Hi there!
Geliscon, thank you for your support! Especially for you here is yet another chapter; Enjoy ;)
Guest (Aug 30th): Sorry Bruh, not sorry ;)
You have the good fibe though: feeling uneasy, yet it seems like nothing dark is happening... or... is it?
Chapter 5: Downtown alley
"Oh no," Bulma grimaced, "It's all sticky." She had opened the device to see what the damage was. "The sugars have crystallized around the transistors, blocking the amplification of the electrical circuit, and don't even get me started on what the acids have corroded," a deep sigh of defeat followed, "Of course the motherboard is fried as well."
She looked sternly at her son, "Next time something like this happens, come to me right away! What if we had an emergency, like wishing people back to life for example! You have no idea what risks you've put us in!"
"Sorry mom, it won't happen again, I-I promise," Trunks said, looking down at his feet. Apparently he and Goten had taken the Dragon Radar to play with it half a year ago, pretending they were on an adventure in search of the Dragon Balls. But unfortunately a full can of soda had been poured over it, and not wanting to get in trouble, they just put it back and thought they got away with it. And the little devil that he was, tried to blame it all on Goten. But everyone knew that Goten only drank water, because he couldn't handle the artificial coloring in drinks, which made him unbearably energized.
"Sorry Gohan," Bulma looked up at her godson, "It will probably take some time to fix this. I'll give you a sign when I'm done."
"Don't you have a spare?" Gohan knew she used to have more.
"I did, but then Vegeta blew up part of the lab in the east wing during one of his stupid training sessions, destroying them." She looked at him accusingly, but got no response. "I didn't bother making new ones as I had this one and there are two on Namek just in case. For now, repairing this one is much faster though."
"How long do you think it'll take?"
"Give me two days, three tops."
"Thanks, Bulma. Sorry, I really have to go, otherwise I'll be late." And after a short goodbye, he headed home.
###
"Hey Mom, I'm home!" Gohan said as he entered the living room and went straight to the phone. He heard his mother answer positively at his arrival, yet she stayed in the kitchen, probably cooking. While making sure he would be left alone, he picked up the phone, dialed the number, and waited patiently for the phone to be answered.
"Kame House, you're speaking to Krillin."
"Hey Krillin, this is Gohan."
"Hey! How're you doing? I heard you're doing much better."
"Heh heh, more than better if you ask me," said a voice that Gohan recognized as Master Roshi. "Why else would his Ki spike in the middle of the night?"
"Ah yeah," Krillin began, giving him an evil snicker, "about that…"
"I already got the memo," the half-Saiyan sighed, blushing profusely.
"So it's true then?!" The moment of silence that followed was enough for the former monk, and he began to laugh cheekily. "Finally becoming a man, heh?"
"Just drop it, please."
"Okay, okay," another chuckle.
"Ask him if he's watched any porn lately," Roshi instructed Krillin.
"Come on, guys!" Gohan exclaimed, "Seriously, can we just get to the point!"
"No, no, this is serious. Give me that…" after some muffled sounds, Roshi took over the phone. "You know there's a bounty on your head? Someone is advertising; asking for any information about Saiyaman's identity, and they're willing to pay a hefty amount of money too." A cough in the receiver made Gohan wince, "Anyway, it's all over shady sites. I assumed you'd already noticed - you being a teenager and all - and therefore haven't reached out to you."
"Give me that," Krillin took the phone back from Master Roshi and was still talking to the old man, "You forget he is Goku's son, he probably doesn't even know porn exists." He turned his attention back to Gohan and continued, "Sorry about that, the thing is, people are after you, so be careful."
"I see," Gohan said in a more serious tone, "Though, I'm not surprised Saiyaman has enemies. I think I'm good, nobody knows I'm Saiyaman anyway," - 'except for some of the Z-fighters, Videl and Sharpener, that is', Gohan concluded in his head. "Speaking of which, I have a favor to ask…"
###
Gohan had landed somewhere deserted, a mile from school. He didn't want to risk any Saiyaman activities near his school, to avoid potential speculation. He looked at his watch and was relieved he was on time. Arriving in the main hall, he saw Videl turn around a corner and walk in the opposite direction from where he was standing.
