Chapter 1

...

There was just no getting used to some things. Like a lot of mornings, Gohan found himself rudely awakened from a pleasant, if not mildly steamy dream. The offender was none other than his little brother Goten, who was sitting on Gohan's chest. As soon as the tyke noticed that he had managed to terrorise his sibling into the land of the living, he began to jump and bounce. On Gohan's stomach. How considerate.

"Gohan! Gohan! Gohan!" Every mention of his name was punctuated by a pair of feet plunging into his abs. "Gohan! Gohan! Get up! Mom says it's time for breakfast and that she isn't making seconds so you better hurry!"

After that he left Gohan to his own devices. The young man groaned and rose from his bed, rubbing over his stomach in a mixture of pain and hunger. While the last sleepy thoughts began to leave his head, they were replaced with horribly clear ones. Today was the day, the day of all days. The end of an era.

Son Gohan was going to public school.

His mother made it out to be a much bigger drama than it actually was, but Gohan had to admit that it wasn't his favourite idea either. He liked being around the house a lot, especially because he got to spend time with his family that way. He felt like he didn't need anyone else, but his mother disagreed. No, it was high time that Gohan went and made some friends of his own. Because apparently intergalactic, green guardians didn't count as friends. It would have been one thing if he had received months or even weeks of advanced notice but alas, his mother had dropped the bombshell on him only the day before.

So he took his place at the table feeling like a mixed bag. He was pretty sure that things would turn out okay. It wasn't like anything could go horribly wrong. Right?

Chi-Chi interrupted this thought by sliding a plate of bread and sausages in front of him. For a few seconds all of his thoughts ceased to be and he became one with the meal, relishing it so much that the world around him seemed to disappear. This was one of this habits which had proven more dangerous; sometimes he failed to hear his mother and that was never a good thing.

His mother had always been a scary woman, but once she brandished what Gohan and Goten had dubbed the Frying Pan of Doom ™ she became a real terror. Gohan felt it land in the back of his head just as he tried to bite a sausage in half. It was lodged deep inside his windpipe and Gohan only just managed to save himself from dying by beating on his chest.

"Wh-What was that for?" he asked his mother, out of breath and red in the face.

"I asked you a question," Chi-Chi said. "Are you going to be blond for the whole year?"

For a second he was puzzled, but then he remembered. She meant his hair, of course. Gohan had been putting himself through the wringer for the last several years. After the Cell Games had ended it became clear to him that even though he didn't exactly enjoy fighting, he wanted to be able to protect his loved ones. So he had picked up where his father left off. He had gone to train.

All of this had culminated in a mastery of his Ascended Super Saiyan form, much like he had done with the first. He didn't really notice it anymore; his control over the form was so good that it was mostly cosmetic now.

"I think I'm going to keep it this way," Gohan said. "There's no real reason for me not to, I guess."

He could feel his mother scrutinizing him, so he kept his head down.

"Fine then," Chi-Chi said. "Now hurry up and eat your food or else you're going to be late."

...

Not too long after breakfast Gohan was flying over the countryside on Nimbus. Squares of green flashed underneath him as he rummaged through his backpack in search of a capsule. It would contain the clothes that he had decided he was going to wear to school, not the ones he currently had on. His mother had forced him into an atrocious mess of an outfit, all orange and black and white and ruffled just where he didn't want it to be.

By the time he had managed to locate it he was already right near the city. Thinking that people might have a strange reaction to seeing a teenager fly over them on a cloud while getting dressed, he decided to land in an alleyway. Gohan was about to toss his capsule to the ground and get changed, but then a loud, booming sound reached his ears, followed by screaming.

His senses picked up a scattering of ki signals not too far from his location. Great, now he was going to be late for his first day of school. But it had to be done. He used his super speed to reach the source of the sound without being seen and ended up at a bank robbery. There was a crowd going on—reporters, police and people trying to get around the situation. There was a dead body on the steps leading up the bank. And with all the panic and ruckus nobody was paying Gohan any mind.

He slipped past the line of police cars while dropping out of Super Saiyan 2. He was going to be drawing a lot of attention to himself and it wouldn't do to look the way he always looked.

That was when a police officer finally noticed him walking up the steps.

"Hey!" the man shouted. "What do you think you're doing?"

Gohan looked back at him and smiled. "Don't worry, this will only take a minute."

And indeed, two minutes later he was back in the alleyway and changing into the clothes he had picked out. The pants were black denim, the shirt simple and white and form fitting. Gohan hoped it would slim him down just enough to keep from drawing too much attention to himself. Lastly he took on his Ascended form again, feeling far more natural right away.

He shot a look up at the sky, knowing full well that Dende was watching him and very likely drooling over him in his new getup. If you mess this up for me, Dende...

