PART THIRTY: BABIDI’S TRAP

Chapter 143

Translated by npberryhill

Moments earlier, back in the tournament arena...

Son Gohan, Piccolo, Bra, and Videl of the 18th looked around, distraught. Their companions had vanished inexplicably, along with many others from the various universes present. Exclamations of surprise and confusion echoed across those remaining. Nearby, Eleim, Tidar, and Xeniloum had disappeared while their companions had been distracted. From Universe 16, Pan, Trunks, Goten, and Vegetto had also vanished.

“Hey, where’d everybody go?” Videl panicked, clutching her husband’s arm.

“Only the participants are gone!” exclaimed Piccolo, a bead of sweat on his forehead.

A few paces further, the Grand Kaioshin had heard the Namek and was gazing at his now-empty hand with a puzzled look. His “prisoner” had been let loose, without so much as a cheerful taunt. Was he the catalyst for this sudden rapture? Whether he was responsible or not, his carelessness was really irritating! Near him, Western Kaioshin was thinking the same thing.

“Grand Kaioshin, if this is the handiwork of that execrable Buu we absolutely must act without delay. Send him back where he came from!”

“I knew something was still off!” spat the Kiaoshin from the East. “Inform the Vargas to have him removed immediately!”

“But Gast Carcolh has also disappeared,” North Kaioshin observed. “Perhaps he is with Buu?”

“We mustn’t draw any hasty conclusions,” interrupted their leader, frowning. “First and foremost, we must...”

His voice cut out abruptly as a sharp blade was pressed against his neck. Dabra stood behind him, an evil grin on his lips as he stared at the shocked Kaioshins.

“No sudden movements, Kais!” he hissed viciously. “That goes for you too, chief! One budge and you can say goodbye to your head!”

“You filthy demon!” the divinity of the West exclaimed. “What did you do to the participants? Is this the work of Buu?”

“That marshmallow was a threat to Master Babidi’s plan,” Dabra whispered. “But the ones you should really be worried about are those left behind...”

With a great rallying cry, a horde of majin soldiers began to rush out of various apartments. Among them were Kakarotto and Nappa, their foreheads marked with a distinctly recognizable brand. The Majin M, the same that had been imprinted on Vegeta years earlier, a seal of slavery to Babidi, was crested above their eyes.

“The time has come!” Kakarotto yelled, turning Super Saiyan. “In the name of our glorious master, we will trample these insects!”

Enemies flocked from all sides. Android 17, from the nearest patio, wore a disturbing smile — he finally had a new purpose. Above the Universe 8 balcony, in the grandstands, the Frost Demon army began a swath of destruction through the crowd. Seeing such a savage horde plummeting over them, the Vargas began to panic. They’d hardly realized something was even wrong, having been so busy making preparations for the next round of fighting. None knew how to react.

“What’s happening?”

“We’re under attack, and from many different universes!”

“Send them home, immediately!” a Namek exclaimed.

“Which one, though?”

“All the ones that are attacking us!”

The Varga at the controls quickly began the process of ejections, only to suddenly collapse faceforward onto his desk — a dagger in his back. Behind him stood the Varga with tousled hair, panting and grinning evilly. The other Vargas were stunned silent.

“You will not prevent the master from conducting his grand crusade! All glory to the sorcerer Babidi!”

As the Namekians rushed to control him, they along with the remaining organizers were all caught in a sudden explosion. They were instantly killed, their bodies burned to a crisp or incinerated entirely by the blast. Higher above them, Freeza smiled at the destroyed control tower, a mocking laughter filling the air around him and his brother at his side.

Gohan of Universe 16 grit his teeth, looking all around him. There were hundreds of Freeza’s men in addition to those of his father and brother, all invading the spectator area. The sheer number of Babidi’s forces were overwhelming the fans, at least those who hadn’t already been converted by the wizard. With the Grand Kaioshin taken hostage, he didn’t know which way to act first.

“That mark...” Piccolo growled, trembling with anger.

