A/N: Having Capsule Corp go belly up was a calculated risk.

But boy, did I fail the math...

Me, on the morning after I uploaded ch15: "I wonder how well it has done."

(Opens mailbox, finds about 30 messages, all from this website.)

Me: "Teehee, I'm in trouble."

Ok, jokes aside, I admit I could have done the way Capsule Corp went down better. Don't misunderstand, I don't regret doing it, merely the way I did it. But it is a learning experience now.

I'd like to thank everyone who gave me their thoughts and opinions. There have been a lot this chapter. It helps me both write this story and grow as a writer.

As for this chapter, it is something that I've been looking, and working, forwards to since chapter 4. That's 12 chapters. It felt like forever.

By the way, I am trying to cut back on chapter length. Therefore is my second longest chapter yet. (Critical Failure.)

Please, leave me a message of what you did or didn't like, of what you thought was good, or could have been better, or what you think will happen next.

And, above all, enjoy.

Chapter 16

Rebirth

Bob moved through the motions, his green and yellow outfit fluttering around his body as he went through his forms. They were so ingrained into his muscle memory that he was pretty sure he could do them in his sleep. That was the purpose of training, after all.

What was once tedious and gruelling work was now relaxing. As he moved, he dropped into something of a trance. His mind free to explore things troubling him, and process new events. Usually he wandered back to memories of his rough childhood. His father had been no friend. Yet this time, his mind went back only a few days.

That new recruit had turned traitor? The guy had barely gotten here, begging to be let in, and already chickened out. Of course, if he deserted this early, then he was never any good to begin with. But Master Shen was furious. He wanted the blonde back here. Now.

So, the Crane Students spent days looking for the new guy. Sharpner, that was his name. A buddy of the Golden God, as it turned out. How that had been overlooked was anyone's guess.

And that was probably why Shen was so angry. It turned out that the 'false god' was descendent of the Turtle School. The son of their star pupil - Son Goku - and the namesake of Son Gohan. It was known all too well that the Son family been causing problems for the crane school for decades. Perhaps even centuries, if there were even more generations of 'Son' students in the turtle school that he had yet to learn about. Their master never stopped complaining about it. He's been throwing curses around since the attack on Satan City. The day the Son family came back from the dead.

To think, the blonde twit was a friend of Son Gohan. It may as well have been a declaration of war as far as his master was concerned. Shen hated everyone remotely related to the Turtle school, even more than the Satan Style. To him, Satan Style was a nuisance to be stepped on. Turtle Style was an enemy to be eliminated.

Yes, eliminated. If he had known that joining the Crane Style would involve becoming a killer, then perhaps he wouldn't have been so eager to seek them out. Of course, he couldn't back out now. Shen didn't want his secrets to leak out. Even if this 'Sharpner' guy wasn't associated with the Turtle, he certainly signed his death warrant the moment he fled. And that guy was only a student for a single day. Just imagine what Shen and Tao would do if he decided to follow suit.

So stuck here he was. For now. It wasn't all bad. At least he didn't have to join the search, not yet having learned to fly. If he went on the search and came back without results… who knows what would happen?

While Master Tao led the hunt, Master Shen had remained here with a handful of the lower students, as well as those poor buggers who got ripped off. They were being used to do the housework. For free, one might add. And in return, Shen taught them a few tricks. A little light, a bit of flying, and he got himself some willing slaves.

Teaching them to get in contact with their energy was by far the hardest part. It could take weeks, if not months before any of them could become capable of even creating a tiny bulb of light.

And here the serious students were. The ones who actually had talent, firing Dodon Rays at each other and flying all over the place.

'If you train diligently, you might join them one day.' Shen had always promised. The liar. Those people were not given the necessary training to become serious students, Shen withheld that part on purpose.

He, himself, was really lucky to have joined the ranks of the real students.

He stopped his practice for a moment and glanced over his shoulder. There was another new student, and so soon after the last one had quit. This one didn't actually come to seek them out by themselves. One of the students looking for the traitor had come back with a potential recruit.

'You dare to come back without the Blonde Brat! Get back out there!' Shen was furious, at first. He had clearly instructed the search party not to return before Sharpner was found.

'Wait! I have a new recruit. She's someone you will WANT! You need to see what she can do, master. I wouldn't have returned unless it was necessary.' This had given master Shen pause. After all, this wasn't one of his lesser students. To speak up to Master Shen like that was dangerous. This time it was effective. He paused and took a moment to size up the scrawny runt presented before him, and must have seen something convincing enough to open the door for consideration.

'Very well. Why are you here, and what can you do?' He had asked. That time not in anger, but in his stoic tone.

He could remember her response perfectly. 'I… I don't know... There's nowhere else, so why not here.' She had said. The master took but a moment to respond.

'So you're saying that you don't have a purpose?' He asked.

'That's not…' She had begun before she stopped herself as if considering something. 'Actually… no… I guess I don't. He said that I might have a place here..' She said, gesturing to the pupil that brought her.

'Interesting.' His master responded. Icy and stoic as before, but now there was something else. Intrigue, maybe?

After that, Shen turned and couldn't be heard anymore. But he had pointed to some boulders and the girl, the recruit, got to work. Bob had been shocked. So strong, and so talented. Even Shen had paused for a few moments. No training, yet able to lift the huge rocks with ease and hit the poles so hard it actually shattered rather than just breaking. He could have sworn that his master almost smiled. Ultimately, the crane school took on a new serious student after all. One that might actually have the potential to become the strongest on the school.

You couldn't tell from the looks though. Meek, bowing the head all the time and avoiding eye contact. Even when Shen probed for defences and skill, there was hardly any resistance.

Talent. Shitloads of it. Actually being able to live up to that? Not so much.

But Shen went for it anyway. He claimed he could train someone to develop a new personality, but he couldn't grow actual talent or something along those lines.

So, here she was, sitting on a rock not that far away. Shen had instructed her to meditate in order to get in touch with the energy from within. Taking a break from the brutal beatdown that Master Shen and Master Tao called training.

It was a girl, a teenager even, and a pretty cute one at that. Not so tall, but clearly no stranger to working out, judging from the slight definition on her arms.

She was wearing some frilly white shirt, with pink hearts on them, and unfitting blue skin-tight pants to halfway down her shins, as well as sandals, and her short black hair pushed back by some purple headband. Cute? Yes. Sense of style? Not so much. If anything, that outfit looked more thrown together in haste.

Curiosity won out over discipline. Besides, Master Shen wasn't here right now.

He took a few quick steps, then bounded forward. Just because he couldn't fly yet didn't mean he was a slouch. He easily jumped two stories high, and with pinpoint precision, he landed on the rock the new girl was sitting on.

She had her eyes open, and thus saw him coming, so he didn't startle her.

"Hey." He sat down across her. "How's it going?"

