Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ New Students at Orange Star High ❯ Chapter Eight - Dabura Revealed ( Chapter 8 )

Okay, I have a few things to straighten out. First off, Piccolo did not, of course, fight in a previous tournament under the name Majunior. But the announcer guy was just telling everyone the name he was fighting under. Right now I cannot remember any of your other questions, but they will be addressed. Now, on with this chapter. I must say this chapter is quite possibly my favorite. I loved to write it. It may be a while before the next chapter is posted though, since this is the last already-written chapter I have. So it may be a few days before the next chapter. If not, it will likely be a few days for the chapter after that. It all depends on when each chapter is finished.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters portrayed in this fic except for Jesse and Zarvon. That's it at the moment. Other original or maybe semi-original characters may pop up.

~~

~In an unknown location~

"Dabura, what is taking Spopovitch and Yamu so long?" Babidi demands.

"I do not know, master," Dabura says, "they should be here any time now."

"Yes yes, but I'm getting impatient," Bibidi grumbles, "they had better hurry up!"

"Jesse, how much farther is it to Babidi's spaceship?" the Supreme Kai asks.

"Oh, not too far," Jesse says, "though if we go a bit slower Goten and Trunks can catch up with us."

"What?" Gohan and Vegeta demand simultaneously.

"Didn't you feel their ki signatures?" Jesse asks, "they've been following us. Guess they overheard us talking about Buu."

"This battle will be no place for children," Kabito says sternly.

"Oh, give them a break," Jesse chuckles, "they've grown up on stories of their fathers fighting evil beings from outer space and galactic tyrants. They want to see what this is for themselves."

"I doubt they'll like it," Gohan says grimly.

"Probably not," Jesse agrees, "but they are fairly strong. They could be useful for fighting some of the henchmen while the rest of you take care of Babidi's greater henchmen and I take care of Dabura. And I thought I told you, Shin, that I am only sensing Dabura, not Babidi or his spaceship. If I knew what his energy signature felt like precisely, then I could pick it out. As it is, I cannot when I am in the presence of such strong fighters. Their strength is practically overwhelming my senses."

"Are we really that strong?" Gohan asks.

"Well, a good half of you are stronger than I am physically," Jesse says, "Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, and Piccolo are all physically stronger than I am. Goku and Gohan would wipe the floor with me and I could be a major pain in the rump to Vegeta if I tried my hardest and gave it my absolute all. Piccolo and I are about the same strength, though he is a bit stronger at the least. At the most, he could tear me up even more than Goku and Gohan."

"How can that be?" Piccolo demands.

"I sense two great goodness within you," Jesse says, "one has the aura of a planet's Guardian. The other has an aura unlike anything I have ever felt, though in spirit I sense a kinship with it."

"You must sense Kami and Nail within me," Piccolo says, "I am a Namek and Namek's have the ability to merge into stronger warrior's. I was once one being, but to take up the mantle of Guardian of the Earth I split into two beings: the benevolent Kami and Piccolo Daimou, my sire. When Goku defeated Piccolo Daimou, he put all of his essence into me so that he would live on in me. But I was still a new being, a new Namek. And Namek's are not inherently evil. Gohan brought out the good in me. When we went to Namek, I fused with a Namekian warrior named Nail to increase my power to fight the evil Frieza."

"Wow, that's incredible," Videl says.

"It doesn't end there," Piccolo says, "ten years ago, Vegeta's son from the future arrived, warning us of two evil androids. We trained for three years to prepare for them. But when they did arrive, they were far more than we could handle. I fused with Kami, reuniting my full power and making me the strongest being in the universe. And then Cell showed up and ruined everything."

"Very interesting," Jesse says, "with three separate spirits, you have great potential. And maybe even something greater."

"Something greater?" Piccolo asks.

"Nevermind for now, we're there," Jesse says.

Below them was an area of disturbed land.

"Hey, it looks like the ground was recently moved," Goku remarks.

"Of course!" Kabito cries out, "it's so obvious now! They hid their spaceship below the ground! That's why the Supreme Kai and I could not find them!"

"They are far more clever than I thought," Jesse muses, "it is too bad that the two of you cannot sense power levels like the Z Warriors can. Though in this case it is a good thing."

"What makes you say that?" Supreme Kai asks.

