A/N: Sorry it's been a while since I last updated. I've had a lot going on IRL and I had to put this on the back burner for a little bit. I'm still pretty busy which is why this chapter isn't as long as the others have been. Hopefully it still entertains. Just a heads up though, the next couple of chapters will be rather fluffy. There will be at least one Broly-sode. Fluff will likely continue until the Jade emperors' forces leave earth.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z
Chapter 27
"HAH! HYAH! RAAH!" Videl yelled with more intensity with every devastating blow she landed on the heavy bag. Despite being brand new, the 100-pound punching bag that she was working on already showed signs of major wear and tear. Regardless of its worn and tattered state, Videl continued to pour on the punishment as if the bag itself was responsible for all her troubles. It really had not been a good year for Videl so far. First, her dad had taken on some nobody as an apprentice instead of naming her as his successor. Then, she had been bested by those common thugs and had to get rescued by that punk with gold hair. But worst of all, the unthinkable had happened to her. Her father had been heartlessly murdered. Yes, the earth had lost a great champion but the loss was so much more painful for Videl. She had lost more than just her hero and role model. She had lost her father.
At this thought, Videl slowly stopped hitting the bag as fresh tears dropped from her eyes. No matter how much she cried, there always seemed to be more to come.
Why can't I stop crying? She thought as she rubbed the tears out of her eyes. Everyone else seems to be over your death, but I just can't! I miss you daddy…
"It's all his fault!" A look of rage replaced the sorrow in her face as she threw a punch powerful enough to completely demolish the bag. "If he hadn't shown up none of this would have happened! I swear," Videl clenched her fists as her whole frame shook in anger, "if I ever see the gold fighter again, I'll make him pay!"
Videl went to go grab another bag so she could continue to vent her anger when she heard the doorbell. She carried on with her workout thinking that the butler would get it but just as she started to hang the bag up the bel rang again. "Ugh," she groaned in annoyance, "Worcestershire! Someone's at the door!" She called for the butler. When no answer came, she called again. "Worcestershire!" the doorbell rang again, adding to the annoyance of the teen. "Fine! I'll get it myself!" She grabbed a towel and went to open her door. He probably went out or something. This better not be another reporter or someone's gonna die. As she walked to the front door, Videl thought of all the violent ways she could cause pain to whoever interrupted her grieving.
She swung the door open as aggressively as possible. "What the hell do you want! I already told all you reporters to-to…" The person who greeted her at the door took her breath away. Her mouth gaped open as she rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "D-daddy?" she whispered softly.
Standing in front of her, slightly dirty, with his trademark afro and mustache, was none other than Hercule Satan. His expression was soft and gentle, filled with joy as he looked down at his little girl. "Hello sweet pea."
Now the tears began again, but no longer were they tears of sorrow. Both father and daughter began to shed tears of pure happiness as Videl jumped into her fathers' arms. "DADDY!"
"VIDEL!" Hercule caught his daughter in his embrace.
"Oh Daddy, I missed you so much!" Videl cried into Hercules' chest as he hugged her tightly, stroking her hair soothingly.
"I know sweet pea, I know. I missed you too."
"I saw you fight that alien monster and everyone thought that you were dead! I-I thought I had lost you. How did you survive?" She looked up at her father with tears streaming down her face but before he could answer, she continued. "Oh, it doesn't matter, you're back! Your back and that's all I care about. I love you daddy."
"I love you too Videl." All his time in the afterlife seemed like nothing now that he had been reunited with his beloved daughter. I don't know how you did it, kid. I don't know how, but I know it was you. Somehow, you brought me back to my daughter. Thank you. Thank you, Son Gohan.
Break
Gohan landed outside the Satan family estate the day after he had summoned the dragon. He wanted nothing more than to see Hercule and apologize for letting him die in the first place, but he thought that letting him have some personal time with his daughter was more important. He'd spent the whole night tossing and turning, wondering what he should say to the man. Walking through the gates and up to the door, he rung the bell. Part of him worried about Videl still being mad at him, but hopefully, having her father alive would make her less angry.
The door opened to reveal neither the former champ, nor his daughter. Instead, a tall man in a tuxedo opened the door with a bow. "May I help you?" The butler asked politely.
"Um, yes, my name is Son Gohan and I was wondering if Mr. Satan was at home." Gohan asked hoping that he had the right place.
