A/N: I don't know about you guys but I thought the last chapter really sucked. It just felt out of place with this story. If you agree, do let me know and I'll think about re-writing it. Hopefully this chapter is more in line with what I've been writing. It certainly feels more right to me.
Orange Star High School had been buzzing with chatter all week and not for the first time, it was starting to grate on Videl's nerves. Son Gohan hadn't been seen since his mother came to pick him up but already rumours were flying around one becoming more crazy every day. Even with the nonsense she had to put up with as a celebrity, Videl was amazed what people could believe just because it sounded juicy. The latest theory people had was Gohan had been forced to leave for causing Videl such humiliation on his first day. The cherry on top being his father was Hercule Satan's predecessor and evidently someone the champ had called a fake.
"Come on Kyle, you know how Videl is. Is it really hard to imagine her getting rid of someone she didn't like?"
Videl growled and balled her fists at hearing the latest garbage from some passer-by. In her mind, these people were incredibly unappreciative of her family. First her father had saved the entire world from Cell and she herself had been working with the police to lower crime in the city. She gritted her teeth in frustration at the reminder of working with the police. Looking at her arm still in cast, she couldn't help but feel annoyed at the souvenir of her most recent failure. In retrospect, perhaps it was a bit foolhardy to walk in and attack with no backup but she'd never really needed it before and besides, her father never needed backup!
"Hey Videl!"
Videl was pulled from her angry moping by her best friend Erasa who despite everything, still had the same beaming smile as always. Erasa took her customary lunchtime seat next to Videl quickly stealing one her friend's chips.
"Hey Erasa," she mumbled back unable to find the energy to fake happiness. If her friend had noticed, she certainly didn't show it.
"So what should we do after school today? I managed to get Sharpner to join us so we have to do something!"
"You actually got Sharpner to come?" VIdel was surprised by that. True to his word, Sharpner hadn't come to talk with her apart from wishing her well after her injury. To his credit, she hadn't exactly acted any different to before, she was still aloof and had even threatened him mildly when he criticized her.
"Yep, I told him I want the two of you to sort this mess out. It's annoying for me to keep going back and forth between you."
"Thanks Erasa," said Videl giving her friend a small smile. It was possibly the only bit of good news she'd had for a while now.
"You could have just asked him yourself you know. It's not like he hates you."
Videl merely ignored the comment and continued eating her lunch. Erasa would never understand what it was like to be a Satan. The whole world was always watching and any weakness was always going to be exploited. More than that, hadn't her family earned their pride?
"Anyway, I was thinking we could just go to the mall or something. It'll give the two of you the chance to sort this mess out away from prying eyes." Erasa looked around at their fellow students to emphasise the point.
"Sounds good," Videl replied not knowing what else to say. Truth to be told, she felt rather nervous about the upcoming conversation. Sure, she would have to apologise for her trying to attack Gohan but what did that annoying kid have to do with her friends? Sharpner was worried she might attack him too but why? The only thing she ever did was punch his stomach when he got too hands-on or insisted that she should go out with him. She couldn't really say sorry for that, not when she wasn't. If anything, she felt Sharpner should at least agree to back off in that respect if he was forcing Videl to apologise.
"Don't be so grumpy Videl, this is good news. What's got you down now?" Erasa asked in exasperation. There was always something with Videl, it was just bouncing for one thing to the next.
"You know what Erasa. It's these damn idiots with their stupid rumours. They don't even have the decency to check if I'm around or not!"
Erasa looked uncomfortable at her friend's outburst not really knowing what to say. She herself was aware of the rumours of course but also knew what Videl hadn't heard just yet. "Look Videl, just ignore them, it's like we're friends with them or anything. If it makes you feel better, just remember after school, they're the ones whose only claim to fame will be they went to school with you."
Videl snorted at her friend's joke. Even if she didn't want to admit it, Erasa had cheered her up immensely and the idea of her classmate's pitiful futures was a comforting thought in some ways. "Yeah that's true. Good one Erasa," she finished with a small chuckle unable to help herself.
"Anyway, I have the most amazing gossip which you will not believe."
