"He's going to win!" Shin almost leaned into the crystal ball, unable to keep the relief out of his voice.
Elder Kai's mood curdled immediately. They had a Fusion strong enough to reach the level of a God of Destruction, yet somehow he had still been dragged out of retirement to sit on the ground and draw out hidden power for a bunch of Saiyans.
Caulifla had no interest in his wounded pride. Her eyes stayed fixed on Zarotenks. "Goku, can you teach me that Fusion?"
"Sure," Goku said. "Do you want to try three-person Fusion too?"
"Is there a two-person version?"
"Yeah. Two-person Fusion is a lot easier."
Caulifla turned to Cabba so fast he nearly flinched. "Cabba. Let's fuse."
"Huh? Huh? Huh?" Cabba's face lit up for half a second, and then his brain did the cruel work of actually thinking about it.
Elder Kai, who had been waiting for the exact worst moment to speak, said, "If you two fuse, do you stand or squat when you use the bathroom?"
Cabba's dream died on the spot.
Caulifla's enthusiasm went down with it.
Neither of them had considered that part.
Caulifla recovered first and swung toward Kale. "Then you and I can fuse."
"No."
Kale answered so quickly that Caulifla actually stopped.
If she fused with Caulifla, who knew what kind of thoughts Caulifla would drag into the mix? The last thing Kale needed was her own body suddenly getting ideas about Gohan.
Caulifla looked genuinely betrayed. "Kale…"
Kale had changed. Her own Kale had rejected her without even needing three seconds to think.
"Enough," Shin said, all the humor draining from his voice. "Something's wrong over there."
Goku leaned back over the crystal ball, and the smile on his face faded. "Oh no."
Inside the crystal ball, Zarotenks's long red hair and crackling aura were gone. The Super Saiyan God Three form had collapsed, leaving him in his normal Fusion state with sweat running down his face.
On the Lookout, Piccolo and Vegeta understood the problem at the same time.
Dende and Mr. Popo had already been sent away to hide. If Dende survived, the Dragon Balls could still clean up the disaster later. That was the only reason Piccolo had allowed himself to focus on the fight instead of guarding the young Guardian every second.
Vegeta's teeth clenched hard enough to grind. "That idiot. I knew he would ruin it. He really is Kakarot's blood."
"We never should have counted on him," Piccolo said.
They dropped beside Zarotenks, but Majin Buu only smiled at the three of them and patted his belly, delighted by how badly the mood had turned.
Zarotenks swallowed. His confidence was leaking out faster than his power.
"Buu," Vegeta said, his voice low and vicious, "wait until he recovers before you beat him. I want my turn first."
Zarotenks glared at him despite the situation. "Vegeta, are you seriously still mad?"
"Shut up."
"Enough!" Buu roared, and the air shook with his temper. "You're all disappointing. None of you can fight. I'll kill you now."
His right hand came up, palm aimed straight at them.
Vegeta and Piccolo pushed their power out at once, one savage and dark, the other heavy and orange. Zarotenks tried to follow, but his body flickered before he could steady himself.
The Fusion came apart.
Zarek, Goten, and Trunks tumbled out where Zarotenks had been, three frightened boys suddenly standing in front of the monster who had just decided playtime was over.
Zarek looked down at himself, then at Buu. "Why did it end already?"
Trunks turned ashen. "We're dead."
Goten edged closer to Zarek. "Zarek… I don't want to die."
Zarek forced himself to look brave and patted Goten's head. "Don't be scared. I'll protect you."
Then he leaned down and whispered, "Run."
Goten blinked. "What?"
"You go that way. I'll go this way."
"That doesn't sound like protecting me."
"If we don't run now, we won't get the chance," Zarek hissed. "Besides, this is adult business. Why are kids being dragged into it?"
Goten paused.
It was hard to argue with that.
Buu lowered his hand instead of firing. He looked from Zarek to Goten to Trunks, as if the fight had suddenly become false advertising.
"You're too weak," Buu said at last. "Maybe I should give you more time to train."
That surprised even Vegeta.
Buu yawned, flopped onto the ground, and closed his eyes. "I'm taking a nap. Don't wake me up. If you do, I'll kill you."
Vegeta and Piccolo stood over the sleeping monster with the same awful thought between them: Buu had spared them because killing them right now would be boring.
Zarek did not waste the gift. "Why are you still standing here?" he whispered. "Leave before he wakes up and changes his mind."
He grabbed Goten and shot into the sky.
"Wait for me!" Trunks chased after them, choosing shame over dying beside the adults.
Vegeta watched the three boys disappear, then looked down at the sleeping Buu. Piccolo stayed beside him, neither of them in the mood to say what they were thinking.
…
Universe 7, Sacred World of the Kai.
Goku straightened from the crystal ball. "I have to go back."
"Dad, I'm going with you," Gohan said.
"I'm going too," Kale said, already beside him.
Cabba stepped forward. "I may be able to help."
"Then I'm coming," Caulifla said. "Anything's better than sitting around here."
Goku nodded. "Okay."
Gohan turned to Elder Kai before they could leave. "Elder Kai, how do I bring out the power you unlocked?"
Elder Kai's sour mood vanished in the most disgusting way possible. His eyes slid toward Kale, and a grin crept across his face. "Do you remember what you promised me?"
Gohan stiffened.
Kale stepped in front of him. "Fine. Come here."
Elder Kai almost skipped over. His hands lifted, fingers twitching, his face shining with a happiness nobody wanted to see.
"Since we made a deal," he said, "let's begin this beautiful memory."
Shin and Kibito both looked like they wanted the ground to open and swallow them.
