A playful grin crossed the pink demon's face as he shrugged his shoulders at his befuddled former enemies. "That question should be obvious to answer." He then pointed at himself. "I won. Fair and square. Satisfied?"
Swallowing nervously, Videl shuffled forward with her hand placed timidly against her chest. "W-W-Where's Gohan?"
"And Goten?" Chi-Chi also asked, terror gripping her as she too moved forward with a terrified look in play, "Where are my boys?"
"Oh? Them?" Super Buu muttered before tilting his head and smiling back at the women. "Don't worry. I haven't hurt them. Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, Goten and Trunks are all alive and well inside of me." He then raised a hand and patted it against his stomach, an action that brought horrified looks to the Z-fighter's faces, as they all knew what his words entailed. "I absorbed them."
Pupils dilating and body falling into a trembling fit, a thunderstruck Videl soon felt her knees give way, and she collapsed to the ground in shock. Her body going limp from her legs buckling unexpectedly, she stared across at the pink creature in disbelief, as if she was watching her entire world begin exploding in bullet time. "N-No… it… can't be…"
Seeing despair begin gripping the crowd of warriors, the pink demon sighed and began to speak to them in a sympathetic tone of voice. "If it's any consolation to you guys, your friends put up a really good fight." He then crossed his arms and looked over the Z-fighters slowly and cautiously. "However, I'm afraid you won't be seeing them anymore. I apologize, but that's the way it is and that's the way it's going to be." He then nodded upwards and gestured towards the sky. "I'll be leaving this planet now. I don't know when I'll be back, but I'll be sure to pop in every hundred years to make sure things are alright."
Coming from him, it must've sounded terrible. The Z-fighters certainly didn't find any comfort from the way he said any of that.
While Chi-Chi and the others were in the midst of grieving, Majin Buu's red eyes then landed on Bulma, whom he saw skirt back fearfully under his gaze. After staring at her for a few moments and getting a bead on her characteristics, the demon then tilted his head curiously. "Hmm… Bulma… you're really smart, aren't you; a woman with many interesting ideas and talents?" Before the bewildered woman could even have a chance of answering him, a pink length of goo suddenly shot out of the demon's stomach, grabbed up the blue haired scientist, wrapped her up, and sucked her back into Buu's gut.
In the blink of an eye, much to the horror of Gohan and the others, the creature had absorbed yet another member of their group.
"BULMA!" Yamcha shouted in alarm, rushing forward instinctively, only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw Majin Buu pat his stomach and sigh.
Checking himself out under the multiple glares of the Z-fighters, the demon made a murmuring sound of approval. "Huh. That's funny. Even though I can feel the difference in my intelligence, my body isn't physically changing anymore. Looks like it's finally become stable from all the specimens I've absorbed." Nodding in understanding, the demon then turned to the stunned group of heroes, grinned at them, and saluted in a very creepy, Goku-like way. "Well gang, I'll be off. Stay out of trouble." The demon then leapt off of the ground, floated high up into the sky, and took off into space at breakneck speed.
For the next few minutes after that, Gohan looked on from a distance as his friends remained silent and scattered across the surface of the lookout. Not knowing what to do or how to respond, the group of friends and broken families came together in tears, consoling one another over their respective losses.
However, the one who looked the most upset out of all of them besides Chi-Chi… was Videl.
Still kneeling on the ground, the teen's eyes were fixated on the horizon in front of her with a look of complete shock, speechlessness, and incredulity reflected in her gaze. Her mouth moving but no sounds coming out, tears poured down her cheeks in the form of tiny streams as her mind slowly took in the realization that Gohan, the boy that she'd fallen in love with and had the most impact on her life until now, was gone… forever… stolen away by a demon of evil and madness.
Unable to believe what she'd just heard and witnessed, the girl's head craned downwards and, without any hesitation, she began to cry and sob uncontrollably, her voice carrying across the entire Lookout.
