I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.

Chapter 54: Hell hath no fury…

The prom continued somewhat peacefully after Suzy Marie's storm out. Videl and Gohan danced for a little while before settling down at a table for a few light snacks, which only took up half the table. The calmness remained up until the prom voting was over, and then it came to an abrupt halt once the master of ceremonies took the stage.

"Alright guys and girls. The votes have all been counted. Are you ready to see who you've picked as this year's prom king?" Random cheering filled the gym, while Gohan didn't look so enthusiastic.

"What's wrong with you?" Videl asked.

"You know I hate having the spotlight," Gohan muttered.

"Just share it with me. You can go back to the dark room later tonight, if you're lucky that is," Videl said with a grin.

"And the winner is…" Gohan stood up just as the envelope was opened, and was about two feet from the table when the announcement hit the air waves.

"Great Saiyaman!"

"Huh?" Gohan asked, flabbergasted.

"What?" Erasa, Sharpner and Videl all asked at once. Most of the gym glanced at Gohan, but he was at a loss himself.

Videl managed a chuckle, "I get it, she must have put in your superhero name instead by mistake. Take it from me, she's totally obsessed."

Sharpner pulled a flyer from his back and looked through it, "Wait a second, look at this! It lists Saiyaman and Gohan as two separate candidates!" Gohan rolled up his sleeve, realizing he didn't have his transformation watch with him.

Gohan shrugged, "Well it couldn't be me then, technically Great Saiyaman would be a different person and ineligible. I didn't bring my watch tonight anyway, I left it with….oh no! They wouldn't!"

"Who wouldn't do what?" Videl asked.

"TA DA!" a voice came from above. Everyone looked up to see what appeared to be someone dressed in Great Saiyaman's outfit floating down. Upon getting a better look, everyone noticed that this Saiyaman was shorter and a bit deformed. His body mass seemed irregular and his arms were scrawny.

"Ahem, I said, TA DA!" a hoarse sounding voice called it, clearly belonging to Trunks. Gohan smacked his head in dismay while Videl started cracking up. The bandana and shades were barely fitting Trunks' head, and the pants were dangling under the bottom of Goten's shoes. This fact became evident when Goten landed a bit soft and promptly slipped, though he was able to extend his arm enough to prevent a total fall. That didn't stop the situation from looking any less strange when Trunks sprawled backwards before popping back up and leaning forward, trying to adjust for Goten's clumsiness.

"Watch it dummy!" Trunks rasped.

"I can't see Trunks! And I don't wanna ruin Gohan's suit!"

"Mom can just make him a new one!" The MC wasn't really sure what to make of this development, but continued with his duty.

"Um, Great Saiyaman, you aren't as, big, as I thought you'd be. But I suppose that doesn't matter, you won the contest! Ladies and gentlemen, your prom king, Great Saiyaman!" Gohan stood still, holding his head like someone had stabbed it, Why in the hell are they here?

"Hey Trunks, what's a pram king?" Goten whispered.

Trunks glanced down, "He said prom king stupid! I dunno what it is, but we won! Not our fault they made it so easy to change the votes!"

"What do we win? I hope it's toys!" Goten said with excitement.

"Good question, maybe it's the Dragonball. It is in this room somewhere." From the other side of the room, Videl was on the brink of tears from laughing at the current predicament. That however did not stop her from taking the situation one step farther.

"Wait, I know! Hey Gohan, go hide somewhere for a minute. I've got an idea," Videl said, an evil grin on her face.

Gohan back stepped, "What are you planning now?"

"Nothing at the moment, it all depends on who wins the prom queen title. Either way, the little monsters will regret crashing the party!" Gohan shook his head lightly and moved towards the rear of the gym, standing just behind a stack of bleachers so he could at least watch what would transpire as the MC pulled another envelope out.

"Now what would a king be without his queen? Ladies and gentlemen, this year's prom queen goes to…Suzy Marie!"

Gohan paled, Oh geez, that's what she meant. Suzy walked towards the stage from the far left, her nose about as high in the air as it could physically be. The MC placed a silver tiara over her head before backing away. Even under the mask, it became obvious that Trunks wasn't quite as excited anymore when the pretty girl got closer.

