So, there we are again. I wish I could update earlier but I had a small hiccup in my further plot and I needed to fix it before I could carry on. According to my plans, I might be able to have more regular updates from now on. Thanks for all the nice things.

Chapter 16 - Free Fall

Gohan felt somewhat abashed by the unusual crowd swarming the Dojo. In normal time the audience was mostly composed by parents and relatives of the kids fighting in the tournament, but tonight was special. The coach had told them that Masters of some Martial Art's schools would attend the local tournament in order to weigh the performance of each little fighters. They were searching for new recruits and hoping to discover promising pupils among them. Gohan assumed it was the reason why the place was more crowded than usual.

His eyes drifted along the bleachers and he actually recognized the familiar faces of some famous Masters sitting amid the audience. His heart raced in excitement and fear. He couldn't help but secretly hope that they would notice him. For a minute he wanted to forget that he stood no chance of entering a real Martial Art's school as his mother had been very firm about fighting remaining a simple hobby. There was no way she would allow him to be dragged away from school to dedicate more time to Martial Arts. In her opinion, she was already too compromising to grant him four hours a week to practice his favorite sport and if it hadn't been for his father pointing at the pride she should feel about her son, she would have banned any participation to any tournament.

Gohan still dreamt that she might feel proud enough to put her obsession for study aside if he was offered a place in a prestigious Martial Art School. Maybe.

He sighed and resumed his stretching absently. He was snatched out of his daydreaming by frantic whispers of his comrades standing around him. He looked up at the audience again in an attempt to figure out what had triggered such reaction and realized Videl's father had just showed up. He talked to a notorious Master and sat next to him.

Gohan couldn't help a shiver. Although Satan was on the other end of the huge room, the boy felt like facing his accusing glare. Two kids standing nearby mocked the Champion and chuckled while glancing at Videl some meters away. The sight of the girl ignoring them with care stung Gohan's heart.

He turned his head to his father. Considering his former Champion's title, the coach had agreed to Goku staying with the kids instead of attending the tournament sitting among the audience. That way, he could support Gohan and give him advice as much as needed.

Gohan usually loved these moments when his father turned into his coach. He felt very important in his eyes then. Yet, today, Gohan would have liked it better if Goku had just been sitting next to his mother like any normal Dad.

Gohan searched the crowd for his mother and spotted her, sure face and arms crossed upon her chest. She looked constantly pissed lately. She was especially mad at his father but she always was, so the boy wasn't sure if that meant anything. As far as Gohan knew it could be as well due to him leaving the toilet pan up. Goku hadn't spent much time with them in the past week though. Was it what caused his mother's sour mood? This was a possibility. Although she claimed that she wanted him out of her house, she liked to have him around. The boy knew better than rely on his mother's words. She could say something, act otherwise and still think a different thing. Better was not to try to understand, his father had taught him.

"See who's here?" Goku's voice whispered in his ear.

"I see Satan, and the leader of the Crane School," Gohan stated with a nod.

Goku shook his head. "Not them, watch in the back row, up the bleacher."

Gohan squinted and scanned the audience but he couldn't find any familiar face.

"There," his father pointed at a weird guy with cold piercing eyes, "this is the great Piccolo."

Gohan's eyes widened. He'd never seen Piccolo for real. The legendary Martial Artist liked to keep his distance from people and he hardly attended Championships or Tournaments anymore. Yet, he was still known as one of the greatest fighter of all time.

"I can't believe he's looking for disciples," Goku added thoughtfully.

"Maybe he isn't," Gohan said nervously. "Maybe he's just there to… watch."

The boy's voice was a shaking whisper. There was no way a fighter like Piccolo would attend a Junior local tournament just for fun but the idea that such a great Champion would see him fight froze the kids' guts.

"Huh. Keep stretching, Gohan. I wouldn't like you to lose because of a stupid cramp," Goku answered.

Gohan did as he was told, but he couldn't put Piccolo's unreadable gaze out of his mind.

Then, the coach called them to salute the North district fighters before the beginning of the tournament. When the presentation of both teams was done, Gohan was sent to sit in wait for his turn to fight. He sat legs crossed on the ground in a row with his team mates and watched the first fight.

