Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT or Dragon Ball Super. Every character and location mentioned in Seven Years Later, with the exception of ones created by myself and not mentioned within Akira Toriyama's manga and anime, are owned by Akira Toriyama.
Chapter 2: First Day of High School
As he walked through the school corridors in search of room 3A, Son Gohan felt as if he was exposed to a world extraordinarily different from the one he had been living within for eighteen years. A world full of traumatic experiences caused by abductions, alien invaders, space tyrants, powerful androids, and destructive battles, was instantly replaced with a much calmer atmosphere. Gohan's responsibilities as a Z-Fighter and protector of earth was replaced by his responsibilities as a student. Instead of transforming into a Super Saiyan and performing a Kamehameha wave to vanquish forces of evil, Gohan needed to arrive to the classroom before the bell rang, give his undivided attention to his teacher, and complete homework and assignments before the deadline.
Gohan was used to the concept of studying, homework, and lectures due to the strenuous homeschooling routine of his mother. Because of his extremely high intelligence he had been introduced to university level math and science concepts when an average child would be learning about the Pythagorean theorem and the contents within cells. Academics would be a breeze for Gohan; athletics and social life not so. His personal goal was to behave and perform like a normal teenager to avoid the truth of his complicated past and overwhelming powers becoming public knowledge. Mr. Satan is a prime example of the depths to which a person would go to cement their name in history and acquire fame. He sacrificed his honesty and dignity to become wealthy and powerful. He claims to be one of us, yet all he did was stand back and watch us fight. The media has made him even worse. For the fear of his personality and level of privacy changing for the worst, Gohan decided to keep his identity hidden from the rest of the world. He wanted people to know that the Golden Fighter, his father, and the rest of the Z-Fighters came together to save the world from impending doom due to heavy training and sacrifice. However, Gohan didn't want the world to know that Son Gohan, Son Goku, Vegeta, Trunks, Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin saved the world. The true identity of himself and his friends was best kept a secret as it's revelation would disrupt their way of life. The secret of the true identity of the Z-Fighters, the secret that Gohan has kept for seven long years, was now in danger of getting out due to his new surroundings. Gohan feared that his athletic prowess would capture the interests of students within the school who would stop at nothing to discover his true identity, which was son of previous World Martial Arts Champion Son Goku and delivery boy of the Cell Games.
The loud noise of a school bell rang throughout the halls as the remaining students rushed to their classrooms. After spotting classroom 3A, Gohan found a middle-aged balding man awaiting him outside of the classroom door. He wore a blue shirt with a plain black tie, along with a pair of black pants which appeared to be too long for him. He had dark bags under his emerald eyes, insinuating that the man was deprived of a necessary amount of sleep due to the responsibilities of being a high school teacher. As Gohan reduced the distance between himself and the classroom the man turned his head towards the black-haired youth and gave a quirky smile.
"Ah, Mr. Son. It is good to see that you found the classroom without any guidance. I have a feeling you'll be navigating through our halls with ease in the near future. My name is Mr. Hyu, it is a pleasure to meet you."
When Gohan arrived at the location where Mr. Hyu was standing, the elder male offered his hand to Gohan which the teen immediately shook. Gohan gave the teacher a half-smile, unsure about his personality. I'm here for five minutes and the first person I come in contact with looks like an absolute cook. Better start my time off at Orange Star High with an enthusiastic attitude nonetheless.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hyu. I can't wait to get started at Orange Star High." That sounded normal and non-suspicious, right?
The teacher retracted his arm back to his side after firmly shaking Gohan's hand. The skinny frame that is Mr. Hyu studied the eighteen-year-old from top to bottom before offering him a more genuine smile. Great, this guy seems like a Master Roshi who isn't interested in the fairer sex. His mad scientist-like appearance and formal speech reminds me of Doctor Gero a little too much. Gohan's concerns about the man were interrupted when Mr. Hyu cleared his throat and began to speak once again.
"I will be your homeroom teacher, and I must admit that I look forward to working with you. After looking into your file I was heavily impressed. You have a sharper mind and broader knowledge base than most university graduates. I think you will be a great addition to our rather small collection of prodigal students at Orange Star High " - Mr. Hyu said.
