A/N: Another chapter. Yeay. It's been a while, hasn't it? Way longer than I planned.
Also, happy one year anniversary to me. (Though it was a while ago.)
This fanfic is now over a year old.
One full year.
Where has the time gone? And my free time in particular?
Oh well, I hope it will live up to expectations.
To the people complaining about Erasa and Sharpner: Yeah, I admit, they do distract a bit more from the story than I originally intended. But I've listed them as main characters alongside Videl and Gohan for a reason.
And many people have expressed their love for that part (seriously, thank you all for your support :D), so I guess it's just a matter of how invested one is in them, and personal taste.
As for them distracting from the story, well…
To Tellemicus Sundance: The two of them are (finally) on their way to Gohan's. Unfortunately, the pace of this story makes molasses look like a running river.
So, it'll be the next beat on their story. When that happens, I can't promise.
I swear, I'm not doing this on purpose.
To Warlord Gohan 2: Thank you for the positive feedback. It's always such a joy to read what people like about this story. It really motivates this writer.
Same goes for everyone else who took the time to leave me a review. Thank you all.
About Gohan, and there being little of him in this story: I've noticed myself as well, but unfortunately, even though I also kinda want to see him doing more stuff, there isn't much for him to do yet. Well, nothing that wouldn't make him OOC, or heavily disrupt the story.
Chapter 15
Fall
Videl was sitting on her cloud, trying to find a signal with her little battery powered radio. It crackled and popped, but that's not what she was looking for. This radio was her only connection to the rest of the world. It was always a one-sided connection, but that's all she could have.
The clouds below her flashed white before a deafening crack flooded her ears with the roar of thunder. The radio squealed with a high pitch ring as all signals were replaced with the electrical waves of the storm. Huffing in annoyance, she flipped the power switch and threw the radio down at the golden cloud. Her eyes widened in worry before she realised that the radio was indeed being held safely in place by the cloud.
She let herself fall back onto the cloud so that she was looking up at the blue sky. It was a bit surreal to hear thunder and see lightning, yet feel no rain, just the sunlight. It just added to the beauty of nature. From her viewpoint, the storm was just white clouds moving and twisting far below her.
She blessed her decision to fly above it after all. Up here she was dry and relatively warm.
If only she could get her damned radio to work. After fleeing from the last town, she had a lot on her mind. Thoughts she would rather not have. Chased out like some criminal. No not even that, like some dangerous animal. 'Why do I have to run?' She asked herself.
Again, more out of frustration at her situation than the thing itself, she bashed the radio. It clicked back to life but still only gave her static, with hits of music thrown in occasionally. She was simply too high up. There was no signal here.
So, she turned it off once more and sighed. Another flash went off below her, followed by a thunderous echo. It was the only sound up here. There was nothing else. No wind, no birds…
No people. She was alone.
Videl looked up at the crystal-clear sky. Where was everyone? How were they doing? How was her father doing? She had not heard from him since the call, only caught bits and pieces, just enough to know something had happened but had no idea what.
Was he even still al… around?
And what about her two 'friends'? Were they even still friends? Aside from her father, they were the people she had been the closest to. She hoped they were not harassed for it, even if they had denounced her.
Why did they do that? Did she really mean that little to them?
She drew in her legs, hugging them with her arms, and buried her face in them.
And Gohan.
For what she was sure would not be the last time her mind went back to the boy. The image resurfaced before her eyes. That time he arrived to save her, so full of rage. And afterwards, when he had nothing but kindness and concern.
How she wanted to see him again. If only to apologise. Even after he had saved her, brought her to a safe place, and even shared some of his knowledge of energy with her, she never even thought of apologise to him.
She had mistreated him so many times. So many times he would have been justified to leave her to rot. She would have left her. But he didn't. She was ashamed that her heart seemed to want so much more from him. "Gohan, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
With her face covered and her mind lost in thought, she failed to notice the small figure that had begun stalking her from the clouds.
Bulma sipped from her cup of coffee. It wasn't nearly as strong as she would have liked. She was sitting at her table. On the other end this nutcase was ranting on and on about why Gohan was the embodiment of evil and had to be either put in a lab to be studied or put down.
It was in one of the many rooms in Capsule Corp, ironically the last time she was here was when she had a word with Hercule Satan.
How did she get herself into this? Just this morning someone showed up to accuse her of being in cohorts of the Golden God, which shocked absolutely no one. Bulma hadn't exactly been trying to hide that little fact. She figured the only reason she hadn't been questioned sooner was because she was already known to be intimidating towards the media. Plus no one wanted an angry golden god breathing down their necks. News broke earlier that the homes of those two friends of his were destroyed, and there was damn near a manhunt for the individuals responsible.
It would seem that the shareholders got wind of her association with Gohan as well, and along came this piece of work. Oh boy, he did not disappoint. Some kind of aristocrat, with lots of money to his name. Bulma had met him many times in meetings and such, but for the life of her couldn't remember his actual name. People like him were something of an unavoidable fact of life. She met a lot of people and couldn't remember everyone's name. Though in this case, it may have been intentional.
Now this guy was trying to prove Gohan was not a god. He was right - even if he didn't know it himself, but his reasoning was completely wrong. At least he had the courtesy of requesting a private discussion, rather than drag it out through the media, which was something.
