Chapter Twenty

His Dubious Benefactor


Videl and Bulma watched the crystal ball like they would be watching a captivating movie. Things just got even more interesting with the apparition of the Elder Kaioshin. The ancient god, who was dressed the same way as Shin, had a white little mustache and a small patch of hair on his otherwise bald head.

He explained that an evil fellow had imprisoned him in the sword a long time ago because he was scared of him, and the deity seemed quite happy to finally be free.

Goku looked at his son over his shoulder. "He doesn't seem very strong, does he?"

"Not really," Gohan agreed.

"Let's see if he's strong!" Goku said, raising a hand.

"Um, how?"

In response, Goku shot a blast right at the elder god's face, the force of the weak attack making him tumble on his back. Shin and Kibito rushed to his side and asked him if he was alright.

Bulma slapped a hand on her face. "That Goku. Still an idiot. I'm surprised Gohan went along with it, he should've known better."

Videl couldn't help laughing at the comedic turn of events. This was way better than a movie.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" yelled the Elder Kaioshin, his face bruised and his nose bleeding. "Are you insane? You complete moron!"

Goku slumped his shoulders in disappointment. "He's just a boast. I knew it," he said, while the old god fulminated against the insolent mortal who dared do something so stupid to the eldest of deities.

"He wasn't afraid of my strength, but of my talent!" he precised for the dumb mortal who only valued brute strength like the savage he was.

Goku asked him what his talent was, but the Elder stuck his tongue out at him, childishly refusing to tell them more.

"Not even if I gave you some dirty magazines in return?" Goku asked.

Bulma groaned. "Oh, geez, Master Roshi's perverted ways influenced even someone as pure as Goku. I can't believe he would try to bribe a god like that…"

Shin called the Saiyan out in outrage, while the Elder scoffed. "I don't need some cheap magazines. I have the ability to see any erotic scene with my godly eyes."

Videl and Bulma stared at the old sleaze. Apparently, being the highest power in the universe didn't mean you had to be pure and devoid of perversion.

"And how about groping a real woman's boobs and butt?" Goku suggested, leaning closer to the Elder, who perked up at the proposition.

"Of… a real woman? You could make that happen?"

"I can't believe them…" Bulma gritted out angrily, repressed memories coming back to her. Back when Goku had no idea what it meant and how wrong it was, he had promised Roshi he would convince her to let the old pervert grope her breasts in exchange for Roshi to put out the fire in the Mount Frying Pan, so they could get their hands on the Dragon Ball stuck in the castle surrounded by the fire.

She had Oolong take her appearance so she wouldn't have to be traumatized by the sleazy old man touching her, but the deal itself was just plain revolting. To think Goku would use that kind of means again when he was fully aware of what it meant now, not even seeming to realize just how wrong what he was doing was.

Gohan came up behind his dad and asked him how he meant to keep his end of the deal since he was dead.

"That's right, I can't go to Earth… What about that girl you were telling me about? The one who saw the future?" he suggested casually.

Gohan flared up in outrage. "Are you crazy? You're kidding, right? Because there's no way I'm letting anyone touch the girl I love!"

Videl blushed and smiled at the declaration and Gohan's protectiveness of her.

Goku frowned and held his chin in thought, then turned to look at the Elder once more. "Would it be okay if she's a bit older?"

"If she's hot, then no problem," the deity replied.

Goku looked at Gohan again. "You'll have to ask Bulma, then. Explain to her how important this is."

"WHAT THE HELL!" Bulma jumped to her feet in indignation. "Like hell I'm gonna let some sleaze get even within a foot of me!"

Gohan seemed more scared to have to be the one to ask Bulma than disgusted by the very idea of the deal. Oh, so it was fine if she was sold like a piece of meat, as long as it wasn't his precious Videl, huh?

"I can't believe them…" Videl mumbled in disgust.

"Would your talent make Gohan stronger than Buu?" Goku asked the Elder Kaioshin.

"Hmm, I can't guarantee it, but it's a possibility."

"See!" Goku said to his son. "You could become strong enough to protect the world, and the only thing we need to do in return is let him grope a woman."

"Dad, this is just wrong," Gohan said with a grimace. Videl felt relieved that he did see how immoral that deal was. She got worried there for a moment. "I don't think this is worth it. I can just train on my own. We can't just offer a woman to him like she's some piece of meat."

