Dragon Ball Z Dynasty

by Feraligreater328

When travelling along Snake Way, Son Goku suddenly finds himself plummeting down to Hell. There, he meets a surprisingly familiar ghost from his past that promises to change everything about his life going forward. How will the Saiyan react to this sudden, positive change in his life? Find out in Dragon Ball Z Dynasty.

180. Chapter 178: Terror on the Earth

Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Chapter 178: Terror on the Earth

On the Lookout...

In an instant, Goku returned to the Lookout with Gohan slung over his shoulder and Chika looped under his arm. The Saiyan from Earth placed both of his children onto the holy tile and called out. "DENDE! GOHAN AND CHIKA NEED SOME HEALING!"

Hearing the frantic ring in Goku's voice, Dende rushed over without complaint. The young Namekian slid on his knees and looked between his two unconscious peers. "Oh my gosh! Chika!"

As Dende went about healing his daughter, Goku groaned and began to run his fingers through his hair. The other Z-Fighters were taken aback, they had never seen Goku like this. Raditz stood, looking fretful. "K-Kakarot...?"

Goku looked at his brother, their exhausted eyes meeting and locking. He looked past his older brother and saw his mother sitting there on the ground. Gine was so small, curled up next to one of Popo's shrubs. She meekly raised her gaze to meet Goku's and, all at once, all three of them silently communicated what Goku still hadn't found the words to say.

After a long silence, Piccolo finally vocalized it. "I was hoping to see Bardock with you, even if we're still angry at him. Given that he's not here and I can't sense him... is it safe to assume he's dead?"

Everything Goku was holding in all crashed down at once as he remembered the miserable way his father had perished. No blaze of glory... just a crunch and a swallow. Goku gripped his fists tightly. "Majin Buu... turned him into a cookie and ate him."

Piccolo flinched back. Everyone else, some of whom had been mumbling amongst themselves, went totally silent. They all just stood there for a minute, examining what Goku had said and examining his tone. No one would accuse him of making a joke of his father's death, but what the Saiyan from Earth had just said made almost zero sense.

After a longer pause than anyone meant to let hold, Android 17 spoke up. "... come again?"

Goku repeated himself. "Majin Buu used some sort of magic to turn my father into a shortbread cookie and eat him alive. Crunched him into pieces and swallowed him in one gulp. That... thing... is so much stronger than we could ever possibly imagined..."

Tien nodded. "That we can agree on. We were all feeling the fight all the way up here. Despite his chicanery, Bardock fought valiantly to the end. If his death is as you say, then we must find some way to avenge him."

Yamcha scowled. "No one deserves to be eaten alive."

Goku nodded and glanced over at his two unconscious children. Goten and Chi-Chi had joined their sides. Chika wasn't stirring, but that didn't stop Chi-Chi from fretting over the broken horn that even Dende's healing seemed unable to fix. Goten was nervously flicking his attention between his unconscious sister and Gohan, who had the stub of a new tail steadily growing from Dende's diligent work.

And then, the feeling hit him and every other Ki sensitive person on the Lookout all at once. A harrowing feeling, like thousands of souls screaming out in terror but all rapidly being silenced at once. An entire city of people, thousands if not millions, were dying all at once.

Everyone with even a fraction of Ki sense shuddered. Android 16 fell to one knee, his scanners screaming in his head and making smoke wisp out from his ears.

Goku stammered in horror. "Th-They're killing them all! No mercy! Nothing! They're slaughtering people by the city load!"

Frantic, Goku looked around for people he knew weren't with them at the tournament before. He easily spotted Eighter and was relieved for that, but then he turned to Bulma. "Hey, Bulma! Where are your parents?! You stopped at Capsule Corp, right?!"

Bulma frowned. "I didn't know that there was a monster like this at the time, Goku! I invited them up here to summon Shenron, but they said they didn't want to come! Not that they would have seen much anyway... Shenron is being a jerk."

Goku looked genuinely confused. "Wh-What?!"

Bulma sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Shenron said he was tired of being summoned. Just for one thing. I joked that we would let him off early after wishing the people Bardock killed back and he said Gohan and I should learn to properly respect his time. Now the Dragon Balls are frozen for a year, and we only got one stinking wish!"

Piccolo snapped. "Wh-What?! You pissed off Shenron?! At a crucial time like this?!"

Bulma snapped right back. "I! DID NOT KNOW! ABOUT THE MONSTER! DID YOU HEAR ME THAT TIME, PICCOLO?!"

Krillin looked confused. "Bulma I can see, but what the heck did Gohan do?"

Raditz gasped like he just remembered something and looked at his now semi-conscious nephew. However, nobody noticed that small outburst as Goku, Piccolo, and Bulma began arguing the merits of making a run to West City, at risk of drawing Majin Buu's attention. Bulma grumbled. "Even beyond my parents, who we could reasonably wish back if we needed to, I feel like I'm forgetting something crucial..."

Goku glanced away from Bulma and breathed a sigh of relief that Gohan was fully conscious once more. Although, he did note that look of despair on the boy's face. Gohan didn't need to be told. He knew the truth the moment he woke up and noticed that Bardock's energy was no more.

