A/N: I have had a lot of free time on my hands recently and so I am cranking out more chapters. I hope the quality is still satisfactory. On another note, I published the first chapter of the side story to this story. It will go over the last year before the tournament and will be a lot of fluff. First chapter is Zangya centric. Hope you enjoy it. this chapter will reference some things there. First part of this chapter is just continuing the fun from the last one for me. It gets serious later.
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ
Chapter 33: All props to Queen.
Gohan stared speechlessly at his two female friends. Seeing 18 and Zangya in a cheerleader outfit was just too much for his teenage mind to handle. Not that he was the only one. Even Vegeta had no comment on the apparel of these to femme fatales. Thoughts formed in the back of his mind about what he could do to get Bulma to wear such garments. Even Kibito and Shin seemed to adopt a small blush on their colorful faces. The two people who were not affected by this were Goku, who really only cared about fighting, and Piccolo, who was… well, Picollo. The latter finally decided to break the silence.
"Why are you wearing that ridiculous costume?" The gruff Namekian inquired.
"See? I knew we looked ridiculous." 18 glared at Zangya who used a pompom to ruffle her friend's hair.
"Nonsense! And even if we did," The Hera girl leaned in and whispered in her friends' ear. "It's not like this is as bad as what you tried to trick me into wearing. Funny how payback works." Then she turned to Piccolo and razzled her pompoms. "How else are we gonna get this crowd pumped up for the Gold fighter?" She winked at Gohan who went beat red.
"Wait!?" 18's eyes went wide with panic. "We're not seriously going out there, are we!?" No way was she going to expose herself to the masses like this.
"Of course, we are. Now let's get this party started!" She then proceeded to drag the reluctant cyborg out into the crowd.
"GOOD AFTERNOON PAPAYA ISLAND!" Zangya yelled, drawing the attention of the stadium. "Are we all having a good time!?" Stunned silence followed. They had just seen how dangerous these women could be and now the most dangerous women on the planet were dressed as cheerleaders? Most could simply not process it.
Zangya refused to let this deter her spirit. "I said," she took a deep breath. "ARE WE ALL HAVING A GOOD TIME!"
Finally, they were snapped out of their trance. ""YEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!""
"NOW THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR! NOW, LET ME HEAR YOU GIVE ME A 'G'!"
A very enthusiastic response followed "GEEE!"
Zangya turned to 18. "Ok now your turn."
"My turn to what?"
"Oh come on, tell them to give you a letter."
"No! Zangya, this is so stupid."
"Listen 18," Zangya said aggressively. "I won the bet, so you have to…"
"I don't even know what we're supposed to be spelling!" 18 defended herself.
"Gold of course! As in Gold fighter. Now start pulling your weight or you're off the squad."
"I don't want to be on the squad, you blue bozo!" 18 growled. It had been a long day.
"Of course, you do, now do it!"
"Ugh, fine!" The audience was watching this exchange with amusement and anticipation. It was not often that you found such bodacious babes who could also do a comedy routine. At least that's what they thought it was.
Finally, as quietly as possible 18 said "Give me an 'o'."
"They can't hear you 18." Zangya said in a sing song voice.
"Why are you doing this to me?" She looked at her friend in desperation.
"I think you know why. Uniform incident ring a bell? How about all those lies you told me about high school. I got grounded because of you. Now cheer!" She demanded.
"Fine! GIVE ME A FRICKEN OH!" She finally gave in.
""OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"" It was difficult to say if they were actually repeating her or if her cuteness was just too much for them, but without missing a beat, Zangya continued, pumping her pompom in the air.
"GIMME AN L!"
"L!"
"Gimme a D!" 18 yelled before going crimson. She wondered if Zangya planned that.
"D!"
"NOW LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! GIVE IT UP FOR THE GOLD FIGHTER!" She started stomping her feet and clapping her hands rhythmically. The crowd followed her lead.
*Stomp* *Stomp* *Clap!*
*Stomp* *Stomp* *Clap!*
Zangya started singing and 18 hid her face.
"Gold fighter you're a tough guy, buff guy,
14 years old, saved the world
3 TIMES LAST WEEK!
You got gold in your hair,
Villains despair,
Got the red Z girl to add to your flair! Singin'
HE WILL HE WILL ROCK YOU! Everybody now!"
"HE WILL HE WILL ROCK YOU!"
