"So? Gohan, tell us about yourself," Erasa spoke, as the group sat down in the shade of the tree.
"Uh… I like food?" Gohan supplied, visibly unsure of how to respond.
"Oooo… really?" Erasa queried, "Let's see what you brought!"
Sharpener couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the female's antics while Videl simply rolled her eyes. Gohan looked slightly apprehensive.
"I just wanted to warn you all, I have a big appetite," Gohan began, rubbing the nape of his neck.
"Don't worry about it dude, we're still growing," Sharpener consoled.
"You'll see what I mean when I start eating," Gohan explained, grinning, "But I'm trusting you guys with this about me since you've all been so nice to me already."
Videl raised an eyebrow skeptically. How much does Gohan actually eat? He looks really scrawny after all…
The poof of smoke revealing Gohan's meal: several stacks of sandwiches, a few meat platters, a large broccoli based dish, and a large bowl of rice. As he observed everyone's slack jawed response, Gohan couldn't help but chuckle nervously as a slight blush ran across his face.
Erasa was the quickest to recover and couldn't resist asking.
"Are you really going eat that all?"
Gohan nodded sheepishly.
"You know lunch is only as long as a normal period right?" Sharper was next to recover.
Gohan's head bobbed once more.
"Well then, let's see you do it," Videl challenged, finally overcoming her shock.
Gohan's face broke into a goofysmile before he dove into his food with an energy only a Saiyan could muster.
His three new friends could only watch in shock. It took a piece of lettuce dropping from Erasa's fork onto the ground for the others to start eating, admittedly at a snail's pace compared to him.
"Where does he put it all?"
"Is he even chewing?"
"How does he swallow it all?"
"How does he even breathe?"
Gohan, who was completely focused on his food, tuned out his friends' comments as they continued to stare at him, eating their own meals in a slightly disgusted manner.
Only fifteen minutes later, all four had finished their meals. Gohan patted his stomach in contentment. Enjoying his satiated experience, he turned to look at his friends.
"So how were your meals?"
Sharpener shook his head, still in disbelief, "Apparently not as good as yours."
"Yeah, my mom's a great cook," Gohan explained.
"I can see that," snorted Videl.
"How does she make it all?" Erasa asked her eyes still wide in shock.
"Well, she spends a fair amount of time cooking for my brother and me," Gohan responded thoughtfully, "She used to cook even more when my dad was still around."
"What happened to your dad?" Erasa seemed eager to learn more about the scholar.
"He died seven years ago," Gohan's eyes were downcast.
"That sucks dude," Sharpener responded.
Videl absorbed the information quietly, but the timing was slightly coincidental. She decided to tentatively ask; after all he knew what happened to her father.
"If you don't mind, could I ask how he died?"
"You're not the only one who lost someone to Cell," Gohan explained, the pain of the loss was still evident to Videl. He's just like me. Well, not exactly… but what are the odds of neither of our dad's coming back on Miracle Day?
"But I thought almost everyone came back during Miracle Day," Erasa sputtered. Sharpener was wearing a small frown.
"It depended on the circumstancesof how people died," Gohan explained with a shake of his head, "Under certain conditions, people didn't come back to life."
"How do you know that? What sort of circumstances?" Videl demanded.
Gohan looked sad, "I did some research after the Cell Games about the resurrection. But, I'd rather not talk about it right now. It's still a very sore subject for me."
Videl nodded reluctantly, they had just met this morning after all.
"Well that was a kill-joy," Sharpener attempted to change the subject, "By the way, Gohan, would you be interested in learning some self defense?"
"Huh?" the half-Saiyan asked.
"Well, I'm the captain of the boxing team. And Videl here is an expert martial artist."
"Uh… it's ok, guys, I honestly don't like fighting," Gohan explained, once again.
"Don't worry about it, Brains. Some people like sports, some people like books—I get it," Sharpener laughed, giving Gohan a friendly clap on the back.
"Actually… I don't like studying that much either," Gohan continued to introduce himself.
Erasa squealed, "Really? Then how do you do so well in school?"
Gohan shuddered, "My mom."
"What does yours do?" Videl's eyes danced slightly.
"Yours too?" he turned his attention to the girl.
She nodded in agreement.
"Well we have to replace the frying pan frequently is all I can say," Gohan replied in a light tone.
Videl laughed, something Sharpener was glad to see, "Well my mom isn't that bad, but she's pretty strict about curfew and my studies."
Gohan sighed internally. They think I'm joking…
He turned to Sharpener and Erasa, "What are your parents like?"
