PART THIRTY: BABIDI’S TRAP

Chapter 144

Translated by npberryhill

Moments before, while Son Gohan was facing the Cell Juniors, the surrounding chaotic events only continued to worsen...

Within the spectators, individuals freshly converted into Babidi’s service proudly announced their allegiance and praised their lord’s glory — frightening the remaining audience members. Most were not fighters themselves, and feared for their lives. With many of the Vargas having already been eliminated, most of the crowd submitted to the attacker’s demands, hoping to survive the chaos. However, there were a few brave individuals unwilling to go down without a fight. A tall, short-haired woman stood up and approached an alien bearing the Majin branding.

“Not another step, woman!” he called out. “Obey, or I will kill you!”

“I might not be on the level of the participants,” she said threateningly, “but I’m plenty strong enough to crush a grunt like you!”

“Foolish wench, you’ll pay for your arrogance!”

But hardly had he shaken his fist at her when the woman planted a blow right in his face. He staggered backwards, but maintained his footing in the end to the surprise of the female fighter, who realized her mistake. The corrupted pawn retaliated quickly, incapacitating the woman against a set of bleachers, blood flowing out onto the stadium seating around her. Spectators nearby were appalled, but inspired by her bravery and began swarming the majin. It was like a domino effect, spurring on the resistance all over the entire grandstands. Within moments, everyone present was involved in an all-out brawl to save their lives.

Cries of horror and screams of agony rang out as innocents were murdered in cold blood, the corrupted having been granted unnatural strength and resilience. One spectator, wielding a set of sharp daggers, planted one in his enemy’s chest in hopes of finishing him off — only for the warrior to smile, slowly pulling the blade from his body while uttering a painful groan. Before he had time to react, the same dagger had been thrust inside his own chest, the man collapsing in death a few seconds later.

Freeza, watching as he hovered above the stands, licked his lips from the sight of such carnage. He reveled in such a violent display even more-so now that he was under Babidi’s charge. As his brother was about to launch the offensive from their own soldiers, the wizard’s voice rang out in their heads.

“Wait just a moment,” Babidi ordered. “These pathetic bystanders are nothing, my slaves in the audience will be more than enough to handle them. Once reinforcements arrive, launch your offensive against anyone still able to resist. I don’t want to make any mistakes.”

“Reinforcements?” Coola wondered aloud. “Who does he mean by that?”

“He’s probably referencing Ginyu,” Freeza answered, narrowing his eyes. “Tss, it would be nothing to simply eliminate these pests myself, but I can see the wisdom in our master’s plan. Be content, brother, we’ll play our part soon.”

Even as Gohan’s fight continued, the Heliotes of Universe 19 faced an unprecedented crisis. One among them had fallen prey to the wizard’s mind control, and had used the opportunity to get the drop on all of them — holding the other nano-warriors at bay with two wrist-mounted lasers. Naurb, the traitor now sealed by Babidi’s mark, stared unflinchingly at his former comrades.

“Don’t move!”

“N....Naurb, how could you!?” Phipsil exclaimed, clenching her fists.

“We all have our reasons,” he replied, hardening his gaze. “Now silence, I said nobody move!”

“Don’t give in, Naurb!” she pleaded. “You’re one of Hirm’s proud soldiers, you fight for the future of our world, for our people — not some wizard! Resist!”

“Don’t give in?” he repeated, trembling. “You don’t understand what I feel! Do you even care why I felt fragile and exposed, why I was susceptible?”

“No, we don’t,” Nedwook said, his arm outstretched. “You’re a threat to us all now, our hand’s been forced. Too bad.”

The other Heliotes all raised their wrist lasers into position — Phipsil hesitating a fraction of a second. The corrupted soldier shivered, panicked.

“No wait, don’t!”

