Vegeta watched the strip of pink flesh in Buu's hand and narrowed his eyes.
What was this idiot doing?
Buu answered by opening his mouth.
A blast shot out.
Vegeta knocked it away with one hand.
The energy ball curved into the sky and burst high above the battlefield, scattering gold across the clouds like sparks from a firework.
Buu looked up at it.
Too weak.
He had held back too much.
The thought had barely formed before Vegeta's voice came from behind him.
"You call that an attack?"
Buu's mouth twitched.
Vegeta drove a kick into his back and sent him flying. He followed him into the air, caught up in an instant, and smashed another kick into Buu's chest.
Buu's body caved around the blow.
Vegeta did not let him recover.
He hit him again. And again. Buu bounced from strike to strike, his soft body warping with every impact, but he never broke apart and never stayed down.
That only irritated Vegeta more.
"Die!"
Vegeta flipped over him and kicked him straight toward the ground.
Buu hit like a meteor. The earth split open beneath him, swallowing him into a deep crater.
Vegeta hovered above the hole, breathing through his nose, and allowed himself a thin smile.
"So much for Majin Buu."
The crater burst open.
Buu came flying back up.
The smile vanished.
Buu rammed his head into Vegeta's stomach.
Vegeta folded around the hit, spit flying from his mouth as the air left his lungs. Pain tore through his gut, but he forced his arms around Buu's body and dragged him down with him.
Buu blinked.
The ground rushed closer.
At the last second, Vegeta let go.
Buu hit first.
Another crater opened beneath them.
Vegeta landed nearby and pressed a hand to his stomach, teeth clenched.
"Damn fat freak…"
The ground exploded again.
Buu flew out of the crater as if nothing had happened.
Vegeta stared at him.
"How many times do I have to put you down?"
Buu vanished.
Vegeta turned sharply, searching the air.
"Dad!" Trunks shouted from the ridge. "Behind you!"
Vegeta looked back.
Buu was already there, smiling over his shoulder.
Before Vegeta could move, Buu grabbed him from behind.
"What are you doing?" Vegeta snapped.
Buu flipped him upside down.
Vegeta's head pointed toward the ground.
Then Buu dropped.
Vegeta's eyes widened. "You little—he's copying me!"
He hit the ground headfirst.
The impact buried him deep and cracked the earth around him.
Buu floated above the crater, clapping to himself.
This was fun.
He had not had a fight like this in a long time.
Or maybe it was not a fight.
Maybe he just liked bullying people.
Vegeta climbed out of the hole, filthy and furious. His crimson fur was ragged now, sticking out where the hits had torn through it.
"You bastard…"
On the Lookout, Piccolo watched the battlefield below.
"Goku."
Goku did not look away. "I know."
Piccolo's voice was tight. "Buu isn't serious."
No, he was not.
Vegeta was throwing everything he had into each exchange. Buu was taking the hits, healing, laughing, and trying out whatever amused him next.
"He's just playing," Goku said.
Piccolo looked down at Vegeta. "Then Vegeta's going to lose. If Buu gets bored, he may kill him."
"We need to pull him out."
"We?" Piccolo turned toward him. "Can you fight Buu?"
Goku was quiet for a moment.
"Vegeta's form is strong," he said. "Even Blue wouldn't put me much above where he is now."
"And Ultra Instinct?"
"I can't hold it." Goku's hands curled at his sides. "Not long enough."
Piccolo's expression darkened.
That left them with a problem and no clean answer.
Gohan flew fast across the ruined land, following Cabba and Caulifla's ki.
Then he felt something weak below.
He slowed, looked down, and saw the Supreme Kai crawling through the dirt on all fours.
"Supreme Kai!"
Gohan dropped beside him and helped him up.
The Supreme Kai blinked at him through the swelling. "Go… Gohan?"
"Are you okay?"
"Find Kibito," the Supreme Kai said. "I can still be saved."
His head dipped.
Gohan panicked and slapped his face.
The Supreme Kai's eyes opened again.
"Stop," he said weakly. "I am awake."
"Oh, good." Gohan let out a breath. "I thought you were dead."
The Supreme Kai stared at him.
Not comforting.
"You're hurt pretty badly," Gohan said. "I wish I could heal you like my dad. I'd restore your strength first."
"Kibito," the Supreme Kai said, each word heavy with patience. "Take me to Kibito."
"Oh, right." Gohan looked around. "Where is he? He didn't get killed earlier, did he?"
The Supreme Kai closed his eyes.
This boy was going to finish what Buu started.
Gohan suddenly pointed. "Wait, I remember. He should be that way. We need him anyway. If Kale's hurt, he can heal her too."
The Supreme Kai opened one eye.
