASTER!"

Dabura reached down, but Babidi shrieked in panic and began to slap his subordinate's hands away as if in fear for his mortal soul. Bardock marched over and called out. "MASTER BABIDI!"

The Demon King shot the Saiyan a hateful glare. Bardock crouched down and looked at his helpless benefactor. "Master Babidi, sir! Are you okay?! I warned you to be careful!"

Dabura summoned a knife and pressed it so close to Bardock's throat that a small stream of blood began to trickle out. "SWINE! WATCH YOUR TONE!"

Bardock waved him off. "Master Babidi, please, are you-"

Babidi glared up at Bardock, wiping his nose. "I nearly died. I nearly died... on your advice. You nearly killed me, you dolt!"

The Saiyan's eyes went wide behind his mask. Immediately, he dropped to his knees and pressed his face to the ground. "Master Babidi! My humblest apologies, sir! I would never-"

Babidi stood, kicking Bardock in the side of the head and rushing back toward his crystal ball. "Plans have changed. I will not be comfortable until that boy is dead. The others can wait."

There was a pause. Dabura stood in silence, listening to his master speak. Bardock stood and gave a nod. "Yessir! I agree! And I have a plan for that! If we sent Dabura back into Stage Five through the now damaged vents, he would be able to get the drop on those fools! Then, with but a few globs of spit-"

Babidi was blunt. "No."

Bardock flinched. Dabura felt the beginnings of a smile spread on his lips. Babidi didn't spare a look for either. "Dabura will stay here as my personal guard from further danger. The job of executing your grandson, Bardock... shall fall to you."

The wizard turned his bulbous eye expectantly at Bardock. The Saiyan stood there for one brief, silent moment. And then he nodded without question. "By your command, Master Babidi. I shall head for Stage Five at once."

Back on Stage Five, at the same time as Babidi and Cumber's meeting…

As Gohan continued to scream, his hurricane of pain growing larger and larger and the space for the other Z-Fighters growing thinner and thinner, a hand suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his green, outer robe. His eyes darted over, as if he expected an enemy to be there ready to bite out his throat. He nearly blindly attacked when, to Gohan's shock, he realized it was Videl.

She was knelt there, her face twisted in pain. Tears were pouring from one eye and the other had three slashes digging deeply through it. Most of her left ear was gone. Half of Videl's face was a nondescript puddle of blood, but she still looked tenderly down and shouted as loud as she could over the high-pressure energy swirling madly around Gohan's body. "FIGHT IT!"

Gohan couldn't understand the words. He was too distracted. He could feel a white-hot poker scratching that "M" shape into his forehead. He could feel himself slowly slipping away. Everything was getting lost in a cloud of rage and hate. Gohan gripped his fist, ready to strike at her for daring to raise her voice at him.

Perhaps sensing this, at her core, Videl screamed at him. "YOU DON'T HAVE AN EVIL MIND FOR HIM TO TAKE OVER! HE HAS NO BUSINESS IN THERE!"

Videl grabbed Gohan's face tightly, looking him right in the eye and screaming not at Gohan, but into him. "GET OUT OF MY BOYFRIEND'S HEAD!"

And then, all at once, the hurricane stopped. The Z-Fighters all fell to the ground in a heap and groaned. Most of them were severely slashed up. The Supreme Kai had a waterfall of blue blood streaming from beneath his eyelids. The only one uninjured was Bulla, who had enjoyed the benefit of Raditz giving her a full body shield.

Vegeta sat up and weakly pointed at his daughter. "Raditz's breast pocket... Senzus... one for everyone... even Kakarot's monster... NOW BULLA!"

Bulla yelped and immediately did as ordered, running around to all of the adults and handing them a Senzu. As the rest of the Z-Fighters ate and recovered, Bulla marched up to Videl and shoved a bean in her face.

Bewildered, Videl mumbled. "Whazzis for...?"

Bulla pointed at her left eye and left ear. "Your face got messed up."

