Chapter Fifteen

Her Frustrating Stubbornness

He had never been to one of those things, and Gohan wondered if the Tenkaichi Budokai had always been so crowded and stuffy. The sheltered boy had never seen so many people gathered in one place, and the sheer magnitude of it all was making his head spin.

Sharpner, Erasa, and Ruler, the kid with glasses who sat in the row below theirs in class, had invited him to come with them and cheer on Videl. Gohan hadn't needed to be convinced, for he loved watching Videl fight, and he did want to cheer for her. He was eager to see her win against her dad, too, because there was no doubt in his mind that she had surpassed the current world champion.

Never had he felt so normal, just hanging out with his friends, doing something together on a day off. No fighting, no superhero-ing, no saving the world. Just him, being a normal kid, doing normal things with his normal friends. It was a nice feeling.

The line was extra long for the ice cream stand, but the day was hot and the demi-Saiyan craved for a refreshing treat. His friends waited with him, thinking the same, and they chatted about this and that as they stood in the hot sun for their turn to make an order.

Videl was already off for the preliminaries, and she had come to the southern island with her father anyway. Every time someone qualified for the final phase of the tournament, their name would be announced in the speakers that stood all over the place. Gohan anxiously waited to hear Videl's name.

At last, it was their turn to order, and each of them had long made their choice while they waited in line. Gohan felt like having soft-serve ice cream, himself, strawberry flavored, and he watched in delight as the ice cream woman filled a huge cone with the reddish cream.

He thanked her when she handed him his order, and Gohan stared at it in amazement. The cream was so tall that he was surprised it wasn't slipping from the cone. The boy wasted no time and licked the refreshing texture, a sigh of content blowing through his nose as the flavor exploded in his mouth. Exquisite.

"Let's get to our seats!" Erasa said in excitement, holding a triple-scooped ice cream herself. One was vanilla, one chocolate, and the third was mint.

Sharpner wrapped his spare arm around her shoulders, holding a chocolate soft-serve ice cream in his other hand. "Sure babe. The Junior Division shouldn't be long now, for that matter."

"The Junior Division?" Gohan repeated as the group went on their way to the arena.

Sharpner rolled his eyes. "Don't you know anything, Mountain Boy?"

"Kids under the age of fifteen can't fight the adults," Ruler explained, before going back to eating his white chocolate Magnum ice cream.

"But they used to, didn't they?" Gohan asked for confirmation. As far as he knew, that was something new. If such a section existed at the time his father fought in the tournament, he wouldn't have been able to face the adult contenders back then, seeing as he was only twelve the first time he entered the competition.

"Yeah," Sharpner said. "Kids used to be able to enter the tournament like everyone else. Some even managed to get to the final phase."

"Son Goku was the youngest kid to ever fight in the tournament," Ruler said excitedly. "And he got to the final round every time! He was only twelve the first time. Can you imagine, facing the greatest fighters in the world before even reaching puberty? The guy is a legend!"

Gohan smiled, glad that not everybody had been brainwashed by Satan mania. The current world champion claimed that what Son Goku and his friends could do were just cheap magic tricks, but even as much of a fan of Mr. Satan as Ruler was, he still kept his own beliefs and was apparently a big fan of the former world champion as well.

"Son Goku?" Erasa repeated the name, glancing over at Gohan. "He has the same family name as you," she remarked to the boy, who gave a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head.

"Huh, that's true," Ruler agreed, blinking at the information. Then his eyes bulged out in realization, turning to stare at the black-haired boy. "Wait a minute! Wait a minute! How did I never notice this before? You're basically his spitting image! Son Goku's your dad, isn't he?"

Gohan let out a nervous laugh. "Heh. Busted."

"Wait, for real?" Sharpner stared at him with wide eyes. And then he gave a loud laugh, throwing his head back. "Everything makes sense now! No wonder you're so good at sports! Your dad is Son freaking Goku!"

"Wow! Even I know about him," Erasa mumbled in shock.

"Wait, does that mean Son Goku is dead?" Ruler wailed. "Oh, man, I can't believe this! I've always wanted to meet him! This sucks!"

"I think what sucks more is that Gohan's lost his father, you dolt," Erasa berated the glasses-wearing boy, who froze at those words.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Gohan! Of course, it sucks so much more than you've lost your dad."

"Don't worry about it," Gohan reassured his friend with a warm smile. "It's kinda really cool that you're such a big fan of my dad. I'm sure he would have loved to meet you."