"If you could, then you would have come here without seeking allies," Jesse says, "and then you would have been overwhelmed by Dabura. As things stand, you would have had no chance against most of the beings Babidi has under his control. You are gonna have to rely on these fighters of Earth."

"Wait, why are you helping us?" Krillin asks.

"My enemy, the one who sealed me in Limbo for millennia, is here," Jesse says in a low growl, "Dabura will pay. The rest of you can deal with Majin Buu and Babidi. I will take care of Dabura long enough so he can't bother you. I don't know if I can beat him, but I am gonna try."

"That's suicide!" Supreme Kai declares.

"Maybe," Jesse says, "but my special ability, growing stronger when faced with the dark evils, will be at its strongest when facing Dabura, the King of Demons. I just may stand a chance. I know I can hold him off long enough for the rest of you to deal with Babidi and any forces he can array against you."

"How are you gonna find him?" Supreme Kai asks.

"Like this," Jesse says, raising his right hand and pointing it palm out and aiming it at the small building that was jutting out of the ground.

"Hyah!" Jesse yells, forcing pure power through his hand and into the space ground. The upturned dirt flies into the sky, slowly revealing the space ship. The dirt is spread out throughout the area, giving everything a fine layer of dirt and rubble.

"What are you thinking?" Vegeta yells, "you are alerting them to our presence!"

"On the contrary," Jesse replies through grit teeth, "I am masking your power with my own. They will think I am alone, or at the least in the company of weaklings. Dabura will recognize my power and rush to face me."

"Dabura, whats going on?" Babidi demands.

"A powerful warrior is outside the ship," Dabura replies, a distant look in his eyes, "and I know this form of energy. Can it be?"

Dabura stares off into nothingness. A wicked grin forms around his chin.

"It is nothing, master Babidi," Dabura says, "allow me to go and dispose of this. It is some- unfinished business that I should have taken care of long ago."

"Very well, but don't take too long," Babidi says crossly.

Dabura turns and walks out.

"Now, the lot of you go and get on the other side of the door," Jesse says, "mask your ki signatures as best you can. Try to blend in with the background. Dabura will be out shortly."

The fighters move quickly to do as Jesse suggests, Vegeta glaring daggers at Jesse.

Goten and Trunks arrive just as the other fighters get into place.

"Took you two long enough," Jesse remarks as he stares intently at the spaceship, "go and hide or you'll ruin everything. Try to make your ki blend in with the background."

"Are you sure you don't want help?" Trunks asks.

"This is my fight," Jesse says, "they will need your help with the rest of Babidi's henchmen."

"I think I understand," Trunks says, "come on Goten. We don't want to get in his way."

Trunks and Goten hurry for a patch of rocks to hide their presence. They get behind the rocks just as Dabura steps out of the ship.

"So you finally arrive, King of Demons," Jesse yells.

"So, you escaped from Limbo, boy," Dabura laughs, "I had actually hoped to fight you again one day."

"A day hasn't passed that I didn't think about fighting you once again," Jesse says, "you haven't changed much."

"Neither have you," Dabura says, "sword!"

A long, wickedly curved blade appears in Dabura's right hand.

"Still wield that old relic?" Jesse asks scornfully, "sword!"

A narrow-bladed, double-edged sword appears in Jesse's right hand. Its silver blade gleams in the sunlight.

"Still wielding that old hunk of scrap?" Dabura asks scornfully.

"This is a new sword," Jesse says as if speaking to a child, "it is more than capable of standing up to your sword."

"We shall see, boy," Dabura says as he crouches into a fighting stance.

"Whats with these guys?" Trunks asks from behind the outcropping of rock that he and Goten are hiding behind, "don't they know that only sissies use weapons? Real fighters use their fists to fight, now fancy weapons."

"I don't know Trunks," Goten says, "my brother used to use a sword and he's no sissy."

"Hey, be quiet!" Trunks says, "I think their about to start fighting."

Dabura leaps into the air and brings his blade crashing down on Jesse, only to have it blocked by a solid block. Jesse pushes forth and knocks Dabura enough to send him off balance and then flips back.

Rapidly charging energy in the index and middle fingers of his left hand, Jesse swipes at Dabura launching sharp-edged energy at the Demon King.

Dabura smashes his left fist into the attack and knocks it away. A small trickle of purple blood rolls down his fist and drips to the ground.

