Disclaimer: I don't own anything. See Chapter 1 for details.
Author's note: Hey everybody! How is it going? Hope you all had a good week. I am having a great time here in Japan, even though it is fricking cold here in Iwate prefecture. I am glad that a lot of people liked the last chapter and I am also glad about the many different ideas that people are sending me. I will have to think about them but I will let you know if I will use one of your ideas through PM if you have it. Keep those reviews coming! I enjoy reading them!
I want to thank theprincedonte for beta-reading this chapter! And now, let me present to everyone Chapter 36 of Saiyan in Mahora! Enjoy!
Period 36: Chao's Plan! Preparation for Battle!
Day two, right after the Mahora Budokai…
Chao chuckled some more as she began to take out something from her sleeve. "I am, am I?" Chao said.
Gandolfini, the black mage teacher, gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He had enough! "That's it!" he yelled. "After her! There's no telling what she is capable of!" All the mages converged on Chao's position, ready to apprehend her. But then Takamichi saw something. It was watch and very strange looking one. The dials began to turn, engulfing Chao in a bright light.
Time seemed to slow down for everyone as Chao's figure began to disappear. But before she disappeared, she left some parting words for her pursuers. "See you again on the third day, my dear gentle-mages." And with that, she disappeared out of sight. She then suddenly found herself in the same spot as before but instead there being light outside, it was dark! Chao had just sent herself into the future, six hours later!
"Fhn, fhn, fhn," Chao chuckled. "Good, it worked. That was way too close for comfort. I feigned confidence in front of the teachers, but I was really worried that the Cassiopeia prototype unit 2 had only a little bit of magic left. The maximum I could time jump was a half a day." Chao turned her head in both directions, seeing if there was anyone waiting for her in the wings. Apparently not, the coast was clear. The Chinese genius let out a smirk. "Still, there's no way they would think that I escaped into the future. I should get moving before someone finds me. I still have work to do…"
Meanwhile…
Ayaka, Setsuna and Kaede were near the fountain that Asuna and Takamichi were earlier. They were discussing on what just happened as Ayaka had run into Asuna, tears all over her face. After a heart to heart talk with Ayaka, Asuna left to be alone. As they were about to go their separate ways, the group heard a voice calling to them. "Setsuna-san…Iincho!" Negi called out as he and Konoka were running towards the group.
"Negi-sensei!" Ayaka said as she turned her head and saw the two of them.
Negi looked around and noticed someone was missing as he had noticed Asuna running in this direction earlier. "Where's Asuna-san?" asked the boy teacher.
Ayaka smiled at the boy teacher as she explained the situation to the boy teacher. "I think we should let… Asuna-san have some privacy for now."
"Huh?" sounded Negi, confused as to why Asuna needed privacy.
Konoka let out a disappointed sigh. "I see. So it didn't work out," Konoka stated more than asked. "Asuna tried so hard, too…"
"Yes…" Ayaka responded sadly.
"Takamichi…turned Asuna-san down?" asked a confused Negi. "Wh-Why? Asuna-san is so pretty and strong and cool…why did he turn her down!"
Ayaka bent over to Negi, ready to explain more on the subject. "Negi-sensei, these things…" However, before Ayaka could say anymore, she was interrupted by the untimely appearance of the Narutaki twins.
"What? What? What are you guys talking about!" an excited Fumika shouted as she and her sister appeared right behind the boy teacher.
"Listen up you guys, I think 3-A should throw a party to celebrate the second night of the festival!" Fuuka said.
"Chizu-ne and Yotsuba-san said they'd prepare a gorgeous dinner!" continued Fumika, her sister, as her face was almost watering at the mouth and eyes were sparkling just at the thought of so much food. Good thing that Son Goku wasn't there to hear that part. Well, actually…
"Can I come?" spoke a voice surprising everyone. They turned around to see the Saiyan hero standing before them with a Son grin on his face.
"G-Goku-san!" Negi cried. "What are you doing here?"
"Well…I'm not sure actually," Goku said with a laugh. "I was walking around when I heard about food being mentioned." The Saiyan turned around to the Narutaki twins and asked, "So how big of a meal are we talking about?"
"Grand!" Fuuka cried.
"There should incredible amounts of delicious foods!" Fumika added, causing Goku's mouth to water a bit. The Saiyan started to imagine the grand feast in his mind. It was going to be like a dream come true for him! He needed to come!
"Yosh! Count me in then!" Goku said.
"Then, tonight at 12, everyone from 3-A and friends must participate! It's mandatory!" Fuuka said in a nice guy pose.
However, before the three of them could talk more about the party, Kaede hoisted the twins up by the back of their tops and pushed Goku aside. "Hai, hai we're in the middle of something de-gozaru," Kaede said as she pulled the twins and the Saiyan away from the group so as to not disturb their conversation again.
"So ojou-sama," Setsuna said, amidst the noise that was occurring behind her, "Asuna-san went to Evangeline-san's resort on her own. Maybe you should check up on her?"
Konoka nodded in agreement. "Okay," she said. "I'll take care of it, Se-chan." With that, Konoka was off, waving goodbye to the group. She was worried about her friend but more importantly, she was worried about Gohan. She hadn't seen the demi-saiyan and if he had heard about what happened to Asuna, he might have gone to where she was at and tried to console her. However that might not be the best course of action, especially when Asuna has feelings for Son Gohan. Konoka knew that she needed to get there first. Oh how she wished she knew on how to detect ki signatures like Gohan and his friends do.
As Konoka ran from the group, Negi tried to follow the young girl as he said, "I'm coming too!" However, he went no further as Setsuna grabbed hold of his hand, stopping the boy teacher.
"Negi-sensei!" Setsuna said. Negi turned his head around, curious as to why Setsuna stopped him. "I don't think you should go, Negi-sensei."
"Then I'll go find Takamichi!" cried the boy teacher. "I'll ask him to reconsider his decision about Asuna-san!"
"What!" Setsuna said, a bit shocked that Negi would go that far for Asuna's sake. "That's not a good idea Negi-sensei…"
"Why not?" Negi questioned. "Asuna-san was trying so hard! I can't watch her get rejected."
Ayaka walked before the boy teacher as she began to speak," Negi-sensei…"
However, her moment was stolen by an unlikely person…Kaede! "Love is a relationship between two people and their hearts," Kaede said while Ayaka clenched her fists in frustration. She took my line! Ayaka said to herself as Kaede continued her speech, "Sometimes, it just doesn't work out…and there's nothing that can be done about it."
"But…" Negi tried to argue about why he should go, but was stopped when Ayaka placed her hands on the boy teacher's shoulders.
Ayaka let out a smile as she said, "I'm sure that Asuna-san will appreciate your concern."
"Right now," added Setsuna, "there's nothing to be done, Negi-sensei."
Negi let out a sigh, worried about how Asuna was feeling. After all, he cared for all of his students. Of course, that didn't mean he knew much on the area of love. That was a bit too complicated for him, especially when he was only ten years old. I wonder how much Gohan-san knows about love, Negi said to himself as he and the rest of the girls were walking together along one of the streets in Mahora campus. Maybe I can ask for his advice. Then suddenly, all of them spotted Ku Fei up ahead, nibbling on a delicious nikuman with melted cheese in it.
"Ku-roshi!" Negi called out, grabbing the Chinese girl's attention.
"Nemi-moumu," muttered Ku-Fei with her mouth full of food. She was surprised to see the boy teacher that she began to eat quickly and try to run away. However, her escape plan failed when the boy teacher and the group arrived to where Ku Fei was sitting at.
"What's the matter?" asked Negi. "You seem down. Did something happen?"
"I-I-It's nothing-aru," Ku Fei said. "It's not as if I'm keeping something secret from Negi-bouzu…uh…um…well…" She took a deep breath and decided to tell them the secret. And to be honest, it was quite shocking to everyone.
"Eh Chao-san is quitting school!" All of them cried in shock.
"I…Is this true?" asked Negi seriously.
Ku Fei realized that maybe she shouldn't have revealed the secret after all. "I… uh…well she didn't look like she was joking-aru. Furthermore she says that she will leave the campus right after the school festival ends tomorrow-aru," explained the Chinese martial artist.
"B-But she didn't say anything at the tournament today," Negi said. "I'm her teacher and I haven't been told!"
"Chao wanted me to give this to you, Negi-bozu," Ku-Fei said, handing the boy teacher a letter with the letters 'Withdrawal notice' written on it.
"It's a withdrawal notice…so she is really leaving…" Negi said sadly.
