Chapter 3 – Criminals

Videl fidgeted uncomfortably under the plastic zip ties that bound her hands behind her. She studied the room around her. The room had now been emptied of the rest of the hostages and the robbers were finishing up in the vault. There were three of them, the leader being the biggest. No matter how she calculated it, she couldn't figure out a safe way to escape the situation. Their attitudes were of a group that had nothing to lose. She knew they wouldn't hesitate to shoot her if she made them nervous at all. She shot her captors a glare.

"Aw… too tight for our little girly?" The bigger robber towered over her. "Don't worry, we'll be done here soon." He turned and walked toward the other two criminals. "You ready to get out of here boys? We've got quite the loot to brag about!" He turned to look back at Videl. "Plus, we got ourselves a little bonus." He winked.

Videl snarled, disgusted. 'What a bunch of pigs.' She thought irritated to herself.

"B-boss…. Isn't that Hercule Satan's daughter?" The smallest of the group said as he visibly shook.

Videl rolled her eyes. 'Gees, even at work I can't get away from people freaking out about who my father is.'

The leader chuckled softly. "So what if she is? Her father is just a shadow of what he used to be. I bet he couldn't even hurt a fly." He turned towards the door. "But enough jibber-jabber, it's time to leave. Jason, grab the girl."

One of the peon robbers approached her, grabbing her by her upper arm roughly and hoisting her to her feet. "Alright girly, get moving. And no funny business. Understand?"

She nodded slowly and started walking forward towards the door. The peon escorting her shoved open the door and Videl wished she could shield her eyes from the bright sunlight that bore down on her. When her eyes adjusted she once again took in her surroundings. The number of cops had doubled since she had first walked into the bank. Every cop had his or her gun drawn and ready to fire should the moment arise.

"Now now, as much as I know you would all love to blow my brains out, let's certainly not act too hasty. This beautiful girl might get hurt." He waved his automatic weapon in her direction. "Lower your weapons or I won't hesitate to shoot her." When no one complied he sighed to himself. "Why must you cops always make things so difficult?" He rubbed his temples in annoyance and then leveled a glare at the population of police officers. "You have ten seconds."

"Give us our officer ba—"

"Ten." He sharply interrupted the police chief.

"Please there is no need to—"

"Nine."

It was then that the police force realized the crazed robber wasn't messing around. They slowly lowered their weapons before he could reach zero.

"Good. Now that I see you've all come to your senses… Mr. Negotiator sir, do you have that vehicle I requested?"

The negotiator sighed in response, beckoning his fellow officers to part, revealing their getaway vehicle.

The leader took a deep breath before bellowing. "I thank you all for your cooperation but we'll be taking our leave now! We will release the girl once we are safely away from the city."

Videl knew she was in trouble. The crazed man had no intention of letting her go. She glanced around frantically looking for her partner. When she located him, all she needed to do was give him a nod and he understood. He nodded in response. Videl suddenly stopped, refusing to move.

"Hey girl, I said no funny busin—"

Videl brought her foot roughly down on his and he yelped in pain. She then raised her still bound hands, clubbing the guy roughly in the face. The man blacked out on contact. She wasted no time rushing towards the leader. Before he could even turn around she was on him, hitting the ground and swinging her legs out to take him out. He slammed onto the ground with a loud crash, his grip lost on the weapon. Videl quickly slammed her elbow into the man's skull, successfully knocking him out as well.

The third man raised his weapon to fire at her but didn't get the chance to fully ready his weapon. The sound of a gunshot rang out across the skies and a bullet struck the man's upper arm, tearing through his flesh. He cried out in pain, dropping his weapon and grabbing at his arm.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Arrest those criminals!" The chief waved a baton and pointed towards the commotion. The police forces descended on the robbers and cuffed them.

Yamcha instead approached his female partner, retrieving a pocketknife from his pants. He reached up and cut the binds that held her wrists together.

She rubbed her wrists absentmindedly, bruises already starting to form where the zip ties once had been. "Thank you Yamcha."

"You're a real idiot, you know that? You could have been killed…"

"Oh boy. Not this again. You really are a worry wart you know that?" She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not some fragile china doll."

He ignored her comment and continued. "You're always pulling crazy stunts like this. You recklessly put yourself in danger to save others. Videl, next time I'm going in. End of discussion."

She sighed irritated. "I needed you out here. You're the best shot in the city. It was important you had my back. I couldn't trust anyone else to make that shot on the last guy."

Well you do have a point… not to toot my own horn but I am a real sharpshooter-hey! Where are you going?" He yelped when he realized she was walking away.