"Not bad," Dabura chuckles evilly, "you have learned a few new moves since we last fought."

"It has been several thousand years, after all," Jesse replies, "it would be time spent poorly if I didn't try to learn some new moves. And I learned several. Before, my best attack was the Silver Beam, and it still may be my most powerful move. But I now have a much larger repertoire of techniques to annihilate you with."

"We shall see," Dabura says as he takes in a deep breath.

Jesse quickly glances at the other fighters. He sends a telepathic message to the Supreme Kai. `What are you thinking? Get going? I can't hold Dabura off forever and he's the only one you have to worry about unless Babidi manages to release Majin Buu.'

"Come on, lets move," Supreme Kai whispers, "Jesse will hold Dabura off. This is his fight, after all."

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Gohan says as he heads inside the ship.

"So do I," Supreme Kai mutters.

Jesse half turns and holds his left hand out in a 90 degree position to the rest of his body. He forms a claw-like shape with his hand. Lightning bolts arc around his body and hand as blue-white energy gathers in the claw.

"Guu Mahouteki!" Jesse yells, brows furrowing as he launches his best attack.

Dabura leans forward and spits out a powerful blast of demonic fire. The two attacks collide, the blue-white energy of Jesse's Guu Mahouteki battling with the purplish-red flames of Dabura's demon fire. Finally, the two attacks dissipate and the two fighters stare each other down.

"Not bad," Dabura chuckles, "not bad at all. You've managed to put more power in that technique. I remember last time I tore right through it."

"Why don't you see if you can take it yourself?" Jesse growls, "I guarantee you won't survive it."

"I'm sure," Dabura chuckles, "why don't you try again? Maybe I'll let you use it on me."

"I'd rather cut off your head and drop it in a lava pit," Jesse snarls viciously.

"And I thought I was supposed to be the evil one," Dabura chuckles evilly, "what say you we settle this with our fists?"

"I'm not stupid enough to fall for that!" Jesse, "we both know I can't possibly beat you hand to hand, but I do stand a chance sword to sword."

"Very well," Dabura says, "spear!"

A spear materializes in Dabura's left hand and he throws it at Jesse. Jesse blocks the spear with his sword, but Dabura is on him in a heartbeat. Dabura backhands Jesse and then knees him in the gut.

Goten and Trunks watch in amazement. Neither of their dads were helping this guy out. But they knew they wouldn't be able to help this guy either. He was stronger than either of them.

"Trunks, we gotta help him!" Goten protests.

"You heard what he told everyone else," Trunks says, "this is his fight. He wouldn't like it if we interfered. Let's go and try to find your brother and our dads."

"You got it Trunks!" Goten says cheerily.

The two young half-Saiyans sneak over to the entrance to the spaceship and go down the path that the others had gone down.

When they reach the top floor, the sight they see is incredible. Vegeta was pounding a strange-looking alien into oblivion while everyone else watched.

"Go dad!" Trunks cheers.

Goku and Gohan turn to look at the two boys.

"Well, it sure took you long enough," Gohan chuckles, "what kept you?"

"We watched your friend fight that scary red guy," Trunks says.

"Yeah, and he's getting beat really bad," Goten says.

"I don't think he's gonna last much longer," Goten says.

"There is nothing we can do," the Supreme Kai says sadly, "he chose to distract Dabura. We can't spare anyone who could be strong enough to help him to distract Dabura."

"I'd like to help, but I think Jesse is stronger than I am," Zarvon says, "there's no way I would be of much help to him."

"You would be able to help him a bit if you could transform into a Super Saiyan," Gohan says, "its too bad that you can't."

"What does it take to become a Super Saiyan?" Zarvon asks.

"Extreme rage," Goku answers, "that's what it took for me to transform."

"What could cause such an easygoing guy like yourself to have such rage?" Videl asks.

"Krillin's death," Goku replies bluntly.

"Yeah, Frieza really did a number on me," Krillin says, "he nearly killed me twice and then he finally did kill me."

"That had to hurt," Zarvon says after Vegeta puts his fist all the way through the alien's stomach.

"Yeah, dying does hurt," Krillin says.

"And it looks like that guy is about to find out first-hand what death is like," Zarvon says flatly.

