“She’s a what?” her grandfathers asked, skeptical eyebrow raised. But Pan already knew exactly what her friend Mary Sue meant, sharing a meaningful glance with her Universe 18 counterpart.

  “I understand. Anpan is a nightmare from the Dream World.” When Pan thought back, every odd detail about her bizarre fake counterpart made sense. It explained her chaotic behavior and propensity for violence and havoc. While Mary Sue was a creature of sweet dreams and delights, Anpan was a creature of fear and torment.

  “I don’t appreciate that tone,” Anpan said, throwing her hands behind her head. “You make it sound like I’m some sort of monster.”

  “Because you are!” Little Pan snapped back.

  “A living nightmare, you say?” Buu said, impressed. “That’s something.”

  “Dream World?” Her father-as-Piccolo furrowed his brow. “Clarify what you mean. There’s a world of dreams?”

  “It’s the place all mortals go when they sleep. Ruled by the Dream King, Lord of Nights.” Piccolo-as-Cell Jr. said with authority. “It’s a realm of imagination and impossibility — of sweet delights and torments. They say anything is possible there.”

  “The Dream King, huh?” Goku said, interested. He bristled with excitement. “Is he strong?”

  “And of course that’s where your mind goes,” Piccolo-as-Cell Jr. said, somewhat disparagingly.

  “What? No! No one’s fighting Lord Dream!” Mary Sue said, aghast.

  “And you’re from the Dream World too, aren’t you, Mary Sue?” Piccolo from Universe 18 asked pointedly. “It explains why people act odd around you.”

  “Yeah, you got me,” Mary Sue said rather glumly. Everyone stared at her with wide, amazed eyes.

  “So that’s it,” Vegeta said with a derisive snort. “It explains why you’re so perfect. Because you aren’t real!”

  “I won’t go that far,” Mary Sue replied.

  “Still, there’s one point that confuses me. Why do these fools act crazy around you, but not me?” Vegeta thumbed a finger at Trunks and Goten. “It doesn’t work on Kakarot either. Why is that?” On reflection, it didn’t work on either of her fathers, either.

  “That’s because you’re married!” Mary Sue crossed her arms in an X, signaling her utter rejection of the idea. “NTR is bad! It’s something I will not allow!”

  “What?” Goku replied, baffled. Pan had to agree. What the heck did that mean?

  “Anyway! Nightmare, you shouldn’t be here!” Mary Sue pointed an accusatory finger at Anpan. “You’re not allowed to come into the Awake Lands and hurt people!”

  “Yeah!” Pan had suffered so much grief from this creature.

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” Anpan said smugly. “I came here fair and square, all inside the rules. When Pan died, I split her soul in two. The largest half, I returned to her body with enough energy to resurrect her. I fused with the other half and entered the Realm of the Dead. That idiot King Yemma never saw through it!”

  “What?” But it made sense. Didn’t Mary Sue say earlier that the Dream and Dead Worlds touched when a person was dying — hence why people saw their lives flash before their eyes?

  “When Pan got wished back to life, I piggybacked into the Awake Lands!” Anpan said, rather pleased with herself. “So technically, I didn’t break any rules. But you did, Mary Sue. Dream creatures aren’t allowed in the waking world — our presence is too dangerous. I’m safe because I dwell in an awake body. You’re more of a danger than I am.”

  “Well, uh…” Sweat dripped down Mary Sue’s forehead. Pan realized the nightmare’s accusation was correct. Should her friend even be here? They’d all seen how dangerous her presence was to people. If she wasn’t careful, it’d drive everyone over the edge.

  “I, uh, have my reasons,” Mary Sue said evasively.

  “Quite the story,” Goku said. Though from his expression, Pan wasn’t sure he’d completely understood it.

  “Loophole or not, you shouldn’t be here,” Piccolo-as-Cell Jr. said. “Neither of you should.”

  “Yeah! Give my daughter’s body back!” Her father-as-Piccolo said, glaring. But Anpan brushed it off.

  “She has her body, though. It’s just undead,” Anpan replied, nonplussed.

  “It’s not the same thing!” Her father-as-Piccolo said, teeth grinding in frustration.