"It seems like she has to return to her homeland-aru. Really, it was so sudden I was shocked-aru" Ku-Fei said, remembering what Chao told her before and how much fun it was hanging around the class was, especially when Son Gohan came into the class.
I…I see" stuttered Negi before his phone went off. "Yes, this is Negi. All right…a meeting? Yes, I'll look for Gohan-san but what is it abo…huh?" Suddenly, Negi's eyes flung open in shock as he cried out, "What was that about, Chao-san! Wh-What do you mean by that?"
"Negi-bozu what is it?" Ku Fei asked.
"It's nothing!" Negi cried. "Um…something has come up so…I'll see you later!" With that, Negi rushed away from the group of girls, whom were confused and worried about the facial expression that Negi's face was showing. Setsuna excused herself as well, thinking that Negi would need her help soon as she took off. But then she remembered something Gohan once said. Her eyebrows frowned in seriousness as she decided to pick up speed. I better tell Gohan-sensei, Setsuna said to herself.
Meanwhile…
Around the same time Chao was bidding farewell to the various clubs that she was in. After saying goodbye to everyone, she headed towards the fountain that was well known in Mahora campus. "Chao…have you finished saying farewell to everyone?" asked Hakase as she stood next to Chachamaru.
"More or less," answered the Chinese genius. "I'm basically tidying up some personal matters more than saying goodbye."
"Ahahahaha," laughed Hakase, "now don't be like that." Hakase recollected herself as she then spoke in a serious voice with a hint of worry behind it. "Chao-san, can't you hold off going back home for just a little bit?" questioned Hakase.
"It would be nice if you could graduate with the class," commented Chachamaru."
"If I miss my window tomorrow, I won't be able to go back home again for 22 years," Chao explained. "I can't wait that long. If it weren't for the unusual phenomenon, I would have stayed another year."
"Yeah, you don't have a choice," Hakase sighed.
"Hakase…tears are not fitting for those that have dedicated our lives to science like we have," Chao stated, catching Hakase by surprise as she tried to hide away her tears.
"What! Tears? Me? It can't be!" Hakase denied. Then she and Chachamaru got into an argument of whether or not Hakase was really tearing up while Chao simply sweat-dropped at the conversation, stating that Chachamaru's AI had evolved quite a lot. "But Chao-san is this alright?" asked Hakase. "You're sure about continuing with the plan? If you do, Negi-sensei and Gohan-sensei will forever remember you as the problem child."
"It's unfortunate that we couldn't bring them over to their side," Chao stated. "I observed them during the tournament and while Negi-bozu is very stubborn for his age, Gohan-kun has already cemented himself in his beliefs. They won't join our cause. Negi-bozu came here with a purpose, just as I did. I don't care what others might think. I'm here to complete my mission."
"And what about him?" Hakase asked. "Shouldn't we worry about him as well?"
Chao chuckled. "Let him do what he wants," said the Chinese genius. "I'm using him for my mission. That is all. I highly doubt that he wouldn't trouble Gohan-kun at all."
"I like your determination, Chao Lingshen," spoke a voice, catching everyone by surprise. Chao, Hakase and Chachamaru turned their heads around to see Evangeline floating on a broomstick wearing a witch's hat.
"With the last day of the school festival approaching, you seem to have recovered quite a bit of your magical power, Maga Nosferatu Evangeline," Chao said with a smirk on her face.
"Don't worry; I'm staying out of this," Eva said with a grin on her face. "Tomorrow is another day of the festival. I'll observe your actions as entertainment while I drink. However, let me warn you; the assistant is not someone that can be trampled with. I have seen what he can do and believe me, anything you can think of he will beat it. But trouble the boya as much as you like I don't mind…I'll even lend Chachamaru to you just don't break her."
"Thank you very much, mistress," said the gynoid.
Then suddenly Chao's cell phone started to ring and vibrate, creating curious looks from everyone. "Mail, who is it from?" asked Hakase.
"Heh, heh," chuckles the Chinese genius. "Looks like I'll have a confrontation before the final day of the festival." Chao's mouth grew into a smirk as she read the mail that stated that Negi wanted to meet with Chao one on one.
A few minutes later…
Negi was walking along the roof with an eerie noise surrounding him. The clock tower bells began to ring loudly as Negi continued to walk, remembering a few things on what happened at the meeting. He couldn't believe that Chao had done something like that, and to one of her teachers especially! He needed to help her student. "Negi-bouzu," Chao called Chao to the boy as they stood on a roof overlooking the world tree, "What did you want to talk to me about one-on-one? I don't suppose its guidance counseling?"
"Chao-san…the day before the school festival started, Gohan-san and I protected you from the magical teachers that were after you," said the boy teacher. "We did that because you're one of our students, Chao-san." Negi then took out the time watch that Chao had lent him. "You lent us this when you saw that we were in need of help. Gohan-san and I are very grateful. However, why did you turn in a withdrawal notice so suddenly? Please tell me. Why…do you want to do bad things?
"Bad things, huh?" Chao repeated. "That's what the magical teachers told you?"
"Capturing Takamichi and locking him up underground is a bad thing," the boy teacher said. "One more…I was told that you're trying to reveal the existence of magic to the general public. That's what the other teachers told me! As your teacher, I won't believe it unless I hear it from you, Chao-san!" Negi pleaded slightly. "And once I meet up with Gohan-san, I'll be able to explain the situation to him properly."
"What will you do, if it's the truth?" Chao asked calmly.
"W-Well, as your teacher I would…are you saying they're right!" Negi exclaimed.
Chao let out a smile. "It's the truth."
Negi's eyes widened at the revelation. "Will you tell me why! Why, would you do such a thing!"
"What if I say…I can't tell you?"
Negi clenched his fist as his eyes turned all serious. "Then as your teacher, I have to stop you," Negi said. "I think it's my duty to stop my students from going down the wrong road."
"Interesting," Chao responded. "Fine, let's go."
"Huh?"
"See if you can stop me…Negi-sensei."
Negi's eyes widened even more at the challenge that Chao was making. Was this girl really serious? "W-Wait a second!" pleaded Negi. "Tell me why…" Suddenly the World Tree started to shine ever so brightly, catching the boy teacher by surprise. "The World Tree!"
"Wow, this is fabulous," Chao said. "The last day is approaching. It's going to be the brightest flare in twenty-two years. I hear that the general public is being told that it's a type of phosphorescent moss. Now…" Chao turned her attention on the boy teacher with a smirk on her face, "It'll be very difficult for you or Gohan-kun to stop me."
"What?" Negi said with a confused look on his face. "Chao-san, you can't use magic and from what Ku-roshi tells me, you can't control ki either. I don't think you should challenge me…"
"Feh," Chao chuckled, causing the boy teacher to stop talking. "Negi-bozu, if our lives were to be made into a story, would you consider yourself to be the hero?" questioned the Chinese genius, catching Negi by surprise. "Have you ever thought that you might be the bad guy?"
"Eh?"
"There's no good or evil in real life," Chao said. "It's all subjective. Well, I wouldn't go that far…" Then suddenly Chao appeared right behind Negi as she spoke, "Those who succeed in the end…are those with power." Negi's eyes flung wide open at the surprise that he got. What the! "They may be good, or evil."
Negi shundo-ed himself out of there; he tried to move away from Chao's position. Once he was in good distance, Negi began to ponder on what the hell just happened. Did she shundo? Negi asked himself. I didn't sense her at all. Negi clenched his fist as he tried to plead with Chao before she made a grave mistake. "Wait!" Negi said. "I have no intention of fighting you, Chao-san. I need you to at least tell me why, I…"
"Hmm" interrupted Chao. "I have an idea. I'll tell you my reasons. And I'll even stop doing 'bad things'…"
"Really?"
"Only if…" Chao then got herself in a fighting pose, catching the boy teacher by surprise, "you beat me in combat, Negi-bozu. And…if you lose, Negi-bozu, you and Gohan-kun will have to join me."
"Eh…wai…" Negi pleaded again but like last time, he was cut off by Chao.
"I'll tell you my reasons. Either way, you'll find out! Good for you. Are you ready? Let's go." Chao then launched herself, rushing forward towards Negi's position. Negi immediately activated his Cantus Bellax as Chao was right in front of him, ready to attack. In response, Negi punched out, meeting Chao's elbow. Following up the connection that formed a small shock wave that wasn't very noticeable, the two of them locked in a flurry of punches, kicks and defensive techniques. Parries blocked blows, but it was obvious the two of them had their fair share of connecting blows. The blows were heavy and hard with every assault.