Gohan responded with a smile and quick nod. "Thanks. I hope I can live up to the high expectations everyone has for me."
"I'm sure you'll do just wonderful. Now please wait there while I inform your peers of your arrival."
Gohan nodded once again and watched as Mr. Hyu walked into a classroom full of bickering students. From what Gohan could see, the class held many different students from the stereotypical social groups that Lime had told him all about. He spotted athletes who weren't that strong and nerds who weren't that smart. In one corner of the classroom, a black-haired teen stood up and flexed his muscles towards a group of his friends, claiming to be stronger than Mr. Satan. With a power level that low you couldn't even lay a finger on that idiot. In the other corner, two girls covered in tonnes of makeup blushed and gossiped about someone in the front row. She was right...about everything! Gohan gave a loud sigh from outside the classroom door. How can any of these people be worth getting to know if all they do is worship Hercule Satan and gossip and boast about everything? One Mr. Hyu reached the front of the classroom the gossiping, bickering, and gloating ceased. Before Gohan could barely hear himself think and now the drop of a pin could be heard from anywhere in the classroom. As the noise within the classroom completely subsided, the students within classroom 3A brought their attention to their homeroom teacher.
"Good morning, class." - said Mr. Hyu.
The man received a few grunts and groans from the collection of students, likely unenthusiastic about returning to school after a weekend.
"I have some very pleasant news to share with you all today. We are receiving a new student by the name of Son Gohan. Unlike the majority of this lot, Mr. Son has a very bright future in the educational system and academic studies. He received perfect scores on all of his entry exams and is the definition of a truly great student. You can come in now, Mr. Son."
Gohan felt like rolling his eyes after all the praise Mr. Hyu gave him. He had crushed an alien invader trying to destroy earth, ventured to another planet to fight the tyrant overlord of Universe 7, became the first Saiyan to ascend past the legendary form of Super Saiyan, and destroyed the strongest threat the Z-Fighters had ever come up against, yet there Mr. Hyu was glorifying him in a classroom full of students based on his academic prowess. Even one of the brightest minds that Golden City had to offer couldn't realize that without heroes like Son Goku, educational experiences and occupations would be found useless on a dead planet littered with the corpses of species that lived there.
As Gohan walked through the doorframe of 3A he immediately felt the eyes of at least thirty students steer at him with killer intent. He turned to the rows of students and gave them a quick wave, accompanied with a smirk. Instead of warming up to him, snickering and whispering began from within the rows as the teenagers began to turn even more hostile.
"What a nerd."
"I bet his parents lock him in the basement and make him study all day."
"Pretty boy acting all cocky, heh. Put him in a ring with me and I'll fuck his ass up."
"What a bookworm. I couldn't live like that."
"I bet he sucked Hyu's dick to earn all that hype."
"He's kinda cute."
"What a dickhead."
Mr. Ryu gave his class an angry glance due to them gossiping and insulting their new peer.
"Students, quiet down, you're all an embarrassment to this educational institution! You may sit wherever you like, Mr. Son."
Gohan glanced around at the rows to find several seats available. A window seat was available and Gohan appreciated a good view, however it was next to a bunch of jocks who could easily rile him up enough to the point of exposing his powers. A seat in the far back was open but it was between two winking girls who had their stomach and almost half their cleavage exposed. A corner seat was also available, however Gohan was disrupted from his seat choosing process by an energetic short-haired blond beauty in one of the top rows who was standing up and waving at him.
"Hey cutie, there's a seat available here!" - the girl exclaimed with a high-pitched voice.
Gohan glanced over to the seat she was referring to, an empty spot between her and a long-haired blonde jock who appeared to be livid with the fact that his friend had offered him a seat. The Saiyan shrugged and began making his way over to the empty spot near the back of the room.
"What the hell Erasa? You volunteered for this nerd to sit beside us? There's no way I'll get along with that geek!" - exclaimed the jock.
Erasa scoffed at him and gave the teen an angry look.
"He's new to the school! The least we can do is be nice! Plus, he's kinda cute."
"You say that about everyone, Erasa."
"I mean it!"
Gohan finally reached the row after ascending a small flight of stairs. As he shuffled through the students to reach the middle of the row, he offered them a bunch of apologies for moving in front of them. After finally reaching his seat, the teen sat down and looked towards the girl who offered him the seat.
