A Trap in Waiting!! A Challenge from the Darkness

Babidi laughs. "That was very boring, the look on Yamu's and Spopovitch's faces. That's what I most look forward to." Dabura chuckles. "We'll see many faces like that on Earth." Babidi, "I guess you're right." He giggles as the Z Senshi watch from their mountain. Goku, "That was terrible." Gohan, "They're evil." Kuririn, who had been about to leave just before Yamu and Spopovitch were killed, now stands further down the mountain. He stares up at the others, speechless. "That's how Madoshi Babidi operates," Kibit explains. "First he uses his magic to possess them, and when he's finished with them, he does that." He pauses for just a second, then continues, "He's going to continue doing that to gather energy so that he can resurrect Majin Buu." Goku turns from Kibit back to Babidi and the others.

"Well then, Dabura..." Babidi takes a few steps forward. "Just as I calculated, they brought a lot of food." Dabura grins. "Along with Kaioushin, who killed my father long ago." Puipui is surprised and begins looking around. Dabura chuckles. "And they think they're hiding up there." He pauses. "There are seven of them in all. We can't use Kaioushin or Kibit, but the other three have enough energy to bring back Majin Buu." Babidi, "That's what it looks like. With those three, there should be more than enough energy to bring back Majin Buu." He laughs, then levitates and moves backward so that he's next to Dabura. "I never thought Majin Buu would be brought back this soon." He looks up at Dabura and of course, he pauses. "We should get those three into the spaceship. That'd be the most sure way to get their energy." Dabura, "Yes. But Kaioushin probably won't allow them to do that." Babidi, "Clean up all but the three people we want, and then get back into the spaceship. The three will probably follow you back in before they think about it." Dabura, "I see. That would be my duty." Babidi looks up at him, smiling. "That's right. Oh, don't clean up Kaioushin yet. I want to take my time killing him later." Dabura, "Understood, Babidi-sama. I will gladly leave him for you." Babidi, "I'll leave the rest to you, then." Dabura, "Yes." Babidi turns and walks into the spaceship. Puipui, confused, asks "Babidi-sama, what about me?" Babidi, "Puipui, Dabura should be enough for this. Come inside. You'll fight them in the first stage." He disappears into the ship while Puipui anxiously jumps up. "Yes sir!" He follows Babidi, leaving Dabura alone outside.

Goku, "They went inside and left Dabura behind." Kaioushin watches Dabura, not responding to Goku. Dabura looks over his shoulder. "Well then, let's do it." He clenches a fist. A little dust begins to fly up around him, but I stress "a little." It begins to spin faster and gain in size, but it's never more than a few inches high. Kaioushin gasps. Vegeta, "They know about us!" Dabura vanishes and flies up the side of the mountain. Almost immediately, he's arrived. He holds his arm out, the palm of his right hand just inches from Kibit's face. Kibit cries out in surprise and shrinks back, but it's already too late. Taken off guard, the Z Senshi simply gawk as Dabura blasts Kibit, laughing. Kibit screams as he disintegrates. Kaioushin, "Kibit!" Gohan, "Kibit-san!" Kuririn makes incoherent "I'm horrified" noises. The blast fades away and of course, no trace of Kibit remains. Dabura chuckles, and Goku looks up at him in shock and anger. "Damn it!" He jumps up and attacks, but Dabura easily dodges. Vegeta takes his shot, but Dabura just as easily blocks his punches as he dodged Goku's. Dabura finally jumps out of the way and Vegeta lands back on the mountain. Dabura looks around at each one, then grins and spits at Kuririn. Kaioushin, "Watch out!" Kuririn tries to dodge, but gets hit in the side of the face. Kaioushin, "Oh no! Dabura's saliva..." Piccolo, "What!?" Dabura laughs. Piccolo, "You...!" He charges forward. Goku, "Piccolo!" Dabura spits again and hits Piccolo square in the chest. Piccolo, "Wha-!?" Kaioushin gasps, and Piccolo lands. Goku watches in confusion as the area around the spit on Piccolo's chest begins to turn white. Suddenly, he spins around when Kuririn begins screaming. His arms and face are turning to stone. Gohan, "Kuririn-san!" As Kuririn struggles against it, the stone spreads around his body. Vegeta gasps. Within a few more seconds, Kuririn has finally completed the transformation when his shoes turn.