"That's right! Now he's the
Baddest ever teen on the scene
You'll see just what I mean, when his
FISTS CUT LOOSE
He's dressed like Piccolo
Ready to go
Come out gold fighter let's get on with the show.
HE WILL, HE WILL ROCK YOU!"
Gohan wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed at this overblown welcome or impressed that she had rewritten the lyrics, meaning she planned all this out.
"You saved the world three times last week?" Goku asked his son.
"It's called hyperbole dad." Gohan explained.
"No, that's on the lookout. This is a stadium." Goku said with no hint of a joke. "Anyway, I think you better get out there if you want this to stop. Although, I kinda wanna hear the next verse." The father added sincerely.
"Nono, I'm going!" Gohan yelled in a panic and ran out to the ring amidst the stomping and claps of thousands. Zangya jumped up and grabbed him by the wrist and raised his hand high as though he had already won. This made the crowd cheer even louder for their new hero who was currently red faced. He really didn't care for this attention, but Zangya seemed to be having fun. The girl let his hand drop and she walked off the stage. "Ok, we can go back to the waiting area now." She said to 18.
"Great, now I can take this stupid thing off." The android sighed in relief.
"Not so fast 18, I can take it off. You have to stay in that all day."
"OH, COME ON!"
"A deal's a deal 18. No one likes a welcher."
"Urgh!" The angry cyborg threw her pompoms down on the ground and stomped off.
Zangya smiled as she called after her. "Maybe you can go check in on Krillin! I bet he'll think you look Lazuliscious! Alright, last one." With that parting shot, Zangya walked back to the waiting area.
Break
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WOW! I mean just WOW!" The announcer said after Zangyas performance. "What an entrance! What a way to introduce our next match up! Well, now that we have the Gold fighter on the stage, let's welcome his opponent. Come on out VIDEL SATAN!"
Videl walked out of the waiting area with an aura of indescribable hatred pouring off of her. Her reception was mixed. Some booed her for her brutality in the previous round, while others applauded her enthusiastically. She was still the champ's daughter after all. She stopped as she passed Zangya who was, herself, going to meet back up with her friends. The two stared each other down. While she hated the Gold fighter, she was starting to hate this girl just as much. Zangya clearly didn't care for her either.
"Raising his hand like he already won, huh? Pretty cocky. Gonna be really embarrassing when I'm standing over him while he begs for mercy." Videl spat.
Zangya snorted despite herself. "Now who's cocky? Watch yourself little girl. Don't mistake Gohan's kindness for weakness. You have no idea who you're messing with." With that, Zangya walked off and met up with Piccolo and Goku. 18 had seemingly followed her advice and went to tend to Krillin (lucky dog). At that moment, Kibito and Shin walked up.
"It will happen soon Goku." Shin told the Saiyan.
"Oh, really?" The purple man nodded and Goku became serious. Shin turned to Piccolo, Zangya and Vegeta. "I know that you do not know me, but I must ask that you all refrain from interfering out there. No matter what happens. It is most important."
Piccolo nodded. He didn't know this person, but he radiated a certain authority that he just couldn't place. He decided to obey him. Vegeta just grunted. "Why should I interfere. The match was over before it began. The girl is no match for a Saiyan. Even a halfbreed."
Zangya felt the same as Vegeta, but the tone of the shorter man was ominous and left her with an uneasy feeling.
"Miss Zangya, I need you to promise that you will not interfere." The purple man all but demanded.
"Interfere with what? The fight?" The man nodded.
She gave Gohan a worried look, then finally nodded her head. She just hoped that Gohan would finish the match as soon as possible.
Videl angrily made her way on stage and faced Gohan. "I bet you thought that was great, didn't you? Getting your whores to do their little dance and get these sheep to swoon over you?"
Gohan's patience was wearing thin. He stepped up to her and stared down angrily. "Don't. Call them. Whores." He said with a voice that made even Videl think twice about what Zangya had just said. Before she realized what she was doing, she backed away. She realized what she had done and was furious with herself for showing weakness. "Tch!" She looked away and walked over to the announcer and grabbed his microphone. "Listen up you worthless sycophants!" She yelled at the crowd. "You all are pathetic! You're sheep! That's what you are! You practically worship this fraud!" She pointed to Gohan, who kept his gaze fixed on her.
