Notes: This was just going to be a one-shot, but I think I will use this story to address certain issues that arise in DB Super that I find... questionable. Both in how they unfolded, and in that nobody asked Bulma's opinion, seeing how she's one of the smartest people they have access to. As before, I will save my rant for the end of this chapter. That way you can skip it if you're so inclined. I like to think my Gohan gripe is a bit different from what most people are mad about. Anyway, this chapter begs the question, why isn't Gohan working at Capsule Corp? For that matter, why isn't everyone?

Chapter Summary: Gohan loses a job he doesn't need because of a part-time job that he didn't want. If only he was a close friend of someone who ran a massively successful company, knew his family's history, and could give him abrupt paid vacations when he has to save the planet.

Bulma's Suggestion Box

A Dragon Ball Super Fanfic by

Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)
Chapter 2: Gohan's New Job

It was simply not a good day to be Son Gohan.

He had barely had time to finish a delicious breakfast, prepared by his adorable wife, and attended by his adorable daughter, when it all began to go downhill. Gohan had just kissed his two favorite girls (he would never admit this to his mother, even though she clearly felt the same way about them) when the doorbell rang.

Gohan opened the front door, only to be faced with the last person he wanted to see: a delivery man with a familiar logo on his shirt.

"Package for you, Gohan-san," the man said, holding out a large envelope.

"Oh," Gohan said, with no trace of surprise or enthusiasm. "Thank you."

"No problem." The delivery man held out his clipboard. "Sign here to confirm the delivery, please."

"Sure." Gohan quickly signed his name. He was halfway tempted to hand the envelope back as a tip, but felt Videl's eyes on his back and decided against it.

The delivery man tipped his hat in farewell, then turned and jogged back to his truck.

Gohan sighed and closed the door, only to turn and nearly run into Videl, who was abruptly in his personal space. Odd, how he had once minded that a great deal. How foolish and young he had been back then.

"Another royalty check?" Videl asked expectantly.

Gohan did not need to open the envelope. The deliveries were always prompt. You could set your watch by them. Some people actually did. As was proven when the phone began to ring.

"Don't answer it," Gohan said. "You know it's her."

Videl rolled her eyes, plucked the envelope from his hand, and immediately answered the phone. "Yes, Bulma-san. It just arrived," she said.

Gohan groaned. Things had not always been this way.

Bulma was a dear family friend. Not so long ago, he had enjoyed talking to her. Still did, in fact. Except on a certain subject.

The Great Saiyaman.

Which she had just sent him yet another royalty check for.

To make a long story short, the Great Saiyaman was a joint creation between the two of them. Bulma had made the costume. Gohan... well, he was the Great Saiyaman. A superhero who saved people from evildoers. Or used to. Now he was limited to private appearances for his family's amusement. Or had been until very recently.

The Great Saiyaman was unfortunately a public figure as well. And since no one had technically owned the rights to the character at the time, someone had gone and made a full-length movie about him. It helped, only slightly, that Videl's father, Mr. Satan, was the co-star, so things hadn't gotten too out of hand. At least not by Gohan's standards, which had at one time included planetary threats.

But to prevent a repeat of this, Bulma had suggested that they purchase the rights to the character. Of course, now it was too late to claim they had invented the Great Saiyaman. Anyone could say that. Fortunately, Bulma was obscenely rich and influential, even more so than Mr. Satan (partially because he was not as wise with his spending habits), so she had purchased the rights in no time. Which effectively meant that the Great Saiyaman legally belonged to her, and by extension, was now heavily affiliated with Capsule Corporation, Bulma's enormous company.

This was not a bad thing. At first. Gohan had not wanted to keep being the Great Saiyaman publicly, and Bulma had not expected or asked him to. But she had asked for approval to set up some merchandising, which Gohan reluctantly agreed to. The next thing he knew, the Great Saiyaman was Capsule Corp's unofficial mascot, and every third kid he passed on the street was either wearing a cape and trash can helmet, or carrying an official action figure.

Bulma had stayed obscenely rich by making the right calls with money, and the Great Saiyaman merchandising line was such a call. The money was rolling in. And she could have kept it all. But she wouldn't be a dear family friend if she were that sort of person. So half of all profits were sent to Gohan every month.

He didn't need the money. Between his own job, Videl's savings, and the frequent cash gifts from Mr. Satan, they honestly had too much money. For the first time, Gohan was not debating if he should buy certain things, but if he should give some away so he would not feel as guilty, since he knew his parents didn't live anywhere near this luxurious.