Meanwhile, Piccolo's staring at his arms in shock as they, too, turn to stone. Goku, "Piccolo! Kuririn!" He jumps to Piccolo. "Piccolo!" But it's already too late, as Piccolo's transformation has completed as well. He spins around and asks Kaioushin, "What's happened to them!?" Kaioushin, "They've been turned to stone!" Goku gasps. "Anyone touched by Dabura's saliva turns to stone." Goku looks back at his new Piccolo statue. "But...!" Vegeta simply watches silently. Goku runs up to Piccolo, but Kaioushin yells, "Don't touch them!" Goku, "Why not!?" Kaioushin, "They've been turned to stone! If you touch them and they break, they'll never be brought back to normal!" Gohan, "Oh no..." He turns from Piccolo and Kuririn and glares angrily up at Dabura. Dabura laughs. Goku, "Damn you!" Dabura, "Go away! No one can oppose Babidi-sama!" Still laughing, he flies back to the ship. Gohan runs up to the edge of their spot on the mountain and Vegeta quickly joins him a few feet away. Next, Kaioushin, and then last, Son Goku; all watch as Dabura disappears.

Announcer, "Everyone! Please, listen! Listen, please!!" The crowd at the Tenkaichi Budokai appears to have stopped throwing things. "We're sorry to keep you waiting, but there will be a break!" Man, "What are you doing!?" Woman, "Come on! Hurry up!" And of course, various other random shouts that can't be told apart from each other come up from the rest of the crowd. Mighty Mask watches from his spot at the top of the stadium. Goten, "A break? I wanted to fight soon." Trunks, "It's all your brother's fault! He let those weird guys beat him up!" Goten, "It's not Brother's fault!" Trunks, "If that hadn't happened, the competition would have continued!" Goten, "Don't say bad things about my brother!" He begins stumbling back and forth as he tries to hit Trunks, who has to retaliate from the outside since his arms aren't inside the clothes (which makes for a very strange scene). Mighty Mask finally walks into the railing and falls over, both kids crying out in surprise. The people around him suddenly stop their screaming and turn around, asking "What is it?" and "What happened?" Mighty Mask lies collapsed in the aisle, and an attendant runs over to him. "Are you okay, Mighty Mask?" Mighty Mask stands up and Trunks adjusts the mask. "Are you hurt?" Trunks, "No, I'm okay." Goten begins stumbling down the aisle, and Trunks takes all the beating whenever he walks into a wall (which is quite frequently). The attendant and those around him watch, confused. Attendant, "I think something's wrong..."

Stone Piccolo and Stone Kuririn stand on the mountain, faces frozen in expressions of sheer surprise. Goku examines Piccolo and Gohan, Kuririn. "Kuririn-san... Piccolo-san..." Vegeta looks on, still surprised and befuddled by the whole incident, just as everyone else is, but not nearly as vocal (as usual). Goku turns away from Piccolo. "Kaioushin-sama. You said they can't be brought back to normal if they're broken, right? Does that mean there's a way to bring them back to life?" Kaioushin, "Only after..." Even Vegeta tunes in for this bit. "...Dabura's dead." Goku, "So there is a way." He now sports a smile and an expression of determination. "And it's simple!" Kaioushin gasps. Gohan, "Let's go, Dad! You're going, aren't you? We have to help Kuririn-san and Piccolo-san!" Goku, "Of course. Let's go!" He disappears and suddenly, both of them are flying down the side of the mountain. Kaioushin gasps. "Don't go! Don't fall for his plans!" Goku and Gohan stop and turn around. "Going into his spaceship is exactly what he wants you to do! We have to observe a little longer!" Goku, "I can't let Kuririn and Piccolo stay like that!" Gohan, "Nor can I!" They turn around and begin flying again as Kaioushin gasps. Vegeta walks up to him. "Too bad, but we can't stay here waiting." He heads for the spaceship. Kaioushin drops his head, then finally looks up again. He reluctantly follows.