Sharpener motioned to Erasa, who looked ready to burst having not talked in a while.
"Well my dad is some big lawyer guy at Golden Industries, and, you know, he's like, super chill. He trusts my judgement, though my mom sometimes questions it. But she's pretty nice too, and does a lot of charity stuff."
"Oh, that's pretty cool, working for Golden Industries and all."
Erasa nodded emphatically.
"So, um, Sharpener, what about you?" Gohan faced the blonde youth.
"My dad's been raising me since I was a kid. We lost mom early on, so I barely remember her."
Gohan sympathized, "I'm sorry."
Sharpener dismissed his pity with a wave, "We do all right. I'm hoping for a shot at the Golden Sportsman Scholarship. If I get that, then I'm set."
"Golden Sportsman Scholarship? Is that also offered by Golden Industries?"
Videl looked at Gohan with surprise, "You didn't know?"
"Know what?" he asked.
"The Golden Sportsman, Golden Scholar, and Golden Student Scholarships are offered by Golden Industries for one student each year here, in Golden Star City," Sharpener explained.
"What about you,Videl?" Gohan asked.
Sharpener shook his head, "Videl would probably be a better candidate, but the scholarship only recognizes school-sanctioned sports."
Gohan looked at the unfazed Videl who simply shrugged. Erasa began to look bored by all the scholarship talk. About to open her mouth, Videl beat her to the punch.
"Xel Rohtul and his company have done a lot for the city, hence the city name."
"You sound a little unsure about that," Gohan commented, picking up her tone with unusual social acuity.
"Videl thinks there might be another side to Xel Rohtul that the public doesn't see," Sharpener snorted.
"Really?" Gohan asked, taking the fighter's concerns seriously.
Videl nodded and Erasa decided enough was enough. The conversation had steered away from her desired topic long enough.
"Have you considered doing something for Student Council Gohan? I'm the Social Exec, for them!"
Gohan shook his head truthfully.
"Well we're looking for certain positions to fill. You'd be a perfect secretary, or even treasurer!" Erasa gushed, hoping to spend more time with the youth.
"Why didn't those posts get filled before the start of the year Erasa?" Sharpener reminded her gently.
Erasa mumbled, while Videl smirked. Sharpener just grinned, "What was that? Couldn't hear you over Gohan's grumbling stomach."
"Hey!" Gohan indignantly exclaimed, "My stomach growls before, not after I eat!"
Erasa blushed, "No one wanted the job. They're considered the boring positions."
"Oh, really?" Gohan asked surprised, "They sound like they'd be a good way to get involved."
Erasa instantly brightened. Gohan blinked. Her mood changes so fast, she almost reminds me of mom.
"So, you'll try for one of those positions?"
"I can't," Gohan shook his head regretfully.
"Why not?" Erasa pouted.
"I have a long commute."
"Really? From where?" she asked, wanting to know more.
"Ever hear of the 439 Mountain Area?"
Erasa shook her head reluctantly as geography was never her strong suit—well academics in general. Videl however wasn't as inept at school, but based on her sketchy knowledge of local geography it would have placed Gohan's house hundreds of miles away. It would be a commute which wouldn't make any sense. She decided she would double check later.
"Well that's too bad. It would have been cool to hang out after school sometime," Sharpener said.
"Well…" Gohan paused thoughtfully, "I have friends in West City I could stay with if we ever did anything."
That'd be my cover story anyways. I forgot how far the 439 Mountain Area is for regular people. I almost blew my cover already!
"Awesome!" Erasa shot up delight, before she gave Gohan an affectionate hug.
Looking around in panic, he pleaded Sharpener and Videl silently for help. Sharpener just smiled while raising his hands in an 'I'm not getting in the way of this' sort of way, while Videl seemed to be slightly distracted in thought. A few minutes later, Erasa released Gohan's body and allowed oxygen to circulate back to his purple face.
The four friends shot up at the sound of the warning bell, signalling the end of lunch. Making their way inside, they went inside for an enjoyable, albeit lackluster last two periods. Well, it was enjoyable for Gohan anyways.
.
After school and saying goodbye to his friends with mild reluctance, Gohan flew to West City, hoping to catch Bulma with some free time. He'd been giving his activities of the morning some serious thought and had decided to take it upon himself to help the city whenever he could. Unfortunately, Gohan was unsure of how exactly he would go about helping, and reasoned Bulma would be a great source of advice. Also, he didn't want mom to know—at least not yet. He shuddered at the thought. We'd probably have to buy a new frying pan every day for a week.
