DB Multiverse

Part 3, Chapter 12.

Chapter 12

Translated by Virgilio212 & proofread by ZenBuu

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Although they were now separated by an immense distance, Buu was able to catch the conversation between the two occupants of the celestial palace, yet he couldn’t tell whether the young god was right or not. Everything was still very confusing in his mind.

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He... he didn’t want to hurt anyone. At least, not more than he was capable of. All this time, throughout the year he had just spent, his goal was to stay as far away as possible from the beast he had once been. To never again become that battered boy who only knew how to toy with life, death, and gluttony. The universe was full of wonders, and he had barely scratched the surface of a fraction of them.

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However, he refused to do good for free. To him, it felt like admitting the secret victory of the Earthlings, who had struck him with psychological blows from within. But... was that really such a bad thing?

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He suddenly stopped over a vast ocean. In the distance, one could see a large island and a bustling port city. A flock of birds flew past him in a cacophony of cries, heading toward the distant horizon bathed in the sun’s rays.

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Buu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

In this world, he had been resurrected. He had evolved. He had fought and won with bravery and merit.

He had experienced pain and humiliation. The fear of dying.

Created and manipulated by wrinkled and twisted wizards, he had broken free, discovered the warmth of friendship, hatred, rage, and transcendence.

From a purely sadistic and evil being, he had become a new entity, independent of his former masters and his bloodthirsty genesis... Thanks to the Earthlings.

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Silently, Buu loosely extended his hand toward the planet’s surface, wanting to convince himself with all his willpower that he was above all of this. That these useless emotions only held him back psychologically. That he didn’t care about other existences besides his own. Living beings were just tools. Prey. Barely worth killing or devouring, only to be absorbed if they possessed that spark of value he appreciated.

But... now that he had no worthy rival, he understood that life had to be considered. If he had let Son Goku live... would he have had an interesting fight today, allowing him to practice?

He remembered the inhabitants of the sand planet. And he wondered how they were doing.

Buu sighed and suddenly headed toward the ocean’s horizon. He needed another opinion.

Moments later, on a certain island.

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A few dozen meters in the air, Buu looked down at the small house below with a mix of nostalgia and a problematic anxiety. Troubled by his recent introspections, he recalled Son Goku’s last months training for the Tenkaichi Budokai. Those crazy memories with Krillin, those nights devouring fish prepared by Lunch...

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“The crazy woman who never stopped getting irritated,” said an innocent voice in his head.

Buu burst into laughter, a tear falling from his eye. It was true that, as a child, Goku could never pronounce the turtle’s name correctly. The Djinn looked at the house again with a more tender expression. Now that he understood what affection was, he realized the emotional richness of all the memories he had collected from his prey. Moreover, could he still consider them as such? He had lived alone for so long, rejected, seen as a threat, that he now envied the existence of those weak yet full-lived beings. He had never known a teacher, a family, a friend. Only Bibidi and his abominable offspring. And darkness. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to distance himself from it.

But without renouncing his power or his selfishness.

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Buu sighed apprehensively and descended toward the beach. Silently, he landed on the sand and walked toward the door. He had hidden his energy so as not to frighten the old master. He knocked twice and heard a hoarse voice respond:

—"Coming!"

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Buu put on the friendliest smile he could muster. Master Roshi appeared at the door, his face falling apart when he saw Buu standing in front of him.

—"B... Buu!" he stammered. "Krillin warned me that you had returned to our planet... What do you want from me?"

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Disturbed by the old master’s reaction, Buu reflected. Master Roshi had long abandoned the idea of finding those Buu had absorbed. But the Djinn instilled such terror that the martial arts expert couldn’t see him as anything but a threat, even knowing that Buu had softened. He had also heard that Buu absorbed interesting talents and feared being on his list due to his own skills and the threat that the Mafuba could pose to the Djinn.

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Buu smiled sadly and dropped to one knee, under the bewildered gaze of Master Roshi.

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—"Hello to you, hermit elder." he said respectfully. "Indeed, I am back. But do not fear, I have no ill intentions. In truth, I come seeking your help, your wisdom. From Goku’s memories within me, I know you are capable of shedding light on the confusion that plagues me."

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Master Roshi frowned, concerned. He recalled Buu’s jovial departure twelve months ago. Even though he seemed to have turned good, Buu had still absorbed Bulma before flying off into space. The Djinn was completely unpredictable and remained a constant danger. And yet, there he was, kneeling, showing respect and humility. What had happened to this monster, hungry for sweets and bloodshed, obsessed with carnage and destruction?