“We should’ve known,” Gohan answered him, looking gloomy. “Babidi was never going to just accept defeat!”

“That’s what Vegeta of the 18th was doing, I saw him heading towards Babidi just before they all vanished,” Piccolo murmured. “If only we’d realized sooner we could’ve acted!”

“What are we gonna do?” worried Videl.

“I’ll handle Freeza and his army,” Gohan said, stepping forward. “I think my other self is going to protect the gods, maybe the Heloites will be able to assist him as well...”

Turning towards the nano-warriors, he found them all being held at gunpoint by a single traitor within their ranks. They were motionless, having difficulty coming to terms with the betrayal of their comrade. Even more surprising, Gohan noticed his counterpart along with Piccolo, Videl, and Bra all encircled by six Cell Juniors, the disgusting gnomes he had once massacred. Before he could even make a move to help them he was ensnared by a long green tail. He, Piccolo, and Videl were trapped. A muscular arm slipped under his neck, gripping him forcefully. The color, the dark spots, there was no doubt! Behind him, Cell readied a Kikoha near Gohan’s head.

“If I were you I wouldn’t move!” he said in a threatening tone. “Master Babidi was unaware of just how dangerous you are, but fortunately he was wise enough to enlist someone to, say, perfect his plans. Oh, and my children over there are at full power, so don’t even think of trying anything!” he yelled towards the 18th.

“Cell...” Gohan snarled, his voice mirroring the hatred he’d felt as a teenage Super Saiyan 2. “So even you...”

“Come now, boy, what did you expect? I’m an evil being, after all!” the bio-android answered with a smile. “It’s too bad about Vegeta, that would’ve been a good fight. But my master does have his own ends in mind. All the same, I welcome you to try and resist me — that is, of course, if you’re willing to let your beloved wife lose her head.”

As he uttered his threat, he placed the end of his appendage on Videl’s throat. The girl was now panting, terrified. Piccolo, too, was paralyzed into inaction. But Gohan’s rage at his wife being threatened began to overflow.

“You heartless bastard!” he yelled.

“Well well well,” Cell rejoiced.

Nearby the other Gohan nealt into a defensive stance, but he was surrounded and knew better than to launch into a counter offensive. At the first move, his wife and Bra would be taken out. The Juniors were too well positioned, and he wouldn’t have time to protect them all. His body trembled with rage, frustrated by helplessness.

For his part, Babidi had successfully delegated his soldiers to their various responsibilities. Cell was undoubtedly his greatest asset, able to handle even the most dangerous of universes himself. Meanwhile, Dabra had gotten the drop on the Kaioshins, and the rest of the audience was being swarmed by his vast army. The spectators were weak, easy prey for even low-level footsoldiers. The pure-hearted participants were surely dead, and he’d put them out of his mind.

First, he had to ensure his complete and total victory in the arena, subjugating anyone still left standing. Babidi turned to Baddack, who stood next to Majin Buu. He’d gained a valuable asset by corrupting the resentful Saiyan, the ability to see visions of the future. The wizard was certain it would prove invaluable in avoiding any unfortunate events.

“Saiyan, what do you see in the future?” he asked.

“My apologies, master,” Baddack lowered his head. “That’s not how my ability works, I’m not able to trigger it at will. The visions come to me all on their own.”

“Hmm, I see,” Babidi grumbled, giving his servant an angry look. “In that case, I’ll need to take other precautions.”

The magician grabbed his crystal ball again, casting a spell to make sure he was out of reach by anyone managing to infiltrate his apartment. He knew his reserves of magic were depleted, it could get messy if he had to defend himself from an enemy attack. And his apartment was exposed, far from a fortress.

“With that, my victory is all but assured. All the universes will soon belong to me, ha ha ha!!”

Dabra chuckled, revelling in the ease with which he’d subdued the Kaioshins. The so-called gods were completely at his mercy, and with all the participants presumed dead there was no one else left to stop them. At least, that’s what he thought.