  “Hmm.” Buu tapped his chin. “Quite the dilemma. If Ginyu were here, we could switch their bodies easily. Returning her without the Dragonballs won’t be easy. Anpan has taken Pan’s body for her own. There’s another option, but I doubt you’d like it.”

  “Are you suggesting fusing?” Like how Uncle Piccolo had joined together with Kami? Pan tensed, her stomach turning. Or it would, were she still alive. Join with that creature? It was unimaginable!

  “Then we should decide what to do about this creature,” her grandfathers said with obvious distaste. “No way I’ll allow that thing to fuse with my granddaughter. What happened to Bra was bad enough.”

  “You know, we haven’t exactly been told what happened to her.” Trunks pointed at Libra. “Is that really Sis? Who’d she fuse with?”

  “I would also like an explanation,” The South Kai entered the scene, followed by his fellow Kais. “Given West Supreme Kai’s disappearance, I can gather a guess what happened to her. Though I can’t fathom why she committed such a vile taboo as fusing with a mortal.”

  “Buu needed to be stopped,” Libra said, crossing her arms. She gave the other Buu a meaningful look, which actually made him tense. “But fear not. My commitment to justice remains unwavering.”

  “Still, to fuse with that hothead Bra…” East Supreme Kai shook his head. “It staggers belief.”

  “Still, the taboo exists for a reason,” the Grand Supreme Kai said, his face worried. “I fear what this might portend.”

  “I am still your colleague and friend,” Libra said with a gracious bow. “Forgive my impertinence. I — we — only did what we judged best given the dire circumstances.”

  The other Kais didn’t seem pleased, but they’d accept it. East Supreme Kai turned his attention to Anpan. “But we must deal with these dream creatures first.”

  Mary Sue’s head blurred as she entered a sudden bow in supplication. “Lord Kais, please don’t tell the Dream Lord about this!”

  “Ha! I’m playing by the rules, so I’m in the clear!” Anpan said, her tone smug.

  After giving her counterpart a scathing glare, Pan gave her friend a sympathetic smile. “I think it would help if we understood why you’re fighting in this tournament.”

  Mary Sue fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable with the question. “Well, um…”

  “No doubt it’s for some noble cause,” Goten chimed in. “She wishes to rule the multiverse as its wonderful and benevolent goddess!”

  “I swear to be your champion, my love!” Trunks said, entering a heroic pose. “None shall ever set a finger on you!”

  “Oh, brother,” Vegeta said, rubbing his temple.

  “Yes, what is your goal here?” West Supreme Kai said, ignoring Trunks and Goten’s antics. “Please. We just want to understand.”

  After Pan gave her an encouraging smile, Mary Sue finally spoke. “After the damage I’ve already caused, you’ll think it’s terribly selfish.”

  “Not at all,” Goku gave his head a firm shake. “You helped us against Buu. We wouldn’t have won if you hadn’t rescued me.”

  To this, her grandfathers coughed into his fist, making it clear how much he doubted the truth of that claim.

  “Yeah, you helped those injured people during the Broly attack,” Pan said, nodding. “You have a good heart, Mary Sue. So I doubt your wish is that selfish.”

  “Okay,” Mary Sue replied, bolstered by her friends’ words. “I want to become mortal. I wish to become a person.”

  “A person?” Pan blinked in total confusion. “But aren’t you one already?”

  But Mary Sue snorted, clearly finding Pan’s suggestion ridiculous. “Of course not. I’m not anything close to a person. I don’t have a soul, for one.”

  “But you’re talking and speaking to me! That makes you a person!” Others gave similar remarks, confused by the distinction.

  “I think I can clarify this,” East Supreme Kai said. “What Mary Sue means is she more like a force of nature, not unlike a lightning storm. That makes her neither good nor evil. Much like a storm, she might cause damage, even hurt people, but she is simply acting out her nature.”

  “Yeah! So stop making cracks about me being a monster or evil. They’re very rude,” Anpan chimed in. As another dream creature, did this definition also apply to her?

  “So tragic!” Trunks sobbed like a broken child, snort dripping from his nose. “To think our beloved was carrying such pain! I must do whatever it takes to make her feel better! And only my heart will suffice!” Then, much to Pan’s horror and astonishment, her uncle produced a knife from nowhere.

