BOOM!
Power erupted from Trunks as his energy blazed outward in every direction.
"AAAAHH!"
He launched himself at Majin Buu and launched into a relentless barrage.
For a moment, Majin Buu could do nothing but take hits. His soft pink body was covered in imprints from Trunks' fists and boots.
Crack!
A flying kick from Trunks sent Majin Buu tumbling to the ground.
Buu's body rolled across the dirt several times.
But quickly, he simply got back up as if nothing had happened, his body using its special regenerative ability to restore every single dent and bruise.
BOOM!
The moment Buu's body finished regenerating, Trunks' hands were already firing.
A powerful beam of golden energy pierced clean through Majin Buu's body — straight through the heart.
Vegeta: "..."
He watched from the side, quietly at a loss.
The way this kid fights... it's almost exactly how I used to fight Majin Buu.
Blood of my blood, no doubt about it.
"He's done." Gohan exhaled slightly, unable to hide his admiration. "That was incredible, Trunks."
"That gave me a scare — his energy is absolutely terrifying... but it looks like my full-force attack got through." Trunks smiled with relief.
"No — he's still alive." Vegeta shook his head, his voice barely above a murmur.
Trunks' smile froze on his face.
Still alive?
That shouldn't be possible.
I hit him straight through the heart. And he's not dead?
Pop!
Majin Buu sprang up from the ground, jaw tight, and used his regenerative ability to close the wound in his chest.
Trunks' expression shifted over and over, disbelief written all over him.
His body was completely pierced through — and he just healed it?
"That hurt a bit." Buu's expression darkened.
"Damn it!" Trunks squeezed his fists.
Whoosh!
Buu shot forward with shocking speed, aiming the crown of his head directly at Trunks' chest.
Trunks was caught completely off guard. He crossed his arms and tried to block.
"Watch out!" Vegeta warned.
"What?" Trunks hesitated.
It was too late.
Thud!
Majin Buu smashed through Trunks' guard with his forehead and drove it hard into his chest.
"Gh...!"
Trunks coughed up blood and went sailing backward.
Buu was on him immediately — a full assault, no pause.
Trunks took hit after hit with nowhere to retreat, crying out in pain.
Crack!
Buu drove a massive kick into him, launching him straight up into the sky.
He followed it up by raising his right hand toward the airborne Trunks, charging energy in his palm — ready to finish him.
But just then —
Pat. Pat.
Vegeta stepped forward and tapped Majin Buu twice on the shoulder.
Buu blinked and turned to look at Vegeta.
Vegeta smiled — and transformed. Super Saiyan 2. He drove a full-force punch directly into Buu's face.
Buu's head caved inward, his skull bending sideways from the impact.
Thwack!
Vegeta followed with a powerful side kick straight to the stomach, doubling Buu over like a fat shrimp.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Vegeta unloaded on him — punches, kicks, golden light blazing, lightning crackling around his body without pause.
One minute later.
Vegeta pounded Buu down to the ground.
But almost immediately, Buu climbed back to his feet, as if it had meant nothing, his body fully restored.
High above, Trunks watched the terrifying sight in stunned silence.
Whoosh!
Gohan flickered over and appeared at Trunks' side.
"Master Gohan!" Trunks called out.
"Trunks — are you alright?" Gohan asked with concern.
"I'm fine... but that guy is strong." Trunks clenched his fists, his expression growing heavier by the second.
"He is..." Gohan gave a sombre nod.
Trunks glanced at Gohan, slightly puzzled.
Why does Master Gohan seem so calm?
Gohan was calm because he had finally figured out who this pink, round stranger was.
The image Goku had once described to him surfaced in his mind — Majin Buu.
This has to be Majin Buu.
Uncle Vegeta — you really set this up, didn't you.
You had Trunks break Majin Buu out of the seal early.
We went straight from the Androids to Majin Buu — isn't that a bit fast?
What happened to Cell? Cell didn't show up — and Majin Buu did instead?
Down below, while Trunks was lost in thought, Majin Buu was whistling softly, his expression cool as he eyed Vegeta.
"Hmph — you fat ugly thing, you're a tough one." Vegeta snorted. "But do you really think you can beat me?"
