Please Friendzone Me!

Chapter 18

Heroes

He hadn't seen Gohan since… Actually, 17 realized he had never properly met the son of Goku. Kinda weird, considering that if not for him, 17 wouldn't be standing here right now.

Even so, the cyborg hadn't expected to meet a fully grown young man. It hadn't been that long since the Cell Games, had it?

Krillin had worried for nothing in the end, obviously, but the artificial human supposed it was better to be safe than sorry. It was quite unusual for Gohan to suddenly power-up to his maximum, so going and checking what was going on was better than to just stand there like an idiot and wonder why the weather had shifted so abruptly.

Why did Gohan power-up like that, for that matter?

Luckily for 17, Krillin was prompt to ask the half-Saiyan that very question.

Gohan blushed, scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry, guys, I didn't mean to worry you… I didn't even know you were on the Island too. What are you doing here anyway?"

Huh. Changing the subject, was he? The cyborg tilted his head, his curiosity slightly piqued.

"We heard about the exhibition, and I get invited to speak at the Tenkaichi Budokai sometimes," Krillin replied.

"Oh, then I guess we missed it," Gohan mumbled, shooting a quick glance behind the group.

Krillin put one hand on his hip, balancing his little girl against the other. "We?"

17 followed the boy's gaze, his eyebrow rising at the sight of a teenage girl in a swimsuit, sitting on a blanket set on the sand.

Oh…

Were they interrupting a date? That would explain everything, actually. Gohan must be getting serious with his girlfriend, so he was showing her his Super Saiyan transformation and probably telling her more about him and his origins.

He really had grown, huh. While they had never officially met before, 17 had been conscious when he had been in Cell's body, and in his mind Gohan had always been the brave young boy who was the only one strong enough to face Cell.

To think he was dating a girl now.

"Whozzat?" Marron asked, pointing at Gohan's girlfriend.

The raven-haired teen stood, her face flushed and her shoulders tense as she walked over to them.

Her obvious embarrassment confirmed 17's conclusion. She was definitely in a relationship with Gohan, and the two were getting serious.

Gohan had nice taste, 17 had to say. She was certainly pretty, and she looked sporty too.

"Hi…" she said with an awkward smile, tucking her humid locks behind her ear. "I'm Videl. I'm in Gohan's class."

A knowing smirk formed on Krillin's lips. "Ohhh… I see, I see…"

Videl flushed. "We're just friends," she precised. Gohan blinked, and then his face turned bright red in turn. It seemed like he didn't get Krillin's very obvious insinuation until his "friend" corrected him.

17 wasn't too convinced, but well, he supposed it didn't really matter. It wasn't any of his business if Gohan would rather keep his girlfriend a secret. From what he heard of the boy's mother, it kinda made sense, really.

Krillin snickered. "Suuure. "Friends"," he added with air quotes and a roll of his eyes, clearly not believing the teens either. Marron giggled.

"Frieeeennnnds," she copied her father, emphasizing the word despite not understanding the innuendo.

"That's right, Marron, they're friends," Krillin agreed, still grinning.

"Krillin, please…" Gohan groaned, covering his eyes. "You're making Videl uncomfortable." He slid his hand down his flushed face, moving it to rub the back of his neck as he averted his gaze. His shoulders slumping, he let out a sigh. "We really are just friends… Boys and girls can be platonic too – you should know."

"Fine, fine," the noseless man conceded with an amused smirk.

"Fine, fine," Marron agreed. Krillin chuckled.

"So anyway, why were you powering up in front of your "friend"?" He didn't add the air quotes this time but they were clearly implied from his emphasis on the word.

Gohan decided to ignore the insinuation – that, or he didn't pick up on it. Given his earlier belated reaction to Krillin's teasing, 17 leaned on the latter.

"Because my dad's Mr. Satan," the girl answered instead. "And I asked Gohan to tell me the truth about the Cell Games."

"Oh."

The amusement was gone from Krillin's face. He gave an awkward smile as he looked up at Videl, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, that makes sense… You and Gohan must be pretty close."

"We are," Videl confirmed with a soft smile, glancing at the boy in question. Gohan smiled back at her.