He had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. But he recognized the determination in their eyes, and realized it was either kill or be killed. He fired his ray at the same moment as the others, but at the last moment deviated his aim away from Phipsil and onto Magsuns instead. Of the five Heliotes, three had their hearts pierced straight through by the lasers, Magsuns and Loopwhirl collapsing instantly. Naurb, who had been struck by Nedwook and Phipsil, fell as well. As he lay helpless on the ground, Naurb’s glance met with Phipsil’s, a sadness worn by them both.

“But, I love y...”

The majinized Heliote was unable to finish his final words. Nedwook hadn’t heard, instead having immediately turned his attention outwards to assess the situation. Phipsil, however, was now able to put the pieces together. Naurb’s regret, jealousy, the pain he must’ve felt... she shut her eyes a moment, hating she hadn’t been able to help in time. A moment later she placed her hands on Magsuns, but he was already gone, as was their other companion.

“What a waste, such loss of life, why...”

“They can be resurrected,” Nedwook replied, preoccupied with the overwhelming situation. “Let’s go help the others before we end up dead too.”

“Right!” replied Phipsil, darting after him towards the patio of Universe 1.

A furious battle had been taking place amongst the deities — surrounded of course by a deafening chaos on all sides. Grand Kaioshin alone stood on the sidelines, staring intently at the devil while the other gods fought Dabra with all their might. The Daikaioh never personally involved himself in conflict, not even in their clash with the legendary Super Saiyan many eons ago. Only Majin Buu had forced him to intervene — in many other universes that is. He would only act if his companions were about to perish, but he trusted them. He believed in their abilities. While South Kaioshin was indeed the most powerful, being the only true fighter amongst them, the others had been well trained in their struggles. He even smiled a bit as he saw his friends fighting so hard.

East Kaioshin was kneed violently in the stomach and collapsed on the ground, doubled over and gasping for breath. He was by far the weakest of the gods, but refused to give up. He straightened himself up and tried to strike Dabra, but the demon grabbed West Kaioshin’s arm and flung her in his path. The two collided and collapsed again. The demon then crushed West under his foot, digging into her back. Meanwhile, North came in with a kick — but Dabra dodged it and managed to grab him in a headlock and start choking him. The King of Demons spread a wide grin, revealing his sharp incisors.

“What’s the matter, fools? Without South you’re nothing but a pitiable excuse for kais — witness the fruits of your idleness, puny gods! So long as you depend on someone else for protection, you’ll never be more than sheep!”

“You degenerate...” West Kaioshin grumbled stubbornly.

“And you?” Dabra turned to their master, sneering. “Will you not come to the aid of your pathetic subordinates, Grand Kaioshin? I’ll tear their hearts out before your very eyes, then we’ll see if you’re still smiling!”

“Oh, I’m not worried,” Daikaioh replied calmly, smiling further. “After all, we are not alone in this great battle...”

Dabra barely had time to understand the meaning of the words when his sharp senses detected immediate and mortal danger from behind. Instinctively, he tilted his head, dodging a thin ray of light that pierced his cloak and struck the wall in front of him. Releasing his hold on the gods, he turned to see Phipsil of Universe 19 flying straight for him, arm outstretched.

“Hang in there, Supreme Kais!”

Reaching out with her hand, she charged Dabra at full speed. He narrowly avoided the attack by swaying backwards, but was forced to give up his position pinning down the Kaioshin. Phipsil landed near West, leaning down to help her.

“Thank you... Where are the others? What’s the situation?”

“Three of my friends are dead,” Phipsil answered, still feeling the sting. “Nedwook went to offer backup to a young boy from Universe 18. The spectators are all fighting a massive brawl, but it’s a losing battle — not to mention the Frost Demon troops are standing by to engage at any time.”

Dabra, hearing the news as well, turned to see what was going on nearby. The mentally disturbed Kakarotto was having no difficulty handling one of the Universe 18 Saiyans, but Nedwook was about to attack him from behind. Further down, two other members of Universe 18 were headed towards the Universe 11 entrance, the lair of his master! He also saw Cell facing the the Saiyan of the 16th, the one whose duplicate was currently hunting down Master Babidi. In a rush, he tried to concentrate and contact his lord, but was attacked by the Kaioshins and lost his focus.

