As far as I have seen, there aren't many fanfictions that follow the story of both Gohan and Sharpener. So in an effort to see how these characters fit together I decided to experiment and see how this combination could work.
Enjoy.
Thud.
The unmistakable sound of a gloved fist finding its target resounded through the sea of students crammed in one gymnasium. The noise from the students themselves was a mixture of surprise; shock and excitement as the spectators witnessed one of their fellow peers take the brute force of a right hook to the cheek, forcing his head to nearly twist a hundred and eighty degrees with such force.
The recipient of this flush strike stumbled three steps back as he tried to steady himself and regain his bearings. However before his intentions could come to fruition he received a straight left to the body, yet another in a long list. After absorbing such punishment for what seemed like an eternity it wasn't unreasonable to assume that a broken rib was almost guaranteed in the not too distant future.
The crowd continued to cheer and hurl insults as they continued to watch what could only be described as a massacre. Amongst the sea of students, sitting on the bleachers was a certain teenage demi-Saiyan. A young man who winced as he foresaw the incoming counter right punch before it even happened, the wince only became more apparent as he witnessed said punch graze the temple of his friend, well more of an acquaintance if he was honest.
Usually the students of Orange Star High would have left the school grounds a baron wasteland at the tick of 3:30 pm, signalling the final bell of the day, and salvation of those who awaited its call. However at 4:00 pm the students made a conscious effort to head directly towards the school gym for a highly anticipated grudge match between two of the best male fighters in the school, and the hype for said fight was only enhanced due to the bad blood that had landed both participants in this situation.
Sharpener vs Marker was something of a super fight. The idea that both teens would ever duke it out in a ring had the entire school salivating at the prospect of such a monumental clash. Both were notorious for their supreme boxing and martial arts abilities which set them apart from the entire school and placed them in an equal second, only to Videl Satan, in terms of fighting skill and prowess. For nearly two years the students of OHS debated who they believed was in fact the superior fighter, unfortunately however words could never fully predict the outcome of this meeting. However three days ago it seemed that this inevitable clash would finally commence.
Flashback
Wednesday, 1:14 pm.
Out in the court yard the many students of Orange Star High School mingled and relaxed during their one hour lunch break in between classes. While most took this time to discuss interests with friends or play sports, one blonde boy in particular chose to do what he believes he does best; flirt with girls.
As a self-proclaimed "ladies man" the tall, blonde jock known to the world as Sharpener continued his flawed and ever failing plan to capture the sights of his friend Videl Satan. All the while he continued to ignore the other two of his peers who were seated beside him; Erasa, the bubbly and very talkative blonde girl and Gohan the naïve, shy country boy who was on another level academically.
"So Videl, what's say I show you a few boxing techniques after school?" Sharpener offered, his eyebrows both raised highly, obviously suggesting this was more than just a training offer.
Unfortunately for the blonde boy his flirtatious nature only ever resulted with him being the recipient of a heavy and lengthy scolding from nearly all of the female students of Orange Star High, and Videl was only different in the fact that she would even retaliate with physical punishment. And today was no different.
Creating a fist with her hand, Videl threw a punch directly at the blonde boys face, landing cleanly on his left cheek while also sending a very direct message that said "Don't mess with me. I'm not in the mood". Without uttering even a single word, Videl had managed to get her message across to Sharpener who lay dazed on the grass, carefully nursing his injured jaw.
As the scene played out both Erasa and Gohan could not contain their laughter, both chuckling at the antics of their friends. The sound of said laughter made the blonde jock growl in anger at the fact that the two seemed to be delighting in his misery.
"What do you think you're laughing at nerd boy?" Sharpener barked at the black haired teen. "I'd love to see you actually try and talk to a girl yourself. a hundred zeni says you're too much of a pansy to even approach a girl?"
As Gohan' face turned to one of confusion, Erasa immediatly came to the demi saiyans aid.
"Oh leave him alone Sharpener. Besides at least Gohan respects a womans personal space and doesn't go around annoying them every day of the week"
Gohan meanwhile just blushed at the statement and the fact that Erasa gave Gohan a reassuring wink as she finished her scolding of Sharpener.