As he said that, Gohan couldn't help but wonder when his father was supposed to come back. Would it be this year, or maybe in a while like ten years from now? From what Videl said, her visions went pretty far in the future, so who knew when his dad was supposed to be resurrected? Ah, well. The important thing was that his death wasn't going to last. Still, Gohan hoped that he would get to see his dad alive and well really soon.

"It does suck that your dad's gone," Sharpner mused. "I would've loved to meet him too." He looked over at Gohan. "Does that mean you know martial arts?"

The demi-Saiyan saw no point in lying, so he told the truth. "Yeah, but my dad wasn't the one who taught me. He did train me later on though."

"Man, that must've been so cool, to train with the legendary Son Goku," Ruler gushed some more.

Gohan cracked a smile. "Yeah, they're some of my fondest memories."

"What was he like?" asked Erasa, her eyes softening.

"As awesome as Ruler has been saying," Gohan replied with an amused chuckle, getting a few more out of his friends. "He was the best man I've ever known. He was kind, pure-hearted, righteous, but also naive and pretty gullible."

"So, basically the same as you," Sharpner teased. Gohan blushed slightly.

"I guess… Well, he loved fighting, and nothing could get him more thrilled than the prospect of facing someone really strong."

"He sounds so cool," Ruler gushed again, stars in his eyes.

"Oh, he was. He was the best." Gohan sighed at the recollection. "He was truly an amazing man."

"I'll bet," Sharpner commented. "It really is a shame we can't meet him."

The four friends continued chatting as they went to their seats in the audience. Videl had pulled some strings for them, getting them quite close to the ring, and Gohan couldn't help looking around in amazement at the huge arena. Had it always been so extravagant?

"Videl has qualified for the final phase of the tournament!" they heard from the speakers. Gohan grinned, sending silent congratulations to the strong and talented girl. He never had a single doubt that she would get to the final phase, and he imagined how happy and proud Videl must have been right now.

He sought out her ki, combing through the mass, but the crowd was too thick, and Videl wasn't fighting, so he wasn't able to single out her energy signature. Gohan frowned slightly. Oh, well. Maybe he would go see her later to wish her good luck.

He probably shouldn't, but he wanted to. And, yes, he knew that they weren't friends anymore, but Gohan didn't care. Just because Videl decided he had to stay away from her didn't mean he wasn't allowed an exception every now and then. He was sure she wouldn't mind anyway.

The Junior Division soon began, and Gohan had to admit, while the level of martial arts was ridiculously low, the show was entertaining.

As the final match rolled around, Gohan told his friend that he was going to the bathroom, using his most trusted excuse whenever he followed Videl to fight crime during class, and excused himself to all the people he passed as he made his way to the end of their row.

Videl shouldn't be too hard to find, even in such a large crowd. Gohan went to the preliminary area first, focusing his senses to help him find the girl.

His eyebrows raised when he got there. Apparently, now they used a punch machine to assess a contestant's strength, disregarding skills and tactic completely when they selected the sixteen finalists. Well, fifteen, actually, since Mr. Satan was qualified by default. That was another new rule, from what Gohan knew about the tournament.

Videl didn't seem to be here, though. And then, finally, the boy felt her ki nearby. He grinned and ran in the direction that his senses were leading him.

It was a smaller, quieter area, where the participants who had won their spot in the final phase could rest, warm up, or just chill and hang out until the drawing began. There were benches where they could sit, and even some workout equipment here and there for those who wished to squeeze in one last training session before the Adult Division started.

Videl was standing aside, leaning back against a wall with her arms loosely crossed below her chest.

Gohan jogged up to her, a grin he could help digging into his cheeks. It hadn't been very long, barely a full week, but man, he'd missed this girl. Hopefully, she would be in a good enough mood and not push him away.

He called her name, and Videl turned her head to him, her eyebrows shooting to the top of her forehead when she saw him coming closer. And then she smiled and simply waited, and Gohan felt a wave of relief at that. She was okay with him going to her. Finally, he would be able to spend some time with the girl he loved. It had been days! It had been too long. He'd missed her too much.

"Hello, Son Gohan."

