Western Capital, Capsule Corporation, Capsule Corporation Residential Building, Bulma's Room; 8 AM
The morning was still early in the Western Capital. The sun was rising, and the drowsy city was bathed in the orange hue of sunlight. Within the master bedroom of the Residential Building, Bulma was slouching in bed. The kind who slept naked, the woman had her bare form covered by a bright pink sheet, and was staring at the picture frame on her dresser. Within the frame was a family picture; herself, their young son Trunks, and her late husband, Vegeta.
A morose smile crept onto the woman's face. She remembered having to force Vegeta into this picture; he'd been training so hard, and his idea of quality time with Trunks was also training. So Bulma forced her husband to dress in something casual, so they could take a family picture she could frame. Looking back now, she was glad they had. Placing a fingertip gently onto the frame, a sigh escaped her throat.
"Vegeta..."
She sat there in silence, still staring fondly at the picture. The Dragon Balls had failed to revive her husband, and the dragon himself said Vegeta had found peace with his death. The Vegeta she knew would have stubbornly refused to let himself die; what happened in the Afterlife that he was content to remain there, especially when he was most likely in Hell. And why would he be so willing to leave her behind?
The edges of her eyes glistened wet with tears, but she stifled them. She'd cried herself to sleep last night. Today was a fresh morning, and she wouldn't start that morning amid a flow of tears. With another fresh sigh, the woman resolved to make the most of the day.
Capsule Corporation, Main Laboratory, 9 AM
"Oh? Bulma! You're up early!" Dr. Brief, who was sitting in a wooden chair with a newspaper and mug of coffee, glanced over the top of the paper at his daughter. The man she inherited her hair, eyes, and intelligence from, Dr. Brief and his daughter had been engaging in scientific discourse since the young girl was five — and she usually wound up at the top of such debates.
"I had trouble sleeping," replied his daughter shortly. She walked over to the table and picked up a mug, pouring herself some coffee. She was trying to kick a smoking habit she'd recently developed — no doubt from her father — and found coffee a decent substitute. Sipping the bitter black drink, the woman drunk in silence for a moment. Glancing at the newspaper, she saw various headlines; many of them didn't know precisely what happened, but were commenting on lost time and memories. It seemed that even with the Dragon Balls, memories couldn't be entirely wiped away. The Earthlings knew something happened, they just didn't know precisely what.
Setting down the mug, she walked over towards a long metal table. Looking down at the table, what was on the table was covered by a long white sheet. It looked almost like a coroner's table, but Bulma wasn't that sort of person. However, the thing that was hidden beneath the white cloth was Capsule Corporation's secret weapon. Beneath the table, there was a drawer, and Bulma opened it, withdrawing a set of schematics. It wasn't beyond the scope of her intelligence to follow these to the letter — but she was interested in more than simply perfecting their secret weapon.
"With these schematics, we're gonna revolutionize the world, Dad," said Bulma. "Goku and everyone would always do their part to protect the planet when we're under threat by some alien invader — but I think its time to give Earth a chance to stand on its own two feet! How is SZ-05 coming along?" She asked, referring to the codename of a secondary project she was working on.
"The analysis is nearing 90% completion," replied her father, looking over the morning paper.
"Good," replied the heiress to Capsule Corporation. "Then I'll resume on AT-01." With the crackled of her knuckles, she turned towards the table where the cloth lay covering the object beneath it. It was time to do her part.
East District 439, Mount Paozu, Son Residence, 8:30 AM
The absolute benefits of a weekend, Gohan would never cease to appreciate. While the entire Earth had been repaired with the Dragon Balls, and the Dragon Team were slowly moving on from their losses, the week had come to a close before Gohan and Erasa had to return to their school life. Gohan, true to his desire to keep up training in some form, had woken up at 7 AM on a weekend to take up training.
It was now 8:30 in the morning, and the half-breed was high in the air, deep in the Mount Paozu mountain range. He wasn't wearing his gi, nor his earrings this time — a simple white gi was what he was robed in now. He'd been practising form since he'd woken up, but his hands were now brimming with bright blue ki. He breathed in slowly, raising his hands slightly, and cupped them together — the Kamehameha.
"HA!"
