PART TWENTY SEVEN: THE NEW ABILITIES OF FUSION

Chapter 134

Translated by npberryhill

Gotenks, responding to his opponent’s provocation, raised his aura as high as he could — 100% of his power now on display. Buu sketched a grin, acknowledging it wasn’t too far removed from his own. Serious, the fused warrior rushed him, a flurry of hundreds of jabs furiously slicing through the air. But Buu stood stock still, allowing each of the blows to strike and dent up his body. The Saiyan swore aloud, kicking Buu’s head with all his might — which flattened like a pancake. With the momentary withdrawal he’d forced, Gotenks quickly put his hands on Buu’s neck and sent a powerful discharge of energy into him — disintegrating his body into jelly. He immediately realized it was futile.

“Darn it,” Gotenks spat, turning around. “Face me, you coward!”

On the other side of the ring relaxed the dubious djinn, lying down sipping a cocktail and reading a magazine — an inside joke between the two of them, a throwback to the Room of Spirit and Time.

“But...” the amazed Vargas questioned. “Where did he get his book?”

Leaning against the Universe 7 corridor as always, Gast was analyzing the scene carefully. There was no longer any doubt in his mind, though it humbled him to admit it: in terms of raw power, these two were in a league far above him. How many others at the tournament had surpassed him, he wondered. But the Super Namek had not come all this way only to lose — Gast was determined to find a way to get his wish, somehow.

Buu grinned wide, quite pleased with himself, as always. Of course, it was just a joke. He’d thought it an appropriately silly gimmick, but he did in all seriousness want a real fight. Straightening back up, he answered Gotenks.

“All right, then! You want to me to face you? Very well, here’s one of my latest novelties!”

Lowering his guard, he closed his eyes and concentrated. A few seconds later, a gleaming armor emerged from his body, one which undoubtedly resembled the set worn by Xeniloum.

“How?” Eleim exclaimed, taking a step back.

“That’s the Ultra armor!” Xeniloum gasped, just as frightened.

“No, it can’t be!” panicked Naurb. “He gave us back the armor he stole, he shouldn’t have it anymore!”

“Ehh,” Buu snarled, overhearing them. “True, but, I only returned it because it was of no more use to me. I’d finished my analysis and now I can reproduce it at will.”

To say the Heloiites were paralyzed with fear would be an understatement. Buu was like no creature they’d ever imagined, a true virtuoso in every field. At this point he seemed untouchable, multiplied by the fact he now had access to THAT now...

“Carbonite,” Xeniloum whispered under his breath, looking gloomy. “Buu is now the number one threat to everyone here!”

“Calm yourself,” Eleim stated plainly, reassuring them. “For him to use it, he’d need your brainwaves. Without them, he’ll have no way to activate it.”

“Oh, that little problem?” the haughty djinn chuckled, channeling his inner Vegeta. “Actually I already have a workaround.”

Gradually, his face morphed into someone the Heloites knew well. He hadn’t absorbed the warrior from Universe 19 for nothing. The brainwaves in question were now hard-copied into a tiny portion of his mind, able to be recalled and used as he saw fit. In fact, he possessed the faculties needed to transform into the appearance of any being he’d ever absorbed.

Xeniloum fell to the ground in shock; Buu’s face was like looking in a mirror. The Djinn boomed with laughter, seeing the reactions he’d earned. His chuckling finally subsided as he turned back to Gotenks, who seemed rather unimpressed. He was aware of the armor’s potentially deadly attacks, but considered them only dangerous to the audience — he himself wasn’t worried.

“One face or another, Buu, the constant remains that I’m going to pulverize it! Eat this — Big Bang... Attack!!”

Emulating Vegeta’s signature stance, he reached out and launched an extremely strong Ki ball. Lazilly, Zen Buu swung his crest around and smashed the sphere, deflecting it back at Gotenks. The fused warrior reacted with plenty of time, sending it upwards into the stark abyss with a kick.

“My turn, then! Ultra Waver Ball!”

Generated by his armor, another energy sphere emerged from Buu’s outstretched arm. It slowly advanced towards his enemy, who was becoming impatient. Gotenks sneered as it gradually loomed closer, eventually reaching him.

“I hope you’re joking! Your own attacks are far more powerful than this, Buu!”

With the back of his hand, he swept the ball away, sending it to the ground in a deafening dazzling explosion. His instincts kicked in and he formed yet another energy ball above his head.

“So it’s a game of who’s got the biggest balls, eh?” Gotenks laughed. “Here then, have a taste of my Ultra Gotenks Ball!”