The demi-Saiyan turned his head toward the unfamiliar voice. A short, youthful-looking man was hovering next to a much bigger fellow. They were both dressed in weird but similar attires, with pointy shoulder pads, turbans for belts, tight-fitted coats with long bottom parts that formed a circular shape behind them, and puffy shoulders on the young one's undertop. They both had puffy pants and bland boots, also. The smaller of the pair had purple skin and his white hair was styled in a mohawk. His companion, a stern-looking man with a heavily wrinkled, pink-skinned face, also had white hair, but his was long and combed back.

The duo gave Gohan an odd sensation. Were they even human? Using his senses, he realized that they were concealing their kis. How intriguing.

"I've heard a lot about you," the purple-skinned man said. He dropped to his feet, holding out his hand. "I'm Shin. It's a pleasure to meet you, Son Gohan."

The teen shook his hand, and he had a strange feeling, as though Shin was reading him like an open book. The man gave a knowing smile before letting go and stepping back.

"Your heart is as pure as I was told."

Gohan blinked. Huh?

"It's a shame that you aren't fighting in the tournament," Shin continued. "You would have been spectacular, of that I'm certain."

"Um… Thanks?"

"We will talk again soon, I'm sure," he said over his shoulder, walking beside his silent companion. "Goodbye."

Gohan watched them go, not quite sure what just happened. His eyebrows furrowed deeply. Was something going on? He had a bad feeling about this. Not about those men in particular, but about what they could potentially bring along. Something was cooking, and Gohan couldn't imagine it being anything good.

"Who was that?"

He turned his head and his frown melted away instantly. "I don't know. I've never seen those men before."

A suspicious glint shone in her eyes as Videl observed the pair from afar. Gohan felt his heart melt. He was so happy that she had come to him, that she was just talking to him, even. He'd missed her too much.

"How odd…"

"Yeah."

She glanced back at him, giving him a pointed look. "So, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the audience with the others?"

"I was, but I wanted to wish you good luck for the tournament."

Videl raised her eyebrows, but soon her expression softened and a gentle smile curved her lips. "Thanks. I hope I win."

"I'm sure you will." But as he said that, Gohan wondered if he still believed his words. With Shin and his intimidating companion in the competition, did Videl still stand a chance at winning the championship?

"Only got to beat my dad. I'm pretty confident I could take anyone else," she said with a cocky smirk.

Gohan stared at her dreamily, forgetting about his earlier musing as he let himself drown in her beautiful blue eyes.

"I've missed you."

She blushed, looking away. She tucked a few stray locks of hair behind her ear, and Gohan watched her with a pinch in his chest. He swallowed. He wished he could help her with her stray hair himself, brushing them away, letting his hand linger on her cheek.

He remembered how it felt to touch her, to kiss her… Gohan's throat tightened, unwittingly lowering his gaze to her full, cherry lips. Heat rushed to his face at his thoughts.

And then another one trumped the others. What was he risking at this point? Videl couldn't unfriend him a second time. Things couldn't get any worse. What was holding him, really?

Nothing. Nothing was in his way anymore.

He reached out a hand, his fingertips grazing her bangs, then slowly sliding down her temple. Videl's breath hitched, and her gaze returned on him, her eyes wide.

"Gohan…? What are you…?"

He didn't answer, letting his hand cup her cheek, his thumb stroking her smooth skin.

She swallowed loudly. But she wasn't pushing him away. Gohan put his other hand on her cheek, now cupping her face between his palms.

"Gohan…?" she croaked out, her voice unsure, hesitant.

"Shh…"

He leaned in, closed his eyes, then pressed his lips on hers in a gentle kiss. Goodness, it felt even better than what he remembered. His hands trembled as he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue in her mouth, seeking her own wet muscle as more delectable sparks ignited between them. He was elated that Videl was kissing him back, that she wasn't rejecting him, that she hadn't even tried to push him away.

He took his sweet time, savoring every second of kissing the girl he loved, memorizing the way it felt, the way she tasted, the way she smelled, how intoxicating and addicting it all was.

He was weak in the knees. His breath was coming short, his lips were getting swollen. Still, Gohan refused to pull away. Instead, he wrapped his arms around the girl and brought her closer, pressing her all against him, her soft, curvy body fitting so perfectly against his strong, angular frame.

She moaned into his mouth, her arms going around his neck, pulling him closer. He loved how she just melted into him, how, despite her best efforts, Videl simply couldn't resist when he kissed her.

A monk cleared his throat, but Gohan was reluctant to listen to his good manners and pull away from this incredible girl such as social convention would dictate.

But it just felt too good. He never wanted to stop.

"Excuse me, Miss Videl?" the monk called hesitantly.