  “Whoa, Trunks!” Goku said, alarmed. “What are you doing with that?”

  “Yeah, you can’t be serious!” He wouldn’t really tear out his own heart to give to Mary Sue, would he?

  “I must!” Trunks said, fighting with Goku as he tried to wrestle the weapon free.

  “Oh brother,” Vegeta said, sighing. “Mary Sue might be more dangerous than Anpan.”

  “Anpan is part of the delicate balance of the cosmos.” North Supreme Kai chuckled. “Both light and dark have their place.”

  While Pan found this somewhat hard to swallow, she was getting the Kais’ point. Still, it didn’t mean Anpan had to cause such trouble in her life. She sighed in relief as Goku finally got the knife away from Trunks, though it made her uncle visibly upset.

  “Still, what do we do about her?” South Supreme Kai said, giving Anpan the side-eye.

  “Good question,” North Supreme Kai played with his bushy mustache. “Still, I don’t see any immediate danger. Watching her should be good enough.”

  “What?” South Supreme Kai replied. “She’s a corruptive influence. She delights in death and murder!”

  “But she’s only proven herself to be a nuisance at best,” North Supreme Kai said. “She’s never really harmed anyone.”

  “Are you serious?” Libra said, her tone even. “She’s a creature of darkness.”

  But this only earned a laugh from North Supreme Kai. “Is she really worse than the less savory tournament participants? I say she stays.”

  “I agree with North,” East Supreme Kai said. “You call her a corruptive influence, but as you’ve seen with Pan here, she hasn’t been all that successful. Let her stay.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “You know my answer,” South Supreme Kai said, arms crossed.

  “And mine,” Libra said, glowering.

  “And you, Master?” East Supreme Kai turned to address the only Kai who hadn’t pitched into the conversation yet — the Grand Supreme Kai.

  The big man tapped a pudgy finger against his chin, giving the matter his full consideration before answering. Then he nodded, finally coming to his conclusion.

  “She should stay. She’s more a creature of mischief than genuine malice.,” the Grand Supreme Kai said. “As is her nature.”

  “Fine,” Libra replied, her tone sour. “You’re too accepting, Grand Supreme Kai. You’ve always been too accepting. Let’s just hope this evil you’ve allowed among us doesn’t cause another calamity!”

  “What, I don’t get a say in this?” her grandfathers asked, his tone somewhat peevish.

  “Oh, I suppose you should,” East Supreme Kai said politely. “She is your family, of sorts. What do you say?”

  “She can stay,” Her father-as-Piccolo said with a sigh. “I’m not happy she stole my daughter’s body, but I’m grateful to her, too.”

  “Huh?” Anpan said, surprised.

  “You saved Pan’s life, in a way. Gave her a second chance. Thank you,” Her father-as-Piccolo said with surprising sincerity. Her nightmare counterpart could only stare in utter befuddlement.

  “Yeah, I’m fine with her too,” Goten said, arms behind his head. “Bro makes a good point.”

  “Me too,” Trunks added. “Though only if she doesn’t cause any further harm.”

  “I think she should stay, too. She’s trouble, but not the bad kind,” Goku said with a wide grin.

  “You’re not part of this conversation, Goku! You’re not even from our universe!” her grandfathers snapped. “I say we destroy her.”

  “Huh?” Pan said, surprised.

  “I can’t forgive her for stealing Pan’s body, for fooling us all. She’s a monster.” Her grandfathers’ expression turned superior. “And since I’m technically two people, I get two votes.”

  “I don’t think it works that way, Dad.” Her father-as-Piccolo said. Oh brother.

  “You know my vote,” Libra said. Her expression turned amused. “Though I’m fine with only having one vote myself.”

  “What about you, Pan?” her father asked from inside Piccolo’s body.

  “Me?”

  “You’re the deciding vote.”

  “Well…” Pan faltered as the spotlight turned to her. While Anpan had complicated her life, destroying her seemed somewhat extreme. Despite all the trouble she’d caused, Pan didn’t hate her. Anpan was cruel and capricious, but not malicious—unlike Bojack, a bully who had delighted in the power he held over others.

  And thanks to Anpan giving her this strange body, Pan never would have defeated Bojack or Cell. Despite herself, she felt grateful. It had been a unique adventure.