The way they looked at each other didn't translate as "platonic" at all, 17 mused.

"So… You're Mr. Satan's daughter?" Krillin said. "That must be… interesting."

Videl chuckled good-naturedly. Then she squinted slightly, her head tilted in thought. "Do I know you from somewhere? You seem familiar…"

"You saw him in photographs and paintings yesterday," Gohan chimed in. "Although, he was bald in those, so I get why you wouldn't recognize him easily."

Her eyebrows scrunched up for a moment, and then her eyes lit up. "Oh! You're Krillin! You were Gohan's dad's best friend, right?"

Krillin grinned, obviously pleased. "Yep. Nice to meet you. What did you say your name was?" He held out his hand to her, which she shook eagerly.

"Videl. It's very nice to meet you too."

"This here is my daughter Marron," he went on with the introductions, tickling the little girl's belly and causing her to giggle. "This is my wife, 18 and her twin brother, 17."

Videl gave the siblings a confused look, one 17 had no trouble indentifying. She was wondering why they were named after numbers, as did every regular person they were ever introduced to.

"We were visiting the art gallery when I sensed Gohan powering up," Krillin recounted. "17 works on a nearby island, so we invited him along."

"Oh? And, um, what do you do?" Gohan asked, scratching his hair with an embarrassed smile.

"I'm a park ranger on Monster Island," 17 replied, speaking for the first time since they joined Gohan and his girlfriend – he still wasn't convinced they were only platonic.

"Monster Island? Isn't that the habitat of a lot of rare and endangered animal species?" Gohan asked, a glint of interest in his eyes.

"My job is mainly to protect them from poachers, yes."

Gohan's expression softened. "I see. That's… really great."

"You fight off the poachers on your own?" Videl inquired. She frowned and tilted her head. "Are you suppressing your ki right now?"

Krillin stared at her. "Wait… You can tell he has no ki?"

"Videl's a martial artist too," Gohan explained. "And I just taught her how to sense ki. That's why I was powering up – so she could get an idea of how strong I am before I told her about, well… everything else."

"You interrupted us, for that matter," the girl added, crossing her arms. "Gohan was just about to confirm to me that he was the one who killed Cell when you guys showed up." She eyed the siblings once again. "But, seriously, why can't I sense anything out of you two? It's kinda jarring."

"Mommy and Uncle are robots," Marron deadpanned.

Videl blinked. "Huh…?"

Krillin let out a nervous laugh. "Not quite, sweetie…"

"We're cyborgs," 18 stated, finally partaking in the conversation. Not that her brother had been doing much better. "We have no ki."

"Cy…borgs…" the teenage girl repeated, her jaw left hanging at the end of the word as she stared at the two. "So you… used to be… normal people, right?"

18 shared a look with her twin. "We don't remember, but yes."

"That explains your names…" Videl muttered. Then she jolted, her face flushing in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be insensitive… I just… I've been absorbing a lot of new information today… and I have a feeling this isn't the last of it," she added, glancing at Gohan who gave a nervous chuckle in response, scratching his cheek.

"It's fine," 18 said curtly. "And you're right – that's why our names are numbers."

An awkward moment of silence followed the statement. Krillin cleared his throat.

"So anyway… We should probably leave you two to it," he offered. "It was really nice meeting you, Videl."

"Likewise." She smiled and waved at the little girl in her daddy's arms. "Bye-bye."

Marron waved back at her while her father started levitating with her. "Bye-bye, pretty lady!"

Videl laughed slightly. 17 and 18 both gave the teens nods as a farewell, before levitating after Krillin, and then the group flew away.

"You guys don't actually believe those two are just friends, right?" Krillin shot at the siblings with a devious smirk.

"Should I care?" 18 deadpanned.

Krillin laughed good-naturedly at his wife's characteristic response.

17 stayed quiet, keeping to himself that he did agree with his brother-in-law.

"They looked good together," Krillin went on, turning to his daughter in his arms since the siblings weren't very responsive. "Didn't they, Marron?"

"She was pretty!" the little blonde chirped. "And Gohan is cuuute."

