Chapter Twenty-One
Her Search
Stomping angrily in the hallways of Orange Star High, Videl cursed under her breath. It was the end of the day, and Paige never showed up to class after their brief exchange before the first period.
Okay, Videl couldn't blame the devious girl for running away after pissing off someone who could kick her ass with ease. The crime fighter blamed herself: she shouldn't have been so upfront with Paige. She should've approached the psychic girl during the break, maybe at lunch, giving her plenty of time to corner that bitch and make her regret ever messing with her life.
But now Paige was god knew where and Videl had no way of…
She paused in her thoughts as the obvious solution dawned on her. Of course! She could easily find where Paige was ━ she only needed to go ask Baba again!
With that in mind, Videl ran out of the school and decapsulated her plane; she hopped in and took off as soon as her bottom hit the pilot's seat. She remembered vaguely where Baba's castle was, and besides, her plane had an advanced navigation system that memorized all of her trips, so Videl only had to look up where she flew yesterday and a trajectory was calculated.
A grin dug into her cheeks as she hit the accelerator without turning on the gravity control. The rush felt amazing, and it helped the girl calm down.
She arrived at Baba's in less than two hours, which, considering any regular vehicle would have taken at least six hours, was pretty damn impressive. Videl loved her new plane, and she was so grateful to Bulma for just giving it to her.
Feeling light-hearted and light-headed after nearly two hours of a rollercoaster-like ride, it was with a content smile that Videl walked up to the ghost wearing a Chinese hat who kept watch of the line full of burly and beefy looking men.
"Oh! You're back!" he exclaimed. "Hello. What can I do for you?"
"Hello," Videl replied. "I need Fortuneteller Baba's help again."
"No problem. Right this way," he said, turning around and floating into the first dome. Like the day before, the men waiting in line threw her nasty and jealous looks, upset that she was cutting in front of them.
"Mistress is currently occupied with challengers trying to get a reading for free," the servant informed her. "But it's unlikely she'll need to use her crystal ball for them. Nobody ever wins anymore."
"Did someone win before?" Videl queried.
"Only one." The ghost smiled at her as he stopped before the entrance to the castle. "Son Goku."
Figures, thought Videl was a smile. "I guess this is where you leave me."
"Well, actually, I'll be taking you to the ring on the other side of the castle," the ghost said, going through the arched entrance.
Videl followed him, walking through the empty yet luxurious circular room. They went outside through the second exit, and the ghost led her by the ring. Baba was sitting on her floating crystal ball, a wicked smile on her wrinkled face as she watched the fight between a mountain of a man against a tiny, pale guy with visible and sharpened fangs. The smaller fighter was winning, easily evading any attacks thrown at him while all of his strikes hit home.
"Mistress, Miss Videl is back to see you," the ghost told Baba. Videl vaguely heard him, her attention drawn to the fight on the ring.
The old witch quirked an eyebrow at the girl, wondering what she wanted this time, and hoping that she could get some money off the reading. And more than yesterday, if possible.
Videl's eyes then widened when the tiny guy tackled his adversary, his open mouth first, and bit him on the arm. The giant howled in pain and tried to break free from the blood-sucking creature, but he soon ran out of strength and lost consciousness.
The vampire smirked as he straightened up, licking the blood around his mouth. "Who's next? I'm still hungry."
"Let's take a break," Baba announced, making the vampire groan in disappointment. Still, he obeyed and walked off the ring.
The old witch turned to Videl. "What can I do for you today?"
The girl snapped out of it, deciding that learning that vampires were real was probably not the weirdest thing she ever found out.
"Yes. Sorry. I need you to show me where the girl from yesterday ran off to. I scared her off and she didn't show up to class," Videl explained. "I can pay you. Would twenty thousand be enough?"
She figured the price would encourage the old witch to do her bidding, even if it lacked several zeros after the number compared to her regular fee.
"You got yourself a deal," Baba said with a glint in her gaze. Videl could've sworn she saw zeni signs blinking in her eyes.
The old witch hopped off the crystal ball and chanted at it with her hands aimed at it.
Paige appeared after the smoke cleared. She was driving in a car. Videl frowned. "Where is she going?"