  “Okay, she can stay,” Pan said after some consideration. “But no trouble!”

  “No promises!” Anpan replied, amused.

  “I mean it.” Still, Pan was smiling.

  “Stupid,” her grandfathers grumbled, stomping away.

  “Geez, is he that annoyed about being ignored?” Pan said. Something about Goku being chosen over him had really ruffled his feathers. No—when Pan considered it, her grandfathers had been in a sour mood ever since his defeat by XXI. These recent events had only exacerbated it. Geez.

  “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving!” Goku said, rubbing his stomach.

  “Yeah, after all that commotion, I’m sure you are,” her father-as-Piccolo said, laughing. “Though I just realized… I’m not actually hungry. Right, I’m a Namekian now. So, get some water, I guess? This is so weird.”

  That earned an amused smile from Her father-as-Piccolo. “I’m sure you’ll discover it much more satisfying than eating. I’ve always thought eating was so inefficient.”

  “I hope so,” her father-as-Piccolo said with a weak laugh.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll join you, Dad,” Pan said, laughing. At least someone else had found themselves in a weird situation since the tournament began. It made her wonder what other craziness might happen.

  Why was she worried? Only three rounds remained. What more trouble could happen?

  ---

  “What a day!” Buu said, pleased. What he’d first assumed was a rudimentary tournament had proven to be quite the entertaining circus.

  It still amazed him that his former master had come so close to winning—far more successful than anything his own version had managed. He’d underestimated the old toad.

  And despite the trials they’d all faced, everyone had come out stronger. Especially Little Pan. He couldn’t wait to see what she’d become in few short years.

  But he sobered when he considered Libra, the fusion of Bra and the West Supreme Kai. In Buu’s humble, brilliant opinion, the fusion had brought out the worst in both girls. His test with the Dragonball had proven it.

  With his mighty power, he could have restored everyone to life with a casual hand flick. But he’d wanted to see if she would insist on dooming both Babidi and his poor, tragically young counterpart. She’d made the decision without even considering the ethical implications.

  “Makes you wonder if there’s anything of Goku in her anymore.” Buu would watch Libra. And if she defeated Gast, she’d be his next opponent.

  “But enough gloomy thoughts!” Buu told himself. Time for another late night escapade. With a proxy shaped in his rather handsome image, he explored the tournament grounds. The juicy drama between the combatants was the reason he’d stayed in the tournament.

  “It’s finally come to it. A real fight against Master Goku!” Uub said, trying to psych himself up. He stood before a bathroom mirror, slapping his cheeks. But he sighed, his heart not in it.

  “Who am I kidding? I’m not remotely ready to fight Master Goku.” His lip quivered. “He fought Buu and won! I, however…” He sighed and turned away, dejected. He sat on the toilet, his posture slumped like a broken doll.

  While it was more complicated than Goku simply defeating Buu’s other counterpart, the failure still stung. Uub had never suffered such a dispiriting defeat. Buu’s heart went out to the young man, oddly experiencing Uub’s emotions as his own—the shame was almost overpowering. People had died because of Uub’s failure, nearly dooming everyone.

  Did they share some resonance between them? How curious.

  “I should probably just skip the next fight. It’s not like I’ll win,” Uub muttered. Buu wondered if he should chime in and offer some sagely advice.

  “Hey, is everything okay, Uub?” a voice behind the bathroom door asked.

  “Fine enough, Master.” Though, Uub’s words were such a blatant lie that even Goku didn’t miss it.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Not really.”

  Goku clucked his tongue. “That’s not good. You haven’t even eaten anything yet. You’ll need your strength for the upcoming fight.”

  “One which I’ll lose!” Uub snapped bitterly.

  “You’re having a tough time, I see,” Goku said, his voice full of compassion. “You’re down about losing to Buu, right?”

  Emotions warred across Uub’s face before he grimaced and nodded. “It’s pathetic. You’ve lost plenty of times, and it only pushed you to fight and train harder. One tiny setback for me and it’s wrecked my entire confidence.”

  “I don’t think it’s pathetic at all,” Goku replied. “Not everyone takes defeat gracefully, like a certain someone who still hasn’t gotten over a loss from decades ago.”