"At least Hercule gave to the poor, and used his money to help those in need. Meanwhile Gohan just sits on his money." The man moved on to his next argument before she could respond. "What has Gohan ever done for the world, hm?" He pulled up one eyebrow as if daring Bulma to prove him wrong.
"Gohan just got that money, and he only has the sum, no actual income." She replied calmly. Though she did wonder how that got out. As far as she knew it was handled behind closed doors. "That argument literally relies on everyone ignoring that the money donated to 'the savior of the world' was rightfully Gohan's to begin with. I know he gave a lot of money to charity, but I believe it was mostly out of guilt. It's easy to give away money that shouldn't be yours. Besides, are you really suggesting that Hercule donating money to charity means that he contributes more to society than Gohan does?"
"I did not say that." The man replied.
"And another thing." Bulma wasn't done yet. "While Hercule donated to charity, Gohan faced down a genocidal maniac. At the age of eleven he was forced into a life or death grudge match with the fate of the world at stake. And it wasn't even the first time his family had to go through that. What has Gohan done for us? Ask any random worshipper, and they'll give you a list."
"But he could have done so much more." The man argued. "Those people who helped during the flood proved that. He could have come out ages ago, and help make the world better."
"You don't count stopping Cell as making the world better?"
"I did not say that." The man repeated.
"Then what do you say?" Bulma became irritated at his roundabout talking. "Because you're talking on and on, and I have yet to hear anything reasonable."
The man furrowed his eyebrows in anger, but whatever sharp reply he had, he swallowed it. Vegeta may not be in the room, but he had made an appearance before the talk and gave a rather unsubtle reminder that he would be watching, and would not tolerate any disrespect.
Did Bulma abuse that little fact? Yes. But this man was asking for it.
That said, she'd rather that not be necessary. Things tended to get… complicated when Vegeta gets involved. Plus the stakes were higher now. If he were to get involved, then he would certainly be recognized as the fighters at the cell games. Somehow the public still hadn't made that connection.
Or they had, and they just knew better than to say anything. Hard to say these days. On other hand, Bulma had always made a point of keeping business and private separate. And even when Trunks went out on live TV, he had the sense to remain transformed and not to say his name. A good call, especially for an eight-year-old kid.
Bulma was pretty sure Trunks had not been recognised since there was a lot public speculation going on about that one, the most common theory being that he was Gohan's brother. The second theory was that he was Gohan's son. Those people clearly had not been paying attention to either of their ages.
Or just ignored that discrepancy. People tend to ignore facts that they don't like.
Take this guy for example. He was still thinking of a reply.
"Well, I want Gohan to contribute to our society." He then stated carefully. "We all have to do our part, so why wouldn't he? If he wants to be a part of this world, he will have to follow our rules."
"Part of our world?" Bulma repeated. "More like, wishes to grace us with his presence."
"And what is that supposed to mean? Do you think his presence is some kind of blessing?"
"Since you seem to be so dense, I'll spell it out for you. Gohan doesn't need the world, it is humanity that needs Gohan." She stated harshly. And regretted it instantly. No, she was wrong, and she knew it. This went directly against what Gohan himself had said earlier, in his interview with King Furry.
"Before I revealed myself, the world had an unprecedented era of worldwide peace and prosperity. You don't need us, humanity is perfectly capable of looking after itself."
"Oh, really." And there it was, that sly smile that did not bode well. "Your would-be god seems to disagree with that himself."
"That's different." She replied, just to give herself a little more time to think. "Gohan was talking about people with superpowers having to police the world." She continued. Yes, that was it. "I'm talking about protecting the world of threats of Gohan's calibre. Unless, of course, you think that Gohan isn't as powerful as he is made out to be."
She smiled slightly at herself for that last one. As weird as it sounded, Gohan was actually even more powerful than his worshippers claimed.
After all, the power Gohan showed was just raw, unfocused energy, and he wasn't even going near full throttle.
When he wields and focuses his full power, he's in a completely different league. At least, if Vegeta was any measure to go by. And Bulma was pretty sure Vegeta had surpassed Gohan. Gohan himself even admitted someone was stronger than him, and there weren't a whole lot of candidates for that position.
She could barely repress a smile of pride.
"Well?" The man asked, raising his eyebrows. He had obviously just asked a question.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She nearly shot colour in embarrassment. "I was a little distracted for a moment there."
"Really, you ask me a question, and then you don't even listen to me when I reply?" He asked, a clear irritation in his voice. To be fair, that was pretty rude of her.
"I'm sorry, I've been having a lot on my mind lately." She smiled slightly. That was an understatement. But this guy was sent by the investors, so pissing him off might not be such a good idea.
"I said, whether or not that was Gohan's full power is irrelevant, because it is not his strength I question, it is his position."
Bulma blinked. Wow, she had to admit, that was actually pretty solid.
"So I asked." The man continued. "Do you think it is fine for him to have all that power, and then just stand back and watch?"
"Why not?" She replied, having regained his bearings a little. "It is his power, why should he? He owes the world nothing."
"He lives in this world." The man continued. "That makes him a member of this world. And that means he has to conform to our laws."
"This isn't about that, is it?" Bulma questioned. "What you want is for Gohan to use his powers do whatever you want him to do."
