Chapter 071 - Orange Star High School
Age 774, March
"Huh? So you've taken the entrance exams for Orange Star High School? That's the high school I go to! Geez, what are the odds of that happening."
"Yeah, Mother said home tutoring wasn't enough for me now and Bulma suggested it to her. Mother seemed to think it was a good school so she suggested I try and get in!"
"Wow... Wait, why did you say try? No doubt you'll get in, give yourself some credit!"
"I dunno. It wasn't that hard a test paper but I might have made some mistakes."
"Not that hard... I thought it was difficult! You're such a smarty-pants! Well if you do get in I'll try and make sure we have time to hang out. Who knows, maybe we'll end up being in the same class."
"That's true. Hey, how come you're attending a High School in Satan City? Were the High Schools in West City not that good?"
"Um... It's more that I wanted a change of scenery... and I might have done a couple of things which some people in West City might remember so I wanted to avoid going to any of the High Schools there."
"... What exactly did you do?"
"Um... I might have accidentally used a little too much strength during some PE lessons or gotten a little too annoyed that my ki started to rise without me knowing! People kept on saying I was a witch and stuff..."
"I can see why you wanted a change of scenery. Hey listen, Mother's finished dinner and she's calling me so I'm gonna have to go."
"Alright. Oh but before you go I have to warn you: If you do end up in my class there's someone there who we have to watch out for. She's a little famous because of something in the family... That's all I'm gonna tell you. Hope your dinner's good."
"Oh, ok then. See ya!"
Age 774, April
Corset sighed and brushed her fringe from her face as she walked down the streets of Satan City heading to school. Spring break had gone way too fast for her liking. The early start was nothing new to her but the routine had changed in the past seven years. Instead of being dragged into the gravity room by her father on most mornings, she was being dragged into High School for the start of the new academic year. Although she was supposed to be seventeen according to her date of birth, she had spent almost a year in the Room of Spirit and Time during the fight against Cell so she was biologically eighteen. It had always thrown her how the school officials had decided she should be in a class of people the same age as her biologically and how they didn't question her date of birth! Had her mother pulled some strings or did they think she was some kind of prodigy because of her background? Whatever the reason she was now in her final year.
"Corset!"
Corset glanced over her shoulder to see Peipa running to catch up with her. Great, just when she thought she'd have time to her own thoughts...
"Wow, this is a first!" Peipa smiled as she finally caught up, short on breath but not letting that stop her from talking. "I don't think I've ever seen you walking to school… I thought you usually flew here?"
"I did, I just thought I'd walk a little since it's such a nice day," Corset replied. Of course she flew here – although not in the way Peipa thought. Corset was an out-of-city commuter so she would naturally come here by aircraft, or at least that's what she told everyone. None of the students knew where she lived; if word got out she lived in West City and was the daughter of the president of Capsule Corp, she'd never get any rest.
"I can't believe it, it's our final year! Finally in less than a year we'll be fully fledged adults!" Peipa grinned excitedly. "We'll have to work our socks off to get into the places we wanna go! I hope we're in the same class again this year; that would make it three in a row!"
Classes had been assigned. Corset had spotted one name and groaned quietly to herself. She was gonna be in the same class this year as her? This was gonna be awkward...
"Aww, we're in different classes..." Peipa frowned disappointed. "No fair... Oh, I see Videl's in your class! Lucky, she's so cool! I'd love to be in a class with her!"
"Y-Yeah... that would be cool wouldn't it...?" Corset lied. She'd rather avoid Videl at all costs. Still there was nothing that could be done now. Her eyes fell back on the board scanning the names of those in her class.
No sign of Gohan's name anywhere.
Corset frowned not entirely sure what this meant. Had he not gotten into the school after all? No, that was crazy: Gohan was one of the smartest people she knew, there was no way he couldn't have passed the entrance test!
Finding a new place to sit was a pain, especially when she didn't know most of the people in the class. Why did they have to separate her and Peipa? Corset pouted, spotting a couple of empty seats-
Just her luck. Sharpner, Eresa and Videl were taking up three of the seats in that row! Sharpner was one of the school jocks; in Corset's opinion he was an idiot who needed to at least try and attempt to pull his head out of his ass! He was arrogant and assumed he knew it all which dug under Corset's nerves. He was constantly working out and had a small fan-base in the school of love-sick girls who would never have a chance. Then there was Eresa; a nice chatty girl but gossip seemed to follow her like a lost puppy. She was generally a lovely girl and went out of her way to help people out; Corset didn't mind her so much but if any news got to Eresa about Corset's family then she knew by sun down the entire school would know! Then there was Videl. Videl Satan... Having to be in the same class as her was bad enough but to be in the same row...?