Gohan felt his chest tighten painfully once more. Seeing the girl crying her heart out in the courtyard with no one to comfort her, made the demi-Saiyan want to punch through the invisible barrier between his dream world and that dimension, go over there, and give his girlfriend a big hug, and let her know that he was alright. He wanted so badly to jump through into her reality and console her that he almost completely forgot that he was dreaming.
The second he stepped forward though in an effort to reach the heartbroken Videl, he saw the world fade into blackness and become replaced by another. From the darkness, he found himself on the front lawn of Capsule Corp, with the sky above him black as night and an eerie golden light radiating from over his shoulder. Drawn to the feel of the mysterious glow, the half-Saiyan warrior and his tagalong turned to see what was causing the strange color alterations to their environment.
Gohan soon found the source of anomaly in the form of seven dragon balls and the enormous dragon Shenron hovering in the clouds high above them. Initially distracted by the serpent's immense form, he then followed his tail back down to ground level, where he saw a group of figures gathered underneath. He quickly identified the collection of strangers as the surviving members of the Briefs family, Krillin, Android 18, a slightly older version of Maroon, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Videl, all of whom were gathered in front of the mystical spheres.
It became apparent to the spiky haired hero that all of his friends looked a little bit older than before, including his girlfriend, whom he noticed was dressed in the outfit belonging to the Turtle Hermit School of martial arts. Piecing together what he already knew and what he was now seeing, he reasoned that Videl had spent the past few years studying under Master Roshi and the other Z-fighters to become a more active member of their group. She also looked to be the one responsible for gathering the dragon balls today, which then led him to wonder why?
He was sure the answer would be revealed soon enough.
"I have come to grant you two wishes. Tell me what they are so that I may go," Shenron's booming voice echoed across the property, startling any and all nearby onlookers who could see the creature from their homes, windows and the neighborhoods.
Gulping anxiously, Krillin quickly turned to where Videl was standing. "Are you… sure this is going to work?"
"We have to at least try," Tien commented from alongside his teammate, arms folded and a serious look in play. A smile soon formed across his lips, which he directed towards their raven haired fighter from Satan City, "Besides… she was the one who insistent on doing this. There's no way we can say no to her when she's so determined."
Clenching and unclenching her fists beneath the towering form of the dragon uneasily, Videl took a guarded step forward and fixed her best glare upon the beast's face. Once she was sure she had the serpent's attention, the girl spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Shenron… our friends Piccolo, Trunks, Vegeta, Gohan and his family are trapped inside the monster Majin Buu, who terrorized our planet several years ago. Can you please set them free and bring them back to earth?"
Murmuring uncomfortably, the dragon's eyes shone a bright red as his mind began making sense of the wish. After spending several moments seeing if this wish was actually possible, the serpent groaned before speaking, "No. This wish cannot be granted."
Appearing as stunned as the other members of her group, Videl stepped forward once again, "Why not? W-Why can't you do it?"
"I cannot remove their forms from the host's body, as doing so will cause the demon extensive physical and mental trauma, and will likely kill him."
Gritting her teeth in frustration as she glared up at the magical serpent, Videl stomped her foot into the ground. "I don't care whether that bastard Majin Buu lives or not!" the teen practically shouted, causing the men and women standing behind her to react in alarm. This was actually the first time any of them had actually seen someone lose their temper at the dragon for being unable to grant a wish. "Just get them out of there!"
An irritated growl left Shenron's lips as his eyes fixed upon the insolent girl. "Even if I could, I would still be unable to grant you this request. My magic is nowhere near powerful enough to break through Majin Buu's barrier, as his power far exceeds that of my creator's. I'm afraid his hold over your friends is too strong."
"What gives?" Videl barked, feeling Krillin's hand wrap around her arm in an attempt to pull her away. She threw him off of her and stepped towards the beast, determined to tear him a new one. "Everyone here said that you could grant any wish I ask! They said that you would be able to help me! WHY CAN'T YOU HELP ME SAVE GOHAN?! TELL ME!"
