PART TWENTY ONE: THE HOPE FOR A WHOLE UNIVERSE

Chapter 103

Translated by npberryhill

Vegetto still hadn’t returned—it’d been twenty minutes already, and there was no sign of him. Universe 16 was beginning to grow impatient, wondering ‘what if he never came back?’ Could there actually be something strong enough to contain the power of the invincible Vegetto? Or, even more unlikely, defeat him? As time passed, the ideas and fears continued to germinate in the minds of universe 16’s protagonists.

Bra, visibly the most anxious, could be seen stomping the ground, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her stern look was enough to turn away any who might’ve approached her. Buu of universe 4 seemed possibly even more focused. But to either of them, approaching XXI was out of the question. Was waiting it out really the only available option? If she only knew where her dad was, she’d just go and drag him back herself!

But for the moment, she’d have to listen to the sickening words of Gohan and Piccolo... “Patience, just wait a little bit,” they instructed, only succeeding in making her even more furious.

In the space of Universe 18, the mood was a little more upbeat however—possibly just uninteresting.

“Hey, kids, are you ready for your fight?” Goku asked, turning to his son Goten.

“Huh? Is it us already? Crap! Trunks is off hitting on girls in the audience again!” he said, panicked.

“Hurry, then, go and look for him before they announce your fight, idiot!” Piccolo yelled. He seemed to still be a little frustrated with the revelation his old friend and rival Goku had made about Arale.

In the stands, Trunks was putting the moves on a cute humanoid blonde. Her features were very similar to most humans, only she had hollow ears and two antennae with eyes on the tips—allowing 360 degree vision. Additionally, she seemed to have not only an ample sized bosom, but a sum total of three breasts rather than two. Trunks seemed quite pleased with himself, as she was practically melting on the spot before him.

“Yeah, that’s me who’s been out there fighting,” he grinned smugly.

“Oh yeah, I loved your fight!” she squealed. “You looked so big and strong out there with your sword!”

Trunks’ smile suddenly tripped to the ground. A sword? Yeah, he definitely had not held a sword many times in his life... Clarifying her misunderstanding, the youth lowered his head.

“Uh...no, that’s one of the other ones.”

“Really?” the young female commented timidly, seeming disappointed. “Then how dare you lie to me?!” she screamed, her hair turning a spicy red, her teeth lengthening into sharp shears, and deadly blades growing out the sides of her arms. “You’re disgusting!”

Goten, who’d finally spotted his friend, came running quickly. Grabbing the other half-Saiyan by the arm, he hurriedly drug him away from the angry and disillusioned woman. They only had a very small window left in which they could fuse, and any second they’d be called to the ring...

Up in the control tower, the Vargas were performing their final checks. “Everything seems back to normal with the ring now... it’s functioning fully within proper parameters. We’re good to go.”

Receiving the nod of approval from one of the Nameks, the facilitating Varga switched his microphone back on. “And now, Gotenks of Universe 18 against Nekomajin of Universe 2!”

As Nekomajin slowly flew to the ring, Goten and Trunks, hiding in a nearby hallway, peered from side to side... “It’s all clear. No one in sight!”

“Fuu—sion! Haaa!”

There was a sudden flash of light as the two Saiyans became one. The figure instantly disappeared and landed heavily on the ring.

“Ta-ta-ta-da!” Gotenks whistled, shooting chunks of busted ring into the air at lightspeed. “Oooh, it’s Super Gotenks!” he said to himself, acting out the role of an adoring spectator. “Look at how the ring itself crumbles under your feet!” he continued, leaning forward with hands clasped, stars in his eyes. And literally, there were actual stars in his eyes!

Through excessive and persistent abuse of super speed, there actually appeared to be two Gotenks: one with black and purple hair, and the other golden haired. The one who was a Super Saiyan raised his right into the air with the victory symbol, very confident in his supposed swagger.