She started to pull away, but Gohan dipped his head right in, catching her lips once more. She whimpered, and the boy smirked against her mouth, feeling her becoming goo in his arms.

"Miss Videl, the drawing has begun and they've been calling your name," the monk informed them impatiently.

Gohan groaned in resignation. Darn it, he had no choice now. Still, he took his sweet time, savoring every second left as he slowly pulled away from her delicious lips. He grinned at a dazed Videl as her eyes fluttered open, keeping her in his arms for a few more moments.

He leaned in. "This was for good luck," he whispered in her ear, before finally letting her go.

Her face flushed completely, her hand raising to her swollen lips. Gohan gave her a wave and turned around to leave, feeling like he was walking on a cloud after that unbelievable kiss.

He let out a dreamy sigh. His love for this girl was making his heart swell so much, it felt like it was ready to explode. If only they could be together… Well, since that wasn't an option, and neither was staying friends, Gohan supposed that stealing a few kisses here and there would be better than nothing. Even if he could never truly be with the girl he loved, he could still have something with her, however fleeting and bittersweet those moments would be.

The other contestants were giving him looks as he walked away, some were sly and congratulating, others were dark and jealous.

Gohan passed a pair of bald fighters, one was huge and the other smaller and thinner, but both were beefy and looked especially tense. Veins were pulsing visibly all over their muscular bodies, even on their skulls. A stylized Ms was tattooed on their foreheads. The demi-Saiyan paused to watch the two, his brow furrowing deeply in worry. Something felt… off, with those guys. Gohan wouldn't pinpoint what, but as he scanned their kis, something felt definitely wrong. Unnatural. Evil.

The big guy suddenly recognized that it was his name that was being called. Spopovitch grunted as he pushed his heavy body to the drawing box, his hand almost too big to pick a ball with a number. Gohan watched as the monks repeated the number between themselves and one of them scribbled Spopovitch's name on the board with the upcoming fights.

His stomach twisted unpleasantly. Spopovitch's name was right next to Videl's. She would be fighting this monstrous mountain of muscles in the first round. Usually, Gohan wouldn't worry about her, for he has seen Videl easily beat men even bigger than Spopovitch.

But something was wrong with this guy. He wasn't any common beefy fighter. He was dangerous. And he would be fighting Videl in the third match…

Gohan tried to reassure himself, reminding himself that the girl could take care of herself, that she had proven more than once that she could handle that type of opponent. He had no reason to worry because Videl was going to do just fine on her first fight. She was going to win, and she would eventually have to face her father, and she would beat him too, eventually becoming the new world champion.

He swept his gaze about the room, finding the odd duo he was looking for. And then a lump rose in his throat. Shin was watching Spopovitch and his companion, a deep, harsh frown taking up his youthful face.

Something bad was definitely going on here. Gohan didn't know what, but he was sure that, much to his chagrin, he was going to find out soon enough.

He looked at Videl, standing among the finalists, unsuspecting of the danger she was in. Gohan swallowed. He wanted to grab her and fly away from here, get her as far away from this place as possible.

Videl caught his eyes. Her face flushed and she quickly looked away. His heart sank. How could he protect her? How could he keep her away from the imminent danger?

He had to stay alert, the demi-Saiyan decided. Whatever was going to happen today, Gohan had to be ready. He was glad he had gotten back into training for the past month, because the young warrior had a feeling that he was going to need every bit of his colossal strength.

Gohan let out a heavy sigh as he left the drawing area. So much for a normal day…

Videl stole a glance in Gohan's direction as he left, feeling her cheeks burn up while her fingers brushed her lips.

That sneaky bastard. Stealing a kiss from her like that…

Well, actually, why wouldn't he? Gohan had nothing left to lose now. She had already taken everything from him; there was nothing left, nothing worse that she could do to him. She'd already denied him their fated love story, she even refused to be friends with him again, so Gohan really had nothing else to lose.

And, honestly… What was the harm in that? If Gohan wanted to kiss her, why couldn't he? It didn't make them a couple, so Videl would still be safe from the future she saw in her visions. As long as they didn't end up married, she wasn't going to lose herself in the relationship, so, really, they wouldn't be doing anything wrong. If Gohan wanted to kiss her, if he intended to do it again, Videl wasn't going to stop him.