"I told you I'd win. Now let's have our dance Gohan," Suzy whispered. Trunks started sweating a bit as Goten stutter stepped after her.

"Crap! She thinks we're Gohan. Do you know how to dance Goten?" Trunks asked.

"No, don't you?"

"Oh man, Gohan's gonna find out and he's gonna be mad!" Trunks claimed.

"What do we do?" Goten asked in a panic.

"Just try to follow her leg movements like we do in training, it can't be that hard. I'll do what I can up here." The music started just as Suzy hooked in arm around Great Saiyaman's mid section, which was conveniently Goten's head. The crowd stepped back to allow the king and queen to dance alone, though several of them looked confused. Suzy had yet to even look "Great Saiyaman" in the eye.

"I've been waiting for this moment forever Gohan, haven't you?" Suzy asked.

Trunks cringed, "Um…sure."

The MC still had an absurdly enthusiastic tone in his voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, the royal dance!" By this point, it was painfully obvious that everyone knew that the Saiyaman dancing with Suzy was not Gohan at all, just by height. Suzy lurched forward and pulled Saiyaman closer while barely swaying on her feet. Trunks nervously returned the embrace from the top, trying to keep his face out of view despite the sunglasses.

"I forgive you for earlier, I know that it isn't your fault. That evil tomboy knows how to manipulate people!" Suzy said.

"Err… yeah, she's horrible!" Trunks agreed, unsure what she was talking about.

"Videl's not horrible!" Goten called out.

"Did you hear something?" Suzy asked.

Trunks played dumb again, "Uh, no. Maybe it was a bird."

"Birdie? Where?" Goten shouted aloud. Somehow, Suzy didn't hear Goten at all the second time, and rested her head against Trunks' shoulder while looking away.

Trunks was disgusted, Ugh! Is this song almost over? Below, Goten didn't seem to have much of a problem keeping up with the rather consistent dance movement, though at this point he had shut his eyes since he couldn't see anything other than Suzy's white dress. They stayed in this generally barely moving dance for the next several minutes, though she was the only one between the three that was relaxed. Suzy finally pulled up and looked Trunks in the eyes, or rather, the sunglasses.

"Here comes my favorite part, I hope you're ready," she cooed.

Trunks was befuddled, "Err, which part is that?"

Suzy smiled, "The part where we kiss silly." Surprisingly, the span of the sunglasses managed to cover Trunks' wide-eyed expression.

"Maybe we can just skip that part. After all, people are watching."

Suzy didn't falter, "Oh my, you're shy! Don't worry, I'll take care of you." Suzy's arms drifted down and held onto what she thought was Saiyaman's sides, but were actually Goten's shoulders. Trunks leaned his head backwards as Suzy's came forwards.

"Come now, you can do it," Suzy claimed. Trunks continued to attempt to avoid the situation, but was kept at arm's reach by the fact that Goten was holding his ankles so tight. All of a sudden, Trunks felt something strong push him back towards Suzy. Suzy's lips caught his and the crowd gasped, especially Gohan. Trunks' vision blurred and grayed out when his ability kicked in, No, not again! The surroundings morphed into a lush green hillside that was covered in flowers and bright sunlight. He saw Suzy holding hands with Gohan while they ran through this place.

"Oh darling, this is it! We're finally together!" Suzy declared.

"We'll be together forever!" They embraced and kissed, which brought Trunks back to reality in a big hurry when he managed to separate from Suzy. He immediately gagged and tried to remove all traces of lipstick from his mouth. Suzy was alarmed and stepped back quickly. Once she was away, Trunks attempted to do the same, but Goten thought the dance was still going and went forwards. The Saiyaman suit tore completely, and everyone's fourth or fifth gasp of the night filled the room.

Gohan's scowl scared the boys stiff when he suddenly appeared behind them, though Videl's laughter made them feel a bit relieved. It wasn't long before the whole room managed at least a chuckle at the sight, with the exception of Suzy. She was devastated, as if everything she had or ever wanted had just been snatched away. Gohan had both boys by the scruff of their shirts before they could move.