Vegeta calmly walks away from the corpse of the alien he had been fighting.

"Correction, he just found out," Vegeta smirks.

Outside, Jesse ducks another of Dabura's punches and performs a leg sweep. Dabura just leaps into the air and comes down, driving Jesse's head into the ground with his feet.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Dabura asks, "well, I shall make your end quick and painless. Not many of my enemies actually come back to fight me. I rarely let them live."

"I'll send you to Gehenna," Jesse snarls as he gets back to his feet, "you'll rot there for all eternity."

"You are in no position to threaten me," Dabura says, "and when I am done with you, I will go and finish off those friends of yours who are in the spaceship."

Jesse stares at Dabura in shock.

Dabura grins. Not a pretty sight. "Surprised? I could sense them, even though you tried to hide their energy signals. Those two children will not be a threat to Babidi's plans to resurrect Majin Buu. Nor will they hamper my plans to become one with him once he is awakened."

Jesse barely manages to hide his relief. Dabura had only sensed Goten and Trunks, not the others.

"Dabura!" Babi's voice rings inside of Dabura's mind.

"What is it, Master Babidi?" Dabura replies telepathically.

"There are intruders," Babidi replies, "come and deal with them. They have destroyed Pui Pui."

"How could two children destroy Pui Pui?" Dabura asks mentally.

"Two children?" Babidi asks, "there are at least seven fighters here, including the Supreme Kai and Kabito."

"What?" Dabura demands telepathically, "he must have masked their own power with his. This has all been a trick. Master, send Yakkon to deal with these others. They may be dangerous, but the most dangerous of all our enemies is who I am fighting."

"Dabura, we should let Yakkon deal with the pest you are fighting," Babidi says, "I measured this one fighters power at 300 kili's."

"600?" Dabura asks, "then let Yakkon deal with them. He has 800 kili's of power."

"But what if they are all that strong?" Babidi asks, "he will be overwhelmed."

"He can hold them down long enough for me to take care of them," Dabura reassures Babidi, "but this is an old grudge that I must deal with. This fighter is strong, but he is surely the best they have. Once I deal with him, the others will fall easily."

"Very well," Babidi says, "I will send them to Yakkon's home planet to give him an extra boost. But deal with this best fast! I have no tolerance for insolence."

With that, Babidi closes the mental link.

"Finish your talk with Babidi?" Jesse asks smugly. Dabura looks at him in surprise.

"I have telepathic powers of my own," Jesse says smugly, "I listened in on the whole conversation. And 600 kili's is nothing compared to what three of those fighters are capable of. Three of them are your equal in power, at the least. One of them may even surpass you in strength without even trying."

"Preposterous!" Dabura says, "no human can match my power."

"You're right," Jesse says, "out of every human to ever live, only myself and Olibu even approach your level of strength. But these three are not humans. They are Saiyans."

"Saiyans?" Dabura spits on the ground, "they are nothing to me."

"But a legendary Super Saiyan is," Jesse says with a smug grin.

"Yes, the Super Saiyans could match me in power," Dabura admits, "but no Saiyan in three thousand years has been able to reach that pinnacle of power."

"These three have," Jesse says, "in fact, they have all reached beyond the level of Super Saiyan. And those two boys you detected entering the ship can become Super Saiyans as well, only they can't reach the next level."

"You lie!" Dabura growls, outraged.

"Dabura, I'm a paladin," Jesse says seriously, "it's all but impossible for me to lie except when its necessary. It is not necessary here. Besides, why would I lie?"

"If those three truly are Super Saiyans, then Yakkon does not stand a chance," Dabura says.

"And what's more is that another one of the people there is a Saiyan, but he has not reached Super Saiyan yet," Jesse says, "face it, Dabura. Between the beating I'm about to give you and the power of those three Super Saiyans, you are finally gonna taste defeat."

"I will never be defeated!" Dabura yells, "I am more powerful than you, I am more powerful than these Super Saiyans, I am even more powerful than this Majin Buu that Babidi is so hyped up about! I am Dabura! I am the Demon King! I am invincible!"

Jesse stands up, with his fists at his side. Energy gathers around him. His hair begins to stand up. His eyes glow with power.

Jesse lets out a feral yell as he summons power from the very ground beneath him. "Geyser of Power!"

His hair turns snow white and his eyes continue to glow a blazing white. Energy sparks around him.