"At least someone has some good sense," Bulma muttered as she sat back on the crouch and crossed her arms, still peeved at her best friend who didn't seem to realize that he was suggesting anything bad. Master Roshi had been a horrible influence on him ━ the old pervert had made Goku think that this kind of behavior was acceptable, and even normal.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad, and it's for the better good!" Goku insisted.

"Dad, you don't understand…" But Gohan sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping as he gave up the argument. "I'll be the one asking Bulma… She's going to kill me!"

"Damn right I am," the woman in question growled. "Well, they can promise that pervert whatever they want. I ain't agreeing to nothing. I can't believe those guys…"

Nonetheless, Goku and the Elder Kaioshin shook on it.

"So, what's your talent?" Goku asked eagerly.

Letting out a cocky chuckle, the Elder replied, "I have the ability to reveal anyone's hidden potential, and then go even beyond that! I bet you've never heard of that kind of power."

Shin and Kibito cooed in amazement, but Goku stared blankly at the Elder, unimpressed.

"Well, yeah, and not just one time," he pointed out.

"I said beyond! Well beyond their maximal potential ━ do you realize what that means?" the old deity huffed indignantly at the insolence of the mortal. "I'm the only one who is capable of such a feat!"

Then he motioned for Gohan to come over. "You're the one who released the sword from the rock, aren't you?" Gohan blinked, pointing a finger at himself to make sure the Elder was addressing him. "You're worthy to become the number one in the universe." He glanced at Shin with disappointment. "However, I thought I would be freed by a Kaioshin. And he's an Earthling! Times sure have changed…"

Shin hung his head in shame. "I… I'm terribly sorry."

"Well, anyway, let's begin. You, stand there and don't move," he instructed Gohan, who nodded in understanding. "Alright! Let's make you the strongest warrior in the universe!" he shouted dramatically, his arms extended in front of him as though he was about to recite a spell.

Everyone watched expectantly, swallowing in nervous anticipation, as were Bulma and Videl, eyes still glued to the floating crystal ball.

The Elder Kaioshin started chanting and dancing in a circle around Gohan, his fists clenched and moving his arms up and down in front of him.

The others stared, not really sure what they were witnessing.

Gohan tried to ask what the elder deity was doing, but the old man cut him off harshly, insisting that this was a very important process of the ceremony. And he kept chanting and dancing around Gohan, going in a circle over and over again.

Videl and Bulma shared a look.

"This is a joke, right?" the younger girl said nervously. "This couldn't possibly be how Gohan is going to become the number one in the universe, surely?"

"We can't be sure," Bulma said. "Believe it or not, I've seen some strange things in my life, and that's not even the worst. Anything is possible, and maybe that's just how his magic works."

In the crystal ball, Goku asked hesitantly how long this ritual was going to last.

"Five hours for the ceremony and then twenty to increase his power," the elder deity replied without pausing his weird dance.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Gohan exclaimed in panic.

Goku gave his son a nervous smile as he turned away. "Well, I guess I'll go take a nap…"

"This… can't be happening," Gohan muttered, standing rigid.

Shin and Kibito pondered what their role was in this ceremony, whether they should stay and watch or if they could go rest like Goku. They decided on the former just to be on the safe side, not wishing to vex the eldest god in creation.

"Poor Gohan," Videl said in sympathy.

"Well, I say, serves them right for selling me like a piece of meat," Bulma huffed, crossing her arms.

"Gohan tried to dissuade his dad though."

"True. I wish Goku was the one in his predicament."

"Hopefully it works and Gohan will be coming back tomorrow," Videl said with a smile.

Bulma nudged her and wriggled her eyebrows. "So, tell me, you're in love with him too, right?"

The girl flushed and lowered her head in embarrassment, fiddling with her hands. In the background, they could still hear the Elder Kaioshin's weird chant as he danced around poor Gohan.

"I… I am," she replied in a whisper. It was her first time admitting her feelings aloud. It felt… relieving, actually. "I'm in love with Gohan…"

"What did you see that was stopping you from getting close to him?" Bulma pried. Well, Videl supposed she owed the woman as much. It could be a start for repaying the scientist for giving her the fastest plane in the world for free.

"That was the part that wasn't real," Videl said in a low voice, too embarrassed to look up at Bulma as she spoke. "Well, Gohan and I, we get married, but I lose myself in the relationship. I lose my fire, my ambitions, my strong will even…"

"Oh, I certainly get that. You know, that's why Vegeta and I aren't married," Bulma said with a wistful smile. "I've always been independent and I don't want to lose that. Living together and raising Trunks together is just as good anyway. What difference would a piece of paper make?"

