Disclaimer: Team Dragon Star does not pretend to own DBZ

This chapter is brought to you by Ri6961 and Gue22

Chapter 9


Videl was beyond exhausted.

The cold wind whistled in her ears, a chilling wall of air slapping her across the face. She took another laboured breath, her thighs burning as she lifted her leg to take yet another steep footstep. The rocky terrain of the mountain was very treacherous. It was also slightly slippery from the remnants of the rain of the day before.

She took another deep breath and squinted her eyes. Night was beginning to fall, and the thought of losing sight of her sensei terrified her. In the last hour or so, her stamina had started to dwindle at exponential rates, with the gap between them increasing every passing second. It was so humiliating for her, needing to take several stops on this climb, often feeling like she was about ready to pass out. Yet he...he hadn't even taken so much as a single laboured breath.

Her ears popped again, but she ignored them. She was too busy, debating the merits of accepting his offer to set up camp for the night. She had straight-up refused him an hour ago, determined to solider on until the destination. But at this point in time and altitude, her pride was effectively eroded . She was so cold, so tired, so breathless and in so much pain that she just wanted to stop, even if it meant groveling on her knees.

Mark would never give up, he would keep going until he reached the top.

Shakily she lifted her foot and took another step. It burned the muscles in her thighs down her leg and right through to her frozen toes. Every inch of her body was operating beyond its limits and she was well aware that she was now functioning on sheer will alone.

Another pop of the ears, and she forced herself to swallow some more saliva. It helped expel some air from her ears to even out the difference between her internal air pressure and the external pressure around the mountain. At this altitude, the air particles were less dense, which meant that it was that much harder to fill her lungs with oxygen. Not to mention that the temperature was much colder than she'd been prepared for.

This was insane! It had been hours since they'd broken off from the others, and they were still not there yet. They had walked through the dense forest trail for an hour after splitting from the others; she had been thinking that they were finally at their destination when they'd cleared the forest and seemingly reached a dead end - the base of a rather wide and high mountain. Hah! If only; instead of announcing that they'd reached their destination, the Sensei had grinned and announced that it was time to get started! That had been seven hours ago.

A swarm of dizziness hit her as she took another steep step. She staggered momentarily and missed the spot. Panic gripped her immediately as her boot tripped on a crumbling piece of rock. Slipping, her lips parted in a frozen gasp as she lost her balance. The bite of the cold air stung her cheeks as she screamed, falling backwards.


Mark doubted that he had ever walked so far in his life as he had now. His feet were hurting, he was bored, and he did not have the slightest idea where they were going. At first he had tried to remember the way back just in case, but it hadn't been long before he discovered that remembering every little turn they took in the thick forest was practically impossible. So he had given up and was now bored out of his mind while he wondered how big this damned forest was.

For the first few miles, he had listened to the conversation Sharpner was having with Yamcha, but after some time, he had zoned out, and after they had briefly stopped for lunch, he had discovered that his sensei and his fellow student had stopped talking. Now, they were all walking in silence. He wondered if Sharpner's feet were hurting too. They probably were, but the blonde boy did not show it. Now, whether or not Yamcha's feet were hurting was a bigger mystery. The scarred man seemed to be perfectly fine and did not appear bored at all. No, he looked like he was really truly enjoying walking in the dense forest. What a country pumpkin.

It wasn't until the sun finally began to set that they stopped. The forest had thinned remarkably during the last mile and at last they came to a halt before a large lake.

"This is where we are going to stay?" Mark asked, half-hoping it was and half-hoping it wasn't.

"Yup. We are going to use the lake as a base for our training," Yamcha answered, grinning. He didn't look tired at all. "I hope you brought your capsules with the most necessary equipment for tonight."

Sharpner and Mark nodded.

"Good, then set up your tents while I go to hunt for some dinner."

Mark's eyes widened. "You are going to hunt?" he said in disbelief, "Why didn't you just bring some food?"

"Typical speech for a city kid." Their sensei shook his head, but his grin was still firmly in place.

For some reason, that remark annoyed Mark to no end. However, he was smart enough to keep his thoughts to himself. Instead he observed as Yamcha made his way into the forest, again while humming a happy tune.

"He annoys me," stated Mark as soon as he thought their sensei was out of hearing range.

Sharpner, who had been busy getting his tent set up, looked him in surprise from his crouching position on the ground. "He annoys you? Why? Too used to winning?" the blonde boy added with a smirk.

