Dealing with Majin Buu

"Majin Buu..."

The Supreme Kai's gaze grew distant as he recalled a painful past.

"It happened a very, very long time ago, when humans on your Earth had only just begun learning to walk upright.

"Deep in the universe lived an evil wizard named Bibidi. One day, Bibidi accidentally created a terrifying life-form. That life-form was Majin Buu..."

"Majin Buu had no feelings whatsoever. He knew only slaughter and destruction. He was a monster who lived to spread terror.

"Over the next several thousand years, countless planets became dead worlds..."

Son Gohan already knew all this, but he listened anyway. It was a refresher on the story.

There was little else to say. Majin Buu was like upgraded versions of Android 17 and Android 18.

Gohan also knew that Bibidi had not actually created Majin Buu. Buu was a terrifying creature who had existed since ancient times.

Bibidi had simply happened upon a way to control him.

The Supreme Kai, however, believed Bibidi had created the monster.

The Supreme Kai continued, "Back then, besides me, there were the West Kai, the North Supreme Kai, the South Supreme Kai, and the Grand Supreme Kai, who led us.

"I was the youngest. Whatever they did, I followed behind them.

"All four of them possessed astonishing power. The Grand Supreme Kai in particular could have killed someone as strong as Frieza with a single finger."

"But then Majin Buu invaded the Sacred World of the Kai. He killed all four of my seniors. I was the only one who escaped, and only because I was too young and too afraid to fight."

Pain crossed the Supreme Kai's face. He seemed to hate himself for how cowardly and powerless he had been.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, then went on:

"Majin Buu was terrifying beyond belief. Eventually, even Bibidi, who had created him, grew afraid of him. So while Buu was forced to rest, Bibidi temporarily sealed him away, leaving him unable to move."

"Several more years passed. The ambitious Bibidi decided to invade Earth and brought the sealed Majin Buu with him."

"While Bibidi was undoing Majin Buu's seal, I seized the chance to ambush and kill that evil wizard."

"At the time, I was afraid that disturbing the seal too much might wake Majin Buu, so I didn't dare destroy it.

"I thought only Bibidi could undo the seal, so I hid it in a well-concealed place on Earth. Millions of years have passed since then..."

At last, the story was over. Gohan thought the Supreme Kai looked ready to collapse.

Weariness seemed to weigh on every part of him.

Majin Buu had clearly become the Supreme Kai's worst nightmare. Just thinking about him was enough to keep him awake at night.

Gohan gathered his thoughts and said, "Supreme Kai, have you considered moving Majin Buu's hiding place? Earth isn't the same planet it was millions of years ago."

"There are far more humans now, and they aren't nearly as oblivious as they used to be. It's no longer safe to keep Majin Buu hidden there..."

The Supreme Kai looked at him. "Your concern is reasonable, Mr. Gohan, but where could I put him? I'm afraid that disturbing him might break the seal and wake him."

Gohan smiled. "You don't need to be so afraid. Even if Majin Buu broke free now, I could handle him. What worries me is leaving him on Earth unguarded. Who knows when someone with bad intentions might steal him?"

"And if that happens, Supreme Kai, you won't be able to avoid responsibility."

"I can't stay on Earth watching him every moment either, can I?"

"Uh..." The Supreme Kai frowned. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Do you have something in mind, Mr. Gohan?"

Gohan smiled. "Actually, I do. How about moving Majin Buu to the Sacred World of the Kai?"

"What?" The Supreme Kai and Kibito's expressions changed dramatically. "Absolutely not!"

Gohan raised a hand to cut them off and said:

"Hear me out. Majin Buu's sealed pod really isn't safe on Earth. Setting aside everything else that could go wrong, Supreme Kai, have you considered that Bibidi might have descendants?"

"If one of them sneaks onto Earth and steals Majin Buu, you'll have a real mess on your hands."

"Am I wrong? Here's what I'm thinking. There's already a sealing magic circle in this sacred place, right? The one that held Old Kai. We can put Majin Buu there, where you can check on him whenever you like. That way, nothing can slip past you."

The Supreme Kai: ...

Kibito: ...

Gohan wasn't wrong.

But who could sleep soundly with a land mine buried beneath their bed?

And this would be Majin Buu, no less.

The Supreme Kai was immediately torn.

The main reason was that Majin Buu had once invaded the Sacred World of the Kai and killed four Supreme Kais there. It had left Shin with a deeply painful memory.

While the Supreme Kai was still hesitating,

Old Kai, who had remained silent beside them, spoke up. "Enough. We'll do as Gohan says."

"..."

With Old Kai having made the decision, the Supreme Kai and Kibito could hardly object.

They had no choice but to agree.

"Yes, ancestor," the Supreme Kai said weakly.

Seeing this, Gohan thumped his chest and promised, "Don't worry too much, Supreme Kai. If Majin Buu ever shows any sign of stirring, contact me. I'll come back at once and deal with him."

"Good." The Supreme Kai breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then there's no time to lose. Shall we go now?" Gohan asked.

"All right. Kibito, sorry to trouble you with another trip," the Supreme Kai said, turning to him.

"Not at all, Supreme Kai. It's my duty," Kibito replied.

As he spoke, he placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

Whoosh!

Gohan's vision blurred. In an instant, the world around him changed.

The three of them were already on Earth.

That was incredible.

Gohan's eyes lit up. He wanted to learn Kibito's Instant Transmission even more now.

They stood on an ice field. A bitter wind blew across an endless expanse of white, where earth and sky seemed to meet.

"Is this deep in the ice fields of Yunzabit Heights?" Gohan looked around for a moment and recognized the place.

"It is," the Supreme Kai said with a nod.

"Where's Majin Buu's sealed pod?" Gohan asked, puzzled.

The Supreme Kai pointed beneath their feet. "Right below us."

Gohan crouched and brushed aside the ice chips on the surface. Squinting down through more than ten meters of solid ice, he spotted something shaped like a walnut.

That had to be the pod containing Majin Buu.

Gohan smiled. "Poor guy. He's been lying here cold and hungry all these years."

"This used to be a desert. Several shifts in the Earth's crust turned it into what you see now," the Supreme Kai explained.

"Okay, could you two move aside? I'll get it out." As Gohan spoke, a bright blue ball of energy gathered in his hand, and he slammed it into the ice.

"Wait, don't—" the Supreme Kai and Kibito cried in shock, but it was too late to stop him.

They had never imagined anyone would retrieve the sealed pod so violently.

BOOM!!!

The ice exploded. Chunks shot in every direction, whistling past the Supreme Kai and Kibito and making their hearts pound.

At the same time, the huge "walnut" flew into the air. It crashed back onto the ice, rolled several times, and stopped at the Supreme Kai and Kibito's feet.

"Hiss..."

The Supreme Kai froze stiff.

Damn, it's cold out here.