It was the only thing they could have, and it just felt so intoxicating and incredible. Her face burned up at the very vivid sensations that lingered on her whole being. His hands on her cheeks, his lips on hers, his breath mingling with hers, his arms wrapping around her, pressing her all against him…

Videl found herself anxious to see Gohan again. The next time, she might even be the one to initiate the kiss. After all, if she was okay with it happening from time to time, she had no reason to wait for him to make the move.

The hair rose on the back of her neck, and Videl swept her gaze around, trying to find who was watching her. She locked eyes with the odd purple-skinned fellow, who was observing her with interest. He shot her a knowing smile, and Videl found herself blushing once more, having the unpleasant feeling that this man knew exactly what was going on in her head.

Little did she know, she was absolutely right.

The first match was over quickly, and the contender named Punta won. He was huge and fat, his skin dark, his hair shaved save from a ponytail, and he was dressed like a genie. Gohan wasn't sure he was enjoying himself when he had watched Punta break his opponent's back by sitting on him. Maybe these kinds of events just weren't his thing.

The next match was with Shin and some other fighter called Kubo. The latter rushed Shin as soon as the fight started, but the purple-skinned man moved so fast that nobody but Gohan could see how he dodged his opponent's attack and knocked him down in one swift strike. To everyone else, it looked as though Kubo just fell unconscious as soon as he got close to Shin, and a murmur of confusion rose in the stadium as the blond announcer hesitantly proclaimed Shin as the winner after the ten seconds count.

The man then announced the next fight: Spopovitch against Videl. Gohan listened nervously as the blond man talked about the contestants. Apparently, Spopovitch had lost to Videl's father in the previous tournament, and he had come back with a new look.

As the beefy man passed Shin, the short fellow paused and frowned deeply at him, watching him intently over his shoulder as Videl's opponent climbed onto the ring.

Gohan's stomach twisted in worry. Videl was going to be okay, right?

And then the fight began. Videl got in the offensive and peppered Spopovitch with vicious strikes, all of her attacks hitting home while she effortlessly blocked all of her opponent's attempts at striking back. She knocked him down; he got back up, and Videl was onto him again, not letting him catch his breath.

Gohan was starting to feel hopeful. She was doing great. Maybe he had worried over nothing. Maybe the danger looming in the tournament wouldn't be Spopovitch. Maybe Videl was going to win this fight, and, who knew, even the tournament? Her chances were lower because of Shin, and Gohan assumed that the pink-skinned man that accompanied him was probably just as strong, but, who knew what could happen? Strength wasn't everything in a fight, skills and smarts were just as important, and with the possibility to push an opponent out of the ring to win, Videl could still come out the victor if she played her cards right and if either Shin or the other man went easy on her. It was still possible. She could still win the tournament and become the new champion.

And then Spopovitch got back up, yet again, and his bloodied face twisted in a sinister grin. Videl didn't have the time to react when he swatted her like a bug, throwing her a good distance away. She jumped back to her feet immediately, but Spopovitch was too quick for her and she wasn't able to block his kick. It was so strong that she was flung far away and over the ring. Videl flailed her arms, as though it could help her from landing outside of the ring, and in that moment Gohan was glad that he didn't get a chance to teach her how to fly because it meant that she would be safe from getting hurt any more.

But then something unheard of happened, and the audience gasped in shock. Spopovitch had caught Videl's leg, saving her from losing by ring-out, and then he threw back onto the fighting area.

Gohan watched in horror. This couldn't be happening. She had lost. She should've been safe.

And yet…

He gulped, feeling helpless as Videl rushed her opponent again, jumping high and delivering a devastating kick to his neck. A sickening crack followed, and Spopovitch's head twisted in an unnatural angle, his neck broken, the hit lethal. The audience gasped in horror at the sight.

For a few moments complete silence swept over the entire arena.

But then Spopovitch grabbed his head and popped it back in place, much to everybody's shock. He moved his head from side to side, cracking the muscles in his neck. And then he gave Videl a sinister grin again, and Gohan's fists trembled on his lap as the monster punched the girl he loved right in the face.

She got back up, holding her bleeding nose, panting heavily. Spopovitch was rushing her again and she barely evaded his next punch, but he came back at her and this time his attack hit home. Videl was down again, but she got back up.

"Damn it, Videl, just give up the fight," Gohan gritted out in frustration. Why was this girl so stubborn? Couldn't she see that she wasn't going to win this?

And yet, no matter how many times Spopovitch pummeled her to the ground, Videl kept getting back up. Again and again, no matter how hurt she was or how bloodied she got, she just kept getting back up.