Mark glared at him. "For your information, that has nothing to do with me losing to you,"

He turned around , not wanting to speak to the other boy anymore. Instead he focused on getting out his capsules to get set his tent up.

Sharpner grinned to himself. He knew very well why Mark did not like Yamcha. Because it wasn't really Yamcha that Mark disliked, oh no, it was the fact that the way they trained in this new dojo was so different than how things were done in the Satan dojo. Sharpner knew this because he had felt like that the exactly the same way the first few days. But, he had come to appreciate this new dojo far. Much more than he had ever liked training under Mr. Satan.

Here in his new dojo, he had progressed like never before. Here he had gained so much strength, agility, and stamina it made his previous level seem ridiculous Here… he felt like one of the best.


She groaned and opened her eyes.

"Morning Videl," The quiet voice of her Sensei hurt much like a dentist's drill hitting a nerve. She winced and covered her ears with her hands, wondering why it took double the effort just to take a breath of air.

"Morning?" she asked uncertaintly, the painful throbbing of her head making it impossible for her ability to gather her wits. Videl then sat up, the movement causing the thick snugly blanket she'd been draped in to fall down to her thighs. She was lying on something warm and comfortable she noted, even though her eyes were greeted by nothing but the early morning sunlight cast over a vast expanse of...rocks, hills, mountains as far as the eye could see. The air was crisp and fresh - not cold though. But still, she didn't feel so good. The last thing she remembered was missing her step and-

"Yep!" Sensei Gohan replied cheerfully, extending his hand towards her. "It's definitely morning. And it's a nice day too. Come, let me help you up, a small walk will help with the disorientation."

Videl frowned. Who said she was disoriented?

"I'm fine," she said in a clipped tone. She pushed off the blanket and attempted to stand up.

"Unlikely," Gohan merely smiled, grabbing her hand despite her protest and hauling her up to her feet, "We climbed 8000 feet in one day. Your body is far from acclimatized to the new altitude. You're not fine."

He kept a steadying hold on her until her legs stopped staggering. "You won't be fine for a long time." He added earnestly. As if to validate his words, on top of the headache and the breathlessness, a swarm of nausea assailed her, exacerbating her already dismal situation.

"I'm fine," she said stubbornly. There really was no need for him to point out how shitty she felt, especially with him looking so...unaffected, "When did we get this high? Did you c-carry m-me? All the way up here?" Her eyes suddenly widened in combination of shock, awe and horror at the very thought.

He merely smiled, "Something like that," he said. "Let's walk." Without looking back, he followed his own instructions, expecting his student to comply.

Videl followed after him, struggling to maintain her breathing and her footing. The terrain was rocky and uneven, yet the encumbrances of its nature didn't seem to bother him. Sighing, she continued to clumsily follow after him. She didn't know how this walking business was supposed to help with her disorientation because frankly, the more she walked the worse she felt.

"Alright, let's circle back to camp. You should drink something," he suddenly announced, "You must re-hydrate as much as possible."

She hadn't thought about it because she was experiencing too many discomforts all at the same time but...she was extremely thirsty. Desperate to wash some water down her parched throat, Videl was able to pick up her pace for the first time that morning.


"Train? Right now?" her eyes widened. She was nowhere near ready to start training! Her body was all out of whack. She was still disoriented, nauseous, shaky and not to mention the constant pounding of her head. "I need a bit more time to get used to this altitude," she protested. The walk and the water had helped - a bit. But...

"Let's get started." Gohan pulled her up with an odd expression on his face.

"Just...not just yet. Sorry Sensei, but you were right. I must really have this Acute Mountain Sickness thing you mentioned. I really don't feel too well." She pressed three of her fingers to her temples on each side as if to quieten down her head.

"You're a crime-fighter right?" Gohan regarded her with a stern expression.

"Um..yes?"

"So." His voice suddenly seemed to echo and bounce all around her as she found herself pinned to the ground by a force she couldn't see. "Is that what you're going to tell a low-life like me when I have you pinned. That you need more time?" His tone was not of the Sensei she knew, but of someone or something sinister.

Videl's eyes widened in a panic as she felt an immeasurable weight suddenly pressing on her chest. She tried to use her arms to push it off, but she couldn't move them.

"Up here," he continued to say, "from today till our last day, we will not play by the rules that govern us at the Dojo." His voice echoed and bounced again.

She darted her eyes around trying to pin-point where he was talking from, but she could hardly see anything as it was. Tiny pebbles, little minuscule granules of broken rock and sand were lifting off the ground, a swirling swarm of silt, shale and debris, culminating into a vicious spinning storm. It grew thick and heavy, making it impossible for her to see through it's brown curtain.