"Okay, I don't even want to know why you two are here, never mind why you did all this. You apologize right now and then go straight home to confess to my mother about what you've done," Gohan said in a stern voice.

"Make her apologize, she's the one who kissed me! Yuck!" Trunks whined.

"Trunks!" Gohan raised his voice this time.

"Fine, whatever! Sorry!"

"Yeah, really sorry," Goten quickly added.

"Ugh, kids. Now go on, you've done enough damage around here!" Gohan said as he dropped them. The boys quickly dashed towards Videl's position, as if she was going to shield them from Gohan's wrath. Videl still had a smirk etched on her face. Rather what happened was right or wrong, she was enjoying it. Most of the crowd was still laughing aloud, though most of it seemed aimed at Goten and Trunks. Despite this fact, it was having a dire effect on Suzy Marie.

"Sorry that I didn't step in sooner. Those two are always causing trouble," Gohan said. Suzy glanced up at Gohan with an unfamiliar, angry expression. Gohan felt the air around him shift suddenly and heard a few of the light bulbs above break suddenly.

"So, I'm just one big joke to you all, is that it?" Suzy asked with an eerie voice.

"Huh? No of course not," Gohan claimed. Suzy's complexion had completely changed, and now people had noticed.

"That's right, little Suzy Marie. The most beautiful girl in the world, and also the dumbest. I know that look; I've known it my whole life. Little Suzy is oblivious to everything, it's okay to hurt her, she has no feelings!" she growled. The flooring promptly cracked under her feet, alarming Gohan. He didn't sense anything at first, but once he opened up his Psi energy, he felt quite a bit. Aw crap! He felt the rage bubbling up just before something invisible slammed into him from the front. Gohan sailed backwards and crashed into the bleachers, leaving a dent nearly a foot thick. Videl was at his side just as he pulled himself out.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, guess you were right after all," Gohan admitted.

"I didn't want to be. She's got some sort of super strong telekinetic power, I got a taste of it last week," Videl explained.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"Well it's just, you know me and pride. A girl's gotta win battles on her own sometimes in the love department," Videl said meekly.

"Noted," Gohan said as he stood up. He jumped back into the air and landed before Suzy.

He turned briefly, "Everyone get out of here!" Suzy's face scrunched up as the students backed away and tried to file out. All of a sudden, the gymnasium doors slammed shut. The people tried to push them open, but none of them budged an inch.

"Hey! Just calm down, don't do something you'll regret!" Gohan pleaded. Suzy's anger didn't show any signs of fading, but her attention was caught by the sound of the band quickly leaving the stage.

"Let's bail before the crazy bitch notices!" the lead singer shouted. He had his electric guitar in hand as he fled the stage behind his team. Suzy lifted her arm and balled up her fist just as she pulled backwards. The singer was suddenly flung backwards and held in midair by Suzy's telekinetic grip.

"Where do you think you're going?" Suzy snarled at him.

"Suzy, stop it!" Gohan shouted. The singer was pulled closer so Suzy could look him in the eye from only a few feet away. He responded by swinging his guitar at her head. The bottom half of the guitar disintegrated into meaningless particles before it even got to her, so only the air displacement was noticed. This gave Gohan a very good idea of how powerful she potentially was. Suzy cast her hand forward and the singer flew into the wall before falling to the floor and staying there. Suzy floated off the ground and moved towards him, stopping a few feet away. She pulled the remains of the guitar handle into the air with her.

"You deserve to be punished!" she whispered. The guitar handle floated a bit higher as the bottom of it broke apart, leaving a thick but sharp dagger-like shape. Before she moved it again though, a small ki blast erased it from existence. Suzy turned towards Gohan, and growled loudly upon seeing his smoking palm.

"Why do you protect him? He helped that tomboy take you away from me!" she screeched.

"I don't know why you think we were ever meant to be. As far as why I protect him, it's because it's the right thing to do," Gohan said simply.

"You'd better just leave and go home. I don't want to hurt you too!" Suzy warned.

"You'll have to go through me before you hurt anyone else," Gohan countered.

