A foot, clad in a black shoe with purple wrapping, stepped over the threshold of the Room of Spirit and Time. The sound of foot on tile was gentle, signifying light weight. "So...this is the Room of Spirit and Time?" muttered a voice; it belonged to the person attached to the rest of the foot. "Goten and Trunks just split apart. I don't have much time!"
Several Minutes Earlier, Karin Tower, Sacred Land of Karin
The screaming had stopped — the pain caused by the Chōshinsui was as unique as the water, completely vanishing. While just moments ago, it felt as if her very nerves were on fire, her body was calm, if slightly numb. She was able to stand. Gently, Erasa pushed herself up from the ground, and stood up. She took a look at her body, and the first change she noticed was that she was overflowing with ki — inside and out. Her body was immersed in a glowing aura that clung to her skin like flames.
"Y-You're up!" Karin gasped; in all fairness, he'd expected Gohan — the latter of whom was still shouting due to the pain of the water — to have risen first, if only due to his Saiyan biology. However, it appeared the power that was being unlocked by the Chōshinsui was a factor — Gohan's own immense potential would keep him in pain for a little longer yet.
The aura subsided, seeping into Erasa's skin, and the girl couldn't help but be amazed. She felt amazing. "Did...I always have this much ki?" Flexing her fingers, she felt a jolt run through her body. "Right now...I feel like I can do anything."
"Goku had a similar look on his face when he awoke from the trial of the Chōshinsui," Karin remarked, a slight smirk crossing his face. "So...what will you do?"
Erasa inclined her head towards Gohan's screaming form. A pained expression was on her face as she watched him; his Super Saiyan aura was flickering fiercely, and his face was contorted in pain. She wanted to stay with Gohan right now — to help him through the rest of the Chōshinsui's trial. "I want to stay here with Gohan...but I can feel it. Powerful ki up on the Palace of God...if I don't go, and I could have helped, I'll feel even worse than if I let Gohan handle this alone."
"You're confident in him, aren't you?" inquired Karin.
"Always," replied Erasa.
Gently, Erasa placed a hand to Gohan's face, caressing it with a smile. "I have to go...but I'll be alright. Follow after me this time, okay?" Turning to Karin, she gave a respectful bow. "Master Karin, thank you! I'm going now!" With a determined glare up towards the Palace, a white ki aura flared up, and she pushed off of the Karin Tower, dashing towards the Palace of God.
"...and just like that she's flyin' off?" Yajirobe grumbled.
"She's an interesting girl. Pure of heart, and certainly full of potential," said Karin. "It doesn't hurt that she's polite either." Following her trail under he could see her no more, the feline deity could see her strength, even if she couldn't feel it herself. "The Chōshinsui worked well for you, didn't it...?"
Flying at top speed upwards, the Palace of God quickly came into view of Erasa's eyes. She was surprised at her own speed, but had no time to be pleased. The Palace was approaching perhaps a bit too quickly, and it took all of Erasa's might to swerve out of the way, narrowly avoiding a painful collision. Breathing rapidly, she was surprised. "Whoa...! I'm having trouble controlling myself right now," she surmised, chuckling weakly. "I've gotten so fast!"
Clutching her chest, the girl tried to temper her speed, and made another mad dash upward, shooting just above the Palace of God before she came to another screeching halt. Looking down, she could see several figures all gathered near the entrance to the inner Palace — Kuririn, Yamcha, Mr. Popo, Bulma, even her father, perhaps out of curiousity and a feeling of not wanting to be left out — some of whom quickly turned their heads towards her, looks of alarm on their faces.
"What the...!?" Kuririn's eyes narrowed. "What kind of weird ki—wait, is that Erasa!?"
"Talk about a relief," replied Yamcha. "For a second, I thought we were dealing with some new enemy..."
Erasa descended, landing neatly onto the tiles of the Palace. She walked over towards the group, feeling very light on her feet, and she was met halfway by exclamations and inquiries.
"Where have you been!?" asked Bulma.
"Wasn't that Gohan kid with you?" prodded Lunch.
"Are you alright?" came her father's worried voice.
Erasa tried to answer as many questions and assuage as many worries as she could. That she'd been at Karin's Tower, that Gohan was still there, everything about the Chōshinsui, and a reassuring smile towards her father so that he knew she was just fine.
"You drunk...the Chōshinsui?" asked Mr. Popo, impressed. After the explanation Erasa had given, everyone present understood the Chōshinsui — or in Marque's case, at least now recognized the name — but it was only Mr. Popo who had a thorough understanding of the water. "That is most impressive!"
"It explain why your ki feels so strange now," added Yamcha.
