“Don’t turn Super Saiyan?” Bra stared into King Cold’s confident grin. He was trying to taunt her into a more disadvantageous fight.
“Don’t do it, Bra,” the zombie girl said, unimpressed. “It’s a trick!” Her family argued against such a deal because it only worked against her.
“Without Super Saiyan? Sounds like a fun challenge!” Goku said, intrigued.
“Come on, Kakarot! Would you really fall for such an obvious trap?” Vegeta said, rolling his eyes. In response, Goku only laughed and scratched the back of his head.
“I say take it!” her father said, wearing a wicked grin. “Show him the might of the Son family! You won’t need Super Saiyan to win!”
“Me too!” the real Pan said, beaming with enthusiasm. “This should be fun!”
“I could never deny you, Pan!” Bra said, giving her niece a thumbs up. This earned an annoyed snort from the zombie version. “Okay, you’re on, King Cold. I doubt I’ll even need to power up to defeat you. You saw how Goku crumbled your son with a single punch? I doubt I’ll even need that to win!”
“Confident, aren’t you? But let’s see if your confidence holds after this little surprise.” King Cold’s power spiked to an impressive level as the Frost Demon transformed, armor growing over his body. Wicked-looking spikes sprouted from his form, a demonic grin spreading across the Frost Demon chief.
“So you were hiding something? You might make this fight interesting!” While Cold’s power had grown to an impressive level, it would only give her a hard workout. Oh, well. She’d hoped for an actual fight this time.
But Cold only smirked, amused by her reaction. What? Did he have another trick up his sleeve? Bra marveled as his power spiked again, his body becoming more monstrous, more brutal. Somehow, he’d grown another pair of arms, his nails like deadly talons.
“A second augment form? Frost Demons can do that?” Bra marveled at how much Cold’s power had boosted. So this was what happened when someone of Frieza’s race got serious?
“It’s too risky!” Gohan said. “Cancel the bet now!”
But her half-brother’s worry only heightened Bra’s excitement. Finally, she’d have a fun fight! “Are you kidding? This is great training!” Her Saiyan blood sang, eager for the upcoming battle.
A flurry of punches flew at her from every direction, attacking her from every angle. She winced as a few passed her guard, but she fought them off with adept skill. Still, Cold was fast, almost skewering her with his tail spikes. They played cat and mouse as they darted around the arena.
Cold was relentless as he lashed out at her with his four arms. The sheer power made each punch difficult to deflect. But Bra wasn’t a helpless victim, paying back each blow with her own. Her opponent flew across the arena as Bra delivered a double-handed blow to his head. But Cold caught himself with his six limbs, crawling around like some demonic insect.
“How about this?” Energy gathered in his four palms, and volleys of energy balls blasted toward her. With energy blasts of her own, she dissipated them.
However, the sheer number forced Bra to evade and defend against them. Relentless, Cold charged after her, firing a powerful concussive blast. Bra deflected it with her left hand, wincing as it left her hand blackened and aching. That had been a mistake, and Cold gave a monstrous grin, pleased he’d hurt his foe.
“Having fun, are we?” Bra said. “How about this?”
She caught her opponent off guard with the sheer ferocity of her attack, holding nothing back. It forced Cold on the defensive, howling in pain as she hit his blind spots. Four arms were useful, but they could also get in each other’s way. While Cold had clearly trained with his four limbs, he’d never fought with them in a real battle. She sent him reeling as she delivered a kick to his chin.
“A real monster you are,” Cold said, rubbing his bruised chin. “And so young!” For some reason, this seemed to excite the Frost Demon lord instead of worrying him. It sent a wave of unease through Bra. Her opponent was planning something.
Not playing around, Bra pressed her opponent even harder. But the battle was taking its toll. Strong as Bra was, Cold just refused to stay down, taking abuse that should have crippled him. It was her turn to get careless, and she winced as her opponent’s barbed tail dug into her side. The gapping wound oozed crimson, Bra hissing in pain.
“Will you be able to fight much longer with that wound? You’re bleeding pretty badly,” Cold said.
“Please. It’s only a flesh wound.” But Bra’s head felt light-headed, her strength sapping away.
Regardless, Bra continued the fight as if nothing was wrong. Cold howled in pain as she blasted him in the chest. But the fight turned ugly as sudden dizziness distracted her enough for Cold’s powerful tail to swat her in the head. Dazed, Bra was helpless as her opponent kicked at the open wound, sending spikes of unbearable pain through her. Four arms grabbed her, leaving her helpless to Cold’s nonexistent mercy.
