~Tournament Saga~

Chapter 19 – To Make a Fighter

Slowly, Gohan's eyes slowly fluttered open. It was Saturday morning, and he figured that he would wake up early to get ready for Videl. But now that the time had come, his bed was felling extra comfortable. Breathing in the cool outside air, he turned his head to the open window. The sun was just peeking over the mountains, lighting up the 439 mountain area. Closing his eyes, Gohan groaned in protest as he rolled over burying his head in his pillow. The smell of his mothers food found it's way to his nose through his pillow however, sending the gears in his head rolling along with a grumble from his stomach.

Knowing full well he couldn't make his stomach wait any longer, Gohan pushed himself off his bed and got ready for the day. With his dark purple gi on, he made his way to the kitchen, following the smell of breakfast. Rubbing a tired eye, Gohan looked around the room. Chi-Chi was finishing up with the cooking while Goten and Videl sitting at the table waiting. Slowly he made his way to his own seat and sat down with a thud, still tired. Wait...Videl?

Blinking, Gohan looked up to find that Videl was really sitting at the table. "Huh?...Whaa!" Without being able to control his reacting body, he fell back in his chair landing on the floor.

Goten couldn't help but giggle and point. "Big brother's silly."

Chi-Chi turned to her youngest, setting the last of the food on the table and then pushed the small boys pointing hand down. "Now Goten, it isn't nice to point and laugh..."

Gohan, who had recovered, was looking at Videl with wide eyes. "V-Videl! W-what are you doing here?"

Videl glared back at Gohan, sending a wave of fear through his spine. "I'm here, to train, remember?"

Slowly Gohan picked up his chair and pulled it back up. "Well...ya. But it's still so early! I-I didn't think you'd be here till later."

Videl's glare intensified. "Is my presence a burden, Gohan?"

Gohan waved his hand in front of him defensively. "N-no! Of course not."

Videl turned to face the mountain of food in front of her on the table. "Good. Lets eat so we can get started."

-DBZ-

It was a huge open field. A slight breeze blew through the grass and trees that were near by. The air was not hindered by the gas and smog of Satan City. The sky was cloudless, and the mountains in the distance sparkled with their white tops. All of this went un-noticed however, Videl was to deep in thought to see them. I've been waiting for this...Though she didn't know why, Videl could only feel nervous as she prepared to soak in whatever Gohan was about to teach her.

Gohan was leading the way, slightly calmer now that he was in his own element. Finally stopping near the single shade tree, he turned to face Videl. His nervousness returned in a flash. Uh...Kami help me...

-Sorry...but I'm the only one that's going to hear you say that...-

Haha...

Gohan smiled nervously, before his face returned to one of thought. "Well...I've never really taught anyone before...but it can't be that hard."

Videl nodded, ready. Gohan smiled again. "F-first, I want to know your full strength. You always held back against those thugs, right?"

Videl nodded proudly. "Of course. I'd hate to hurt one of them."

Gohan nodded, understanding full well. Videl blinked at his reaction. He...he doesn't really look as impressed as everyone usually does. "So, how are you going to test me? A spar?" Her eyes lit up a little at the idea.

Gohan waved his hands in front of him. "No. Not yet at least." At that moment, Goten dropped down from the shade tree, running up to the two. "Hey Videl! Ready to play?"

Videl blinked. "Play?"

Gohan turned to his brother. "Almost. I was just telling her about it." Turning back, Gohan reached into his pocket and pulled out a capsule case. Looking in it, he smiled when he found the one he wanted. He clicked it, and then threw it on the ground where it expanded in smoke. Videl blinked as she saw a bunch of red wristbands, a black vest, and some strange looking shoes appeared on the ground. "Put those on. We'll be testing speed and strength first."

Confused, Videl leaned down to get a better view of them. They looked normal enough. She turned to Gohan, who caught her look. "Oh, they used to belong to my dad. Those where his first training gear he got from his grandpa."

Videl looked back down, and then back up, a glare evident on her face. How will this help? Gohan smiled nervously. "You'll have these on the entire weekend. When you get stronger, we'll up the weight."