Needless to say, the attack on them and their hero, who they had actually seen doing amazing feats of heroism, did not sit well with the audience.
"WHO'S A FRAUD!? I SAW THE GOLD FIGHTER RESCUE A FALLING AIRPLANE ONCE!"
"YEAH, I WAS ON THAT PLANE! YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS!"
"HE SAVED ME FROM A BURNING BUILDING!"
"HIM AND RED Z GIRL STOPPED A MUGGER FROM STEALING MY PURSE!"
"HE GOT MY KITTY DOWN FWOM A TWEE!"
Innumerable people yelled in outrage as they recounted the times that Gohan or Zangya had saved them in some way or another. He stopped a kidnapper, kept a bridge from collapsing, helped an old lady across the street. Oddly enough, the times Gohan saved the world were not even mentioned. It seemed that, to these people, the times when Gohan had helped them personally were more amazing. To be honest, Gohan was shocked. He hadn't been keeping count of all the people he'd helped, but this was way more than he had thought it was. It was due to these random acts of kindness that the Gold fighter was more popular than Mr. Satan had ever been.
Videl was getting sick of this. "SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT UP!" The crowd, while still angry, quieted down. "I'm telling you he's a fraud! All of you are being fooled! Even worse, you're betraying the memory of my father!"
This did give the audience a pause for thought. Were the really betraying the champ? Wasn't this kid was his disciple?
"HA!" Gohan let out a short, mirthless laugh that drew Videls attention back to him. In a quiet voice that only she could hear, he said "I don't know what you're playing at, but we both know that your father is still alive." Videl scowled. In a normal volume he continued. "So, what are you really angry about? Is it really just jealousy? Are you so petty that your angry that they are cheering for me and not you? That I stole your spotlight? Fine, take it. Take the applause! I don't care about any of that! I'm just trying to do the right thing. It was your father who dragged me into the publics' eye in the first place."
"LIAR!" Videl screamed. "You tricked him into choosing you over me! I should have been the one who they worship and adore! Not some nobody like you! Now you're spitting on his memory and making people forget we ever existed!"
"You want to talk about dishonoring your father? Let's talk about his daughter who torments her opponents without a shred of mercy or regret. The girl who nearly killed a man while laughing about it. Hercule was a lot of things. He may have taunted his opponents. He was cocky and arrogant, sure. He had weird hair…"
"And he smelled!" Piccolo yelled.
"Right, sure and…" Gohan continued.
"And he was ugly!" Zangya added.
"THE POINT!" Gohan said before anyone could interrupt again. "The point I'm trying to make, is that despite his flaws, he was a good man, and an honorable warrior. He would have been ashamed to see the daughter he loved more than anything torturing a helpless opponent."
Videl scowled at Gohan. The crowd had gone dead silent to catch even a brief part of the exchange. The girls scowl transformed into an evil smile. "Well, it doesn't really matter what my father thinks. I've already surpassed him. And I'll show these sheep that I've surpassed you as well.
Without another word, Videl vanished from the sight of the crowd. She appeared floating behind Gohan, aiming a roundhouse kick to his neck. The crowd cried out.
"BEHIND YOU!" But their warning was unneeded. Without turning around, without even dropping to his stance, Gohan had already raised his hand and blocked the kick. The sound of contact echoed through the air, but the gold fighter didn't even budge. Videl landed and lunged at Gohan with fists ready to break his spine. Her attacks hit nothing but air as he phased out of view. She looked to the left and right, but a tap on her shoulder made her jump forward and turn around.
She looked at her opponent. "How!? W-When!?" She couldn't comprehend how he had escaped from her sight.
"I've been her the whole time." Gohan replied calmly.
"Grrr IT'S JUST ANOTHER TRICK!" She yelled as she tried to rush Gohan with a flurry of fists and kicks. Once again, the young warrior didn't move from his spot. He fended off the fierce assault with a single hand. Despite, Gohan's apparent lack of effort, Videl refused to give up. Her attack only intensified, doubling the speed of before. Still, this was not enough to cause the warrior who beat Cell any worry. Still, he decided that enough was enough. He caught an oncoming fist, shocking Videl beyond words. The look on her face was no longer one of anger. Rather it was replaced by doubt. How could this kid deflect her best hits and even catch her fist mid strike!? It wasn't possible! She was the strongest. She tried to pull away, but Gohan's grip remained firm.