Videl glanced at the older woman in wonder. "But getting married doesn't mean you lose your independence. Shin fixed my visions. And in my real future, I do have a career even if I'm a wife and a mother too. I'll still be me, but even better, and Gohan and I will be so happy."

Bulma stroked her raven hair in a very motherly way, which made Videl's heart ache and long for her mom.

"I'm sure you will. Gohan would never want you to change for his sake," Bulma said. She heaved a deep sigh and ran a hand through her blue hair. "You know, back when Vegeta and I started seeing each other… When I got pregnant, he wanted to settle down. He said he had a responsibility to me and to his heir. But I heard that like a marriage proposal so I pushed him away, and he got vexed and left me. That's also why Yamcha and I broke up. He wanted to get married and I kept refusing, and after fifteen years of waiting for me to be ready he decided he had enough and left me."

"Why are you so afraid of marriage?" Videl wondered if she should tell Bulma that in the future she saw, she and Vegeta actually got legally married.

The scientist shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's a cultural thing. Women are expected to stay at home and take care of the kids."

"That's what I believed would happen to me too," Videl said. "But that part of my vision was false. Not that there's anything wrong with being a housewife, and that wasn't what bothered me so much either. In any case, I do have a career. I foresaw myself as a police captain of Satan City, and I'm on the path to becoming the next police commissioner. And that, while being married and raising three kids with Gohan."

"Three kids, huh?" Bulma cracked a smile. "Yeah, I can see Gohan having more than one child. He's so great with kids ━ he'll be an amazing father."

"He definitely will," Videl agreed, knowing that for a fact.

The glint in Bulma's aqua eyes changed and she grinned and wriggled her eyebrows. "So… Have you been thinking of what you'll say to him when he returns?"

Videl blushed and bit her lip, her gaze dropping in embarrassment. "I've been running millions of scenarios in my head, but I really have no idea." She let out a nervous chuckle, scratching behind her ear. "I'll probably freeze and be unable to form a coherent word when I'm face-to-face with him, whatever I rehearse."

"Or you could just kiss him," Bulma said casually with a shrug, causing the younger woman to blush brightly and widen her eyes at the suggestion.

Her hand automatically rose and her fingers grazed her lips, flashbacks of kissing Gohan rushing at her. Her face flared up even hotter.

She swallowed. Bulma quirked an eyebrow at her, a knowing smile creeping on her lips.

"You guys have already kissed before, haven't you?"

Videl hid her flamboyant face behind her hands. "Oh, my god…"

Bulma giggled. "I guess your mutual feelings were stronger than your fears, huh?"

"Can… Can we talk about something else? Please?" the mortified girl begged.

Bulma laughed heartily. "Sorry, sorry, it was just too tempting to resist. You're as fun to fluster as Gohan."

Videl couldn't help cracking a grin at that, and she could only agree. Getting Gohan all flustered was always super fun, so she could understand Bulma's motives to do the same to her.

She sighed and glanced at the crystal ball. "I guess there's not much to watch anymore."

"You're right," Bulma agreed, getting to her feet. "Let's bring the crystal ball back to Baba. I gotta get my checkbook too."

"No, let me," Videl said after she stood, putting a hand on Bulma's arm. "I can more than afford it, and you've done so much for me already."

"It's alright, Videl, I really don't mind. Why don't you put some of your wealth in a charity instead?"

The girl smiled at the suggestion. "I guess I'll do that."


It was way past dinner time when Videl got home. Her father and Buu were hanging out watching cartoons, and of course Buu was snacking on yet another box of fancy chocolate candy.

"Oh, hey, Sweatpea," Mr. Satan greeted her from the couch. "I thought you were going to join us at Capsule Corp.?"

"I had an important errand to run, and it took longer than I expected." The girl looked at her watch, calculating in her head when Gohan would be done with the Elder Kaioshin's ritual, supposedly making him ready to come home. "I already ate though. Did you guys have a good day?"

"Oh, yes!" Buu piped up, before stuffing a handful of chocolate candy in his mouth. "I got to play with Vegeta! He's so strong! If I couldn't regenerate, he would've been able to kill me, even. It was so fun!"

Videl smiled. Things were working out perfectly. While she understood why Shin thought it would be safer to get Gohan to surpass Buu just in case, they really had nothing to worry about. Buu was happy as long as his belly was full and he could keep having fun fighting strong guys, and he really was harmless. He was like a child, just needing a good role model to teach him the difference between good and bad, and with Babidi out of the way, there was no reason for him to go back to his evil ways, especially since he seemed to enjoy his new life so much.

