Majin Buu had expected the fused Saiyan to be stronger.
He had not expected the power to keep climbing.
Vegito's level was rising fast—level thirty at the very least—and Buu could tell he still had more to show. That was the part that made his grin stretch wider. This was no longer a boring beating. This was the first fight in ages that might actually keep him entertained.
The last time he had enjoyed himself like this, Broly had been beside him. Back then, they had even fought Gods of Destruction together. Those days had been fun.
Buu lifted both fists, excitement bubbling up through his whole body.
"Buu," Vegito said, rolling one shoulder, "I'll handle you."
Buu nodded eagerly.
Vegito moved first.
His fist smashed into Buu's face, leaving a clear dent before Buu's head could bounce back. A second punch drove upward under Buu's jaw and lifted him into the air.
Vegito vanished above him.
"Here."
His heel came down in a sharp overhead kick and buried itself in Buu's stomach. Buu shot toward the desert below like a meteor and punched a bottomless crater into the sand.
He came back out of it laughing.
Energy spheres burst from Buu's hands in rapid fire, but Vegito drifted through them with almost insulting ease, slapping each blast aside and sending them scattering across the sky.
Buu slipped behind him and wrapped both arms around his body.
Vegito did not bother struggling. He dropped his head forward, then snapped it back.
The back of his skull slammed into Buu's face and flattened it like soft clay.
Before Buu could peel himself off, Vegito caught the antenna on his head and started punching him in the face, one blow after another, each one driving Buu's features farther out of shape.
"Go down."
Vegito yanked Buu by the antenna and hurled him into the desert again.
The impact carved out another crater.
A moment later, Buu appeared in front of him, smiling as if none of it had happened.
Vegito's eyes narrowed. "Are you immortal?"
Buu rubbed his belly, delighted. "Fighting you is fun. I haven't had this much fun in a long time."
"Is that so?"
"You're still holding back," Buu said. "Use everything. I know you have more."
Vegito smirked. "You're sharper than you look."
He clenched both fists, and the air around him changed.
"Fine. Since you asked, I'll show you."
Blue power erupted around him.
In one smooth surge, Vegito's hair shifted blue. The fur across his chest and his tail changed with it, the Super Saiyan 4 body wrapped in a sharper, heavier aura than before.
Buu's mouth rounded in open delight.
"All right," Vegito said. "Now we start."
Buu nodded hard.
"Wait." Caulifla stepped closer, curiosity winning over common sense. "What transformation is that?"
Buu glanced at her, then at Vegito, and immediately decided she had asked a good question. "I want to know too. Explain it."
Vegito gave them both a flat look, then shrugged. "Fine. I'll make it simple."
Piccolo, Gohan, and Kale had returned from below and hovered nearby, watching the new warrior carefully.
"That's Goku and Vegeta?" Piccolo asked.
"It's Potara Fusion," Gohan said. "Not the Fusion Dance."
Piccolo looked at him. "There's a difference?"
"The Fusion Dance needs matching movements, matching ki, and similar body types," Gohan explained. "Potara Fusion is much easier. The earrings belong to the Supreme Kais. One person wears one on the left ear, the other wears one on the right, and the Fusion happens automatically."
"That simple?" Piccolo's eyes shifted back to Vegito. "Then why didn't Goku use it earlier?"
"I don't think Dad really understood what the earrings did," Gohan said.
"And Potara seems limited to two people," Kale added. "Three-person Fusion probably wouldn't work with only two earrings."
Piccolo frowned. "What if there were three earrings?"
Kale thought for half a second. "Where would the third person wear it? Their nose?"
Gohan and Piccolo both failed to answer.
She had a point, which was the worst kind of problem.
"How long does Goku and Vegeta's Fusion last?" Piccolo asked.
"Elder Kai said there's no time limit," Gohan said. "Once they fuse, they're supposed to stay that way forever." He scratched his cheek. "But I think Ken could probably separate them somehow."
Piccolo relaxed a little. "Then there's hope."
Vegito let the blue form drop and returned to his base state, his face and build settling into a perfect blend of Goku and Vegeta.
"This is my base form," he said.
Buu listened with surprising seriousness.
Gold light flashed around Vegito, his hair rising.
"This is Super Saiyan."
Buu nodded along.
The golden aura thickened, and lightning snapped around Vegito's body.
"This is Super Saiyan Two."
Buu nodded again.
Vegito shifted next into the red-furred form, tail swaying behind him.
"This is Super Saiyan 4."
Buu scratched his head. "Does two go straight to four?"
"It's three!" Caulifla shouted from the side. "I'm sure it's three!"
Buu pointed at her like she had helped. "Right. Three."
Caulifla folded her arms. "So where's three? How do you get four without three?"
"Where's three?" Buu repeated.
"I can't use Super Saiyan Three," Vegito said. "If you need a reference, think of Zarotenks's long-haired form."
Buu shook his head. "That was Super Saiyan God Three. You're lying."
"It doesn't matter," Vegito said.