--COMMERCIAL--

Son Goku and Gohan land just outside the ship and run to the door. They peer inside, but can see little more than a dark tunnel dropping almost straight down. Vegeta lands a few feet behind them and approaches the ship. Goku looks over at Gohan and says, "Okay, let's go." Gohan, "Right!" Goku drops into the ship with that same determined smile from earlier. Behind him is the angry, but curious, Gohan, and bringing up the rear is Vegeta. Babidi laughs as he watches them via crystal ball. "Here they come! They really are simpletons." He giggles. Dabura, "Hm. They fell for the trap."

The Z Senshi land in a well lit, eliptical room. White panels make up the upper wall/ceiling, with a dark blue strip comprising most of the wall at the mid-level, and then more white panels on the floor, with a circle in the middle. They look around. Goku, "What is this place? It's just an empty room." Gohan, "There's a door over there. Shall we break in?" There's no answer for a moment. After several seconds, something catches Goku's attention and he looks back up toward the direction they came in. "Huh?" Kaioushin appears, dropping into the room with them. Goku smiles. "So, you ended up coming here too?" Kaioushin has his back to Goku, and he turns around with an angry expression. "Because you all are being foolish."

They hear the sound of machinery and look up to see their entrance being sealed. Kaioushin, "It looks like after you enter this ship, there's no getting out until you've defeated Babidi." Goku stares up at the ceiling. "All we have to do is defeat Babidi..." Kaioushin doesn't respond. Vegeta, "Hmph. If I wanted to get out, I'd destroy this ship." Kaioushin, "Don't! If you do cause a large shock, Majin Buu may be resurrected!" Vegeta simply looks on, and Kaioushin pauses. Finally, he continues, "You're underestimating Babidi and Majin Buu. Even if Majin Buu isn't at full power, he's still strong enough to kill us and destroy the Earth instantly!" Vegeta looks away without replying. Babidi continues listening in via his crystal ball. "So Kaioushin came too. This is perfect!" He giggles. Vegeta, "Even so, this is an empty room." Behind him is the one door Gohan spoke of earlier -- and yes, there is, of course, the letter M on it.

Puipui laughs. "Babidi-sama." Babidi, "What do you want, Puipui?" Puipui rubs his fist; he looks quite anxious. "Isn't it about time?" Babidi smiles. "Ah, sorry to keep you waiting. Okay Puipui, take the energy from those three." Puipui replies enthusiastically, "Right! Allow me!" He crosses his arms, smiling. Babidi suddenly looks down at the power drainer in his hand. "Oh, I forgot all about this. I'd better give Majin Buu this energy." His crystal ball floats away and lands on a pedestal nearby. "We don't have to watch; we already know how that battle is going to end." Dabura, "Ah, yes." Babidi walks away, giggling, and Dabura follows. They stop in a dark room in front of a large, purple ball. It seems to be split into two halves, as there's a crevasse running all around it at one spot. There are lots of odd...lines, for lack of a better term, sticking up out of its surface (you can imagine them like bulging veins on a person, except they're much larger). Babidi laughs.

The Z Senshi stand around, and finally, the door opens. Everyone watches curiously (except Kaioushin, he's more along the lines of fear) as it slowly (and I stress "slowly") rises. It finally reveals Puipui with a stupid grin and his arms crossed. He steps into the room and laughs. "Welcome to the first stage." Gohan, "First stage?" Goku, "What's that?" Puipui points at the floor. "Babidi-sama is at the bottom level. However, you will have to defeat warriors on each stage in order to descend." He pauses, and no one responds, so after several seconds, he continues. "I am your opponent on the first stage, which means that you're all going to die here." He laughs. Still, no one replies, until Goku says, "Huh? I don't think that's going to happen." Puipui uncrosses his arms, surprised. "Oh?"