Goku spoke gently. "Hey, Gohan, if you can think of anyone you'd want to warn down on the Earth about all of this, it might be time to let 'em know. This is probably only the beginning of this whole Buu thing..."

Distracted momentarily from his grief, something seemed to flash across Gohan's brain immediately. He reached into his spandex, pulling out a cracked but still semi-functional phone, and swiping his finger across the screen. "Y-Yeah... I should probably call Lime and... a few other people..."

Goku nodded and then returned his attention to the rest of the Z-Fighters. There was quite a bit of worry clouding over the group. Sharpner, Erasa, and Suno were making calls to their families to try and warn them. Videl seemed to be fairly annoyed that Yakon had destroyed her phone, mumbling to herself. Chi-Chi and Goten were both fretting over the unconscious Chika now. Raditz and Blonde Launch had returned to their worry for Ranch, both attempting to reach out to her to no avail.

With nothing to do but grieve, Goku sat down next to his mother and wrapped his arm over her shoulder. Wordlessly, Gine pressed her head into her son's side and covered her face, beginning to shake. Goku gently stroked the side of her head and glanced over in the direction of 16, 17, and 18. The hulking Android was still on his knee, his scanners overheating and overwhelmed.

Goku called over. "Is the big guy gonna be okay?"

Hearing Goku's voice, 16 weakly raised a thumbs-up. Goku nodded. He looked over at 18, seeing a look of concern on her face that seemed totally divested from 16. "Is there a problem, 18?"

18 turned to Goku, looking vaguely concerned. "I'm in the same boat as Bulma. I feel like we're missing something crucial here..."

Down below, in Shasta City...

Babidi was floating around with a hateful cackle as his three minions caused pain and havoc in the city below. Majin Buu had found out very quickly that he liked Dabura and Ranch both. Dabura, demon to the core, was more than happy to spread terror among the foolish human masses. And Ranch, thanks in great part to the anger she carried inside, was more than happy to smash things now that nobody was around to tell her no.

Dabura sucked in a massive breath and then shot a stream of flames from his mouth that filled the entirety of the street in front of him. The terrified humans standing in the path of his vicious attack set off into a chorus of agonized cries as they were immolated into piles of crisp, fleshy slag.

Dabura licked the flavor of brimstone off his lips and chuckled. "So easily slain~"

Up in the sky, Majin Buu was making his own fun. He was strafing through the sky, dive-bombing whenever he saw a particularly large crowd and spam-firing Ki blasts into them to cause a string of massive explosions. Most of the humans died in screaming pain at the monster's ferocious attacks. But the ones that lived met an even worse fate as Majin Buu utilized his magic. There were chocolate cupcakes on the menu today for the innocently cruel creature.

Ranch, meanwhile, was making her fun in rampant destruction of buildings and objects. The girl was incredibly strong and she always knew that, inwardly chafing at being told to hide her special strength just as any child was. Now, ironically enough, she found a new kind of freedom in her enslavement to Babidi. Ranch kicked the rear bumper of a Capsule Car and sent it flying into the side of a building with a massive, satisfying crash. Ranch flipped double middle fingers at the smoking explosion and screamed at the top of her lungs. "SCREW YOU, AUNT BULMA!"

For a moment, Ranch felt guilty when she said that. Aunt Bulma was nice. She hugged Ranch every time she saw her, made her lunch whenever she came over, gave great birthday presents, and took her to a few theme parks. Ranch's heart briefly ached for the woman she had just cursed. But then, Ranch remembered that Bulma worked very closely with her father. She was another adult who should have seen how Raditz was acting. How Raditz was treating her and making her feel. And then Ranch's anger returned in full surge and she fired two Ki blasts after the kicked car, making the entire building explode in a magnificent display.

Ranch screamed again, this time with a ton more vulgarity. "FUCK YOU, BULMA! YOU RICH ASSHOLE!"

Ranch continued her rampage, destroying everything in sight and making sure not a single piece of rubble was left intact. She blasted the faces off advertising, kicked dumpsters through the side of buildings, raided restaurants and bakeries for food, and just overall gave in to her baser nature. She was finding that she very much enjoyed the rush that this Super Saiyan thing gave her. Her power felt insane, even to her. Her emotions were pumping in her ears and temples in a way that gave her an unintentional high. She felt strong and fierce and so, so, so hungry. Ranch aimed her mouth at the sky and fired a beam through the ceiling. "IGNORE ME NOW, DAD!"

As the rubble from the ceiling came crumbling down, Ranch laughed at the top of her lungs, feeling the force of it slam against the inside of her chest. Was she going crazy?

As Ranch really started to consider that question, a sudden yelp rang out from a nearby kiosk and immediately drew her attention. Ranch took in her surroundings. She was in a mall food court. She glanced into the Burger Fool location across the way and saw a family hiding very poorly behind the counter. The yelp appeared to have come from their daughter, clutching as a cut on her leg most likely caused by a piece of broken glass. Caught off guard, Ranch turned to them and started to approach.

All at once, the little girl screamed, and her mother clutched her mouth close. The father stood, brandishing a plastic tray. "STAY AWAY, YOU MONSTER!"

