Chapter 6: Meet Videl

A/N: For the following attack names, I'll be using the Japanese name rather than the names from the dub. This is purely because I think they sound better.

Tri-beam Cannon = Kikoho

Destructo Disk = Ki Enzan

Dodon Ray = Dodonpa


Korin stretched and yawned, getting up from his cat-nap. "I guess I should get to work on growing that extra bean," he mumbled. He went to the cupboard and fished out a jar with the characters for 'Divine Water' painted on it in calligraphy. He whistled a happy tune as he sauntered down to the lowest level.

In the center of the lowest floor, a pristine white basin stood, containing glowing blue liquid. Korin dipped the jar in and let it fill up. "That's about enough." This liquid happened to be the perfect source of nutrients for senzu beans, allowing them to grow much faster than they would naturally. It was also the main ingredient for the deadly 'Ultra Divine Water'.

It was actually significantly more poisonous, with absolutely no hope of survival. When diluted and combined with certain secret ingredients, it became 'Ultra Divine Water'. Still poisonous, but there was a chance you might live and it had the side effect of bringing out hidden potential.

He pulled a cork out of thin air and sealed the jar, turning to leave. However, he stopped, noticing something strange out of the corner of his eye. "I-It didn't…" His eyes widened comically. "IT DIDN'T FILL UP!"

The basin went all the way down the tower and deep into the earth, connecting it to the source of all Divine Water. If it wasn't filling up…

"Oh, dear!" He chewed on a claw. "Oh dear, oh no, oh my, oh dear!" He set the jug down carefully and ran upstairs. "I have to tell Kami about this!"


"So… how did you sprain your ankle again?" Videl asked. She and her father sat in a doctor's office, waiting for him to return with the test results.

Hercule coughed nervously. "Ah… well… when you get to my level, it's very easy to injure yourself while training. I simply…" he cleared his throat, "underestimated my own strength."

Videl gaped at him. "Woah! I never knew you were that strong, daddy!" she exclaimed.

Hercule laughed boisterously, wiping sweat from his brow, "Well! Now you know my secret. Promise not to tell anybody, okay? I wouldn't want my opponents using it against me!"

"I won't tell anyone! I promise!" She mimicked zipping her lips shut.

Hercule laughed again. "That's my girl!"

The doctor came in and started talking to Hercule. Videl, getting bored, tugged on his sleeve and asked for vending machine money. Hercule absently pulled some coins out of his pocket and gave them to her.


Bale jogged up the steps, hurrying to Luther's room. Every couple of seconds he would check his hand to make sure the bean was still there. He slid open the door, noticing Luther on the bed. He was drawn and pale, though at least he was awake. His wife sat to his side, their 3 year old daughter in her lap. A doctor stood at the foot of the bed, looking at a chart and speaking quietly.

"...cannot repair the damage to your right leg. It will have to come off."

Mrs. Holster choked back a sob, tears rolling down her face. Luther looked resigned. The doctor turned to look at Bale. "Excuse me, officer, but I'm afraid it's family visitation only at the moment. You're free to visit after the surgery…"

Bale raised a hand to cut him off. "Just a few minutes. Please." The doctor seemed uncertain, but nodded and left.

Bale approached the bed, tipping his hat to Mrs. Holster. She nodded back, sniffling quietly. He addressed the injured man, "Luther."

"Bale," Luther replied quietly.

"I have something for you." He opened his hand, revealing the bean. "It's from the kid that saved you."

Luther snorted. "A bean? Well… I suppose it's the thought that counts." He picked it up. "What do I do with it?"

"Look. I- I'm not sure the kid knows what he's talking about but… he said… if you eat it, you'll be healed."

Luther turned wide eyes on him, then smiled. "Well, if that's the case, how can I refuse?" He popped it into his mouth. There was a quick cracking sound as bones set themselves. The bags under his eyes faded and his color returned. He sat up suddenly, staring in astonishment at his legs. The legs that didn't hurt even slightly.