"To think that you'd have drunk the Chōshinsui," muttered Muten Rōshi. When he'd trained with Karin, he'd managed to catch the cat and take from him what he'd thought was the Chōshinsui, but in the end, it was just regular tap water; the three years of training under Master Karin were the real benefit he'd gotten. His former teacher had informed him, after he was revived with the Dragon Balls, that Goku had come to drink the Chōshinsui — and survived. And now, standing in front of them, was another survivor.
"It's not just stronger...it's flowing odd. Your ki feels so different, I didn't know it was you," said Kuririn.
"I don't...feel like me, to be honest," Erasa replied, looking down at her body again. "I feel so new; as if I've been completely reborn. I don't know how much help I'll be, but I need to get to the boys; I can feel their ki. That other, larger ki, has to be that 'Majin Bū', doesn't it?" She stared into the inner sanctum of the Palace. "I can feel their ki, but it's a bit distorted, isn't it?"
"I was wondering about that myself," added Kuririn. "The boys and Majin Bū went into the Room of Spirit and Time—" he gave Erasa a quick explanation of the Room and its mechanics "— and we shouldn't be able to sense them at all."
"That's because the dimension is still connected to ours," came Dende's voice. He was exiting the chamber, looking at Erasa with a bit of amazement of his own. "I felt a strong ki coming from Karin's Tower. I thought it was Gohan, but it looks like it's you, Erasa! Please, if you can, hurry to the Room! I've left the door open, and now, the Room of Spirit and Time is connected to our dimension — normally, time flows differently within that room. But right now, the spacetime from the Room of Spirit and Time is leaking into our world. The entire Palace is bending towards the spacetime of the Room of Spirit and Time, and our time is flowing like that dimension's. I've bought us some extra time with this."
"I don't know how much help I can be, but I'll go," replied Erasa. "I can't stand by and watch now, not after everything I did to get this power."
"Before you go, perhaps.." Shin walked over towards Erasa, only slightly shorter than the young woman herself. "It isn't much, but I'm the one who got this entire world into the trouble its in. I feel guilty — and if I can rectify the error, even in a small way such as this, then I shall." He extended a hand towards Erasa, and focused his magical abilities. Her wardrobe started to shimmer, appearing as a mass of glitter for a moment, before entirely transforming. The outfit, formerly a purple gi with a blue undershirt, had transformed. Instead of her previous gi, she now wore a purple dopo over a black silk undergarment, and thegi pants matched this colour, complemented with a pair of black shoes, wrapped around the ankles in purple cloth. A black obi wrapped around her waist. A white line ran vertically in the center of the dopo with gold pins buttoning it from the bottom up to the collar. The most notable feature of her uniform was on the upper left of the dopo, was a insignia; a white background within a circle with the kanji "魔", symbolizing her allegiance to Piccolo's Demon School.
"This..." Erasa gasped, looking down at her new threads. "It's amazing...! Lord Kaiōshin!"
"Don't mention it," replied Shin. "It's the least I could do, for the trouble I've caused. Kibito was always much better at that than I, though I think the end result is satisfactory."
"I love it," she replied. And she did; the design, the feel, the fact that he was even mindful to keep Piccolo's colours and insignia. Clenching her fists, she fixed a determined expression onto her face. "Alright...nothing left to it, but to do it!" Punching her fist into her open palm, she took a deep breath. "Dad, everyone...I'm going now! Wish me luck — and send Gohan my way if I'm not finished in there before he wakes up!"
Before anyone could stop her, the girl rushed headlong into the inner Palace sanctum; she didn't know the way to the Room, but she didn't need to. Clashing ki told her everything. Gohan teaching her to sense ki was coming in very handy now.
"I'm wondering if we shouldn't have stopped her," muttered Yamcha, causing everyone to look at him. "She may have drunken the Chōshinsui, but none of us stand a chance against Majin Bū. She's only just learned to fight, and even though she's definitely become stronger, Majin Bū is still stronger!"
"She seemed so confident, it was honestly hard to stop her," replied Kuririn.
"Sometimes, courage and a little thickheadedness are all you need to pull you through," supplied Muten Rōshi. "Drinking the Chōshinsui like that was foolhardy, and rushing towards Bū without any sort of plan, even more-so. And yet, these traits remind me of Goku — and who else could she have picked up this reckless behavior from other than his son?" Smiling, Muten Rōshi's moustache and beard twitched. "We're in good hands."
"I can't act like I understand any of this..." thought Marque, watching the inner sanctum even long after Erasa had disappeared from view. "But I can't deny what I've seen with my own eyes...even so, I'm scared for you, Erasa. I can't lose you now, not after losing Quille...and yet I can't do anything to stop you. As a father, I'm powerless to do anything but stand by and watch as my little girl rushes in to fight a monster — and I can't even understand the reasons!" The bearded man gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists, loathing himself for feeling so weak. "Come back to me, sweetie. And we'll go home again."