Ranch flinched back, visibly hurt by the accusation. In her rising fury, she raised her hand at the father's chest and charged a Ki blast. The man's face crumpled and he dropped the tray. Instantly, despite their fear, the mother and little girl ran up to their father. The three of them huddled together, ready to face whatever horrors awaited them and... Ranch's spirit sank. She looked at the three of them and her chest became tight as she overlaid a vision of herself and her parents over the three would-be victims.

After a small pause, Ranch fired the blast she had prepared behind her and spoke in a quiet voice. "Leave."

In the open air of the food court...

Majin Buu and best pal Dabura both hovered overhead, staring down at their third pal and her cornered playmates. Dabura looked stern, crossing his arms. He shot a glance out of the hole toward their "Master" Babidi and then turned to Buu and whispered. "We'd better help her along before the Master notices her hesitation..."

Buu nodded, looking at the mostly dead person hanging in his grip. For a moment, the silly guy looked like a thoroughly beaten Babidi, then Buu blinked and it was just another human. The Majin charged a blast in his palm and the silly human guy screamed. "NONONO! PLEASE-"

Buu pressed the Ki blast over his head and sent him shooting at the ground below.

Back with Ranch's struggle...

The sudden explosion behind Ranch was much more forceful than the blast she had fired. She turned on her heel, looking frantic, and saw Buu smash down onto the ground. Next to him, Dabura landed with a regal sweep of his cape. The demon and the Majin both looked down at Ranch, Dabura stern and Buu curious. To Ranch's confusion, and more inwardly her delight, neither of them looked particularly angry.

Dabura, regal bearing be damned, actually knelt down and got eye-level with her. His voice was deep and jagged, like a mountainous crag, but he spoke calmly. "Are we having an issue, little one?"

The Demon King placed a palm on Ranch's head in an attempt to reach her. Taken aback, Ranch quickly slapped it away. "Hands off!"

Dabura briefly glanced at his slapped hand, but then turned his gentle attention back to his comrade. "Why do you hesitate? It would be nothing to kill these three. They are weak. You, my dear, are strong. You should feel no hesitation."

Ranch swallowed a lump in her throat. Despite the admonishment, Dabura still wasn't mad. He didn't even sound disappointed. He held her gaze and, though his hand remained at the ready, he didn't try to touch her head again. Dabura glanced past her at the cowering family. "Is it the child?"

Ranch remained mum. Dabura took another glance to spy for Babidi and then spoke in a soft tone. "Talk to me, Ranch. I know you should be capable, I just need to know what is blocking you..."

Finally, Ranch spoke up. "It just... doesn't seem necessary, you know?"

Dabura thoughtfully nodded, stroking his chin and closing his eyes in thought. At the same moment, a police officer rushed in and levied a pistol. "FREEZE!"

Buu giggled and, once magic beam later, was happily chowing down on a blue frosted donut with a chocolate badge stuck to it. Dabura smirked. "Ranch, my dear, it is never necessary to kill. That is the point. This isn't necessary, it is merely a show of our strength. We are in a war for conquest and dominance to show Master Babidi's enemies that they have nary a hope left. No necessity, just kill or be killed. We do this not because we must, but because we can~"

Ranch frowned. Dabura sighed and then turned to his other comrade. "Majin Buu!"

Buu jerked his head toward Dabura, his mouth covered in cream filling. "Hm?"

Dabura spoke regally. "What goes through your mind when you kill, my friend?"

Majin Buu thought for a moment, shoveling in the rest of the donut and then tapping a sticky finger against his bulbous chin. Buu smiled. "Nothin'! Buu do cuz Buu do~"

Then, with a childish cheer, Buu took off through the ceiling and the explosions and screams started afresh in the distance. Dabura gave a weary smile. "A perfect mindset for a simple creature. But I suppose that you must require something with more weight, eh my dear?"

Ranch didn't look Dabura in the eye, sincerely torn on the inside. Dabura looked down on the girl with something approaching genuine affection. They were but three in this together. Soldiers marching toward a common goal. He revered Master Babidi... but he liked Majin Buu and Ranch as the children they were. With a smile, the Demon King turned to the cowering family and spat right in the little girl's face. There was a struggle, both of her parents desperately trying to stop the horror that was now afflicting their child. But, soon enough, she was a tower of fragile stone. Dabura motioned toward the grieving parents. "I have removed the obstacle. Now let's work on this together. Simply, my dear, imagine something that you really hate. Layer it over these meaningless fools. Once you are able to do that..."

Ranch turned and saw these two people now without their daughter. The mother was Launch, airy and brainless and seemingly ignoring all the problems Ranch was facing because she didn't want to hurt her stupid husband's feelings. And the father was... HIM. His distant eyes, his permanent frown, his lack of regard for her. Ranch clenched her hands and summoned two blasts. "LOOK AT ME!"

The girl screamed and fired blast after blast after blast until nothing remained of the mother, the father, or the statue. She was breathing hard, trying to catch her breath. Dabura approached her again, placing his hand atop her surging golden hair and gently ruffling it. "Good job."

Ranch turned and looked up at Dabura. Big, strong, imposing, but gentle Dabura. He smiled down at her with genuine pride in her accomplishment and Ranch smiled back, still an 8-year-old girl at heart. "Th-Thank you~"

In the sky above Shasta City...

