PART THIRTY ONE: ULTIMATE WARRIORS

Chapter 154

Translated by npberryhill

Somewhere in limbo...

His mind felt as though it was floating through a cottony fog. Piccolo was on the verge of death, dismembered by Cell and completely drained of energy — he’d been unconscious now for a while. He still couldn’t open his eyes, his grip on reality had slipped to almost nothing, and yet he still tried to regain control. But it wasn’t easy to come back from such a shock.

The worst thing he’d survived was when young Trunks knocked over and shattered his body, which had been turned to stone. As a Super Namek, as long as his brain was untouched he could fully recover.

But at that time, everything had been calm. Here, everything was crazy. Power levels rose, fell, and were suddenly cut off. The pieces of his body were lying in the middle of a battlefield, making it difficult to concentrate in addition to the pain.

There was one energy level that overshadowed all the rest. It was powerful, full of anger, but also full of love. He recognized it, there was only one person who could tap into his abilities so effectively — to save those he loved, to push past his limits and do the right thing when called upon.

Gohan was going wild, and against the same opponent he’d faced all those years ago.

Piccolo concentrated as a calm was starting to return to the arena. He could feel the last few of Babidi’s fighters coming to an end. Or rather, being wiped out. Gohan was cleaning house. He wasn’t there to have fun, he didn’t chase the thrill of battle, and he had nothing to prove. There was a distinct absence of any attempt to draw things out, play with his opponents, or try and impress them. He was doing what had to be done, for the good of everyone.

The other Gohan had arrived. In mere moments, he’d managed to take care of Majin Buu, before Piccolo even recognized him. Gohan wanted to end things now. He launched an attack, Piccolo couldn’t tell what kind he only felt the energy fluctuations, but it was wide and destructive.

And that’s when everything suddenly changed.

There was a new energy, twisted up on the inside, terrifying in sheer magnitude.

It was time for him to return. This was an emergency.

Somewhere up in the stands...

One of Babidi’s soldiers was walking smugly through the piles of corpses lying on the steps. The sheer number of deaths was staggering! Their faces were still scorched with suffering, the pain and horror of their agony.

As the majin finished off one of the surviving spectators, trying to crawl to safety, he spotted the sliced up body of the Namekian just ahead. This was the same Namek that had crushed King Cold and his sons. And here he was, torn to pieces... lifeless.

He had witnessed the carnage orchestrated by Cell from afar, reveling in it like the other loyal slaves. Now he was going to indulge himself by desecrating the body of this insect — he would make the Namek pay for having eradicated the frost demons, now he would endure even further humiliation by dissecting his remains.

Reaching down, he grabbed Piccolo’s upper half by the back of the neck, whistling mockingly as he lifted him into the air.

“Well well well... He got you good, scum... Just look at you now! Not so high and mighty anymore, eh? Damn water drinker!” The majin’s tone was boastful, but he was careful to keep his voice low.

As he laughed out loud, the Namekian’s eyes suddenly snapped open, full of anger. Stunned, the soldier stumbled backwards, dropping Piccolo’s torso in a panic. The latter immediately regenerated his body and fired two thin energy beams from his eyes through the soldier’s skull. He collapsed grotesquely, dead.

Without a second thought to the majin soldier, Piccolo of the 18th knelt down beside the body of Videl. Seeing the girl there brought an expression of utter desolation to his face. His counterpart of the 16th was quick to awaken and regenerate as well. He too turned towards Videl with a great sadness, before the second Piccolo turned his attention further up in the stands.

Suddenly, with the death of Videl from Universe 18, an unquenchable fire had awoken within Son Gohan. Piccolo was speechless at the new heights achieved by his half-saiyan pupil. This level was leagues beyond his normal energy output. And this was no longer the peaceful young man who only fought out of reluctance, whose morals subconsciously limited the scope of his power. Removing those had allowed him to ascend to an astounding new height.