Gohan thrust his hands forward, releasing a multitude of beams from his cupped palms. Still connected, he pulled them back, manipulating the continuous Kamehameha to flow in a different direction — back towards him. Gohan braced himself, crossing both arms in front of his body as a guard, and the repeated beams collided heavily with him. The blasts resulted in powerful explosions, and Gohan tried to keep himself afloat amidst the cacophony of ki and dust. Forcing his arms apart, the blasts parted, dispersing into nothingness.
"I should have figured I would at least be able to handle my own strength," thought Gohan to himself. "If I want to get stronger, I'm going to have to be handle even stronger levels of power." This was durability training after all — being able to handle his own strength was fine, but if he wanted to push himself beyond his present limitations, he had to be able to handle even greater heights.
Clenching his fists at his sides, Gohan focused his breath and concentrated. In a rush of ki, and a familiar tingling feeling at his back, a brilliant yellow aura burned around him, and his hair changed from ebony to a brilliant white-gold. His eyes shimmering emeralds, Gohan had transformed into his Super Saiyan form. This was where the real test of durability began.
"Ka...Me...Ha...Me..." Gohan cupped his hands to his side, and blue ki swirled within the confines. Light poured out between his fingers, spiraling and rotating, as the Saiyan built up more ki. When the technique was primed, Gohan released a powerful blast towards the sky, comfortably away from the surface of a planet he could risk destroying. And then Gohan moved, overtaking the beam with his own speed. Appearing in front of the blast, he reverted to base state, and raised his arms to withstand a blast well above his pay-grade.
The powerful Super Kamehameha collided with Gohan, hitting him with a force he'd never imagined existed. This was his power? Even Majin Bū hadn't displayed this much strength. Gohan didn't have the time, however, to marvel at his own superiority — his Super Kamehameha was pressuring him with ease, and he found his body beginning to give in to the powerful ki. Gohan pushed his hands forward, attempting to push the ki back with bare force. To anyone watching from the ground, it appeared as if Gohan was nothing more than a violently flickering mass of unexplained light.
In the end, Gohan's struggling was just that — struggling. He couldn't resist the Kamehameha entirely, and the beam of light swallowed Gohan's entire form. It filled the entire sky, a pillar of light more than the size and length of a barn silo. The blast stretched outward, into space, and when it dissipated, the smoking, damaged form of Gohan fell to Earth.
Crashing hard, the half-Saiyan slammed into the ground with immense force. Leaning against the crater, Gohan rested within the smoke, groaning. "Pain. Pain...everything's in pain." Coughing through the pain, Gohan came to one stark realization — beyond the sheer stupidity of what he'd just attempted — was that it would be some time before he could withstand a blast like that while untransformed. Struggling to his feet as the smoke cleared, Gohan shakily flew into the sky.
Today was supposed to be a day of rest, but he'd gotten up early to try and squeeze training in anyway. "Time to go dress these wounds..." He thought to himself, making off towards the Eastern District.
Arriving back at his home with relative ease, Gohan slipped into his room through the window. Chi-Chi would wind up seeing the new wounds from training anyway, but his room was far easier to access this way than through the front door. His first move was to tend to his wounds his some way. They weren't serious but they would certainly be a hindrance today. Slipping out of the gi, Gohan proceeded to mend himself as best he could; he couldn't abuse Dende's abilities or the Senzu for something this trivial, btu was careful to apply bandage's and gauze where it was necessary.
What was more important was finding something casual; it wasn't that Gohan didn't have a causal wardrobe, he just used it so sparingly. "I'm actually having trouble finding something to wear," the half-Saiyan thought to himself. "Not that Erasa would mind, but it never hurts to put some effort into picking something out." He eventually decided on something more comfortable than just standard street clothes, and found himself wearing attire styled after where Chi-Chi was from: a pale blue tangzhuang, buttoned to the top, with the sleeves rolled back only slightly, denim-coloured pants and slip-on shoes with white socks.
These were hardly "casual" clothes, but Gohan had always found them comfortable, and wore them when he was younger. Goten was picking up the habit, and he hadn't entirely abandoned the concept as he'd grown older. Making his way down from his room, Gohan walked into the kitchen, where he saw his mother busy at work furiously washing some vegetables. Most would think this was breakfast, but he knew better; feeding two Saiyan sons was never easy, and his mother was working on dinner preparations at this early hour.
"Good morning, son," said Chi-Chi, her back turned to Gohan as she placed freshly washed daikon radish in a container.
