"Permanent?" Goku touched the Potara on his ear, suddenly looking as if Elder Kai had handed him a trap instead of a plan. "That's rough. I don't think I can get used to sleeping next to Emily."
Elder Kai choked on whatever clever expression he had been wearing.
Cabba looked at Goku with quiet horror.
That was a terrible thing to say with such a cheerful face.
"If you're not used to it," Elder Kai said, recovering much too quickly, "you can introduce her to me. She is a woman, right?"
"Oh, good point." Goku nodded, as if Elder Kai had just solved a real problem. "Sure. Let's do that."
"Agreed, then!" Elder Kai stuck out his hand, thrilled. Drawing out Gohan's hidden power had clearly been the right investment.
"Agreed." Goku shook his hand.
Shin and Kibito had no words.
Even Gohan wished he could pretend he had not heard it.
Dad, would Vegeta actually agree to that? Would Emily want anything to do with this creepy old man?
"Okay, let's go!" Goku called.
The group gathered around him, and left the Sacred World of the Kai and returned to Earth, appearing at a distance from Vegeta and Piccolo.
Goku immediately waved toward them. "Hey!"
Piccolo recognized him first, relief cutting through the tension. "It's Goku. Gohan's with him too."
Vegeta clicked his tongue. "Kakarot finally shows up."
"We should regroup," Piccolo said.
Vegeta did not argue.
They had barely moved before Buu's eyes opened.
The nap ended the instant fresh power arrived on the battlefield. Buu sprang up, patted his belly, and smiled at the new crowd. "Oh. Everyone's here. Then you can all fight me together."
Piccolo's relief died. "He's awake."
"Of course he is," Vegeta growled. "Kakarot had to drag everyone here and get the fat monster's attention."
Gohan looked at Buu, then back at his father. "Dad… he woke up."
Caulifla folded her arms. "So if we hadn't come, would he have kept sleeping?"
"I don't know," Goku said. "But he's awake now, so we'd better beat him."
Gohan lowered his voice before Goku could rush off. "Dad, Vegeta may not agree to Potara Fusion if you tell him what it really does."
Goku blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Tell him the earring raises his power," Gohan said. "Say that first."
"That'll work?" Goku thought about it, then nodded. "Okay. I'll try it your way."
Before Goku could call Vegeta over, Gohan stepped forward. "Dad, let me test him first."
"You want to fight Buu?" Goku's smile faded. "Gohan, your power went up a lot, but this Buu is stronger than I expected. A lot stronger."
"I know." Gohan's hands tightened. "That's why I need to know how far away I am. While I'm keeping him busy, talk to Vegeta about the Potara."
Goku studied him for a moment, then gave in. "Be careful."
"I'll go with you, Gohan-nii," Kale said at once.
Gohan smiled at her. "Thanks, Kale, but I want to try this alone."
Kale hesitated, then nodded.
Gohan turned back toward Majin Buu and walked out across the sand.
Buu glanced at him with open disinterest. "You again? The little guy I beat up last time."
"This time, I'm paying you back."
Gohan's power rose hard and fast, no golden hair, no familiar Super Saiyan blaze, just a heavy force pouring out of him until the sand trembled around his feet.
He attacked first.
His fist struck Buu across the face and snapped the monster's head back.
Piccolo's eyes sharpened. Gohan had changed. The power Elder Kai had pulled out of him was real.
Gohan followed with a kick to Buu's head.
Buu rubbed the spot, more annoyed than hurt.
"Raaaaah!"
Gohan drove in again with an uppercut, pouring everything he could into the next blow.
Buu slapped him away.
"Too noisy."
Gohan flew in a long arc and crashed into the sand far from the others, nearly sinking into the loose ground before he could move.
"Gohan!" Piccolo shot after him, pulled him free, and held him steady.
Kale arrived a breath later, fury already building in her eyes.
Gohan gave Piccolo a strained smile. "Piccolo… I'm still not enough."
"Don't say that," Piccolo said. "You're the strongest Saiyan here."
"It's a shame," Gohan said, looking down at his hands. "Elder Kai drew out this power, and I still can't use it well enough."
"Don't give up, Gohan-nii," Kale said, her voice tight. "We'll beat him somehow." She lowered her head, then suddenly looked up again, cheeks faintly red but resolve burning through it. "Gohan-nii, what if we fuse? Potara Fusion or the dance. Either one."
Gohan's mouth twitched. "You and me?"
"Yes."
"I'll pass," Gohan said quickly, waving both hands. "I don't want to start needing to squat when I pee."
Kale froze.
Piccolo blinked. "What does that mean?"
Namekians had no reason to understand the problem.