Mrs. Holster gasped as he threw off the blanket and stood. He bounced on his toes a few times, waiting for the pain to come. Nothing. He looked back at Bale, tears welling in his eyes. "I can walk…"

Bale was just as astonished. Life definitely wasn't normal anymore. But maybe… that wasn't a bad thing.


Korin and Kami traveled quickly through the system of caves. It was the only entrance to the deep cavern that housed the Sacred Pool, the source of all Divine Water. Here and there you could see broken stalagmites and furrows carved into the rocky ground. Evidence of machinery passing through.

"This does not bode well," Kami thought.

Finally, they came upon a large, open cavern. Normally, it would be lit with a bright blue glow. It was dark. Kami lit up a ball of ki, sending it to the roof to provide illumination. In the center of the floor was a depression. A thick pillar pierced through the ceiling, ending in the middle of the depression. A small puddle of blue liquid gathered near the base of the pillar, barely enough to fill a cup. Water dripped from the ceiling, slowly filtering into the puddle.

If he hadn't been expecting it, he might have had a heart attack. "The Sacred Pool has been emptied!" It was an appalling thought, but evidence could not be ignored. He moved closer, noticing the floor of the empty pool was of a different material than the rest of the cave, consisting of milky white crystal. He cast his senses out, probing the material carefully, and sighed in relief.

Korin looked at him curiously. "You're not as upset as I thought you would be. Without more Divine Water, it'll take ten years to grow a new senzu bean from scratch."

Kami smiled gently. "I am simply glad that not all hope is lost." He turned to Korin. "Have I ever told you the origin of the Sacred Pool?"

Korin shook his head.

Kami rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "I am not the first Guardian of the Earth, as I am sure you are aware. In truth, there have been many. The tale of the Sacred Pool begins where the tale of the First Guardian ends. The records say he was a being of immense power and that he chose this cave as his final resting place. Your tower and the lookout were later built over it as a sign of respect."

Korin listened with rapt attention. The mists of ancient history seemed to part before him.

Kami cleared his throat. "The crystal at the bottom of the pool is his tomb. Over centuries and eons, the First Guardian's body continued to attract energy in spite of his death. This energy accumulated in the water above his tomb, giving it wondrous properties. That is the origin of Divine Water. Seeing that the tomb is still intact, we can simply fill the pool with new water and wait for it to begin accumulating energy."

"How long will it take for the water to become Divine?" Korin asked.

"I cannot say. Though, I would imagine decades, at least." Kami took a deep breath. "Come. Let us return. The pool needs to be refilled and there is little else we can do here."


Gohan happily skipped to the hospital's exit. Until he realized he didn't know where it was. "Where am I?" he thought. He walked around, absently looking for a door that led outside. There were plenty of windows he could go through but his mother taught him that it was impolite to climb through a window, so that idea was out. He conveniently forgot he had done exactly that earlier… As his feet wandered, his mind began to do the same.

"In the end, we never were able to defeat the Saiyans in the Pendulum Room, huh? We came close when Tien managed to hit one with a Kikoho… but it drained him of energy. Chiaotzu was determined to protect him and that just left Krillin, Yamcha, and I to deal with them. The uninjured one led us into a trap by throwing his companion's life away. We never expected that kind of tactic…"

Even so, it was a good experience. It had opened their eyes to the possibility of ruthless enemies abandoning their allies for an advantage. He rounded a corner, still deep in thought, and bumped into someone, knocking them to the ground. Coins clattered on the floor, some of them rolling away.

"Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry!" Gohan exclaimed. He zipped around to pick them up and returned to offer them back to the girl. "Um, here you go. I'm sorry I bumped into you." She looked to be around his age, with black hair styled into pigtails.

She groaned and stood up, patting dust off her shorts. "What are you, made of bricks?" She reached out to retrieve her money and gasped. "You!" she exclaimed, pointing at him.

Gohan blinked. "Me?"