“Not bad, but you just weren’t good enough to beat King Cold!” Her opponent boasted. Instead of finishing her, he took unnecessary time gloating about his victory.
“Yes, yes. You’ve won,” Frieza said, annoyed at his father’s antics. “Kill her already. We don’t have all day.”
“Bra!” the zombie girl said, frightened for her aunt’s safety. Huh? Was she actually concerned for her?
“Give up!” Gohan said. Her father watched the fight without comment, curious about what she’d do next.
“Yes, give up. You can’t win. Surrender, and I’ll be merciful,” Cold said, Bra wincing as he pulled her limbs tight. Any stronger and he’d pull them clean off.
“Never.” Through her pain, an idea struck Bra. She’d hoped to keep the technique secret until she faced a more worthy opponent. Oh, well. Bra cursed, not knowing if it would work. She’d never used it in a proper fight.
“Eat this!” Bra opened her mouth wide, a beam blasting into Cold’s face, blinding him. He staggered back, releasing his captive.
Not missing a beat, Bra rushed forward and placed both palms against the Frost Demon’s chest.
“What?” Cold gaped in shock as the heat and energy sapped away from his body and the surrounding air. He gasped in pain as his chest turned to solid ice.
“What?” the zombie girl gaped in surprise. “How did she do that?”
“Fitting, right? A Frost Demon reduced to ice?” Bra smirked, pleased with her clever wordplay. With a mighty punch, she shattered Cold’s torso. Her flight was shaky as she took to the air, still burdened by her injury,
“King Cold is down for the count. Beginning countdown! 10!”
“That won’t be necessary.” In the corner of her glove, Bra pulled out a Senzu bean. Vitality restored through her system as she chomped it down. Her wounds stitched together, vanishing like it’d never happened. Bra laughed as she flittered around in the air, unburdened by her previous injuries.
“A Senzu bean?” Goku said. “She must be healing up so she can throw Cold one too!”
“Come on, Kakarot. That’s idiotic!” Vegeta replied, rolling his eyes. “She’s won the fight.”
“Huh? It can’t wait until after the fight?” the zombie girl asked, perplexed.
“No, I have a better idea.” Energy gathered in Bra’s palm, fueled by her newly restored ki.
“What is she doing? She can’t be serious!” the zombie girl said, aghast. Bra chowed down on another Senzu bean, so her next attack was even more impressive.
“Goodbye, King Cold.” Bra unleashed her blast, not holding anything back. “Big Bang Attack!”
“Oh, fu!” Cold cursed, all bravado replaced with sheer terror. “Chan...” His last words disappeared as an explosion obliterated him and the arena.
“Cold has died...” the announcer’s disbelief turned into rage. “Do you have any idea much those arenas cost? Just… just rejoin your family, Son Bra!”
“And that’s how you do it!” Bra said, pleased with herself as she landed on the ground.
“That was unnecessary!” Goku said, appalled. “You won the fight. There was no need to kill him.”
“He’s right. You can’t just kill people, Bra!” her father said, seething. “How many times have I told you…” But Bra cut him off.
“King Cold was a murderer and a villain. He got what he deserved,” Bra replied, her tone frosty.
“You!” Her father’s eyes blazed with fury, looking ready to punch his daughter for her defiance. But Bra couldn’t care less. She’d outgrown him.
“Still, it’s not right!” Goku said.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
“She’s a ruthless one,” Vegeta smirked, pointing at the other members of Universe 8. “But it sure showed them something.”
Cold’s sons stared at the ruined remains of the arena, horrified. When Bra smiled at them, they recoiled in automatic fear. Good. Lila was right. The righteous should inspire terror in the hearts of the wicked. This was a lesson they’d not soon forget. The Ginyu Force seemed sorrowful, mourning their leader's loss.
“Don’t walk away, Bra!” her father said, but she knocked his hand away.
“I’m not a child anymore, Vegito.” Bra purposely used his name to annoy him. “I don’t need your advice anymore.” With those words, she turned her back on him.
“You!” Her father was hopping mad now, but her half-brothers butted in to defuse the situation.
“How’d you do that, Bra?” Goten asked.
“Yeah, I’ve seen nothing like it,” Trunks added.
“Somehow, she used her ki to steal heat,” Piccolo said, sharp as ever. “What a deadly technique.”
“Nice work, Bra. You fought well,” Lila said. Her friend’s compliment brought butterflies to Bra’s chest. Her words mattered much more than anything her father said.
“Hey, just what have you been teaching my daughter?” her father asked, eyeing the Supreme Kai suspiciously.
