My Life's Stranger Than Yours
An Effortless Battle; Gohan's Extraordinary Skill
The crowd watched with interest as out of nowhere, the Kendo captain himself Kuno had appeared.
"Kuno!? Where did he come from!?" Akane exclaimed.
"Gohan's quite the popular feller today, isn't he?" Cologne snickered at Videl.
Videl merely shrugged nonchalantly. Akane on the other hand took action immediately and darted towards the battlefield.
"Where are you going?" asked Videl.
"To get rid of Kuno, what else? Gohan's good, but fighting Kuno AND Ryoga together could be a problem. I'd urge you to go out instead, but you need to rest so I'll go and at least make it a fair fight."
"I'll speak for Gohan here and say, that while your concern is appreciated, it's not really needed."
"What?"
"Besides, it looks like Ranma's already beat you to it," Videl added.
"What!?"
[]
After remaining in his finishing pose for a few extra seconds, Kuno turned towards Gohan and aimed his sword in his direction.
"You!"
"Me?"
"We shall do battle here and now!" Kuno declared.
"Huh?" Gohan could only glance in confusion as Kuno issued his challenge. "Wait…who are you?"
"I already told you this last chapter. I am…!"
SWACK!
"No one wants to hear your intro again, dude." Noted Ranma who inexplicably appeared on Kuno's head.
"GAAAAAAAH!"
Kuno swung wildly at Ranma who flipped off of Kuno and over to Gohan's side. As the pigtailed fighter landed, Kuno brandished his sword, poised to strike. Before he could make a move however, a hand attached itself onto Kuno's shoulder and pulled him back. Sure enough, Ryoga was watching the scene unfold and was none too pleased with having his battle stolen.
"Get in line Kuno. I'M the one who's gonna fight this guy!"
"You…you're that miscreant friend of Saotome's," Kuno recognized.
"We're not friends." Ryoga simply stated.
"Love you too buddy," Ranma deadpanned flipping Ryoga off
"ENOUGH!" Kuno shouted. "Whatever purpose you have for fighting him pales in comparison to mine. This dishonorable, lecherous fiend shall be vanquished here and now!" he proclaimed.
"Dishonorable?"
"…Lecherous…?"
"Yo Kuno, you wanna throw us a bone here and tell us why you suddenly wanna fight Gohan out of the blue?" asked Ranma.
"I've no idea why you're talking about rice Ranma Saotome, but if you wish to prolong your own life, even for mere moments, I suggest you step aside!" Kuno threatened, poising his sword to attack.
"Anyone else think the author's run that joke into the ground, or is it just me?" Ranma shrugged.
"An opening!"
Kuno went on the offensive immediately, striking at Ranma who leapt aside, putting Gohan in the path of his attack. In a familiar scene, Gohan simply caught the blade, between his thumb and two fingers, much to Kuno's surprise. Kuno frantically tried to pull away from Gohan, but was shocked at his opponent's iron grip. After a few moments of futile struggling, Kuno finally strained out,
"Release my blade at once!"
Complying with his request, Gohan opened his hand releasing Kuno and causing him to tumble backwards, much to Ranma's amusement. Even Ryoga couldn't help but snicker as Kuno ate dirt, as could the rest of the student body.
Cleaning himself up, Kuno growled as his grip on the hilt tightened. "You dare make a fool of me? That'll just be one more offense added to the list!"
Gohan raised a confused eyebrow. "One more offense? What did I do? This is the first time we've met."
Kuno's eyes narrowed. "Don't think you can fool me for a second time you vagrant! I know all about your exploits with Akane Tendo! That is a deed that cannot go unpunished."
A blushing Gohan bashfully looked aside as Ranma shot him a teasing gaze. "Man, fate just won't let ya live that down, will it?"
"Look, I can explain-"
"Wait a second," Ranma interjected. "How do you even know about that? Ryoga just happened to be in the wrong place in the wrong time like he always does, but how do you know about that little 'spat' between Gohan and Akane?"
"I'll never understand your fascination with rice today, Ranma Saotome, but all you need to know is that nothing gets past The Blue Thunder's all-seeing eyes and all hearing ears."