  “Right, him.” Uub snorted. It was obvious who his mentor meant.

  “But you can’t let a single defeat bug you. Use it as a learning experience.” Goku knocked on the bathroom door like a strike from a might fist. “Let it be motivation to fight harder and better next time.”

  Despite himself, Buu found Goku’s simple-minded wisdom admirable. It showed why he was one of the greatest warriors in the Multiverse. Buu felt satisfied the Saiyan hero had set his student on the right path. A mischievous smile spread across his lips as an idea struck him. This would help Uub on an even greater path. His head tail began to glow.

  “And I’m sure there are ways to get even stronger,” Goku said, his body oddly stiff as he spoke. “If an opportunity presents itself, take it.”

  “Okay?” Uub said, puzzled. Goku blinked, confused by his own words. He glanced around, sensing a presence. But Buu had already gone, pleased with himself. He had little doubt he’d soon have a new student.

  The corridors were lonely as Buu continued to wander. Even the Namekian guards seemed asleep. But voices echoed through the halls—from someone who never slept.

  “I mean it, Mary Sue! No pain, no gain!” Pan shouted, urging her friend on. They stood on a terrace, zipping around the arena as they exchanged blows. While the zombie girl’s clothes remained clean, heavy perspiration dripped down her training partner’s face.

  “Phew, I’ve ever been pushed this hard before,” Mary Sue said, taking a swig of water as they paused their training.

  “Have you ever trained at all?” Pan asked.

  “Well, no,” Mary Sue admitted, blushing. “Things tend to work out for me.”

  “But your next opponent is the most evil of evil!” Pan said. “You can’t afford to slack off! You saw the destruction the other Buu caused. This one might be worse!”

  “Am I now?” Buu thought, amused. Like Anpan, everyone seemed to assume he was the devil in humanoid form. He wondered if he should sue for slander.

  “You’re right, of course,” Mary Sue said, her face scrunched in thought. “Though… should you be helping me? I am your rival.”

  “Why not? It’d be nice to see you get your wish.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. You seemed so sad when you talked about it. I want to make it happen!” Pan said with conviction. Though, Buu wondered if it was Mary Sue’s nature, making Pan want to fulfill her friend’s dream at all costs.

  With the dream creature, it was hard to tell where genuine feelings ended and manipulation began. Even Buu felt guilt-ridden for denying Mary Sue her wish just by opposing her in the upcoming fight. This creature was dangerous.

  Buu abandoned them before Mary Sue’s influence could affect him further, listening as Pan swore to help her friend train another round before calling it for the night.

  “I might actually be in trouble,” Buu thought as he left. With Mary Sue, anything was possible. It made things interesting, sure—but he didn’t like how powerless she made him feel. Now to another apartment, one less heartwarming and full of peril.

  “Now, what are you up to?” Buu asked, bracing himself. The last time he’d intruded on these apartments, his avatar had gotten obliterated. But he frowned as he found nothing but an empty room. No sign anyone had ever occupied it.

  XXI had vanished.

  “Nothing.” Buu’s head-tail glowed as he examined the room, scanning every inch for a trace of his quarry. But he found nothing—not even footprints. A faint echo of powerful magic lingered, but it had faded to near-indistinguishable background noise. No hint remained of where the mysterious wizard had gone.

  “Curious.” Had XXI packed his bags and gone home? A further sweep of the apartments came up empty. Wherever he’d vanished to, it wasn’t here. Buu’s gut told him they hadn’t seen the last of that evil wizard.

  “Time to call it a night.” Buu yawned, eager to catch a few Zs before the next match. Uub vs. Goku was shaping up to be an entertaining fight.

  Before he left, a small figure caught his notice. She waved at him, completely unbothered by the sudden appearance of a flying head.

  “Can’t sleep? Or are you incapable of sleeping? Do dreams dream?” It was a philosophical question worth pondering. What portion of Anpan was mortal, what portion nightmare?

  “Vegito kicked me out,” Anpan said with a shrug. “Said since I’m not part of their universe, I don’t belong in their suite.”

  “And the others allowed that?”

  “No, but that old grump was insistent.” So I’m out here wandering until the next round.” Still, she didn’t sound particularly upset. “And do I dream? Dunno. Never really tried sleeping.”