“All I care about is your daughter reaching her full potential,” Lila replied diplomatically.
“I bet,” the zombie girl said with a snort.
“That was a good fight! You blew him up real good!” the real Pan said, all smiles.
“Thank you.” At least somebody in her family understood how cool she’d been.
“Excuse us while we fix the arena,” the announcer said, forlorn.
“Yes, Gast and Raichi are next.” This fight would decide her next opponent. She nibbled at another Senzu bean, bouncing in eager anticipation. Whoever won wouldn’t be an easy foe. They both had crazy powers. Still, she wasn’t worried. No one had yet seen her full power.
---
“That accused girl!” He fumed, stomping his feet in impudent rage. How had someone like him—once feared and respected throughout the universe—been reduced to such a sorry state?
“Curse you, Bra! You won’t get away with this!” The Cell Jr’s tiny, childish voice said.
“Sorry?” Cell said eyebrow raised.
“Nothing, Daddy! Just talking to myself!” The Cell Jr. said, all innocence, but inside, Captain Ginyu was hopping mad.
Cell turned away, disinterested, more focused on the battle between the wizard Rachi and the Namekian Gast Carcolh. Ginyu had noticed that the bio-android rarely paid his children much attention, allowing them to run wild. This worked to Ginyu’s benefit while he planned his revenge.
It’d been a close call. He’d avoided annihilation by a hair by Vegito’s devilish daughter. Only luck had rescued Captain Ginyu from total destruction.
And he’d worked so hard to cultivate that last body, too. King Cold’s body had served him well, allowing him to even surpass Lord Frieza. But Ginyu supposed he’d been fooling himself into thinking he’d been the mightiest across the cosmos. This tournament had opened his eyes to how powerless he’d actually been.
“Never mind,” Ginyu thought. “I’ll just steal a better body! You better watch out, Son Bra. I’m coming for you!”
“Why are you laughing to yourself?” Cell raised an eyebrow.
The Cell Jr. that Ginyu inhabited rubbed the back of his neck. “No reason!”
“Tsk.” Cell shook his head, muttering something about defective clones.
“Curse you, Bra!” Ginyu thought. “You will pay for this indignity!”
---
“Mary Sue?” Pan said, rapping her knuckles against her friend’s apartment door. After Gast’s stunning victory over the Saiyan racist Dr. Rachi, she’d left to get some answers. Little Pan had joined her. Her Trunks and Goten were acting just as bizarre, obsessing after Mary Sue like love struck school boys.
“Hey.” A downtrodden Mary Sue said, her expression sheepish. “Come on in.”
Both Pans entered a stunningly furnished room, nicer than Universe 16’s apartments. It was immaculately clean, though she noticed the pile of ruffled blankets on the bed. Had Mary Sue been sitting curled up on her bed?
“Would you like some tea, Pan?” Mary Sue asked. “Oh, right, you can’t drink anything. But what about the other Pan?”
“That’s okay,” Little Pan said. “We’re here to ask something super important!”
“Yeah, there’s something weird about you, and we want some answers!” Pan’s declaration had come out more forcefully than she'd wanted, but she was worried about her uncles. She feared that if this mystery wasn’t solved, her uncles might kill each other.
“That’s fair,” Mary Sue said, her smile sad. “I’ve caused nothing but problems, as usual. I was being selfish. My wish isn’t worth this.”
“Your wish?” Pan asked.
“It’s why I came to the material world. I’m not actually from Universe 2. I lied on my application.” But Mary Sue’s answer only made both Pans even more confused.
“Sorry, what do you mean? You’re not from Universe 2?” Little Pan asked, perplexed.
“I’m from somewhere else.” Mary Sue replied cryptically. “It’s a beautiful and terrifying place. Unicorns and fairies run free, while dinosaurs are mounted by knights in gleaming armor to battle monsters. Princesses inhabit impossible castles with towers that scrape the sky. People plummet from boundless heights but never hit the ground. The worst, most hideous monsters hide in the shadows, while little girls have tea parties in groves of endless flowers that spread well beyond the horizon.”
Pan tried to absorb what her friend was telling her. “So you come from some sort of fairy-tale land?”
“Yes! But more than that! All stories happen there!” Mary Sue tapped her chin in thought. “No, more like it’s where all stories originate.”
“Okay, you’ve lost me,” Pan said. The other Pan nodded in agreement.
“It’s complicated. I’m sure you’ve heard of the realm of the dead, right?” Mary Sue asked.