Deciding to play along, Videl tried to lift one of the wristbands to put it on, finding it wouldn't move. Glaring down at the band, she put both hands on it, focusing her strength as she slowly lifted it up off the ground. "I-it must way 30lbs!" Videl blinked. She had to have this on the entire weekend?

Gohan nodded. "Ya, it's a good place to start at. Once things get going, you'll find that this was pretty easy." Videl's eyes widened slightly, putting it on her wrist. Not long after, she had put everything on, the weight totaling around 150lbs of weight. It was hard to move, but Videl had been lifting weights for a while now, and it wasn't to bad.

Goten, who was starting to get impatient, tugged on his brothers pants leg. "Can we start now?"

Gohan looked down and smiled. "Yup." Turning back to Videl, he pointed at his little brother. "Ok Videl, catch him."

Videl blinked. "E-excuse me?"

Goten jumped around. "Yay! I love tag!"

Videl glared at Gohan. "Tag?" Her annoyance evident in her voice. I came here to train...not play tag with his little brother. Is he taking this seriously?

Gohan squatted down to be closer to Goten's face, trying to whisper to the boy. "Remember, only go at about 1/4th speed, ok?"

Goten stopped, pouting as he turned to his brother. "What? That's no fun."

Videl, a vain popping out on her forehead, yelled out this time. "Gohan!"

Standing up strait rather quickly, Gohan's face paled. "Y-yes?"

Videl stepped towards him, glaring stronger. "I came here to train, not baby sit!"

Goten turned to Videl. "Hey, I'm not a baby!"

Gohan waved his hands in front of him. "C-come on. Its just a test. Once you catch him, we'll move on."

"Fine!" Videl shot for Goten, who had turned his back to her. Goten was pouting still, obviously hurt at being called a baby. I'll show her...I'm not a baby! Videl landed face first on the ground where Goten had been. Blinking, she looked at the grass under her. I was sure I was going to get him. Where'd he go?

Goten was standing about five feet in front of Videl, sticking his tongue out at her. "Na-na. Can't catch me!" Gohan slapped his face, sighing. So much for only one forth speed.

Videl struggled to her feet, feeling the weights pushing her down. Grunting, she straightened back up. "Hey, hold still!" Videl shot at the boy, moving as fast as she could, noticing how much the wights slowed her down. The boy smiled, trotting away as Videl tried to catch up to him. Normally this would be boring, but Videl had made fun of him, so for now he would enjoy showing her how big and strong he really was.

After five minutes of no luck, Videl leaned over, putting her hands on her knees to brace herself. Her muscles were protesting any more of this, but her will was not so ready to give up. Sure the weights made things harder, but still not being able to catch a small boy was slowly grinding away at her nerves. Turning to Gohan, she yelled at him between gasps of air. "Wouldn't it be easier to gauge my speed with these things off?"

Gohan called back at her, looking his goofy self as he answered back. "Easier wouldn't get you stronger and faster."

Videl bit her lip. He was right. Closing her eyes, she straightened back up and looked at the small boy. "All right you squirt. I'm going to get you this time!" She shot at him, moving faster than she did before even though her muscles felt like jelly.

Even with the newly found burst, Goten quickly jogged away, smiling mischievously as he did. Gohan smiled. It was faint, but he felt it spike just enough for him to sense it. Sitting down, he thought about it. When the human body is at it's limit, normal people stop. But with experienced fighters, they unconsciously dig down and find it even if they don't realize it. Videl's all ready able to use energy, all I have to is show her how to use it. This could be easier than I thought!

-You sure are optimistic...-

Oh, hey Gray. You've been quiet lately.

-Eh...I've been letting you be while you train her...I'd hate to get in the way...-

Don't worry. You're in here so it would be hard for you to get in the way. Gohan softly chuckled.

-That reminds me...I've been meaning to talk to you...-

Really? About?

-I...really don't like fighting...-

Well...same here...what's this about?

-Now that we have that...sneezing problem...I was thinking...I could train you...-

Eh? Train me?

-Ya...to use the dark energy along with you're normal energy. Now that you can see it...it should work...-

What should- Gohan's thoughts were cut off when he heard a rather loud thud. Turning he saw Videl once again on the ground, rubbing her face. Goten was pointing and giggling, rolling around on his back.

Gohan shot to his feet and rushed over to Videl. "Y-you ok?"