Krillin snickered. "He is, isn't he? He was always a cute kid, but I guess he's all grown now. To think he has a girlfriend already… Ahh, to be seventeen again…"

The male cyborg pinched his lips together, holding in a laugh. Did Krillin do the wordplay on purpose? Either way, it was a good one – he should reuse that sometime.

It was still a bit odd to see people flying like it was the most natural thing in the world, but Videl supposed she was getting used to the sight. After all, she was starting to learn about ki herself, so it shouldn't be long until she would be flying like that too.

She turned her head and caught Gohan's gaze. He scratched his hair and smiled at her, but it didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"I guess it's about time I answer your question…" He cleared his throat. "So…About Cell…"

Videl stayed silent, letting Gohan reveal the truth to her at his own pace. She took a step toward him and reached for his hand, holding it firmly. Looking deep into his eyes, she nodded her head, hoping to be reassuring.

"Okay…" he started again, his smile a little warmer. "As you have seen, I can transform and change my appearance… which is how I was blond with blue eyes when I was at the Cell Games."

Videl held her breath.

"So, um…" He fumbled, looking down. "To answer your question – yes, I killed Cell."

The truth, at last… So it really had been Gohan. All this time, all these years…

"Why didn't you say anything?" she murmured. "Why did you let my dad take the credit?"

His expression softened with melancholy. "You know why."

She held his gaze for a few moments, then she looked away with a sigh; letting go of his hand, she rubbed the side of her neck, watching the waves crash against the shore. "Yes, I do know… But even if you didn't want to be in the spotlight, you shouldn't have let my dad lie to the world."

"Sometimes the truth is too much to handle," Gohan said softly. "Despite his flaws, your dad is a good man, and the world needed a hero. I wasn't fit for the job, but he was perfect for it."

She whipped her head around and squinted at him. "But you are a hero. He isn't."

He dug his hands in his swimming trunks' pockets and lowered his gaze, shuffling his feet. "See, this is why you should've heard all this from him first. It's not my place to tell you why your dad did what he did. All I can say is that – I'm grateful to him. As wrong as it was, he took a huge weight off my shoulders when he told that lie. I was already dealing with a lot back then, I didn't need to become the most famous kid in the world on top of everything."

Videl crossed her arms. "Why? What happened during that time?"

Gohan didn't reply, his eyes unfocused as he stared at nothing on the sand.

Videl felt a pinch in her chest at the look on his face – the light in his eyes was so dim.

She took his hand again and leaned over slightly, trying to catch his gaze.

"Gohan?"

"Cell killed my dad," he blurted out. "And soon after that, my mom found out she was pregnant. So, yes, I was glad your dad took my credit for killing Cell. I already had my plate full."

Her throat tightened. She gave his hand a squeeze.

"I'm sorry that meant you've had to live a lie," he went on. "I wasn't really thinking of what it meant for his family to let him lie to the world. I was just relieved I wouldn't have to deal with all this… I guess I was just selfish."

"You saved the world, Gohan…" she murmured. "You get to be a little selfish after everything you've been through."

He gave a small, half-hearted smile, his head still lowered. "That's what I figured, yeah… I'm still sorry though… I wish I had at least wondered how his family was being affected by his lie, but I… I never even…" He trailed off and let out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Videl tipped up his chin, making him look at her. Her chest gave a pang at the distraught gleam in his eyes. She hated seeing him like this.

"Hey, it's okay. Really. I can't exactly complain about how my life turned out, you know? Do I wish things were different? Yes. But nobody made my dad lie to the world. He could've just said he didn't see what happened, and the world would have known the boy with golden hair was our real savior while also wondering who he was. It's not your fault he lied."

"I suppose…"

"And, thank you for telling me the truth," she added with a small smile, stroking his cheek. "I know I should've just waited for tomorrow and I was just being a brat, but you still indulged me, and I know it wasn't easy for you."

His eyes fell shut and he let out a soft sigh. "Yeah, you really should've just waited… It was just one day," he teased her a little.

Videl chuckled and leaned in, snuggling up to him. She felt Gohan relax against her as he wrapped her in his strong arms.

"But… I'm also glad it's finally off my chest," he mumbled against the top of her head.

"There's more though, isn't there? You still haven't told me what your unfair advantage is…"

He sighed, hugging her a little tighter. "Right…"

"You said it's how you can transform and boost your ki. Is it some kind of special gene or something?"