Baba made the image in the crystal ball zoom out a few times. "She seems to be heading North." The fortuneteller paused, her brow getting more wrinkled as she observed her magic ball. "She seems to be heading to King City."
No wonder she had been driving all day. King City was on the other side of the planet! Paige sure scared off easy… What did she think was going to happen? Yes, okay, Videl wanted nothing more than to kick her ass, but she would never actually beat up some defenseless girl, even as vile as she was. She wanted answers, first and foremost, and maybe scare Paige into repenting and making amends. She thought of forcing Paige to do community service ━ it felt fitting, and this way Paige would be helping the community, which was the least she could do after what she put Videl and Gohan through.
Luckily for Videl, she was now in possession of an aircraft that could fly to King City a lot faster than any vehicle in circulation. The crime fighter surmised that getting there from Baba's place would take about an hour and a half, maybe less if she went full-speed.
"Thank you so much, Fortuneteller Baba," Videl said with a respectful bow.
She then took one of the straps of her backpack off and rolled it into her arms, opening it to take out her checkbook. She also zipped her pen case open and grabbed a black-inked pen, scribbling down the agreed price for the reading. Baba accepted the check with a gleeful glint in her eyes.
"Come back anytime you want," she said, gazing lovingly at the amount on the check. "It's a pleasure doing business with you ━ at least you actually pay me, not like Goku who would just up and ask me for help."
"But he's won against your fighters, hasn't he?" Videl inquired.
"Only one time," Baba said sourly. "Do you think he only asked for my help once?"
Videl laughed. Well, if Goku could win once, it was safe to assume that he could do it again, so making him face Baba's fighters every time wouldn't make sense; it would be a waste of time, wouldn't it?
"Well, I'll be sure to drop by the next time I need your help," Videl promised. "And I won't forget my checkbook."
With that, the girl bid her farewell and decapsulated her plane, since the open space around the ring had more than enough room for her to get her ride out. She waved at the old witch, who got back on her crystal ball.
And then she was off again.
"Shouldn't it be over by now?" Gohan grumbled in bad faith, his patience wearing thin. He was annoyed and hungry, not a good combination, and he was still convinced that this old man was all talk.
"Hmm… No, not yet. Your potential is so grand, it's taking longer than usual," the Elder Kaioshin said thoughtfully, before laughing as he turned a page.
Gohan gritted his teeth. That guy was still reading his comic book! What the hell kind of god was he? This wasn't going to work. This had just been a waste of time, a whole twenty-five hours gone for nothing, and Gohan had had it!
"Enough already!" he snapped, getting to his feet, his fists clenched in anger. "This is just a waste of time!" His ki was rising, a white aura shining brightly around him. "You're not going to make me believe that… that I…"
The power emanating from his energy was like nothing he ever felt before. Gohan stared at his hands in astonishment.
"Wha…? That power… Is this really me? How…?"
"Sit down. You want this to be over quickly, don't you?" the Elder told him.
Gohan quickly obliged, apologizing profusely to the deity, deeply embarrassed by his outburst and his lack of faith in the Elder. Apparently, this guy was for real after all, even as ridiculous and dubious as his ritual looked.
"Wow… That gramps is no joke," Goku said in awe, letting out a whistle. He turned to Shin. "The potential… it's the ki you have hidden inside of you, isn't it?"
"Yes… More or less," the Kaioshin replied.
Goku stared at his son in wonder, a drop of sweat trickling down his temple. "Geez, just how much potential does Gohan have hidden?"
A few more hours ticked by. Gohan sat patiently this time, trying to picture just how strong he would become at the end of the ritual. The power he had felt earlier was well over Buu's level already, and yet the Elder still wasn't done unlocking his hidden potential. After this, for sure, they would have nothing to fear from Buu or anyone else. Gohan supposed he would have to keep up with his training so that he didn't fall behind again. As much as he wished he could just chill out and live his life in peace, focusing on his studies as well as on a certain raven-haired girl, the young warrior knew that he had a duty to the world, to the whole universe even. If a foe threatened the peace once again, whether it be Buu or some new monster, Gohan had to be ready to take them on. He had to stay the number one in the universe this time. He couldn't slack off and make that mistake again.