Piccolo shared in Gohan’s fury and sadness, shaking his head and putting his hand on the shoulder of his Namekian counterpart from Universe 16. The latter closed his eyes and stood up slowly, fists clenched. With a deep breath, he turned towards the other Piccolo and reached into a pouch on his belt. Three senzu beans were pulled out, which he handed to the other Namekian.

“You guys didn’t bring any Senzus from your universe, did you?”

“Not a single one,” replied his double, accepting the beans.

“Well, this gives us three each,” continued Piccolo the 16th, putting his pouch away. “Gonna have to make do. Bra most likely deprived us of all our reserves back in the apartment.”

“Bra...” Piccolo of the 18th blurted out, directing his gaze in dismay towards the center of the arena. “I still can’t believe it...”

“Neither can I,” the other admitted. “That twisted overwhelming aura that woke me up... I never imagined it was her!”

“Just how is it possible anyway?” Piccolo of the 18th asked, unfamiliar with how Vegetto could really be. “Babidi can only enslave those with evil in their hearts! Your Bra might be arrogant, and admittedly she’s of Saiyan descent, but it’s hard to believe she couldn’t resist that damn wizard!”

“That’s the difference between your Bra and ours,” his alter-ego replied. “In your universe her father is Vegeta, and as strong as he is he doesn’t view himself as an omnipotent deity. Vegetto on the other hand puts all kinds of pressure on his daughter, she’s definitely been put through more than you and I put Gohan through back in the day.”

“You mean...”

“From an early age, Son Bra has been under the eye of a domineering father, having no control over her own life. Her childhood was nothing like the Bra in your universe. She was under constant pressure, always frustrated, never measuring up. Now it seems like Babidi was able to get a hold of her through that — not to mention, when Ginyu swapped bodies with her that might have clued him in. He may have even had an eye on her soul while she was still in Cold’s body, who knows?” Piccolo sighed. “She’s faced magic before, other twisted wizards like Babidi, but I honestly doubt she’ll be able to break the majin control like Vegeta did...”

“What can we do then?” his counterpart asked.

“We have no choice but to wait. Vegetto is the only person I know of that can handle her, we’ll have to hold out somehow until he gets back. That, or manage to kill Babidi and free her mind.”

“So not even two Gohans working together...”

“They won’t be able to do anything,” Piccolo of the 16th replied bitterly. “Son Bra’s power in Super Saiyan Two is inordinate, the gap between them is just too wide. And she knows Gohan’s fighting style and all his techniques — she was trained by Vegetto after all. Even together they don’t stand a chance.”

Piccolo of the 18th turned back towards the center of the arena, sensing a grim foreboding. He himself didn’t know Son Bra very well, but he trusted his other self completely — and if he claimed that it was over before it had even begun, it certainly was. It was hard to believe that two Gohans working together would still be nothing against Vegetto’s daughter. But that was the truth, and they were indeed alone.

Suddenly, a piece of the puzzle that didn’t add up came to his attention, like a light bulb going off.

“Wait... Are we really alone in this? How are the two of us still alive? It doesn’t make sense.”

“What are you getting at?” The other Piccolo asked, puzzled.

“If Cell had wanted to kill us, we’d be dead. For all the damage he did, he left both of our heads completely intact — I have a hard time believing he would do something like that accidentally, he knows we’d be able to regenerate.”

“I see. Just why would he leave us alive, then? I doubt he’s on our side.”

“It’s a possibility. He’s definitely playing both sides of this game...”

Simultaneously, just outside the arena...

Bra of Universe 18 stood at the entrance to the dark corridor leading inside the stadium. Gohan had suddenly rushed off in that direction, and she was worried about him. He had been acting strangely before disappearing, his eyes staring blankly at the sky as if he was hearing voices. Bit by bit, his face had darkened in immense distress. Even though she couldn’t sense energy signatures like the others, Bra knew that tragedy had struck — or would strike any second now.

As she stared into the darkness in anguish, strange sounds from behind caught her interest. It was a kind of drumming beat that sent back an echo of viscosity, ominous and unnerving.