He nuzzled her hair and breathed in deeply. Videl felt her cheeks burn.

"Something like that…"

Being so close to him… the feel of his skin… his scent, his warmth… It was hard to focus when Gohan embraced her so tenderly.

"My unfair advantage…" he began. Videl hummed distractingly in response, compelling him to keep going. He sighed softly. "I really hope you don't freak out…"

"What, are you a cyborg too?" she joked, trying to lighten the mood. It seemed to work as she felt the tension in Gohan's muscles ease off slightly as he let out a chuckle.

"I have ki though."

"So, what is it? Are you some kind of mutant? Did you get into some kind of science experiment that went wrong?"

He laughed slightly. "No, I was born from a mother and a father like everyone else."

"Then you're an alien?"

Gohan fell silent. Videl pulled her head back to look up at him and blinked. He gave her a nervous smile.

"Is that it? You're an alien?"

"Not… quite." He swallowed thickly. "Well, I mean, yes, but only from my dad's side. So, I guess what I'm saying is I'm… half."

"Half… alien?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"So your dad was an alien?"

"Yes."

"Like, from another planet?"

He chuckled slightly. "That's what alien means, yes."

Videl blinked again, her vision glazing over. "Huh."

"He came from a warrior race – my dad. But he only found out after I was born."

Gohan brushed her bangs from her eyes, tucking a few locks behind her ear. His gentle touch made her look back at him.

"So that's… your unfair advantage. The warrior genes."

"Yes…" His hand was on her cheek now, his thumb stroking her skin. "Are you… weirded out?"

She took a moment to observe him, still wrapping her head around what Gohan just told her.

His touch was a little distracting though…

She leaned closer to him once more, resting the side of her head against his bare chest. Closing her eyes as his arms enveloped her, she listened to his racing heart.

Just as she thought – this didn't change anything. Hearing about Gohan's origins, finally knowing the truth about him, about his unfair advantage… It didn't change the way she felt about him, not even a little bit. If anything, she felt even closer to him now.

And she liked him all the more.

Gosh, she liked him so much…

"To be honest, I was expecting something along those lines," she admitted softly. "It's definitely weird, yeah, but it's not that bad either. Now, sensing your ki at full power – that was way more shocking than learning you got alien genes."

"Yeah, that's why I wanted you to sense my ki first. I was hoping it could lessen the blow, even a little bit…"

"Good thinking."

"I can't believe you figured this out too," he chuckled.

"Well, I was really just listing origins stories from superhero comic books, but I suppose I still got it right."

He laughed softly, tightening his arms around her. "Yeah, you did… You're just way too clever."

"I believe I'm just the right amount of clever."

"You're just the right amount of everything," he mumbled into her hair.

Videl felt her face flare up. Those mixed signals of his again… And now her heart was getting all excited too.

Stop it, she commanded it. He doesn't see me that way.

Deciding to ignore the way Gohan made her heart react, she snuggled closer to him. Videl wasn't going to let her feelings for him ruin their moment, not this time. She wanted to enjoy being his friend.

After all, it was all she would ever be to Gohan – his friend.

A few inches separated the sand and Videl's bare feet. Gohan grinned. To think she could already levitate! That girl sure was something else.

"You did it, Videl!" he cheered. "You're floating! At this rate, you're going to be zooming through the sky in no time!"

Her eyebrows twitched, digging lower into the ridge of her nose while her flight wavered slightly before steadying again. "Thanks, but be quiet – you're breaking my focus."

"Sorry!" Gohan covered his mouth with his hands.

The girl levitated a little higher, beads of sweat gathering on her forehead, but her ki was fluctuating, unstable. Gohan frowned.

"Let's take a break, Videl," he decided. "You're going to collapse at this rate."

"I'm… okay. But… fine."

Slowly, Videl lowered herself onto the sand, and let out a long breath.

"You did great, Videl," Gohan praised her. "I can't believe how fast you're learning about ki. But we should call it a day. You'll have better results after a good night's rest.

"I want to keep going," she disagreed, standing taller, her eyes shining with determination. "After a bit of rest, I should be able to fly higher."

