Chapter Sixteen

His Fiery Rage

Gohan couldn't believe his luck. As it turned out, Piccolo did bring Senzu beans with him before heading South for the tournament. When he had sensed Gohan's ki skyrocket, so full of rage, he had looked down from the Lookout and had seen what was going on.

His aura shining golden, the demi-Saiyan was soaring through the sky on his way back, not waiting for Piccolo to catch up to him. He arrived in no time and didn't pause before taking off again, this time on foot, rushing to the infirmary.

He opened the door without knocking. "Videl, I got you something!"

"Who the hell are you?" Mr. Satan demanded, clearly not in a welcoming mood. Gohan didn't pay him any mind: what mattered most was to give the Senzu bean to Videl.

"Go…han?" she said in a ragged breath.

He came up to the bed and sat on the edge by her side, showing her the tiny green bean between his thumb and index finger.

"It's a magical bean," he explained. "Once you eat it, you'll be all better."

Her half-lidded eyes dropped to the green nutrient, and a knowing smile formed on her bruised lips.

"It's a… Senzu bean, right?"

Gohan chuckled. He should've known. Of course Videl would be familiar with them. Her visions had shown her their future, and it was expected that they would still be using Senzu beans years from now.

The monk doctor protested, saying that he couldn't give anything to the patient, while Mr. Satan forbade Videl to listen to "that boy". But they both tuned them out and Videl opened her mouth while Gohan fed her the bean.

She chewed, and Gohan waited anxiously for her to swallow. Mr. Satan was ordering his daughter to spit it out, quite angry that neither of them was listening to him.

And then Videl opened her eyes wide. Gohan grinned as she simply sat up. All of her injuries and bruises were gone. Only her tattered clothes and the stain of blood remained as a reminder of the horrific beating she took during her match. She looked at her hands in awe while both Mr. Satan and the monk stared at her with their eyes bulging out.

"I'm…"

Unable to help himself, Gohan pulled her to him and hugged her tight, the heavy weight in the pit of his stomach finally lifting. He sighed in relief.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," he murmured hoarsely.

Videl flushed, burying her face in his chest to hide her embarrassment. Nonetheless, she let her muscles relax and melted in Gohan's arms, soaking in his warmth, in his scent, in his love.

"Videl! What the hell is going on? Who is this boy?" her father bellowed, saying the last word like an insult.

His booming voice forced her back to reality. She started to pull away from Gohan, but she felt some resistance, the young man obviously reluctant to let go. She couldn't help cracking a smile at that. But she couldn't blame him.

"You! Let go of my daughter right this instant if you don't want me to make you!"

Gohan let out a faint scoff, and Videl grinned, almost hearing him thinking in retort, I'd like to see you try.

"Gohan, now's not the time," she told him in a low voice.

He sighed in resignation and let her go, standing from the bed. "I guess I'll see you later."

She nodded at him, a beautiful smile on her lips. Gohan felt his heart clench.

"You're not going anywhere until I have answers!" Mr. Satan demanded.

The demi-Saiyan gave the man an annoyed look. "My name is Gohan and I go to school with Videl. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have someone to beat up."

"What are you…?" Videl started, only to widen her eyes in realization. "Wait, you don't mean Spopovitch, do you?"

Gohan's face hardened and he clenched his fists at the mention of that monster. He couldn't wait to pummel Spopovitch to the ground and give him back everything he'd done to the girl he loved. "Who else? I'm not a contestant, so it's not like I could be disqualified for fighting outside of the official matches."

"But he won against me, and he's supposed to be fighting in the next round."

"And I should care because…?"

Videl stared at the young man, her lips parted. She had never seen him like this. He was gritting his teeth, his eyes harsh and cold, his fists trembling at his sides as he barely contained his anger.

"Wait a minute! If anyone's gonna beat up Spopovitch, it's gonna be me!" Mr. Satan sputtered indignantly.