She slowly turned, sweat beading up on her forehead, then her face fell. In front of her stood Cell, freshly regenerated, his body dripping with the usual greenish and grotesque liquid. He was looking at his hands, a bit puzzled but overall delighted.

“Perfect...” he said, sketching a satisfied smirk. “I honestly doubted if I would survive, but all my training clearly paid off. So, an energy surge as massive as that one wasn’t enough to kill me outright... Sometimes I actually impress myself.”

“Even so,” he thought to himself. “Gohan’s anger has pushed him ahead of me once again — even including this latest zenkai. Which means, with his inhibitions out of the way... we might actually stand a chance.”

He turned his glistening eyes in the direction of Bra with contentment, the girl wearing nothing but abject terror. Her paralysis from before, seeing him murder Videl sadistically, was still lingering. Son Gohan had unleashed a fury she’d never thought possible, and supposedly pulverized the bio-android. Now, Gohan was gone and Cell was back, more sadistic and powerful than ever.

Seeing the young girl trembling from head to toe, Cell merely chuckled softly in amusement.

“Vegeta’s kid, eh.... You have nothing to fear from me. I’m on your side.”

He took a step forwards, which only caused the girl to flinch and then begin to cry — bracing for her own demise. Cell’s words had reached her ears, but she hadn’t registered them. She was completely helpless and desperate.

Cell sighed and decided to take a step closer to her, now towering over her from his tall, perfect waist. He looked down at her, straight in the eyes.

“Your alter-ego is too strong for me. That Son Bra is a real monster.'' His voice was suave but firm. “It’s quite the pill to swallow, eh, the fact that an alternate you is so powerful... so much so that I had to give Gohan a little extra motivation. There are more of us fighting against Babidi than you think. We still have a few allies on our side.”

Bra finally began to pick up on what the psychopathic android was saying. So... it was Son Bra then, this mystery enemy that seemed to be the last obstacle to overcome before this horrible chaos ended? It was... Herself?

Maybe if Gohan and Cell fought together they had a chance of winning? Cell certainly seemed more confident in their victory than Gohan. But... She still couldn’t put Videl’s brutal death out of her mind. This sudden flicker of light that Cell offered was nothing compared to the immense darkness surrounding him.

Cell smirked and walked around her into the dark hallway. As he passed, he offered a final piece of advice.

“Remember, stay here where it’s safe. We need you alive.”

“H... Huh?” Bra repeated, stuttering inaudibly. The empathy of this monster had taken her by surprise.

“Yes... You see, if the Gohans begin to lose their motivation, I may need to throw you into the fray to give them a little boost, haha,” the perfect android sneered, disappearing into the corridor.

Cell chuckled as he abandoned Bra to ponder his tormenting comments. He was laughing, but he was anything but relaxed. He had serious doubts that they could win against Son Bra, even by teaming up with the two Gohans. Vegetto’s daughter was unbeatable. When Babidi had majinized her, he had sensed her complete submission to the ignoble rat-faced wizard. Now she was a killing machine, all remorse having been stripped away. He would only get one attempt to beat her. It would take a perfectly timed sneak attack, and for that he would need Piccolo’s help.

In spite of the possibilities, Cell was still excited. Son Bra was the ultimate challenge, he’d have to surpass himself. This was a warrior far beyond Gohan, an adversary that he measured closely against. Only now, he was on the side of the defenders. Undoubtedly, Vegetto would eventually show up and resolve the situation. The tournament would inevitably continue, and he would soon face Vegeta. Considering how much stronger he had become since the start of the Multiverse Tournament, Cell felt quite confident he would be victorious. He had certainly used this most recent chaos strategically to increase his power even further.