"You're strong, that's for sure. But you're a fool if you really think you're stronger than Hercule."
"HOW DARE YOU MOCK ME!" She screamed as she finally succeeded in freeing herself only to swing a haymaker at the object of her hate. Gohan simply sidestepped it and she stumbled forward, but only for a moment as she disappeared again. She realized that a frontal assault was no good, so she decided to try to outmaneuver and disorient him. Surely, she would be able to outrun this arrogant show off! Then she would strike without him even knowing. These were her thoughts as she zipped around the ring.
"Hah!" She yelled as she continued running around. "What's the matter Gold fighter!? Too fast for you!?" But as soon as her taunt was over, she skid to a halt as Gohan had suddenly appeared in her tracks. She jumped back and was about to zip off once more, when Gohan, once again, popped in front of her impeding her progress. Again and again, she tried, but no matter where she went, there was Gohan blocking her path. Fed up and frustrated she took to the skies.
"LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE GOT A TRICK FOR EVERYTHING DON'T YOU!? WELL, THERE'S NO WAY THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FAKE YOU'RE WAY OUT OF THIS ONE!" She held her hands in front of her and a ball of purple energy formed. It grew bigger, quickly becoming the size of Videl herself. "LET'S SEE HOW YOU DEAL WITH THIS!? SATANIC BOMB!" She threw the ball directly at Gohan who stared at the attack with disdain. The audience screamed as the death ball sped toward their hero. Videl laughed hysterically. "HAHAHAHA! WHO'S STRONGER NOW GOLD FIGHTER, HUH!?
Her laughter was cut off as Gohan swatted the ball away as though he were shooing away a fly. Videls face fell. "Wha? But how? That was my strongest attack?" Shock and confusion adorned her face as she started to descend back to the ring and quickly fell to her hands and knees. "I-I don't understand it? Master said he would give me the strength I needed to defeat you? He promised?" She was trembling now and Gohan walked over to her.
"You want to know who's stronger? I'll tell you. You may beat your father in sheer power, but there's something he had that you don't. That something makes him more powerful than you will ever be without it. You want to know what that something is?" Videl just kept her head down, with eyes wide with distress. "Something to protect. He cared more for his fans, and especially for you, than he did his own life. That selflessness, that compassion for others, gives us a strength that someone who fights for glory and their own selfishness will never comprehend."
"What is it with your family and speeches Kakarot!?" Vegeta asked incredulously.
"What do you mean Vegeta?" Goku said looking Confused.
"I mean that every time you are in a battle, it seems you give the same speech about 'compassion', or 'good will always triumph' or some such rubbish."
"It isn't rubbish Vegeta." Zangya replied. "If there's one thing I know, it's that goodness and compassion will always win out over selfishness and evil." Piccolo and Goku looked at the girl with smiles on their faces. Shin gave her an appraising look and Vegeta just harumphed before they turned their attention back to the fight.
Videl finally looked up at Gohan with a glare. "What do you know! You talk about this 'hidden strength' but my dad still was weaker than me! All your talk of compassion is worthless when it comes up against real strength!"
"Then what about me?" Gohan asked. "I believe in what I say. My father lived and died by these virtues. Your father believes in them too. But if they aren't enough proof, then I'll be your proof. If brute strength is all you can go by then fine. You must have realized by now that I'm far stronger than you, and believe me, I'm barely at a fraction of my full power."
These words sent a sense of fear coursing through Videl. She looked at him with dread etched on her face, but this was quickly replaced by disbelief. "LIAR! You can't be hiding that much power! If you are, then prove it!"
Gohan sighed and looked at the angry face of the kneeling girl. This girl lived in her own reality. Whatever happened, she just twisted or made-up excuses to match her perspective. He didn't know what had happened for her mind to be as warped as it was. She was arrogant, spoiled, violent and cruel. Even so… He couldn't help but pity her. "I didn't want to use this if I didn't have to. But if this is the only way to make you understand, then fine. HRAAAAAH!" In a flash of golden light, Gohan transformed into a super saiyan. Oohs and ahs sounded in the crowd at the impressive display. He looked down at his opponent and hoped that maybe now, she would see he was right. That her power didn't stack up anywhere near his. Maybe then she would realize that her perception of strength was wrong and then she would be able to start on the right path once more. But this was a naïve hope.