He leaps forth and punches Dabura in the jaw, then follows with a snap kick, the tip of his foot becoming equal in elevation with his forehead.

In the spaceship, those who could sense energy turn their heads up at the ceiling.

"Goku, do you sense that?" the Supreme Kai asks.

"Who or what is that?" Trunks asks.

"Whats going on? Videla sks.

"One of the two powers fighting on the surface just increased exponentially," Vegeta explains, "almost as much as a Super Saiyan transformation would bring."

"It was the weaker power, so it must have been Jesse," Gohan says, "but how did he increase his power by so much?"

"There are techniques that increase a person's power, son," Goku says, "one of them is a Kaioh Ken Attack. But even the Super Kaioh Ken Attack wouldn't boost Jesse's power by that amount."

"He has been around a while," Zarvon says, "perhaps he knows many techniques that no one else knows."

"It felt as if he drew that surge of power from the very ground beneath him," Piccolo says, "that would have been like focusing the Spirit Bomb into an aura to increase your power."

"Against someone like Dabura, such a move would be devastating," Goku says, "maybe we were wrong to be worried about Jesse."

The door in front of them opens. Out steps what could only be described as a giant monster. The scene around them begins to shift quickly and they are enveloped in darkness.

"We have been taken to this monster's home planet," the Supreme Kai says.

"Supreme Kai, do you know who that thing is?" Goku asks, "after all, I'm the one who has to fight him."

"His name is Yakkon, and he was born on the Dark Planet," the Supreme Kai begins, "the Dark Planet is so far from any source of light that it has never known light. Yakkon was born here, so he can see in the complete darkness."

"Yes, I can see here," Yakkon rumbles, "now, which of you am I going to eat first?"

"I'll fight you first," Goku says, stepping up. The two combatants enter the fray viciously.

Jesse hits Dabura in the gut with an uppercut, then follows it with a spinning backhand to the face that sends Dabura crashing into a mountain.

"Had… enough?" Jesse pants. Holding up this increase of power was hard. Especially so since he couldn't keep in steady contact with the ground beneath him.

"You will never defeat me!" Dabura roars.

"Ki No Tsurugi!" Jesse yells, forming a blade of energy that extends from his hands. He leaps at Dabura, hacking and slashing with the energy blades.

Dabura dodges the onslaught, but just barely. Every now and then one of the blades would leave a thin line of purple blood forming on the edge of his skin.

Dabura takes a breath and spits his stone-transformation spit onto Jesse. The spit hits him square in the face, but he doesn't start to turn to stone. But it is nasty and wet and Jesse has to take a moment to wipe it off his face. Dabura takes this chance to go on the offensive. He slams his right knee into Jesse's gut, then hits him with a double axe handle to the back of the head while he was doubled over.

He then grabs Jesse by the next, swings him around a moment, then drives him face first into the ground. The Geyser of Power transformation fades away as Jesse slips into unconsciousness. Dabura picks up the battered and bloodied body of his defeated opponent and slings it over his shoulder. He walks to the spaceship, carrying his burden. He had to stop these intruders from disrupting Babidi's resurrection of Majin Buu, after all.

Goku sends a burst of energy into Yakkon's open mouth. The already engorged Yakkon explodes as the energy proves to be too much for him.

Goku powers down as Babidi brings them back to his spaceship.

"Well, that was interesting," Goku says cheerily. The Supreme Kai just stares at Goku in awe.

`How can mere mortals possess such power?' he thinks to himself, `how is it possible?'

The group heads down the passage that opens for them.

"Hey Gohan, you're up next," Goku says, "wonder who you're gonna fight?"

"Or what?" Gohan says with a smile on his face.

"I will be your next opponent," Dabura says as he steps out of the door, holding Jesse in his right arm, "I just hope you are as strong as this one says you are."

He holds up Jesse by the neck. Videl gasps at how battered he is.

"Here, take your friend," Dabura says. He throws Jesse hard to the floor at Gohan's feet. Gohan glares at Dabura in anger.

"Is he alive?" Videl asks as Kabito checks on Jesse.

"He is still alive," Kabito says, "I will heal him."

Light pours from Kabito's right hand as he heals Jesse's wounds.

"Shall we fight, boy?" Dabura says mockingly towards Gohan.