Buu’s eyes widened, the attack rushing him at an unexpectedly high velocity. He barely had time to sketch a grin as he was struck full force, this explosion far larger and more impressive than the previous one. The ring was completely vaporized, carving a deep cavernous fathom below them — even Gotenks had to cross his arms, bracing against his own attack. Though the spectators shielded their eyes, they still felt the heat of the explosion against their faces. The shield held of course, reassuring all present except the Vargas. At the rate things were going, the energy barrier could give way at any second, undergoing some serious abuse.

Gotenks voice suddenly rang out triumphant above the arena, partially concealed by the thick smoke.

“Ha ha ha! Buu is defeated, I’m the best!”

He was cut off almost instantly. “Me? Vanquished? What a laugh!”

A sudden gust of wind cleared the smoke around, revealing Buu surrounded by a spherical barrier, a mocking grin stretching from cheek to cheek.

“Sorry if I led you on, you see I was just hoping to test out the energy shield,” the djinn explained, deactivating it. “I’m sure you understand why, and I can now confirm that it is indeed far better than your Super Saiyan 3 — such a shame for your boasting, Gotenks. Bested by mere science.”

“What did you just...?” Gotenks stuttered, utterly furious. “Listen up... you!”

“Eat this instead!” Buu cut him off, reaching out in a sharp gesture.

A razor thin beam, more precise than any surgical tool, immediately shot out of his forearm. Gotenks looked horrified, a single lock of golden hair floating and falling before his eyes. His forehead dripped with sweat as another slicing micro-blade narrowly missed his left hip.

Evading an instrument of such finesse was almost impossible, anticipating it on instinct was all he could do — but the constant dodging left him breathless. How had Bra managed to cope with these sordid lines? She didn’t seem to have near the same degree of difficulty, or was it just that Buu had far better control over the armor and its abilities? The Heloiites wondered the same thing, Eleim in particular. He hadn’t even glanced the Saiyan girl once when he’d used the same attack, yet Buu was purposefully aiming at Gotenks to the nearest centimeter. It was irritating to be outdone so effortlessly.

For the Djinn, it was like trying to get the high score on a video game. Drawing on skills from his various musical and artistic assimilations, he patterned his attacks so the Saiyan would be inadvertently forced to dance in a hilarious sustained pattern, all the while sculpting a masterpiece behind him from part of the stadium. He knew their fusion wouldn’t last much longer — in fact he could count the seconds, as he himself had created their advanced fusion method — and he hoped to finish his statue before then. Part of him had hoped Gotenks would’ve matured as a fighter over the past twenty years, but it seemed that wasn’t the case, a disappointing conclusion.

Behind Gotenks, the large chunk of rock suddenly cracked and all the extraneous and unused material crumbled and fell apart. Underneath was revealed a masterwork, a statue of Buu with rather exaggerated muscles smiling almost cartoonishly. The spectators were amazed.

“Wow! It’s absolutely brilliant!”

“Fabulous! Fantastic workmanship! Exquisite artistry!”

“He’s a genius! So elegant and ornate!”

Gotenks tensed upon hearing the crowd’s musings. It seemed, in spite of his escapades in the previous round, the audience still held a great appreciation for Buu, perhaps even borderline admiration! Why weren’t they focusing on him, though? He was the hero, though all he could do was dodge at the moment. In the back of his mind, he knew his merger would soon end, and he suspected Buu would prevent him from fusing this time.

From the Universe 19 patio, Eleim analyzed the situation. “Buu is using the armor recklessly,” he said softly. “If his armor is indeed identical to our own, the energy reserves will soon be depleted!”

At that exact moment, Buu’s attacks suddenly stopped, shocking the Djinn somewhat. Gotenks rejoiced, finally seeing an opportunity to take back the offensive and possibly win. Zipping instantly in front of his opponent, who hadn’t had time to dodge, the fused warrior overwhelmed Buu with thousands of blows, channeling all his remaining effort into the assault.

“It’s over, Buu!” he exclaimed. “Taste the fury of my Hundred Thousand Vengeful Fists!”

The majin felt the full force of Gotenk’s blows, and yet this pain to him was nothing. He’d suffered more from Tenshinhan’s Kikoho in the previous round, that is — if pain still held any meaning to him. He was the pinnacle of biological advancement, the climax of evolution, the summit of the universe. Nothing came close to him in power, his only remaining skill left to master was magic. In that regard, XXI posed a legitimate threat to him, whereas Gotenks was utterly inferior. He merely allowed himself to be struck, his body twisting and distorting under the flurry of attacks. One last blow launched him away, but he wasn’t about to let Gotenks get away scott free.

“Hehe... a going away present for you!” he chuckled.

“Huh? What the!?”

Gotenks suddenly panicked, he utterly and completely panicked. A black substance was spreading little by little on his right fist — he knew what it was immediately. This didn’t bode well.

