"Hey, wait up!" Gohan shouted, but gale force winds stole his words and 18 was already too far. She was a shrinking dot among the clouds, approaching the east horizon over the ocean. She was so fast! Faster than he had thought possible for an android. Faster than Android 16. He was about to lose her.
He had no choice.
A burst of anger, a single trigger memory—Father's sacrifice—was all he needed. The energy of Saiyan legend exploded from deep within heart. Clouds lit up with his golden aura. The passage of time seemed to dilate. Everything looked sharper and more vivid; he could see further and hear better and sense the energy of sea life far below the waves. 18 was a tiny insect on the horizon, and he easily caught up in less than a minute.
She glanced back, smiled, and suddenly swerved downward in a spiral toward an archipelago. She decelerated smoothly, landed on a lagoon's crescent beach. The water here was turquoise and pink in places where coral was thick. Palm trees were ripe with coconuts. The air was sweltering, the brighter sun directly overhead. They were at the equator.
"You've decided to go blond," 18 said, approaching him. She laid a hand on his head and ran fingers through his hair. "You look very cute." This was the first time she saw him like this.
He was sure he was blushing, but he couldn't tell thanks to the burning heat radiating from the sand. He was sweating under his shirt. "Thanks. This form is called a Super Saiyan."
She chuckled. "I know what it's called. It just doesn't seem very super. Tell me, exactly how much stronger are you now compared to before?"
For once today, this was a question he had a precise answer to: "A few years back, Bulma and I did research on the transformation with Vegeta. It's a constant fifty times multiplier of our normal state energy. Forty-nine point seven eight to be exact."
18's head tilted ever so slightly. "So you're fifty times weaker while you have black hair?"
"That's not a wrong way to put it."
"What if someone sneaks up and kills you? It'd be smarter to stay blond all the time, don't you think?" 18 almost frowned. Concern?
Gohan smiled widely. "That's similar to what my dad said, so we trained to stay in Super Saiyan all the time without having a toll on our energy or emotions."
"Is this why Trunks and Vegeta were in such bad moods after they transformed?" She was asking about Trunks from the future.
"More or less, and the Trunks you saw isn't with us anymore. He was—"
"I know he was from the future." 18 again ran fingers through Gohan's hair. "So why not stay blond?"
"Well… it still drains a tiny bit of my energy, and I can't maintain it through my sleep either."
"How many days can you go before you tire out?" She seemed genuinely curious.
Gohan's eyes wandered as he recounted. "I'm not sure, but I can probably stay like this for three months straight. The longest Dad and I went for was about a month leading up to the Cell Games."
"And fighting Cell tired you out?"
"Yeah."
"I see." Her eyes closed for a second. She exhaled through her nose. Her stance shifted. Her expression was fierce. She threw a punch, left hand uppercut.
He flinched backward with millimeters to spare. "Wha—"
A second punch, right hand swing.
He twisted on his back foot and jumped away, but not before her knuckle clipped the corner of his ear. He was barely faster. "Hey, what was that for? What's wrong? Did I say something?"
Dropping out of fighting stance, she flicked hair out of her eye. "I don't believe it."
He also stood straight. "Believe what?"
"I don't believe you defeated Cell. You're not much faster than Vegeta was when he fought Cell. Although speed isn't everything, it's a good measure, and you're both Saiyans. Am I wrong?"
Instant relief cooled Gohan's blood. His heart stopped drumming. His flaming golden aura dimmed and subsided, but he remained transformed. "If you wanted to know, you should've just asked. The truth is, there's another transformation above Super Saiyan. You can call it Super Saiyan Two. I haven't done any research, though I'd say it makes me over twice as fast and twice as strong. It was actually a close fight after my arm got injured. Vegeta's energy blast distracted Cell long enough for my Kamehameha to overpower Cell's."
Without pause, 18 asked, "How was your arm injured?"
"After Cell killed Trunks, Vegeta went berserk. I had to take a blast for him or he would've also died." Recalling these memories weren't as painful as Gohan had thought. The pain had long dulled. The memories had faded. Hearing the screams, seeing their wounds, was like looking through a glass of murky water. Everyone was fine now. Everyone minus Father, and he was likely fine anyway in the afterlife. Everyone, including Gohan, had moved on.
18 was staring at him, her face unreadable. "So?"
"So… what?"
"Are you going to show off your next transformation?" She almost sounded like she wanted to fight for real.
His eyes dropped to the sand. His aura had blown a shallow crater. "I don't think I should. When I transformed, the whole Earth shook. Piccolo said there were little earthquakes everywhere. I don't want to cause a panic."
"Yet it'll only make you twice as powerful."
"Uh…" He scratched his head, trying to come up with something understandable. "When Dad first transformed into a Super Saiyan, he caused lightning storms and wasted a lot of energy. It was similar for me, but after I trained in the form, I could transform without wasting much energy. If I start training, there would be earthquakes for months, and… And my mom doesn't want me to train. She wants me to focus on my studies." He didn't want to mention the Time Chamber. That place was more for emergencies, and he had only a year left in there.
18 slowly walked to him. She lightly gripped her hip. "You really do care about the people of Earth, Gohan. You're not like Vegeta and Trunks." She clearly didn't know Trunks very well.
"Yeah." He smiled warmly.
"Do you want to know what I think?"
He met her gentle silvery-blue eyes. "What?"
"You should resume your training now. Have you already forgotten our visit from Lord Beerus? And Majin Buu? Hmmm?" she asked with a condescending inflection.
He had been trying to not think about that since he had decided to follow her instead of flying to the Lookout. "I haven't, but how strong were they?"
"I told you," she said, leaning to his ear, "they were hundreds if not thousands of times stronger than I. I wouldn't be surprised if they were greatly holding back."