Looking down at her, instead of a contrite and repentant face, he saw only a victorious and malicious grin.
"NOW!" She yelled and her two bald companions charged the stage. One of them was holding a strange white container with a spear-like tip. Gohan saw them coming and was about to fend them off when he suddenly felt a powerful force try to bind his movements. This slowed him down enough to were Videl and Spopovitch were able to restrain him, while Yamu stabbed him with their strange instrument. Gohan let out a cry of pain and struggled against the two opponents as well as the mysterious force.
In the waiting area, Zangya was shocked and worried. No way were those weaklings strong enough to hold Gohan. Something must have been affecting him. But what?
"Kibito! He's about to break free! I need your assistance!" Zangya looked and saw that the one called Shin was holding his arms out and sweating with effort, while Kibito threw his arms out to assist his friend. Zangya knew a binding technique when she saw one. Now, she saw nothing but red.
"HRYAAA!" An enraged Zangya rushed at Shin and planted an uppercut into his stomach, causing the little man's eyes to bug out and sending him flying into a wall. This distracted Kibito as he went to tend to his friend and due to their lack of interference, Gohan was able to fight back. He struck out with all his might and sent Spopovitch flying. Yamu and Videl had jumped back, but this did little to save them. Gohan was on Yamu next and delivered a painful punch straight into his face which caused him to drop the container and sent the second goon right into the first. But Gohan felt weakened, it seemed obvious to him that they had tried to steal his energy. Not only was his energy depleted, but he also had a stab wound in his side. He dropped to his knee and pressed his hand against the place they stabbed him. "I guess your compassion really was worthless after all!" Videl taunted. Gohan looked up and saw that she was holding the container that they used to attack him. She must have picked it up when he wasn't looking. She started to fly away as fast as she could. In his anger, he stood up and took off after her. Unfortunately, tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumb blocked his path. The Half Saiyan was getting tired of these games and quickly dispatched of them. He elbowed Spopovitch on the top of the head and Roundhouse kicked Yamu in the ribs, sending one burrowing into the ground and the other crashing through the stands.
Satisfied that he had disposed of them properly, he looked into the distance to see that Videl had gained a decent head start. It was nothing that he couldn't cover in an instant though, and he was about to put on a burst of speed and cut her off, when a familiar voice stopped him.
"Gohan wait!" Goku yelled.
"Dad, she's getting away! We can't just-Ahhh!" Gohan hissed in pain and grabbed his side again.
"It's alright son. We need to let her get a head start first before we follow her."
"What!?" Gohan couldn't help but be confused. "But dad…"
"Just trust me. It's very important and we need to stick to the plan." Goku guided his son down to the ring.
"Plan? Wait, you mean you knew this was going to happen? And you didn't tell me!?"
"I'm sorry son. I didn't know that they would restrain you like that. But you have to believe me when I say this is incredibly important. It's much bigger than those three that attacked you."
"Dad, what is going on? Who's they? Who restrained me?"
While this was happening ringside, a different battle was happening in the waiting area. After Zangya had Knocked Shin into a wall, she was about to follow up when Kibito tried to stand in her way. "Stop your insolence this instant! Do you know who it is you're seeking to do harm to!?" Zangya didn't even break her stride. She kept walking, picked Kibito up by his lapels and slammed him against the wall.
"I have a pretty good Idea." She said dangerously. "I'm trying to harm the cowardly midget under the pile of bricks to your left." She nodded at Shin, who was indeed, under a pile of bricks. "You're on that list too, and I don't really care who goes first."
Kibito looked down at the blue girl with disbelief. "Y-you wouldn't dare." Though he wasn't confident in his statement.
"Watch me." She raised her fist and was about to smash it into Kibitos face, but her original target drew her attention.
"W-Wait!" *cough* Shin rose up from the rubble. "You must listen to me. We are losing valuable time." Zangya tossed the red man aside and stalked toward her primary target. "I don't listen to hypocrites. You make us promise to not interfere and what do you do? You bind Gohan with a technique and let him get stabbed. Now what does that sound like to you? Because to me, it sounds like interfering. Me on the other hand? I promised to not interfere in the match, and what do you know, I didn't. Looks like I keep my promises. Now," She grabbed Shin by his neck and pinned him against the wall and cocked her fist back. "You have 5 seconds to explain why I should listen to you, or I promise, I will punch a hole through your head."