"You can't stop me!" The stage next to them cracked and broke into several large wooden chunks along with smaller pieces. All of it floated into the air and flew around in random directions. Gohan watched them all carefully, trying to pinpoint which one would fall first. The answer came a few seconds later when one of the large chunks suddenly broke away and flew towards one of the crowded doors. Gohan phased out and reappeared in it's path, breaking it apart with his fist. Suzy's scowl deepened and she sent another piece of the stage towards a different crowd on the other side. Videl intercepted it this time and blew it apart with a small ki wave. Suzy shuddered violently before screaming at them both. Videl was flung through the high wall just as most of the debris fell towards the ground. Gohan cringed when he saw only Sharpner and Erasa there, frozen with fear. Gohan instantly teleported there and caught the cracked block of heavy wood. His jacket's arm sleeves ripped and tore off as he set the deadly block down.

"Geez! Could you have cut it any closer Gohan?" Sharpner complained.

Erasa smacked his side, "He means thank you."

"Right, just take cover!" Gohan ordered.

"Wait, what about Videl?" Sharpner asked.

"I wouldn't worry about her just yet," Gohan said with a knowing smile. The Videl-sized gouge in the wall promptly blew apart, and Videl emerged. Her purple dress was torn in many places and she was covered in dirt and insulation dust, but otherwise unharmed.

"She's mine Gohan! Little miss perfect is going to get the beating of her life!" Videl proclaimed.

"Okay, just be careful! I'll cover you and help everyone get out of here!" Gohan called back. Videl launched towards Suzy quickly enough that she caught her by complete surprise. Videl's fist was within inches of Suzy's face when it stopped cold as if there was a solid barrier around her. The pressure from Videl's attack though was enough to set off a small burst of energized air, scaring most everyone nearby. Suzy was forced backwards by the impact, and smacked her head against the wall.

"OW! Who did that…wait, where am I?" Suzy asked, perplexed.

"You're dead!" Videl shouted with venom in her voice. Suzy got up and ran the other direction, quickly moving objects or people out of the way while Videl chased. She caught up fast, only to hit the apparent barrier again and again. This continued around the room while others looked on, slightly dazed at the role reversal. During which time, two small boys found their way into the rafters where Videl had crashed through.

"Are you sure it's in there Trunks? It's really dark," Goten said, unsure.

"That's what the radar says. Just dig around in there until you find it," Trunks said as he pointed.

"Okay, but why would someone put it in there?" Goten asked.

"I don't know, maybe it just got stuck last time we used Shenron," Trunks suggested.

"But didn't your dad blow up all of Satan City when the Zerg came. We haven't used the Earth's Dragonballs since before then!" Goten reasoned.

"Just get in there Goten, stop stalling! These things always end up in weird places." A scream below pulled Trunks' attention for a moment when Videl had cornered a truly frightened Suzy.

"What are you so afraid of all of a sudden? Where's your perfect ability now?" Videl taunted.

"Just stay away from me!" Suzy shouted back. Videl scowled deeply at the apparent act as Gohan stepped up behind her.

"Videl, stop. Her attitude has changed completely, she's scared," Gohan said.

"What are you, bi-polar?" Videl asked with anger.

"Leave me alone! I didn't do anything to you, I j-just want to g-go home!" Suzy stuttered.

"You're kidding me, you think I'm just gonna let you off easy? After what you've done to me? Fat chance!" Videl claimed.

"I don't even know who you are! Just please leave me alone!" Gohan wasn't sure what to make of this as he scanned Suzy's low energy signal a few times. He didn't feel that this was the same Suzy Marie that had just attacked them.

Videl wasn't buying it though, "Oh please! You used your ability to try and steal Gohan away from me, set up this whole mess with this stupid talent show, go completely nuts when you lost, tried to kill everyone here, and now you hit us with this crap?"

"I'm sorry, I don't remember any of that! The last thing I remember was waking up in my room just before a bright red light came through it. It was really hot, and then I was really cold. Where am I?" Suzy asked as she looked around.

Gohan held onto Videl's shoulder and tugged backwards, "Hey, I think I should handle this. She appears to be telling the truth."