"H-How did you—?"
"I don't need to be able to sense ki, sweetie, to know when my son sneaks out of the house and then back in," replied Chi-Chi pointedly. "Make sure you tell Goten that if you see him before he makes it back into the house?"
"So Goten must've left before I did," Gohan thought, confirming that he couldn't sense his younger brother's ki anywhere in the house. "Ambitious little guy!"
"Any reason you're up this early?" asked his mother. "After everything that happened, I would have thought you'd want to get some rest."
Gohan wasn't quite sure how to tell his mother this. Given her proclivity for overreacting at the smallest thing that didn't suit her tastes, he was nervous to actually tell her. But if he'd learned anything from yesterday, dealing with his mother was best done when straightforward; beating around the bush accomplished little more than creating unnecessary complications.
"Mother, Erasa and I are getting married."
He'd said it. He'd come out and said it. The silence that permeated the air was tangible, and Gohan wasn't sure what to make of it. It went on for what felt like minutes, and Gohan felt more pressure now than he'd had when going to fight Majin Bū. "Why am I so much better at fighting than any sort of social situation?" He lamented, wondering if the apple truly didn't fall too far from the tree.
"So, you're finally tying the knot?" Chi-Chi replied, turning to face him and finally breaking the silence. She wore a strange expression; it was one of melancholy, but she was smiling through the lugubrious air. "It honestly seems to be a tradition that runs in this family; your father and I got married young, after all. And so did Daddy and my mother." She placed the remaining vegetables into the sink, and walked over towards her eldest son. She motioned him towards the table, and took a seat herself.
"When is it?" She asked.
Gohan blinked. "Mother, you're so calm about this. I was expecting..." He hesitated, not wanting to sound rude, but continued on. At this point, it wasn't simply a conversation between mother and son, but two adults. "Well, I expected the reaction to be more substantial than this. You were pretty broken up when I mentioned I wanted to continue training, but you're taking this was a cool head."
"It's a different matter," replied Chi-Chi airily, waving her hand. "The fact that you're thinking about marrying this girl means that you're still taking your own life into consideration. Goku was a bit — who am I kidding, he was completely — disinterested in anything in his life outside of training, and I doubt he would have gotten married had I not come along. Well, perhaps Bulma might have made a move eventually. Regardless, I know your father loved us all, but he wouldn't have made a family of his own accord. But you're a different man than your father, sweetie, and you're going to take your life down a different path. Besides, you chose a good girl to propose to; that Erasa is a sweet girl, and I'll look forward to having her as a daughter-in-law."
Gohan's face broke out into a broad smile; he could feel it spreading, but the joy that rose up inside him prevented any kind of composure. "Well, we're not going to get married at any point before we graduate high-school, we know that much. It'll be some time after I graduate; I'm considering an internship with one of the professors in the Northern Capital, so it won't be too early."
"I'll help you plan it out, alright?" offered Chi-Chi. "Daddy and I are surprisingly good with these kinds of things, and I'd love to have a hand in your wedding, Gohan. To be honest, son, I really wish you'd involve me more in these bigger decisions in your life. I'm still your mother, and I want to be there at these important moments."
"Sorry, Mother," replied Gohan honestly. "And I'd love that." With an aside glance at the clock, he realised it was almost 9:30. Jutting out of the chair with a start, he headed towards the door. "Sorry, Mother!" He repeated. "I'm in a bit of a hurry! I'll be back later!" With a wave, the boy rushed out the door, taking all the care in the world not to damage it.
Erasa was waiting for him, after all.
Erasa was standing near the Shénlóng fountain in Satan City, her posture casual as she waited for Gohan. Having been wearing mostly gi for the previous few months, Erasa had donned street-clothes for her and Gohan's date. She was wearing a black t-shirt, with the words "LOVE THE LIFE YOU LIVE" in bold white letters, faded jeans, and laced black boots. On her left wrist was a striped black armband and cheap trinket bracelet.
With her hands rest coolly in her pockets, she waited patiently. Satan City was far from the final location of their date, merely where she and Gohan had agreed to meet up; outside the Shénlóng fountain she'd shown him all those years ago. She wouldn't be waiting much longer, however, as she saw a figure which was small, growing larger in the distance. Smiling, she realised it was Gohan; even before his figure closed in, her senses were reacting to his distinctive ki.