Instead of replying right away, she eyed him for a moment. Finally, she spoke. "Can't complain." She muttered.

So much for small talk. "So I've been wondering. Where did they find you, anyway?" He got to the point. "I think you're the very first student who was picked up rather than coming here by their own choice."

"I'm not sure." She replied, looking at his shoes rather than in the eye. "I was just on my way when I was stopped."

"So how can you ride a golden cloud?" He asked eagerly. He had never even heard of something like that before.

"Well… it only works occasionally. When it lets me." She answered. "Not always though."

"Still, must be pretty up there." He tried.

"It's ok." She shut him down. Sheesh, no need to be so defensive, he was just being friendly.

"You like it here?"

"I just got here." She replied shortly.

"Well, so far?"

"It's ok."

Ok, this was getting annoying. He was starting to see why no one was bothering to talk to her.

But she was definitely strong. The lack of bruises was a clear sign of that.

"You know, when we're skilled enough and have enough stamina, Master Shen will teach us to fly." He tried to be a little upbeat. "Of course, those other guys have been taught to fly as well, but they can't really do much more than hover for a bit before they run out of energy. No stamina. But we, you and I, are different. We can expect to soar through the clouds. Of course, you already know what that's like, but I think doing it by your own power will be a pretty different feeling." He rambled on for a bit.

The girl just nodded. No reply, no eye contact, nothing. She just sat there.

"Let me give you some advice." He decided. "Stop being so passive. Master Shen doesn't like that. He doesn't have much patience, so watch yourself."

"I'll keep that in mind." She replied. Short as ever.

"Well, good luck." He decided to take his leave. Inwardly he sighed. She was never going to make the training like that. And she looked so nice and pretty too. So unlike those bossy bitches.

Something was wrong here.

She had almost been hopeful yesterday. Approached by a wandering martial artist. That event in itself wasn't terribly odd, but she was flying up above the clouds on her nimbus. He had snuck up on her, his sudden appearance scaring her enough that she fell from the cloud.

But that martial artist didn't have a nimbus, which meant that he was flying too. Exactly like Gohan had. That alone had piqued her interest. But what shocked her most was that her hard landing didn't hurt. And this seemed to impress the stranger as well.

A man clad in green and yellow. He promptly described an oasis in the desert where martial artists can develop their skills beyond what was humanly possible. She was skeptical at first, and followed cautiously.

She had landed in a courtyard, golden cloud visible for all to see, and was confronted by the 'master' of a dojo. The Crane School. He was much angrier than she envisioned. Then he seemed to calm. She was instructed to lift a few rocks and boulders. Tasks she thought to be impossible before.

Almost as soon as she was finished, a fist was in her face. Then she was on the ground with the taste of sand and blood filling her mouth.

When she had gotten herself up, she was greeted with a frown, and the annoying words 'We'll fix that.'

Before she could even argue, the man pounced once more. That assault continued for three hours. Once Shen was finished he released her to be with the other students for dinner. She sat far off to herself and did not engage any of them. Later, they gave her a set of green and yellow clothes, which she had to wear. She was also directed towards her bedroom and the bathhouse.

Today she was 'sparring' again with the 'master'. He rushed forward, and Videl leaned slightly to avoid the impending punch. Shen simply readjusted and hit her in the stomach anyway.

It forced her to double over and made her feel like she was going to puke on the spot. Her breath was fast and ragged, and her limbs hurt all over from the constant blocking. Training? Getting beaten to a pulp was more like it.

"You're not focusing!" He berated her. "You're not even trying! You have such potential, but you refuse to use it!" He aimed a kick at her head at the end of his sentence.

Videl, barely able to keep herself moving, tried to block but was too late. It hit her right in the side of her head, making her fall down on the ground once again.

"I swear, I will turn you into a proper warrior, even if it is the last thing I will do!" Master Shen snarled as he watched her crawl back to her feet.

She merely bit her lip. 'Why is he doing this?' She asked herself, not for the first time. 'This isn't how you're supposed to train.'

A memory of Gohan flashed through her mind. The gentle way he corrected her and encouraged her. And Korin, who was doing the same thing while she charged for the water. She hadn't even realized that he was doing it until she had stopped. Even her training with her father, though far less soft, was still worlds apart from this.

"Up!" Shen snarled at her, kicking her in the side once again. "I swear, it's because you've got such promise, or I would have put you down already!"

Her blood ran cold at the threat. Slowly, she got back on her feet. She was wobbling from side to side and felt the fear flowing through her veins. Would Shen actually kill her if she failed? He had told her to defend herself. How was she supposed to do that? She didn't know what to do right now, she didn't know how to properly use her energy. She didn't have a place to call her own. She was hoping that they could fix all of that. And instead, they're going to kill her? It was the same here as it is everywhere else.

Videl brought up her arms, purposely leaving her abdomen exposed again. A punch sailed underneath her block, once again making contact with her belly. Anticipating the pain, she couldn't help but tense her muscles to soften the blow.

Though this time the blow didn't seem near as hard. Sure, she was shoved back for a bit, but it didn't hurt at all.

"That's more like it." Shen was still scowling at her. He swung again, this time at her face. She saw the punch coming. It was a hook, easy to avoid, yet…

She put up her forearm, catching the fist. The force made her feet slip back once again, but it didn't go through. Her arm wasn't blown against her own face as she had expected.

She blinked in surprise.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He commented. "You've got the power, you just don't want to use it!"

"I…" Videl hesitated. She wasn't sure what just happened. Should she apologise? She remembered the words that other student had said to her. 'Don't be passive.'

"Dismissed!" Shen interrupted her thoughts but also gave her some relief. "Go back to your little rock and think about why you're such a miserable failure!" With that, he deemed her no more worthy of his attention than a mere worm.

Videl walked herself out of the training courtyard, towards the place he had sent her to. Despite the beating and the initial pain, she noted how she wasn't actually hurt much. Yesterday's training had not given her any bruises either, other than a sore cheek from the first punch. And just now, she had felt something strange in her arm. A tingle she couldn't place, yet was familiar. Perhaps Shen was right? Perhaps she really was stronger than she thought she was?

'Strong.' She mentally repeated. What did these people know of strength? She had seen Gohan from so close she could feel the weight of his massive power, so to speak. The people here, they weren't strong at all, just deluding themselves.

And for a place of supposed zen, this school was barely giving her any time to herself. Well, at least she got to meditate in peace. She knew Gohan meditated, even though the only time she had seen him do so he had fallen asleep midway. Though, even being told to meditate, she wasn't sure she was doing it right. Something about thinking of nothing. Next to impossible for Videl at the time. Her mind kept going on and on about pretty much everything that happened. She hadn't had peace of mind since she left Korin Tower.