"Whatever" Sharpener huffed as he stood up, throwing his paper bag which originally contained his lunch into a nearby bin and storming off from his group of friends.
"What a drama queen" Videl said as the three watched the retreating figure of the blonde boy walk out of the courtyard, obviosuly displeased with the events that had just transpired.
"Stupid Nerd Boy... I'd like to see him be a man for once in his life" Sharpener stated under his breath with pure anger and hatred for the new boy at school. Keeping his eyes and head down, Sharpener continued to walk forward at a faster than normal pace, not paying any attention to what was in front of him, or more specifically, who.
Just as Sharpener had rounded a corner into the long hallway he collided with a hard object, sending him falling backwards a few paces in order to regain his balance.
"Shit" Sharpener swore, rubbing his head which had made direct contact with some hard, foreign object. Looking up he then was met with the sight of Marker who was rubbing his head in the same fashion of Sharpener, it was then obvious just what Sharpener had collided with earlier.
Marker was an inch taller than Sharpener was, he had short brown hair that was combed over to one side. He had brown eyes and tanned skin. He was wearing a white polo shirt, and some stylish kahki pants to go with it. Marker was also a year older than Sharpener, having been held back a year two years prior due to poor attendance and failing a majority of his classes, the only passing grade coming from physical education.
To say that Sharpener and Marker never saw eye to eye on many occasions would be an understatement. In fact the two flat out despised one another. Partly this was because Marker was born into a wealthy and fortunate family and liked to remind his peers of that fact, making people feel inadequate as he bragged about the new car his parents had bought him or his upcoming trip to some overseas utopia. And this meant Sharpener was an easy target for Marker, while Marker had nearly everything served to him on a silver platter all his life, Sharpener did not. In fact the blonde boy hadn't lived the life of luxury like his fellow jock, Sharpener was born into a rather poor family, living in what is described at the "slums" of Satan City.
While his parents tried their best to suppot Sharpener, it proved to be a difficult task considering their dead end, and low paying jobs. However over the years his family had managed to move into a more safe district of Satan City, thanks to some financial assistance from Videl and her father. However his roots were not lost on Marker who would constantly remind Sharpener that he was poor, and would announce this to the entire school simply to humiliate the boy. Over the years though this constant jeering had lost its affect somewhat, with Sharpener simply being able to ignore the comments with great difficuly.
But the main reason for their rivalry was due to the fact that both were recognised for their innate martial arts abilities that set them apart from all others, except for Videl Satan. The two had won multiple district championships for Orange Star High, playing a major role in making it the most highly respected athletic peforming school in the country, though never had the opportunity to fight one another as they both represented the same school. And both boys tended to believe that they were the superior fighter of the two, causing a great amount of animosity and resentment.
"Watch where you're going Slummy!" Marker spat at the boy, using his cruel nickname for the boy.
"I don't have time for you, get out of the way Marker" Sharpener ordered as he made a move to walk past the boy. However as he was about to pass, Marker took a step to his right, preventing Sharpener from continuing on his path by blocking the hallway.
"I'm not going anywhere until you apologise for your clumsy, bum-ass ruining my perfectly good day" Marker stated, his patronizing tone extremley evident.
"Like hell I'd apologise to a phony like yourself!"
"Oh Sharpener, what's wrong?" Marker asked, his tone dripping with poor intentions. His face then grew to a cruel smirk. "Aw, is little Sharpy upset that Videl broke his heart?"
Immediatly Sharpener' hands curled into fists at the statement. Marker knew how to push buttons, and he did it with great efficency and punctuality.
"As if that bitch would ever want a bum like you anyway" Marker' smirk then grew more as he watched Sharpener' fist begin to tremble as he was struggling to control his actions.
He had just insulted Videl...
"Neither would that stupid blonde broad. I swear, if there's anybody more incompetent and stupid then you, it has to be her" Gauging the blondes reaction, Marker was even more pleaased, he now had his eyes clenched shut and was shaking even more so than before.
He had just insulted Erasa...
