Author's Note: I guess my author's note at the end of the last chapter is obsolete now. It turns out that they're not finished with DBZ Kai. I saw a TV spot which bragged that, next week, they're airing...the lost episode!
The preview showed that it was the episode after Cell dies. You know, the one where everyone is on the Lookout, and they try to wish Goku back to life. But Goku says he'd rather stay dead, and then they're stuck figuring out what the second wish should be. Then Krillin basically wastes the wish by asking for the bombs to be removed from the bodies of Android 17 and 18. Was there really any danger of those two deciding to self-destruct?
I'm not sure this qualifies as a "lost episode" of DBZ Kai. I think it's just the next episode of the series, and they're just pretending it was lost for a while, to build up some hype.
Besides, they're airing it only a week after the episode where Gohan kills Cell. They couldn't have lost the episode for that long.
Gohan returned to Orange Star High before lunch ended. Videl was waiting for him outside the classroom.
"Hey, Videl," Gohan said. "What's up?"
"We need to talk," she said. "About Erasa."
"What's wrong?" Gohan asked.
"Is there a chance that she's...not Erasa?" Videl asked. "I mean, she's not blonde anymore, and ever since the whole Buu situation, she's been acting weird."
"I don't think she's been acting weird," Gohan said.
"I guess you haven't heard that she just got sent home for breaking the teacher's desk, then cussing him out," Videl said.
"Oh," Gohan said. "That's weird."
"But then there are times when she acts just like her normal self," Videl said. "Like earlier, when she was talking about me getting a boyfriend again."
Gohan's face fell. "You've had boyfriends, too?" he asked, sounding slightly upset. "Erasa said she kissed six boys! Does everyone besides me have relationship experience?"
"Woah, calm down, Champ," Videl said. "I meant that she was bugging me about it again, not that I've dated a lot of people."
"Oh," Gohan said. "Sorry, I thought...never mind."
"Yeah, well, don't think that," Videl said. "I don't date anyone. Ever."
"Because your dad doesn't allow it, right?" Gohan asked. "My mom doesn't allow it, either."
"No, it's because I don't allow it," Videl said. "I mean, hello? I'm thirteen. There's no reason for me to be looking for a lifelong commitment, like the rest of the morons here."
"I don't think wanting a girlfriend makes you a moron," Gohan said quietly.
Videl crossed her arms. "I guess it's possible for a guy to find a girlfriend in a non-moronic way, but none of the guys here are capable of that. They just hit on anyone and everyone they can find."
"I don't do that," Gohan said.
"It's only a matter of time before you do," Videl said. "Anyway, we're not talking about how guys are pigs. We're talking about Erasa."
"Er, right," Gohan said. "I talked with her earlier in the hallway, and..."
"And what?" Videl asked. "What did she do?"
"Mostly, she just wanted to talk about kissing," Gohan said. "She seems kind of fixated on it. Hey, does that mean all girls are pigs, too?"
"Not all of them are, but a lot of girls are over-obsessed with relationships, just like guys," Videl said. "It's sad."
"I guess I know what you mean," Gohan said. Now that he was getting older, he was finally beginning to understand some of Master Roshi's more outrageous antics. "But Erasa wasn't acting that weird today. She seemed like her normal self."
"Huh," Videl said. "Well, then I guess maybe we shouldn't be worried that she flipped out on the teacher, then. Maybe she was just a little stressed."
"That makes sense to me, I guess," Gohan said. "After I killed Cell, it took me a few weeks to get back to normal. Erasa's probably having the same problem, 'cause she killed Majin Buu."
"Shhh!" Videl said. She covered Gohan's mouth with her hand. "Don't mention that stuff in public!"
"Mmmh!" Gohan said, then he removed her hand. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't know you were still..."
"Still what?" Videl asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Supporting your dad?" Gohan asked. "I mean, now that you know he's a huge liar and faker who couldn't outfight a girl scout troop?"
Videl smacked Gohan. "Do you not understand the idea of being discreet in public?" she asked. "Someone could overhear us!"
