Lesson #7: Consequences

"Shall we go for a little hunt?" suggested Videl as they made it back to shore. Her clothes which were soaked through were instantly dried as two golden orbs encircled the pair before vanishing back in Gohan's palms.

"Depends what we are hunting," replied Gohan.

"What about those who decided to ruin our ride?"

"I believe that that sounds like a brilliant idea." Their heads turned into the direction of the forest. Gohan pointed out a few spots. "We've got about three people in there heading back to their camp, there's about half a dozen over there and a pair trying to sneak up on us in the bushes over there."

"How can you tell all this?" asked Videl.

"I can sense their chi levels with my own," he answered.

"I didn't think that you would be able to do so much with this sort of power," admired Videl.

"It's amazing what it can actually do, mostly though it's just used for fighting and flying and not many people do much else with it."

"You mean you could teach me how to fly?"

Gohan rubbed the back of his head. "Well... I guess I could."

"That's be amazing Gohan!"

"Well first let's deal with the problem at hand. What emotions do you feel at the moment towards those who just attacked us?"

Videl became confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Certain emotions can help fuel the strength of certain attacks," answered Gohan.

Nodding to show that she understood Videl replied, "At the moment I feel anger."

"Channel that anger, now they are going to come through that opening there," Gohan pointed. "Start channelling that anger and create an energy ball in your hands filled with all the hate you have towards those who ruined our perfect moment. "Now, when I tell you, throw your energy as hard as you can towards the person who comes out of those woods."

Videl nodded in agreement and started to form a ball in her hands containing all of the hate she had held onto for so long, including the hatred she had for her father and how he paraded around with every woman he could get his hands on. She could feel that hate and anger clearly as it radiated in her palm.

"NOW!" shouted Gohan.

With raging ferocity she unleashed her chi at her unsuspecting prey when he just stepped out of the forest. Without any time to react, the unfortunate soul was hit directly with the ball of energy which sent him flying back into a nearby tree. Videl breathed deeply, fatigue settling in after that last attack. The pair walked over to the unconscious body and weren't too surprised to find that the unlucky soul was Sharpner.

"He deserved it," said Videl as she started to walk away.

"Don't worry about anyone else though, a few people saw what you did and are now running for their lives," said Gohan casually. "I think you've scared everyone off."

"Yeah well they deserve it after what they did to us," muttered Videl.

"True, well I better dispose of him," said Gohan looking down at Videl's fallen prey.

"What are you going to do with him?" she asked.

"Two options, the first is I'll run into some of his friends and give him to them, the other option is to dig a hole and chuck him in. Whichever one comes first I guess," he said as he picked up the limp body and threw it over his shoulder. Videl smiled and turned to face the water as Gohan wondered into the forest. She knelt down and cupped her hands before drinking the water that she gathered. The water had calmed down since the last time they were on it and she saw her reflection perfectly.

She looked down at herself and felt the energy swirling within her. "I don't need Gohan here to learn how to fly," she said confidently. She stood upright and walked into the centre of the campsite. Recalling all the advice which Gohan had given, she channelled the energy through her body. Where would I need to direct my energy if I wanted to fly? Obvious solution would be from the feet but that would just send me crashing to the ground unless I can balance somehow. So that means that I've got to spread the chi throughout my body and lift up my entire being, she thought. It seemed logical.

Videl allowed her energy to flow throughout her entire body. She could feel her energy pulse around her as the grass circling her blew away from her body. Just relax and let my energy do all of the work, she thought. Closing her eyes she relaxed her muscles and concentrated on allowing her chi to lift her up into the air. A few minutes passed and nothing seemed to be happening. Frustrated, she dived deeper into her resources and brought out more of her Chi. Slowly she could feel her feet drifting upwards. Not wanting to break her concentration, Videl simply opened her eyes to see what was going on?

The ground was still there, only a few inches underneath where her feet were. She smiled but she could feel how much the energy was having an effect on her body. She put a little bit more juice into the tank thinking that it would relieve her of some of the built up stress but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Videl allowed herself to drop slowly to the ground and felt safe to be on solid ground. Something didn't feel right though.

Videl grabbed hold of her head as twisted feelings wound their way around her mind. She took a few steps forward but her feet felt like lead. She dropped to her hands and knees and everything became a blur. Sweat poured from her forehead as Videl desperately tried to focus herself but nothing was reacting the way that it should have been. With a final breath, Videl collapsed on the ground.

Gohan rushed through the trees. He had taken Sharpner to the other side of the forest and had deposited him at his camp when he had felt Videl's energy increase slightly before dropping rapidly. At first he had just thought that she had attacked someone nearby but when her Ki became too faint to trace he knew something wasn't right. He came out of the woods and found himself at his campsite where a small crowd had gathered. He burst his way through the few men who stood there to find Videl unconscious at their feet.

Panicking, Gohan knelt down beside Videl and was relieved to feel a pulse. "What's going on Gohan?" asked one of the guys.

"Has she just fallen asleep?" asked another.

"This isn't a natural sleep, she brought this on herself," Gohan analysed.

"What are you talking about Gohan?" asked the final boy.

"She tried to access more of her Chi than she could reach and her body couldn't handle the pressure and thus has come down with a fever. Right now she is likely going through an internal struggle and may not wake for days," answered Gohan.

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

"We could transfer some of our energy to her but by doing so it will disrupt the normal chi patterns in her body and she may no longer have access to it. This is a battle she is going to have to fight herself." Gohan didn't like the situation anymore than what the boys did but he didn't want to do anything reckless.

"So what now?" asked one of them.

"Just go back to your campsites and don't tell anyone of this," instructed Gohan. "If news of this spreads just imagine what damage it could do." The boys nodded their heads in agreement.

"What about you?"

"I'll look after her; I'll make sure she sees through this journey." Happy with the answer, the boys turned and left the campsite. Gohan remained there, silent as he watched over Videl.

What's going to happen next? Stay tuned and please review.