"Ah yes, the gold fighter." Worcestershire nodded with understanding. "One moment please." The butler closed the door and left Gohan feeling somewhat bewildered. Moments later the door opened again and the butler was carrying an envelope. "The master and his daughter are out at the moment and will be for some time. They left this letter addressed to you, young man." He handed Gohan the envelope and he eyed it curiously.
"A letter? For me? What's it say?" He asked out loud.
"I would imagine that such a mystery might be solved by opening the envelope and reading the contents." The butler said, without a hint of condescension, though the young saiyan glared at the man nonetheless.
"Thanks for the advice." Gohan said as he opened the letter and started to read.
Dear Son Gohan
Gosh, there's just so much I wanted to say. I aint much for writing but I hope this letter tells you everything I want to say.
I just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for everything. For Cell and Bojack. For taking care of that emperor guy. For forgiving me and for asking Piccolo to teach me how to fly. But most of all, thank you for bringing me back to my Videl. I don't know how you did it, but Somehow, I just know it was you.
When I first saw you at the Cell games, I thought that you were just a runt delivery boy who was in over his head. But then you fought a monster like Cell and even though you were outmatched, you still kept fighting. I didn't know it at the time, but you taught me then what real courage was all about. It's fighting for what's right no matter how high the odds are against you. You saved the world that day and squashed that bug. I guess that just goes to show what a fighter can do when he knows what's worth fighting for. Funny how I had to learn that lesson from a kid.
But any meat head can fight. What makes you different, what makes you a warrior all your own, is something far more than that. Even though I stole your fame and glory, you still forgave me. You even helped me learn how to fly and achieve new heights, literally, heheh. I don't know anyone else who would have done that. You've got compassion and that's what sets you apart. I know I'm the last person who should be giving you advice, but don't ever lose that, because it's not your gold hair that gives you all that power. It's your golden heart.
The world will always need a champion. I used to think it was me, but I know now it's really you. I can't think of a better man to protect our home than you. You've already done it a bunch of times, and I know you're going to do it a bunch more. Just remember one thing. The people need to know that they are safe. They need to know you're there for them. I'm not saying you should be a glory hound like me, but you need to be that example for them. That's something a guy like me could never do. Show em that fighting aint all about kicking and punching. Show them what a good heart can really do for the world and you'll be just fine.
You're the 'Champ' now.
Sincerely, Hercule Satan.
P.S. Videl wanted me to teach her how to fly so we're going on a journey so we can train. I don't know how long it's gonna be, but she says she won't come back till she's stronger than you. It'll probably be a while.
Gohan read the letter and smiled. He was truly touched by Mr. Satans' words. He had been down ever since he learned about his inner demon. Somehow, Mr. Satan had written the very words he needed to hear. Gohan did have a good heart. He wasn't a monster. He was Earths' champion, and he would protect it from the real monsters of the universe. He may not have known the man very long, but he was glad that he could call him his friend. "I won't let you down Hercule."
Gohan flew off at full speed, eager to train, causing the dust to be kicked up and leaving the butlers tuxedo slightly dirty. "Hmph, Show off." And with that, Worcestershire closed the door.
Break
Sirens blared as a police car chased after the fleeing vehicle. Money was flying out the window and one of the criminals was shooting at the cops with a sub-machine gun. "HAHAHA DIE PIGS!" He taunted as the getaway driver swerved to avoid a street sign. The man who was shooting managed to hit one of the tires on the cop car forcing them to cease their pursuit. "Heheh, Nice shooting Reggie." The driver said to his partner, looking at the cop car getting further behind them as they sped away.
*CRASH*
The driver and his buddy lurched forward as the vehicle seemed to hit a wall, forcing it to come to a stop. "Ow, geez Tommy, watch where you're driving." Reggie said while rubbing his head.
"Your friend is right mister driver. Public safety is a matter of grave importance. Never take your eyes off the road." A voice that was obviously trying to be heroic said, making the criminals look to the front of the car. Standing with one foot on the damaged hood and his hands on his hips, was the gold fighter. "GYAAAHHHH" Both criminals screamed. "IT'S THE GOLD FIGHTER!"
"And don't forget!" A female voice yelled dramatically and its owner landed next to Gohan. "The red Z girl!" Zangya put a piece sign over her forehead and smiled at the bad guys.
