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Chapter 11. Invitation to Greatness.
"So?" Videl and Gohan were now sitting on the grass. The night had fallen all around them but the moon was giving them enough light to see each other.
The half-saiyan took a deep breath. "Alright… I think I have to start at the beginning if I want you to completely understand everything." Gohan decided to tell her everything. The truth. They'd been friends for a while now and this was one of those things that would test their friendship. Would she detest him after hearing his real story?
He could see the expression on her face changing as he spoke. She interjected with questions once in a while. "Where were you parents?" "How could someone just take you?" "Couldn't you call some sort of police?" These questions seemed so logical. How could someone be enslaved just like that? How can you be a free person one moment and a slave the next? For someone who lived all her life in freedom, it was difficult to imagine something like that.
Gohan didn't spare her any details. He showed his truest self. He told her about the murders he committed. That he wiped entire civilizations with just a flick of his finger. And that he did it with no remorse whatsoever.
A silence occurred after he stopped talking. Videl's gaze was lowered to the soft grass under them. She seemed to be overthinking everything she just heard. Or was she reconsidering their friendship?
"So… What are you thinking?" Gohan felt awkward as he said this. He could imagine what she was thinking. What a monster he was. Wondering how she could've ever been friends with a horrible person like him? The young warrior lowered his gaze as a sensation of shame ran through him.
"I was just… wondering how this history didn't totally screw you up." Videl answered slowly. Her blue eyes looked up at him. "I mean, people go completely crazy for less."
Gohan shrugged awkwardly. "So… You don't hate me?"
Videl laughed in response, which made Gohan feel somewhat embarrassed. "Of course not. Why would this make me hate you? I hate the people who did this to you. Wasn't it the same person who you still train with these days? How is it that you're actually friendly with him?"
Gohan didn't expect this question. "I don't know. We just sort of grew to respect each other over the years. That's why we're still training together and hanging out sometimes."
"Ah, Stockholm syndrome." Videl nodded once. "Interesting. I've never seen it happen in real life."
"It's not like that." Gohan reasoned. "It's just that… In that world, slavery is very normal. Abuse and physical punishments are as well. I was not the only slave who received physical punishments. And it stopped when I gained a higher social position. That's why I don't hate him for how he treated me."
Videl was smiling at him. "You attended the same lecture about this syndrome as I did, didn't you? Cause you're sort of following the typical symptoms quite closely."
Gohan considered this for a moment but then decided to change the subject. "Alright. So, I told you everything. As I said I would."
"And now you want to go with them." Videl added. Gohan nodded in response. "How long will you be gone?"
"I don't know. I think I'll be gone for a couple years." Gohan blew out a sigh. "I'm going to miss everything so much."
Videl smiled. "I'm going to miss you." She responded.
Gohan met her blue gaze. "I'm going to miss you too." The two held each other's gaze for a moment before Gohan looked down. He almost felt as if he couldn't look at her anymore and it was a weird sensation. Wat the hell was going on here?
Videl got up and brushed over her shorts to clean the grass and dirt off. "Say goodbye to me before you leave, okay?" She suggested.
Gohan nodded before he got up as well. "I will."
The two said goodnight to each other and Videl left to find her helicopter. Gohan watched the black helicopter fly away while feeling somewhat put off. If he wanted to leave with the army, he would have to leave Videl behind. And somehow that suddenly felt like a very big loss.
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College was expensive. Gohan knew that. They still had some money from Chi-chi's father and Chi-chi had a part-time job. Still, this was not enough to pay for Gohan's education. So, Gohan had to get a job too. The half-saiyan didn't actually have to work that often. He worked on the weekends and sometimes he took an evening shift.
"So, you serve people food and drinks for a living?" Tobney's voice rang out to him as he was standing outside. The half-saiyan was just wiping down a table but he now straightened to look at the newcomer. Only, Tobney wasn't alone.
Her yellow cat-like eyes were shining as she showed him a grin. Gohan could feel his heart lift at the sight of her. She looked amazing. Her dark-blue hair shimmered in the sun so brightly he briefly wondered if there were actual sparkles in there. He wouldn't put it past Solarus.