But that death threat… Was he serious? Was it just a ploy to get her to fight back? It had ended up working, after all…

Still, she had warm food, a roof over her head, and an actual opportunity to hone her skills.

And yet.

There was this nagging doubt…

Erasa glanced down to the base of the plateau, where the dinosaur was patiently waiting for the two to come down again. On the floor laid the remains of their car.

After a long chase at breakneck speeds, the car had slipped into the mud and refused to move. So, while the dino was systematically deconstructing the car, Sharpner and Erasa had climbed on top of a nearby rock, which was high enough to stick out above the trees.

They had thought they could shake the massive beast. They were wrong. It was far more persistent than they thought. Especially after Sharpner had hit it in the face with Erasa's pepper spray, as that did hardly more than piss it off. But that stuff was meant against humans, not big carnivorous dinosaurs.

To make matters worse, if she had to guess, that mountain just before them had to be their destination, Mt Piatzu, Gohan's home. So close, yet so far away.

In hindsight, maybe they should just have given Gohan a call.

"How could this happen?" Bulma ranted. "Why didn't anyone tell me?! It's my company that's being ground into the dust, why shouldn't I know what is going on?!"

Chichi, who was sitting across from Bulma, was entirely unimpressed. "So, what actually happened?" She asked, sipping a little of her hot tea.

Bulma gave a large sigh. "Bottom line, Capsule Corp is toast. When that picture circulated, people started taking revenge on Vegeta any way that they could. The biggest target they have is my company. Nobody has hit my home though, I think the threat of Vegeta is scaring the living bejesus out of them." She chuckled, then slid a tablet over to Chichi. "I just wish I could say the same about our factories and shops. People are actually emptying their capsules and burning them in the streets."

"You're taking it rather well." The other woman remarked casually. She took the tablet and began to slide through the pictures. As Bulma said, Warehouses were burning, and graffiti littered the stone walls. 'WHERE'S OUR JUSTICE'. Public trash cans were ablaze, people throwing their capsule products to be converted to ashes.

"It was a big shock at first." The bluenette admitted. "I always thought the company had grown so big, nothing short of the end of the world could bring us down. But when the shock wore off I realised it wasn't so bad. Between the law, my money and Vegeta's… well… Vegeta, I think I can manage to salvage something. But I'm afraid the stain's here to stay." She sighed softly to herself. "I had some false papers for Vegeta, you know? Made them just for this occasion. To prove that it's just a look-alike. I know it wouldn't convince everyone, but you can't please everyone anyway."

Chichi gave her a gentle and supporting smile. "So, what are you going to do?" She asked.

"Problem is, I had plans for no less than seven completely different scenarios. This isn't even the worst outcome that I envisioned. Unfortunately, I didn't count on Gohan shaking up the world and becoming deified. One could work, and would probably cover Gohan as well, but…"

"But?"

"What if we… didn't?" Bulma suggested carefully. "I mean, we were planning on telling the world about everything eventually. So why not now? It's out now. It may not have been on our terms, but let's be honest. That's nothing we can't handle."

"But Gohan will be ostracised."

"You mean more than he is now?"

"Bad people are going to come here and take him away to dissect him."

"First they'll have to make a scalpel strong enough to pierce him, and someone stupid enough to try it." Bulma mentioned. "Chichi, this isn't about Gohan. Do you need me to show you my house again? People respect the power Gohan and Vegeta possess. They'll leave him alone. I'm just thinking about Trunks. I was hoping to enrol him in middle school, to help him get people skills and all that. But I guess that's no longer an option. Unless I want him to be hounded 24/7, that is. And the same goes for Goten. I believe that telling the world the truth now would be best for the world, but for Trunks and Goten, I don't know." She sighed. "I don't want the boys to grow up like that."

Chichi nodded slowly, letting her gaze wander over to Goten, who as currently entertaining himself by catching butterflies with his bare hands, without even hurting them.

"Speaking of Trunks, where is he?" She suddenly realised.

"Oh, he's on a Dragon Ball hunt." Bulma replied immediately. "I gave him the radar. I figured it would be best to have those together, just in case. And who knows, I might actually decide to make a wish after all. To erase memories, and maybe get my company back."

"What about Vegeta?"

"Well, he's…"

A massive fire raged through the building, threatening to consume it whole. Right until a purple energy wave tore through it, which removed most of the fire and walls. A figure sped through the holes, so fast it was nearly invisible. until it reached an unconscious man, who was promptly picked up by a short man wearing blue, sleeveless spandex.

It was the only person left in the building, so the man made his way back outside, to leave his rescue with the rest of the workers.

A large crowd had gathered just outside the factory. Damned Humans! He fired a blast over their heads, which made them scream, and run for cover.

That wrapped things up, so he moved on to the next place.

"Damage control, he called it." Bulma continued. "I could only get him to promise he wouldn't kill anyone. Other than that, I have no idea."

"Aren't you worried something will happen to him?" Chichi asked.

It made Bulma laugh. "He's the strongest man on the planet, he can handle himself."

"Strongest man?" Chichi picked up. "You must be dreaming."

"Oh really?" Bulma raised her chin slightly. "As I recall, even Gohan has admitted that much."

"Gohan is just modest." Chichi reflected. "He kept pace with Vegeta ever since he was small."

"That was when he was still training."

"Gohan doesn't need to train as much, that's how much more gifted he is." Chichi said with pride.

"Then how did Vegeta surpass him?"

"He didn't."

"Is that what you think?" Bulma flared up. "Then how come he hasn't beaten Vegeta?"

"Because Vegeta knows better than to challenge him."

"Ha! You don't know Vegeta at all! He only fights someone if they're a challenge. I say Vegeta would whoop Gohan's ass!"

"In your dreams!"

The two glared at each other, sparks flying between their eyes. Goten noticed them, and decided this was a good a time as any to call on the Nimbus and make himself scarce.

Videl took a deep breath, letting herself slide into the cold water. Ah, the river was so refreshing, and did wonders for her hot skin.

She spied around, but there wasn't anyone in sight. Just the calm river, a couple of large boulders, and a few very high tees. Not a person in sight. She had a chance to kick back just a little now, and she was going to take it.

She knew she was going to be annoyed at her clothes sticking to her skin later on, but they would dry soon enough. No way in hell was she going to undress out here in the open.

She momentarily wished that she had her radio, but that was back with the rest of her stuff on the Nimbus. Which had flown off when Shen had appeared. Almost as if it were afraid. But a cloud couldn't feel emotion. Could it?

It was better in a way. Her purple and red outfit would have associated her with the description of 'Videl Satan', plus the 'Golden God' seemed to be pretty well hated here. And she didn't exactly trust the people in his school not to rummage through her stuff either.

This was her third day here, and every day was worse than the one before it. Shen was brutal, but according to the other students, his brother was even worse. Besides the metal limbs, he had a cruelty streak greater than all other students combined.