…

"OMG Videl! Have you heard the news?" asked Erasa as her best friend walked into the classroom. "The Raven Knight saved seven hostages. They say he moves faster than a hawk. You might just have some competition, y'know."

"Please, he didn't save anybody. It's just like my dad always says: if it sounds like it's stronger than him, it's just a cheap trick," said Videl as she flipped the end of a pigtail over her shoulder. It was no wonder she wasn't allowed to date anyone.

"Just you wait till the next WMAT, babe," said Sharpner with a toothy grin. He reached into his back pocket and offered Videl a crumbled rose, wilting at the petals. "I'll earn Mr. Satan's respect and we won't have to keep up our love a secret anymore."

"Dream on," said Videl, batting the rose out of Sharpner's hand. "I'm not into blonds anyway."

"I don't know why you're so into Miss Tomboy over there," said Angela from across the room as she placed her hands on her hips. "An oaf like you would never understand real feminine charm when you see it."

"Yeah, you tell him Angie!" said Will.

"Uhm, who are you?" Videl blinked.

"I'm Will," he insisted before gesturing to his right. "You know, her boyfriend?"

Angela pushed his arm away. "I dumped you last night."

"Aww c'mon-"

Videl turned back to her friends. "Anyhow, this Raven Fighter talk is all nonsense. Do you think anyone could actually beat me to the punch? The chief said he was wearing an Orange Star badge so unless we have a new kid, it was probably just someone from school trying to prank me."

The bell rang and the students' chatter gradually died down as the teacher shuffled a few pieces of paper on his desk before clearing his throat. "Settle down children. This tutor period is important because we have a new student who I have standing outside in the hallway so he can make an appropriately dramatic entrance. Come on in Son Gohan!"

Boy, dramatic didn't even begin to cut it. A young man with brilliant golden gravity-defying hair stepped through the doorway, sporting a white t-shirt that clung tightly to biceps so well-defined they would put a greek Kami to shame. Boys glared in envy whilst girls wolf-whistled and jeered in appreciation.

His eyes were a bone-harrowing icy teal that concealed a troubled past. Videl could instantly tell that he was a tortured soul. She looked at the fresh meat, her own frosty blue irises engaging in a dance with his eyes. A single miniature bolt of lightning crackled beside the new kid, snapping Videl out of her trance.

"Hey, did you guys see that?" Videl whispered.

"See what?" asked Erasa, practically drooling at the mouth. "I wonder if he's single."

"I bet he's just wearing a muscle suit," insisted Sharpner as he flexed his own biceps, trying to make his own muscles bulge as large.

"Mr. Son here obtained perfect scores on his entrance exams," said the teacher. "I know, I know, what a nerd - but let's try to be the mature upperclassmen that I know you all are and give him a warm welcome. Kami knows if you guys can refrain from bullying him so hard that he leaves the school before the year's up, his scores on the finals might just land me a raise."

"Yooohooo!" exclaimed Erasa as she waved her hand in the air invitingly. "There's a seat free next to me."

"What are you talking about?" asked Sharpner. "I'm sitting next t- oh…"

The blond found himself tumbling to the side and into the empty seat on his right. He took a few moments to gather his bearings, bewildered that he of all people had been pushed to the side by Erasa.

"Back off! He's mine," exclaimed Angela. "I need a rebound guy. Will and I just broke up!"

"You broke up three times last week," countered Erasa as she stuck out her tongue. "Besides, I saw him first."

Videl rolled her eyes as the pair's bickering devolved into yet another argument that continued on well past its welcome. She resumed her examination of the new kid, this Son Gohan, as he stepped towards the seat Sharpner had forcibly vacated. She could only see him from the front, so because of his jeans she was unable to tell if the rest of his body was as well toned as his arms. He did look a little lanky but his face was one that clearly conveyed it was not to be trifled with.

And that was when she saw it. Pinned on the hem of his t-shirt, almost hugging his waist - a badge with a familiar orange pentagon inscribed in a circle. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she remembered the chief's words to her that morning.

The only problem was that nothing above the shoulders added up. Where she was expecting a mane of jet-black hair and unremarkable eyes, his was the most fascinating, electric hair she had ever seen and he had pupils that she couldn't stop stealing a glance at.

"I'm Erasa," said the blonde. "This goofball's Sharpner and the one who's looking at you real scary is Videl - but don't worry, she does that with everyone."

The girl wiggled out of her chair and onto Gohan's side. Before he could do anything about it, she had him in a vice grip of a hug. He could feel her breath on his neck as she whispered to him "We're gonna be gooooood friends..."

...