He couldn't focus on the spar though. His eyes always darted back to the tall man sitting motionless on the upper bleachers, his face as unaffected as stone.

Gohan was feeling really stressed out and he needed to turn to his Dad standing against the wall behind him in search for some comfort. That's when he noticed a strange guy had joined Goku. The kid had never seen him before. He was shorter than his father with weird hair shaped like a flame above his head. Gohan considered him with some curiosity.

He was definitely the type his mother would hate with his leather jacket, his worn out rangers and the helmet hanging at his arms pointing clearly he was a biker. Chichi would doubtlessly call him riffraff and that fact drew even more the boy's attention on him.

The stranger and his father were chatting in low voice and they didn't realize Gohan could hear their talk. The biker was staring at pictures his Dad had given him. Gohan couldn't see what they were about but it was enough to let him know it was about Goku's work.

"Not bad but it isn't worth a thing as long as we don't get the main target. You said you'd have something for me," the guy muttered while sliding the pictures into his jacket.

Goku gave him a cryptic grin. "And I do. Something definitely unhoped for."

The biker had a questioning frown but Goku averted his gaze to the tatami. Gohan turned around in a swift move in fear of being caught listening to them.

The boy realized the first fight was over and his team mate had won over the North district kid. Both children were sweating and panting as they saluted each other.

"Go on, winner," Goku's voice said behind Gohan's back. The boy struggled to his feet as the coach called his name as the next to fight.

Gohan trotted to him. His coach was a small bald guy with a round face but his stern gaze was still impressive. "Watch out your defense, Gohan," he growled with a pat on his shoulder.

Gohan bowed his head in respect and headed to the tatami. When he stood in front of his opponent in the middle of the fighting area, he couldn't help but raise his eyes again to the dark figure towering over the upper bleacher. Something flared in his guts and he focused on the kid facing him. He was the same heights and frame as him with cropped hair and hard black eyes.

The North district of West City was something different from the Middle district Gohan was living in. Street fighting was a sort of customs there and the little fighters belonging to the club had much more practice than Gohan and his team mates. For sure, none of them had a mother they needed to beg to let them fight. They were fearless and cunning with questionable loyalty and few qualms. Gohan had been beaten by them two years before as he was eight. He hadn't expected them to give him such a hard time. Yet, today was different, he swore. He won't let them catch him off guard. Especially not when Master Piccolo was watching.

Gohan's opponent was quick and resistant to pain. Each time Gohan was successful to hit him, he had the feeling he was hurting himself as much as he was hurting the boy. The other one managed a blow in Gohan's ribs forcing him to back away for a moment. It came to Gohan's mind that his opponent wasn't caring to hold back his strikes, so Gohan had little choice but to follow his pace and he stopped worrying about the harm he would cause. The thought of Master Piccolo witnessing the spar helped him to do so. There was no way Gohan could lose with the living legend in the audience.

So, he stroke. He punched and kicked every time the opportunity was given to him and he did it hard, leaving no time for his opponent to catch his breath and uncaring for his own pain.

He felt angry without knowing the reason. A unexpected fury spread into his body making him quicker and more ruthless with each minute. He was almost disappointed when the arbitrator yelled as to end the spar. Gohan was bewildered to find the North district's boy on the ground, panting with a trickle of blood dripping form his lips. The kid glared back at him and Gohan stretched out an apologetic hand to help him stand up. The other fighter huffed and slapped his hand away causing a bark from his own coach. Yet, he ignored the lecture and walked back to his team with his eyes gleaming with tears.

Gohan felt sorry by his reaction and saluted him either way.

As he went back to his team sitting on the edge of the tatami, he noticed the stunned faces of his team mates. Videl was staring at him with disbelieving eyes that had him shiver and he wondered for a blink if he hadn't done something wrong.

He searched his Dad's familiar figure for approval and he was relieved to find out Goku was wearing a large, proud beam. The guy next to him was giving Gohan an odd look. He seemed surprised and impressed. Gohan wondered if Master Piccolo was impressed as well, yet it was very unlikely. Master Piccolo had seen thousand fighters sparring in million fights, why would he be impressed by a simple Junior local tournament's performance?

