Chapter 11: Videl's Rage

Hatsuko's hair fell slowly into her view as her eyes frantically scanned a paper clenched tightly in her hands. Her eyebrow twitched.

"Oh no, I found another error! Let's see here…" Her concentration was focused on a missing citation in her article. Suddenly, a hand clenched her shoulder. Her body convulsed in shock and she swung her head around violently, only to face the sight of her surprised father.

"Hatsuko, dear, are you alright?" he asked while withdrawing his hand. Dark circles had formed underneath his daughters' eyes. Cast against her pale skin, they gave her face a ghastly quality that concerned him deeply. It reminded him of the all-nighters he used to pull while he was in school.

"You know, I can postpone your journal entry until next month, Hon. It isn't imperative that you finish this tonight. You're nine years old…save the stress for when you're older," he said with a somber smile. Hatsuko's eyelids lowered as she listened to her father's advice. She knew he was right.

"I know, Dad. I really should get some sleep. I just want to finish. This is the most fascinating research on the entire planet, and I get to write about it! There are probably so many other scientists who would kill to write this paper, and I get to because I know you." Her father's face fell. The fact that she did not say "because I'm your daughter" instead bothered him.

"Well, Darling, I think you should get to sleep. I understand how passionate you are about this research. Believe me, I am too. I just think that you're overexerting yourself when you needn't be." Hatsuko nodded reluctantly and gathered all of her papers into a pile. She set them aside before climbing the small set of wooden stairs up to the ground floor of her house.

"Goodnight, Dad," she muttered as she exited the basement. The sweet fragrance of flowers tickled her nose. She raised her eyebrows quizzically. Her gaze fell on her mother, who was working by the light of a single lamp on an old wooden table filled with freshly cut flowers. There was an assortment of vibrantly colored roses and baby's breath. Hatsuko made her way over to the table.

"Mom, what are you doing up this late?"

"I should be asking you the same, Sweetie. Will you hand me a blue rose?" Hatsuko tried to decipher which roses were blue in the dim light. Her eyesight was blurred from reading all night. She gingerly handed her mother a rose.

"Mom, what kind of rose is that?" Hatsuko asked curiously as she tried to remember what type of rose was naturally blue. She drew a blank.

"They're China Roses. They're my favorite specie of flower. I bred them to reach this color blue. As far as I know, no one else has been able to produce this exact hue. For that very reason, I've been quite busy making wedding centerpieces of this rose alone. This one needs to be ready at 6 A.M." she said while wiping her forehead with a delicate wrist. She sighed and turned to Hatsuko. "So, did you finish your article?"

"No, I didn't. I wasn't done editing. Dad made me go to bed," Hatsuko said. Her brain began to feel fuzzy. She had been awake for far too long.

"Well, he's allowed to ask that of you, Sweetheart. He is your father, after all."

"I know I haven't been getting much sleep lately, but I have so much to do. Along with the monthly papers, I'm trying to learn a new language that Dad introduced me to. It's very complicated, Mom. It has its own alphabet and everything. It's quite beautiful, though. I wish I could find someone else to speak it with."

Hatsuko's mother chuckled.

"Dear, you push yourself too hard. You have your whole life ahead of you. Don't worry about learning everything at once. It will come to you in time. Just pace yourself." She resumed her work. As her hands ruffled the flowers, a sweet scent filled Hatsuko's nostrils.

"Mom, have you noticed that Dad's been really tired lately?"

As soon as she heard her daughter utter the words, the corners of her lips fell. She sighed heavily.

"I have, dear. He's probably just working too hard, as usual. I don't want you to worry about it. Please head up to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

Hatsuko sensed the notes of fear in her mother's voice, so she decided not to press her with further questions. She nodded and walked slowly down a narrow hallway that led to her bedroom. She shut the door behind her.

Down in the basement, Dr. Okami sifted through the pages of Hatsuko's paper. He counted twenty-five.

Not bad, he thought. He flipped to the first page and re-read the title: "Biological Processes of the Saiyan Oozaru Transformation". He shook his head. Had he been able to write like this when he was nine years old, he could have retired years ago. His faith in Hatsuko never wavered, but he still worried for her. Her papers had been the most important contributions to his journal for the past few months. Other doctors had expressed their concerns about her ability to keep quiet about her accomplishments. Earlier that night, Dr. Briefs, a mechanical genius and CEO of Capsule Corporation, had called him with regards to the next journal issue. He had been in contact with a colleague named Dr. Gero who had just learned that Hatsuko was only nine.

"Okami, I must confess that Gero is quite wary of the fact that your daughter is of such a young age. He doesn't think it is wise to trust her with the responsibility of keeping her research a secret. She is ignorant, after all, even if she has a brilliant mind. I tell you, my daughter is a smart cookie as well, but when it comes to common sense, she can be—"

"Briefs, I understand Gero's concerns, but I assure you that Hatsuko is wise beyond her years. She is perfectly capable of keeping this a secret. She doesn't even have friends to tell this to. If Gero is that concerned about this whole thing, tell him to contact me. If he doesn't, I will assume that he agrees with my decisions. These are, after all, my organization and my journal. I admitted him. I can just as easily revoke his membership."

"Yes, Doctor, I understand. Although, I'm sure that fact would not phase Gero in the least considering his articles have been quite scarce in the journal for the past few years. I remember him telling me about a new private research project he had been conducting that involved something with robotics. He never quite explained the details, but it sounded extensive. Well, anyway, I just wanted to relay the warning. I must tell you that I, myself, do not have any qualms about your daughter contributing to our work. She is quite an asset to the team!"