Arriving at Capsule Corp., Gohan's leg was attacked by a purple-haired blur.
"Gohan! Did you come to play?" Trunks beamed.
Gohan laughed, "Sorry buddy, maybe later, I need to talk to your mom, though."
"Oh," the boy replied, looking a little put out.
"Look, I'll try to talk my mom into letting Goten come over tomorrow, how about it?" the teen asked, attempting to raise Trunk's spirits.
"Really?" At Gohan's nod, he jumped up, "Woopie! Goten's coming tomorrow!"
Dashing inside, Trunks continued to shout, "Goten's coming! Goten's coming!"
Shaking his head, Gohan laughed amusedly before walking in. Why does everyone I know have insane mood swings?
Following Trunk's happy shouts, Gohan figured he'd be led to Bulma. On his way, he walked by Vegeta who exiting the kitchen. Raising a hand in greeting, Gohan cheerily called out.
"Hey Vegeta, how's it going?"
Vegeta simply harrumphed before walking away towards the gravity chamber. He barely spared Gohan a second glance.
"Same old Vegeta, I suppose," Gohan sighed before continuing his search for Bulma.
Making his way to a lounge, he found Trunks bouncing beside a slightly disgruntled Bulma, sipping from her cup of coffee. Seeing Gohan walk in, Bulma raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"So, I hear Goten is coming over tomorrow?"
Gohan's hand began rubbing the back of his neck, "Well I just said I'd ask…"
"Is that so?" Bulma's eyes snapped back to Trunks who gulped slightly.
"Well if Gohan asks, his mom can't say no!" Trunks tried to reason.
"Are we talking about Goten's mother, Chi-Chi?" asked Bulma with a slightly mocking tone. Trunks picked up on it and winced.
"Well… if you help Gohan ask, she'd definitely say yes!" Trunks exclaimed.
Bulma sighed, "Every time the two of you get together, someone ends up regretting it. Namely me."
Gohan almost laughed out loud at Trunk's innocent expression. Everyone knew better, but no one could resist his puppy dog eyes.
"Really? Why?"
With another sigh, Bulma conceded, "Alright never mind. If you behave properly for the rest of the day-"
"Alright!" Trunks fist pumped the air, interrupting his mother.
"AND behave with Goten," Bulma snapped, before continuing,"Then I'll consider allowing more regular visits."
Trunks eyes widened, while Gohan shook his head in pity. Bulma was asking for trouble.
"Yes," She nodded, "Now shoo, Gohan and I need to talk."
"Ok!" called Trunks from outside the lounge door before disappearing down the hall.
"That boy is getting faster and faster," Bulma muttered, "Stupid Saiyans."
Gohan held up both his hands.
"He didn't get his genes from me. Not my fault."
Bulma smiled, "Of course not silly. I think I know what you came here to talk about."
"Really?"
"Your first day of school went well?"
Gohan nodded happily, "I'm really glad I decided to go. I've been able interact with other people my age."
"That's good, I'm glad things are going well."
"Yeah… I didn't actually come here to talk about school," Gohan began, unsure of how to continue on the discussion.
"So you came to talk about the Golden Blur?"
"Huh?" Gohan asked surprised, "What's that?"
Bulma smirked, "Haven't checked the news today have you? Something amazing happened this morning."
He shook his head in reply.
She walked over to a computer station in the corner of the room. She opened a web-link for him to read. Curious, Gohan walked over and read the article. Bulma watched as both shock and horror began to spread across the boy's face.
"But I'm not some freaky piece of tech! Or magical guardian angel! I'm just me!" Gohan exclaimed as he repeated the exact words printed on the article.
"What did you expect? The only thing that was tangible for everyone to see were your results. Some people saw flashes, but most people didn't even see anything."
Gohan explained, "I didn't want anyone to risk recognizing me."
"I get that, the problem is, right now you're just some possibly imaginary force that took down some criminals."
"What's the problem with that?" Gohan asked.
"Why did you do it?"
"Huh?"
"Why did you interrupt the bank robbery?" Bulma clarified.
Gohan scratched the back of his head, "Uh, it just seemed like the right thing to do."
"So you were just trying to protect the people, right?" Bulma attempted to figure out his reasoning.
"Yeah, the police looked like they were in trouble and I couldn't just stand there," Gohan explained.
Bulma paused, trying to organize her thoughts; Gohan could help the world in ways Goku never did. Gohan had the intelligence required to consider and anticipate long sequences of cause and effect, beyond the ability of simply beating the next world menace. She loved Goku dearly, but beyond fighting and eating, there was little Bulma or anyone else could count on him for.
