Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

A/N: I can't remember whether I've mentioned it before or not, but I friggin' love Dandadan. If you haven't watched it yet, you should. I put it on the same level as I put Dragon Ball and Fullmetal Alchemist. And I consider those both to be perfect stories.

Chapter 175: Revelation

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

Bardock dodged two devastating swipes of Cumber's claws, hissing in pain as a massive gash opened on the side of his face. The older Saiyan paused for just a moment to wipe away the fresh blood and took a massive blow to the chest that sent him flying backward into a massive, rocky spiral. Bardock sat up and groaned, glaring at his limp grandson hanging in midair. Gohan's eyes were glazed over and half lidded and Cumber's hands were the most active Bardock had seen since his days in the Warhammer.

The older Saiyan stood and scrubbed his palm over his face. "Not yet. Just a little longer…can't fall yet. Not until Buu…not until…"

Bardock squeezed his eyes shut and opened them. "Just a little longer…"

Cumber's hand shot forward and slapped Bardock into the air. The other one was waiting up high for him, slapping him back down and through the ground. Bardock trembled as he pushed his steadily breaking body up. "Hurry the hell up, Babidi!"

On Stage Six of Babidi's Ship…

Babidi whimpered and shook like the mangy ankle-biter he was within his barrier sphere. Things could not have been going worse for him right now. Of all the things he had imagined the day before, when he sent Spopovich and Yamu off, he never conceived that things could be occurring as they currently were.

Across the room, Goku stood watching Yakon with a look of concern on his face. The massive, green monster was shoving three dead Zoonians into his mouth, grinding them and crushing their bones in his jaws. Goku cocked his head. "You need to be careful, buddy. You're gonna choke…"

Off to the side, Piccolo was somehow maintaining his upper hand on Dabura, using every dirty tactic in his cunning Namekian mind to keep the Demon King on the backfoot. If Babidi had any sense, he would have ordered his loyal minion to disregard him for just a few moments and squash that bug. But, of course, Babidi was entirely to selfish to put himself second for even a moment. So, he simply kept mentally ordering Dabura to come to his aid at once. This kept the Demon King so distracted that Piccolo continued to beat the holy hell out of the demonic regent.

And worst of all, the wizard snarled to himself as that rat Kai Shin was over there by his precious monster's cocoon, siphoning away his hard stolen energy and draining Babidi's worst dreams away from him. The wizard snarled and screamed. "Blasted Kai! You'd better-"

Babidi's barrier slammed against the wall and the wizard was jostled hard against his own defense. He glared up with pure venom at this person, the real worst of all. Worse than his dead army, his flagging Demon King, and his fading dreams was this insolent monkey that would not leave him alone! Vegeta's boot smashed against the surface of Babidi's barrier sphere and, to the wizard's horror, the whole defense shattered like glass. The burst of energy sent Babidi flying outward and skidding across his own floor. The imp shakily took to his feet and sneered. "You wretched little-"

Babidi screeched in panic as Vegeta's fist came barreling right toward his face. The wizard flopped over in shock, barely avoiding a skull-shattering blow, and began to scurry away. Flopping onto his back, Babidi thrust his hands at the advancing Vegeta and shouted. "BARRI-"

Vegeta backfisted Babidi across the face, knocking out two teeth and sending the wizard flying. Babidi crashed hard into the wall and blood spurted from beneath one of his bulbous eyes. He groaned and pressed his hand to his face. The wizard looked up and shrieked, barely producing a barrier as a ki blast came flying at him. Vegeta was marching forward with purpose, a hateful obsidian gaze locked onto Babidi. The wizard snarled. "You…I'll see you writhing in agony before this is all over! I swear-"

Vegeta kicked the barrier into the nearest wall like a soccer ball. Inside, Babidi bounced around like a trapped insect, crashing into his own protection in three places before falling to a miserable rest. Babidi moaned and Vegeta sneered down at him. "I'm sorry. Did I ruin your concentration?"

Babidi struggled to push himself up. He glared at Vegeta. "H-How dare you sound so casual, you filthy ape?!"

If Vegeta had heard Babidi speak, his face didn't reflect it. He cocked his head. "Been on Earth a couple years, right? Have you had a chance to try the food? There's this excellent place called the Big Kahuna Burger. They have this combo they called the Royale with Cheese. And let me tell you, that is one tasty burger~"

Babidi cocked his head. "Wh-What…?"

Vegeta nodded with a fond smile on his face. "Oh yes. You have to have their lemon-lime soda with it, though. A tasty burger requires a refreshing beverage."

Disregarding Babidi for a moment, the Prince turned toward Buu's cocoon. "Hey, Kai, you should try a Big Kahuna Burger when we're done here!"

Shin turned, looking quite confused. "O-Okay…"

Vegeta smirked. "Excellent. Once our business here is finished~"

The Supreme Kai tried to respond. "W-Well, if you want to know my opinion Vegeta, we should try to focus on-"

Vegeta snapped back. "I DON'T REMEMBER ASKING YOU A GODDAMNED THING!"

Properly cowed and, quite simply, wanting this day to be over, Shin shut his mouth and returned his focus to siphoning energy from Buu's cocoon. Vegeta sniffed and turned his attention back to Babidi, his temper still seemingly under control. "Yeah. Gotta go for burgers. Gotta take Bardock too, once this is all done. Thanks to you, he owes a rather large apology to his wife…"

Babidi was still confused. "Wh-What?!"

Dabura went flying across the room, crashing into a wall. Piccolo immediately followed with a flying kick, stomping Dabura in the center of the face and driving his head into the metal. Vegeta chuckled. "Your man is getting his ass beat."

Babidi stood in his barrier. "L-Look you. I don't know your name-"

Vegeta cut him off. "My name is Prince Vegeta Briefs IV. And you're stupider than you look if you think you're about to talk your way out of what's coming to you."

Babidi flinched back in shock, but a rough snarl quickly broke across his sneering lips. "I feel the rot deep in your soul, chimp! I will-"

Dabura came flying directly at Vegeta's back, He threw up his fist without breaking eye contact with Babidi and sent the Demon King flying back toward Piccolo. Babidi gasped in horror. Vegeta sighed. "I'm so sorry. I broke your concentration again. I am so, so sorry. Please continue. You were referring to the rot in my soul?"

Babidi was silent. Vegeta crouched down, nearly pressing the tip of his nose to the wizard's barrier, and glared at him. "Tell me, Babidi, do I look like your bitch?"

The wizard was confused. "What?!"

A sudden bolt of fury broke across Vegeta's face. He slammed his palm against the surface of the barrier as hard as he could and Babidi went flying into the other side. Vegeta snapped. "WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM?!"

Babidi yelped. "WHAT?!"

Vegeta slammed the barrier into the wall twice. "WHAT AIN'T A PLANET I'VE HEARD OF! DO THEY COMMON ON WHAT?!"

Babidi screeched. "WHAT?!"