"Hey Videl, wait up!" Gohan said, taking a stride to close the distance. Videl turned and gave him a friendly smile and greeted him as he caught up with her. "Can I have a quick word with you? It's about our little problem."
The young crime fighter quickly agreed, and Gohan - unable to use the roof for fear the news flight crew might see them - led them to the same spot Sharpener had led him yesterday. She looked at her boyfriend, curious about what he had to say.
"I've come up with a plan," he smiled, "To solve the Saiyawoman issue."
"I'm listening," Videl said, crossing her arms.
"Next time you get a police call, go alone as yourself. I've found a substitute, so Saiyawoman will be there too. Both of you showing up should be proof enough to convince the tabloids," Gohan smiled, "Besides, you can tell them that you were just more focused on your training for the tournament, knowing that Saiyaman would solve the crimes anyway."
Videl's face lit up for a moment, but after that last comment, Gohan got a scowl instead. "Fine, but that makes me look like a selfish asshole."
"Well, the article states that you leave class even if you don't show up, so why not say you go to make sure the crime was dealt with by watching, but never intervened because, one, it wasn't necessary because of Saiyaman and Saiyawoman, and two, you don't want to risk any unnecessary injuries, risking your world champion title."
The raven-haired girl relaxed, "Sounds decent enough." She then looked curiously at Gohan, "This friend, have I met him before? Is he good?"
"She. And no, you haven't. But don't worry, she's the strongest female fighter I know."
"I beg your pardon!" Videl said firmly, obviously offended.
Gohan swallowed, realizing he should have kept the latter for himself. "Let's say the main difference between you two is that she controls Ki and you are still in training."
Still, it was very clear Videl was hurt, "Anything else regarding your brilliant plan?" Her tone made Gohan recoil.
"Well," he again swallowed dryly, "The thing is, we can't be seen with each other anymore, at least not alone, and certainly not alone on roof tops." He looked at her sadly. "Even talking to you here is a huge risk. So we need to prevent that from happening. As much as it pains me to say, I'm going to distance myself from you. This also includes training."
"Wait," Videl's eyes shot wide and panic swept over her, "You aren't breaking up with me, are you?"
"Not a chance," Gohan assured her, "It's temporary; until the tabloids believe you're not Saiyawoman." He grinned, "And it's going to take all my willpower not to pull you into that janitor's closet and make out with you."
This caused Videl to laugh and her annoyed mood subsided. "As if you ever would have done that otherwise," she chuckled.
"Just give me some time to loosen up, you'll see how cheeky I can be," Gohan looked at her with a bold expression, but soon realized that this was the direction he was trying to avoid - even though he didn't want to. "Look, let's go inside. You can go back in here, I'll walk to the main entrance. Better if we split up. See you in class." And with that, Gohan walked away, leaving Videl behind. She sighed in defeat; this wasn't what she expected once she finally had a boyfriend, but she understood nonetheless.
In class, Gohan avoided Videl. He didn't look at her, didn't engage in conversation when it was just her, and he deliberately sat opposite of her next to Sharpener and Erasa during recess.
It felt lonely.
Then her watch finally went off. She glanced at Gohan who nodded; he was already taking the phone Bulma had given him for this occasion and texted someone. After Videl received the Chief's instructions, she got up and uncapsulized her copter. Gohan, too, got up, excused himself for going to the bathroom, and walked the other way.
Landing her copter near the crime scene, she walked over to the man who had called her. His mustache wiggled when he spoke, "Ah, Videl, long time no see! Where have you been?"
"Training, sir," she said as instructed, "You didn't seem to need the help with those flying heroes."
"Well, they're not here yet, so we could really use your help this time," the chief looked in the direction of the crime that was taking place. "They smuggle young girls from small villages and force them to work somewhere in the criminal strata in Satan City. We've been investigating them for quite some time and we tried to track the truck to see where their headquarters is, but they found out and fled. We were able to block the vehicle, but they threatened to shoot one of the girls. Maybe you can sneak past and attack them from behind while we keep them busy here."
