Puppy Love
Ch. 6
Disclaimer: Do not own.
"…A-and he's down and out!" the announcer cried out as the audience roared, "Wow, folks, there you have it! An incredible one-hit K.O.!"
Gohan let out a sheepish smile as he humbly waved to the cheering crowd. He didn't mean to knock the kid out, he was hoping the boy would have pushed back from impact and fallen out of the ring. Alas, he had to make do with his victory. It was all that mattered in the end, after all.
As he walked off the ring back to the waiting area, Videl hurried over to him, "Wow, Gohan, that was amazing!" she beamed.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he chuckled, "Naw, it was nothin'…"
"No, seriously," she continued, walking along side of him, "You make it look so easy. You know that kid is one of the top junior students for the dojo that rival's my dad's? You're incredibly strong, Gohan, if you haven't already noticed."
Still flustered, the boy kept his eyes on the floor and meekly chuckled, unsure of how to respond. How was he to know that his first match was against a highly noted martial arts student? If only he had tried to make a show out of it so onlookers didn't think he was some super freak.
Videl broke his thoughts as she pounded her fist into her palm. She gazed at the empty ring with fire in her eyes. Grinning, she pounded her fist in once more, "Looks like I'm up, now."
Wondering who her opponent was the half-Saiyan scanned the area. He spotted a heavy-set boy who stood up to stretch before he began walking towards the ring.
Pointing at him, Gohan asked, "Are you fighting against him?"
Videl nodded in reply and began to walk towards the ring until a hand halted her from doing so. She looked behind her at Gohan, wondering why he stopped her.
With stern eyes, the half-Saiyan let go of her arm and spoke softly, "He's left-handed. And he's got a weak right foot. But he's fast, so be careful, OK?"
Videl took a moment to register what the boy meant. She then furrowed her brow and yanked her arm away from his grip, scowling, "Who asked for your help? I can win against this guy on my own!" she stomped away, leaving Gohan with her lingering words.
'Man, I'm an idiot. I shouldn't have said anything. Videl's capable of a good fight, and I should've just believed in her,' frustrated with himself, he tussled his own hair, looking off to the side.
Gohan knew immediately when Videl walked out to the ring from the overwhelming amount of cries and cheers. She was the daughter of the World Champion, after all, and it was expected that she would make it far in this competition. As the crowd grew louder, the half-Saiyan crept over to the archway where Videl and her competitor entered the ring from. He looked up at the stadium and studied the girl's composure. She seemed cool and confident as far as he could tell, but it worried him that her Ki was actually weaker than the boy she was up against.
'Stupid Gohan. I'll show him; I don't have to listen to him to win!' Videl clenched her fists into balls as she positioned herself in her fighting stance.
She studied the boy in front of her for an opening, and didn't let a second pass after the match started to make the first move. Lunging forward, Videl shot two consecutive punches aimed at the boy's gut, and then quickly sidestepped forwards to attempt to connect an elbow to his sternum. However her attempts were futile, and her competitor managed to step backwards during each attack, dodging her strikes. A little surprised that she was unable to hit him, Videl took a few steps backwards to elongate the distance between her and the boy, so that she could recompose herself.
Videl's eyes widened as she watched the boy take a step back, positioning himself with his left foot forward to attack.
'So he is left-handed… how did Gohan figure that out so quickly?'
Narrowing her eyes, the pigtailed girl focused on her opponent's movements. She watched him jog in place, steadying his fists in front of his torso. Her eyes wandered from his fists to his meaty legs, her attention on the boy's right ankle.
She shook her head, 'No. I can beat this guy without Gohan's help!'
At that, her opponent began to walk along the edge of the ring, his eyes glued to Videl. A cheeky smirk formed on his face before he lunged towards her. Preparing herself, Videl stood her ground, her knuckles turning white in anticipation. She was suddenly caught off guard when the large boy sidestepped away from her and swooped down with a calf kick, tripping her. Landing on her right forearm, Videl quickly rebounded and sprung forward with her left foot forward, leg extended. She could see it in slow motion – how easily the boy maneuvered and craned his neck back to avoid her launching attack. She could only frown in dismay as the conceited smirk on his face grew to a full-blown grin.
'Geez! This guy's fast for someone his size!' from a distance, she eyed her heavy-set opponent once more.
It was then, it hit her. She studied him pace around on the ring, sidestepping and jogging in place occasionally. He was lighter on his left foot than on his right. Was his right foot truly a handicap? It was very possible that her opponent was not as swift as he was with his left side than on his right. He was left-handed, after all.