As his minions rampaged below, Babidi was in the air high above. The hateful little imp was furiously making a mental list of everyone due for an execution in his eyes. All the people he owed payback to who would soon face his wrath: Videl, Raditz, Bulla, Goku, Piccolo, Son Gohan, and most of all that blasted Vegeta!

They all will pay for their impertinence.

Babidi would personally take Vegeta apart piece by bloody piece.

And alongside all these filthy Earthlings and the Kai. That cowardly, fleet-footed Kai. Babidi grumbled and tugged on one of his whiskers. "I bet the Kai has fled back to his world. Kibito is dead and Buu is free. He must have fled to the one place where I can't follow..."

The wizard sneered. "Damnable godly restriction. I must find a workaround for that for my vengeance to be complete..."

The city below exploded in a stunning display of color and violence and Babidi glowered down at his three dogs. His mutts, Dabura and Ranch, and his purebred, Majin Buu, were laughing and taking in the death and destruction. Babidi could have struck all three dead for their mirth amid his foul mood. He snapped at them. "MORONS! What are you cheering about?! Have we somehow destroyed this entire planet by destroying one measly city?!"

Buu turned, shooting Babidi one hell of a hateful glare. The wizard flinched in shock and almost spat another threat at his super-powered servant, but then Ranch spoke up. "Where are we going next, Master Babidi?"

Babidi was briefly taken aback, but quickly recovered. "How should I know?! I don't know where those cowards ran off to after Buu was restored!"

Ranch nodded. "You mean Vegeta and my dad and the rest?"

Babidi flinched. "Y-Your Dad?!"

The wizard thought for a moment, regarding his panicked brainwashing of Ranch. He did recall seeing the Raditz cretin in her memories. Babidi smirked. "Oh yes. Your father is Raditz~ Do you know where he is?"

Ranch grimaced. For some reason, she had been unable to feel her father's Ki signature for quite a while. He must be masking it or something. Ranch glanced up at Babidi. "I don't know for sure, but I can think of places he might be..."

Babidi, Dabura, and Buu all smiled. In a show of faux politeness, Babidi motioned to the girl. "Then lead the way, my dear~"

On the Lookout...

The dread feeling of death and destruction was looming over the Lookout as the Z-Fighters felt the endless destruction of Shasta City taking place below. And for some bizarre reason, this was worse than it ever had been before. There had been mass slaughters on Earth, Nappa and Cell both had seen to that, but this was different. Every individual death was filling the Ki-sensitive Z-Fighter's head with fuzz to the point that even hardened experts like Goku and Piccolo were feeling nauseous. Sharpner and Erasa, the least experienced of the bunch, had both already thrown up twice.

The viscous warpath of Babidi, Majin Buu, Dabura, and their vaguely familiar fourth collaborated continued on and on until, to the collective horror or everyone on the Lookout, that particular spot on the Earth became an empty feeling void. And then the group was on the move, heading due south.

Goku slammed his fist against the tile. "DAMMIT!"

Piccolo snarled. "This is madness. What's the point of this?! Are they just trying to infuriate us?!"

Yamcha nodded. "Probably, man. They want to goad us out of hiding to finish us off. I'm surprised that they haven't noticed us all up here by now."

Tien crossed his arms. "They probably haven't considered that we might be hiding in the planet's godly sanctum."

Krillin nodded. "Given we were hanging out with the Supreme Kai earlier today, Babidi probably hasn't even considered Dende."

Krillin waved at the young Namekian. "No offense."

Dende shrugged. "None taken."

Videl scoffed, clenching her fists. "That all felt so miserable! Though, those poor people..."

Gohan placed a hand on her shoulder, gripping it tightly. "Trust me Videl, none of us are fond of it. But we have to play things smart. Rushing into a battle with that monster right now would-"

Suddenly, the piercing sound of Babidi's irksome voice rang out from all around.

"PEOPLE OF EARTH! MAY I PLEASE BORROW YOUR ATTENTION?!"

Everyone on the Lookout cringed, looking around. Videl sneered. "What the hell?!"

From within the Inner Sanctum, the Supreme Kai came running out, frantically looking around. He growled. "Babidi is speaking to the entire planet telepathically!"

Everyone looked up to the sky as Babidi continued to speak.

"FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE UNAWARE OF MY IDENTITY, PLEASE ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF! I AM THE GREAT WIZARD BABIDI, THE CURRENT AND FINAL RULER OF THIS MISERABLE LITTLE BALL OF DIRT!"

18 narrowed her eyes. "Declaring himself king? Cliche."

"I SHALL KEEP MY REMARKS, FOR THE MOMENT, QUITE BRIEF. I AM ON A MISSION OF VENGEANCE AND I AM RECRUITING EVERY PAIR OF EYES ON THIS PLANET TO ASSIST ME. I AM LOOKING FOR A CERTAIN SET OF INDIVIDUALS WHO OWE ME BLOOD. I SHALL NOW PROJECT THEIR LIKENESSES INTO YOUR MINDS."

The Z-Fighters all cringed as various images clouded into their thoughts, each likeness accompanied by Babidi naming them.

