Chapter 4: Rules of The Game

  “A game?” Goku asked. “You came here to have us play games?”

  “It is not merely a game,” Grand Kai said. “But a contest between the two most destructive forces in the universe. We have come for both a proposition and a bargain.”

  “Heh-heh-heh,” Majin Buu laughed. “I make no bargains. Not with anyone.”

  “You will not get far making bargains with us,” Goku said. “We are sworn enemies. If not for his existence the Trampled Innocence would not have formed.”

  “Oh I think this bargain will be an exception,” Shin said. “Do you both not grow frustrated having to wait for untold days, picking your champions, waiting for the time to strike, exploding all your effort in one strike and then withdrawing to repeat the same cycle over again?”

  Goku looked at the Supreme Kai skeptically. He was baiting him. And he was doing it well. The Trampled Innocence and Majin Buu alike hated waiting long ages for their intended ambitions to show fruition. The very nature of the two entities demanded they eliminate each other as fast as possible as efficiently as possible.

  This bait the Kais were giving was good. But Goku knew better than to take it immediately. He glared at Shin.

  “So you give us the option to have a more immediate, more direct conflict?” Goku asked, his anger rising. “That sounds very desirable.”

  “Yes it does,” Majin Buu said, cackling with laughter. “The last time we fought, only a few years ago…it might have been the most fun I’ve ever had!”

  The gray-skinned being sitting in the cloud of black fog continued to laugh, enjoying the conversation.

  “If you want us to war again…” he said. “I would give anything to experience that sensation once more.”

  “What, in your pitiful, unformed state?” Goku asked. “It takes thousands of years for you to reform into your fully metamorphosed state.”

  “And I still killed you in such a premature state!” Buu laughed. “What, did you forget that, Super Saiyan?”

  “True,” Goku said. “Last time we fought, even a mere half of our power was enough to tear apart space and time. Why would you allow a battle to take place with such a direct confrontation?”

  “In this contest of power neither of you will have to fight at full power for this clash,” Grand Kai said. “In this fight, you will pick your champions to do battle.”

  “Do we not already do that?” Buu asked. “I have given my support to millions of beings across the history of the cosmos. Why would I need your permission to do such a thing?”

  “Because once these champions die,” Shin said. “So do you.”

  Goku could feel the souls of the Trampled Innocence churning with delight at the offer.

  “Each champion shall be given a Life Link to the Trampled Innocence or Womb of Evil,” Shin stated. “Their very souls will be connected to the plain of existence Buu is formed from and the collection of souls that empower the Super Saiyan. Once every champion of one side dies, so does the faction they represent and there will never again be a force to intervene or prevent the ambitions of the winning faction.”

  “So,” Goku said. “These Life Links our champions will be connected to…it’s like-”

  “Like the Life Link between me and Piccolo,” Kami said. “Yes.”

  “As rulers of both radical evil and radical good you will no longer have to deal with manipulating people and sides for millennia and simply throw them at each other,” Shin said.

  “That is interesting,” Majin Buu stated. “I admit I’ll miss not doing any of the fighting myself but the ability to watch this glorious display of might will be very intriguing.”

  Goku could tell the Trampled Innocence was growing anxious. Many of the souls were finding this a tempting offer and begging Goku to accept. But many were being cautious and telling him it was just a snare.

  “That does sound enticing,” Goku said. “It is difficult for both the denizens of the Womb of Evil and the Trampled Innocence to exert our will over the material world since we exist in different planes of existence, meaning it takes millennia to enact our ambitions. However, many of the souls are telling me they would rather fight such a battle on their terms.”

  “Oh but you will be fighting this on your terms,” Grand Kai said.

  “I will?” Goku asked.

  “Why on his terms?” Buu asked.

  “On both of your terms,” Shin said. “And ours. You see, when Goku merged with the Trampled Innocence he became a being of another dimension rather than that of the physical, material dimension. When he clashed with Buu, another being of a different plain of existence, you two broke the physical dimension you weren’t a part of. If you both clash again you will again tear reality apart. However, if you merely link your existence to a being of the material dimension, they will not break reality as you did in your last duel since they are members of the material plane.”

  “But how will you do that?” Goku asked. “Even though the qi of souls is recycled through the Realm of Souls, the Trampled Innocence can’t link its existence that directly to too many beings at once. For the longest time, Saiyans were the only beings the Trampled Innocence could merge with. Even now with all beings having a greater connection to the Trampled Innocence, we cannot do that.”

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  “Do not worry,” North Kai said. “We will help you.”

  “What?” Goku asked.

  “Using our combined powers over the domain of reality,” Grand Kai said. “We will create a new reality where both Majins and the Trampled Innocence can fully link your champions.”

  “You can do this?” Majin Buu asked. “This whole time you could create a reality where we could wreak havoc unabated?!”

  “At no point in the past have we been desperate enough to allow you both to do such a thing,” Grand Kai said. “When you rose from the depth of the Womb of Evil after millennia to sow Chiaotzus we had planned, proper countermeasures had been used to deal with you. However, once the Trampled Innocence picked Goku as a champion you unleashed a warrior the likes of which never seen. The idea of both of you causing us grief every hundreds of thousands of years or so was just too much. In the time since Goku’s ascension we have been planning new proper countermeasures to make sure that level of danger never again takes place.”

  “Exactly,” Shin said. “Rather than wait for you both to launch secret wars against each other through proxies, we will arrange the cosmos for both of you to…simply put, get it out of your system. We will bite the bullet and allow you an arena to destroy each other once and for all.”