Babidi jams the long power stealer into the side of the purple ball. A meter begins running. Dabura grins. Finally, Babidi removes it and checks his meter. "Huh? Th-this is incredible! How'd they get this much energy at one time? They were able to get almost half of the energy we need." Dabura, "What?" Babidi, "Hmm. How many hundreds of people did Yamu and Spopovitch steal this energy from?" Dabura, "Well...I didn't ask." Babidi, "If they could get this much energy in that short time, maybe I shouldn't have killed them." He scratches his cheek, and Dabura chuckles. "What? It's okay. With those three in there fighting, we should get almost a full tank of energy. If things go well, Majin Buu might be resurrected today." Babidi laughs. "That's why I invited them here. I wonder if Puipui has finished taking care of those three yet. Let's take a look, Dabura." Dabura's grin grows a little wider.

Babidi walks up to his crystal ball. "Let's see." An image comes up on his crystal ball of all three Saiya-jin in a circle (or, well, triangle), throwing their fists into the center. Puipui and Kaioushin both stand off to the side, watching. "What!? They haven't started fighting yet!" From the crystal ball, we go to the room itself. Puipui watches in bewilderment. Each Saiya-jin is throwing his hand into the triangle, and they're chanting, "It's a tie!" Obviously, it's Rock-Paper-Scissors that they're playing. However, none of them are coming out on top, and so they keep going over and over again. Kaioushin is just as confused as Puipui. Babidi, "Huh? What are they doing?" Vegeta, "It's a tie!" Gohan, "It's a tie!" They show Goku next, but this time we hear all three instead of just the one person. Rock. Rock. Paper (Gohan), Paper (Goku), Scissors (Vegeta). He laughs and clenches his fist. "I won." Goku, "Are you sure, Vegeta?" Vegeta, "Okay, then I'll start." Kaioushin, "Uh, excuse me... Are you planning to fight him yourself?" Vegeta crosses his arms. "Of course. Against him, I'm more than strong enough." Kaioushin gasps.

Puipui still seems to be confused after the whole Rock-Paper-Scissors thing. Finally, he returns to reality. He crosses his arms and laughs (okay, maybe it's an alternate reality...). "Babidi-sama said they were strong and that I should be careful, but it looks like they're just idiots." Vegeta, "Isn't Babidi the idiot? Because he didn't examine us better, you're going to regret this. It just happened that the strongest people in the universe are on the Earth." Puipui, "You're the strongest?" He laughs and leaps into the air, disappearing. He reappears when he lands across the room. "This is an example of an idiot!" He disappears again as everyone watches. Kaioushin, "You shouldn't underestimate him!" He runs forward a few steps for some reason, then continues, "Babidi has assembled the strongest fighters from across the universe!" Goku pats him on the shoulder. "Calm down. Let Vegeta take care of it." Kaioushin gasps. "But..." Puipui finally reappears on the ground. "You'll never leave here." He jumps up again, but reappears only a few feet from where he'd just been. "All damage that you take will become energy that this room absorbs." He disappears, then reappears a few feet closer to the Z Senshi. "And it will go straight to Majin Buu-sama." Vegeta smirks. "Now that I've heard that, I don't have to worry. If I don't get hurt, my energy won't be taken." Puipui appears right next to him. "That's right. Unfortunately, that's impossible..." He jumps back again and lands near the wall. "...if you have to fight me!" He laughs. Vegeta, "He's getting on my nerves." Vegeta disappears, then reappears in front of Puipui with a grin and clenched fists. "That's enough talking. Let's get this over with." Puipui grins, but doesn't reply. Vegeta, "Come get me." Dabura comments, "That Vegeta is very stupid." He and Babidi both laugh.

Vegeta and Puipui prepare to face off. Goku and Gohan watch in anticipation, but Kaioushin still isn't so sure. "Vegeta-san!" Vegeta simply stares at Puipui, and Puipui adopts a fighting pose. He lifts a leg up, then leaps into the air and flies at Vegeta.