Videl was confused. But then she pressed her hand to her missing ear and grunted in pain. "Sh-Shit..."

She ate the bean without question and, as she began to heal, Gohan hugged her tight. Goku had regained his feet, marching promptly over to his son and kneeling next to him. "Are you okay, Gohan?!"

Gohan groaned. "Ugh... I'm..."

Vegeta spoke up. "Admirable effort driving Babidi off. Excellent work."

The boy still sounded foggy. "I... I didn't. I heard someone... maybe a couple someones... scream for Babidi to... to get out of my head... and..."

He grunted, pressing his hand to his forehead and still feeling the stinging burn of the Majin brand that was readying itself to imprint there. Gohan was suddenly very exhausted. However, he had no time to rest as the door to Stage Five suddenly started sliding up behind him. The group then sprang into action.

Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Raditz, Videl, Yakon, and the Supreme Kai all formed a defensive wall between Gohan and the door as Bulla fed Gohan a Senzu. But then Goku gasped. Vegeta and Piccolo both grunted under their breath. Raditz spoke in a soft whisper. "D-Dad...?"

And Gohan immediately knew that he would no longer be able to rest. At least not for now. The boy stood, cracking his neck, and then turned his gaze toward the door to Stage Five, watching as Bardock stepped through and regarded them all with stony silence.

Piccolo was the next to speak up. "Bardock."

No response.

Vegeta scoffed. "Nothing to say?! Not even a woof hello, dog?!"

Still silence.

Raditz stepped forward, suddenly shouting. "Dad! What the hell is going on?! Take off that mask and talk to us!"

Bardock was a wall.

Finally, Goku stepped forward and looked his father right in the beady red eyes "Dad..."

Gohan parted through his comrades and faced the opponent that he had singled out for himself. The boy and his long-lost grandfather locked eyes and, finally, Bardock found his voice. "Master Babidi. Please send us somewhere where I can properly discipline this disobedient whelp."

"PAPARAPA!"

And then, as with the stages prior, the scene around the gathered warriors began to rapidly shift.

Papaya Island, the World Martial Arts Tournament Arena…

Mr. Satan was slowly being led away, with the help of Hiki Komori and a couple of tournament staff. He groaned, whispering to his assistant. "You don't have to keep stickin' around, Hiki. I ain't the champion anymore. You ain't gotta waste your time with-"

Hiki quickly shut him down. "I didn't take a job from the World Martial Arts Champion. I took a job from the man who paid to help me walk again. Now shush."

For a moment, Mr. Satan relaxed. A shiver ran up his spine when he heard Vale begin the official ceremony. "Ladies and gentlemen! The 25th prestigious World Martial Arts Champion! Son Chi-Chi will now-"

Chi-Chi seized the mic and jabbed a finger in Mr. Satan's direction. "THE FIRST THING I WANT TO BE DONE IS TO GET THAT PIECE OF CRAP AWAY FROM MY ARENA!"

There was a hearty mixture of boos and, to Mr. Satan's dismay, cheers from the crowd. Unbeknownst to him, most of Chi-Chi's friends were sitting in the stands either very mortified or very annoyed at her behavior. But the woman was on a roll and she continued on regardless of any sort of crowd input. "AND DON'T JUST GET HIM OUT THE ARENA, GET HIM OUT OF THE MARTIAL ARTS WORLD IN GENERAL! BECAUSE I'VE PROVEN, FOOL, WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT, THAT YOU AIN'T GOT WHAT IT TAKES ANYMORE!"

She sneered at Mr. Satan, pulling every grievance she could think of against the man from the past 7 years. "YOU STAND HERE! AND YOU USE YOUR WIFE FOR SYMPATHY POINTS! AND YOU SAY YOUR PRAYERS! AND IT DIDN'T GET YOU ANYWHERE!"

Chi-Chi spat in disgust. "TALK ABOUT YOUR PSALMS! TALK ABOUT JOHN 3:16! CHI-CHI 3:16 SAYS I JUST WHIPPED YOUR ASS!"

