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I came up with the story ideas for four of the six Dragon Ball Z era stories in Somewhere Between The Ocean and The Bottom of This Glass before getting to DBZ in my rewatch. In Search of Pork Buns was one of two that I did not come up with beforehand (the other being Patient 240). The idea was neither expected nor intended. Originally, I had planned for an Orlen and Namole story to take up this one's slot, but after coming up with the idea on 11/24/21, I dropped that one. That was done for the sake of room. Had I had two slots open, both stories would've been included. The Orlen tale shall have to wait for a later one-shot collection to appear, but I will write it.
I found it quite curious that Yajirobe is narratively forgotten about in the DBZ anime after being dropped off at Capsule Corp. by Gohan in episode 137 (Androids Saga). He appears in a few scenes in the Imperfect Cell Saga in episode 149, but then disappears until episode 169, when he is back on Korin Tower. Even the Dragon Ball Wiki made no mention of this, so I added Yajirobe's IPS section myself. That very much got me in the mood to write about Yajirobe in this time period.
Yajirobe being shot down by Dr. Gero in episode 126 is the event that marks the beginning of the entire Androids/Cell conflict. And yet, there is no resolution given to poor, poor Yajirobe. That didn't sit well with me, especially when considering the fact that he was given scenes in the Imperfect Cell Saga. This story needed to happen. I knew I wanted to have Yajirobe's penchant for stealing cars be a central theme to it. Otherwise, the story went through a lot of different versions as can be seen in my notes below.
11/24/21 notes:
- when bulma flies to the lookout in DBZ episode 154, I grew curious as to how that could be, and that curiosity soon branched off into a "what happened to Yajirobe after Gohan took him to Capsule Corp." idea on 11/24/21
- Yajirobe is taken to Capsule Corp. with baby Trunks and Bulma in episode 132 (Androids Saga); the date is May 12
- The group arrives at Capsule Corp. in episode 137
- Yajirobe is still at Capsule Corp. in episode 149 (Imperfect Cell Saga), eating food and complaining to Bulma about her not taking care of crying Trunks; Dr. Brief is there too, so Yajirobe must be on speaking terms with him; Yajirobe appears in two scenes
- Yajirobe arrives at CC on May 12, Age 767; he is still there on May 16 (episode 149)
- Yajirobe is fond of baby Trunks, who tends to pee on him a lot and cry when he makes faces at him
- The Perfect Cell Saga ends on May 16; Yajirobe is surely still at Capsule Corp. at the beginning of the Cell Games Saga
- in episode 166 (watched on 11/27), Bulma summons the Z Fighters to Capsule Corp.; they arrive there before evening, but Yajirobe is not seen there, so he must leave in the afternoon of May 16th
- with 2 minutes left in episode 166, the date switches to May 17
- Yajirobe is seen again for the first time since 149 in episode 169, back on Korin Tower on May 17
- Scene 1: at night in capsule corp while walking, yajirobe resolves to ask a girl out if the world's going to end anyways, and he has a short interaction with ginyu
- Scene 2: yajirobe goes to a restaurant to try to hit on a girl, but cell has caused general panic, so few people are about
- Scene 3: that night, yajirobe steals a car and joyrides before returning to capsule corp, where bulma gives him a new car for taking care of trunks when she was gone
11/24/21 LATER IN THE DAY (AFTER WAKING UP) notes:
- Scene 1: Yajirobe is at a restaurant late at night; there is no one there, really, on account of Cell, so after a failed attempt at hitting on the waitress, he leaves, sees a car outside, and steals it, joyriding down the vacant streets in nostalgic pleasure
11/27/21 notes:
- Scene 1: At night, Yajirobe goes through the halls, thinking of if he should stay or leave; after saying goodbye to baby Trunks, taking a good haul of food, and saying goodbye to Captain Ginyu, Yajirobe leaves, but as he does so, Bulma throws him a capsule containing a new car
- after watching episode 166, I realized that scene 1 has to take place in midday
11/28/21 notes:
