Hello, again! This is the second chapter of my new story Gods Among Men, and I hope you enjoy it!
Also, lancecomwar, I think I actually read your story, The Truth Hurts, a couple years back, actually, I'm sure I read it, as I was feeling a certain sense of deja vu while reading it.
Shout out to lancecomwar's story by the way, The Truth Hurts, featuring a similar narrative to my own story, where Gohan's being the savior of the world is revealed to everyone.
Satan City Orange Star City
Inside the mansion of one of the most well-known men on the planet, was the main man himself, Hercule Satan.
Inside of a large room that would make any college student faint, a man lay surrounded by large covers in a king-size bed that could hold multiple king-sized beds. It was already mid-afternoon, but it wasn't the sun that woke Mark Satan, but some commotion he could hear outside.
Untangling himself from the covers, Hercule breathed a hearty sigh as he stretched from his large bed, and groggily got up as he pulled a robe over his large frame.
Looking out of the window, Hercule was too tired to really hear the people outside his window, "Woah? Guess they can't get enough of the champ?"
Moving along, he walked down the stairs into his kitchen, where he got some glares, but he didn't notice. Walking towards some of the chefs he asked for his favorite meal, a medium-well steak, with broccoli and carrots, something he had enjoyed since he was a young boy. He also enjoyed it with his finest wine to start his day.
After grabbing the hot plate, he walked towards his favorite sofa and turned on his large TV. After taking in the moment to take a gulp of his wine, he immediately spit it out onto the screen as he saw the headline. Golden Fighter: The Son of Son Goku, Son Gohan.
"Wha!?"
On the screen, a middle-aged man and a young woman with copious amounts of makeup looked at the screen with about as much shock in his eyes as probably anyone watching with seeing such a headline, and he spoke in a surprised voice, "Well, people of the world. It seems that the world has been flipped upside down from what we have learned today. Apparently, all those years ago, in the harrowing time of the Cell Games it was not the champion Hercule Satan that protected us from the wrath of Cell, but a man known as the winner of the World Martial Arts Tournament years ago, Son Goku."
Suddenly the sounds of the shouts outside finally came back into Hercule's ears as his widened and unfocused eyes looked around. Standing up he finally decided to look outside the window and noticed what was truly going on.
Outside of his mansion, there were hundreds of people at the gates, and it seemed that even his gates' security was joining them.
'So….the gig is finally up, huh?' Hercule, no, Mark thought as he came back to his seat and hung his head. He looked down at the ground towards his plate and picked it up, putting his food back on the plate properly.
"Sigh, might as well eat a good meal before everything crumbles." Mark said softly as he started to eat his steak and sides. He had dreamed this would one day happen, and it seems his dreams had become reality.
Several Minutes Later
The hundreds of protestors outside of the gates were fuming in anger as they yelled towards the mansion.
"You coward!"
"Piece of garbage!"
"You lied to us, Satan!"
"You don't deserve what you've had!"
Finally, after all the abuse it suffered, the gates broke down as the citizens came running towards the mansion, along with numerous news crews willing to see the century's latest scoop.
"Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan! Is it true that you lied to the world!?"
"Where are those who were fighting against Cell, do you know!?"
"Why did you take credit for defeating Cell!?"
Suddenly everyone stopped as an airplane was heard as the latest Capsule Corp aerial vehicle landed on Mark's lawn. He smiled with sadness as he recognized the airplane immediately.
Jumping out of the plane that soon turned into a capsule was a young woman, with hair in two ponytails and a white T-shirt in shorts. Videl Satan stalked towards her father, intimidating most of the crowd as she went into the house, grabbing her father on the way and locking the doors.
Soon the crowd began to gain steam again and shouted outside once more as they came closer.
Videl stood with her hair covering her eyes as her father looked away from her.
She finally looked up with eyes consisting of anger and sadness, "Dad? Is it true? Did you really not beat Cell?" She said with a tone Mark never wanted to hear, a tone that reminded him immediately of Videl's mother…right before she…
"Videl…" Mark, let out in a hoarse whisper. It couldn't happen again.