Present Time
Erasa had to admit, the Room of Spirit and Time certainly felt strange. It was far too hot, her body felt heavier, and the atmosphere was so scarce. And looking into the distance, she could see an infinite whiteness; without end, it stretched, and she realized if she thought about it for too long, she could definitely go mad. Regardless, she didn't have to the time to dwell on this now.
"I warned you not to make me angry!"
A furious voice filled the room; it was chilling, filled with malice. Searching for the source, only then did her blue eyes fall on Goten and Trunks; exhausted on the pristine white "floor" of the Room of Spirit and Time. Hovering above them was a humanoid form — a pink entity that looked starkly different from the Majin Bū Erasea remembered from Babidi's visions.
Goten and Trunks were horrified — their last efforts had been for naught, and Majin Bū was alive and well.
"Foolish little boys! You've made me angry! And now you'll see what happens to those who make me angry!" The Djinn cocked his head back, forming a sphere of pink ki above his mouth. It crackled with electricity, expanding in size before contracting into a manageable sphere. Lowering his head, Majin Bū let the sphere loose. It rocketed downwards, picking up speed as it shot towards the terrified boys.
In a flash of red, Erasa moved. Her body was lifted from the entrance of the Room of Spirit and Time, and she appeared in front of Goten and Trunks. Her face set, she grabbed the sphere with her bare palms. With a mighty shout and a force of effort, the girl forced the sphere into the sky, well and behind her and the boys. Sweat beading down her face, she glared upwards at Majin Bū. She thought she heard a distant explosion, but too far away to be where she'd thought the horizon was.
If only she had the time to marvel at this dimension.
"E-Erasa!?" Goten stammered.
"What are you doing here!?" asked Trunks.
"It's honestly a really long story," replied Erasa, waving her hands comically to brush off the heat from Majin Bū's gigantic kikōdan. "The long and short of it is, I'm here to help! And Gohan's on his way too!"
"My brother!?" Goten's eyes widened and a smile broke out onto his face. If Gohan wasn't coming, they couldn't lose — he knew his big brother was strong.
"Yeah," replied Erasa, smiling. "I honestly don't know how much good I can do here; I just couldn't let you two bite it now."
"Are you done?" hissed Majin Bū. The Djinn was descended to the ground, and righted himself, feet touching the stainless white floor of the Room of Spirit and Time. "I don't know who you are, but you don't feel like much. You can't amuse me anymore than those two brats."
"You seem like a daring challenger...Bū, right?" replied Erasa. She took a stance, crouching, she leveled one arm up in front of her, fingers spread, and placed the other behind her, fist clenched. "Why don't you give me a try then? After all, if I'm not strong, what do you have to lose?"
"Patience," snarled the Djinn, before adopting Piccolo's familiar stance, surprising Erasa. "But fine. I was getting bored anyway. I'll fight you, little girl!"
"Boys, get back," said Erasa hurriedly. "I'm sure you want to fight, but right now, you've worn yourselves ragged."
"But—" Goten protested.
"Go! Now!" hissed Erasa, and Trunks pulled Goten away, running past Majin Bū, who no longer paid them any mind now that they weren't fused. Crouching lower, Erasa launched forward from where she stood, lunging towards Bū with surprising speed. The Djinn grinned madly, extending an arm towards her. Her eyes widened, and she quickly placed both hands above her head, launching a ki blast beneath her at an angled trajectory, launching the girl above Majin Bū in an arc.
His arm passed under where she had stood, and was severed by the yellow ki. Erasa landed behind Majin Bū, turning around and firing a ki blast with a single hand. "Makōsen!" She shouted, releasing a powerful blast of yellow ki from her palm towards Majin Bū. The Djinn braced for impact, placing both hands in front of his body. The beam collided, and he forced it apart with ease.
Erasa was stunned; she hadn't expected the blast to kill him, but the lack of any effect at all wasn't the best motivating factor.
"Like I said," replied the Djinn with a tinge of annoyance. "You really are weak."
"Yeah...kinda looks that way, doesn't it?" replied Erasa with a nervous laugh. With a flicker of the body, she dashed forward again. This time, Majin Bū did not wait, rushing in kind, and slamming his elbow into Erasa's jaw. The blow collided, forcing Erasa across the Room without mercy. She tried to regain her composure, flipping through the air and landing on her feet. The blonde snapped her head forward, only to see Majin Bū barreling down towards her.