“Cursed pests!” he yelled furiously.

Moments earlier...

Gohan had just completed his sweep of the Cell Juniors, heading towards Babidi’s apartment alongside Piccolo — while entrusting Goten with the duty of protecting his wife and Bra. The latter knew how to defend herself, and being the daughter of Vegeta possessed some strength, but she was far from an avid fighter. Against so many powerful enemies they could easily find themselves exposed and defenseless. Goten, however, was a Super Saiyan. In spite of how he’d neglected training of late, he was still a fearsome warrior possessing great strength.

“Uh, Goten,” Bra began, “no offense but... most of our enemies are stronger than you, right?”

“Hey!” the youth reacted. “I saved you from the Cell Juniors, didn’t I? They were stronger, but a thank you wouldn’t hurt anybody.”

“Well Gohan’s the one who beat them...” Bra answered.

“But I’m the one who gave him the opening in the first place! Without me, you’d still be surrounded...”

A sadistic laugh interrupted him from behind. Nappa and Kakarotto of Universe 13 were flying full speed in their direction. The two seasoned warriors were no fools, and against Son Gohan they wouldn’t have stood a chance. But Babidi, noticing that the elder brother had left his relatives, took the opening to send the pair of Saiyans to acquire a few Earthling hostages.

Goten knew he’d never seen Nappa transform into Super Saiyan, and had no doubt he could easily crush the bald brute. But Kakarotto was another matter entirely. Having witnessed him in battle, he knew the mad Saiyan’s power was indeed far greater than his own. He reached for Videl protectively.

“Change of plans! Run! Videl, get Bra inside quick!”

“What about you?” his sister-in-law asked, concerned.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle them!”

Kakarotto scoffed at the pretentious remark, nodding at Nappa as he sent a Kikoha straight at the boy. Goten reached out to block it, his legs digging a small trail into the ground as he was pushed back. He managed to deflect it away, but Kakarotto was quickly upon him, grinning with vice. Meanwhile, Nappa had taken the moment to corner Bra and Videl.

“Just hang on!” Goten exclaimed towards the two women.

Kakarott’s fist brushed his cheek, hissing through the air. Goten had barely dodged in time, taking a fighting stance a few feet away.

“You’re mine, whelp,” Kakarotto laughed, licking his lips. “I’m so gonna break you!”

“You will try,” Goten replied, marking a grin of his own in spite of his obvious discomfort. “You’re nothing compared to my real Dad!”

“Don’t you even think of calling me that!” Kakarotto shouted, rushing the boy, pulling back a violent fist. The blow struck Son Goten’s guard, who withdrew as his body trembled. The power was overwhelming! Even though they were both Super Saiyans, Kakarotto was far superior to him. Goten could only watch as nearby Nappa cut off Videl and Bra from their exit. He couldn’t help them, not yet. He’d have to overcome this dark deformity of his father somehow, but with his family members in danger the lad couldn’t focus his mind solely on battle.

Nappa wore a sadistic grin, staring from above at a trembling Bra and Videl.

“So, you’re Vegeta’s kid, huh? I’m gonna grind your royal skull into paste and give it to your dad, what do you think about that!? Ha ha hah!”

The brute quickly reached out and grabbed at the girl, but she was pushed aside by Videl, who left herself open instead.

“Bra, get out of here! Now!”

Seeing Videl step in to protect her, and with Goten in trouble a few yards away, all the terror and pressure building up inside of her suddenly snapped. All the others froze, turning to her in surprsie. An incredible energy, fueled by adrenaline and anger, suddenly exploded out of the young Saiyan. Bra screamed in a high shrill voice, decked Nappa with a strong knee, then uttered another adolescent scream as she quickly retreated.

“Kyaaa!”

The bald Saiyan was flattened on his back, blood trailing through the air as he fell. He crashed headfirst into the back wall, his body half stuck inside.