She uses a different style than Ku-roshi, Negi said to himself as he kept exchanging blows with Chao. She's equal to Ku-roshi in terms of speed and power! Chao-san's a master herself. "All right!" Negi said with a determined look on his face. "You're serious, aren't you!"
"Yes!" Chao responded. "Martians don't tell lies!" Negi hesitated slightly when he heard that comment, allowing her to land a kick to his face before rushing forward with her assault. She's strong, Negi commented to himself. But…not as strong as Master, Gohan-san or Father! Suddenly Negi created a series of magic arrows.
"Ras Tel Ma Scir Magister Undecim Spiritus Aerials Vinculum Facti!" chanted the boy teacher as she jumped away only for him to Shundo in front of her and parry her blow landing his free hand on her. "Sagitta Magica Aer Capturae!" he called as his arrows formed bonds around Chao.
"Well done, Negi-bozu…as expected of the third place winner to the Mahora Martial Arts Tournament," Chao said as the bonds continue to tie around her.
"I'm sorry I have to do this to my student but…we need to be able to talk about your reasons," Negi said.
"No worries," Chao said. "I started this fight…" As the last ribbon landed her body, she suddenly disappeared and reappeared right behind the boy teacher. "I'm so sorry, Negi-bozu." Negi's eyes flung open at the sight as he noticed Chao taking off her cloak. How was that even possible! "This is going to hurt, but we're in combat. Don't hold it against me," Chao said as her fist crackled with electricity before smacking Negi into one of the nearby columns. A loud explosion occurred as the column was completely destroyed. Chao walked calmly over to the crash site, seeing Negi on the floor. "So…would it be fair to say I beat you, Negi-bozu?"
"Uh…n-not yet," the boy teacher managed to say as his body felt the strain of the electricity around it. "I'm not done yet," he said as he grabbed Chao's wrist.
"I'll need you to nap for a bit. The explanation will come later," Chao said raising her hand to his face. Suddenly, Negi noticed something glowing in front of her hand. His body began to tremble as he immediately recognized what Chao was trying to do.
However, the attack never came as a voice cried out, "MASENKO HAAA!" A large ki beam came down from the sky and landing on the ground where she was stood, causing an explosion that forced the Chinese genius to go backwards and away from Negi Springfield. "I told you before that if you were to betray Negi-san's trust," spoke a voice as a figure landed on the ground, showing off his white boots, green tunic and black body suit, "I wouldn't stand by quietly about it, Chao Lingshen." It was Son Gohan in his Saiyaman outfit! His usual white turban and his sunglasses were nowhere to be seen as the demi-saiyan stared sternly at the Chinese girl with his onyx eyes.
"Ah Gohan-kun, so good to see you," Chao said, "Glad that you came to our little party."
"Gohan-san!" Negi said. "What are you doing here?"
"Setsuna-san told me about what happened," Gohan said as he gave a quick look at Negi Springfield. "I see you were holding back your strength Negi-san...significantly." Chao's eyes widened. He was withholding his strength? Chao exclaimed to herself as she began to wonder how much the boy teacher was holding back.
"But Gohan-san, Chao-san is our student," Negi said, his eyes moving away from Gohan's stare. "I couldn't harm her."
"Yeah and look at what she did to you!" Gohan shouted, surprising Negi a bit. "I understand how you feel Negi-san as I would have sought to avoid a fight as well, but after what she has done to you and Takamichi-san, I don't think I would stand by so quietly. You shouldn't either. Anyways, we'll talk more about this later. Right now, I have more important matters to deal with." Gohan then turned his full attention on the Chinese genius. "What is it that you are planning Chao?" the demi-saiyan asked sternly. "You promised that you wouldn't harm Negi-san!"
"This isn't anything bad, Gohan-kun. Both parties agreed to the terms prior to the match. As for my plan, I can't tell you that Gohan-kun," Chao said with an innocent smile on her face as she positioned herself in a fighting pose. "But how about if you try to force it out of me with a clash of fists? I always wanted to have the chance to fight you one-on-one."
Gohan's eyebrows furrowed even more as Negi tried to stop the fight between the demi-saiyan and Chao. "Gohan-san, Chao-san please don't fig…" Negi pleaded but was cut off when Gohan raised his hand.
"Negi-san, stay out of this. This is between me and Chao," Gohan said sternly as the air around him started to pick up. Negi then began to feel a great power emanate from the demi-saiyan. The boy teacher immediately knew that Gohan's ki was being released due to his anger. Negi began to panic a bit. If Gohan let out his anger right now on Chao, the Chinese girl wouldn't be able to survive the onslaught. Gohan put himself in his usual fighting pose, a stern look on his face. "Chao, I accept your challenge," said the demi-saiyan. "And this time, you will be definitely held responsible for what you have done! I'm taking you in!"
"Try it," Chao challenged but as soon as she said that, Gohan's figure disappeared as he went into super speed, shocking the Chinese girl. Chao turned her head to see Gohan behind her, his arm pulled back for a devastating attack. The demi-saiyan balled his hand into a fist as he went for the attack. The punch landed a direct hit on Chao, sending the poor girl flying to the wall. Negi cried in panic, afraid that Gohan might have killed her.
The boy teacher rushed to the rubble but was stopped by Gohan's voice. "She is all right Negi-san," said the demi-saiyan. Negi was confused. How could Chao be all right after an attack like that? "I don't know how but Chao was able to avoid the brunt of my attack."
"What? How?" Negi asked.
"That's what I would like to know," Gohan replied. "Would you care to tell us, Chao?" At that moment, Gohan turned his whole body as he went into a defensive position. Negi was curious as to why Gohan would use such a pose. However, he saw a figure suddenly appear right at the moment that Gohan put up his guard.
It was Chao! "Heh, as expected of Gohan-kun," Chao said as she suddenly appeared in front of the demi-saiyan. "You can even sense me with this speed. Even with the newest type of military-use reinforced outfit, I'm no match for you. However…" Suddenly, Chao vanished completely, leaving no trance of her ki. Gohan turned wide-eyed when he couldn't sense her ki anymore. That was when he knew something was wrong when he heard Chao's voice behind him. "I have other methods," the Chinese genius said as she gave electric-enhanced punch to Gohan's back, sending the demi-saiyan flying.
Gohan mumbled a cursed as he corrected himself in mid-air and landed on his feet, skidding lightly across the floor. His eyes continued to look sternly at Chao, but he was quite shocked that someone like her was able to get behind him so easily. And without a trace of ki either! How is that possible? Gohan said to himself. I should have been able to sense something. It was as if she had disappeared from existence. How is that even possible? Gohan put himself back in a fighting stance as did Chao as well.
The two of them continued their staring contest for a few seconds, before the two warriors launched at each other. Both of them sent flurries of punches and kicks, with each of them blocked accordingly. Gohan clenched his teeth as their two fists collided with one another, forcing him and Chao backwards. He needed to figure out how Chao was able to get behind him and also, her suit was emitting something. It was as if she was fitted with Saiyan strength. It wasn't possible! Suddenly, Chao disappeared again. Gohan closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to sense Chao's ki. Within a second later, the demi-saiyan opened his eyes to see Chao right above him trying to land an electric-enhanced punch at him. He put his arms in a cross position and blocked the punch accordingly. I see, Gohan said to himself. A powerful electrical discharge…this is what got me and Negi-san. I need to get on the offensive and quickly incapacitate her before she does any more harm.
Gohan pushed Chao's punch of his guard as he went on the offensive. He started his attack with a high right kick to Chao's face, then an upwards left kick that launched her up in the sky. Gohan quickly followed pursuit as he landed a punch on Chao's chest then an elbow strike to the face and then a roundhouse kick. And then another kick was given to Chao that sent the Chinese genius flying across the sky. Gohan disappeared and then reappeared quickly above Chao's position as he laid out a forearm attack on Chao. Chao was then sent flying to the ground as she landed on all fours. She quickly stood up and looked around for the demi-saiyan. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. She turned around to see Gohan with his knees bent and his hands in a cupped formation. "KAMEHAME-HAAA!" screamed Gohan as he launched his father's signature technique at the Chinese genius. The blast tore through the roof and went towards the sky so as to not hit any nearby people.
Negi clenched his fist in worry but he didn't need to worry if Chao was still alive. Gohan would make sure of that. After all, the Kamehame-Ha wasn't very strong. Negi could have even batted that blast away with some difficulty but someone like Chao would have no chance against the attack. It was the perfect way to stop her. He let out a sigh of relief, thankful that Gohan was holding back in this fight. Suddenly, Negi felt a screech coming from the watch.