Who knew how strong he would have been if he had kept up with his training in the past seven years? And then, he wouldn't even have needed to follow Kaioshin on his home planet to train to surpass Buu, because, certainly, Gohan would have already been stronger than Buu had he not slacked off since the Cell Games.
And with his father gone, the role of the protector of Earth, of the universe even, befell on him. Sure, Goku was supposed to come back to life at some point, but in the meantime, Gohan had to be ready to fill his shoes and protect the innocent. Even after his dad would be brought back, the demi-Saiyan couldn't allow himself to slack off again. Who knew what could happen, what kind of enemy could attack, and whether his father would be enough to stop them? No, he had made his decision. He needed to stay the number one in the universe. He wasn't letting himself get caught off guard again. He couldn't let the world be in danger again.
He supposed balancing training and studying should be easier now that there was no way he was ever going back to school. The thought made the teen have out a sigh of dismay.
Man, just the thought was making him depressed. He'd been enjoying going to school and socializing with kids his age. He loved it there, so much. And now he could never go back. This sucked.
Oh, well.
"Are we almost done yet?" Gohan asked the Elder politely.
The deity blinked and lowered his hands. "Oh, I've been done for a while."
Gohan scowled at the old man, his eye twitching. "Why didn't you tell me then?"
"For the fun of it, of course."
The boy decided not to press it any further. What mattered was that the ritual was finally over.
He stood. "How do I become the strongest warrior?"
"Just do it like when you go Super Saiyan."
Gohan nodded and did just that, letting out a yell as his ki skyrocketed to unbelievable levels. The strong wind his power created threw the Elder away, while Goku, Shin and Kibito stared at him in awe. The Elder grumbled at the young warrior for not waiting for him to step away as he got back to his feet.
Gohan stared at his hand, hardly able to believe that it was his own ki that he was sensing. Buu held nothing to him now. The gap between them was so big, Gohan could easily kill the creature if the need ever arose.
If Videl was to be believed, however, he would never have to. Still, it was a good thing that he followed Shin to his home planet and got so much stronger. Now, nothing could ever harm his world again. Gohan would be ready to face anything thrown at him, and he was pretty confident he could incinerate any bad guy who tried to threaten the peace with a flick of his wrist.
"Wow, Gohan! Your ki is incredible!" Goku exclaimed in admiration. "You're definitely stronger than me as a Super Saiyan Three."
Gohan quirked an eyebrow at his father. "Super Saiyan Three?"
Goku grinned, rubbing below his nose with his index finger. "Well, you know how you ascended against Cell? I did that too eventually. I call it Super Saiyan Two. And I reached a level even beyond that."
Gohan blinked. "Wow, seriously? Can you show me?"
He figured he was in no rush to go back to Earth. Sure, he was dying to see Videl again, but after waiting so long, sitting on the grass in front of the Elder, Gohan figured waiting a little more wouldn't really make a big difference.
Besides, he didn't know when his dad was supposed to be brought back to life, and this was his last chance to see him before his future resurrection. Gohan had a lifetime to spend with Videl, but he wasn't going to see his father again for a while.
His stomach growled. Goku laughed. "How about I show you after we get something to eat? I'm getting a bit hungry myself."
Grinning widely, Gohan readily agreed.
Paige had some relatives in King City. She had been driving for hours, running away from home. She gritted her teeth, cursing Videl for forcing her to leave her mother who had already lost her husband because of that spoiled brat. And now, because of Videl, again, her mom was losing her only daughter.
But what choice did she have? She didn't know how Videl figured it out, but her secret was out now. At least Gohan still hadn't come back to school, probably hiding away because he'd revealed himself as the Golden Fighter to the whole world.
Seeing him on the news had been a shock. Even if she knew he was the Great Saiyaman, Paige had no idea he was also the Golden Fighter. She later berated herself for not making the connection sooner, because it was so obvious now that she thought about it. The Golden Fighter started fighting crime right around the time Gohan enrolled in Orange Star High, and then the Great Saiyaman took his place on the very day Gohan started school. It was too big of a coincidence to be one, and it had been staring at her in the face all along.