For her part, Bra of Universe 18 collapsed to the ground, mentally devastated. She couldn’t take it anymore, all the feelings of terror inside of her were completely overwhelming. She had witnessed brutal murders, endless violence, and true horror that made her hate her own helplessness. Her alter-ego, this arrogant overpowered teenager, had fallen under the mind control of Babidi — which meant everyone was about to die. Bra knew that her father, Vegeta, had also given into the wizard’s spell, once upon a time. But it had been a ruse on the Saiyan’s part, a ploy to free himself from his inhibitions and grant him a battle with Goku. Son Bra, on the other hand, was apparently a true slave to the abject magician. It was hard to believe that Vegeta’s blood was somewhere flowing through the veins of her counterpart, even diluted by fusion. Someone had to talk some sense into her, or she would continue down this path towards the irredeemable.

Bursting into tears, Bra slammed her bruised hands into the ground, praying that Son Gohan would survive and save everyone.

Everything was a haze of confusion.

She had been completely humiliated, in spite of technically being the victor.

It was an absolute shame, and in front of everyone — she had even won with the asterisk of a self-imposed handicap...

Such an injustice should have been rectified immediately.

She had been trapped inside of a body that wasn’t hers. It was badly injured, with mediocre power at best, not to mention it was hideous.

The room she was in held two others, both of them idiots, who had placed her wounded body in some kind of tank with green water.

And her father, who was supposed to save her, seemed to be taking his time having fun with the coward that stole her body.

She had been patient for two whole minutes inside this stupid tank. Three minutes had passed... What an insult. Her almighty father, whose praises she had sung not a moment before all of this happened, was still not there.

Finally, when he showed up to get her, she found that her own body had been completely pulverized by the immense force of Vegetto — who proudly announced that she had been saved. That, after having brutally taken out his aggression on her, letting off steam while she waited for rescue.

She was back in her own body, in her room, after wandering the hallway of the Universe 16 apartments for a moment.

Her mind was tormented by frustration at her father, not to mention the feeling of abandonment.

Vegetto had deliberately taken his time, he could’ve fixed everything almost instantly if he cared.

Instead, he had punished her on purpose, toying around with the parasite and having fun — in addition to beating up her body without hesitation. He had let her sit there trapped inside of a filthy reptile, alone with her panic and distress.

Now Son Bra had finally gone to bed, her muscles strained by overexertion, overtaxed by a body-snatching host. Apparently, this Ginyu had gone full out. She could tell that Super Saiyan 2 had been activated. How had that fucking parasite managed to take control of her own body and use Super Saiyan 2, a level that she herself couldn’t control!!? Her body didn’t lie, this surging sensation she was feeling didn’t occur when she transformed normally.

That was the upper limit she had been forbidden to access — because they were afraid of her, of her inability to control it anyway. She could easily destroy everything around her by accident.

She was shackled, limited by her self-obsessed father.

The blame for her mistakes always fell squarely on her own forehead, in addition to the mistakes her family supposedly made.

All she wanted was to learn how to be the strongest. She longed to somehow honor her family, especially her father — the man that had been labeled strongest in the universe since she was a baby.

Loud screaming suddenly pierced her mind.

The voices were inhuman, striking like millions of daggers in her heart.

An immense suffering overcame her, an inconsolable pain accompanied by a deep terror. Images flashed in her mind of every victim of her power. She had done so much harm, even since her youth, without ever realizing the full scale of it...

“Stop it!” she cried, her body convulsing in pain.

She couldn’t take it anymore.

All of this torment.

All of this anger.

All of the complaints.

All of the rules.

Why had she even been born, if this suffering was all there was?

What could she do?

“My my, what awful torment this is, my dear little Saiyan...” a voice whispered into her mind.

“What...?” she started to ask, before suddenly grabbing her head in her hands and crying in pain once more.

“I can see your heart... Every ounce of pain you’ve endured, such intense emotion...

“You’ve been forced to live your whole life in the shadow of your father. Your own family... They try to control you, they’re afraid of you, of your power...

“I see how they’ve tried to shape you into what they want, to use you like a tool for their own ends... They want to turn you into a hero, a vigilante, a slave to their own righteous endeavors...

“But your power is limitless...

“Why serve the weak and helpless, vermin who are not worthy of you?”