"Of course." The man nodded. "We all have our obligations, and Gohan is no different."
Bulma took a deep breath. As much as she had told herself not to say Gohan was a deity, nor say he wasn't either. She really felt the urge to point out his alien blood, if only to simplify things. But she knew that it definitely wouldn't.
"What about you?" She returned. "It's awfully hypocritical of you to claim that Gohan should be condemned because he is not constantly using his power for the greater good, but don't you have a lot of money? I'm pretty sure that could have more noble uses than just sitting in your account, couldn't it?"
"Says the richest woman in the world." He shot back.
"I am not the one sitting there and making those claims, you are." She pointed out. "So, why aren't you?"
"Why would I?" He returned. "I worked for my money. I earned my money the hard way, unlike Mr Son, who intimidated people into giving him his."
Bulma scowled. "I would like to take this time to point out that all of that money, and more, was already Gohan's, and those people legally stole it from him." She protested. She nearly added that Gohan's power was earned through his own hard work, but that might imply too directly that his power may be attainable by anybody.
"And that makes it alright?" He did not give in. "I have a pretty long list of laws he has broken, up to and including manslaughter. And yet, instead of demanding his arrest, King Furry decorates him with medals!" Now he was really getting fired up. "He makes a travesty of our laws, of our society, of the very meaning of being Human, and people just bow and pray to him!" He slammed his hand on the table, making both coffee cups fall over and spill. "For years he did nothing! How many disasters could have been prevented if he had come out earlier? How many lives could have been saved? You can't sit there and tell me it is fine that he does nothing while there are people that he could be saving! How many people have died because of his inaction?!"
"You're not going out of your way to help people either." Bulma returned.
"I don't have powers."
"Pretty sure firemen and the likes don't have powers, but I don't see that stopping them." Bulma continued.
"Will you stop pointing to me?" He finally snapped. "This isn't about me, this is about Gohan and his inaction!"
Bulma scowled slightly. The guy could dish but clearly couldn't take. But fine, she'd play it his way. "Might I remind you that those powers have been disregarded as mere 'tricks' just a few weeks ago, and Gohan would have been scorned by the very people he was trying to save. In fact, if his run as Saiyaman was anything to go by, that's exactly what happened."
"Then you should have come out decades ago!"
"To do what? Polish your boots?" She reached the end of her patience. "You think that just because some people have powers, they should serve humanity?"
"If Gohan really is a god, let him prove me wrong!"
"Nice try, but that's not how it works." Bulma wagged a finger. "If he were a god, then he wouldn't have to do anything. Gods don't serve humans, humans serve gods, and gods grand them favours as it pleases them. And if he were not." Bulma went over to the other side of the argument, carefully choosing her words since Gohan technically wasn't human either. "Then he'd have the exact same right that all of us have. Unless you think that having those powers means he doesn't have the same rights of freedom, including freedom of choice and freedom of speech."
"That's very black and white." He back-pedalled.
"I'm sorry, but you are ignoring the root of the problem here." She decided to put her foot down. "Does Gohan have the freedom of choice, or does he not?"
"He is free to choose, but that does not mean he is free to do whatever he pleases. He has rights and duties, as does everyone else." He did not give up. "Freedom of choice is not freedom from consequences."
That… was a good point. Bulma reached out for her cup of coffee again and remembered it had just spilt and was empty. But it did give her enough time to think of a reply.
"So, does having powers automatically give him more duties than people who do not?" She questioned. "Does that somehow turn him into a trained professional who has made a certain oath?"
"No, but how hard would it be for him to become one?"
"Yeah, that's not going to fly, because we have a right to choose not to go into such a profession, as does Gohan." Bulma objected. "As for what Gohan did choose, he wanted to become a scientist. He did want to become a professional who would help people, not with his fist, but with his mind." Bulma summed up. She had been saving this one. Although, she was pretty sure Chichi was more than just a little involved in that particular goal.
Still, it was Gohan's choice, and strange as it might be, he has that freedom.
"So you're ok with him just going about killing people as he pleases?" The man crossed his legs. "Over four and a half thousand people died on one day, indirectly by his hands, and seven were killed directly. But hey, you're his buddy, so it's all fine and dandy."
And there it was, the one topic she had hoped to avoid.
"Power corrupts, Mrs Briefs." The man continued. "And this Golden God is far too powerful to be trusted. He is a man with a god-complex."
As per answer, the man got a coffee spoon flicked to his suit, giving it a brown stain.
"Who are you to sit there, and think you have to tell me who Gohan is?" She asked, now severely annoyed, angry and worried for Gohan as well. "You learned of Gohan's existence a few weeks ago, while I watched him grow for the last thirteen years. Do you think you need to lecture me?"
"Doesn't that make you biased?" He asked.
"And you are not?" She returned, having expected that one. "The only reason you even open your mouth is that you are scared of him."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You have this whole lecture ready about how Gohan is this great threat to society is because you came to the realization that he could wipe away everything you have with a flick of his wrist." Bulma started. "You got your own company going, build it from the ground up, if I remember right." Of course, she remembered right. She was going to have a hard time forgetting that part since he had spent way too long talking about himself at the beginning of their talk. "Years of work, gone in an instant. Well, you're not wrong. But unless you have done something like, I don't know, steal literal billions from under Gohan's nose, Gohan isn't the one you have to be afraid of."