Videl groaned unable to believe she didn't see this coming. One second, Erasa was cheering her up and insulting the gossipers of the school…and now she wanted to gossip. "Ok, ok, surprise me," she forced out knowing there was no way of stopping this. Dealing with Erasa usually meant letting her have her way and getting it over with. 'I wonder if Erasa feels the same way about me,' Videl thought, hit with sudden epiphany.
"Take a look at this!" Erasa held out her phone triumphantly showing Videl a picture of some people laughing together. Taking the phone, Videl examined the picture closely to see her the people were. She gasped realising that these were all incredibly famous people but she had no idea that they knew each other. They were all so…young compared to how she had always seen them.
"Is this real?" she asked tentatively knowing all too well how tech-handy people could come up with the most incredibly hoaxes.
"Yep, it is. Do you know everyone there?"
"I know most of them. That's definitely Yamcha, the famous baseball player and next to him is Bulma Briefs. That makes sense, it's well known they used to date. I have no idea why Tien Shinhan is with them, he's a former world champion! That short guy is Krillin, there's not much known about him but he's a monk who was also in the world tournament. The guy next to him is…Son Goku?! How on Earth does he know any of these people? I have no idea who the old guy is though." Videl didn't really know what to think about the picture. These were all incredibly talented and rather well-known people but apart from this picture, there was no real reason to think they all knew each other.
"They look pretty close right? It's pretty cool to think these old people had friendships just like us when they were our age. I've always thought so when my parents show me their old pictures too."
"Yeah, yeah, I agree with that but where the hell did you get the picture Erasa? The media would kill for it you know."
"Hehe, I wouldn't go to the media with it, you know me. The picture came from an old shop which actually developed the original, it was just recently found in storage…by my dad."
"Wow…but why show me?"
"Well I didn't really remember everyone here but it wasn't hard to recognise Yamcha, Bulma Briefs and Son Goku. I just thought it was amazing that all these well-accomplished people are friends with each other. If you think about it, they're each at the top of whatever they do. That and they're clearly not public with the friendships."
"You think Bulma Brief is the one who's helping the previous champions cheat!" Videl exclaimed as the full impact of the picture dawned on her. "And Yamcha too! It would explain why he's so good, no one even comes close to his record!"
Erasa was stunned by her friend's outburst. "Umm…I didn't think that Videl. I just thought it was amazing that no one knew they were friends when they're so famous."
"But don't you see?! Bulma Briefs is probably the smartest woman on the planet, Capsule Corp makes products other tech companies can't even imagine! This would explain how they all did their tricks to win the tournaments without fighting properly."
"Umm…I think that's a lot to assume Videl. Bulma Briefs is also probably the wealthiest and most influential woman on the planet. Why would she risk all that to help some people cheat?"
"That's what I plan on finding out. I can't fight crime with my busted arm but I can still investigate when there's no violence involved. Send me the picture and I'll get things started." Videl was overjoyed at her friend's 'gossip.' This was the answer her family had always been looking for. Despite everything her father had done for people, there were still those who looked down on him calling him a fake and a liar unable to prove the previous champion's deceit.
Erasa, on the other hand, was not happy. Instead, she felt incredibly nervous by her friend's energy knowing how tenacious Videl could be. "I can't do that Videl…" she said softly hoping everything would be ok.
"What! Why not?" Videl snapped feeling her previous frustration coming back.
"My dad found the picture at the old copy store he just bought. He only managed to afford it because he promised to take care of the owner's winding down problems. He's actually meant to return the old pictures back to their owners or destroy them if he can't find them. He only showed my mother and me. It's meant to stay within the family, otherwise he could get in serious trouble."
"That's ridiculous. This picture is evidence of fraud, we need it to bring them to justice and finally prove they were tricks. This was years ago, imagine how much subtler they could be now!" Videl ranted unable to believe she was actually having to argue about this.
"I only showed you it because I thought it was amazing such famous people knew each other and because it showed some cool friendships. I'm not going to risk my dad's future just so you can settle your vendetta. The picture shows some well-known people being friends, it's not evidence of anything."
"I can't believe you Erasa! How could you let me down like this? You know I'm right."
"No Videl," Erasa said sharply. "I don't think you're right and I can't believe you actually want to risk my dad's future just to settle this. You're meant to be with the police and what you're asking is technically illegal."
"No it's not! I know the law better than you Erasa. This can be used as evidence so give me the phone now."
