Babidi's Spaceship

The East Supreme Kai led the group to a wasteland on the outskirts of West City. In the center of the barrens sat a massive, spherical spaceship, its surface covered in eerie, glowing runes. An energy barrier hummed around the vessel, and from within, the faint, rhythmic thrum of machinery could be heard. "This is Babidi's ship," the East Supreme Kai said. "He is inside, harvesting energy to break the seal on Majin Buu. To break the seal requires a colossal amount of energy—roughly the sum of energy released by the destruction of dozens of planets." "So he's harvesting the energy of Earth's warriors?" Goku asked. "No," the East Supreme Kai shook his head. "He requires pure combat energy. When powerful warriors fight, the energy they release is absorbed by his ship. That is why he has been sowing chaos across the globe, baiting the strong into battle. A portion of the ki you all released at the World Martial Arts Tournament has already been absorbed."

Goku clenched his fists. "That bastard..." "We must stop him," the East Supreme Kai said. "We must enter the ship, destroy the energy collection device, and kill Babidi. But if you are not strong enough..." "We will be killed," Cell finished for him. The East Supreme Kai glanced at Cell, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "You are... a bio-android? And your ki... it is quite unusual." "I am Cell," Cell said. "I was once evil, but I have since turned over a new leaf."

The East Supreme Kai nodded. "Very well. Follow me." He flew toward the ship, and the group followed. The ship's energy barrier recognized the East Supreme Kai's signature and automatically opened an entrance. The interior was a vast labyrinth of winding corridors and bizarre, unsettling chambers. The air was thick with a sickly, sweet rot that made one's stomach churn. "Be careful," the East Supreme Kai whispered. "Babidi's minions are scattered throughout the ship. They are all quite powerful." No sooner had he spoken than a figure emerged from the end of the corridor.

It was a green-skinned monster, hulking and muscular, with horns protruding from his head and eyes that glowed with a malevolent red light. His ki was formidable, roughly equivalent to that of an average Super Saiyan. "Intruders," the monster sneered. "I am Pui Pui, Lord Babidi's primary warrior. You have had good luck to make it this far. But your luck ends here." He assumed a fighting stance, his muscles bulging. The East Supreme Kai said nervously, "Be careful! Pui Pui is incredibly strong; he once trained in an environment with ten times Earth's gravity..." "I'll handle this," Vegeta interrupted, stepping forward. "Vegeta, do not underestimate him!" the East Supreme Kai shouted. Vegeta ignored him. He walked up to Pui Pui, his hands tucked into his pockets. Pui Pui let out a roar and charged. He moved with lightning speed, his fist whistling through the air as he aimed a blow at Vegeta's face. Vegeta didn't dodge. The fist connected with his cheek. Silence fell over the room. Pui Pui's fist stopped inches from Vegeta's nose, unable to move a fraction further. It wasn't that he had been blocked; Pui Pui had stopped himself—because he had looked into Vegeta's eyes. There was no anger there, no fear, only a cold, chilling... boredom.

"Is this your full power?" Vegeta asked. Cold sweat beaded on Pui Pui's forehead. He instinctively sensed that the man before him was terrifyingly dangerous. "I... I..." Vegeta sighed. "Too weak." He raised a single finger and flicked Pui Pui lightly on the forehead. Pui Pui went flying like a cannonball, smashing through the ship's wall and vanishing into the darkness. The East Supreme Kai's jaw dropped. "O-one finger?" "Don't be ridiculous," Vegeta said. "Is a small fry of this caliber really worth getting nervous about?" The East Supreme Kai wiped away cold sweat. "I... I underestimated your strength." The group continued forward. Along the way, they encountered several more of Babidi's minions. A sorcerer named Yamu and a monster named Yakon were both easily dispatched by Goku and Gohan. Babidi watched all of this from the surveillance room, his face growing increasingly grim. "These Earthlings... how are they so strong?" Babidi shrieked. "Pui Pui, Yamu, and Yakon were all carefully selected warriors, yet they were killed in a single blow?" A lean figure stood beside Babidi. He wore a black cloak, his face hidden in shadow, revealing only a pair of blood-red eyes. "Lord Babidi," the man said, "let me go." Babidi hesitated. "Dabura, King of the Demon Realm... you are my strongest warrior. I intended to save you for the Supreme Kai and his companions." "These Earthlings are far stronger than the Supreme Kai," Dabura said. "If I lose, Majin Buu cannot be resurrected. I must intervene." Babidi nodded. "Go. Kill all these Earthlings! Harvest their energy!" Dabura vanished from the surveillance room and appeared before the group. The East Supreme Kai turned deathly pale. "Dabura! The King of the Demon Realm! His strength... it is on par with Cell in his perfect form!" Dabura looked at Vegeta and Goku, a cruel smile curling his lips. "Saiyans? Interesting. I have always wanted to fight a Saiyan." His gaze swept over the group, finally landing on Kashu.