"VIDEL SATAN. SON RADITZ. BULLA BRIEF. SON GOKU. PICCOLO. SON GOHAN. AND THE MOST EGREGIOUS OFFENDER OF ALL, VEGETA BRIEF. EACH OF THESE PEOPLE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED THE ENEMY OF EVERY PERSON ON THE PLANET, FOR THEY ARE THE CAUSE OF YOUR EMINENT DESTRUCTION. THIS FATE CAN BE AVOIDED, SHOULD THEY BE HANDED OVER PROMPTLY. PEOPLE OF EARTH, YOU HAVE 10 MINUTES BEFORE I BROADCAST A LIVE EXAMPLE OF WHAT DEFIANCE WILL MEAN FOR YOU. IF YOU DOUBT ME... PLEASE DO ATTEMPT TO CONTACT SHASTA CITY~"

It had not even been 2 seconds since Babidi disconnected the mental communication before Videl was rushing toward the edge of the Lookout, with Erasa and Gohan both making a valiant attempt at restraining her. Gohan was panicking. "VIDEL! CALM DOWN!"

Videl snarled. "Screw calming down! He wants me to come and face him, I'll do it to stop him from killing any more innocent people!"

Working together, Gohan and Erasa pushed Videl to the ground and pinned her arms behind her back, holding her in place and continuing their attempts to make her calm down. Meanwhile, though he was restraining himself just fine, Piccolo couldn't help but voice agreement. "This is frustrating. I don't know if I'll be able to just stand here and watch them ravage the Earth. I'd rather die!"

Krillin walked up to Piccolo and grabbed him by the wrist. "D-Don't joke about that, man! What good would you do going and getting yourself killed?!"

Piccolo snapped back. "What good is standing here and waiting to die going to do?! I'll rather go out swinging than cowering, Krillin!"

No one had any argument for that, all the Z-Fighters from Chiaotzu all the way to Goku had the same look of helpless fury in their eyes. This was a nightmare and none of them knew how to react. The tense mood, however, made it clear that none of them were willing to just sit around much longer.

Trunks spoke up. "W-Well why are we all just standing here?! That Buu guy can't be strong enough to take us all at once! Let's go get him as a group!"

Goten smiled, pumping his fists. "I'm ready to fight to save the Earth! Let's go kick some butt!"

Koriocha planted her fists on her hips. "I'm ready to go scrap!"

Despite everything, the gumption the kids were showing put a smile on most of the adults' faces. 18 snorted, watching as Goten, Trunks, Koriocha, Bulla, and even Turles' children all began to bluster about how easy it would be for them to beat up Majin Buu. A soft smile appeared on her face for just a moment, before flickering away as she thought of Ranch. 18 hugged Marron tight and silently prayed that wherever that poor girl was, that she was okay. And then, as 18 lifted her gaze toward the other children again, it suddenly dawned on her what was missing from this situation. "Hey, everyone!"

All attention was locked on 18. She looked around one more time to make sure that she wasn't mistaken, and then she asked. "Where the hell is Vegeta?"

Everyone went silent, all of them looking around as if they, just like 18, had realized that a certain abrasive element was missing from their lives. Goku cocked his head. "Vegeta? That's a good question, where the heck did Vegeeeeeee-OH CRAP!"

Without a second thought, Goku pressed his fingers to his forehead and teleported away. In the next instant, he returned with a bloody, broken, and entirely unconscious Vegeta hanging from his back. "DENDE! HEALING! QUICK!"

One quick round of healing later...

Vegeta was back on his feet, his wife and both of his kids fawning with worry over him. A massive vein was bulging from his forehead and he glared over at Gohan. The air between the two of them was stiff as a board. Vegeta spoke in a cuttingly even voice. "Gohan."

Gohan spoke in a quiet voice. "... Yes?"

Vegeta took a deep breath and hissed it out through his teeth. "Your house. Every other Saturday. You can pick the time. But every other Saturday We are drilling until you can do your homework as an Oozaru. Understand?"

Gohan nodded, his voice still barely above a whisper. "Yes, sir."

Vegeta grunted, cracking his knuckles and motioning his children to stand back. The prince was quite angry indeed, but not just because he had been stepped on. "To think that Bardock went out like that? God damn that Babidi. I'll annihilate that little bastard for good. I swear I will."

Shin frowned. "I sympathize with you, Vegeta. I wish I could get my hands on Babidi as well. But I have no way to regroup. Buu is free, this planet is doomed, and I can't even go home to formulate a plan..."

Gohan turned to the Kai. "You can't go home? Why not, did your ship break or something?"

Shin shook his head. "I didn't come here on a ship. My planet, the Sacred World of the Kais, is in a different realm from this one. Ship travel is entirely possible, if we were to head to the Core Galaxy and land on Hera. But I personally arrived on this planet in the care of Kibito."

Goku looked confused. "Kibito?"

Shin looked forlorn. "Kibito was older than me. More experienced. I relied on him more than a proper God should. It was thanks to his teleportation technique, the Kai Kai, that I was able to come here. I was meant to learn that technique in my training, but then Majin Buu..."

The Supreme Kai fell onto his butt and bowed his head. "With Kibito dead, I am stuck on the Earth. Just waiting for Babidi to find me and have Majin Buu kill me."