"Up here, I am not Son Gohan. I am not your sensei."

Videl tried to force down the panic elicited by his cold and sinister tone. Once again, she tried to push off this heavy weight crushing her chest. Beads of sweat began to form across her forehead from all the effort she was exerting. Harder and harder she tried to push, but...nothing. The weight did not budge.

A trail of cold sweat ran down her back from the chill of his voice."Up here, I am nothing but a criminal and a low-life. I am a bank-robber, an arsonist and a kidnapper. I have no conscience and no regard for human life."

Videl shivered. That voice, it was coming from everywhere! She couldn't take this, she couldn't take this! She couldn't move. She could hardly breath and she- the echo of his voice continued to ricochet off the hills, and every-time she opened her mouth, a gush of the grainy storm infiltrated her mouth, making her cough and gag. She delved into her reserves, pushing with everything she had until finally, her arms began to respond to her commands. Except when she pushed out, reaching out to grab the crushing presence on her chest, her hands passed through nothing as if going through a ghost.

"Up here, I am a cold-blooded murderer and worse, I am a serial rapist." The cold voice of her Sensei continued to taunt her.

Every muscle in her body locked. That last sentence had definitely been whispered against her ear. She knew this because his hot breath lingered in a light caress: a stark contrast to the harsh elements assaulting the rest of her body. It had been too close, too close for comfort.

"Up here, I grow tired of your interference Miss Satan, and now that I have you pinned, I'm going to finish you off. You are a crime fighter, so fight."

Videl heaved and coughed. Suddenly the weight that had been pressing on her was gone. She turned over and gripped the ground with her hands to steady herself as pieces of rock slipped and slid between the spaces of her fingers. Greedily she took in lungfuls of air and pushed herself up to a kneeling position.

"The breathlessness you feel, the heaviness in your chest- it is not from the drastic change in altitude, not at all. It's from the gas-bomb I threw at you, to suffocate you, weaken you, then kill you." The words hung in the air as Videl swiveled around, once again trying to pin-point his location. Frustration and anger fused and grew when all she could see, all she could hear was the chilling whistle of thick and heavy wind. How was he doing this? How was he doing this?

"This dark storm is not the reason you can't see me or find me. Try to focus. It's because the smoke and the fog from the smoke-bomb is so thick that the human eye can't see beyond it."

The grip she had on the ground tightened as her head spun. "Stop it! Stop it right now! This is not funny!" she screamed.

"Your body aches doesn't it? Every muscle burns and you seem to think its from the hike - Wrong." Videl blinked rapidly and twisted herself around like a cornered mouse. She could hear crackling behind her, like light footsteps atop gravel. "Forget the climb Videl. All those aches and pains you're experiencing are from me pounding you into the ground with my fists."

Bile rushed up from her gut and soured the taste in her mouth. Head pounding, heart racing, Videl forced herself to stay steady on her feet. She panted and wiped the perspiration from her forehead. She pat onto the ground, unable to take the taste. She hadn't even had a chance to freshen up or brush her teeth this morning, and now her mouth tasted sour and felt granular from the storm.

"That headache, the nauseous and the weakness, think about it. Those are symptoms of your life force, slowly ebbing out of you. I've shot you Videl, and now you'll slowly bleed out. The loss of blood taking your concentration, your strength and your will to stay alive."

"I said stop it!" She whirled around, the screaming only earning her more dust in her mouth.

"No." Came the cold reply. "The enemy never stops. You must learn to fight even when the chips are down, even when all is lost."

"How can I fight you when I can't even see you?" She gritted her teeth, keeping tears of frustration at bay.

"Is that what you're going to say to a kidnapper holding several hostages?" She knew exactly where he was now, she could feel him looming over her. "Is it Videl? Well, I'm right in-front of you. Fight."

Even though she could barely keep standing, Videl threw herself at him. She was so angry that she'd literally tear his eyes out if given the chance. But instead of landing a punch or a kick, a strong wind knocked her back, and she went crashing into the rocks.

"That's better Videl." His voice had changed tone completely. It was suddenly warm and sincere. "Before we get off this mountain, before you acclimatize, you will learn what it is to fight with your will when your body has all but failed you. You will learn to fight blind, because you will learn how to unlock your sixth-sense. Before we get off this mountain, you will learn that the path you have chosen. The path of a protector is not an easy one."


Please leave a review