Chapter Three; Well Wasn't That Awkward?
Somehow, despite every possible vexation in his mind troubling him, Gohan finally slept that night. He awoke with a clear resolve the next morning. If something bad was going to happen, he wasn't going to take the blame for not being ready.
He headed out to start his day with training, beginning with warm-ups, moving on to some exercises, then he shadow sparred and polished up form and techniques for an hour. The final bit of training that had become the conclusion of his training routine was the control over mental abilities.
His mental control over ki manipulation had improved over the past week, and he had begun to be able to break apart the large boulders into smaller pieces. The next step was to break those pieces into smaller pieces and maintain the same maneuvering control as before. This time he was trying his hand at sixteen pieces. He levitated them and moved them all in a different fashion from one another, being careful to keep each one in a clear trajectory away from the other pieces. After this became exhausting and he could no longer concentrate he relaxed and let the pieces fall to the ground. A look of satisfaction graced his face. He had again made a greater leap from the previous morning.
"Piccolo! I've improved yet again. My skill is threefold since last month!" Gohan spoke with his mental link shared between him and Piccolo.
"Excellent Gohan. This is remarkable progress, but it's to be expected from someone as studious as you. Soon your capacity for mental communication will improve and you'll be able to do this with people other than me."
"Wow, that's great. By the way, did you feel that strange presence last night?"
"I did. It felt sinister beyond comprehension. Not only was it foreboding, but powerful."
"I thought as much. I'm talking to Vegeta about it to. I think we should round up the whole gang and meet up at the lookout later."
"My thoughts exactly. Be careful kid. None of us should relax while whatever it is producing that force is around.
"'Will do. See you later." He broke the link and headed to the house to wash up.
"Good morning Gohan. How was your training?" Chichi asked while standing over a hot stove.
"It went well mom. By the way, I have to meet up with some friends over the afternoon. I promise I'll be back in time for dinner."
"Very well Gohan. Just be sure you finish your homework before the end of the day. Okay?"
"Yes mom. I'm going to wash up now. I'll be right back," He showered and dressed quickly then joined his family at the breakfast table.
"Hey Gohan! Are we sparring later?" asked Goten?
"Nah squirt. I've got some business to attend to with some friends after school. I promise we'll have a good sparring session tomorrow."
"Oh, okay. Well that'll give me time to figure how I'm going to win tomorrow!" deducted Goten triumphantly.
"Oh, I don't think so Goten," interjected Chichi. "You won't be spending this whole afternoon working on your fighting. I've got some studying for you to do."
"Aw, but mom!"
"No 'buts' young man. You can practice as soon as you're done, but if not..." she paused and looked at her dreaded frying pan. Goten quickly got the message.
"Yes mom!" he answered obediently. Just the thought of the dreaded tool of Saiyan punishment made his head sore. Many tender bumps from the past all came back at once to haunt him.
"Smart choice squirt." Gohan said as he ruffled his brother's hair. "Don't worry bro. It won't be that bad."
"Okay," Goten sounded a bit put off. Breakfast was finished quickly and Gohan blasted off to school. He contemplated how he could take being stuck in school for so long. He liked hanging out with his friends, but there were more important matters to take care of. He didn't lying about what he was doing to his mom either, but it would raise too much panic to tell her what he was really doing.
"Let's see. If I can just avoid tipping Videl off and keep the confrontations down to one, school should be manageable," Gohan chuckled to himself. The humor was short lived as he entered the city. He spied a mugging in a secluded alley not long after his humorous thought. Quickly disguising himself with the button on his watch, he descended upon the scene making his grand entrance.
"Please! Don't hurt me!" pleaded the man being mugged.
"Just give me the freaking money you wuss." The thug closed in on his victim with a knife in hand.
"I'd leave him alone if I were."
"Oh yeah? Well what are you gonna do about it? Why don't I just knife you both and-eh?" he turned around and turned pale. "Sa-Saiyaman! It was a mistake! I won't do it again!"