"Right, I'm on it!" Videl said, rushing to the scene, deliberately walking past some reporters. She took her position and was about to decide her next move when she noticed that Saiyaman had arrived, Saiyawoman by his side. Somehow this bugged her: that should be her standing there!
Shaking that thought out of her head, she focused on the one who was holding a gun to the girl's head. Anger came over her: the girl was barely fifteen! How dare they! Videl closed her eyes for a moment, calculated her moves and prepared to attack.
A loud explosion, followed by a deafening scream from the hostage and a firm tug on her midsection, came out of nowhere. Videl was confused, not having seen any indication that there would be a bomb on board.
"Damn it, Eighteen! We have to save them, not blow them up!" Gohan shouted with anger. Videl looked up and saw that she was in the air, carried under the arm by Saiyaman. In the other he held the hostage, shaky but unharmed. Videl sighed with relief.
"What? I disarmed the thug and blew up the engine so they couldn't drive off! What more do you want from me?"
"What about doing it without risking the lives of the hostages!"
"I didn't hit them, did I?!"
"For fuck sake," Saiyaman flew back to the ground and set both Videl and the hostage down. He then pointed his finger at the locks on the back of the truck and fired a small Ki blast. "Videl, get the hostages to safety, then I'll try to find something to put out the fire." Videl nodded and immediately ran to the truck to open the cargo hold.
Gohan flew up, and when he passed Saiyawoman, he bitterly ordered, "Go help Videl," and flew off to a nearby construction site. After a quick look around he found a big bag of sand and without any effort he picked it up and returned to the crime scene. He emptied Its contents above the fire-lit truck, extinguishing it instantly. Then he returned to Videl, who was standing next to her substitute.
"Well, that could have gone better," Gohan said, scowling at Eighteen, then turned his attention to Videl. "Did everyone get out of there unharmed?"
"Yes, everyone is safe," she also sounded bitter. She glanced at the reporters and then back at Gohan. "As much as I hate the idea, you two should kiss."
"What?!" Gohan exclaimed, "I'm not going to kiss Krillin's wife!"
"Sorry, didn't know I was that repulsive to you," Saiyawoman bit, but had a smirk nonetheless, enjoying the teen's torment, "You really are a prude, aren't you, Gohan?" Then she grabbed him by the collar of his suit, pressed her lips aggressively on his, and quickly pulled away. "There, all done." And without a word she flew off.
Gohan stood there, shocked by what had just happened.
Videl sighed, "Snap out of it, will ya? You need to go after her. We'll talk about this later." Then she turned her back on him and marched off, back to the chief and the reporters. Gohan watched her leave for a moment and noticed in her Ki she was mad with him. He sighed, feeling awful, but did as she told him and flew off in the same direction that Saiyawoman was going.
###
He and Videl didn't speak that weekend, mainly because he had to be home thanks to his punishment. He considered calling her, but realized he'd never asked for her number, and sending an email was too risky in his opinion. He sighed, hoping Videl was all right and not too mad at him for what had happened. It didn't quite go according to plan, but the end result was what mattered most.
Gohan had asked Yamcha's girlfriend Kate Bridgerton, who worked as the chief reporter for Z T.V Daily news, to divert the news away from Videl. Other news outlets had picked up on it and Videl was ruled out as Saiyawoman shortly after - except for SuPerGuy magazine, which still stood behind their own statements. The latter now speculated that it was a set-up, too coincidental that - since their article came out - the three were suddenly seen together. They had picked up on that the kiss was not genuine and that Saiyawoman appeared to be considerably larger than before. Gohan sighed, he hadn't thought things through, but truth be told, there weren't many other options anyway.
He got up and took a sheet of paper and a pencil from his drawer, and doodled a very sad chibi cartoon of himself holding a flower and wrote the word 'sorry' next to it. It was something small, but he hoped it would cheer Videl up, and since it was without context, it was safe to give; only for her to understand its meaning.