"I'll bet he had Sasuke spy on us," Ranma crossed his arms. Unbeknownst to them, a certain sneaky someone who wasn't Sasuke, scurried away from the fight, clutching a straw doll that looked suspiciously similar to Ranma.
"I've done my part for this story. I'm out!"
A confused look remained plastered on Gohan's face until suddenly, his eyes lit up in realization. "Hey wait a second, are you the same swordsman Videl mentioned she fought with the other day?"
Kuno's expression lit up before he suspiciously narrowed an eyebrow. "You…are acquainted with Ms. Videl?"
"We're…a couple-"
"Of classmates!" Ranma quickly interjected. "They go to the same school so it's not to farfetched they know each other."
Gohan flashed Ranma a confused look, and the pigtailed fighter returned it woth one that just said, 'Trust me.'
Kuno continued to glare suspiciously at Gohan until an equally confused Ryoga spoke up "Wait a second, you two are only classmates? I thought you said you were a couple. Aren't you her boyfriend?"
"Her…boyfriend…?"
Ranma facepalmed hard as Kuno began to tremble with an unidentifiable emotion. After moments of viewing the peculiar scene, the emotion revealed itself to be joyous as Kuno's trembling was quickly accompanied by a manic laughter.
"Hmhmhmhmhmhmhmhm…hehehehehehehehe…DAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Ranma, what's going on?" asked Gohan.
"Somethin' stupid."
"So, you truly ARE the one I've been searching for these past weeks!" Kuno proclaimed. "Not only do you defile the lovely Ms. Akane Tendo with your lewd gaze, but you're also the unworthy miscreant who dares to keep Ms. Videl shackled!"
"Unworthy…?"
"It must be fate that caused our paths to cross on this day, for now, I shall vanquish the greatest threat to our fare town since Ranma Saotome!"
Both Gohan and Ranma remained undeterred as Kuno raised his blade, and poised it to strike. Before he made his move however, a firm hand grasped his shoulder and Kuno turned back to face Ryoga.
"What do you want?"
"To call a truce. I have no say on whatever you plan to do with that other girl, but we share a common goal in punishing him for dishonoring Akane," Ryoga affirmed, pointing to Gohan.
"I see…then feel free to attack if you must, but I urge you to stay out of my way." Kuno threatened.
"That's my line," Ryoga replied as he strode towards Gohan, pounding his fist.
"Make no mistake, once we've taken this menace down, I do intend to pay you back for harming Master's daughter." Kuno added matching Ryoga's pace.
"You're welcome to try!" Ryoga broke off into a sprint with Kuno close behind.
Ranma took a defensive stance while Gohan remained in his same neutral pose. "Two on one ain't exactly a fair fight, so I'll help you out with this one Gohan."
"Actually Ranma, I can handle this myself," Gohan dismissed him.
"You sure? Kuno's no biggie, but if Ryoga's backin' him up…"
"Trust me, I got this." Gohan assured.
Understanding but not fully convinced, Ranma nodded before leaping aside and leaning against a nearby tree. 'Now let's see what you're really made of.'
Kuno immediately struck with a sideways slash that Gohan easily backed away from. The strike was followed up by a thrust from Ryoga's umbrella which was sidestepped. The two Nerima fighters attacked repeatedly with their weapons forcing Gohan to sway and dodge their strikes, all with a nonchalant look on his face. Frustration becoming apparent on both attackers' faces, they both swung their weapons forward and to their surprise, clashed with each other.
"What?"
"Where did he-?"
FSSH!
The pair turned aside to see Gohan standing a few feet away from them with his hands in his pocket.
'I wonder…if I should just end this quickly…?' Gohan contemplated.
[]
All eyes were on the boys as Gohan continued to effortlessly evade attacks from Kuno and Ryoga. While Gohan showed no signs of slowing down, neither weapon wielders looked to be letting up either.
The boy certainly has speed, I'll grant him that," Cologne praised.
"But why hasn't he tried to fight back yet?" asked Akane.
"He's probably thinking of a way to end this quick and efficiently." Added Videl.
"Oh?"
"Gohan's not someone to get excited for every fight he partakes in so for these kinds of battles, he prefers to just get them over with." 'But in a way to not make people suspicious of his real strength.'
[]
"DIIIIIIEE!"