"Gohan!" She called into the air, waving from her position near the fountain. The half-Saiyan descended, a wide smile on Erasa's face. "I was starting to think you slept in," she chided, with a jab to his side that made her fiancé wince. "It isn't polite to keep a lady waiting."
"S-Sorry, I did wake up early, but I got just a bit caught up," Gohan replied, laughing nervously and scratching the back of his head. "I didn't mean to be as late as I was."
Erasa's blue eyes narrowed, and she gave Gohan a quick once-over, and she flashed a disapproving stare at him. The man looked taken aback, and she sighed, reading his expression without a word being said. Stepping forward, she placed a hand gently on his face, her reproving look softening slightly. "You know I won't stop you from training — especially as I intend to double my own efforts — but take better care of yourself?" Her soft hand lingered on the gauze that was covered the fresh wound on Gohan's face, and it broke into a golden smile. "Okay?"
"I'll try to keep myself in mind," replied the half-Saiyan. "I was a bit too reckless this morning, and I'm sort of regretting it now."
A gentle chuckle escaped Erasa's throat. "We're not in danger yet, so remember to relax every once in awhile. Now, let's go!" She lifted off from the air, floating above the asphalt, and beckoned Gohan after her. He lifted off, and followed in suit. To their luck, no one had seen them take off into the sky, so they weren't in danger of prying eyes. Satan City became smaller, and smaller, until it was a speck beneath them — Erasa and Gohan floating above the continent.
"I forgot to mention, I love the outfit," Erasa gestured to his clothes. "It doesn't exactly look casual, but it's nice to see you in something other than just gi or our uniforms. I don't think I've seen anything out of your wardrobe since I introduced you to Dad."
"We're pretty simple at my place," shrugged Gohan. "It might be a bit late for this, but what are we going to do? I've never exactly done a date before..."
Erasa giggled. "You know, the guy is usually supposed to plan these things out in advance."
"W-Wait, I was?!"
"Oh don't worry," she replied easily. "It's so like you to not know that I'm not surprised. Besides—" and she gestured to the Earth below them at this point "—we have almost the whole world at our disposal. We can go wherever we want." After a moment's thought, she had come up with an idea. "Why don't we go to the Eastern Capital? I've always wanted to go, actually — money might be an issue, but I'm sure there's an exchange system."
"Exchange system?" queried Gohan.
"The Eastern areas of the globe use yen," explained Erasa. "I think Zeni and Yen pretty equal right now — numbers aren't my strength (she laughed sheepishly) — so we should be alright."
Gohan remembered reading about that somewhere in the dozens of textbooks his mother had purchased over the years, and was surprised he'd actually forgotten. "Alright then! Let's head to the Eastern Capital."
In stating this, the two changed their direction, and turned towards the Eastern City, talking casually as they did so. It quickly turned to talk about precisely why Gohan was late, as Erasa knew that it couldn't simply be training that would have done that, and Gohan had mentioned he woke up early.
"Oh, that?" replied Gohan. "Well, I wanted to tell Mother, after she calmed down about my decision about training, that we're engaged."
Erasa looked over at him, her expression one of waiting. Gohan took it as his cue to continue.
"She took it surprisingly well," Gohan said with a small smile. "She likes you, that she does. If anything, she's excited about the prospect of a daughter-in-law. She just wishes I'd involve her a little more in important decisions — and I can see where she's coming from — but this decision was our's. I love Mother a lot, but in this case, I think it was fair to put her in the backseat."
A weight was immediately lifted off of Erasa's shoulders. She had always thought of Chi-Chi as a fair woman, and she'd been very kind to her during her time training at the Son household. Even after her little display at the Palace of God, having Chi-Chi for a mother-in-law, as understanding as she seemed to be, would make Erasa happy. She smiled in return. "I told Dad two days ago. He took it pretty well, all things considered. He wanted to try and talk me out of it, but relented pretty quickly."
"We have good parents, all things considered."
"We do, don't we?"
They approached the Eastern Capital fairly quickly, and began their descent, trying not to make a huge show out of landing in on the sidewalk in the merchant district of the city. This didn't mean that they went unnoticed, however, and several Easterners who noticed them were quick to gasp.
"Look at that!"
"Did they just fly?"
"They must be from the temple."
"Impossible! They've got hair!"