Elder Kai reached out.
Kale caught him by the head and drove him face-first into the ground.
His skull buried itself deep in the dirt.
"You really tried it," Kale said, pressing down harder. "You filthy old thing. Do you want me to kill you?"
Elder Kai's voice came muffled from under her palm. "Are girls this violent now? What happened to keeping promises?"
"You're still talking?"
Kale pushed him deeper.
Elder Kai howled.
Kibito leaned slightly toward Shin, sympathy and embarrassment fighting across his face. "Supreme Kai… should we stop this?"
"We can't beat her," Shin said.
Kibito accepted that immediately. "Then we saw nothing. It's his own fault."
"Look at the sky," Shin said.
The two of them lifted their heads and became very interested in the clouds.
Kale bent closer to Elder Kai. "Old man. Tell Gohan-nii how to raise that power."
She added more pressure, and Elder Kai sank another inch.
"Are you going to talk?"
"I'll talk! I'll talk! Let go first!"
Kale released him.
Elder Kai crawled out, spat dirt, and dusted himself off with what little dignity he still had. "It's simple. He just has to do it the same way he transforms into a Super Saiyan."
Gohan's eyes sharpened. "So that's how."
He drew in a breath and pushed.
Power erupted from him at once.
The Sacred World of the Kai shook under the blast. Wind tore outward from Gohan's body, ripping across the grass and forcing everyone to brace. Elder Kai was the only one light enough—or unlucky enough—to be blown away completely.
He flew backward and slammed headfirst into Kale's chest.
For Elder Kai, the disaster became paradise.
If time had stopped there, he would have died fulfilled.
Kale's face darkened. "You filthy old man!"
She smacked him across the realm.
"It wasn't my fault!" Elder Kai shouted while spinning through the air, still far too happy. "The wind blew me there!"
Kale shook with anger, but Gohan barely heard any of it. He was staring at his own hands, feeling a power that did not sit in his body like Super Saiyan. It ran deeper than that, calmer and heavier, as if it had always been there and had only now decided to answer him.
"This is incredible," Gohan said.
Goku smiled. "Amazing, Gohan. I've never seen anything like this. It isn't Super Saiyan, and it isn't Legendary Super Saiyan either."
Elder Kai crawled back upright and slapped dirt from his clothes. "Transformations are nothing to brag about."
Shin rubbed his forehead. "Are you going to Earth or not?"
"Right. Let's go." Goku held out his hand. "Everyone grab on. I'll use Kai Kai to take us back."
"Wait," Elder Kai said.
Goku paused. "What is it?"
Kale's glare snapped toward Elder Kai. "What do you want now?"
Elder Kai wisely ignored her and focused on Goku. "How are you planning to fight Majin Buu?"
"You unlocked Gohan's power," Goku said. "That should help."
Elder Kai's face fell. "There wasn't enough time. I drew out some of it, but not enough to finish the job. Against the Majin Buu we just saw, Gohan may still lose."
Goku laughed like that was exactly what he had expected.
Gohan did not find it nearly as funny. "You spent all that time unlocking my hidden power, and it still isn't enough?"
"Idiot!" Elder Kai snapped. "How was I supposed to know Majin Buu would get that strong? He was never like this before!"
Caulifla leaned toward Cabba and lowered her voice. "I was thinking of making him unlock your power too. Forget it."
"Good," Cabba whispered. "He would probably try something with you."
"He can try. I'll beat him half to death."
Shin's anxiety pulled him back to the only question that mattered. "Goku, can you beat Majin Buu?"
"Probably not," Goku said. "Vegeta's new form is already really strong. Even if I go all out, I'm only around his level. If Vegeta couldn't beat Buu, I probably can't either." His smile turned more focused. "But I can stall him until Ken and my dad come back."
Elder Kai narrowed his eyes. "You're thinking about the Fusion Dance."
Goku grinned. "You really do know me."
"And Majin Buu is going to let you dance in front of him?"
"He's asleep, isn't he?"
Elder Kai stared at him like the answer had physically hurt. "If all of you suddenly appear, do you think he won't wake up?"
Goku scratched his head. "That's a good point."
"And who were you planning to fuse with?" Elder Kai pointed at the crystal ball, where Vegeta stood near the sleeping Buu.
"Vegeta, of course."
"How long will it take the two of you to learn the movements properly?"
Goku's confidence finally wavered. "That might take a while."
Shin looked between them. "Elder Kai, do you have a better plan?"
"Of course I do." Elder Kai pointed at the earrings on Goku's ears. "Use those."
Goku touched one. "These? Do you want them? You already have your own, don't you?"
"Did Fuwa never explain them to you?" Elder Kai said. "Those are Potara earrings. They allow Potara Fusion immediately. One person wears one on the left ear, the other wears one on the right, and the Fusion happens on its own."
"Oh!" Goku tapped his forehead. "Fuwa did tell me that. I forgot."
"What is wrong with your memory?"
"Then I'll use these with Vegeta," Goku said, finally serious.
"That's the idea."
Shin brightened with understanding. "So the earrings are Potara Fusion, and the dance is Fusion."
Goku smiled at him. "Exactly."
"Go," Elder Kai said. "If even Potara Fusion can't beat him, then all you can do is wait for a God of Destruction to wake up and handle it."
"Got it."
Goku gathered everyone close, ready to teleport.
Then his hand drifted back to the earring.
"One more thing," he said. "How long does Potara Fusion last?"
Elder Kai's grin returned.
"Don't worry. Once you fuse with those earrings, you'll never separate again."
Goku's fingers froze against the Potara.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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