I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the right to Starcraft or any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.
Chapter 8: Gohan's favor
"Kamehame, HAAA!" Gohan and I both shouted, shooting our ki beams at each other. It had been nearly a week since Old Kai had given me the mystic power up. Gohan approached me for a sparring contest the following morning. I wondered how he pulled this off with Goku and Chichi, after all it was Wednesday morning. Surprisingly, Vegeta stayed out of it and gave me the go ahead, as I thought for sure he would demand to come along as well. Our ki beams collided and formed a massive ball of it in the air, lighting up the twilight sky. We kept pouring energy into the struggle until the ball touched ground. We powered down and stopped the beam, keeping the damage minimal.
"Well, seems Dad and Piccolo weren't kidding, you really are just about as strong as me," Gohan shook his head slightly. We had been beating each other up in friendly competition for the past two hours. Gohan was trying to go easy on me, and got a rude awakening when he did. But his heart wasn't completely into it, I could tell.
"So why did you want me out here anyway Gohan? You can't tell me that it was just to spar with you! What did you want?" I asked, floating closer to him from afar.
"Damn, nothing gets past you, I actually need a favor of you," he said, looking like he was dreading the subject.
"What is it?"
"You know that so called date you're supposed to have with Videl in return for her helping with the boys, well I kind of need you to do that tomorrow night," Gohan kept his eyes low.
"Why so particular?"
"You see, there's a girl at school that is having trouble with her boyfriend. So she asked me to go on a fake date with her at his favorite restaurant to make him jealous and want to get her back. And," Gohan explained sheepishly.
"And you don't want Videl to know about it at all. I see, I suppose I could handle that. I sure don't have any special plans other than training all year," I said with a grin.
"Thanks Verto, I owe ya one," Gohan said, shaking my hand a little hard.
"Quick question though, where are you eating at?" I asked.
"Some place called O'Flanders, its in Satan City," Gohan said, trying to think that one up.
"Well, you know Videl, she likes Satan City more than West City. What side of town is it on, so we can try to avoid it?"
"Eastside I think."
"Good, I'll stick to the west end of things. Just in case, keep your ki level lowered. She's beginning to master that you know," I warned.
"I will Verto, thanks again. I gotta get going, Mom will have a fit if I don't eat breakfast and leave for school on time!" Gohan waved slightly and powered up for flight. In the distance I saw the sun start to rise on the other side of the mountains. I set off in the other direction, no particular hurry, I knew what to expect when I got home anyway. Somehow, I know this is gonna get ugly.
-
I called Videl that night, but I had a slight problem getting her number. Unfortunately the person I didn't want to talk to came to the phone. I sighed slightly, rubbing my sore ribs, Vegeta had paid attention to those a few times today after I bashed him in the head one too many times.
"Satan residence, home of the strongest in the world!" the butler answered.
I heard some shouting on the other end, "Hey, it's strongest in the universe, got that tubby?"
"Excuse me, strongest in the universe!"
"Right, is Videl home?" I asked, giving the phone a strange look. Then I heard Satan ranting and raving a few seconds later.
"Is that another guy for Videl? Hey you little young punk, you gotta be stronger than me to go on a date with my daughter!" Satan practically screamed into the speaker. I waited a few seconds for the ringing in my ears to go away before I spoke again.
"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind when you're running from Majin Buu," I said, knowing that would get his attention. The phone clicked for just a second, telling me that the speaker had been shut off and Satan had moved to a private phone.
"Uh, is this Goku's kid?" Satan asked.
"Heh, no, sorry. Here's a hint though, can turn into a hairy ape like creature and has a tail," I chuckled slightly.
"Oh, you know that boy Verto do ya? Yeah he's one strong and brave kid, I was just like him at my age.." he started to ramble.
"Hey, it is Verto! Didn't Videl tell you about my little accident last week?"
"Uh, I didn't see Videl last week. I had a fanfare to go to in East City," Satan said, causing me to frown even deeper.
"Don't make me come over there," I warned.
"What? I didn't see her last week and.." I didn't bother listening to the last part, I had already flown out the door. I took off at a quick pace towards Satan city, figuring this would be about the only way to get the moron's attention. That and I already tried telepathic contact to Videl, with no answer. Vegeta had mentioned that we probably would not hear each other's thoughts unless we were close. It took about fifteen minutes to get there, though the wind was a little strong. I landed at the huge Satan mansion and knocked on the door. Sure enough, the butler answered and I could still hear Satan talking to the phone about one of his supposed great moments. I realized I had accidentally left my tail unwrapped, and quickly put it back in it's waist position when the butler turned around before letting me in.
"Sir, your acquaintance on the phone is here," the butler said, in full recognition that Satan didn't even hear him.
"..And that's how I defeated Cell during the Cell games. And guess what else? Hey, are ya still there kid?" he asked. I let him look at the phone for a minute or two, waiting for him to slam it down. He still had his back to me, making the surprise a bit more amusing.
"Stupid young punks!" Satan shouted a minute later, letting the phone have it, and promptly breaking it.