Buu accepted that far too easily. "Keep going."
"This is Super Saiyan 4," Vegito repeated, then drew in more power.
Red flame burned across his body. His hair turned a brighter, living red, and the fur and tail of his Super Saiyan 4 form sharpened with the same fiery light, as if the color itself had been set ablaze.
Caulifla leaned forward. "Is that Super Saiyan Five?"
"You can think of it that way," Vegito said, "but the accurate version is Super Saiyan God layered onto Super Saiyan 4."
Buu rocked his head slowly, trying to follow.
"And then…" Vegito's expression turned serious. "My final state."
Blue power burst out again.
His hair, fur, and tail all shifted blue at once, the aura around him pressing down over the desert.
"Super Saiyan Six?" Caulifla asked, sounding far too excited for someone who had nothing to do with the transformation.
"No," Vegito said, wiping at his brow. "That name doesn't really fit, even if the power jumps a lot. The better explanation is Super Saiyan God layered onto Super Saiyan 4, then pushed into Super Saiyan again."
Buu tried to repeat it.
He got halfway through and gave up.
"That name is way too long," Caulifla said. "Just make it shorter."
"I agree." Vegito looked at Buu. "You wanted to know so badly. Why don't you name it?"
"Blue," Buu said at once.
Vegito stared at him.
Caulifla stared too.
"That's it?" Vegito asked.
Buu looked pleased with himself.
"You really don't overthink things." Vegito sighed. "Fine. Super Saiyan 4 Blue."
Buu grinned. "Good. Level forty-nine."
Vegito paused. That word stirred a memory—Ken had talked about levels before. Bardock had too.
Caulifla perked up immediately. "What level?"
"I've heard Ken and Bardock mention that system," Vegito said. "But we can talk about levels later."
Buu clenched both fists and lowered into a fighting stance. "Test it first."
Vegito floated opposite him. "Gladly."
The desert held still for one breath.
Then Vegito's blue aura roared, and he launched a punch straight at Buu.
Buu caught it with one hand.
Vegito's confidence tightened.
Buu slammed his head into Vegito's face. The blow hit so hard Vegito felt his own features flatten under it. Before he could fully pull back, Buu spun and dropped his full weight onto him.
Vegito crashed into the desert like a shell fired from orbit, punching another deep crater into the sand.
Buu puffed out his cheeks.
"Puh! Puh! Puh!"
Six small ghosts spilled from his mouth, each one with a round little Buu face and a nasty grin.
"Go, little monsters," Buu said, waving them on.
The ghosts shot toward the crater.
Vegito rose out of the sand just in time to see the six floating things closing in on him, all of them giggling with open malice.
"What are those?"
"Don't touch them!" Piccolo shouted. "That's Zarotenks's attack! They explode on contact!"
Vegito's body moved before the warning had fully landed. He vanished from the center of the swarm.
The six ghosts missed him and slammed into one another.
The explosion shook the planet.
A massive dark rift tore open above the blast zone, black lightning crawling across its edges. The sky around it seemed to bend inward, as if the detonation had punched the world itself out of shape.
Vegito reappeared beside Piccolo, cold sweat on his face. "That was close. If I'd been at the center of that, it might have killed me."
Piccolo's face had gone pale. "He's far stronger than we thought."
"We underestimated him," Vegito said.
Buu patted his belly, laughing happily.
"How do you know Zarotenks's technique?" Piccolo shouted.
"Is it hard?" Buu asked. "I saw it once."
Piccolo's stomach sank.
Vegito flexed his hand, eyes fixed on Buu. "Winning may be difficult. I didn't expect him to be this strong."
"Can you hold him off?"
"I'll try. We need to buy time until Ken and Bardock get here."
"That may be all we can do," Piccolo said.
Vegito shot forward again, driving into Buu with everything he had.
…
Universe 7, Sacred World of the Kai.
"Come on! Finish him!" Shin shouted at the crystal ball, both hands clenched as Vegito rushed Buu again. "You can do it!"
"Shut up already!" Elder Kai snapped. "What have you been doing all these years?"
Shin flinched. "What have I been doing? Monitoring Majin Buu, of course."
Elder Kai's expression darkened as he watched Buu through the crystal ball. "That Majin Buu… he may have reached Beerus's level."
"Beerus…" Shin hesitated. "You mean the cat? Our universe's God of Destruction?"
"How many times do I have to say it before it sticks?" Elder Kai shouted, spraying spit across Shin's face. "Yes! Beerus! Who else would I mean?"
Shin quietly took out a handkerchief and wiped his face.
Elder Kai looked back at the crystal ball and let out a heavy sigh. "Even Goku and Vegeta's Potara Fusion may not be enough."
"Then what do we do?"
Elder Kai's temper finally snapped back toward its favorite target.
"This is your fault!" He punched Shin hard enough to make him yelp. "Of all the beings in existence, you had to provoke Zeno-sama! You couldn't find anyone else? You had to offend the greatest god in all the universes?"
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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