"Sorry again," Gohan said.
"Besides, I knew all along that Dad couldn't outfight a girl scout troop," Videl said. "My girl scout troop attacked him once."
"Uh..." Gohan said.
"It's a long story, and I'll tell you later," Videl said. "Let's just get to class now."
Erasa was fuming as she marched home. She wasn't mad that she got kicked out of school for the day. No, she actually liked that. But what she didn't like was the fact that she got no respect from the people at the principal's office.
"Some gratitude," Erasa said to herself. "I saved the world, and I still get treated like crud. If it wasn't for me, everyone would be dead right now!"
"Do you always talk to yourself?" a passerby asked.
"SHUT IT!" Erasa said. She picked the man up and threw him into a tree that was twenty yards away.
"I was just joking!" the man screamed as he flew through the air.
"I saved the world!" Erasa said. "I should get a parade and a huge statue, like Hercule did! Planet Earth should treat me better! I am Erasa, the all-powerful destroyer of worlds!"
Erasa suddenly stopped, as she realized what she was saying.
"Woah, where did that come from?" she asked. "I need to calm down."
Some jerk from the other side of the street whistled at Erasa. "Hey, Babe, you're hot!" he called.
"RRRRRRR!" Erasa shouted. She powered up to Super Saiyan and flew at the man, intent on causing him great pain.
Hours later, once school was over, Gohan and Videl went back to Hercule's Mansion. Their trip was rather uneventful. Videl told Gohan the humorous story of Hercule's defeat at the hands of some nine-year-old girl scouts.
"He was in the hospital for a week after that," Videl said as she unlocked the door. "Mom tried to pretend he lost on purpose, but I knew he wasn't faking."
"That's crazy," Gohan said. "The only time my dad went to the hospital was when—"
"VIDELLLLLLLLLL!" a voice shouted.
Hercule was at the top of the stairs, and he ran down them to meet Videl. He tripped on the third step and fell the rest of the way, but he managed to pick himself up and embrace his beloved daughter in a bone-crushing hug that was stronger than any of the punches he had ever given Cell.
"You're not dead! You're not dead!" Hercule cried.
"I'm not," Videl said.
"Oh my God, I love you so much!" Hercule cried.
"I love you, too, Daddy," Videl said, while giving Gohan an intense If you ever tell anyone about this, I will rip out your intestines glare.
Hercule eventually stopped crying and composed himself. "What—what happened?" he asked. "Where have you been for the last three days? Why did that girl say you were dead?"
"It's a long story," Videl said. "We were fighting this villain named Majin Buu and...things got really weird. We couldn't get back until yesterday."
"I don't believe this!" Hercule said. "You should leave the fighting up to me! You're just a couple of kids!"
"I'm not a little kid anymore!" Videl said. "I'm a teenager now!"
"A grounded teenager," Hercule said. "I think running away from home for three days deserves being grounded for three months. No TV or Internet."
"Dad, that's so unfair!" Videl said. "I helped save the world!"
"I highly doubt that," Hercule said, crossing his arms. "I don't think a pink bubblegum monster is capable of destroying the world."
Meanwhile, in Hell...
Majin Buu was sitting on the floor of his jail cell. He was busy amusing himself.
"Buu like candy," Buu said.
Majin Buu ripped off a huge chunk of his stomach, and he stretched it like taffy.
"Turn into...chocolate!" Buu shouted.
Majin Buu's magical chocolate powers turned the pink piece of Buu into chocolate. Buu promptly ate it, then tore off another piece of his body. He turned this one into chocolate.
The villains in the cell across from Majin Buu watched this spectacle of cannibalism in disgust.
"Hey, Bibidi," one of the inmates said. "You made that Majin Buu creature to destroy the entire universe, right?"
"Right!" Bibidi bragged. "He's an indestructible force!"
"Why did you give him the power to turn things into candy?" the criminal asked. "What made you think that the ultimate destruction monster could possibly need candy powers?"
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Bibidi said, shrugging.
And Back on Earth...