With that brief assessment, Videl decided to go for it. Closing the gap between the two, she faked a left and crouched down, imitating the boy's previous calf kick. Landing her attack, she watched the boy's arms flail as his left foot teetered in imbalance. Videl immediately followed her low attack with an elbow jab to his larded gut, winding him and further disabling him to find his ground. Not another moment passed when she landed her final blow – a palm-faced uppercut to his double-chin.
The pigtailed girl could practically hear her opponent's teeth crack as he fell backwards, flat on the ground. Attempting to catch her breath, Videl took a few steps back and eyed the boy for any movements.
Nothing.
"W-wow! As expected from the daughter of the World Champion!" the announcer stammered in delight as he hurried over to check on her opponent's status, "Looks like he's out cold, folks! Satan Videl advances!"
The crowd roared in approval, waving banners and flags that read 'Go, Satan!' and of the like. Seeing Videl's opponent out cold on the ground and the audience all riled up, Gohan let out a sigh of relief. It was over quicker than he had anticipated. The girl certainly surprised him, without a doubt. Who knew she harbored that much skill with the amount of Ki she possessed?
Gohan watched Videl walk back into the waiting room with a grin on his face. Throwing her a thumbs-up, he praised her, "Nice one, Videl!"
However he was greeted with a quick harrumph as she averted her cerulean eyes from him with her chin held high. The half-Saiyan watched Videl walk passed him without a single word or glance towards his presence.
Scratching his head, he wondered to himself, 'Uh-oh, I think I messed up.'
o (o) (O) (o) o
Gohan breezed through the competition and it wasn't long until he was placed as a finalist. Of course, who would be surprised if it was said that Videl was also a finalist? Although the half-Saiyan had predicted this outcome well before the day of the tournament, he was still nervous about the fight. God forbid he hurt her during their match – it was bad enough flinging her across the park that day they decided to spar. Or what if he were to win by a ring-out? He would be known as the boy who defeated the World Champion's daughter – a title Gohan was not looking forward to be recognized as.
Not only that…
It seemed Videl was upset at him. How was he to know that she wasn't going to take what he said as friendly advice, and instead as a low-blow to her ego? He just hoped that she would forgive him sooner than later.
'Maybe I should throw the match on purpose so that Videl won't be mad at me anymore. Not that I want that kind of fame on me anyway…'
Gohan stood there on one end of the ring, watching the pigtailed girl step up and walk to her respective side. He waited for her cerulean orbs to glance at him and quickly regretted it once he saw the fire and frustration in her frowning eyes.
Gulping, he then turned his attention to the announcer, who began to speak, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen! The moment you've all been waiting for has arrived! Videl, the reigning champion of the junior division against newcomer, Son Gohan! Who will be the victor? Who will claim the title of the junior division champion of the Tenkaichi Budokai Tournament? And who will go home empty-handed? Don't forget folks, the winner of this match will then go head-to-head with the almighty martial artist, Mr. Satan!"
Onlookers roared, waving their banners and signs in anticipation of the start of the match. Tuning out the rowdy cheers and taunts, Videl glued her eyes to her opponent. She knew if she didn't want what happened during their spar to happen here at the tournament, she had to direct all her focus and attention on Gohan's movements.
Noticing her stern and cold expression as she positioned herself with minimal openings in her stance, the half-Saiyan decided to give her the respect of equal ferocity in his own fighting stance, unlike the nonchalant lazy-boy posture he had adorned during his previous matches. Videl's eyes widened as she watched him. She wasn't sure what exactly it was about him, but something changed. It wasn't his stoic look, or his perfected stance – it was something else. Something inside of him changed, and she was pretty sure it was going to be anything but beneficial towards her.
Gohan was indeed in a deep focus. His eyelids sheathed his onyx irises as he meditated, channeling his Ki. However, the shift in his mannerism was far from what Videl was suspecting. Rather than focusing to bring out his inner strength, Gohan was suppressing as much strength and Ki as possible.
"Begin!" the announcer shot his arm out in between the two before he backed up off the ring.
At that moment, Gohan froze up. His mind jogged back and forth within milliseconds contemplating if he had just made a terrible mistake fighting against Satan Videl in front of such a large audience. Lost in thought, he was caught off guard by a swift kick to his left arm, causing him to fall on his side. He quickly recovered and jumped back up on his feet, but was immediately bombarded with various punches and jabs. Blocking them with his hands and dodging his head side to side, Gohan studied Videl's face. She didn't look too happy with him, and he could tell she meant business.
Continuing to dodge and block her attacks, the half-Saiyan tried to speak up, "V-Videl," he ducked under a right hook, "are you mad?"
Unwilling to let her focus waver, the girl ignored him, her brow furrowing deeper than before.