"Thanks for letting me sit here." - Gohan said with a smile.
"Oh, no problem at all! You're doing me a favour by sitting there, actually. I like to keep Sharpner out of arms reach so he can't hit on me."
Erasa's comments earned her an angry look from Sharpner, an extremely muscular student who appeared to be very self-confident. Determination in physical training , laziness in mental training. He'll never be a great fighter like that. Like Master Roshi taught my father, power means nothing without discipline and hard-work.
"Whatever, Erasa." - Sharpner said as he sighed and rolled his eyes.
The blonde giggled at his annoyance with her and gave Gohan a perky smile. She doesn't seem that bad. Maybe I can make some new friends at Orange Star and live the normal life of a teenager, Gohan thought as he returned her smile with one of his own.
"It's nice to meet you Gohan! I'm Erasa, as you already know, and this guy here beside you is Sharpner, Sharpie for short." - she said, attracting Sharper's interests back towards her conversation.
Sharpner shot a death glance towards Gohan.
"If you ever call me that, I'll kill you." - he whispered, trying to assert his dominance over the black-haired teen.
What a cocky bastard this guy is. Gohan gave Sharpner a confident smirk and narrowed his eyes towards the teen.
"You can try."
"Tch!"
"Oh Sharpner cut that out!" - Erasa exclaimed. She turned her attention back towards Gohan. "And this," she said while pointing at a girl beside her, "is my best friend Videl."
Gohan turned his attention towards a curvaceous girl that was a year younger than him, yet appeared to be more mature and powerful than the rest of the students in the class. As she glanced over towards Gohan, he noticed striking blue eyes similar to Android Eighteen's, yet they were darker, deeper, wider, and more mysterious. Her straight long black hair flew down the top half of her back. She appeared to be a foot shorter than Gohan and of small stature, surprising for a woman as curved as she was. Videl gave Gohan a greeting smile.
"Hey, nice to meet you."
It took Gohan a second to realize that he was lost in the vast ocean that was her eyes. He blinked once before regaining his senses and found that Videl was throwing him a quizzical look.
"Oh, nice to meet you as well." - Gohan finally replied.
Erasa giggled at Gohan's quiet and shy nature before winking at him.
"Let me give you a word of advice. Videl is the best when it comes to being a friend, she will always have your back in a fight. Just don't go asking her out. This month is only half over and at least three dozen boys have been left beaten up and broken hearted. The only one who can date daddy's little girl is someone who is stronger than even she is." - Erasa said, deepening her voice for the last sentence in an impersonation attempt that sounded somewhat familiar to Gohan.
Videl's cheeks reddened at Erasa's comment. Her embarrassment soon turned to anger as she frowned at her friend.
"Erasa! You're scaring the poor guy!" - Videl exclaimed.
"Well, he oughta be scared in the presence of the world champs' baby girl!"
"Erasa! You're just as embarrassing as my father!"
Erasa seemed to discard Videl's complaints, laughing and carrying on. Gohan just quietly chuckled until Erasa's words struck him. He turned around to Videl and shot her a questioning look.
"So you're Videl Satan, right?"
"So what? Are you going to shower me with praise?"
"Videl!" - Erasa exclaimed.
Gohan gave Videl a hearty chuckle before his dark eyes met her blue ones. Her abruptness just then reminds me of my mother, or even Vegeta. Although I'm glad that she doesn't believe her father's claim of having the strength to go toe-to-toe against Cell. Videl looked like a deer caught in headlights after hearing Gohan's laugh. She expected him to do as most would, to jump out of their seat in excitement and bombard her with questions regarding her father and his battle against Cell alongside the Golden Fighters. However, Son Gohan wasn't like most students.
"Praise you? Not exactly. I can tell that you are a very strong fighter Videl, but not even the most tremendous of fighters could take on the might of Mr. Satan's ego every single day. Matter of fact, I pity you."
Videl looked at Gohan with an intent to kill even greater than those of the classroom jocks when he was first introduced. She slammed her fist on the hard wooden desk, attracting the eyes of some students sitting around them.
"You pity me, Gohan?!" - she said coldly.
