A Lost Temper

Author's note: I have received comments saying that the book feels "empty" so I have made changes to my style for this chapter to see if that makes a difference. Let me know if it helps. I will also try to make the plot happen faster.

Yamu and Spopovich finally reached their long-awaited destination. In the middle of a remote, rocky desert, they stood in front of Babidi's spaceship; dirt and sand were evidently disturbed as if it was once hidden underground. 

Piccolo, Gohan, Vegeta, Krillin, Shin, and Kibito's anticipatory gazes followed the two puppets, suppressing their energy to stay hidden from Babidi and his minions. Restlessness began filling the Z-Fighters, namely Vegeta and Piccolo, and Shin could very well perceive it, almost like a chill filling the air around them.

"We mustn't attack just yet. Be patient. Considering Badidi hid his spaceship underground, he must know that Kibito and I have been searching for him," Shin said, still glaring at the ship as he spoke. 

"We can't just let them revive Majin Buu!" Piccolo asserted.

"They won't. They have to revive him outside of the ship. Just be patient."

Just then, two men emerged from Babidi's ship. One of them was a small, wrinkled creature with green skin. He looked to be centuries old and that M-shaped crest that was seen tattooed onto the heads of his minions was on full display on his belt buckle. From just one look, Shin and Kibito knew that had to be him.

Just behind the withered wizard, quadrupling him in height, was a pink-skinned man with ears as sharp as knives and horns adorning his head. Between his horns and beneath his widow's peak, rested the M-shaped tattoo seen on Babidi's other minions.

You would think that he would be the man they were looking for, exuding such bravado and confidence in the way he carried himself. Though despite not being the wizard, he was still powerful in his own right, that much was obvious.

"Is the tall one Babidi?" Gohan asked.

"No, Babidi is the small one. The tall one is Dabura, the King of the Demons," Shin said, a bead of sweat sliding down his forehead.

"K- king of demons?" Krillin muttered. "Sounds like he must be pretty tough."

"Yes," Shin answered. "He is the King of the Demon World, a shadow world that exists to mirror this one. What Goku was to this world, is what Dabura is to his own. He's the most powerful by far. Still, he's nothing compared to Babidi. Think about it. If he's keeping Dabura under his control then..."

"Then he must be far beyond anything we can imagine..." Piccolo finished Shin's sentence for him; he too was sweating bullets. He'd heard of the Demon World, but he thought it was a mere myth.

"Aren't you supposed to be some Supreme Kai?" Vegeta mocked. "Some supreme being you are, cowering behind rocks like some pushover. If need be, I'll take them all on myself."

"You don't understand, Vegeta! The foes you've faced in the past can't even compare to these guys!" Shin lectured; still, Vegeta ignored him.

"I'll be the judge of that."

Just as those words parted from between Vegeta's lips, Yamu passed the lamp-shaped device over to Babidi. Words were exchanged, though they were unintelligible from where the Z-Fighters stood. However, they could see Babidi smirk before Yamu and Spopovich's bodies began to contort as if being possessed from the inside. Their skin began to bubble as if their blood had reached boiling temperatures, their eyes began to bulge from their sockets, and soon enough, their bodies popped like balloons filled with human innards.

The Z-Fighters and their new friends watched with gaping jaws, even Vegeta looked mortified despite his best efforts to keep a straight face. Babidi didn't even raise a finger, and it made them wonder if he would do the same thing to them. They watched Babidi laughing to himself, before eventually, Dabura's eyes locked onto the rock formation in which they concealed themselves. 

"He knows we're here!" Vegeta called out, but it was too late. 

Dabura instantly materialized in front of Kibito with an open palm and fired a massive, blinding energy blast at the Supreme Kai's assistant. The Z-Fighters covered their eyes with their arms, blinded by dust and debris. Once the dust had cleared, they saw nothing but dispersing smoke and ash where Kibito once stood. Dabura completely eviscerated him.

The Demon King was so fast, that Piccolo and Krillin failed to react in time to his next attack. The Demon King spat twice, each wad of spit landing on the two weaker Z-Fighters. At first, the attack seemed harmless, until the two of them started to turn to stone in seconds.

Vegeta, Gohan, and Shin looked on in horror as Piccolo and Krillin were completely petrified before their eyes. In just seconds, Dabura sliced their numbers in half; from six at the start, to just three. 

Gohan's body started to tremble and heat up like a volcano that was about to erupt. "Wh- No!" Gohan yelled; rage started to pool and stir within himself. His already fragile temper had been agitated mere moments ago, and now, the Saiyan's sanity was starting to shatter. First, it was his father all those years ago. Now, Krillin and Piccolo were gone, turned to stone. Despite having just met Kibito, Gohan still mourned the man alongside his friends. Almost as if he were fighting Cell once more, Gohan had lost all sense of reason, wanting nothing more than to kill Dabura and then Babidi with his own bare hands.

The Demon King chuckled; his eyes were focused on Gohan as if he were taunting him before he fled into Babidi's ship. Shin looked back at Gohan, his body and eyes trembling, he could see the boy boiling with rage, such that the Supreme Kai was nearly petrified. He knew Gohan had tremendous power within himself, but this feeling was unlike anything he'd ever sensed from a mortal being.