The next morning, he decided to leave home early, hoping he could speak to Videl before class - or at least give her the doodle. He was out of luck though, having missed the crime that happened after he got to school. When she came in, it was already forty-five minutes after the lecture had started.
She hastily sat down, ignoring Gohan, and grabbed her notebook and focused on the lecture. After she was settled, Gohan passed her his apology note.
He held his breath as she unfolded the paper and let out a snicker. Gohan then relaxed, assuming his gesture had landed in good nature. He saw her put it in her bag and took out a new piece, wrote something down and gave it back to Gohan. It read: 'You did what you had to do, I'm not mad, just jealous I suppose. I do appreciate Chibi Gohan, he's cute. Didn't know you could draw.'
He wrote a short answer and gave it back, 'I'm a man of many secrets.' A laugh escaped her lips, causing a few students to look up. She quickly put the note away and focused again on the teacher, who glared at her angrily for the disturbance, but chose to let it slide. She glanced at Gohan, who looked back and gave her one of his characteristic friendly smiles, making her blush. They both turned their attention to the blackboard, relieved that the tension between them had been lifted.
After the lecture was over, Videl had to talk to the teacher about the things she'd missed in class, so Gohan walked with his two other friends to the next lecture. Erasa approached Gohan with a cheeky grin, "So, what were you sorry for?"
"I have a pretty good idea," Sharpener muttered disapprovingly after seeing the news. Gohan had forgotten that the blond jock knew of his and Videl's secret identities and wished he could disappear in shame at this very moment. "Another one of your 'friends'?" Sharpener pushed on.
"She's married," Gohan said, thinking this was enough explanation for the jock to get off his back, not realizing that it only made things worse.
"You kissed a married woman in front of your girlfriend? Man, are you sick?!"
Luckily for Gohan, he was whispering, although he got very nervous about it being said in a crowded hallway. "Shush! Someone might hear you!" Gohan tried to silence him, "It's not what you think, it was Videl's idea anyway. I didn't want to do it."
"What? What are you guys talking about?" Erasa asked, confused.
"Nothing," the boys said in unison. Turning his attention back to Erasa, Gohan added, "I was sorry I couldn't be there for her this weekend," which was partially true.
"Why not?"
"I had to spend the weekend at Mount Paozu, so I wasn't able to," he shrugged as they walked into their Biology class, one of Gohan's favorite topics. He smiled with relief that he dodged that bullet. He didn't want to know how Erasa would have lectured him if she'd heard about that kiss. It wasn't one he could explain without context… context he couldn't provide for obvious reasons.
###
After school was out, Erasa stood her ground that she really wanted to buy that ice cream they missed Friday, and Gohan had no choice but to join in, even if he didn't feel like it. He would rather do something with Videl, though it was still too risky to get together. Along the way they'd found his protractor and eraser they'd missed that unfortunate day, so at least that was something.
"What flavor do you want?" Erasa asked Gohan while she looked for her wallet.
Gohan shrugged. "Something with cherries, I suppose," he said nonchalantly, unintentionally staring at Videl with hungry eyes. His body craved more than just food.
"Alrighty, I'll see what I can do for ya," Erasa winked, "Videl and I will wait in line; can you two find us a nice spot in the park?"
After finding some shade under a tree, the two boys sat down. Sharpener leaned against it with his arms crossed behind his head and looked straight ahead. An awkward tension arose and Gohan sighed. "I apologize for last Friday," referring to when he basically told Sharpener to fuck off when his friend asked about his father. He looked next to him, but Sharpener hadn't moved a muscle. "I do consider you a good friend, it's just that I don't know what to do and what not to do. I've never had friends my age and everyone has always told me to stay quiet. Some things, as you may now understand, aren't for public ears."
"As I said before, I respect your privacy. It just hurts to know that you don't entrust us with the things that weigh on you. Your - you know - 'hobby', I totally get, but things like your father being murdered, it's something friends should know. It's been months since the first day we met you."
