PART TWENTY-FIVE: FACING THE ADVERSARY THAT MADE YOU WHO YOU ARE

Chapter 123

Translated by npberryhill

Uub sat on the ground, amazed that he’d somehow won and trying to grasp the magnitude of his victory. He’d managed to defeat a Majin Buu much stronger than the one he had trained against back home, even if his victory was unorthodox. The lad was still panting heavily, out of breath from his match, unable to even get up without great difficulty. Merely keeping Buu contained for thirty seconds, which required his maximum Kaioken, had forced him beyond his limits and completely emptied his reserves. Majin Buu, meanwhile, seemed completely unphased, merely scratching his cheek with a puzzled look. Uub tensed, fearing a potential tantrum by the tiny pink being.

“You say Buu lose?... It’s okay. It was really fun, and being a watermelon is fun! Buu have fun fighting with you, you strong! Can we fight again one day?”

“Thanks,” Uub replied with a smile, still trembling. “You’re pretty extraordinary! You know, back in my universe, we fight all the time — you’re my training partner, and I can never seem to get the better of you! I hope one day I’ll become strong enough to challenge you when you’re at your best!”

“Ooh, yes yes!” the djinn exclaimed, clapping his hands. “And we can change one another into sweets and try to eat each other up!! Yes!”

The young man chuckled awkwardly, imagining what that fight might entail. However, the spirit of camaraderie between the two wasn’t shared by those over in the universe 11 balcony. East Kaioshin had released Babidi, though he was still visibly mad — while both South Kaioshin and Dabura gazed on silently but threateningly.

“It’s over, Babidi,” East Kaioshin stated, glaring at the wizard. “Both Dabra and Majin Buu have lost, you should leave the arena now. If you insist on remaining as spectators, so be it — but we’ll have our eyes on you, do I make myself clear!?”

Babidi growled, fists clenched as he shook with rage. “For the moment, I have no choice. But don’t you forget who you’re dealing with, you pitiful god! I am Babidi, the greatest wizard alive, and one day I will rule all words in existence!”

“If you’re counting on Majin Buu,” South Kaioshin interrupted, “you're the one who shouldn't forget that our Grand Kaioshin and Gast both were able to subdue the other buu — a being hundreds of times stronger and more dangerous than your primitive version. You are free to act as you wish within your own universe, we will not interfere there. But, should you attempt any more disruptions during this tournament, I will personally see to more than your expulsion. Consider yourself warned, you accursed wizard.”

The two gods left the universe 11 balcony, but not without shooting one last menacing glance back at the angry wizard. Once they’d left, Babidi began barking orders.

“Buu, I order you to get back here immediately! If you even hesitate for a second I’ll lock you back in your ball and never let you out again — do you hear me!!?”

The Majin heard the call, groaning with discontent and turning his back to Uub as he flew back to his master — but not without making one last friendly gesture with his hand to the young man. Uub returned to his balcony also, where his companions instantly crowded him with questions.

“What a fight! That was amazing!”

“How’d you learn to use magic? That was insane!”

“You’ve become incredibly strong, Uub! You’re a great fighter!”

“It was only temporary,” the boy stammered, blushing. “I still wasn’t technically able to defeat Buu. As Piccolo said earlier, this version of Buu was much stronger — my only real shot was to somehow turn the rules to my advantage. But, he was able to even see through my tricks, proving that this Buu is even smarter than ours.”

“I found that a little strange myself,” Goku admitted. “But I’m proud of you all the same! In spite of the power difference between the two of you, you did really well! But...why didn’t you try to destroy him? He only had one small piece left, you could’ve ended it once and for all...”

Uub sighed. “Well... in spite of the fact that he’s under Babidi’s control and still has evil inside him...he’s still Buu. From what I’ve heard from Mr. Satan, there’s a clear path to the goodness inside of him if you treat him with kindness. Destroying him wouldn’t do any good, and I believe that one day he’ll become a good Buu like ours.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Vegeta cut him off. “Or, you were simply too exhausted to finish the job. Your last attack annihilated almost all of Buu, but you didn’t save enough energy in case any fragments were left — in short, you overexerted yourself and couldn’t finish the job. That said, the last strategy you used was pretty well thought out. Well done.”

Uub lowered his head, embarrassed but appreciative of Vegeta’s comments — whom he admired just as much as Son Goku. It was rare for a warrior as great as he to extol the qualities of another. For Uub, it was proof that the former prince of Saiyans saw him as a true warrior, worthy of fighting at his side.