Majin Buu said nothing. Instead, he reached down, grabbed a fistful of his own belly fat, and tore it clean off his own body.
Vegeta had seen this before and remained unfazed.
Last time, that's exactly how Majin Buu tied me up and pounded me into the ground.
"What... what is that terrifying creature trying to do?" Trunks stared wide-eyed, his expression cycling through every shade of dread.
Pff...
Buu suddenly opened his mouth and fired a beam of energy.
It streaked toward Vegeta at tremendous speed.
Vegeta moved fast, leaping lightly up into the air to dodge.
Swish!
Buu grinned and with a sharp flick of his wrist, whipped the strip of flesh he had torn off toward Vegeta.
The fleshy strip wrapped around Vegeta's body and bound him tight — a full pretzel.
What Buu did not know was that, bound and all, Vegeta's expression remained utterly relaxed. His mouth was curved into a faint smile.
Thud!
Vegeta dropped from the air and hit the ground.
Buu jumped, and sat full-bodied on top of him.
Pfft!
Vegeta coughed up blood.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Buu swung his fists and went to town on Vegeta's face.
"Dad!" Trunks went pale with horror and immediately flew toward Buu.
Gohan rushed to follow.
"Stay out of it — both of you!" Vegeta bellowed.
Trunks skidded to a halt mid-air.
Gohan stopped too, a look of confusion crossing his face.
Uncle Vegeta is taking a beating like this and he still won't let us help?
"AAAAHH!"
An even greater surge of power erupted from Vegeta's body, blasting Buu clean off him.
Buu stumbled backward and toppled over, but climbed right back up without missing a beat, grinning from ear to ear.
Vegeta rubbed his battered face, wincing.
That guy hits hard.
Vegeta drew in a long, slow breath and let his expression sharpen.
"Dad! Let's fight him together!" Trunks urged.
"No. Your power is nowhere near his level — neither of you would last." Vegeta shook his head. "And a straight fight won't work on him."
"Then what do we do?" Trunks asked.
"I know. I know exactly how to finish this." Vegeta's expression turned resolute. He looked at Trunks and Gohan. "You two — get back. Not too close to me."
Trunks did not know what his father was planning. But he listened, and flew backward.
Buu came strolling back from a distance, humming to himself, eyeing Vegeta with amusement.
"Come on then, Buu!" Vegeta roared.
Buu: "????"
"How do you know my name?" Buu froze, rubbing his fat head.
Vegeta: "..."
"You just said it yourself, you idiot — don't you remember your own words?" Vegeta snorted.
Trunks also frowned slightly.
I don't remember this fat guy saying his name at all.
His name is Buu?
"Calling names again! Always calling names!" Buu fumed, steam venting through the antennae on his head.
"I know that ordinary energy can't kill you — but this time, I will reduce you to ashes so completely you can never regenerate." Vegeta said, and power surged across his entire body.
Buu stared blankly, eyes locked on Vegeta, not knowing what he was planning.
"Trunks — training with you this past month has been something I genuinely enjoyed." Vegeta looked back toward Trunks and smiled. "Take care of your mother."
"Dad... you...!" Trunks' pupils contracted sharply. Something in him recoiled.
"AAAAHH!"
Vegeta unleashed energy without limit — an endless torrent from every inch of his body.
The energy blazed with golden light, surging outward from Vegeta in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, the energy swallowed the Majin Buu beside him, consuming him inch by inch.
Buu's body began to crack and crumble.
"DAD!" Trunks screamed.
Gohan's eyes went wide, his expression churning.
Uncle Vegeta — what are you doing?
"AAAAHH!"
Vegeta continued to pour it all out.
In an instant, a massive mushroom cloud detonated from Vegeta as its epicentre, rising all the way into the sky.
The shockwave rolled outward in rings, churning up wave after wave of dust.
Gohan and Trunks were both sent skidding backward several metres through the air by the force of the blast.
In the moment after unleashing the shockwave, Vegeta quickly pulled a Capsule from his body and tossed it out with a flick of his wrist.
And in the same instant, he flickered out of existence on the spot — moving at blinding speed to conceal himself nearby, his ki completely suppressed.
His speed was so absolute that Trunks never even caught a glimpse of it.
