Chapter Nineteen
Those Old Explosive Ways
"We should get going, we're going to be late."
"Ugh just five more minutes…"
"Move it Gohan," Eve chuckled, hitting him with a pillow, "Come on, Amos and Gokuto have slept in long enough as it is."
"Alright, alright, I'm up," he yawned, smirking as he caught sight of the naked girl in front of him.
Reaching towards her waist, he pulled her back into the warmth of the bed, "I'd much rather stay here though, can't we just skip one session?"
"No we can't," she giggled, as he kissed her several times on the neck, "I think Sandra is starting to get suspicious, I think that you actually have to be 'single' to be in the single mother's club."
"But I'm not a mother," he teased, lifting his head and wiggling his eyebrows, "Doesn't that make me an exception to the rules?"
"Trust me, I wish it did," Eve sighed longingly, "Now come on, if you get up now I promise you can come back here afterwards. I have all night free you know."
Gohan grinned, "I like the sound of that."
Leaving the warmth of Eve's flat to go to a coffee morning felt like a chore to the young saiyan, especially seen as they were now in the mist of September, autumn having come around all to quickly. A sharp cool breeze swept West City, the leaves having already fallen from the trees that lined the busy streets.
Still, Wednesday's were Gohan's favourite day of the week. A day in which he would have an excuse to spend the entire day with his girlfriend.
His mother disapproved of course, having heard of Gohan's 'older woman' from Bulma. The gang thought the whole thing was pretty scandalous, though the teenager failed to care, especially when he was in the midst of the throws of passion every Wednesday evening, and sometimes Tuesday's if he was lucky.
It was the only solace he had found amongst the mountain of coursework he had to do for his internship, and he hadn't even set eyes on a spaceship yet! Truth be told, Gohan had spent more time in the Capsule Corp. engineering bunker as a tea boy more than an intern, though Bulma promised him that he would be applying himself in the labs soon enough.
The young saiyan kicked off his shoes in the hallway as usual, before being greeted by the single mothers. He automatically unbuckled a squirming Gokuto from his pushchair and set them in a circle along with the rest of the group. After the initial greeting and passing around of other people's children were shared, Gohan placed Gokuto in the baby pen along with Amos, whilst he got himself a sugary coffee and sat chatting to the other mums.
"Tell me about it Deborah," the teen said to one of the mums, "Do you know just how hard it is to find nappies with holes in for his tail? I have to cut a hole out of every single one so that they fit!"
There was a murmur of agreement when suddenly one of the new members, Cassandra, gasped, "Oh my! Isn't that your son Gohan?"
Gohan turned, just in time to see little Amos give Gokuto an almighty smack across the face.
Gokuto was just as stunned as Gohan was, before his face turned bright red and hot tears sprang into his emerald eyes.
But before he could react, he caught sight of Eve standing near the playpen, who all but ruffled her son's hair, taking no notice to what he had just done.
Something stirred within the young saiyan that he couldn't quite put his finger on, a pang rippled across his chest as a sudden wave of irrational rage erupted in his stomach.
"Eve!" The young saiyan shouted, causing the whole room to stare as he stormed towards her, "What's going on?"
"What do you mean?" she asked in bewilderment, batting her eyelashes at him.
"Did you not just see what your son did to Gokuto? He just walloped him in the face!" Gohan glowered, surprised as to her casual tone, the room suddenly plunged into silence.
"Oh I didn't see," she shrugged.
"He's crying!" he flapped, as the little boy began to whimper, terrified.
Eve rolled her eyes, "Oh Gohan he's always crying, you said it yourself."
"Not like that he doesn't," The halfling growled, he was furious!
Suddenly, to his alarm, Amos raised his chubby fist again. A big, malicious grin spread across his features as he punched Gokuto to the ground. Hard.
Gokuto screamed, causing the teenager's heart to race. He had never heard a scream like it, it wasn't like the baby's usual wail, it was high pitched and desperate, like a cry of pain.
