The explosion rang in her ears as Bra ducked under a ball of destructive energy. It reduced a good chunk of the stadium seats to rubble. Beneath her, crowd members were fighting desperately against their brainwashed number. But Cell’s destruction scared even the Majin crowd members away, fearing getting caught in the crossfire. They fled to a safer distance as they resumed their terrorizing. Other fighters were engaged in their own battles: Videl and Raditz were fighting Kakarot, while Gohan was facing Babidi’s main flunky, Dabura.

But this was only background noise as Bra weaved through the barrage of energy spheres. Hand to forehead, the bio-android guided their path. It amazed Bra how Cell controlled so many spheres so seamlessly. She winced as one clipped her shoulder, singing it. Despite her claims, Cell was proving a tougher opponent than she’d expected. But it only earned a slight smile on her lips. Finally, a true opponent.

Her ki flared to new heights as she gathered her energy. Its sheer power blew the surrounding energy spheres apart. But Cell had been counting on this, using his instant transmission to appear in her blind spot. It still wasn’t quick enough—Cell’s eyes bulged as she elbowed him in the skull. Her fists pounded into him, and she gathered ki into her palm for the killing blow. Cell, however, disappeared before she could blow him to pieces.

“Aiming for the kill already?” Cell asked, appearing a few steps away. “Just when we started the fun?”

“I’m not like the zombie girl,” Bra replied, raising her nose at her opponent. “I don’t play nice. If you can’t last thirty seconds against my worst, you aren’t a worthy opponent. You’ve already disappointed me.” And besides, time was pressing against her. The situation in the stadium had already spiraled out of control. She needed to contain the Babidi’s worst elements before things got worse.

But Cell smiled, amused. “That’s what I like about you, Son Bra. You’re not like Goku, or even that weak-willed Gohan. You’re a born killer. We’re a lot alike.”

Bra’s eyes twitched, her temper flaring. “I’m nothing like you. I’m no monster.”

“Hit a nerve, did I?” Cell replied. “What’s got you so tightly wound, I wonder? Something to do with your father? I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He looks at me the same way.”

“Bastard!” Bra abandoned all pretense of control. She was ready to pound her opponent to dust.

Streaks of light zipped across the battlefield as the two combatants engaged. Cell’s teleportation helped keep him ahead, but Bra was quicker. Cell released a satisfying howl of pain as she punched him hard in the sternum. A blast blew into her face, but Bra didn’t care, only striking her opponent harder. If Cell had bones, her blows would have crushed them to paste.

Cell’s attempts to defend himself turned desperate as Bra unleashed her fury. The bio-warrior quivered as she stood over him, fury burning in her eyes. “Who’s laughing now, Cell?”

She moved to finish him, but something wet splashed against her leg. She looked down and gasped in shock. The flesh of her leg was hardening, graying into solid stone. Bra looked up to see Dabura the Demon King grinning a pleased smile at her. In the heat of battle, she hadn’t noticed him.

“Bra!” Gohan said, eyes wide in shock. She hadn’t noticed him either, apparently fighting the Demon King, until he’d switched his attention to her. Bra had been vulnerable, and Dabura had taken advantage of it.

“Crap.” Bra’s mind raced in pure panic, stared in stunned horror as the stone continued to spread across her leg. It wouldn’t be long until it spread to her pelvis and torso. But pain exploded in Bra’s vision as something struck her leg.

The stoned leg fell to the ground, shattering into gray chunks. Blood oozed from where her leg had gotten cut, but it remained flesh, untouched by the stone curse. Bra stared up at her rescuer in amazement.

“You helped her?” Dabura said, eyebrow raised.

“I couldn’t have the fight end yet,” Cell said, flicking blood off his fingers. He saved her? Awkwardly, Bra used her ki to remain standing.

While grateful for the rescue, it left Bra confused. Why help an enemy?

To this, the Demon King only shrugged. “Very well, enjoy your battle.”

“Bra, are you okay?” Gohan said, seething. From his raw anger, she guessed this was her Gohan.