"Gohan!" She stepped closer and threw her arms around him. The young warrior was briefly surprised by how defined her arms were. Had she been working out?
"Solarus! It's so good to see you!" He returned her hug with pleasure and he could smell a faint citrusy scent as he got closer to her.
"It's good to see you too. I've missed you, Gohan!" Solarus responded cheerfully. She was all-smiles as she looked around. "This planet is amazing. No wonder you don't want to leave."
Gohan glanced to Tobney. "Did you tell her I don't want to leave?"
"I told her you were being difficult." Tobney responded. "And you were. I also told her that you changed your mind."
"And I said it couldn't hurt to let me see you." Solarus added. "And let me visit this planet. Oh~" she spread her arms and closed her eyes. "…and this sun. It feels great on my skin."
Tobney's eyes studied the young woman appreciatively. It made Gohan realize the two were still somewhat in love with each other. Tobney looked back to his friend. "So, little servant," Tobney's teasing tone of voice earned Gohan's full attention, "why don't you go get some drinks for us?"
Gohan placed his fists on his hips. "I'm not a servant. I'm a barista. And I only have to work for paying customers."
Tobney didn't respond but instead chose the table Gohan just wiped clean and he sat down there. Taking out a very earthly wallet, Tobney pulled out a ten-zenni note and placed it on the table. "Will that be enough?" He asked. Solarus sat down as well, smiling brightly at Gohan as she clasped her hands together and placed them on the table.
"Alright." Gohan took the money and stuffed it into the small black bag he was wearing on his hip. "What do you want?"
"Just give me something that resembles coffee." Tobney responded. "The coffee we drink on the mothership."
"I know." Gohan responded. "That's practically the same as the coffee we serve here. It makes me wonder where the army got the formula. Solarus, you like to have chocolate syrup in your coffee, right?" Solarus nodded in response and gave him a smile. "I think I can make something you'll really like. I'll be right back." He pulled out the money they were owed – as ten zenni was too much for two cups of coffee – and he placed it on the table.
"Keep the change." Tobney said as he waved Gohan's hand away. The half-saiyan stopped in mid-air. "It's the company's money. It's yours as much as it is mine."
Gohan continued his movement and placed the money on the table. He held his hand there for a moment. "I don't want the company's money." He stated before he released it and walked away. "I'll be right back with your drinks."
The half-saiyan went back inside and prepared their drinks. They had a coffee speciality which included coffee with milk, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and marshmallows. He was quite sure Solarus would love something so sweet. He figured Tobney would prefer a cappuccino as his best friend was not actually that much of a black-coffee drinker.
Returning with the drinks, Gohan looked up to see how Tobney and Solarus were discussing something privately. Tobney's pale hand was resting on Solarus's hand and the two smiled at each other. The moment Gohan got close, the two sat back. Tobney pulled his hand back and moved it up to scratch behind his ear. Gohan frowned thoughtfully. What just happened?
"This is looks amazing, Gohan!" Solarus cheered as he placed the glass in front of her. She pulled out an almost see-through small flat orb. "I need to share this." She tapped on the circle and a light-beam appeared from it, projecting a screen that hovered right above the orb. Gohan watched with fascination as Solarus tilted the screen, pointed it to the coffee and made a picture. She started tapping away on the little screen.
"Don't share the planet though." Tobney leaned back on his seat. "Or we'll have tourists wanting to come here and that's not really supposed to happen."
"Oh, right." Solarus nodded once before she looked up to Gohan. "Let's make a picture of us together!" She suggested.
"What?" Gohan raised an eyebrow but Solarus already grabbed his shirt and was pulling him down to her level.
"Tobney, would you do the honours?" She held out the mobile to Tobney –who accepted it- and wrapped an arm around Gohan's shoulders. "Smile, Gohan."
Gohan could do nothing else but obey. Tobney made the picture before giving it back to Solarus. "Perfect. Look at you, Gohan." She showed the picture. Solarus was all-smiles on the picture as she hugged the somewhat hesitatingly smiling Gohan. She pulled the picture away from him again and started typing something again. "Alright. Caption: Welcome Back to Lord Gohan…. Returned to the army at last?" Her yellow eyes moved up to Tobney. The warlord slowly nodded in return.