Gohan rolled his eyes, clearly not having the patience to deal with her father's nonsense.

"Then get in line."

He turned to leave, reaching for the doorknob.

"Get him good, Gohan," Videl found herself saying. "Make him pay." His expression relaxed as he looked over and smiled at her. He gave her a thumb-up.

Then Gohan went out the door, leaving Mr. Satan outraged that she would trust such a scrawny-looking kid to do something that was his own right as her father. Videl tuned him out and got off the bed, heading out of the room despite the champ's loud protests. She needed a shower and a change of clothes, and if she wanted to see Gohan avenge her, she'd better hurry up, because it didn't look like the boy had the patience to wait for her.

When he had felt Gohan turn Super Saiyan, his ki so full of rage, Piccolo had turned his attention to the Southern island where the tournament was held. From the Lookout, Piccolo had accessed the situation, and then he had spotted two individuals who made an ancient part of him quite uneasy. Shaking it off as he focused on helping Gohan, he had stopped by Korin's and asked for Senzu beans. Korin hadn't been growing them lately, so he only had three available. One was all Piccolo needed though, so he took the light pouch before hurrying off to join Gohan.

The boy had met him halfway, not having the patience to stand around until he arrived while his friend desperately needed a Senzu bean. Piccolo was happy to give one to Gohan, and then the kid didn't wait around for him and rushed right back to his friend. Piccolo didn't blame the kid. Time was of the essence in situations like these. The girl was in a truly horrific state and it was only natural for Gohan to want to help her get better as quickly as possible.

Piccolo didn't turn back and continued on his course, however. He wanted to find out more about the two individuals he had had a glimpse of earlier. Something big seemed to be cooking, and if the Earth was in danger again, it was his responsibility to protect it.

The Kami side of him had taken more room in his individuality than he had intended. Or maybe Piccolo's affection for Gohan spread like a virus and made him actually care for the people on this planet.

Either way, this was who he was now. The demon side of him no longer existed ━ he had been gone for far longer than the Namekian cared to admit, to tell the truth.

He snuck into the contestants' area, which had been easy enough despite his more than noticeable stature. Super speed made things such as these far easier.

Shin seemed to be waiting for him, Kibito by his side.

"I'm not surprised that you came to find me," the purple-skinned being said with a knowing smile. "After all, you used to be the Guardian of this planet."

Sweat gathered on Piccolo's temples. His mind was reeling. He could feel in his very core that he was in the presence of a deity of great importance.

"Are you the Grand Kaio?" he asked.

Frowning at him, Kibito corrected him sternly. "This is the Kaioshin of the universe."

His eyes bulging out, Piccolo gaped, unable to form any coherent word as he processed the information, his mind going into overdrive at what he just heard.

Governing each side of the universe were the four Kaios, and above them was the Grand Kaio. And even above that deity, the Kaioshin governed: the god of all gods, the highest power in the universe.

And he was walking the Earth. What was going on?

"Why are you here?" he asked when he finally regained his bearings, which took a lot longer than he cared to admit.

"We'll tell you everything, but right now something important is taking place," Shin said. "I was thinking of using Gohan to get Yamu and Spopovitch to attack him so that we could follow them to their hideout place, but it seems that something had made our plans shift. Let's go. We have to see how the situation unfolds."

Having no choice but to obey the highest of gods, Piccolo nodded his head gravely. He didn't like the sound of what Shin had planned for Gohan, but he knew better than to voice his objections. Gohan would be fine anyway. Shin wouldn't let anything bad happen to the boy ━ it wasn't like those two goons, Spopovitch and Yamu, posed a threat of any kind to the demi-Saiyan, either.

Something bigger was cooking, though, that much was obvious. And there was only one way to find out what: he had to let things play out.