"We shall," Gohan says, dropping into a fighting stance.

"Wait," Dabura syas, "master Babidi, send us to a planet like this one so we can fight at our fullest."

Babidi does so, sending them to a watery area on another planet.

"Now we can fight without risking disturbing Majin Buu," Dabura says. He launches himself at Gohan, who Ascends to Super Saiyan 2 and leaps into the air.

The two warriors exchange blows all across the sky.

"Their strength is incredible," Zarvon says, "I never imagined that beings, even Saiyans, with such power existed."

"Gohan isn't even fighting at his fullest," Vegeta smirks, "and his fighting instinct has gotten sloppy! Even without transforming, he should be giving Dabura a much harder time than he is."

Jesse opens his eyes as Kabito's healing powers finish their work.

"Thank you," he says grimly, "too bad I couldn't hold him off any longer. But I did manage to hurt him a little."

"Boy, how did you manage such an increase in power?" Vegeta demands.

"It is a technique I developed before I was sealed in Limbo called the Geyser of Power," Jesse replies, "I draw strength from the planet beneath me, from its very heart. This gives me strength that, by my estimation, is about as much strength I would receive if I was capable of a transformation like the Super Saiyan. But it takes up a tremendous amount of my own energy to maintain it. But at my level of strength, it is well worth it. The energy I have at my disposal precedes my actual strength."

"Indeed, you do have a lot of energy," Kabito says, "but you have been training for thousands of years, so it is no surprise."

"Do you have any other techniques like that?" Vegeta asks.

"None so effective," Jesse replies, "but none so draining either. I wouldn't have even used it if I didn't need the total upsurge of power. I was actually stronger than Dabura for a while. The greatest weakness of the Geyser of Power is that to maintain perfect synchronization with the planet, you must stay grounded. But since the battle was mostly airborne, it took up too much of my concentration and Dabura was able to get me."

"How did he do that?" Videl asks.

"He spat in my face," Jesse replies, "literally. His spit, unlike most of you, will not turn me to stone. But it was still disgusting and out of reflex I took a moment to wipe it off my face."

"Foolish boy," Vegeta scowls, "you should never take your concentration off your opponent in battle. To do so is to give them the complete advantage."

"Maybe so, but I bought you some time," Jesse replies, "and I somewhat hurt Dabura. To what extent, I am not sure, but it should be enough to give Gohan the advantage."

"And if it wasn't?" Videl demands.

"Then we may be attending his funeral if he is performing at his best right now," Jesse says grimly.

Dabura had summoned his sword and was slashing away at Gohan, who was narrowly dodging the blade.

"Does he know how to use a sword?" Jesse asks.

"Who, Gohan?" Goku asks, "I don't think so."

"He knows," Piccolo says, "when I dropped him in the wilderness for his survival training, I gave him a sword to protect himself with. A few days later and he was having dinosaur tail steaks whenever he wanted."

"That's all I needed to know," Jesse says. In a small shimmer, a sword very much like the one Gohan had once used to wield appears in Jesse's right hand.

"Gohan, catch!" Jesse yells, throwing the sword to Gohan.

Gohan catches the sword by the handle just in time to parry a downslice from Dabura.

"Now we're on an even playing field," Gohan chuckles before going on the offensive.

"I must say I am impressed," Jesse says, "not many martial artists at the levels you guys have obtained know how to use a weapon. And normally when you do you use a staff or a weapon like that."

"I use to use the Power Pole that I got from my grandpa," Goku says, "it could extend to any length."

"You mean that old relic is still around?" Jesse asks, stunned, "why, I remember when Olibu made that thing. He used it until he fell in battle with Dabura."

"Olibu made it?" Goku asks, "amazing. I never knew it was that old."

"Oh, it's old alright," Jesse says with a grin, "and it is unbreakable. I doubt even you could break it. I don't think anyone, no matter how strong they are, could break it."

"As amazing as this story is, your brat is losing Kakarott," Vegeta says lowly.

Indeed, Dabura's superior skill with a sword was beginning to outmatch Gohan's strength.

"This is not good," Jesse murmurs, "Dabura just has too much experience for Gohan to counter. He knows possibly every dirty trick to ever soil a fight. He knows at least thirty different ways to execute a low blow. He knows every pressure point in the bodies of almost every sentient species in the universe. If he gets a solid hit in, he could paralyze Gohan permanently."