"You know what sounds nice right now? A banana split! Vanilla, chocolate and strawberries… hot fudge, nuts, whipped cream… and that delicious cherry on top. Are you with me?"

Yamcha blinked dumbfounded. "A-are you serious?! Your life was just in danger and all you can think of is a banana split?! Besides, you can't just leave! Your shift doesn't end for another two hours!"

"Oh please. That was a walk in the park. Besides, I think I earned the rest of the day off." She didn't stop walking.

"Videl! You can't just decide you deserve the day off!"

Before she could respond the police chief approached her. "Good job today Videl!" He gave her a salute and then lowered his hand after awhile. "I think you should take the rest of the day off."

Yamcha almost fell over.

"Yes sir!" Videl saluted and when the chief had walked away she turned and gave her dumbfounded partner a smug look. "So how about that sundae?"

Yamcha sighed and followed her to their car.

Hercule Satan was fuming. The broadcast had already concluded but it didn't stop his emotions from running wild. When he had agreed to let his little daughter become a police officer he hadn't expected her to be so… reckless.

Hercule slammed his fist down on the table, slightly cracking the mahogany wood. He couldn't let this go on. He had to put a stop to her little adventures. But how? No matter how much money he offered her, she wouldn't quit her job. Whenever he brought it up, she would go on and on about protecting the people of Satan City.

And then suddenly, the world champion got an idea. He quickly pulled his cell phone from his pocket, ignoring the hundreds of texts and missed calls from his loyal fans. He scrolled through his phone until he found one contact in particular.

'The mayor.' He thought slyly to himself. He rarely asked for favors but in this particular situation he would make an exception. 'Anything to protect my little girl…' Hercule hit the call button and placed the phone to his ear. The phone rang four times and then a voice answered from the other side.

"Hello, this is Mayor Taylor."

"Hello mayor sir, this is Hercule Satan calling. I have a favor to ask of you."

Gohan reached for the remote and flipped the TV off. 'All that excitement and I still don't feel like doing any of this homework garbage.' He stood up and grabbed the bowl that had once held his popcorn. Gohan then made his way to the trashcan to dump the remaining kernels.

'Videl Satan definitely intrigues me. It's hard to believe someone so selfless could be related to that knuckle-head Hercule.' Gohan walked over to the sink, and rinsed his bowl out before laying it down on the counter. 'And Yamcha…' Gohan suppressed a laugh. 'Yamcha is quite the sharpshooter. Must have been all that training with dad and I.' Although Goku himself would never use firearms; he had been very strict on the accuracy of their blows when sparring.

Gohan walked back over to the table, slumping down in the chair. His thoughts ran wild as he allowed himself to reminisce about the events of the past and just how exactly he had met Yamcha.

-Flashback-

Gohan was tired of doing homework. He was tired of listening to his tutor drone on and on about uninteresting topics. He was tired of sitting in his room all day everyday. So when his father had urged Gohan to sneak out, the eight year-old willingly obliged.

"Where are we going dad?" Gohan asked, the wind blowing through his hair as they flew hundreds of feet in the air.

"I don't know. I didn't really have a plan. I could tell you needed a break though."

Gohan smiled and nodded. His father and him were very alike. They both loved adventure. He knew his father was just as eager as he was to get some fresh air.

"You see that road below?" Goku slowed down his flight speed and pointed.

Gohan nodded again. "Yeah, what about it?"

"We should watch it."

"Watch it? Dad it's just a road."

Goku laughed in response. "Sorry, that's not what I meant. I mean, I keep overhearing your mother talk about the bandits that infest the road. I thought the police would take care of it by now but they haven't even lifted a finger. Maybe you and I could give those bandits a taste of justice!" He cracked his knuckles. "So… what do you say?"

"I'm in! I would definitely be down for some exercise."

The two Saiyans descended to the ground, their feet touching down on the soft dirt of the road.

"So… what now dad? It's not like anyone is going to get robbed right in front of us."

"Oh… yeah. You're probably right." The older Saiyan scratched his head and laughed. "How about we make a game out of waiting? I'll race you to town!"

Before Gohan could answer, his father took off at break neck speed. Gohan laughed and took after him, dirt flying as he kicked it up with his own inhuman speed.

It only took the pair a few minutes to reach a small roadside town. The town appeared to be a ghost land, not a single soul walked the streets.

"Man Gohan! This town is boring! Nothing is going on here at all." His father casually leaned against a telephone pole, putting his hands behind his head.