Gohan felt a slightly sour look cross his face, though it was also mixed in with amusement. "I think we may have made a small spectacle."
"Only a little," replied Erasa, who tugged at his arm. "We won't solve anything by standing around, so let's just move on our own, hm?" She plowed through the crowd, not even passing a second thought to her new ability to pull Gohan as if he was a light load. It wasn't until they got away from the whispering and mutterings of the crowd did she stop, and finally let herself take in the sight of the Eastern Capital. The architecture was a combination of modern and traditional. She could see modern buildings, and even skyscrapers, in the distance. But the market district they'd landed had buildings built in the traditional sense, and she could see a residential district with buildings built in a style she didn't recognize (minka and machiya styles), and was almost wondering if Hoi-Poi Capsule technology even reached out this far.
"I'm honestly surprised," said Gohan. "With everything I read about the Eastern Capital, the people didn't seem to be at all pleasant. It hasn't had the best reputation. But it looks like it's shaped up in all these years." In truth, he thought it might have had something to do with the attack of the Saiyans several years ago. Having a large portion of the city destroyed by invading aliens was certainly no picnic for all involved, but it might have gone a ways towards shaping the personalities of the populace on a better path.
"Well, that's nothing to think about right now! Now that we're here, it's time to relax," Erasa replied, brushing the comment off.
Laughing at her easy-going nature, Gohan nodded. "Sounds like an idea."
So, the couple proceeded to make their way through the Eastern Capital. They started in the market district, and were relieved to find out that the Zeni and Yen were roughly equivalent in value now, so paying for goods was by no means a problem. They were assailed by the scent of different foods from various shops — Gohan's Saiyan nose and stomach picking up on these quicker than most people would — and they found themselves peaking into quaint confectioneries and other shops to sample what they could. They found a treat that they both enjoyed — nikuman — and wound up leaving a building with a small bag.
"These are delicious!" Erasa said after a swallowing a rather large bite of dough and meat. "You'd think, for such a simple looking snack, the Western Capital would have some of these running around."
"Mother actually makes something similar," Gohan noted. "I think she calls them baozi. It's more or less the same thing." Enjoying the treat, he realised he felt more at home in the Eastern Capital than he'd have given it credit for. It felt like a place his mother would enjoy, at least, and she'd rubbed off on him and Goten, at least culturally. The couple made their way into the more modernized sections of the Eastern Capital, and suddenly it began to feel more like they were back home.
Skyscrapers touched the sky, modernized buildings and shops flooded the sidewalks, and people were racing through the roads in high speed hover-craft. If the Western Capital's trademark Hoi-Poi Capsule Technology reached anywhere, it was certainly here. It was here Erasa grabbed Gohan's arm again, actually pulling him through the air to across the city.
"H-Hey, don't get so excited!" Gohan called out.
"But now this feels more like a date, doesn't it?!"
In her excitement, Erasa pulled Gohan into the first store she managed to find; and to the poor man's misfortune, it was a women's clothing store. The inside of the store was far too chic for Gohan's tastes, but Erasa eased up on the pressure on his arm and looked around at the entire store in amazement. The entire store was a blinding white — giving Gohan the impression of an alien starship rather than a clothing store — and the walls were lined with shelves of clothes in various colours, perhaps the only thing preventing the sheer pallidity of the walls and floor from blinding the young man.
Mannequins were at the fore, displaying trench coats, a billowy-blouse and shorts combination, among other various clothing that decorated the store.
"I-I think we might be in the wrong store," said Gohan.
"Not a chance," Erasa replied. "Come on, let me take a look around! Besides, boyfriends who follow their girlfriends into clothing stores are supposed to be the best kind, or so they say!" And without another word, she wandered off into the depths of the dazzling store. Gohan had to admit it was less of him following her in and more being dragged along, but he found himself smiling at how excited she was, and couldn't bring himself to say anything in the way of refusal.
Gohan soon found himself subject to judging the outfits that Erasa tried on — ranging from cute summer clothes to outfits befitting a punk rocker — which was a task he considered himself fairly ill-equipped for. Eventually, he would cave, and went on to give Erasa his opinion, as best he could, and he was keen enough to notice that she seemed to latch onto the outfits that he liked the best.