“Hahaha, that’s because...” he pointed a thumb at himself, taking another exaggerated posture, “...even a 100G ring is too weak for the great Gotenks!”

Both Gohans, of u16 and u18, were quick to comment. “But, there’s no correlation between physical strength and gravity...”

“He means his big stupid head is too heavy for the ring!” Bra growled through gritted teeth. Instantly, she turned to the Goten and Trunks of her universe, her voice menacing. “Now do you see how dumb you two act when you’re fused!?”

Goten leaned back defensively, putting his hands up. Behind him, Trunks did much the same, curling back timidly. “Eh...I think he’s pretty cool actually,” the son of Vegeta dared to say. He turned his eyes back to the ring towards Gotenks. The fused fighter held both fists high in the air, facing the vastness of space with a bold grin.

‘Ha ha ha! Such showmanship! Naturally though, as I trained by watching DVD’s of Mr. Satan!’ he thought proudly, continuing his show for the audience.

“Ew, no. The only thing he’s good at when he’s like this is literally fucking shame itself!” a voice familiar to Bra cried out. It was her counterpart of universe 18 (whom she hadn’t really gotten to know yet).

“Oh, it’s you...what are you doing here?” Bra asked.

“Ugh, I just had to find somewhere to let my frustrations out about Gotenks,” she said innocently. “Back in our area, Goku makes excuses for him all the time. Needless to say, those of us with any decency are equally annoyed and embarrassed by his actions.”

“You can say that again,” Vegeta of universe 18 said, having arrived a moment behind his daughter. “Is this the place we meet to mock that juvenile circus-act of a warrior?”

“No, but I’m thinking of starting a group!” Bra of universe 16 cried in exasperation.

“Ah, so each of you are also tired of Gotenks?” Buu of universe 4 suddenly intervened, having suddenly decided to visit the area of universe 16.

“You!?...What kind of madness is this?” Bra huffed. “You’re not welcome here!”

In the area of universe 18, there was only Piccolo and Gohan left to make jabs at Gotenks. Goku, of course, was the sole fighter that found Gotenks to be a nice and pleasant warrior—until someone joined him finally.

“Is this where I heard people cheering on Gotenks? I love that kid!!” the person said, someone Gohan recognized. It was none other than Akira Toriyama.

Up in the ring, Gotenks continued his egotistical displays. In his head, he could hear the spectators cheering, chanting his name—or so he thought. For all the commotion, the vast majority of comments were actually yelling at him to hurry and start the match already.

Finally, he lowered his arms and turned towards his foe, being sure to maintain his most serious demeanor possible. Immediately, his countenance fell. His adversary, apparently a cat, lay before him sleeping on the ground, curled up in a ball with his tail around him. He was even snoring, or rather purring.

“HEY!!” he yelled. “The fight has started!” Gotenks hated being ignored more than almost anything else. Of course, he could have used the opportunity to attack—definitely to gain an advantage if not win straight out. But he was upset that his foe cared nothing for making a dramatic entrance, and he at least wanted to start things on an even playing field.

The cat got up, did some stretching and yawning, then turned to Gotenks. “You were so boring that I started to meditate.”

“You weren’t meditating at all!” shouted the merged warrior. This time, he cared less about being fair. “Suffer my wrath!” he said, striking Nekomajin with an uppercut that launched him high into the sky.

Far above the ring, Gotenks reappeared to strike the cat again, who hadn’t regained consciousness. With another huge blow, the cat was sent crashing down into the ring with incredible force.

Gotenks dropped back to the ring, landing in a smoking crater with a grin.

“Hmm, you’re very strong,” a voice said from behind him. He turned, shocked to see Nekomajin getting up without any difficulty, or even any visible damage.

“I know how to win, though! I’ll use the fusion too!” the creature said, pointing a thumb at himself as he smiled.