For the first time in over a week, Gohan was able to check his email.
"Thanks again," Gohan told Videl. They were in her bedroom, and he was using the computer on the study desk.
"Yeah, no prob," Videl said. She was lying on her bed, trying to come to grips with her new living situation. "What are step-siblings for?"
"Right..." Gohan said. "Anyway, thanks a bunch, Sis."
Videl shuddered. "Don't ever call me that again," she ordered.
"I was just trying to make the best of the situation," Gohan muttered to himself. "I'm weirded out by this whole thing, too. The only girl I like, and she has to be related to me...ONLY ONE EMAIL?"
"Wow, you're unpopular," Videl said.
The email was short and to the point.
Gohan,
Call me immediately.
-Bulma
"Who's Bulma?" Videl asked.
"Ack!" Gohan said, falling off the chair. "Don't read over my shoulder!"
"Who is he?" Videl asked.
"She is a close, personal friend," Gohan said.
Videl laughed. "No, seriously, who is she?"
"I can have close, personal friends!" Gohan said, offended.
"You, close to a girl I don't know?" Videl asked. "So close that she gave you her phone number, even? Somehow, I doubt that."
"Why?" Gohan asked. "Girls can give me their phone numbers if they want."
"You are not a ladies' man," Videl said. "Don't try to pretend otherwise. You'll just embarrass yourself."
"You know, I've noticed you always turn mean when you're talking about girlfriends," Gohan said. "You're not jealous, are you?"
"What?" Videl asked.
"Jealous of the other girls, who get to have boyfriends when you don't?" Gohan asked.
"That is the most ridiculous—"
" 'Cause I am," Gohan said. "Jealous that all the other kids know about dating, when I don't. It's not fair. It's like...five years from now, when Mom says I can start dating, I'll be so far behind everyone else that I'll never catch up."
Videl sighed. "I guess you're right," she said. "It's not fair. But what can we do? Our stupid parents are dumb and stupid, and it totally sucks that they're married now."
"Why?" Gohan asked. "I mean, I know why, but humor me. Why does it suck that we're related now? Don't you like me?"
"Don't be stupid," Videl said. "You know I like you. Just...not as a brother."
Gohan smiled. "Great," he said. "I don't like you as a sister, either. I like you as a...uh..."
"Please don't say what I think you're gonna say..." Videl said.
"..." Gohan said. "I like you, as a friend who lets me use her laptop to check my email."
"In other words, I'm the best friend ever," Videl said.
"Right," Gohan said. "You're...my best friend."
Videl smiled. "I'm glad to be your best friend," she said. "And you're my best friend. Well...best guy friend, at any rate."
"Cool," Gohan said. "Can I borrow your phone to call Bulma now?"
Videl threw a pillow at Gohan. "I told you, you're not allowed to have a girl's phone number if I don't know her!" she said.
Videl let Gohan have the phone, once he explained that Bulma was over twice his age, married and had a child.
"You had me worried there for a sec," Videl said, handing over her precious cell phone.
Fortunately, Gohan had Bulma's phone number memorized, mainly because it was the only phone number he knew. He called her number at Capsule Corp., and the blue-haired scientist was able to pick up quickly.
"I got your email," Gohan said. "What's up?"
"Well..." Bulma said. "I'm not sure how to say this. I've got...weird news for you."
"What is it?" Gohan asked.
"Vegeta says that there's another half-Saiyan here on Planet Earth," Bulma said. "It's a girl named Erasa."
"Erasa?" Gohan asked, shocked.
"Huh?" Videl asked.
"That's her Saiyan name, obviously," Bulma said. "I'm guessing her Earth name is something normal like Jennifer. Anyway, she's about to turn thirteen, which means she's going to go through Saiyan puberty."
"I've never heard of that puberty before," Gohan said.
"What?" Videl asked.
"Me neither," Bulma said. "Apparently, only Saiyan girls go through it, and it's really horrendous. They tend to destroy entire planets when it happens."
"Just like when they turn into great apes, I bet," Gohan said.