A surge of an overwhelming need to protect overcame the young saiyan, rushing through his veins so intensely that he threw caution to the wind. He didn't care that he was halfway through a lovely motherly coffee morning in the middle of West City, nor did he care that the mother of the offending child was his girlfriend. All he knew that if this woman didn't get her kid away from his son then there would be hell to pay.
His eyes flashed green, as Eve just stood there, not even bothering to scold her son for his actions.
"Oi! Leave him alone!" Gohan yelled at Amos, catching sight of the little cretin making a grab for Gokuto's tail.
The older baby jumped in fright at the teenager's angered tone, and immediately started to wail.
"Don't you shout at him!" Eve roared, squaring up to him, "Who the hell to you think you are?!"
"I think you'll find I'm the father of the kid who your kid just smacked to the bloody ground!" Gohan bellowed, ready to take her down.
"Please, you two," Sandra called tentatively, "This is supposed to be a relaxing coffee morning -!"
"Shut it Sandra!" yelled the teens.
"What gives you the right?! Amos is only playing!" Eve shouted angrily, her grey eyes wild.
"Bullshit!" Gohan spat back, "He hurt Gokuto! And if you can't see that then maybe you should go back to university to learn about parenting!"
"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean-?!"
BOOM
She was interrupted by a blinding flash of golden light that illuminated the entire room, causing it's occupants to gasp and squawk at the sudden quake that shook the community centre.
When the light had cleared, there was only one baby crying - and it wasn't Gokuto.
It appeared the quarter saiyan had indeed been the cause of such of an explosion, sat in the middle of the play pen with the carpets completely burned to a crisp around him. His emerald eyes were full of hot, angry tears as he positively glared at the baby that he had fired across the room.
Luckily, Sandra had managed to catch Amos in the fray, and the boy was thankfully free of any injury apart from a couple of singed eyebrows.
Before Gohan could even contemplate what had transpired, he snatched Gokuto out of the playpen and bolted towards the door, aghast and horrified shouts following him. Capsuling the pushchair and grabbing his shoes, the young saiyan hurtled outside, where he could get a good look at the baby boy in the daylight.
The teenager inhaled a sharp intake of breath.
Blood.
Blood trickled out of the tiniest graze on Gokuto's cheek.
He was hurt.
His baby was hurt!
"Oh my Kami, oh my Kami! Oh my Kami!" Gohan panicked, hoping from one foot to the other before the adrenaline kicked in and he kicked off from the ground, firing the both of them towards The Lookout.
The teenager had never flown so fast in his entire life, hitting the marble tiles running as soon as the sanctuary came into view.
"DENDE!" Gohan bellowed as he held onto Gokuto tightly, clutching him to his chest, "DENDE! I NEED YOU! SOMETHING'S HAPPENED!"
"What is it Gohan?!" puffed the young Namekian as he hurried out of the temple, Piccolo and Mister Popo in tow.
"It's Gokuto! He's hurt!" The young saiyan shrieked, causing his friend's eyes to widen in horror.
"Oh goodness, let me see, let me -," Dende stopped short, giving the halfling a deadpan look.
"It's just a scratch Gohan."
"Just a scratch?!" The teen scoffed, astounded that his friend didn't understand the utter urgency of the situation, "He's bleeding Dende! Heal him for Kami's sake!"
The little boy whimpered softly, his tears dropping onto Gohan's shirt.
"It's alright 'Kuto," he whispered into his hair, "It's alright, Daddy's got you, Daddy's got you."
"Alright, alright, no need to be so pushy," huffed the young Namekian, reaching out a healing hand over the small scratch on the baby boy's check.
A slight burst of light later, and the cut had gone, Mister Popo had even brought over a wash cloth to wipe the trickle of blood from his face.
"Phew," Gohan breathed heavily, his heart beat returning to its normal rate as the baby boy giggled at Mister Popo's touch, "You gave me quite the scare there kiddo, you alright?"
"Babababa?"
"Good."
"Gohan," Piccolo started, "You nearly gave me a heart attack! What the hell happened? I thought it was something more serious than a scratch judging by how much your Ki was fluctuating."