"What are you doing?" Gohan questioned, frowning.
Tobney shrugged. "Nothing. It's just a little publicity stunt."
"Publicity?" Gohan repeated.
"You know how it works." Tobney responded. "Coming back to the army means coming back to the spotlight. Solarus is a celebrity now." He nodded to the young woman. "She makes videos to promote the soldier's life in our army and to show an inside perspective. She's very popular."
"They asked Sianna first, but she turned it down." Solarus added. "Though she does have to appear in my videos once in a while to show what it's like to work as a female soldier. We're hoping to get more female recruits that way. People really like her and they ask for more videos of her all the time. Still, she only helps when Tobney forces her."
Tobney gave an innocent smile when Gohan looked to him. "Let's just say I have certain things I can hold over her head."
"Such as?"
"Nothing important, really. But it's important to her. You'll find out when you arrive on the ship."
"Or you could just tell me now."
"That would spoil the fun, wouldn't it?" Tobney grinned in response.
"That is how I got this one here." Solarus held up the flat orb. "It's the newest technology. I get paid to use it and show to my viewers that I use it. It's awesome."
"Not that you need any more credits with the lavish salary we give you." Tobney leaned back on his seat and grabbed his coffee.
"There's no such thing as having too much money." Solarus flashed a grin to Tobney before she turned away to put the orb back into the pocket of her dress.
Meanwhile, Tobney rolled his eyes to Gohan. The half-saiyan couldn't help but smile at the familiarity of it all. The young warrior looked around and noticed more costumers were coming in. He had to leave his friends behind.
The young warrior noticed that his friends were interested in his work. Their eyes followed him whenever he went outside to bring drinks to people. He didn't really mind. It was to be expected that they were curious about his work. He couldn't blame them.
It was about half an hour later that he noticed Tobney and Solarus were getting up. The young warrior approached them quickly, hoping to say goodbye to them. "Did you like the coffee?" He asked.
"Yes, I must have the recipe." Solarus responded.
"Not to worry. Gohan can make it for you once we're back on the mothership. We could even make a video out of it." Tobney suggested.
"Right!" Solarus seemed excited. "That's a great idea! We'll make it a thing. You can teach the viewers how to make different types of coffee. Oh, and we'll have to film a video about your pancakes. They are delicious!"
"Wait what?" Gohan considered this whole conversation unfair. He couldn't understand where they were going with this and what he was supposed to say. Videos? Viewers? That was not what he was supposed to come with them for.
"It will be great." Tobney placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Alright, we got what we came for. What time can you meet tomorrow to discuss everything? Do you have to go to school?"
Gohan slowly shook his head. "No, it's Sunday tomorrow. I don't have school on Sunday. I'm free all day."
"Alright." Tobney pulled out a small black electric notebook and he opened it. He looked at it for a moment while he moved his finger around on the screen. "So, would three o' clock work for you?" He looked up to Gohan.
"Sure."
"Perfect." Tobney tapped on the screen of his little electronic day planner a couple times before closing it and looking back to the half-saiyan. "Great. I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you later, Gohan." Solarus smiled at him and made a waving gesture with her hand before she and Tobney turned to walk away.
"Later." Gohan agreed. The half-saiyan stood there for a moment, thinking about what just happened. "Wait…" He suddenly thought of something. "What did you come here for?" He realized Tobney said that they got what they came for but Gohan couldn't remember actually giving or saying anything that could help them.
Tobney only gave a smile over his shoulder and waved at him. It was obvious he was not going to get an answer. The half-saiyan moved to follow them but a hand from one of the costumers stopped him. The young warrior turned to walk to the costumer and take his order. The conversation he just had was still repeating itself in his head. He still wasn't sure what just happened.
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The small control room was as always quite dark. The lights from the screens were enough to light up the whole room though. It made sure that the attention was always on the information the screens showed. Any changes on the screens made immediate changes to the entire atmosphere.
The screens now showed different diagrams and symbols. Each of the numerous screens had its own picture to show. They appeared nonsensical to the untrained eye. Gohan had experience with these screens though. He knew these diagrams and tables showed the current status of their ongoing deals with numerous companies.