"Sorry," Gohan said reluctantly, "I'll work on it, promise."
"As long as you don't hide things from your girl, I'm fine."
Gohan chuckled, "As if one can keep a secret from Videl. No, she knows everything, every dirty little secret I have." He looked at the blond jock, "So, we're good?"
"Like I can stay mad at you, Mountain Boy," Sharpener grinned and tapped Gohan on the shoulder with his fist, causing him to grin as well.
"He was a good man," Gohan let loose after a while, "My dad. You may know him from the previous tournaments, he won the 23rd."
"Wait?! Your father participated in the Tenka'ichi Budōkai?" Erasa asked in surprise, finally returning from the ice cream shop.
Gohan looked up at the girls in surprise as Videl handed him a bucket. "This was the largest container they had. Erasa here doesn't believe you can eat it all, so don't disappoint me."
"Thanks!" his face lit up, this was a welcome surprise after the frustrating few days he'd had so far. After emptying a third of the bucket, he finally found time to answer Erasa's question, "Yeah, he did." When he looked up, however, he was met with shocked faces, the three friends were still not used to the amount that he could eat.
After a moment Videl shook her head, snapping herself out of her stare and said, "How… do you not get a brain freeze when you eat so fast?" Gohan shrugged as he continued eating, but at a more appropriate pace. Then she paused and realized something, "Wait, did you say 23rd?"
"Uh-huh," Gohan mumbled as he took another bite of his ice cream; this scoop was vanilla flavored.
Videl stammered, "Y-You mean," her eyes shot wide, "You mean you're the son of Goku and Anonymous?" Although she already suspected that he was related to Son Goku ever since she found out Gohan was a fighter, she had not connected that he was their son.
"Her name is Chi-Chi, but yeah."
Sharpener laughed, "No wonder you're afraid of your mother! Everything makes so much more sense now."
Gohan gave him an angry look, but then his eyes fell on his watch. "Speaking of angry mothers, I'm sorry guys, I have to go before I pass my curfew."
"Curfew?" Erasa asked.
Grinning, Videl gave her a playful look, "Yeah, you don't believe it, but Gohan here has got himself under house arrest."
"No way!" Sharpener exclaimed, "How did you manage that?"
"I - eh."
"Apparently he promised his mother he would come home at 11 on Saturday, which he failed to do," Videl answered for him. His three friends laughed, all knowing what had occurred that evening.
"Shut up," he mumbled with a beet-red head. He got up, hanging his spare backpack casually over his shoulder, "See you all tomorrow," and waved as he walked away.
"Wait, Gohan!" Erasa called after him, with a mischievous grin on her face, "Maybe Videl can walk with you, in case that biker gang comes back!" Then she looked at Videl and winked. Now it was her turn to glare at her, but stood up nonetheless and hurried toward Gohan.
"I thought you had an hour?" Videl asked as she caught up with him. "You have at least half an hour left."
"I know," Gohan replied, looking at her with a smirk, "I have to get my mail before I go, and I was hoping you'd walk me home." He threw his empty ice cream bucket into a nearby trash can, "And you're not disappointing me," he gave her a playful wink.
She blushed, "So it was on purpose? To have me for yourself." Gohan stayed quiet, but his grin told her enough.
As they passed the ice cream shop, Gohan looked around and made sure no one saw them, and when the coast was clear, he grabbed Videl by the arm and pulled her into a nearby alley. After a quick stride he let go and walked a little further down.
"You know this is a dead end alley, right?" Videl said, not sure why they were here.
"And abandoned too," Gohan answered with a grin, "No cameras; no people; just you and me." He turned to her and looked into her beautiful eyes - Oh, how he had missed her this weekend.