“I’ll manage. Watch your opponent next time, you doofus!” Bra replied. But she already felt her strength waning from the wound and loss of blood. Her half-brother paled, but nodded. He glared at his opponent, eager for some payback. But Bra zoned him out, her attention only on Cell.

“Thanks, I suppose. But you’re likely going to regret it,” Bra said, teeth clenched. She’d used her Senzu beans when she fought King Cold. She hadn’t bothered obtaining new ones yet. And with the general chaos, she couldn’t spot a Namekian to heal her. This wasn’t good. This wound might cost her dearly.

“But I need you, Bra, if I’m to get stronger,” Cell replied. “When your father returns, I want to show him who the strongest, most perfect being in the Multiverse truly is.”

Wounded as she was, Bra didn’t bother wasting energy on a response and launched herself at her opponent. If she didn’t finish him soon, she’d be dead.

---

“W-what are you?” Pan stared at her counterpart, her body quivering uncontrollably. This type of ki was nothing she’d ever sensed before. Even the evil warriors she’d faced, like Cell, didn’t have such vile ki. Wrongness seemed to ooze from her opponent.

“Does it matter?” Anpan replied, twisting her head at an odd angle. “What matters is the fight before you. All that matters is the next person you can slaughter.”

“What?”

“Battle, death? That’s what gives meaning to life. Without either, one can’t live,” Anpan said. “I shall teach you this lesson, Pan. A person can only live when they’re free of any restraints!”

“Woah!” Pan ducked, just avoiding a wild blow. Her opponent had been so quick that she’d almost missed the attack.

“Get it together, Pan. She’s just trying to rile you up,” Pan thought. Her aura turned golden as she unleashed her full power. The Ginyu Force yelped in surprise as they flew off their feet, grunting in pain as they struck a nearby wall.

“Nice!” Little Pan said, throwing her counterpart a thumbs-up. “Defeat that freak. I’ll go after Babidi.”

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“Just be careful!” Pan said. Many dangerous opponents were under the wizard’s sway. With their ambush ruined, it wouldn’t be easy to get to him. Still, with powerhouses like her Aunt Bra and her father, they could manage—or so she hoped.

“Not so fast!” Bardock said, scowling as Pan abandoned the battlefield through the hole Guldo had created.

“Hey!” Burter said, rubbing his sore head. The alien’s eyes widened as he stared at Pan and Anpan, palpable dread filling him. Without another word, he fled after Little Pan. His teammates did the same, eyeing both Pans with fear before retreating. Only Buu remained in the room, eying the impending contest with interest.

“Buu like this. Buu find you both fun!” the obese pink creature said, clapping his hands together. Pan wanted to remind him that protecting his master was more important, but closed her mouth. Little Pan didn’t need more trouble after her. Besides, if Babidi forgot to order his chief protector to watch over him, it was his own darn fault. Pan exorcized him from her mind to focus on the greater threat.

Anpan continued to study her, interested in what she might do next. The dark voice whispered to unleash her inner brutality, to rip her former body into bloody chunks. It surprised Pan with its volume and insistence, almost overpowering her. It whispered horrors in her ear, promising power to destroy her enemies if she only submitted. She trembled, having trouble keeping hold of her emotions. Anpan only smiled at her, her grin full of too many teeth. It reminded her of a nightmare, a half-forgotten memory. She’d seen this nightmare who wore her face before.

“You! You’re doing this to me somehow,” Pan said through gritted teeth. “You’re connected to why I’m a zombie—or the reason it happened in the first place!”

“Maybe? Maybe not,” Anpan said, skipping on her heel. “I wonder. Hmm?”

“No more games!” Pan said, temper flaring. She held nothing back as she launched herself at her foe.

“Better!” Anpan laughed, grimacing as the blow connected. But her retaliatory strike was quick, driving Pan back. She blinked. Where had that blow come from?

Pan’s vision blurred as she had trouble following the fight. Despite her best efforts, the doppelgänger’s blows came from every direction they shouldn’t. Her movements were sporadic and jerky, using a fighting style more feral than formal. Pan grimaced as a blow she should have dodged connected with a thud.