Another mixed reaction from the crowd. Vale stammered into the mic. "C-Come on! That's just not necessary!"

Chi-Chi thundered on, draping her newly acquired belt over her shoulder. "ALL HE'S GOTTA DO IS GO BUY HIMSELF A CHEAP BOTTLE OF THUNDERBIRD, AND MAYBE HE'LL GET BACK SOME OF THAT COURAGE HE HAD IN HIS PRIME!"

She cracked her neck and then pointed at the crowd. "NOW! AS THE WORLD MARTIAL ARTS CHAMPION, I'M SERVING NOTICE TO EVERY TWO-BIT STREET FIGHTING NOBODY WATCHING RIGHT NOW! I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHO YOU ARE! YOU'RE ALL ON THE LIST! AND THAT'S CHI-CHI'S LIST! AND I'M FIXIN' TO START RUNNING THROUGH ALL OF YA!"

She slapped the belt. "AND AS FAR AS DEFENDING THIS TITLE GOES! I DON'T CARE IF IT'S JACKIE CHUN, TIEN SHINHAN, OR EVEN MY OWN HUSBAND! CHI-CHI'S TIME HAS COME! AND YOU BETTER GET USED TO THIS FACE AND THESE HORNS! CUZ NO MATTER WHO SHOOTS THEIR SHOT, YOU'RE LOOKING AT CHAMPION OF THE DECADE HERE! AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE! CUZ CHI-CHI SAID SO!"

She shoved the microphone back into Vale's hands, raising her new belt for all to see to a mixture of cheers and boos that she ate with equal gusto. Chi-Chi had discovered a strange and unforeseen taste for fame and she was enjoying every little morsel of it.

Up in the crowd…

Android 18 rolled her eyes between a stern Android 16 and a pissed off Android 17. "Oh brother..."

Yamcha sighed. "This is really getting a bit much. I bet she wouldn't be acting like this if she thought Goku or Gohan were watching..."

Blonde Launch didn't give a damn what her sister-in-law was doing. She was more and more frantically, by the second, trying to reach out to her daughter over the phone. Ox-King was embarrassed beyond words. Gine lifted her face from her hands and groaned. "I have to have a talk with her about being more gracious. I get that she doesn't like Mr. Satan, but-"

And then suddenly, to the shock of all the Z-Supporters in the crowd, there was the sound of a massive thump, like someone had just driven a spike through a brick wall, and a small crowd of dust kicked up in the ring. Within that cloud, several familiar shapes could be made out. The dust began to clear, and several names were called out at the same time.

Bulma shouted in annoyance. "VEGETA! BULLA!"

Blonde Launch cried out. "RADITZ! HAVE YOU SEEN RANCH?!"

Erasa's eyes went wide and she called out. "GOHAN! VIDEL!"

Ox-King sighed in relief. "Goku and Piccolo too... Thank goodness. Maybe they can talk some sense into Chi-Chi..."

17 sat forward, looking tense. "I don't see Krillin, Tien, or Chiaotzu. But the Supreme Kai is there. What's going on...?

As everyone began to talk around her, however, Gine sat in a hypnotic silence. She just so happened to be sitting in the perfect position to see him before anyone else did. Not so much his face as his all too familiar attributes. The Saiyan armor. The furry tail secured around his waist. The all-too familiar spiky hairstyle. And of course, the iconic red bandana with its ends flapping in the breeze of the open stadium. Gine shook her head.

"N-No... it can't be... when did you...?"

Back down in the ring…

The dust settled and Bardock took a silent look around at all the dumbfounded Earthlings piled in the stands surrounding the ring he found himself standing in. None of them looked as if they could think of a single thing to say. Off to the side, the ridiculous announcer of this pointless clown show approached his younger son. "G-Goku! I'm sorry to say that you and the others missed the festivities! Y-You should be happy to know that your wife won though! She's the new champion!"

Goku didn't seem to hear, keeping his eyes locked right on Bardock. The older Saiyan sighed, glancing around and catching sight of some other long-lost allies now staring holes at him from up in the stands.