"Yeah, you! You're the fraud! The one that was on TV!"

"Wait, what? A fraud? On TV? I'm not sure what you're talking about…"

"Hmph! You can't fool me! You're wearing the same outfit and you've got that sword. Anyone would recognize you!" Videl exclaimed. Gohan looked down, thumbing his gi curiously.

He looked up. "Uh… what's TV?"

Videl gaped, then frowned. "Oh, I see! You're trying to fool me again! Everyone knows what TV is!" she said, crossing her arms imperiously.

"Everyone, huh?" Gohan scratched his head. "Wow, maybe I should have studied more like mom wanted!" he thought.

Videl furrowed her brow. "Wait… do you really not know?! You were on TV yesterday!" She grabbed his arm, not waiting for an answer, and started dragging him along behind her.

"Hey, where are we going?" Gohan asked.

"To find a TV, obviously!"

Eventually, they found a lounge with a TV mounted high on the wall. Chairs were lined up on opposite walls of the room and a large couch sat in the middle. A few people sat around, reading magazines or staring at the TV.

Videl pointed at it. "That's a TV."

"Oh! What's it do?" Gohan asked.

Videl fumbled for words, "Uh, well, it shows you stuff. Like… TV shows…" She growled, "Anyway! You were on TV and a bunch of people saw you pretending to fly around and stuff. Got it?"

"I think I see… but I wasn't pretending or anything. I was really flying."

Videl scoffed, "Oh, come on! My daddy told me that stuff was impossible. I even tried that energy thing you talked about and it didn't work! Explain that, bub!" she said, poking him in the chest.

Gohan hummed curiously. "Well, how long have you been training? Without a strong body, you can't unlock your energy."

Videl frowned. "Are you calling me weak? I'll have you know my daddy started training me last month and he's super strong!"

Gohan scratched his cheek. "Uh, well… Oh, how about this." He widened his stance, holding a hand out. "Punch my hand as hard as you can. That'll give me an idea of how strong you are."

Videl smirked, "All right then. Don't blame me if I hurt you!" She flicked one of her pigtails to the side then lowered herself into the form her father had taught her. Pausing, she looked at her feet and adjusted their angle. Satisfied that she had it right, she launched forward, trying to remember how to utilize her weight to make the punch as strong as possible. "Hah!" Her fist smacked into Gohan's palm and stopped dead.

Her jaw dropped, "What!? I was trying to knock him over!"

Gohan pursed his lips, "She was so confident, I thought she might be a bit strong… but I didn't even feel that. No wonder she couldn't use her energy…"

He rubbed his neck, smiling apologetically, "Unfortunately, you're not strong enough, yet. But I'm sure if you just keep training you'll get there eventually!"

Videl grit her teeth and looked away, face red. "I don't need your pity or anything. It's not like that energy stuff is real anyway. So there's nothing to get upset about!" That last bit seemed to be aimed at herself rather than Gohan.

Gohan raised a brow, "But it is real. See?" He created a ball of energy over his palm, showing it to her. Videl gasped, staring at the floating ball of impossibleness. She reached out and touched it before Gohan could warn her.

"Ah!" she yelped, tearing her hand away.

Gohan paled, dispersing the energy. "Oh no! I'm so so sorry! I should've warned you!"

Some of the adults turned to look at the two but most assumed she had just pinched her fingers or something.

Videl bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm fine. It just stings a little." She glanced at her fingers, noticing the slight redness. She shrugged, "It'll probably go away soon." Even if it didn't, she was in the middle of a hospital, so it'd probably be fine.

Gohan's face scrunched up, "I hurt someone again! Why does this keep happening?"

Videl flicked him on the forehead. He flinched and stared at her. She frowned poutily, "Don't get so upset. It barely hurts. It was my fault anyway so you don't need to get so worked up."

Gohan shook his head, clutching at his shirt. "No. It's my responsibility to be careful with my power. You couldn't have known it would be so hot."