She blushed, looked at him intently, and waited for him to make a move. He placed his free hand behind her neck as he leaned forward to kiss her softly. They had some time on their hands and he was in no rush to kiss her passionately; in contrast to the hungry, quick, and short kisses they'd been sharing lately. He dropped his backpack and caressed her soft skin under her shirt with his now other free hand. She threw her arms around his neck and reciprocated his movements. He then pulled her up and sat her on a nearby crate. Awfully familiar with the scene, Videl pulled away and looked at the wall next to her. She laughed.
"What?" Gohan asked confused, blushing because he thought he'd done something stupid.
"See that crack in the wall?" She asked, grinning, "That's what happens when someone tries to kiss me without consent. He was lucky to have that bu-, I mean, his helmet on." She referred to Yamcha when he was Gohan's substitute for Saiyaman after he went missing. Due to a misunderstanding, he mistakenly thought she wanted him to kiss her, but got her real answer shortly after.
"Well, I hope you're never gonna smack me into one," Gohan said honestly. He looked back at Videl and grinned, "May I have permission to continue kissing you?"
"Yes you may," she said mischievously, and quickly received what she permitted. She wrapped her strong legs around his hips and pulled him closer, kissing him firmly in the process and roaming her hands under his shirt, rediscovering his muscular body. She then withdrew, panting, "Why don't we go to your apartment?"
"Because," Gohan said between some more kisses, "We can't be seen together, especially not entering a building. Rooftops are still a no-go after that photo, and, well, my time is almost up anyway."
His mind, however, wandered to that exact scenario Videl was suggesting and hungrily dug his fingers into her skin and received another intoxicating wave of her natural cherry scent. He pulled her closer, wanting to hold her as close to his body as possible - when he felt a large pool of Ki spike in the distance.
Gohan let go of Videl immediately. Confused, she looked at Gohan as he frowned deeply, looking westward and, without warning, Videl felt an immense pressure rise and the air began to move violently for an instant as Gohan exclaimed, "C'mon! I'm not even doing anything!" Then he looked back at Videl, clearly annoyed.
"What was that?" she gasped, confused by what had just happened.
"Sorry about that," the half-Saiyan apologized, "I had to let Vegeta know to mind his own business." He reluctantly pulled away from Videl, deciding that Vegeta had a point; he shouldn't get too excited.
"Wait, was that your Ki?!" Videl was gob-smacked by its weight.
"Well, a fraction of it," he admitted. "Could you feel it?"
"I think everyone could! Man, that was intense. And if that's just a fraction, then I think I don't want to be there when you go all out." Videl said, a bit hesitantly.
"Let's hope you never have to," Gohan looked at her half-heartedly, "The last time I went all out was against Vegeta; you saw what had happened to the landscape. And before that was against Cell."
"But what about Vegeta? Why did you have to let him know now to mind his own business? He's not here…" she asked, confused.
Gohan blushed, "Well, the thing is," he paused, embarrassed to explain, "Remember I told you Ki is enhanced by one's emotions, right?" Videl nodded in acknowledgement, so he continued, "When I'm with you, I forget - er - to control my Ki."
"I don't underst-," she began, but it dawned on her soon after and she began to blush profusely, "Oh… You mean…?"
Gohan's own blush intensified, "Yeah."
A moment of awkward silence rose, but then Videl suddenly laughed, "So you're telling me that my Sensei, who teaches me about Ki control, can't control it himself?"
"Only if I'm distracted by you!" Gohan protested. "This is all new to me, alright? I need some time to adjust, I guess."
Then a mischievous grin appeared on Videl's face, "Or… you just need some training yourself."
Gohan grinned cheekily, "Maybe you're right, but don't expect me to call you Sensei."
Videl leaned forward seductively, "Call me whatever you want," and pressed a kiss on his lips.
"Are you sure about that?" Gohan laughed, and continued in his Saiyaman voice, "If I remember correctly, you didn't like being called 'Miss Videl'."
"Oh, no… please don't," she frowned at him, causing him to chuckle.
"Okay, okay, I won't." Then his smile widened, "You know what tomorrow is, right?"