“Huh?” Gotenks raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t aware there were others here that knew the fusion technique. In fact, besides Piccolo, some other Nameks, the other Goten and Trunks, and Vegetto—who he’d only heard about but hadn’t seen until yesterday—he knew of no one else. And plus, who was this Nekomajin going to fuse with anyway? He was already beginning the metamaresian poses...but was all alone in the ring.

“But...who are you planning to fuse with? A fly?” he asked suspiciously.

Just then Neko released the unmistakable sound of a large gaseous expulsion. POOT!

‘Did he just fart? My word!’

“—Haaaah!” the cat cried, finishing the dance. Gotenks had been fooled! If he’d had the mind to prevent the fusion from occurring, his opportunity had been squandered by the sole distracting fart. He’d been having such a weird time, and to top it off the completed merger now appeared before him.

“What in the world is that?”

Nekomajin had lost the entire right half of his body. He stood on one leg, his left fist clenched. Lightning surrounded his body, a strong aura enshrouding him. And yet, it was if his body was cut clean in half vertically...impossible!

“Ha ha ha! Now I’m half much more powerful!” Nekomajin said with half a smile...

He looked half more confident, and was clearly half more certain to win now. He was also half more concentrated than before. And then he attacked.

Surprised, Gotenks took the first punch straight to his face, but the assault stopped there. Nekomajin continued as if to strike with his right fist...only he no longer had one! So he stupidly turned himself into a wide open position in front of his foe.

Gotenks stepped back, gritting his teeth and looking ready as Nekomajin landed back on the ring with his only apparent foot—though he did waver, appearing unbalanced. The truly fused warrior then attacked, his foot slicing through the air and catching the cat in a flank. The half-feline was catapulted to the side, quickly chased by Gotenks who overtook him. But when the fused Saiyan attempted a knee, Nekomajin vanished...

...he reappeared behind Gotenk’s back, striking him in the head and knocking him face first into the ring. He got up immediately, but already Nekomajin was on him again. Instantly, the two became engaged in fast melee combat—and despite the loss of half his body, Nekomajin actually seemed to have the advantage.

‘Damn! Who is this guy?’ Gotenks wondered.

The two warriors halted, parting to spread a few meters apart. Gotenks resumed a defensive stance as Nekomajin seemed to be whispering in preparation for something. He was half ready when he said:

“You’ll taste my...”

He paused, Gotenks bracing himself in expectation, yet nothing happened.

“Oh no! I’m right handed! I can’t use my Nekohameha like this!”

‘It’s...insanity...’ Gotenks thought idly.

“Well, so much for the fusion...” Neko said, the merger suddenly dissipating as if by his will. His entire body reappeared, including his all-important right hand.

“All that for nothing?” Gotenks yelled angrily. So far this fight had been nothing but an absurd and disgusting spectacle! “Alright, it’s my turn now!”

He had seen enough. Before he was caught by yet another surprise, he was going to go on the offensive. Slightly annoyed, he reached behind his belt and grabbed a capsule. Quickly activating it, though he didn’t throw it, there came a tiny cloud of smoke—which was small enough to dissipate in his hand. As it cleared it revealed a small black cylindrical object with a chain necklace attached.

Nekomajin was instantly curious. “What is it...a key chain?”

“Correct! But not just an ordinary keychain!”

Lowering his arms, the blue cat inquired further. “But...why did you put it in a capsule when it is still smaller than a capsule?”

“Shut up, okay! That’s just for show, for a big entrance! You’re screwed, Nekomajin!” he said, pointing one of the items on the keychain towards his foe, just a few meters in front of him. Then, with a small click, Gotenks turned on the device, and created a red dot on the ground just eighteen inches in front of Nekomajin’s feet. The cat stared at the little round circle, which up until now hadn’t moved.

“It’s a laser? So what?” he said.

Gotenks grinned, then suddenly waved his arm a little. Nekomajin’s eyes, glued to the red dot, followed the trail of the laser light wherever it went. The fused Saiyan continued his movements, noticing the cat never once took his eyes off of the red dot. The spirit of the feline was indeed quite captured in a trance-like state. Had his opponent figured out his weakness? Or was it merely a coincidence? Regardless, he mentally resisted, trying his hardest not to give into his animalistic instincts!

