Chapter 2

"The One Who Will Judge You Is My Stand!"

The next day, Videl ran up to Gohan as he walked to school and scooted under his umbrella. "Sorry, I forgot my own and I didn't want to get my hair wet." Videl blushed.

"N- No problem…" Gohan stuttered slightly at being this close to a girl. Her scent wafted over to him and he could smell the faint hint of fruit from her hair.

"Did you see it?" Videl said hastily. "No wait; don't tell me, we should all talk about it together." She looked up at Gohan's umbrella then back to him, a worried expression on her face. "This is kinda awkward being this close, isn't it…?" She mentioned with faint rosy cheeks.

"I don't mind." Gohan smiled genuinely.

Videl's cheeks reddened. "A- Are you sure?" She asked nervously before returning a shy smile. "Okay then, just… don't get any ideas!" She pouted.

The two walked together, Videl staying close to Gohan's bicep.

The two sat down next to Erasa and Sharpner as their history teacher walked into the class.

"Hello, students." She greeted them, pushing her pale blond hair behind her ear and blinking her blue hues. "My name is Miss Mary Nertari, and I am not sure how acquainted you are with world history, but I am an expert! You'll have to forgive me if I speak fondly of history's romance, but I do so enjoy it." She gave a wistful smile as she looked around the room at the rather eager students, happy to be away from the glare of Mister Moroono.

"Now, since this is my first lecture in this school, I will start with a simple question… Let's see…" She began looking through the ledger. "Mister… Pencil?"

Sharpner looked up before standing to his feet, gaining Miss Neritari's attention.

"Ah, there you are. The western calendar, most typically associated with West City for obvious reasons, is based on the Anno Domini, traditionally believed to be the first year of the very first Guardian of Earth's birth. What was the year before Age One called?" Nertari questioned.

"Age minus One!" Sharpner affirmed. "West City never used Age Zero as they believed that the number could not make sense to the common person, stating 'how could a year exist when there was no year?'"

Nertari nodded. "Well done, Mister Pencil. Do I sense a slight Western accent to your voice?"

"Yes, ma'am. Lived in West City five years." Sharpner confided.

A few girls talked among themselves excitedly as Sharpner spoke, their misty eyed gaze seeming to rip away from Sharpner as they conversed.

The bell rung out later that day; the class filed out, leaving a few students in the classroom.

"What's up with the body being hung upside down like that? It's so messed up!" A student muttered behind Gohan and Videl.

"Is it meant to be a sign you think?" Her friend asked beside her. "My Senpai told me it was a second year like us who found the body."

Sharpner walked down the classroom from his phone call. "Sup…" He greeted Gohan, pocketing his phone. "It's… not really that important but… the TV yesterday… I watched it." He confessed.

Videl looked up at him while Erasa packed her backpack. "Did you talk to Chico-san last night?" Videl asked.

Sharpner nodded. "Yeah, but it wasn't for long, she had to go somewhere. She's a diligent girl." A small smile crept over his mouth before it disappeared. "She didn't come to school today though… I hope she's okay."

Erasa stood up and slung her backpack over her shoulder. "I'll be off." She said hastily.

"Helping out at the Inn today?" Videl asked out of curiosity.

Erasa nodded quickly. "Sorry… Things have been busy lately." She murmured, almost sleepily. She took off quickly and the others watched her leave.

"Poor Erasa…" Videl pouted.

"Is it just me…?" Sharpner began. "Or does 'Rase seem… I dunno, annoyed to anyone else?"

"Guess they're overworking her?" Videl speculated. "By the way, Sharpner… You took my advice after all." Videl gave him a smile.

"Well, there goes my yearly smile…" Sharpner jested. "What about you?"

"I did!" Videl exclaimed triumphantly before faltering. "I saw a girl… My soul-mate's a girl? But I'm straight… I couldn't quite tell, but it was definitely a girl." She went on to describe the individual. "Her hair was black, shoulder length… She had an eye color similar to Gohan…"

Sharpner's brow arched. "Wait, I think I saw the exact same person… She was dancing it looked like. The image was really blurry though."