"…Who?" Tommy asked confused.
"Sounds like these gentlemen have never heard of me, Gold fighter." Zangya said to Gohan
"Well, why don't we introduce you to them Red Z girl!?" Gohan nodded to his friend and Zangya suddenly started making sounds.
"Mm, ts mm, ts mm WHAT mm, ts mm, ts mm WHAT"
Gohan: "I'm the Gold fighter and I'm here to say, Me and Red Z girl gonna save the day!"
Zangya: "Red Z, that's me and Imma bout to shout, Peace and justice what it's all about!"
Gohan: "Fighting crime and thwarting evil, making bad guys feel like a weevil!"
Zangya: "Brush your teeth and stay in school…"
"STOP! PLEASE STOP! We've had enough! Please just take us in already!" Reggie pleaded with the super dorks.
"I don't know Reggie, I kinda liked it." Tommy put in. "The beat boxing wasn't bad, and those were some solid rhymes."
"Why thank you!" Zangya beamed at Tommy who blushed. "Goh… I mean, Gold fighter, maybe this one could be let off with a warning?" She looked at her partner in justice.
"I'm afraid not Red Z girl." Gohan replied with his super hero voice. "It's up to the law to decide their sentence, Speaking of which." Gohan nodded to the police who where running up to them.
"Wow, you caught them, thanks Gold fighter." The police man said, tipping his hat to the super saiyan. "Who's your new friend?"
Both Gohan and Zangya beamed.
"Mm, ts mm, ts mm WHAT…"
"NOOOOO!" That day, Reggie learned a very valuable lesson. Don't do the crime, if you can't stand the rhyme.
Break
"You know?" Zangya said to Gohan as they flew over Satan City. "I Think that went really well. We nailed the entrance and nobody got hurt."
"Plus, I think we really pulled that rap off nicely." Gohan added with a smile. "You dropped a good beat and it definitely sent a positive message." The rap was Gohans' idea to introduce the crime fighting duo and also try and keep his peers from falling to crime in the first place. Zangya off course, took to the task with enthusiasm. She included many life lessons she had learnt from sunflower seed street and She felt rather proud of the finished product.
"It's a shame that your school finally opened up, I was kinda hoping we could do this all day." Zangya said wistfully. Today would be Gohans' first day of school and she was a little bummed out. She had gotten used to spending all her spare time with him, training and just having fun.
"Aw, don't say that. Hey, I bet you could get 18 to help you patrol. Or should I say, Atomic Blonde!"
"Oh yeah! I could even teach her the rap, if she hasn't heard it on the streets by now, I mean, it's bound to be super popular."
"Right!? Well, I gotta get going if I don't wanna be late. I'll catch up with you guys after school." Gohan zoomed off towards his school campus while Zangya went in the opposite direction in search of her cyborg friend.
The half-saiyan landed on the roof so he wouldn't attract too much attention. He figured everyone had known by now that he was the Gold fighter, but he still wanted to keep a low profile as much as he could. Besides, he didn't really know how his classmates would receive him. would they be mad that he had kept this secret? Would they get angry that he had destroyed the city with his battle against the Jade empire? Would they try to glomp him like the girls did that one time?
"Well," He said as he finished changing to his uniform. "Only one way to find out." He looked over the side to make sure nobody was down below, then he jumped over the side and landed near the front doors. Taking a deep breath, he pushed them open and he walked in. Students were still in the hallways chatting and socializing paid no attention to the opening door. The young saiyan sighed in relief, grateful that nobody was noticing him. Maybe he could slide through to his class room unnoticed…
"HEY IT'S GOHAN!" A random student shouted.
"""OH my gosh! IT'S THE GOLD FIGHTER!""" Several girls shrieked. Sooner than he could react, Gohan was mobbed by the entire student body and it was the Girls who managed to get the closest to him.
"Gohan! How did you become the gold fighter!?"
"How come you don't stay blonde all the time?"
"You're so dreamy in that purple outfit! Can I feel your muscles?"
"Can I have your number?"
"Gohan!", "Gohan!" "Gohan!"
Well, so much for a normal school life.