Gohan tried again, "I'm really sorry if I upset you earlier," with his hand, he then caught what was meant to be a jab to his face. Not letting go, he firmly gripped Videl's fist and lowered it.
Surprised and a little off guard from his change of pace, the girl sneered as she ripped her fist away from his hold. She then slapped her hands on his shoulders and hoisted her body weight up, swinging one leg forward and kneeing Gohan's stomach with full force. The half-Saiyan had meant to suppress much of his strength and Ki for the duration of this fight, but he did not expect to lose so much concentration at the same time. How was he unable to block that attack? He couldn't help but wonder as he staggered a few steps backwards, cradling his gut.
Videl stood her ground in front of him, "How dare you," she muttered before she raised her voice, "How dare you mock me! Apologizing during our fight? You've got to be kidding me! You're 'sorry'? I'll make sure you'll feel sorry after I beat you!"
Seemingly better, Gohan let go of his stomach and looked at her with a quizzical expression, "B-but –"
Before he could say any more, Videl lunged herself towards him and swooped down with a sliding low-kick. Tripping him, she planted her hands on the ground and demonstrated a mule-kick off the ground, causing Gohan to skid across the ring.
With a loud thump as his rear hit a firm surface, the half-Saiyan opened his eyes. Videl stood tall in front him – literally. He took note of the high platform she grounded herself on top of and looked around him, noticing the grass he sat on, the blades of green poking the palm of his hands.
"T-there you have it! Incredible! Son Gohan lost with a Ring-Out!" the announcer cried out as he walked up next to Videl, "Looks like we have a winner, folks! Satan Videl has defeated her opponent and is keeping the junior division championship title for another year!"
Amongst the cheers and howls for the victor, a loud imposing voice screeched from the bleachers, "WH-WHAT? My Gohan lost? No! This has to be some kind of mistake! What happened, Gohan! You were supposed to win and bring home the prize money!" ChiChi angrily burst out, causing nearby onlookers to slowly retract away from her presence.
"There, there, ChiChi. Maybe Gohan got all flustered fighting against a pretty girl," Bulma tried to comfort her. She then quickly averted her gaze with a smug look on her face, "Either way, you still have the adult division to look forward to watching him lose again – to Vegeta that is."
Violently swinging her head towards her late husband's friend, the former martial artist snarled with a retort, "Like hell he will!" she then turned her attention back to the stadium ring, ignoring Bulma's tongue sticking out, "C'mon, Gohan! Win for me, baby!"
o (o) (O) (o) o
A brief intermission commenced after the junior division finally came to its conclusion. Videl ended up fighting against her father and won – a performance only an idiot would think was an actual fight. Although Gohan knew he had to hurry to get his alias ready and mingle with the other adult division fighters as they waited for the preliminaries to start, he wanted to find Videl and apologize once and for all.
However, she was nowhere in sight.
'Maybe she went inside the VIP area with her father,' Gohan wondered.
Time was running out, and his growling stomach was begging him to eat before he had to meet up with Vegeta and the other competitors. So he ran into the nearest bathroom and changed his clothes, slipping the blue gi on before he downed the whole bottle of Baba's potion. With a puff of smoke, Gohan's body transformed into his alter ego, Nos.
He walked out of the bathroom and headed towards the small plaza of restaurants. After being seated and having his order taken and served, Gohan gorged himself with as much food as possible – shoving every morsel in his mouth until his plates were licked clean.
"Seconds, please!" he patted his unsatisfied stomach as he waved down his waiter.
A few tables behind him, a set of ears perked up to his voice.
"What's the matter, Pumpkin?"
"N-nothing, Papa," Videl turned her attention back to her father and her food.
'It's him... Nos, was it?' she thought to herself, 'What could possibly possess him to eat that much before the tournament?'
Mr. Satan looked at a nearby clock, "Uh-oh. It's almost time to start the adult division. I gotta head back and prepare for my grand entrance! So, sweetie, what do you think, should your papa swoop in with a couple backflips? Maybe I'll try my 'cool-guy' act and casually walk through the archway? Or should I have something witty to say once I step up onto the ring?"
"I dunno, Papa," Videl rolled her eyes, "maybe you should practice in front of a mirror like you always do to see which one you like best."
"D'aw, my little pumpkin knows me so well! Alright, I'm going to head back to my room. You come straight over when you're done eating, OK?"
With an obedient nod, Videl watched her father leave the restaurant. Once out of sight, she directed her attention to the red-haired man filling himself up with a second serving of food. Putting her fork down, she hopped off the chair and walked up behind the man.