Once more, the dour mood returned to the Lookout as everyone was forced to once again face the hopelessness of the situation. This time, however, the missing element from before made his voice heard. "Is this what you fools have been doing while I was bleeding to death in that ditch?! Pitying yourselves?!"

Everyone turned their attention to Vegeta and he spat in the bushes. "Do you honestly expect me to just sit here and wait for Buu to come?! Ridiculous! Even if it kills me, I'm willing to bet that I could personally end Dabura and Babidi before Buu would be able to gain the upperhand! Hell, after my Zenkai boost from Gohan nearly killing me, I'd be willing to bet that even Buu would take a knee to my power!"

Rapidly, the hopelessness of the situation seemed to recede. Vegeta gritted his teeth. "Hide here like cowards if you wish! I'll lead the charge for the bold to go destroy that monster! Feeling free to follow if my aura doesn't blind you!"

Without waiting for a response, Vegeta turned from the group and began to march toward the edge of the Lookout. Without asking for permission from anyone, Trunks and Bulla were on their father's tail. Everyone else hesitated for a single moment, but then Tien and Yamcha were on their feet. Piccolo was quickly following behind with a flourish of his cape.

Gohan stammered. "G-Guys! Wait a minute! You haven't seen what this Majin Buu creature is like! You can't just-"

Goku slapped his hand against the tile. "Dammit!"

And then, the Saiyan from Earth was on his feet too. As the Z-Fighters all marched, led by Vegeta, toward what was certainly their death. Just as Vegeta reached the edge of the godly structure, however, four colored streaks shot up into the sky. The red, the blue, the yellow, and the green all landed and deactivated their costumes simultaneously.

The Ginyu Force looked around, all of them eventually seeing their friend on the Lookout and smiling. Jeice waved a friendly hand. "Oy! Gohan! Did you hear that voice announce that he wanted you and ya family dead? The hell is that about?"

Gohan flinched. "Uh..."

Jeice and the others all looked confused. Gohan lifted his hand and pointed with a single finger behind the four goofy soldiers. The Ginyu Force turned and time seemed to come to a standstill.

Recoome saw Vegeta.

Vegeta was staring at the Ginyu Force.

Burter saw Vegeta.

Vegeta was staring at the Ginyu Force.

Jeice saw Vegeta.

Vegeta was staring at the Ginyu Force.

Guldo saw Vegeta.

Vegeta's hand was raised and charging a massive Ki blast!

Burter screamed at the top of his lungs. "SCATTER!"

The four Ginyus all ran in different directions, all of them trying to avoid certain death from their chagrined former co-worker. Vegeta looked confused, restless, and furious all at the same time, aiming his hand from Jeice behind a tree, to Recoome attempting to stuff himself in a giant vase, to Burter strafing in the air, to Guldo hiding behind...

Vegeta snarled. "Gohan!"

Again, Gohan's voice was a small whisper. "Y-yes, sir...?"

Vegeta quashed the blast, rushing forward and simultaneously grabbing Gohan by the collar and kneeing Guldo in the face. If Vegeta was angry about the Oozaru before, he was livid about this. "Explain."

Gohan swallowed a lump in his throat. "A few months ago, I used the Dragon Balls to wish the Ginyu Force back because I wanted to have them teach me how to be a better masked superhero so I could impress Videl and keep her from accidentally hurting herself while she was fighting crime."

All but three of the gathered Z-Fighters had the same reaction, a drawn out and quite incredulous "HUH...?"

Videl, meanwhile, adopted a big smile. "Aw, Gohan! That's so sweet~"

Raditz shook his head. "My god. My daughter is missing but the Ginyu Force is here? What the hell...?"

Vegeta, on the other hand, was utterly speechless at the explanation. He stood there, mouth agape, and just stared at Gohan for the longest minute of the young man's life. After another moment, Yamcha spoke up. "Wait...is that why Shenron was pissed off at you?"

At that same moment, much to Gohan's relief, his mother suddenly cried out. "CHIKA!"

Everyone turned and sighed with various levels of relief as Chika groggily sat up, pressing her hand to her broken horn. Her lip quivered for just a moment as she rubbed it, her eyes becoming misty as Goten and her mama both hugged her tight. Very quickly, however, a look of shock and dread snapped across Chika's face. She looked around and called out. "R-RANCH?!"

She got to her feet, looking frantic. "Where's Ranch?!"

This immediately caught the attention of Raditz and Launch, both of whom rushed over to their niece. Launch fell to one knee and gently grabbed Chika by the shoulders. "Chika! You saw Ranch?! Where was she?!"

Chika frowned. "Sh-She was crying on an island in the middle of the ocean. I found her and I was talking to her when she suddenly started screaming. I tried to comfort her and then her hair turned golden like Daddy's does and she beat me up!"

Blonde Launch's eyes went wide. Raditz flinched back in subdued shock. "Wh-Wha...?"

Vegeta's eyes went wide. "Ranch... wait... BABIDI IS STILL ALIVE!"

Goku turned to his rival. "Vegeta?! What's wrong?!"