Gohan landed on the ground. "It's over," the demi-saiyan said. However, suddenly Chao appeared right in front of the demi-saiyan with a smile on her face and waving at him.
"Hi Gohan-kun," Chao said. Gohan's whole body jolted. His eyes were wide open as he noticed that Chao had no injuries on her whatsoever! His body staggered a bit as he fell down on his behind in shock. Th-that can't be, Gohan said to himself. I didn't sense any ki presence when she escaped and no ordinary human could escape a blast like that. What the hell just happened! Negi at the side took out the time piece. Just now Cassiopeia…?
"Well Gohan-kun, shall we continue?" Chao said with a sly smile on her face. Suddenly, she caught Gohan and Negi by surprise when she suddenly cupped her hands together and had her knees bent. Nervous sweats began to slide down their faces. "I feel it is necessary to use a technique since you did one as well Gohan-kun. So, why not with a well-known technique that you are all so acquainted with…the Kamehame-Ha!"
"Impossible," Gohan muttered as he stood up. He put himself in a defensive position, his hands out to his sides. "Ku Fei-san told me that you can't use ki."
"Well…maybe I slightly distorted the truth," Chao said with a smile on her face.
"What?"
"KA…" Chao began to chant. "ME…" A blue ball began to form in her cupped hands that were at the side. "HA… ME…" Gohan crossed his arms together in an x-formation as Chao unleashed her attack. "HAAA!" She launched forward her arms, releasing a Kamehame-Ha wave! The beam was small but Gohan knew it was going to pack a punch. It would seem that Ku Fei was right as Chao's Kamehame-Ha had no control over it. If Gohan wasn't careful, she could hurt someone with that attack. It's best if he were to take the blast head on so as to not have any one get injured.
However, before the blast could even reach Gohan's position, a loud chant was heard. "Shinmei-ryuu Decisive Battle Secret Technique: SHIN RAIKOUKEN!" A loud explosion occurred as the two attacks collided with each other. Both Gohan and Chao covered themselves from the blast. They immediately looked up to see Setsuna and Kaede heading towards their position.
"Setsuna-san! Kaede-san!" Negi yelled as he saw his two students land on either side of Gohan.
"Well, well, it seems the cavalry has arrived," Chao stated.
"What are you two doing here?" Gohan asked. "This is a private matter between teacher and student. You guys shouldn't get involved."
"True, but we felt that you needed our help Gohan-kun de-gozaru," Kaede said. "We were waiting in the shadows to see if you were in trouble. Besides Chao-san is our classmate and we felt it was our duty as a class to stop her from doing bad things."
"Gohan-sensei let us back you up. This is a matter that involves all of our class," Setsuna said as she and Kaede stepped forward. Gohan wasn't sure on how to respond. He, like Negi, didn't want to get more people involved as it was. However, when he noticed the determined looks on both Setsuna's and Kaede's faces, he knew that there was no stopping them. Gohan let out a sigh, indicating that he had given in and was going to allow them to help out. Then within a second, the two girls shundo-ed at either side of Chao, grabbing her shoulders. Despite that though, in an instant, Chao was in front of them as each of their hairs became undone as Chao had managed to grab their hair ties.
Chao gave a small smile. "So…can I keep these as a memento?" Chao asked. Everyone, including Gohan himself, was surprised at how she was able to escape the grasp of two of the fastest warriors in the class amongst the girls. She was able to escape their grasp so easily and without any difficulty, Gohan said to himself as Chao continued to speak, "Heh, I think playtime is over. This is fortunate, since I'll be able to take you out of service for a while." Gohan began to ponder on what technique Chao was using as he gritted his teeth together. It is definitely not Shundo or Shukuchi, Gohan said to himself. It's gotta be the Instantaneous Movement technique that Kibit Kaioshin-sama uses! But that's impossible! How could Chao know about that technique? If it is true that she knows that technique, Kaede-san and Setsuna-san are powerless to stop her. I would be able to hold out for a while if I were to transform into a Super Saiyan or beyond as I can match up that speed. Hopefully. Gohan looked at Negi's position and realized that Negi had come to the same conclusion. The demi-saiyan clenched his fists. He didn't want to go into a Super Saiyan, especially against a student. What was he going to do?
"Right!" Kaede shouted. "We can't beat her!"
"Huh?" sounded both Negi and Gohan as they were completely caught by surprise by Kaede's declaration of defeat.
"Negi-sensei, Gohan-kun, time to retreat!" Kaede called out as the four of them jumped into the air and hurried along towards another spot. Gohan floating in the sky while the others jumped across the roofs of Mahora City.
"Where are they running off to?" asked Chao as she took off after them.
"Kaede-san where to?" asked Gohan as they tried to run away from Chao
"The 3rd abandoned school building de-gozaru," Kaede replied.
"What! Shouldn't we capture Chao-san first?" asked Negi.
"That's not gonna happen tonight," Kaede replied. "We'll be fine."
As the three landed on the roof, Negi turned to Kaede and asked, "K-Kaede-san, what are we supposed to do by running to a place like this?" Gohan was wondering as well as he noticed several presences on this roof. Some of them felt familiar to them. Could it be that Kaede had some kind of plan right from the beginning?
"It's alright Negi-bouzu," Kaede said as Chao landed herself on the same rooftop. Negi and Gohan immediately turned around and put themselves in a fighting pose.
"So…this must be the location for our final battle," Chao said with a small wave of her hand as she observed her surroundings. "I may be a bit outnumbered here, so I called for some reinforcements."
Suddenly, two people landed on the roof. Gohan's and Negi's eyes widened when they saw the two figures that had just landed. It was Mana and Chachamaru! "Hey Negi-sensei and Gohan-sensei," greeted Mana as she and Chachamaru stood by Chao's side.
"Commander Tatsumiya, Chachamaru-san! Why?" asked a shock Negi. Gohan didn't say anything as he simply stared at the two new guests sternly. The robot gave no answer to Negi's question as Mana stared at the demi-saiyan with a pleased look on her face.
"Gohan-sensei, I've always wanted to fight you. I have been training for this moment when I would face against your power and ability to transform into the Gold Fighter," Tatsumiya said causing Gohan to frown a bit.
"I would say that I'm surprised that it's you Tatsumiya-san. However, if I were to guess, Chao paid you well," Gohan said. "Well, if you are an ally of Chao's, then I have no choice but to defeat you Tatsumiya-san. I hope you are ready for what is coming next." Mana nodded in agreement as she prepared herself for incoming battle.
However, Negi stepped in, stopping anything that might have happened right then and there. "Wait a second! No, this isn't right! There shouldn't be fighting between teachers and students as well as among classmates! I won't allow it!" Negi cried out.
Gohan turned his head. "But Negi-san, Chao has done terrible things. She must be stopped," the demi-saiyan said. But as he was about to continued, Negi took a step forward, his arms out pleadingly. "Negi-san?"
"I'll admit to defeat! I-I'll join your cause, Chao-san," Negi said, catching Setsuna and Gohan by surprise. Negi-san what are you doing? Gohan asked himself. "So please…don't do this anymore!"
"You're a good person, Negi-bozu," Chao said. "But…I can't stop."
"Ch-Chao-san!" Negi cried out.
"Negi-bozu, Gohan-kun," Kaede called, grabbing both the boy teacher's and the demi-saiyan's attention. "Do not worry. We still have an ace in the hole de-gozaru."
"Huh?" Gohan and Negi questioned. Suddenly the panels by the roof began falling forward slamming down with flashing lights blinding Chao and the others. The entirety of class 3-A were there with party poppers. "WELCOME TO CHAO-LIN'S GOODBYE PARTY!" they all shouted together.
"Chao, Chao, you can't leave us like this!" cried one of the girls as they all crowded round her.
"Why didn't you tell us anything?" asked another.
"Is it actually true that you're transferring out Chao?" asked Akira at the side.
"It's true," Chao replied. "I have to attend to a family emergency."
"I see… it's true huh…" Yuna said with a gloomy look on her face.
"If it's a family thing, then it can't be helped," added Makie.
Yuna then grabbed Chao's hands crying comically as she asked, "Does that mean we can't eat super-cheap, super-tasty pork buns anymore!" Chao giggled shaking her head.
"Hahaha! It'll be alright if you go ask Satsuki for them," Chao said.