Videl didn't know who he was, and if she were honest, she was kinda glad for that. The man was out, something about a search.

She frowned. Who was this guy anyway? She had yet to hear anything good about him. Other than him being strong and dangerous. Perhaps this guy should be looked into? Or even arrested?

But what would anyone do with him? He was too powerful to be put in prison.

She pushed her head underwater as well. Why was she even bothering to think about that? She was no longer a part of the police force. They didn't want her help anymore. Hell, she'd be arrested herself if she showed her face in Golden City, and that's if she was lucky. The golden cult attempted to crucify her father. A modern-day lynching. Gohan saved him. Or his brother? Whoever that kid was. She owed them everything, but would never be able to pay that debt.

Videl came up for air again. The cold did her good, freshened her up, and eased the slight bruising on her skin.

It was only some slight bruising, from the truly powerful attacks. Was Shen holding back on her? Or was he really not that strong after all?

Or perhaps… she had grown more powerful than she thought?

She shook her head slightly. There was no way she was at Shen's level yet. The things she had seen him do, fly, shoot beams, create a massive wind, all feats she didn't have the slightest clue of how to do herself. And his attacks were so fluid and smooth, though she figured it was somewhat slow, that must be because he was holding back because, let's face it, she was but a beginner.

A beginner?

Frowning in concentration, she brought up her hand and made a ball of light appear in her palm. Was she really? She already knew how to draw out her energy at will. But that was all she knew.

And here she was, at a place made specifically for teaching people just that.

Doing nothing…

"So you can do it." She heard Shen's voice come from behind her.

She snapped around, the energy ball exploding, no longer being controlled. Only to see Shen landing just in front of her.

Videl bit on her lower lip. Shen had been observing her from the air. Of course he was, this was the Crane Hermitage, most people here could fly. And, fool that she was, she didn't even look up!

She took a step back, deeper into the river when Shen started walking towards her. He looked somewhere between cross and serious. It was hard to tell, and that actually just made it so much worse.

"Tell me, why were you hiding that from me?" He demanded from her.

"I didn't…" She hesitated. This wasn't good. She didn't want to be caught. She didn't want to train with that guy. All she wanted, all she came here for was to find a way to start over again. Find herself a new place in the world. But coming here may not have been such a good idea.

"Stop stammering and answer me!" Master Shen snapped at her.

"Yes, sir!" She replied, almost automatically. She did not want to anger him more. "I didn't want to stand out."

"Stand out?" He laughed. He actually laughed. But it wasn't a good laugh. It was a mocking, ridiculing laugh that made her feel even smaller. "Why are you so stupid?! You're still here because I thought you had something worth cultivating! Or was I wrong?"

"No." She replied quickly, waving her hands, which sent little drops of water all around. Shen was not a man to disagree with.

"Then act like it!" Shen spat. "I swear, I've just had enough of you! You clearly don't even want to bother trying! Do you know how many people would kill for the place you hold right now?!"

The emphasis he placed on the word made her heart squeeze. His intensity proved once and for all his threat was not an exaggeration. The more she thought about it, the less she wanted to stay here. But where else was she supposed to go? Her house was gone. Her friends had turned their backs. Her fans abandoned her.

And Gohan…

No, this wasn't his problem. He had already given her more than she deserved, and then some. She wouldn't ask him for more. She couldn't. This was her problem, her burden.

Shen floated over to her, just above the water, and grabbed her by the front of her shirt, lifting her up.

"I am done with you!" He spoke softly. "You will get your shit together, and right this instant, or you're going to wish you've never been born! Do I make myself clear?!"

"Yes." She replied, her voice becoming stuck in her throat.

"Yes what?!" He nearly screamed right in her face.

"Yes, master." She mumbled, her voice barely a whisper.

"Good!" He threw her sideways, hard enough for her to land at the riverside. She slid over the sand, rolling over a couple of times, before finally laying on her back.

Though she had come to rest, the world around her kept spinning. Her stomach turned and she had to resist the urge to puke. The dizziness, it made her nauseous. That, and what he just did to her. Tossed her aside like a piece of garbage.

Shen flew over her, looking down on her in all meanings of the word.

"You are pathetic!" He felt the need to talk down to her some more. "I swear, you are the biggest disappointment since Tien Shinhan! Now, get up!" He gave her a good kick in the side, hard enough to completely lift her up and send her flying for several meters.

This time she actually landed on all fours and struggled to regain her feet. She bit down hard, repressing a cry of pain, fearing any sign of weakness might piss him off even more. She felt her face deform into a grimace, fighting to hold back her voice and her tears.

"Good!" He glared at the teen. "Finally, some results!" He actually gave her a bit of a smile. "From now on, you will do whatever I tell you, and if you step out of line even once, you're going to wish I just killed you!"

With that, he turned his back on her and flew off into the sky.

Videl watched him go. She massaged her side, where he kicked her. It hurt quite a lot. Way more than what may be considered reasonable force. Not to mention he made yet another threat on her life. She took a deep breath. How in the world was Shen's brother supposed to be worse? It couldn't be worse than this abusive asshole.

Videl straightened her back. Part of her wanted to take than guy down on the spot and arrest him, but she knew he wasn't a match for him. Perhaps she should let someone else do that for her?

But the question remained, then what? Prison couldn't hold this bastard. They would need to make something special just for this guy.

She shook her head slightly. It didn't matter at this moment. Right now what mattered was her own skin. In silence she made a decision. 'I have to get out of here.'

'I wish I packed a gun or something.' Sharpner lamented. Not like he owned one, nor knew where to get any from the top of his head, but it was the thought that counted. He was standing at the edge and saw the large dinosaur looking up at him. Did it have a grudge or something? Or did it just really like humans? For some reason it was just walking around the rock, looking up at the two, and carefully guarding the remains of their car. It was a good thing they had most of their stuff capsulated and with them, or things would be much worse.

"It'll give up eventually." Erasa said. She was sitting on the ground, enjoying the sun.

"What, are you a dino expert now? Plus the car is gone too." Sharpner replied. "I bet my parents are really going to be happy about that one."

"No need to get snippy. Look on the bright side, we're alive." Erasa returned. She was determined not to let this get to her. "And it can't be much further from here."

"Heya!" A new voice sounded from behind the two. Sharpner made such a jump he nearly jumped down to the dinosaur. Erasa let out a small yelp and sprang up herself.

It was a most curious sight. Their first thought was 'Gohan!', but no, it clearly wasn't. Their second was 'Goku!', as this was the exact image they had seen on old pictures. Pictures of a World Martial Arts Tournament, many years ago. Except, it was the exact image, and the kid from those pictures must have grown up a long time ago.

Goku's mirror image was grinning at the two teens, scratching his head in exactly the same way as Gohan would have, sitting on top of a familiar golden cloud.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The boy apologised to them.

