Five glowing Dragon Balls rested in a neat row at Buu's feet, their orange light shimmering against the emerald fields of Namek. Each one pulsed faintly, as if aware of the hands that held them.
Bulma stood nearby, arms crossed tightly over her chest, her eyes darting from the orbs to the pink monster who whistled cheerfully while tossing one into the air and catching it like a toy.
The Namekian translator knelt a few meters away, sweat dripping from his brow. His once-proud frame trembled with exhaustion—days of terror and forced guidance had broken even his spirit.
"Heheheh," Buu chuckled, holding the fifth Dragon Ball aloft. "Five down… just two left. Porunga is almost mine!"
Bulma's heart clenched. If he gets them all… Earth, Namek, everything could be doomed.
Then it happened.
The air above them split with a roar of energy, the sky trembling. Bulma's head snapped up, eyes widening.
A familiar voice thundered down:
"BUU!"
Buu froze mid-laugh, crimson eyes narrowing. Slowly, he turned his head skyward.
Descending from the sky, aura blazing brighter than the sun, was Gohan. His black hair flared upward, eyes sharp with a deadly calm. The weight of his ki pressed over the land like a storm, shaking the very ground beneath them.
Bulma gasped. "Gohan… he's back…"
The Namekian warrior's mouth fell open in disbelief. That power…
Buu tilted his head, then grinned. "Well, well. The boy finally shows himself. I was starting to think you'd never come."
Gohan landed in front of Bulma and the Dragon Balls, dust scattering at his feet. His gaze didn't leave Buu for a second. "Step away from Bulma. Step away from those Dragon Balls. Now."
For a moment, silence stretched. Then Buu burst into hysterical laughter. "Ohhh… so you trained with the Kaioshin, huh? You think you're strong enough now?" His grin widened into something monstrous. "Good. Show me."
Gohan's aura ignited. "I'm not here to play games. I'll stop you here and now!"
In an instant, the battlefield erupted.
Buu lunged forward, pink flesh snapping like a whip. Gohan blocked with a forearm, the impact sending shockwaves across the plain. Dust and rock exploded outward as the two clashed, fists blurring, the sound of their battle echoing like thunder across Namek.
Bulma shielded her face from the gale-force winds, her heart pounding. "Gohan… please…"
The Dragon Balls glowed faintly at the edge of the battlefield, as if waiting for their fate to be decided.
The air cracked like glass as Gohan and Buu collided again, shockwaves tearing across the plains. Waves rippled through the emerald oceans, and nearby islands split apart under the pressure of their ki.
Bulma staggered back, shielding her face as stones and dust whipped around her. "This… this is worse than Cell…" she whispered, eyes wide in horror.
Buu laughed wildly, his fists slamming into Gohan's guard like sledgehammers. "Yes! Stronger than before! But still… !" His body twisted unnaturally, a whip of pink flesh snapping toward Gohan's flank.
But Gohan was faster. He blurred out of sight, reappearing above Buu with his aura blazing. "MASENKO—HA!"
A golden torrent erupted downward, engulfing Buu in light. The explosion swallowed the landscape, blinding even Bulma.
When the smoke cleared, a crater stretched for miles. At its center… Buu stood, half his body missing—yet still grinning. The flesh bubbled and stretched, reforming in seconds.
"Cute trick," he hissed. "Now let's play for real."
He surged forward, his speed doubling, fists raining down in a storm of blows. Gohan blocked, countered, their movements blurring too fast for mortal eyes. Every clash rattled the heavens, sparks of ki cascading like lightning across the turquoise sky.
From the sidelines, the Namekian translator crawled back, clutching his chest, trembling. "T-that power… no being should hold this much power…"
Bulma's gaze flicked to the Dragon Balls. Five of them glowed softly in the grass, untouched by the chaos—for now. Her heart raced. If Gohan loses, those things will be in Buu's hands…
Above, Buu's laughter echoed. His arm stretched like a spear, skewering through the air toward Gohan. But this time, Gohan caught it, twisting, pulling the monster toward him. His aura detonated in a brilliant burst.
"HRRRAAAAAHHH!!"
The impact drove Buu through a mountain, the explosion ripping it apart in a spray of stone and fire. Dust blanketed the horizon, scattering for miles.
For a moment, silence. Then—finally—the grin on Buu's face slipped. His eyes narrowed with something darker, more serious. "Good… very good."
Gohan floated above the ruins, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his brow. If I let him regenerate like this forever… I'll never win. I have to end it fast. His fists clenched tighter, aura flaring even higher, a golden blaze against the alien sky.
Bulma's voice cracked from the ground. "Gohan! End this quickly!"
But the rubble below trembled. The laughter returned—low at first, then swelling until it rolled across Namek like thunder. From the smoke, Buu's silhouette rose again, his body shifting, warping into something even more grotesque as his ki spiked higher.
The Namekian translator whispered in dread, "He's… he's a monster."
Buu's eyes glowed crimson as he fixed on Gohan. The grin returned, sharper than before. "Now, boy… let's see how long you last."