But Bulma, as a dear family friend, could not be persuaded. She had met Gohan when he was just a boy of four or five, and they had been through so much together since then. It was in her nature to want to help him. So the idea of her, keeping money that he had earned, was decidedly not in her nature.

Gohan appreciated her honesty and generosity. But he hated the monthly reminders that something he no longer had any control over was earning him far more money than his actual job did.

But then Gohan got fired.

Not for being the Great Saiyaman, thankfully.

No, he got fired for being the Great Saiyaman's stuntman in the movie. Which was insulting on multiple levels.

Gohan had been employed doing research for an admittedly strict professor. Apparently, a part-time stuntman did not project the sort of image the professor wanted his research assistants to have. So he had fired Gohan.

Gohan was stunned. He took a few minutes to pile everything at his desk into a box, and then wandered around town with said box until a car honked at him.

It was Bulma, of course.

"Get in," she instructed.

Gohan had nothing better to do, so he and his box got in.

"I heard you got fired," Bulma said casually as she pulled away from the curb.

Gohan stared at her.

"What? I hear things. You think Mr. Satan is the only rich person who can get information?"

Gohan blinked. "No, I just... forget it. Who told you?"

"Private investigator."

Gohan stared again. "You hired a private investigator to keep an eye on my job?"

"That would be silly, considering you don't have it anymore. I hired a private investigator to keep an eye on you."

"Um... why?"

Bulma smiled. "That is what we rich people do when we want to keep tabs on people who interest us. So, connect the dots, and I keep tabs on you because?"

"I interest you?" Gohan guessed.

"Good, that big brain hasn't clocked out yet. Now, I know you don't need the money, but I happen to be aware of a job opening that is perfect for you. Since you just got fired, I assume your schedule is wide open at the moment. If we hurry, you could have the new job before nightfall, so there would be no need to tell Videl that you lost one. You could just say you were aggressively recruited by a top company."

"That wouldn't be true."

"The part about you being aggressively recruited is, trust me."

Gohan shook his head. "I can't do that. I've always been honest with Videl about money."

Bulma chuckled. "Well, I imagine that is easier, when she has more than you do. Fine, we'll tell her the truth together."

"I appreciate that, but I can handle it on my own."

"Just like you handled that last job situation? No, I think this calls for a woman's touch, Gohan. Trust me."

If Gohan needed any more proof that they had too much money, it was Videl's reaction to learning that he had just lost his job.

Videl merely blinked, tilted her head slightly, and then asked, "Well, didn't you say that professor was pretty strict, Gohan?"

Gohan gaped at her. "Videl, my boss being a little strict isn't really a reason to be glad I lost my job. I mean, your father was extremely strict when I first met him. If I had given up because of that, we never would have gotten married."

"I think what you really mean to say is if you had given up that quickly, you wouldn't be the sort of man I wanted to marry in the first place," Videl corrected with a smile. "Anyway, I don't see a reason to worry. You know neither of us actually has to work. And if it's a matter of finding another job, your research is valuable. I'm sure you can find someone else who can see that, and is willing to be more flexible."

"I'm glad you have so much faith in me, but I'm afraid that I'll run into the same problem. There aren't going to be many reputable companies that are willing to accept both me and the Great Saiyaman. Or me having been his stunt double."

Videl stared at him in disbelief. "So you would like to work for a reputable company that values your research, is understanding of your past as the Great Saiyaman, and can at least match the income from your previous job?" She tried very hard not to look at Bulma, who was seated next to her and quietly nibbling on a cookie.

Gohan blinked slowly. "That actually sounds pretty perfect."

Videl sighed and shook her head. "If that's really true, Gohan, then tell me something. Why aren't you working at Capsule Corp?"

"Wait, what?" Gohan asked.

"Bulma has known you since you were a boy. She's familiar with your family history, so any quirks you would need to hide from any other employer, she's already seen and prepared for. And not only did she create the Great Saiyaman's costume, she owns the rights to the character, and makes his official merchandise. I don't think she would ever fire you over something she helped you create."

"That's true," Gohan admitted slowly. "But my salary was pretty competitive..."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Gohan, I can afford to pay you to stay home and do nothing. I can more than match whatever you made at your old job."

"Did your private investigator tell you that, too?"

"No. He told me that I could buy that college and fire the professor who fired you."

Gohan looked at her nervously. "You wouldn't actually do that, would you?"

"Buy the college so that you could keep working there? Of course not. It'd be cheaper and more effective to hire you myself. But fire the guy who fired you? Absolutely."