“Well said, Vegeta!” Goku exclaimed, cheerful. “Come on, Uub. Next match is you and me, and I’m not holding back! Not only will I fight you seriously, but it’ll be a chance to kick things up a notch — I haven’t really gotten to let loose so far in the tournament, even though my mental battle with Freeza was pretty neat.”

Uub swallowed in nervousness. The realization that he was going to face his own master next was suddenly sinking in. Even though the boy had been expecting it for some time now, he’d always viewed defeating Goku as his last test in proving himself to be Earth’s new protector. But when he’d witnessed master Goku and Vegeta sparring in the Room of Spirit and Time, the pupil been completely overwhelmed by the level of power they’d been emanating — and they were only fighting at level 2! Uub had never actually faced his master at level 3 before, and beyond that he suspected Son Goku could be hiding even more power, as was Vegeta. Uub was almost certain he would still fall just short against his sensei, although, he did have new powers at his disposal. Even if defeat was inevitable, he'd give his teacher a worthy battle and force the Saiyan to go all out.

A Varga announcer voice began to echo through the stadium. “The ring will need to be repaired before the next match. Bear with us for a few moments, then the next fight will take place!”

“Ah yes,” Vegeta grinned, leaning against the entrance corridor. “Finally, I’ll get to crush that imbecile Kakarotto. After that, things actually get interesting. It’ll be either Cell or that big smoke monster... then...” The Saiyan glanced at Goku, grinning, impatient to actually face his true rival. Indeed, he couldn’t wait to find out what power the other Saiyan might be hiding for their long awaited rematch — a fated and fierce duel neither could help but anticipate.

In the universe 11 apartments, Babidi furiously tapped his foot against the floor. His demonic subordinate didn’t say a word, while Majin Buu faced the wall silently, arms behind his back — he’d been sent to the corner as punishment and to think about his defeat. The wizard made several gestures at his crystal ball, cursing and swearing, denying their predicament.

“Absolutely unacceptable! It was clearly cheating! Buu was clearly stronger, he should have won! And how could a mere human use magic of that level? And those gods, where do they go off talking to me like that? Oh to hell with it all! No more playing around! I’m taking control of the situation, as I should have done from the start! These vermin will either be under my command, or they’ll be destroyed!”

The yellow-skinned sorcerer turned to his crystal ball, reaching out over the shimmering glass and emitting psychic waves that caused a set of various images to appear on the globe. A wicked grin spread across his lips.

“It seems my magic passes through their walls without a hitch!” he exclaimed. “Hehehe! One by one, you’ll all belong to me!”

“There is an abundance of wickedness in the hearts of those present here, my master,” Dabra said. “You should be able to craft an army of majins more elite than any ever assembled! I suggest you start with Vegetto. He’s the strongest of all, and does not seem completely pure. I know there is vice within him.”

“No, you fool,” Babidi snapped. “Have you forgotten Vegeta? He was out of control. As I’ve been unable to identify how he managed to resist my orders, I must exclude any Vegeta or it may happen again! That goes for any alternate versions or fusions as well, it’s too risky. Worst case scenario, he could turn on everyone including us and we all die! Several of the universes here also contain those with pure hearts — such a boring existence they must have! I can’t even detect any evil within Vegeta of the 18th anymore! Disgusting. For the time being, I’ll be discreet. I’ll conceal the Majin emblem on their foreheads, so we’ll have more time to enslave a majority of the fighters.”

The wizard let forth a cruel sadistic laugh, accompanied by Dabra’s mocking grin. Majin Buu, meanwhile, was hitting the wall casually with his foot, bored. From what he’d heard about his counterpart from the boy, his alter-ego lived with friends and had tons of fon — surrounded by strong fighters and mountains of sweets. Sure, Babidi had freed him from his cocoon, but he treated him with awful contempt and lorded over him without an ounce of respect. The fear of being sealed away again was ever present, but at this rate it wouldn’t be long before he cracked. At that moment, he recalled what the other Buu had done earlier...

Great Demon King Piccolo sat in the center of his room in the universe 3 apartments, legs crossed, hands on his hips. Suddenly, a strong negative aura surrounded him, engulfing the room in a dark atmosphere. The evil Namekian gritted his teeth.