‘I...will not yield!’ he thought, encouraging his inner self. But, it was in vain as he finally cracked!

Meowing loudly, he jumped onto the dot, claws extended...in vain of course. The laser pointer continued to move, even as the cat continued his attempts to catch it. Again and again this scenario played out, for several whole minutes, until the feline appeared to be out of breath.

‘Finally! My arm was getting tired!’ Gotenks thought.

“That’s it! It’s nearly done! And now for the grand finale...”

He inhaled deeply then blew out several times, leaving clumps of white vapor hovering in the air before him. Each one warped and molded its body into the form of a miniature Gotenks.

“Super Chibi Ghost Kamikaze Deadly Attack!”

The little ghosts had no legs, but each bore the head and arms of Gotenks. There were six in total, each one making faces at Nekomajin, who was still trying to catch his breath.

“So what?”

Gotenks grinned slyly. He’d just had an exceptional idea!

“Attack!” he ordered, sending one of his ghosts to dash past the cat, skimming low to the surface of the ring. It rushed past Neko, who stood there watching, hands on his hips. But the ghost continued running past him, uttering taunts and little shrieks over and over again. Each time, the spirit of Nekomajin became more confused.

Once more, it seemed his opponent knew precisely what his weakness was. Or was it another coincidence? He couldn’t be sure, nevertheless he was still trying his hardest to resist his instincts. It took all his concentration not to give in...he would not, not again!

“The same technique will not work twice!” he said, sweating profusely. “Definitely not! The same technique will not...work...same techni...not...”

It was too much. Meowing loudly again, he sprung onto the ghost with his claws—who intentionally allowed himself to be caught. Neko’s bite was powerful, and the ghost appeared to be badly wounded until...it exploded.

“Yeah!” Gotenks said, posing with the victory sign. He then pointed towards his foe again. “Finish him!” he instructed his other ghosts. They immediately swooped towards Neko, each one adding to the explosion. Over it all, a distinct meowing of pain could be heard. Gotenks laughed heartily, sure of his victory. “I win!”

Suddenly, he felt two hands, one on each of his shoulders...

“Well done, buddy!” said the one on his right.

“Yeah, you’re the man!” the other on his left said.

Gotenks looked incredibly surprised, his eyes going from side to side. The voices had come not from his own ghosts, but from Nekomajin’s, perfect white and spectral duplicates of the technique.

“Uh...but you’re...”

“We’re the Super Suicidal God of the Wind Magical Cat Ghosts!”

“Uh, and do you explode?” Gotenks dared to ask.

“Oops! We forgot!” one of them exclaimed. Immediately, a huge explosion pulverized the ring and dazed three quarters of the audience.

His half sister, unable to hold back her anger at his complete lack of logic, as well as the simplicity of the attacks that had gotten the better of him, turned to Goten and Trunks.

“You stupid losers!” Bra yelled, kicking them both in the butt simultaneously.

“But that’s not even us!” Goten pleaded, trying to defend himself.

“It’s your damn identical not-even-evil double from another universe!”

“To me,” said universe 18 Bra—who clearly approved of her counterparts actions, “you’re exactly the same.”

‘And to think, that’s actually my son...this is so beneath me,’ Vegeta thought.

‘I absorbed him just for the power, it was only for the power...’ Buu thought to himself. ‘Raaah! It was such a risky foolish move! I was incredibly fortunate I absorbed Piccolo as well...’

Up in the ring, Gotenks now appeared to be in quite bad shape. The upper half of his body had been planted facedown in the ring like a vegetable with only his legs sticking up.

“Ha ha ha! This is the end for you!” Nekomajin said, who appeared completely blemish-free, in spite of all the explosions he’d been hit by earlier.