Videl's shocked expression showed. "Excuse me?! Whoa, no, no! We do not have the same soul-mate." She said defiantly.

Sharpner rolled his eyes and turned to Gohan. "What about you, Gohan? You see anything?" He questioned.

Gohan nodded. "Yep, from what you two described, we all saw the same person. And… You guys won't believe me when I tell you this." The teen began explaining everything that happened the night before.

"Weird voices aside…" Sharpner began skeptically. "What was that about almost being pulled into your TV? You weren't high or drunk were you?" His concern grew.

"I doubt Gohan takes drugs or alcohol." Videl pointed out. "Besides I'd haul him in if he did." She side eyed him suspiciously. "Don't make me interrogate you."

"Jeez, put on a muzzle already." Sharpner warned. "He's not getting arrested." He let out a small chuckle. "I like the image of him just being stuck because his heads too big to fit into the TV."

"What if there was a bigger TV? Then I could show you if it happens again." Gohan asked innocently.

"Bigger TV?" Sharpner replied jokingly. "Well, the only place I can think of is Julays but they're all display models." He let out a laugh. "You should prove it; I bet Julays has one big enough to jump into."

The three stood in the electronics department of Julays surveying a wall of flat screen TVs.

"Guys… There's this word called joking, look it up!" Sharpner informed the two who flanked him.

"Oh, I know…" Videl cooed. "But since we're here… Think you can cut me a deal on a new seventy inch plasma screen TV?"

Sharpner gave her a deadpan look. "This was your idea all along, wasn't it?" He accused.

"Who? Little old me? Oh, Sharpner, I'd never dream of it… Is there one with Netflux?" Videl asked nicely.

"Oh, should it also be 3-D?" Sharpner mocked.

"Only if there's a discount." Videl replied.

"Oh yeah, it's buy one, get it full price!" Sharpner crossed his arms.

As they argued, Gohan reached towards the TV, pressing against the glass before his hand sunk into the screen, water-like ripples forming around his forearm.

"Well, anyway, go-" Sharpner began as he turned to the other male before freezing up at the sight. "Dude!" He gasped in shock.

Videl turned and looked equally as shocked at what she was witnessing. "H- How are you doing that!?" She shrieked. "Y- Your arm… It's in the TV…!"

"I… think I can go further in…" Gohan breathed excitedly as he pressed deeper into the TV.

"Hey, don't do that!" Sharpner warned in alarm, grabbing Gohan's shoulders and attempting to pull him back.

"For once, I'm with Sharpner on this one." Videl agreed as she followed Sharpner's example.

"Hello?" Gohan spoke as he pushed his face into the TV. "TV people? We come in peace!"

Suddenly, the three slipped and fell inside the TV screen, disappearing from Julays.

The three fell onto a hard surface.

"Ah! My ass!" Sharpner groaned as Videl landed on him, sitting up on his chest with her spandex covered butt positioned near his face. "Nevermind, I'm good." He added as she got up, fixing him with a glare while the two males got to their feet.

"Where are we?" She asked in wonder as she looked around, seeing nothing but thick fog, barely able to make out the ground ahead of them.

"I think we're inside the TV…" Gohan speculated.

"Hey! Don't say it so calmly!" Sharpner burst out. "It's your fault we got in here in the first place!"

"You guys pushed me." Gohan pointed out. "If anything, it's all our faults, I never asked for help because I had balance."

"Does this place look like a studio to you guys?" Sharpner asked as he looked around.

"Not sure, tough to make out in all this fog." Gohan replied. "This is fog, right?"

"Either that or someone has a really bad vaping habit." Sharpner quipped.

"Uh, guys…" Videl said in an almost trembling voice. "What's that?"