Erasa was stunned at her friend's stubbornness. Was Videl really so blind to the damage this could cause her family? Even if she was right, that would mean going up against Bulma Briefs and Capsule Corp…. even Hercule Satan didn't mess with them. It saddened her but she knew what she had to do. She quickly tapped the phone a couple of times in case Videl tried to snag it.
"It's gone Videl, I've deleted it."
Videl stared at her friend in shock. How could Erasa do this to her? She needed that picture, it was the only way she could get the Satan investigators to believe her story. Going up against the Briefs was something which required some evidence.
"I can't believe you just did that Erasa," said Videl through gritted teeth. She hadn't felt this angry in so long, why couldn't people just do the right thing!
"No, I can't believe you Videl. I'm going to class now and catch up with some other friends. You can still come to the mall if you want but don't expect me or Sharpner to hang out with you if you won't drop this." Without waiting for a reply, Erasa picked her bag and left quickly not wanting to show Videl the tears pouring down her face.
Gohan stood side by side with his master looking on his creation with no small amount of pride. It had taken a lot of work and a lot of time but he had finally finished his task with an entire day to spare no less. It wasn't a perfect replica of the Namekian structure but the majesty was there albeit rather plain-coloured compared with the multi-coloured natural construction that used to be on Namek.
"I'm surprised Gohan. You started rather slow and you've managed to finish with an entire day to spare. Looks rather good too, we'll do the final touches with Dende later, I know he'd love it."
"Yeah, this probably means far more to Dende than either of us," Gohan smiled knowing despite being the new God of Earth, the young Namekian still missed his people and his home. "I doubt I would have finished if I wasn't working into the night though, it helped that I had a lot of stuff to work through."
Piccolo's face remained impassive as ever but he was frowning inwardly. He knew Gohan had been working in the night but wasn't aware that he needed to work through a lot of things. As far as he was aware, the motivation came from the memory of his people who had inspired his student. Not that he was complaining, it was good that Gohan was putting his frustrations into training rather than sending ki balls into space.
"Oh? What did you need to work through?" Piccolo considered how their relationship had changed since becoming teacher and student again. It was much the same since Gohan always considered him his sensei but he didn't really talk about his personal life anymore the way he used to.
"Ah…nothing really, just some stupid things getting the better of me."
Piccolo sighed internally for what felt like the hundredth time this month. Dealing with Gohan as a kid was so much easier, he would just answer you straight instead of going through the same old dance. "Nevertheless, I would like to know. Just because I'm your master again doesn't mean we can't talk."
Gohan knew Piccolo was right. Truth be told, he was partially grateful that their new-old-new teacher-student relationship had stopped them talking about his issues. Piccolo had been there his whole life whenever Gohan wanted to talk but he had been a kid then. Now…talking about his anger after the fact made him feel rather petulant. "It's just school stuff and Satan City again. I found out everyone's talking about dad now and what that Satan idiot said about him. Just talking about gets me angry, I mean who the hell do they think they are!" he finished through gritted teeth refusing to allow any further anger in front of his teacher.
Piccolo remained silent allowing Gohan to regain his composure. "I see. I can see it was a good thing to take you out of school then, you're clearly not ready for it. The one day you do go is going to be very trying. We'll have to do something about that."
Even though he knew Piccolo wasn't rebuking him, Gohan hung his head at hearing he wasn't ready. It was a troubling dilemma where he truly felt trapped between what he felt and what he knew was right. On one hand, he truly felt vengeful and anger at the dishonour the people branded upon his family but on the other hand, his father, his family, his friends and even all of his training dictated he should not respond with violence. He was meant to be the bigger man and take it all in stride not allowing it to corrupt him.
"There is no shame in anger Gohan." Piccolo wasn't entirely sure how Gohan felt about the issue but could follow the breadcrumbs. "Don't forget I tried to conquer the world and kill your father. Even Tien went through his fair share of problems when he was with the Cranes, you never saw it but he was incredibly violent. I do not mean to speak ill of your father but never forget if it wasn't for that bump on the head, it's unimaginable what damage he could have caused. This is what it means to be alive, I promise you every warrior has gone through this in their own way."
