PART THREE: UUB AND BUU GET THE HONORS!

Chapter 15

Translated by Kakarotto Ka Power Level Kya Hai?

In one of the chambers allocated to Universe 4, a warrior, awakened by the explosions of missiles, yawned. Literally rising with a bounce, he scratched the antenna on his head, and had a strange feeling. He sensed something very... personal, not far from there. The pink, bipedal creature took three steps forward and looked towards the exit... to the ring where the fight was taking place.

"Hmm... So that's it..." the great warrior said aloud to himself.

Stretching quickly, he finally decided to leave the shelter of his space... and left to show the participants of Universe 19.

After picking up his arm, Uub suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline rising within him. The pain faded and he felt no fatigue. But he knew it would only be temporary. He had to find a way to cure it if the worst happened.

Jumping rapidly, he landed before his friends in Universe 18. "Quick! Can you fix this?"

He instinctively directed the question to his master, Son Goku. But the latter, taken aback, could only answer, "Um..."

"You weren't careful enough," Vegeta said, his arms crossed and head held high, with the air of royalty that he still loved to use.

"That's not what I'm asking!!" cried the young man, panicked.

He hyperventilated for a few seconds. He heard the warriors in Universe 19 begin to stir. Some were outraged... and it was his fault...

"He killed Tidar!" the most edgy of them suddenly shouted, beginning to jump over the small boundary wall. Two, then three of his colleagues hurried to restrain him. Trunks and Goten, more by curiosity than by a desire to defend their space in case of an invasion, rushed over.

Trunks tried to calm things down. "Well, he'll be revived at the end of the tournament. Don't worry about it?"

"Don't you have any senzus?" replied Uub, determined to resolve his first priority: to heal his arm!

"Well, no," replied Goku.

Uub dropped his head down. He thought desperately to himself, "What am I gonna do?"

"Ask a Namek," proposed Pan, who thought while noting Piccolo's return to their space.

"Great idea, Pan!"

Indeed, they were promised a cure that was within the limits of their means due to the tournament. But could a healer Namek really rebuild an entire arm or stick it back? Well, today was not that day that our heroes could learn the answer to their question. Because before the organizers arrived, someone else made them a proposal...

"I can heal your arm..." said a voice behind the one-handed boy. "But it won't be for free..."

Uub turned around to come face to face with... Babadi!

The wizard flew over the small wall, but did not exceed the boundary between Universe 18 and the center of the arena. He was accompanied by Majin Buu on his right and Dabra, who smiled idly, on his left. Of the three, it was the demon who seemed most threatening. Babadi looked like a stumpy, old little creatyre and Majin Buu looked like a big, sweet-eating baby. Appearances were most definitely deceiving.

"Ha! You can't even do it. It's your Majin Buu who will," Uub replied calmly as he continued to lose blood. "I'm ashamed that my powers came from you!" he said finally, looking at the pink Majin.

Indeed, Uub had once asked Goku where his power came from. His master had then explained everything about Majin Buu and Babadi. In fact, Goku had taken the chance to tell Uub the whole story, from Raditz's arrival to Frieza's genocide on Namek to Cell's legendary tournament.

"We're not interested in your deceitful proposal," Piccolo said as he approached, arms crossed, with a menacing, but cautious air.

"Too bad, just keep bleeding then." replied Babadi in turn, smiling and shrugging.

Uub's severed arm strangely began to shine a bright, pale light. With an indescribable sound, it rejoined Uub's left shoulder. The wound disappeared in a second, the arm was fully reattached, and even a few pieces of clothing that were cut were replaced.

Uub had regained his whole body, and was completely cured of his struggle: his breathing suddenly grew calmer, his heart rate fell by half, as if he were at complete rest, and all perspiration ceased. All this surprised Uub. He looked at Babadi, ... who was as surprised as him.

The sorcerer turned his head to his Majin Buu, and scolded, "Buu! I didn't tell you to heal him!"

But the fat creature did not understand what had happened. However, the one who had healed Uub was nearby. Standing as straight as the letter I, arms folded the same way as Vegeta, the tip of his antenna was still glowing. Pink, muscular, with holes in arms and head, the creature had a strange expression. He seemed both friendly and aggressive, giving the impression that it was unwise to annoy him, but that it was also possible to completely start a conversation with him. The effect was even stranger for Uub. for some unclear reason, he found the stranger more friendly than anyone else.