"Oh! And I found a cute little creature on my way back!" Buu chirped happily.

Mr. Satan chuckled. "It's a puppy. He was hurt and Buu was wondering why he was just lying there when he found him, so Buu brought him to me. I told him the puppy was hurt and Buu healed him with his antenna ━ because apparently he can do that." He chuckled. "The puppy took a real liking to Buu after that and we played together all evening. He's right there sleeping now," Mr. Satan said, pointing at the corner of the living room where they had set down a big, fancy dark green pillow for the adorable labrador pup who was sleeping peacefully.

"So I guess we have a puppy now?" Videl concluded, mirth in her voice.

"Can we play together now that you're back?" Buu asked eagerly, getting up from the couch. "You've been gone all day!"

Videl cracked a smile, her heart melting. Buu had really taken a liking to her, huh? It was so cute.

"Sure. How about a board game?" she proposed. "Papa, you in?"

"Why not?" Mr. Satan said with a cocky smirk. "As long as you don't mind losing."

"You wish!" she bantered back with a laugh. "Come on, Buu, we'll teach you the rules of Monopoly."

Buu skipped after them happily. They got to the game room. Mr. Satan invited Buu to sit at the game table while Videl went to get the box on the shelf. She frowned as she reached up as high as she could. Why on earth was the Monopoly game on the highest shelf? Who put it there?

Her father laughed at her predicament. He got up and went over to her, easily grabbing the board game from the high shelf, what with him being more than a head taller than her. Where were those tall genes when he and her mom made her anyway, huh?

"I guess you take too much after your mom," Mr. Satan said with mirth in his voice. "She was even tinier than you."

Videl blushed slightly. "You're the one who's a giant," she muttered in bad faith. He laughed heartily at the jab, throwing his head back.

"Well, I'm a pro wrestler. We tend to be big."

She rolled her eyes. They got back to the game table and set up the board game, explaining the rules to Buu, who was frowning deeply as he tried to understand how to play.

"In short, when you buy the whole board from everyone else and you have all the money, you win," Videl finished. "It'll be easier to understand as we play, don't worry. It's really fun."

"Especially since I always win," Mr. Satan boasted.

"Yeah, right. I've won against you tons of time!"

"Well we'll just have to settle our score here then, won't we?" Mr. Satan chuckled in amusement. He turned to Buu. "So, Mr. Buu, which token do you want to be? There's a car, an iron, a lantern, a thimble, a shoe, a tophat, a battleship, and a rocking horse."

Buu watched the seven tokens and easily made his choice. "I like the battleship. I destroyed tons of those back when I was with Bibidi! It was super fun!"

Videl and Mr. Satan shared a frown.

"Buu…" Videl started slowly, not sure how to make the formerly evil monster understand that destroying and killing innocent people was wrong and immoral, not "fun".

"Why would you do that for fun?" Mr. Satan asked the pink creature.

"Because that's what Bibidi and Babidi taught me! And they were right, it's really fun!"

"But… you understand that you killed innocent people, don't you? Killing is really bad," Mr. Satan continued. "Imagine if someone hurt Videl or me, or the puppy. How would you feel?"

A rare thoughtful frown creased Buu's usually smooth, round face. "I don't want anyone to hurt you. You're my friends."

"Exactly. And the people you've killed because of Bibidi and Babidi… They had friends too, people who cared about them."

A look of horror struck Buu's face, his normally slitted eyes opening at the terrible realization.

"So you understand now, don't you? Killing people is really, really bad. You make a lot of people sad when you kill the ones they care about."

Buu nodded gravely. "Yes, I understand. Bibidi and Babidi were really bad people, and they made me do terrible things."

"It's not your fault, Mr. Buu," Mr. Satan said kindly, patting his friend on the shoulder. "You just didn't know any better. But now you do and you'll never want to do something like that again, right?"

"No. I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want anyone to hurt you either. You've been really nice to me and I really like spending time with you."

Videl's heart melted at his words, at the endearing sight. She was so proud of her father. He had handled the situation so well. She was reminded of how great of a father he was, even if in the past years he had been away on business trips more often than not. Still, he always made sure she was taken care of and wasn't wanting for anything.

Sometimes she wished he could be around more; she just missed him, but he was a single dad and the biggest celebrity in the world, not to mention a businessman. It was understandable that he was so busy, and he still did his best to be there for her when he could.