The two followed her finger to see a dark, round, ominous silhouette walking towards them.

"Well, see ya; it was nice knowing you two!" Sharpner exclaimed as he took off in the opposite direction.

"Hey! Wait for us!" Videl almost panicked as she and Gohan chased after Sharpner. "We could get separated in this fog!"

They ran out of breath when they came to an apartment block.

"Quickly! Inside!" Sharpner commanded as he opened the front door for them, letting the other two pass before following, barring the door with a wooden broom through the handles.

They continued on until they passed a room, Gohan skidded to a stop as something caught his eye.

Entering the room, the three were met with a disturbing sight; ripped posters on the wall smeared with dark red paint bore the first unnerving detail. The second held deep claw marks on the floor and futon. However, the one that caught their attention the most was a single rope hanging from the ceiling, tied to a red ascot and hovering over a chair on its side.

"What… the… fuck…?" Sharpner sounded out slowly, his eyes in shock at what he saw. "Dude, this is getting really creepy…"

"What's with this room?" Videl asked slowly. "Ripped posters? Claw marks? The posters have the faces ripped off…"

"Someone must really not like interior decoration." Sharpner added.

"Shut it! This is a crime scene!" Videl growled.

"Yeah, in a TV, I doubt you have any jurisdiction here!" Sharpner retorted.

Videl glared at him but relented, he did have a point.

"This kind of arrangement is never a good sign…" Sharpner muttered as he walked up to the chair. "Is that a scarf?"

"Ascot, red silk, you can tell by the shine of the fabric." Gohan pointed out.

The two looked at him.

"What? I had some free time over the summer two years ago so I studied some fashion." Gohan informed them.

Videl sighed and placed her fingers on her head. "Let's just head to the entrance and find a way back. Hopefully it's clear of that weird round thing now."

Videl turned and walked out of the room.

"Hm…" Sharpner paused as he began to follow Videl and looked at the posters. "I think I've seen this before…" He turned to Gohan. "Come on, we should probably go before Videl has a hissy fit."

Just then, Videl's scream caught their attention.

"Videl!" They called before rushing out.

"What's w- Oh my Kami…" Sharpner trailed off as they ran next to Videl to see a large, blue furred Teddy Bear doll in a white suit with a blue collar. "What the fuck is this thing?"

Suddenly, the bear sprang to life. "What? I could ask you the same thing!" It outburst, pointing at Sharpner.

"What the-! It talks!?" The trio exclaimed in nervous unison.

A loud grumbling sounded around them, making the bear nervous. Reaching behind its back, it took a pair of thick rimmed, black glasses from its back pocket and handed them to Gohan. "Here, take these and get back to where you came from. The shadows have noticed you!" Without another word, the bear shot off back into the dense fog.

Gohan's brow arched as he examined the glasses. Slowly, he put them on.

"Uh, guys, should we really be standing around after hearing that?" Sharpner asked.

"I can see!" Gohan exclaimed as he looked through the glasses. "The fog! It's gone!"

"The hell are you talking about?!" Sharpner barked. "The fog's still here! We can't see five feet in front of us!"

Dark figures moved within the fog.

"We should be leaving!" Videl warned.

A shadowy hand appeared on her shoulder and she screamed, taking off past Sharpner and Gohan.

The three ran, ducking and weaving away from the grasp of the shadows.

They reached the ground floor before Sharpner shouldered the barred door open, falling on his side.

"Come on!" Videl ordered, running on as Sharpner scrambled to his feet.

Videl ran face first into a ball-like shadow with its tongue hanging out. The tongue licked her and she screamed.

"Huh, maybe she is into girls…" Sharpner pointed out as he ran to her. "Get away from her!" His fist soared forward, punching the shadow before throwing it to the ground and stomping on it.

"She's out cold!" Gohan informed Sharpner as the dark haired teen inspected Videl's unconscious body.