"So you think it is right that he stole that money?" He asked, completely expected.
"I wished he had come to me first because that was not really a good way to go about it." Bulma neither said yes nor no. "But I suppose Gohan was just done with that whole mess and wanted to get it over with. I totally would."
"Really, you're approving of this?" He now concluded. "You will just let him do whatever he wants?"
"And what do you expect me to do?" She returned. "I can only advise him, in the end, it is his call."
"Oh yes, put the fate of the world in the hands of a teenager, what could possibly go wrong? It's not like this power could go to his head or anything."
Bulma opened her mouth but thought the better of it. And a small pause fell between them. It spoke volumes.
"Does it?" The man now asked. His demeanour had gone from annoyed and angry to more than a little frightened. For all his bark, he didn't seem to actually want to be right about that part. Unfortunately, he was, a little.
"As you said, power corrupts." Bulma said softly, choosing her words carefully. "Even someone as kind and gentle as Gohan can get drunk on power. And he's not exactly an example of grace under pressure either. He has his moments of… well, calling it weakness would be weird, all things considered."
"I don't understand."
"And that is the issue here." Bulma hooked in. "You do not understand. You don't know him. You do not see him the way I do. You only see the massive concentration of power and feel afraid, or envious, or maybe angry, or just small and helpless. What you don't see is the little boy that was so shy he was hiding behind his father's leg. Or the kid that risked his own life to save a total stranger without giving it a second thought. You didn't see him when he was glowing and telling me all about the miraculous wonders that were the average days of high school."
"You are letting your sentimental memories get in the way of seeing him as the monster he has grown up to be."
"A monster?" Bulma repeated. This one struck a nerve. "Just because he is different you brand him a monster? Would a monster risk his life to save the world?! Would a monster use his own life-source to save an entire city?!" She nearly yelled. She was no longer just talking about Gohan. She had a husband, and a son, with the same abilities, with the same bloodline.
"What else would you call someone who kills seven people without a hint of remorse?"
"A lie!" She returned. "Gohan does regret what happened both of those days, you know? He came to me right after the attack on Satan City, and a week later he had to spend several hours in solitude, just to calm himself. Gohan isn't the merciless monster you're trying to paint him as!"
"He isn't the innocent boy you think he is either!" He returned. "He is dangerous!"
"Gohan is not just a walking powerhouse!" Bulma argued. "He is a person! A teenager! With his own hopes and dreams, all of which he pretty much sacrificed for the sake of Satan City!"
"Gohan is only one person." He returned calmly all of a sudden. "Those four and a half thousand people had hopes and dreams as well. They didn't want to die! They had families, loved ones, who had to bury them afterwards! There were children among them! Where is their story? Where is their justice?! Just a few days ago he asked a question. Who gave you the right to judge in my name? Well, I ask him this. Who gave you the right to sacrifice those people at your whim?"
"Gohan did not sacrifice them!" Bulma argued. "If it were up to him, no one would have died."
"They died when Gohan blew away their jets with his winds."
"They crashed before Gohan even realized what happened." Bulma returned. "You ignore one little fact. There was a brief period between the actual start of the attack and Gohan's intervention. The entirety of Satan City is my witness here. First, they felt tired as their lives were drained away. Then not anymore, as Gohan compensated. I'll add that those further away were still left tired. Only afterwards, when the drain increased in strength in an effort to overpower Gohan, did the actual scene we all know to start."
"That is not a fact, that is just your excuse."
"Oh, then I suppose all the accounts of people surviving their crashes, who say that the winds and shaking only came afterwards were all hallucinating."
"But what about the N-Core building?" He went over on a different subject. "It collapsed under the wind and shaking and killed nearly three hundred people."
"That building had been declared structurally unsound two decades ago." Bulma happened to know. Well, she did a little digging on that one just after word of it had reached her ears. "It should not have been in use. And might I remind you that this was the only building that collapsed. The concrete was rotting. If it hadn't happened that day, it would have during some storm or something. If you want to blame someone, blame the guy who hid the reports and kept using the building anyway."
"He has been found dead in the rubble."
"I guess that makes him innocent, and you're free to blame Gohan for everything now."
"He is most certainly to blame for all the glass flying around."
"That was only at the epicentre, and no one actually died from the glass."
"The point remains, Gohan indirectly killed thousands and walks free. Even if he meant well, he acted outside of the law, and that is illegal for a reason."
"If he didn't those thousands would still have died, alongside all of the other millions that lived in the city." Bulma returned. "Get perspective!"
"That is just your word." He returned. "But this is getting nowhere, and I have better things to do than sit here and argue with you."
With that, he stood up and walked out without even bothering to give a proper goodbye.
Bulma uncrossed her legs and stood up as well. That was pretty pointless. Well, at least she got some solid points in and defused some arguments, so it was not a total loss.
Gohan was headed over Golden City. Damn, he still hadn't gotten used to that. Anyway, he was just flying over. He had spent the better part of the day in that new gravity chamber, much to Chichi's annoyance. His mother didn't like having a spacecraft in her backyard all of a sudden, and to be fair, it was a big eyesore.