"I can't believe you!" Videl yelled.
"Vide-Videl…" Mark couldn't let it happen again.
"I always….I always thought you were a hero. I thought I wanted to become better than you, but now I know…you're nothing but a fraud, but I'm not going to be one."
"Please…" Mark pleaded.
"I'm gonna go away for a while, Dad. When I come back…"
"No!" Mark yelled, "Please! You're all I have left. Ever since your mother! Ever since she left, you are all I have had, so please Vide-" Suddenly he felt arms come around his neck as his daughter hugged him.
"I still love you, Dad, but I have to find strength from somewhere else, somewhere that can bring out the best in me. I'll be back, okay, and I'll prove the Satan name isn't something to scoff at." Videl promised, looking into his eyes with the same baby blues as her mother.
She let go of him, as he stared at her back, then she went up to the helicopter pad to leave, taking one her father's larger plane capsules equipped with a bed and an essentials capsule for herself from her room.
Mark stayed on his knees on the floor as he stared forward…then, the former champion did something that he hadn't done since Videl was a little girl wondering where her mother was.
The former champion, Mark Satan, cried.
Capsule Corp
"Wait, it seems that we have some new information. Not only is Son Gohan the savior of the world! But it seems that there are some others who we have finally been given the identities of!"
"One of them is the identity of characters like Krillin, a fellow tournament member of the World Martial Arts Tournament, who was seen at the Cell Games and fought against the smaller versions of Cell."
Bulma looked wide-eyed as she started towards the television as she saw footage from the Cell Games along with Gohan's face, along with the others, on the news.
Her intelligent mind began to think, 'Some of us are rarely seen in the public, so they may have an advantage when it comes to avoiding the news, but…Gohan and some of the others.' The woman sighed as she fell on her couch from a sudden sense of dizziness from the info of the Z-Fighters being revealed, "Guess the cats out of the bag."
"Another person we saw was the baseball player known as Yamcha, someone who retired years ago as the world's most famous baseball player, who made so many home runs he didn't even need a team to win the Baseball World Series for four years in a row!" The news anchor informed.
A man with long wild hair sat up in his three-story home's king-sized bed as he saw the news, "N-No. I guess the world finally found out." The baseball legend, Yamcha, stuttered with a nervous smile as he saw the news.
"Don't worry, Yamcha, we'll get through this!" Puar yelled as he floated above the couch.
Yamcha looked at his home around him, "Puar," he said, getting his life-long friend's attention, "I think…we should get out of town."
Roshi's Island
Gohan had already flown to the others, such as Piccolo on a faraway continent, and finally came upon the islands near that continent, coming upon Roshi, Krillin, and the others.
As the young Saiyan landed, Roshi jumped as he sensed the young boy and saw him land harshly on the ground.
Immediately as he landed, the door to Kami House opened as Krillin, Eighteen, and their daughter came out to meet Gohan with similarly serious and shocked expressions.
"Well, I guess we won't be able to lead as peaceful lives as before, huh?" Krillin drowned out.
"Seems so," voiced Eighteen.
Krillin looked towards his young daughter, who stared with the same eyes as him, a confused expression on her face as to how their lives just changed.
Sometime Later
Back at East Mount Paozu, a trail of energy that looked like a shooting star cutting through the sky landed in front of the Son residence.
Gohan opened the door, almost tearing it off its hinges as he closed it.
Gohan took a deep breath before looking behind him and immediately came in, noticing his mother, who had her head in her hand as he sensed Goten in his room.
"Mom?" Gohan asked in concern.
"Gohan. Things aren't gonna be the same from now on. You know that." Chi-Chi said with her head still downcast towards the table.
"I-I know, Mom. Things may be different, but I'll still protect you guys, and the world. Even if I start getting a bit more criticism."