Ayaka then took Chao on stage where Misa and the others had been playing earlier in the party. "So then, as the Class Rep, I'd like to give a toast. As you're all aware by now, our classmate, Chao-san, will be leaving Mahora Academy Girls' Junior High School and transferring to a school in her hometown. This was a great surprise to many of us. I had hoped that our class could all graduate together, but she must leave because of a family matter. Chao-san is one of the most brilliant students in our school." Her speech went on until Yuuna and Fuuka gave her a double kick for going on too long and being too sappy, telling her to make it more cheerful. Ayaka agreed to their proposition after calming herself for almost going off on Yuuna and the others. "You people…very well. Let's make this a cheerful occasion. Let's celebrate Chao-san's new journey by raising our drinks. Cheers!"
As the class celebrated, Gohan, Negi, Setsuna and Kaede all looked at the party from the sidelines. The demi-saiyan let out a smile as he turned to Kaede. He was about to say something but Negi beat him to the punch. "So this is the ace in the hole that you were talking about Kaede-san?" the boy teacher asked the ninja girl currently wearing tanuki ears complete with a tail.
Kaede nodded. "Hai."
"Still," Gohan continued, "you took a big chance, Kaede-san. What if Chao attacked anyway? There are many opponents that wouldn't have hesitated to do so."
"Chao-san is too smart to do something like that de-gozaru," Kaede said. "No matter what she may be up to, if she's really leaving, then she needs to say farewell to her classmates. After all, she did spend two years with us de-gozaru. I also figured she would not attack in front of all these people."
Gohan let out a Son grin as he gave an approving nod to Kaede's statement. She is right, Gohan said to himself. "So," Gohan said to the Narutaki twins, "did you girls and the Iincho plan this party?"
Fuuka and Fumika, who were nearby, nodded. "Kinda," replied Fuuka. "We were planning a party for tonight already so we just changed it a bit. After all, Chao's been really nice to everyone so…"
"We told the others," continued Fumika. "Then they came and helped us with the decorations. It would have been sad not to say goodbye."
"I see," Gohan said. Chao did spend two years with them, Gohan said to himself. It wouldn't be proper if the class didn't get to say their goodbyes. Still…I need to figure out what Chao is planning before something bad happens. I will not allow my friends to get hurt. However, for now, I am going to enjoy the party.
Gohan looked around and noticed the happy looks of everyone. He saw that everyone was having a good time, however every time he and Yuna locked eyes with each other, both of them blushed and looked away. The image of her kissing him was still in his mind and seeing her right now was probably not a good idea. Still, Gohan thought that Yuna looked cute in her new outfit. Then Gohan noticed something at the corner of his eye that gave him quite a shock. "D-Dad!"
That's right, it was Son Goku. He was at a table eating out all the different assortment of foods. "Heymu Gohanmeue!" Goku said with mouth full of food. Gohan let out a sigh and face palmed himself.
"Dad, what are you doing here?" Gohan asked.
"Well, the girls were talking about food and I decided to join in!" Goku said with his usual Son grin. Gohan let out a chuckle. Of course you would Dad, Gohan said to himself as he walked over to the table. I might as well dig in. I'm starving!
The party continued to progress. Goku finished his meal and decided to meet up with others since it was starting to get late. Gohan and the class said their goodbyes to the Saiyan hero. Once Goku left the area, Shiina and Yuna shouted in unison, "Okeydokey, it's time for the special event! Chao-Lin, open your gifts!"
Chao was genuinely caught by surprise. "What! Gifts? You didn't have to do that…" she stated as the twins came with their gifts a pair of stuffed animals they got from the flea market. Misa and her band tried to sell their gift to Chao which was a recording of their songs before saying that was a joke and gave it to her for free. There were sports themed gifts from the Yuuna and the others, alongside books from Yue and Nodoka. Haruna gave her a signed portrait of her and Ayaka managed to get a large bronze bust of Chao for her. Lastly Zazie gave her a tiny little dragon hatchling.
"Eheh heh heh, so Chao-Lin, how about it?" asked Fumika.
"Did you get teary? Are you getting all choked up?" added Fuuka.
"Well, the fact that everyone went to all this trouble for me…" answered the Chinese genius, not showing any signs of tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm very grateful, but…"
"No, no!" said Fuuka. "Are you saying you didn't get teary just now?"
"We put our hearts into these gifts for you!" Fumika added.
"Huh? I don't think this was supposed to be a tearful event," Chao responded.
Suddenly a flash of light appeared right behind her, catching the Chinese girl by surprise as she turned her around to see Misora, Yuna and Haruna next to each other. "I see," said Misora. "So, none of this is sufficient to bring Chao Lingshen, the genius, to tears. Heh heh heh, you fell right into our hands Chao-Lin. The truth is, this party had another purpose."
"What?" Chao shouted. Gohan was curious as well. This couldn't be good.
"We wanted…" Haruna said
"…To see you cry Chao-Lin!" Yuna finished. Gohan twitched his eyebrow before face-faulting. What? Gohan said to himself with a sweat drop. "You were always the cool and collected super genius," continued Yuna. "You never showed much emotion in front of your classmates. So our plan was to make you so emotional at your farewell party that you would be driven to tears."
Chao chuckled before giving the girls a gaze as if they were challenging her to a fight. "Feh," the Chinese genius said. "Interesting. So that was your plan. However, I'm a devil that sold my soul to science. You think a farewell party's going to be enough to make me cry?"
Haruna chuckled. "Heh heh heh…we'll see about that…won't we?" Yuna then snapped her fingers, signaling the others to surround Chao each with a mechanical hand (Created by Chao none the less) as they grabbed her limbs before tickling the girl, managing to get every single ticklish spot. As a result, tears came out of Chao's eyes as she screamed out in laughter. Gohan, Setsuna and Negi couldn't help but sweat drop at the sight, thinking that the seemingly invincible Chao was being reduced to tears by her classmates.
"Yatta! We did it! Tears!" shouted Yuna.
"I had no choice!" Chao managed to say in between giggles.
It was then that Ayaka came up behind the trap leaders Haruna and Yuuna, pissed like crazy. "You people… why are you joking around during an important event like this!" she questioned them as they all got into an argument on whether or not what they just did was right.
Eventually Chao was released from her restraints. "I was victimized," Chao said sighing in relief with Yuna smacking on Chao's back as the sign of good fun.
"Chao…" called Ku Fei, grabbing Chao's attention.
"Ku…"
"I have a present for you too-ne. This…" Ku said as she offered a sword to the Chinese genius. "They're the twin swords that I got from my master-ne. I'm giving them to Chao-aru."
"That's too much, I can't Ku," Chao said trying to wave off the gift.
However, Ku insisted in giving Chao the gift. "Chao's homeland is far away and it's going to be hard for us to…meet again-arune?" Ku said. "That's why I want Chao to have this-aru."
"I see," Chao said. "All right."
"I know you told me to keep this a secret from everyone. So sorry about this-arune," Ku said. "Chao was never good with farewell parties like this-aruyo-ne."
"No," Chao replied with a bright smile on her face. "I was pleasantly surprised. Thank you, Ku." With that the whole class gave a sounding applause. A bright smile appeared on the faces of Gohan and Negi. They really did have wonderful students.
"Now then, let's hear a few final words from Chao-san," suggested Kazumi.
Chao nodded. "All right," she said. As she got on the platform, the World Tree began to glow brighter releasing small amount of light, almost like snow. It was quite impressive. No one had ever seen something like this before, especially Gohan. It was a beautiful sight.
"Ehem," Chao said, grabbing everyone's attention. "Well…how do I say this…I'll be honest. When I first came to this school…I thought all my classmates were a bunch of hippie, happy idiots." The girls cheered in pride at this statement while others were sweat drop, wondering why they were cheering to this fact. Gohan let out a small laughter as Chao continued on with her speech, "I had great fun with everyone during my two years here. Thank you for the fantastic party. Thank you everyone. I have to leave, but…I hope everyone graduates happy and healthy!" Everyone gave a round of applause as Chao stepped off the platform.
"So…this really is good-bye, isn't it Chao-san," Ayaka said.
"Ku-Fei said your home was far away and you won't be able to see us again," Makie added. "What did she mean?"
"Yeah, I wanna know that too!" Yuna said as the girls came rushing over to Chao.
"You want to know about my home?" Chao asked. "Well…that would be revealing a great secret about me." The class then begged the Chinese genius to tell them. After their constant insistence, Chao gave in. "All right then…I'll tell you…the truth is, I'm…" Everyone was on edge, including Negi and Gohan as to what the answer would be, "Believe it or not, I'm a Martian from Mars!" Chao said straight faced, but she earned multiple slaps from Yuna, Fuuka, Ako and Setsuna before the rest crowded around her for her real answer. "I'm telling you the truth! Seriously, Martians don't lie. In the next century, Mars will become inhabitable. I'm a descendant of Negi-bozu. I've come back from the future!" Negi and Gohan flung their eyes wide open at this revelation. Their mind was going a mile a minute, pondering by what she meant. The girls however, didn't believe that story as they cried out in protest, believing her statement to be a lie.