It was at her urging that he decided to show his face in the city again. Remind the lowlifes that he was still around and all that. If there were any actual lowlifes left, that is. Any criminal with a brain had already left, and most good people had left as well.
He remembered looking down at the city on his first day of school. It was impressive, he was even a little daunted at just how many people were moving about down there. How was he ever supposed to fit in?
But now those busy streets were empty, and the silence had taken over. His city was a city of ghosts.
But not entirely. There were still people going about. Most in cars, but every now and again he saw some people walking down the street. Mostly in groups though.
He took a little detour to visit his old school.
Good grief, it felt weird to think of it that way. It had only been a few weeks. But so much had happened in those weeks, it felt like a long time. And either way, it indeed was his old school. He highly doubted he could come back here. Even if it hadn't been abandoned completely.
But, as painful as this was, he did see one upside. Now the common people know about his powers. Soon they will learn about energy. This will revolutionise every field of science and technology. And then, who knows?
Who is he to hold them back?
He smiled to himself. Was he being selfish? Well, maybe a little. He did very much look forward to the time where he could show his power without people fearing him, to no longer have to hide this part of himself.
As awful as this whole thing was, being able to show himself without a mask, it just felt so liberating.
Wandering about while in thought, Gohan had wandered to the track field. The place where he had jumped eight meters into the air to catch a ball, and thought that was normal.
Yeah, looking back, perhaps Videl being as suspicious of him wasn't all that strange.
He was brought out of his musings when he sensed someone in the air. A rather hostile someone he didn't recognise.
And whoever it was, they weren't alone. There were at least four people above him, one of which had clear killing intent, and was steadily rising in power.
Then a voice rang, a female one. "KIKOHO!"
The force of the technique hit him in the neck, the yellow light enveloping him, and tearing into the ground.
But Gohan had been tipped off and knew what was coming. Not that it was a threat to begin with. Still, he had time to summon an aura to protect his clothes from being damaged. When the dust settled, he stood in the middle of a deep square hole, on a small, lone, round pillar.
Only now did he look up. He wore a rather annoyed expression. Understandable for someone that had been attacked out of the blue. There were indeed four of them, wearing matching uniforms, yellow and green. Gohan recognised them immediately as Crane Students, even if they were too far away to make out the symbols on their clothes.
One of the four was being held up by a second one. This was also the one that had attempted the attack on him just now.
A small crackle came from beneath his feet, and the small, lone pillar collapsed under its own weight. But Gohan had seen enough, and casually ascended so he could come face to face with the four.
Three guys, one of whom was supporting the lone girl, who seemed to be out of breath. Not entirely unexpected, considering just how much that technique demands.
She didn't seem to want to be seen as weak, as she pushed off to fly under her own strength after only a few seconds. It kind of reminded him of Videl, who'd probably do the exact same thing in this situation, probably wearing the same annoyed face as well.
"You missed!" One of the guys said to the girl. "How could you miss, he was right in the middle of your attack?"
"I didn't miss, he just shrugged it off." The girl replied between two hard breaths.
"Great, now we have to deal with him the old fashioned way." A second guy complained. "I told you not to."
"What, afraid of him?" The girl asked him in a mocking tone, wearing the face to match.
"No, but the masters don't like the attention. Besides, we should be looking for the coward, not picking fights." He argued.
"Whatever, too late to turn back." The first guy shrugged.
Gohan was, very politely, waiting for them to finish their conversation. Every sentence they spoke was accompanied by a revelation. Their appearance here meant there really were energy users besides their little group. Their colours meant that Shen or Tao were still active somewhere. Or perhaps both were. They did speak of multiple masters.
The second guy poked the first one. "Hey, why is he just floating there?"
"Maybe he thinks he's being intimidating or something?" The girl replied to the guy.
"Is it just me, or does he look bigger than he did on TV?"
"Just you, man." The third guy finally joined the conversation. And intended to end it. "Fine, you people keep talking, I'll finish this myself! DODON!"
And just like that, the fight began. And ended. The Dodon was flung away with a simple backhand. The guy who fired flew in right afterwards, probably expecting him to dodge or block. But the guy backed off when he saw how easily his attack was pushed aside and rethought his charge.
The attacker swore loudly. "I thought he was supposed to be just raw talent with no skill." He addressed the others. Clearly, they had not done their homework. At this point, Gohan's connection to the Turtle School was blindingly obvious. Or did they think that Turtle Style was all force and no technique?
It didn't matter. The two guys held up their hands to their heads. At first, Gohan thought they were going to use Solar Flare, but then something different happened. Two men became four men.
Multi-Form. Gohan had to admit, he had not seen this one coming. These guys had to be pretty skilled to be able to use that. And Kikoho as well. But that meant that these guys had been training since before Gohan revealed his power.
That did not settle well with him.
The four attacked Gohan simultaneously, but since this technique divides one's power, and Gohan was way out of their league to begin with, the battle was short, with Gohan simply throwing them down into the ground. Using more force would be overkill, and he didn't want to hurt them if he didn't have to.
Lots of swearing, but it would seem it got the message across. Sure, the Golden God could bleed, but it wasn't going to be that easy.