"Heck, even that Nerd Boy could do better than you. I guess it makes sense, the two biggest losers at Orange Star High hanging out together. The boy from the slums and the kid from the middle of butt-fuck nowhere in the mountains" Marker just laughed at his own comment, he was very proud of that one.
That was enough!
Launching his fist with a powerful right hook, Sharpener hit the row of lockers right next to where Marker was positioned. He then looked up giving the boy a heated and furious glare.
"I'm so sick of your shit!" Sharpener claimed with intensity. "Sick of you, sick of all of it. For years I've had to deal with your crap, and I'm done. You insult me, my family and my friends. You still think you can beat me? I want to end this right now!" Sharpener roared.
Marker was definitley not prepared for that little tirade, for a moment he even appeared to be scared, scared that he may have poked the bear a bit too much. But almost immediatly the boy regained his composure.
"You think I'm stupid?" Marker questioned. "Trying to get me to fight you here so I'll get in trouble and probably expelled?" It was true, Marker had been given too many strikes during his stint at OSH and was on his final warning, one more incident and he would no longer be allowed to attend this highshcool.
"Then I'll kick your ass after school if it will make you so damn happy. Friday, 4:00 in the gym. I'll ask the coach for use of the keys for the afternoon. And you know what? Screw ringouts, we fight until the other person gives up or can't fight anymore" Sharpener had practically given his entire emotion into this. In fact this was a scenario he had run through his head many times over the years, this was the type of fight that would determine who was the better martial artist.
Looking straight into the blonde boys eyes, Marker took one step closer and matched his stare with the same intensity that Sharpener was emitting, before delivering a one word response that was cold, and without emotion.
"Deal"
"Oof" Sharpener breathed out as another right hand landed straight to his abdomen, knocking the air out of his lungs.
This had practically been the story of the fight, it was now deep into the third round (It's basically a mixed martial arts fight, 5 minute rounds. Only this fight has no round limit), with Sharpener continously being on the receiving end of brutal punishment. His body had taken solid and bone crushing hits that left him struggling for breath, and his head had taken far too many shots that could be deemed safe. In fact, it seemed as though Sharpener half the time had been out on his feet as he absorbed blow after blow.
Just as Marker prepared for another heavy right hand, the bell mercifully rang, signalling the end of the round and a welcomed break for Sharpener to hobble back to his corner. The act of doing so made Sharpener collapse the moment he reached the stool laid out for him.
Looking over to Markers corner, Gohan watched on as three of Markers closest friends gave the boy advice on how to handle the next round, while also drying him with a towel and cooling him with an ice pack. Turning his gaze to Sharpener's corner was a different story though, the only occupant was Erasa who reluctantly agreed to help the blonde boy after watching him cop a serious beating in the first round. Unfortunatley Erasa could do little besides offer the boy a drink of water, as she had no expierence or knowledge of how to fight, let alone coach someone to be able to fight.
It was then that Gohan' eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Looking to his right, he spotted Videl watching casually from the bleachers without a care in the world.
"Hey Videl, why aren't you down there?" The boy asked out of curiosity and for the sake of Sharpener.
The Satan girl could only scoff at Gohan' comment.
"He got himself into this situation. Quite frankly it only makes sense that he handle this on his own, maybe next time he'll think before he speaks" Videl responded.
To say Gohan was surprised by the statement would be an understatement. In fact the boy was somewhat disheartened when he found out one of Sharpener' closest friends was willing to simply sit on the sidelines and enjoy the bloodshed rather than step in and offer her assistance.
"But he's your friend isn't he? You heard what Marker said about you, he was defending you and Erasa as well" Gohan reasoned.
Videl however was having none of what the boy had to say and turned her head to him, giving him her direct attention.
