Important Notice: FFN implemented an opt-in email notification, so if you missed my chapter last week due to not getting the notification, go read that one first. Also be sure to opt-in if you want said notifications.

I like how I had last week's chapter done and posted early and I still waited last minute for this one lol

On the bright side, I've actually been working a fair bit on my own original little comic idea, definitely not because I'm avoiding working on my current animatic that I lost a ton of progress on because the power went out and reset my computer

OnTheTidesOfEvermore: Thanks ^.^

Qinlongfei: Mercenary Tao is really fun, unfortunately, I do not have any current plans to bring him back again
And of course Sharpener would be a perfect POV. he adds an extra level of ? ? ?

Coconutman17: Videl is not one to pull punches lol

nadia4245: I gotta keep it weekly or else I won't get it done lol

JCINNABAR: Thanks ^.^ hopefully you keep that with this chapter lol

arkon3321: she is the strongest with* SS4/ The Ultimate. At base Goku and Vegeta are still stronger

Reishin Amara: There are definitely more than enough Sayains now lol

WrathofAjax: Yeah... yeah. I luckily noticed right away when I didn't get my chapter update notification after posting. Unfortunately, I worry about the people who might have missed the update due to it. Other than that, many thanks

Videl

They were tricks. That's what she's known. For years. That's the reason her father could be the World Champion despite the previous fighters having such great feats to their names.

That's why her father was able to beat Cell. Because the bug had set bombs and her father was the strongest person still.

That's what she's known.

So when the "superhero," whom she had all but confirmed was Gohan, told Videl otherwise, obviously she was just lying. Even though she couldn't find anything, there had to have been something she wasn't thinking of. Something she missed.

Maybe something that her dad would be able to figure out that she couldn't.

So she asked him. It was the easiest solution after all. She'd rather figure it out herself but she'd need more context and Gohan obviously was not a reliable source.

Except, when she asked, her father didn't just laugh it off or find an explanation. In fact, the almost grim look on his face was something she hadn't seen since- for a very long time.

Instead, he motioned for her to sit down. And she did not want to. It meant this was some kind of serious conversation, for some reason. It meant she wouldn't be able to just turn and leave if her father got annoying either.

But, she wanted an explanation and this seemed like, a way to get that.

But after she sat down, her father didn't say anything right away. Like he was looking for how to phrase, whatever he was going to say. Which also was not like him.

Then, he explained that, he couldn't say about this new person, but that the group of people at the Cell games, the ones who flew in and one of which was fighting with Cell with more of those explosions and lights- they, probably weren't tricks.

He said he didn't know that until after, but he'd stopped calling them tricks even before that.

But that, made no sense to Videl. None of it did. People couldn't fly. People couldn't shoot lights out of their hands.

And if they could, how could her father have beaten Cell? He was strong, but he couldn't do that. Apparently, he didn't even know at the time.

She asked him.

He took longer to answer this time.

He took so long that she was already expecting it when he admitted he wasn't the one who beat Cell.

It still felt like her world was being turned upside down.

Because how. How could what she's known- what the world's known for the last seven years- how could that have been a lie?

And if not him then who? That blond guy who fought Cell? One of the others standing on the side until the camera was shut off?

Her father shook his head. It wasn't any of them. According to him, it was the child who asked for the camera to be shut off.

And Videl wanted to laugh. Because, it was obviously all a joke.

Because people can't fly. And people can't shoot lasers from their hands. And if they could, then a child wouldn't be the one to be able to stop it.

Except her father's face didn't light up in his usual boisterous laugh. His body language remained entirely somber, guilty, as he admitted that.

Videl took a moment to consider what it would be if the absurd notion was true.

Then who? Who was this kid who her father stole the credit from? Who should have gotten the recognition she and her father have been getting for the past seven years?

He said he hadn't known at the time.

He said that he later ran into the child again, at a different tournament, this time having black hair instead of blonde.

He said that the child was registered in that tournament under the name, Gohan. And that tournament was when he learned that they weren't tricks.

Video's stomach sank even before he said that. She'd begun to connect them when he mentioned the hair change.

Videl left the room. She went to their gym to let off some steam. The gym they got in their mansion. The one paid for by the recognition and notoriety that he did not deserve.

Because he lied. He lied!

For seven years he lied! To the world! To her! He took the money and the fame, for what? Showing up?

That fame didn't belong to him! It was for that kid! For-

Gohan.

Gohan who's been in her class.

For weeks.

She's been sitting behind her.

She knew.

This entire time. She knew.

She just, let her father lie to everyone. To her.

She lied too.

Videl didn't know if that made it better or worse.

By the time she came to that conclusion, she'd kicked a hole through her newest punching bag.

