Dragon Ball Z: What If Gohan Never Stopped Training

World Martial Arts Tournament Grounds - After the Explosion

Smoke filled the air.

Screams echoed across the stadium.

People fled in all directions, terrified, as fire and debris rained down. Emergency sirens wailed. The once peaceful arena was now a warzone.

Above it all hovered Vegeta, the Majin M glowing on his forehead. His expression was cold, resolute.

Goku floated nearby, aura flaring, fists clenched.

"You killed innocent people, Vegeta!" Goku shouted. "Why!?"

Vegeta looked down at the destruction he'd caused, then met Goku's eyes. "Because I wanted you to fight me."

Supreme Kai stood between them, desperate. "This isn't the time! If we don't stop Babidi now, Majin Buu will awaken!"

Goku snarled, fury in his eyes. "I don't care anymore."

The Kai raised a hand. "No...!"

Goku's hand flashed up with a warning shot, a sphere of ki glowing dangerously.

"I said move."

Supreme Kai backed away, eyes wide in disbelief.

Vegeta smirked. "Heh. The great Kakarot… finally taking things seriously."

In a flash of light, Goku and Vegeta vanished.

Sacred Wasteland - A Desolate Plateau

Goku and Vegeta appeared on a rocky plateau, far from the city, the wind howling around them.

Goku's expression turned grim. "Why, Vegeta?"

Vegeta lowered his head, speaking quietly at first. "I wanted to return to the way I was before... I wanted to be the cold-blooded warrior I was meant to be... without all these... attachments."

Goku listened.

"I've fought beside you for years," Vegeta continued, "and no matter how hard I trained, no matter how strong I became... you were always one step ahead. Kakarot… the one who surpassed me, a Saiyan elite, again and again."

His voice hardened.

"I wanted to beat you. That's all I ever wanted. That's why I let Babidi into my mind. That's why I let him awaken the evil in my heart."

Goku's eyes widened.

"You… let him?"

Vegeta nodded. "I knew what I was doing. I needed to stop caring. I needed you at your best."

He raised his fists. "Now fight me, Kakarot!"

The ground shook as their auras exploded, Goku transformed into Super Saiyan 2, electricity crackling around his body.

Vegeta smiled. "Finally."

And they clashed.

Fist met fist.

The shockwave flattened nearby mountains.

They vanished and reappeared mid-air, trading blows faster than the eye could follow. Each strike was earth-shattering, each kick a sonic boom.

Meanwhile - Inside Babidi's Ship

Babidi cheered as the energy meter surged. "Yes! Yes! Their battle is perfect! So much power!"

The orb containing Majin Buu pulsed with red light.

"He's almost free! Just a little more!"

Back on the Battlefield - Goku vs Majin Vegeta

The two warriors were evenly matched.

Goku gritted his teeth as Vegeta struck him with a fierce combo, uppercut, knee, elbow smash.

Goku flipped backward, landing hard but recovering instantly.

"You're stronger than before," he admitted. "Even stronger than when we fought Cell. So you rely on Babidi for your power."

Vegeta wiped blood from his chin. "Don't insult me. This power is mine. Not his."

They launched again, fists flying.

The battle tore through the sky and the land, each blow releasing surges of ki that cracked the heavens.

But as they fought, something darker stirred…

Inside the Orb...

The sphere pulsed violently.

Babidi laughed. "Soon! Soon the greatest terror in the universe will be born again!"

Babidi's Ship - Interior Corridors

The earth rumbled above as energy surged from Goku and Vegeta's clash, shaking the very walls of Babidi's ship. The dark sorcerer grinned from ear to ear, watching the energy meter spike.

"YES! The power! More! Just a little more!"

The orb containing Majin Buu glowed violently, veins of light pulsating around it, its surface trembling like a volcano ready to erupt.

Gohan, Supreme Kai and Kibito appeared back into Babidi's ship.

Supreme Kai's face darkened.

"We're too late… the energy they're releasing is far more than I anticipated."

Beside him, Gohan clenched his fists. His aura flickered, his anger barely contained.

"Then we stop this now," he growled. "Where's Dabura?"