"No you won't." Gohan said in a low voice. The man's respect for human life pissed him off. He fazed out of view and dispatched him with a single chop to the neck. Then he picked up the offending object, which was soon to be a murder weapon. He crushed it into powder and through it into the wind.
"Thanks Saiyaman! I owe you one. I could have been a goner back there."
"No need for thanks, citizen! I'm just doing my duty in protecting this city and the innocent!" He struck a silly pose and deepened his voice to a cheesy tone.
"Um, yeah, well thanks anyway," said the unimpressed man. "I guess I'll call the cops so they can pick this guy up."
"I wise decision young citizen. I bid you farewell!" with that, he flew off to school. The near mug victim watched him leave with a giant sweat drop on his head.
"He sure is a strong noble guy, but what a geek! Of course I'm not the one who would say that to his face."
Gohan landed safely on the roof and made his way to class. He still had less than ten minutes before it started.
"Good. I'll be early today." Gohan was too enthused over this revelation to notice a girl with raven pigtails about to bump into him.
"Oof! Watch where you're go-oh! Sorry Gohan." She looked down while she said it. He was taken aback by her apology.
"It's okay Videl, but isn't class in this direction?" he said pointing in the direction he was headed.
"Oh yeah. I must have overshot. I was thinking about something."
"Really? What could have distracted you enough to miss the door?" Videl's face hardened at his inquisitive nature. She didn't appreciate his sudden curiosity.
"Why do you want to know!? Who said it was any of your business? Are you suddenly interested in the people around you for a change?" Gohan was again taken aback by her change in demeanor.
"I'm sorry. I was just curious. I'll leave you alone now." He walked towards their classroom. Videl softened as he left her alone. She knew there wasn't any need to blow the wind out of his sails.
"Wait," he turned as she called after him. She could see the hurt in his eyes and she felt guilty in knowing she had hurt him. It took her a moment to collect her thoughts. He shifted restlessly with downcast eyes as she gathered herself together. "I'm sorry for blowing up at you. I'm sorry for always blowing up at you and breathing down your neck about everything you do. I was thinking about you and how I've treated you." Gohan was shocked to say the least. She had really been thinking about him?
"You have?" was all he could say.
"Yes. I just want you to know, I'm sorry for not respecting your right to keep some parts of your life secret. It's no excuse, but you did make yourself seem pretty suspicious and I was simply trying to figure you out. I was too stubborn to quit pestering you and for that I was wrong. If I was in your position, I wouldn't have told me anything either. I see now, that you're not some shady guy who hides sinister secrets in the closet. You're just an awkward, well-meaning guy who has some stuff he isn't comfortable sharing with the rest of the world. I can respect that. So...friends?" She held out her hand. Gohan couldn't believe how things had turned around in the course of just a couple minutes. A smile slowly grew on his face.
"Sure," he said as he took her hand. She smiled too.
"Now let's go to class before we're late." She punched his arm playfully as she walked by. She waited for him to follow and they walked into class together.
"Oh Sharpner! Videl and Gohan are coming in together? What do you think it means?" The bubbly blonde was shaking the buff jock as she nearly hyperventilated at the sight.
"Knock it off Erasa! They were probably talking," said the dense and disinterested jock.
"Oh, you're no fun Sharpie!" said Erasa with a pout. "So Videl what's with the company you're keeping lately?" she asked as nodded at Gohan.
"Oh, me and Gohan here just made peace with each other. Right Gohan?"
"Yep. We sure did," answered a smiling Gohan
"Oh that's great! So now we can act like a normal group of friends without all the drama." She rolled her eyes as she said this. "But wait! You're sure you were just making peace, not making out, right?" The joke was only humorous to her.
"Shut up Erasa! How many times do I have to say that we're not like that!?" She failed miserably to hide the crimson shade her face had turned. Gohan also turned a bright shade of red. He couldn't help entertaining the thought in his head.
"Ooh, chill out girl! I'm just fooling around with you."
"Yeah whatever," growled Videl. "Take a seat, would you Gohan?" He had been hovering over them as he drifted into lala land.
"Oh right!" He shook his head of the lustful thoughts. "Bad Gohan! Bad! Now is not the time!"