Vegeta turned to rush off the Lookout. "I have to go! I need to find her! Now, before she-"

"PEOPLE OF EARTH! YOUR TIME'S UP AND I HAVE RECEIVED NO USEFUL INFORMATION! IF YOU WOULD ALL KINDLY CLOSE YOUR EYES, I WILL SHOW YOU THE PRICE OF YOUR INACTION!"

Everyone came to a standstill. The Supreme Kai, in particular, looked sickened to think about what they might be bearing witness to. But, slowly, every closed their eyes to face the dire reality of their situation.

On Papaya Island...

The scene Babidi was playing grand ringmaster to could be described as nothing less than a wholesale slaughter. The fighters that had been left behind on Papaya Island didn't stand a chance. Babidi cooed in amazement and delight. "People of Earth! Allow me to introduce your grand executioners~"

The wizard hovered over to a miserable scene. Ki blasts were being tossed out with wild abandon, buildings crumbling to the ground like block toys as the rotund, pink ogre went on his rampage. Majin Buu giggled as an arrow of rainbow fire crashed into his face, turning to the horrified Silas and responding to the attack by clapping his hands onto the sides of the warrior's head, crushing it like an overly ripened grape.

Silas' headless corpse fell limply to the ground and Buu turned to face Kazuma Kirya and Nam, flipping his head antenna forward and blasting both warriors with a stream of pink magic, in a moment the two rugged men were reduced to floating chocolate bars which Majin Buu seized and greedily gobbled down.

Babidi preened. "First and foremost, allow me to introduce the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the Universe, my prized minion, Majin Buu~!"

Buu turned in Babidi's direction and pulled the corners of his mouth outward, sticking his tongue out and blowing a massive raspberry. Babidi was almost able to hide his contempt, but not quite. "Yes, anyway..."

The wizard floated over to another dreadful scene. Dabura chopped through the now petrified Pamput's head with his bare hand, sending chunks of stone afro and formerly human dust scattering to the wind. King Chappa rushed in and tried to attack the Demon King, only for Dabura to spit on him as well. As the former champion cried out, Dabura turned to the oncoming Giran and felled him with a shattering punch to the chest. Giran stumbled forward, choking, and fell forward onto his face. Killa, with a mighty battle cry, rushed forward with a punch at the ready, but Dabura instantly engulfed him in a searing sea of flames.

Babidi cooed. "Meet my next most powerful servant, the Demon King Dabura! When you worthless, human wretches come across him, my only advice is to pray for the spit~"

As Killa immolated, Buu stalked up in the background. He pointed at the limp Spike the Devilman in his grip and Dabura gave a non-committal shrug. Buu gave a thumbs-up and then tossed Spike into the air, blasting him into pieces with a single attack. Babidi floated on with a cackle.

The final scene in the horrific viewing showed off the youngest. With her broken ankle tightly bandaged, the young fighter Balsam was limping away from some unseen horror with tears in her eyes. She stumbled and fell to her knees, turning and holding her hands up in defense. "P-Please... no! I'm sorry..."

The girl began to shake, her face turning bright red and tears pouring down her cheeks. "P-Please don't kill me..."

A single Ki blast shot out from the smoke and Balsam let loose one final, terror-stricken scream as she was reduced to nothing. With blood on his hands, Dabura stepped up next to Babidi and bowed with deference. Following him, Majin Buu plodded forward with a face caked in melted chocolate.

Babidi cackled. "And now, the final member of our merry troupe~ She's young, but she has taken so well to the ways of terror and evil~ She's certainly my favorite part of this doomed world..."

From the flames and the smoke, a young Super Saiyan girl stepped forward with a twisted smile on her face. Babidi grinned. "Ranch~ Do you have anything to say to your former friends~?"

Ranch glared hatefully forward, a chuckle swimming in her throat. "Do you see me now, Dad?"

On the Lookout...

A dire scream rang out across the Lookout and pulled each person there from their trance. They all looked over in the direction of the now collapsed Blonde Launch, Burter and Jeice quickly rushing to her side to check on her.

Nearer to his wife, Raditz fell to his knees and roughly clutched the sides of his head. "No...nonononono..."

Not that any of them had anything to say to the nightmare they had just witnessed, but Vegeta and Android 18 were both uniquely quiet. The prince pictured his last interaction with the girl, his hands subtly shaking as he stood rooted in place. 18 thought of hers and, unable to take the feeling of it, rushed to one of the nearest of Popo's vases and rapidly began to empty her stomach.

For the first time since Bardock had left for the final time, Gine spoke allowed. "That poor girl..."

As 18 vomited and Raditz began to scream in panic, Krillin addressed everyone on the Lookout. "So what do we do now...?"

And the answer was silence. Everyone on the Lookout from the standard assortment of Earth adults, to the Earth children, to the newcomers, to the Supreme Kai himself all stood at the highest point on the planet in stunned disbelief.

Not one of them had any idea where to go from here.

And then, just as it seemed that hope was about to rollover and die, making room for despair to nestle in, one more person joined the group atop the Lookout and new hope came springing forth.

Kibito landed with a godly grace and regarded the entire group with his usual disdain. "The shame of it all, a holy sanctuary being used as a secret clubhouse by a bunch of mortals. Very improper, indeed."