"How?! She got licked!" Sharpner told him before a shadow grabbed him from behind and threw him into the air. "What the fuck!" Sharpner growled before he landed heavily on his back and several shadows dog piled him.

Sinister applause sounded from behind Gohan, who turned to see a figure shrouded in dark with glowing yellow, pupil less eyes.

"Who are you?!" Gohan demanded, taking up a fighting stance.

"Who I want to be…" A distorted voice came from the eyes. "Not shackled to protection, free from the burden of expectation of my father. I am free to be what I always wanted. After all…" The figure emerged from the shadows, his dark spiked hair blowing slightly in the wind. "…I am you!"

Gohan's eyes widened as he looked at his mirror-less reflection. "Y- You're…" He breathed.

"Not you?" His other self asked, laughing slightly. "Is that what you were going to say? Come on, speak up."

"You're…" Gohan repeated. "…Me!"

His reflection's laughter was cut short. "Wait, what?" He asked in confusion.

"You're the me I couldn't show anyone, the one who wanted to pursue a scholar's degree." Gohan walked up to his other self. "I never revealed you because I wanted to make father proud of me."

"Well, that was… anticlimactic…" The other Gohan muttered as he began to glow. His body disappeared and he became a mask floating in the air.

Gohan reached out to the Noir Phantom half faced mask when he suddenly froze, hearing a familiar, coarse voice in his head. "Are you forsaking them to save yourself? Death awaits them if you do not act. So act!"

The mask bolted to Gohan's face, latching itself onto his skin. He screamed and writhed in pain as the mask seared burning heat onto his face, his mouth and jaw laid bare for his screams.

He dropped to his knees as the pain subsided where the voice spoke again. "I am thou; thou art I. You are willing to perform the sacrilegious arts for my own justice!" Gohan stood up and turned his body to face the shadows surrounding him, his head rising to reveal a grinning face. "Call upon my name! And release my rage!"

Gohan's hands curled into fists as he brought them to his face, a soft chuckle growing behind his wrists.

"Show the strength of your will to ascertain all on your own, as if chained to my domain itself!"

Gohan's cackling grew as he threw his head back to laugh at the sky. "That's enough!" He called out with barely contained glee.

Half of the shadows turned to face Gohan.

His heart gave a powerful beat and a swirl of electricity erupted from his feet, soon surrounding him in a small tornado of blue. Gohan gripped the side of his mask before tugging. "Per…" His efforts gained a tint of red to his fingers. "…So…" Another tug caused blood to stream down his cheek. He gave one final, powerful tug of his mask. "NAAAAAH!" His scream echoed through the apartment block's courtyard as his body became enveloped in dark smoke, the Shadows caught only a small glimpse of a crimson face grinning.

The smoke dissipated in an instant and in Gohan's place towered a grey skinned Majin dressed in purple Gi with a green heart over his chest. He pointed at the shadows. "The one who will judge you is my stand!" He pointed dramatically to his chest. "Demon God Dumplin!"

"I'll say this once…" Dumplin rose into the air, his hands beginning to glow with gray energy. "Stop!"

A shadow charged him and he scoffed. "To think I even gave you a chance! No mercy!" He swung his arm as a ball of energy shot from his fingertips, hurtling into the shadow before disintegrating it.

A second shadow appeared over Dumplin, voring his head.

"Sorry…" Came Dumplin's response, gripping the shadow. "First date rule! No tongue!" He tore the shadow from his body before ripping it in two. "Let's clean this up, shall we?" Dumplin suggested as he raised his hands to his sides. "Advanced…" He charged up Ki energy in his hands before bringing them together and forming a triangle with his palms. "GEOMETRY!" A large beam of gray energy shot from his palms, the shadows caught in its blast turned to dust along with the pile on Sharpner.

Dumplin looked around at the empty courtyard as Sharpner stirred from his unconscious state. "Hail your Demon God!" Dumplin commanded in triumph as he disappeared as the smoke returned, revealing Gohan back in his place, his mask vanishing as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"What happened…?" Sharpner asked drowsily as he sat up.