Vegeta hefted the barrier up with both hands, smashing it into the wall several times. Babidi felt as if he were involved in a car wreck, smashing and bouncing around in his own defense until he was black and blue and leaking purple all over. Vegeta roared. "COMMON TONGUE, MOTHERFUCKER! DO YOU SPEAK IT?!"

Babidi cried out as Vegeta spiked the barrier against the ground. "YES!"

The Prince smashed his fist against the top of the barrier and it shattered like an egg. He glowered down at Babidi again. "NOW, I ASK AGAIN, DO I LOOK LIKE YOUR BITCH?!"

Babidi was terrified. It had been a near century since someone had actually yelled at him. He responded as he could only think. "WHAT?!"

Vegeta's face turned into a mask of fury. He grabbed Babidi by the cape and kneed him in the face. "SAY WHAT AGAIN! I DARE YOU! I DOUBLE DARE YOU, MOTHERFUCKER! SAY WHAT ONE MORE GODDAMNED TIME!"

Babidi whined, clutching his broken snout. "...I don't know what you want me to say…"

Vegeta dropped Babidi to the ground. "DO I LOOK LIKE YOUR BITCH?!"

The wizard was in a haze of pain, he responded almost unconsciously. "WHAT?!"

Without another word, Vegeta blasted Babidi's foot off. The wizard screamed in panic. "DABURA!"

The Demon King came rocketing away from his fight with Piccolo, an axe summoned and ready for Vegeta's neck. Piccolo's hand stretched out and grabbed him across the face, yanking him back into a fight he had no way to fully concentrate on. Vegeta snarled at Babidi again. "DO! I! LOOK! LIKE! YOUR! BITCH?!"

Babidi screamed. "NO!"

Vegeta was seething. "Then why are you talking about the rot in my soul?! What do you know about the rot deep in my soul?! The only person allowed DEEP in my soul is my wife, the third Thursday of every month, because I'm a good husband!"

Babidi couldn't help himself. "WHAT?!"

Vegeta blew off the wizard's other foot without a second thought. Babidi squealed in pain and lay on the ground, sobbing his nasty little heart out. He glared out of the corner of his eye and saw Yakon laying on the ground, his stomach plump. Goku was leaning against the wall watching some video on his phone. Vegeta sighed. "Forgive me for being…erratic. I just find myself unable to hold it in any longer. You see, I have never been as angry with anybody in my life as I am with you right now. And I used to work for Frieza."

The Prince closed his eyes. "And it's not just because you're a threat to the Earth, no. You see…Bardock, your servant, is a close friend. He's someone that I respect. And, if he just decided on his own to start slaughtering humans wholesale…I can't say I'd support it, but it would be his business. However…"

Vegeta's gaze sharpened. "...it's not just humans that you've had him hurt. You, at the tournament, under your spell, Bardock raised his hand in offense toward his wife. Our little collective's Gine. That hurt her. And, and I'm not ashamed to admit this, I love that woman. She's treated me with kindness my past near-40-years had not earned in the least. So, seeing her devastated, almost directly by your hand, it has me…"

The Prince tapped his gloved finger against his chin. "The Earthlings have this silly book of fairy tales that they turn to in times of spiritual strife, when all they can rely upon is blind faith to lead them through disaster. Let me quote a verse from that book, if I may…and please forgive me if I misquote…"

Vegeta pointed his fingertip at Babidi, charging a small ki blast that was soon to find its home in the center of the wretched little bastard's brain. "Ezekiel 25:17. The path of the righteous man is best on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brother. And you will know my name as the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon the!"

The blast fired from Vegeta's fingertip and Babidi cried out in horror. Once more, in reflex, the wizard threw up his hands just as the attack was about to burn a hole in the center of his face and screamed at the top of his lungs. "PAPARAPA!"

In the span of a second, Goku, Yakon, Piccolo, Dabura, Shin, Vegeta, Babidi, Shin's energy sphere, and the cocoon containing Majin Buu all disappeared and the beam that was set to claim the wizard's life instead blasted a small crater into the ground.

Back at Papaya Island…

The final remaining ten of Babidi's once mighty army cowered on the ground, beaten and battered, as their formerly assumed prey loomed over them. A thunderous god, a burning she-devil, and a heartless golem all towered over the brainwashed Zoonians, reminding them that Babidi was only the master of their lives when he was within a closer proximity that the next strongest opponent.

Android 17, Android 18, and Android 16 all stood in place while the other Z-Fighters regrouped behind them. 17, lightning crackling off every inch of his body, squatted down and smiled a benign little smile. "I offer the ten of you a single choice: leave or die."

And then, before a single one of them could respond, all ten of the remaining troops disappeared in a magical flash. 17 blinked twice and then turned to his sister and his best friend. "Hm. I guess they chose to leave…?"

18 sighed and let her Terrablaze form disperse. 16 shrugged and let his Strongarm form fade. 17 stood and did the same for his Turbovolt, marching over to the rest and making sure to give Chi-Chi a wide enough berth that he didn't accidentally lock eyes with her. Bulma smirked and shoved her phone into her purse. "Okay. The newest evil army is well on their way to King Yemma, so let's move on to the next subject. It's time to hunt Dragon Balls~!"

Erasa planted her fists onto her hips. "So, we finally get to learn what those are, huh?"

Bulma nodded in her direction with an adventurous smirk. "Yup! We just have to swing by my place and grab my Dragon Radar. Then we'll head out to find all seven~"

Yamcha interrupted. "Actually, Bulma, it's only gonna be five. While Koriocha and I were training, we found two in the wild. So, me and her were gonna grab Suno and head to Jingle VIllage. Get the Dragon Balls, grab Eighter, and then meet you guys at the Lookout."

Bulma gave a thumbs up. "Rockin'."

Yamcha turned to Sharpner. "Wanna come, man?"

Sharpner beamed. "S-Sure! I'd love to see where my hero lives~"

Bulma reached into her purse and pulled out her Capsule Case, producing a Capsule Plane and summoning it with a *BOOF*. She twirled her finger in the air. "Everyone on board! Time is Dragon Balls! Androids, you've all earned a nice nap. Thank you for your service!"

In spite of the Infinite Energy Engines, the three Androids did in fact look quite exhausted. With a nod, they were the first three on the plane, followed closely behind by 17's family and Marron. As the others loaded onto the plane, Videl and Erasa amongst them, Bulma and Master Roshi waved off to the side. Bulma called out. "Nice to see you again, Vale! Stop by Capsule Corp some time! We'll do lunch~"

Vale popped up and waved his hand in the air. "So long, Miss Bulma! You guys don't be strangers now!"

At the same time, Mr. Satan and Miss Komori both popped up as well. They watched in horror as the Capsule Plane took off in one direction and Yamcha's group took off in another. The ring was deserted. Videl was gone! Mr. Satan popped up and ran into the ring, shouting after the plane that had taken his daughter, his belt, and his dignity all in one fell swoop. "V-Videl! Wait! Come back!"