"Now is the perfect time! In fact, why don't you make fantasy a reality right now? You know she'd like it."
"Don't you ever quit?"
"Nope."
"Didn't think so."
Luckily for Gohan, there wasn't a single bit of crime to combat during school. It meant that he could keep a low profile all day. It was turning out to be the best day of school Gohan had ever had.
Unfortunately, his hopes of gliding gracefully under the radar were dashed. He hadn't taken into account that a special guest would be in charge of gym that today. The school was introducing a new martial arts program and a top competitor in The World Martial Arts Tournament would be introducing it. There would be a mandatory meeting held during gym and the guest would be doing demonstrations during it. He knew that it would be any one of the Z fighters that competed who would be in charge of the program. They would certainly single HIM out for at least some of the demonstrations.
"Crap," muttered Gohan under his breathe.
"What, not into martial arts?" asked Videl curiously.
"Well, you could say I like it as a hobby, but not competitively." What he really meant was that he didn't like competing against humans because he could win against most of them just by breathing on them.
"Oh, I love it!" Videl had a gleam in her eyes while she spoke. "It gives me such a rush to test my abilities against someone else." Gohan smiled as she openly let her excitement show. They were about to enter the gym. The moment of truth was fast approaching. Who would be the special guest of the day? Would they give him a break?
"Crap. Dende! You don't mind cutting me some slack do you?" A teenage Namek up in the sky yawned as he watered a plant. "Thanks for having my back buddy." Gohan rolled his eyes, as he knew his friend all too well.
"Gohan, you don't look so well," commented Erasa with concern. He had broken a sweat and was obviously nervous by now.
"Ah, this must be nerd boy's achilles heal. Don't worry Gohan, they probably won't call you out."
"Sure Sharpner, you're probably right," Gohan halfheartedly agreed. "Says you."
"Ssh! Guys! It's starting!" Videl hushed her friends as she pointed at the opening doors on the other side of the gym. The guest had arrived. A tall, well-built, bald man entered. Another tall man with spiky hair and numerous scars accompanied him. Gohan froze when he saw them.
"Tien AND Yamcha! They'll call me out for sure! There goes flying under the radar. I'll have to figure out how to play down my abilities. Even me messing around would impress most of the people here!" He didn't have time to ponder his escape plan. Yamcha began their introduction.
"Hey everybody! I'm sure you know why you're all here! Tien and I are both top competitors of The World Martial Arts Tournament. We'll be introducing a new program at your school that many other schools have picked up on. It's a martial arts class so to speak. Various levels of participation from beginner on up to advanced will be available. You take over Tien." Tien nodded to him and stepped forward.
"The beginner skill level will involve an introduction to those who have had no prior experience in martial arts of any kind. Some of the forms of it will be explained and you will learn various basic techniques useful for self-defense. The intermediate skill level will take those with some amount of experience in martial arts. Your techniques will be refined and you will learn to spar with those of differing disciplines. You will also learn training methods that will improve the effectiveness of your own private training. Finally, the advanced skill level will take those of the highest training or those who wish to move from intermediate to a more advanced level of skill. We will focus on the most difficult techniques and how to condition your bodies to an extreme level of fitness and endurance. Yamcha and me will provide instruction for the intermediate and advanced classes while another instructor will be provided for the beginner level. Are there any questions?"
"I have one." Videl raised her hand. Yamcha recognized her immediately and Tien followed suit after a moment.
"Yes, Ms. Satan?" Yamcha responded.
"Will there be any competitions?"
"Yes, the highest levels of this class will signup for a team. Regular competitions will be held against skilled teams from other schools. Anyone else?"
"Can you give us a demonstration?" Sharpner asked. Yamcha and Tien both sported a smirk.
"Of course!" Yamcha nodded at Tien. They both got into fighting stances and stared each other off for a moment.
"They have such polished stances. I can't see any immediate holes in their defense." Videl marveled at their skill.
Tien took the initiative and launched an attack that Yamcha easily blocked. They both traded attacks, never getting through each other's defenses. It was only obvious to Gohan that they were holding back.