Gohan sat silently back in the row while the next fight was starting. He couldn't wait for his turn to come again. Maybe he'd do it to the final fight. "Good job," his father's voice whispered from behind.

Gohan didn't turn around to look at him but a shy grin stretched his lips.

After that, he decided to watch closely the following fight as a way to study each fighter's habits. He noted them mentally with care. If he seriously intended to win the tournament, he'd better be ready. Actually he hadn't given it a serious thought before. What he wanted in the first place was for his team to beat the North District team as a revenge for his humiliation two years before. Truth was Gohan had always been more interested in the fight in itself than in the glory of being the one to beat them all and he rarely won the first place. Most of the time, he would be second or third in the individual ranking. It was the first time he urged to be the best overall. The need was seething in his whole body. His limbs craved action like mad dogs and he had a hard time sitting quietly in wait for his turn.

His second fight was even faster than the first one. The opponent had such weak defense that Gohan's strikes met him each time. Gohan had found out that the boy had dreadful attacks and he wasn't used to care for his reflex of protection. Yet, Gohan was much swifter than him and he had hardly time to try a single blow. Thus, he was beaten in no time. Gohan had to repress a blissful beam when they saluted at the end of the fight.

He felt incredibly light. It was like having pure energy running in his veins. Everything looked easy, every move of his opponents looked unbelievably slow.

After the second round, two kids of each team were left and the arbitrator declared a break.

Gohan seized the opportunity to walk to his father. The other guy was still there, although their talk had seemingly come to an end.

"Gohan, you're doing great boy. I never saw you so good. You have to beat them," Goku exclaimed in a cheerful voice.

"I will, dad," the boy claimed. He gave the stranger a glance with the hope that his father would tell him who he was, but Goku was now talking with the coach, oblivious of his friend's presence. The biker contemplated Gohan with an emotionless face which gave the boy a thrill. The kid deemed wiser to give up to any small talk with him and joined his team mates as the coach was briefing them.

"Limo, the tall guy, is the most dangerous. Your comrade who fought him can tell you. One blow and you won't make it through. Furthermore, he's quick and hard to catch. Be aware of him. Gohan, you'll be the next to fight him," the coach explained.

"If Gohan can't make it, I'll bite his head off," Videl claimed bluntly.

Gohan stared at her in unease. He was concerned that no one had eliminated her so far. It would be too bad to meet her in the final fights. What would he do, then? As he was worriedly mulling over the question, he met her straight piercing eyes. A shiver ran down his spine as he understood that she was craving for this opportunity to happen. He prayed Kami that someone would beat her before that. He still hadn't made up his decision about the prospect of letting her win in a fight as a retribution of the humiliation he had inflicted her by snapping the photos of Satan with his father. He lectured himself silently. With Piccolo attending the fight, he shouldn't even consider losing.

"Lunch had the information from Shienhan's computer so it's pretty sure," he heard his father say as he sat back on the edge of the tatami.

"Paprika Bay? Never heard of that place before," the biker answered.

"It's splendid and as much as I could check there's no better place for a small shooting," Goku answered.

Shooting again. Gohan couldn't explain why his Dad was so keen on snapping photos of people who wanted nothing more than to be left alone. He couldn't help a slight frown as his eyes fell on Videl fighting an impressive big girl.

The North District fighter would block most of Videl's blow and seemed unaffected by her successful strikes. Fortunately, Videl was quick enough to dodge all of the girl's attempts. Take her down, Gohan thought as if Videl could hear anything going on in his brain.

It lasted a moment before Satan's daughter came to the same conclusion as Gohan and she toppled her opponent over with a cunning, well-placed kick. After that, each effort the girl made to struggle back to her feet gave Videl an opportunity to throw a blow at her, causing her to hit the ground again. The North district girl was strong and very resilient but she lacked agility and she was slower than Videl. Gohan could see her face turning red in anger and pain as each attempt she made to take back the upper hand ended up in her losing her balance and receiving a new hit. Tears of frustration were welling up her eyes when the arbitrator yelled the end of the spar.