"Hey new girl, over here!"
Eresa was smiling and waving. Corset sighed and walked up the stairs to the trio, "Hi." She waved unenthusiastically.
"They moved you to this class, huh?" Eresa asked looking a little sympathetic. "Don't worry, there are a lot of nice people in this class; you'll make friends in no time. Hey, why don't you sit with us? What's your name?"
"Corset," Corset replied.
"... That it? No last name huh? Just like me!" Eresa giggled. "This is Videl Satan – you know who she is, right?"
"Yeah," Corset nodded, "Mr Satan's daughter."
"Isn't that so cool? You get to finally meet her in person!" Eresa beamed. "The guy she's talking to is Sharpner; he's one of the most athletic guys in the whole school. He's really popular with the girls, I could name quite a few of them in this class that are in his fan-base!"
"So you're not the golden warrior, are you Sharpner?"
Corset craned her head around Eresa and listened into Videl's conversation.
"Me? Nah, where would I get the time? I was in the gym all morning." Sharpner snorted.
"... Golden warrior?" Corset repeated with interest.
"Yeah, he's become a legend." Eresa smiled; Corset noticing Videl looked at her for the first time. There, that intense, suspicious glare. It made Corset feel a little uneasy so she tried to focus on Eresa's babbling, "... word is he took on a couple of bank robbers this morning! He's got blonde hair that sticks up and is super strong - he might even rival Videl in strength!"
"Oh please, a geek like that could never compare to Videl!" Sharpner grunted amused.
A loud cough caught the class' attention as the teacher walked in, no doubt their homeroom teacher. Corset sat down on the seat next to Eresa and gave out a small sigh. This was gonna be a tough year for sure...
'Poor Gohan...' she mused. She was disappointed he hadn't made it into the school, she'd been so sure he would have passed the exams.
"Class, I'd like you to welcome a new student," the teacher spoke, "He recently passed the entrance exams with a score of one-hundred percent! A lot of you would do well to follow his example!"
Corset leaned forwards. Perhaps she was wrong after all. An achievement like that had Gohan written all over it!
"Come on in..."
Sure enough it was him. A tall, dark-haired boy with an innocent look on his face wandered through the room, finally reaching the centre of the room and bowing politely. "H-Hello, I'm Son Gohan. It's nice to meet you."
"Ooh he's a cutie, I call dibs!" Eresa smiled.
"What a weird name..." Videl muttered.
Corset couldn't help but smile as he spotted her, both giving a small nod at the other.
"Take an empty seat," the teacher instructed.
"Hey, up here!" Eresa waved. Corset was quickly getting the impression Eresa was the new-classmate magnet and seemed to be pretty determined to be the first person any new student of the class should meet.
Gohan trotted up the steps and parked himself next to Corset, "Wow, what are the chances?"
"I know!" Corset smirked, "One-hundred percent huh? Geez Gohan you really are a geek! You put us all to shame…"
"... You guys know each other?" Eresa asked perplexed.
"Yeah, we're old friends," Corset nodded. "Gohan this is Eresa, Videl and Sharpner."
"You won't believe it but Videl is the daughter of Mr Satan," Eresa added. Apparently she also liked emulating Videl! (Then again who apparently didn't in this school?)
"W-What? Really?" Gohan gasped. "Mr Satan's daughter?"
"Show her your gratitude!" Eresa smirked. "We're alive thanks to her father defeating Cell."
As much as Corset wanted to snort and roll her eyes she resisted. Saved by Mr Satan... Of course they were... Little did they know the real hero who saved them from Cell had just walked into the classroom!
"Hey, I know you," Videl gasped. "I met you at the bank robbery earlier this morning."
"Yeah," Gohan nodded.
'Bank robbery? What were you doing there?' Corset raised an eyebrow, 'Hope you weren't the one robbing the bank…'
"You mean where the golden warrior was?" Eresa asked.
"The golden... what?" Gohan mumbled curiously.