“What is her style?” Pan wondered, getting some distance from her foe. She circled, pushing her undead brain to figure out how her opponent fought. “She’s more illusion than person. And she hasn’t even become a Super Saiyan yet.” A palpable feeling of dread grew in her chest at that possibility. Behind them, Buu clapped his hands, thoroughly entertained.

“My senses aren’t making any sense.” Somehow, Anpan deceived the senses and muddled the mind.

So Pan closed her eyes, focusing on her opponent’s oily ki. It distorted and wavered, but was detectable. Pan’s hearing heightened, hearing every rustle of Anpan’s clothes and every footfall as her opponent lashed out at her. She smiled in contentment as she blocked a punch with a knee and connected her remaining arm with Anpan’s head. It sent her opponent flying, crashing hard into a nearby wall.

“Ugh, nice hit,” Anpan said with a groan. But Pan didn’t relent in her assault. Without her ability to distort Pan’s senses, Anpan wasn’t nearly as quick as she seemed. Pan blocked every blow and returned it with full force. Her opponent staggered back as a punch connected with her ribs.

But instead of getting frustrated by the turn of fortunes, Anpan only laughed with glee. “Yes, I was right to choose you! You have a killer’s instincts! You pick apart your opponent’s weaknesses and destroy them!”

“So you are behind me being a zombie!” Pan opened her eyes and glared at her doppelgänger.

“Did I say that?” Anpan said, considering. “Or did I not? I wonder.”

“What are you after?” Pan pressed.

“What makes you think I’m after anything?” Anpan ignored Pan and watched the chaos unfolding outside. She smiled, pleased.

Pan risked a glance outside, and a pit formed in her stomach. Bra was engaging Cell, and somehow she’d lost a leg. She was floundering, hampered by blood loss.

“What am I doing?” Pan cursed her stupidity. She allowed herself to get distracted by Anpan. Villainous monster though she might be, Pan had bigger problems.

With an extended hand, Pan blasted a hole through the window. “We’ll finish this later.”

“What?!” Anpan replied, saddened and outraged. “Now? But we’ve barely started! Oh, well! Time to play for keeps, then!” Pan jerked, her body convulsing as viscous ki struck her in waves.

While golden light flared around Anpan, it seemed to suck the light in instead of emitting it. Her hair seemed more dirty blond than golden, the darkness of her ki suffocating, even to someone like Pan who didn’t need to breathe. Nearby fighters on both sides passed out, collapsing in a heap. Even Pan had difficulty standing. Only Buu seemed immune. He beamed, more amused and delighted than ever.

Anpan extended a finger and gestured for Pan to continue. “Round two, then?” Even her voice sounded distorted, her words choppy and monstrous.

“It’s like she is darkness itself,” Pan thought, marveling. Or the absence of light? Anpan oozed corruption, her ki distorting whatever it touched.

“Sorry, Dad, Bra, but there’s someone I need to face first!” Pan’s aura flared, pushing past the corrupted dark ki. She was a candle in a pitch-black room and took a fighting stance. “Round two, then. I’m ready.”

---

“Get back here!”

Babidi yelped in fright as he narrowly dodged a beam that exploded over his head. Panic filled his wizened face as pieces of stone rained down on him, redoubling his efforts to escape on his stubby legs. He shrieked again as Little Pan appeared above him, her arm raised to smash his skull.

“Got you!” But her strike hit empty air. Little Pan blinked, confused. How the heck did that keep happening? Once again, Babidi appeared somewhere else.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry!” Guldo said, running alongside his master down the hallway as they fled certain defeat.

But Little Pan only redoubled her effort, appearing ahead of them in a flash. They stared at her in abject terror.

“No! We aren’t finished yet!” Guldo said, ki gathering. Little Pan raised an eyebrow, wondering what he could possibly do.

His teammates had tried engaging her, only to find themselves completely outmatched. She had dispatched Burter with a single blow to the neck. Jeice collapsed after she punched his kidney. The final member, Recoome, froze in fear as he watched her take down his comrades with ease. He charged at her in reckless fury, only to end up collapsing in a heap. Bardock had disappeared somewhere, likely realizing the pointlessness of fighting her.