- Scene 1: After lunch, Yajirobe goes through the halls, thinking of if he should stay or leave; after saying goodbye to baby Trunks, taking a good haul of food, and saying goodbye to Captain Ginyu, Yajirobe sneaks out
- Scene 2: Yajirobe goes to a nikuman restaurant to get pork buns, but he does so on the outskirts of town, in Seikishi; there, he meets a few people and hits on a girl to no avail; Bulma calls him, he doesn't pick up, and decides to return to Korin Tower, rather than be involved anymore
- the nikuman restaurant should be based somewhat on 551 horai: https://www.551horai.co.jp/menu/
11/30/21 notes:
- name of nikuman shop is Soumei Miyashiro (滄溟 都城)
12/2/21 notes:
- at the very end of episode 217, Yajirobe is wearing a fur coat for the first time ---> make this coat one of his hauls during the story
12/4/21 notes:
- scene 3: yajirobe goes to a gas station near korin tower and gets pork buns for him and korin
12/16/21 notes:
- beibaku (corn) ---> baku bay
The 11/28/21 outline (and the 12/4/21 third scene addendum) were what I ultimately went with due to what happens in episode 166. Bulma summons everyone to Capsule Corp. during the evening of May 16, Age 767, and Yajirobe isn't there, even though he was there that afternoon. This was actually great, as it gave me a relatively specific time window for when he leaves. That forced me to take the story in a much different direction than what was seen in the original outlines.
I wrote the first draft of the first scene on 11/30/21. The next day, dissatisfied with it, I rewrote a second version of the first scene, similar to how I did the second draft of Every Turtle Has His Day. This version was more in-line with how it is now. After finishing it, I read both over and decided to nix the first version. I did about a paragraph of work on the second scene, but that was as far as I got that day. I added a decent chunk to the second scene on December 3rd. The next day, I banged out the rest of the second scene and got the third scene first-drafted as well, making this the twelfth story first-drafted in the collection. It was the final DBZ story drafted.
On December 15, 2021, I did the second, third, and fourth drafts of the first scene (each done several hours apart). Afterwards, I second-drafted the second and third scenes, finishing just past midnight on the 16th. On the 18th (and leading into the early hours of the 19th), I did another pass on the second and third scenes. On 12/21/21, I completed the final draft, although on the 24th, I made a few minor changes that technically meant it was finished that day (and after Tail Don't Lie), making it the eleventh finalized story.
A few other things to note: Yajirobe's character arc is kind of a counter-argument to Roshi's arc in Hard as Diamonds, so that was a big reason why it was chosen for the #7 spot. Additionally, there is a setting overlap in the second scene with the second scene of No Second Chances. Yajirobe's arc begins a shift out from the city towards more desolate regions, and this will remain the case until Divine in Maturity starts to bring us back into society. It's a real tone-setter. Anyways, with that said, let's move on to the endnotes.
Story[]
Shortly after lunch, May 16, Age 767
Bulma had gone to deliver the android shutdown device to the Z Fighters, and Dr. Brief had, by the sound of it, just put Trunks down for a nap. Yajirobe’s chopsticks clattered into an empty bowl. Cigarette smoke lingered in the dining room. Patting his stomach and holding in a burp, he noticed the muted TV was showing footage of Cell terrorizing people on a small island.
Yajirobe’s palms slicked over with sweat. He knew what Bulma would demand of him when she returned. Well, he wouldn’t do it. He had fought courageously with Goku and the others against Vegeta, but the androids and Cell were orders of magnitude more terrifying. He was only a ronin—a ronin who couldn’t fly. From a helicopter’s vantage, the news showed the chaotic traffic situation in South City.
“They have the right idea.”
The sly samurai slunk silently to the sliding door in the back, where he found a taped envelope addressed to him. It held a capsule containing cash, a new hovercar, and a thank-you note from Bulma (for keeping Trunks company the past few days). Unfortunately, Yajirobe wasn’t much of a reader, so he crumpled up the letter and chucked it in the bin.