Videl rolled onto her back, drained. "I guess..."

Goten stopped laughing, and walked over to Videl leaning over her. "You look tired." Turning to Gohan, he pouted. "Gohan, you said this was going to be fun."

Looking back at his brother, Gohan sighed. "Why don't you go find a cool lizard. I think I saw a pretty big one over there."

Goten's eyes lit up. "Really? Ok, I'll be back soon!" The small boy scurried away, head twisting every which way trying to find the lizard to play with.

Gohan sat down next to Videl, who was just starting to regain her breath. Videl however turned her head away, disappointed in herself. Gohan caught on to what was going on, and decided he would try to cheer her up. "Hey, to be honest you did better than I thought you would."

"I don't want your pity." Videl spat back, still upset with herself.

Gohan smiled. "I lied."

Turning her head, Videl blinked. "You what?"

"Well, I didn't completely lie. It was a test of strength and speed. But there was a third part I wanted you to realize."

Videl could only look up at him, clueless at what he was trying to get at. Gohan pointed his finger up, trying to look as a teacher should. "That second wind you got. You know where it came from?" Videl thought about it for a second. What does he mean by that? I didn't even think about it. I just...got back up and tried again.

After a few moments of silence, Gohan continued. "My energy balls and super strength, you're second wind. They both come from the same thing."

Videl sat up now, drinking in what Gohan was saying. Is this...for real? "So...what do we do now?"

Gohan smiled. "What you came here to do. I'm gonna teach you how to bring that energy out."

Adjusting his legs so he could sit indian style, Gohan held his hands in front of him as if he was holding an invisible ball. "I'll do it slow, so you can see." All of his muscles relaxed, and Gohan felt the familiar warm feeling work its way through his fingertips as a light formed in between his hands.

Videl got to her hands and knees and looked at the ball of light, forgetting the burning feeling in her muscles. It was warm, calming. Videl leaned in forward, trying to get closer to it, to which Gohan nervously leaned back. Quickly standing up, letting the ball fade, Gohan rubbed the back of his neck, smiling nervously. "W-well, now you try. Think about where you got that second wind from, and try to pull it out."

Videl blinked, looking down at her own hands. Can...can I really do that? What am I thinking, of course I can. Mimicking the shape Gohan's hands had taken before. Concentrating as hard as she could, she searched her entire body over, trying to find where the second wind had come from. Her muscles tensed, her body started to shake as she could only feel emptiness.

Gohan blinked. "You have to relax. You'll never be able to bring it out if you don't." Videl looked up at him, a pleading look in her eyes. It made Gohan step back. Videl continued to look at him. "I need to get this."

The moment's seemed like hours. Gohan looked at this new side of Videl, unable to move. Videl looked back down at her hands, trying again. Gohan snapped out of his daze after a few more excruciatingly long moments, sitting back down in front of her. Gently, he placed his hands over Videl's, earning a questioning look from her. "Maybe, if I help you get the feel for it...y-you'll be able to figure it out."

Videl looked back down at his hands and how they fit around hers. She could feel them ever so slightly warm up.

Gohan let his energy flow into his hands and through Videl's as the small light lit up in her hands. Her eyes sparkled as she stared into the soft light. She could feel energy flowing through her hands, and the warm calming feeling spread through her body again. Suddenly however she started to feel tired. She looked up from the light to a smiling Gohan, who had moved and was now sitting just out of arms reach of her. She looked back down at her hands, realizing it was herself who was sustaining the small orb of light.

Videl closed her eyes, relaxing her muscles like Gohan had said, feeling for where the energy was coming from. She could feel something now. Something deep down. Not a physical place, but deep down none the less. Videl focused on it, trying to pull more of it out. The grass around her started to bend as small ripples of energy started to pulse from her. Opening her eyes, she looked over the light dancing in her hands. Wide eyed, she could only stare at the energy in her hands.

Gohan smiled proudly. "You got it!" Videl let the energy ball fade, catching herself as she started to fall forward. She had never felt so spent. Gohan stood up, holding a hand out to her. Videl smiled, taking his hand as he helped her up. As she stood up, she could feel her knees buckling, forcing her to lean on Gohan who caught her. Gohan chuckled. "Watch yourself. The first time is always a little draining."