"Just because we're friends?"

Bulma frowned at him. "You don't have to make it sound like such a small thing, and no, not just because of that. You didn't deserve to be fired. And if you had worked for me, you wouldn't have been."

"But you can't blame him! He didn't know I was the Great Saiyaman when he hired me!"

"You're right. So I should blame you for not informing your boss about your superhero past before he hired you. Hmm, if only you could work for someone who already knew your superhero past and wouldn't fire you over it. What to do, what to do...?"

"You're making fun of me, aren't you?" Gohan asked.

"Just a little," Bulma admitted with a grin.

"But I don't want to be hired just because we're friends."

"That isn't the only reason, Gohan. I would have hired you straight out of high school. You were young and smart and eager, and I could have put you in a hundred different places in Capsule Corp. But you didn't come to me. I was honestly a little hurt. You didn't even ask me for a recommendation. I get that you wanted to make it on your own. But as long as you live, you're either going to benefit from my name, or Mr. Satan's, or your father's. Is that really such a horrible thing? That people who came before you cared enough to leave a mark on the world so that you don't have to struggle as much as they did? Don't you intend to do that for Pan? Wouldn't you want someone you trust watching out for her when it's time for her to find a job?"

Gohan was still doubtful. "You say it's not just because we're friends. But I think you'd hire my whole family if you could."

"Of course I would!" Bulma replied. "There wouldn't be an Earth if you guys hadn't saved it so many times! And do you have any idea how often I've heard your mother complain about her money troubles? Do you know how often I wish she'd swallow her pride and let me help her out? It's not just because we're friends. You guys have saved my life repeatedly, and every time you save the world, you ask for nothing in return, and you get nothing. You deserve to live comfortably, and if I can help you do that, then I'm happy to. What's the point of me having all of this money, if I can't use it to help the people who kept the planet in one piece long enough for me to make that money?"

"But we don't really need the money," Gohan said, "and-"

"Forget the money! You could set your own hours, stay close to home, and you wouldn't have to answer to someone who didn't understand you! Why do I have to sell you on something that's nothing but positives? You could even bring Videl and Pan to work with you!"

Videl blinked. "He could?"

"I could?" Gohan asked. "But what would they do all day?"

"Any number of things! Trunks and Goten are usually hanging around somewhere. Sometimes 18 and Marron drop by to visit. Of course, we have an on-site daycare center for employees, but it would probably be better to leave Pan with Chi-Chi between shifts."

"I thought you said I could set my own schedule?" Gohan asked.

"I didn't mean your shifts, I meant Chi-Chi's. I just hired her."

"To do what?" Gohan asked in disbelief.

Bulma frowned at him. "Gohan, I'm surprised at you! Your mother is an extremely capable woman! Initially, I wanted to hire her as a cook, but she refused. So I talked her into a part-time job. She's going to be teaching a self-defense class for women a few days a week. Videl, you could help her with that. Though, maybe having someone famous involved wouldn't be the best idea. Chi-Chi is still a little skittish about the whole thing, and if the classes are too big, she might quit. And I hope she doesn't, there's a lot of interest in this class. I'd teach it myself, if I were qualified."

"I'm sure I can help out, if there are too many people," Videl offered. "Maybe I can teach on the days that Chi-Chi would rather not."

Gohan frowned. "Is Pan going to have a job, too, before this is done?"

Bulma grinned. "I was just thinking of a new character. How does 'The Great Saiyababy' grab you?"

One Month Later

Gohan's eyes gleamed as his fingers flew across the keyboard. Though he had been working on this paper for hours, he had just reached a critical point in his theory, and new energy seemed to fill his every keystroke. Just imagining the stunned looks on the faces of the other scholars as they read his research was enough to keep him going for at least another hour, maybe more-

A well-manicured finger tapped a button on his monitor, causing the screen to go black.

Gohan almost cried out in horror, and then did when he noticed the person standing over him with a smirk. "Erasa! Why did you do that?! I was just getting-"

"Up because you've been cooped up in here for hours and forgot to each your lunch again," she interrupted with a pointed look.

Gohan blushed faintly. "Oh. Well, you see-"

"Yes, I do see. Because I've had your lunch sitting on my desk the entire morning, specifically so you would have to come out and get it when you got hungry." She gestured to the multitude of sticky notes hanging from the bottom of his monitor, all of which reminded him that his lunch was on her desk, and all of which he had forgotten in his excitement over the paper.