After a moment of silence, Videl's snarl turned into a small smile and her look of hate turned into one of curiosity. Gohan may have been mistaken, but he thought he detected a small amount of admiration in her stare as well. She flipped her hair behind her shoulder and spoke to Gohan one last time before the teacher returned to the front of the classroom and demanded the students' attention.
"I don't need your pity. But thanks. You're not so bad after all."
Five Hours Later
Much to Erasa's delight and Sharpner's misfortune, Gohan's timetable was an exact copy of the two blondes and their dark-haired friend's. Gohan accompanied his newfound friends to their classes and sat with them during lectures and at lunchtime. Erasa became increasingly infatuated with him, Videl increasingly interested in him, and even Sharpner began to warm up to Gohan after he had not mentioned assignments or studying even once during lunchtime. Being a new edition to this group of old friends reminded Gohan of when he first met the Z-Fighters. He was a sheltered four-year-old making friends for the first time, hearing about unbelievable stories and adventures that took place before the date of his birth. Unknowing to Gohan, the groups greatest adventures were yet to come and he would be a part of them. Krillin was always cheerful and encouraging, quickly becoming Gohan's first friend when he arrived at Kame House. He reminded Gohan of Erasa. Yamcha was somewhat distant and quiet around Gohan the first time he met him, yet loud and obnoxious around all of his old friends. After warming up to Yamcha, he saw past his headstrong and cocky personality and found a man who would give his life to protect his comrades, similar to Sharpner. Bulma had been one of the first people to know Gohan, and soon became one of his greatest friends. Although she was the richest woman on the face of the earth, Bulma never gloated about her riches and possessed a kind and confident personality that had an even greater effect on people than her renown. This made Bulma very similar to Videl in Gohan's mind. As he enjoyed protecting the earth and all of its inhabitants with the Z-Fighters, Gohan knew he would also enjoy simpler everyday activities with Videl, Erasa, and Sharpner.
Gohan now found himself in history class, the class which took up his last time slot of the day. Erasa and Sharpner, being bored out of their minds awaiting their teacher to arrive in the classroom, started up a conversation with Gohan.
"So, uh, Gohan. What part of town do you live in?" - Sharpner asked.
Gohan responded with a chuckle and brought his hand up to scratch the backside of his head.
"Town? I don't live in Golden City. I commute here from 439 East District."
Sharpner, Erasa, and even Videl looked at their newfound friend with wide eyes and gaping mouths.
"No way! That's so far from Satan City!" - Erasa exclaimed.
"Do you even get any sleep, brains?" - Sharpner questioned.
"Even on my fastest helicopter it would take me three hours to get over there!" - Videl said.
Gohan smiled sheepishly and rubbed the backside of his head.
"I guess my mom finds education just that important. I go to sleep pretty early and wake up while it's still dark, and while I'm traveling to school I finish all of my homework. Seems like a good plan, right?" - Gohan explained.
"Un huh!" - Erasa beamed, her face completely lighting up once again. She's a bit too trusting. Not that I'm complaining.
"Whatever, brains."
Although her friends quickly believed Gohan's story, Videl wasn't so fast to buy it. Every time Gohan spoke he paused for a second and carefully chose his words, as if he was afraid of revealing some sort of secret that he left out of each and every story. It appeared to Videl that he was desperately trying to hide details of his past. Videl narrowed her eyes at Gohan, labeling him as a suspicious newcomer to Orange Star High School and a student she would need to keep a very close eye on.
Mr. Hiro came in through the classroom door, rolling a projector which brought a smile to many of the student's faces. He was a tall, lanky dark-haired man who was eccentric and outgoing whereas his homeroom teacher was mysterious and quiet. His clothes were extremely casual for a teacher's wardrobe; blue jeans covering his legs and a small golf shirt covering his torso, exposing his white shrimp-like arms well past the elbow. After reaching the front of the class, he mumbled something under his breath before turning to speak with his students.
"Hey guys, we will be starting a new unit today that will require the observation and study of film. Nothing you guys will complain about, but it sure is a pain for me trying to get this thing working." The class chuckled as the young teacher held up a bundle of tangled wires. "Class will start once I figure this thing out."