"Well, you did it, but you didn't really help as much as you could of."
Gohan felt slightly insulted and snapped back surprised, "What do you mean? Those guys are going to be locked up for a long while."
"I'm not saying you didn't do a good job, in fact you did a great job. I'm just saying you could've have done more," Bulma tried to explain calmly.
"How?" Gohan demanded.
"You could've helped prevent future crimes," Bulma continued, when Gohan didn't interrupt, "If criminals thought there was legitimate proof of a real life superhero, they'd be much less likely to commit crimes."
"I don't want to be recognized," Gohan frowned.
Bulma waved a dismissive hand, "We could figure out a way to work around that with our two minds put together. You should take some time to think about it. If you're interested I'd definitely support you from behind the scenes."
"Do you really think I'd make that much of a difference?" Gohan asked, still frowning in thought.
"Look at this whole Black Demon thing!" Bulma exclaimed, glad to see Gohan was beginning to see her line of reasoning.
"I haven't read that much about the Black Demon to be honest, I thought he's a myth," Gohan replied.
Bulma shook her head, "I've been following police reports and the Black Demon has definitely been cleaning up the slums of Golden Star City."
"Why Golden Star City?"Gohan inquired.
Bulma sighed, "With all the rapid population and economic growth thanks to Xel Rohtul, many people flock to the city. Unfortunately, certain pockets have stagnated and even begun to fall apart with the lack of support. The focus has been all on new sectors of growth and development."
"That can't be good," Gohan frowned.
"Slums like the Iron Slums, Tinway Alleys, and Rickety Woods are rife with small time crime and unfortunately residents who want to move, can't afford anywhere else."
Gohan's frown returned, "So how has the Black Demon helped?"
"Over the past half year or so, the rate of random crime has dropped significantly throughout the crimes, mainly crimes against the city's citizens, seem to be the Black Demon's main target and they've dropped by over 25%!" Bulma exclaimed, before noticing Gohan's look, "And this is all considering that the Black Demon is only a rumour. Imagine the effect if people actually knew the Black Demon was real!"
Gohan's frown deepened, "But then the police would have to take action. They have a clear stance against vigilante activity."
"The Demon's methods are part of the problem," Bulma explained, "Many of the captured criminals… are found severely injured and occasionally maimed for life."
He was shocked, "And you want me to start doing that?!"
"No!" the scientist yelled vehemently, "I'd trust you to do this the right way, with minimal pain for everyone involved."
"Oh" the half-saiyan replied in relief.
Taking a deep breath, Bulma met Gohan's eyes in a rare, but intense gaze.
"I'm glad you're helping people with the training you developed," Bulma stated, "I was just hoping you'd surpass your father."
"What do you mean?" Gohan asked, again surprised. I could never surpass my dad.
"Goku saved the world, but from the shadows. I hope one day you can help the world, but from the light."
"Why?" Gohan asked.
"You could give the rest of humanity what it needs to survive dark times on its own."
"What?"
"Hope."
.
After thanking Bulma for her time, Gohan headed home with much on his mind. What do I want? What do people deserve? What can I afford to give?
Gohan flew home and gave his mom very basic answers to her questions about his first day. Rushing into his room after dinner, he didn't notice his mom's approving comments of his school work. Little did she know, Gohan spent most of the evenings questioning justice, ethics, and what it all meant to him. A specific memory floated through his mind.
"In the end, I'm doing this for the ones I love," explained Hercule, "I can't imagine a world without my daughter. So I'm going to do everything within my power to make sure she has a future."
"But sir-"
"I don't need to be there," the champion interrupted, "I wish I could be, but as long as she has a future. That's all that matters. Aren't you still fighting for someone?"
Gohan nodded reluctantly.
Hercule inclined his head, wincing in pain "Who?"
Gohan had forgotten his answer. Who indeed.
.
The next day, during lunch, Videl, Sharpener, and Erasa tried to ignore the piggish fashion in which Gohan ate and tried to carry on a conversation.
"So you hear about the Golden Blur?" Erasa asked happily.
Sharpener groaned, "Oh please, spare me. It was probably something in the air, like gas or something and everyone hallucinated."
"And those crooks tied themselves to the lamppost?" Erasa demanded sceptically.
Videl raised her eyebrow in amusement at her annoyance. Gohan continued on eating completely focused on his food. To Videl, Gohan was so engrossed on his food it was kind of… gross.