"Look Gohan. I never asked for him to do that for me, I'm happy he did, but he needs to learn to keep his mouth shut, otherwise he could end up in a situation far worse than what is happening right now" She then paused before continuing. "Besides, I would have thought you wouldn't care. After all the teasing he's given you since you started here, I would have expected you to be enjoying this"
Gohan just paused allowing the reality to set in. Sharpener was a goner, he had no support and was in way over his head. And while Videl as was right, Sharpener had not been the most hospitable company at high school for Gohan. The saiyan boy was not one to sit back and watch helplessly when this very kind of situation could be prevented. He knew something had to be done, regardless if Sharpener considered him a friend or not, he was only doing what he felt was right for his friends sake, and now he was being punished for it?
"Well I'm not enjoying it..." Gohan said in a low tone, catching Videl off guard, she stared at him wide eyed having never heard this kind of thing from the timid boy before. "Excuse me" Gohan said. His eyes now locked solely on the ring in the centre of the gym. Standing to his full height, the boy walked confidently towards the rings, weaving past the loud crowd of students, all without taking his eye off Sharpener for even a second.
Videl meanwhile stayed in place, watching in awe as this new air of confidence and determination overcame the once quiet and reserved boy. Something was wrong, what was Gohan going to do anyway?
Pulling himself up into the ring, Gohan knelt down so that he was face to face with the battered and bruised Sharpener. Giving Erasa a reassuring smile, he turned his stern face to meet the blonde jock.
"Sharpener? How are you feeling?" Gohan asked in an effort to test just how cognizant the boy.
"Nerd Boy?" Sharpener questioned. "What are you? Why are you here?"
"I'm here to help you, how are you feeling?" Gohan asked once again.
Sharpener just scoffed.
"Super" the boy stated harshly. "How do you think I'm feeling!?"
Gohan however merely ignored the venomous comment thrown his way and looked the boy dead in the eye.
"Look Sharpener. If you want to win this fight then do exactly as I say, I want you to..." Gohan started only to be cut off by the bleeding Sharpener.
"Why would I listen to you? What would you know about fighting?" Sharpener countered.
"Because I'm trying to help you. Now listen to me, otherwise you're gonna lose this fight, you hear me?" This was the first time Gohan had ever raised his voice to someone from Sharpener' memory. The look in his eye was full of confidence and it told the blonde boy to simply shut up and listen. Sharpener just nodded his head in response.
"Good" Gohan stated, right now Sharpener needed clear instructions, he needed to do everything right otherwise he wouldn't have the energy to pull this off. "You're fighting too much like a boxer Sharpener, he's a boxer as well, but his abilities are too good for you"
"Gee thanks, you're a genius brains" Sharpener stated sarcastically. But immediately shut his mouth after seeing the disapproving look Gohan was giving him.
"You need to vary your arsenal. He stands flat footed, heavy on that right leg. If you evenly distribute your weight and lower your stance it opens up the use of your kicks. I've seen you train, you have a lot of power in those legs Sharpener. Kick his legs, wear him down, don't head hunt, right now this is becoming a battle of attrition. You can't expect to win this fight with a single punch in your condition. You kick that leg he loses all that power in his punches."
Standing up, Gohan slid perfectly into a low stance, protecting both his head and side of his body with his forearms, judging his stance, Sharpener noted there were no holes, no exploitable weaknesses. Just how did Gohan know this style?
"I want you to mimic as best you can this stance. It's designed to be perfect for defending and countering. He's loading up the right hook and following it up with a left to the head. If you avoid that right hand you'll be fine. His reset to bringing his hand up is slow, be the counter striker, let him make the first move and catch him moving back. Do you understand?" Gohan was so caught up in his explanation he failed to notice the incredulous looks he was getting from Sharpener and Erasa. Or the fact that Videl had no moved towards the ring and had overheard Gohan' instruction. Not even she knew that stance or would have thought up such a strategy on the spot.
"Sharpener!" Gohan shouted to get the boys attention as he seemed to be stunned and staring off to space. "Do you understand?"
The boy in question stared up at the boy for a moment longer before narrowing his eyes, showing focus he was lacking the past two rounds.
"I got it" He assured.
Gohan nodded his head in response and pulled the blonde boy up from his stool, holding him steady. Just as he was making his way to exit the ring, Sharpener took hold of the boy.
"Why are you doing this for me?" Sharpener questioned.
Gohan gave the boy the typical son grin.