He knows exactly what his son can and can't do.
At Trunks' current level, there's no way he picked up on any of that.
And sure enough — Trunks had seen nothing.
He had been blasted by the shockwave and forced to shield his eyes.
When he finally could look again, a pale figure was hovering in the smoke where the explosion had been.
Trunks' pupils contracted instantly. He stared, unblinking, at the pale shape hanging in the air.
"D... Dad..." Trunks' eyes went red.
Gohan: "..."
Hold on. I could have sworn I just saw Uncle Vegeta pull out a Capsule...
And then... suddenly there's this thing in its place...
Uncle Vegeta, what exactly are you doing?
I genuinely have no idea.
Thud!
The fake Vegeta decoy lost its balance and dropped out of the air, hitting the ground below with a crash.
It shattered into several pieces on impact.
A gust of wind swept through.
The decoy crumbled and dissolved — scattered by the breeze as if it had never been.
"Dad!" Trunks cried out.
Vegeta watched from concealment at a distance, his expression growing more serious.
Transform, Trunks.
The future you could achieve Super Saiyan 2.
After a month of training under me, you absolutely have what it takes to break through.
What's coming next will be something even Gohan is completely unprepared for.
Pity Kakarot's not here to see it.
But letting his son get a front-row seat will have to do.
The decoy that had appeared from the Capsule was something Vegeta had specifically had Bulma create for exactly this moment.
In truth, Vegeta had mapped out his plan long before they came to the future.
Only my death — or the illusion of it — can push Trunks to unlock Super Saiyan 2.
"...hahh."
Trunks broke down. Tears streamed freely down his face.
Vegeta: "..."
What is this boy blubbering for.
Transform.
You're my son. Shouldn't this be the part where you explode into a new form?
Why won't you transform?
You clearly have what it takes.
Gohan scratched his head, with a nagging sense that something was off.
But because Vegeta had maxed out his speed in that moment, even Gohan at his current level could not locate his exact position.
"Trunks — hold on for a second. Something isn't right down there." Gohan's brow creased. He pointed downward.
Trunks blinked, and immediately looked below.
After Vegeta's immense energy release, Majin Buu had been blown apart into chunks of flesh.
Pieces of him littered the ground.
But at this very moment, those pieces were beginning to move.
"What... what's happening?" Trunks stared.
"Could Buu actually regenerate from this?" Gohan said slowly.
Dad mentioned Majin Buu having incredible regeneration.
But I've never seen it for myself.
Can he really come back even from this?
Goku had told Gohan some things about Majin Buu, but not everything — not in detail.
Splat. Splat. Splat.
As Gohan and Trunks looked on with mounting dread, the flesh pieces on the ground twitched and wriggled, each one reforming into a miniature Buu.
Some were no bigger than a fist. Some were barely the size of a pinky finger.
Gohan and Trunks stared in wide-eyed horror.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The next instant, the tiny Buus all surged up toward the same point in the sky.
They merged — one into another, body into body.
The combined mass rapidly shifted shape.
In the blink of an eye, the pile of flesh had reconstructed itself into Fat Buu.
Trunks looked like he had seen a ghost. His face had gone as pale as it could get.
Gohan's expression was equally grim.
Just as Dad said — Majin Buu's regeneration is something else.
Blown to pieces, and he still comes back?
"Damn it... Dad..." Trunks' fists shook at his sides.
"It's a shame... Uncle Vegeta sacrificed himself for nothing — and the creature still isn't dead." Gohan murmured.
In that moment, Gohan felt that something about Vegeta's character was not adding up.
Uncle Vegeta — that's not who you're supposed to be.
You're always cold, always calculating — you don't do things like this.
And yet you just used this... fake sacrifice... to try to unlock Trunks' new transformation?
Well. So did I, in a way.
"Trunks — everything is riding on you now. Uncle Vegeta believed in you... You're the only one who can beat that thing." Gohan put a hand on Trunks' shoulder.
Trunks turned and looked at him, something conflicted stirring inside.
"Uncle Vegeta said it himself, didn't he? That training with you this past month made him happy. And he told you to take care of Aunt Bulma." Gohan smiled gently at Trunks.