“You mean the Other World?” Little Pan asked. “Grandpa has told me about it. It’s where King Kai trained him.”
Pan nodded in agreement. She’d also heard the stories.
“There are other realms. Though, sometimes they overlap,” Mary Sue replied.
“Are you from a Dream Realm?” Pan said, catching on.
Mary Sue nodded. “Dreams and death often go together. Have you ever heard of someone’s life flashing before their eyes? That’s their soul partially entering our world. It’s to comfort them before they start their next journey.”
“Are you a dream creature?” Little Pan asked, fascinated.
Mary Sue responded with a sad smile and a nod. “Little Pan, how do I appear to you?”
“Uh?” Little Pan blinked, confused by the question. “Well, you’re pretty, for one. Like, more beautiful than even my mom. With shining silver eyes and green hair with pointed ears.” Before Little Pan could continue, Pan interrupted her.
“Green hair? She’s blond!” Pan said, confused. What was her counterpart talking about? And Mary Sue’s ears were smooth. They bickered, each pointing out contradictions in the other’s description of Mary Sue.
“No, Mary Sue is tall, not short!” Pan said, exasperated.
Mary Sue’s amused laughter interrupted their argument. “And I’m sure if you asked Trunks and Goten, they’d give you a completely different answer.”
“Why?” But when Pan considered it, hadn’t both Goten and Trunks said odd things about Mary Sue’s appearance? Goten had claimed she was endowed to an absurd, almost grotesque level. Trunks, however, had claimed she was a sleek beauty.
“Because I’m not like you. I’m a creature of the Dream Realm. My appearance is malleable. Like dreams, it changes depending on who’s observing it.”
“But what do you really look like, then?” Pan said, completely flummoxed.
“Nothing you’d understand,” Mary Sue replied.
“Is that why everyone acts so weird around you? Because you look like their ideal person?” Little Pan asked.
Mary Sue’s expression turned sad. “Yeah, everything they could ever want from a friend, companion, or lover. The perfect woman. And in dreams, that’s fine. I only meet you for a spell, a half-forgotten memory. But in the physical plane, the mortal mind can’t handle it. I’d hoped locking myself away would limit my influence on everyone. You can gauge the success that’s been.”
It explained much. No wonder Mary Sue’s past was so contradictory. It didn’t exist! It was whatever people needed it to be.
“You can’t turn it off?” Pan asked. Everything was starting to make a sick sense. If she drove everyone crazy, she’d hide herself away too.
Mary Sue shook her head. “No. It’s in my nature. But it doesn’t matter. I’m going to surrender in my next fight. I’m too dangerous to stay in the mortal realm any longer.”
“But your wish!” Pan protested. She felt sorry for her friend. Mary Sue couldn’t help what she was.
“As I said, it was selfish of me. This whole adventure was selfish.” Mary Sue shook her head.
“But you wouldn’t have risked it if your wish wasn’t important!” Pan argued.
“Yeah!” Little Pan added. “We don’t need our wishes. We’ll make it for you! What is it? I doubt Grandpa will complain about granting it!”
“I’m not worth it,” Mary Sue replied. “You deserve the wish more than me.”
“After you fought so hard?” Pan said, a stubborn tightness to her jaw. “You deserve happiness, too!”
“Yeah!” Little Pan added. “Grandpa always says you should always give it your all, even if you can’t win. What matters is doing your best.”
Mary Sue conceded to their argument. “Okay. I’ll fight. Just be careful with your uncles. Maybe convince them to sit in your apartment during my next fight? I don’t want to see them hurt.”
“We’ll work something out.” Still, Pan feared more about the audience. What if Mary Sue’s perfection aura drove them over the edge? They’d need to be careful.
But Pan’s musings came to an abrupt halt. She yelped in surprise as the apartment door suddenly burst open. Dozens of burly-looking men with makeshift weapons entered the room. They wore malicious grins, eager for violence.
“Look what we have here, boys!” the biggest one said, laughing. “All helpless and alone!”
“Uh, what do you want now?” Pan said, baffled.
“Lord Babidi has ordered to destroy anyone who might oppose him. Surrender, and we might not have to get rough with you!” the leader replied.
“Is this guy for real?” Little Pan said, eyebrow raised.
“Lord Babidi?” Then Pan saw it, the ‘M’ on the rough men’s foreheads. Were they being mind-controlled?
A horrible sense of dread traveled down Pan’s spine. What if Babidi had a mental hold on the nastier combatants in the tournament? Everyone was in terrible danger!
“So what’s it gonna be?” The leader slapped his club against his palm.