"Because I'm not going to let someone like Marker punish you for what you did. You may not see me as a friend Sharpener, but I still respect the fact that you defended both Videl and Erasa." Gohan then placed his hand on Sharpener' shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Remember kick the legs, and let him come to you" Gohan reminded as he moved to leave the ring.
Sharpener just watched the boy, impressed and amazed that this was the same Gohan who showed no evidence of self confidence in the past month since he started attending Orange Star High. Looking over to his opponent, Sharpener noticed the smug look Marker was sending his way, it seemed the torrent of insults still wasn't about to end.
"Getting advice from the bookworm now? You must be pretty desperate to look to a weakling like that for help" Marker stated from across the ring... A comment that had unknowingly taken things too far.
He had just insulted Gohan...
The bell rang and both fighters paced slowly towards the middle of the ring. However unlike the first three rounds, Sharpener entered with a whole new approach, his stance was lowered, both legs light on their feet and his arms positioned at awkward angles, leaving very little space for a clean strike to accurately land.
Immediately Marker was caught off guard by this approach, experimentally throwing a few quick jabs towards Sharpener' head, he was surprised to find that the boy had managed to easily sidestep them, and what was even more surprising was the immediate pain he felt overtake his front leg. Looking down he then caught a glimpse as Sharpener loaded up his hips and threw a heavy leg kick which collided right on his thigh. The act of which causes a great amount of pain.
Marker then went for his right hook to left uppercut combination that had served him well in the earlier stages of the fight. This time however the hook glided easily over Sharpener' ducking head, and as he was bringing his hand back to defend he was greeted with a step in left jab courtesy of Sharpener which landed flush on Marker' nose.
But before he had time to react, Sharpener through another heavy leg kick, landing with precision on the same spot he had hit more than once. This time Marker stumbled forward a pace as he felt the muscles in his leg almost completely give out under his weight. The brown haired boy bit down hard on his mouth piece, trying to avoid the pain that was shooting through his front leg.
"That's it Sharpener!" Gohan called from ringside. "Keep working the leg, keep your left arm up! Leave no openings and you leave with no injuries"
'Wise words to live by' Sharpener thought with a smug grin as he looked to see Marker now struggling to stay heavy on his front foot.
Sharpener though did not rush in, knowing full well that Marker still retained some of his power, so far Gohan had been right, and he needed to follow all his advice to win this fight. Marker was a bull, always charging forward, and Sharpener just needed to continue to defend and counter.
Moving in, Marker threw a sloppy and slow left jab which Sharpener tilted his head to his left allowing the fist to fly over his shoulder. Then he ducked underneath a follow up right hook and stood up straight, leaning back allowing another left hook to pass centimetres past his face. Each punch was slow and laboured, obviously the injury to Marker' leg was worse than he was making it.
As the left hand passed by Sharpener' face, the blonde boy capitalized on the opening Marker had left, stepping in to the boys guard, Sharpener delivered an over the top left hand which grazed the side of Marker' head, making him stumble a few step back. Sharpener then side stepped to his right and loaded up a heavy right uppercut which landed right on Marker' iron chin.
"Excellent, now work the legs Sharpener!" Gohan called as he watched on.
The boy wobbled backwards, trying to gain his bearings. Sharpener then took advantage and landed three unanswered leg kicks to the same injured spot or Marker in quick succession. The act of which proved to be too much as the brown haired jock collapsed to the canvas as his front leg could no longer support his weight.
Laying on the ground holding his foot, Marker screamed in agony. He knew there was something seriously wrong, in all likelihood, his foot had to be broken. The entire sea of students gasped as they watched their peer struggle to contain his pain, his voice echoed through the gym.
Grunting and writhing, Marker pushed himself to his feet and brought his hands back up to his face, though he was now hopping on one leg, as the other proved to be too painful to stand on.
"I won't lose to you!" Marker boldly or perhaps stupidly stated, so blinded by his rage that he refused to acknowledge that his chances of winning had slowly diminished to zero since the round started.