Gohan takes a vicious backhand to the face that knocks him against the sides of the spaceship.

"Guess there's only one shot at this," Jesse mutters as he focuses energy into his hands, "Nature, give me strength. To protect the forest and streams. The animals in the wild. People everywhere who cannot protect themselves. Give me strength for them."

Energy gathers around Jesse in the form of shimmering white light.

"Amazing," Goku gasps, "he knows the Spirit Bomb."

"How can a mere mortal hold all of the power of the Spirit Bomb?" Kabito demands.

Jesse yells, throwing his right hand out and a beam of blinding white light shoots out of his hand. "Spirit Blast!"

The blast of pure white energy hits Dabura in the back, searing off his skin.

"That's not the Spirit Bomb," Jesse says nonchalantly, "but it is a technique derived from it. Still, its not healthy for me to use such an attack without fully powering it up. If I hadn't let it loose when I did, it would have destroyed me. And I only just thought up that move."

"How did you know how to do it then?" Goku asks, "or if it would even work?"

"Dabura would have detected me summoning the energy of a Spirit Bomb," Jesse replies, "but that attack I did use on him will hopefully remind him that I'm here to take him on whether he wins or loses. This should distract him."

But Jesse was wrong. Instead of continuing his fight with Gohan, he charges Jesse.

Jesse, who had not been expecting this, was taken by surprise and run through with Dabura's sword. The blade goes right through Jesse and hits Videl in the side. Dabura picks up Jesse and almost literally tears him off of his sword.

"That'll show you to attack me when my back is turned," Dabura says haughtily. He turns and, with a roar, resumes his fight with Gohan, who was now ticked off seeing a friend hurt just because he was trying to help. Kabito knels beside Jesse Videl, determined to save Jesse's life and heal Videl.

With a yell, Gohan begins to power up to levels even he had never before reached.

"Whats going on?" Vegeta demands.

"I think I know," Goku says, "while training in Otherworld, I've discovered that there is a level beyond that of an Ascendant Super Saiyan. I call it Super Saiyan 3. If I'm not mistaken, Gohan is about to tap into that power now."

"YOU WILL NOT HURT ANY OF MY FRIENDS EVER AGAIN!" Gohan yells as power surges through his veins.

As Gohan roars with power, his hair begins to glow and lengthens to his waist. His eyebrows disappear and the lightning bolts that arced around him from being an Ascendant Super Saiyan increase in size and frequency. His muscles bulge to be half again their previous size. His eyes take on an intensity that can be compared to insanity.

Dabura's eyes narrow as he realizes how much of an increase in power that Gohan has just achieved.

`Such power,' Vegeta thinks angrily, `he has achieved a level of power before I even knew it existed.'

"He did it," Goku says in awe, "his power has grown stronger than I ever thought it would."

"Kakarott!" Vegeta yells, "you knew about this? For how long?"

"Well, Vegeta, I only achieved this level myself a few years ago," Goku says, "its really draining though. But the boost of power is more than worth it."

"Kabito, is he gonna be alright?" Videl asks, her face pale at the sight of so much blood that was flowing from Jesse's wound and out of her own.

"I do not know," Kabito says, "the blade hit his intestines. Even I have trouble healing such a wound. I do not know if he will live. You're injury, however, will be much easier to heal."

"He'll live," Zarvon says matter-of-factly, "after all, he hasn't lived for so many years just to be killed by such a trifle of a wound."

"You call a sword through the stomach a trifle?" Kabito demands, barely looking up from his healing, "this is a very serious wound."

"Of course its serious, for a human," Zarvon scoffs.

"I'll live," Jesse grumbles as Kabito finishes his healing, "but I'm not gonna be doing much of anything beyond that of a normal, untrained human for a while. That sword Dabura has has some nasty magic's cast on it. I have nothing that can counter the poisonous magic he has cast on that blade."

"So you're gonna be alright?" Videl asks.

"I'd be more worried about Gohan if I were you," Jesse says with a weak smile, "Dabura is quite possibly the most dangerous opponent he has ever faced, even if you take into account the strength of those villains he's faced before. Kabito, heal Videl quickly. She was injured by Dabura's blade and doesn't have the protection against its magic's like I do."