“Um, could you please not do this?” Mary Sue said, giving their attackers pleading, puppy dog eyes.
The leader froze like a statue, a strangled groan escaping his throat. “Mary Sue, my beloved!” He clutched at his head, howling in pain. “No! Lord Babidi! What are you making me do?” Then, much to Pan’s astonishment, he slammed his club hard against his own skull. He collapsed, his head caved in.
“He killed himself?” Pan said, horrified. The other goons were even more vicious in their retaliation against Babidi’s control, one literally slitting his own throat. Pan stared, both horrified and traumatized.
“Okay.” Little Pan said, shaking. She hadn’t been prepared for that either.
“Poor guys.” Mary Sue lowered to her knees and stroked the leader’s cheek. Tears flooded from her eyes, her expression pained. “They couldn’t handle the contradicting orders.”
“Y-yeah,” Pan said, still unsettled. It had happened so quick.
“Others need our help.” Mary Sue said, her expression turning serious.
“Oh shoot! You’re right!” Everyone was in serious danger.
“Let’s go.” Little Pan avoided looking at their would-be attackers' corpses.
The entire arena was pandemonium as everyone fought to keep alive. All the bad guys in the tournament were in full force, terrorizing everything in their path. Both Piccolos were engaging a mutated Frieza and Cooler, while Son Bra was playing with Cell. Unlike everyone else, her aunt was enjoying herself. Dozens of other skirmishes had broken out, adding to the general chaos.
“Big sis, what should we do?” Little Pan asked.
“I’m not sure.” With so many desperate, pitched battles, Pan wasn’t sure who needed their help the most. Worse yet, she still hadn’t recovered from her fight with Tapion. “Wait, where are the other tournament fighters?” She extended her senses but didn’t sense any of them, not even her grandfathers’.
“It’s that Babidi! He must have done something!” Little Pan said, fuming.
“That’s strange. Why weren’t we taken? Because we were in the apartments?” And hadn’t Bra joined the West Supreme Kai after Gast’s victory? They must have been somewhere Babidi’s magic couldn’t touch them too.
“What a mess!” Mary Sue said, sighing.
“We need to destroy the source, Babidi!” Little Pan said.
“Okay. But how will we find him in this?” Pan gestured at the general chaos. Once they exposed themselves, they’d get attacked on sight.
“I have an idea!” Little Pan said, eyes alight with mischief! “Quick! To Universe 18’s apartment!”
---
“And how will this help?” Pan asked, eying the marker scribbling on her forehead.
“Everyone thinks you’re a monster, right?” Little Pan replied. Mary Sue hovered over them, curious.
“Yeah, yeah, don’t remind me,” Pan said, her expression sour.
“I don’t think you understand. I’m saying we can use it to our advantage. If you show up with this mark, no one will blink an eye. Little Pan explained.
“I guess.” She supposed that made sense. “And we use this to sneak up on Babidi and defeat him?”
“Exactly!” Little Pan beamed, showing her counterpart’s new M on her forehead with a mirror. It was an impressive facsimile. “They won’t suspect a thing! And take me as your hostage!”
“Ah, the old Wookie prisoner trick!” Mary Sue said, nodding. Pan blinked. Huh? The what?
“It seems risky,” Pan said, dubious. “Some pretty scary guys will be protecting Babidi. Why not take Mary Sue instead?”
“Because I’m going to search for Goku and the others.” Mary Sue replied.
“Huh? You’re not planning to fight?” Pan asked.
“No. I’d only cause more chaos. You saw what my presence did to those poor men. Besides, we need a Plan B. I’ll get backup if things turn sour.”
“I suppose.” The argument made sense. Still, it meant both Pans were going into terrible danger. Still, Bra would be a nifty distraction while they defeated Babidi. She’d keep the bad guys busy. Pan doubted anyone on the villain's side could stop her.
“Okay. Let’s do this. Majin Pan is ready to roll!” Pan bellowed an evil laugh, getting into her role. This needed to work, or they’d be in serious trouble.
--
Author’s Note:
If you haven’t read Multiverse, yes, King Cold was really Captain Ginyu all along. I tried my best to hit at this, but I don’t know if I did the best job. Anyway, I’m not sure the Next Time preview will properly predict what will happen in the next chapter. The Majin Invasion is a pretty chaotic arc, and I’m not sure exactly that’s going to happen. I have plans, but plans have a habit of derailing in writing.
Next Time!
Majin Pan infiltrates Babidi’s gang. Captain Ginyu’s revenge! Pan vs Anpan!