They started playing. Videl was winning at first, but then she landed on her father's most expensive property and most of her money disappeared. And then Buu surprised everyone and started winning the game, having insane luck with his dice rolls.

"Another double sixes?" Mr. Satan groaned. "Are you cheating or something? You can't be that lucky!"

"I'm not cheating," Buu said innocently. "I'm just controlling the dices' results."

Videl and Mr. Satan glared at the pink creature, who hummed happily as he advanced his battleship token on the board and bought another property.

"That's cheating!" Mr. Satan exclaimed indignantly. "You can't do that, Mr. Buu!"

"Oh, it is?" Buu tilted his head.

"Let's start the game over," Videl grumbled, shooting Buu an accusing look. "This one doesn't count since Buu was cheating."

The pink creature pouted, crossing his arms. "But I didn't know that was cheating. You never told me I couldn't control the results of the dice."

Mr. Satan laughed, ending up finding the situation amusing. "We didn't know you could do that, obviously! Anyway, Videl's right, let's just start over."

Buu shrugged. "Okay. I like the game. It's pretty fun."

"Just you wait when you don't win," Videl shot with a snide smirk. "It's gonna feel a lot less fun. And don't count on me for going easy on you either."

Buu laughed like a child. "Okay! Let's do this!"


How did it come to this? Gohan squinted at the elder deity sitting across from him with his arms raised while he kept dozing off. Was this old man even for real? This whole ritual felt like a joke, and as the hours rolled on, Gohan became more and more convinced that this whole thing was a scam. What kind of god only agreed to act for the greater good in exchange for defiling a woman's body? No, this guy was a fraud, Gohan was getting more certain of it with every excruciating minute that ticked by.

And they were expecting him to believe this was going to work? He should be training with his dad instead of wasting his time with this old geezer! How much longer was it going to last? How long was it going to be until they all realized he had spent hours doing nothing for no good reason when he could've been doing some actual, productive training with his father?

Gohan scowled as the Elder snored and his head dipped, his arms still staying outstretched. This guy was a joke and nobody could convince him otherwise.

"Hello?" he called, barely hiding the annoyance in his tone. "Are you sleeping?"

The old deity jerked awake and got all flustered, insulted at the implication. "Of course not! This is all part of the process!"

"So, how are things back on Earth?" Goku asked, lazily lying down under the shade of a tree with his arms behind his head and one leg crossed over the other. Shin sat beside him and Kibito was standing by his master. "Is there any way to see how this Buu guy is adapting to life there?"

"He's doing fine," the Elder Kaioshin replied, making a comic book appear on the grass before him. He flipped a page. "That Satan man and his daughter made him realize that killing is bad. Things are looking well so far."

"Huh. That's good." Goku sat up and turned to Shin. "Say, how strong is Buu? I wish I could fight him!"

"Vegeta seems to have a higher ki than Buu, if only by a little," the Elder replied for his younger peer once more. "But Buu can regenerate from the tiniest body particle and his energy is pretty much limitless, making him an almost impossible creature to kill."

"Good thing we're not trying to kill him then. But, man, Vegeta seems to have gotten a lot stronger since the Cell Games, huh? That's not surprising. Even with me gone, getting stronger would be his only goal in life."

"He's living with Bulma and Trunks now too, you know," Gohan said, joining in the conversation.

"Quiet," the Elder berated him. "I need you to focus on getting stronger, so don't get distracted and stay quiet."

Gohan grumbled to himself, still convinced that this was a big waste of time. Nevertheless, he knew he had no choice; he couldn't object to a deity, especially a Kaioshin that turned out even higher ranked than Shin.

"Poor Gohan," Goku said quietly to the second-highest god and his servant. "How long has it been now? To think he can't even take a break for eating…"

"I believe it's been fourteen hours," Shin replied. "So he still has another eleven to go."

"Man, barely over halfway done?" Goku sighed deeply. This was so boring. He couldn't even pass the time by talking with his son! "Is there a way to watch what's going on on Earth, at least?"

Shin fidgeted uneasily. But the Elder raised his hand and a crystal ball appeared in his palm. He threw it in Goku's direction, and it rolled over. Goku crawled over and blinked at the unexpected gift, reaching out to pull the crystal back closer.

"Oh! It's Chichi!" He exclaimed happily. "She didn't change much, but her hair looks different. I like it. Hey, show me Goten! I want to see Goten," he told the ball. It obliged, and the image of his wife busying herself around the house changed.

