The Monke King: Ch.33

“Ha!”, I grunted as I grabbed Krillin's punch mid-swing, spinning under him and kicking Tien's punch upwards before swinging the shorter blonde into the taller one.

Sending both of them flying backwards, I quickly shot after them as both of them caught their footing, slipping in between them before delivering a flurry of strikes that each of them quickly blocked.

“Damn, Gohan. You really don't hold back, huh?”, Krillin spoke with a grin as he shook his hands, to which I shrug as I hopped from foot to foot while Tien flipped to his feet.

“Indeed, it appears your constant battles have honed your instincts and skills tremendously.”

“It has, but I see you two haven't been slouching either. I didn't expect you guys to keep up even though I'm in my base form. Also, I didn't expect them to get this good,” I murmured with a smirk while looking up at where Videl and Erasa were sparring in the air. Both of them were covered in the blazing red aura of Kaio-ken, their bodies nothing but blurs as they rapidly fought throughout the air space of King Kai's planet.

Honestly, I didn't expect either of them to figure it out within the time that we had let alone use it at a level where they could apply it to battle, but I guess they were adamant about fighting beside me.

“Hey, you underestimate those girls when it comes to you. They are adamant on making sure they are able to stay at your side, but I have to say that I didn't expect Erasa to start catching on Videl like that.”

“Hey, she's a lot like Goku. He wasn't the best fighter when he first started, but he was the most hard-headed fighter out of any of us and look at where he ended up,” Krillin said with a shrug and I nodded in agreement before remembering the man in question as I looked around.

“Uh, have any of you seen Dad?”

“He went back to the Grand Kai's place. Since you didn't need his help and all and with his new body, he decided to go train there with Piccolo and Pikkon as that is the usual spot where the strongest beings in the universe gather to battle.”

“Ah, I suppose so. It is the usual spot that I would expect to be fitting for him,” I said with a smile, Krillin and Tien smirking at my words before I looked at King Kai's house to see the Kai in question walking out.

However, the frown on his face made me furrow my brow as Krillin gave a loud whistle, stopping Videl and Erasa's spar while also calling them down.

“Hey, King Kai. Did something happen to Earth?”, I asked, hoping that Babidi hadn't decided to attack while I was gone, but it appears my fears were naught as King Kai sighed and shook his head.

“No, no. It's…it's something far worse.”

“What's worse than Babidi and the others?”

“It's Popo,” He said and his tone sent a flash of dread through my body as I frowned while both Krillin and Tien frowned as well.

“What about him?”

“…Hah, he…”

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“MR. POPO!”, Trunks exclaimed as he shot through the air, Cell unleashing a burst of ki and catching the rubble with a grunt while Trunks caught Mr. Popo with a frown.

His eyes widened though as he stared at the being in his arms, staring at the hole that went through Popo's chest as well as the swelling on his face.

'They didn't just kill him. No, these wounds…they wanted something…The Dragon Balls!'

“Cell, they have found another set of Dragon balls!”, Trunks shouted as he floated down, Vomi and Bulma quickly flying over before Bulma gritted her teeth as she saw the wounds covering the being's body.

“Mom…”

“I can't, Trunks. He's already gone,” She muttered while looking upwards as Cell slowly lowered the pieces of the Lookout outside the kingdom, the Android in question looking a bit fatigued.

As he landed, the thousands of Dragon Warriors did as well, all of them grimacing as Trunks placed down Mr. Popo before they looked to the side as familiar energies appeared from thin air.

No one said anything as Gohan walked forward, Videl and Erasa staying behind while everyone stepped back as their king knelt beside Popo's body while freezing just as he was to reach for the being's face.

'Another one…It's just Bulma, Mom, Yajirobe, Gramps and me from the old days,' Gohan thought as he softly closed Popo's eyes, taking off the royal cloak from his shoulders before draping it on top of his body.

“I'll hold a burial for him.”

“Gohan, before we go, Cell and I found out something you might want to know.”

“…I'll bury him, but afterwards, we'll talk about it,” Gohan spoke with a smile and Trunks frowned at the calm tone in Gohan's voice before he nodded.

“We'll go wi-”, Videl tried to speak before Bulma cut her off, the younger woman looking at the older scientist who shook her head while they watched Gohan shot up and away.