Tobney was standing in front of a screen that was at his face height. The screen showed a large man with a bright yellow moustache. The man had a wrinkly brown skin, which made Gohan wonder if he was old or if his body was just made that way.
"Team Alfa made my day, lord Tobney. I was afraid the bandits would overpower the team but they surprised me." He showed off her black teeth while he spoke.
"I'm glad to be of service, sir." Tobney responded, sounding more confident than Gohan ever saw him.
"And on such short notice too. Would you mind if I kept them around for a little?"
Tobney considered this comment for a moment. "I would, actually. I need the team here as soon as possible. Would you mind sending them back? We could arrange a guard to be stationed at your planet."
"Yes, please."
"Team Alfa does not take guard duties. Another team will be made available for you." Tobney offered.
"I appreciate it." The man responded. "I will send Team Alfa back to you fully fed and well-rested."
"I'm sure they will appreciate that." Tobney smiled. "I'll be sending a lease-contract to you."
Gohan watched with fascination as Tobney exchanged pleasantries with the large and wrinkly man before singing off. After the screen turned black, Tobney blew out a sigh and placed both his hands over his face.
Gohan found himself worried for a moment before Tobney suddenly started talking. "Did your mother never teach you it is rude to eavesdrop on conversations?" Gohan couldn't help but smile as he stepped closer. Tobney removed his hands from his face and glanced to his friend. "I'll have to ask her."
"I couldn't help myself." Gohan said by way of apology. "It's interesting to see a business call like that."
"Right and you've never been in a business call yourself." Tobney countered easily.
"Yes, but it's nice to watch you do so."
"Is it three o'clock already?" Tobney checked his watch. "Oh it is. I'm so sorry. This assignment came out of nowhere." He hesitated for a moment. "Would you mind waiting for a bit? I need do some preparations for this guard duty. You know, allow the contract to be signed up, assign a team, help prepare a guard ship and all its necessities."
"Sure. I guess I'll hang around here for a bit." Gohan shrugged. He didn't mind.
"I think Comora is training Videl. You can go check that out, if you'd like." Tobney suggested.
"Comora is what?"
"You didn't know?" Tobney couldn't help but smirk as he grabbed his warm drink and held it closer to his lips. "Comora has a new trainee."
"How did that even happen? I asked you guys to leave her alone." Gohan complained.
Tobney held up his free hand. "Don't shoot the messenger. And she came to us. She saw your training two days ago and she wants to learn how to fight like that." He made a slight inclination with his head, a grin appearing on his face. "You should keep a better eye on your girlfriend."
"She's not my…" Gohan noticed the expression on Tobney's face and he decided to drop it. Responding with hostility to those types of comments would only affirm their suspicions. "Fine. I'll go see how they're doing." He turned to walk out the room.
Tobney stood a little straighter and raised his voice. "Don't disrupt their training though." He called after the youngster. "You know what Comora is like when people disrupt his training."
"I'm not afraid of Comora." Gohan responded as he disappeared around the corner.
Tobney raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm not sure if that is brave or foolish." He took a deep breath before turning around so he could get to work.
Gohan wasn't sure what to expect as he headed for the training room. He could feel Videl's presence in there. It felt somewhat stronger, which made him realize how good Comora really was.
Gohan stepped into the training room and watched the scene with fascination. There she was, in a complete uniform once again, fighting Suno. The two were on the ground and it went quite slow. Still, Gohan could see the intensity. Videl may be on a human level but she was a very good fighter.
Comora was walking circles around the two, eying the fight with a professional gaze. The man's red eyes suddenly changed direction and moved to meet Gohan's brown orbs. He gestured for Gohan to come closer. The half-saiyan obeyed and crossed the distance quickly.
"She's very good." Comora stated quietly as to not disrupt the training. "Tactical. She takes advantage of her strengths. She's a completely different person when she is fighting Suno or when she is fighting Solarus. It's the height difference. When she's fighting Suno, she plays the smaller-card, but when she fighting Solarus, she changes her entire routine to match Solarus's height." The man tilted his head sideways as he eyed the fight. "The only problem is that…"
"Left arm." Gohan completed for Comora. The man glanced towards him now. "She has a tendency to clench her left fist before she attacks with that arm. It gives her away." Comora seemed impressed. "It's rigorous. We've been working on that tendency for months now."