A young boy who was his spitting image was wrestling with a familiar lavender-haired boy who could only be Trunks from the present.

They were sparring in the backyard of Capsule Corp. without going all out, just fooling around and having fun. A gentle smile formed on Goku's lips as he watched the little boy who had the exact same hair as him, just as wild and spiky.

"He looks just like me when I was a kid," he said fondly.

The boys in the crystal ball took a break, sitting on the grass. Trunks crossed his arms and pouted.

"I can't believe we didn't get to help everyone when they went to fight that wizard guy," he grumbled.

"Well, our moms wouldn't let us go," Goten said with a shrug. "Besides, did you feel how strong Buu was when he fought your dad yesterday? We're nowhere strong enough to measure up to him, not even if we go Super Saiyan."

"Wait, what?" Goku mumbled. "They can go Super Saiyan? That young?"

"Yamcha told me there were other, weaker fighters before they got to Buu," Trunks said. "We could've helped with those."

Goten frowned. "Yeah, that's true." Then he perked up again. "Then we need to keep training and get even stronger than Buu! Gohan said I'm even stronger than he was at my age, so I'm sure we can do it!"

Trunks smirked, and Goku could see Vegeta's influence on the boy. He chuckled in amusement.

"Yeah, you're right. Now that Buu's become an ally, we can fight him once we're ready. I guess we'll just have to train harder!"

"Let's go to your dad's Gravity Room!" Goten said, an eager glint in his eyes. "We'll make faster progress using his gravity machine!"

"Aww, he loves fighting just like me. It's like looking in a mirror," Goku cooed in endearment.

Some distance away, Gohan smiled to himself, glad that his father got to see what Goten was like. He wondered again when Goku was supposed to come back to life, and he hoped that it would be soon, because he wished for his little brother to meet their dad too.


The next day of school, Videl got on her way extra early, hoping to have some one-to-one time with a certain red-haired classmate of hers. Alas, her watch beeped just as she saw her high school building in the distance, and Videl let out a deep sigh before answering the call.

It was a drug store getting robbed. Videl supposed it shouldn't take too long, and she mentally berated the Satan City police force who couldn't even take care of two mere robbers. Seriously, did they even try to handle this on their own or did she become their crutch whenever things looked a tiny bit dicey?

She didn't have the room to land her new smooth ride, so Videl left it hovering and opened the cockpit. She pushed the button to encapsulate the aircraft and jumped to the ground, landing in a crouching position near the police cars.

She didn't ask for more information and just barged in the drug store. The robbers were quick to shoot at her, and the girl lunged behind an aisle to shield herself from the bullets. She counted the shots fired, and soon enough, only clicks could be heard. The criminals cursed, and Videl took that opportunity to take action. She rushed the closest one and tackled him to the floor, and immediately followed with a few flips to get close to the second one faster while he nervously tried to put in a new ammunition magazine. But the stress made him lose grip of the stick and he didn't even have the time to curse when Videl's heel landed on his face. The other one was getting up, so the girl rushed him and peppered him with punches, finishing with a roundhouse kick.

She looked behind and saw that the other guy was out cold already after only one hit. Well, her job was done here then, and Videl had to admit, she felt good after fighting those two, if you could even call that a fight. Nonetheless, it was a nice little workout. The few customers and pharmacists came out of their hiding spots and cheered for her. She smiled. She liked that part of the job too.

She used her communicator to tell the police it was safe to come in and take the law-breakers in, and went on her way to school once more. She decapsulated her new metallic red plane, admiring the sleek design, and hopped in.

She still had some time to spare before the first period started, and Videl hoped to corner Paige and demand explanations during that time.

The red-haired girl was at her locker, and Videl picked up her pace as she went straight at her. Her classmate looked up at the sound of her approaching steps and a scowl distorted her features.

"Paige," Videl said, getting right to the point. "I know what you did to me. I know about the fake future you made me see."

The girl widened her eyes. "Wh-What are you talking about?" She laughed nervously, droplets of sweat forming on her forehead.

Videl slammed her hand on the closed locker next to her, making the other girl jump. "Don't pretend. I know it was you. And trust me, I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to me."

Paige gulped audibly. The bell for the first period rang at that moment. Videl glared murder at the cowering girl.

"This isn't over."

Then she turned on her heels with a huff and stomped away. Paige was trembling like a leaf as she watched the crime fighter get farther and farther away before disappearing behind a corner.

"Oh shit. I'm so dead."


April 8, 2021