Outside, a fierce sun greeted him; there wasn’t a soul in sight. A gust of wind disturbed some crumpled newspapers. His eyes fell upon a parked hovercar across the street, half-cloaked in shadow. Its glistening orange coat roused in the man a devious craving. He could have taken Bulma’s car. He could have. But where was the fun in that?
Pocketing the capsule, he felt his arms prickle with goosebumps.
On the outskirts of the southern port of Seikishi City, the western ocean laid bare before him, a desperately famished Yajirobe dipped below the clouds and spotted several people milling about a nikuman shop—3792 Miyashiro. He parked in a near-desolate lot that had been built upon a hill overlooking a dirt road leading into town and scampered down to the humble shack, that savory smell of roasting pork teasing his nostrils, grateful that they had remained open in this time of terror and hunger.
A half-bald man with curly red hair came running down the road, zeni in hand; not far behind, an elderly couple came ambling over from the inland hills. The samurai was mighty proud of himself for securing his place in line before they had appeared.
“You’re not goin’ anywhere. Ah, get back here, Herb.”
“Unhand me, woman!” He pushed her away, and she came perilously close to falling and breaking a hip (but, alas, held her balance). “If I want a bun, I’ll have a bun. Quiet! I’ve had enough! You’re embarrassing me in front of everybody…”
“Why do you eat those things? They taste like plastic!”
Yajirobe rolled his eyes. The line moved up, and a tall blonde began her order.
“You never support me! Never!”
“That’s enough, Herbert. Quiet. People’ll hear.”
“To hell with them.”
“Herbert!”
“Don’t you Herbert me, damn old bag! Goddamn her! I hate her!”
“Now you know I don’t like that talk. Don’t call me a… oh my! Oh, good heavens! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert on the loose! Oh, it’s him! Pervert! Him! Look!” the old woman shrieked, pointing to the red-headed man. She had a terrible shriek, a smoker’s shriek, the kind that is always on the edge of giving out, yet never does. “Herbert, look! He’s… he’s… he’s… oh, Herbert, he’s pleasuring himself in public!”
Herbert, whose beer belly would put Rob Ryan’s to shame, shoved the bald man to the ground and spit on him. “You sick bastard! The hell’s wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with me?” the ginger asked, jumping to his feet. “What the hell’s wrong with you, pal? You hit me. That’s battery. I have witnesses. I’ll get you for this.”
“You were trying to bust one to my wife.”
“No… what?! No, no, no, you’re crazy. My shirt just, uh, got caught in my zipper. I was just getting it unstuck. That’s it. No big problem, see?” He turned to show everyone his predicament, and it was readily apparent that his cheeks had gone scarlet.
“He kept glancin’, Herb, kept glancin’ all sweaty at me.”
“No I didn’t… I was just, uh… I only looked at you nice folks once…”
“Aha, so you did!” Despite being thirty years his senior, Herbert shoved the man out of the line before getting up in his face. “You’re sick.”
“Hey, what the hell, you touching me?” He shoved Herbert back. “I’ll call the cops on you!”
So, they swore and swung fists, and the old lady was hooting and hollering, flailing her violet handbag wildly about. The smell of cooking dough couldn’t stop Yajirobe’s mouth from watering. The woman in the fur coat collected her order, and it was his turn. Feeling his heart beat a mile a minute, he didn’t know how to properly clench his jaw. Not having eaten in two hours could do that to a warrior.
Zeni in hand, he said, “I’ll have three pork buns, and, uh, let’s see… ten potstickers. That’ll be to-go.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but we are fresh out of pork buns. Would you like to try our pork or prawn shumai instead?”
“Pff, whatever. Ten of those, then.”
Having been looking forward to those pork buns for almost five minutes now, Yajirobe was understandably crestfallen. Returning to the parking lot, he found the blonde in her red convertible, pigging out. It felt as if an invisible blanket of ice had constricted around him, and all restraint had left him.
“Don’t you have any shame, pig?! Really? Hogging the last ten pork buns all to yourself?”
A piece of onion was stuck to her chin. “You talkin’ to me, dude?”
“You heard me.”