“Carbonite!!!” Nedwook shouted.

“How could he have managed to recreate even that?” Phipsil asked, trembling. “He’s... a nightmare!”

“It must be destroyed immediately!” exclaimed Eleim. “Every molecule disintegrated, right now!!”

“You’re kidding!?” Gotenks replied, screaming. “What about my arm!?”

“It’s already too late!” Eleim answered firmly. “Hurry before you lose more than that!”

A Varga in Universe 19 interrupted. “Sir, you must refrain from offering advice to...”

“NOT NOW!” the Heloise yelled to the reprimanding bird. “We’re all in great danger, including you! We’ve got to destroy it now while it’s still containable!”

Gotenks was on the verge of fainting. The substance was gaining ground, covering his wrist and part of his forearm. Meanwhile, Buu had regenerated his body, relaxing hilariously in front of the show.

“Hahahaha!” he mocked. “If only you could see yourself right now! I’m committing that terrified face to memory, it’s too great!!”

To add insult to injury, Buu seemed to recall he hadn’t eaten in a while and transformed one of the busted pieces of ring into a pile of round candies, which he began to swallow greedily. The sound of confectionery breaking in his jaw was barely audible compared to the terrified cries of Gotenks. The latter, resigned to his fate, inhaled deeply, preparing a powerful slicing energy blade in his other hand and bracing himself to sever the infected limb. Both Pans covered their eyes, while Uub also grimaced, being all too familiar with the sensation — perhaps at least now he could help repair it afterwards.

Suddenly, Gotenks vanished, splitting into Trunks and Son Goten, both still Super Saiyans. The Carbonite itself was nowhere to be found, having vanished without a trace with the fusion. The ever analytical minds of both Gohans were quite skeptical, but Buu’s own knowledge of physics exceeded even their own. He derived the merger’s effect on carbonite from a single observation. But while the carbonite was no more, the two Saiyan’s fighting spirit had vanished as well with Gotenks. The two boys were ecstatic about their miraculous survival, and thus had no inkling of the attack he gave them. Buu stretched his arms out and socked them both in the jaw — both were instantly out cold, having lost a few teeth. Luckily for them, their Saiyan bodies were able to handle the increased gravity even while unconscious. Tapion wouldn’t have been so lucky. Nearby, Bra of Universe 16 sighed in disdain while Piccolo and Gohan of the 18th went to check on the two. Arriving on the spot, Gohan shot Buu an angry glance.

Buu frowned, seeming disappointed. “Don’t worry, Gohan, I wouldn’t have killed them,” he explained. “There was no point in fighting the two boys separately, they’re far too weak. As for Gotenks, he still lacks the ability to take fighting seriously, so I just abbreviated the match. They’ll be fine, the Nameks will take good care of them.”

“Then, I guess I should thank you for sparing their lives,” Gohan said, lifting Goten into his arms. “But we’ve still got our eyes on you, Buu. We all know you haven’t changed.”

Buu smirked in response as Gohan and Piccolo returned with the boys. He then moved instinctively back towards the Universe 4 patio — only to be suddenly contacted by the Great Kaioshin’s consciousness. The Kaioshin were about to pursue him, hot from his attitude. Inwardly, he chuckled that he still had to play the game...

The Djinn uttered a cry of terror, his body gradually falling apart, as he was sucked back into the palm of the Grand Kaioshin. The other gods encircled him, ready to act at the first hint of suspicion. Now back in the form of a ball, Buu appeared exasperated and weary, though he hadn’t fooled the Kaioshin leader of course.

‘What a performance!’ he said telepathically. ‘It seems you really put all those actors inside you to good use!’

‘Please don’t mock,’ Buu sighed, disillusioned.

Goten and Trunks, now fully healed, awoke in a confused state, at first unaware of their defeat. They were met with Uub’s compassionate comments, Vegeta’s indifferent and disdainful expression, Pan’s supporting words, and the praise of Piccolo, Gohan, and Goku. Then came Bra, who wore the most menacing grin of all.

“So, about our little wager from before... You two are now my slaves! Kneel before me!”

The two Saiyans sighed in unison. “Anything but this...”

“Lunch break!” the voice of the Grand Kaioshin sounded throughout the arena. Make room for the Vargas and the installation of tables!”

“Hmm,” Bra said, reflecting. “Oh wait, Mr. Varga. Don’t you even lift a finger. These two here will setup all the tables, plus they’ll serve everyone their meals as well!”

“Heh, nice,” Vegeta chuckled, turning his back. “A shameful defeat merits a thankless task. Serves you right, and perhaps it’ll teach you a lesson — take your fights more seriously or at least try acting like you actually deserve that much power.”

“But... please not this...”