Gohan was thankful at his teacher's words. Now he considered it, if anyone else had said the same words, he probably wouldn't take it in and would probably even get angry again. Still, there was a part of him which did feel like Piccolo didn't really understand how he felt. How could he? It wasn't his family being ridiculed right before his eyes and nor was it his father who had died to save those very people. Growling in frustration, he pushed aside the thoughts knowing they were getting the better of him once again.
Piccolo wasn't blind, deaf or dumb. He could see Gohan was struggling internally even if he wasn't too serious right now. "Enough for now, let's move on to some more training shall we?"
All of a sudden, Gohan found it much easier to push those thoughts aside. The idea of a new challenge had given him focus. "Yes master."
Piccolo merely smirked as Gohan reverted back to his former self. "Before we dive straight in, tell me, what do you think of the weights? You seem to have adjusted fairly quickly."
"Well, it's still heavy and I can feel some strain but it's nothing compared to the first day."
Piccolo frowned noticeably this time. "Are you suppressing your ki? It doesn't seem to have grown as much as I expected if you're that used to the weights."
"No, it's normal right now."
Piccolo filed that away to think about later. He had delayed training long enough. "Very well, I think you'll like this next one. Follow me."
Gohan didn't get a chance to nod as Piccolo had already turned and was flying through the trees. Flying after him, he looked around for any clues on what they were going to be doing. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. After just a minute of flying Piccolo had landed in a tight clearing which was surrounded by bushes and trees. It was a perfect ambush spot.
As soon as he landed, Gohan could see what he could only describe as an incredibly crude looking cage. It was small with barely any room to move around and not a single bar was straight or symmetrical. It was also made of a dark shiny metal which looked much like the planks Piccolo had tested his strength on.
"I see you remember your old friend," Piccolo chuckled maliciously. He was looking forward to taking off the kid gloves. "Time for some actual combat training, you're going to get in there."
Gohan felt a little nervous about whatever Piccolo had planned. Nevertheless, he climbed into the strange looking cage having to manoeuvre awkwardly to get in. "So what am I doing?"
Piccolo didn't reply as he concentrated hard on the cage with his hand outstretched. Immediately, the cage bent even further out of shape with no form of escape. There was no way Gohan could break out with transforming or suddenly gaining an incredible amount of strength. "You're going to be dodging today kid."
Gohan's eyes widened. How was he meant to dodge anything with these restrictions? He had next to no room to move and there was no way to get into a stance that didn't leave multiple openings. "Don't you think this is a bit much? I can't move at all in here."
"Embrace the challenge Gohan. There are many ways to dodge and many paths to complete the challenge. You're the strongest person on the planet, you didn't really think we were just going to be lifting weights did you?"
Gohan wasn't sure which part of the speech stood out to him but something clicked in his mind. This was what he wanted, this is what he expected when he started training with Piccolo. If he wasn't risking injury or anything for that matter, how much was he really improving? He didn't get a chance to say his usual 'Yes Master' before a beam of ki struck his elbow causing him to spin slightly and hit the side of the cage.
"PAY ATTENTION! DON'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!" roared Piccolo as he sent another beam at Gohan's leg which was barely dodged. Unfortunately, his move was to spin out of the way leaving his back completely open. Before the student could recover from his mistake, the teacher had sent a small ball into said back.
"GET BACK IN POSITION! AGAIN!"
'Wow, Piccolo isn't kidding around,' Gohan thought as he immediately turned back into position. Piccolo was no longer in view and Gohan was expecting him to attack from behind now. It would be like Piccolo to do that, prepare him for the dirty tactics. The change of pace in his training was sudden and unexpected but Gohan couldn't deny he felt more alive than he had all week.
He was struck again in the hip but this time he had managed to dodge three beams in succession. The hardest challenge he was facing at the moment was figuring out how to move efficiently in this cramped cage whilst simultaneously dodging. He was sure he looked like a headless chicken at the moment. There was nothing graceful about his movements, the first beam was ok to dodge and then the second would always force him into a position that left him wide open. 'At least it's just small ki blasts.'
The new training went on and on with only sporadic breaks in between where Gohan would be given a short interval to regroup and focus. He was slowly starting to understand what Piccolo meant by multiple ways to get through the challenge. At first, he had focused entirely on his form thinking he needed to move more efficiently as to not open his defences. It was only after being blasted into the tough cage for an hour that he understood there was no way to do that. The cage was purposefully designed so he couldn't have a stance that was safe and even worse, Piccolo's shooting was expert enough to make move without the comfort of safety.