Spopovitch was huddled over with his companion, Yamu, the two muttering between themselves. They were standing in a corner and seemed dissatisfied by the current match. Apparently the fight with Shin's friend, Kibito and some other contestant was already over. The two fighters in the ring right now were all-around human and seemed pretty normal. The fight probably looked entertaining for normal people.

Well, none of that mattered, really. Gohan's eyes hardened, his fists tightly closed as he glared at the bald, beefy man.

"Spopovitch," he gritted out, feeling his ki level climb rapidly as his anger intensified at the way the monster looked at him over his shoulder and shot him that sinister grin again.

How he couldn't wait to wipe that ugly grin off his face.

"We have a score to settle."

Yamu scoffed. "We have more important things to focus on. Get lost, boy."

Gohan took a step forward. It was taking everything he had not to turn Super Saiyan right there and then.

"I'd advise you to step aside if you don't want to get caught in the crossfire," he warned the smaller bald man. "Because I'm going to shred Spopovitch to pieces no matter who gets in my way."

"Let him be, Yamu," Spopovitch said with that sinister grin, running his disgusting tongue over his mouth. "It's not them anyway. We've got time until the next fight."

"Tss. Fine. But at least get somewhere out of sight. If you get disqualified, it'll just make things more complicated."

Gohan eyed the shorter man, suspecting the duo to be up to no good. Well, if he put Spopovitch out for the count, that should hinder whatever they were planning to do. He would just have to take care of Yamu next. No way he was letting those two out of his sight when they were so obviously scheming up some evil plan.

He followed the pair in a quiet corner, near the walls surrounding the arena and behind the building where the participants waited for their turns and could watch the ongoing match. Nobody would disturb them here. Good. Yamu kept watch, throwing anxious glances around and giving Spopovitch pointed looks to hurry this thing up.

The more he looked at the giant's smug face, the more Gohan's anger rose, making it hard to fight down the urge to turn Super Saiyan.

But if he were to transform, if he let his rage consume him and let his Saiyan side take over, he could actually kill Spopovitch. And while the thought more than appealed to him, especially when images of Videl's bloodied and broken body kept flashing in his mind as he glared at the monster, Gohan didn't want to murder the fool in cold blood. However satisfying that would feel, and even with his Saiyan instincts screaming at him to just let go and kill that poor excuse of a man, Gohan wouldn't give in to them. Not this time. He'd never wanted to kill anybody, not even when he was facing Cell.

After the way he had mercilessly executed the Cell Juniors, after the way he had let the power go to his head, disobeying his father and refusing to finish off Cell when he had the chance… This had led to his father sacrificing his life to make up for his own foolish mistake.

From that day on, Gohan had sworn to himself to never let his rage and bloodlust take over him like that again. So, now, even as much as the Saiyan in him demanded that he kill the bastard for what he had done to the girl he loved ━ Gohan was not willing to let his rage go to his head, not this time. He had learned his lesson.

"Get to it, already!" Yamu growled impatiently, hovering to look over the wall, making sure nobody could see them. Gohan eyed him with interest. He hadn't known those two knew how to control their kis. From what the announcer had said about Spopovitch, he had lost against Mr. Satan in the previous tournament, and Gohan didn't think he would have known how to use his energy back then.

What did it mean? Who were those guys?

Spopovitch rolled his eyes at his companion but obeyed nonetheless. He attacked first, throwing a punch at Gohan. His eyes widened when his adversary caught his wrist like it was nothing.

Gohan's eyes narrowed as panic began to distort the enormous man's face while he attempted and failed to break free from the vice-like grip.

A sinister crack indicated that the bone had broken. Yamu's head whipped at them and he stared at the scene in shock: Spopovitch holding his broken limb while the scrawny-looking kid stared him down.

"I told you I'd make you pay," Gohan gritted out, before planting his fist into Spopovitch's stomach, making the gigantic man gag from the devastating blow. He followed with an uppercut to Spopovitch's chin, and as his body began to rise from the powerful hit, Gohan used the momentum, letting out a cry as he jumped and delivered a roundhouse kick that threw the giant into the wall, the painful impact creating a dent in the shape of his body.