“Do your worst.” Pan said, puffing out her chest. Guldo clamped his hands together and roared.

“What the—?” Little Pan gasped as she suddenly found herself unable to move. Somehow, the Ginyu Force member had stolen her ability to act.

“Can’t move, can you?” Guldo sneered. “You underestimated me, and now you’re paying the price!” Little Pan cursed under her breath. She’d dropped her guard and was paying for it. This wasn’t good.

“Good work!” Babidi said, leering at Little Pan. “And now we have this brat at our mercy!”

“Yes, master,” Guldo replied. “What should we do to her? After what she did to our poor teammates, I think some payback’s in order!”

“Yes,” Babidi said, his tone oily and cruel. “How should we make this brat suffer?”

“Oh, shoot!” Little Pan’s mind raced for a solution. Try as she might, her limbs refused to move.

“Super Saiyan!” If she transformed, Guldo’s telekinesis wouldn’t stand a chance. It’d allow her to break this trap with ease, at least Little Pan hoped so.

Guldo and Babidi stepped back as Pan’s ki flared, exploding outward like a broken dam. Pan’s mind turned to her predecessors. Her grandfather had transformed when his friend had died. Her father had transformed when he channeled his trauma and rage.

Pan thought of her mother, who might be in terrible danger. Her thoughts drifted to her grandfather, fearing the worst. Babidi’s magic had stolen him, taking him to who-knew-where. She channeled the helplessness she’d felt when Bojack had captured her as a hostage against her Universe 16 counterpart. Her hair glowed golden as her fury built to a crescendo.

But Pan collapsed to the floor, heaving with exhaustion. She punched the ground in frustration, angry at herself for failing to transform. Tears stung her eyes. Why couldn’t she do it? Wasn’t she angry enough?

“Huh?” Pan blinked, realizing Guldo’s hold on her had broken. She glanced up to find Guldo and Babidi clutching each other, quivering in fear. Though she had failed to go Super Saiyan, her power had shattered Guldo’s control. Wiping her tears away, she glared at the pair, embarrassed for crying in front of the pair of villains.

“You’re done!” she declared. With a quick burst of ki, Little Pan unleashed a destructive wave of energy at them. The pair screamed, clutching each other even tighter.

Before the blast connected, however, a figure appeared and slapped it away. The energy exploded against a nearby wall, shrouding the area in dust.

“Pathetic, both of you,” a familiar voice said with open disdain.

“Grandpa?” Pan asked, confused. But when the dust cleared, another Goku stood before them: Kakarot of Universe 13, the dark, insane Goku.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said. Unlike her grandfather, his face carried none of the warmth or childlike glee she knew. This was someone who relished causing pain. “It vexes me you ran from our fight before it even started. But this time, there’s no surrender. No bell.”

Pan gasped at the overwhelming power radiating from him as he turned Super Saiyan, far beyond anything she could hope to face. Somewhere in the confusion, both Guldo and Babidi had both slipped away.

“But don’t worry,” Kakarot said, flashing her a predatory grin that sent a chill down her spine. He pulled something from behind him, trusting it forward. “I plan to make it interesting.”

“Pan, get out of here!” her mother cried, her voice weak with pain. Her attacker had beaten her nearly to death, barely hanging on.

“I’m a fair man,” Kakarot said. He grasped a hand around her mother’s neck. “How about this? Turn Super Saiyan—or your sweet, poor mother dies.”

---

Author’s note:

So this in this timeline, Elder Kai didn’t offer to unlock Raditz’s hidden power. I suppose in this timeline, because Little Pan surrendered, Gohan didn’t tell another from Universe 13 about the Elder Kai’s power. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how to use this potline, so I dropped it. Don’t worry, I still plan to use Raditz for something.

Next time!

Bra vs Cell, Bra’s desperate battle. Pan vs Anpan, hope vs corruption. Buu makes a surprising move. Little Pan faces the worst day of her life.