"Uh, Tuesday," Videl said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah well, that and it's the first day of the new month, which means, from tomorrow on I'm a free man." He grinned, "So how about you come to my place, we'll order some Hakodate Ramen - extra roast char siu pork just for you - and watch that dinosaur movie we've yet to finish?"
Videl looked at him and smiled, "You remembered all that? My favorite food and the movie too?" Then her face saddened, "Shoot, I just remembered I promised my dad I'd help him with something, I don't know how long it will take, but I'd love to come after that."
Gohan's smile widened, "I'm a very patient man and I think Ramen is still suitable for a midnight snack. So, take the time you need, I'll see you when you get the chance." He looked into her beautiful eyes, "So, it's a date?"
She answered with a smile, "It's a date."
His alarm went off and he cursed, not wanting to go home yet, but knew better. Avoiding making his mother angry on his very last day of his punishment, he'd better leave soon. "Sorry, I have to go. Give me a couple of minutes before you leave this alley, alright, to avoid suspicion." He quickly kissed her again, "I-" he stopped, almost saying the three words that had been plaguing his mind, but decided against it. It may be too early for that, having learned from Yamcha that it may scare women off. He swallowed, "I will see you tomorrow then."
With another quick kiss, he let go of her and walked out of the alley. He quickly looked around to make sure that nobody saw him leave the alley and then continued on his way to his apartment to fetch his mail. He made sure that he walked a couple of blocks before changing his outfit and flew as fast as he could to Mount Paozu, hoping he'd make it in time.
He wasn't. But luckily for him, he found a note that his mother and little brother were at the store buying food and hadn't returned yet. He sighed with relief and decided to do his homework, hoping to finish it before they came home. Once in his room, he flopped onto his bed in contentment. His smile couldn't be wiped from his face: tomorrow he finally had his date with Videl!
###
The last time he stepped into the permanently darkened room he was almost certain he was about to die, but recent developments gave him enough encouragement to face his Boss with confidence.
"Sir, you wished to speak to him?" Hodaka asked as he watched the Boss light a cigar.
The scarred man deeply inhaled and took a few seconds before slowly blowing out the smoke. "The Upper Hand was very pleased with the completion of your last task, but with the target still roaming around, we cannot open business any time soon. We are running out of resources and no money is coming in. Our most important client is starting to look elsewhere for supplies, and if that happens, our department becomes insignificant. I hope this plan of mine will satisfy Carmine enough to let us live, so fingers crossed that your informant will give us reliable information, unlike last time."
Hodaka nodded and yelled through the door, "Bring him in, boys!" as he grabbed a chair from the corner. Yama-Ha and his fellow biker - a guy with a mullet who called himself Rush, derived from his full name Marusho - guided a young man into the room and sat him down. With a swift movement, Rush pulled up the burlap sack from their informant's head.
The jock blinked to adjust his eyes to the new environment and looked angrily at Hodaka, who stood before him. "Seriously, man, is this all necessary? Dragging me around for at least an hour? I really h-," he stopped abruptly when he saw the gun in his hand. He swallowed thickly and fear struck his body, "W-Wait, what is all this?"
Hodaka stepped aside so that his Boss came into view. "Welcome, I was informed you have some interesting information for us?"
The jock swallowed, this was far more than he bargained for and was regretting his actions at this very moment. "W-What are you going to do with him?" he dared to ask, yet didn't want to know the answer.
"Let's just say that we're going to pay him a little visit, settle some minor disagreements," the boss said, looking at the teenager before him. "And since you're new here, I'll explain how this works. You give us the information we want, and if I'm satisfied with it, you'll walk out of that door with a generous reward. If I'm not… you won't walk at all, like the two who came before you," he gestured to the bloodstains on the floor, "Do we have an understanding?"
The jock broke out in a cold sweat, not expecting it to be this serious. He just wanted him put in his place, not dead. But at this point, there was no turning back, otherwise he would suffer that same fate himself. He swallowed dryly.
"Well?" the Boss encouraged, while Hodaka put his finger on the trigger.
"H-He's a classmate of mine," the teen began with a trembling voice.
"H-His name is Son Gohan."