"You already have" Sharpener claimed. "The fight is over, you're done"
"Fuck you, you're nothing but trash!" Marker exclaimed as he stepped forward on his poor leg with all his weight, clenching with the pain it offered, moving in with a heavy right hand that was intended as a last resort for Marker.
Gohan already sensing Marker was on his last legs, literally, knew he would be desperate and foresaw this move before Marker had even planned it.
"Watch the right hand!" The demi saiyan called, "Wait for the opening"
it was as if time had slowed to almost a complete halt, as Marker' strike came flying forwards Sharpener stood, patiently waiting for the perfect opening, the split second he needed. Too early and he risked missing his target and getting caught coming in, too late and that heavy hand would be his downfall. Just the right judgement was all he needed.
Closer...
A bit more...
Now.
Ducking and stepping to his right, Sharpener evaded the finishing blow and stepped in quickly ripping through the air with a right hand that sailed over Marker' left shoulder and collided with the boys cheekbone, causing his mouthpiece to fly from his mouth and his head to turn the whole way around until it was in line with his right shoulder.
His arms fell from their position by his head and went to his waist, the solid build of the jock came crashing back down to the canvas a second time. Only unlike the first instance, it would remain that way, Marker was now on the ground, eyes closed, body stiff and unresponsive, he was knocked out cold.
The gym seemed to fall deafly silent for a short moment. Nobody uttered a word, no noise. That is until the crowd erupted, jumping for joy at their victor. Those who supported Marker slumped in their seats, remained quiet or left the gym in disappointment.
Meanwhile Sharpener stood in the ring, a sigh of relief escaped his lips as he realised that he had managed to settle the dispute. He raised his hands in the air triumphantly.
It was then that Erasa jumped into the ring, ecstatic that her friend had put an end to this discussion and fight once and for all. Unable to contain her excitement she pulled the boy into a congratulatory hug.
"Well done Sharpy" she said, proud of her friend' actions.
"Thanks Erasa" the boy managed to say as his breath was lost in the tight friendly embrace.
The remaining two, Videl and Gohan then entered the ring right behind the blonde girl. Videl unsurprisingly didn't have much to say, but her features softened as she approached the boy, obviously impressed with the earlier display, though it wasn't Sharpener, so much as she was impressed with what Gohan had just done... He seemed to have a lot of explaining to do, the boy wasn't off the hook yet.
"Sharpener... I just wanted to say thank you." Videl said sincerely. "For what you said, how you defended myself and Erasa"
Sharpener just smiled. That's all he wanted to hear.
"You're my friend Videl. No matter how much I drive you crazy, I will always be there to defend you when you need me" Sharpener responded, making Videl smile.
His attention then turned to the one boy who managed to make this victory possible. A boy who stood there with his patented son grin.
"Well done Sharpener, you did great" he stated with the utmost confidence.
Sharpener just shook his head at the comment though and gestured to the still dazed and motionless Marker.
"No. I didn't. Had you not been there to help me, that would have been me" Sharpener said in a low tone that only Videl, Erasa and Gohan managed to catch.
"Listen, I still don't know how you managed to figure out that game plan, or how you knew about those fighting techniques and that stance. But what I do know, is that I have treated you like next to nothing for the past month. And yet you still chose to help me, even when you could have just as easily sat by and watched me suffer, for all the shit I've talked, all the times I've insulted you and your intelligence. And I still don't know why you did that for me... But, I just wanted to say that I couldn't have done it without you" Sharpener was unable to control this wave of emotion he was feeling.
Both Videl and Erasa had known Sharpener for years now and had never witnessed such a thing from the boy. Firstly he never admitted when someone helped him, he always acted as if he was the only one involved in his success and secondly, he had just admitted that he had wrongfully treated Gohan poorly this past month.
"I appreciate it Sharpener. It means a lot. It does" Gohan stated with a grin.
He then reached out to give the boy a handshake, only for Sharpener to pull the boy in close as the two hands met. Bringing his lips to Gohan' ear, Sharpener uttered the one phrase, the one word he thought he would never use since meeting this boy, but the situation seemed to most definitely call for it.
"Thank You... Gohan"
End.