Strangely, the Grand Kaioshin had remained calm, even managing a smile. Dabra was caught off guard by the gesture, perplexed and puzzled.

“How am I a hostage, king of demons? We have plenty of Dragon Balls to bring me back to life...”

A sudden wave of doubt shuddered through Dabra, disturbed by the words. If he’d spoken true, the Dragon Balls themselves were an obstacle in Babidi’s path! He couldn’t allow any distractions though, it was his duty to keep the Kais under control.

But that moment of doubt was all the opening they needed. West Kaioshin, perceiving the signal from her leader, flung herself at the demon at the exact right instant, landing a powerful kick in his face. Grand Kaioshin, serene as ever, had merely bowed his head slightly to avoid the blow. His provocation had worked, and now it was time to restore order.

Reassured that Zen Buu was not involved, he had full confidence that it wouldn’t be long before the participants returned. His friend would never allow things to end with Babidi, whom he hated so much, as the victor. It was in Buu’s best interest to continue the tournament. Perhaps, for the moment, he was discreetly observing as events unfolded, but he would choose his moment to act. While the Kaioshin did find such carefree behavior frustrating to a degree, he also understood it to a certain extent. It was his job to solve this problem, not Buu’s.

“Stop this nonsense at once!” West Kaioshin exclaimed loudly, catching the attention of all Babidi’s servants. “If not, you’ll pay the price.” It was clear now, they weren’t going down without a fight.

She was immediately punched hard in the face and propelled into the back wall of their veranda. Dabra stood in front of her, furious. “You must really want to suffer,” he grumbled. “So be it! Come, Kaioshins, entertain my revered master with your futile resistance!”

From the Universe 18 patio, Piccolo and Gohan watched the gods be the first to defy Babidi.

“They need our help!” Gohan whispered. “But...”

'If you make a move, Videl and Bra will be caught in the crossfire,' Piccolo grumbled, replying telepathically. 'We can’t take the risk!'

'I know,' Gohan replied, 'for the moment we’re trapped. But be ready.'

'You know it,' Piccolo answered.

“Please, someone,” Bra pleaded, terrified. “Dad, Trunks, anyone, please save us!”

Just then, Goten came back from the toilet, his bladder relieved. He was delighted to have helped Uub gain some self-confidence, even though he was at times jealous of how much attention his father gave the pupil. But it had been years since he’d stopped training, and he could only blame himself. The younger Son knew that if he were to get back into it seriously, reaching level two was certainly possible, he simply wasn’t interested. He’d fought Majin Buu when he was only seven years old, and since then he mainly aspired to live a normal and quiet life. Son Gohan had a peaceful but overwhelming power, and his father and Vegeta never stopped training. The world had enough strong warriors to protect it, he didn’t think there was any point in pursuing the same path.

All the same, Vegeta’s words during the tournament hadn’t fallen on deaf ears. Gotenks did have tremendous, bewildering power, and it was true that they didn’t deserve it to a certain extent. Most fighters acquired their skills and abilities alone, through unbelievably tough training and without relying on fusion or any other group techniques. Son Goten thought back to Yamcha’s words after he’d lost to him in the doubles tournament. The Android had spoken of his individual potential, unique to him. Did he really own it? From Goten’s perspective, martial arts consisted mainly of competitions and rivalry, that is until the evil wizard Babidi had made him learn fear. He’d been just a child, and yet he had been asked to face a monster that had crushed his older brother and killed Vegeta effortlessly. Fusion was the only option he had to face such a nightmare, and the resulting humor and immaturity of Gotenks had been two children's attempt at deflection. Now that it was over, his only pleasure in fighting was putting on a good show with his childhood friend...

“What!?”

Stepping out of the corridor, Goten was taken aback by the chaos. Gone were his father, Vegeta, Trunks, Uub, and Pan, replaced by six Cell Juniors that surrounded his brother and his wife, Bra, and Piccolo. The miniatures possessed incredible power, and an aura akin to that of Super Saiyan two. Bra’s eyes shook with terror while Gohan’s did with rage — and it made Goten’s blood boil. Right away he understood this was serious real danger and his companions were caught unable to act by the trap!