It took all of his willpower to keep his strength under control. One wrong move, one single moment of lapse of judgment, and Spopovitch wouldn't live to see another day. As much as the monster deserved to die a horrible and painful death, Gohan wasn't willing to cross that line.

Yamu attacked him, but the demi-Saiyan swatted him away like a fly, making him crash into the wall. The hit was strong enough to crackle the bricks, but Gohan had controlled himself enough not to make Yamu go through the wall. He didn't need to draw attention to what was going on here.

"P… Please…" Spopovitch croaked out pitifully, sliding down the wall to fall on his behind, holding his broken wrist.

This set Gohan off, and the transformation happened instantly, his golden aura shining brightly around him as he glared murder at Spopovitch.

"Are you friggin' kidding me right now?" he bellowed, his voice rising with his ki. "Did you just ask me to spare you… after the way you tortured Videl for no other reason than your sick pleasure?"

Grunting as he got to his feet, Yamu got a round item out of his pants' pocket, pointing it in Gohan's direction. His eyes widened.

"S… Spopovitch! It's him!"

"What good does that do us? He's gonna kill us before we even try to get his energy!"

Gohan's teal eyes shifted from one man to the other.

"Explain what you mean. Now," he ordered.

"Y… Yes. Of course," Spopovitch said, swallowing loudly at the murderous glare of the Super Saiyan.

"Spopovitch!" Yamu protested vehemently. "What do you think Master Babidi will do to us if he learns you blabbed?"

"What do you think he'll do to us before we even get back to Master Babidi?" Spopovitch snarled in retort.

"Good point," Gohan agreed, his voice cold and menacing. While he had no intention of taking their lives, them thinking he might was good enough for him.

He grabbed Spopovitch by the neck and slammed the humongous man against the wall, controlling his strength enough not to break through the bricks.

"Now talk."

"Spopovitch, shut up!" Yamu said in panic, apparently more scared of this Babidi fellow than of the glowing young man squeezing his companion's throat.

"I don't… want to… die!" Spopovitch choked out at Yamu. Then he turned fearful eyes to Gohan. "You'll… protect us, right? If we tell you… everything we know… you… won't let Master Babidi… hurt us, will you?"

Gohan spat to the side, the mere idea of having to protect this piece of scum revolting him at his very core.

"Where is Babidi's spaceship?"

Gohan raised his head as Shin and Kibito landed by them, accompanied by Piccolo. He eyed the pair suspiciously. So they knew what Yamu and Spopovitch had been up to from the beginning. They might have been able to stop Spopovitch from pummeling Videl, had they acted sooner.

"No, we wouldn't have," Shin replied to his thoughts, causing the Super Saiyan to widen his eyes. That man could read minds. "There is something much bigger going on, Gohan, and we need to find where Babidi is and stop him from unleashing a great evil into the world."

"Speak," Kibito said coldly to the man in the Super Saiyan's grip. "Where is Babidi's ship?"

"We're not telling you anything!" Yamu snarled, apparently not getting that he and his accomplice were outmatched.

Piccolo grunted and shot a blast at the man, knocking him out. "We only need one of them conscious, and that one wasn't being cooperative," he explained.

The attention then turned to the choking man in Gohan's vice-like grip.

"Gohan, he won't be able to tell us what we need to know if you choke him," Piccolo remarked, a smirk curving his lips.

The Super Saiyan grunted and let go of Spopovitch, who coughed and wheezed now that he could finally fill his lungs with much-needed air.

"Speak before I change my mind." His fingers twitched at his sides. "I'm still itching to give you back everything you've done to Videl, and take my time doing it too. I was barely getting started."

"Alright, alright! I can bring you to Master Babidi's ship, but you have to promise me you won't let him hurt me!" Spopovitch said in panic, pointing his good hand at Gohan.