With his permission, the class erupted into talking once again. Sharpner, Erasa, and several other students were glancing through their phones wide-eyed with a look of extreme disbelief on their faces. Sharpner gasped loudly, attracting the attention of Gohan and Videl, while Erasa was too shocked to take her eyes away from her small mobile device.
"...Holy shit, guys." - Sharpner whispered.
Videl and Gohan through a quizzical look his way while Erasa nodded in agreement.
"H-he's back. I can't believe he's back." - Erasa stuttered.
Gohan glanced around the classroom to find the other students just as intrigued as Erasa and Sharpner. While not knowing this latest piece of news, or gossip as Gohan expected, made him nervous and inquisitive, it lit a spark under Videl and the trio of friends watched in fear as an angry look overcame her face. She crossed her arms, a motion not lacking of attitude, and growled at her friends.
"What is it? What the hell has gotten into you guys!?" - Videl exclaimed.
Sharpner's look of disbelief turned into one of joy as Gohan witnessed the blonde laugh for the first time since arriving at Orange Star High.
"Videl, he's back! One of the guys who saved our world along with your father seven years ago!"
Surely they don't mean...
"One of the Golden Fighters was spotted downtown! He saved a whole bunch of people from being killed by terrorists!" - Erasa happily exclaimed.
Shit.
None of them noticing Gohan's extreme disappointment and misfortune, the class erupted into hoots and hollers. The class' usual calm everyday chatter was replaced by the joyous shouting of hundreds of students from throughout the school.
"He's back, motherfuckers!"
"How dreamy!"
"Our hero has descended upon the earth once again!"
"The Golden Fighters! They're still among us!"
"What a guy!"
Gohan smacked his head down against his desk oblivious to the pandemonium around him. Every student within the classroom was excited and frantically jumping up and down in celebration due to confirmation that one of the earth's saviours returned. With the exception of two. Gohan was kicking himself over revealing his powers to the world and Videl's eyes sparkled with determination. Determination to discover the secret behind the Golden Fighters' strength.
"Which one do you think he was?"
"The one who looked pissed off all the time?"
"Or the one who put up a strong effort against Cell?"
"Could he actually be the strongest of them?"
"The Delivery Boy all grown up?"
"No way!"
The rowdiness of the class subsided five minutes after the heroics of the Gold Fighter were passed around the school via cell phone. Mr. Hiro finally was able to sort out his technical difficulties, ready to begin his teaching. Unlike his homeroom teacher, Gohan noticed, this man had the respect of every single student in the classroom and only had to stand up at the front of the room to stop the students from talking with one another.
"Now, I know you're all excited abut the appearance of one of the Golden Fighters. In truth, he couldn't have reappeared at a better time. The unit we are about to dive into is on the history of the world's greatest fighters. This is the study of warriors who have protected our planet from the most dangerous of foes and have topped the majority of competition in the World Martial Arts Tournament. These fighters include Son Goku, Tien Shinhan, Krillin, Jackie Chun, and the most powerful non-energy using fighter on the planet, Mr. Hercule Satan."
Yes! Finally someone who understands that ki-based attacks are far more than tricks. I'm starting to like this guy already. One brown-haired student spoke up from amongst the excited teens.
"Energy? You mean tricks?"
Mr. Hiro chuckled at the student's ignorance and turned to face him.
"Ki is an energy found inside each and every one of you. It is your very life force, the power that courses deep within your soul. Only the most excellent fighters under the training of a warrior who has mastered ki control can bring it out of the body to use as a weapon. An example of this is the ultimate attack of the Turtle Style School, the Kamehameha Wave." Mr. Hiro flicked to an image of Krillin performing the technique against Gohan's father. A collection of gasps and murmurs could be heard throughout the crowd of students.
"This is the move being performed in one of the greatest fights we've ever had the pleasure of witnessing within a World Martial Arts Tournament. The 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament was likely the most highly contested of all time. We had the four most powerful ki warriors of that time going head-to-head and in the finals a long awaited clash between the head students of the two most notorious fighting schools that this world has to offer." The teacher flicked to another image, one of Son Goku facing off against Majunior.