Both Nerima fighters once again brought their weapons down onto Gohan. This time, instead of avoiding them, he raised both hands up to the side and caught them both.
"What?"
As the pair cried out in surprise, Gohan yanked his arms down disarming both opponents and pulling them face first into each other. While they each recovered, Gohan took a moment to admire the weapons.
"Huh…I can see how a weighted umbrella would be useful, but how would a normal person ever use this thing?" he inquired.
"Don't…patronize me," Ryoga spat clutching his forehead.
Kuno immediately attacked Gohan yet again with a sword he seemingly pulled from nowhere. Gohan, easily as ever, deflected the oncoming strike with his confiscated sword. Kuno reciprocated with another slash which Gohan parried, keeping the struggling kendoist at bay.
"You know…I've trained with swords before myself, but I've never gotten a chance to actually use one in a real fight before," Gohan casually informed.
"Excellent. Then you must realize how vastly inferior you are to…!"
Gohan cut Kuno off by breaking the struggle with a forceful shove with his sword. As Kuno was launched back, Ryoga struck at Gohan with an outstretched finger.
"An opening!"
Anticipating Ryoga's move, Gohan tossed the umbrella upwards and caught Ryoga's finger in between two of his own. With his focus on Ryoga, Kuno chose that moment to strike again, but was thwarted by gravity as Ryoga's umbrella came back down and struck him in the head, point first (close to the battlefield, a certain red-clad fighter was on the ground laughing). With a skull shaking impact, Kuno froze and slowly dropped face first onto the ground.
[]
"Well…looks like Kuno's out," noted Videl.
"For now at least. He could wake up again."
[]
"You know guys, I think it's a good idea to stop now," Gohan suggested as he propped the sword on his shoulder.
Ryoga retrieved his weapon from Kuno's unconscious form and aimed it at Gohan. "Not a chance. If anything, I should have a much easier time now with that moron out of my way.
Gohan sighed. "If you insist on going through with this, then fine. I'll still fight you, but first…catch!" Gohan reached into his pocket before swiping his hand at Ryoga, tossing something small and round his way.
Ryoga caught the small projectile and looked into his hand to recognize it as a bean. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Eat it," Gohan replied.
"…And what if I don't want to?" Ryoga accused.
"I'm not gonna force you to, but I figured it'd be good sportsmanship to offer it to you at least."
"Sportsmanship? How is giving a me a bean good sportsmanship!?" Ryoga blared.
"Eat it and find out," Gohan challenged with an uncharacteristic grin.
Ryoga was at a loss. On the one hand, Gohan hadn't done anything skeevy, but Ryoga was far from one to put his faith in an unknown opponent. Ultimately declining the offer, Ryoga chucked the small vegetable back at Gohan before taking a defensive stance with his umbrella.
"Guess it's his loss." Gohan muttered. Returning Ryoga's action, Gohan himself took a defensive stance with his bamboo sword. While Ryoga stared the taller boy down, practically daring him to make a move while Gohan only had a mildly stern look on his face.
In an attempt to throw Gohan off, Ryoga quickly changed his grip and once again javelined his umbrella at Gohan. The casual Saiyan simply swung his sword at the incoming projectile and was able to deflect it…unfortunately, the weight of the umbrella was too much for a simple bamboo sword to withstand and the stolen weapon was ultimately split in two.
"Then again…maybe with my penchant for breaking swords…I may be better off hand-to hand," Gohan muttered.
As Gohan tossed the useless hilt aside, he quickly swayed away from an incoming punch from Ryoga, and another…and another. The two were engaged in a classic scene as Ryoga proceeded to throw a volley of blows at Gohan, the latter of whom was dodging them with the utmost of ease.
[]
"Is this fight beginning to bore anyone else, or is it just me?" spouted a random onlooker.
"It was kinda cool when Kuno was involved, but for cryin' out loud, someone hit someone already!"
The crowd was getting restless as, despite all the blows that were being thrown, there'd yet to be a solid hit (except for Kuno's head).
Even Cologne was starting to grow weary of the fight, but her interest was still piqued due to the simple fact that Ryoga, someone who she could recognize as an impeccable martial artist was unable to lay a single finger on Gohan. She could chalk it up to a difference in energy since Ryoga had fought Videl and actually had to try a bit, but this seemed to run much deeper than a simple matter of fatigue.