"Is that… a Nimbus Cloud?" Erasa asked him.

"Yeah, how do you know?" The kid immediately wanted to know. "Nobody else knew what it was. Wow, you must be really smart."

Erasa giggled a little at him, but that was short-lived when the dinosaur below let out a deafening roar. And promptly ran off.

"Ow." The boy watched it go with a pout. "He doesn't want to play today."

Sharpner noticed himself raising an eyebrow at that part. "Play?" He repeated.

"Yeah, we usually play catch. He doesn't have big arms though, so he usually tries to catch me with his mouth. But I can't ever let him catch me because then my clothes will get all dirty and mom will be angry at me."

Yup, that proved it, this kid was related to Gohan. As if those looks needed further proving.

Sharpner was stunned at the skewed priorities, but Erasa had better posture. "And what's your name?" She asked sweetly.

"I'm Goten. Oh, and you can't be here. Mom said it's bad when people come to our home."

"Actually, we're friends of Gohan's, and we're here for a visit." She said.

"You are?" Goten was positively beaming at her for a moment. But then his happy face was replaced with a thinking one. "But I thought Gohan said his friend had black hair."

"That would be Videl." Erasa replied, smiling at his sheer adorableness. "We're his other two friends." Well, friends was a bit of a stretch, all things considered, but that was a different topic altogether. "We came here to visit him."

"Really?" Goten said. "You came to play?" He was practically bouncing off his cloud. "Gohan hasn't played as much when he went to school, and I wasn't allowed to come, but now he won't go to school but he still won't play." He started ranting.

"Err… sure." Erasa just smiled and nodded. She couldn't follow that one. "Can you take us to him?"

"Ok." The kid scooted over. "Just hop on."

"We can't ride that." Sharpner spoke up. Erasa tried anyway but proved him right when her hand went through the thing.

"Oh, right, some people can't ride it." Goten seemed to remember. "It's ok, it's not far, you can walk there."

"That's a relief." Erasa sighed to herself.

"Eh, Erasa, this kid is like Gohan, and he casually flies around the globe." Sharpner said softly to her, as not to hurt Goten's feelings. "I think we better take his 'not far' with a few grains of salt and prepare for a long hike."

That… was a good point. Letting out a small sigh, Erasa looked over at what was once their car with a small longing. "What about the car?" Erasa asked the other blonde. "Are we going to leave it there?"

"You have a car?" Goten picked up. "Is it fast? Can I ride in it?"

"I think it's broken." Sharpner replied to both of them, not at all laced with sarcasm. "We might have to leave it."

"I can carry it!" Goten beamed.

"I see you've taken a new student." The cyborg said as a greeting to his elder brother. "And another one for free? Getting sentimental?"

"I thought this one might have potential." Shen said. He didn't even bother to turn around. "And she's under constant watch, she can't escape like the last guy. Speaking of which…"

"Not a trace." Tao returned. "I know he's hiding somewhere in Satan City, I just don't know where exactly."

"We'll find him." Shen returned. "Why don't you go check out our newest asset? See if you can get through to that. If I'm honest, it would be a shame to have to get rid of her, she has such potential."

"Why is she such a problem?" Tao asked him. "Is she stubborn?"

"No, the opposite, actually." Shen remarked. "There's no fight in this one. I can kick her across the yard and barely get a response."

"Then why did she come here?" The other questioned.

"I'm not sure." The master returned. "One from the search party came by, dragging her along. Told me this one had survived a fall from the clouds without even getting as much as a scratch. He managed to reel her in with promises of a safe and quiet place where she could practise her ability to use her energy. Still, I only saw her potential for myself just a few hours ago. I don't think she understands what it is we're all about."

"Guess I'll just have to break her then." Tao replied, a small smile on his face. Oh, he was going to enjoy this one.

Videl was with the other students in the large courtyard. There were a lot more students here than there were this morning. She knew a lot of students had been out, though nobody would tell her why, she didn't know it was this many.

And these were just the serious students. The others, they were kept separate. This was to prevent them from mingling and getting ideas. Even with this much money, and many students, Shen and his brother still felt the need to rip people off. It was absolutely disgusting.

Videl clenched her fist. There was nothing she could do about that now. And somehow, that just made the feeling worse. The urge to kick them from their pedestals was growing harder to resist by the day.

The urge to get out was getting stronger as well. This was not where she wanted to be. Se felt she had to get out. Even this night she tried to sneak away. But she didn't even make it out of the building before being busted. Perhaps Shen suspected she might try. Perhaps patrols at night were normal. Or both. It didn't matter. Luckily for her she managed to bullshit her way out of trouble. She happened to be one corridor away from the bathrooms, so being on her way there, and being unfortunate enough to have taken a wrong turn was believable. But she was pretty much escorted back, with the message to go to sleep, that in the morning things were going to happen.

A second sneak out was attempted a few hours later. She didn't even make it out of her room that time. There were several people just outside her door. So she waited for them to leave. They didn't. All night.

So here she was this morning, a little sleepy, and severely annoyed. But tonight would bring more chances. Hopefully.

She clenched her teeth. All she wanted was somewhere quiet where she could try to get herself back in order, was that really so much to ask for?

"Hey, you!" She heard someone call. She looked over her shoulder to find a brown-haired woman looking straight at her. "You're new, aren't you?" She asked.

"I guess." Videl replied.

"You don't even know?" The other demanded mockingly. "I heard you were stupid, but this beats everything I heard."

"Hey, come now." Some guy cut in. The same one that had shared some of his wisdom with her just yesterday. "Don't be so…"

He was cut off when the girl hit him in the head with a backhand, effectively knocking him out of the way, and some distance away for good measure.

Videl decided she didn't like this girl. She had a certain viciousness in her eyes and was currently looking back like she was some kind of prey.

"You think you can measure up to me, greeny?" The girl snarled. "In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm the one who went up against the Golden God himself."

Videl blew a small bit of air out of her nose. 'He mustn't have taken you seriously.'

"You have?" One of the other students perked up. "What was it like? Is he as strong as they say?"

The girl scoffed. "He tried to ambush us, but his stupid plan didn't work."

'Sure, because Son-freaking-Gohan needs an ambush to take you down.'

"It was an easy battle, and he ran off quickly."

'I doubt that.'

I guess even the mighty Golden God is awed at our power. Soon we will be able to rule the world!"

'The only thing big about you is your ego.' Videl couldn't help but smile slightly. Something that didn't go unnoticed.

"What, greeny?" The brown-haired lair confronted her. "Do you doubt me?"

"I just find it hard to believe that someone who could shake a city with his voice would be bested so easily." Videl replied diplomatically.

"Oh, it wasn't easy." The other contradicted herself. "Besides, that was just a cheap trick."