"Deal," Shin agreed without a second thought.

Gohan scowled in protest. So that was it? Spopovitch would be free to roam the Earth and even be in their protection even after what he had done to Videl? This was unacceptable. Spopovitch deserved to pay for what he did, and Gohan wasn't nearly done with that monster.

Shin gave him a severe look.

"We don't have a choice, Gohan," he said, once again answering his thoughts directly. "I understand how much you want to get back at him for what he did to the girl, but this is bigger than us. The whole universe is in danger."

The boy let his transformation fade out with a deep, frustrated sigh, conceding to listen to reason despite his urge to avenge Videl.

"Oh, there you are. I've been looking all over for you."

The group turned around to the newcomer. The pigtailed girl observed the odd scene with a suspicious frown, trying to figure out what was going on. She had cleaned up after her horrible defeat and was now wearing a blue shirt with the word FIGHT printed on her chest. Under it was an orange long-sleeved shirt, and she had white slacks on along with a pair of boots.

"Videl, what are you doing here?" Gohan asked her.

"We'll just go ahead to Babidi's ship," Shin decided. He turned a harsh look at Spopovitch. "Lead the way."

"Or I can make you," Piccolo offered, his hand glowing with energy to show that he was just as capable of hurting him as Gohan.

Spopovitch gulped loudly, the blood on his face mixing with sweat. He nodded once, before a white aura surrounded him in a burst of ki and he took off to the sky. Shin, Kibito, and Piccolo flew after him, leaving Videl to stare at them in wonder while Gohan tried to decide how to handle the situation with her.

"I have to go too," he told her. "I'm stronger than Piccolo, and I have no idea how strong Shin and Kibito are and how useful they can be in battle."

"What's going on?" She gave him a suspicious look, crossing her arms. "Who are those guys and why was Piccolo with them?"

"I don't know, but I plan to find out."

Videl took a step forward. "Then I'm going with you."

He shook his head. He should've seen it coming, but he couldn't let Videl get so close to danger. Not after watching her get pummeled to the ground again and again, utterly helpless as Spopovitch tortured her with sick pleasure. His ki rose as the images flashed through his mind once more.

"No, you're not."

But the stubborn girl wasn't one to sit around and listen to reason. She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck before he could protest any more.

"I said I'm going," she declared firmly, not seeming to care about the redness on her cheeks as she pressed her body against his.

Gohan, on the other hand, had a hard time focusing at all when Videl was so close to him. His heart rate rose and his face flushed completely, drops of sweat gathering on his forehead and temples. He swallowed, trying to get his bearings. Something urgent was going on; he couldn't let his mind wander when the whole universe was at stake. No matter how amazing it felt to have Videl's soft and curvy body all pressed up to him.

"This is a bad idea, Videl…" he said meekly, his breathing deepening. The girl responded by tightening her arms around his neck. Was she trying to kill him?

"I'm going, and that's final. Now hurry, we don't want to lose them."

Sighing in resignation, Gohan let a white aura surround them as he powered up. He secured Videl against him, holding her tight, and then his face hardened as he briefly searched for Piccolo's ki. And then he took off, letting his senses direct him.

He felt Videl bury her face in the crook of his neck to shield herself from the strong wind, and the boy failed to fight down a blush. Man, this was definitely not how he had intended to handle the situation when Videl turned up… But, at the same time, Gohan couldn't say he was surprised. That girl was just too stubborn for her own good. Didn't she realize how dangerous this could become? This wasn't some crime that she was used to dealing with on a daily basis. This was the whole universe in jeopardy, if Shin was to be trusted. Which Piccolo seemed to, so that was good enough for Gohan.

He sped up and caught up with the group.

"So, what is going on?" he asked.

"More of your friends are coming," Shin said to him over his shoulder, flying slightly ahead. "We'll tell you everything when they arrive."