"This was the finals of the 23rd world tournament, a clash between Goku and Majunior, the self-proclaimed reincarnation of Demon King Piccolo. As most of you are aware of, it was Goku who defeated Piccolo, so this finals match was just as fitting as the previous tournament's. After coming up short twice in the previous finals Goku secures himself a World Martial Arts Championship before disappearing from the martial arts scene." The screen flicked over once again to a different picture, one that instantly made Gohan nervous. The reveal of the picture caused excited murmurs amongst the crowd of students. Gohan gazed uneasily at the face of his eleven-year-old Super Saiyan self.
"The last tournament that we'll be studying is the most important in all of earth's known history. While everyone else prayed with their families for Cell to be nothing more than just a nightmare, twelve noble warriors took a stand against the tyranny of this monster. While the identity of the Golden Fighters remains to be a mystery, we can identify a handful of these warriors who are world renowned martial artists. Tien Shinhan, Krillin, Yamcha, Mr. Satan, Caroni, Pirozhki, and even Majunior fought to save our planet from destruction." - Mr. Hiro finished. The class looked on in excitement at the prospect of studying the world's most famous battle.
"And that brings us to our first assignment." - Mr. Hiro added with a devilish smile, causing a collection of groans to erupt from the student filled rows. "You will all choose one fighter who you admire and respect to create a presentation on them. You will mention their past accomplishments, fighting style, battles they took part in, some info on their personal life, and your reasoning for choosing that particular fighter."
Personal life? What if someone chooses my dad? My whole identity could be revealed to the entire school and soon after I'd become a world famous celebrity! I need my privacy to stay intact or they'll all find out about the Cell Games. "Gohan, is something wrong?"
The voice of Videl broke Gohan from his stupor. He looked towards the raven-haired teen to find a concerned look upon her face. Gohan gave her a small smile and rubbed the back of his head, a Son family trademark, trying to cast her worries aside.
"Yeah I'm fine, nothing's wrong." Damnit Gohan! Why'd I have to make it sound so suspicious?
Videl gave him a curious stare before returning his smile with one of her own.
"Sorry, you really looked like you were out of it there." - Videl said.
The two teens redirected their attention back towards the front of the class, both thinking of which fighter they want to conduct research on and both hoping that their fathers, the two most famous fighters on list available to choose from, would not be picked.
One hour later
School had finally ended. Gohan and his newfound friends were walking side-by-side in the corridor, each questioning what fighter each other had chosen. When Erasa asked Sharpner, the blonde jock gave her a wicked smile.
"My idol Yamcha, of course. He's a kick-ass martial artist and the greatest baseball player to ever live on top of that! Easily the best choice there is." - Sharpner replied with confident. Erasa just chuckled and turned her attention towards Videl.
"Um, I hope you don't mind Videl but I chose your dad. I know nothing about martial arts so I wanted to choose the person with the most information available to the public." Videl sighed and nodded back at Erasa.
"Better you than one of those other guys in class."
The four students squeezed through small clustered halls filled with students rushing to get to their locker or their bus. Teachers still remained in the classrooms to make a dent in their endless hordes of paperwork. While passing room 1F, Gohan caught sight of Mr. Ryu. He had positioned his feet on the top of the room's desk, right beside a cheap computer monitor the teacher had switched off minutes before. The rest of his body was lying back in a small reclining chair while he was fiddling with his two pale white hands. Gohan's once professional and uptight teacher became the very definition of casualty right before his very eyes. As Gohan passed the room the noticed that Sharpner was looking inside the room aswell.
"What a creep." - Sharpner muttered under his breath.
"You can say that again." - Gohan agreed.
Sharpner smirked at Gohan before redirecting the conversation. The blonde and raven-haired teens beside the two boys were now listening intently to their conversation. Erasa smiled at the sight of Sharpner warming up to their new friend so quickly, especially because of the fact that their personalities and interests appeared to be exact opposites. Where Gohan was shy and usually kept to himself, Sharpner was outgoing with their small group and never knew when to stop talking. She figured Gohan's idea of a good time was sitting at the dining room table studying university level math in Russian, whereas Sharpner would love to be training his martial arts skills or playing some kind of sport.
"So brains, which fighter did you pick?"
"I decided to take Majunior."
"Have fun making a report on that evil prick."