Kibito looked around, worried. "He's vanished… he must be regrouping with Babidi."

Suddenly, laughter echoed around them. Babidi's voice, taunting.

"You're welcome to come try but you'll be too late! Buu is almost awake!"

The hallway lit up. Ahead of them stood Dabura, freshly healed, though still bruised from his clash with Gohan earlier.

His red eyes narrowed. "You surprised me, boy. You are not the same weak-willed fighter you were before."

Gohan stepped forward, his eyes burning. "That was your only warning."

Dabura smirked, forming a spear of darkness in his hand. "Then let's end this."

He lunged forward...

... but Gohan was already there, faster than before, delivering a devastating punch to Dabura's gut that sent him crashing through the corridor wall.

Supreme Kai shouted, "Gohan, don't waste time on him, Buu is the true threat!"

"I won't let him slow us down."

Gohan flew through the new opening, crashing into Dabura again before the demon could recover. The two exchanged high-speed blows in mid-air through Babidi's chamber as debris rained down.

Meanwhile in the Sacred Wasteland...

Fists clashed again, shockwaves split the sky.

Goku skidded back, panting, bruised but smiling. "You're holding nothing back, huh?"

Vegeta wiped blood from his chin, panting heavily. "You either, Kakarot. But I know you're still hiding something."

Goku hesitated.

"You've gotten stronger since you've been gone. I felt it when you fought Yakon. There's more. Show me."

The air grew silent.

Then…

"Fine," Goku said, stepping back.

He closed his eyes.

His golden aura condensed, then exploded, his hair grew longer, wilder, electricity dancing like a storm around him.

Super Saiyan 3.

The ground cracked under the weight of his ki.

Vegeta's eyes widened but not in fear. In excitement.

"So this is it…!"

But then, his own aura flared.

Golden light surged, and with a cry of power, Vegeta's hair lengthened just as wildly. His own lightning tore through the clouds.

Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta.

The Earth trembled beneath the two Saiyan titans.

Far away, Babidi's ship rattled violently.

"No! No! This is too much!" Babidi shrieked.

The orb holding Buu pulsed like a beating heart, faster and faster, glowing red-hot.

Gohan's eyes narrowed. "He's going to awaken... early."

Back on the battlefield, Goku and Vegeta collided again, Super Saiyan 3 against Super Saiyan 3.

Each punch carved craters into the ground. Each blast leveled mountains.

And in the distance…

Crack.

A fissure split down the side of Majin Buu's orb.

Babidi's eyes lit up with manic glee.

"Yes! YES! He's coming!"

Gohan's head snapped toward the energy. "We're too late!"

Meanwhile in the sacred wasteland...

Vegeta landed a massive blow on Goku, sending him skidding back, both panting hard, their power draining fast.

And in the chaos back on Babidi's ship...

Babidi screamed, "You fools! Don't damage the orb!"

But it was too late.

As Gohan struck Dabura down with a burst of golden energy, the orb pulsed one final time…

CRACK!

The seal shattered.

Steam poured out in all directions. The room went silent.

Kibito gasped. "N... no… it can't be…"

A squat, round figure slowly floated upward from the remains of the sphere. Pink… plump… and smiling.

Majin Buu had awakened.

Babidi laughed maniacally, tears of joy streaming down his face. "He's here! He's finally here!! The most powerful creature in the universe!"

Gohan landed beside the Supreme Kai and Kibito, eyes wide.

"This… this is him?"

Majin Buu looked around, dazed… then let out a loud, childish giggle.

"Buu hungry!"

Kibito growled. "This… is the threat we feared?"

"Don't be fooled," warned the Supreme Kai. "His appearance is deceiving. That creature… is pure destruction."

Dabura groaned from the rubble. "What… what is this…?"

Babidi grinned down at him. "That, my dear Dabura… is your replacement."

Buu's head snapped toward Dabura, sensing hostility.

With a sudden surge of rage, Buu blew Dabura to pieces with a single blast, his body reduced to ash before anyone could react.

Supreme Kai's voice trembled. "This is the beginning… of the end."

Gohan stepped forward, powering up to Super Saiyan 2 again, the ground cracking beneath him. "Then we end it now."