A couple hours later…
The class copped out as they were all completely drained from the party. All of them were sleeping on mattresses with Negi and Gohan putting blankets over the m. "I see that even the toughest classmate couldn't take consecutive nights of partying," Chao said on the balcony as Negi and Gohan hopped up to join her.
"Yes, we'll have to move everyone indoors later," Negi said.
"That's right. Otherwise they may catch a cold," Gohan added.
"Heh," giggled the Chinese genius. "It's hard work being a teacher." An awkward silence occurred between the two teachers and the Chinese genius while a couple of the girls were eavesdropping.
Gohan decided to break the silence that was between them and spoke, "Chao, what you said earlier…was that…?"
Chao let out a fit of laughter. "Hahaha, I guess it was too outlandish for anyone to believe. For me… 'your future' is my 'past'…" she said gesturing with her hands. "So I came here to change 'history.' That's my true purpose."
"What!" Negi and Gohan both said in unison.
"Ch-Change history?" Negi exclaimed. "That's hard to believe." Gohan shook his head. It wasn't hard to believe that fact. After all, Trunks came from the future to change the course of history by saving Son Goku from the lethal heart virus. But he soon learned that having a time machine could produce drastic changes to the course of history such as the appearance of three additional Artificial Humans and Cell. Despite that though, Gohan was curious as to how Chao was doing it. She clearly didn't have a time machine or maybe she did.
Then he heard his answer from Chao as she explained. "It's possible to jump through long spans of time using the power of the World Tree," Chao said. "What would you do with access to that power, Negi-bozu, Gohan-kun? Go back 10 years to the time your father supposedly died? Or six years ago when your village was destroyed," Chao said as the boy teacher was taken aback by the idea of changing the past. She then gave a look at Gohan and continued, "Or what about saving No. 16 from certain death or any other deaths that could have been avoided such as the destruction of Planet Vegeta and the Saiyan race? Do you believe you could change that unfortunate past?" Negi was unresponsive while Gohan tried to come up with a good answer.
"S-Sure…but that past is what has made us into who we are. It wouldn't be proper to stop those events from happening. Destiny is something that cannot be changed," Gohan said as he thought to himself that was a good answer. However, somewhere deep in the back of his mind, the image of No. 16 being killed replayed in his head as his answer didn't satisfy that guilt of not showing his true power beforehand.
"I don't plan on making any moves during the day. We'll meet again soon, Negi-bouzu and Gohan-kun" Chao said as she disappeared in a flash. Negi tried to call to her but felt Gohan's hand on his shoulder. The two of them looked at the spot that Chao once stood, wondering what they should do with new knowledge.
Meanwhile, at Eva's resort…
A depressed Asuna was lying down on a bed as she was still feeling bad about her rejection from Takamichi. "Asuna… Asuna…" Konoka called as she was coming over to her friend. She had hope that Asuna's mood had gotten better, but she let out a sigh once she saw Asuna in the same position as yesterday. Hoping to get up, Konoka dropped a ball on Asuna's head, waiting for a reaction. Nothing. "Don't you think it's about time we got back to the school festival?" Konoka asked.
"No…" Asuna mumbled. "I can't move."
Konoka let out a sigh. "Come on," she said to her friend. "You've been like this for four days."
"Just one more day…" muttered Asuna.
Konoka was about to try again but suddenly she heard some loud stomping heading their way. She turned around to see Eva enter the room as the Dark Mage went with a flying kick to Asuna's face, shouting, "You're getting' on my nerves! Pull yourself together, Kagurazaka Asuna!" Asuna went flying across the sand, spinning and sliding from the blow. "Why are you moping over a little heartbreak! You tramp into my resort and act all depressed. This isn't your clubhouse to do as you please! You're the one that lectured me about the right to be happy and all that crap!
"Now, Eva-chan, heartbreak is a pretty big deal for young girls," Konoka said, seeing as Eva may not grasp the situation from a young maiden's perspective.
Eva just laughed it off. "Hah! Four days of moping is more than enough!" the vampire said. "Besides, what does she see in that guy in the first place?"
"What was that!" shouted Asuna in anger. "Don't you dare talk badly about Takahata-sensei!"
"See?" Eva said. "The idiot seems better already. Anyways, you have visitors."
"Eh?" Asuna as she stopped her hissing. "Visitors?"
Meanwhile…
At the entrance to the villa Haruna and Chisame's jaws were dropped seeing the secret resort of Evangeline. "Wa… Wa… Wa… Wa… What the heck is this…!" said the two shouting, almost not believing their eyes. Chisame, upon seeing this, was trembling at the impossible thing that she was looking at. I knew I shouldn't have come along, Chisame said to herself. In the meantime, Haruna was being told what the villa had to offer by Yue and Nodoka.
Chisame turned to leave as she didn't want to deal with any magic stuff anymore. What did she get herself into? "Going somewhere?" asked Gohan with a raised eyebrow, stopping Chisame from walking any further.
Chisame turned her head and saw the demi-saiyan have his usual Son grin on his face. Plus, he had changed into something more suitable which was his training dogi or gi. Chisame blushed a bit once she saw the bare, muscular chest of Son Gohan. "I'm going home," Chisame said as she turned away. "I would like to lead a normal life, so places like this don't fit into my life."
"You can't leave Chisame-san," Gohan said.
"Why not?"
"Well…once you enter this place, you can't leave for twenty-four hours," said the demi-saiyan.
"What!" shouted Chisame. "What about the school festival!"
"No need to worry. A day is one hour outside," Gohan said with a Son grin on his face. Chisame couldn't believe her luck. Now she was going to be stuck these freaks for an entire day. Great. "Anyways, Chisame-san, why don't you have some fun with the others?"
"And what are you going to do Gohan-sensei?" Chisame asked. "How come you're not over there with them?"
"Well, because I care for you." Chisame blushed at the statement. "And I don't like seeing my students unhappy in any situation. That reminds me…" Gohan started to walk away from Chisame. Chisame was about to say something to the demi-saiyan when he said, "I'll talk to you later Chisame-san."
With that Son Gohan left the beach and started to look around. He was searching for a particular person, namely…Asuna. He closed his eyes to search out for her ki signature since she was nowhere visible to be seen. Once he located her, Gohan went off to the location. As he was walking around, looking for the orange-haired girl, Gohan had run into something. More like someone. "I'm sorry about that," Gohan said. "I wasn't looking where I was walking and…" Gohan stopped himself when he recognized who he had run into. "Asuna-san?"
The orange-haired girl looked and jerked in surprise once she saw the demi-saiyan's face in front of her. "G-Gohan?" she said as she pushed off Gohan and took a few steps back. Great, the last person I wanted to see, Asuna said to herself. "What are you doing here Gohan?"
"Well, it's kind of a long story," Gohan said while scratching the back of his neck. "Anyways, I wanted to see how you were doing. The last time I saw, you were crying your face off. I heard what happened between you and Takamichi-san. Is everything all right?" asked the demi-saiyan.
Asuna looked away a bit. "E-Everything is okay," the orange-haired girl said with a fake smile on her face. "I knew it was going to happen anyways. Me and my 'amazing' qualities was no match for Takahata-sensei's. But I'm okay now. I'm a perfectly capable girl so I'll be fine. You shouldn't get worried about me Gohan."
"Of course I am worried about you," Gohan said, noticing Asuna's fake smile. "And I will always get worried about you Asuna-san. You are very important to me."
Asuna widened her eyes as she turned her head, staring at Gohan's onyx eyes. "R-Really?" she asked, unsure of whether or not Gohan was being sincere or just trying to be friendly with her.
Gohan nodded with a bright smile on his face as he helped Asuna off the floor. "Really," replied the demi-saiyan. "You are a very special person. Too bad Takamichi-san is missing out. If I were in position, I would have said yes to your confession." Asuna blushed at the statement making Gohan realize what he just said wasn't exactly something that he shouldn't have said. Gohan's face blushed red in embarrassment. Oh crap! The demi-saiyan said to himself. I can't believe I said that out loud! Stupid Gohan! For goodness sake's, she is your student. Better change the subject before something happens. "Anyways, we should get going. Negi-san wants to talk to you." Gohan started to walk away before he realized that Asuna was still in the same spot as before. "Uh…Asuna-san?"