Videl turned away, "Fine."

"Alright, just relax. You're in Satan City at the Orange Star High School prom, does that help any?" Gohan asked.

Suzy nervously glanced around, "Is that why I'm in a dress? I didn't do anything…weird did I?"

"Depends on your definition," Videl muttered.

Gohan ignored his girlfriend, "Can I ask you something, how long have you had your telekinetic ability?"

Suzy gasped before looking at the ground, "Did I do all this?"

"Some of it."

Suzy sighed with a saddened expression, "The doctor said I was cured."

"Doctor?" Gohan said, puzzled.

"Yes, he said I suffered from schizophrenia or something. Whatever it is makes me different and strange to be around, and I can't ever remember it. The other me isn't very nice to be around. I was told she is a bit…obsessive," Suzy explained.

Videl gave her an eyeful, "A bit?"

"So she suffers from a split personality, sounds familiar doesn't it?" Gohan asked with a slight smile.

"From what I heard at least," Videl replied.

"What are you talking about?" Suzy asked.

Gohan gently shook his head, "Something a friend of ours had to deal with. How long have you been able to move things around with your mind, like you were doing before?"

Suzy took a moment to answer, "I'm not sure, but it started during that alien invasion last year."

Gohan sighed, "Not surprising then. Do you have anyone we can call to look after you?"

"My doctor or his assistant. Her name is Ranso." Both Gohan and Videl face-faulted at this tidbit of news.

"Ranso, as in Ranso Teziwari? I don't suppose your doctor's name was Cash, was it?" Gohan asked.

"How'd you know that, are you psychic? Did he help you too?" Suzy asked.

"Um, no, not exactly. Actually both of them are dead, tragic lab accident," Gohan lied quickly.

"Oh no, that's terrible! They were so nice to me!" Suzy claimed.

Videl coughed lightly, "Yeah, I'm sure. Is there anyone else we can call?"

"Well, I think my old psych doctor lives in East City, he's also my uncle if that helps," Suzy added.

"Alright, let's give him a call so you can get some help. We don't want that nasty personality to make a comeback," Gohan said.

Suzy giggled, "Thanks, you're really nice. Do you have a girlfriend?" Gohan back peddled quickly once Videl's fiery glare returned.

"Don't even think about it!" she warned.

Suzy finally seemed to realize what she meant this time, "Oh, right. Hey quick question! Doesn't the Great Saiyaman live around here? I've always wanted to meet him!"

Videl's intensity didn't fade, "He's taken too!" Suzy started to say something else, but stopped when the ground rumbled a bit.

"Haven't you done enough!" Videl shouted.

"It's not me!" Suzy claimed as she shielded herself.

"Great, what now?" Gohan asked.

"It feels like it's coming from over there!" Videl pointed towards the ceiling. Gohan immediately looked in that direction and spotted Trunks next to the gaping hole in the wall.

"Oh hell," he muttered.

"Trunks! I got it!" Goten shouted. Goten's announcement was a prelude to the wall's collapse under a massive wave of water he was riding.

Gohan turned to the remaining students and staff, "Everyone run!" The tidal wave roared out of the gym wall as students and teachers alike stumbled to get out of its way. Just as it came though, it stopped dead in the air and only a moderate mist reached the floor. Gohan glanced over to see Suzy's arms raised up, completely focused on the water mass.

She smiled brightly as him, "So, where can I put this?"

Gohan laughed slightly while Videl just smacked her head, "Geez, what next?"

Verto was calmly munching some rather tasteless food when Lenz finally came into the ship's mess hall. He had been waiting for quite awhile while giving the walls some death glares. He had enough things on his mind without his student being late for any last minute lessons, no matter how trivial.

"You're late," Verto said.

Lenz rubbed sleep from her eyes slowly, "Guess I overslept."

"You were up too late. Catching up on old times, or were you telling stories again?"

Lenz blinked sharply, "Huh?"

Verto chuckled slightly, "Sorry, I forget you have trouble with anything mental, even when you're fully awake."

Lenz seemed to wake up, "I do not!"

"Well I hope so, I'm going to need you on edge at all times," Verto replied.