Well, it wasn't like it made any difference. Golden Fighter, Great Saiyaman ━ Gohan was still a super-powered crime-fighter who most definitely wouldn't be happy with the person who put distorted visions in the head of the girl he loved to push them apart.
And neither was Videl, most evidently. Running so far away may seem exaggerated, but Paige was terrified of what the skilled martial artist would do to her now that she knew who was behind her tainted dreams.
Paige parked her car, finally reaching her destination. She got out and encapsulated her vehicle. It was a small house. Her uncle lived here, her father's brother, and he wasn't exactly friendly. He wouldn't be too happy to be forced to care for his niece, Paige was sure, but she had no other choice. Besides, it would only be temporary. She just needed somewhere to crash while she looked for a job and until she could afford a place of her own.
She heard the sleek sound of an engine above her, so she turned around and looked up. It was a modern aircraft, the metallic red making it look really cool.
The plane lowered, and then Paige froze on the spot, her lips parting and her eyes bulging out. What the…? How the hell did Videl find her?
The pigtailed girl was scowling darkly as she climbed off her plane.
"Ho… How?" was all the red-haired psychic could utter.
"You're not the only one who can do magic in this world, and I happen to have really good connections," Videl replied with a sneer. "Now, come with me. We're going to have a talk on our way back to Satan City."
But the girl was paralyzed in fear. She couldn't move. Videl rolled her eyes and reached out toward her; Paige flinched.
"Geez, I'm not going to hurt you," Videl said. "I fight for truth and justice ━ did you really think I would just beat up a defenseless girl? Even if you would totally deserve it."
Some tension dropped from Paige's shoulders. "Oh."
"Now, get in my plane. I'm taking you back to Satan City."
Paige had a look back at her uncle's house. Maybe it was for the best. Her uncle was often mingling with the bad crowd, and living with him wouldn't have been safe. Besides, he might have refused flat out to let her stay at his place. He wasn't a very nice person.
And so she followed Videl on the plane and got on the passenger seat.
"Buckle up," the other girl instructed.
She still couldn't believe that Videl wasn't going to hurt her. After what she did to the martial artist, she would have been more than entitled to kick her ass.
Videl pushed a button that read gravity before turning on the engine. Paige blinked at their surroundings. Everything was a blur, as though they were flying at breakneck speed, and yet it felt like she was standing still.
"Gravity control," Videl answered her unspoken question with a smirk. "A little gift from Bulma."
Paige's eyes bulged out. "The Bulma? The CEO of Capsule Corp.?"
"The one and only. Met her through Gohan, she's super nice." Videl glanced at her briefly before focusing back on the sky ahead. "She's the one who told me where to find the fortuneteller that could locate you."
"Bulma… knows magic people?" What an odd concept. A scientific mind like Bulma knowing about and relying on magic.
"She knows about more than magic. She's seen everything, that woman ━ she's even been to outer space."
Paige whistled in awe.
"Anyway. We have about an hour before we get to Satan City; this gives us plenty of time to talk," Videl said without taking her eyes off from the sky ahead.
"Only an hour? It took me all day to get to King City!" Paige exclaimed in disbelief.
"This is Bulma's latest aircraft model. It's the fastest plane in the world."
"Wow. It's so cool that you know her."
"But back to business." Videl enabled the autopilot mode and turned to Paige, a deep frown creasing her brow. "Why did you go after me like that? What did I ever do to you?"
A rush of anger made Paige flush and grit her teeth. She lowered her head, staring at her balled-up fists resting against her lap.
"You put my dad in prison, and he died there shortly after. And he didn't even do anything wrong! He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, but you just saw what you wanted to see and beat him up before handing him to the police! He died because of you!"
Videl's frown deepened. "I'm really sorry about your dad, Paige, but I don't believe I've ever beaten up a person without a good reason."
"Well you were wrong about him! He was just an accountant, and he provided just fine for us, he didn't need to rob money from others."
Videl crossed her arms, tilting her head in thought. "What was his name?"