Videl blushed, turning away. "No kidding..." Gohan led Videl over to the shade tree, helping her sit back down against it. "I've never felt this tired before..."

Gohan happily smiled. "Let's take a break then."

Videl nodded, leaning her head back against the tree. For the first time she noticed the beauty of the valley they were in. Lazily she looked around, wincing every so often when her nerves pulsed in pain.

Finally Videl's eyes rested on Gohan, who had laid down in the shade on his back, looking up at the leaves rustling in the tree above. Without really thinking, her mouth started to move. "Gohan?"

He turned his, looking up at her. "Yes?"

"Why the hell do you have a tail?" Videl didn't glare like she usually did when asking questions, she was to tired.

Gohan hesitated, but the lack of a glare softened him enough to answer. "Well...Goku, my dad, had a tail too."

Videl blinked. "Really?"

Gohan nodded, putting his hands behind his head. "Ya, he is what is called a saiyan. They are basically the same as humans...except the tail."

Videl nodded. She had seen fox people, talking dinosaurs, and other...interesting things. A human looking species that had a tail wasn't to far of a stretch. Gohan continued to look at the leaves. No need to tell her he's also from space.

-You shouldn't continue to lie to her...-

I'm not lying Gray. I'm just not telling the entire truth...

Videl experimented raising her hand, feeling a stinging pain shoot through her soar muscles, but it wasn't as painful as before.

Turning back to Gohan, her mouth continued to move. "Who trained you? You're dad?"

Gohan smiled, finally getting an easy question. "Not right away. The tall green guy you saw up north, his name is Piccolo. He...well, pointed me in the right direction. For the most part I taught myself."

Videl smiled. "Just like me..."

Gohan looked up at Videl, chuckling to himself when he saw her sleeping. She really was drained.

-DBZ-

Videl's eyes slowly opened. Her body felt stiff as it argued against moving. Feeling something leaning against her, she looked down to her right side. Right there slept a small seven year old Goten, resting his head on her side. Slowly looking up, she spotted a rather large lizard taking a catnap on Gohan's stomach who also was resting quietly.

Biting her lip to make sure she didn't laugh and wake up the sleeping Sons, she looked over Gohan's sleeping form. With the lizard, Gohan just looked even goofier than normal. The lizard, seeming waking up when it sensed Videl moving slightly looked right at her, sticking its tongue out at her.

Videl froze. Is...I hope it's not hungry.

The lizard, deciding it was time to go, shot off of Gohan, stepping on his face as it scurried away. Gohan shot up, watching the lizard make it's retreat as he put things together. Turning with lizard feet marks on his face, Videl couldn't help but laugh this time. Gohan's clueless eyes only made things funnier.

Goten squirmed around at the unwanted noise, wrapped himself around Videl's arm. Videl looked down, softly smiling at the innocent looking boy.

Gohan whispered as he rubbed his eyes. "Sorry, you had fallen asleep so I decided to let you rest. I must have fallen asleep too."

Slowly working her hand free, Videl gently laid Goten down in the grass as she stood up. "I should be getting home. Daddy will be wondering where I've been."

"One thing first." Gohan stopped Videl in her tracks. "Yes?"

Gohan looked emotionless. "Try to bring your energy out one last time. It should be easier now."

Videl held her arms together in front of her and concentrated. Remembering how it felt the first time Gohan had helped her, she tried to reproduce the feeling. Almost instantaneously, the light formed in her hands. Excitement overtook her. "Gohan look! I did it by myself!" Without thinking, Videl thrust her hands forward in an attempt to show him. The energy ball shot right out of her hands. Gohan who had his guard down, wasn't able to move quick enough and the energy ball hit him square in the chest creating a small cloud of smoke to result from the attack.

Coughing, Gohan waved his hand trying to move the smoke away from him. Videl had covered her mouth in shock, wide eyed and unsure of what had just happened. Goten's eyes fluttered open, looking up lazily. When Gohan emerged from the smoke with slightly singed hair and tattered clothes, the two teens looked at each other quietly for a moment, only to start laughing.

Goten rubbed his eyes, sitting up and looking at the two laughing. "Huh?"

Author's Annotations:

Chapter 19 is up. Please remember to to rate, review, and tell your friends!