"That's right, you're not from here are you?" Eresa smiled. "He's popped up a couple of times around the city in ten days. He's super strong with spiky blonde hair. He's become a local celebrity around here!"
"S-Spiky blonde...?" Corset repeated, eyes widening. She had a hunch – and it was a horrifying hunch. Furthermore, Videl was glaring at Gohan, Corset felt a little sorry for him but at the same time did not envy him. It was like having your own mother staring at you knowing fully well you were lying to her, the pressure was horrible.
"... There was an eye-witness to the robbery this morning..." Videl mumbled, "...they said the golden warrior wore our school badge and a white top and red trousers... just like you."
"Hey you're right!" Eresa gasped.
This is why Corset didn't want to be in Videl's class! The girl was too suspicious of other people and far too smart for her own good! 'Dammit Gohan!' She cursed in her mind.
"Oh come on," Sharper snorted, "have you even looked at this guy?"
"Yeah, you do look kinda wimpy," Eresa giggled. "So Gohan, do you commute from home or rent a place in town?"
'Oh don't answer this honestly!' Corset gulped.
"I commute from home," Gohan answered.
"Oh, where from?"
"A little town in East Region four-thirty-nine."
'Idiot!' Corset rested her head on her desk in annoyance. Gohan could be such a dunce at times. Apparently no one had sat him down to have a conversation regarding acceptable commuter locations. She made a mental note to drag him into said conversation later.
"Get out!" Eresa cried loudly shooting up from her seat, "That's like a five hour commute by jet, that's hundreds of miles from here!"
"You there at the back!" The teacher barked crossly. "Be quiet!"
Eresa hurriedly sat down and hid her face behind her book embarrassed. "... So how do you commute?"
"Y-Yeah... I hate that commute, it takes forever," Gohan stuttered.
Corset sighed and rested one hand on her chin, 'Today's gonna be a long day...'
It was PE. A subject Corset could easily excel in and re-write the records in but unfortunately knew what that would do to her reputation. She had fame and fortune because of her family's business being so successful; she didn't want fame and fortune from anything else in her life! She saw PE as a way to train herself to retain and control her power and boy did she need to! Using as little energy as possible was a must if she wanted to fit in amongst kids her own age.
Today's agenda was mixed-teams baseball. It wasn't Corset's favourite sport but it was an easy sport to sit back in and let the others work. She just hoped Gohan wouldn't screw up.
"You any good at baseball?" Sharpner asked Gohan.
"Well I've never played it but I've read about it in books," Gohan replied.
"... You've read about it?" Sharpner sneered. "What a hick!"
Corset glared at the cocky jock in annoyance. "It never hurts to read up on these things you know."
"Right, right, the stop-being-such-a-wiener speech," Sharpner sighed smirking, clearly not taking Corset seriously. "You may have used books to learn about sports in your old class but in this class, we learn by play! Videl, you can have these two on your team."
"Hey, isn't it true Corset was the star player in most sports in her class?" Eresa asked.
"Well if it is, she's about to get a lesson in what a star really is!" Sharpner replied.
"Cool off Sharpner," Videl tutted. "Just save the confidence to the game!" She turned to Gohan and Corset, "Looks like you're on my team then. I say we show Sharpner what we're made of!"
"I'll take centre field," Corset volunteered, Videl giving her the go-ahead with a nod.
"You take right field; know where that is?" Videl asked.
"Yeah," Gohan nodded.
Corset gulped as she made her way to the outfield position she'd chosen. Hopefully no one would be able to shoot straight towards her; it would save her the trouble of risking her powers. As competitive as she could be in sports, Corset'd long ago decided that unless she could reach the ball whilst keeping her feet on the ground, it wasn't worth catching. She just hoped Gohan was smart enough to realise the same thing. 'Of course he is! Gohan wouldn't blow his own cover!'
Sharpner was the first to step up and bat.
"Knock it outta here, Sharpner!" Someone shouted.
Videl stood at the pitcher's mound. With a toss she threw the ball towards Sharpner. A loud crack signalled he'd hit it. Corset watched as the ball shot off high into the sky towards the right end of the field – Gohan's end.
To her horror Gohan jumped and caught the ball. It would have been fine if he hadn't jumped thirty feet into the air! Corset stared in utter disbelief as she watched Gohan throw the ball down to third base; the boy on base knocked to the ground as he caught the ball! 'Idiot!' She rolled her eyes in resignation. 'I was wrong...'