“I...” she tried to answer, her mind spiraling into confusion.

The words of Son Gohan echoed in her mind, his kindness and reassurance had been a light that kept her from sinking so many times. Her big brother was the only person who seemed to have any sympathy for her.

... sympathy?

No, that same powerful brother was preventing her from achieving what she truly wanted.

Did he really love her? Was he any different from Vegetto — another set of eyes keeping watch over her, restraining her, pushing her towards the path they had marked out in advance?

“That’s it... Yes,” the soft voice continued. “You aren’t one of them... They only see you as a tool they can manipulate however they see fit...

“Protect the weak... Save the universe... Such foolish dreams are below you, you know what you really want deep down...

“These cries you’re hearing, all this pain and despair... They’re only affecting you because you’ve been programmed and manipulated...

“My offer is simple... Your freedom... Deliverance from these cries that haunt you... Instead of torturing you, such pain can be harnessed... You can learn to savor it...

“Join me, and you can ascend to the very heights of your wildest dreams... With my help, you will be in full control of all of your power...

“I see it within you... This fear is engraved in your mind...

“Only through me can you achieve a power greater than any other... and overcome that fear!”

“Raaaah!” she cried within her sleep, summoning her energy around her.

Her thoughts were gradually changing. She had faced numerous wizards who’d come after her before. Bra had learned to resist, to overcome their magic. But this was something different.

She had already been physically weakened when Vegetto beat her up.

Within her mind, the screams were a constant torment, the embodiment of hatred and grief. Hatchiyack’s own echoed cries, in the center of the arena.

Her doubts were ravaging her. The demons inside were her torturers.

These twisted words whispered inside of her head were imbued with such truth, they were so real to her, that she couldn’t even argue.

Her life had never truly belonged to her, nor its power.

That, too, was Vegetto’s.

That final slight crossed her mind, and with it the girl unleashed a scorching lightning-streaked energy all through her room — an energy dominated by pure evil.

“Yes...

“Forget all about that abusive father, he does nothing but treat you like a criminal...

“Allow me to step in as his replacement... I will guide you... I will unleash all of your power...

“Become my servant... And through me, I guarantee you the freedom you have always longed for...

“The acceptance you’ve craved...”

The lightning aura cloaked her as she slipped into a coma of exhaustion, her mind now broken and submissive. Immediately, her room was restored and all things put back in their place by Babidi’s wichcraft.

The wizard nearly collapsed in exhaustion of his own, the efforts he’d just gone through to subdue the Saiyan greater than any he’d ever attempted. She had resisted intensely. Even Cell hadn’t given him much trouble in comparison. She’d clung to her principles as well as anyone could have expected, but he had won in the end. Bra had been so full of doubt and torment, the cries of that evil monster had only amplified her regrets. Her deepest fears had risen to the surface, and Babidi had used every tool he had to make the physiologically unstable Saiyan his most precious slave. She belonged to him now. When she came to her senses, she would be his most devoted servant.

As her consciousness faded, Son Bra sighed with a relieved smile.

“I will defend you... My master...”

Separated by a respectable distance, Son Bra stared across at her older brother and his counterpart from Universe 18. Around her body crackled the intense aura of Super Saiyan 2.

Finally.

She had tried for so hard and for so long to master this transformation, and at last she had. Thanks to her new father-figure Babidi, who actually let her be herself, she was now holding nothing back. And there was nothing to hold her back either, no morality, friendship, or familial bond to keep her bloodthirsty impulses at bay. The sorcerer had instilled new values in their place, such as the sweet flavor of suffering, the savory thrill of killing...

Her new control only enhanced her self-assured sense of superiority.

She stared at her older brother with a cruel smile. His good morals that he’d tried to force onto her were now laid bare, she saw him for the scum he was. He was nearly as bad as her father, always quick to anger, never there when she needed him, and unstable as waves in a storm. Babidi had opened her eyes to the truth. Never again would she suffer under the dictatorship of Vegetto. And she cared nothing for Gohan’s beloved values — protecting the weak against evil. Hah, what did that matter? Now she WAS evil! And it was time to test Son Gohan’s commitment to fighting such evil.