[]
"Why won't you fight back!?" Ryoga boomed.
As if to answer his question, Gohan simply raised a hand and caught one of Ryoga's incoming punches.
"Wha-GAH!?"
Before Ryoga could fully grasp what happened, he felt a sharp pain in his gut and looked down to see Gohan's palm outstretched across his abdominal area. Doubling over, Ryoga clutched his stomach and let out a strained groan.
"What happened?"
"Ryoga's down? How?"
"Did the other guy hit him?"
"I didn't see anything…"
Ryoga shared the audience's confusion as he shakily picked himself up. "What…what did you do to me?"
"You wanted me to fight back right? Well, I did." Gohan simply answered.
Ryoga growled before his expression settled into an accepting grin. "Fair enough. At least now I can feel at ease knowing that you're an opponent I can cut completely loose with."
While Ryoga recovered, an equally surprised Ranma's attempted to analyze the recent events. 'Just one hit and Ryoga's down? I don't think that was a special technique like what Videl did either. Just how strong is Gohan really?"
[]
"Bakusai Tenketsu!"
Gohan dashed backwards as Ryoga drove his finger into the ground with the force of a punch behind his strike, causing a grenade sized explosion right in his vicinity.
"So we're back to playing the dodge game, huh?" Ryoga taunted.
"Well…it was one of my earliest lessons," Gohan joked back.
"Well then…" Ryoga took a breath before lowering his head and arms. "Let's see if you've got the speed to dodge this one!"
Gohan raised an eyebrow as Ryoga's energy began to rise. His power rose but it felt…heavy. 'What's going on here? His energy feels…different…'
Curiosity and caution taking over, Gohan took a defensive stance as Ryoga raised his head up and shouted, "Shishi Hoko-DAAAAAAAN!"
['Oh shi-!']
With a ferocious yell, Ryoga let his power explode and a large mass of energy erupted from Ryoga before crashing back down creating a massive shockwave. Though surprised, Gohan was nonetheless able to avoid the blast by taking to the sky. As he surveyed the result of Ryoga's blast, Gohan couldn't help but be impressed by the resulting crater.
'Whoa…I didn't think there were other people here on Earth capable of that kind of power,' Gohan inwardly praised. As he safely descended, Ryoga gave an annoyed sigh.
"So, you managed to avoid it by taking to the sky…just like that girl."
"Who do you think taught her in the first place," Gohan replied rather boastfully.
[]
Off to the side, Videl was staring in complete disbelief. "You…you gotta be kidding me!?" she distressed. "Ryoga has that kind of power!?"
"Oh, having second thoughts on your old boy's victory, now are we?" Cologne teased.
"Hell no, I just can't believe I'm still that far behind!"
"Huh?" came the unified response of Cologne and Akane.
"Ehhhhhhh…" the two hesitated.
"Seriously…he learned it faster than that!?"
"Well…we don't know how long it took him to learn the basic version of the technique…so for all we know it could've been…two months," Cologne stammered.
Videl could only continue to watch the battle unfold with a pouty expression.
'Something tells me, she's even more distressed than I thought.'
[]
"Be that as it may, I 'm positive that you can't dodge forever!" Ryoga challenged. "SHISHI HOKODAAAAAAAAN!
"I don't have to…"
Gohan merely floated away from Ryoga's follow-up attack, the power and pressure just as intense as the first shot.
'He still has that much energy after using an attack that powerful?' Gohan noted. 'That's actually pretty impressive.'
"SHISHI HOKODAAAAAAN!"
VMMMMMMM!
Ryoga fired off yet another massive blast, again missing Gohan by a wide margin. With each shot fired, the crater around Ryoga grew deeper and wider, much to Gohan's worry.
'This is starting to get pretty dangerous. I'd better finish this fast before someone gets hurt.'
With a determined nod, Gohan dashed ahead just as Ryoga prepared to fire off yet another Shin Shishi Hokodan.
[]
"Wait, Gohan's approaching him!?" Akane exclaimed.
"How's he supposed to win if he doesn't get closer?" Videl smugly replied.
