The ship tore through the void like a blazing comet. Wrapped in Buu's aura, it pierced the dark expanse, stars warping into streaks of light.
Bulma's stomach twisted as she glanced at the navigation screen—coordinates blinking steadily, the green sphere of Namek now locked in their sights. Her hands hovered over the console, though she knew she had no real control anymore.
"…How long?" she whispered.
Buu's grin widened, his eyes opening slowly. "We're here."
Before she could question him, the cockpit flooded with green light. Outside, Namek filled the viewport—an endless emerald ocean broken by scattered islands, a sky tinted turquoise.
Bulma's breath caught. "Already…? That's impossible!"
"Heheh" Buu chuckled, pulling back his energy. The ship slowed, descending through the strange atmosphere. The moment they pierced the clouds, the vessel rattled with turbulence, waves crashing against rocky shores far below.
Bulma's mind raced. If the Namekians were here… they were all in danger.
Buu stretched lazily, his crimson eyes gleaming as he pressed his face against the glass. "Beautiful, isn't it? A perfect little world. Now… let's go. The Dragon Balls don't assemble themselves."
Bulma's froze. "What did you just say?"
Meanwhile, on Earth…
The battlefield was a storm of fury. Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks blurred through the air, his aura shredding the clouds, each movement cracking the air like thunder.
"HYAAAH!" He slammed a kick into one Buu clone, sending it spiraling skyward before shredding it with a barrage of ki blasts. Smoke and pink chunks rained down, but the creature writhed, regenerating with grotesque laughter.
Piccolo dodged another's strike, countering with a sharp elbow to the gut and a point-blank Masenko that engulfed the monster in golden fire. Yet even as it screamed, the clone's grin returned, its body stitching itself back together.
"Tch… they won't stay down!" Piccolo snarled.
"Then I'll hit harder!" Gotenks hovered above, charging energy into his palms. "Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack!!"
Dozens of glowing ghostly clones of himself shot forward, each giggling with manic energy. They swarmed the Buu copies, detonating on impact in a chain of massive explosions that lit the ruins like a second sun.
The shockwave flattened what remained of Capsule Corp's hangar. Dust billowed, the earth quaking.
Piccolo shielded his face. "Unbelievable power…"
When the smoke cleared, two of the Buu clones had been obliterated. The third staggered, its body warped and cracked, barely holding together. For the first time—it looked cornered.
But Piccolo's instincts screamed. His eyes narrowed. Wait…he didn't even try to board the ship with Bulma…
The clone burst into hysterical laughter, its voice warping, echoing unnaturally. "Heheheheh… you fools! You're wasting your time!"
Gotenks snarled, energy crackling in his aura. "Shut up! I'll blow you into atoms!"
But Piccolo's heart sank as the truth crystallized. Damn it… this was never the real fight. The true Buu… he's already gone.
He looked skyward, his gut twisting. "Bulma… damn it, where did he take you?"
High above, beyond Earth's sky, Buu's laughter echoed inside the Namekian sky.
"Let's go, Bulma. The Dragon Balls await us."