Asuna jerked a bit, taking her out from her moment of spacing out. "Y-Yeah I heard you Gohan," she said. "I'll be right behind you." Gohan nodded and started to walk ahead of Asuna as she followed the demi-saiyan to the pool where everyone else was at. If Gohan had turned around right now, he would have noticed a big smile on the orange-haired girl's face. But luckily he didn't as Asuna said to herself; I can't believe Gohan said that. He must really care for me. As I do…for him. Is this really what love feels like? It is completely different from what I felt towards Takahata-sensei. But I shouldn't follow through with it. Not right now. I still need to make sure about these feelings. I don't want to come off as a loose girl that would go out with the next guy she sees.
Once Gohan and Asuna stepped outside of the building, Asuna noticed the various people that were playing at the pool and poolside. There were some people that she expected to see like Nodoka, Setsuna, Ku Fei, Yue and Kaede. However she didn't expect to see Chisame and Haruna here! What were they doing here! "Hey Asuna-san!" greeted the boy teacher.
Asuna quickly spotted him and ran towards him. "What the hell is going on Negi!" exclaimed the orange-haired girl. "Wh-What is Paru and…even Chisame-chan doing here!"
"Well," Negi said while scratching the back of his neck. "They kind of found out about magic and…"
"What!" exclaimed Asuna. She immediately turned to Gohan and asked, "and what about you Gohan!" Gohan blushed red in embarrassment as well, making Asuna realize that they also knew about Gohan and his Saiyan powers. "This is really bad! Whatever happened to getting turned into an ermine or a lab experiment! You two might as well become one! I mean, you two have got now a 70% chance of becoming one at this point!"
"We're sorry!" Negi and Gohan apologized with a bow.
"Don't apologize!" shouted Asuna. "This is your problem, not mine!"
"Anyways, how are you feeling Asuna-san?" Negi asked. "I mean, are you all right?"
Asuna smiled as she gave thumbs up. "Yup! All better now!" Asuna said as she gave a quick glance to Gohan with a smile on her face. Thanks to Gohan.
"I'm glad," Eva said as she came walking out of the building with Konoka behind her. "This girl's been using my resort for the last four days to mope, eat, and sleep. I glad she recovered in time. Even if she didn't, I could have made sure that she slept for all eternity."
"Well excuse me!" responded Asuna. She then turned to Gohan and Negi and asked, "So why are you guys here? To get some sleep?"
"Well not exactly," replied Gohan.
"The reason is that I thought we should have a meeting about how we can handle Chao-san," Negi added, drawing a confused look from Asuna. Gohan decided to explain the situation to Asuna.
After a few minutes of explaining of what happened with Chao, a loud yell was heard all across the villa. "WHAT! D-DESCENDANT? M-M-MARTIAN!" Yup, it was coming from Asuna. "Are you pulling my leg? Do you enjoy making fun of me?" Asuna said as she began to stretch Negi's face.
"It sounds like a bad joke I know," Gohan said. "But this came directly from the source. Those were her words."
"W-Wait," Ku Fei spoke up. "There is too much for me to understand-aru. Can you explain again-aruka?"
Gohan nodded. "According to Chao-san, she travelled over a hundred years back from the future," explain the demi-saiyan. "Plus she's a Martian."
"She's also a descendant of Negi-kun?" Konoka added.
Both Negi and Gohan nodded. "Her purpose is to use the time machine to change history," Negi replied.
"And in order to do that, she's trying to reveal the existence of magic to the world," Gohan finished.
"She plans to spring into action on the third day of the school festival, right de-gozaru?" Kaede asked. Negi and Gohan both nodded. Asuna couldn't believe and neither could Chisame. It was too farfetched for them, especially with someone travelling back in time.
"Do you think it's best to assume she's lying?" Setsuna asked.
"I highly doubt it though," Gohan replied. "What would Chao-san gain from lying to us?"
"Well her story does seem to be up there with Paru's freaky rumor mill," Asuna said.
"Did someone call for me!" shouted Haruna as she decided to join in the conversation. "This story has everything. The most brilliant mind in all of Mahora Academy – but in reality…she's a mysterious invader from our future planning to change history! Oh what tragedy to find out that our very own classmate is the leader of such an insidious plot! And that is why we have to defeat her!" Gohan couldn't help but sweat drop at the story on how ridiculous it was. And he wasn't the only one as Asuna covered Haruna's mouth so as to not hear any more ridiculous stuff.
"Despite that though," Negi spoke up, "it just didn't seem like Chao-san was lying…at least to me." Negi proceeded to take out the time watch. "Even if it was a lie, this…the time machine I borrowed from Chao-san, is real."
Gohan nodded in agreement. "I think its best that we talk about this more seriously," said the demi-saiyan. "But in the meantime, why don't we find out about our battle strength just in case?" Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Good idea Gohan-nii!" Chamo said. Within a few minutes, Yue and Haruna activated their pactios, surprising both Gohan and Asuna. When did this happen? Gohan asked himself. As the two were about to find out the abilities of their pactios, Chamo decided to speak up. "We'll find out your artifact's abilities later," said the ermine. "In any event, it's good to strengthen our forces."
"I don't know about that," Yue said. "Even if the story's true, there are still two points that remain unclear. First is how 'revealing the existence of magic' is a part of 'changing history.' The second is why Chao-san had to travel back over a hundred years to do this in the first place."
Gohan and Negi looked at each other before giving a nod of agreement. "Plus," Negi said, "I wonder if what Chao-san is trying to do is really bad thing or not."
Some of the girls gasped in surprised, especially Asuna. "What are you talking about!" Asuna exclaimed. "She captured and detained Takahata-sensei! She also fought against you and Gohan! She's already proven that she's up to no good!"
"Y-Yes, that may be true but…" Negi trailed before being interrupted by Gohan.
"Either way," the demi-saiyan said, "there's no doubt that Chao-san will be up to something on the third day of the festival."
"Anyway!" Asuna said, summoning her harisen. "I don't care what Chao-san's planning. I'm going to use my sword to stop her from hurting Takahata-sensei or Gohan any further," vowed the orange-haired girl, which incidentally earned a chuckle from Haruna upon hearing her proclamation. "W-What? What's weird about that?"
"Well, we won't be able to figure this one out by thinking about it," Chamo said. "The best thing is to prepare for anything that Chao may toss our way, right?" The ermine then turned towards Negi and Gohan and said, "Thankfully, it looks like everyone wants to help out."
"I don't know Chamo-san," Gohan said. "I think it would be best that everyone not get involved."
"I agree with Gohan-san," Negi said. "I can't endanger our students."
"Don't worry Negi-kun and Gohan-kun," Konoka said as she revealed her artifact. "If either of you get injured, I'll heal you."
"And I'll protect the life of Ojou-sama with my own," proclaimed Setsuna as she held her sword. Gohan smiled at Setsuna's and Konoka's determination.
"That's great but it doesn't help with the robot army that Chao has," Chamo said. "We don't have the man power to face them. Furthermore, they have Chachamaru and Commander Tatsumiya." Gohan chuckled, causing some people in the group to have curious looks. "What's funny Gohan-nii?"
"Chamo-san you are forgetting something," Gohan said. "My family and friends."
"That's right!" Chamo exclaimed, realizing what Gohan was going with. "We can ask Goku, Vegeta and the others to help out."
"Are you sure they will be okay with that Gohan-san?" Negi asked.
Gohan nodded. "Sure," replied the demi-saiyan. "My Dad is a hero and will always help out those in need. Besides if we were to explain to him the situation, I'm sure him and the others will be glad to help out." Well, I don't know about Vegeta-san though, Gohan said to himself. There might have to be some heavy convincing for him to join in this fight. Hope Dad could help me out on this one.
"So what about Chachamaru and Commander Tatsumiya?" Chamo asked.
"You can leave that to us de-gozaru," Kaede spoke up. Gohan let out a smile.
Negi, however, noticed how Ku Fei was a little quiet. "Ku Fei-san are you alright?" the boy teacher asked.
"If Chao's really doing bad things, then I must stop her as a friend-aru" Ku Fei replied, pumping her fists in the air.
"Great!" Chamo said in excitement. "Kaede-neesan and Ku-roshi will help a great deal. Plus we got Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and the others to help us out. Our front line is set with overwhelming power in addition to Aniki and Gohan-nii. But then again, the rear defenses may be a bit weak." The ermine then took a look at Haruna and Yue. An idea hit him. "Maybe not," Chamo said. "On top of Nodoka-jochan, we have two new people with probationary contracts."
"Yes, we'll do what we can to help," Nodoka responded.