"Well, well, well." The guy that had attacked him with a Dodon now smirked at Gohan. "It looks like you've actually got some bite to go with that bark. But don't think you'll get rid of us that easily. We will find that little friend of yours, and we'll show what happens to traitors. And after that, who knows, maybe it'll be our turn to be worshipped."
Gohan had no idea what that was about. Were they talking about Tien? Was Shen still salty about that? Sheesh, talk about holding a grudge.
"Come on, let's go." The girl announced, and lead by example as she flew off. The two men Gohan had just downed, who had undone their copies, shot him some nasty glares and flew off themselves.
For a moment, Gohan wondered if he should go after them, and take them in. After all, they had just proven themselves to be dangerous and committed assault, however futile it was.
Besides, Bulma was attacked by a rogue energy user. And Shen and Tao had a track record. So bringing them in would probably be a good idea.
But then what? They were energy users, they could just break out any place meant for normal humans. And he highly doubted anyone, including himself, felt much for playing prison guard.
There was another method for dealing with them, but Gohan wasn't willing to go that far. Sure, they were a potential danger, but they hadn't done anything to deserve to die.
'But what if they would go commit some crime, and hurt people?' He asked himself, but then shook his head. Anyone could commit a crime, that was not a reason to go persecuting people.
Besides, if it was Tien they were after, then Gohan wasn't worried about them. Tien could take care of himself. And Chiaotzu had grown tremendously as well.
So he took off, headed yet he did not head home. He was going towards Capsule Corp. Surely, Bulma would agree with him. A third option was needed to deal with other energy users. The choices right now boiled down to letting them roam free and do as they pleased, or start executing for minor things.
Bulma set down her warm cup of coffee. Everything just had to happen today, hasn't it?
"He's on his way here." Vegeta confirmed her thoughts. That was pretty obvious. It was also obvious what Gohan wanted.
Bulma took a quick gulp, feeling the hot liquid burn her throat. She barely had the time to grab herself a new cup when someone told her that Gohan was on TV, shot from pretty far away with a potato, but it was there anyway.
This long day was about to get even longer.
Bulma took her little break while she still could, sitting on her couch, with Vegeta standing next to her, arms crossed as usual. Come to think of it, since the attack that night he had been hanging around a lot more than usual.
Bulma didn't mind. Vegeta didn't know how to be open with his feelings, so he expressed his in a different way.
Soon enough Gohan arrived and greeted them with a wave.
"Let me guess." Bulma started. "You're looking for a way to deal with energy using criminals?"
"How do you know that?" Gohan was perplexed.
"You were on live TV just now, from far away with a really shitty camera, but it counts. I saw what happened. But I'm afraid I can't help you. I don't have anything to repress or restrain energy users."
"Oh." Gohan was taken aback by the fast refusal. As well as disappointed. "What about gravity pods?" He then asked.
"Gravity pods don't remove the actual energy, so it can be damaged easily. And there wouldn't be enough of them anyway, with only me and my father able to make them." Bulma smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, but right now I'm the only person in the world who researches energy. And even if I were to take in other people, it'll take years before we can get anything done. This field isn't even in its infancy yet."
"But there has to be a better way than letting them go." Gohan argued. "And I can't just kill them either."
This earned him a scoff from Vegeta. "You let them go after they attacked you? And you wonder why the humans dislike you? They only fear you a little. You're letting them think they can control you, and get away with attacking you!"
"Then what do you think I should do?" Gohan prompted Vegeta, probably the single worst person to ask advice of.
"Get rid of this god business." He declared. "Either that or go all the way to reinforce it. Leaving everything hanging will only give you more trouble."
"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right." Bulma found herself agreeing, to her own surprise. "This uncertainty is messing everything up even more."
"In order to explain we will have to tell the truth, which is fine by me, but that also means sharing about energy." Gohan summed quickly. "And that will probably mean criminals using energy. And since we don't really have a way of dealing with them…" He didn't finish his sentence.
True, it was quite the mess this was becoming now. Those Dragon balls were starting to look more and more attractive. And not just for cleaning up. That guy from earlier, he wasn't entirely wrong. Those people did die as a result of Gohan's actions.
But people die. Fights and accidents claim lives every day. Why should those people get to be revived, while everyone else was given no such thing?
Who were they to decide who gets to live again, and who doesn't?
Bulma gave Gohan a small smile. "Well, it's not out yet. We can wait until we are ready. When the world is ready. Until then, I guess we're just going to have to come up with something."
"I guess that's going to take a while." Gohan assumed. "I'd love to help, but I don't know how much use I'll be."
"You're a scientist, or at least an aspiring one, and an energy user. I think that makes you unique." Bulma could help but remark, which was pretty successful in making Gohan go beet red in embarrassment. That kid could not take a compliment. "I'll tell you when I got something." Bulma promised him.
"Thanks a lot, Bulma." He exclaimed and zoomed out of the house.
Bulma let out a small sigh as she watched him go.
"Why did you lie to him?" Vegeta asked.
"What?" She snapped around. "I didn't lie!"
"Just because he couldn't see through it doesn't mean I can't." Vegeta felt the need to berate her. "I know you could get something invented in a much shorter time. In fact, you could have done that a long time ago. And I doubt you never thought of it yourself."