"I-I am the Supreme Kai!" Shin's revelation shocked… well no one really. Piccolo had been feeling some strange presence from him, now it made sense. Vegeta didn't care and was rather impressed by Zangya's brutality. Zangya herself… "Four seconds."
"Please! We are here on a mission of utmost importaKak!" He coughed as she squeezed harder.
"You're still not telling me anything. I'll make this clear. Tell me exactly what this mission is, and I might let you live." Years of marauding with Bojack had certainly left its mark on Zangya. She may be goofy and fun loving, but when it was time to be serious, she was deadly serious. This was one of those times. "Three seconds." Kibito tried to come to his master's aid, but Zangya switched her arm from a cocked back position, to charging a ki blast aimed at Kibito. "I'll make it two for one, I don't care. 2 seconds."
Piccolo wasn't sure what he should do. He was torn between his reverence for the Supreme kai, and the anger he shared with Zangya. Luckily, he didn't need to choose. Right when Zangya said '1' Gohan and Goku came in. "Zangya stop!" Goku yelled. This pulled her attention away from her targets and towards the father, son pair. She saw Gohan looked weak, and without another thought, dropped Shin and Kibito and ran towards him. "Gohan! are you ok!?"
"Yeah, just a little annoyed." Gohan said.
"Oh, Hera! You're bleeding!" Gohan tried to act like it was nothing, but she wasn't having it. Meanwhile Goku went over to help the supreme kai up. "You ok Shin?"
He coughed a few times while rubbing his throat but nodded that he was fine. "Kibito, perhaps you could see to Gohan, so we can be on our way." Kibito hesitated. He didn't care for mortals so far, but his desire to obey his master won out over his dislike. He walked over cautiously to the Hera and half Saiyan. "Allow me to help." He offered but Zangya fixed him with a death glare.
"We don't need your help." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her senzu been. "Here Gohan, take this."
"Zangya, that's yours, you should keep it. You might need it later." Gohan refused.
"Well, you need it now and you already gave yours away, so take it." She ordered. When Gohan still looked reticent, she adopted a look that would make Chichi proud. "Look, either you take it, or I find out if these things work the same when they're shoved in another hole. It could be your nose, but I wouldn't count on it."
Faced with this argument, Gohan decided to compromise. "Look, I really am fine. It's only a flesh wound." He gestured to the wound in his side, which a small, yet steady stream if blood was flowing from. Zangya growled and Gohan continued. "But if it will make you feel better, I'll take half." Zangya accepted this and broke the been in half and gave it to Gohan. He swallowed and he was made good as new again.
"Now, that that is taken care of, we must hurry!" Shin stated with urgency.
"We must do nothing!" Vegeta corrected him. "If you want to leave, that's just fine. I came here for a tournament."
"Aw, C'mon Vegeta, there will be lots of strong guys to fight where we're going." Goku coaxed.
"Actually dad, I agree with Vegeta. You haven't even told us what this is all about. Is it really that important?" Gohan asked. The senzu bean may have restored his energy and healed his physical wounds, but he was still a little sore that his dad allowed him to get stabbed without at least telling him beforehand.
"I can promise you, that all will be revealed on the way, but we must hurry!" Shin was losing his patience.
Gohan still looked thoughtful. "What do you think Zangya." He turned to look at his friend.
She glared at Shin. "I think they have a funny way of asking for help. But…" She looked softly at Gohan. "I'll go along with whatever you choose rice ball."
"Gohan, this is really important, I promise." Goku said. Still not convinced, Gohan turned to Piccolo. "Mr. Piccolo?"
Piccolo nodded. "If the supreme Kai himself has come, then it really must be a big deal."
Gohan nodded. "Alright, we'll go."
"GRAH! Well, if the brat and the blue one are leaving then I might as well go too. No point in a tournament with no one to fight!" Vegeta bellowed.
One by one, the Z fighters took off, led by Shin and Kibito. They were almost joined by another member.
"Zangya!" Broly yelled as he joined them in the sky. "What's going on?"
"I don't know, we're going to head out for a while on some mission thing."
"Should I come too?" Broly asked, wanting to be of service.