Everyone stared at Kibito as if he were a stranger. To some, he very much was. To others, however, he was less of a stranger and more of a ghost. To a single person, however, to someone who had been bravely holding it together through it all, Kibito was neither a stranger nor a ghost, but the final crack that made the damn burst. Shin screamed himself hoarse. "KIBITO!"

The Supreme Kai, Shin, a bigger and more long-standing victim in this messy affair than anyone could comprehend, ran at Kibito and hugged him as tightly as he could, sobbing with great heaving breaths and not wanting to let his companion go.

Kibito, in spite of himself, awkwardly returned the hug with only a small mumble. "Sir... this is improper behavior for a God of your stature..."

Back at Papaya Island...

Majin Buu sat atop a pile of rubble and corpses, shoving chocolate by the handful into his gaping mouth with a satisfied hum. "Mm-mm-mm~! So good~"

Dabura smiled. "Are you having a nice time, Majin Buu?"

Buu nodded vigorously. "Yummy yummy yum yum yum! Dabura want chocolate?"

Dabura politely waved his hand. "No thank you. I prefer spicy and bitter flavors, myself."

Buu popped another handful of chocolate in his mouth. "Spicy and bitter? What taste like that?"

Dabura kicked Ranfan's corpse to the side, eventually finding that Giran of all people was still barely alive on the ground. Dabura knelt and, using his magic, summoned his Darkness Blade. Dabura regarded the blade, previously broken in his fight with Piccolo, and stabbed the jagged edge into Giran's stomach. The wicked weapon sucked the soul from Giran's body and, in a flash, it was restored to its full length and luster.

Dabura wickedly smirked into the metal. "I suppose I would say that I enjoy peppers and vegetables. And rare meat~"

Buu nodded, licking his fingers. "Okay. Okay. Pepper... vegey-tables... meat. Buu understand."

Ranch stood over Vale the ring announcer's body, sadness briefly clouding her eyes before fading away. At least she hadn't been the one to kill him. After a moment, the sadness passed and Ranch turned to her new peers. "I like sour foods. Like, I love the taste of lemon."

Dabura made the sword vanish. "Bizarre taste for a child. But, I suppose I could appreciate that."

Buu nodded. "Lemon stuff. Buu understand."

Ranch sat, looking up at Babidi, furiously floating in the air. She began to tally off on her fingers. "Mt. Paozu... Kame House... Satan City... East City... Jingle Village... Capsule Corp..."

Dabura and Buu glanced down at the girl, she looked up at them. "There's a handful of places that I know of that they could be hiding out. Whenever Master Babidi comes down, I'm going to provide him with a list."

Dabura shook his head. "One at a time. Master Babidi tends to get overwhelmed if presented with too many options at once."

Buu blew a raspberry. "Babidi a dumb-dumb..."

Dabura turned to the Majin. "Please do remember your manners, Majin Buu. Master Babidi is our benefactor and should be presented with the due respect."

Buu looked rebellious from just a moment, but quickly shifted his gaze from Dabura. "'Kay."

A moment later, the temperamental Babidi shot down from the sky and landed with a scoff. "Dammit. Nothing here. Where are those fools?!"

Ranch stood, nodding. "I can think of a few more places they might be, Master. I could lead us to the next closest one, if you'd like."

Babidi sneered. "Your eagerness to betray your former comrades is duly noted, but I am concerned that they might have all fled back to the Supreme Kai's blasted world. I can't get the worry out of my head!"

Ranch started to bring up that the Z-Fighters weren't likely to just flee from a threat, but she was silenced by a quick motion from Dabura.

Babidi continued his rant. "I know that weakling, Shin, must have fled! He's such a coward that he must have turned tail once he realized that Majin Buu was awake! Which means that our only way to pursue him would be the portal on Hera! Unless, Dabura, you think you could use that fish..."

Dabura sadly shook his head. "Warp-sama will not grant access to the godly world to anybody, Kai nor demon. It is an engrained security measure. The only methods by which to broach that realm are the Kai Kai teleportation technique or, as you so wisely stated, Master, the portal on Planet Hera."

Babidi sneered. "If only we had arrived on this planet a couple years earlier. From what Bardock informed us, they had an invasion of Herans on this planet less than a decade ago. I could have taken control of one...or I could have done so if Majin Buu hadn't reduced that Heran woman from earlier into a damned lollipop!"

Buu was toddling in the distance, blasting rubble and turning the few surviving tournament monks into fresh snacks. Babidi snarled at being blown off. Ranch turned to Dabura. "I'm confused. What are we talking about?"

Dabura sighed. "Back when you must have been a baby, this planet was invaded by a group of rogue Herans. We reviewed several Earth broadcast archives on it. Apparently, they were all slaughtered by your former compatriots."

Ranch frowned, pressing her finger to her forehead. "Wait, that sounds familiar..."

Dabura flinched. Babidi turned. "Sounds familiar?! What do you mean?!"

Ranch thought hard back to a conversation that, ironically, she had shared very recently in the exact same spot she was currently sitting. Trunks was on her shoulders. She had called his attempt to cheer her up lame and that briefly made her feel bad inside, but then she remembered what he was trying to tell her.

And a devilish smile appeared on the little girl's face. "Master Babidi... I think I might know where you can find one of those Heran guys~"