When Videl walked back to her place at the edge of the tatami, Gohan met her challenging eyes. Her cocky face was screaming "Your turn will come" and Gohan's guts twisted.

Limo was able to hit Gohan in the first seconds of the fight and it hurt a hell. However, it also kindled something in Gohan's mind. Once again, he felt this disturbing rage back in his veins. The coach had been right. The North District boy was nothing near a piece of cake, his muscles hard like concrete and his blow formidable like bludgeons but, for some reasons, Gohan liked it much more than the easy opponent he had before.

The fury in him made him somehow oblivious of the pain and urged him to strike back always quicker and always harder. It took some more time, but Limo ended up sitting on the ground, doubled over in pain and out of breath. Only then, Gohan became aware of the roar of joy coming from the audience. His team had won with two members left whist the North district had no more fighter standing.

The coach congratulated them as cheerfully as his stoical nature allowed him to. Gohan looked at his mother sitting among the crowd. She looked bewildered and he decided she was proud of him too. That's when the arbitrator declared that the next fights would be the final one and determine the individual winner.

Only then, Gohan realized his terrible situation. He lacked air all of a sudden and his eyes searched his father for support.

Unnoticed from him, Goku was standing just behind him. He wrapped an arm around the kid's shoulder and dragged him apart to the wall he'd been leaning on the whole time.

"Gohan, you can't lose," Goku grunted in a sharp voice.

The boy lifted helpless eyes to him. The weird biker was still there and witnessing silently their talk but Gohan paid him no attention. "Dad, I - huh," Gohan stammered.

"Stop your nonsense, kid. Piccolo is watching you," Goku reminded in a bossy tone.

Gohan gasped and gazed at the tall figure still sitting motionless on the other side of the Dojo. "Dad, I'm not sure it matters after all. No matter the reason why he is here, Mum would never leave me…"

Goku squeezed his shoulder in a harsh grip. "Don't think of her. Forget everyone, Gohan. Forget that girlfriend of yours, or her dumb father. Forget me. Just focus on the fight like you did so far."

Gohan blinked and gazed at him in disbelief. Never before he'd heard his father's voice turning so stern and pressing. It felt like he was someone else at this very moment. Gohan couldn't say if he was scared or angered at this. Maybe both. He snatched his shoulder out of his hold. "She's not my girlfriend," he hissed.

He walked back to the tatami with a stiff step. He knew now that he should do only what he thought right. No matter Piccolo, his mother or his dad. No matter Videl or her dad because Gohan was the only one to walk in his shoes, so he should be the only one to decide the way he wanted to walk. If only he'd known which way that was.

When he bowed into the saluting stance while facing Videl, he met her single-minded gaze. She wouldn't be soft to him. Maybe that was for the best.

At first, all he could do was backing away and dodging her strikes. One of her blows reached him on the shoulder, yet it did him no harm compared to Limo's hits. The situation turned quickly weird. The audience was confused at this fight that was only a game of cat and mouse and Videl became upset. "What the hell is wrong with you? Fight, you coward!" she groaned in a low voice while glaring at him.

And so he did. He felt slow and clumsy, missing her most of the time, stumbling in the process. She had no pity though. She hit him once, twice. She hit hard, aiming at the bruises he had from the previous fights, using all the weakness she knew him to have. He'd expected the rage to be back in his guts but there was nothing. Just a hollow, helpless feeling.

At some point, he stood in the open. He was recovering from a harsh punch in the face and he should have positioned himself in a defensive stance in anticipation for whatever was to come next. He should have especially shielded his already sore face and shoulder. And yet, he felt numb. His eyes met Videl's a short moment. The shame in his eyes couldn't compete with the fury in hers and she threw a formidable kick straight in the side of his head.

As he tumbled down, he had the feeling that no one had ever hurt him so much. He was flung away and hit the tatami with a deafening thud. That was when he gave up. His body was still able to struggle to his feet, no doubt, but his mind had no more will.

Shame, sadness and pain overwhelmed him as the arbitrator's voice echoed to stop the spar. At this moment, his face still pressed against the floor, he wished he could disappear in space once and for all.

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