"Well it doesn't make sense," Sharpener reasoned, "The whole situation doesn't make any sense."
"It could be a super hero or something!" Erasa countered.
Sharpener cocked his head to the side. He made a whole show of studying Erasa. Looking her all over, he paused to add some dramatic effect before speaking again.
"You know superheroes aren't real, right?"
"They could be!" Videl laughed as Erasa stuck out her tongue. There was a reason these two were her only friends. Well possibly two out of three. It's rare to find people I feel genuinely comfortable around…
The small argument was cut short by a loud sigh escaping Gohan. Everyone turned their heads to see him patting his belly in a satisfied manner. Noticing the attention, the boy spoke up sheepishly.
"What's going on?"
Erasa squealed, "You're just so cute!"
Personally, Videl found his eating disgusting, and judging from his facial expression, Sharpener did as well. But, the both of them had the good grace not to say anything.
"We were just talking about the Golden Blur!" Erasa explained.
"The Golden huh?" Gohan exclaimed, laughing rather oddly.
Videl's eyes narrowed something was off about his behaviour.
"You know the new superhero!" Erasa waved her arms around in what she deemed super-heroic actions.
"Uh no?"Gohan sheepishly replied.
Erasa launched into the tale he had experienced the day before. There were obvious embellishments and embarrassing moments; all of which Gohan tried not to react to. Sharpener was oblivious, too busy trying to counter Erasa's claims, but Videl picked up on the occasional twitch from Gohan. Unnerved, he pretended he didn't notice her silent staring.I forgot to look into him yesterday. I need to remember to do that when I get home today…
Later after school, Gohan ran up to Videl.
"Hey Videl!"
"What's up Gohan?"
"Uh… I noticed you were very quiet at lunch," Gohan stammered out, "I was wondering if everything was alright?"
Videl smiled. A rare occurrence for her. It's kinda sweet how caring he is.
"I just didn't have much to say."
Gohan was surprised, Videl was quiet, yes, but often quite opinionated on important issues, "Why not?"
"I just didn't have much to say that's all," Videl explained with a shrug.
Unusually persistent, Gohan asked, "You don't have an opinion about the Blur?"
"We don't know enough for me to have an informed opinion," Videl said.
"What do you mean?" Gohan asked.
"We still don't know if the Blur is a threat or not," Videl reasoned.
"But… he helped the police!" Gohan blurted out.
"He?... Where did you get that the Golden Blur is a boy? Or even human for that matter?"
Gohan waved his hands out in front of him in a panic, "That'd just be a logical assumption right?"
"Why? Do you think girls can't fight too?" Videl glared, hands on her hips. She was silently enjoying Gohan's visible squirming.
"No, not that… I just thought the Blur would be like the Black Demon, you know? A hero?"
Videl snorted, "Shows what you know. The Black Demon isn't a hero. The Black Demon just does what's necessary."
"What's necessary?" Gohan asked.
"An eye for an eye, Gohan. The world is crueler than you know. If the criminals lack empathy, someone has to show them the pain of their victims."
"Maybe…" Gohan paused in thought. Videl began to walk away while Gohan considered her words. But that's not right.
"Bye Gohan! I gotta head to the dojo," Videl called over her shoulder as she continued to walk, "I'll see you tomorrow."
Nearby, a trio of delinquents were spying on the two. The two blondes were itching to pounce on their target, while the largest one motioned them to stay.
Shredder told his group, "Not yet."
"Why?" asked one of the blondes.
"You're not scared are you?" demanded the other.
Shredder snorted, "Hell no. But we need to catch him alone sometime. Then he'll get what's coming to him."
"He's alone now!" exclaimed one.
"Not going to risk Videl coming to rescue his ass."
"What's so scary about Videl?"
"You're a moron you know that? That bitch could probably take me out, if she weren't so obsessed with the school rules," Shredder explained, "Only way we're going to hurt her, is by breaking the rules."
A light bulb went off in each of the cronies' heads.
"Oh!"
"Is that why we're going after the Gohan kid?"
"Two birds with one stone," Shredder nodded, "Another day, Gohan. Another day…"
The three decided to make their way to the mall, interested in causing a ruckus at the local arcade.
.
"This Black Demon is really becoming a nuisance," Xel mused out loud.
Reltub, his personal manservant replied, "What would you have done sir?"
Drumming his fingers in thought, "The Black Demon needs to be dealt with. Although nothing serious has come from his actions, too many of my smaller night ventures have been disrupted."