'Are you fucking kidding me?' Videl thought to herself, feeling her frustration bubbling up. 'Even here, in the middle of a school of energy and whatever other mysticism, people still dismiss everything slightly outside their understanding as trickery. That's it, I'm done! I don't care anymore! The world can go fuck itself!'

And this is where her internal rant was cut off. She noticed a small fist, and barely had the time to blink before it collided with her left eye. The sheer force of it sent her stumbling backwards and collided with another person, who promptly shoved her back towards her attacker.

The girl swung again, this time landing right on Videl's mouth, this time making her fall down. It only took a couple of seconds before she could taste iron, and her palm had fresh blood sticking to it.

"You rolling your eyes at me?" The brunette snarled again. She tried to kick at Videl, but the girl rolled over to avoid it. "A greenhorn like you doesn't get to insult me!"

A crowd had formed around the two, though a silent one.

Something was wrong, it made her worry. Usually, there'd be cheers, and laughter, and voices egging the fighters on. Or people trying to break it up. Yet all she could see around her were silent people wearing serious faces.

In her realisation, she had turned her back to her opponent, who now grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head backwards. And at the same time, something collided in her lower back, right on her spine. She felt an electric-like shot go through her legs, making them twitch.

The other let go of her hair, and Videl fell down on her knees, her legs tingling unpleasantly, and a few drops of blood dripping down her chin.

"What, that's it?" The girl attacking her started taunting. I was told you were strong, but you're just a crybaby!"

"I'm sorry." Videl bowed her head. She recognised this for what it was. Just an excuse to attack her, to force her to fight and show her abilities. But Videl was on to them and decided not to give in.

"Oh, you're going to be sorry, alright." The other grinned in malice. "Because this is just the warm-up. Master Tao has taken an interest in you." She grinned maliciously. "And trust me, if you don't reform, he'll torture you to death."

Videl perked up. Master Tao? Was that Shen's brother? Why was that name so familiar?

"And we're going to be watching and enjoy every second of it." Someone else from the crowd added.

Videl had her shirt grabbed by the brown-haired bitch. "So get up." The girl said softly, lifting Videl up to face level. "Fight me and show me what you're made of."

With her other hand, she had struck a blow into Videl's abdomen. Luckily, Videl had seen it coming and tightened her abs in anticipation. She was blown back by the force for about a metre, but that was just it.

The sound of metal striking metal reached her ears. She turned to see an opening forming in the crowd. Walking through it was man, taller than her, wearing a pink outfit, and had most of his visible skin replaced by metal. She felt a cold shiver creep up her spine.

Tao. She knew him from some wanted posters. The mercenary. The assassin. Tao killed for money, not because he needed it, but simply because he liked doing it.

And he was the other master here? Tao was a member of the Crane Hermitage? This uncatchable murderer?

Videl took a step back, her eyes fixed on the new figure. 'I should never have come here.' She realised. 'I need to get out. Now!'

Tao was slowly walking towards her. "Now that we have finally found a way to get through that thick skull of yours, maybe we can start getting some results." He spoke to her, an unnerving callousness radiating from him. His expression was near impossible to read. "I am told you can bring out your energy. Demonstrate!"

Videl took another step back and quickly glanced at the people surrounding her. This wasn't something that happened normally, not even here. She was about to be humiliated. No… Worse. She was to be made an example of, that much was obvious.

She hesitated. Bringing out her energy would probably satisfy the assassin, for now, but then expectations would rise, and since forming a ball was the only thing she knew how to do, she'd never live up to them, even if she wanted to. And she didn't believe she'd ever want to. Now more than ever did she regret letting herself be dragged here.

She just wanted somewhere quiet where she could try to get herself back in order, was that really so much to ask for?

"Alright then." Tao continued since Videl didn't do anything. "We'll do it the fun way."

Before Videl could as much as blink, the cyborg had crossed the distance and a metal fist struck over her left eye. The force sent her flying into the circle of onlookers, who promptly pushed her back towards Tao. The assassin did not waste time to take advantage of that and aimed another punch at her head.

By sheer reflex, Videl had twisted her body, letting the strike blow by her face. A blow to her chest was dodged the same way. Tao seemed to be faster than Shen, he probably wasn't holding back, and Videl barely had the ability to follow him.

A few gasps of awe came from the ring of students. They were all looking at her like she had grown a second head.

"So, you do have the ability." Tao remarked. "And here I was starting to wonder if my brother had lost his marbles. Unfortunately, he has not."

"I heard that." Shen said from above. He had been watching from above. And apparently took this to be his cue to set down just before Videl. His expression was cold and hardened. "As for you, you're making me waste time and effort that could be spent teaching actual willing students! I'm fed up with you. You will fight, or you will die!" He spoke in an icy calm tone, backing up his words with a killer's glare.

He would kill her, Videl did not doubt that for a second.

"I'm sorry, I didn't…" She started but was cut off by a strike to her head, which made her stumble back a few paces before falling down.

"Can't you even comprehend the simplest words?" He asked. He sounded calm. No anger, no disgust. The notes in his voice betrayed his sentiment about the situation. They made him sound…

Amused. Cold, cruel amusement.

"Come, little girl." He nearly sang to her. "I thought you wanted to become stronger."

Videl felt a shiver go down her spine. Angry Shen had been frightening before. But this, this was different.

He grabbed her by the hair, pulling up until she came face to face with him. She had to bite back her cry of pain. His lips were twisted into a wicked smile. But his eyes remained cold and empty.

"Speak!" He now commanded. "If you're not here to train, then why are you?" He grunted the last part, anger flickering in his eyes.

"I didn't want to…" She stammered.

"Want to what?" He cut her off. "You don't want anything, do you?" He threw her down again. But only to place a foot on her stomach. "You don't fight, you don't train, you do nothing." He pointed at her with one finger.

One single finger. It was a gesture she had seen him do before.

A small cheer went up, in Videl's ears it sounded like it came from a place far away.

"Even now, you can't even fight back." He said, tilting his head up, lifting his nose to her in disgust. "You are a disgrace to me and my school!"

'No.' She breathed. she grabbed his foot with both hands, but he simply pushed down harder, forcing the air out of her lungs.

"You are not worthy of my time." He declared. "So I will make an example of you!" A tiny yellow ball appeared on the tip of his index finger. Ready to strike. Meant to kill.

He was going to kill her.

Blood was pumping hard in her head, the ringing in her ears almost deafening.

He was going to kill her!

"No please!" She screamed. She brought up both her hands.

"Too late!" He grinned, clear, wicked enjoyment in his eyes.

The light left his finger. Everything seemed to slow down. She felt adrenaline hitting her blood.

And saw a flash of bright blue light, followed by a burning sensation in her palms. Suddenly she could breathe again.