"I see you brought your friend along," Piccolo observed. "Was that a smart move? She'll just get in the way."

"Hey, I resent that! I could be of help too!" Videl defended herself. Sure, she was aware that they were all way, way stronger than her, but she could still contribute. She could be useful too!

"And I want to know what's going on," she continued.

Piccolo eyed the girl, a frown taking up his face, looking as though he wanted to ask her something. Videl rolled her eyes.

"What is it?" she asked bluntly, making his brow arches raise.

"People are usually more… intimidated by my appearance," the Namekian admitted.

Videl smirked. "You're not as scary as you think, I guess."

Gohan chuckled in amusement at her response. Piccolo smirked in turn, taking an instant liking to the bold girl.

Soon enough, all of the Earth's fighters joined them, even Vegeta. One shouldn't be that surprised by the Saiyan Prince's involvement, however, for the once bloodthirsty warrior had been quite bored in these past seven years of peace. Vegeta was eager for some action, so after sensing Gohan's ki skyrocket with rage a second time, he, as well as all the others, had gone on his way to where the things seemed to be happening.

Krillin, Yamcha, and even Tienshinhan joined the group. Chaozu had stayed behind, as usual, the small fighter no longer feeling like he could measure up to his friends.

"Tien!" Gohan exclaimed, his eyes lighting up when his old friend arrived. "It's been ages!"

"You certainly have grown," the three-eyed man commented with a kind smile. "Who's your… friend?" he then asked, glancing at the girl in Gohan's arms.

Much to Krillin's delight, the demi-Saiyan blushed and looked down. "This is Videl. She insisted on coming along and hung herself on me."

"Did she, now?" Krillin said, his tone full of innuendos. He snickered, making the teens blush brighter.

"Don't you get ideas, Krillin," Videl said defensively. "Gohan and I aren't like that."

The three friends shared a confused look. "Did I tell you my name?" Krillin wondered, scratching his hair.

"Anyway, Shin was waiting for you guys to join us to explain what's going on," Gohan cut in, deviating the discussion back to the current matter. "Everyone's here now, so you can tell us."

Shin eyed Spopovitch flying slightly ahead of them. He nodded gravely and began the tale of Bibidi, an evil wizard who created a monster to rule over the universe, destroying countless planets in his wake. Not even the Kaioshins had been able to stop them. And how Bibidi had a son, Babidi who intended to follow in his father's footsteps.

This didn't seem to impress Vegeta, who scoffed at the story. Shin looked at the Saiyan Prince over his shoulder and said, as though replying to a comment: "You're wrong, Vegeta. Any of us, the Kaioshins, could kill Freeza in one hit, and the monster that Bibidi created killed them all. I was the only one who managed to get away."

Vegeta gritted his teeth, also coming to the conclusion that Shin could read minds.

"So what's the monster's name?" Yamcha asked.

A grimace of repulsion distorted Shin's youthful features as he spat the name. "It's Majin Buu. It's the worst creature that ever came into existence."

Videl frowned as something tickled her brain. Memories of some of her dreams came back. She had heard that name before, she was sure of it. But it was slightly different… and it was a friend of her dad's. It was probably a coincidence. Although… Her dad's friend certainly didn't look human, what with the pink skin and the antenna and his weird attire, with the vest, the cape, and the puffy pants. But Mr. Buu wasn't evil, so he definitely didn't match Shin's description of the monster who had killed all of his comrades and countless more.

"Mr. Buu?" Shin echoed after her mind, and Videl frowned as the deity once again invaded her personal thoughts without permission. It was an unpleasant sensation, to have someone react to your private musing. "I'm sorry for the invasion, but this is important, Videl. I understand that you've seen the future in some of your dreams?"

"Huh, it was in your dreams?" Gohan asked, hearing of this detail for the first time.

She glared at Shin, who flew back to her and Gohan's level, focusing his attention on her.