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Master Roshi stroked his beard, intrigued, and finally said:

—"I don’t know if an old man like me can help you, Buu. But I will try my best. Please, come in and tell me what’s troubling you. I am curious to hear the stories of your adventures out there. According to Krillin, you have seen a lot."

Sincerely grateful, Buu obeyed and entered.

Hours later, Buu and Master Roshi were sitting on the floor, drinking water as they talked. After recounting his entire space epic, Buu was about to discuss Goku’s past with the Saiyan’s master, reminding Roshi of old tearful memories. That was when the hermit realized that, somewhere inside the Djinn, his disciple had not disappeared. His innocence and joy shone through Buu, and Buu hadn’t even noticed that, during their conversation, no brutal or evil thoughts had surfaced. Roshi saw the considerable influence of those absorbed within the Djinn and knew that it had changed him. But he also knew that Buu was on the edge of a very dangerous precipice.

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Master Roshi finished his drink and looked ahead, staring at nothing.

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—"I have to tell you, Buu..." he finally said in a more serious tone. "When I saw you out there, I had the image of the monster that had caused so much harm to all those people. But you have changed, you are not the same anymore. And from what I understand, these changes are troubling you, is that right?"

—"Exactly." Buu replied, emptying his cup in one gulp. "When I left your planet last year, I spared you all out of sheer sympathy. I thought to myself that, in the end, you had provided me with a great experience and that your little Earth deserved to survive. But I never imagined I would become so... different. All my perspectives are chaotic, I don’t know what to prefer. I don’t care at all about the miserable lives that inhabit space, and yet, I enjoy studying them, knowing them, helping them... I remember everything Goku and his loved ones went through, they have an impact on me. I... I feel things that were once unknown to me. Affection, tenderness. What am I becoming?"

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The Djinn concluded his speech in a broken tone. Simply having a conversation with the old master brought to mind those long months of training Goku had spent alongside Krillin. He almost could have shed a tear. Almost.

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Buu looked at Master Roshi from behind his sunglasses. Seeing the wrinkles on his forehead, it was clear that the turtle master was torn between sadness and apprehension. Choosing his words carefully, he said slowly:

—"You see, Buu... life itself is an inexplicable mystery. We exist, we live, we disappear. We evolve, we take advantage of what the world offers us in this time we are given. From what I have learned from you, you were created from nothing by vile wizards. Honestly, your story makes me feel compassion for you. I won’t lie when I say I don’t blame you for all the evil you have done. But I can understand. Look at you, today. You live new experiences, you question yourself! The old Buu who fought us was a cruel and heartless monster. He devoured thousands of people for the sheer pleasure of the game! But you... you explore, you grow, you build yourself!"

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As he listened to Master Roshi continue his reasoning, Buu felt a strong emotion grow within him. The words of Goku’s former mentor emerged like a string of light on a horizon of darkness that Videl’s presence had revealed and that Dende had begun to dispel.

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—"You are like a child who has just discovered the world, Buu." Master Roshi continued with a weak smile. "I remember Son Goku. That boy was so brave and innocent when I met him, with an incomparable purity. And he was ecstatic with every new thing he discovered. You inherited that purity, Buu. Of course, at first, you had to absorb him for his great strength. But I am sure that deep down, you respected him and were eager to know the feelings of those you fought. You only knew evil, and now you are embracing the other side, even if only on the surface. It is not a curse, Buu. It is a gift. If there is no longer hope of seeing my former student and the others again, I know they live through you, and together, you will grow and evolve. Your heart is tormented because you are discovering emotions that are the opposite of everything you have ever known, and it is normal to feel lost. But do not be mistaken, and let me give you some advice: emotions are not weaknesses. They are a strength that drives us forward, that pushes us to surpass ourselves. The richness of life lies in diversity and in interactions between individuals. Friendship, love, courage, fear, anger... they are not torments, nor limits. They are engines. Martial arts are a way to make peace with oneself, to accept, to come to terms with who we are. You are no longer a monster, Buu. You are not a hero either. You are who you choose to be, and any regret you may have felt, the compassion, the curiosity you had for the people you met, give you humanity and the most admirable values. You are now someone worthy of respect. It is up to you to decide whether you desire this respect out of fear or empathy."

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Master Roshi stopped with these words and took another sip of his drink. Buu was completely surprised by the words of this venerable mentor. Even though he was an old man obsessed with vices, he was by far the embodiment of wisdom and the spirit of martial arts in Buu’s and Son Goku’s eyes. Master Roshi had given him words of profound clarity.