Zangya considered his offer. Then she looked at Chichi and Goten and made up her mind. "No, I don't think you need to come, it's probably nothing anyway. But could you do me a favor and watch out for Chichi and Goten? You know, just in case." Zangya didn't think that whatever this mission was would be a big deal, but she still felt uneasy for some reason. Having someone like Broly look after her loved ones would be a load off her mind. The giant Saiyan nodded and Zangya hugged him. "Thanks, big guy. I owe you one!" Then she flew off to rejoin the others.
Break
"So, what is this mission that's so important that I had to be used for bait without my consent? At least that's what I'm assuming my role is in this, based on the facts so far." Gohan said conversationally, doing well to keep his bitterness out of his tone.
"I apologize for putting you in harms way." Shin said as they flew toward their destination, following the energy signature of Videl. "You must believe me that it was a necessary risk in our plan."
"We are all ears." Zangya said.
"You see, those three were sent to the tournament not by chance, but by an evil wizard named Babidi."
"To collect energy, right?" Gohan asked and Shin nodded. "Makes sense." He shrugged. "What better place to collect energy than at a tournament to determine the strongest in the world."
"Indeed." Shin agreed. "But his true purpose was not merely to collect energy. He wishes to use that energy to resurrect a monster so powerful that, should he succeed, he will bring a bout the doom of the entire universe.
"Ok, first thing." Zangya held up a finger. "If you want to prevent this monster from being reborn, why would you risk them getting energy from Gohan of all people. I mean, can you imagine what would have happened if they had managed to get all his energy? This monster would probably be alive right now."
Shin considered this. "It was necessary for them to retrieve the energy so that they could return to their hidden base and we could follow them. As for why Gohan was the target, that was not our choice, he was chosen by the girl who serves Babidi."
"Still, I think your plan has a bunch of holes in it." Gohan said. "For example, I don't mind putting my life on the line, but I like to know that I'm doing it. You didn't tell me this plan and, had I killed all of them, or stopped the Videl, or not gone super Saiyan, or blown up the energy vessel, your plan would have failed. I would have done those things too, if dad hadn't stopped me in time." The teen pointed out. To be honest, that was something that Shin had not taken into account.
"Also," Zangya decided to add her two cents. "There are other ways. You could have simply captured them and interrogated them. Don't tell me the supreme kai doesn't have mind powers. Or, better yet, you could have done nothing."
"Does your insolence know no bounds!?" Kibito reprimanded. "He is the Supreme Kai, and yet you mortal children badger him with pointless scenarios. Now you suggest that he do nothing!? What would that have accomplished aside from letting the threat roam free?"
"Well, tobiko, if you two had done nothing, then the bad guys wouldn't have gotten the energy they needed would they." Zangya asked rhetorically. "They certainly wouldn't have gotten any from Gohan without your interference. Even if they tried, they would have failed and then they would have blown their chance and would have to beat a hasty retreat and you could have followed them then."
"That-That is possible." The supreme kai felt supremely foolish. Had he really endangered the life of a boy for no reason?
"Or" Gohan Continued from where Zangya left off. "if they had not attacked me, then they would still have had to go back to their base at some point. You could have just kept an eye on them until they did just that."
Zangya decided to finish the argument off. "I mean, Dende has only been the guardian of earth for a short while and he can still see pretty much anything that goes on anywhere on the planet, not all at once mind you. But you're the supreme kai, which is basically the guardian of the universe, shouldn't you be able to keep track of three thugs with Ms on their forehead at the very least?"
Shin was speechless. They were absolutely right. He was a failure. It took him all this time to find Babidi and he only came up with a plan that two teenagers where tearing apart? He shook it off. There was no time for lamentation. He needed to focus so that Babidi was not successful.
Zangya decided that she and Gohan made their point and asked her second question. "So, what kind of monster is this anyway?"
Shin narrowed his eyes. "Its name… Is Majin Buu."
End chapter.
A/N: So, what do you think of the cheer squad? I thought it was pretty funny, but I'm the one writing so I have a bias. Sorry to those who love Zangyas fun personality, but it's going to be dialed back for a few chapters. Things are getting serious. Gohan might be having some trust issues with his dad. being stabbed will do that to ya.
I know in the anime the energy stealer thing didn't make Gohan bleed, but it is a sharp thing that they stabbed into him. I think he would have bled. Also, I think everyone knew that Videl wasn't going to be able to do anything against Gohan. Sorry if you were expecting something more. now the real mystery is, gid Gohan actually kill the two bald boys? who knows. Thanks for your support and for reading. Until next time.