"Thanks!" Chamo said. "We have 20 hours left in here so why don't we get comfortable with using your artifacts?" Haruna, Nodoka and Yue all nodded in agreement. However, something wasn't right. "Maybe it would be better if Gohan-nii was on the front line while Aniki was on the defensive end. Chao may be attempting something on the net as well. To combat that…" An idea hit the ermine as he turned around to Chisame, who was at the wrong place and wrong time. "I know! Chiu, wanna make a probationary contract as well? Considering you're pretty good at hacking. I think we'll get a suitable artifact."
"Hell no baka!" Chisame shouted.
Haruna then slid next to her, hugging her shoulder. "Why not Chisame-chan, let's do it…aren't we friends?"
"Since when did I become your friend? Get the hell away from me!" Chisame cried as she wanted not to have her normal life be corrupted any further than it has been.
Gohan gave a smile of approval at the way Chamo was organizing the group. It was a sound group. "Well we have a good group of people but I think we're forgetting someone," Gohan said as he looked at the Dark Mage.
"Thank you for remembering assistant but I'm afraid I can't take side in all this mess," replied Eva.
"I expected as much," muttered Gohan.
Negi looked down a bit, even after the organization of his team to defeat Chao and her team. "Now, don't worry Aniki," Chamo said. "I'm sure Chao won't kill her classmates or anything like that."
"Y-Yeah," Negi responded.
"Still," Gohan interjected, "the main problem here remains Chao-san herself."
"I agree Gohan-kun," Kaede said. "Without knowing more about her mysterious ability, it won't matter how many people we have." Gohan nodded in agreement. Her abilities were certainly mysterious. How was she able to move so instantaneous? Plus, why did the armor that Chao wore felt so…strange and familiar at the same time?
"I think I can deal with Chao-san," Negi said, snapping Gohan back into reality. "Leave that to me." Gohan smiled as the group celebrated in the creation of the new team. The girls then got into an argument of what to call the group, causing Negi and Gohan to chuckle at the scene.
After much discussion, the group separated from each other as they began to train with their pactios. Haruna proceeded to draw small doodles on her pad which all came to life from the page. "Th-Th-This is amazing!" said Haruna. "The rough sketches in this sketchbook are coming to life!"
"It seems that the drawings in that sketchbook are like a simple golem that you can summon," Chamo explained.
Haruna proceeded further by drawing more things. "Like a fairy tale!" Haruna exclaimed. "This might be the magickiest item we've got so far! This is a dream come true for all the artists in the world! No, a dream of all mankind!"
"Don't go drawing anything dangerous!" Chamo said as he went over to where Yue was at.
"Ch-Chamo-san, mine says it's a textbook of novice-level spells," Yue said.
"Yeah, looks like Yuecchi's artifact is similar to the 'Apprentice Mage set' that kids receive when they enter the magic academy," Chamo explained. "Aniki got one too. It might be perfect for Yuecchi as you've been practicing magic, but unfortunately, it may not really be handy in a fight. I'm not sure how each person's artifacts are chosen. That's too bad."
"I see," Yue muttered, thinking that Negi probably had something like this when he first started out. Meanwhile, along the shore line, Gohan was meditating. It was a similar position as Piccolo would usually do. He began to play out the battle in his mind as he tried to figure out different strategies as well as feel the area around. The ocean, the sand, the air, the plants, everyone and everything. He felt their energy as he began to channel some into himself. I'm glad that Dad taught me the Kaio-ken and the other technique as well, Gohan said to himself. I highly doubt that I am going to use it but I think it is best that I practice it while I have the chance.
"Assistant!" cried out a voice, causing Gohan to break out from his concentration and almost landing awkwardly on the ground. "I get the feeling you're going to be fairly busy on the last day of the festival, so I'll let you off the date we agreed on."
"R-Really?" Gohan asked as he looked up at the Dark Mage as she stood over him. "To be honest, I was actually looking forward in hanging out with you Evangeline-san."
Eva blushed at the statement. "W-Well, if you really want to," stuttered the vampire with a blush on her face. "We can do it after the battle."
Gohan gave a nod. "Deal." Eva grinned at the demi-saiyan as she walked away. "Yosh! Time to get some training in!" Gohan said as he went ahead and practiced his katas while the others continued to practice with their new artifacts until the night.
The next day…
"Everyone, did you all have a good night's sleep?" Negi asked as they all stood upon the exit pad of the villa.
"Yeah I slept like a baby!" shouted Konoka.
"We practiced plenty of times too!" pointed out Haruna pumping her fist while Chisame shook her head behind them. Gohan let out his usual Son grin, glad to see everyone in high spirits. He turned to Negi and noticed some scratch marks on the poor boy teacher.
"Negi-san, what happened to you?" asked the demi-saiyan.
Negi jerked as he remembered what happened last night. "N-Nothing Gohan-san!" Negi cried while wailing his arms around. "I didn't have a conversation with Eva and I didn't get into a fight with her."
"Uh huh, I see," Gohan said. Evangeline-san must have said something to Negi-san, Gohan said to himself. He seems more confident than before. "Are you going to be fine Negi-san? After all we are going to fight against one of our own students."
"That doesn't matter Gohan-san," Negi said, grabbing everyone's attention. "Chao-san is planning to carry out a terrible plan on the final day of the school festival. In other words her objective is to expose the existence of magic to the entire world," explained the boy teacher. "We don't know the details of her plan but if she succeeds, the world will be plunged into turmoil…or at least a great deal of trouble. People will get hurt, or worse." There were a few nods among the girls however some like Konoka wondered what the result would be if it succeeded. "I'm going to be honest. I am unsure if Chao-san's plans are bad or not."
"What are you talking about? Again with that, it's obvious it's bad right Gohan?" Asuna asked. Gohan nodded in agreement.
"Yes, Chao-san has been unethical," Negi continued. "She kept Takamichi captive in her underground lair, for example, she didn't try to discuss this or accept our invitation to do so. She's just pushing forward with her plans. Should she succeed, the results could be catastrophic, whether it's for a good cause or not. As Chao-san's teacher, I feel that I have the responsibility to stop her by force if need be."
"All we can ask is that you lend us your strength in the coming battle," finished Gohan with his hand on Negi's shoulder as the girls drew their pactio cards if they had one.
"Leave it to us!" Haruna cheered. The other girls nodding bar Chisame, who was rubbing her head of the headache of all this nonsense that was going on.
"Of course we will, you dumb Gohan," Asuna said, making the two boys smile.
"Let's get going on then," Gohan said.
"Right, Hiscat," Negi called, activating the exit but neither seeing the time watch activate once the exit was open. However, no one noticed that the time watch had done something within a split second. But that didn't matter as the group had all exited the villa and back into Eva's resort.
"Alright we're back, what do we do first?" Asuna asked with her harisen was at the ready.
"Well Chao-san said she wouldn't do anything until the afternoon so… there's probably nothing for us to do until then," Negi said making a few girls face-plant. "I believe everyone still has their own plans for the final day so…"
"Then let's break up for now?" Haruna suggested. Negi nodded in agreement while Gohan was looking around the room with a bemused look on his face.
Chisame noticed the look and it was quite worrying for her. "Gohan-sensei what's up?" Chisame asked.
Gohan shook his head. "It's nothing but… it feels like something's off around here and I can't quite put my finger on it," Gohan said. Something doesn't feel right, Gohan said to himself. Maybe it's my imagination but I can't sense Dad's ki or the others. I'll look into this later. "Well anyways, I'm off."
"Where are you going Gohan?" Asuna asked.
"To pick up some supplies for the upcoming battle," Gohan said. "There is nothing wrong in getting ready. Anyways, Negi-san, what time should we all meet up?"
"Right, we should all meet back here at 11 o'clock!" Negi said as they all agreed upon the time and began to the room. However, no one noticed the note on the side of the villa that read a message. A message that said, "IT'S MY VICTORY!"
Author's note: Hey everybody! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know that there wasn't much fight scenes like in the previous ones but hey, we will get there. You may have noticed it that I am skipping certain parts of the Negima story. As I mentioned before in an earlier chapter, I can't write every single scene from the manga. It would just take too much time and space which I don't want. If you want to know what happens in the skipped scenes, read the manga. Hope that helps some people.
READ AND REVIEW! I can't stress that enough! I want everyone that reads this chapter or this story to write at least a review! I am starting to feel unappreciated for my work here. I know it may seem like I am being a whiny person, but I like to hear from everyone. Just let to you know, I do it at work too, especially when parents come to see the classes. I like to know if I am doing a good enough job for them and their children. Everyone wants to hear feedback about what they do. It's natural.
Anyways, enough of my rant. See you guys around! Peace!