Hiki ran into the ring after her boss, grabbing him by the shoulders as he sank to his knees and lamented at the top of his voice. "VIDEL!"

Back with Gohan and Bardock…

Bardock leapt to the side as the unconscious Gohan crashed down toward him with a thunderous punch. Cumber's puppet was holding nothing back as he cratered the ground beneath him. Gohan's head hung limp on his shoulders, utterly unnecessary as his body was practically thrown at the retreating Bardock. The older Saiyan could barely graze the ground with his feet before he was forced to flee backward, each blow dodged a potential death blow avoided.

Cumber-as-Gohan continued the assault with Bardock barely avoiding a certain crippling. But even he couldn't be expected to scrape by forever. As he leapt backward once more, Gohan's hand caught Bardock by the foot and slammed him against the ground hard enough to leave a perfect imprint. Bardock coughed hard, a mixture of phlegm and blood erupted into the mask covering his face. In a desperate attempt to avoid drowning on dry land, Bardock tore off the remainder of her mask and wretched into the ground. He had no time to catch his breath, however, as Gohan threw him across the wasteland expanse.

Bardock fell into a roll and quickly regained his feet, jerking his head out of the way just in time to avoid a chop and watching as one of the tails from his bandana went fluttering away. The cloth combusted in midair and was reduced to ash in seconds. Bardock swallowed a lump in his throat. He spoke loudly. "Come on, Cumber! You remember me through Cassava, right?! Back off!"

The two hands seemed to consider that for a moment, turning as if they were looking at each other and then turning back to Bardock .The two of them did a shrugging motion and then they yanked up Gohan's left hand, firing a kiai that blasted off a portion of Bardock's armor and sent him skidding backward.

As Bardock came to a screeching stop, he looked up and Gohan's limp form crashed into him like a sandbag. All four limbs were flying out with wild abandon, like someone playing too roughly with an action figure. Gohan was taking no damage thanks to the aura that had enveloped him, but Bardock could feel things tearing and straining and breaking under the force of every blow. Bardock summoned a ball of energy into his hand and fired it at Gohan. "BRAVE CANNON!"

Gohan's head jerked to the side, smashing into Bardock's attack and sending it flying into the distance. The older Saiyan was gobsmacked. Gohan was still unconscious and undamaged and both of the Cumber hands were shaking, almost as if they were laughing at something clever they had done. Bardock snarled, gritting his teeth. "Goddammit!"

And then, he rushed forward. Bardock had quickly realized the truth, much to his dismay: the only way to turn this back into a winning situation for himself was to wake Gohan up. Without him here, Cumber was free to do what it wanted to. No restraint or concern, just death!

Moving as quickly as he could, Bardock punched Gohan across the face. "Wake up!"

He kicked his grandson in the stomach. "Wake up!"

Gohan ragdolled back, but didn't fall. Bardock performed a spinning tornado kick, catching the boy in the rib. "Gohan, wake up! Now!"

Nothing. Gohan remained resolutely unconscious. Frustrated, Bardock laid into him with a furious flurry of punches and kicks. Bardock dared to be confident for just a moment, but that confidence quickly melted into nothing. Gohan was just hanging in midair, mildly damaged in spite of Cumber's best efforts but still fully unconscious. Cumber waggled all twenty of the fingers it controlled and then started firing ki blasts from each individual digit. Bardock's eyes went wide. "SHIIIIIIIII-"

The hailstorm of ki blasts crashed into him all at once, resulting in a series of explosions that sent Bardock bouncing across the wastes with several unvarnished grunts of pain. He landed with a painful thud and moaned, looking over and seeing part of his mask on the ground. It was half of the visor that had previously covered his eyes. Thinking quickly, the older Saiyan grabbed the shattered piece of mask and slipped it into his pants pocket. "That might work…I just gotta…"

As Bardock pulled his hand from his pocket, he suddenly found both of his wrists seized by malignant, black fingers. He was yanked forward with force, feeling the bones in his wrist strain as Cumber manhandled him. As he was brought closer to Gohan, Bardock reared his head back and delivered the boy a glancing headbutt. "WAKE UP, GOHAN!"

For his efforts, Bardock received a surprise knee to the chest. He looked down and saw the unnatural angle Cumber had bent Gohan into to perform this little feat. He grunted as he continued to whip around through the air. "No inhibitions…"

Bardock was flung high into the air, but had no time to breathe as Gohan was flung right after him, his unconscious foot spearing right into Bardock's back, right into the center of his spine. Bardock cringed and could barely muster a defense as Cumber grabbed ahold of him and slammed him into the ground. Bardock lay flattened and the unconscious Gohan loomed over him, arms dangling. And then, the boy's hands snapped to attention and began to shower Bardock with another barrage of ki blasts. Running out of options, Bardock fanned his hands in front of his face and shouted out. "SOLAR FLARE!"

And then, to the Saiyan's surprise, that actually worked! Gohan's body cringed back, both of Cumber's hands scrambling in confusion. Bardock heard the boy groan. "Ugh…my eyes!"

Sighing with relief, Bardock kicked himself off the ground and quickly flew in reverse. Gohan was awake, now was his chance to enact his strategy. Now was his chance to-

Bardock gasped in shock. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Cumber's hands were rocking Gohan to sleep like a baby, gently stroking the boy's head and lulling him back into his state of unconsciousness. Gohan fell limp once more and Cumber resumed the role of puppeteer. Both ethereal hands splayed at Bardock and, with a pump of their fingers, forced Gohan's body back into Super Saiyan 2. Bardock snarled. "Goddammit!"

Cumber-as-Gohan lunged at Bardock afresh, swinging a knee at the older Saiyan which Bardock quickly punched away. For just a moment, the older Saiyan watched his grandson stir before falling right out again. This was progress! He had roused the boy once and he could do it again!

But then, to Bardock's surprise, Gohan disappeared in a flash of movement. The older Saiyan craned his head upward and saw his ragdoll grandson bent over backward and upside down midair. At first, it looked like Cumber was shaking him. Like Gohan's limbs were flopping about with wild abandon. As he drew closer, however, Bardock saw that this was less a flop and more a targeted fireworks display of punches and kicks. The bulk and the force of this latest display landed on Bardock like a crashing jet-liner and he found himself being pummeled into the ground. Cumber-as-Gohan was beating Bardock to death and there was nothing the Saiyan could do about it but take part. He garbled as he somehow took three punches to the mouth at once. "GOHAN! GOHAN, WAKE UP! GOHAN! GOHAGGGH!"

Staring down an undignified death that even his clairvoyance could not have seen coming, Bardock screamed with fury and let loose the full breadth of his power. The explosion of aura sent the Gohan puppet flying upward into Cumber's waiting hands which immediately grabbed and soothed, encouraging Gohan to stay unconscious and let him handle this.

Cumber's fight buddy had been through enough for one day. The Evil Saiyan would handle this like a real friend.

Bardock shot up like a bloody missile and screamed as he fanned his hands in front of his face. "SOLAR FLARE!"