"Ah. Um, I was a little busy-"

"Gohan. Stop." Erasa sighed, shook her head, and leaned against his desk. "Do you know why I volunteered to be your secretary?"

"Because Bulma pays you way more money than any other secretary you know?"

Erasa frowned at him. "True, but not my point. It's because when I pictured you working here, do you know what image popped into my head? You, sitting at your desk, working through lunch, forgetting to eat, totally neglecting the fact that you work at the same company as your wife, and not even taking a break to go see your cute little girl. Exactly what you're doing right now, Gohan. And do you know why Bulma hired me, specifically?"

"Because Videl and I knew you from high school?"

"Again, true, but not my point. It's because I assured Bulma that despite not being super-strong or skilled in martial arts, I had a way of getting you out of this office and into the fresh air whenever I need to."

Gohan's entire face went red. "Erasa, please don't."

She grinned at him. "Nope, sorry, you practically asked for it."

"I'm a happily married man-"

"Whose wife specifically gave me permission to do this if you went into hermit mode." Erasa's grin grew as she leaned forward into his personal space. "If you don't get out of that chair right now, I'm going to sit in your lap and kiss you."

"I know when Videl told you that, she-" Gohan trailed off as Erasa produced some bright green lipstick and began to apply it to her lips. "Alright, I'm going!" Gohan shouted, leaping out of his chair.

Erasa pouted at him with her now green lips. "Why, Gohan, if I didn't know any better, I'd almost think you didn't want me to kiss you!"

"You enjoy that way too much," he said accusingly. He tried to subtly reach over and save his work on the computer, but Erasa smacked his hand.

"I'll take care of that. You just get out of here. Unless you've changed your mind about that smooch, that is."

Gohan needed no further convincing. The first time Erasa had followed through on her threat, Gohan had found the particular brand of lipstick resistant to all his attempts to remove it before he saw Videl. In the end, he had no choice but to face his wife and admit that he'd worked through lunch again. Without a word, Videl had simply used some sort of makeup remover on his cheek that took all of three seconds to get rid of the stain.

After collecting his lunch from Erasa's desk, Gohan considered where he could actually go to eat it in peace. Since Erasa had mentioned it, he did want to see Pan, only he wasn't entirely sure where she was at the moment. The on-site daycare center tended to be crowded, and Pan rarely went there because she still didn't quite understand the importance of concealing her power. But even after eliminating that option, there were still a number of people in the know that could have been watching Pan, so she realistically could have been anywhere else in Capsule Corp.

Thankfully, Gohan got a huge hint, in the form of his phone beeping. He checked it and felt his heart melt a bit. There was a new picture of Krillin's daughter Marron, holding Pan in her lap, and both girls were laughing. More importantly, the picture had been sent from Videl's phone, and Gohan recognized the scenery behind the girls: they were in the self defense for women class, which was in its late afternoon session.

As Gohan headed for the class, he thought about what a success it had become. Though initially his mother had been the only instructor, after Videl and then Krillin's wife 18 both offered their help, participation skyrockected. Gohan had never considered how many women watched the World Martial Arts Tournament, but two female finalists and a junior champion coming together generated a ton of interest. The possibility of their efforts producing the next top female fighter had even attracted media attention, at first. Videl had to stress before every class that the goal was solely to teach women to defend themselves. That had not deterred several brave women from asking for personal training, but all had been firmly turned down.

A familiar sight greeted Gohan as he approached the former lab where the class was held: Yamcha, peering through the window, leering as he giggled drunkenly. This was, unfortunately, allowed to some extent. For all Yamcha's claims to be a great driver, Bulma had offered him a position as a bus driver, and on the condition that he had no more wrecks, he was allowed to occasionally join the class. So when the women needed a man to practice on, that man was Yamcha, and he didn't mind one bit.

Yamcha grinned as he noticed Gohan. "The class is looking great today!" Yamcha chuckled, giving him two eager thumbs up.

Gohan laughed uneasily and went inside. His mother was giving a lecture on how not to be intimidated by men, something he felt she was an expert in. Videl was leaning against a wall nearby, and Gohan waved to her. She smirked, and suddenly Gohan's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out, checked the screen, and blanched.

A close-up picture of Erasa's green lips filled the screen, accompanied by the text message from Videl: "Heard you missed lunch again."

Deciding that talking to Videl might not be the best idea just then, Gohan spotted 18 sitting in a corner. Marron was next to her, still holding Pan, who had fallen asleep. He went over with the intention of relieving Marron, but when he got close, Marron frowned and turned away from him, as if trying to shield Pan from him.