The teenager sighed, and proceeded to tell the occupants of The Lookout about Gokuto's little explosion at the single mother's club. To Gohan's surprise and annoyance, his Namekian friends found the entire thing utterly amusing. Even Mister Popo had a little chuckle.
"Shut up! It's not funny!" he said hotly, as Dende and Piccolo roared with laughter.
"I can never go back there, he nearly blew a hole in the floor! Not to mention that he ruined my evening with Eve, and any subsequent evenings for that matter. Thank you very much," Gohan finished, glaring at the boy who reached up his arms and touched his face in a loving manner.
"Babababa."
"I'm sure he didn't mean to Gohan," Dende chuckled.
"Speak for yourself, this kid gets me into more trouble than I get myself," Gohan sighed, sitting the boy in between his legs and allowing him to play with his tail.
Out the corner of his eye, he noticed Piccolo giving him an odd look.
"What?"
"Nothing," his mentor stated, "It's just…"
"Just?" The teenager pressed.
"He's only a baby," he frowned, "That's a hell of a lot of power for someone his age."
"Well he is a saiyan I suppose," said Gohan with a roll of his eyes, "Goten and Trunks turned super saiyan the other day just by playing in the bloody woods."
Piccolo's eyes widened, "W-what?"
"I know right?!" he exclaimed, "Veggie's fuming, you should have seen the look on his face!"
xxxx
If one were to take a stroll up the treacherous mountain path of Mount Paozu, then they would be met with a rather peculiar sight. Were anyone to look up towards the skies on that Saturday afternoon in particular, then they would be sure to find two dancing auras of golden light encircling the clouds, dipping high and low to avoid colliding with each other.
No one could guess that it was just the Son boys out for a days training.
"Come at me Goten, give me all you've got!" Gohan cried from high above his brother, his golden hair and brown tail whipping around behind him.
"Aaaaargh!" Goten bellowed, hurtling towards the older halfling, drawing back a fist in and aiming a heavy hit towards his face.
Yet Gohan was quick to deflect the attack. Parrying his brother's arm, the teen saiyan launched himself forwards, sending a barrage of punches back his way.
Goten phased in and out to avoid the impact, his super saiyan speed quick, but indeed no match for his elder's.
"HA!" The teenager roared, phasing out and delivering a spinning kick to his brother's abdomen.
Goten was fired backwards through the air, yet quickly managed to catch himself in midair. Igniting his aura as he powered up, the younger boy hurtled back towards his sibling, careening through the air and delivering a blow that almost knocked the older hybrid out of the air.
"Woah!" Gohan yelped, rubbing his skull where his brother had struck him, "Stop Goten, stop!"
"Aw," the young boy whined, powering out of his transformation, Gohan following suit, "Do we have to stop now?"
"Yeah, I think Mum will have lunch ready for us soon, and we don't want Gokuto getting hungry do we?" he asked with a small smile, "Bloody hell, that was one whopper of a punch Goten, I don't know if I'm getting worse or you're improving, either way I should have seen that hit coming!"
"Don't worry Gohan, you can try to get me back after food! I'm starving!" Goten exclaimed happily, floating towards the distance of home.
The teenager couldn't help but snort, giving a wide stretch as he looked out towards the horizon, his tail waving about behind him, "Yeah, yeah."
The sun was beginning to set even earlier as the winter months crept upon them, Gokuto was getting bigger with every passing day, and -
BOOM
"Goten!" Gohan roared, narrowly avoiding a hot Ki blast that connected with a nearby tree, incinerating it in seconds, "What did I say about Ki blasts? Not until you've learned to control them! And it's wrong to attack someone when their back is turned, you could have hit me!"
"But Gohan, I didn't do it!" Goten protested, floating back towards him.
"Oh really now," huffed the young saiyan, folding his arms across his chest, "then who did?"
"Boooo! Booooooo! Bababa!" came a excitable squeal from below them.
Gohan exchanged a startled look with his brother, who was staring with his jaw hanging open at the little saiyan sat in his bouncer below.
Gokuto couldn't have unleashed that blast, could he?