Telepathically, Uub said, "Thank you very much!"

"It's... Buu!" said Piccolo, sweating at the sight of the being that had once destroyed the Earth. He continued to perspirate profusely as he remembered how he had failed to fight Buu on his own when Gotenks defused and before Gohan's arrival!

"This is the same Buu as the one we fought," said Goten, Trunks beside him nodding.

"No, look at his antenna," corrected Gohan. "This Buu seems stronger..."

"I only did that to hassle Babadi," Buu finally said. He was beginning to fed up that people where making assumptions about him. "Or maybe because you have a little bit of Buu in you," he continued, looking at Uub. "Or it's the fact that all of you exist as absorbed into me, that makes me feel close to you," he finished, looking at everyone in Universe 18.

"Even me?" Goku asked, as if he might have escaped that criteria.

"Of course," replied Buu calmly with this clear response... which was followed by supplementary explanations. "Everything that exists and contains some power, in my universe, is now in me."

The warriors of Universe 18 hadn't said a word, their eyes fixed on the one who was their world's greatest menace... Also, if he really had absorbed everyone in his universe, the fact that he could conceal his power would be just fantastic! However, not a drop of Ki emanated from him. "So that's why we didn't feel him coming," concluded Gohan.

Beside them, Babadi was frozen. He was there! Before him! It could be him! The TRUE Majin Buu he had tried to resuscitate! Not that big pink balloon he had tortured himself with for the last twenty years! Truth be told, Babadi had never before seen the creation of his father before he had released him. He tried so hard to gather the necessary energy... only to find an obese child!

"Majin Buu!" he cried, looking euphoric now, raising his arms and his mouth wide open.

"No."

Though he had replied simply. However, his eyes were hard... It was so terrifying that Babadi's joyous antics immediately ceased.

"What do you mean, 'No'?" he managed to ask, perplexed.

"I am no longer Majin Buu. I am just Buu." He put on a diabolical smile and pointing a finger at Babadi's troupe, he added quietly, "I want to tell you that in my universe, I killed you. And you, Dabra, I turned you into a cookie and ate you. As for you, Majin Buu, I have absorbed you."

"H-How is this possible? You raised a hand against your master!?"

Buu extended his arms towards Babadi and illuminated it. He prepared to fire a powerful Ki blast.

"You're not my master. You never were..." he said gravely as Babadi faced the greatest fear of his life.

Buu ceased his argument by lowering the arm. He turned without another word and marched to his space: Universe 4.

"One second!" Goku shouted as if speaking to an ordinary person. "I wanted to know if you've absorbed everything that's in your universe? Along with the houses, islands, and the planets, too? Did you transform the suns into candy?"

Buu slapped his forehead, muttering to himself. Obviously he should have been clearer when speaking to Son Goku... He turned his back to the group and recognized all the members... little Videl had greatly changed. The two tiny Saiyans had grown into men, and... there were some new family members.

I have absorbed all the people whose power was interesting to me. Those with gifts or special skills. At the time, if I had more brains than Mr. Candy-Brain over there, I would have absorbed Dabra instead of eating him. As you know, there not many people in the universe that are worthy of being absorbed... But in short, I have not absorbed whole populations.

He wanted to add for Videl, "Yes... your father is still alive." But he knew that the sentence could easily be interpreted as an insult to his lack of power rather than good news... Her own father in her universe was most probably alive. However, he preferred not to start the topic, as it could continue to a long conversation, the details of which would not please the lady...

This troop of warriors surely never imagined that he, himself, had personally killed each earthling with a ki blast after a lousy excuse from a desperate Piccolo. Buu was no longer the murderous psychopath he was back then.

Babidi, still frightened, looked at Uub, then turned on his heel and returned to Universe 11's wing.

Universe 18 watched both Buu and Babadi's troupe without saying a single word.

Suddenly, Uub broke the silence after a moment. "I... I'm going to apologize to Universe 19..."

Goku was slightly surprised. He said nothing and followed his student's eyes. As Uub went around the boundary to Universe 19, two men approached him, while another was holding the man who attempted to assault him earlier. Uub spoke to them for dozens of seconds, apologizing properly, even bowing. The two warriors in armor looked a moment, then one of them, after thinking quickly, closing his eyes and folding his arms, reluctantly accepted the apology.