"Booker," Paige said, tears welling up in her eyes. "He was short, skinny, and mild-mannered. Brown hair and green eyes. He never had a chance to make it in a place like a prison. And you put him there. It's your fault he died." She sniffed and rubbed her face with her hand.
Videl pinched her lips together. "I'm very sorry about your loss, Paige. I know what it's like to lose a parent, and I wouldn't wish it to my worst enemy. Your description of him… I'm sorry, but it doesn't ring a bell. I'll look into it at the police precinct. It won't bring him back but I could at least clear his name if he really was innocent."
Paige cried in her hands. "Yeah, it won't bring him back…" she croaked out, her voice breaking. "But… thank you, Videl." Then she laughed through her tears, wiping the wet trails and rubbing her nose. "I thought for sure you were going to kill me or something. Ever since I found out Gohan is Saiyaman, I've been living in fear of either of you figuring out I was behind all this…"
Videl's breath hitched. "You knew Gohan is Saiyaman? Since when?"
"A few weeks. I have a crystal ball, and I've used it to keep an eye on you… To make sure you and Gohan weren't getting closer. I stopped using it when I found out about Saiyaman though. I was too scared of what he would do to me if he ever knew what I did to you. To both of you…" Paige sighed, turning her head to look the other girl in the eye. "I'm very sorry, Videl… Even though I still blame you for my dad's death… You're a good person and you didn't deserve what I've put you through."
Videl turned off the auto-pilot mode and focused back on the flight. She didn't say anything, didn't acknowledge Paige's apology, she just fell silent, a deep frown carved into her features.
"Um… Videl?" the psychic called hesitantly.
"I don't forgive you," Videl finally said. "What you did… What you put Gohan and me through… It was the worst kind of emotional torture. It was pure evil. It was cruel and sadistic, and even if you were grieving and blaming me for your dad's death…" She shook her head. "No, I can't forgive you, Paige."
The red-haired girl swallowed thickly. Of course. What did she expect? Videl was right. What she did was pure evil, and she had enjoyed every minute of it, every moment of Videl's agony.
Was she that terrible of a person? The thirst for vengeance brought out such an ugly side of her… I guess I'm going to burn in hell…
"But…" Videl continued, her voice softening. Paige blinked, not expecting to see such a gentle smile on the other girl's face. "Thanks to the visions you gave me, we were able to prevent a big battle and save the world."
Paige stared at her. "Huh?"
"It's a long story, involving the highest of gods, an evil wizard, and a childlike creature who only needed guidance to turn against his evil master ━ the wizard, that is."
Paige was still blinking. "O…kay."
"A lot of what I saw in the dreams you gave me was true. Only the parts that were influenced by my worst fears were false," Videl explained. "And in the dreams I had, I saw my dad and the guy who was supposed to be the enemy as best friends. So instead of fighting him and trying to kill him, we took a shortcut thanks to my dreams, and we convinced him to be good, to be our friend. The evil wizard escaped when he realized he had no more cards to play, and I doubt we'll be hearing from him again. So, in a way, we were able to avoid a life-and-death battle thanks to those dreams."
Paige needed a few long moments to take all of this in. "So…" she started, notes of hope in her voice, "that means those dreams helped save the world?"
"Pretty much," Videl confirmed, letting out a chuckle. Then her face turned serious once more. "Look, Paige, I get that you were suffering because of the loss of your father, I really do, but you have to make up for what you've done. Even if your plan to get back at me had some positive repercussions, you made Gohan and me miserable for over a month."
Paige fiddled with her hands, eying the other girl nervously. "What do you mean, I have to make up for it?"
"I'm talking about community service. For two months," Videl added, glancing her way briefly. "So it's twice as much as the time Gohan and I agonized because of you."
Relief lifted the weight in her chest. "That's all? Just community service?"
"Yes. That would be enough to make it up to us."
"Videl, I…" Paige shook her head in disbelief. "I'm in awe, to be honest. You have such a good heart… Even after what I did to you, what I put Gohan and you through… You're just trying to make the city better."
The pigtailed girl cracked a smile. "Yeah, I am. Always."
"Thank you, Videl… I understand that you can't forgive me, but… Honestly, I deserve so much worse than just doing community service."