  “We will reset reality to allow you both to more comfortably influence it and empower your chosen vessels,” Grand Kai said. “Whom you choose will be up to your discretion. But remember…when all of your champions die…so will you.”

  “What?!” Goku asked.

  “Is that right?” Buu asked.

  “Yes,” Shin said. “Your very lives and existence shall be on the line. If all the champions chosen by Goku and the Trampled Innocence die, he and the souls that compose the Trampled Innocence shall cease to exist. But if Buu’s champions die, so will he and the Womb of Evil itself since he is composed of all sin ever committed.”

  “Sounds interesting,” Majin Buu laughed

  “We want this to be the final battle between you two so be expected to put all your effort into it,” Shin said. “So, what do you say?”

  Goku was skeptical, afraid to do or say anything. However, upon asking the Trampled Innocence, most of them were in agreement. The majority of the souls unjustly killed in the universe liked this proposition. Goku silently agreed with them.

  “Alright,” he said. “These terms are acceptable.”

  “Good,” Shin said. “Majin Buu, do you agree?”

  “Of course not!” Buu said.

  “What?!” Grand Kai asked. “Why not?!”

  “Because this gutless fool changed reality so I have the disadvantage!” Buu shouted.

  The Super Saiyan turned to glare as the Majin pointed at him.

  “After we killed each other he populated the forty percent of the north galaxy’s planets he made barren with species that are pure hearted and have no evil!” he shouted. “This has horribly cut into my growth as I have far less evil to draw from for my next metamorphosis.”

  “That is true,” Shin said.

  “To be fair it also means far less people die unjustly,” Goku said. “And that means less souls to fuel the Trampled Innocence.”

  “Not just that but he rearranged reality so that souls that are pure of heart have an easier time amassing qi,” Buu said. “They’ll gain the power we give them atop the power we already have, meaning my evil champions will be inherently weaker than his good champions. In other words, reality has already been arranged so that I am at a disadvantage. You said our champions won’t have their power reset to the qi we apportion to them. And you think I’ll just let you do it again?!”

  The Kais gathered on the Precipice of All grew silent, clearly understanding his point. Buu shot Goku a quick smile, clearly laughing at their distress. He glared back.

  “It was your own fault for thinking you could take me on in your underdeveloped Kid state,” he said. “Don’t evil men like you say, ‘To the victor go the spoils?’”

  “It seems as if someone is too unconfident in their ability to fight so they tried to rig the next game,” Buu said. “In fact, I think-”

  “Alright, Majin Buu,” Shin said. “You have made your point clear. In this next fight you shall have the advantage.”

  “What?!” Goku shouted.

  “Is that right?” Buu asked.

  “In our construction of this new reality you shall be able to have more say so in its rules than the Super Saiyan,” Grand Kai said. “You shall be able to recreate it from past to present in your image, under our rules and guidelines. You will have more say so in its creation than Goku. Are these terms fair?”

  Buu laughed.

  “Now we’re talking,” he answered.

  “Wait, no!” Goku shouted. “You admit you’re giving him the advantage?! That’s counterproductive! You said this will be a fair fight!”

  “It will be fair,” Shin said. “The stipulation you presented that the good natured more easily grow stronger than the wicked will also be a consistent rule in this new reality. We will not change that. However, Majin Buu will have more say in this reset than Goku will. It is either that, or there will be no final war that will decide this once and for all. Is that clear?”

  Goku could feel the Trampled Innocence raging at this, not a single soul happy at this state of affairs.

  “Fine,” he seethed.

  “And if I win?” Buu asked.

  “If you win…” Shin said. “Well…”

  “Then the new timeline you have dominion of will remain,” King Kai said.

  “North Kai!” Shin scolded.

  “What?” King Kai asked. “It is only fair. If Buu wins, the artificial reality he has made shall replace the old. If Goku wins…the future will revert back…but with the Womb of Evil gone.”

  “I like the sound of those odds,” Buu said.

  “I think this is unfair,” Goku said. “But I accept the terms of this battle. I have faith in my friends.”

  “Then,” Grand Kai said. “The Convergence War shall begin!”

  Each Kai and Kami levitated off the Precipice of All and hovered above the cliff. A mist-like qi poured from their bodies and reached into the river of history below them, the cascade of the past and present shifting at their command. The mist-like qi then reached up to Goku and Majin Buu before merging with theirs, his gold qi clashing with the purple qi of the Majin’s.

  The two’s energy then fell back down, mixing with the river of events traversing below them. After a second of the qi disturbing the water, it no longer took the form of a river. All reality of the mortal swirled into one large whirlpool of collective events, lightning clashing in the epicenter of the tornado.

  “Goku!” North Kai said. “Who will be your champions? You will not be allowed to have more than twenty. Collect their names into your hands and cast them into time immemorial below.”

  Goku closed his eyes, thinking of all the friends he made in his journey in life and villains he converted. He cupped his hands as their names appeared in his palms before throwing them into the whirlpool below. He shut his eyes, angered that they would be put into such danger.

  I will do everything in my power to help you. Goku thought.

  One of the Supreme Kais turned to Buu.

  “And you?” Shin asked.

  He smiled before a menagerie of names appeared in his hands, more than Goku’s. He flung them into the swirling waters, laughing as they dropped. He licked his lips as they disappeared the torrent of history.

  “Done,” Buu said.

  “Good,” Grand Kai said. “We have reached the final stages of this agreement. So, Majin Buu, what would you like this world to be like?”

  He laughed at them.

  “I would like…,” he said. “Those I put in power to be set back upon their throne…but far more securely placed.”