Bardock grunted. "So, this is that trifling World Tournament nonsense you were always babbling about..."

Chi-Chi quickly marched up next to her husband, turning and facing this unexpected guest. "B-Bardock?!"

Bardock didn't so much as blink in her direction. Behind him, he heard a familiar oafish voice cry out. "V-VIDEL?! SUGARBEET?! WHY ARE YOU ALL BLOODY?!"

Videl didn't answer either, faintly touching her newly restored ear and keeping both eyes locked onto Gohan's grandfather. Bardock took a deep breath and sighed. "You're going to fight me, Gohan. Right now. No delays. No excuses. No talking around it."

Gohan stepped forward. He had called this fight. He knew it was his job to handle it. But, as he prepared to raise his fists, he shook his head. "N-No. No! Grandpa Bardock, come on! We don't have to fight each other! We don't! I fought out of Babidi's control so easily and you're so much tougher than me, Grandpa! I know you can break free of this! Join us again! We'll fight Babidi and stop Buu together! You just... have to fight, Grandpa! FIGHT HIM!"

Bardock looked unmoved. Gohan's voice lost the conviction of a fighter. He was a grandchild again in the span of a second. "Please, Grandpa Bardock! Resist! Please!"

The older Saiyan sighed, and his head drooped. For just a moment, everyone standing across from them felt hope prickle over their shoulders. Maybe, just maybe-

Bardock spoke in a cold tone. "You need convincing."

And then, before anyone could react, Bardock snapped his right hand up and fired a massive Ki blast into the crowd. There were at least one hundred screams of panic, followed by at least one thousand screams of agony, and then cold silence as the blasted-out shape of the ruined stands collapsed in on itself. The now raging fire cast a sinister shadow over Bardock and the eyes of his mask glowed a murderous red.

Vale ran from the ring in a panic, diving over the side and sticking his head up just enough to continue seeing what was going on.

Raditz spoke in a small, choked voice. "Oh my god..."

Bulla stared in horror at all the panicking people, at the dead ones lying in the flames, and she turned on the mystery geezer in front of her and screamed. "YOU BASTARD!"

She tried to charge, but Vegeta caught her by the arm and yanked her back. Gohan stammered. "G-Grandpa Bardock..."

Bardock coolly watched as all his former companions stood rooted in place, both directly in front of him and in the stands directly behind them. He saw 17 and 18 both slowly rising to their feet. Bardock spoke coldly, clinically. "You will fight me now, or I will paint this entire stadium redder than when you savaged that stupid girl's face a few minutes ago."

Gohan was still stuck in a daze. "Grandpa-"

Bardock jerked his hand up and fired a Ki blast directly at the spot in which the Z-Supporters sat. The blast exploded and a gout of smoke rose up into the air.

Bulla's eyes went wide and she screamed in a panic. "MOMMY! TRUNKS!"

Of all people, this targeted act of cruelty made Chi-Chi spring into action. She tossed her new belt aside, uncaring for it anymore, and full force slapped Bardock across the face. Chi-Chi snarled at him. "WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?!"

Bardock's mask went flying. He caught it just before it flew out of reach. The older Saiyan glared down at his daughter-in-law dispassionately. Chi-Chi didn't flinch, sneering at him and taking a fighting stance. "WHAT?!"

She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw that Bardock's hand was right there, mid-chop. Chi-Chi was dead. At least until...

*POP*

... Bardock's hand sailed through empty air and he turned to look behind himself. There was Raditz, Chi-Chi gripped tight in his arms. The elder of his two sons glanced over his shoulder at his father and Bardock, in response, merely put his mask back on.

Bardock turned his attention back to Gohan and was unsurprised to see Goku marching forward. The younger of his two sons looked pissed as he glowered in Bardock's direction. "That's enough, Dad! That's-"

Yakon grabbed Goku and tried to hold him back. "Goku, please! Bardock is as scary as Dabura! Don't rush into things!"