18 smiled. "Sorry, but Marron's gotten a little attached."

"Can't say I blame her," Gohan replied. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask. What made you decide to join the class? It doesn't seem like the type of thing you'd usually be on board with."

"Normally, I wouldn't be. But in the end, I did it for Marron."

Gohan was surprised by that answer. "Do you mean you wanted her to learn self-defense? Couldn't you teach her?"

18 laughed. "Not what I meant. Did you know we've been home-schooling Marron?"

"No, but I suspected," Gohan said.

"Do you know why?"

"If I had to guess? Because in a crisis, it's safer to have Marron with you, rather than have to pick her up from school."

"That's true," 18 agreed, "but the real reason is my own background. I like to keep her close, in case there is a crisis. Or in case she turns out to be the crisis. As much as I like you guys, I don't trust anyone to make the decisions for her that I would. But I do like you guys, and so does Marron. She doesn't have many friends, and I don't want her to lose the few she has. That's why I joined the class. It means more time she can spend with Trunks, Goten, and Pan."

"I never thought of that," Gohan admitted softly. Marron had always seemed like such a happy girl to him. It never entered his mind that she might not have many friends, or more accurately, didn't have many chances to make new ones. He had never worried about that with Pan, as she had a constant stream of relatives and others wanting to spoil her. But it was true that she didn't really have anyone her age to play with, in part because of the need to conceal her power. That would not be an issue with Marron, who had seen her parents fly plenty of times.

Gohan looked at Marron, who was smiling as she carefully rocked Pan back and forth. "You like Pan, don't you?" Gohan asked.

"My baby!" Marron said proudly with a big grin.

Gohan very nearly laughed, but managed to limit himself to smiling. "You can come over and play with her as much as you want. I'm sure Pan would love that."

Marron's eyes lit up with joy, and 18 gave Gohan a grateful smile.

Later that evening, Bulma watched from her bedroom window as Krillin and his family met up with Gohan and his family. Apparently they had arranged a sleepover for Marron and Pan, although instead of just Marron, Videl had invited Krillin and 18 to stay over as well. They certainly had plenty of guest rooms, after all.

"Celebrating another scheme well done?" asked a voice behind her.

Bulma frowned. "It's not a scheme, Vegeta. It's careful planning that pays off."

"No need for the attitude. I did say it was well done."

"Hmm. That is true. Sorry."

"So is your goal to have them all working for you?"

"As many as I can. Nobody else can or will pay them what they deserve. And I like having them close. You know how Goku is. We'd never see him unless he wanted something. With his family here every day, at least there's a better chance he'll show up once a week. Someone has to feed him." Bulma smirked. "And this is just the beginning."

The Next Morning

Gohan, his family, and his guests were in the middle of breakfast when there was a loud thump from one of the upstairs bedrooms.

Krillin instantly jumped to his feet, his police officer training putting him on high alert.

"Relax, it's probably just Goten," Videl said, calmly sipping her orange juice. "He likes to pop in and say hi."

Krillin blushed slightly and sat down as Goten flew into the room a moment later.

"Hi, everyone!" Goten greeted happily. "Nii-chan, guess what!"

Gohan blinked as Goten shoved a stack of papers in his face. "What's all this?"

Goten grinned, reaching over to rub Pan's head as she cooed at him. "Bulma-san is going to make a movie, and she asked me to star in it!"

Videl paused. "Another Saiyaman movie?"

"No, even better!" Goten said.

"This movie is about tou-san," Gohan said slowly as he read what was clearly a script. "I mean, it doesn't use anyone's real name, but it's about his childhood."

Goten nodded. "Bulma-san said it's time that people knew how great he is. Even if they don't actually know it's about him, or that this really happened."

"That's... an odd approach," 18 murmured. "But I guess if it brings in money..."

"And tou-san was okay with this?" Gohan asked.

Goten nodded. "He was kinda iffy about it at first, but once Bulma-san said she wouldn't let anyone but me be him in the movie, he was fine with it."

Gohan could already imagine his father's thought process. He wouldn't have wanted some stunt double using fake explosions. He'd want Goten, actually blowing up stuff. And even though he would probably still fall asleep during the movie, he would trust Goten and Bulma not to give him a bad reputation. Not that most people would know it was about him, anyway. Although, given how much Goten still looked like Goku, someone was sure to make the connection. But even then, they would have to be familiar with Goku to know that such things might have really happened.

"She really is trying to give us all jobs," Gohan murmured, looking at Pan doubtfully. "What's she going to pay you to do, I wonder?"