Her final number was a thin blue black blouse, white frilled skirt, and beige boots, which Gohan found, much to his surprise, suited Erasa very well. With a smile, the girl took herself back into the dressing room to remove the outfit. Donning her regular clothes, she made a careful selection of the outfits she would buy — out of an already whittled down selection she was jokingly calling the 'Gohan Choice Selection' — and pulled him excitedly towards the cashier.
The woman behind the register looked at the two of them, and seemed to be at most amused that Gohan was with Erasa in the store. When Erasa moved to pay, Gohan surprised her by offering instead.
Erasa actually blanked, looking at the money in Gohan's hands. "Gohan, I couldn't ask you to—"
"Consider it a gift," Gohan offered, smiling. "I don't have to if you don't want me to."
The woman behind the register smiled. "Oh, considerate, aren't you?" Her brown eyes turned to Erasa, and she leaned forward. "You got a good one, don't you? Take him up on it, go on! It ain't every day a guy actually offers."
Erasa frowned, her face a slight pink. "Oh, alright!"
After the money exchanged hands, and Erasa's clothes were bagged, the two left the shop, going on their merry way. Erasa clutched her bags, looking at Gohan, who was still blankly innocent. With a sigh, a smile reached her sapphire-blue eyes, she reached over, pulling his face close to her's and kissing him. It stopped Gohan, surprise overtaking him before he reciprocated with fervor.
They broke apart, and when they did, finally remembered to breathe. "So...what was that for?" Gohan asked, his smile now considerably less innocent.
"For being far too nice of a guy," replied Erasa simply. "These outfits weren't exactly cheap, and I didn't want you to go out of your way life that. The cashier sort of put me on the spot and I just rolled with it, but—"
"I really didn't mind, though," interjected Gohan, as if he didn't quite know the value of money. "I know they were on the expensive side, but you looked happy when you were picking them out, and when you were showing them off to me; I figured it would be nice to buy them for you as a gift."
Erasa groaned. "You can be so smart in some things and then completely oblivious in others. You've my lovable idiot, you know that?"
Gohan chuckled. "I'm starting to get the picture."
"Alright! Let's hit the cinema next!"
East District 439, Mount Paozu, Son Residence; Earlier This Morning
Quietly opening his window, Goten stepped out into the fresh morning air. It was early in the morning, possibly seven or seven thirty, Goten hadn't checked. The sun was barely rising, and the sky was a light purple hue, mixed in with shades of light blue and yellows. The air was crisp and fresh, and his Saiyan senses brought the morning into sharp relief around him.
"Sorry, Mom!" muttered Goten, and he immersed himself in a white aura, taking off into the air. He was high over Mount Paozu, the Eastern District left far behind. He was making incredible speed, and it was only when he'd been flying across the surface of the planet for about five or so minutes that he'd noticed another ki closing in on him. It was all too familiar for him to be alarmed, and he slowed down so the ki signature could keep pace with him.
"Goten!" Trunks called out. "Glad to see you made it out!"
"Mom was still asleep," replied the miniature Goku, "so I took the chance while I had it! The plan is still on?"
"Yeah!" Trunks said, a determined look on his face. "Think he'll take us up on it?"
"Mhm!"
The two flashed a brilliant golden, transforming into Super Saiyans, increasing their speed as they flew headlong towards their destination.
Palace of God, The Same Time
"Uwah!" Videl let out a grunt of pain, and her body was sent careening across the tiled surface of the Palace of God. She flipped her body upright, and felt herself skid along the cool morning floor. In the time of blinking, Piccolo had rushed across the Palace himself, and crushingly forced Videl into the tile by the head, cracking it.
"Your form is sloppy!" Piccolo shouted. "If you're distracted with thoughts more on personal issues than the battle, your focus drops and you're already dead! Mistakes like this will cost you far more in a battle against someone like Majin Bū."
"Don't you think I know that?" Videl snapped. She channeled her ki into her hair, and her black locks hardened, transforming into needles which pierced Piccolo's hand with astounding force. The Nameccian bounced back on instinct, allowing Videl the second she needed to rebound. Her hair reverted to normal state, and she took up a stance, breathing heavily.
"Clever," replied Piccolo, the wounds in his hand healing with his Nameccian regeneration. "If you've got nothing else going for you, your genius and sheer tenacity might actually take you far. Of course—" He swept his hand in a large arc, releasing a powerful shockwave that knocked Videl towards the edge of the Palace's tiled surface. "—that's if you survive training with me!"