"I don't know if that was intentional or not, but you know Gohan has a potential way to win while keeping his distance," said Akane.
"Is that so?" asked Cologne.
"Who knows?" Videl teasingly shrugged.
[]
"SHISHI HOKODAAAAAAAN!"
Just as Ryoga fired the blast, Gohan zipped ahead and in an instant, planted his palm into Ryoga's gut for a second time. Before Ryoga could fully register what happened, the blast came crashing back down, striking both combatants.
"They're hit!" cried an onlooker.
"Are they both down?"
As the smoke cleared from the resulting blast, all eyes fell on a strained Ryoga on the ground and Gohan looking mostly untouched save for tears in his clothes.
"They're alright?"
"Ryoga looks hurt, but that other guy looks fine."
"Did Ryoga miss or something?"
"How…how are you…still standing?" Ryoga inquired.
"What do you mean?" Gohan asked innocently.
"Don't…screw with me!" Ryoga challenged. "You got hit by that blast, but you're still able to move easily. You should at least be as injured as I am."
Gohan could only bashfully chuckle as Ryoga struggled to stand up.
[]
"And here it almost looked like we were about to have a repeat of Ryoga and Son-In-Law's last major battle," commented Cologne.
"Speaking of…where is Ranma? I don't see him over by the guys anymore."
To answer Akane's question, our favorite gender-swapping martial artist, was laying unconsciously on top of the equally unconscious Kuno as he was just a bit too close to Ryoga's hokodan barrage and couldn't outrun the resulting shockwaves.
[]
Ryoga finally got to his feet, notably shaken after being hit by both Gohan and his own attack. 'Thankfully, I still have power left, but what do I do here? He can dodge all my attacks, and it's too risky to use a Shin Shishi Hokodan again since I'll just be wide open to…!'
Ryoga's expression turned dark as inspiration struck. "That's it…I know just what to do to end this, and this time, I'm pulling out ALL the stops!"
[]
"Is Ryoga going to use the Super Lion Shot again?" asked Akane.
"We'll see."
Ryoga charged at Gohan, his fist reared back. Confused, but not concerned, Gohan merely dodged aside.
"Now! Bakusai Tenketsu!" Ryoga pulled his arm back and struck out with his opposite finger extended. Gohan went to retreat, but found himself getting pulled back. Looking down, he found that somehow, Ryoga had tied both their wrists together.
'Impressive. I was focused on dodging his punch, I didn't even notice.'
"This time, there's no escape!"
The contrarian he was, Gohan pulled his wrist against Ryoga, freeing himself almost instantly, but then found himself constrained yet again, as Ryoga, with an impressive (for him) display of speed, managed to slip behind Gohan and hold him in a full nelson.
"Like I said, no escape!"
[]
"Ryoga's got him!"
"This could be checkmate."
[]
Ryoga's eyes glowed a dangerous red as he let his anguish and power rise from the depths. 'This is the price you pay for preying on the woman I love!' "MAX POWER SHISHI HOKODAAAAAAAN!"
Ryoga's energy erupted once again soaring skyward. Despite Ryoga's resulting emotional emptiness, his hold on Gohan remained as firm as ever. The Saiyan in question merely inhaled as Ryoga's blast began to descend. Right when the attack was merely a foot above the two, Gohan let out a guttural yell as he let his own power explode in a single swift burst.
The force was enough to stir Ryoga from his daze, and also blow him away from Gohan. As the confused Ryoga tried to recover, he now found himself on the receiving end of his own strategy as Gohan was now holding him in a full nelson.
Ryoga desperately tried to free himself, but to no avail as both he and Gohan were bathed in the crimson glow of Ryoga's destructive ki.
FWWOOOOOOOSH!
The schoolyard shook as Ryoga's blast finally fizzled out and the smoke from the resulting crater began to clear.
The audience, Cologne included all gasped out in surprise as, in a familiar scene, Gohan rose from the crater carrying an unconscious Ryoga in his arms.
"I think it's safe to say, this fight's over."
"He won?"
"He beat Ryoga?"
"How?"
"I think he did the same thing Ranma did when they had that fight."
The murmurs went on as Gohan laid the defeated Ryoga down.