"This is snail's pace for them. If they really were going at it, they would just be a blur of color."
The friendly spar continued for another minute. They both gracefully moved in what seemed like a dance. Pushing a blow aside, blocking a kick, sidestepping an attack. They concluded the spar as they simultaneously punched each other, the force of it sending them flying a few feet backwards. They both landed gracefully as they flipped and landed in their feet. They were both unable to contain a smirk as that lost move had been done for theatrical purposes. They bowed to signal it had ended.
The gymnasium erupted into a loud applause. Everyone was clearly impressed by the skill that both fighters had displayed. Videl was floored at the spar she had just witnessed.
"They were both holding back. It was just a friendly spar to demonstrate techniques, but it was so GOOD. Usually, these demonstrations are so mechanical and look so canned." She mused while in the stupor of being so impressed.
"Would anybody want to see how you match up? There's still a few minutes left and it'll just be for fun," Yamcha offered. A few hands, including Sharpner's and Videl's went up. Yamcha quickly spied Gohan and locked eyes with him.
"Crap! They found me!"
"Gohan! How's it going? How about you help out for this next demonstration?" This was met by a collective murmur and gasp from the student body. 'How do THEY know GOHAN' could be heard from some of the students in his classes.
"Sure." He stood up and put a stoic look on his face. "Screw the low profile." His Saiyan side began to take over. Videl looked on with much curiosity.
"How do they know Gohan? Is he actually good for them to call him out like that?"
"Some of you don't know this, but we actually competed with Gohan's father in the tournaments. Gohan is the son of the former Martial Arts Champion, Son Goku!" This was met with more shock from the student body. "If some of you doubt, Gohan is every bit as good his father, if not better."
"I didn't exactly set out to be as big of a celebrity as Videl over there," Gohan commented while lowering into a fighting stance. "I guess I'll have to take out the inconvenience on you both." Tien smirked as he and Yamcha lowered into their stances.
"Go easy on us will you?" Gohan's smirk grew even more.
"Sure."
"What are they doing!" Erasa shrieked. "Both of them together would cream him into next week!"
"Quiet Erasa!" barked Sharpner. "I want to see what nerd boy can do!"
They're argument was cut short as the fighters charged each other. Tien and Yamcha both launched a kick at Gohan, which he ducked easily. He fell backwards and countered their kicks, sending his own kicks solidly into their backs. They recovered quickly and launched a second wave of kicks from opposing sides. Gohan stood calmly right at the nexus of their kicks and caught them. Then they launched into ferocious hand to hand, but Gohan easily maintained control, keeping both fighters at bay. His defenses were too quick to allow any attack to get through and he always managed to land a blow whilst remaining in his zone of defense.
Gohan's friends were floored to say the least. Erasa simply gawked as she attempted to process the sight before her. Sweet, innocent, bookish Gohan was kicking some serious tail! Sharpner looked on eagerly with mixed feelings of respect and jealousy. Who knew nerd boy was really so physical and athletic? Gohan had stripped down to his undershirt and exposed much of his sculpted body. The muscles on his fighter's body were all on proud display. Videl watched with a hard expression on her face.
"I don't know if I'm THAT good. How did Gohan get so skilled? He must have started training since he was a toddler! I know I agreed he has a right to his privacy, but something isn't right. He isn't as harmless as I thought." Her musings were interrupted as the spar dramatically concluded.
"Hiya!" cried Gohan as he halted their attacks. He stunned them with quick blows to the faces then sent Tien flying with a sidekick. He launched his knee into Yamcha's face sending, landing him next to Tien. The fighters all faced each other and bowed to signal the conclusion, a friendly smile on their faces.
The crowd all stood in stunned silence. Had Gohan just bested two competitors of The World Martial Arts Tournament at the same time? The silence was obviously a delayed reaction as a thunderous applause slowly grew in the room. Tien and Yamcha stood on both sides of Gohan and lifted his arms.
"What good is a low profile dude?" teased Yamcha. "You'll have an easier time with the ladies now that they know you're smart AND strong."
"Sure Yamcha, sure."