  “You’ve never slept? Not once?” She’d been here for days. Buu noticed the dark circles under her eyes, her slouched posture, the way she dragged her feet. Had the nightmare girl not realized she needed sleep now that she had a mortal body? And—much to his horror—he realized he hadn’t seen her eat anything, either.

  “Should I?” Anpan asked with a shrug. “Thinking of it, why do the awake sleep?”

  “You have a lot to learn if you want to stay mortal.” Buu snapped his fingers.

  “Huh? What’s this?” Anpan blinked at the basket of rice balls appeared in her arms.

  “Eat,” Buu said, like a parent scolding a disobedient child. “You’re not made of dreams anymore. You need food and rest, or you’ll waste away.”

  “Really?” Anpan examined the basket like it was some bizarre alien artifact.

  “And take a bath too,” Buu added, wrinkling his nose. After the previous day’s chaos, she smelled ripe.

  “What a bother,” Anpan muttered, rolling her eyes. “Must the awake fret over such things?”

  “Yes.”

  “I guess.” Anpan tore it open the package to the rice ball, giving it an experimental sniff. She stared at it, uncertain of what to do. Buu mimed eating, and the nightmare girl got the hint.

  “Huh?” She blinked, both awestruck and confused. Then instinct took over. She devoured the rice ball in huge bites, barely chewing. Rice clung to her chin as she ate.

  “Slow down. You’ll choke.” But Buu smiled, amused by her sheer joy at eating. After finishing her first rice ball, the girl eagerly tore into another.

  “If you need a place to stay, you could crash at my apartment. I could use a roommate,” Buu offered, making a decision.

  “If you’ve got more of these tasty white balls, I’ll follow you anywhere!” Anpan proclaimed.

  “Well, well.” Buu wasn’t sure what compelled him to make the offer. Was it Gohan’s influence? Some latent paternal instinct toward this would-be daughter. He shared a kinship with her. Both of them were creations of darkness. But darkness didn’t have to mean evil.

  Besides, Vegito’s rudeness had rubbed him the wrong way. Goku would never have done that. What had happened to his ability to befriend anyone, even his worst enemies?

  I’ll mold this girl into something better—like you should have, Vegito.

  ---

  “What a mess,” Fuka said, her broom scraping against the hard tile of the battle arena. After the massive feast, the arena had somehow collected plenty of detritus, despite the fest not taking place anywhere near it.

  From the way the tournament combatants ate, it was a wonder the table hadn’t gone with it. Fuka grunted aggravation at the piles of trash bags that needed to be tossed into the trash hauler well across the tournament complex. For whatever reason, the designers did not consider the cleaning staff’s convenience when designing this complex. Why didn’t her fellow Vargas just use the Dragonballs to wish the trash away? For all her complaining, Fuka kept at it. Whining wouldn’t make this place clean for the matches tomorrow.

  “Phew. This part of the ring is clean.” After swiping the dirt and detritus into a dustbin, Fuka moved to the final section. She hummed to herself as her broom swiped back and forth.

  “Huh?” Fuka bent down to examine the pink crumbs scattered across the ring. She followed the trail to find the remnants of a larger confectionery—a cupcake with colorful sprinkles.

  How odd. She didn’t remember any cupcakes being offered at the feast. Someone must have smuggled it into the tournament grounds. Fuka fought back a flicker of irritation. What? Was the Vargas’ food not good enough? Besides, such smuggling was illegal. She searched for some trace of the culprit so they might get banned from the tournament. But alas, no clues presented themselves.

  Fuka gave a contented smile as the broken cupcake slid down her dustpan into the trash can. There, all clean. Now all that remained was hurling these trash bags into the trash hauler. There, they would launch them into deep space, where they would float in the emptiness of the void forever.

  “I should hassle some Namekians to help me haul these.” A frown crossed Fuka’s beak. “They are good for nothing otherwise.”

  ---

  “Go, Goku! Uub! The roar of the crowd drowned out Pan’s voice as the two warriors exchanged blows, neither yielding an inch.

  Ragged breaths escaped their lips as they stood across from one another, each waiting for the slightest opening. The audience watched with rapt attention. One misstep could decide the match.