Standing a bit closer, Son Gohan of the 18th spoke first. His shock at this turn made it hard for him to find the words.

“It’s... Not possible... Tell me it’s not ture, that this is all a bad joke!”

“Huh?” Bra replied with contempt. “Oh, sure, Gohan! Yeah, I only saved Babidi from certain death so that I could kill him myself!” Her eyes were surrounded by dark rings as she mocked him. “Seriously, though, think long and hard about your next move. I won’t let you attack Master Babidi. And if you don’t believe me, go ahead and try!”

“Br... Bra...,” Gohan stammered.

“SON Bra actually,” Bra sneered at him, clenching her fists. “Though, on second thought, I take that back. Why should I care about my dumb lineage from your beloved Goku and Vegeta? From now on, I am Majin Bra, Hah ha ha!”

“Do you hear what you’re saying, Bra?” Gohan exclaimed. “Aren’t you supposed to be a proud independent Saiyan!? Don’t let yourself be manipulated by this sorcerer!”

“A Saiyan?” she answered, closing her eyes. “On the contrary, Gohan... If anything I’ve always been far too human! My entire childhood was a storybook of contradictions. Be like Vegetto, even though he looked down on me. Be a superhero, inspire the defenseless and the innocent, even though I was always put down and mired with criticism. I couldn’t do anything without being judged... everything I did was painted in the worst possible light... But now, finally, all that contradiction is over. I’m done with this bullshit virtue signaling, making me feel guilty for how I was born. I’m free from all constraints, if anything I’m more Saiyan now than ever — and as you can see on display before you, I’m in control of my full power!”

With those words, she clenched her fists and fired her lightning-filled aura even higher, causing Babidi to retreat further behind her. Both Gohans took a defensive stance immediately. Compared to their own, Majin Bra’s energy was gargantuan. How could they possibly fight against such a power? There were only two warriors who had proven to be superior to the Saiyan — Vegetto and Buu. Growing up, Gohan had quickly been surpassed by his younger sister. He had always been able to calm her, but that was thanks to his temperament, being reasonable and talking through things. But at this point, neither of those was an option.

Buu gave a small whistle; even he was impressed. He had been treated to Son Bra’s full power already, when she was possessed by Ginyu and fought Vegetto in space. But now she seemed stronger than ever! It was as if the body-snatcher had left the door wide open for her to step into her potential, and that itself had then been amplified by Babidi’s dark wizardry.

As much resentment as Buu had towards the sorcerer, he had to hand it to him. Babidi had really worked his magic on her, taking all of her physical and emotional distress and turning it into a tool. He had completely reversed her values and thoughts, using the girl’s regret and emotional instability as a pivot point to rewrite her entire perspective. Buu viewed it as a masterstroke. Majin Bra was an even more devoted slave than Dabra, and fathoms more powerful. The Djinn even had a hard time concealing her energy from Gotenks, who happened to be searching through the quadrant of space where the arena was at the moment.

Gohan of Universe 16 tensed and spoke, ignoring her request to be addressed as Majin Bra.

“Son Bra, you’re stronger than this! It’s your best qualities that he’s blocked! This isn’t really you, the Bra I know is a proud and caring Saiyan. Resist him!”

“Oh, but I AM strong!” Majin Bra replied mockingly. “Stronger than I’ve ever been, thanks to Master Babidi! Unlike you or that domestic abuser of a father I was blessed with, HE offered me a chance to be myself. He doesn’t judge or condemn me, and for the first time I’m seeing you and your intentions for what they really are — to control me however you all see fit! That’s not gonna happen! I’ve mastered Super Saiyan Two, the very form that you all were terrified of... So seeing as how you’ve always been so worried about it, why don’t we test it out and see if that fear was justified!”

The flashes or arced lightning around her seemed to intensify everything about her stare. Gohan of Universe 18 shivered, turning to his alter-ego.