Break
Despite the fact that his breaks between classes were spent trying to escape rabid fangirls, Gohan was actually pretty happy to be back in school. In fact, now that his secret identity had been revealed, he didn't need to avoid using his powers, so dodging crowds of females was no problem (though some persistent girls were very close during a visit to the restroom). Even with all the chaos and crazy classmates, the classroom environment had an almost calming effect on the young demi-saiyan. Oddly enough, being able to just focus on studying really helped him clear his mind. For a kid, Gohan had an enormous amount of responsibility. He was the earths protector, which meant that not only did he have to be always on the alert, constantly training hard to prepare himself for new threats, he also needed to patrol as the gold fighter. Then there was the whole inner demon thing, not to mention all the other stuff that goes along with being an adolescent. Gohan, being the person he was, took all this in stride, but it was still a nice thing to be able to relax and focus on good, old, normal studying for a change instead of fighting some villain.
Such were the young mans' feelings during his fourth period class when a noise distracted him from the lecture.
"Psst."
Gohan looked around to identify the source of the noise. When he saw that the other students were either dying of boredom from the dull lecture, or just outright sleeping, he figured that he was just hearing things. As he started to return to his note taking, he heard it again, louder this time.
"Psst!"
He looked around confused, wondering where the noise was coming from.
"Pst! Gohan, over here." He looked over to the open window and, to his surprise, He saw an orange cloud above a blue face peaking through the window and beckoning him over. "Gohan, it's really important." Zangya whispered urgently.
Gohan had no idea what to do. He didn't think Zangya would come and get him from school unless it was really important… Actually, she might just do it because she was bored.
"Can't it wait? I'm in the middle of class." He whispered loudly. His friend just frowned and shook her head vigorously, making Gohan sigh.
"Ahem," the teacher coughed, "Mr. Son, is everything alright?"
"Oh, um, Sorry Mr. Konkichi, I uh…" He looked back at Zangya, who had a pleading look in her eyes. Oh, alright fine. "Can I be excused? I need to use the restroom."
Mr. Konkichi smiled slyly. "Riiight, the restroom." He said with a wink. "Go ahead Mr. Son, and if you happen to see the gold fighter while you're 'in the restroom' tell him hello from me, will ya?"
"Um, sure, I'll do that. Thank you." Gohan got up and left the classroom then headed for the schools exit. Well, at least they're being understanding. I better be sure not to abuse this. Gohan thought to himself. Once outside, he saw his blue friend, pacing nervously, waiting for him. "Hey Zangya. What was so important?"
She stopped her pacing and looked up. She had a clearly worried expression on her face. "It's about time! Gohan, we have to hurry, I think 18 is in trouble."
Gohan was stunned. This was certainly not what he expected. "What!? What makes you think she's in trouble?"
"I'll explain on the way, c'mon!" She took off with a great sense of urgency, causing Gohan to become slightly worried as he followed her into the sky.
"Zangya, what's going on? What happened to 18?"
"Ok, so I went to go see if 18 would like to go on patrol with me, but when I asked her if she wanted to, she said no."
"What!?" Gohan shouted. "Who wouldn't want to go on a super hero patrol?"
"I know, right!?" Zangya agreed. Neither one of them could fathom anything more important or awesome than striking a pose for justice! Oh, and keeping the world safe, that was also important.
"Ok, let's calm down, While I do think that's suspicious, we shouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe 18 just had other plans or something." Gohan tried to reason with the blue beauty.
"Well, that's what she said when I asked her why she didn't want to go, but then when I asked her what her plans were, she refused to tell me." She said rather indignantly. "I mean, why wouldn't she tell her best friend what she was up to if it weren't something shady?"
Gohan stroked his chin. "Well, you do have a point there. Still what makes you think she actually in trouble?"
"Well, after withstanding my fierce interrogation," (Which consisted mainly of Zangya saying with a whine "But whyyyyyyyyy?") "and resisting my considerable powers of persuasion," (Begging with puppy dog eyes) "she left and I decided to follow her to see what was up."
"So, where did she go?"
"First, I followed her to this place called 'Don Bertollis'. She was welcomed in by this guy in a suit, with slicked back hair. They talked for a while, he seemed angry about something and he was yelling at her, then she handed him a bunch of money and he calmed down."
"Wait what!? She didn't just beat him up or something!?" Gohan could barely believe that 18 would be that submissive.
"No, she didn't! If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it. But that isn't the only thing, the next place she went to, was called 'Sinister Rouge'."