"Well, looks like it's all over." boasted Videl as she glided over to Gohan, surprisingly spryly.
"Videl wait, aren't you still recovering!?" Akane cried as she ran after her.
Cologne let out a satisfied sigh as the two young girls ran off.
[]
"Whew…that was a messier fight than I expected," Gohan commented wiping his forehead.
"Gohan!"
The Saiyan in question turned to face the approaching Videl, a satisfied expression on her face. "How was that?" he grinned.
"A pretty good show, but something's missing."
"Missing? What is?"
"This."
Gohan's eyes widened as Videl pulled his head towards her and lightly pressed her lips against his cheek. Amazingly, a simple peck on the cheek caused many onlookers to explode into a frenzy of 'Oohs', 'ahhs', and fangirl squealing.
The resulting noise caused the discarded Saotome to finally to stir as the heat from the fight waned. "Whatsa happun?"
Ranma's awareness quickly spiked as he felt his pigtail being lightly pulled. "Oh, my pigtailed goddess, come into my arms so that I may caress your most delicate…"
THWAAAM!
Ranma immediately got to his feet and punted Kuno away with a boot to the chest. "Ugh…I need a shower…what the hell even hit…me?"
Ranma turned to see a flushed Akane staring wide eyed at Videl who was kissing Gohan and over an unconscious Ryoga. "Wait…Gohan won…and I missed it!? The hell man!?" Irritation dripping off him, Ranma stomped over to the others until…"RYOGA!"
The red-clad martial artist was trampled by a familiar giant pig who's rider quickly dismounted and knelt down before the unconscious lost boy.
"Akari!" Akane greeted.
"Oh my…Is Ryoga…!?" Akari placed a hand on Ryoga's scorched form, worry evident on her face.
"Don't worry, I promise Ryoga will be just fine," Gohan said as he put an arm around Videl's shoulder.
"Do you mean that?" asked a panicked Akari.
Videl knelt down beside Akari and leant closer to her. "Akari, If you want to be sure Ryoga will be alright, give him this when the two of you are alone." Videl opened her palm to reveal a small bean.
"A bean?"
"Just trust me," Videl enforced.
Akari examined the small veggie before clutching it in her hand. "Katsunishiki." Answering his mistress's call, the large swine knelt down letting her mount him again as Gohan propped the still unconscious Ryoga on his back.
"I'll fill him in when he wakes up."
"Will do!" Akane gave a thumbs up as the odd trio made their exit.
With the battles all but over for the day, many of the students began to disperse. Ranma who'd since regained consciousness (again) finally rejoined the others.
"Yo!" he called out.
"Ranma? Where've you been this whole time?" asked Gohan.
"Never mind that, tell me how the fight with Ryoga went down!" he quickly demanded.
"Sure…but uhh…"
A loud grumble filled the air. "Can we eat first?" Gohan suggested.
"Oh! Let's head to Ukyo's place!" Videl exclaimed. "I already promised her I'd take you there the next time I brought you to town." She giggled, playfully elbowing Gohan.
"Ucchan's does sound nice right about now," Ranma agreed.
"Wonder where she was this whole time anyway…she wasn't at school today," noted Akane.
"Speaking of wondering, I never did figure out why Ryoga was so dead set on fighting me," Gohan added.
"It ain't your fault. Ryoga's just on a different wavelength than most normal people."
"Ryoga's more normal than you Ranma," snapped Akane.
'Hmph, catch him in the rain and see if you still feel the same,' Ranma mentally seethed.
As the quartet of friends walked off, Cologne watched after them with a curious gaze. Shampoo, who'd been (wo)manning a makeshift concession stand, strolled beside her elder with an equally inquisitive look. "Shampoo no think pervert guest actually beat Pig Boy."
"The funny thing is, I don't think that boy was even trying his hardest."
"Great-Grandmother think Fly-Girl boyfriend even stronger?"
'Stronger may be a bit of an understatement. He could very well outclass even the Musk Prince. I only wish I knew how deep his well of power goes. Oh well, I may be able to get some answers when I meet the Turtle Hermit face to face.'
[]
In a familiar vacant lot, a resting young man opened his eyes only to come face to face, with his long-haired lover.
"A…Akari?"