“Ha haah!” Kakarotto laughed. “What an oaf!”

Goten quickly seized the opportunity by sneaking a punch in on Kakarotto’s face, knocking him to the ground as well. But the mad Saiyan merely rubbed his cheek and gave Son Goten a hateful look.

“Cheap little bastard!” he growled. “I tear you limb from limb, boy!”

Quickly on the defensive, Goten kept up his smile, hoping to keep Kakarotto’s attention focused on him. Bra had incredible potential, thanks to her Saiyan nature and Vegeta’s own genetics — although she’d spent most of her time ignoring such things. Son Goten was well aware of this, his primary focus being to distract the more dangerous of the two Saiyans in order to give them a chance to escape. Nappa had been temporarily knocked out of action, but it wouldn’t last long — Babidi’s slaves had unnatural resiliency thanks to his magic. Bra and Videl gave Goten one last look, but he waved them off and they quickly headed down the hallway, even as Nappa’s legs began to move again.

“Nice going, girl!” Videl praised the teenager. “Have you been training?”

“Nah,” Bra replied, somewhat surprised. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, nothing,” Videl sighed. “You Saiyans... It’s just not fair...”

Shortly after they’d disappeared into the shadows, Nappa emerged from his stone prison and sped through their wake. They hadn’t gotten away yet, and he knew there was still lots of fun to be had terrorizing them. Vegeta’s daughter had more spunk than he’d realized, but she was no real threat. Not yet. As for Kakarotto, he was relentless in his assault of Goten, the youth barely managing to block. He put everything he had into defense, but his father’s evil double was content to pound away at his guard endlessly. The difference in strength between them was undeniable, and all he could hope to accomplish was buying time.

Kakarotto began packing more into each blow, bit by bit, breaking through the guard and following up with a knee directly in Goten’s nose and a right hook in the jaw. The battered half-Saiyan collapsed, his eyes swollen in a haze of pooled blood and his mouth dry with the taste of dust and iron. But amazingly, his will remained unbroken. Defiant, Goku’s younger son shot Kakarotto a look not of defeat, but of resilience. The murderous Saiyan merely laughed.

“Are you sure you’re really a Son? Hah! Here I was expecting a fight... your father and your brother are impressive, but you’re like a bad joke!”

“I never trained like they did, fighting isn’t my passion,” Goten replied, straightening up. “I realize my mistake, but even now I’ll fight you to the very end! I’m the son of Goku, and you’re nothing but a gross, crazed perversion of him!”

“You’ve got a big mouth, kid. I’m gonna shut it up for good! Time to die, weakling!”

A Kienzan formed in Kakarotto’s hand, Goten facing it down, ready to give everything in a final assault. It was then that a thin beam pierced Kakarotto’s chest, slicing cleanly through back to front. The Saiyan fell to his knees, eyes glassy, as a Heliote landed in front of Goten.

“Get out of here!” Nedwook exclaimed. “You’re outclassed, you’ve done all you can.”

Goten, stung by the haughty tone of the nano-warrior, retorted sharply.

“Where I’m from, we give every fight our all even if we’re outmatched! And be careful, that didn’t finish him off!” he concluded, feeling some semblance of strength return.

“Huh?”

Sensing movement behind him, Nedwook turned his head just in time to see Kakarotto’s fist two inches from his face. The Saiyan had counter-attacked in a furious frenzy, Nedwook barely avoiding the first blow. Kakarotto’s eyes remained somewhat glassy, but his vicious grin remained — now christened by an ominous flow of blood from the corner.

“Impossible!” the nano-warrior cried, parrying. “I aimed directly at his heart, he should be dead!”

“It’s Babidi’s magic, his minions can survive wounds that should be mortal!” Goten explained, spitting a sheaf of blood.

Reacting to the youth’s words, Nedwook glanced quickly back at his own universe’s patio. Naurb was still on the patio, having been struck by the exact same attack. Kakarotto, following his gaze, began to laugh.