“Popo was one of his dad's mentors so this is a bit close to him. Just…just let him calm down for now,” As Bulma finished speaking, the air exploded as a pillar of gold and scarlet ki shot upwards, a guttural roar echoing on the horizon while everyone flinched as a heavy pressure pushed down upon them all.

“BABIDI!”, Gohan's voice echoed across the landscape before the energy vanished, Erasa reaching out and grabbing Videl's hand before Bulma watched as the two of them shot through the air.

“You're not going to stop them?”, The blue-haired woman asked as she looked to Chichi, who smiled sadly while shaking her head.

“Goku was always one to try and fight his mental battles on his own unless I forced him to talk and his son is the exact same. Thankfully, he has two voices to talk to instead of just the one.”

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'I'm killing him. I'm tearing them limb from limb and when they get to hell, I'm teleporting there and I'm ripping their souls asunder!', I thought with a growl as I stood in a gigantic crater, Popo's body buried in the epicentre of the crater.

I didn't care for the fact that the scarlet-gold energy of Super Saiyan 4 were rampaging around my body as I sat down, resting my head in my hands while slowly deactivating my transformation.

And just when Mr. Popo was beginning to get better. He was helping us, helping me with all things relating the magical aspect of the worlds and I was about to start pestering him to come and live down here with us.

'But then that fucker Babidi just…he just took his fucking chance away. No, I'm not my dad. The moment I catch sight of any of them, I'm blasting and I'm not stopping.'

“Whew, that's a pretty big crater,” I heard Erasa say, looking behind me to see both her and Videl landing on the edge of the crater with a smile.

“Hey.”

“You always like to go on a rampage near the outskirts of the city. Just far enough from the civilians to not scare anyone, but just close enough to where you can still watch over them,” Videl spoke with a quiet smile as the two of them walked down and I gave a soft smile as I looked forward at Popo's grave once again.

“Yeah, I'm trying my best to hold it in.”

“Eh, it's no use honestly. You forget that you're still crazy powerful so we're always going to feel your ki whether you want to or not,” Erasa said with a shrug as the two of them sat down beside me, Erasa wrapping my arm around her while Videl leaned against my shoulder.

“Babidi has a lot of people under his control, but at the same time, they all joined him for power. I'm not sparing them. My dad liked to hand out chances and forgave people way too many times…but I'm not my dad.”

“Hey, whatever you decide, we're with you. We're not going to stop you, but we are going to be there when the time comes and we win,” Videl spoke softly and I gave a thankful smile before looking up at the sky, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath as I felt the wind flowing over us.

'Rest in peace, Mr. Popo, and do not worry. Your killers are going to join you very shortly.'

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“What do you have for me?”, I asked as I sat at the head of the table, the rest of the Commanders gathered in the room as Trunks gestured to Vomi and Cell who nodded.

“Firstly, we have the limb from Cooler himself. From what we have detected of it, they are deep underground and have several layers of energy on top of their lair to protect themselves. However!”, Vomi said with an excited grin as she pressed another button, the holographic screen flickering to reveal a familiar white ship with the Majin symbol on top of it.

“We found this ship just about 400 kilometers off the coast of the southern end of the continent on one of the islands there. It appears to be a spaceship, but the symbol on the top of it matches the one that was on Cooler's forehead. Therefore we believe that this is actually a gateway to Babidi's lair.”

“Well done, Vomi, Cell, Trunks. Have you informed everyone?”, I asked as I looked at Yajirobe and Gramps, to which both nodded before I looked to Cell as he cleared his throat.

“That…is not all.”

“What else is there?”

“Well, before Mr. Popo passed, he and Trunks were talking about mystical artifacts and one artifact that we all know too well are the Dragon Balls. Just before they left, this new enemy and Cooler were talking about how they had acquired the Dragon Balls and are ready to move to their next step.”

“That still doesn't mean anything. The Dragon Balls don't work without Piccolo, right?”, I said as I looked to Bulma, who just sighed before pressing a button on her portable tablet.

To my surprise, I watched as the screen flickered and showcased a green diagram of the continent, but I was more focused on the seven golden dots scattered on the landmass that were flashing over and over.

“Are those…?”

“Dragon Balls that are active and that's not the only thing,” Bulma murmured as she pressed another button, seven more screens appearing around the larger screen before I stilled.

'No fucking way,' I thought in shock as I stared at the seven draconic beings that were on the seven screens, each walking around and causing mayhem wherever they went.