After that, the Son family and Z-Fighter's soon got used to Gokuto's explosive ways. From throwing blasts into Gohan and Goten's fray to blowing up his first birthday cake, it soon became the norm to expect a few minor earthquakes when around the littlest saiyan.
No one knew why or how his power had come to be so erratic and powerful, though Bulma theorised that it was the age old mystery of saiyan hybrids. Just like Gohan's, the mix of saiyan and human blood was a peculiar notion to comprehend when it came to hidden strengths.
Time moved forward and showed no signs of stopping. Gokuto was now fourteen months old, had said his first word and was walking without much help. Goten and Trunks were growing in power, and Gohan had even enjoyed a few sparring sessions with both of them. Vegeta and Piccolo had subjected to training for the World Tournament in private, though the rest of the Z-Fighter's had stopped by the mountains for a friendly sparring session now and again. Gohan was in the mist of his internship, and was the top of his class. It was a bit awkward, what with Iris being the year above him, though he didn't pay her much mind and had even been on a few dates with other students and employees that he got on with well.
Soon, people had stopped asking questions as to the whereabouts of The Gold Fighter, as crime rates remained low across the major cities. It appeared as though Videl was doing a good enough job in Satan City without him.
That was however, until a sunny Saturday afternoon a week before Gohan's seventeenth birthday.
The young saiyan was busy tending to a greedy Gokuto, who was currently sat in his high chair, devouring the mountain of mashed potato, carrots and gravy that he was doing a rather good job of getting all over himself. Goten was eating his own lunch on the sofa next to them, transfixed by his cartoons that blasted loudly over the living room.
"Goten will you turn that down?" The teenager pleaded, attempting to wipe Gokuto's messy face, "'Kuto, sit still! Ugh, you've got gravy all in your tail hair, how have you managed that?"
"Dada! Dada!" Gokuto bellowed happily, waving his spoon triumphantly in the air.
"Yes, Dada," Gohan chuckled, successfully wiping the child's mouth that he knew would only get sticky seconds later, "you are a messy boy."
"Mama?"
"We'll go see Mummy later alright?" the teen cooed affectionately, "You need to finish your dinner first."
"Dada!"
"We interrupt this broadcast for a breaking news report."
"Aw! I wanted to see what happened to Tom and Jerry!" Goten pouted, as the image of a reporter hiding behind what looked like some sort of barricade cut across the screen.
Carnage, was the first thing that Gohan noticed. Torrents of smoke filtered from the building's behind the distraught reporter, owing to the fact that some kind of explosion had just happened. Screams echoed around the city streets, the cameraman was shaking, zooming in clumsily on people that were running away or lying face down on the ground, unmoving.
"James West here, reporting to you live from Satan City," The reporter puffed heavily as the camera came to rest, "Mere moments ago, an explosion rocked the city, caused by an unknown force. The number of injured and dead are yet to be counted, though it is thought to be near a hundred…. wait, I'm getting some new information, yes, police have confirmed that a heavily armed gang are destroying the city, their motive is not yet clear - AHHHH!"
The reporter screamed in terror as a white hot beam shot over his head, an explosion sounding somewhere in the distance, causing the cameraman to shout as he almost dropped to the floor from the impact of the blast.
Gohan frowned, as the supposed gang emerged from behind a destroyed building. There were four of them in total, every one of the the brute's had crazed eyes that bulged out of their skulls, and great hulking muscles that protruded from their tight clothing. They had matching tattoo's that stood out in the middle of their foreheads, which looked remarkably stupid in his opinion.
Yet what struck him was that the reporter had spoke of them being heavily armed, yet there was no weaponry in sight.
Siren's were heard, and soon the gang were surrounded by police officers that aimed their guns towards them. It seemed they were not wasting any time in taking the brutes down.
"Oh my goodness! Here they are! Police have them surrounded!" The reporter cried, as one of the gang member's laughed maliciously.
"Your guns won't work against us!" he salivated, aiming a palm towards one of the police cars, "We are Gods walking amongst men, nothing can compare to our power!"