Lunch couldn't come soon enough for Gohan. He hadn't been able to enjoy his breakfast after his mother had whacked him in the head, so now it was time for a proper meal. Chi-Chi, bless her heart, had packed him a lunch that would be unsuitable for any other student at Orange Star High, but not for poor old Gohan. A bowl of rice and some bits of sushi would only hold him up for so long.

In his attempt to spread out his feast he ventured outside. Orange Star had large lawns in front of it and students took gracious advantage of that, basking in the afternoon sun. Gohan tried to find some space wide enough, but before he did someone interrupted his thoughts.

"Gohan!" a voice called from behind. He turned and noticed Erasa waving from a nearby tree. Sharpner and that girl with the angry glare were there too. Erasa cupped her hands in front of her mouth and shouted at him. "Come have lunch with us!"

Sure, that wasn't too bad of an idea. He made his way over and gave Erasa a smile. "Thanks for letting me join you guys."

"Don't thank me, Brains," Sharpner said, his arms crossed in front of him. He tossed a few hairs over his shoulder. "It's Erasa here who wants to hear you out, not me. I don't care for nerds."

"Stop being an ass, Sharpner," the angry girl said. Gohan couldn't recall her name if he wanted to, but considering how much she had glared at him in class, he wasn't so sure that was the case. "Hey, Erasa shouted my name at you a while ago, but I still want to introduce myself. The name's Videl Satan, pleasure to meet you."

Satan? At hearing that name Gohan gave the slightest, most imperceivable snort. Videl was the only one who noticed.

"Is my name funny to you?"

"N-No," Gohan said, now actually starting to laugh.

"Because you do know that my father is the strongest man in the world, right? Hercule Satan? The one who saved us all from Cell?"

"I do, I do," Gohan said, now shaking with the hiccups. "Honestly though, I can't say I care much about your dad. It's just that... It's j-"

"It's just what?!"

"I can't get the image of you with an afro and handlebar moustache out of my head!" By now Gohan had lost all control over himself. He felt Videl's eyes burn holes in the back of his head, but all he could do was fold in half with breathless laughter. Erasa soon joined him and after a while Videl had no other option left than to join them.

When everyone had settled down, Gohan reached into his pocket and pulled out a capsule. When he got strange looks from his classmates, he only raised his shoulders and tossed the thing. The smoke cleared to reveal that an entire table now took up the lawn and on this table was a feast from which every student at the school would be able to eat.

Too bad for them it was all for Gohan, yessir.

As he was busy stuffing down half a chicken in three bites, Gohan got to thinking about what the rest of the day would be like. He hadn't gotten a chance to study his timetable yet and considering he now had people around him trying to socialise with him, he asked them instead.

"So what class do we have after lunch?"

"Uhm... P.E.," Sharpner said. "I'm sorry for asking man, but are you a human dumpster truck?"

"How come?" Gohan asked, shoving a whole bowl's worth of ramen down.

"Because you sure can eat a lot!" Erasa said, staring at him in wonderment.

"I... I guess it's a family thing," Gohan said. His mind was on the coming P.E. class. He hoped that they wouldn't have to play a sport where there was a chance of exposing himself and his powers. Something in the pit of his stomach told him that he would receive a nasty surprise.

After clearing off the table, Gohan followed his new friends to the dressing rooms. Luckily for him he was allowed to wear a tracksuit, so by making strategic use of his locker door, Gohan was able to get changed without drawing any attention to himself. He hadn't failed to hear the whistles in class and he was no fool. Those girls were looking at him the same way Dende always did. He lagged after the rest of the boys and onto the sports field, where a cluster of girls had already collected.

After some waiting around a figure approached them from a distance. Gohan, having better eyes than most, fet his heart drop to his feet. The P.E. teacher walked up to them with a smile, his eyes meeting Gohan's for the smallest of moments. In this brief encounter Gohan told the man everything that needed to be known.

Shut. The Hell. UP.

"Good afternoon, kids," Krillin said, smiling up at his class. "Is everybody well?"

A murmur of agreement went through the crowd.

"Great to hear. So, last lesson we wrapped up covering baseball. My good friend Yamcha was kind enough to help oversee things and give you guys tips where you needed them. So now, we can move on the next part of the program."

Krillin caught Gohan in another minute moment, this time conveying a strong thought himself.

Sorry, dude.

"Martial Arts."

Gohan wasn't the only one in class who groaned. His eyes turned to the sky and cursed a little green man looking down at him with dreamy eyes.

"So for starters we're going to practice some very basic movements," Krillin said. "I can use a hand from someone who's had a bit of experience. Gohan, would you m-" Krillin fell silent at the knowledge of what he had just done.

As the whispering broke out around him, Gohan once more glared at Dende, who blew him a kiss in return.

Damnit Dende. Damnit.

...

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This chapter was brought to you by Kakarot Son and kalebxdd.