Bardock wasn't listening to the traitorous beast's whimpering. He glared past the group again and observed that 17 and 18 had shielded the rest from his blast with a dual barrier. Once that barrier fell, all of the other Z-Fighters in the crowd joined them in the ring. Yamcha, 16, 17, 18, some red-haired brat, Roshi, a smaller Trunks, and two other unknown teenage brats that quickly took either side of Gohan's woman.

Yamcha, surprisingly enough, was the first to speak. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, BARDOCK?!"

The rest of the Z-Fighters all narrowed their gaze on him. But Bardock didn't notice them. He kept his attention locked right on his grandson.

In the ruins of the fighters' waiting area…

With the tournament monks having long since fled, Mr. Satan and Hiki both watched from the relative obscurity of the fighters' waiting area as this new, bizarre scene unfolded in front of them.

The two onlookers were quickly joined by a grim Vale, who held up his microphone and defiantly announced. "Ladies and gentlemen, we appear to be facing a situation very similar to the ending of the 23rd Tournament! As your announcer, I advise fleeing the area as quickly as possible! Things are certainly about to get messy, folks!"

Back in the ring…

Android 18 snapped, looking to her allies for answers. "WHERE THE HELL IS MY HUSBAND?!"

Piccolo glanced over at her. "Turned into a stone statue, alongside Tien, because the closest living analog to the biblical devil in this universe spat on him."

18's eyes went wide. She gave a horrified shrug. Piccolo grunted and spoke with a large amount of shame in his voice. "We're working on it!"

Having climbed down from the stands, with the rest behind her and Marron in tow, Blonde Launch called out. "What about Ranch?! Have any of you seen Ranch?!"

Piccolo frowned. "No. We've been sealed inside Babidi's ship for a couple of hours. Our only child tagalong was Bulla."

Bulma quickly rushed up to her daughter, accepting a tearful hug and glaring at Bardock. Trunks sneered. "Who the hell is this creepy old guy?! He killed all those people!"

17 snarled. "You've aligned yourself with monsters who have petrified Krillin and Tien?! What the hell are you doing, Bardock?!"

18 activated her Terrablaze. "I don't give a shit! Let's beat him unconscious and figure things out afterwards!"

The entire crowd was reaching a fever pitch, some of them even beginning to panic as they realized that Yakon was standing among them when suddenly, everything went silent. Several of the Z-Fighters were politely pushed out of the way as one of the smallest of their number made her way to the front of the line. With graying hair, a prematurely lined face, and her bifocals glittering in the sun, Gine marched ahead of everyone until she was only a few feet from Bardock.

The silence was tense as the Saiyan matriarch stood in a staring contest with her mate. She didn't flinch, didn't say a word even until Bardock was eventually the first to blink. The maddened Saiyan reached up, his eyes closed, and adjusted his mask. Gine watched, her lips beginning to tremble and her hands beginning to shake. Bardock kept fiddling with his mask until, to everyone's surprise, a small trickle of blood ran from beneath it and down his jaw.

Bardock spoke in the same cold voice. "You're really going to stand in my way, Gine?"

Gine spoke with a barely suppressed sob in her voice. "Did you really need clairvoyance to see that?!"

Bardock sighed. "No."

And then he jerked his hand up and fired a Ki blast strong enough to kill Gine on the spot. The blast sailed toward her without mercy and exploded just as her eyes began to go wide.

Goku screamed. "NO!"

Raditz cried out. "MOM!"

Chi-Chi, Blonde Launch, and Bulma all shrieked. "GINE!"

Trunks, Bulla, and Koriocha all screamed. "GRANDMA!"

Vegeta, fully enraged, turned Super Saiyan 2 and charged at Bardock, grabbing him by the armor and charging a blast. "YOU BASTARD!"

Only one voice spoke calmly. "Let him go, Vegeta."