Then, to Gohan's surprise and utter horror, a white hot beam of energy shot out of his raised hand and connected with the bonnet. Amber and orange light engulfed the scene as the car erupted into flames, sending the officers retreating backwards to the barricades. The brutish group howled with sickening, manic laughter as the remains of the car crackled and burned.
The teenager was shocked, he knew that there were other martial artists out there that were practiced in the art of Ki like Tao the mercenary. Even Mister Lao could sense life energy.
However, the young saiyan had never seen anything like this particular group before, they looked more like body builders than martial artists.
"Gohan! Help them!" Goten yelled suddenly, as the gang began to fire more blasts into the terrified crowd.
The teenager bit his lip, "Goten, I told you I don't do that anymore…"
"Oi! Leave them alone you bastards!" came a desperate shout from the television set.
Videl.
The head strong girl stood in the centre of the raging fires, her bright sapphire eyes fixated on the gang. She was dressed in her usual attire of black spandex shorts, boots and long white t-shirt that fluttered in the gust created by the roaring flames. The Satan girl's features were hardened, her stance strong in front of the group that merely grinned with malice at the sight of her.
"Well well well, it's Satan's daughter," another one of the brutes chortled, "I reckon if we kill the city's golden girl then they'll take us more seriously, don't you think?"
There was a murmur of agreement before Videl spoke, "I don't think anyone will take you seriously with those oversized muscles and that stupid tattoo on your head."
"You little-!" he spat, before his lips drew into a wicked smirk, "What you're looking at here, little girl, is pure power, something that neither you or your idiot father could even begin understand!"
Gohan winced, they had pushed the father button, that wasn't good.
Videl glared, and as the young saiyan predicted, took a running leap towards the hulking man. She roared, delivering a spinning kick to the brute's skull - but she stopped short.
"W-what?" she gasped, as her blow didn't connect, instead, the man had a firm grip of her ankle that he used as momentum to fling the young girl through the air where she landed in a heap upon the hard ground.
"Gohan!" he heard Goten yell, but he was too fixated on the fight at hand.
Videl gathered herself, clambering up to face them once more. She sprang towards them viciously, but each blow was either dodged or blocked - she couldn't get near them.
"Oh this is terrible!" James the reporter cried, "Videl is loosing! Oh what will become of our city?! What will become of us - of me?! Oh dear, where is The Gold Fighter when you need him? If you can hear this Gold Fighter, please, save us!"
"GOHAN!"
The young saiyan turned towards his brother, who was giving him a hardened stare, angry tears shining in his eyes.
"Oh alright!" he barked, rolling his eyes and getting up from his seat, "I'm going, I'm going!"
"Yes! Gohan's going to be a hero again!" Goten exclaimed, punching the air with his fist.
"Dada! Dada!" Gokuto joined in, although confused as to the sudden shouting.
The teenager knew he had to act fast, as judging by the strange power he could feel emanating from the gang, Videl was sure not to last much longer.
They were strong yes, but not as strong as he.
Cursing himself that he had destroyed his watch, Gohan tore through his wardrobe to find the outfit of his alter ego and pulled it on as quick as he possibly could. Bidding a short goodbye to Goten and Gokuto, and instructing Goten to keep an eye on him before their mother returned from shopping, the young saiyan shot into the sky and hurtled through the air like a speeding bullet towards Satan City.
Powering up into his super saiyan form on the way and causing a sonic boom to echo over the mountains, Gohan powered up a little further than usual. He was certain that he had only seen but a snippet of what this so called gang could do.
"Cor blimey! I don't believe it! It's The Gold Fighter!" came a shout from the barricades as he swooped overhead.
It seemed the mysterious gang hadn't noticed the golden glowing boy above, as it came as a surprise to them when the teenager suddenly dropped kicked the man who stood glowering over a bruised and bloodied Videl.
The brute was fired into a nearby building that collapsed on impact, dust rising from the fallen debris.
There was a moment of silence, before the crowd surrounding them erupted into cheers.
"I knew he wouldn't leave us!"
"Gold Fighter you're the greatest!"
"Three cheers for The Gold Fighter! Hip hip -!"
"WHERE THE BLOODY HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Videl roared, as the young saiyan helped her gingerly to her feet.