"You're father would be proud of you. You've become a powerful yet kind and gentle young man," complimented Tien.
"Thanks Tien." A solemn look grew on Gohan's face as he thought about his father. He had sworn an oath never to stray from one path to the other. He would be the protector of Earth, but he would be smart and educated as well. He missed his father, but knew he was proud of him. It made him happy to still be able to make his mother proud. Suddenly he remembered a more urgent matter. "Oh guys, we need to head to the lookout later."
"Yeah, we know. Everyone knows actually so we'll all be there. Don't get distracted." Yamcha looked over at Videl who was eyeing him intently. He gave him a clap on the shoulder as he let him go.
"Don't worry! I won't." Gohan was now beet red in the face.
"Wow, that was great Gohan! We had no idea!" Erasa gushed as he walked up.
"Yeah dude! To think you had such a wicked cool background. You might be a nerd, but you're no shrimp!"
"Thanks guys." He gulped as he awaited Videl's reaction.
"We'll talk later," was her only reply. Gohan could only wonder what that meant.
"Don't worry dude! The truth is out and she's probably mad that you can give her a run for her money. She's competitive like that."
"I hope you're right," mumbled Gohan as he slipped off to his next class.
"Still think she isn't at least a little interested in him? I bet she likes him." The bubbly blonde couldn't help noting this for the nth' time.
"Maybe," Sharpner grudgingly agreed.
"Psh, you just can't believe she could turn you down last year and would like Gohan over you."
"Shut up about that would you?"
"Sure thing Sharpie!" Erasa said as she patted him on the head.
"Hey watch the hair!" complained the vain jock.
School let out shortly and Gohan exited the building to find Videl waiting for on the sidewalk. She looked up upon his arrival.
"What's up Videl? I guess you want to talk now?" Gohan prepared to shield himself from the daggers that were usually thrown when they 'talked'.
"Smart boy." She paused and appeared to be thinking for a moment. "You know, that was some serious skill you showed back there. Where did you get it? How did you get so good?"
"I've been training since I was four."
"How have I known you for two months without even knowing you KNEW martial arts, let alone was so skilled at it?"
"Well come on Videl. It's not like I'm going to say 'I am a freaking beast at martial arts! Look at this!' to everyone I meet. Now you know why I kept a low profile. My father is world renown and still respected even though he no longer holds the title. Revealing my background would have got me more attention than I wanted." He let his words sink in for a moment.
"What happened to your father? No one really heard about him after he won. Only reports that he lived in the mountains with a wife and child came out." Gohan looked down at his feet as she asked the question. It still hurt to think about it.
"He died. He was killed in a fight seven years ago." Videl looked at him with a mixture of compassion and guilt.
"I'm sorry Gohan. That really explains a lot. I didn't know I was stirring up so much in hounding you about your secrets. Will you forgive me?" It hurt to think about his father, but he couldn't help but smile at her concern for him.
"I think I can manage that." She smiled as he said this. She didn't know why but she felt the urge to hold him. She wrapped her arms around him and he returned the hug.
"I don't know why, but this feels so good. It feels right."
"Why is she hugging me? I guess she feels sorry for me. It feels good though."
"Of course it does!"
"You know if I could gag you I would."
"Aww, don't be like that!"
They pulled apart and awkward silence ensued.
"You smell good. You know that?" It was the first thing Gohan could think of. Videl giggled at his silliness.
"Thanks...I guess I'll see you in school then. Bye!"
"Bye Videl!" He watched her as she decapsuled her jetcopter and took off. When he was sure no one was in sight, he took flight towards the lookout.
Meanwhile, in what appeared to be nearly a totally dark room, a small hole barely the size of a need point let light in. A figure shrouded in all the darkness was sitting near this hole in deep meditation. If anyone else were to accompany the occupant, even lacking the ability sense ki wouldn't have stopped you from feeling it. The force was unbelievably strong and all focused on the tiny opening in the wall.
"Soon, very soon, I will extract my revenge on those damnable Kais and all who dare side with them. Then all my plans will come to fruition." A sinister chuckle escaped his lips.