44. Son Goten Was Absorbed

"All right, the battlefield's clear," Son Goten said with a sigh, turning his gaze toward Buu, who had been reduced to an onlooker. His faint smile quickly gave way to a murderous glint.

"Now it's your turn, Buu!" Son Goten appeared in front of him as if by Instant Transmission, fixing him with a cold stare.

Buu panicked. What the hell was this sudden attempt to kill him? Damn Babidi! Why had he insisted on resurrecting him on Earth? Now he was stuck dealing with some ridiculously powerful guy. Would it have killed him to pick another planet?! Buu cursed Babidi in his heart.

Down in Hell, Babidi protested that this wasn't his fault. How the hell was he supposed to know Earth had someone this powerful on it? If he'd known, he wouldn't have wanted to die either!

"Wait, wait!" Buu waved his hands frantically, his face full of terror. "You can't kill me! If you kill me, Vegeta inside me will die too. You wouldn't want that, would you? And Trunks over there will hate you forever!"

Buu's threats only made the killing intent in Son Goten's eyes grow stronger. With a sneer and a look of utter pity for an idiot, he said, "You moron. Don't you know Earth has Dragon Balls? The ones Trunks and I gathered last time haven't even been used to make a wish yet!"

"Beep, beep, beep."

Cold sweat covered Buu's head. Damn, he remembered now. Vegeta's memories really did include information about the Dragon Balls.

"Kamehameha!" Son Goten cupped his hands together at his waist. A blue energy sphere shone with a brilliant azure light, bathing everything around him in blue.

"Whoosh."

"Pop."

Buu shut his eyes in despair. He had considered running, but Son Goten's aura had left him too terrified to move. Still, why had that sound been so strange? It felt as if something had touched him, and it had been pretty light.

When Buu opened his eyes, he found himself covered in streamers that seemed to have come from nowhere. Son Goten was clutching his stomach and rolling around laughing, making a racket like a clanging bell. If Buu still hadn't realized he'd been tricked, he might as well go buy some medicine for the mentally challenged.

"Gah ha ha! I can't believe you got scared so easily, Buu! You almost shit yourself! Gah ha ha!" Son Goten laughed until his stomach hurt, pounding the ground as he howled.

The others watching were dumbfounded too. They had no idea what he was up to. And where had he even gotten those party poppers?

"All right, I'm done laughing. Now it's time to let you rest in peace." In an instant, Son Goten turned serious, completely transforming from the fool he'd been a moment earlier—as if that fool hadn't been him at all. He looked at Buu and spoke coldly.

Buu watched Son Goten warily. Son Goten folded his arms, looking as if everything was under control. "How about this? I'll give you ten seconds."

Son Goten confidently held out his hand and continued, while everyone looked on in confusion. "I'll count to ten. You can run as fast as you can during those ten seconds, or you can attack me. Once the ten seconds are up, I'll finish you off, beat you until not even a molecule remains, and erase you completely."

As he finished speaking, a cold glint flashed in Son Goten's eyes. He wasn't joking this time. He was serious.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

What should he do? Someone help, this was urgent! Buu watched Son Goten nervously, racking his brain for a plan. Son Goten had already counted to four and five, but Buu was powerless to do anything. Attack Son Goten? Give him a break. The memory of being ground into the dirt was still fresh in his mind!

Run? Damn it, he couldn't use Instant Transmission. What was the point of trying to escape?

"Six."

"Seven."

"Eight."

Buu's eyes darted around until he caught sight of a piece of pinkish-purple matter tucked away in a hidden corner.

That was a piece he'd split off earlier. Buu glanced at Son Goten. Good, he hadn't noticed. Buu used his mind to control the pinkish-purple piece.

As the pinkish-purple piece slithered toward Son Goten like a snake, Son Goten's lips curled into a faint, triumphant smile. It vanished almost immediately.

"Nine." The pinkish-purple liquid began to spread over Son Goten, unseen by everyone.

"Ten."

"Now!"

As soon as Son Goten said "ten," Buu shouted too. The pinkish-purple liquid suddenly lunged, covering Son Goten.

"Damn it!" Everyone froze. This was bad.

"Protective barrier!" Just before the pinkish-purple liquid could envelop him, Son Goten channeled his energy and formed a protective film over his body.

"Gurgle, gurgle."

The pinkish-purple liquid flew into Buu and fused with him.

"Ha ha ha! You really are just a kid. You couldn't even see through such a simple trick!" Buu laughed triumphantly, then raised his middle finger to show his contempt for Son Goten. "Now that annoying brat has been absorbed by me. I'm still the strongest in the universe—Majin Buu!"

"How could this happen? Goten was actually absorbed?" Trunks stared blankly at the spot where Son Goten had disappeared, unable to believe it.

"Goten got too carried away and gave Buu an opening," Supreme Kai said bitterly.

Son Gohan watched Buu for a while, but Buu didn't seem to have changed at all. His power hadn't increased, and his appearance was the same. Thinking back to the strange smile Son Goten had worn, Son Gohan began to understand what had happened.

"Goten must be planning to rescue Uncle Vegeta," Son Gohan murmured.