Dr. Okami's focus returned to the room. His head spun, and he began to perspire profusely. He caught his head in his free hand as the dizzy spell overtook him. This was the third one of the day.

* * *

Piccolo watched Videl storm off towards the arena and then redircted his gaze to Hatsuko. He squinted in agitation.

I don't understand why she thinks she can get away with treating her peers with such malice. Her arrogance will be her downfall.

Piccolo's thoughts drifted to events from his past. He saw himself at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, a twisted, egotistical young fighter with more power than he could handle. His motives for entering were purely based on vengeance. His hatred had clouded his vision and made him believe that Son Goku would be no match for his might. He then saw a vision of a younger Vegeta, who had arrived on Earth with the same belief: that he was invincible. Ultimately, they both met their defeats at the hands of Goku, who was now their common ally.

Piccolo sighed quietly. He sincerely hoped that she would lose.

Hatsuko felt everyone's eyes on her, so she departed the waiting room. Her patience was wearing thin.

I hope this girl isn't too much of a nuisance. I want to get this match over quickly so I can fight that green demon.

Her mind momentarily recalled a series of images from a previous vision she had had during one of her nightly dreams. She and Piccolo had fought in an arena resembling the one she stood in presently. His moves were all crystal clear. She had studied them intently to devise the perfect counter attacks. She still could not understand why Piccolo looked so different, or why his chi was so much stronger. Hopefully this would not interfere with her ability to defeat him, although her dreams never specified whether she would prevail or not. She tried to stay determined.

First thing's first…beat this brat.

The announcer signaled for the fight to begin. Videl attacked instantaneously. She flew at top speed towards Hatsuko, poised to deliver a punch. Hatsuko raised her eyebrows and puckered her lips patronizingly. Videl released her fist onto her target, but when she expected to make contact, she lost sight of Hatsuko's form. Her eyes widened as she continued to fly forward towards the announcer's edge of the ring.

"Wow! It looks like Hatsuko dodged at the very last minute! She's a fast one, isn't she?!" the announcer said to the audience, who responded with loud cheers of Hatsuko's name.

Videl quickly recovered and successfully stopped herself in midair. She clenched her fists and stared at Hatsuko, whose back was turned to her. She had only moved a few inches over, but it had been just enough. Deciding to try a new approach, Videl lifted herself higher into the air with her chi. She positioned herself directly over Hatsuko, who still hadn't moved.

"Are you going to fight me, or just stand there?" Videl called down to her opponent. Hatsuko remained stoic, not paying Videl any mind.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Videl was beginning to get angry. She had never fought someone so rude before. Her usual opponents at her father's dojo were perfect gentlemen. She had always been taught to respect her adversary in the ring, no matter how much she might have disliked them. This Hatsuko girl was breaking all of her codes.

Fed up, Videl decided to attack freely. She rushed Hatsuko and unleashed a frenzy of kick and punch combinations. Hatsuko blocked all of Videls' blows with one hand, staying rooted to her spot all the while. After a few minutes, Videl had failed to land any hits. She pulled back, out of breath.

"Do you wish to attack me again, or can I finish this? I'll save you some unnecessary embarrassment if you chose the second option," Hatsuko said calmly with a blank expression on her fair face. The sun reflected off of her skin clearly, giving her the appearance of a statue.

Videl could feel her heart beating quickly against her breast bone. She clenched her fists harder.

"How dare you speak to me that way?! I have been nothing but polite to you and I have gotten nothing but disrespect in return! You might be new to this tournament, but that doesn't mean you can treat your opponents like dirt! I'll have you know that my father saved the world! If it weren't for him, you would be dead! I think that means that I deserve at least a little respect, if for no other reason!" Videl breathed heavily in and out. Her body shook with rage as she awaited a response from Hatsuko.

"Sweetheart, get over yourself. I have more important things to do than listen to your self-righteous discourse," Hatsuko replied. She clenched her jaw.

It's a shame this girl has such poor fighting skills. She's certainly a brave one.

Just as a fountain of retorts bubbled up Videl's throat, it was quelled by a sudden force that collided with her core, sending her backwards onto the grass beyond the ring. Videl's head hit the ground hard, immediately rendering her unconscious. All eyes looked from Videl to Hatsuko, who stood in the exact same spot as before with her arm outstretched. No one had seen her move. The announcer blinked several times before proclaiming Hatsuko as the winner. An ambulance siren sounded in the distance.

Irritated and anxious, Hatsuko left the arena promptly and headed into the waiting room yet again. She avoided eye contact with all of the remaining fighters. As she passed them, Piccolo's chi suddenly crushed her, causing her to wince.

"You know, you really ought to take what she said to heart," declared a deep, smooth voice. Its haunting familiarity sent a wave of goose bumps over Hatsuko's flesh. She tensed her muscles and turned stiffly to face him.

When Piccolo saw Hatsuko's face, his eyes widened. Her countenance was contorted with wrath. Her eyebrows came together forcefully over her piercing eyes. Her delicate lips were pulled into a horrible frown that caused the corners of her mouth to wrinkle. Her nose pulled upwards, creating little puckers of skin underneath her brow. A force that pulled at Piccolo's chi surfaced with the appearance of Hatsuko's rose-colored aura.

"Keep your mouth shut, Demon. If I want your opinion, I'll ask for it."