Kabito hurries to heal Videl.

"But Frieza was hundreds, if not thousands of times stronger than Gohan was when they fought," Krillin says.

"And nowhere near as evil as Dabura," Jesse replies, "Frieza was a sadistic bastard, but he liked to toy with his opponents. This led to his downfall. Same with Cell. If Dabura has a chance to kill Gohan, he'll take it."

"Gohan will win," Goku says, "he's never let us down when we really needed him."

"Even though this is supposed to be Gohan's fight, I think we may have to jump in and attack Dabura while he's distracted," the Supreme Kai says.

"I agree with the Supreme Kai," Jesse says, "Gohan still has a lot more potential. More than any of us."

Videl rubs her side after Kabito finishes healing her and repairing her clothes with his power. "So Gohan's reached an even higher level of power?"

"He's reached a pinnacle that I can barely achieve," Goku says, "the energy drain of becoming a Super Saiyan 3 is enormous. If I were to transform, it would cut my time here in the living world short."

"Its that much of a drain?" the Supreme Kai asks, knowing the amount of energy that goes into a person traveling between the barriers between Otherworld and the living world."

"Like you wouldn't believe," Goku says, "and yet Gohan has achieved it. It took a lot of rage, but that seems to be the key to his power."

"I have seen something like it before," Jesse says, "it is a hidden ability called the Rage. Few possess it. The only way to access it is with extreme rage or anger. The angrier you are, the more power it yields. If Gohan had been mad enough, he couldn't have even needed to go Super Saiyan to defeat Cell.That is how much power he would have received from the Rage."

"What is the Rage?" Piccolo asks, "I have never heard of it."

"It's a special ability," Jesse explains, "a warrior possessing it is truly capable of anything in terms of power. In the hands of a righteous heart, it can create a being who is virtually a living weapon against the forces of evil. In the hands of an evil being, it can create a tyrant who is all but invincible."

"I have never heard of such a power," the Supreme Kai says.

"Because so many Kai's died fighting Majin Buu, your education appears to be lacking," Jesse says, "maybe when this is over I can teach you what I know, which is very little."

"I look forward too it," the Supreme Kai says.

"Surely a mortal like you cannot teach a Kai anything," Kabito says haughtily.

"Like I said, I couldn't teach him much," Jesse says, "actually, I could only give him my knowledge. I really can't teach him anything about what it is to be a Kai. Nor is it my place to. Heads up!"

At that moment, everyone has to duck an energy blast lobbed by Super Saiyan 3 Gohan that Dabura dodges.

`His power is too much even for me,' Dabura thinks angrily, `I'm gonna have to turn him to stone to win.'

Dabura breathes in and spits out a gray blob of spit that hits Gohan's glove. The glove begins to turn to stone.

"TAKE OFF THE GLOVE!" Jesse yells, "IF YOU DON'T, YOU'RE GONNA BE A LAWN ORNAMENT!"

Without thinking, Gohan rips the glove off and throws it to the ground. He then charges Dabura and punches him hard in the gut.

"This Dabura guy really is strong," Goku says, "I'd say he's about as strong as Cell. But his aura is even darker and more corrupt than Cell's."

"Cell was a mockery of all of the strongest fighters you have ever faced, Kakarott," Vegeta growls, "including myself as well as you. As far as I am concerned, nothing is more corrupt than a creature like that."

"As you say, Vegeta," Goku says, "but Dabura is still incredibly powerful. Oddly enough, he doesn't seem to have any attacks that focus energy."

"You are correct, Goku," Jesse says, "Dabura, and quite likely all of Babidi's henchmen including Majin Buu, lack the ability to focus energy to give their attacks more power than they naturally possess. They still have the power to destroy a planet, but they have to pump a lot of sheer power into the attack. I myself do not enough enough power to do so. You, your older son, Vegeta, and Piccolo have the strength to do it. Though why any of you would want to is beyond me."

"Look, Dabura is retreating!" Kabito exclaims.

Indeed, the King of Demons was escaping through the portal in the ground, leaving behind an enraged Gohan with more power than anyone else present.

"Um, this is bad, isn't it?" Videl asks as Gohan turns to them, his eyes ablaze with anger.

"Offhandedly, I'd say we're about to die," Jesse says after seeing the look in Gohan's eyes.