"Who knows…?" Gohan brushed it off as he and Sharpner walked up to Videl's unconscious body.

Sharpner shook her body gently. "Videl, come on Videl, wake up…" He called out gently.

"Maybe she needs CPR? Like mouth-to-mouth?" Gohan asked.

Sharpner scoffed. "I'm all for it but… Does it look like I have a death wish?" He questioned dryly.

Videl stirred slightly and opened her eye.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." Sharpner greeted her with a grin.

"Don't have a death wish, huh?" Gohan pointed out sarcastically.

"What happened?" Videl asked as she sat up, her hand massaging her head. "The last thing I remember is hitting my head."

"No clue, those things just seemed to disappear. When I came to, Gohan was up and walking to you." Sharpner informed her.

Videl blushed slightly and turned to Gohan. "Thank you, it's sweet that you'd come to me first."

"He also wanted me to give you mouth to mouth." Sharpner added.

"What!?" Her outburst directed at the onyx haired teen.

"Let's just get out of here… This place makes me feel uneasy." Sharpner directed them.

The trio stood at the studio, having found their way back, where they confronted the bear.

"Alright, spill it!" Sharpner growled.

The bear blinked its large brown eyes. "Whaddya want me to say?" It asked in bewilderment. "Just who are you people!?"

"Don't change the subject!" Videl accused.

The bear cowered. "H- Hey, don't yell at me…" It said in fear, its body trembling.

Gohan placed a hand on Videl's shoulder. "Maybe I should take it from here?" He suggested.

Videl sighed before nodding and walking next to Sharpner, her arms folded.

Gohan knelt slightly beside the bear. "Hey, my name's Gohan, what's yours?" He asked softly.

"L- Lime…" It said, turning slightly to the softness of Gohan's voice.

"Alright, Lime, can you tell us what this place is?" Gohan questioned with a kind smile.

"This place… is what it is." Lime replied. "It doesn't have a name… It's my home. If I were you, I'd hurry back home. I've had enough visitors the past few days."

"That's what we've been trying to do from the start!" Sharpner interjected before catching onto what Lime said. "Wait, visitors? What do you mean?"

The bear moved its arms in what looked to be a shrug. "People are coming in here from the other side. I just hope it stops soon; the shadows get angry when others come here. Anyway, you should hurry back."

"Do you have a way for us to get back? We don't know where to go…" Sharpner asked calmly.

Lime looked up enthusiastically. "Ooh, I can help!" It announced. It then stomped the ground and behind the bear appeared a large flat-screen TV. "This will allow you to get back!"

The three approached the TV.

"Did… That bear just pop a TV into existence?" Sharpner asked in shock.

"Does it have Netflux?" Videl asked.

Lime suddenly began pushing them through the TV screen.

"The hell are you doing!?" Videl spat.

"Hey! Whoa! Watch where the hands go, buddy!" Sharpner burst out uncomfortably.

"Please keep your paws and fur inside the glass at all times. We hope you enjoyed your stay in Shadows Ville and hope you do not purchase return tickets." Lime warned as they were pushed through the TV. "I'm beary busy. I need my me time."

The three landed on the ground of Julays.

"We're alive!" Sharpner and Videl announced in unison, hugging each other tightly.

Videl's body pressed up against him. "Uh… Videl…?" Sharpner began meekly.

"Five more seconds…" She murmured wistfully. "And…" Her knee came up to connect with Sharpner's stomach. "Hands off my goods!" Videl said in her usual scorn towards Sharpner, who landed on his backside.

"Why?! Why is it always the ass?" Sharpner cried out in shame, getting to his feet and massaging his butt. He looked around at the store. "Well, I guess that bear really was trustworthy…" He muttered before shaking his head. "Not one of the things I imagined ever saying in my life."