“Your little toys can’t kill me, vermin! There’s no way you can win, you’ll see soon!”

Goten took advantage of every second, trying to catch his breath and regain strength as he watched the other two fight. At the slightest opening, he had to be ready to eliminate Kakarotto. His body was already at its limit, but he had to get rid of that psychopath, even if it killed him.

Gohan hesitated, sensing the danger his younger brother was in. He had a choice to make, and his reluctance was slowing him down. Piccolo perceived his inner turmoil.

“Trust him, Gohan! We’ve got to stop Babidi before the situation gets even worse. Your brother can handle himself, don’t start doubting him now!”

Son Gohan nodded, continuing along with his mentor. Deep down, he knew all he could do was hope that Goten would hold out. As they flew, they passed the Universe 16 veranda, where Cell was holding his counterpart hostage...

Gohan of the 16th was extremely tense, unwilling to risk making a move. He noticed Videl of the 18th escape Nappa’s clutches, which was somewhat of a relief but his own wife was still in grave danger. He couldn’t risk losing her, in spite of her pleas.

“Gohan, fight back! You can wish me back to life after you’ve won, just like with Pan!”

“No!” her husband exclaimed, shutting his eyes as his body trembled all over. “I can’t!”

He could never sacrifice his wife — watching Cell assassinate her would scar him for life, he refused to accept that as her fate. Even with the Dragon Balls to repair the damage, he would never allow that to happen.

“Wise decision,” Cell commented, offering Videl an amused look.

“Gohan...” Piccolo of the 16th muttered, still paralyzed as well.

Son Gohan turned, sensing his own energy high above — Piccolo and his doppleganger, that is. Cell saw them as well, smiling wide.

“Well, if it isn’t the other Gohan! Too bad he doesn’t have the stomach to do what’s necessary. He wouldn’t dare attack me if it meant risking the life of your wife, so don’t get your hopes up! Ha hah!”

‘Hmmm, we are exactly the same,’ Gohan lamented inwardly. ‘Wait, then maybe...’

‘If our roles were reversed, I wouldn’t do anything that could compromise Videl’s life,’ the other Gohan thought, continuing above.

‘He and I think alike, we understand each other!’

‘If he’s thinking what I’m thinking, then...’

‘We can count on the other to react instantly...’

“...Instantly!” the other Gohan shouted from above, firing an intense energy wave at Cell without warning.

Gohan of the 16th grinned with pride as he immediately freed himself from Cell’s grip and protected his wife — the two really were in sync! Without wasting a moment, he wrapped Videl in his arms, forming a shield around her with his own body. It took less than a fraction of a second, even Cell barely aware of the situation.

“What!?” the bio-android uttered, stupefied.

The attack slammed into him full force. Piccolo, still in close proximity, was caught up in the blast radius as well — while Gohan completely shielded his wife from the explosion. He felt an intense heatwave against his back, which burnt the back of his shirt. But Cell collapsed, having taken the majority of the attack himself. He wasn’t damaged or injured, but his body was covered in soot and dust. More than that he was enraged by the second Gohan.

“Bastard! You will pay, boy!” Cell roared.

Piccolo of Universe 16 had lost an entire arm to the Ki blast, but was showing no signs of pain. Like the other Piccolo, he was well-versed in all of Gohan’s maneuvers and techniques.

“Well done, Gohan!” the Namek flying above said, praising his pupil.

“I realized the other me would be thinking the same thing,” the half-Saiyan explained, glancing below. “He reacted perfectly at the exact moment.”

“And you counted on my regeneration and familiarity with your attacks to negate the damage,” Piccolo added, gratifying him with a proud smile. “Cell couldn’t have possibly known that you two would be that much in sync. Pretty bold, kid!”

“I figured you’d be fine handling that much damage,” Gohan replied, smiling back. “Now, let’s hurry ahead. The other Gohan can handle Cell from here!”

They continued on their way towards Babidi, leaving Universe 16 to fend for themselves.