"I'd hate to see what happens to telemarketers then," I cracked, laughing a little bit.
"Hey kid, who are you? You look like that kid Verto Briefs, but he's a tiny thing! Not to say you aren't tiny yourself, but he's even smaller than you. Why I bet you're not even as tall as my daughter!" Satan stuck out his chest.
"Do I have to drill it into your head, you old fool?" I asked, lighting a ki ball in my hands and letting him get a good look at it.
"Oh, sorry Gohan, I didn't recognize ya there. Funny, I thought Videl's boyfriend was taller than this, you're mighty short." I was now about two seconds away from blowing the vein that had expanded on my forehead.
"I'm not Gohan you idiot! I'm Verto!"
"Hey Videl, that skinny punk Gohan is here to see you!" Satan roared, causing my ears to hurt.
"Argh, that'll do," I muttered, grabbing a seat on the couch and folding my arms in. Well I suppose I can't blame him, Chichi screwed it up too, but any more short jokes and Buu won't be able to regenerate him. I sensed Videl move around upstairs in a frantic dash, before racing down what must have been five flights of stairs.
She came dashing in, "Gohan, where's Gohan daddy?"
"In the main room pumpkin," Satan said, before exiting to other parts of his huge house. Videl came racing in, but stopped short, I could hear her taking a few deep breaths. She came around the corner without looking, a bright smile on her face.
"Gohan you're here!" she said with her eyes closed.
I rolled my eyes slightly, "Wrong person." Her eyes snapped open faster then a frog tongue catching a fly. She also seemed mildly disappointed, which made me feel relieved.
"Verto? Then where's Gohan?"
"Probably at home studying, your numbskull father mistook me for him," I explained.
"Why didn't you just call?"
"I did, your dad got into one of his how I beat everyone speeches. I figured flying would be faster than hanging up on him. Hell he was still talking into the phone when I got here!"
"Oh, so, what's up?" she asked.
"You got any plans on Thursday?" I asked.
"Tomorrow? No, not now! I wanted to study with Gohan at his house, but he suddenly changed his plans and said he had to train with his Dad. I want no part of that, so I'm free now," she said, a little flustered.
"Well, I do owe you a date, say after school on Thursday?"
"Really? Okay, meet me here then at about five, we'll get some dinner. Maybe catch a movie, we'll have all kinds of fun!" she said, hopping onto her father's black leather couch next to me.
"Alrighty then, here at five, I suppose I can get off the hook from Vegeta by then and get cleaned up. I'll eat my dinner first though, don't want to embarrass the great Videl Satan with my eating habits," I said sarcastically. It got me a clean punch to the arms, not one that hurt of course, just noticeable.
"So did you ever talk to Vegeta about that bond thingy you told me about?" she asked. I grinned and decided to tell her by using the subject.
"Yeah, he said not to worry. It's impossible for two Saiyan males to bond with the same female as a mate at the same time."
She cocked an eyebrow at my sudden change in speech, "Aw, what a shame, I was hoping you two might fight for me now," she giggled slightly.
"Hey, I'm only gonna be this old for a few months, then it's back to the toddler size," I shrugged.
"Which isn't much of a difference now anyway," she noted.
My eyes flashed with fire, "Low blow, I see your posy father taught you well." Another punch to the arm, I was starting to get concerned she might break her hand if she punched any harder.
"So, anyway, don't you do anything besides train over there?" she asked.
"No, not really."
"Man, how boring! No school, no fun at all. Just train train train with the same grumpy Saiyan prince all the time?"
"Yeah that's about right. Since I'm a Saiyan, I do get some enjoyment out of it. Here pretty soon Mom will have a hologram designed for fighting. Something I've been waiting for myself, and I know Vegeta's been waiting for awhile too," I said.
"Well, no training for you tomorrow night! We're gonna go out and have a good time!" Thanks for the warning.
"I heard that!" she screeched a grin by me.
"So what movie, I'm not very familiar with the ones here, anything good?" I asked, then wanting to retract it right away.
"Depends on what you like," she said, beaming. Great.
"Action, adventure, comedy, horror flicks, that's my usual range," I said quickly.
"Oh darn, I was going to pick a romance!" she joked, at least hopefully.
"Whatever you pick I guess, where are we eating? Though most of my dinner will be at home?" I asked.
"Haven't decided yet, I'm kinda spontaneous ya know!" Videl giggled.
"Don't remind me," I grumbled. I was about to say something else, but Mr. Satan stepped back into the room with Buu and Bee.
"Well I must say, uh, Gohan, I thought you looked a little taller than this!" Satan laughed a little bit.
"Um Dad, that is Verto, not Gohan. They just look alike now," Videl said.
"Nonsense Videl, little Verto is only seven or eight years old right? This kid looks about your age, though he is a little short," Satan scratched his head slightly.
"That Verto, yes yes, that Verto!" Buu said happily. I often wondered if he had a brain to speak of, but he just proved it.
"How can that be Verto? His hair is wrong and he's taller, and this one looks meaner!" Satan's feet staggered a little bit at that word.