With three bites that would have inspired lion cubs, she swallowed the second-to-last bun, then licked her fingers foul. “Don’t know what to tell you, Chubby. Should have gotten here sooner if you wanted ‘em. Besides, look at all that food you’re carrying. What a whiner.”
He ground his teeth, but the ice wasn’t melting; she scoffed and bit into the last bun. Without hesitating, he threw open her door, pulled her out, and stomped on her precious pork bun. Before she could scream, he ripped her fur coat away and slid into the warm seat of the hovercar. With how cold it was by the water, it was the little things like that which he appreciated the most.
Soaring into the air, his heart in his throat, Yajirobe felt a sense of nostalgia. It had been many years since he had last stolen a car and taken it on a joyride through Orange Star City. Those were the days, he thought, reaching a hand into the potstickers’ container.
When he was fewer than fifty miles from Korin Tower, Yajirobe made one last stop at a gas station in Baku Bay. Amidst a setting sun, the sky bronzing and purpling, the wind whistled through the mountain pass. First, he needed a bite to eat. Five unique flavors of steamed buns were for sale at the counter. He was a simple ronin; he liked the classic flavor best. He bought the remaining three: one for him, one for the cat, and one for the road.
It was growing chilly as he returned to his car. On the right edge of the parking lot, a cyan convertible lay at rest, just asking to be stolen. To his left, the mountain gave way to the Sacred Land of Korin. It would take no great effort to steal that car, to claim it, test its speed. And yet, the pork buns were getting cold, and so too was his blood. He was not the man he once had been.
Unwrapping one, he inhaled its savory aroma and returned to the car.
Endnotes[]
- The title of this story is a reference to the In Search of... TV series, poking a bit of fun at the triviality of Yajirobe's focus. Surface-level comedy oftentimes obscures the underlining character development occurring, though.
- I would assume Bulma had taped at least a few of those letters to various doors, but maybe she was extremely confident. You can never be sure with that bitch.
- Yajirobe is feeling nostalgia for the Spindlerun era at the end of the first scene.
- The thing about Herbert's wife is that her authoritarian nature is so petty, so limited, that she has to become outlandishly overbearing to get any sort of dopamine rush anymore.
- For context, this is Rob Ryan's belly.
- The red-headed guy was modeled after Larry David, and so the guy had to get himself into a situation befitting of Curb Your Enthusiasm. As to whether he's guilty or not, Yajirobe neither saw nor cares to know, so you won't get much from his POV.
- Chicken shumai is one of my favorite all-time foods. Never had the pork version, but I expect it's almost as good. There is a place near me that serves that (not to mention pork buns)... I need to order from them soon. It is pretty dire to read this story on an empty stomach, not gonna lie.
- As with every story involving Yajirobe, hunting the wild boar, whether tangibly or figuratively, is a central theme. That can be seen in his pursuit of pork buns, and also in the big fat pig of a woman who ordered and ate 10 pork buns in one sitting.
- I was considering having Yajirobe steal and eat the woman's last pork bun, but after coming up with the idea for the third scene, I decided against that.
- I quite like the idea of a small outpost settlement, somewhat distant, but somewhat close to Korin Tower. I will probably write a decently-long one-shot about this in the future in regards to a pizza shop that Korin and Yajirobe frequent (and maybe Roshi'll be there too, to thank them for helping him train for the Tournament of Power). This may be in the little enclave in Baku Bay, or it may be somewhere else. I am not sure yet, but if it proves to be in Baku Bay, there is a good chance the location will recur in even further stories of mine.
- Yajirobe really earned that extra pork bun during the course of the Androids Saga, Imperfect Cell Saga, and of course and most importantly and most significantly and most prestigiously, for what he put up in the second scene of this story.
There are a few minor changes I would make. The second-to-last paragraph's opening sentence, for example, could be written better, as could Yajirobe's sole line in the first segment. Other than that, I like this one a lot. Pretty much everything was executed successfully in my opinion—the characterization, the prose, the deeper content. I think it is the best one so far, aside from Every Turtle Has His Day.
<---- Part 145
Part 147 ---->