"You're telling me…hey dad, what's that behind your head?" Gohan tilted his head curiously and Goku stepped away from the telephone poll. "It's a wanted poster!" Gohan quickly scanned the information and then read it out loud. "Wanted, reward… family of roadside bandits…The Wolves. Suspects very dangerous, approach with caution. Reward for capturing the bandits dead or alive." Gohan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Interesting… so it's a family of bandits."

Goku frowned. "Well, in any case. I am getting really hungry. I think we passed a restaurant a few blocks back. I'm going to go get some food! Would you like to come with?"

Gohan shook his head. "No dad, I'm going to take a look around. This town is eerily quiet. How can you think about food at a time like this?"

Goku's stomach growled in response and he scratched his head sheepishly. "Well I…"

"I'm kidding dad! Get me some food too while you're at it!"

Goku gave a mock salute and began walking towards whatever delicious scent was wafting through the air, leaving Gohan to his thoughts. Gohan decided to do some exploring to pass the time. He still couldn't get over the lack of activity on the town's streets. He had only walked a few blocks when his sharp Saiyan senses picked up a voice. He sprinted towards the source and ducked behind a nearby wall.

"P-please. Y-you've already taken everything. I can't even afford to feed my family anymore…" The voice was very shaky and scared sounding. Gohan allowed himself a peek. The sight before him was very disheartening. An older, gray-haired man was visibly shaking as a bigger, muscular man dressed in all black held him by the collar of his shirt with one hand. The other hand held a handgun and was pointed directly at the older man's head.

"We'll have none of your excuses old man." The cool voice came from a female, also dressed in all black. She had an automatic weapon strapped to her back.

"You have twenty-four hours to come up with the money or else your family starving to death will be the least of your worries." He roughly threw the frail man down.

Gohan had wanted to intervene but he was nervous about accidentally startling the bandits and causing a commotion where the older man might get hit by a stray bullet. He waited until he could no longer sense the black-clad couple before he approached the old man.

"Are you okay?" Gohan leaned over and put a hand on the man's back.

The man looked up, surprised. "Y-you… What are you doing out here? It's dangerous to be on the streets after curfew."

Gohan blinked and looked around. The sun still shined brightly. "Curfew? It's still midday."

The older man looked down again and shook his head. "You're not from around here are you? The curfew was set by The Wolves."

"The Wolves?"

"They're a group of bandits ran by a family in the area. They own this town and the surrounding roads."

"The police just let them run the town?"

The older man shook his head. "No police in this village kid, we're out in the middle of nowhere after all. Our little town has always been very peaceful up until recently. We have never needed a police force."

"Then who put up the posters and offered the reward?"

"That was I. I'm the town's banker. My family was better off than a lot of the families here. I was hoping to help out in any way I could." He looked around. "We really should get inside before anyone sees us."

Gohan nodded and helped him to his feet. They slowly made their way into the nearby bank.

"So… how did you find our little village? It's not exactly a tourist attraction."

"Oh… my dad and I were just passing by and decided to stop in for something to eat." Gohan lied.

"What luck to end up in a place like this…" The banker said absent-mindedly and then turned and looked the young half-Saiyan in the eyes. "If you flew in here by jet-coptor, you and your father can go to Orange Star City and get us some help!"

"I—" Gohan started but was interrupted.

"Yes! We'll finally be saved! Go to Orange Star City and get us some help. Their police force has ignored our cries for help, assuming our calls were pranks. But maybe if a young boy shows up, they would listen. If you were able to sneak into the town unnoticed, you might be able to leave!"

Before Gohan could respond the front door to the bank swung open.

"Oh hey Gohan! It took me awhile to find you. I could sense your energy but with so many buildings around… I got bored… and might have eaten your food too."

Gohan put his palm over his face. "Dad…"

"Who's the old man?"

"Dad! Manners." Gohan scolded.

"My name is Robert Wales. I am the banker of this town. I believe you and your son are the answers to our prayers."

"Huh? Answer to your prayers?"

"Yes! I won't go into the explanation about the bandits again. Your son can explain on the way. You must hurry."

Goku smiled slyly and cracked his knuckles. "If your town has a bandit problem, my son and I are more than enough to take care of it. Right Gohan?"

Gohan nodded eagerly. "Right!" He stood up to stand next to his father.

"But...!" Robert began to protest.

"Let's go Gohan!"

"You got it! I'll show you the direction the bandits went when they left." They both excitedly jogged out the door leaving the banker dumbfounded.