"Videl, your dedication is commendable, but you don't have to rush this. You've already accomplished a lot in only one day. Take a beat. Recharge. And then we'll continue working on your flight."

Her frown didn't ease off. "I'm not that tired," she mumbled in bad faith, crossing her arms.

Gohan's expression softened. She was so endearing when she pouted. "I know, but there's no point in pushing yourself until exhaustion, is there? It's not like you're on a deadline."

"I actually am. I'm getting ready for the next Tenkaichi Budokai, in case you forgot."

"But that's in months, all the way to May, and it's only September. And at the rate you're learning, you'll master your ki in no time at all."

She clicked her tongue. "Fine, but I'm not done training for today, even if it's not ki-related. Once I've rested enough, let's have a spar. I want to test myself against you again."

"Um…" Gohan scratched his cheek. "You do remember what my ki felt like, right…?"

She rolled her eyes. "You'll hold back again, obviously. What, you thought you were off the hook just because you showed me how strong you really were? I told you I wanted a rematch."

"That's… true…" Gohan swept his gaze about the beach, hoping to find a way out of this. He perked up when he took notice of the position of the sun, and then he looked down at his left wrist, even though he had taken off his watch to go swimming. "Oh, hey, would you look at the time? We should probably head back and join the class, it's getting pretty late."

Videl squinted at him, and Gohan gave a nervous laugh. He knew how transparent his lame excuse was, but right now he was just buying time anyway. Not that the idea of sparring with the human girl appealed to him, but he did promise Videl they would have a rematch once her ankle was better. She was way too tired now for that though, and no matter how stubborn she was, she couldn't will her energy back into her body. She needed to rest. The spar could wait another day.

"Fine. Whatever."

She marched toward their blanket on the sand and kneel down by her bag to pull her dress out and put it back on. She started shaking the sand off the blanket, and Gohan quickly joined her, taking the other end of the cloth to help her fold it.

Her frown wasn't easing off. Gohan felt a pinch in his chest. He didn't like disappointing her, but this was for the best. Deep down, Videl must know that, even if she was unwilling to admit it.

They finished getting ready to go back to the hotel, and then Videl planted herself in front of Gohan and wrapped her arms around his neck, obviously expecting him to pick her up so he could fly them back.

By now, he was long used to being close to her, so Gohan simply did as was expected of him and took off carrying Videl in his arms. She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder, not even looking at the beautiful view from high up in the sky.

He hated seeing her like this. Was there any way for him to lift her spirits?

He had a dumb idea then, but Gohan figured he had nothing to lose; it might work and cheer Videl up, so he might as well try.

"You know, you could fly way higher than me right now if you wanted," he said.

Videl straightened up to look at him, her eyebrows quirked skeptically. "Yeah, right."

He grinned. "Wanna bet?"

She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched slightly, as if she was forcing down a smile. "Whatever."

"Alright!"

And then Gohan flung Videl up into the sky. She shrieked, and Gohan laughed heartily.

"See?" he called out to her. "You're flying way higher than me now!"

"You're such a dumbass!" she yelled back at him as she plummeted back down, before bursting out laughing. "Oh my God, you're so dumb!" And she kept laughing.

Gohan beamed. It worked!

And then he simply opened his arms and caught Videl. Her eyes sparkled with mirth as they met his, and Gohan felt like the most gentle, warmest light glowed in his heart.

"See? I told you."

She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't wipe the grin off her face. "Idiot."

Gohan couldn't stop grinning either.

Booker patted his pockets, making sure he didn't forget anything before heading out of the hotel room.

His room key, his wallet, his phone, a candy bar in case he got snacky…

Wait, where was his travel guide of Papaya Island? Granted, he could find all the touristic information with his phone, but browsing through physical pages was just better. It was much more convenient too when you needed to jump from one section to another, to go back to a specific part, or just to find what you were looking for in general.

Booker picked up his bag by his side of the closet and sat on his bed while he browsed inside for the tour guide. He remembered putting it away in the front pocket, and sure enough, there it was.

Satisfied that he had everything he needed to join his friends in the lobby, the teen walked out of the room and strolled along the hallway to get to the elevator.