The two were distracted by the fight as Suno made a winning move. Videl had once again showed that she was going to use her left arm for a punch and her opponent grabbed her fist, turned his back on her while keeping her arm in his grip and he slammed her over his shoulder and onto the ground. The young fighter landed on her back, knocking the wind out of her. Suno was just about to place his boot on her when she rolled sideways to avoid it. She jumped up only to be faced with an energy ball that was floating in front of Suno's open palm.
"And you're dead." Suno teased.
"That's not fair. I can't manipulate energy." Videl complained. "Besides, a blast like that won't kill me."
"Wanna bet?" Suno's grin looked a bit sinister now.
Comora crossed his arms over each other. "Alright. Playtime is over, Suno." He called.
"Yes, sir." Suno lowered his hand and the energy-orb disappeared. Comora gathered up two bottles of water from the ground and he tossed them to the two warriors. They each caught a bottle and they eagerly had some water.
"Gohan. You're up." Comora stated as he glanced to the half-saiyan. "You'll spar with Videl for a while. See how you match up against her."
"I just came to spectate."
"Gohan." Comora turned to the half-saiyan fully and threw his turquoise arm around the half-saiyan's shoulder. Gohan was somewhat surprised and he also realized that this meant Comora was annoyed with his attitude. "It has come to my attention that you have forgotten who is in charge around here. You stepped into my training room so you'll obey my rules. Do you understand me?" His muscled arm gave a brief squeeze around Gohan's shoulders to show the half-saiyan that he meant it.
"Last time I checked, I was in charge around here." Gohan pushed Comora's arm away and stood a little straighter so he could face off against Comora. "Or did you forget that?"
"You gave up your title." Comora returned easily. "Right now, Tobney is in charge of the army. I am his second in command. And you are a mere guest on this ship."
"The general policy is that guests are treated politely, isn't it?" Gohan knew all about this as he was often assigned as a personal servant to important guests. They were always to feel right at home.
Videl frowned worriedly. She was about to say something when Suno placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. This is normal. Let them get it out of their system." He said cheerfully.
"We treat guests whom are important to the company with respect, yes. You're not that special, kiddo."
"Fine. I'm not a guest yet. Maybe I'll just stay on planet earth. Let you leave without me."
Comora chuckled. "Don't make me laugh. You want to come with us. You were tempted the moment we landed on this planet. You're dying for an adventure. And I'm pretty sure you're quite enjoying this little argument. You like pushing buttons, seeing how far you can go. Besides, you weren't born yesterday. You knew that the moment you stepped into this training room, you were doomed to a match of your own."
Gohan knew Comora was right. He expected something like this to happen. Walking into a training room in which Comora was supervising a training session was practically suicide.
"Let me train with him." Suno offered. "I really want to tear off his shirt." Gohan looked down to his sweatshirt. "Come on. Let me, please, sir. Give the girlfriend a good show."
"Oh, we're not in a relationship." Videl stated in response, shaking her head.
"Don't even bother, Videl." Gohan returned. "It's no use."
Comora seemed amused as he shook his head as well. "No, we should let the lovebirds spar." He said before he looked to the scowl he received from Gohan. "I want to see how you fight her, Gohan. It's a whole different style. I want to watch how you handle that." His red eyes moved to Videl. "Would you mind?"
"It's okay." Videl responded, smiling. "What about you?" Her blue eyes moved to Gohan. The half-saiyan shrugged, happy that at least someone asked his opinion.
"Sure, why not?"
The two warriors created some distance between them and the two older soldiers. "No energy use or flying." Comora called as instructions.
"Why not? He did." Gohan gestured to Suno as he spoke. He just saw Suno aiming an energy-blast at Videl, didn't he?
"He was not supposed to do so either." Comora responded, giving a sharp side-eye to his subordinate.
Suno winced and put up his hands in defeat. "Sorry, sir."