"ENOUGH!" the dragon shouted, his loud voice shaking the ground and cracking the earth, effectively silencing the raging girl. When he saw the teenager back down, panting from her courageous outburst with her friends hovering meekly in the background, Shenron continued to speak. "If you have any other wishes, speak them now."
Gritting her teeth after hearing the dragon's demands, Videl lowered her head and took a few deep breaths to compose herself. The other fighters behind her also spent the next minute or so considering any other wishes that they could ask the dragon. Since there were indeed only a handful of things they could do with the power at their disposal, they now needed to vote on which moves were actually viable.
However, before any of them could think of anything, Videl's head suddenly craned upwards and she faced the wishing dragon with a serious look on her face. After weighing all of the options she had on hand, there was really only one last thing she could do.
It was risky, but knowing exactly what was at stake here, she was determined to follow-through with it.
"If you can't do anything… then that means we have to try something to save our friends ourselves, right?" the teenager asked, her back straightening and ears listening eagerly for the serpent's response.
The dragon raised a brow in curiosity, "That's right? Does that question come with a wish?"
"It does. Two wishes… and I want to use both of them," Videl said, taking a deep breath before steeling herself for what was to come. Though she wondered how she ever came to this conclusion, she knew that this was not the time to be second guessing herself. She had to act now. "With my first wish, I want you to transport me to someone who can make me powerful enough to defeat Majin Buu and save Gohan!" When this wish echoed across the front lawn of the Capsule Corp property, all of the Z-fighters in the area looked across at the girl in bewilderment. Before any of them could speak up in protest, she then shouted her last request, "And my second wish… is to remain there and not come back until I've destroyed Majin Buu!" The instant she finished, the girl slowly looked over her shoulder and gave a sad smile to her friends. "Sorry guys."
Caught completely off guard by the girl's wishes, Yamcha rushed forward, "Wait… Videl! Y-You can't be serious?" Unfortunately, he didn't have a chance to get an answer.
"It shall be done," Shenron's voice boomed, his eyes lighting up the sky and a low growl escaping his throat, "Good luck."
Seconds later, the stunned Z-fighters and family members watched as Videl disappeared in a flash of blue light, leaving all of the heroes standing thunderstruck in their places. It was a scenario neither one of them could have expected and to come from their newest member, of all people. However, after thinking about all the things she'd lost and all the trouble she'd had to go through over the past few years, her reasons for executing such a gutsy decision started to receive a little more clarity.
Even Gohan was blown away by what he'd just witnessed and could only gawk in silence as the vision transported him to the very place where Videl had been sent by the dragon.
He soon found himself standing on the precipice of a cliff looking over a large valley of a pyramid shaped planet that had a massive tree growing out of its top. Aside from the beautiful foundations and the fantastic view, he also noticed a large temple embedded in the side of the edifice, giving credence to the fact that this place was inhabited.
Perplexed by the exotic location and the weirdness of the world's design, the teen spent the next few seconds looking around the place and drinking in all there was to see, until his eyes eventually pulled across to a particular spot on the rise.
There, poised before a tall, familiar blue figure with white hair, elegant robes and a celestial staff, he saw Videl looking up at him from the grass, her arms set firmly at her sides and her gi blowing on the wind. Moving in closer to listen to the conversation that was going on between them, the demi-Saiyan and his blonde haired escort stopped just a few yards away. From there, amidst the rustling of the lush fields of reeds, flowers and butterflies, they were able to hear every word being spoken between the two figures.
Drumming his fingers against his staff, the teal-skinned alien beamed curiously down at the determined looking girl, who'd come to this world only a few hours ago, "So… let me get this straight? You traveled all this way to this part of the universe, to ask me to train you and make you strong enough to defeat this… Majin Buu creature… in order to save the man that you love and all the other poor souls he has absorbed?" When he saw Videl nod in response, a big smile appeared on his face. "I must say, out of all the requests I've received to train people and make them my apprentices… this has to be the most straightforward and noble one I've heard yet." He then blushed a shade of scarlet and gave a delightful giggle, "It's so romantic."