"The way you've described this Mr. Buu in your mind, it matches Majin Buu exactly," Shin said, his face serious. "But you were thinking of how he was friends with your father, how he was good. Are you sure your visions are reliable?"

"Pretty sure, yeah. I know of everyone here from those visions," she replied, and despite the embarrassment that talking about her dreams brought along, a part of her was happy that she could be of use. Take that, Piccolo.

"May I take a closer look?" Shin requested. "If you allow me, I can search in your mind for your memories of those visions, to see for myself if this is indeed Majin Buu that you're thinking about."

"Umm…" Videl hesitated as her face flushed. "Isn't there another way?"

"I understand your reluctance, but this is primordial, Videl." Shin turned to Kibito. "You go on with the others. They'll help you stop Babidi. I'll join you later. I have to know for sure."

Kibito nodded. Shin motioned to Gohan to stop, while the others kept flying ahead, still following Spopovitch's lead.

The demi-Saiyan didn't know what to think, but he followed Shin down to the earth nonetheless. They landed on a rocky desert, and it was with some regret that Gohan let go of Videl. It had been so nice, to feel her warmth, to have her so close. Oh, well. Videl couldn't fly so he would soon be obliged to serve as her chauffeur again anyway.

He glanced at Shin, who had most likely heard his thoughts, and a blush formed on his face while his hand rose and scratched his hair at the back of his head. But the Kaioshin didn't react to his embarrassing train of thought, which Gohan was grateful for.

"May I?" Shin requested from Videl, taking a step toward her while slowly raising his hands.

The girl gulped but nodded, knowing that this was bigger than her shame about what she might become in the future. Shin put his hands on her temples, his eyes falling shut.

Her breath hitched and her eyes widened as the deity summoned her memories, making her relive her dreams. He skimmed through them, searching for what he was looking for in particular, and it felt like pressing the forward button on the remote when you watched something on television.

And then it slowed down. Shin focused on the image of Mr. Buu from her visions.

"Is this him?" she asked.

"Yes. Without a doubt."

"Does that mean Buu doesn't have to be evil? That we don't have to fight him?"

"I… I'm not sure." Shin's eyebrows twitched, digging deeper into the ridge of his nose. "There's something… off. Something doesn't feel right about your visions."

"What does that mean?" Gohan asked, taking a step forward.

"I don't know. But the future you saw in your dreams…" Shin opened his eyes and locked them on the girl. "I'm not sure it's all true. The future you saw is… tainted, somehow. Which means the parts about this Mr. Buu could be false too."

Her lips parted. "Wh… What?"

"Can you fix it?" Gohan asked eagerly.

Videl turned to look at him, trying to process what she just heard. What did that mean? Which parts of her dreams had been correct and which parts weren't? Why had she gotten those visions in the first place, for that matter? And how could they not be reliable? She got the confirmation for everything that she learned about Gohan from those dreams. How could it have been wrong about anything?

Did that mean…? Could it be that she wouldn't end up like the woman she had done everything in her power to never become?

Was that all for nothing? Did she break Gohan's heart for no good reason? And her own in the process? Was it really for nothing?

Or was that part actually true? How could she trust anything she had seen after finding out parts of her visions were false?

"I think so," Shin acquiesced, watching Videl intently. "Something has tainted those visions. I can't know for sure unless I try."

"Do it," the girl said earnestly. "If you can fix it, please do it. I want to know the truth."

Gohan stood by her. "Yeah. We need to know what it means."

Shin nodded, understanding what they truly wished for without having to read their minds again. From what he knew so far, those two were in love but Videl's visions had stopped them from being together. If what Videl feared would happen turned out not to be real, then that meant they could be together like they so desired.

But, more importantly, Shin had to know if Majin Buu would actually turn into the Mr. Buu from Videl's dreams. If Buu could actually become good, as foreign as the mere thought felt to him.

And so, his hands still on the girl's temples, he got to work.

February 11, 2021