They didn't have to jog too far when they came to a more run-down part of town. Graffiti littered the walls and a disgusting smell filled the air. "Well… if these bandits are anywhere, they would have to be here. This area looks awful." Gohan said sadly.

"Hey! YOU TWO!" A voice boomed behind them. "What do you think you're doing?! By order of The Wolves, no one is to be out on the streets at this time." Both turned to see yet another man dressed in an all black uniform.

"Huh? Why not?" Goku questioned confused.

The man didn't answer, and instead grabbed Goku's hands and slapped a pair of handcuffs on them. He turned to Gohan and did the same. Gohan didn't even try to run or resist. "You two are coming with me. Just because you are outsiders is no excuse. You can read all the signs can't you?"

The two Saiyans were led to an old warehouse building. The bandit reached into his pocket and pulled a key out. He unlocked the door and slid it open. They were led through an elaborate maze of hallways until they came to one brightly lit door. Their captor leaned forward and knocked.

"Come in." The cool female voice Gohan recognized from earlier spoke.

Their captor slowly pushed the door open. What Gohan and Goku saw was a bit of surprise. The room was large and well lit. Fancy red carpet was rolled over the floor. There was expensive looking décor and drapery throughout the room. In the middle, sitting in what could only be described as thrones, a couple sat sipping on wine. A younger boy sat by their feet, staring at his hands. "Preston, what could be so important that you bother us at this hour? My family is enjoying some quality time together." She swirled the wine in her glass.

"Madame, I found these two roaming around outside near the warehouse. They were blatantly disobeying the curfew we set for the people of this town."

"Interesting." It was the man who spoke this time. "Tell me sir, why did you and the young kid with you break the rules I set forth for this city? Do you have a death wish?"

Goku smiled. "Quite the opposite. My son and I came to take care of you guys. You've been terrorizing this town way too long."

The couple of bandits threw back their heads and laughed. "Take care of us? You and what army?"

Goku's smile widened. "I don't need an army. My young son is enough to take care of you guys for good. I won't even need to lift a finger."

They stopped laughing. The man slammed his fist into the armrest of his chair. "Fool! Do you know whom you speak to? We are The Wolves! The greatest criminal group the world has ever seen. It only took our group just a few months to take over this pathetic town. Our numbers are continually growing!"

"It took a few months?" Goku whistled. "That's not something I would be bragging about."

"Silence! It's time we teach you worthless outsiders what The Wolves are all about! Yamcha!"

The young boy who had been previously staring at his hands looked up, his expression somewhat surprised.

"Since you seem to think it's fun to insult our group, I will also just use my son to fight you."

Yamcha stood up and lowered himself into a fighting stance.

"Fine with me." Goku nodded at his son. "Gohan?"

Gohan nodded to his dad. "Yes sir."

"Father, remove his handcuffs. I want this to be a fair fight." Yamcha commanded. "I want the boy to have no excuses for being completely pummeled into the ground."

The older bandit scratched his chin. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Preston, remove the boy's handcuffs."

"Yes sir." The man stepped forward and brandished a key, removing the binds from Gohan's hands.

"Good. Now that that's all taken care of you may start at the count of three." His grin widened. "One."

Gohan also lowered himself into a fighting stance.

"Two."

'Don't take him lightly,' Gohan thought to himself. 'His ki is very strong.'

"Three. Begin!"

Yamcha rushed forward so quick Gohan almost didn't have time to bring his hands up to block the kick. Before Gohan could launch into a counter-attack the young bandit was already bringing his other foot up to try to land a kick on to his face. Gohan leaned backwards and quickly dodged, Yamcha's foot brushing the hairs on Gohan's head. Gohan rolled forward and underneath Yamcha, springing back onto his feet and aiming a punch towards the back of Yamcha's head. The bandit sensed the attack coming though and dodged the attack easily with a slight tilt of his head. Yamcha forced his elbow back right into his attacker's stomach, knocking Gohan back.

'Ouch…' Gohan grabbed his stomach.

"Gohan! Don't take your opponent lightly."

"Yes sir!" Gohan wheezed, trying to catch his breath after the sharp blow to his stomach.

"Give up kid. No one can beat me." Yamcha mocked.

"Kid? You can't be any older than I am." Gohan smirked. "Besides, it is you that should give up. I only let you hit me because I underestimated you. It won't happen again."

"We'll see about that. I'm looking forward to pummeling you to the ground." Yamcha beckoned Gohan to attack and Gohan obliged, rushing forward.

This time, it was Gohan's turn to catch him by surprise. With a yell he swiftly landed an uppercut, knocking the bandit backwards. Gohan followed up his attack with a kick into Yamcha's ribs.