"You... you are special," Dabura said. "Your ki makes me uneasy." Kashu looked at him calmly. "Your ki is quite unique as well. Demon Realm energy is not quite the same as the energy of Earth." Dabura licked his lips. "I have changed my mind. You are not a Saiyan, but I would much rather fight you." As Kashu stepped forward, Android 18 grabbed his hand. "Let me," 18 said. "It has been a long time since I've had a serious fight." Kashu looked into her eyes and nodded. "Be careful. Dabura's magic can turn people into stone." "I know," 18 said, stepping forward. "I will be fine." Dabura looked at 18, a greedy light in his eyes. "Beautiful, are you sure you want to fight me? I would hate to hurt you." 18 looked at him coldly. "You will regret that." Dabura laughed, then struck suddenly. He moved with lightning speed, a dark sword manifesting in his hand as he thrust it toward 18's chest. 18 dodged to the side and countered with a palm strike to Dabura's face. Dabura blocked with his sword, the impact of metal against palm ringing out like a bell. The two engaged in a fierce battle in the corridor. Dabura's swordsmanship was bizarre and unpredictable, every strike aimed at 18's vitals; 18's movements were light and agile, weaving through the sword light and evading every attack with perfect timing. "Your strength is not bad," Dabura said while fighting, "but you cannot defeat me. My power comes from the Demon Realm and is not bound by the rules of your world." The sword in his hand suddenly elongated, stabbing toward 18's abdomen. 18 could not dodge in time and was forced to block with her arm. The tip of the blade pierced her limb, and blood splattered. "18!" Kashu shouted.

18 gritted her teeth, ignoring the wound on her arm, and kicked at Dabura's head. Dabura blocked with his other hand, but 18's strength was far greater than he had anticipated, and he was forced back several steps. "Interesting," Dabura said, touching his arm where he had been kicked. "Your power... it does not come from an energy core, but from the planet itself?"

18 did not answer, the wound on her arm healing within seconds. The regenerative ability of a Super Android. Dabura's brow furrowed. "You are also a cyborg? Like that Android 16?" "Not the same," 18 said. "I am an evolved android." She charged forward, no longer defending, but attacking with all her might. Her fists rained down on Dabura, each strike imbued with the energy of the Earth's core. Dabura was driven back repeatedly, his sword developing cracks under the relentless assault. "Impossible!" Dabura shrieked. "My sword is forged from Demon Realm divine iron, how could it..." Before he could finish, 18 shattered the blade with a single punch, her momentum carrying through to slam directly into Dabura's chest. Dabura spat out a mouthful of black blood and flew backward, crashing through several walls. Dabura crawled out of the rubble, his face terrifyingly dark. "I underestimated you," he said, "but that will not happen again." His body began to swell, his muscles bulging, and his skin turned a deeper, darker shade. His ki surged several times over, reaching the peak of Super Saiyan 2.

"Demonized form," Dabura said. "My true power." He rushed at 18, his speed twice what it had been before. 18 could not react in time and was struck in the shoulder by Dabura's palm, sent flying through the air. Kashu used Instant Transmission to catch 18. "I'll take it from here," Kashu said. "You did well." 18 clutched her shoulder and nodded.

Kashu handed 18 to Gohan behind him and turned to face Dabura. Dabura looked at Kashu, a flicker of apprehension in his eyes. "Your ki... I can feel it. You are far stronger than that woman." "Yes," Kashu said. "I am far stronger than her." No sooner had he spoken than he appeared directly in front of Dabura. Dabura's pupils constricted as he tried to block, but Kashu's fist had already buried itself in his abdomen. Dabura's body bent like a shrimp as he vomited black blood. Kashu did not stop; he drove a knee into Dabura's face and an elbow into his back, a flurry of strikes leaving Dabura with no room to retaliate. For the final blow, Kashu clasped his hands together and slammed them down onto the top of Dabura's head. Dabura was driven into the ground, creating a crater several meters deep. Dabura lay at the bottom of the pit, covered in wounds, black blood pooling around him. His ki was as faint as a candle flame in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment. "Who... who exactly are you..." Dabura asked with great difficulty. "Kashu," Kashu said. "Leader of the Earth Guardians." Dabura closed his eyes, a bitter smile touching his lips. "Lord Babidi... I am sorry... I did my best..." His consciousness faded into darkness. Babidi watched from the surveillance room, stunned.

Dabura—his strongest warrior—had been defeated by that man named Kashu in just a few moves? "Impossible... impossible..." Babidi muttered to himself. "How could humans possess such power? This is impossible!" He frantically pressed buttons, and the ship's energy collection device ran at full capacity. The energy bar climbed rapidly—fifty percent, sixty percent, seventy percent... "Almost! Almost! Majin Buu is about to be resurrected!" The East Supreme Kai sensed the anomaly in the energy and his face changed drastically. "No! He is accelerating the energy harvest! We must stop him!" The group rushed toward the control room, but a massive energy barrier blocked their path. The barrier was incredibly strong; even Goku's full-power strike could not break it. "This is the energy of Majin Buu's seal," the East Supreme Kai said in despair. "We cannot break it..." Kashu walked up to the barrier and reached out. His palm pressed against the shield, and it began to tremble. Cracks spread from the point of contact, spiderwebbing outward. "Break... for me!"

The barrier shattered. Kashu walked into the control room and looked at the terrified Babidi. "Game over," Kashu said. Babidi screamed and pressed the final button.

The energy bar jumped to one hundred percent. A massive cocoon floated up from the depths of the ship, its surface covered in cracks, emitting a pink glow. The cocoon shattered.

A chubby figure fell from the cocoon. Majin Buu. He had been resurrected.