She was a lot more resilient than he had initially thought, and apart from a bloodied lip and a few bruises, she was miraculously doing fine.
"Are you alright?" Gohan asked, avoiding the question.
"Of course I'm alright!" she snapped, "Now are you going to tell me where you've been for the past year?"
"I've been busy…"
"Really now?" Videl huffed, "Because you didn't seem busy when you decided to go after Borbonne all on your own!"
"That doesn't matter right now," he pressed, not wanting to get into that one any time soon, "What's the situation?"
"Four blokes and a fuck ton of muscle," she replied, folding her arms across her chest, "I don't know what's going on, I can't seem to land a single hit!"
"Oi! If it's alright with you I'd like to put a stop to this lovers tiff," a ginger haired gang member growled, smirking at the sight of the young saiyan.
It was odd, they weren't like any other thugs he had dealt with in the past, this man was in particular was well spoken. He was shirtless, yet wore smart trousers that covered his great hulking leg muscles. Their Ki was strange, it didn't seem natural, as if the energy was being poured into them from another source.
It confused the teenager to no end.
"Well if it isn't The Gold Fighter," the brute continued, "you've come out of hiding just for us, I must say that I'm honoured."
"You won't be feeling so honoured after I'm through with you," glowered Gohan, "Just what the hell is your problem, why did you hurt all those innocent people?"
"Let's just say I've been given a gift boy," the man practically drooled, "A gift only known to God's, and with this power no one will be able to stand in my way, not even you!"
"Let's see about that shall we?" the young saiyan seethed, lowering himself into fighting stance.
To his surprise, the brute's expression did not waver, "Haha! Fighting me is futile, you will be destroyed in an instant! Why don't you just surrender now? Join us Gold Fighter, my master could use a power like yours."
"Spoken like a true coward," Videl spat, lowering herself into her stance next to Gohan, "Why don't we make a deal? We beat you, and you tell us who this 'master' is of yours, so we can arrest him too."
"And if I win?" he asked, breathing heavily with anticipation.
"Don't get too cocky big guy," she smirked, before letting out a yell of rage and sprinting towards the brute.
"Videl wait!" Gohan yelled, as the girl's punch was easily parried and she was knocked flying backwards into him.
"Get off!" she growled, frustrated as she brushed his hands off her, "I've got this one, you concentrate on getting the rest!"
With the words 'be careful' lingering on the tip of his tongue, the girl was off again, attacking her opponent with impressive gusto.
Knowing his words of wisdom would be lost on her, the young saiyan turned to face his own opposition, whose comrade had surprisingly picked himself out of the rubble Gohan had left him seemingly unconscious in.
He would have to work quickly in order to help Videl out. Kami he wished she wasn't so stubborn.
"Ready to die Gold Fighter?" the dust covered brute called.
Gohan smirked, "Catch me if you can."
BOOM
The young saiyan phased out so quickly that not one of them had time to react until his fist had embedded itself into the largest man's gut.
Blood and saliva flew from his mouth as he stumbled backwards, wheezing as the air was promptly forced out of his lungs.
Yet Gohan's triumphant grin slipped off his face, when the thug simply smiled back at him.
"What the-?" The teenager started, as the beastly male retaliated, and he was knocked off his feet by a sharp punch to the chest. Gohan skidded to a halt, shocked as to how anyone but the Z-Fighters could land a hit on him.
"Oh, it's on now," said Gohan, hurtling forwards and delivering an uppercut to the brutes chin.
The other two soon jumped in the fray, and the young saiyan soon found himself ducking out of the way of what could have been critical hits were he not half-saiyan. He couldn't understand why these pillocks were giving him such a hard time, he was The Gold Fighter for crying out loud!
But if there was one thing for certain, these brutes were not going down without a fight, and if he were to let them live… well, they could do a lot of damage to humanity.
Kami knows how many lives they had already taken in their rampage across the city.
"Masenko-HAAA!" Gohan roared, unleashing a mighty blast into a gang members face as soon as he leaped upon him. The familiar scent of burning flesh filled his nostrils as the charcoaled remains of the man crumpled to the ground.