She decided her father could clean it up as she walked back to her room to shower and change.

Right now anger wouldn't help her. She's been tricked too many times and she needed a conclusive way to get answers. So she needed a plan.

She needed to get Gohan to talk. To do that she needed to get Gohan away from other people. The only real time she could do that was during lunch. They were away from most of the school and Gohan wasn't running off to who knows where, avoiding social interaction.

She couldn't get away from Sharpener or Erasa though. That's where the three of them had always eaten lunch. If she told them to leave they'd be suspicious. Not to mention Gohan, who might not even go in that case.

She decided that was an acceptable loss. If Gohan didn't want her precious secret outed that easily, she should be more accessible.

Asking her outright what had happened was an obvious out. She didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know that Gohan avoided personal conflict like the plague. If she rushed into it then Gohan would probably just leave and she wouldn't get any answers.

Gohan was already suspicious of her knowledge about the whole superhero thing. If she leaned into that it might work.

She nodded to herself and sat at her desk, writing down and finalizing her plan for the next day, confident it would work.

…

She still didn't get any answers!

It was working perfectly! She asked her questions and got answers, but the second she asked if Gohan was the one who beat Cell, she up and flew away!

She obviously didn't care about the identity anymore, in front of them at least, since she donned that outfit before taking off.

Videl was so busy seething, that she didn't notice Erasa marching up to her until she was right there.

"What was that Videl!" Her friend demanded more than asked.

"What?"

"What was that?" She repeated, "you just scared Gohan away!"

"I just asked questions."

"No, you interrogated him- or, her. And! You didn't even do it with any kind of privacy! You just went and asked personal questions with me and Sharpener right there! What if she didn't want us to know! Like she obviously doesn't!"

"Oh like I'm able to question her at any other time. She practically disappears the second she turns a corner."

"Then don't ask. It's private. And we just met. She's allowed to have secrets."

"My father lied. He's been lying for the past seven years! To everyone!"

"Great. Cool. And Gohan could have corrected him at any point in those seven years. With proof. But she didn't. What if there was a reason she doesn't want people to know? Not everyone wants the attention that would come with Videl."

Videl frowned. Erasa just didn't understand. It- it was more complicated than that. Videl just didn't know how to put it into words to explain.

"Sharpener? What do you think?"

Sharpener, who's been uncharacteristic without comment looked between the two of them.

"I'm, still confused about what exactly happened."

Erasa huffed and dragged Sharpener off by the arm, leaving Videl alone on the roof.

She didn't get why Erasa was so upset. She wasn't the bad guy here! They were the ones who lied!

Sure, maybe if she waited long enough she might have been able to corner Gohan on her own but there's no telling how long that would have been.

Besides, she was still peeved that Gohan just left without giving any answers again. She'd have to try again tomorrow now.

Except, Gohan didn't show up to school the next day. Or the day after that, when she could practically feel the holes being glared into her skull from Chico behind her in class. It was only on that Friday that she spotted Gohan in the halls again, being pulled along by Chico.

She entered the classroom a few minutes after they did. The two had switched seats, putting Gohan closest to the window instead.

Even if she wanted to question her right then, the scathing look from Erasa had her sitting at her own seat again.

Chico was still glaring holes into her skull. Videl wondered what Gohan had told her.

As lunch was called and the rest of the class filtered out, Videl wasn't quite surprised when no one in the five quite knew what to do.

Gohan was just looking down at her fidgeting hands. Chico sat back with her chin up glaring, as if daring Videl to say anything.

Erasa looked torn between wanting to give Gohan space, and not wanting to look like she was avoiding her, and Sharpener looked like he was waiting for someone else to do something.

Just when Videl was about to stand up to confront her, Gohan stood, and without glancing back walked to the door. Chico followed and was almost looking like she was trying to stay between them and Gohan.

Gohan hesitated at the door, a hand resting on its frame. The moment stretched into nearly a minute as she seemed to struggle to either say something or leave.

When she finally did manage to say something, Videl almost missed it due to the distance and lack of volume. Luckily, the singular word of "roof" was easy enough to interpret.

Things weren't much better on the roof however. Gohan all but refused to initiate conversation and Videl had to be careful with her words, all too aware of the fact that Gohan was sitting on the edge and would be able to take off at any moment.

Not only that, but the fact that she was stronger than both Chico and Erasa combined wasn't as comforting as it should have been at that moment.

Though, maybe Erasa had a point, in that she should have done things differently, not that she shouldn't have asked. Gohan's eyes looked, dull. Almost like she was trying to look disinterested but only managing to look tired instead. She slowly glanced over to Erasa and Sharpener, before back up to her, and then back down to the side.