Vegeta: "..."
Vegeta is, in fact, not far away at all — watching in silence.
Gohan.
Can you please stop talking?
Some things are meant to click on their own.
If Trunks fails to transform after you've said all this, I'm holding you responsible — and after that, I'm going to go beat your father within an inch of his life.
"Dad... Master Gohan..." Trunks' eyes filled with tears.
Crack!
Buu had finished regenerating. He was back in one piece — and he dropped from the sky with a cheerful expression, landing in front of Trunks and roaring with laughter.
"I understand now. Dad is counting on me. I won't let him down." Trunks drew in a deep breath, his face becoming eerily calm.
"AAAAHH!"
Overwhelming power erupted from Trunks.
Crackle... crackle...
Arcs of lightning wrapped around his body and snapped wildly through the air.
Gohan blinked, caught slightly off-guard.
Trunks finally unlocked Super Saiyan 2?
I'm genuinely happy for him.
"He did it!" Vegeta's smile broke wide across his face.
That's my son.
He did not disappoint me.
Super Saiyan 2.
Now — once I finish off Majin Buu, even if Cell surfaces after this, Trunks should be more than capable of handling him. Even perfect Cell is no match for Trunks at this level.
Let Trunks work on Majin Buu for a while — get comfortable in the new transformation. Then I'll step in at the right moment.
Trunks' hair stood on end as his aura blazed — Super Saiyan 2, fully achieved.
"I won't forgive you!" Trunks seethed.
"Hmm..." Buu blinked. He grinned. "You've got the same transformation as that other guy."
"So what?" Trunks said coldly.
"He couldn't do anything — neither can you!" Buu wagged a finger.
"AAAAHH!"
Trunks screamed and blazed with power, then hurled himself directly at Majin Buu.
This time, Majin Buu did not simply take the hits. He fought back.
Buu threw an uppercut that connected square on Trunks' chin.
Trunks let out a pained cry and tumbled through the air.
Whoosh!
Buu flickered and appeared directly above Trunks — and headbutted him down.
CRACK!
Trunks smashed into the ground, leaving a massive crater on impact.
Buu doubled over with laughter, delighted as a child.
Trunks hauled himself out of the crater, glaring across at Majin Buu — and felt, despite everything, completely outmatched.
I transformed into what Dad called Super Saiyan 2.
And I'm still not this guy's equal?
"Damn it!" With nothing left to lose, Trunks charged again.
But Trunks was in over his head. He was simply not Majin Buu's match.
After a few brief exchanges, Buu kicked him down again.
"You can't beat me!" Buu beamed.
As he smiled, his stomach let out a rumble.
"Hmm, I'm hungry. I'm going to eat you." Buu rubbed his belly and let out a hungry belch.
Trunks stubbornly clawed back to his feet, face falling.
"Eat you! Eat you! Eat you!" Buu chanted, waving his fists and hopping around in front of Trunks, the antenna on his head tilting down and pointing straight at him.
Pink light crackled and danced along the tip of Buu's antenna.
One shot of that and Trunks would be turned into a piece of chocolate — served up as Buu's next snack.
Vegeta's eyes narrowed slightly.
This is getting dicey.
If I just keep watching, my son is going to get turned into chocolate and eaten.
He was done holding back.
Trunks has broken through to Super Saiyan 2 — the mission's done.
The only shame is that Gohan doesn't look even remotely surprised.
He should be reacting. Why isn't he reacting?
Just as Vegeta was about to move —
He saw Gohan streaking in from the distance.
Crack!
Gohan launched a full-power kick straight into Buu's round face.
Buu shrieked and face-planted, rolling across the ground several times.
The pink energy that had been building on his antenna vanished in an instant.
Gohan pulled Trunks back to his feet.
"Master Gohan!" Trunks said, expression set.
"Trunks — let me take it from here." Gohan breathed in slowly.
"Master Gohan — he's incredibly strong." Trunks shook his head. He did not fancy Gohan's chances.
After all, Trunks had just gone Super Saiyan 2, and he had still been completely outclassed. What could Gohan — who had been training with Mr. Goku — possibly have achieved? Could he have reached Super Saiyan 2 level?
To be continued…
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