Sharpner was out. The jock seemed horrified! Everyone else looked stunned at what they'd just witnessed!
Soon it was Videl's team's turn to bat.
Corset walked over to Gohan as their team gathered, a cross look on her face. "Not so much effort," She whispered in case others overheard her. "If you end up batting, don't hit the ball."
"Hey, did you really jump thirty feet into the air?" The coach asked.
"Uh... It was an accident!" Gohan sheepishly rubbed his head.
"An accident? How was that an accident?"
The batting began, Videl's team faring quite well considering no one on Sharpner's team was capable of jumping thirty feet into the air! Soon it was Corset's turn to bat.
"Number seven spot!" The coach called.
"See you in a moment," Corset stepped up and stood patiently in the right-handed batter's box. Sharpner tossed the ball out to her as hard as he could. In that split second Corset concentrated her ki, striking the ball within the field of play at a reasonable distance, albeit it did shoot past those on outfield! Modelling how slowly her mother seemed to run, Corset trotted around the bases, jogging past fourth base without any effort.
"Home run," the coach called. "That was a good shot."
Videl smiled, "So the rumours are true then, or was that a lucky hit?" She muttered to herself.
"Next!"
"Your turn Gohan," Corset muttered as she sat herself back down. "Remember what I said!"
"I know," Gohan smiled as he made his way to the batter's box.
Sharpner tossed the ball out as fast and as hard as he could; Corset noticed the small increase in his undeveloped ki as he threw.
"Oh no!" Videl gasped.
The ball headed straight for Gohan's head.
'Dodge it!' Corset panicked. 'Fall over! Just make sure you react like a normal person!'
The ball struck him clean in the face! Gohan didn't even budge as the ball fell to the ground. The catcher and the coach had both flinched away from the ball as it had come...
'That would have floored any normal human! Gohan!' Corset sighed and rested her face in the palm of her hand. 'That wasn't suspicious at all...'
The day finally drew to an end. Corset gave out a small sigh as she sorted out her locker before closing it behind her. She wandered down the corridors through the small crowds of students. It wasn't difficult to find Gohan; his ki stood out so well against all the other tiny ki signals filling the building. When she finally spotted him with her eyes she noticed both Sharpner and Eresa were with him, Gohan looking as if he wanted to make a hasty retreat.
"Hey, over here!" Corset called.
Gohan bid Sharpner and Eresa goodbye before heading over to Corset, "I'm glad you appeared when you did." He smiled. "Eresa was trying to get me to give her a lift and Sharpner wanted me to join the boxing club!"
Without a word, the two left the school gates and headed down the streets of Satan City together. After a while and once the awkward silence had become too much, Gohan chose to speak again.
"Was a pretty good day. I enjoyed it!"
"Remind me to kill you later," Corset replied.
"Why?" Gohan asked perplexed.
"Why? For jumping far higher than any human possibly can and for then taking Sharpner's throw head-on! That would have floored any other human! Do you wanna blow our cover? And what's this about a Golden fighter? We are really going to have to work on your behaviour if you wanna fit in!" Corset snapped.
Something caught both of their attention.
Someone was following them. Both demi-Saiyans exchanged a small glance before turning left down one road, shielded by a tall building. Their movement was synchronised and quick, far too quick for their pursuer to realise what had happened. Down below them at the foot of the building, a bewildered and confused Videl looked around baffled as to where the two had gone.
"How long has she been following us?" Corset whispered quietly and suspiciously. "... I don't like this. I knew being in the same class as her would cause trouble..."
"We'd better wait for her to leave before we make a move," Gohan suggested.
Indeed Videl soon gave up and went home. Relieved they could now fly without being spotted, Corset turned her attention back to Gohan, her anger returning. "Next time you wanna transform into a Super Saiyan and stop a robbery, make sure it's not here! You'll blow our cover! Videl is not someone to be underestimated. She's cunning and she's the daughter of Mr Satan; Satan City is her turf! Seriously Gohan, do not mess with her!"
"Alright, alright, I'll think of something else," Gohan pondered for a moment before the lightbulb went off. "Actually I think I'd better head back to yours with you. Maybe Bulma can help me out?"