"Oh Ryoga, thank goodness you're alright!" the pig-lover beamed latching onto him.
"What happened? Where are we?"
"Well…we're back at our campsite…as for what happened…you kind of…lost the fight with Gohan," she sadly informed.
"What!? He beat me!?" Ryoga boomed. His anger quickly waned when he recalled the details of the fight. "That's right, I remember now. For the second time, I was crushed under the weight of my own despair. I guess karma really is a cruel mistress." He droned as he sat cross legged on the ground.
While Ryoga took a moment to collect himself, Akari took the time to examine Ryoga up close…maybe a bit too close as a red tint became ever apparent on Ryoga's face.
"Akari…not that I don't appreciate your interest in me, but…what exactly are you doing?" he asked through a twitching eyebrow.
Ignoring the question, Akari swiftly grabbed the hem of his shirt and lifted it up.
"Akari!" exclaimed a fully flustered Ryoga.
"Amazing…"
"What's amazing?"
"You don't have a scratch on you…" she noted.
"I don't?" Ryoga examined himself and sure enough, his body was practically spotless. Being defeated by Gohan would obviously leave some battle damage, but not even his minor injuries from his fight with Videl remained. Standing up, Ryoga threw a few warm up punches and kicks and found that not only was he fully healed, he was also completely energized.
"Unreal…" Ryoga marveled.
"I wonder…did that bean Videl gave me really work?"
"Bean?"
Akari nodded. "Before we left, Videl gave me a bean and said I should give it to you when we were alone."
Ryoga gasped in realization as he recalled his fight with Gohan.
"-I figured it'd be good sportsmanship…."
'Did that bean really heal me? Then that means…!'
Ryoga looked towards the sky deep in contemplation. "Son Gohan…I…want to fight you again…next time…I'll be at my best." 'If you manage to get stronger, I don't think I'd mind fighting you again either Videl.'
[]
"Seriously!? There was a fight at school today!? DAMMIT! I wish I hadn't taken the day off!" groaned an exasperated Ukyo.
"Don't beat yourself up about it. We get it, you needed a day to keep your shop up and running, no one's blaming you for it." Akane tried to quell Ukyo's distress.
"Akane, you know as well as I do how many people show up to fights with Ranchan or one of the guys. I could of made a small profit today selling concessions, but now that darn Chinese bimbo's gotten ahead of me!"
"Welp, if it's any consolation, we're here today and like I said, Gohan's a HUGE eater." beamed Videl as she motioned over to Gohan and Ranma who were both on their 3rd okonomiyaki plates.
"That is true…I don't think I've seen anyone have an appetite like Ranchan's except maybe his father."
"One more please!" Gohan exclaimed pointing his plate in Ukyo's direction.
"Coming right up! Konatsu! Keep the griddle hot, I think we're going overtime!"
"Yes Ms. Ukyo!"
As the two cooks got busy, Akane leaned over to Videl. "Are you sure you can afford to pay for both Gohan AND Ranma?" she whispered.
"Oh no worries, this isn't the first time Dad and I have had to…!"
Videl and Gohan both paused when they realized their fatal error.
"We forgot my Dad/Mr. Satan!"
[]
Uptown Nerima, the World Champion could be seen limping across the sunset lit streets. "Hey…Videl…Gohan…kids!? I'm so gonna tell Chi-Chi about this…and Videl…as soon as I can feel my legs…you're in big trouble little lady."
(A/N: Hey, it only took ONE month for an update this time! Jokes aside, I NEEDED to get this chapter done this week. Another situation in reality has sprung up and while it's actually a positive sitch for a change, it also could've left me without a way to update for a good while (especially since I don't think any libraries near me are open yet). Also, there was some good old-fashioned writer's block with this one. I actually didn't expect to write a semi-serious fight with any of these guys, especially since we already know who'd win, but I hope I at least put on a good show. Now that we've finally gotten past the "Ryoga Arc", we can move onto bigger and better things…okay maybe not necessarily, but I do have a plethora of fights in mind and I also aims to bring in more Dragon Ball characters beyond Gohan's family. Yep, HE'S gonna show up soon enough, and given the time frame this story happens in the Dragon Ball world, THEY'LL show up too. Stay tuned)