Somewhat recklessly, Goten transformed and immediately rushed the nearest Cell Junior, who had his back turned. The was a vast disparity between them in strength, but Goten ignored it as he kneed the junior in the head with all his might. The little monster staggered, drawing the attention of the others and providing the perfect opening. Gohan and Piccolo, without even needing telepathy, acted in unison together.

Goten took an immediate backhand from the creature, blood spurting from his mouth, but Piccolo had managed to grab Bra and Videl and escape the scene. The two women, who didn’t know what was going on, shrieked but were relieved no longer be the focus of Cell’s children. Son Gohan had drawn the junior’s full attention, disintegrating one of them with a single punch and turning to the others with readied fists.

Cell whistled in admiration from two balconies away. “Not bad, Gohan, not bad at all! Each one of them is stronger than you were back then, so let’s see how you handle four at once!”

The other Son Gohan, still held in a headlock by Cell, tried to wrench himself free. The bio-android tightened his grip in response, and broke the skin of Videl’s neck with his tail, allowing a small trail of blood as the girl gulped audibly.

“Oh you really don’t want to do that, Gohan! Don’t even think about it!” Cell chuckled.

The half-Saiyan tensed, anger covering his face. Piccolo was petrified too. They couldn’t make a move without guaranteeing the end of Videl, so he felt totally trapped and useless.

Over in the 18th, Gohan skillfully dodged one of the Junior’s attacks, grabbing the arm of another in place while ducking and landing a powerful left that destroyed another of the miniatures. The trapped Junior yelled and tried to break free as the Saiyan turned to notice his younger brother taking quite the beating. Goten’s face was bruised, bones broken and more still breaking. The difference in power between the two of them was insurmountable, and Gohan knew he had to act quickly to save his life!

Grabbing the mutilated Junior by the neck, he then slammed him into the one that was attacking his brother, crushing both against the wall. Gohan then released a Kiai of such intensity that it disintegrated the two little ones into mush instantly. Son Goten collapsed, kneeling on one knee, admiring his brother as he fought the last two mini-cells. What a fool he’d been! If he’d only taken his father’s advice and trained more he would’ve been able to help handle these pests too, instead of always relying on his older brother. Son Gohan, certainly the one in the family who most valued peace, was always dependable.

Goten grumbled, cursing his laziness and igniting his aura to the fullest. He rushed one of the Juniors and punched him with all his might. The creature blocked it one-handed, but it was all the opening Gohan needed. In that moment of inattention, he grabbed both by the heads and slammed them into one another — then hurled their bodies in the air and fired a ki wave that vaporized the offspring, nightmares of his childhood.

Videl and Bra hurried to meet them, along with Piccolo. The latter knelt beside Goten, who was wiping blood from his face.

“You did well, Goten. Will you be alright?”

“Peuf...” he spat a wad of clotted blood. “What do you think? I’m the son of Goku, brother of Gohan, it’ll take a lot more than this to bring me down!” he said, even managing to sketch a smile.

“I see that,” Piccolo replied, grinning back. “Unfortunately I don’t have any senzus, you’ll have to stay behind.”

“No, I can still fight!” Son Goten protested. “I can still easily handle Freeza and his army, or even the weakened #17, I’ll...”

“Stay here, Goten,” his brother instructed him, using an insistent tone. “I need you to protect the girls, we’ll take care of Babidi. If we eliminate him, all the dominoes will fall. Defend them, get them somewhere safe.”

Piccolo nodded, then flew away along with his former pupil. At first Goten was dismayed, but he realized his brother was trusting him with the lives of his wife and Vegeta’s daughter. They were under his protection, and Gohan believed in him and his abilities. He finally started catching his breath, feeling a sense of pride. Once this was over, he would resume his training again seriously, he wouldn’t let something like this happen again. But for now, the hard part was still ahead. He reignited his Super Saiyan aura.