She sat up and sucked in the air, her breath high and shallow. She felt the blood rushing through her veins. But she felt more than that. A spark running through her limbs, making them feel like they had been set on fire. But it did not hurt, rather, it felt amazing.

Her eyes found her enemy, on the ground clutching his face with both hands. It was only now that she realised he had been screaming the whole time.

Videl jumped to her feet before anyone could move. Before anyone else could try to attack her, she had to get out of there! But when she turned to run she found her path blocked by the cyborg assassin.

"Tsk!" He looked down on her both figuratively and literally. "Now you start showing your potential. It is a nice effort." His optics seemed to shift slightly as he pointed them at her. "But too late!"

His shoulder moved, bringing up his fist, and drawing back for a punch. So fast! Much faster than he had been before. Videl barely had the time to raise a block, but the punch was so hard it slammed her own wrists against her face. She stumbled backwards, only just able to keep herself standing.

A cheer went up now. These people, they were actually enjoying seeing her struggle to live.

"Kill her!" One voice called.

"Run her through." Another suggested.

Videl didn't wait for the merciless assassin to attack again. She turned and ran. She flung an energy blast at the circle, forcing them to break apart or risk getting hit, and slipped through the hole.

She set her eyes on the wall. It only slowed her steps for a mere moment. So what if she had gone the wrong way? She could make that jump! She had done more already, long before she knew she could!

But then she felt it. Something felt wrong. Something felt off. The hairs on her neck stood up. Without even realising it, she dived sideways. And a thick yellow beam flew where her torso had been, blowing straight through the wall in front of her.

Her little dive may have saved her life, but it also robbed her of her chance to escape.

Videl turned to look behind. There was Tao, still pointing his robotic arm at her. The hand that was supposed to be attached to it laid on the ground.

The hole in the wrist lid up again. A second Dodon came out, forcing Videl to dive sideways again.

Behind the man, she could see the group of students, some of them flying up to get a better look, but none of them interfering. Of course, none of them were on the level of Tao. She briefly saw Bob with the students. Fists clenched and eyes downcast. But she didn't have time for him.

Videl glanced over her shoulder, to the hole in the wall. So close, yet so far away.

"Where do you think you're looking!" Tao yelled. At once Videl looked back at him. He had jumped up, between her and the sun. The glare made it hard to see what he was doing. Yet she recognised the movements he made, the pose he took on, with his hands near his face.

She only just looked away, clenching her arm over her eyes in protection.

"Solar Flare!" Even now she could still see the bright light. And immediately afterwards, Tao landed again, she could hear his feet hit the ground. She opened her eyes just in time to see him speeding towards her, a fist drawn back, ready to strike at her abdomen.

She brought down her arms to protect herself but missed with her left. The blow was caught right on her right wrist, so hard it flung her back until she hit the wall.

Waves of pain made themselves known. From her shoulder, from the back of her head, and above all, from her right wrist, which now had an unnatural twist in it.

"Gotcha!" Tao grinned cruelly. His left hand fell off as well, revealing a hidden knife.

She moved before she even knew what was happening. The pain, it was numbing her tired mind, her body moving on pure adrenaline. She tried to dive down but wasn't fast enough.

The tip of the blade headed towards her neck, so close it slipped underneath her view, and she could feel the cold tip. But it had stopped. She glanced over and saw that her hand grasped the blade, its sharp edge cutting into her palm.

Tao drew back the knife, slicing further into her hand. At least, she knew it did, she saw her blood dripping from the black metal. Her body tingled from head to toe, but she felt no pain.

Tao stood over her, ready to strike again. Yet he didn't. He just stood there, grinning. Then she felt something wet drip down her shoulder, back and over her chest. Something warm. The smell of copper flooded her nostrils.

In a panic she clutched her remaining hand over her neck, only to feel her pulse gush through her fingers.

Tao stepped forwards again. "Looks like…" He started but was interrupted by a foot to the chest, blowing him backwards.

Videl used her other foot to launch herself sideways. Towards the hole. Towards her freedom.

Then she saw her own shadow defined sharply against the wall. Something pushed her in the back, and something glowed just between her and the wall.

Her legs refused to function anymore, and she simply fell into the dirt.

She coughed and tried to inhale. But it was so hard.

So hard… as if the air was heavy.

Videl felt herself being turned over and found herself looking up at someone. Someone clad in green and yellow. Someone familiar. Someone with charred hair, and blistered skin on his face, eyes radiating with bloodlust.

He aimed down at her and fired again. She felt the same poke as she did just moments before, this time right underneath her right breast.

'Ah, so he shot me.' She thought to herself. She expected intense pain, but nothing came. She looked up to see him looking down in glee. Why was he smiling?

"I hope it hurts." Shen said to her. Or at least, she thought it was him. She saw his lips move but the voice sounded from so far away.

She wanted to move, to kick up, to defend herself from him, but her body simply no longer followed orders.

'He shot me.' She thought again. There was no more pain, just cold. Yet, not cold. More… empty. It was finally catching up with her.

Videl brought up her left hand, the only limb she could still move, and tried to reach out. She didn't know what for, there was nothing there. Just… something. Anything.

'I don't want to die.' She thought, pleaded. She would have said it, screamed it, but her voice was simply no longer there.

Somewhere, from very far away, she heard excited screams and howls.

The world was spinning, and her body felt like it was floating. It was hard to keep her thoughts together.

Last time someone had come to her rescue. But no one was coming this time.

She was alone.

Her vision blurred, wetness blocking her view.

This was it. The end.

She thought of her father. Would he ever hear what happened to her? Was he even alive? She did not know. There was a good chance he was not.

What about Sharpner, and Erasa? Were they still alive? Maybe, they may have been her friends, but they were friends of Gohan as well. Indeed, they had passed her up for Gohan.

Gohan…

Something gold and bright stood out in the blue blur. She knew it to be the sun. But perhaps it wasn't. Maybe, just maybe, he'd pull another miracle?

He did it before, he could do it again. Come in the nick of time. Save her from this torment, take her someplace safe, and take away her pain, her injuries.

…

Her mind stopped on that last part.

'Healed me?' She asked herself. She forced herself back. She had to blink a couple of times before her eyes became clearer again.

She sent signals to her left arm, the one not broken, and saw a small twitch. She barely felt it. But barely was enough.

"Take these." A familiar voice spoke. She didn't know if it was there or just her imagination. Slowly her hand slid over the dirt, towards her back.

"You know what they can do."

Her fingers sought at her pocket. It took her a couple of times to slip in.

"Keep them close, you might need them."

And close she had kept them. But she had forgotten. So caught up in her fight, in her struggle, she nearly forgot.

Finally, she felt her fingers touch her treasure. Her gift.

She forced her arm to move again. So tired. So cold. She barely had the strength to move anymore. But between her fingers she had something. Her greatest treasure.

