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*****
"I hereby declare the winner of this World Martial Arts Tournament to be... George!"
The announcer stepped to George's side and proclaimed the final result, sending the stadium into a collective roar of cheers. Although many fans felt Mr. Satan's "sacrifice" for the younger generation was noble, George's display of power was undeniable—especially after his breathtaking clash with the Invincible Masked Man. They rose to their feet, offering a thunderous ovation.
"George... he actually won the championship!"
In the spectator stands, George's classmates were still in a state of shock. When George and Gohan—two model students—had signed up for the tournament, their peers assumed they were just doing it for fun and would be eliminated instantly. This was, after all, the world's greatest stage, a gathering of the most elite martial artists on the planet.
Yet, the reality of the competition had shattered their perceptions time and again. Not only was the transfer student Gohan the mysterious "Golden Warrior" and the Great Saiyaman, but George, a classmate they saw every day, had emerged as the world champion.
"My boy... you did it. I'm so proud of you!"
Watching George standing in the spotlight on the ring, Emma couldn't help but weep tears of relief. Since her husband's accidental death, her son had been listless and her daughter was still small; she had been the sole pillar of the family. While she appeared strong, she was the one most haunted by the tragedy. For the sake of her children, she had forced herself to stay positive, carrying the weight of the household on her shoulders. Seeing her son find his spark again and achieve such greatness was more than she could bear.
Once the ceremony concluded, George handed the ten-million-zeni prize money to his mother. One of his primary motivations for winning was to provide for her. From his predecessor's memories, he knew that Emma's composure was a facade—she often spent nights crying over her late husband's photographs.
If his soul hasn't been reincarnated yet, I'll help you bring him back, George thought silently.
With his own magic, George could theoretically resurrect Emma's husband, but such a move would likely alert King Yemma and the Check-In Station. However, this world had the Dragon Balls. Using their power was a "legal" channel that wouldn't cause administrative trouble in the afterlife. He could even restore the original soul of this body eventually. For now, he would keep that soul sealed within him until his business in this world was finished.
Fortunately, souls usually don't reincarnate immediately. Based on his knowledge of the original timeline, there was often a grace period of several years.
With the tournament over, George left a clone to accompany his mother and sister. His true self used Instant Transmission to reappear high above Babidi's spaceship. Thanks to his refined control over Ki, his clones didn't require half his energy or permanent power reduction; he could manifest a clone with a power level of only a few hundred while retaining his full ten billion-plus combat strength.
"Turned to stone... they must have been careless."
George looked down. To the left of the ship, an innocent family of three had been brutally slaughtered. To the right, atop a cliff, Piccolo and Krillin had been turned into statues, while Kibito's lifeless body lay nearby.
He had expected this. In a world where the Dragon Balls could fix almost anything, Goku and the others often became over-reliant on them. Their Saiyan nature drove them to enjoy combat, meaning they rarely started a fight at full power. They preferred to test their opponents, escalating slowly—a habit that frequently led to preventable disasters.
While Vegeta was slightly more decisive, he tended to become arrogant when he realized he outclassed an opponent. Piccolo was the most rational, but he had been taken out early by Dabura's spit. If Piccolo hadn't been petrified to warn them, Majin Buu might never have been released—or at least not in his prime state.
George's gaze pierced through the hull of the ship. Inside, he saw Babidi watching a crystal ball, while Gohan and Dabura were locked in combat. Goku, Vegeta, and the Supreme Kai stood off to the side. It was clear that once they realized Dabura's true level, they stopped viewing him—or Babidi—as a serious threat.
The Supreme Kai was frantic, but he couldn't force Goku or Vegeta to gang up on the Demon King. Goku viewed it as Gohan's fight, refusing to intervene unless Gohan was truly defeated. Vegeta, the proud prince, refused to resort to a sneak attack or a lopsided brawl against someone weaker than himself.
Works for me, George mused. He didn't rush in to help, as his goal was also to see Majin Buu released. If Goku and the others had settled things too quickly, George might have had to "accidentally" cause a mishap himself.
He noticed a slight change from the original story: because of the tournament, Vegeta had already vented some of his frustrations. The "knot" in his heart had loosened, meaning he hadn't yet succumbed to Babidi's Mind Control to force a fight with Goku.
Inside the ship, Gohan was holding his own. Despite being suppressed early on, he was adapting. His combat power was steadily climbing as he regained his fighting instinct. Seven years ago, as a Super Saiyan 2 against Cell, Gohan's power was around 80 billion. After years of slacking, he had dropped to about 60 billion, but the foundation was still there. With a bit of pressure, pushing back toward 70 billion wasn't difficult—like a high-ranked gamer shaking off the rust to easily dominate lower tiers.