"Really?"

Verto sighed, "I don't know what's going to happen when we get there Lenz. I don't even know what I'm going to do yet. But I'm not going in completely unprepared, and neither are you. Since we don't have time to train you fully beforehand, we'll have to make due with only mental prep work."

Lenz looked disappointed, "You're not going to make me sit still for three days straight are you?"

Verto snorted, "What would be the point of that? You can't even sit still for three minutes. No, we're going to take a more practical approach to this. Your brother can even lend a hand."

Lenz looked confused, "How?"

"Eat up and then meet me on the bridge. I'll show you there." Lenz frowned but complied as Verto left the room.

Verto had barely waited ten minutes before Lenz showed up, looking more anxious than usual about learning. Verto eyed something dangling from her neck, where it bounced off her chest at a regular rate before getting stuck and hiding itself again.

"What's with the necklace?" Verto asked.

"Oh, you like it?" Lenz asked with a smile as she held it out for all to see. It was a small, light blue gem that shimmered in the ship's lighting. It looked like a true professional had cut it. It was about two inches long and a half-inch wide, and the edges were cut into a hexagonal shape.

"It's a family heirloom from the Rotarian side. I think our ancestors called it Kholo's tear, or something like that. If there's a story, it's been lost for years. Fuzai gave it to me," Lenz explained.

"And don't you lose it. You have no idea how much of a pain it was to find it again after the mess you made at the home base," Fuzai grumbled from the far side of the room.

"Well, whatever. Take a seat at the table," Verto said, pointing to the object. Lenz sat down across from Verto and stared at the small, checkered board with several pieces sitting atop it. Each piece was sized and shaped in different ways, and Lenz was instantly confused.

"This is a chess board. Chess is more or less all about strategy, patience and anticipation. Each of the different pieces can move, but all in different ways. The goal is to capture your opponent's King before he or she can do the same to you," Verto explained.

"Sounds easy," Lenz muttered.

"You think so? This isn't a game that relies on physical strength as much as it does mental. Your brother has already learned that," Verto said, nodding towards Fuzai.

"I still think you cheated," he grumbled.

"How so? I explained it well enough for you and you seemed to pick it up pretty well," Verto said.

"Well you neglected to mention that the Pawns can become Queens until I had already chosen a Knight," Fuzai replied.

"Oh, so what about 'Pawns can be anything except a King' did you not understand?" Verto asked. Fuzai snorted sharply and turned his attention to a nearby screen.

"Alright then, tell me how this is supposed to help," Lenz said.

"Apparently you two share the fine art of selective hearing. I'm no master at this game, but I know enough about it. The strategy part is rather obvious as long as you carefully setup your approach and attack so that you don't make too many mistakes. Just like how you start and proceed through a battle. Patience here is waiting for an opening to come should your opponent make a critical mistake and also waiting for your opportunity to strike. Anticipation would be seeing several moves ahead of both your opponent and yourself, then you can attempt a counter. If an unexpected mistake occurs, take advantage of it. Fighting is the same way, only with no separate pieces, just your fists, feet and energy," Verto explained further.

Lenz nodded lightly, but stayed silent even as Verto showed her how to play. She questioned the more advanced movements, but overall had most of Chess figured out by trial game number three. Once Verto felt she had sufficiently learned it, he allowed her and Fuzai to face each other while he sat nearby and meditated. During that time, he would occasionally use his spirit vision to watch them, but never said anything to it. Verto was much more concerned with what would transpire soon with Frost. According to the ship's computer, there were only two days until he found out. I have to be very careful here. It would be wise to hear Frost out completely before any sort of deal or fight happens. But I have to remember that no matter what his motives are, he is an enemy. I can't trust him or anyone else out here.

A/n: Some of you may question the way I ended the little rip with miss not-so-perfect, and that's fine. I was going back and forth on that one too.

I'll keep as simple a preview as possible so not to spoil one single thing: Next time on DBV: Verto meets Frost.

WDG: Looks like Mary Su– erm, I mean Suzie Marie, had her use after all eh.

VB: Yeah, and comic relief due to extreme self-obsession.