The courtyard was chaos.
Energy flared and twisted through the air, pink colliding with blue in rippling waves that cracked the ground beneath their feet.
Buu and the Patroller blurred between strikes — fists meeting with thunderclaps, the space between them distorting with every impact.
Bulma and Mai could barely track the movements.
Each collision folded light, each step carved a crater into the marble tiles.
Bulma shielded her eyes. "He's toying with him," she said, disbelief in her voice.
Mai nodded once, jaw tight. "No — he's testing him."
Above them, Buu vanished in a flicker, reappearing behind the armored figure.
He leaned in close, almost lazily. "You've come a long way to die for rules you don't understand."
The Patroller swung his arm, the energy blade forming mid-motion. "You distort time itself. You're not supposed to exist."
Buu smirked, catching the blade between two fingers. "Neither are you."
He twisted — the blade shattered like glass, dissolving into fragments of light.
A single kick sent the Patroller crashing through the capsule fountain, water and concrete scattering across the yard.
The dust settled. Buu didn't follow. He simply floated down, coat fluttering in the residual wind.
"Pathetic," he said softly. "They keep sending children."
The soldier groaned, dragging himself upright, armor cracked and sparking. His visor flickered, scanning wildly.
Bulma stepped forward, voice tense. "He's going to kill him."
Mai's eyes stayed on Buu. "Watch. He's not done."
Buu turned then — not to the Patroller, but to them. His expression unreadable, voice calm.
"You two," he said. "Come here."
Bulma blinked. "What?"
"Consider this an opportunity." His gaze sharpened. "You wanted to understand what being Majin means? Then prove it."
Mai's brows knit. "You want us to fight him?"
Buu nodded once. "He's weakened, but still dangerous. Perfect for a lesson."
Bulma's stomach tightened. "You're insane."
"Maybe," Buu replied, smiling faintly. "But you'll thank me later."
The Patroller lifted his hand, energy gathering again, defiance burning through the damage. "You're… using them?"
Buu's tone darkened. "No. I'm teaching them."
He stepped back, folding his arms. "Show me what you've learned."
For a heartbeat, neither woman moved. Then Mai's aura flickered to life — pink fire curling around her like silk.
Bulma followed, her own energy responding instinctively, the air vibrating with shared resonance.
The Patroller steadied his stance. "You're no warriors."
Mai smirked. "We're fast learners."
She vanished, reappearing behind him — her heel connecting with his chest. The hit launched him backward, straight into Bulma's waiting strike.
A beam of condensed energy burst from her palms, slamming him into the courtyard wall.
The shockwave rolled across the complex, shaking the glass panels of Capsule Corp.
Buu watched, silent. His eyes gleamed with something like pride — or hunger. Maybe both.
Mai landed beside Bulma, chest heaving. "Still alive."
Bulma adjusted her stance, sweat streaking her temple. "Then let's fix that."
The Patroller's aura flared one last time — desperate, blinding blue — but they were already moving.
Two streaks of pink light cut through him in unison.
The explosion was silent, swallowed by the night.
When the smoke cleared, only fragments of the Patroller's broken chrono-badge remained, flickering with fading light.
Bulma stared down at her hands. "I didn't mean to—"
"You did what was necessary," Buu said simply, stepping closer. His tone wasn't cold, but it wasn't comforting either.
Mai met his eyes. "You knew this would happen."
Buu smiled — small, knowing. "Of course. That's how you learn."
Bulma looked away, uneasy. "We just killed someone from time. Won't that—"
"—make things worse?" he finished for her. "Maybe. But what's done is done. And besides…" He brushed the dust off his sleeve, turning toward the house. "You'll need to get used to that."
The wind picked up, carrying the faint hum of warped space.
From the shadows of the broken courtyard, the chrono-badge gave one last pulse before disintegrating completely.