During one of the few breaks he had been given (where he was still in the cage), Gohan had decided to choose speed over anything else. If he could dodge and get into a good position before the next ki blast was fired, he would have a much better chance at dodging the next one too. It was incredibly difficult given his weighted clothing and tight space but life had shown it wasn't meant to be easy.
His new method didn't have too much of an impact seeing how his record was still an almighty seven dodges in a row. Nevertheless, he was getting better and he was slowly starting to get faster in his movements. He was surprised at the lack of frustration he felt at getting hit constantly at all day but took it as a welcome change. The only temptation he was fighting at the moment was defending himself instead of dodging all the time. For years, his muscle memory had dictated dodge first and failing that, use defensive manoeuvres. It was humbling in many respects, it made him wonder if there were any other patterns he needed to break through training. What if there were other aspects he had become lax in?
It was now sundown and the pair finally stopped. Piccolo came out from the tree he had been shooting from and lazily pointed at the cage creating a small opening for Gohan to climb out of. As soon as Gohan came out, he immediately groaned as he felt the freedom to move properly once more. Not wanting to cramp, he started doing some stretches which felt less painful than he would have thought. Not that he wouldn't love a dip in a hot spring right about now.
"That's enough for today kid. How you holding up?"
"I'm good, just a little sore but nothing serious. This idea of yours is fairly interesting, I have to say I rather enjoy the challenge. I'm guessing you want me to work on my speed?"
"Ha, not a bad start. Your speed is important but it's more than that. You'll work it out eventually."
Gohan frowned wondering what Piccolo was getting at. He hadn't even meant anything by his question but now he really did want to work it out.
"Anyway, tomorrow's finally your day off so have fun at school and don't forget to keep that temper in check. Otherwise, I'll be upping the power of the ki blasts."
Gohan's good mood immediately dipped at the reminder of going back to school tomorrow. No doubt he would have to deal with more Satan worshippers and potentially accusations about his father cheating. Still…it was just one day and last week he was attending full time. If he couldn't handle one day of being around a bunch of loud-mouthed idiots, was he really as strong as he saw himself to be?
"Don't worry, I will. It's just one-day right?" Gohan sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Piccolo.
"Look Gohan, remember what I said. Anger is natural and it's fine to feel that way. Just don't let it control you or get the better of you. If it helps, it's actually less than a day and you can still do whatever you want to cool off after school. If you want to talk or even continue training, you know how to find me."
Gohan nodded appreciating the support. Waving goodbye, he set off home flying at a relaxing pace enjoying the cool evening air. He wondered what he could do after school, he hadn't really thought about free time all week. Maybe he could visit one of his friends? As he reached home, he could hear Goten laughing with his mum. He smiled softly hitting himself on the head. Of course he knew what to do after school, he hadn't played with his brother properly for ages.
As Gohan walked inside, he immediately dashed to the kitchen smelling his mum's delicious food. How had he not realised how hungry he was? His mother and Goten were already sitting at the table waiting for him.
"Hurry big brother! We're hungry!" called Goten earning a smile from Chi-Chi who looked on approvingly.
"Hello dear, how was training today?"
"Great, I'll tell you about it later. Let's eat first!"
"Oh very well but we will be talking mister."
Before Chi-Chi could get another word in, both her sons have dived into their plates and were eating with reckless abandon. Chi-Chi didn't even start her own dinner and just watched with a happy smile, content with life. 'If only Goku were here.'
Life had been hard without her husband but at least she had her sons and they both kept her pretty busy on top being a source of endless happiness. Gohan might be going through some troubling times but they were getting on better than she could ever remember. Goten was the spitting image of his father with the same mannerisms and innocence. She briefly wondered when Goten would unload his surprise onto Gohan and how Gohan would react. However it went, she definitely wanted to be there, ready with a camera.
"So Goten, what did you do today?" Gohan asked as he patted his now full stomach.
"Oh, it was so much fun brother! Mom and I went to see grandpa and I got to eat ice cream! And then, we went to the lake and went swimming and I caught a bigger fish than you!" Goten was firing off his stories at rapid pace making Gohan wonder exactly how much ice cream his brother had eaten.