Hands on her hips, she interrupted his meal, "Don't you know it's a bad idea to eat before you fight?"
Practically choking on the piece of meat he lodged into his throat, Gohan pumped his fist against his chest to ease the pain. Turning around, still with a cheek full of food, his eyebrows perked. However, he was cautious enough not to make the same mistake twice by acting like he knew her, "O-oh, it's you!"
"Hasn't your mother taught you not to talk with your mouth full?" she cocked an eyebrow at him.
The half-Saiyan quickly swallowed the rest of his food and sheepishly grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. With a light sigh, Videl plopped herself in the seat next to him.
Unsure of her intentions, Gohan looked up and off to the side as he asked her, "S-so, what brings you here?"
"I was eating with my papa. But he had to leave to get ready for the tournament. Shouldn't you be too? The preliminaries will be starting soon," she eyed the stacks of empty plates on his table as she rested her cheek against her palm.
"Y-yeah, well, I was really hungry, heh, so I just couldn't resist!"
"I can tell," she scoffed light-heartedly.
Videl wasn't sure why she approached Nos. She didn't have anything in particular to say aside from what she already said to him. Noticing the awkward silence, she decided it would be best to leave the man alone.
Just before she was about to get up out of the seat, Nos congratulated her, "You won the junior division, right? You put out a good fight, I gotta say. I was impressed."
Suddenly feeling her cheeks flush, she coyly looked down at her lap, "Y-you watched me fight?"
Looking up at the ceiling, concealing the fact he participated in that fight, he replied, "More or less," looking back down at her, he noticed her rosy cheeks, and tentatively asked, "Are you happy that I saw you fight?"
Eyes widening at his question, Videl felt shyer as each second passed. Who would've thought this young man would make her feel so flustered by a simple question? She couldn't even manage to find her vocal chords to answer him – she simply kept looking down at her lap, blushing.
Gohan couldn't help but smile at the sight. Shyness was certainly something he had never seen before in the young girl sitting next to him. He placed his hand on top of her head, giving her reason to look back up at him. She watched his smile turn into a grin as she felt his gentle yet large hand patting her head.
"I hope you'll watch me fight," Nos grinned. At that, he stood up from his seat. Releasing his hand from her head, he gave Videl a thumbs-up. He was about to turn around and leave, until something struck him to mention to her, "Oh… by the way. That kid, Gohan you fought against?" curious, Videl looked up at him, listening intently, "he, uh, he seemed real sorry about something. M-maybe you should forgive him?" he quickly rubbed the back of his neck with shifty eyes.
Furrowing her brow in much valid confusion, she craned her neck up to gaze straight into his blue irises, "N-Nos, do you know him? Gohan?"
Waving his hands in front of him, he began to panic, "N-not particularly! W-well, kind of, I suppose – er, we… we're friends, I guess you could say!" he couldn't help the nervous laughter escape his lips.
Videl took a moment to study him before she responded, her eyes screaming 'revelation', "O-oh! I thought you seemed familiar for some reason! So you're Gohan's friend. You remind me a lot of him – I just couldn't put my finger on it until now."
"Heh, issat so?" his anxiety seemed to dissipate slowly in relief, "A-anyway, he told me he's really sorry about something he said to you earlier today. Gohan's, um, really down in the dumps about it."
Videl's expression turned cold. She looked down at the floor, pouting at the mention of the boy's name. Clearly she was still a bit upset that he underestimated her. She then peered up at Nos, ignorant of his nervous and shifty-eyed composition. A light blush flashed across her cheeks and her lips curled into a coy smile. "If it's you saying I should forgive him, then I guess I have no choice."
"Eh?" baffled, Gohan could only sputter out, his cheeks inevitably flushing pink.
Without another word, Videl continued to smile innocently and turned around. After taking a few steps towards the door, she halted herself and turned her head to look up at the red-haired man, "Good luck during the tournament!" grinning, she flashed a peace sign – identical to her father's victory trademark.
Gohan watched the little girl walk out of the restaurant as he scratched his head. Mentioning his wish to apoligize went… easier than he expected… but, he wasn't so sure of what to think of his interaction with Videl as a whole.
Why she was blushing so much in Nos's presence was a mystery to the half-Saiyan.
End, Chapter 6.
A/N: Man, I don't know why I decided to write about a tournament – I'm no good at fight scenes! Ah well, practice, practice, practice. :)
Hope you enjoyed this chapter – Gohan and Videl's interactions in particular. Stories are no fun without a bit of conflict, right?
I appreciate all your comments and reviews; I hope to hear more from you all! Also, please don't hesitate to criticize or suggest anything. I will try my best to update quicker for the next chapter.