His speed was remarkable, even she knew that much; like a train off the rails, Bū's knee slammed into her gut. Winded and coughing up spittle, she clutched at her stomach. "This kind of power...it's insane. The boys were fighting this!?" Squinting in pain, she couldn't put up a guard as Majin Bū slugged her hard in the jaw. Reeling backwards, her hand began to crackle with bio-electricity. Focusing her ki, she generated a rigid yellow blade of ki — the same weapon she'd used against Videl.
"Sure, he's durable, but if I can just cut him—"
"Erasa, no!" shouted Trunks from the building in the Room of Spirit and Time. "He can regenerate! That sword isn't gonna work!"
"Oh you've got to be jo—!" She couldn't finish her sentence before Majin Bū jolted forward again. Blade in hand, enemy before her, she didn't have any time to talk. With a powerful swipe, she swung down the blade of ki. It cleaved Majin Bū evenly in half, and the two halves of the body continued their forward moment past Erasa. The girl spun around, just in time to see Majin Bū bring his body back together.
"Trunks called that regeneration?!" She thoughts to herself. "Come on, there have to be limits!" The sword petered out — cutting was useless against a creature like this — and Erasa adopted her combat stance once again. She was becoming heavily aware that, at this point, she was no better than a pebble trying to stop the flow of a rushing river. Disliking that analogy in its entirety — after all, nothing was there to stop the pebble from being washed away — she steeled herself. "At the very least, I'll be a boulder!"
Breaking her stance, she moved her hands to her size, cupping them in the familiar position of the most well known ki manipulation technique on planet Earth. Focusing intently, Erasa drew on the latent ki within her body, pooling it into the space between her cupped hands. "Ka...Me..." A blue sphere began to form, pulsing between her palms before expanding; the light of the orb bled out between her fingers, colouring everything blue. "...Ha...Me..." She would put everything into this shot.
"HA!" With a yell, she thrust both her hands forward, releasing a powerful beam of energy; the Kamehameha burst from her palms, racing towards Majin Bū and enveloping his entire figure. The blue beam continued to race into the infinite horizon of the Room of Spirit and Time, and if ever made contact with anything in the far distance, Erasa never knew.
Letting her arms relax, the beam stopped its progress, and nothing but the remnants of energy were left. Waiting, however, was pointless; she felt an intense shudder that came along with the realization of complete and utter failure. Majin Bū stood tall, staring at Erasa with the signs of complete and utter irritation.
"I was right," he said, a glare resting on his face, repeating himself from earlier. "You really are weak. I'll kill you now."
Gritting her teeth, Erasa pulled her arms up to her sides. She couldn't just quit; and this couldn't be her limit. When she'd awoken from drinking the Chōshinsui, she'd felt such a surge of power. And she'd been positively brimming with energy. What she had to do now...was try and bring that back out. Closing her eyes, she focused all of her attention into her body's internal well of ki. It was burning brighter than she could ever remember — a powerful, vivid red flame.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" A powerful shout left her body, and Erasa's aura began to flare. It transformed from white into a vibrant bright red. Her ki began to rise, and Majin Bū himself stopped, intrigued by what was occurring. Her entire body was bathed in this red light, which became similar to that of flames; her blonde hair was dyed the same dark red, and her eyes, narrowing, became a dark black. But what was most intriguing was an unprecedented phenomenon.
Behind her back, six orbs of ki, the same bright red as her aura and hair, began to form, amassing in a halo-like formation.
In a stunning display, surprising all, Erasa had transformed!
A/N: Whoo, boy...this one scares me. This chapter scares me. Did I love writing it? Hell yes I did. I've had this moment planned for over two years; yes, for almost the entire run-time of my story, this moment was meant to happen. I feel like a lot of people will be irritated, and I suppose it's justifiable; but this was always the end result I intended after Erasa had drunk the Chōshinsui. It wouldn't do for the titular character of the story to not do anything, and I hated the idea of keeping Gohan's love interest out of the final conflict in the series' Majin Bū arc just because she's an Earthling. So I had to concoct a plan; and whether or not you all agree, this is what I came up with. I do hope those of you that stick through the rest of this arc enjoy what you see — I've got some fun moments coming up around the bend for all of my faithful!
Regardless, I enjoyed this chapter a lot. It had human moments that I enjoyed writing — Erasa's departure, but most of all, her father's final thoughts as she entered the Room. Marque is still an Earthling, he's a human with no supernatural powers, and he's far less familiar with all of this than Erasa is. So I've tried hard to portray him that way and I think I did well.
So, here's hoping this chapter doesn't have the fallback I initially predicted. So far, with my story, everything is proceeding as I have foreseen! As always, let's thank my friend Demod20 for proofreading this chapter! Please stay tuned for the next exciting installment of the Erased Chronicles!