Bulma rolled her eyes but also felt a little relieved. "Fine, you're right, I don't want to invent anything that could keep energy users contained."
"Why not?"
"Because most of the people I'm friends with are energy users." She replied promptly. "Because Trunks is one." She added, a little more quietly. And then nearly whispered. "Because you are. If I make something like that, and it is used against any of you, I'd couldn't live with myself."
Bulma was pacing back and forth in her lab. She wanted to focus on her work, but she kept thinking about what had been said today. All of it, but mostly the parts where Gohan expressed his need for a better way to deal with energy using criminals.
It was true, she had to admit that. Especially after she took a glance at the tv, which was again covering the attack on Gohan at his school, and added to it that people wearing similar clothes had been spotted flying all over the world all of a sudden.
Green and Yellow. Crane Students, and a lot of them.
They didn't really do anything, but that didn't really help ease the sudden worry of the masses. Gohan's actions were very fresh in their minds, and they might as well assume these people were just as strong.
Of course, they didn't know who they were either, and might just as well assume they were part of Gohan's group as well. After all, little intervention the Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Eighteen made had quite a lot of waves. They didn't know better.
Besides, just because those energy users were wearing the colours of the Crane School didn't mean they were evil. Sure, Shen wasn't exactly Mr Nice Guy, but Tien still called himself a Crane Style Martial Artist.
And it had been a long time, Shen might have turned over a new leaf.
Or he might not. And was training assassins with a power to rival his own, that is to say, strong enough to wipe out a town with one move.
Was she really going to wait for that to happen, and only then start on working on something to stop them? In the meantime, Gohan and the others would be limited to the choice of letting them run around, killing them, or playing jailor themselves.
Bulma sighed, still pacing in her lap. This was going nowhere. After all, it was exactly that line of thinking that, in her opinion, enabled the androids to run amok when they did, Cell going unnoticed, and eventually leading to the Cell Games. Perhaps she should look into something? Just because she had it didn't mean she had to make it public or even use it.
Ok, but how? This was something completely new. Like she had told Gohan earlier, this could take years.
If she was going to come up with something for the near future, it had to be based on something she already had.
Gravity pods were out of the question, for the very reasons she told Gohan.
Energy draining wristbands, necklaces, whatever? Tempting, but no, that would be too tricky. After all, everything had energy, and one needs energy to live, so draining too much would mean death. And not draining enough would mean that eventually, the target would build up energy reserves. It had to be very precise.
And that was still ignoring the changes in energy recovery. Like, people becoming sick, or changing to a more nutritious diet.
Simple nullifiers? How is that simple? First, she had nothing to base that on, second, the exact same problem as the draining idea.
A static field in which no energy could be used? Define 'used'. Movement requires energy. Living requires energy. The same problem yet again, and that is assuming such a field could be adjusted at all and wasn't simply an 'all or nothing' concept.
No, she needed something different, she was looking at this from the wrong angle. How about, instead of trying to weaken the energy user, she needed something that would be strengthened by energy, like a cell that just became stronger the more the user tried to power up.
No, not a cell, a suit. One like Vegeta's.
Bulma jumped into her chair, grabbed herself a pen and some paper and started writing furiously.
Of course, that was it. Rather than taking away the ability to use energy, simply make the user repress it by themselves. The materials Vegeta's armour was made of, the armour she made, they were incredibly durable, yet extremely flexible, yet would shatter rather than tear when under pressure. Almost as if it becomes harder, somehow.
That was a pretty basic concept. But, perhaps, if she could somehow make the material react to energy, basically becoming more solid the more energy the user used and eventually turning so hard the user could no longer move.
Basically, the user would have to restrain themselves, just to be able to move. For a second she wondered about them being able to breathe when powered up, since no, the suit wouldn't allow that, but then, if they stayed powered up long enough for that to become a problem, then they'd lose consciousness, and as a result, the power would go down again, and they'd breathe again. No worries there.
And the possibility for it to be used on her friends or family wasn't really a problem either since she knew the maximum strength of that material was nowhere near the strength required to restrain them. Hell, she could try to make it as durable as she could without a problem.
The world's most advanced restraining jacket.
Thunderous footsteps rang through the silence of the early morning, accompanied by the occasional deafening roar, an engine pushed to its limits and screeching tires. Erasa wildly steered left and right in her attempt to avoid the trees, while Sharpner just held on for dear life, hoping they were still going fast enough to outrun the T-Rex on their heels.
He reflected that whoever said that a T Rex could only run twenty miles an hour must have been measuring a fat asthmatic one with some heavy shopping. They had no idea where they were going anymore, just away from that massive dinosaur.
At one point Sharpner had started digging through Erasa's handbag for her pepper spray, and attempted to ward off the dinosaur with that, but only pissed it off even more.
Finally, after what felt like several hours, the two managed to get some more distance, and the T-Rex seemed to have gotten the message and gave up. Only for them to realise they had gotten off course, and off the road, and were now truly lost.
Needless to say, their first attempt of getting to Gohan's place was not very successful.
Bulma stepped through the halls of Capsule Corp. She fixed her hair a little and readjusted her clothes to be a little more appropriate. It wasn't her fault she was going to go to a meeting in her casual clothes.