"Yeah. I beat Cell. If that's what you want."

Gohan's tone had quite the way of making her feel like the bad guy here, despite the fact that she stood by the stance that she did nothing wrong.

"Why keep it a secret for so long? Why let my father lie all these years?"

"I told him to. I was eleven, Videl. I didn't need the notoriety that came with. I still don't. But the world still needed a hero, and he fit the bill. Besides, he's a pretty cool guy under the showmanship."

Videl frowned. It made sense. It did. The logic and reasoning. Nothing in Gohan's body language implied she was lying.

But it still didn't sit right with her.

Because they were still lying.

What if some other monster popped up and everyone expected her dad to deal with it?

What if one day Gohan decided she wanted that fame and fortune anyway?

"Why was an eleven-year-old fighting that monster anyway?" She decided on asking.

This made Gohan grimace. She stared up at the sky.

"Well, uh. For the past seven years, I've kinda, been the strongest person? To exist?" There was a slight tilt in her head, as if she wasn't completely sure of that claim, "the next closest is my dad, who was the person to fight Cell before me. And he, didn't exactly win."

Gohan looked like she had more to say, so Videl didn't ask another question yet.

"…look, it wasn't exactly, a close fight. When I say I'm the strongest, it's not close. If I went all out, well, honestly I'm not sure what that would look like because I haven't had to."

"Cell claimed he'd destroy the planet if he won…"

"Yeah."

…

Videl chose not to follow that lead.

She didn't know if she believed the planet destroying stuff yet.

There were so many questions she had. She'd been going over them for half a week now. Yet now that she was here, she could only think of one other thing.

"I want to learn." She ignored the sharp "Videl," from Erasa, "I want to learn how to fly, and shoot those lights."

Because if all that was possible, she'd be a fool not to try and learn it for herself.

At the request that dull expression returned, but this time it was crossed with what she'd almost call a pout.

"I was already gonna."

"What?"

"I was already going to teach you, eventually. Do you have any idea how dangerous what you do is? You're not exactly bulletproof Videl. I just, wanted to see how long I could pull off the act first. Didn't expect the Cell stuff to come up with it."

And Videl, didn't quite know how to respond to that.

So, if she'd been a bit more patient she'd have avoided this entire mess? Or just, didn't bring up Cell?

Or, she was sure Gohan would have preferred if she never know about Cell.

"Uh- can, I ask a question?" Her musing was interrupted by Sharpener behind her,

"Sure. Why not."

"Does, that imply that you, are bulletproof?"

Gohan raised an eyebrow, "the first thing I did in costume was catch bullets."

"Right. Right. Uh, so. Do…you actually have a tail?"

Gohan sighed. She lifted her shirt barely enough to show what at first glance looked like a fuzzy belt, only for it to uncurl itself from her waist and sure enough, what appeared to be a monkey's tail was moving of its own accord.

Last week, she'd have called it a prop. A, really convincing prop, but one nonetheless. Now, she was, less certain.

…and growing less certain by the minute because it did look, really convincing closer up.

The fur on it looked real, that was the main thing that was selling it. It didn't look like some artificial prop, but then, wherever she got that suit must have been pretty technically advanced to be able to switch her clothes around so seamlessly.

That's what made her unsure if it was real or not. The difference between it being some stunt or the real thing.

Videl couldn't think of why she'd lie about something as absurd as that after this whole mess, but clearly, she didn't know everything.

"No you can't touch it."

Videl blinked at looked up, it was only then that she noticed she was leaning forward. She straightened back up.

Then she realized that that wasn't Gohan who spoke, that was Chico who hadn't budged from her place beside Gohan.

Gohan waved her hand as if to placate her friend, "it's fine," she said, a casual tone almost returning to her voice.

It's not like any of them were stepping forward to touch it anyway.

"How, do you have a tail?" She asked. Because that definitely wasn't a normal thing to have.

"Classified. Next."

Videl frowned. She wanted to push it. She wanted to know.

But maybe this was some weird test. Maybe if she didn't push it Gohan would tell her anyway.

Or, maybe she wouldn't. And, maybe she wanted to keep that secret.

And, she'd, just have to let her. Especially if she wanted to learn.

"How does your hair change color?"

"It's a genetic thing. Rather exclusive, related to the tail."

Videl frowned again at the barely an answer.

And again she moved on.

"How does the flying-" she could have sworn as the bell rang behind her.

"That's something for your lessons anyway. Though, I'm not a very good teacher so like, that's a thing."

Gohan walked back into the school building with Chico following suit and was already sitting by the time the three of them got back.

Before she'd left for the day, Gohan handed her a slip of paper with what she assumed was her address on it.