“So, you think you can wear me down from the inside, Kami-Sama? You think I’ll become someone nice, who cares for those stupid humans? Is that why you voluntarily let yourself be absorbed — I thought it was because I gave you no choice! But you don’t know me, I’m pure evil! I’m independent of your influence! I...”

His sentence cut off suddenly, unfinished. The Namek clasped his hands on his forehead, groaning, plagued by a sudden sharp pain. A presence had begun to creep into his mind, seeming to grab hold of his soul. The parts of his soul that were imbued with a pure white light, the last remaining bastions of goodness, collapsed completely in the face of the dark sorcery. The demon king’s muscles tensed, veins popping out all over his body while a darker aura emanated around the Namekian.

“I... I am at your command... Master,” he said, still panting.

“One down,” Babidi exclaimed, satisfied. “Nobody seems to suspect what’s going on, we should be able to continue without fear. Things are finally about to get interesting!”

About twenty minutes had elapsed since the end of the previous fight, and the various participants were still waiting and discussing the fights. In the universe 17 area, Cell went over and leaned against the low wall near Vegeta.

“So, Vegeta, it’ll be either you or this fake Son Goku to face me in the next round,” he said, without looking towards the Saiyan. “After all these years I’d be disappointed if we don’t get the chance for a rematch. After all, I do still owe you for allowing me time to become perfect. And I’m at least a bit curious how you’ve progressed over all these years — I certainly hope you’re at least on the level of Gohan now, otherwise our fight will just be a waste of time.”

“Humph,” Vegeta grunted. “You seem quite sure of yourself, Cell. I needn’t boast, because you’ll witness my power soon enough, but you surely must realize I’ve come a long way since last we met. I won’t make the same mistake of underestimating you. And believe me, this time you’ll be the one to regret provoking me. Now, go win your own fight, we’ll settle this later.”

Cell groaned. While he felt inexplicably tied to all those fighters whose dna he possessed, Vegeta did hold a certain prominence — he did indeed owe the prince for his final metamorphosis. Knowing the Saiyan so well, he knew Vegeta would want nothing more than to witness all the new powers and abilities he’d acquired in the past two decades. While the perfect bio-android was almost certain of his victory, there was still some small uncertainty. Vegeta had improved, that much was clearly evident. The prince possessed hidden reserves of power that greatly intrigued Gero's greatest creation, even as much as the new power of Gohan. Confronting Vegeta would be far more enjoyable than anything he’d done in years — Cell could hardly wait. Perhaps their battle would even serve to further his perfection!

A voice sounded throughout the stadium:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the ring is once again fully functional! The next fight will begin momentarily. We now call Vegeta from the 18th Universe and Kakarotto from Universe 13. Fighters, please make your way to the arena now!”

Vegeta stepped away from the conversation, moving towards the fighting ring, followed by Cell’s piercing unflinching gaze. He continued walking to the low wall of the arena, paying no attention to Uub’s encouragement, nor that of Trunks and Goten. The prince then stopped in front of the barrier briefly, remaining silent a few moments.

“Pan?” he said in a loud voice.

“Yeah?” the girl answered hesitantly.

“Watch this fight closely,” he continued. “Be focused, learn, don’t look away for even an instant, whatever happens. We’re Saiyans, and one day you’ll need to overcome this kind of obstacle.”

“Yes sir!” Pan exclaimed, determined. “Crush him, Vegeta! Show him what the real prince of Saiyans can do!”

As Vegeta flew into the ring, he gave her a thumbs up, a smile on his face though he faced away from her. Goku smiled as well, proud of how Vegeta related to his granddaughter, and fighting to strengthen her courage. He knew there was no way he’d lose this match, and would never disappoint the young Saiyan.

As Kakarotto approached the ring silently, his Vegeta called out from behind.

“Hey loser, I haven’t forgotten how you claimed you were going to demolish my counterpart. Time to pay the price — I can’t tell you how much I’m going to enjoy watching you get crushed. Your pathetic level 1 trash is nothing compared to an opponent that has Super Saiyan 2. Go suffer, and know I’ll be enjoying every second of it.”

Kakarotto’s face was gloomy, but he chuckled with a strange confidence all the same. “You’ll see. You want a good show, eh? You’ll be able to watch his defeat from the front row, and when I’m done it’ll be your turn to cry...”

Without giving Vegeta time to reply, he quickly lifted into the air and into the ring, the Saiyans watching from behind in stunned silence. How could he possibly have any chance against such a formidable foe?