"Sounds like a pretty dangerous place to me." Gohan said, getting more and more worried as Zangya continued.
"That's what I thought, I couldn't tell what happened in there but I saw her when she went in. She looked incredibly uncomfortable, almost frightened."
"But what could frighten 18?" Gohan wondered out loud.
"I don't know, but when she came back out, she seemed relieved. I kept following her and the last place she visited was the worst of all. It was a place, called 'Elizabeth's secret."
"Elizabeth's secret?" Gohan could've sworn he had heard that name somewhere before. "What happened there?"
"I can only imagine something horrible. I didn't stick around to find out, I had to come get you. Judging by the name, I'm sure it's some kind of intel gathering agency and they have dirt on 18, or maybe her brother."
"And she's been paying them off, but she had to borrow money from two different mafia groups." Gohan finished Zangyas line of thought.
"It all makes sense." The alien girl declared. "What else could Don Bertolli and Sinister Rouge be if not Mob names?"
"Poor 18. I wonder what this Elizabeth has on her? It must be something awful. We have to help her!" Gohan said with conviction.
"But what do we do? I mean, we can't just Go in there and trash everything, can we?" Zangya asked.
"No, that wouldn't work, what if they release whatever information they have? Then 18 would suffer."
The two thought for a moment, trying to weigh their options.
"I think," Gohan said slowly, "that the best way to fix this is to find 18 and figure out exactly what the information is she is trying to keep safe."
"But what if she doesn't tell us?" Zangya was genuinely worried for her friend.
"Don't worry, she will." Gohan said with confidence. "Where is she by the way?"
"I saw her heading to the city park when I came to get you. She wasn't in any kind of hurry so she should probably still be there."
The duo soon landed in the park behind a copse of trees and looked around, stealthily. "There she is Gohan, see? She's sitting over there on that bench." Zangya whispered.
"Ok, let's just go up to her and…" He started to walk towards the cyborg but his partner pulled him back behind the trees quickly. "Wait, someone else is there."
Gohan looked over and, sure enough, there was a rather short man, with close cropped black hair. He didn't look sinister, but he did seem really familiar to Gohan. Zangya, immediately felt nothing but hatred for this man who, she assumed, was extorting her friend. "Alright Gold fighter, here's the plan," Zangya said through clenched teeth. "We'll both flank that little creep, taking him by surprise, then we'll force him to tell us what he's got on 18."
"Wait, how do you know this is the guy who's blackmailing her?" Gohan queried.
"Oh, I can just tell." She spat out with venom. "That horrible haircut, those beady eyes, I can practically smell his cheap, evil cologne from here. I mean just look at him, he doesn't even have a nose!"
"No nose?" Gohan then realized why the man looked so familiar to him. he had just grown out his hair. "Zangya wait, don't!" But it was too late. The Red Z girl dashed out from behind the trees and in a flash, had the man pinned to the ground. "Alright scumbag! What do you have on 18!?"
The blonde cyborg was stunned by the sudden appearance of her friend, but that was nothing compared to the shock present on the midgets' face. "I-what?"
"Playing dumb eh? Well, we have ways of making you talk!" She lifted him off the ground and held him up by his shirt. "Nobody takes advantage of my friend and gets away with it!"
"Zangya, what are you talking about? Put him down right…"
"Sorry 18, I know what's been going on. I wish you had told me about it instead of keeping secrets, but this is for the best. I'll make sure this punk never hurts you again!"
"I-I would never hurt 18! Honest!" The man pled with a mix of fear and indignation.
"Yeah, not with me around you won't. Tell me what you know about her right now!"
"Ok! You got me! She may seem like a tough cool beauty but she's really sweet on the inside. Her favorite color is pink and she loves strawberry crepes and small cute animals. She also does this cute little thing with her hair where she flips it out of her face."
18 was blushing, but Zangya just growled. "And you were gonna blackmail her with that info, huh?"
"What? No! What are you talking about?"
"Grr, I'll teach you to mess with my friends!" Zangya reeled her fist back, but before she could hit her target, he disappeared. "Hey, where'd he go?"
"I've got him Zangya." Gohan said while setting Krillin, for Krillin it was, on the ground.
"Great, hold him still while I teach him a lesson." The Hera woman cracked her knuckles and started walking toward him when 18 put a hand on her shoulder.