He spotted Casey, and his face lit up as he started to wave to say hello, but his expression quickly hardened when he realized some guy was bothering her.

What the hell? That creep was clearly an adult. Not only was he harassing a woman, but he had no qualms about hitting on an underage girl. Some people were disgusting.

Booker picked up the pace toward Casey and the tall and brawny guy.

"Casey, there you are!" he exclaimed. "We've been looking all over for you – the teacher called everyone to the lobby." Booker put a hand on her shoulder and faked a smile at the older man.

"We're on a field trip for our junior year," he specified, making it crystal clear that they were underage. "Isn't the island a great destination? We got to visit the renewed grounds of the Tenkaichi Budokai, as well as the art gallery where there's currently an exhibit about all the past tournaments. Mr. Satan's daughter, who's in our class, was also part of the exhibition since she won the Junior Division Championship when she was like, nine. Pretty cool, huh?"

The blond-haired man scowled, while Booker continued to smile innocently.

"Anyway, we've got to join our class. Maybe we'll bump into you again later. I'm sure you'd love to meet Mr. Satan's daughter, Videl. You know she fought crime in Satan City and helped bring the crime rate way down? Some say she's as strong as her dad! Can you believe that? She might even win the championship next year. She's so cool. We're so lucky to have her in our class."

The stranger clicked his tongue. "Sure… Whatever." He turned away, grumbling to himself, and buzzed off.

Booker smirked in triumph. Who needed brawn when one of the strongest fighters in the world was in your class to scare the creeps away?

Next thing he knew, Casey was hugging him tight.

"Thank you so much, Booker! You were so cool!"

He patted her back. "Thanks. I'm glad you're okay. What a creep."

She pulled away and nodded. "Yeah. I mean, he wasn't bad-looking or anything, but he was clearly in his late twenties at best, and he wouldn't take no for an answer even when I told him I was seventeen." She grimaced. "You know what he said? That sixteen was the legal age in a lot of districts." She shuddered.

"Ugh. Good thing I was passing by. I'm actually joining a few friends to go shopping for souvenirs. Wanna come with?"

"Sure! Let's invite Pochette and Page too – I was on my way to them."

Booker smiled. "The more the merrier."

They chitchatted on their way to the elevator. As they got closer, the doors slid open and Gohan and Videl walked out.

"Oh, hey, you guys are finally back!" Casey chimed, closing the distance with the pair. "Erasa told us your loved one pulled through," she told Videl. "I'm really glad she's okay!"

"Thanks, Casey," Videl smiled.

Booker eyed the two from head to toe, cocking an eyebrow. "Weren't you wearing different outfits when you left though?"

"Err…" Gohan laughed nervously and averted his gaze, scratching his cheek.

"We made good time getting back from Satan City, so we went to the beach for a bit," Videl explained.

"Just the two of you?" A smirk slowly crept up Casey's lips. "Could it be… Were you on a date?"

Gohan coughed into his fist, still avoiding eye contact while his face got beet-red. Videl, however, only rolled her eyes.

"Would it have been a date if the two of us went together?" she said rhetorically. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Casey."

"Oh, well, at least that means Gohan's still on the market, which I gotta say I'm not unhappy about," Casey grinned.

Videl scowled, but then she sighed, looking away, running a hand over the nape of her neck.

"Anyway, what are you guys been up to today?" she asked, obviously to change the subject.

"Well, Booker was pretty badass just now, rescuing me from a creep," Casey praised the lean boy, who chuckled uneasily with a slight blush on his face.

"What happened?" Gohan frowned in worry as he looked at Casey. "Are you alright?"

"Thanks to Booker, I am," she said with a gentle smile. Then she frowned. "The guy was like in his late twenties and he wouldn't leave me alone even when I told him I was seventeen."

"Let's go find him," Videl growled, clenching her fists at her sides. "I'm gonna kick his ass."

"We should at least report him." Gohan crossed his arms, the crease of worry still blemishing his youthful face. "You were lucky Booker was there for you, but other underage girls may not be so lucky."

"He should be a client at the hotel," Booker said. "And his room is probably on this floor too. He was wearing swimming trunks with a t-shirt and had a towel on his shoulder, so he probably just got out of his room to go to the pool. That, or he's visiting someone who stays here. Either way, finding him shouldn't be too difficult, since he's likely at the pool right now."