Gohan was once again surprised by how much power Comora had over the other members of the Suta Team. Suno and the others always did exactly as Comora said, no questions asked. Only Gohan and Tobney tended talk back or disobey him. Gohan never really looked into the history of the Suta Team before he and Tobney joined. He may as well start that now as he had nothing better to do while he would be travelling with the army.
For now, Gohan looked to Videl. "Ready?"
"Anytime." Videl grinned in response. Her body sank into a fighting stance and Gohan could already see that Comora had given her some pointers concerning her defence. The young warrior eyed her defence for a moment before he looked up into her blue eyes.
Videl was the one to attack him first. Her dark hair waved behind her as she crossed the distance between them. Gohan moved up his arm to block her first punch. He gazed into her eyes and noticed her pupils made the briefest inclination to below before her knee tried to push itself to his stomach. Gohan moved up his own leg to block the attack.
Deciding it was his turn, Gohan pushed away from her. Videl stepped back to gain her footing. Meanwhile, Gohan had time to plan his attack. Taking advantage of her unsteady footing, Gohan let his body kneel down, extended one leg and tried to sweep her feet from under her. Videl jumped up just in time.
Gohan let his body finish the twirl before he moved up his leg to kick his opponent. Videl was still in mid-air and she crossed her arms in front of her to block the attack. As she was still in mid-air, she was thrown backwards and she landed on her back. The impact pushed all the air out of her lungs and she gasped for air.
"Lower your power level, Gohan." Comora stated from the side-lines.
Gohan glanced sideways. "It's low enough."
"But it's still higher than hers. I want you two to be on even ground." Comora's red eyes focused on him. "Or are you afraid to fight her on an even level?"
Gohan pressed his lips together, feeling the sensation of shame settle in his stomach. Yes, he may have allowed his power level to raise just the tiniest bit because he didn't want to fail his match with Videl in front of his former comrades. She was a good fighter. And as he saw her defence at the beginning of the match, he feared she had received such good advice from Comora that it gave her the upper hand.
"Did you expect we wouldn't notice?" Suno teased. "We've been watching you fight since you were eleven, kiddo."
The half-saiyan gave a half-hearted shrug in response. Videl sank back into her defensive-stance. Gohan took a breath before he followed her example. His power level was now lowered to match hers perfectly.
Videl eyed him for a moment. "Ready?" She asked. Gohan nodded in response. Videl's gaze hardened as she focused on his defence. She was standing in front of him within a second. Her hand moved up, directed to hit his face. Gohan moved his head back to avoid getting hit and as he did so he allowed his arm to sweep sideways, hoping to take her off-guard. Videl saw the attack coming and she brought up her arm to block the attack. As his level was at hers, he couldn't push through and throw her sideways so he had to pull back and redirect his attack. Meanwhile, Videl used her free hand to try to punch him. Gohan tilted his head sideways just in time but her arm was close to his face. Too close. He expected her to pull back but she didn't. Instead, she redirected her attack and pushed her arm sideways, taking his head with her. Gohan stumbled sideways but managed to block her following kick.
Videl noticed her attack was blocked so she pulled back her leg. However, Gohan held on and tried to pull her off her feet. Videl widened her eyes, shocked, but then pushed off, used her free leg to kick Gohan's arm so that he would release her leg, and she summersaulted backwards to create some distance between them.
Gohan clicked with his tongue as he watched her land on her feet awkwardly. The move wasn't flawless but she pulled it off. For a second there, he thought he was going to win but she managed to weasel her way out of his grip. The half-saiyan met her eyes and he ran at her, deciding he would make the first move this time.
The match went on for a while, until Tobney wandered into the training room. The young warrior watched for a bit, adding some of his own tips, before he put a stop to it.
"I don't want to exhaust Gohan just yet." Tobney added as explanation.
"Sure, we were done anyway, sir." Comora responded.
Gohan and Videl approached the other warriors. The half-saiyan gently touched his split lip. Videl managed to get through his defence a couple times. Still, Videl was sporting a discoloured eye and a split lip as well. They'd both had a hard time.
As the two warriors approached them, Tobney glanced to Comora. The older man nodded in response to his questioning glance. "Videl." Tobney smiled as he studied the young woman. "As you continue to come to us for training, we were wondering if you would like to join the army."
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