"Gohan," Chi-Chi said as she finally looked up at her son with a serious visage, "Take care of your brother, and no matter what anyone says. I know your heart is in the right place, but there will be a lot more eyes on you now, including Goten. I have to know that you will have to think before you act from now on?"
"Yes…I know, Mom." Gohan said with a nod. Suddenly, the house phone started to ring, and Gohan quickly grabbed it.
Answering the phone, Gohan was surprised to hear the ruler of the world on the line.
"Ki-King Furry?" He said in shock.
"Gohan, correct? I'm here to tell you I wish to talk, along with the other warriors of the group known as the ones who defeated Cell. Is that possible, young man?" Furry asked.
"U-uh…yes, sir." Gohan managed to let out.
"Alright, young man. Your group can come whenever you are available. Please contact me through this line when you can?"
Gohan finally managed to compose himself and nodded, "Yes, sir. Thank you, and we'll try to come when we're available."
"Hmph," King Furry let out, "I hope to meet you, young man. I know you are most likely as good-hearted as your father once was, and I will make sure to keep your life as quiet as before for your contribution in saving our world."
Gohan blinked as he heard the words and let out the first smile he had put on since morning, "Thank you very much, King Furry!"
Putting the phone back, Gohan looked at his mother, "Well, looks like we got some good news, Mom. I'll tell ya about it."
Videl flew away, somewhere, to get her mind off the mind-blowing fact that her father was a fraud. She managed to fly many miles away from her home, but her thoughts were surprisingly not as chaotic as she thought as the next hours passed.
She went on to think. She remembered as a little kid watching the old videos of previous World Martial Arts Tournament, videos of men moving faster than the eye could see and firing the same blasts she had seen from the Cell Games. She had believed those were tricks, but her beliefs about her father had crumbled, so why not those tricks as well.
Putting her communicator up to her face she dialed in a number and waited several moments before the other line picked up, "Sir?"
"Videl, I... heard the news," said the police commissioner.
"Everyone heard the news. Just...I'm not gonna be back for a while. There's something I have to do. For myself."
"Well...okay Videl. But just remember your position on the force is because of you. Not your name, we'll welcome you back when the time comes."
Videl smiled, "Thanks, chief." Then, she hung up.
Far away from most civilizations, there was a forested area. Inside of the forest was a facility of concrete stone surrounded by a dome of energy that hid it from the world, including anyone's ability to sense ki.
Inside of the large facility, a young man with a strong build looked forward as he reviewed the men some distance in front of him as he stood behind thick one-way glass.
The men held rifles that fired white bolts of energy from their barrels, impacting the stone targets in front of them and easily breaking the stone apart like a knife through butter.
The young man smiled as he walked away from the shooting course and moved towards another group of soldiers. They were practicing throwing grenade-like objects on the ground that released a barrier around them similar to the dome.
Soon a soldier walked up to him, "Sir, there is something you need to see."
His eyes narrowed and he looked away from reviewing the soldiers, making sure to gesture to another officer to supervise them.
"What is it, cadet?" The man questioned.
"Sir, we managed to send the video footage, and it seems the reveal is going as predicted." Answered the young soldier, pointing towards a screen showing the news of the century, as they saw a young Gohan with golden hair flying across the mountains of Mount Paozu.
The General smirked as he saw the reactions of those around the world, and many of them shared a similar expression, one of fear and confusion, and his smirk soon became a large smile over his face.
"Things are going as planned, now, let's make the preparation for the next step. Tell Toa to up the top soldiers training. We need to be ready for what will come next."
The cadet saluted, and shouted, "Commander Zwei Blue!" Then stiffly walked away as Blue walked away.
Zwei smiled as he looked towards the screen of the Earth's greatest warriors, and soon they would know their place, along with the entire world under the heel of the Red Ribbon.
Well, one of the villains of this story has been introduced, being the Red Ribbon Army. Next, the villains shown afterward will be another nefarious group.
I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and leave a review as to what you guys think may happen next, and I will again, VAGUELY, talk about the future of my story to you in PM's.
Also, Happy New Years!