"You don't want to see mean," I warned.
"Dad, didn't you hear me tell you what happened last week when I was helping baby sit the boys over at Capsule Corp? Trunks used one of his grandpa's inventions that supposed to be some kind of manipulator for age or something. He used it on Verto and made him about nine years older!" Videl explained. Satan took a minute to figure this out, he seemed to be stuck on the word manipulator.
"Oh I get it, Trunks must have tampered with one of Dr. Briefs inventions and accidentally made Verto older. Yeah I figured it all out!"
"Argh," Videl growled. I rolled my eyes in tune with hers, before Videl yanked my arm sharply towards the doorway.
"Yeah that's right Dad, in about three months we're going to change him back with the dragonballs, don't make me explain those again ok?"
"Whatever Sweet Pea, go have fun now with your boyfriend Gohan!" Man, he is thicker headed than Goku, how is that possible?
Videl dragged me by the arm up to the door, "C'mon, get out before you fall victim to his I saved the world lecture!" Videl said, giving me all the motivation I needed to make a discreet exit.
"I'll see ya tomorrow at five Verto!" Videl shouted out as I began to lift into the air.
"Yeah, bye!" I said strangely, rising into the hundreds of feet range and blasting off. I went home slowly, weaving through buildings a time or two before I hit the mostly uninhabited mainland stretch to West City. As I flew back, I suddenly sensed some sort of distorted energy around their mansion. It was gone just as fast and I didn't pick it up again afterwards even when I stopped. I shrugged it off and proceeded home.
-
In no time though, I reached Capsule Corp as I never was one for flying slowly to get to my destination. I sensed Vegeta and Mom inside, their ki levels were emitting frustration and anger. Something I had discovered soon after training with Old Kai, my ki senses could read emotions better from afar. Sure I had learned what certain fluctuations did and meant, but all I had to do now was sense someone's energy and I could almost pinpoint their current state of mind. The state of mind I was sensing now told me I should enter and say nothing to either one of them. Getting dragged into one of their spats wasn't something I wanted to do tonight. Unfortunately they were in the front lobby, so unless I wanted to break my own window and sneak in, I didn't have a chance to avoid it no matter which door I took. I opened the front door quietly, though you wouldn't be able to tell by sound anyway, the screaming was too loud.
"I'm telling you Vegeta, you need to do something other than train all the time. Ever heard of a hobby, or heaven forbid, a job?"
"Woman, my job right now is to raise the brats and train them for battles, not to mention protect the planet. Nothing else is of any concern to me at this time!" Vegeta shouted back. Great, another one of these arguments.
"I suggested this to you last month Vegeta! Why won't you find something else to do?" she pleaded back.
"What are you talking about woman? I did find something to do outside of this house!" Vegeta yelled back.
"Yeah, sparring every other day with Goku from what I heard," she muttered as he growled slightly. "Well, I want you to find something else to do, because I am shutting off the gravity chamber until you do. Starting right now!" Shit, there goes my time passer. I knew Vegeta wouldn't give up that easily, but I also knew he'd want his precious gravity room back quickly, so this time he might be twisted into doing something else.
"Fine woman, you win, what do you suggest?" Vegeta huffed slightly in defeat.
"I knew you'd see it my way!" Mom celebrated. I took the chance to walk quickly by, hopefully without notice. It worked, somehow, and I went up to my room quickly and shut the door as soon as I was in. It wasn't five minutes before the door opened quickly, smashing into the wall as Vegeta stepped in and closed it again.
"Ever heard of knocking?" I asked.
"Shut up. I need your help boy, the woman wants me to do something other than train. I can't think of anything that I would prefer to do that is suitable for this planet and myself, any suggestions? The woman gave me a few, but none of them sounded appealing to me," he explained. Damnit, of course he would drag me into this!
"Well, other than fighting, do you enjoy competitive sports at all?" I asked, trying to get a bearing for what Vegeta might actually like.
"Not really, of course I don't have time for such trivial things so I have never bothered with them. What Earth sports do you find entertaining?"
"Well, there's a lot of them that I like, some that I don't mind too: There's baseball, football, hockey, bowling, basketball, I've been known to watch boxing and golf a time or two. As for watching team sports all you have to do is find out when they're playing and get tickets, then go watch and cheer on your favorite team," I tried to explain as simply as I could.
"I heard the woman's former acquaintance plays that baseball sport, so I do not wish to see that. I've heard you speak of bowling and football a time or two; I might be interested in one of those. I've noticed you have a knack for entertainment," he said in a truly annoyed voice.
"Okay, well Bowling is a sport anyone can play. Football, well it would be better if we watch, any particular choice?"
"I would prefer something I can do myself, though seeing a bunch of weakling humans beat the shit out of each other does sound worth a look." Vegeta said, "We will go tomorrow, be ready by ten!" With that said he left, slamming the door behind him. Man, this could get ugly, and on top of that he didn't even tell me which one. Tomorrow is going to suck, and on top of that I have to take Videl out and keep her away from Gohan, damn you Dende!