"Tell you what," Videl said, glancing at her with a smile. "You do the community service for as long as you feel that you deserve it."
"You got yourself a deal."
Videl truly was amazing. She showed her mercy when she more than deserved to get the living daylight beaten out of her. Paige felt all the more awful for what she put Gohan and her through, and for enjoying how much Videl was suffering on top of it.
"Do you know where Gohan is, by the way?" she asked. They still had a long way to go before getting to Satan City, so they might as well chat until they arrived.
"Training. The god I mentioned earlier, he doesn't trust Buu ━ that's the creature we befriended instead of trying to kill him. So he took Gohan with him so he could train and surpass Buu, just in case."
"That makes sense."
"In my visions, Buu and my dad are still best friends thirty years from now, so I think the god is worrying over nothing. Well, at least Gohan will be ready if something else happens and he needs to fight to save the world again, I guess."
Paige stayed silent for a few minutes.
"Gohan is the Delivery Boy, isn't he?" she asked in a whisper.
Videl sighed. "I knew more people would make the connection… Yeah, that was him."
"Did he… Did your dad…?" Paige didn't dare voice the question. It felt like blasphemy.
Videl pinched her lips together. "Gohan doesn't want people to know, that's why he never came forth."
Paige swallowed at the implication. "You mean…"
"Yeah. Gohan was the one who killed Cell, not my dad."
Her breath hitched. Even with all of her psychic abilities, she never even suspected something so huge. To think the world's greatest hero was a fraud.
Some time passed in silence. It was Paige who spoke first once again.
"Say… What did you dream about? I only influenced your future using your fears, but I never saw what you dreamed about myself."
Videl frowned at the sky ahead of her. "I'm not comfortable sharing that with you."
Paige felt a lump rise in her throat. She hung her head in shame. "Yeah, I get it… I don't think I'll be done doing community service for a very long time…"
Videl sighed. "Look, Paige, I'm still super pissed at you, but I was pissed at my dad too when I found out he's been lying to the world, and we're good now." The psychic girl turned to look at her. "What I mean is, I'll get over it, I just need time. I don't think you're a bad person, Paige. You truly feel sorry for what you did, and that's more than most of the bad guys I've put away."
"You wouldn't say that if you knew how much I was enjoying watching you suffer…" Paige whispered, looking away. "Pretty sure I'm going to burn in hell…"
"You did something pretty terrible, yeah, but you're still a kid and you'll have more than enough time to make up for it. I'm sure if you devote your life to being good and kind from now on, you'll more than make up for that one bad thing you did."
Paige took a shaky breath, raising a hand to her face, covering her eyes. "Your kindness is… admirable. Even after what I did to you, you still treat me with kindness and try to cheer me up…"
"I know a bad guy when I see one, and you're just not it, Paige," Videl said with a shrug. "You're just a kid who was grieving the loss of a parent. And that's something I can certainly relate to."
A moment of silence passed. "I'm sorry about your mom, Videl."
The other girl smiled. "Thanks."
"And I'm so, so sorry for what I did to you and Gohan."
Videl's expression hardened, obviously still quite mad at her classmate. In the end, she sighed, slumping her shoulders. "Yeah, I know. And I'm still not forgiving you. Not yet."
"But now that you know the truth about your dreams, you two, you got together, didn't you?"
"We didn't really have the time, what with everything happening." Videl cracked a smile. "But I guess it's just a formality at this point."
"That's good… Even as strong as my magic is, I was never able to divert Gohan's attention from you, you know." Paige blushed. "I've grown to like him… I mean, he's just so amazing and he's so handsome. You get it, right?"
Videl couldn't help chuckling at that because she most certainly did. "Yeah."
"But all he could ever see was you. It's so painfully obvious that he's crazy about you. His face just lights up whenever you enter the room."
Videl blushed, keeping her gaze fixated on the sky ahead.
"And it makes perfect sense. Someone as special as Gohan could only fall for a girl as special as you."
Videl cleared her throat. "Flattery will get you nowhere." She shot Paige a look and the other girl grinned sheepishly.
"But is it flattery if it's true?"
Videl rolled her eyes, but a smile was making her lips twitch.
April 30, 2021