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He... he definitely refused to become a bloodthirsty monster again. Over the past year, he had greatly enjoyed these contacts with the people he discovered. These beings, these phenomena, these worlds, had developed in him an irrepressible desire to learn and adapt. What Buu wanted more than anything was to find a place in this world. A place he would create for himself, not governed by any evil spell that had created him, nor by the crystal-clear innocence of the living beings he had absorbed.

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Little by little, he was recovering the authenticity of that feeling he had discovered when he landed on that fantastic world that had given him a taste for music, the arts, and absorption. He was fascinated by technology, the creative genius of certain individuals, that uniqueness that distinguished each being and made them interesting. No matter how insignificant, each alien, each inhabited spiritual body was special and possessed potential, even if there seemed to be nothing ahead. It was this infinite panel of the diversity of talents and consciousnesses that made the wonder of creation.

He had finally found a taste for life. For curiosity. For fascination.

The taste for discovery.

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Buu widened his eyes in shock with realization and involuntarily crushed the glass he was holding. He observed the shards embedded in his hand and immediately apologized to Master Roshi. Shocked, the old man began to laugh.

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—"Hahaha! I see that Goku left you his youthful clumsiness! He, too, would panic at the feeling of having done something stupid. I am glad to see that this innocence shines through your character. I am not asking you to become a normal Earthling, to live a human life, or to save the universe. I just want you to keep in mind that all these new feelings you develop are not a curse. Friendship, love, tenderness, they are not weak points. They are a strength that allows you to progress and get closer to others. I do not see a monster in you, Buu. What I have before me is someone human. That image may remain for those who knew you as Babidi’s fierce soldier. And perhaps Chichi and the others will never stop wanting to find those they love. But you are no longer a terrifying person. You are... just you. And I consider you a very accomplished person."

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Buu looked at Master Roshi, overwhelmed with emotion. Part of this strange sensation growing inside him was due to Son Goku, but another part was his own feeling.

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He had been recognized. Accepted not as a dark and bloodthirsty creature, but as a complete being. Treated as an equal, not as an enemy. Recognized as Buu, and not as “Majin Buu”. His absorptions were not the source of this development. They had been his pillars.

He remembered the sand planet. That feeling of having protected the population from Frieza’s former soldiers. And he drew a parallel with the Saiyans who had tried to protect the Earthlings from Cell... and from himself.

And the storm of chaos, the whirlwind of emotions that had raged fiercely within him, finally calmed.

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Letting the shards of glass slip from his hand, he silently cleaned his wounds and looked at the ground melancholically. With a painful smile, he said:

—"I believe I understand, wise elder... It is true that after absorbing your friends, I decided to leave your planet in peace. It means a lot to me... I realize now that it was not just out of care for your loved ones, but also for myself. I experienced a true rebirth in this world. I learned to love, to explore new things. Thinking about it, my actions over the past few months have been a real mess. So many lives wasted for nothing, when they had potential. I cannot suppress my warrior nature. But killing like this does not make me any different from the Buu I was in front of you, or under the wizards' control. It is thanks to you, your resistance, your efforts, that I am now beyond the simple evil being I once was. I had forgotten... yes, I had forgotten that feeling I had when I finally defeated Son Goku. It was him and the other warriors who brought me to my final evolution. I should not fear or resist their influence... but accept and understand it!

Master Roshi gave a hesitant smile as he saw Buu burst into a great, joyous laugh. The Djinn had finally found himself, definitively. He was still unstable deep within his heart, as the contradiction between his wild instincts and his newfound sanity was a constant conflict. Even so, Master Roshi had an idea to help Buu avoid giving in to his bloodthirsty whims.

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—"I am glad I could give you good advice, Buu. If I may offer you one more..."

—"And what would that be?" Buu asked jovially.

—"If it can ease any lingering doubts you may still have... There is a man who has never considered you a monster, and you should go see him as soon as possible. If you ever lose yourself again, I believe he will be a solid foundation for who you want to be."

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Intrigued, Buu remained silent for a moment before understanding the old master’s message. His eyes widened as his thoughts connected Videl and her father, the one true friend he had had since his liberation...

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Satan.

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Filled with sudden excitement and emotion, Buu abruptly stood up, knocking over the table and spilling drinks onto the carpet. Startled, Master Roshi fell backward, mumbling incomprehensible words as Buu exclaimed, placing two fingers on his forehead before disappearing:

—"Sorry, master! You are right, I have to see him right now! Don't worry, I'll be back later—thank you for this wonderful conversation!"