"Uh, Z, I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, Krillin isn't blackmailing me. He's, uh…" 18 hesitated.
"He's what?" Zangya was all curiosity now.
"He's dating me."
"He's WHAT!" Gohan and Zangya yelled in unison.
"Since when!? How? Why was I not told?" The Hera woman was beyond frazzled at this information.
"Well, Congratulations Krillin, I knew you could do it!" Gohan patted his friend on the back. "Is that why you started to grow out your hair?"
"Ehehe," Krillin laughed nervously while blushing and rubbing the back of his head.
"But wait, if Krillin is dating you, then who's blackmailing you?" Gohan asked, quick to get back to the matter at hand.
"You're being blackmailed 18!?" Krillin asked with concern. "By who!? I'll rip their heads off!"
"Yeah, what he said! But seriously, how long has this been going on between you two?"
"Look, nobody is blackmailing me!" 18 said loudly to make herself as clear as possible, purposely ignoring Zangyas' other question.
"But then, what about, Don Bertolli and Sinister Rouge?" Gohan asked for clarification.
"How do you know about that?" 18 narrowed her eyes at the kid. Thankfully for him, Zangya jumped in. "I was following you around earlier and I saw you go into those places. You were being extorted, Right?"
18 face palmed. "Zangya, Sinister Rouge is a perfume store. I was going in there to get something for my date." She tried to emphasize the last word so Zangya would understand. "As for Don Bertollis', it's a restaurant. I was slipping the guy some money so he would get us a good table while making reservations for my date."
"Ok, I'm sensing a pattern here." Gohan was starting to wish he had just stayed in the classroom. 18 was starting to look pretty dangerous. Zangya on the other hand, was determined to not be wrong. "Oh yeah, then what about Elizabeth's secret, huh!? Was that also for your 'date'?"
Now a blush mixed in with 18s' angry expression. "Ahem, as a matter of fact, yes it was." 18 finally admitted with as much dignity as she could manage. At this revelation, Krillin went beet red with steam coming off of his head. Inwardly, he was rejoicing. "So, what is Elizabeth's secret anyway?" The ever innocent Gohan asked.
"Well, uh, it's a ah…" Krillin stammered as he put his fingers together. "It's a store where you buy, um, underwear."
Comprehension dawned on the Hera female. "Oh… Oooohhh. Oh… Oops." She looked in fear at 18 who still had a look that mixed rage and embarrassment. "Well, I should let you two get back to your date. C'mon Gohan, let's get you back to school. Turns out it was a false alarm after all." Then, without another word, she left at full speed.
"Hey, don't leave me!" Gohan cried out as he followed suit.
Meanwhile, 18 and Krillin stood in the park awkwardly, blushing and not daring to look at each other. Finally, Krillin spoke up. "Sooo, Elizabeth's secret, huh?"
"Not. Another. Word."
End chapter.
Omake: Dragon Bakery Z (Z is for Zangya, is good enough for me!)
Zangya tied the apron string around her waist and tightened the bandana on her head. Swiftly spinning around, she started looking from one side to the other. Gohan, 18, Turk and Esmerelda were all lined up. "Men," she began pacing while she spoke to her troops, "A difficult task lays before us today. I know we have all been through our fair share of battles. We have risked life and limb and we have come out on top. But this," she faced away from her warriors dramatically, "this is a challenge none of us have even dreamed of before." She faced them again. "But I promise you, if you give it your all, we will come out on top! We will be remembered as the greatest this universe has ever known!"
"YEAH!"
This rousing speech elicited a cheer from all but 2 of her fighting force. Zangya looked at the two who abstained from the cheer with a frown. "Koti, 18, is there a reason you didn't cheer?"
18 rolled her eyes and stayed silent. Her best friend had asked for her help so of course she agreed. But she thought this was going to be a battle of some kind and the way Zangya was talking, you would think the universe was at stake. But in reality, there was no battle. The favor that Zangya needed was nothing more than to help with some silly bakery that Zangya had wished for from the dragonballs and had named 'Dragon bakery Z'. Of course, she was still going to help, she was even willing to wear this ridiculous maid outfit. Krillin better never find out. But she wasn't going to be all peppy about it. Zangya looked at 18 and seemed to understand her thoughts. "I see…" The Hera woman huffed. "Well, maybe THIS will change your mind!" Out from her apron, she pulled with a flourish, a seemingly ordinary wooden spoon. Everyone eyed the spoon curiously, except for 18, who's eyes went wide with terror.