"Wait! Gohan, don't-" Before Shin could finish even a sentence, Gohan blasted away the rock formation as he took off after Dabura, chasing him into the spaceship without a thought. Vegeta glared at Shin for a moment, scoffed at the god's cowardness, and flew behind Gohan, following him into the ship. He wasn't going to allow the young Saiyan to have all the fun on his own.

The Supreme Kai stood in place, still trembling. He'd heard stories about Buu and Bibidi, Babidi's father, but the son was far stronger than he could've ever imagined. Dabura being one of his minions was also an unexpected turn of events, further mortifying the young lord. Still, he drew his breaths and calmed himself. "This is a trap, but those two need all the help they can get... I can't just stand here and be afraid," he said to himself, still calming his breaths.

The Supreme Kai opened his eyes before following the two Saiyans into the spaceship. Once inside, Shin looked back at the entrance of the metallic interior of the ship, watching it close behind him. He glanced at the road ahead, seeing that Gohan and Vegeta must've blasted through the ship already, he could feel the ship trembling as Gohan punched his way through. "There's no turning back now. The only way we will escape is if we defeat Babidi. Those Saiyans have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. And if they aren't careful, the shock might awaken Buu..."

Deeper into the winding, metallic maze, Gohan was seen punching his own path through the ship. Vegeta followed close behind him, smirking as he felt the boy's anger swelling and his power surging. 'That's right Gohan... Use that anger,' he thought. The aura he felt emanating off of the boy was similar to what he felt when he saw the boy defeat Cell. It even brought a chill down Vegeta's spine, though in a good way.

However, Gohan would suddenly stop and Vegeta halted in place beside him once something was seen standing in their way. One of Babidi's minions stood with his arms folded across his chest. His skin was black and white, his head elongated like a bean; very clearly, he was of another world. He too wore an M-shaped tattoo on his forehead and his socky smirk infuriated both Saiyans.

He opened his mouth to explain the rules of Babidi's ship, acting as the first step in the oncoming gauntlet. "Welcome to stage one-" However before he could halfway finish a single sentence, Gohan's fist eviscerated his jaw. The minion's back slammed into a wall, his jaw hanging onto his face by a thread. He tried to scream, but all that the Saiyans could hear was the alien gargle on his own blood, panicking to connect the two halves of his mouth.

Vegeta's eyes widened as he watched the alien weep and panic, his jaw loosening and falling onto the floor. The minion started to pick it up, but Gohan kicked it to the other side of the room.'He just removed his jaw with a single punch! And he hasn't even transformed into a Super Saiyan. Was he just a weakling, or had Kakarot's son been suppressing his strength for all these years... No, that's not it. It's the brat's rage, it always has been.' Vegeta couldn't contain his smile; he wanted nothing more than to fight Gohan once Babidi was defeated so he could test his power for himself. 

Gohan's eyebrows were scrunched as he looked down on his opponent. His expression was oddly calm, but that calmness contrasted with the fury-filled aura emanating from his body. "Where's Babidi..." Gohan roared, his palm emitting blinding energy as he aimed it directly at the minion. 

Babidi's minion tried to speak, but his mouth was broken. Instead, his trembling finger pointed to a trap door beneath Gohan's feet before his eyes begged the Saiyan to spare his life. Gohan read his eyes, discerning his plea. Still, Gohan learned his lesson after fighting Cell all those years ago: finish your enemies. 

The energy emitted from Gohan's palm gleamed, reflecting off the pleading eyes of Babidi's minion, who Gohan didn't even bother learning the name of. The minion tried to scream, but Gohan's energy blast obliterated him before he got the chance. 

The trap door beneath them opened, leading to the lower floors of the spaceship. "He mentioned a stage one," said Gohan. "I guess we have to defeat someone on each floor in order to reach Babidi... It's like some kind of game to him." Gohan was trembling with anger, his fists clenched. However, after a deep breath, Gohan collected himself and calmed down. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you that this is all one big trap, right Vegeta?"

Vegeta nodded. "That goes without saying."

Shin entered the room, having followed the trail left behind by Gohan. He saw the scorched ground and the minion's jaw on the floor across the room. 'Since when did Earth have such powerful fighters?' Shin thought to himself. 'With power like this, perhaps we can defeat Babidi.'

"Gohan, you need to calm down..." Shin began to lecture the Saiyan, but he was cut off once again.

"I've already calmed myself down. I'm aware that we just played into Badidi's hand. Still, I'm not going to let these guys get away with what they did to my friends. Or Kibito. And I have the feeling that you're thinking the same thing since you followed us in here."

"I followed you in here to make sure you don't get yourselves killed, waking up Buu in the process. But I see now that I might not have to worry. Quickly, let's proceed before Babidi wakes up Buu."

Vegeta and Gohan nodded before jumping through the trap door to the floor below, and Shin followed right after. 

As they entered the next floor, the three of them wondered just what Babidi had in store for them. Would the gatekeeper of the next stage actually pose a threat? There was only one way to find out.