Pan grabbed a handful of rice and stuffed it into Goten's mouth. She giggled and clapped when he made a big show of chewing.

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Endnotes:

I don't think Gohan not working at Capsule Corp is wrong. I just think it's silly, all things considered. Or at least more silly than anyone else not working there, since he alone has a superhero identity to hide and he doesn't need to hide it from Bulma.

I make several references to Capsule Corp being Bulma's company. Technically it belongs to her father, but given how much more often we see Bulma working there and him simply relaxing until she asks for his help, I have to believe by now that she's running most or all of it. And I refuse to believe that the line of inheritance skipped Bulma and went straight to Trunks in GT.

Bulma is crazy rich. By which I mean she can throw millions away on meaningless things. That is now canon, since Super episode 68 was dedicated to showing how Bulma can grant wishes. Once upon a time, Bulma would have beaten Master Roshi silly for wishing for loose women. Now, she's older and has a person on speeddial with instant authorization to spend millions on her command. I don't have a problem with Bulma doing that, it just surprised me, is all. But if Bulma would do that, then surely she would invest in Gohan. And surely it's a better news story, Bulma investing in Mr. Satan's son-in-law. I don't think there's a way to positively spin Bulma buying escorts for Master Roshi. And it's now confirmed that Bulma invests in Goku's farming by providing a truck. So the likelihood she would invest in Gohan goes up.

Gohan working at Capsule Corp has been such an obvious storyline to me for some time, I'm amazed it's never been done. Really, I'm more surprised that Bulma didn't create jobs for all the Z Fighters. The few willing to work could easily have an equivalent job at Capsule Corp, so it's not even a stretch. Yes, that would make them dependent on Bulma. So they would only be like everyone else who ever used a Capsule product, which is pretty much everyone living in a modern area on Earth. And between armor, transports, and someone to calm authorities when the sky goes black, aren't they already depending on Bulma and Capsule Corp plenty?

I have no idea what Gohan is researching. But the odds that Capsule Corp doesn't have a division related to it in some way seems pretty slim. And even if they didn't, Bulma would just make one. But let's be serious: with limited resources, Future Bulma was able to make a working time machine. So there should be no limit to the things Present Bulma can do, since her resources pretty much are unlimited.

The Gohan Rant: I have no problem with Gohan being a nerd. Or with being a dad that stays in fighting shape, just in case. But I've been very annoyed with the flopping back and forth. First Gohan resumes his training under Piccolo. Then Piccolo says Gohan isn't a fighter anymore, and Gohan is not even informed during a crisis when another Saiya-jin fighter could have made a difference. Then Gohan beats one bad guy and can suddenly somehow hang with Goku in a fight again. I want them to pick a direction for Gohan and stick with it. Or I want him to be more like Krillin. Here's what I mean by that: Krillin was retired, but he could be counted on to fight in a crisis. And he would not blow off a major fight for a conference. Simple. More importantly, when Krillin makes a comeback, you see him training.

Two things happened the last time Gohan stopped seriously training and later suddenly jumped back into fighting. 1) Goku was confident he'd be fine and was proven wrong about that. 2) Gohan embarrassed himself by not performing up to his old standards. Notice how Goku is again confident Gohan can make a comeback. I assume a major Gohan-thrashing will follow. And it should, if that means we get Gohan finally applying himself seriously about training and fighting.

If Gohan had retired for good, I would have been fine with it. I assumed that he was done as soon as he put the glasses on. But what really annoys me about Gohan is that they keep trying to drag him back into fighting. Which would be fine, if he were going to devote a considerable amount of time and energy into it. But he hasn't. So the end result is that he looks wishy-washy to me. I want the minds behind Super to actually show Gohan getting serious about training. The execution so far makes it look like Gohan took being in a movie he hated more seriously than fighting. Which is fine if he's not going to be fighting. Not so much if he's fighting in the biggest martial arts tournament ever soon with the universe's survival on the line. And now they're going back and forth AGAIN by showing Gohan training with Piccolo in the new opening. Hopefully this means he actually will train for the tournament, which would be a vast improvement.

I must, however, give Super credit for one thing: wives who like their husbands strong. Videl supporting Gohan's return to fighting isn't that big a surprise. But 18 AND Marron making Krillin feel small for not fighting? 18 has that kid well trained. Marron always supported her parents fighting in DBZ, but she was always positive about it until Super. Which only makes her growing up to be a teenager who doesn't fight even stranger.