Reacting quickly, one of Cumber's hands wrapped around Gohan's head and blocked out the offending light. It quickly let go when it felt Gohan struggling to breathe and Bardock tried again. "SOLAR-"

Cumber slapped the Saiyan straight down, cratering the ground with him and watching for movement. Bardock was a crafty bastard, but Cumber had been alive for a lot longer. Bardock shot up again, like a target in a game of Whack-A-Mole, and tried to attack Gohan's body from behind. One of Cumber's hands intercepted and held firm like a brick wall. The other shot in from behind and clapped against Bardock hard, crushing him between two palms like a mosquito. Gohan's eyes began to flutter and the crushing hand quickly zipped back over, stroking him on the top of the head and lulling him back down.

Fight Buddy would not see his grandfather die. Cumber would make sure he was far away from whatever stain was left over.

Bardock flipped over the separating palm and slammed his heel down onto one of Gohan's elbows, popping it out of socket. Gohan cringed, but Cumber quickly went to work by gently resetting the joint with one hand and keeping Gohan slumbering with the other. Once both jobs were done, the hands malevolently turned toward Bardock as he floated there in the air. The older Saiyan snarled. "That's the best you've got?! We're you tickling Cell, dumbass?!"

The hands took offense, shooting their gnarled fingers out like tendrils and lashing at Bardock. The older Saiyan flipped and dived between the offending appendages, occasionally feeling the bite of a whip against his skin for his troubles. The gashes that Cumber left in its hateful wake felt like they were festering, but Bardock couldn't afford to stop. This might be his last chance to win this as damaged as he was.

To Bardock's delight, he noticed that Gohan's body was no longer attack. Cumber was refusing to take any chances. Even as he felt a tendril lash into the flash of his back, a confident grin spread across Bardock's face. He lunged toward his unconscious grandson, hands splayed in front of his face. "WAKE UP, DAMMIT! SOLAR FLA-"

Cumber retracted all of the fingers on his right hand at once and launched forth a punch of such strength that Bardock was sure all of his bones had simply crumbled into dust. He went flying back with a weightless, jelly-like feeling pulsing through his body, flipping head over heel and seeing, to his horror, that Cumber's falling fist was coming closer with every rotation. Like a meteor, it crashed into Bardock and drove him down into the ground. And then it lifted up and smashed down again for good measure.

The fist raised for a third time and began to drop and, running on nothing more than adrenaline, Bardock rolled out of the way of a fatal blow. Cumber was taken aback and Bardock shot into the air, hands fanned in front of his face. His ribs were shattered, his could feel blood oozing into a lung, his legs were buzzing numb. That was bad.

And one of Bardock's eyes had been heavily damaged. He couldn't see anything out of it. That…was good.

Cumber's fist rocketed after him in hot pursuit. It punched Bardock in the back and sent him flying upward at even greater speed. Bardock cringed, but still smirked. He called after the fist in a mocking voice. "IF YOU'RE GETTING TIRED, JUST LET ME KNOW FIGHT BUDDY~!"

Cumber's fist stopped dead for just a moment, as if trying to process whether or not Bardock had really just called it that. Then it gripped itself tight with so much force that the shockwave made mountains crumble and shot into the air. This time, Cumber didn't plan to let up until he had drilled Bardock all the way to the magma below this planet's crust!

The fist slammed down and Bardock smirked. Then, in one last mocking gesture, he cupped his hands and aimed them sideways. "Masenko."

The force of the blast shoved Bardock out of the way and revealed Cumber's unwitting target: Cumber. The raging fist crashed into the hand that was gently holding the unconscious Gohan and both of them crashed into the ground. Tangled up below, neither appendage could do much to save Gohan from freefall. Bardock landed on his nephew's chest and splayed his hands in front of his face. "WAKE UP! SOLAR FLARE!"

The massive flash went off right in Gohan's face and his fluttering, unconscious eyes opened wide. The boy gripped his hands over his face and cried out once more. "MY EYES!"

Bardock met that cry of pain with a "good morning" kick to the sternum. Gohan sputtered and shot down to the ground below, landing atop the tangled Cumber. Bardock nodded and pulled the piece of his mask from his pocket, slapping it over his good eye and briefly flickering his attention in a new direction.

The older Saiyan felt Babidi outside of the ship, alongside Dabura and all of the others. It wouldn't be too long now!

Bardock shouted down as Gohan stood up, Cumber doing his best to help keep the boy steady. "Fight's over, Gohan! I have more important shit to do right now and I need you out of the way!"

Gohan snapped his attention skyward, looking confused and angry. "What?!"

Without warning, Bardock summoned a Power Ball and fired it into the air. "BURST OPEN AND MIX!"

As the Power Ball formed in the air, Bardock turned and immediately began to fly in the direction of Babidi's ki. His mask, containing a special lens that blocked Blutz Waves, prevented the Power Ball from doing anything to him. Meanwhile, he heard the sounds of Gohan growing and growling and roaring with rage. He was willing to bet (and he was right) that none of the Saiyans left behind on Earth had bothered with Oozaru training. Not when they had Super Saiyan.

While Gohan was feral and confused, Bardock would take advantage and head to where the more important action was. They were on the threshold of Majin Buu and he needed to be there!

As he flew, Bardock briefly looked backward at the fresh Oozaru. Deep down, he almost felt bad about doing this to Gohan. Too bad the boy would have impeded the plan. He needed to be removed from the equation. Bardock glared back at his grandson and…he found himself at a loss for words.

Gohan, the Golden Oozaru, was clearly trying to rampage. His mind was utterly lost in a sea of feral rage. In any other time, this plan of Bardock's would have worked out great. But now, floating there and stunned, Bardock watched on as the two hands of Cumber, having grown to match the bulk of their host, took charge.

The Evil Saiyan gripped his Fight Buddy's head with one hand, roughly twisting it and holding it in place, keeping it focused right in Bardock's direction. The other one, as if it were directing traffic, pointed right at the older Saiyan, motioning and continuing to point until, to Bardock's horror, recognition flashed in the Golden Oozaru's eyes.

Gohan's extended snout rolled back into a furious snarl and he roared with primal fury right in Bardock's direction. Bardock, a strong man who had faced oblivion numerous times, felt his bowels trying to let loose into his pants. He had to clench as tightly as he could when Gohan took the first lumbering step toward him.

His plan now officially scuppered, Bardock's first thought was almost automatic as it screamed in his brain. "DESTROY THE FUCKING POWER BALL!"

The older Saiyan screamed with fury and fired a massive ki blast at the offending satellite. But, once again, Cumber found a way to surprise. The Evil Saiyan's free hand, the one not gripping Gohan's head, shot up and slapped Bardock's attack to the ground. And then, it seized the Power Ball in its fist and slammed against Gohan's rippling chest in some kind of perverse salute.

The entire battleground went still for just a moment, and then Golden Oozaru Gohan took one step forward. Then another. Then it was walking. Then it was running! Then it was sprinting!