Just then, the store's intercom came to life. "Attention shoppers, our daily limited time sale will now begin at the side dish area on floor one." The female announcer informed the populace.

"Hmm, that sounds like the announcer lady at school…" Gohan wondered aloud.

"You try working with an announcer's salary." The announcer seemed to direct her comment to Gohan.

"Let's leave; I've already seen way too much weird shit today…" Sharpner groaned.

The trio walked down the darkening streets of Satan City when Sharpner stopped, a billboard catching his attention. "Hey guys, look! It's that poster from the other world." He called to them.

The other two backed up to see the same poster. "Hey, isn't that King Furry's wife?" Videl asked. "You know; the guy who had an affair with Miss Racorde?"

"So does that mean…?" Gohan began, placing his index finger across his chin. "That room we saw in the other world with the posters… Could it be related to-?"

Sharpner cut them off. "Nope! Nope! Nope! Not dealing with this!" He walked passed them. "You can continue your discussion. As for me, I'm going home, taking a long… long bath, and then going to phone Chico before calling it a night. You guys can have fun with your extraordinary theories… I'm out!" And with that, Sharpner walked away in the direction of his home, hands in his pocket.

"I… Guess we should call it a night too, it's getting late." Videl pointed out as she looked at her phone. "I'll… Um, see you tomorrow at school." Videl scurried off almost bashfully, not looking up at Gohan.

Gohan arrived home.

"Oh, you're back." Yamcha pointed out in surprise, sitting next to Chiyori as she watched TV, before them sat two pots of precooked ramen.

Gohan almost flopped next to the others, crossing his legs before relaxing.

Yamcha struck up a small conversation with Gohan. "Well… I doubt you'd know, but have you heard of a student named Chico Lee?"

Gohan nodded. "Uh huh, my friend said she wasn't at school today." He replied casually.

Yamcha gave a slight nod, turning his head to his ramen pot. "I see…" He muttered gently before looking back at the teen. "We got a call from her adoptive parents; they think she ran away with a boy, saying something about a blond teen maybe being involved. We've got people looking for them, but we haven't turned up anything…" Yamcha seemed to trail off.

Gohan considered asking to check Sharpner's residence. He gave second thoughts however if Sharpner got arrested, or worse; get worried and search for her himself.

Yamcha rubbed his forehead with his palm, sighing. "Ugh, work just keeps piling up…"

The news anchor caught Gohan's attention. "And now, more on the developments casting a dark shadow over Satan City. Not long ago, Announcer Razio Racorde was found dead deep in the streets of our dear city. Her whereabouts until she was found were unknown. However, the police's efforts have uncovered that she resided in the Kappa Heaven Inn. She had been staying there alone, mainly to avoid others due to recent events."

"Oh yes!" His energetic comrade chimed in. "Kappa Heaven, its hot springs are second to none! Mister Rubber did a fantastic job when he helped renovate the old Orange Star bar into the new inn. His daughter took up a job there, and it seems the owners are thinking of handing the inn off to her eventually as thanks for helping the renovations. If that happens, she will be the youngest manager in recent history."

"Anyway…" The anchor continued after the unwanted commercial. "Onto the weather report. The rain has begun to subside, and from now until morning, heavy fog is reported to cloak the city. Visibility will be severely reduced, so drivers are asked to drive safely and follow the rules of the road." His sight seemed to intensely stare at the camera, as if speaking to the viewer directly. "You have been warned!" He finished.

Chiyori turned to look at Yamcha, her usual blush present. "The ramen is ready now…" She said sweetly.

Yamcha smiled to her and nodded.

The two ripped open their pots to the scent of finely cooked, fast ramen.

Gohan looked at the clock before stretching. "I'm going off to bed." He murmured softly.

Yamcha turned to look at him as he slurped up his ramen into his mouth. "Oh…" He swallowed his food. "Well, have a good rest." He smiled as Chiyori devoured her food.