Videl had latched onto the edges of the Palace, looking upwards at her master, desperately trying not to look down towards the surface. The look on her face begged for help, but Piccolo looked down at her with disdain. "Babidi selected us as pawns; there's something within your core, be it petty emotions or legitimate evil, that can make you an ideal student for me. So don't disappoint me, kid!" He raised his hand towards her, releasing a powerful kikōha towards her hanging form.
The light cleared, and Videl was nowhere to be seen.
"Piccolo!" Dende called out. "Don't you think you're going too far?"
"If she dies from this amount of power, she wasn't fit to be my student," replied Piccolo. "I'm not as soft as Goku, Dende. Never forget that I am the Daimaō as well as God."
"Y-Yes, but—"
"That's enough, Dende," Piccolo snapped. "I train my students with my own methods; if they can't stomach it, they can seek other teac—" He felt a powerful crushing force, a foot that slammed into his head, and Piccolo went flying off the side of the Palace. Videl was floating where Piccolo had been standing, and she smiled triumphantly.
"What was that about letting down my guard, sensei?"
Floating back up towards the Palace of God, Piccolo landed onto the tiled surface. His face wore a grin, and he rubbed the back of his head. "That's what I want to see," he said in a congratulatory tone. "That was my mistake, but yes; take every opportunity to take your opponent down. A soft heart and hesitation will only get you killed."
"I'll keep that in mind," replied Videl, who pulled out strands of hair, hardened with ki, and tossed them towards Piccolo, akin to throwing stars. The Nameccian dodged, and closed the distance easily, thrusting his fist into Videl's stomach, stunning her.
As the violence continued on the Palace, Goten and Trunks closed in, turning directly upward, passing Karin's Tower without taking notice, and rushing towards the Palace. They hovered above the Palace for a moment, their senses attuned to two clashing ki — one more powerful than either of their's, and one vastly weaker — and took in the sight of Piccolo and Videl clashing below.
Videl tried to dodge, but Piccolo's stretching arm caught her with ease. With immense force, he threw her high into the air. After focusing, Videl coalesced ki into both palms, and thrust her hands forward, sending a red kikōha towards her teacher. Piccolo placed one of his hands in front of him, catching the blast with ease. Gripping into the ki, he casually tossed the kikōha away.
"Whoa!" Trunks watched the battle with his eyes alight. "Isn't she that girl Gohan knows? She isn't super strong, but she's kinda cool."
Piccolo and Videl turned their attention away from their battle to the two children floating above the Palace of God, and Piccolo rematerialised his weighted gi. "Videl, we're taking a break. Get down here, boys! What are you doing here?!"
The two boys descended, and were confronted by the stern stare of Piccolo. But Goten spoke first, his light voice brimming with determination.
"I want you to train us, Piccolo!" He said, earnestly. "I want to get stronger! So I can protect Mom! I wasn't able to defeat Bū, and I was fused with Trunks. We were super strong together, but still lost! So I want to become stronger on my own!"
"I'm with Goten," replied Trunks. "Dad's gone. He'd want me to protect my mother! Besides, I'm the Prince of Saiyans now. I can't be weak forever! Train us, Piccolo!"
Piccolo snickered, raising a thin green finger to his chin. "I've never met so many people who are a glutton for punishment, but so be it. You two will become my students as well. But don't think for a second I won't put you through the ringer."
"Thank you, Piccolo!" said the two.
"Feisty ones," thought Videl. "It looks like I have some partners now..."
A/N: I'm pretty sure you're all sick of my apologies, but I'm sorry for taking quite so long. I was just not in the mood to write this chapter last month. I wasn't in a mood at all, and this chapter needed more than me forcing words to 'paper', so to speak. But I wanted this to be a chapter that was "relaxing" after the last chapter, which, while not groundbreaking, was far more morose than most chapters of mine. Besides, this chapter served its purpose for me.
Edit: To anyone who dislikes my spelling, I utilize a lot of Databook terms and also British English whenever I can. In regards to words like "Nameccian", the Databooks spell it as such. It's also why you'll see me using "Polunga" rather than "Porunga", among a dozen other things. Please simply get used to it, rather than asking I make accommodating changes.
As always, let's thank Demod20, who proofread the chapter! I'll see you all in the next exciting episode of the Erased Chronicles.