With his life energy extinguished, he was dead.
The remaining two took a step back at the sight of their deceased comrade, the smoke clearing to reveal Gohan's golden aura pulsating around him.
"Y-you killed him!" one of the pair gasped.
"What's wrong?" asked the young saiyan, "Didn't think I had it in me? Well as you can see your sorely mistaken."
"You're a monster!"
"Get a hold of yourself Felix," the other man growled, "We have a job to do."
Gohan snorted, "Yeah Felix, pot, kettle, black much?"
"Quiet you!" the other man roared.
"I don't think you're in any position to be barking out orders," the young saiyan coaxed, "It doesn't matter how powerful you think you are, you evil doers are all the same. You hurt and murder those weaker than you just because you can, and get all sensitive about it when someone like me comes along to stop you."
"I've had enough of your mouth kid!" he roared, hurling himself towards the halfling with an almighty battle cry. Anticipating the hit, Gohan powered up so that his aura created a barrier that made the brute feel as though his fist was connecting with solid steel.
He was stopped in his tracks, but remained unwounded, his teeth bared in anger at the young saiyan before him.
"Huh, you know I actually have a bit of respect for you," said Gohan, recognising him as the resilient man that he had initially drop kicked into the building when he had first arrived, "That's why I'll kill you last."
Knocking him to the floor with a sharp gust of Ki, the teenager phased out, appearing before a quivering Felix who crumpled to the ground as soon as Gohan connected his elbow with his neck, breaking it on impact.
As Felix let out his final breath, a shriek of pain reached the young saiyan's ears.
He turned, his eyes widening in horror as he caught sight of the ginger haired brute grasping Videl in a choke hold. Her eyes had begun to bulge out of their sockets as she struggled to break free, her legs kicking in all directions as she was forcibly lifted off the floor.
The teenager swore under his breath, turning to smile apologetically at the muscled man next to him.
"Sorry, I lied," said Gohan, causing the man's eyes to widen before the young saiyan blasted him apart with a golden beam.
In a flash, he appeared behind the last remaining gang member, delivering a hammer fist to the skull, causing him to abruptly release Videl.
She was in bad shape, her t-shirt singed and torn in places, her nose and mouth bloodied and a nasty looking bruise across her collarbone from where the brute had held her.
Fury bubbled in the pit of Gohan's stomach as he stared the ginger haired man down, who had swiftly recovered from the teenager's blow.
"T-Thanks," Videl panted, struggling to stand.
"Get to the barricades Videl," said Gohan, "Now."
"B-but where are-?"
"Dead," he stated simply, the girl's eyes widening at the revelation.
"I said go Videl," he repeated, though stubborn as ever, she merely stood back a few feet, gingerly grasping onto her injured throat.
"How touching," the ginger haired thug chuckled, "The girl continues to stick by your side, it's sad really, she doesn't realise she is outclassed."
Videl's sapphire eyes shined with angry tears, yet she refused to let them fall.
"Cut the shit," Gohan spat, "I'll give you ten seconds to tell me why you killed those people before you die."
He laughed, loud and obnoxious laughter that cut through the air like a knife, "You cannot kill me! I am invincible!"
"What just like your mates over there?…and there?… and there…?" the teenager snorted, pointing to the remains of his comrades.
"It's a shame my colleagues could not match up to my power," he continued, "But no matter, there will be others. I will make Areo-corp. great again!"
"Areo-corp?" Gohan blinked, "What the hell has Areo-corp got to do with anything?"
"Everything of course my dear boy," he chuckled darkly, "The CEO of the company has to look after his own after all to ensure his company rises to greatness."
It was as though a light bulb had gone off in the teenager's head. It couldn't be. But it was, Gohan recognised the ginger hair and the once kind eyes all too well. It was one of Bulma's business associates from the charity ball that he had met over a year ago.
"Jeremy Smithers?" Gohan spoke dumbly, causing the man to roar with laughter. Who had done this to him?
"I see! You recognise me do you boy?" Jeremy howled, "Good, good! I had hoped my body was not too deformed for the good of the company!"