The Saiyan Prince turned and saw, as the smoke cleared, that Gohan was standing right in front of Gine. His palm was scorched black from catching the blast. All his Super Saiyan 2 strength flooded out at once and the sheer force made the now-fully abandoned stands crackled apart and started to crumble. Gohan's gaze was sharpened steel and he spoke in his most serious voice. "You've taken this a step too far... Bardock."

Gine collapsed to her knees behind her grandson, her eyes hollow and still staring at this ghoul that so resembled her husband. Gohan began to march forward, his choice made. Perhaps the last person who remembered the greater matter at stake, Shin stepped into Gohan's path. "Gohan! P-Please! We still have Majin Buu to think about! I shudder to think of the energy that Dabura collected from his fight with Piccolo! You doing this now could-"

Gohan reached out, grabbing the Supreme Kai by the collar and tossing him at Piccolo. He could not think of anything he cared about less at the moment than what the deity had to say. Gohan marched forward and, wordlessly, Vegeta moved out of the way.

Grandfather and grandson stood across from one another, near the same height. Gohan had often dreamed of the day he could stare into those eyes, man-to-man. Now he just felt cold. He didn't raise his voice, keeping eye contact with this servant of darkness before him. "Babidi. If you want me to fight him, then send us somewhere where we can do this alone."

To the shock of those out of a loop, a gleeful cheer rang out through the air. "PAPARAPA!"

And then, Gohan and Bardock were gone.

Back on Stage Six…

Babidi cackled as he made both Bardock and the stupid boy disappear. He turned to Dabura with a smirk. "These foolish Earthlings are making Buu's resurrection too easy! Isn't it exciting!"

Finally, alone once more with his master, Dabura gave an easy smile. "Indeed. Though, if I may make a suggestion to you..."

Babidi was in a cheerful good mood. "Oh, please do~"

Dabura pointed to the Z-Fighters who were left behind. "We should stall them to prevent inference."

Babidi cackled. "I couldn't agree more~! PAPARAPA!"

Back on Papaya Island…

Immediately after Gohan, Bardock, and the Stage Five Floor vanished, Babidi's shrill voice rang out again with his magic words. This time, at the end of the incantation, five thousand soldiers appeared in the empty, damaged bleachers. A mixture consisting of mostly Zoonians with Babidi's last few human slaves mixed in for good measure. In silence, the collective Z-Fighters observed their new foes as all of them got ready to charge in.

17 sneered. "Well crap. Looks like we're being corralled..."

One of the Zoonians stepped up, howling with delight. "THIS IS IT FOR YOU, HUMAN SCUM! IN THE NAME OF MASTER BABIDI AND IN MEMORY OF GENERAL PUI-PUI! PREPARE TO-"

A Ki blast flew into the fool's mouth and his head exploded. Videl cracked her neck, blowing the smoke from her palm as Erasa and Sharpner stood dumbfounded behind her. She turned to the Supreme Kai, looking genuinely regretful and respectfully bowing. "Allow me to apologize for Gohan. He's a bit worked up and forgot to share the plan before he hauled off on us..."

Shin flinched. "Wh-What are you-"

Videl continued. "Clearly, what he forgot to say before letting his temper get the better of him was that this is your chance. Babidi has sent what appears to be most of his army to head us off, so it's basically just him, Dabura, and probably a few hundred more soldiers on that ridiculously big ship of his. Easy pickings for, say... Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo to take out... maybe take Yakon because he probably still has ship access if Babidi is as stupid as he looked..."

The Supreme Kai's ears perked up. Videl sighed. "I don't know that Bardock guy, but..."

She spared a glance at Gine on the ground, Raditz and Chi-Chi comforting her. "... I can tell this sucks for you guys. So, why don't you all go stop Buu, gang up on Dabura, and kill Babidi and bring this all to a happy close. I'm sure everyone else who will be staying here can handle..."

Videl motioned to the entire army, several of whom were still aghast at their now dead comrade. "... this foolishness."

Vegeta nodded. "She's right. The ship is undefended."

Piccolo sneered. "Except for Dabura. Who I owe one!"