"Oof!" Yamcha coughed, barely catching himself from falling. He shot the young half-Saiyan a glare. "I wasn't expecting that. There's more to you than meets the eye, kid."

"And there's more where that came from." Gohan smirked again.

The blows between the two boys continued back and forth, with no boy clearly having the advantage.

Finally, slightly out of breath, Yamcha smiled. "It's been a long time since I've had to use this technique."

Gohan's eyes widened as Yamcha disappeared from view. He suddenly appeared behind the demi-Saiyan.

"Wolf Fang Fists!"

"What?!" Gohan wasn't ready for the attack at all and was suddenly struck by a barrage of blows. He was quickly struck over and over with no chance of blocking any of the attacks. Yamcha finished the attack by bringing his palm firmly into Gohan's face. Gohan flew back, crashing through a nearby wall.

The bandit couple threw back their heads and laughed shamelessly. "That's what you get for insulting The Wolves! Your son is now dead." The male leader said amused.

Goku couldn't contain his smile.

"What's so funny? Is it that amusing that your son is dead?"

"Gohan isn't dead. Far from it actually."

"What are you saying? No one can survive that att—"

"Masenko-HA!"

From the rubble came a flash of light as a powerful ki blast struck Yamcha knocking him through the opposite wall.

"WHAT?! HOW DID HE?!"

Gohan slowly emerged, a smirk on his face. "I have quite the bad habit of underestimating my opponent. I didn't expect him to use a ki attack." He reached up and scratched the back of his head in typical Son fashion.

"You-!" The bandit leader quickly reached for a gun from his belt. "I'll kill you, you freak!" He shakily aimed the gun at the young demi-Saiyan's head. Before he could fire however, a fist struck his face.

"Stay out of this…this is my fight…." Yamcha weakly punched his own father across the face.

The older bandit retaliated, quickly bringing his hand back to slap his son across the face. "I'll kill you too, you worthless brat!" He pointed the gun at the kid and fired, his wife gasping at the action.

Yamcha blinked rapidly, wondering how he was still alive. He realized that his opponent's father was holding him and that he was suddenly across the room. "Gohan?" The man said.

Gohan nodded "Right!" The young half-Saiyan cupped his hands to his sides. "Ka-me-ah-me-HA!" He brought his hands forward and a powerful blast exploded from them, completely demolishing the outer wall.

Both Saiyans rushed out, Goku still carrying a weakened Yamcha. They leapt into the air, shocking the three bandits left on the ground.

"Stop your meaningless acts of terrorism against the poor people of this city. My son and I will return soon. If you and your fellow bandits aren't gone, I will personally see to it that you suffer a direct hit from my Kamehameha blast. And if you thought my son's was scary, just wait until you see mine."

The group nodded, visibly shaking. "W-what are those two?"

Goku and Gohan quickly flew away, taking off towards Orange Star City. "Gohan, we need to get this kid to a hospital. "

Gohan nodded in response.

"You…you guys can fly…"

"You okay, kid?" Gohan asked, ignoring the barely-conscious bandit's comment. "Your father just tried to kill you…"

Yamcha didn't respond, instead he slipped out of consciousness.

-End flashback-

'That was so long ago. It's hard to believe how many years have passed since that happened.' Gohan leaned back in his chair and thought to himself.

After the Son boys had taken Yamcha to the hospital in Orange Star City, they discovered he had grandparents in town that were more than willing to take him in. The grandfather ironically served as the police chief for the city, which potentially had something to do with Yamcha's career choice.

Yamcha and Gohan remained friends and rivals from that point on. Goku would often take the boys out to train out in the mountains. He taught them further ki control and would spar with them from time to time. Yamcha stopped training once he reached junior high, claiming that Gohan was already too far ahead of him.

Gohan was suddenly jolted from his thoughts, his eyes fluttering open. He felt it an instant too late. The loud sound of an explosion filled his ears and he was roughly thrown into the wall.

Whew! Another chapter. Most of my reviews were asking for a backstory on the Yamcha featured in my story. I want to remind everyone that my story takes place in an alternate universe. I wanted Gohan and Videl to have a mutual friend connecting them. I like Yamcha's personality but I needed to figure out how he would meet our favorite demi-Saiyan. This chapter was the result! I know everyone is probably wondering where all the GohanxVidel content is… well it's coming!

Next chapter: Gohan and Videl have a conversation. We find out what Hercule's plan was. And we'll learn more details on the explosion that caught poor Gohan off guard.

As always, please don't forget to read and review! Thank you!