Reltub simply nodded, knowing better than to interrupt his master's thought process.
"We could get the police involved…" Xel reasoned, "The police have already spoken out against vigilante action within the city."
"The police still believe the Black Demon to be a myth, sir," the butler reminded the CEO.
"That's but a small matter, I own enough of the force," Xel replied with a small hand wave, "Besides, if we were to gain proof of this Black Demon's existence, the rest of the force would fall in line."
"Is that wise, sir? It is possible that the evidence may be linked to some of your other ventures."
Anyone else would have been punished for their insubordination, but Reltub was Xel Rohtul's personal manservant for more than one reason.
"You bring up a valid point, this may be a better as a back-up plan," Xel conceded.
"Perhaps the Rocket Gang?"
The bald man frowned, "I'm reluctant to call on them again after failing to retrieve a simple safety deposit box."
"Sir, Miss Lavender has proven herself quite capable in the past. It was simply the interference of this 'Golden Blur'"
The CEO rubbed his temples and sighed, "Another potential emerging headache."
"Some very… peculiar conspiracy theorists have suggested the blur was a prototype for new police enforcement technologies developed by our company."
Although the idea was baseless at the moment, it could be a potential launching ground for a future company direction. Quite an interesting concept…we've already delved into weapon technologies. It would be a simple matter to adapt them for other purposes.
"We shall see what happens with this 'Golden Blur' in the future. For now contact Miss Lavender through our usual means. And send for Doctor Septavius. We have much to discuss about taking our R and D in a new direction. A paradigm shift, if you will."
"Very good sir," Reltub bowed his mature frame in respect. He quietly exited Xel's office through the double doors, closing them behind him.
.
Later that evening, on the other side of town, Veridian was found running through a dark street in the Iron Slums. In his panic, he knocked over a garbage can and stumbled, falling to the ground. Behind him the dark figure slowed to an easy walk. Petrified, Veridian looked up to see the Black Demon walking ever closer.
It had only been a few days since getting bailed out of prison. Lavender's mysterious benefactor had been unusually forgiving given the circumstances and Veridian didn't feel like questioning the matter. Unfortunately, he decided to hook back up with some old friends in his search for cash instead of sticking with Rocket.
Now, Veridian lay in an alley sprawled on his back, fearing for his life. His friends, Cinnabar and Indigo also former Rockets, lay further up the alley, their bodies completely mangled. Veridian couldn't even check if they were alive. The fact he had soiled himself just now was the last drip of icing on the cake.
Further down the alley, the approaching figure paused for a moment. Sniffing the air, the Demon made what sounded like a disgruntled growl. Maybe it was the smell? It wasn't Veridian's fault he had had the shit scared out of him—literally.
"Look, we weren't going to hurt the lady, I swear!"Veridian pleaded.
The approaching figure ignored his pleas and took another step.
"I just really needed to money! We didn't hurt her!" the would-be-mugger tried again.
The Black Demon merely cocked its head in what could have been amusement. At this point, Veridian was beyond panic and felt his fear develop into full-blown hysteria. Glancing at the brutalized bodies of his friends, Veridian almost let his bowels go a second time. He crawled backwards as fast as he could, tripping over the same god-damned garbage can before feeling something press against his lower back. My gun!
Scrambling quickly, Veridian brought is gun to bear, pointing it straight at the Demon.
"Stay where you are! Or I'll shoot!" the crook stammered, his hands shaking horribly.
A snort of disbelief emitted from the dark figure.
"I mean it!" Veridian screamed, feeling his hysteria rise.
Another step. Closing his eyes, Veridian blindly shot at the figure. He slowly opened his eyes after hearing a grunt, thinking he had successfully brought down the Black Demon. In horror, Veridian barely saw something fly through the darkness before it knocked the gun out of his hand. Watching the object return to the Demon's outstretched hand; he realized his right hand had gone numb.
Veridian looked at his hand and blanched. His index and third finger were bent completely backwards, his fourth finger, crushed against his palm, his pinky looked dislocated, and his palm looked like it had vertically folded in half. A few seconds later, the pain set in.
No one was nearby to hear his screams.
.
The next day, three mangled would-be muggers were found outside the 23rd precinct. Upon reawakening, all three criminals confessed to their numerous criminal activities, on the condition that the police would keep them safe inside a cell.
Officer Cent sighed looking at mountain of paperwork, "This god-damned Black Demon is giving a headache."
Officer Cent could no longer deny the existence of the Black Demon. He hoped to Kami, the Golden Blur didn't exist either.