“Please tell me she’s joking... Is there no option but to fight her? Can she really not be reasoned with? You grew up with her, you know her better than anyone — you could help her fight off Babidi’s control! Plus, her father is Vegetto, surely she could resist his orders the way Vegeta did and break free, right?”

“... Honestly, I don’t think she can,” the other Gohan admitted, shutting his eyes. “This isn’t the first time Bra has lost control like this... Turning Super Saiyan alone makes her blood boil. Before, we always had Dad to help during her outbursts. She does get it from him after all — Vegetto has a tendency to be a bit obsessive sometimes. She’s proud like him, but she’s not Vegeta, she doesn’t have his defiance or willpower. Worse, Babidi’s taken the frustrations she does have and twisted them all against us to make her crack.”

“So, is her soul just rotten then?” Gohan of the 18th wondered aloud.

“That’s not it. Yes she’s always oscillated between good and bad, but she does have a good heart. It’s her power that is so intoxicating, sometimes she isn’t able to relate to anyone else and so she struggles to see the value in protecting others. Her morals are strong and she tries to hold to them, but she has the same lack of patience as her father — even he struggles to deal with that. Normally she would be on the side of good to the best of her ability...”

“But now, Babidi has removed any remnant of those morals...” finished the other Gohan bitterly.

Majin Bra sneered, cracking her knuckles, then smirked.

“Two Gohans for the price of one... This should be fun. They’re both fairly strong, they won’t die in a single blow anyway... makes them better punching bags!”

Behind her, Babidi grinned with gleeful delight. Converting this arrogant teenager had been completely worth the time and effort, though it had taken nearly all of his magic power to do so. Her fierce resistance to him proved that she’d faced mental assaults before. But her insecurities and anxieties let him overcome her good will in the end. Reading her mind, he’d learned just the right cords to press. In fact, it was as if he’d completely re-written her memories and personality, seeing them all through a different lens now. He was certain she was now completely devoid of any of that distasteful morality or empathy.

Gohan’s little sister, daughter of the proud Vegetto — Son Bra — was no more. She belonged to him and him alone, her new surrogate father, the wizard that would offer her what she’d always wanted. There was no chance of her rebelling. But still, he wanted to test her absolute resolve. The situation with Vegeta still haunted him, and ever since then he’d been unsettled about converting these Saiyans. But he was pretty sure he had complete control over her.

With a cruel grin, Babidi turned to his servant.

“Go! Kill them all! But... Don’t get caught up and forget about protecting me!”

Majin Bra gave him a puzzled look. He had a point, defeating the two Gohans would be a piece of cake, but her master was in danger of being attacked if he was around. It was too great a risk, she didn’t want them getting in any lucky hits.

Then an idea came to her. She extended her arm and unfurled her Ki into a protective bubble, like a many-sided dice, that enveloped the wizard. Babidi winced, but she smiled and explained.

“Here, this will protect you while I’m busy, master. You don’t wanna get mixed up in what’s about to go down.”

Babidi’s eyes widened in delighted surprise. No doubt about it, he had won for sure. She belonged to him, one of the greatest powers in all of the universes. Vegetto and the others were surely dead by now, lost in the vacuum of space. With her at his side, he could rule every world in every universe as an absolute lord.

Babidi’s high-pitched laugh filled the area, barely muffled by his protective barrier. Both Gohans stared at him, stiff.

“She... She blindly obeyed without hesitation,” stammered Gohan of the 18th. “Even Vegeta wasn’t that compliant, back then!”

“We no longer have any choice, we have to take her out!” exclaimed Gohan from Universe 16, firing up his aura.

“Right!” his counterpart agreed, doing the same.

Majin Bra grinned at the two Saiyans that stood ready to face her. She, too, got into position, ecstatic.

“I hope you’re ready, little brothers! I’m not planning to spare either of you!”

‘It won’t come to that!’ thought Gohan of the 18th, in sync with his counterpart.