"What the heck kind of conversation are you having?" Videl demanded.
"Vegeta seems to think so," Bulma said. "He says we need to find this girl and isolate her, before she undergoes the—what did he call it? Oh, yeah, the transformation into her second form."
Vegeta was the only person in the known universe who described puberty in those terms.
"He says he's coming back to Earth as soon as possible, to sort out this whole mess," Bulma said. "But I thought I'd give you a heads-up that there's another half-Saiyan here."
"Thanks," Gohan said. "Actually...I think I know the girl you're looking for. Erasa's one of my friends."
"No way," Bulma said.
"If she's half-Saiyan...that would explain some things," Gohan said, not wanting to go into detail about the fight with Majin Buu.
"What things?" Bulma asked.
"I think she can go Super Saiyan," Gohan said. "Her hair changed drastically over the last few days."
"Of course," Bulma sighed. "You know, Vegeta acts like the Super Saiyan transformation is sooo special, and it hasn't been seen in thousands of years, and before you know it, we've got four Super Saiyans on our hands in no time flat."
"She hasn't gone out of control and started attacking anyone, though," Gohan said. "Just her teacher. And...uh oh."
"What is it?"
"When did you say this was going to happen?" Gohan asked.
"Three days ago," Bulma said. "At the full moon. Of course, it could be next month's full moon, or the next month's. We're not sure for certain because we don't have her birth records."
"So...she could be out there, right now, ready to destroy the planet in a fit of rage?" Gohan asked.
"I will destroy you!" Erasa shouted. "I will lay waste to you, utterly! I shall crush you into little pieces with my teeth and swallow you for dinner!"
Erasa reached her hand down and grabbed the cheeseburger she had been threatening, then put it in her mouth and chewed.
"Ha!" she said. "I told you! I am your master, Mr. Cheeseburger! Bow down to me!"
The people in the booth next to Erasa were a little freaked out to see her playing with her food, but Erasa still thought it was fun.
Once Gohan finished talking with Bulma, Videl called Erasa. They were going to ask Erasa to come over, so they could determine once and for all if she was half-Saiyan—and an imminent threat to the planet's existence—but Erasa didn't pick up her cell phone. So Videl just left a message, asking Erasa to call back as soon as possible.
"I still have a hard time believing Erasa is going to destroy the world," Videl said.
"It's just a possibility," Gohan said. "Bulma's probably wrong. She doesn't know Erasa like we do."
"SON! GOHAN? COME DOWN HERE!" Chi-Chi yelled from downstairs.
Gohan opened Videl's door. "WHAT?" he called.
"WE'VE GOT SOMETHING FOR YOU TO SEE!" Chi-Chi said. "BRING VIDEL, TOO!"
"Guess that means we should go downstairs," Gohan said.
"Okay," Videl said, getting off her bed. "Wonder what it is."
"No one knows for sure except the author," Gohan said.
Author's Note: Chi-Chi and Hercule are about to play the get-out-of-marriage free card that I set up several chapters ago. Have fun guessing what it is, until the next chapter!
And something popped into my mind this chapter. Remember the episodes where Vegito (Goku and Vegeta fused) fights Buu? At the end of one of the episodes, there's a big cliffhanger, where Buu turns Vegito into candy. Then Buu does an evil laugh while the camera zooms out and the narrator acts horrified by this turn of events.
Then, in the next episode, the Vegito candy suddenly has the power to talk and fight. In fact, Vegito is even more unstoppable of a fighter than he was before, because he's super fast as a piece of candy. The candy beats up Buu for a while, until Buu turns him back into a human.
The sheer ridiculousness of that sequence didn't hit me until now.
How was Vegito-Candy able to talk? Candies don't have mouths! And how was it able to fly and move around? Every other person that Buu turned into candy lost the power to move and talk. Why is Vegito so special?
Be more logical, DragonBall Z! I expect only the highest logical standards to be set by a show starring a candy-loving monster made out of pink candy who is fighting two aliens that have fused together by means of magical earrings.