Undeterred by the man's odd response and character, the raven haired girl dropped to her knees and bowed to him, in an attempt to appeal to his compassion. "Please, Master Whis." She prostrated herself before the alien, literally placing her forehead to the grass and shutting her eyes tightly. "Please. I know I may not be the most worthy, or the most powerful… or the most pure hearted person in the world, but I beg you… for the friend I have lost… please train me and make me strong enough to save him. It would be a great honor and a privilege to learn from you."
Even though she knew nothing about this person, she could tell right away that he was powerful and that he was the man that Shenron sent her to see. She knew it in her gut that he was the one.
Blinking in surprise at the girl's humble gesture and words, the alien with the staff momentarily averted his gaze out of bashfulness and astonishment. Using this time to dwell on her request, his eyes ran up the side of the distant temple where he knew his other student, Beerus, was fast asleep and undergoing his ridiculously long hibernation cycle. Considering he was alone on this world during his student's annual sleeping period and had nothing much else to do with his free time, the blue-skinned man gave a cheerful smile to the birds fluttering about and, after nodding his head in approval, turned to look back down at the human kneeling in front of him.
"Alright, young lady. I'll gladly train you," the man chirped, watching the girl's eyes snap up to him as a kind smile framed his face. "Though I don't know how long it will take, I promise I will make you strong enough so that not even the universe will stand in your way. How does that sound?"
Almost instantly, a radiant expression formed on Videl's face as a smile appeared on her lips and her head gave an enthusiastic nod of gratitude, "Yes! Thank you so much, sir."
From that point onwards, Gohan saw his girlfriend's life flash in front of his eyes. He saw the girl undergo a fierce training regiment under the life form known as Whis, engaging in vigorous sparring matches with him and undergoing countless hours of meditation to enhance her ability to manipulate energy. They were even joined by the same purple, humanoid cat alien the Saiyan remembered seeing destroy Kana's planet in a previous vision, who mixed up the routine from watching the girl's training from the sidelines and actually taking the time to train with the girl as well.
Though at the end of every session Gohan saw Videl walk away from her training battered and bruised, the gutsy, courageous young girl woke up the next morning stronger than ever and ready for another bout.
Between bone breaking physical exercises and endless hours of meditation, the demi-Saiyan also witnessed Videl undergo thorough book lessons under Whis in her off periods, learning how to control magic, physics, matter, time, and telekinesis. She even went through an unusual conversion ritual underneath one of the pyramid world's heavy waterfalls, where the demi-Saiyan saw his girlfriend walk into the lagoon with her short, raven black hair framing her face, and emerge from the lake with long, pale-blonde hair and a cloud of steam encasing her form.
In the end, Videl had transformed herself from an ordinary fighter, into an entirely different woman.
These visions soon bled away into darkness and were once more replaced by another. From it, Gohan guessed that a great many years had come and gone, as he saw his girlfriend had gone through yet another series of extreme changes. This time however, the situation he saw the teenager in was completely different to every other one he'd seen before.
He could see Videl, dressed in an outfit similar to Whis's, wielding a long, golden staff of an intricate and otherworldly design, standing on the surface of a moon in a far off galaxy, with her foot planted firmly on the chest of the monstrous, shape shifting demon Majin Buu. The stars burning from unaccountable amounts of damage and the landscape around them looking no better than the rest of the quadrant, the demi-Saiyan also noted that both fighters were bearing enormous amounts of battle damage. Not only was his girlfriend's outfit torn in several places and she was completely covered in burns and bruises, she also had a deep scar carved across her right eye, which was missing and bleeding profusely.
Buu on the other hand, was looking even worse than her. His body resembled a pile of beaten up goop on the ground, covered in burns, scars, with his head barely intact. He lay beneath the girl's boot, groaning and choking in agony, while the girl brandished the tip of her golden lance directly over where his brain would be.