Bardock turned tail and flew as fast as he could, bobbing and weaving through the air as Oozaru Mouth Cannons and rocks came flying toward him in equal measure. Bardock cried out as he just barely avoided death every other second. "Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Piss! FUCK!"

The older Saiyan looked back again, seeing the rage on Gohan's transformed face and that all too familiar shaking laughter in Cumber's tendril-like hands. Bardock screamed in frustration and pushed himself past his limit, rushing in the direction of Babidi's energy. "GODDAMMIT!"

Several miles away from Bardock's predicament…

In a rush of magic, all of the former inhabitants of Babidi's ship came crashing through the air and sliding across the ground. Free from its pedestal, Majin Buu's cocoon went rolling across the desiccated wastes. All at once, the various warriors tried their best to get bad to their feet. Shin rubbed his head where it smashed against the ground and groaned. But then, he gasped in horror. "THE ENERGY! WHERE DID IT GO?!"

Vegeta pushed himself onto one knee and glared in the direction that Buu's cocoon had rolled. He saw twin trails of purple streaking after the demon's container and, in the distance, he saw a shakily hovering Babidi armed with the Supreme Kai's siphoning sphere. Vegeta didn't hesitate, taking to his feet and giving chase.

Meanwhile, Piccolo and Dabura had regained their senses and were at it once more. The damage the Namekian had done previously had dealt a great detriment to Dabura, but the Demon King was still supremely powerful in the face of his Namekian foe. And without the immediate worry of Buu's cocoon, nor Babidi's cries for help within earshot, he was no longer distracted in the least. Dabura lashed out at Piccolo with a brutal swipe of his claws. The Namekian ducked back and drove his foot into the demon's stomach, sending him flying up into the air. Piccolo leapt after him and followed the kick up with an equally powerful knee. Dabura gurgled and summoned a rapier, swinging it at Piccolo's neck but only catching his cheek. Piccolo sneered. "I don't have time to play swashbuckler with you, fool! Surrender or die!"

Dabura retorted. "Your words suggest a higher station than the defeat I previous acquainted you with, bug!"

The Demon King continued his lethal blade attack, landing about half as many hits as he had against Piccolo before. Dabura snarled and silently cursed his damaged eye. It was the only thing keeping Piccolo from Hell's doorstep at this point. And Piccolo, ever humble, agreed with that unspoken assessment. He knew that Dabura could overpower him, but the Namekian was smart. His new home for this battle was Dabura's blindspot. And he only popped out to say hello when it benefitted his cause.

The tip of the blade grazed Piccolo's throat and he began to retreat backward, planning his next assault. Dabura, catching an opening, rushed forward and thrust his blade all the way through Piccolo's shoulder, leaving the Namekian impaled and his arm dead. The Demon King laughed and summoned a second blade. "CRESCENT MOON BEHEADING!"

The sword, buzzing with Dabura's ki, swung and sliced Piccolo's head clean from his shoulders. Dabura cackled in triumph, unleashing a hellish sea of flames from his throat and burning away Piccolo's body. The Demon turned and glared in the direction of the Namekian's flying head. "I know the regenerative properties of your inferior kind~ Please, reacquaint yourself with a possession of arms and legs while I go and handle a matter~"

Piccolo snarled, focusing all of the energy he could muster on producing a body. Meanwhile, Dabura rushed in the direction of the final two Z-Fighters still recovering from their sudden shift. The Namekian gasped as Dabura pursed his lips and prepared to spit. "GOKU! WATCH OUT!"

Goku lifted his head just in time to see the three gobs flying toward him. Before he could react, however, someone else did. A flash of green rushed between Goku and the spit, absorbing the impact of all three and yowling in panic. Goku glanced over at his savior stumbled, watching in panic as the petrification spread across his skin. Goku cried out. "YAKON!"

Yakon was whimpering as the petrification spread across his body. Already, his arms and legs were frozen in place and he could feel the cold emptiness approaching his neck. He whined out in a terrified voice. "Goku! Help! Make it stop!"

Unfortunately for Yakon, it wasn't Goku who had approached. Dabura landed right in front of the creatures face, close enough that Yakon could smell the brimstone on the demon's breath. Dabura cackled. "Scared, are we?"

Yakon made a noise like a sick dog. "Dabura, please. Make it stop…"

Dabura smiled. "Your wish is my command."

And then, with a flick of his wrist, the Demon King lopped Yakon's head off with a single, lightning-quick flash of the blade. Yakon's head went flipping through the air like a coin. He moaned out his final word, terror watering down his voice. "...Goku."

And then Yakon's head hit the ground and splattered into a puddle. The rest of his body, left behind, petrified into a stone statue and Dabura, wicked monster that he was, plowed through it with a single punch. He regarded Goku with a hateful, amused glare. "I suppose Yakon had to die sometime. But, now that he's gone, it is your turn Saiyan. You do carry that face that I loathe, after all~"

Having regrown his body, the newly clothed Piccolo took his place at Goku's side. He was out of breath and out of energy, but Piccolo refused to be out of this fight quite yet. He glanced down at his comrade. "Goku? Are you…"

Goku stood with a scowl of righteous fury on his face. "Piccolo…"

Piccolo nodded. Goku turned his glare toward Dabura and took on a fighting stance. "Let's send this bastard home!"

The Namekian nodded and, as they had so long ago, the World's Strongest Team rushed toward an overwhelmingly powerful foe. Dabura snarled and roared at the top of his lungs. "COME, FOOLS! FACE YOUR UNMAKER!"

Over with Babidi…

Babidi was frantic as he plunged his hand into the Supreme Kai's siphoning sphere, hurriedly using his magic to reinsert the removed energy back into Majin Buu's cocoon. This process was going to take so much longer without an apparatus like the magical cask. Babidi snarled. "Damn that filthy Kai! When Buu is awake, he'll be the first person that I-"

Suddenly, a familiar shadow was looming over the wizard and Babidi fell dead silent. Slowly, he turned and glared up with a mixture of hatred and fear at the now returned Vegeta. The Prince summoned a ki blast. "Where were we?"

In pure desperation, Babidi thrust his hands toward Vegeta and screamed at the top of his lungs. "PAPARAPA!"

Vegeta cringed, his ki blast dispersing as he felt the hooks of Babidi's magic plunge into his brain. All at once, both Saiyan and imp were seeing some of Vegeta's worst thoughts and most terrible memories: abuse at the hands of Frieza, his former love of a massacre, everything having to do with Cassava. All of those things swirled around in Vegeta's head and Babidi cackled. "Welcome to the fold, Vegeta! I'm sure you'll-"

Vegeta's eyes snapped open and, with a massive burst of ki, he expelled Babidi right out of his head. Babidi gasped. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

The Prince groaned, rubbing his gloved hand over his face. As he pressed his palm to his eyes, bravely attempting to ward off a sudden headache, Vegeta spoke down to the wizard. "I'll be the first to admit the truth…I'm not a great person at heart. And I understand how your magic works from hearing the Kai blather on about it. But…"

Vegeta removed his hand, crouching down and speaking as such a low register that only Babidi could really hear him. "In your search through me just now for misery, did you ever stop to consider that I might just be happy?"