‘We think the same way, we already proved that much... And we know exactly how to react to one another!’

‘I’ll feint a direct attack towards Babidi. At full strength, the shield should shatter.’

‘And I’ll move a micron in advance, distracting Bra since I know her better. I should be able to keep her busy for a moment.’

“We’ll rush her together, and attack at the same time!” they lied in unison, mirroring one another side by side.

But they had hardly finished their sentence when a great thunderous noise sounded. Deploying all of her speed, Majin Bra had covered the distance between them in a fraction of an instant — and had struck the Universe 18 Gohan with a powerful elbow in the stomach. As he was launched backwards, the other Gohan still hadn’t even reacted to what had happened. That’s when an amused female voice whispered into his hear.

“In your dreams, big bro. You might be in sync, but you’re way too slow.”

Gohan was sent careening to the other side of the arena, knocking a hole in the universe dividing wall, then crashing through the apartment walls underneath the bleachers. He didn’t stop until finally crashing into a boulder outside of the entire arena.

Trying to react quickly, Gohan of the 16th spun and tried to get the drop on his sister. But Majin Bra easily blocked it. Less than a second into the fight and he was already desperate. Son Gohan chained together a barrage of powerful blows, putting all his strength and speed into them — even tapping into his frustration and anger. Bra stopped them all with a single hand, resting her left arm arrogantly on her hip as she mocked such a pathetic attempt. In reality, she could tell that, in spite of his anger, he still didn’t want to hurt her, let alone kill her. Such weakness of resolve disgusted her to the utmost.

He saw an opening, putting his maximum power into a single right punch. Majin Bra welcomed the attack, letting it hit her head-on — only for her body to shatter into a multitude of turquoise shards. The sister’s advanced substitute technique allowed her to sneak completely behind him, and as Gohan’s face panicked he felt an incredible shock ripple through his abdomen and double him over. He collapsed onto his knees, gasping for breath as blood spewed out his mouth. Gohan’s arm clutched as his ribs, the warrior unable to even get up now.

“You’re hesitating, bro!” she mocked him. “You’re gonna have to forget about us being related, it’s not gonna save your life! I’d advise going all in... Otherwise... You’ll just die even faster!”

With those words, Majin Bra knocked him up into the air with a fiery kick. Without hesitation, she then zipped upwards and smashed him back towards the ground, scattering dust all around. Son Gohan managed to get back up this time though, deploying his energy reserves, and rushing Bra — who greeted him with a brutal hook.

But, upon impact, Gohan slid his leg forwards, allowing him to carve a furrow in the dirt and slide his face just to the side — Bra’s fist glancing by at a distance of millimeters. Surprised, the Majin had no time to defend herself and paid for it with a powerful blow to the face from her brother. She staggered back slightly, about to retaliate, when Gohan ducked again and slid to the ground, this time landing a blow in her gut. She took another step backwards to brace herself, unsettled.

“I know how you fight, Son Bra! I’ve seen how you think and move, or have you forgotten that I was able to fight against Vegetto too. Don’t underestimate me!”

He darted towards her, pulling up short at the last second and firing a Masenko straight into her face. But, once again, the superspeed of Bra allowed her to evade and get the drop on him, slamming Gohan back to the ground with a hard kick. Before he could get up, Majin Bra lept upwards, doing a long roll in the air where she wound up her leg, then dropped a kick on her brother that dug him deep into the ground. Gohan spat and gasped, his body shaking at the impact. He was far inferior to his little sister, she was merely toying with him.

She dismounted and stretched her arm out horizontally, summoning a blade of energy around it. Her movements truly held no hesitation at all, as evidenced by her sadistic expression and ecstasy.

“That’s right, big brother,” she replied mockingly to his earlier statement. “But, it goes both ways y’know. I know all your moves too, and now I’ve got level two under total control. You’re too slow, too weak! I took both your punches but I hardly even felt them. I mean, congratulations for not dying in a single attack and all, but this is pointless. If this is all the fight you’ve got left in you... then I guess playtime is over!”