From that sight alone, Gohan knew his girlfriend had won their battle.
Huffing angrily as the moon around them burned, the blonde fighter hissed, "You're finished, Majin Buu."
Choking up blood from his barely formed mouth, the entity known across the quadrant as Zen Buu grinned at the woman standing over him in an impressed and irritated manner. "Well played… Videl Satan. Well played." He nodded towards the fighter in acknowledgement of her great power and silently commended her for her victory. "I never would've thought… that my actions in this world… would eventually come back to bite me in the ass. And here I thought I'd become the most powerful force across all of creation." A shake of his head soon followed. "Oh, how wrong I was…"
Videl scowled, "You may have killed Whis and Beerus over a century ago, but there is no way you can kill what I am."
The demon leered, "And what would that be, my dear?"
Her glare only seemed to harden even further. "The legacy of all the innocent people you've wronged." Bringing her staff even closer while at the same time suppressing the gooey mass of her opponent with her powers, Videl sneered. "I've been waiting several hundred years for this moment… and now it has finally come. Release Gohan and the others now… and I just might let you go."
"Gohan and the others? Who are you talking abou-… ooh," Zen Buu stopped, shortly before a dark, foreboding smirk pulled across his confused face. "You mean the Saiyans I absorbed on earth a hundred thousand years ago, right?" When he saw the girl nod and brandish her staff even closer, his eyes narrowed menacingly. "Unfortunately for you… you're too late. Gohan and his family have all been assimilated into my body, meaning he and the others are no longer cocooned inside my brain… and no longer have physical form. His soul and personality have become molded with my own… lost in a sea of billions of other unique individuals… and I can't tell which one is which anymore." When he saw a look of shock cross over the girl's eyes, the demon cocked his head towards her apologetically. "You could've saved him several decades ago… but it looks like you came up short. Sorry." And he said it in the snidest way he possibly could. "No hard feelings?"
At first Videl remained frozen; her weapon poised and still holding the demon beneath her at bay. From the look in her eyes, you could see the sensations of shock and defeat slowly become realized in the flecks of her red eye. All her years of fighting and training to achieve the power necessary to defeat the universe's greatest threat, had all yielded nothing to her but a string of backbreaking trials and a total of zero accomplishments. The pains she'd experienced, the losses she'd witnessed, and the deaths she'd faced… not a single one of them had helped her one bit in achieving her goal. When her mind finally worked out that she'd lost Gohan for good and that there was absolutely no way that she could bring back the man that she loved, something inside of her suddenly snapped.
Without warning, Zen Buu unexpectedly found himself staring up in fear when he noticed the blonde's expression twist into one of pure rage, malice and hatred. A shadow falling over her blood-covered face, the one-eyed woman gave a deep snarl before, in a flash of golden light, she struck down at her defenseless opponent with a mighty cry of anguish and a deafening thunderclap, incinerating the demon with a single blow.
But Majin Buu wasn't the only thing she destroyed. In her anger, Videl generated an explosion so great and so powerful, it not only consumed the entire galaxy she was in, but burned and destroyed every single other galaxy in all directions. From his safe little bubble, Gohan looked on in abject disbelief as the entire universe lit up around him like a glorified fireworks display, burning hotter than the brightest of quasars, before every single piece of matter in this reality was reduced to nothing but dust in a raging inferno. Then, after a full minute of listening to the collective screams of a countless number of dying worlds, the demi-Saiyan witnessed the entire universe vanish in the blink of an eye, with the wildfire extinguishing in a puff of smoke.
Soon… there was nothing. Of the billions of star systems, galaxies and quadrants making up the once vast reality, Gohan saw nothing but the endless vacuum of the howling stretching out all around him. It was a harrowing and discomforting sight, knowing that every single planet in all of creation had been snuffed out just like that… and at the whim of a victim who served as the center of a great tragedy. It was actually kind of poetic.
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