Babidi's jaw dropped. Somewhere inside, he felt that he had a sardonic remark waiting to be spat out…but at the same time, Babidi was helpless and he knew it. Vegeta smirked, enjoying a small chuckle. "I announced it before regarding Gine, but simply naming her was too narrow of a scope. You see, my time on Earth has granted me…"

Vegeta closed his eyes, imagining everyone else standing around him. All of the Z-Fighters from the strongest in Gohan and Kakarot to the weakest in his wife all gathered around him. All of them stood by his side and Vegeta nodded to himself. "...a family. My time on Earth has granted me a family. And I love them. Even fools like Yamcha and Chester or whatever that pale little goblin's name is…"

Babidi snapped. "Oh, gag me! What is this meant to be?!"

Vegeta sighed, a frown creasing his mouth. "I guess it's the lead-in to a question. That question being, idiot, if I'm satisfied in my life and surrounded by people I care for and respect…then what the hell do I need your meager power for?"

Babidi shivered at the sudden edge to Vegeta's voice. Vegeta stood. "And, more importantly, if I'm embarrassing myself in front of you like this…"

The Prince's face became cold. "Then how much longer would you say you have to live?"

Babidi's face went pale and Vegeta charged a blast once more. He sneered. "Die!"

The wizard screamed in panic, rolling over and starting to crawl. But then, right before Vegeta was able to fire his blast, a sudden surprise kick to the back of the head sent him crashing to the ground. The Prince sneered and pushed himself up, glaring at his new attack. "WHO DARES-"

What Vegeta saw made his words catch in his throat and stick there as if bonded with cement. Standing before him was a profile so familiar that he could have spotted it from outer space. With tears running down her cheeks and unexplained blood streaking her knuckles, looming over Vegeta, was Ranch. And branded on Ranch's forehead was a brand new Mark of the Majin. Vegeta's eyes went wide. Ranch snarled. "Wh-Where's my Dad, Vegeta…? I know he was with you…I saw him leave with you…"

Babidi watched this new display with a look of pure delight. In the rush of the last ten minutes, he had forgotten that he had recruited a new servant to help fight back against the damnable fools inhibiting his plan. Babidi was ecstatic. This one girl was so much stronger than Pui Pui or Yakon! And, even better, was the look her sudden appearance had put on Vegeta's face.

The Prince's entire demeanor had collapsed like an unstable building. "Ranch…"

The girl, screaming with fury, let loose her full power. And, with Babidi's help, that power grew into something even more. Her white aura, the beginning aura of a child, quickly shifted to one of sparkling gold and Ranch's hair shot up in spikes. The brand new Super Saiyan glared at Vegeta with hateful eyes and screamed. "BRING ME MY DAD!"

The pain on Vegeta's face was exquisite! Babidi cackled and used his magic to send Buu's cocoon rolling across the wasteland. "Enjoy your bonding time, Vegeta~!"

Back with Goku and Piccolo…

Seeing Babidi rushing away toward Buu's ball once more, the Supreme Kai attempted to give chase. "Stop this at once, Babidi!"

Suddenly, a steadily shrinking cage of flames surrounded Shin and kept him locked in place. Dabura snarled at the Kai. "Oh no you don't, you filthy Glind! Stay put!"

That brief distraction, however, proved to be the starting point for Dabura's undoing. Goku roared toward him, anger exploding out despite a lack of any real ki usage. Dabura stared at the Saiyan in shock, openly fearful of what he quickly realized was a greater power lying in wait. Goku's fist plowed into Dabura's face, making it cave slightly inward and sending him flying backward.

The Saiyan from Earth gave chase, furious at the loss of his new friend, and jetted behind Dabura. Goku laid a heavy kick onto the Demon King's back and then began to pummel him relentlessly. Dabura snarled and made a cross with his fingers, firing a crucifix of molten fire at Goku. "FLAME SACRAMENT!"

Totally indifferent, Goku smashed his way through the attack and elbowed Dabura in the face. He followed that up with an uppercut to the jaw and then a furious kick to the stomach that sent Dabura shredding through the ground. Goku looked to the ground below him, seeing the sword that had slain Yakon lying there. It had been knocked from Dabura's grasp in the brawl. Goku shot to the ground and landed on the blade with his heel, shattering it in half.

It was at this point, to Piccolo's approval and Dabura's dismay, that the other two participants in this fight remembered a crucial detail. Of all the people present on this battlefield, Goku was the only one that had not engaged in a serious fight since the beginning of the day. The orange-clad Saiyan was fresh as he was in a morning that seemed to have been ages ago. And now, even though Piccolo made note that Goku was still not using his ki, he was pissed and hitting Dabura as hard as he could.

The Demon King shakily got to his feet and raised his hand just in time to catch a spear-kick from Goku. "Damned Saiyan! I won't fall so easily!"

Dabura pulled Goku in for a punch to the face, but Goku beat him to the chance and slammed his forehead into Dabura's nose. The Demon King stumbled back and Goku grabbed him by the cape, dragging him off his feet and into the air and then slamming Dabura neck first into his knee. Dabura's eyes went wide and he howled in pain as Goku continued the onslaught. He pummeled Dabura once more and then sent him flying with a mighty punch to the mouth. The Demon King landed in a heap and Goku turned to Piccolo with a nod. Piccolo nodded back and the two of them charged at Dabura with a dual shout.

Dabura sat up bolt straight, summoning three demonic knives and throwing all three at Goku. The Saiyan didn't flinch, simply leaping into the air as Piccolo's arm stretched out and let all three of the blades sink into it. Goku flipped over Piccolo's arm and didn't break stride while Piccolo, retracting his limb, ripped one of his newly acquired blades from it and threw it right back at its original owner. Dabura blasted the knife into ashes, only for Goku to charge through the explosion and crack him in the face with an elbow. Dabura sneered, clearing his throat and spitting less than five feet from Goku's face. The Saiyan nearly met his end via petrification right there, only for a second knife to shoot down and take the hit. The petrified knife shattered against the ground and Piccolo kicked Dabura in the head. The Demon King went flying back and the Namekian turned to his partner. "Stop losing focus, Goku!"

Goku's eyes were still full of rage, but he nodded. Piccolo threw the final knife at Dabura and Goku practically raced it toward the target. The Saiyan from Earth managed to arrive first. Punching Dabura in the stomach and then ducking down just in time for the knife to plant itself into the center of Dabura's chest. The demon coughed up blood and Piccolo rushed in, grabbing the knife and twisting, yanking Dabura off his feet and into a spinning kick to the side of the head from Goku. Dabura went flying and Piccolo ripped his weapon from the demon's flesh.