Yakon smiled. "I remember my passkey! It's 1-2-3-4, cuz Babidi said I'm dumb!"

Goku smirked. "Dang Videl, you sure are focused in all this stressful junk~"

Videl sniffed and chuckled. "I have my placement exams first thing next year! Get on my level!"

Goku nodded and then turned to Shin. "Supreme Kai?"

Shin adjusted his ruffled shirt collar and then gave his first genuine smile since Kibito was slain. "Ms. Videl is correct! This is a golden opportunity! Might I ask you to join me once more into the breach?!"

Vegeta was already taking off. "At max speed, we can be at Babidi's ship in 2 minutes!"

Goku and Yakon nodded at each other and took off right after the prince. The Supreme Kai took to the air and looked down at the rest of the confused Z-Fighters. He clapped his hands together and bowed his head. "I swear to make this up to all of you the moment the danger has passed!"

Piccolo took to the air, blasting down four Zoonians that had started to give chase. He looked back down at the others. "Bulma! The moment these bastards are taken care of, go gather the Dragon Balls! Split up if you must! We want to fix this all as quickly as we can!"

The Namekian caught sight of Gine out of the corner of his eye, curled up and shaking in Raditz's arm. He snarled and spoke under his breath. "What can be fixed..."

And then, the Namekian took off as well as Babidi's army finally charged in on the rest of the remaining Z-Fighters.

Outside of Babidi's ship…

All the forces that Babidi had set aside to acquire the petrified forms of Tien and Chiaotzu laid dead or heavily injured on the ground. And while Goten was sitting down to catch his breath, Chiaotzu was rapidly emptying the heavily injured bracket. The two warriors were exhausted, but they had succeeded in their task: Krillin and Tien were both untouched.

Chiaotzu watched as the door to Babidi's ship slid shut in the distance and breathed a sigh of relief. "At least the attacks are over for now..."

Goten chuckled. "That's good! It would be a shame to have to glue Uncle Krillin and Uncle Tien back together. What if we messed up and glued Uncle Krillin's hair to Uncle Tien's head on accident. He'd look silly~"

Chiaotzu stopped executing the wounded for a moment and cocked his head. He chuckled. "You're one weird kid, Goten. I love it~"

The dwarf continued his grim work, rubbing his hand over his face. "I wonder how the others are doing...?"

But then, Chiaotzu heard a noise that made his blood run cold. A very, very familiar splatter. And that splatter was followed by Goten crying out. "Yuck! That's so gross!"

The pale warrior turned and aimed his finger in the direction of Goten's voice, gasping in horror at what he saw. Goten was sitting there, a grossed-out look on his face, rubbing his cheek.

The boy was solid stone.

Chiaotzu looked around in a panic. "NO! NO! YOU DEMON BASTARD! WHERE THE HELL ARE-"

From a point unseen, a glob of spit flew into Chiaotzu's mouth and splattered against the back of his throat. He fell back, gagging and panicking, clenching his neck and trying to focus his energy. But it was to no avail. Soon enough, following in the footsteps of Krillin, Chiaotzu was a petrified statue lying flat on his back.

The dwarf's eyes stared sightlessly up into the sky as a silhouette with prominent horns sticking out from the forehead loomed over him. A voice with a regal air spoke orders to several lackeys. "Secure them. And be gentle. These four are to be kept in pristine condition as they are escorted back to the ship!"

In a wasteland, roughly three miles from Babidi's ship…

A hot desert wind blew as Bardock stepped off the dais from Stage Five. He adjusted both of his arm bracers and then spoke dispassionately over his shoulder. "Are you ready, boy?"

Gohan responded with a sneer. "Shut your mouth. I don't care if you are brainwashed. I won't just forgive you for doing that to Grandma Gine. I'll break every bone in your body and drag you back to her if I have to!"

Bardock nodded and then turned, activating Super Saiyan 2 just as Gohan had. The lightning crackled and Bardock gripped his fists. "Let's start things off at full power, then!"