Below in the area of universe 2, a young boy with long hair and a wild look was bartering and taking bets with the other members of his group. As he did so, the Vargas began their countdown over the loudspeaker.

“Ten thousand on Nekomajin!” Senbei Norimaki said, holding his cash in the air.

“I’ll put twenty thousand against Gotenks!”

“Five thousand on Nekomajin for me!”

Thus, everyone was counting on the feline’s victory, which seemed now a sure thing.

“Alright, has everyone bet now?” asked a voice from the ring, that belonging to Neko himself.

“Yeah!” the child whispered, avidly eyeing the loot he held in his tiny hands. Behind him, there was a moment’s hesitation from the betters. What were these two trying to pull? There were only ten seconds left before Nekomajin’s victory. And even if Gotenks got up before the countdown finished, he’d be beaten for sure—it was obvious!

“Then...I give up,” the blue cat suddenly declared.

“That’s a total scam!” the disillusioned betters cried, even as Nekomajin quickly returned to his area.

“Victory of Gotenks, from universe 18!” the moderating Varga declared into the microphone.

Gotenks got up painfully, covered with wounds, no longer even a Super Saiyan. He forced a smile and held up his hand in the victory symbol one last time.

“I’m invincible!”

“Idiot!” Bra screamed at him, both Bras in fact. “This isn’t a victory, you weren’t even going to last another minute, let alone be able to call yourself invincible! Asshole!”

Gotenks seemed surprised by the comment. Plus, for the first time, he seemed to really understand the truth behind the words.

Over in the area of universe 2, some of the betters were threatening to give the boy who’d robbed them a spanking if he didn’t give back the rigged bet money. There was Ayla, accompanied by Chrono, and also Magus, Lucca, and Robo. Ayla, the powerful chief, brandished her club as she stomped towards the cunning feline, planning to smash in Nekomajin’s skull.

Senbei Norimaki, the great inventor, wasn’t happy either. And in order to get his money, he’d planned a simple solution—to use his stopwatch. This unique object, which he’d made himself, allowed him to stop time upon its activation! With it, he only needed approach the boy and grab his money, then return to a hiding spot and resume normal time.

The thieving child smirked at him, but the doctor chuckled to himself, seeing how the child gravely underestimated him. Senbei quickly activated the watch, next reaching out to the pocket of the child. But strangely, it didn’t work according to plan, and the boy suddenly appeared behind him at the same moment. The next, he felt his own hand touching something soft—something that belonged to the beautiful and wild Ayla. He shivered with paralyzing fear as she turned his gaze to him, although he was somewhat torn between the sensation of fear and pleasure.

For a brief moment, no one moved, as none of them seemed fully aware of what had transpired. Then, just as a drop of sweat rolled down his temple, Ayla screamed and whacked him with her club. The young rascal chuckled, as he’d known about the watch all along! In fact, he’d stolen it as well and replaced it with a fake!

Once the boy had given Nekomajin his share of the winnings, he returned to the frustrated Senbei, who was massaging his throbbing head. The blonde girl who had bet twenty thousand then approached them.

“You know, it’s dishonest what you did. You shouldn’t make money that way, didn’t your parents teach you not to do things like that?”

“I don’t have any,” the kid replied.

“Aww! I’m sorry, dearie...this poor kid’s been abandoned, or his parents died...”

“Oh, it’s not that,” the thief clarified. “The author just never gave me any.”

“Huh?” Marle shrieked. “Okay, I’m officially over this nonsense! Give me that, before I smack you!”

“You will not hit a child!” Lucca interrupted.

“Fine then, we’ll hit him together!” she replied. “I’m sure I’m not the only one here who wants to!”

“Hey, it’s evil to hit a child, you little devil! Do you go around daring fairies, or are you a good boy?”

“What manipulation!” sighed a giant frog, a formerly silent member of the group.

“Ha ha ha!” Beelzebub replied. “I’m the devil here, but ya’ll are the ones who were dumb enough to get fooled into this bet! You have my congratulations, both of you!”