Each had a dark blue Dragon Ball with a certain number of stars on a part of their body, but I frowned as I saw the Majin symbol that each one had on their chest as well.

“We call them Shadow Dragons and they appear to be vestiges made by Babidi to protect the Dragon Balls from our hands.”

“When were these taken?”

“A few hours ago, but we've managed to figure out that they move at a walking pace and where their destination is,” Vomi said as the map flashed before seven routes stretched out from each Dragon Ball, a frown adorning my face as each route led to one location.

The Monke Kingdom.

“With how they are walking and the deadline to Shin's death, it looks like Babidi has ordered these vestiges to attack us on the same day that Majin Buu is let out, most likely to serve as his weapons.”

“So, we have to take these out as well before they reach the kingdom. We don't have the power to fight a war on two battlefronts.”

“How strong are these Dragons exactly? Can we ask the Dragon Warriors to fight them and get it over with in like a minute or so?”, Erasa asked and Cell shook his head as he answered.

“No. From what we have scanned, the weakest of them is as powerful as Yajirobe while the strongest one is as powerful as Vomi. Along with the marking on their bodies, we believe that Babidi used his marking to enhance their power even further. Thus, sending even the most powerful of our Dragon Warriors would be pointless.”

'Videl, Erasa, Mom, Gramps, Yajirobe, Trunks, Cell, Vomi and I. Nine against seven, but Yajirobe and Gramps are most definitely not going to try and fight with how they are now. That means it's seven against seven. The only issue is whether or not we can handle them one on one…or do we?'

“Cell, do you have theorized match-ups between us all?”, I asked, smirking as Cell answered with a smirk while pressing a button on the console.

The next moment, I watched as seven different match-ups appeared on screen, noting each one before nodding as I spoke.

“Okay, we're not doing one on one match-ups in this war. Cell, Vomi, I want you two to make me a list of the best match-ups for us if we're fighting in duos or trios and when you have made that list, forward it to me. Make sure to include everyone except for Gramps and Yajirobe into that list.”

“Gohan, I can handle it.”

“I know you can, Gramps, but with us all gone, we're going to need a few heavy-hitters to protect the city. Mom-”

“If you're asking me to protect the city and leave the fighting to you, I will throw you over my knee and spank you,” She said with a frown and I smirked as everyone else hid their smiles.

“No, I was going to ask if you wanted to fight, but I guess I have your answer. Bulma, I know you don't want to fight.”

“And risk my pretty face? No thanks.”

“Exactly. Anyway, everyone else, I want you all to prepare especially you two, Trunks and Vomi. This battle is going to be harsh and I want to be sure that you two are in this together.”

“We understand, Gohan,” Trunks spoke with a nod and I smiled as Vomi nodded before standing up.

“Bulma, how long does Shin have as of now?”

“Six days.”

“Okay, I want that list tomorrow and I want this war ended in the next three days. Can we do that?”,

“Yes!”, Everyone nodded with a salute and I nodded back, watching as they all cleared and leaving me to stare at the floating screen in front of me.

'Syn, Haze, Eis, Nuova, Rage, Oceanus and Naturon. Syn, Eis and Nuova are the most powerful of the group so that is most definitely the three we have to take out immediately. Vomi and Trunks can take Eis while Cell and I take on Nuova. Then, we continue to Syn and we end off with the other four.'

“However, I have also have to consider Cooler and the rest of Babidi's men coming back to destroy the kingdom while we're gone so perhaps, we shouldn't bring as many people with us,” I murmured with a frown before shaking my head, relaxing back in the chair as I kept my gaze on the screen.

'If Babidi and his men do come for the kingdom, then Cell, Trunks and Vomi are the only three capable of taking them out. However, at the same time, that would leave me to take on Eis, Nuova and Syn on my own. As much as I hate to admit it, none of the others are even close to being strong enough take on those three. Okay…Okay, I think I got it.'

“Trunks, Cell and I can go and take care of the strongest three while Videl and Erasa hunt down the other four. That way, Vomi is free to protect the kingdom with Mom and the Dragon Warriors right behind her,” It was the rough making of a plan, but it was a plan nonetheless.

Now…I can only hope everything went as we planned.

A/N: And we are entering the last section of the war!! With Popo's death, this is officially the final war.

Title: Shadows and Evil

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!