She once again nourished a large cup of coffee, having been busy until deep into the night, and only had a few short hours of sleep as a result.
The stockholders of Capsule Corp had called her all of a sudden, practically demanding she'd come to a business meeting. She didn't even have time to change outfits.
Luckily it was only a small walk for her, as it was in the same building. But what was going on? And why was she called so late? If everyone was here, then they must have been called sooner.
Something was up, she just knew it. And she wasn't going to rest until she found out what it was. Even if she had to set Vegeta on anyone.
Ok, maybe she wouldn't go that far, but this was really getting on her nerves. Today had been a very taxing day already.
She clutched her papers to her chest. This was the very first time the stockholders had ever made a big fuss. Capsule Corp was one of the largest and most profitable companies, with assets all around the world, in places she never even knew existed or could pronounce.
Speeding her pace up to the point of nearly running, but not actually running since that would be undignified, she went to the conference room with a heavy heart.
Bulma entered the room so quickly she nearly kicked the doors open. But something was wrong. The doors echoed as the slammed open.
The room was nearly empty.
Only a couple of men sat at the table, hands crossed, looking deadly serious. They were all in their trademark black suits, adding to the dire atmosphere.
Quietly, or as quietly as she could with her shaking legs and rapid heartbeat, Bulma took place at the head of the long table.
"What is going on?" She asked. She looked around for a little bit. At the table was the man she had argued with yesterday, who was looking back at her, but he looked rather sad and worried more than anything else.
"We're not sure." One of the other men replied. "But just a few hours ago, the stock value of Capsule Corp has plummeted."
"That's it?" She asked, her annoyance fuelled by her exhaustion. "Just a little setback? And where is everyone else?"
"Gone." The man replied darkly. "Abandoned ship. Some have bought out several other shareholders, but many have simply left. But let me show you." He pulled out a remote and pressed a button. Bulma turned around, to look at the large screen that had appeared.
It showed her a graphic of Capsule Corp's value over the last few weeks. It had a little drop compared to the start of the week, but that was not much of a surprise. There were even some gains just a few days ago, so things were looking up.
Yet, right at the end, where yesterday crossed over into today, the line plummeted into nothingness.
The screen flickered, advancing to a new video. She could see factories burning. Capsule Corporation factories. Rioters throwing bricks at any remaining glass visible on the outside, machines spiraling out of control on the inside. Fire suppression systems were failing to keep up with the flames.
"Is this some kind of joke?" She asked, turning around.
"I wish it was, ma'am, I wish it was." Another man replied. "Just yesterday, while you were busy meeting with Mr. Akita, and felt the need to associate yourself with this 'Golden God', something started circulating the web." The man summed up quickly. He had put some nasty undertones of the Golden God part, showing his severe dislike. Of course, Bulma was well aware of the opinion of the shareholders about her defending Gohan, but she didn't give a shit about that. "People have been rioting at our facilities all night. Even the staff have sabotaged the plants themselves."
"Something started circulating the web?" She asked, sceptically, still not convinced of what was going on.
"A picture." The first man said, and pressed another button, making the screen change.
The sight of it made Bulma's breath hitch in her throat. After only a few seconds she collapsed to her knees on the spot.
It was a picture of her, Vegeta and Trunks, one of the very ever made of them in public. She even recognised it, as it was one of the even fewer made with permission.
It had her in the middle, Vegeta on her left, and Trunks on her right.
Next to the edge where Vegeta stood was another picture. A much older one, also of Vegeta, standing just before the ring of the Cell Games. He was wearing the Saiyan uniform she had made at the time.
Next to that was another of Vegeta, at the same time and place, but this time his hair was a brilliant gold.
And one more next to this picture. Again much older, but she recognised it. It had Vegeta in the armour with shoulder- and hip guards, standing just before Gohan, Krillin and Piccolo, alongside Nappa.
Beneath those pictures were just two words, in bright red, mass murderer.
But that was not all. Trunks had two pictures on his side as well. One of his older counterpart from the future, also taken at the time of the Cell Games. And one made only a short time ago, from what would have been Hercule's execution, starring Trunks in his usual outfit, and his hair standing up in blonde spikes.
"Clearly there is something you have not been telling us." Bulma heard one of the men's voices from what seemed to be so far away. She barely even noticed someone was talking to her, nor did she react to the rest of the people standing up and leaving the room. Her eyes were fixated on the screen, but they no longer saw it.
How could this have happened? How could her life have collapsed in on itself so suddenly?
Her greatest and most treasured secret was out on the streets.
Vegeta and Trunks had been recognised to be the same as Gohan.
And it had caused everyone to leave her company, all at once.
The company her father had built so carefully and entrusted to her had been ruined. In the span of just a few hours its shares had become worth less than toilet paper. Its infrastructure burning to the ground.
Capsule Corp was ruined.
End of Chapter
Thank you for reading, and thank MrChuckMan for beta-reading.
About the man Bulma talked to, I think he represents the hardest part of writing the story, for me as a writer. Because he is not a straw man. He has solid points and depending on your point of view, he can be right as well.
And that's what makes it hard. I am really trying not to pick sides, and paint one side as bad or wrong. There is no real wrong side (besides Babidi), only different opinions and viewpoints.
And I promise in the next chapter there will be a little more Videl.