Jaco the Galactic Patrolman appeared from out of nowhere. “Well, since we all lost, maybe we should just go home?”

“Yeah,” Beelzebub immediately agreed. “They take themselves way too seriously here!”

“Excellent idea!” Toriyama sensei said. “That will make fewer characters to draw, and less dialogue to manage!”

A blue haired warrior whispered over to Shu, the child who had the ability to create a blue dragon out of his shadow. “Hey, you know that boy...Jaco...I don’t think he was with us at the beginning of the tournament.”

“Yeah...it’s like he suddenly appeared, but it doesn’t seem to be bothering anyone!”

“Right, it’s as if he didn’t exist before; so weird. Oh well, guess he's one of us now.”

“Agreed,” Magus said. “Speaking of, there are others, both the warrior and child, even this galactic patrol. I looked through the audience earlier, but they didn’t come from there either.”

“Who?” asked half a dozen people.

“Uh, the sister and the mother,” Robo clarified, still under the effects of drinking Arale’s bottle. Magus nodded. Beside, him, Chrono seemed to wear a sad face. Luca, his best friend, comforted him.

“I’m sure it's nothing to worry about. The Vargas will take them home later, where ever that is; let’s go with the others.”

Two minutes later, one of Senbei’s few useful inventions, the Time Slipper (an alarm clock to wake up kids), raised a finger and began speaking. “Okay, is everyone here? Anyone absent please raise your hand!”

As he didn’t see any raised hands, the device started the transporting procedure. All the beings within the area of universe 2 found themselves standing suddenly on a type of magic carpet. Instantly, they seemed to be traveling down a spinning black and white tunnel, headed home. Yet it was not all of them. A final member of their group had been accidentally forgotten...

“Hello! Teehee!” Mary Sue smiled. “I overslept this morning!” she said gracefully, having just come out of the corridor to universe 2’s apartments. “Huh? Where is everyone?” There was nothing and no one in her area, even the Varga responsible for watching over them had retired to take an aspirin. Besides, there hadn’t been much attention paid to their group to begin with. Everyone already had their sights set on the ring, which was being repaired for the next match.

Gotenks had quickly tucked into his own apartment, not stopping to linger with friends or family for congratulations. Finally, for the most part...he was alone in the middle of a silent room. Yet he thought silently, both fists tightly clenched. At last, the fusion dissolved and the two young men reappeared with heads bowed. Both thought in unison together.

Those who used the Metamoran technique, who together could become such an extraordinary warrior, were in reality the biggest losers of all! Their opponent had been better. Worse, he had taunted the incredible Gotenks, despite having lost half his strength. He’d survived their most powerful attack with no problem, an attack so devastating that it had hurt Majin Buu himself nearly twenty years before—at a time when they were so much weaker than today!

If Nekomajin hadn’t forfeited in order to win the bet money, the tournament would’ve been over for them! Gotenks had suffered the insults of Bra and Vegeta both, as well as critiques from Piccolo and even Gohan. In spite of the words of encouragement from Goku, though they were sincere, his morale simply couldn’t be boosted. Gotenks had passed the second round without a remaining shred of dignity. Moreover, his next opponent would most likely be Buu of universe 4. If they hadn’t been able to defeat him all those years ago, what chance did they have now that he was immeasurably stronger?

How could they possibly defeat Buu, when they should’ve lost to some unknown and frankly unintimidating feline? Even with his two strategies, which had worked to perfection, he hadn’t beaten his opponent. And against Buu, he had absolutely no idea of any possible strategies. It seemed like nothing could even touch him! Well, nothing but Vegetto...

“Vegetto!” they both said at the same instant, looking at one another. “Didn’t he invent a technique specifically engineered to destroy Buu?” Trunks said, with Goten nodding.

“So, we ask him for help!” Goten finished the thought. “It’s our one and only hope to defeat Majin Buu!”