"Good. Let's go," Videl decided, turning on her heels to march back to the elevator. She looked over her shoulder at Booker and sent him a smile, "Nice deductions, by the way."

He scratched his cheek. "Thanks."

"Remember, Videl, we're just going to report him," Gohan said to the raven-haired girl.

"I wouldn't mind seeing Videl kick his ass," Casey mumbled.

"Well – neither would I, to be honest," Gohan admitted. "But we've got to be smart here. We don't want to give him a reason to have anything against us, and he could file for assault, even if Videl is a well-known crime fighter."

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

"That's true…" Casey conceded, while the four of them got inside.

Booker pressed the button for the ground floor. "We should call the police for that matter," he added, getting his phone out of his pocket.

"I'm still gonna scare him shitless," Videl growled, her shoulders tense.

"Booker already did that," Casey smiled in amusement. "He made it clear that you were in our class, and reminded him that you fought crime in Satan City and won the Junior Division of the Tenkaichi Budokai too. It was so cool how he scared him off."

"Nice job, Booker," Gohan smiled at the other boy, giving him a pat on the back.

"Thanks."

"Good use of my name. I approve," Videl nodded. "But I still want to see that creep piss himself in fear."

"Sounds good to me," Casey chuckled.

"Yeah, he won't be able to do anything against us if you just scare him," Gohan agreed.

Booker put his phone against his ear. "I'm calling the police now."

On their way to the swimming pool, the group kept encountering more of their classmates, who would join them when they were told the story. Before long, nearly the entire class found itself looking for the creep who liked to go after underage girls. And soon after, the police arrived, and the officers joined the teens in their search.

"There!" Booker pointed at the blond man he immediately recognized. "He's hitting on a young girl again, ugh."

Videl rolled up an imaginary sleeve as she marched toward her target. "Leave it to me."

Everyone looked on as the former Junior Champion went to confront the poor excuse of a man. He blanched when he turned his head and saw her, obviously recognizing Videl.

"I believe you need to be taught a lesson," she growled, punching her palm.

The girl he was harassing used that time to slip away. The man backed away, raising his hands in defense. "Hey, there's no reason to get aggressive here."

Videl cornered him at the edge of the pool. "Oh no? So you think any girl is fair game, even when they're minors and keep telling you no?"

"Where I'm from the legal age is sixteen, and a lot of districts go by that law, so there must be a reason it's okay for them, no?"

Gritting her teeth, Videl fisted his collar, causing him to let out an embarrassing squeak, and pulled him closer, her eyes harsh.

"Listen here you creep – those girls clearly told you they weren't interested and you wouldn't take no for an answer. That alone makes me want to punch your face until all your teeth fall out. The fact that they're minors only makes it worse. I ought to kick your balls and crush them to smithereens to make sure you never reproduce."

Pale as a sheet, he gulped loudly, his whole body trembling in fear. Videl grunted in disgust and pushed him, making him fall into the pool with a big splash. The police officers came over at that moment.

"Thanks for letting me do this," she told them, letting out a breath as the tension in her muscles finally eased off.

"No thank necessary," one of them waved it off. "We know how much you've helped our colleagues in Satan City. It's the least we could do."

Videl nodded before going to join her class. She was met with cheers and praises.

"Booker's the real hero today," she said with a gentle smile. "If not for him, Casey would've been in real trouble, and we wouldn't have known about that creep either."

Everyone surrounded the boy and gave him words of congratulations and admiration, some giving him a pat on his back. Booker chuckled uneasily, rubbing the nape of his neck with a light blush on his cheeks.

"You're amazing, Booker!"

His blush deepened as he met the beautiful girl's earnest eyes. "Thanks, Erasa."

Gazing at her smile, the boy thought to himself that maybe his chances with her weren't that inexistent after all… It hadn't been his goal when he came to Casey's rescue, of course, but it would be nice if Erasa could see him in a new light after this incident. He had been crushing on her for so long… Booker would do anything to get closer to Erasa, even a little bit.

Hope you liked it! Please review!

March 7, 2023