A power that great was unfathomable. "Are you sure?"
"I am." A third time, she ran fingers through his hair. "Remember, I posses a puny amount of their primal energy. Despite all of Whis' smiling, I had the feeling that they didn't approve. What if they change their minds and come back for me? You wouldn't want to see me die, would you?"
"What? No, of course not." Gohan felt as if he were punched in the stomach. "But how do you know? They seem like good guys."
"Woman's intuition. Trust me, if I were any more powerful, that meeting would've proceeded very differently."
He looked at her quizzically. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Dead serious.
Then maybe Beerus wasn't a good guy. But not evil either. Somewhere in between. This would explain Piccolo's behavior, so Gohan chose to believe 18 for now. "Okay, Okay, I trust you. But what do you suggest?"
18 had a solution ready: "You and your friends have space ships, don't you? Go to another planet. I heard that's what Vegeta's been doing."
"Whaaat?" Gohan waved his open palms in denial. "I can't do that. Mom would kill me. I need to study to become a professor of biology one day."
18 didn't look impressed, but Gohan couldn't quite tell what she was thinking. She asked, "It means that much to you? How much do they pay professors?"
He didn't have an exact figure on hand. "Quite a bit, but nowhere near what you make."
"So why a professor?" She gracefully turned and picked up her backpack. Out came a rolled-up blanket and folded parasol. With her extended palm, she blew a wave of energy, compacting an area of sand, then began setting up a spot for sunbathing. "So? Why a professor? By your strength, you could be like Hercule, except not a fraud. He stole all your credit for destroying Cell. Do you know?"
It took Gohan a long moment to think logically. "I know, and for Mom, I don't think it's just about the money. She's from the countryside. I guess she'd like the respect I'd bring to the family if I become a professor at a prestigious university. I'd like that too." As the words left his mouth, it made complete sense.
"Would you really?" 18 said disdainfully.
"Why not? I could help a lot of people by discovering a scientific breakthrough."
She glanced over her shoulder at him for a second. Her android eyes looked bored. "Well, I hope whatever breakthrough you discover will help against Majin Buu, assuming we're not dead by then. However, you can at least improve your stamina by staying blond for as long as you can."
He was about to speak but realized the only counterargument was Mother's dislike for the form. He could convince her to allow it without too much drama. He nodded. "Okay, I agree with you, 18."
"Good." She partly unzipped her track suit jacket. "Excuse me, are you going to watch me undress?"
A naughty part of his brain made him joke: "Of course, I am. It's why I'm here. Hahaha." His laughter was awkward, because that was in fact the truth. He would be at the Lookout otherwise.
She said, "Fine." She took off the jacket. Underneath, she was wearing a blue tank top a size too small.
That took him off guard, almost throwing him off balance. "Wait! Are you serious?!" His voice was high pitch.
"Enjoy, Gohan." She subtly winked and pulled the tank top over her head. Her bra was flowery black and partly see-through although not as revealing or suggestive as her white bikini top from the magazine. Her pearly skin had a sweaty sheen, making her glow. She put the jacket and tank top away into her backpack… then took out the exact same white two-piece bikini!
Jaw dropping, Gohan's heart skipped a beat. This is the luckiest day of my life!
18 unzipped her tack pants. Her hips wiggled as she pulled them down, revealing matching black panties, and, most importantly, her nice thigh gap.
Saliva pooled in Gohan's mouth. He swore he just had a nosebleed. His right leg moved on its own, a step toward the supermodel, toward his rightful prize for defeating Cell.
Suddenly his left pocket vibrated, buzzing a harsh tune, and 18 froze. His global communicator. Only Bulma and his mother had his number, and Bulma most likely wasn't calling. What a perfect time for an interruption—again. God damn. Today was both the luckiest and unluckiest of his life.
18 drawled, "Are you going to answer? It could be important."
Gohan inwardly screamed. On the seventh buzz, he pressed the answer button: "Hello, Gohan speaking."
"Gohan, where have you been?!" Mother shouted so loudly that 18 could probably hear. "I've been worried sick! You said you were going to be home within two hours! And what time is it now?! Why didn't you call?! Are you wasting time playing with your pet dinosaurs again?! Gohan, are you listening?!"
"Everything's fine, Mom," Gohan meekly said. "I— I wanted to explore Hercule city. It's my first time here. I don't want to get lost on my first day at Orange High."
Five seconds of earth-shattering silence passed. Mother calmly said, "Did I hear you right? Were you accepted?"
"No, no. Not yet. They'll call me by the end of the week."
"Then why are you wasting time?! Get back here and start working on your reapplication in case they decline! Hurry up, or you're grounded, mister!"
He said in a wobbly voice, "But— But I still need to… see Hercule City Lake."
Meanwhile, 18, still in her black underwear, was smugly sneering at him with her arms crossed.
Mother roared, "How can you ever get lost in a lake?! Use your brain, Gohan. Sometimes you are dumber than your father! Come home this instant!"
"But—"
"No buts! And pick up the clothes I ordered for Goten on the way. Bulma has the package." The call ended.
Gohan immediately pocketed the communicator, trying to play it off as though nothing happened. "Uh, are you going to change into your bikini, 18?"
She looked away. "I must've misheard, but it sounded like your little brother needs new clothes."
"Oh, come on. He can wait."
"I'm disappointed at how little you care about your family, and my mood's been killed." She slightly scowled at him. "Leave me."
He was tempted to keep trying but instinct urged him to not badger her. "Alright, see you later, 18."
"Later, Gohan." Her tone hinted something more, a good sign.
His golden aura ignited, and he took off into the skies, flying north-west toward West City. He hadn't seen Bulma and Trunks in months. And maybe Vegeta knew something about Beerus. Gohan's speed doubled at the thought.