When Uub returned, Goku congratulated him for having learned the moral of the experience. To apologize for his action was very big of him. And for Universe 19 to accept the apology was equally big, if not greater! As Uub returned to his teacher's side, the latter laid his hand on his shoulder, smiling, and his student smiled in return, proud.

Uub's smile suddenly faded, and his faced expressed slight incomprehension as he pointed a finger in the opposite direction. "Is that Vegetto? Looks like he wants to see Universe 4's Buu"

"Hmm... You're right," Goku confirmed. "I wonder what he wants."

Goten, nearby, intervened, "You know, he is half you. Shouldn't you rather be asking: 'What am I doing?'"

"What?" Goku simply replied instantly.

"Idiot," retorted Trunks next. "If it's half, he should say... um... 'What is half-me doing?' or 'What is semi-me doing?' "...

Vegeta slapped his forehead. "How puerile! All that suspense and it was pointless!"

"Anyway, it's a good thing we brought some extra clothing, right?" said Gohan to Goku and Uub.

"Oh, yeah! Go and change clothes, Uub," advised the master to his student.

"Alright!" Uub nodded and bounded towards his room.

Buu sensed Vegetto arriving. Buu stood, immobile, near the boundary wall separating his space, waiting for the fused Saiyan to arrive. The Saiyan, smiling, greeted him with one hand as he approached and then, reaching over the wall, he jumped over to sit down.

"Hey!" He greeted simply. "Didn't see you there."

"Me neither," lied Buu. "How interesting..."

"Really? I thought the same thing, too. I guess you noticed Universe 20's fighter."

"The ice cube? Yes, it interests me, why?"

"I want to confront it."

"And?"

"I want you to help me."

"No way. That opponent will be mine."

"Come on, let him be mine. And I promise that we will fight."

"We can still fight after I've defeated him."

A pause settled. The two warriors were looking for a big challenge here. They seemed to agree on certain points.

"Listen, I've already fought this guy. I want to face him again."

"If you've already fought him, it's my turn," retorted Buu by pointing his finger at Vegetto.

"If you fight Broly, I refuse to confront you," Vegetto said, folding his arms and turning his head to one side, sulking.

"You still might not have the choice," retorted Buu, who still had not out of arguments.

"Aha! You admit that can cheat to fight whoever you want!"

"Don't pretend, I know you already knew."

"Hmm... you're pretty smart," said Vegetto with a smile.

"I'm not fooled. After all, you and I have much in common. It is the Goku and Vegeta within me. That part of me is excited about the fight against you. Goku wants to face the side of Vegeta that is within you and Vegeta wants to face the side of Kakarotto within you."

"If I don't face Broly, and I find myself against you... I'll forfeit."

"You would never."

"Obviously, you don't know me as well as you think. Vegetto is much more different than just having Vegeta and Kakarotto together," replied the Saiyan.

Vegetto stood backup, ready to go. He took two to three steps and turned his head slightly.

"I want to fight Broly in the first round... That still leaves you time to think. See ya!"

Vegetto returned to his room, leaving Buu in the same place to consider his proposal. As he walked, he smiled. He knew that Buu could cheat to fight whoever he wanted. But what the fused warrior may never know is that Universe 18's Goku had done the exact same thing to be able to fight Uub in the first round of the Tenkaichi Budokai, ten years earlier.

At the command center, the Vargas and Nameks were busy restoring the ring for the next match.

"The fusion of the ring is complete," said a Varga, sitting at his terminal which showed the image of the ring which had become a big bubble filled with green liquid.

"Perfect. Begin solidification," ordered a second Varga near him.

The data was posted up on the screen of a small bluish Varga. The process went smoothly during the first few minutes of the ring's solidification.

"The next match will be: Nail of Universe 10 against Reacum of Universe 8!" Announced the host when it was completed.

"Ah. This is an interesting fight," said Piccolo, for the first time truly interested in the fight.

"A good match in perspective, and a well-balanced one, at that," he thought as the two competitors prepared to enter the ring.

He stared into Universe 10. Nail was warming up. He stretched quickly, with the encouragement of his friends, including Cargot who had regained consciousness for several minutes. He warned Nail of Nappa's power and that Nail be careful against Reacum. Although these two adversaries were not from the same universe, Nappa's power level testified that they could all be as strong, if not stronger.

After a gesture of thanks for his friend, Nail flew towards the ring, for his own fight...