"The good of the-?" the teenager spluttered, gesturing to the wreckage around him, "How can any of this be good for your company?!"
"My competitors were getting stronger you see, their companies more successful than mine," Jeremy explained, panting heavily as he relayed his story, "There was no way I could compete without some kind of genius on my team, and It was clear that Capsule Corp. had already swiped that away from me with Bulma's new little protégée she's got mulling around in her labs. But still, I had to find a way to stifle one of the big companies, naturally, Mechacorp was first on my list after I had been offered this new found power."
"You murdered Stanley Coyne!" Videl gasped.
"That's right girl," said Jeremy with a wicked smirk, "With the Borbonne family the prime suspects there was no way someone like a rival company would be investigated. Of course, I needed more strength to take down somewhere like Capsule Corp. Bulma's martial artist husband looks like he would prove quite the challenge."
Gohan growled, "There's no way I'm going to let you lay a hand on Bulma, or her company."
"Ah ha, so old Stanley was right, Bulma is in cahoots with The Gold Fighter," he grinned with malice.
"So why Satan City?" asked the teen, attempting to drive the subject away from Bulma, "Why attack here?"
"Attack?" Jeremy gasped in mock horror, "Oh no dear boy! We were just making space for my new business complex. These weaklings simply got in my way, and I'll be damned if my plans become thwarted by a couple of kids."
"You evil bastard!" Videl cried, launching herself towards him before Gohan could grab her back. Her punch connected with the brute's chin, though it failed to cause any sort of damage.
"Videl watch out!" Gohan yelled, as Jeremy smirked down at the girl, backhanding her across the face so that she careened through the air, landing in a heap on the ground.
"VIDEL!" The teenager roared, sprinting towards her as she groaned in pain.
"Say goodbye Miss Satan!" Jeremy scorned, firing a blast at the girl's crumpled form.
"Oh no you don't!" The young saiyan cried, his golden aura sparking around him as he stopped the energy ball in it's tracks.
The Ki was hot underneath his palms, yet he pushed it forwards, blocking it's path just before it connected with Videl. The girl gasped at the young super saiyan before her, the golden glow of his aura shining in her eyes.
"No! No it can't be!" Jeremy yelled, not expecting Gohan to over power his attack.
"Sorry Jeremy," Gohan called over the roar of the blast, "Looks like you'll be handing in your resignation - MASENKO-HAAAAAAA!"
The teenager's yells mingled with Jeremy's screams as the combined Masenko blast ripped through the man's skin and bone, disintegrating his body until nothing but ash remained.
The city was silent, as the light died down, the crowd behind the barricades clearly shaken. Gohan breathed a sigh of relief, that was until he remembered something very important.
"Videl! Oh my Videl are you alright?" came the sergeant's desperate plea.
The young saiyan turned towards the injured girl, who was covered in dirt due to the impact of the explosion. She clambered to her feet, swaying heavily on the spot until Gohan raced forwards to steady her by the hand.
"I'm fine Sarge, thanks," she said, leaning into Gohan's shoulder for support, "I just want to go home."
"We can arrange a car for you Miss Videl," the sergeant said hurriedly, looking towards the destroyed police cars, "Just as soon as we can get one over to us… er…"
"I can take her home sir," offered Gohan, before turning to the injured girl, "If that's alright with you?"
Videl hesitated for a moment, before slowly nodding her head.
"You're sure Videl?" asked the sergeant, sighing as she nodded again in confirmation, "Well alright, er, good work Gold Fighter. Pleasure to see you again."
"Likewise," said the young saiyan, "Although I wish it could have been in different circumstances."
"Right you are," he replied, turning to his officers, "Alright then you lot, let's start clearing away this mess, we need to get these roads back open before rush hour, ambulances are on the way."
"Make sure she gets home safe son, you here me?" he added, as Videl allowed Gohan to scoop her up in his arms.
The teenager's heart fluttered a little as he held the girl close to his chest ready for flight. Gohan smiled, giving the sergeant a short solute before lifting into the air and heading for Hercule Satan's mansion.