Gohan frowned at his friend. He understood that conversing with everyday people would be a difficult task for him, but he had not anticipated that keeping the truth from them would be this difficult. He wanted to spill everything to Sharpner and the two girls right now, and tell him what an amazing person Piccolo is. A man not from this world with a destiny to conquer the earth and rule over all of its inhabitants gave up his life to protect a five-year-old who taught him the true meaning of friendship and kindness. To have one of his only normal friends criticize the man he looked up to infuriated Gohan.
"You can't blame Majunior for the actions of Demon King Piccolo. Majunior sure issued some threats at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, but he never acted upon them, and the last time he was spotted he was fighting Cell alongside the Golden Fighters. I think he changed his ways."
"Tch. I doubt that a king of demons could turn his life around, Gohan."
Gohan felt his Saiyan side taking control of his senses. A rage boiled over him due to Sharpner's ignorance, and his ki began to steadily rise until he could feel a power capable of destroying the solar system at his fingertips. How dare he insult Mr. Piccolo like that! He's part of that group...that group of people who worship Mr. Satan's wealth and power over the public instead of worshipping my father for the sacrifices he made for the rest of the world! How dare he! These humans insult Piccolo, they insult my father! A small light flashed in the palm of Gohan's hand. The power of one ki blast the equivalent to the power of a large meteorite traveling at the speed of light.
"Gohan, calm down." - a distant voice spoke.
Gohan instantly recognized the voice as Piccolo's. He down upon his shaking hand in reflection upon his previous actions. He remembered the urge he felt to destroy. To destroy Sharpner. To destroy his home planet, the home of all of his family and friends. He hadn't felt this level of shame since his father died due to his own over-confidence.
"Piccolo...I almost-"
"I know. You should really talk to Vegeta about this, I've never seen you get like that."
Videl, Erasa, and Sharpner looked back to find their friend standing still upon the white cement walkway staring intently at the palms of his hands.
"I was...planning on visiting them after school anyway. Thanks, Piccolo, you always manage to save me from a sticky situation."
"That's my job, heh. No problem kid."
Gohan found himself face to face with Videl after ending his mental conversation with Piccolo. He looked up from his hand to gaze into her deep blue eyes as she found herself mesmerized by his onyx ones. A heavy blush came across Videl's face as she widened her eyes in realization. She had been left in a trance, staring at Gohan's face for the past several seconds. Behind the two teenagers came a knowing giggle belonging to Erasa and an annoyed grunt from Sharpner. Videl's embarrassment boiled over to rage.
"What the hell are you doing all the way back over here? I thought something was wrong with you, idiot!" - Videl shouted, desperately trying to cover up her feelings of attraction with anger.
Gohan was slightly frightened by this display, and if he were to come back from HFIL, Gohan didn't think even Cell or Bojack could frighten him. The last time Gohan had been afraid was when he saw Android 16's head being ruthlessly crushed by Cell. After a childhood of being petrified of his father's enemies, Gohan remembered his fight with Cell as the first time he wasn't worried about his own well-being, just the wellbeing of his friends. He feared that he wasn't strong enough to protect the rest of the Z-Fighters from the strength Cell displayed by easily disposing of the power yet peace loving android. That's when his power was awakened, and since transcending to Super Saiyan 2 he hadn't been afraid of anything. He trained almost as much as Vegeta to ensure he could stay the most powerful being in the universe, capable of protecting his loved ones from any evil threat. Yet here Son Gohan was, a mighty Saiyan warrior who had fought against a universal tyrant and a supposedly perfect being, scared of a human girl who's stare was a combination of his mother's look of authority and Vegeta's glare of anger. I thought it was just my mother! Are all girls like this?!
"Sorry Videl, didn't mean to worry you! Oh, look at the time, I should really be heading back home by now. See you tomorrow everyone!"
"Bye Gohan!" - Erasa chirped.
"Later, brains." - Sharpner mumbled.
Videl was the only one who remained quiet after Gohan took off running in the opposite direction. She kept her gaze on the man who had put her in such a flushed and uncomfortable disposition just moments before. Videl's eyes narrowed as his eighteen-year-old frame grew further and further away from her. She positioned her lips into a playful smirk. You have to go home, Gohan? Strange, 439 East District is the other way.
END