A single, small, green, magical bean.

Still moving by pure willpower, she forced her hand to lift, to bring the bean to her mouth. She chewed it twice and swallowed.

She felt it. A small hit of pain, as she could feel herself clearly again, but then that pain vanished as well, replaced by a rush of some sorts. Not adrenaline, but something else. Something familiar. It coursed through her limbs, tightening her muscles, and making her body feel so light. And her head a different kind of light.

Videl jumped back to her feet and looked at her adversaries. Shen, Tao, and many of their students were watching her in shock. They were watching her. They were watching her die!

Her eyes focused on Shen. The guy that ran her through. Twice. And next to him, Tao, the one who cut her neck open.

They nearly killed her.

They nearly KILLED her!

How DARE they?

She saw the ground move underneath her, as if the earth rotated away, bringing Shen closer to her. She stretched out her fist and struck him right in that stupid face of his! She could feel bone crack underneath her knuckles and saw him bend backwards from the blow. He didn't even move, so surprised he was.

Shen found himself airborne, flying backwards, a few drops of blood trailing behind him.

But Videl had lost interest already. Tao was met with a left kick. The cyborg was quicker to react and brought up his right arm, the one with the cannon, to block it. Though it did divert the power of the kick, it also made the metal shatter on impact, tearing it from his shoulder.

Videl set her feet back on the ground again. She felt something rush through her, the same thing she had before, and she finally knew what it was. Her energy, strengthening her body far beyond its normal limits.

She also felt something inside. Something burning so intensely it threatened to make her burst out in flame.

She took a deep breath, but it only seemed to fan the flames more. It was something she had not felt for some time now and had nearly forgotten what it was like.

"Kill her!" Tao was screaming to the students. "Kill that bitch!"

Several students flew at her. Several more fired their yellow beams. But none hit. They were so slow, so clumsy. Their attacks were unbalanced, and a single good hit sent them flying. Those beams were so slow and weak, they didn't even phase her anymore.

Shen seemed to have recovered, and joined in again, alongside his best students. He was a far cry above the others, but he couldn't even touch Videl.

She could read him like an open book. Dodging him was barely a challenge to her. After a couple of missed kicks, punches and sweeps she saw her opportunity and struck him in the chest with a fist, and as he was pushed back, fired an energy blast at him as well.

More students, but now Videl was countering them, taking them out with a single hit each.

Until they just stopped coming.

Videl looked at them, glared at them, daring them to come at her, to try her.

But they just stood there, preferring to keep their distances. Someone fired a Dodon from the sky, but Videl brought up her hand, and caught it in her palm, shattering the feeble beam.

She saw something glitter from the corner of her eye. She ducked; several strands of her hair cut off by a blood-stained knife. She tried to strike, but Tao jumped back to avoid her attack and charged in again.

She leaned left, and right, both times the knife came close enough to nick her clothes. Again she tried to hit him, but again he dodged, and now swept again, this time at her thigh.

And it hit, cutting through her pants, and nicking her skin. But it didn't cut through. Videl had focused on the spot, gathering her energy, strengthening her skin enough to let the knife's edge slide over it, unable to cut.

Tao did not waste a moment, and drew back his arm, shooting out again, once again aiming for her neck.

Again Videl caught it in her left hand, but this time before it hit her neck.

Tao tried to draw back, but he could not. Videl strengthened her grip, feeling the metal bend underneath her fingers.

How did she not do this before? She was this strong before, right? How did she nearly die from these guys?

Tao, still pulling and shoving, was still stuck in place. His other arm gone, there was little left he could do. So he tried to kick.

Videl let go and planted a foot into his stomach, sending him flying into a couple of his students.

"HaaaAA!" A voice came from the sky. Videl looked up to see someone levitating over her, arms gathered before the chest, hands in a diamond.

An attack, that was certain, though Videl had never seen this one before. She jumped back.

And just in time. "KIKOHO!" A light shot down where she just was, making a square hole in the ground.

It actually sent some shivers down her spine. That could have killed her on the spot. Mere inches away from death again.

Almost automatically she flung a blast at the flying student, who tried to dodge but was caught in the explosion. An explosion far greater than Videl had meant to make. Her heart froze as she watched the girl fall down with a trail of smoke, smacking against the ground. And promptly got up again, ready to fight.

Videl actually sighed in relief. Though the other was ready to attack, she didn't actually do so. And neither did anyone else.

It was over. They realised they did not stand a chance.

She had beaten them.

Videl gathered energy in both her palms, making the students scatter before her. One she fired at the biggest building, making it go up in flames. The other at the ground before her, making a massive cloud of some and dust.

Without a second's thought, Videl turned and jumped away, over the wall.

Freedom awaited.

She felt like she flew. She had jumped far higher and further than she had ever imagined she could.

Who knows what more she could do?

She smiled at the thought. Soon, she would find out. She had surpassed her limits, reached a new plateau.

She landed again, on her feet, though she slipped in the soft sand and kept sliding on her back for several meters.

It was actually kinda fun. She couldn't help but chuckle. Laying on her back, she looked up at the bright blue sky. Not a cloud to be seen. In the middle of that blue sky was the sun, golden, and so bright it hurt just looking at it.

Blinding golden yellow. Once again it reminded her of Gohan.

She reached out and blocked the sun out with her hand as if wanting to grab it.

She felt strong just then, having beaten the entire Crane School, but now that feeling rapidly ebbed away. Her head cleared up, though the rushing feeling in her limbs did not. Of course, it didn't, she was now doing that at will. She had just gotten a little drunk on her newfound strength, eager to test out her new limits.

Strength? Videl laughed. She wasn't strong. The distance between her and Gohan was larger than that between the earth and the sun.

She clenched her hand into a fist.

'I am weak.' She repeated in her mind. 'And that is not ok!'

She jumped to her feet again. She was done hiding, done running away.

Yes, it was time to leave. Time to go back, and face those who had wronged her.

Time to return to her city, her people. Time to remind the criminals why she was feared. Time to regain her lost honour, and prove herself in this new world!

"NIMBUS!"

End of Chapter

So, that took quite a bit longer than I had expected.

Thank you for reading, for your patience and continued support, and special thanks to my beta-reader MrChuckMan.

I can't promise when the next chapter will be. But I can promise I will try to finish this story, even if it takes me years.

I hope it won't though.

About Videl's power in this chapter, she didn't actually grow stronger after eating the Sensu Bean. She was this strong at the start of the chapter, perhaps a bit stronger than Goku was when he fought against the Red Ribbon Army, she just didn't realise it.

The shift is more mental rather than physical.

Also, I've edited the end of the previous chapter somewhat. Not a lot, not even enough to make an impact on the story, I think, but to make a bit more sense, and cover up the hole slightly.

It's not much, but I guess it helps.