And Gohan had to bottle down his growing anger. He could barely hold himself from going Super Saiyan right there, right now, in the middle of the audience. He didn't even care that he was in public. He just wanted this torture to end.

Spopovitch grabbed Videl by the hair, holding her up, and then he punched her in the stomach. Gohan's teeth gritted harder. He couldn't take this. He wanted to kill that bastard for putting the girl he loved through that inhumane beating.

The monster let go of Videl, but only to throw another punch at her, flinging her so far that her head dropped off the edge of the ring. She panted and groaned in pain.

"Give up!" Gohan shouted as loud as he could. "Just give up the fight, Videl! It's not worth it!"

The blond announcer seemed to agree, saying something to Videl, but the girl stubbornly got back on her feet, holding her sore shoulder as Spopovitch approached her once more.

"Damn it, Videl! Can't you see? He's ruthless! He could kill you!" Gohan shouted, hoping his warning would reach the girl.

But she drove her leg up in response, clearly not done fighting. Spopovitch only took a step back from the kick, before giving her that sinister grin again, licking the blood around his mouth.

He grabbed her hair once more and this time it was his knee that crashed onto her face. It was covered in blood, a few teeth falling off her mouth.

Gohan saw red. His ki was rising. "You… You bastard…"

Spopovitch dropped Videl on the ring and then proceeded to put his boot on the side of her head, as though he tried to squash it like a bug. Videl cried out in pain, tears rolling to her temple from her shut eyelids.

He couldn't take it anymore. Gohan stood, not caring that he startled his friends and the people around. His ki skyrocketed, and he stopped fighting it ━ the transformation changed his hair from black to gold and his eyes to teal, a golden aura shining around him. He didn't notice the stares of shock around him. He didn't care that he just turned Super Saiyan in public, right in front of his friends.

The only thing he cared about was making that son of a bitch pay for what he'd done to Videl!

"You bastard," he gritted out, pure rage lacing his every word, getting ready to pummel the monster for what he put Videl through. "I'm going to kill you."

And then Spopovitch's look-alike companion told him to stop messing around, and Videl's torturer finally threw her out of the ring.

The transformation faded out instantly. Unable to think, Gohan jumped over the few rows below him and landed right onto the grass around the ring, rushing to Videl's side.

His heart clenched painfully as he cradled her head in his arms. She was completely broken. She needed a Senzu bean. Like, right now.

The medical team arrived with a stretcher, telling Gohan that they will take it from there.

"No, it's fine," the boy replied. "I'll carry her to the infirmary myself."

Nobody dared protest as he carefully picked Videl up in his arms. He saw Spopovitch walk away out of the corner of his eyes and called out to him. The monster looked at him over his shoulder.

"I'll make you regret this. I swear to you," he said, barely restraining himself from doing just that right there, right now. If Videl wasn't in such a critical state, he wouldn't have hesitated for a second.

Spopovitch gave him another one of his sinister grins in response, and then Gohan turned away, rushing Videl to the infirmary.

How was he going to get her a Senzu bean? The Korin Tower was too far, it would take him too long to go and come back. If only he knew his dad's Instant Transmission technique, then he could be gone and back in seconds. Alas, Goku never taught it to his son, whose mind was reeling as he tried to figure out what to do.

Should he leave Videl for that long? What if one of her internal organs was ruptured and she died before he had the time to come back? Gohan figured he could always use the Dragon Balls to bring her back if things turned out that bad, so he comforted himself with the fact that nothing was non-reversible, not even death. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, of course. He still had to go and get Videl a Senzu bean.

Luckily for him, he had a guardian angel watching over him. Or, more precisely, a former divinity.

He laid Videl on the bed in the infirmary and stepped back as the medical team cared for her. His heart heavy, Gohan turned and left the room. He then reached out with his senses, because he had no idea how to get to the Korin Tower from the island where the tournament was held. His best bet would be to find Piccolo's ki, who was the strongest fighter in the area and currently lived on Dende's Lookout, which happened to be right above the Korin Tower. Well, give or take a few thousand miles, anyway.

And then his face lit up. Piccolo was actually on his way to him right now! Gohan couldn't believe his luck, but he had no time to waste. He rushed out of the building and took off to the sky, flying toward Piccolo to meet him halfway. Surely, the Namekian had thought of bringing Senzu beans with him, right?

February 1, 2021