The two warriors stood there, regrouping for their next assault. Goku adjusted his wrist bands and Piccolo tossed the remaining knife from hand-to-hand. Dabura exploded back to life, demonic runes swirling in the flames around him as his horns steadily grew longer and larger from his head. He unleashed a hellish cackle, sending rings of fire scorching across the ground. The Demon King's eyes glowed bright red and he screamed in the voice of legion. "I'll shatter your souls!"

And there it was. The full depth of Dabura's almighty power. He made the likes of Cell and Bojack look like children.

The Demon King lunged at the two warriors and, in spite of his fury, Goku managed a small smirk. "Looks like there's enough demon to go around, eh Piccolo?"

Piccolo smirked. "Just pull your own weight!"

Both warriors rushed at Dabura, each of them with their own strategy in mind. The two of them zig-zagged in perfect sync, throwing Dabura off as they both launched into their own attacks. Piccolo went for a roundhouse kick to Dabura's knees while Goku winded up for an uppercut. Both attacks went off without a hitch, Dabura getting tripped into Goku's fist and launched high up into the air. The demon was taken aback by the attacks, but he certainly wasn't shaken. He spun in the air, kicked Goku in the side of the head and pressed a burning hand to Piccolo's face.

Goku quickly recovered with a grunt, kicking Dabura beneath the chin. Though his face was scorched, Piccolo didn't let up. He followed Goku's kick with a brutal chop to Dabura's face, breaking the bridge of his nose and sending him flying back. The two warriors immediately gave chase, assaulting Dabura with a barrage of punches and kicks that the demon was struggling to block. The pummeling ended with a stereo knee to the chest that made a mixture of black blood and burning hellfire erupt from Dabura's throat. That was followed up with a double punch to the face that sent Dabura flying back once again. This time, Piccolo didn't give chase. Instead, he fired off a chasing attack. "MASENKO!"

Goku once again raced after the ki bolt. This time however, instead of beating it in a footrace, he slammed his shoulder into it and added extra acceleration. Dabura stood, seeing the super-accelerated ball of ki rushing right at him and held up his hand. There appeared to be, amidst a cloud of ki, a small gray goldfish swimming in Dabura's palm. He roared aloud and shouted for all to hear. "PORTABLE WARP-SAMA!"

Dabura slammed his hand to the ground and the fish suddenly grew to a massive size, opening its mouth wide and swallowing the blast whole. The entire thing exploded in a huge display and the ethereal fish scowled as it disappeared. "DO NOT EVER SUMMON ME FOR THAT AGAIN."

Dabura ignored the warning, running past the disappearing form of the fish and using his telekinesis to grab onto every piece of debris in the area. He threw it all at Goku and Piccolo all at once, the rocks shredding into the two. Goku jerked his head out of the way just in time to avoid a sharp piece of stone, watching as several black hairs went floating into the breeze. Piccolo crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "I only have enough energy for two more big attacks, Goku! And we left the Senzu with Raditz!"

Goku nodded. "Right!"

With a furious yell, Piccolo unleashed a massive Super Explosive Wave, reducing Dabura's projectiles to dust and bottoming out 75% of his remaining ki all in one shot. Goku landed next to Piccolo and turned to check on his ally. Piccolo gasped and pointed. Goku turned back and Dabura was right there, clotheslining both the Saiyan and the Namekian to the ground. But he didn't stop there, Dabura aimed both his palms down at his prone foes and fired off two massive jets of hellfire, catching Goku and Piccolo both alight and eliciting two screams of pain.

On reflex, Goku heaved his leg upward and kicked Dabura in the face once more. The Demon King went flying off to the side and both of his opponents regained their feet. Piccolo snarled. "May I ask why you aren't a Super Saiyan right now? Or, perhaps, why haven't you even thrown a ki blast thus far?!"

Goku responded bluntly. "None-ya!"

Piccolo was exasperated. "Goku, we are fighting for our lives right now."

Goku nodded. "And if I feel they're really in danger, I might change my mind! But no, we've got this Piccolo! I don't need to use energy attacks when I know you've got my back!"

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "God, you're insufferable sometimes. Fine. I'll have your back. But, what's the plan here?"

Goku smiled. "Raditz."

Piccolo flinched. "Raditz?"

Goku nodded. "Raditz."

Piccolo thought for a moment, then he nodded in agreement. "...Raditz."

In that time, Dabura had managed to recover. He shot toward the two of them with a miniature hellfire sun crackling above his head. Dabura made the ball of flames expand to triple the size and threw it with all his strength. Piccolo scoffed and fired off his Eye Beams, aiming first at the ball but then switching his target to Dabura at the last second. Dabura dodged out of the way and then dodged a second time to avoid a surprise diving kick from Goku. Rushing in, Piccolo went for a drop kick of his own, but was immediately blocked. Dabura struck out, ramming his fist into Piccolo's jaw and sending the Namekian flying back.

Piccolo did go flying, but quickly stretched his arm and grabbed Dabura by the wrist. As quickly as he could, Piccolo reeled himself in. At the same time, Goku came flying in from the back. The two of them spear-kicked Dabura at the same time, in his back and in his stomach, then they sent him crashing to the ground with dual punches to the back of the head.

Dabura landed hard on his feet, making the ground shatter beneath him. He looked up and saw Goku and Piccolo rushing at him. With a hateful roar, Dabura sent out an overwhelming shockwave of flame to repel the two. And then he unleashed a furious storm of Cape Slashes toward them both. Goku managed to dodge all of his attacks, but Piccolo was not so lucky. One of the Namekian's arms was cleaved off and, though he quickly regenerated it, Piccolo realized that this would be the last time he'd be able to do that. His energy reserves were flagging very badly. Piccolo shouted. "Now or never, Goku! Now or never!"

Goku nodded, landing in front of Piccolo and charging forward. "I've got this, you take a break."

The Saiyan rushed at Dabura and the Demon King snarled. "Come then! Come and die! THE DEMON KING WILL NOT FALL!"

Dabura launched a punch right at Goku's head, but gasped in shock as the afterimage rapidly faded away. "WHAT?!"

The Saiyan reappeared in the air, clotheslining Dabura off of his feet with a spinning kick to the throat. As Dabura fell, Goku helped him reach the ground faster with a furious punch to the chest. Dabura bounced and Goku sent him flying into a nearby mountain with a punch. The rubble buried the Demon King for but a moment before he screamed with fury and blasted it all away. He glowered at Goku, his claws wringing the air. "I'll skin you alive!"

On the other side of the battlefield, Goku had taken a four-pointed stance. Paraphrasing his battle partner, the Saiyan from Earth shouted at Dabura. "This is really gonna hurt!"