  “I’m about to go all out, Uub,” Goku warned, golden sparks dancing around his massive mane of hair. “Hope you’re ready.”

  “Bring it! I’m ready, Master!” Red energy surged around Uub like a raging inferno, its power immense. His muscles bulged past their limits, the Kaioken driving his body to the brink.

  The universe shook as the two attacks collided, throwing Pan off her feet. The protective dome shielding the audience cracked, unable to withstand the sheer force of the impact. Time froze. Both fighters stood locked in place, each landing a critical blow.

  For a moment, nothing happened. Even the gods couldn’t discern the outcome.

  Then a figure collapsed. His aura flickered and vanished.

  The crowd erupted in thunderous applause, cheering the victor’s name.

  “Goku cannot continue! Uub from Universe 16 is the winner!”

  “Way to go, Uub!” Pan shouted, unable to contain her excitement. Her grandfathers’ fusion counterpart had lost. Yet she couldn’t help but feel happy for Uub. He’d earned it. The student had surpassed the master.

  “Way to go, Uub,” Goku said as his student helped him to his feet. “I knew you could do it.”

  “I owe it all to you, Master,” Uub said with a humble bow. “Thanks for the pep talk last night. I think I finally understand myself.”

  “Really, you lost, Kakarot?” Vegeta grumbled. “You were supposed to fight me!”

  “Sorry, Vegeta, but that’s how it goes.” Goku laughed sheepishly. “Uub gave it everything. He earned the win.”

  “Tch.” Vegeta turned away, disappointed he’d never get the rematch he’d long hoped for.

  “He’s grown up so much,” Buu sniffled, wiping away a proud tear.

  “You didn’t even know him until this tournament,” Pan muttered, rolling her eyes at the Majin’s theatrics.

  “That’s it, huh,” her grandfather scoffed, unimpressed. “I could’ve beaten them both. This whole tournament’s a waste of time.”

  “Says the guy who lost in the second round,” Libra said, rolling her eyes. “Pity. I would’ve liked to fight Goku, but only the strong move forward.”

  Goku and Uub returned to Universe 18 team, greeted with cheers and pats on the back. Her father’s alternate counterpart grabbed Uub in a headlock and gave him a playful noogie.

  “Here’s the next match. Pan from Universe 16 and Vegeta of Universe 18, please report to the arena!”

  “Good luck, Pan!” her father—wearing Piccolo’s body—called out.

  Pan beamed and gave him a thumbs up before leaping into the arena. Inside, though, she was a knot of nerves. Vegeta was her toughest opponent yet—Goku’s lifelong rival. And he hadn’t even gone all out in his earlier fights. Who knew the true extent of his power?

  While Pan churned with anxiety, Vegeta barely looked interested. He didn’t even glance her way. Huh? Had Goku’s loss drained his motivation?

  “You may begin!” the announcer called.

  But Vegeta just stood there, arms crossed, not even powering up. Pan fidgeted, unsure what to do. Should she attack? Wait for him to power up?

  Finally, Vegeta turned to her. “Let’s end this sham of a tournament.”

  “Hey, come on. Take this seriously,” Pan said, stung. “Forget about Goku—I’m your opponent now.”

  “Take this seriously, huh?” Vegeta’s smirk put her on edge. “Fine. Let me show you serious. This was a form I’d saved for Kakarot.”

  “What?” Pan took a step back as his power spiked to unimaginable levels. Yet outwardly, nothing changed. No golden aura, no thunderous flare.

  But something had changed. Instead of an outward explosion, Vegeta’s energy became a pressure cooker—contained, focused, deadly. Even his appearance had shifted—subtle, but sharp. His features looked more primal. Sharpened. Weaponized.

  “I call it Super Saiyan One,” he said coldly. “Entertain me, girl. This won’t take long.”

  ---

  Author’s note:

  Okay, I realize that Super Saiyan Normal/One looks no different from their normal base form. But I don’t think that’s interesting in an artistic sense, so I changed it a bit. Also, Super Saiyan is not a good name, so I didn’t use it. It’s, uh, not very exciting.

  Next time:

  Pan vs Vegeta, Goku’s rival’s overwhelming strength. Buu vs Mary Sue! Hurting our beloved is against the rules! Off with his head!