So that was the real reason.
Kibito mattered because of Kale.
Gohan carried him across the battlefield, searching through the wreckage. A couple of minutes later, they found Kibito unconscious in the dirt.
"He's breathing," Gohan said. "Good."
The Supreme Kai crawled closer and tapped Kibito's face. "Kibito. Wake up. This is no time to sleep."
Gohan laughed. "You wake people up like that too?"
The Supreme Kai looked away.
A few more taps finally brought Kibito around. He opened his eyes, saw the Supreme Kai crouched over him, and looked like he needed a moment to understand why his face hurt.
"Kibito." The Supreme Kai pulled himself together a little too quickly. "Are you hurt?"
"I am fine." Kibito sat up and moved his arms. "What about you?"
The Supreme Kai fainted.
Kibito lunged forward and slapped him hard. "Supreme Kai! Wake up!"
Gohan watched one slap land, then another.
"Kibito," he said, "can't you heal him?"
Kibito's hand stopped in midair.
A very awkward pause followed.
"Yes," Kibito said. "Of course. Healing."
"You forgot?"
"In an emergency, even important things can slip the mind."
"You were getting him back," Gohan muttered.
Kibito straightened at once. "I am his disciple and attendant. I would never disrespect the Supreme Kai."
Then he looked away and started whistling.
Gohan decided the evidence spoke for itself.
Kibito healed the Supreme Kai properly this time. The swelling faded, his body straightened, and the color returned to his face.
The Supreme Kai opened his eyes and took a long breath.
"Kibito," he said, "Majin Buu is still out there."
"I can feel him," Kibito said, pointing toward the battlefield.
"Vegeta is fighting him right now," Gohan said.
"Vegeta?" The Supreme Kai shook his head. "He cannot win."
"I know," Gohan said. "Buu beat Kale too. That's why I need Kibito to help me find her. If Kale is still alive, he can heal her. Then she can fight."
"She is the Legendary Super Saiyan, correct?" the Supreme Kai asked.
"Yes."
"Will she listen to you? Can you make her attack Majin Buu?"
Gohan scratched his head. "I can't order her around. But if she knows what Buu did, she'll go after him."
The Supreme Kai needed a moment with that answer.
Years ago, he had hoped another Legendary Super Saiyan would destroy Majin Buu.
Broly had fought Buu, yes.
Then the two of them had somehow become friends.
The Supreme Kai still did not know how that had happened, and he had no desire to see it happen twice.
But Kale was not Broly.
Kale was a girl.
Surely she would not become friends with Majin Buu.
Probably.
"Fine," the Supreme Kai said. "Find her."
"She should be this way." Gohan took off, and the others followed.
They soon caught up with Cabba and Caulifla.
Gohan flew in front of them.
Caulifla stopped short. "Weren't you almost dead?"
"I was healed," Gohan said. "Where's Kale?"
"We're looking for her," Caulifla said. "She should be close. Buu's blast sent her flying, but the Supreme Kai blew it up before it carried her into space."
She turned to the Supreme Kai.
"You saved her. Thanks."
Gohan looked at him too. "Thank you."
"I only did what I should," the Supreme Kai said. "She was innocent."
"Then help us find her," Caulifla said.
They spread out over the forest and searched from above.
It did not take long.
Kale lay unconscious among the trees.
Back at the battlefield, Vegeta was still trying to fight.
Buu was not.
That was the ugly truth.
Vegeta's Super Saiyan 4 form was far stronger than anything he had shown before, but Buu was above him. Far above him. The only reason Vegeta was still standing was because Buu had decided this was amusing.
Vegeta understood that now.
Every hit he landed should have mattered.
None of them did.
Buu bent, healed, smiled, and came right back.
"You bastard!"
Vegeta punched him in the face.
Buu's head turned slightly.
That was all.
Then Buu lifted one hand.
The strip of flesh he had torn from his belly earlier snapped through the air and wrapped around Vegeta. It coiled around his arms, chest, and legs, twisting tight before he could break free.
Buu grinned. "I almost forgot about that."
Vegeta strained against the binding. "Let go!"
Buu flicked his hand downward.
Vegeta dropped from the sky and slammed into the ground.
Buu floated down after him, humming as he walked.
Vegeta tried to push himself up, but the strip held him pinned.
"You damn freak…"
On the ridge, Trunks went pale.
"Dad…"
Piccolo's voice was low. "Vegeta's finished."
Goku stayed silent.
"Goku," Piccolo said, sharper now. "Do something."
"I will," Goku said. "Not yet."
Piccolo looked down at Buu, who was still walking toward Vegeta as if the fight had all the time in the world.
"Then hope he keeps playing."
Goku had nothing to say to that.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]