"W-where did you get that?" She asked in a panic.
"Hehehe, Chichi let me borrow it when I told her I was running a bakery. She seemed to think it would come in handy. Seems like she was right."
"Nonono!" 18 waved her hands in front of her frantically. "There's no need for that. HURRAY for Zangyas' bakery! YAY!" 18 threw her hands up as she cheered and forced herself to smile.
Zangya nodded and turned to her brother. "What about you?" Turk rolled his eyes and shrugged he was the only one not in uniform (Maid outfits for the girls and butler uniforms for the boys). When his sister had told him that she needed help with a bakery that she got from a magical wish granting dragon, he thought that she was joking. Apparently, she wasn't. He was going to say no, but Esmerelda was too quick and she agreed for the both of them.
"Look sis, I'll help you with your little bakery, as stupid a wish as this is. But I'm NOT happy about it." The frown on Zangyas' face deepened. "I mean, I love ya sis, but how dumb can you be? A dragon that grants any wish and you ask for a job? Why not ask for something worthwhile, like money, or power, or immortality?" As he was talking, 18 steadily moved away from the Hera male. Gohan, who also knew the power of the spoon, started to try and hide himself behind Esmerelda. "But no, you wish for a bakery, not even a big bakery, or people to work in it, just this dinky operation with these lame uniforms." He gestured to the frilly outfit that Zangya told him he needed to wear. "So yeah, I'll help you but I aint cheering, and I aint wearin this sissy gettup!" He threw the uniform to the floor.
Zangya looked at the uniform, then back to her little brother. The siblings stared each other down for what seemed like forever.
*CRACK*
The next thing any of them knew, Turk was on the ground with tears in his eyes and a goose egg throbbing on his head. Zangya stooped down and used the spoon bill to lift his chin as she smiled at him sweetly. "Now you listen to me little brother. By the power vested in me by a giant magical dragon, I am the boss. As such you WILL do as I say or face the consequences. Am. I. Clear?" Her eyes narrowed and her face became vicious.
Fear mixed with the tears in his eyes as Turk nodded quickly. "Now, put on this uniform." She held up his frilly tuxedo. In a flash Turk grabbed the outfit and rushed to the changing room. A satisfied Zangya twirled the spoon between her fingers.
"Amazing!" Esmerelda marveled at the legendary weapon before her. "That spoon must be made out of the strongest substance known to man! Maybe harder than Katchin!"
"Eeyup. It was gifted to me by the legendary earth chef Chichi." Zangya replied smugly.
Gohan didn't have the heart to tell them that it was just a regular wooden spoon he had made in woodshop. That's the power of belief for you.
A/N: Yes, Zangya wished for a bakery. Why not infinite cake? Well that's just no fun. There will be a part 2 for this.
Again, I am sorry this chapter was so short. I have so much that I want to do plot-wise but I haven't had the time to write it all out. Well, that's not entirely true. I have several things written out, but nothing to bridge where the story is, to where I'm taking it. I am pretty sure that you all will really enjoy what I have planned for the Buu saga. As for this chapter, I really can't not put 18 and Krillin together. I know some of you were really cheering for a kind of harem for Gohan with 18 and Zangya but 18 belongs with Krillin in my opinion. Mostly because I myself am bald so it gives me hope.
The rap scene was inspired by the great Saiyaman rap in the anime and it cracked me up to think about Zangya and Gohan making one up. Lastly, the letter from Hercule to Gohan was kind of my way of helping Gohan not go all angsty and "Oh no, I'm a monster, how can I live with myself". I figure that with his happy go lucky nature he inherited from his father and a few kind words from Mr. Satan it should help him stay out of self-pity mode. That's not to say that he won't still worry about his inner demon, because he will. But he isn't going to let it consume him. Or he could just be holding everything in so he won't worry anyone and then it all explodes. Who knows? There will still be emotional depth in the future, but I don't care for angst personally. That's all for now. I still have a lot going on IRL but I will try and update soon.
Also, I realized that I have been writing a lot more about Zangya than Gohan just because she is just so fun. I'm going to try and focus more on Gohan. Just not as much in this chapter because I already wrote it and I like it. But in the future, Gohan will once again be the star of most chapters.