"Burst Rush!"
Gohan dodged a stream of petrifying spit and a blast of fire, landing a heavy kick on Dabura's jaw that sent the Demon King flying.
"It's over! Masenko!"
Gohan brought his hands to his forehead. A concentrated beam of energy slammed into Dabura's back before he could recover, leaving him severely wounded.
"He did it!" The Supreme Kai exclaimed, his face lighting up with hope. If Dabura was finished, they could end this nightmare.
"Useless trash... I suppose I have no choice," Babidi hissed. Seeing his champion failing, he used his magic to teleport Dabura directly to his side. Simultaneously, he released all the other possessed warriors in the ship to swarming Gohan's group.
"Lord Babidi... heal my wounds," Dabura gasped, struggling to sit up. "Once I recover, I will finish them!"
Babidi, however, wore a twisted grin. "Heal you? There's no need. I have no use for losers or trash. Since you've failed, you can at least be useful as fuel for my dear Majin Buu's seal."
With a wave of his hand, an energy-absorption device slammed into Dabura's torso, violently siphoning every drop of his power. Dabura's energy was more than enough to top off the seal and ensure Buu woke up in peak condition.
Under normal circumstances, Babidi couldn't force a powerful thrall like Dabura to give up his life force; if a command threatened the thrall's very existence, the magic could be resisted. But now, Dabura was too broken by Gohan's assault to fight back. Between Dabura's reserves and the energy leaked during the previous battles in the ship, the requirement was finally met.
The entire "invitation" into the ship had been a trap—a setup to harvest the energy of the world's strongest fighters.
"That should just about do it," George muttered. As Babidi funneled the energy into the giant cocoon, George teleported down to the petrified Piccolo and Krillin.
"Finite Incantatem!"
With a snap of his fingers, the stone encasing his friends crumbled away, restoring them instantly.
"What happened? Why were you turned to stone? Where are Gohan and the others?" George asked, feigning ignorance as if he had just arrived after his match.
Piccolo rubbed his neck, his expression grim as he pointed toward the buried spaceship. "We walked into an ambush. They're likely inside that craft."
They moved to the entrance, only to find it sealed tight.
"This is bad," Krillin scratched his head. "The Supreme Kai warned us not to use brute force on the ship. He's afraid the shock might trigger the seal on Majin Buu prematurely."
"Don't worry, I've got this." George pointed a finger at the massive hatch. "Alohomora!"
Under the influence of the Unlocking Charm, the heavy mechanical door groaned and slowly slid open.
"That actually worked?" Krillin stared in disbelief.
Piccolo wasn't as surprised. "I told you, this kid spends his time researching some very... unique abilities."
"It might not have much 'oomph,' but it sure is handy," Krillin noted, giving George a thumbs-up. While their techniques like the Destructo Disc or the Solar Flare were designed for life-and-death combat, George seemed to have a trick for everything—including opening doors without a key.
"Alohomora!"
"Alohomora!"
George bypassed several more layers of security with ease. They descended into the depths of the ship until they found Goku and the others in a tense standoff.
"Piccolo! Krillin! You're okay!" Gohan cried out in relief. The Supreme Kai had told him only Dabura's death could break the curse, and Gohan had been beating himself up for letting the Demon King escape.
"George arrived and used one of his tricks to fix us," Krillin explained.
Piccolo turned to the group. "What's the status here? Why hasn't Babidi been dealt with?"
"Hmph. This 'God' won't let us touch the ship," Vegeta said, arms crossed. "Babidi would be dust by now if it weren't for him."
The Supreme Kai had been terrified that any structural damage would play into Babidi's hands, causing an unstable release of Majin Buu. Without being able to break through, they were stuck in a stalemate.
"Goku, can't you use Instant Transmission?" Piccolo asked. Goku usually just needed to lock onto a signature to bypass any physical barrier.
Goku shook his head. "I can't lock onto them. Their Ki is completely gone."
"Babidi must have set up a magical barrier to isolate this room from the outside world," the Supreme Kai explained.
"I might be able to help with that," George said. He pointed his hands at the surrounding walls. "Finite Incantatem!"
The invisible magical weave dampening the room shattered instantly.
"I can feel them now! Everyone, grab on!" Goku placed two fingers to his forehead. The group quickly linked up, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished.
They reappeared in the ship's most secluded chamber—the heart of the facility where the giant, pulsating egg of Majin Buu was kept. Babidi jumped, startled by their sudden arrival, but his fear quickly turned into a manic cackle.
"You're too late! The seal is breaking! Majin Buu will kill you all, and I will finally rule the universe!"
(End of Chapter)