"That sounds great Goten. What do you say to you and me doing something tomorrow when I finish school? Just the two of us?"
Goten's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. He had missed playing and training with his brother so much. His mother told him why Gohan was so busy but it didn't make it any easier. "You mean it? Really? Can we fight? I have new moves I want to show you?" Goten's eyes were pleading almost as if he didn't really believe Gohan was making time for him.
"Of course Goten, we can do whatever you want tomorrow. I know I've been busy lately but I haven't forgotten my favourite brother."
"YAY!" Goten launched himself over the table hugging Gohan with sheer joy. Chi-Chi was ready to tell her son of for flying over the dinner table but couldn't bring herself to interrupt the loving moment between her two sons. 'Where's the camera when you need it.'
"Ok Goten, off to bed with you. You need to rest up if we're going to play tomorrow. I need to talk with mom for a bit anyway."
"Ok!" Goten said too happy to argue with his brother. He dashed off upstairs to plan what to do with Gohan tomorrow.
"It's nice seeing the two of you like that," Chi-Chi said with a big smile.
"Hehe, yeah Goten's a great kid. I'm guessing it hasn't been easy for him with me out of the house so much."
"He misses you a lot but he understands. Besides, he's been busy with all sorts of things," Chi-Chi trailed off mysteriously.
"What do you know?" Gohan asked suspiciously. He could tell he was being kept out of the loop in something.
"Oh you'll see," Chi-Chi snickered. "Anyway, how was today with Piccolo?"
"It was great actually. I didn't actually do too well but the training is really interesting. Basically I'm locked inside this oddly-shaped cage with barely any room to move. My only task is to dodge ki blasts from Piccolo. I'm slowly getting better but it's harder than it sounds."
Chi-Chi merely nodded having gone through similar training. "Yes, that's actually rather good training albeit more brutal than the regimen I went through."
"You did this training?!" Gohan's eyes were wide in disbelief. He always knew his mother was powerful and a strong fighter but he couldn't imagine her going through proper training.
"Of course, it's not like I was born with the amazing fighting ability of your Saiyans. When I was training for the tournament to impress your father, I went through all kinds of training. You've seen my style, it focuses heavily on speed and precision. I had to learn to dodge almost everything since most fighters are naturally more physically powerful than me. If you were a girl, you'd understand more," she finished with a soft chuckle knowing Gohan would understand either way.
"Wow, that's amazing mom. Piccolo didn't tell me what the training was meant to do but I guessed it was to do with speed. When I asked him about it, he said I was right but it was more than that."
"You mean you haven't worked it out yet?"
"You know?!" Gohan looked at his mother incredulously. Just how talented was his mother?
"I thought it would have been obvious especially to you. In fact, if you don't work it out soon, ask your brother tomorrow. I'll bet you one day's dish-washing that he works it out."
Gohan felt incredibly stupid. Was he missing something obvious?
"Anyway, you need to get to bed soon mister. You have school tomorrow."
Gohan let out a mighty groan of indignation at yet another reminder. He really felt like whining but didn't want to sound like a silly child. He was a warrior after all!
"Ok mom, I guess you're right. I can't lie, I'm not looking forward to school tomorrow but it is just one day."
"That's right, if it helps think of it as training."
Gohan looked at his mom in confusion. How could going to school and sitting in a classroom be considered training? Seeing Gohan's look of confusion, Chi-Chi continued "Dealing with morons and people who make you angry is its own way of training Gohan. Think about it."
Gohan could see where his mother was going with this but didn't really agree. Either way, he was knackered and the enormous meal had left him in a rather sleepy mood. He knew he could sleep well tonight.
"Ok mom. I'm off to bed now. Goodnight." He quickly pecked his mother on the cheek before heading upstairs. For now, he would focus on the great day he'd had. Why worry about what tomorrow would bring?
A/N:
To OpenSourceArtist: Appreciate the review. Don't worry about criticism, I welcome it. I try to keep an open mind but I'm not really thinking of a Videl pairing for this story. I do have a negative take on her in this story but that's mainly because Gohan is such a wimp in the anime. I actually really like them together though. Erasa...that's a maybe at the moment since I've kept that window open. 18 is a consideration but I would have to introduce an entirely new arc to the story which could be difficult with where I want this story to go. Anyway, it was nice to see your thoughts on the matter.