And then, Goku went charging with a super burst of speed. Dabura summoned an axe and tried to counter by swinging it at Goku's head. The Saiyan ducked down out of the way and responded with a savage elbow to Dabura's jaw. The Demon King's eye bugged out and Goku laid into him with a brutal barrage of kicks and punches, at certain points striking Dabura with all four limbs simultaneously. Dabura was stunned and Goku finished this latest instance of the Meteor Combination with a massive punch to the stomach that sent Dabura flying into the air. Goku pressed his fingers to his forehead and used Instant Transmission to appear just above Dabura. He twisted his hands like he was about to fire a Kamehameha, but instead thrust both of his palms into Dabura's back and sent him shooting back toward the ground.

Twisting in the air, the Demon King sneered at Goku with a hateful grin. "FOOL! DO YOU THINK THAT MEAGER ATTACK IS ENOUGH TO FINISH ME OFF?!"

Goku smirked right back. "Nope~! See ya in the afterlife, Dabura~!"

Dabura flinched. "What?!"

He turned once again as he rained down from the sky, feeling a presence behind him. And then Dabura realized that his defeat was well and truly at hand. For, as the Demon King turned, what did he find reflected in his eyes but a Special Beam Cannon drilling its way right toward his abdomen. Dabura couldn't help but chuckle. "Well played~"

And then the Special Beam Cannon drilled right through him, impaling the Demon King and shooting off into the far reaches of space. Dabura doubled over, almost positive that he could see daylight shining through his chest, and then he hit the ground with a wet thud. His boiling, demonic blood splattered out for dozens of feet around and left scorch marks that no magic would ever be able to repair on the Earth's crust. Dabura gurgled, something bubbling in his throat. And then, with one final sputtering cough, the Demon King's eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Goku landed on both feet. Piccolo's arm fell to his side and he groaned with exhaustion. The two warriors looked at one another for a moment and then, raising a hand up, Goku smiled. Piccolo rolled his eyes and smirked back, and then the two warriors exchanged a congratulatory high five.

Soon enough, another set of footsteps approached and Goku and Piccolo turned to face the Supreme Kai. Shin regarded the splayed out form of Dabura and then nodded to the two victorious warriors. "Let's end this, gentlemen!"

Back with Babidi…

Babidi was focusing on the task at hand, using all of his concentration to flood the stolen energy back into Buu's cocoon. He had no meter to tell him how close he was, but was proud to see that the siphoning sphere the Supreme Kai had made was more than halfway empty. Babidi tittered. "It won't be long now! And then they'll pay! They'll all-"

A ki blast shot out of nowhere and hit Babidi dead center in the back, blasting him into two pieces. The wizard's damaged legs and right arm went flying in one direction while his head, chest, and left arm splattered in the other. The wizard groaned in pain. "Wh-What could it possibly be now…?"

Shakily, Babidi sat up and glared toward his attacker, gasping in astonishment at the sight of Vegeta looming over him once more. The wizard's eyes tracked down and he found yet another surprising sight. His new soldier, whatever her name was, was danging by her tail from Vegeta's gripped fist. The girl had been beaten bloody and unconscious. Vegeta's entire body was shaking with rage and indignance. Babidi stammered ."Y-You…you heartless…"

Vegeta dropped Ranch like a rucksack onto the ground and stalked forward. "Do you think I don't have it in me to beat a child in a fight?"

The Prince cracked his neck, the angle of the sun casting his face in shadow from Babidi's place on the ground. Vegeta's cold, black eyes glowered down at the enfeebled warlock and he spoke in a voice so chilled it could have frozen a puddle of water. "I was going to kill you right away, blow your head off and call it a day. But now…after that…"

Babidi shuddered at the sudden turn on Vegeta's face. "...now you suffer."

Vegeta raised his hand with nothing but malice and ill-intent. And then, Bardock landed in a frantic rush and turned to shout at the Prince. "VEGETA! MOVE!"

The Prince flinched. "Wha-"

A shadow briefly overtook Vegeta and then Gohan's massive foot crashed down right on top of him. The ground shattered as the full weight of the Golden Oozaru landed and started to roar with fury. Gohan lifted the same foot again in his primal mania and stomped down in the exact same spot. And then he did it four more times for good measure before coming to the realization that it was not Bardock he was stomping on.

Furious that he did not collect his desired kill, the Golden Oozaru's power flared out and the resulting shockwave sent Babidi, Ranch, and Buu's cocoon all flying off into the distance. Bardock growled in frustration, leaping up and fanning his hands over his face for the final time. "ONCE MORE WITH FEELING! SOLAR FLARE!"

As he had been before, Gohan found himself infuriated and blind. Both of Cumber's hands shot toward Bardock, trying to clap him in place. The older Saiyan weaved out of the way and summoned a Destructo-Disc. "That's enough!"

The disc went flying from Bardock's hand and zipped right toward its target, slicing through Gohan's tail and making the Golden Oozaru roar in pain for the final time. Rapidly, Gohan began to shrink and Bardock was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as Cumber faded away along with it. On the ground, Bardock saw his younger son, Piccolo, and the Supreme Kai rapidly approaching and shook his head. "I'll deal with them later…"

He spied Dabura's carcass laying on the ground in the distance and he spat. "Good riddance."

Bardock turned and spied Babidi and Buu's cocoon both laying in a heap next to a massive boulder. "Time to end this farce!"

The older Saiyan zipped through the air and landed right next to Babidi. The wizard, though critically wounded, cackled at the sight of his loyal subordinate. "Bardock! So good to see you! What's going on?"

Bardock took one last survey of what was happening around him. He spotted the crumpled form of some brat he didn't know and quickly disregarded her. In the distance, he felt the final ten Zoonians on the planet rushing toward the scene. Bardock was blunt. "Dabura's probably dead. What's left of Pui Pui's men are heading this way. Buu's ball is right here."

Babidi scowled. "Forget everything else! We must hurry, Bardock. Carry me to Buu's cocoon! I'll insert the last of the energy and then use the spell! We'll watch as Majin Buu lays waste to this planet!"

Bardock just stood there, deep in thought. Babidi snapped. "Hurry up, Bardock! Now!"

The older Saiyan sighed. "Don't be so frantic, Babidi."

The wizard flinched as the sudden change in Bardock's normally deferential tone. He sneered and narrowed his bulbous eyes. "What are you-"

But then, three things happened all at once. A massive, metal claw crashed down from the sky and clamped around Buu's cocoon like a prize-catcher machine. Bardock, at the same time, leapt onto the cable and wrapped his arm around it to keep steady. He and Babidi looked up simultaneously and Bardock gave a rousing thumbs up to the Planet Cruiser hovering high up in the air.

As the claw began to lift, taking Buu's prison with it, Bardock yanked his tattered bandana from his forehead and used it to mop blood from the side of his face, revealing a forehead totally free of any sort of marking. With a hateful sneer, Bardock spat down at Babidi. "You'd better hope you die before I ever see you again!"

As the cable continued to rise into the sky, Goku, Piccolo, Shin, and Babidi all watched in total shock and confusion. Gohan, slumped over his teacher's shoulder, groaned as he came back to. Bardock was rapidly becoming smaller as he rose up toward the bizarre ship in the sky, leaving everyone below with the same question: what the hell just happened?