"Who's next?" Buu called, sweeping his gaze over the others.
Goku was still trying to talk Vegeta into the plan, though the plan had already started falling apart. His earlier slip to Cabba had made Vegeta suspicious, and Cabba now looked as if Goku had somehow betrayed everyone by accident.
"Kakarot," Vegeta said, glaring at him, "tell me exactly what that thing does."
Goku laughed, because lying had never been his strongest technique. "Yeah, I'm bad at this. It's a Potara earring. If you wear the other one, we'll fuse into one warrior. A really powerful one."
Vegeta stared at him.
Then fury took over.
"You want me, the prince of all Saiyans, to fuse with a low-class warrior like you?" Vegeta snarled. "Keep dreaming!"
"Okay," Goku said, far too easily.
Buu lost patience. "No one else? Fine. I'll take care of you one by one."
He appeared in front of Gohan, Piccolo, and Kale, hands on his hips.
"You started this fight," Buu said. "Now you're acting like nothing happened?"
His fist struck from a distance.
The blow landed across Gohan's face, leaving a red mark where the impact hit. Gohan staggered, barely keeping his feet.
"Gohan!" Piccolo roared, his body swelling into Orange Piccolo at once.
Kale's aura erupted behind him, green energy surging with fierce arcs of lightning.
Legendary Super Saiyan Two.
"You won't hurt Gohan-nii!" Kale screamed, throwing herself at Buu.
Buu slapped her down.
She hit the ground hard, her aura shattering back to normal.
Piccolo came in next, but Buu slipped behind him and kicked him out of the air before he could even turn. Orange Piccolo crashed beside Kale, the transformation falling away as he hit the sand.
Caulifla took one uneasy step back. "The fat one's mad now."
"This is bad," Goku said. "Even Kale's Legendary Super Saiyan Two couldn't hold him."
Vegeta looked from Kale to Piccolo, his jaw tight. Orange Piccolo had fallen just as easily.
"Vegeta," Goku said, more serious now, "we don't have another way. If we don't fuse, we can't beat him."
Vegeta hated every word because he knew it was true.
He did not want to fuse with Kakarot. He did not want to share a body, a mind, or anything else with that cheerful idiot. But no one here could stop Buu, and waiting for Ken was no longer an option.
"How long until Ken returns?" Vegeta asked through his teeth.
"At least a few hours," Goku said. "By then, it'll be too late. Vegeta, we only need to buy time."
Vegeta's hand clenched around the earring.
"Please," Goku said. "Put it on. If we don't do this, we're finished."
"Damn it."
Sweat ran down Vegeta's face as he raised the Potara toward his right ear. "The right ear?"
"Yeah," Goku said, his excitement returning despite everything. "That's right."
Vegeta clipped it on.
"Oh, right—there's one tiny detail I forgot to mention," Goku said with an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head. "If we fuse with the Potara... that's it. We become one person for good. No going back."
Vegeta's entire world cracked.
"You bastard!" he exploded, reaching for the earring at once. "Why are you telling me now?"
Caulifla, who had been watching with far too much interest, tilted her head. "Your wife's name is Emily, right?"
Vegeta stopped. "What?"
"Nothing." Caulifla smiled. "Don't worry about it."
Vegeta suddenly felt as if he had stepped into a pit and only now noticed the spikes at the bottom.
The Potara gave him no time to escape.
His body lurched toward Goku.
"Wait! I'm not doing this anymore!"
Too late.
Goku and Vegeta slammed together in a flash of light.
When it faded, one warrior stood where the two Saiyans had been.
Caulifla's eyes lit up. "Whoa. Handsome."
She stepped closer before anyone could stop her and poked his cheek.
Cabba felt his heart crack.
Please don't touch him.
"This is Potara Fusion?" Caulifla circled the new warrior, inspecting him from head to toe. Curiosity got the better of shame, and her hand drifted toward his waistband.
Vegito slapped it away without looking.
Did girls these days have no sense of restraint?
Cabba looked ready to cry.
Caulifla, why are you like this?
"Stingy," Caulifla muttered.
The fused Saiyan ignored her and smiled.
"Vegeta and Kakarot fused together…" He rolled the name over, amused by how naturally it fit. "Vegito. That works."
His power exploded.
In an instant, red fur spread across his chest, his hair darkened and flared wild, and his tail swept behind him as Super Saiyan 4 power wrapped around his body.
"This transformation is pretty good," Vegito said, flexing one hand. "The Primal Saiyan transformation… no, that name's too clumsy." He smiled wider. "Let's call it Super Saiyan 4."
He vanished.
The next instant, he stood beside Majin Buu.
Buu looked at him, surprised for the first time in a long while.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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