Videl crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out. "Well, fine. If you feel that bad, then you can teach me how to do it. Then we can consider it even, okay?"

Gohan sighed. "It's not that easy. You have a lot of work to do before you're strong enough to wield your ki."

"Well, you can at least tell me what I'm supposed to do!"

Gohan flinched at her tone, then nodded. "Okay. First off, you have to do lots of exercise to toughen yourself up. Things like lifting heavy rocks or swimming as fast as you can until you're too tired to move. It helps if you wear weighted clothing or… I guess you could just put some rocks in a backpack and carry that around while you train."

He rubbed his chin, eyes on the ground. "It'll probably take you a few months to a year before you're ready to use your energy."

Videl's jaw dropped, "That long! You've gotta be kidding me!"

Gohan's eyes widened innocently and he shook his head. "No, that's about how long it takes. Unfortunately, I can't stick around to help you. I'm busy with my own training…"

Videl huffed indignantly. "Well, if you can't teach me, who can? I wanna learn as quick as possible!"

Gohan's face screwed up in thought. He smiled suddenly, "You could ask Master Roshi to train you. He's the man that trained my dad."

He instructed her to go to Capsule Corporation and tell them he had sent her. Bulma could then take her to Master Roshi's place.

Videl grinned and bounced excitedly. "I can't wait to start. Will I really learn how to fly?!" she asked.

"I don't see why not… By the way, do you know where the exit is?"

"Hm? Oh, sure! Follow me!" They scampered off. At the hospital's entrance, they said their goodbyes.

Gohan grinned toothily, "Well, I guess this is it. Bye, uh… umm…"

"Videl."

He chuckled, "Goodbye, Videl. I'm Gohan, by the way!" He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Videl called, grabbing his hand. Gohan turned, quirking a brow. Her cheeks reddened slightly, "N- next time I see you, I'll be way stronger." She grinned, pulling his arm up and putting her fist against his palm. "I'll punch you so hard, you won't know what hit you!"

Gohan tilted his head, "But… how would I not notice it was you? That doesn't really make any sense."

Videl frowned, "It's just a saying, dummy! Bye, Gohan." She ran off, leaving the confused boy alone.

Gohan shrugged, "Weird."


Piccolo cracked an eye open, feeling a familiar ki signature approach. A genuine smile crept up his face, only to be replaced by a scowl when he realized what he was doing. He closed his eyes and waited patiently.

"Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan called, coming to a stop in front of him. "It's good to see you!"

Piccolo grunted, unfolding his arms and legs. He lowered himself to a large plateau, motioning for Gohan to follow. Landing on the gray rock, he folded his arms, his gaze piercing through Gohan. "Show me what you've learned," he said, taking a fighting stance. Gohan nodded, taking his own stance.

Gohan ran forward then hopped, fist drawn back. He began a punch but his form blurred. A second Gohan appeared on the ground, aiming at Piccolo's stomach. Piccolo caught his fist as the afterimage in the air disappeared. Gohan shot a ki blast at Piccolo's legs but Piccolo hopped nimbly, avoiding it.

Still in the air, Piccolo swung Gohan around by his hand, launching him upwards. While Gohan was trying to get his bearings, Piccolo sent up a wave of orange ki. Gohan noticed the glow and unsheathed his sword, batting the attack away to explode in the distance. Piccolo appeared next to him and smashed him in the stomach, knocking him towards the ground.

Gohan righted himself, landing hard on the stone; cracks in the stone spread out from his feet. He quickly covered his sword in ki, a preventative measure in case Piccolo decided to target the blade again.

Moving the sword to one hand, he used the other to fire successive ki blasts at Piccolo. The green man dodged around them, slowly closing in. Gohan noticed Piccolo tense up and stopped firing, grabbing the sword with both hands. He spun, swinging the sword in a wide arc just as Piccolo vanished. Scraps of purple cloth flew as Piccolo barely avoided being cut in half; having appeared behind Gohan.

Piccolo smirked, "He saw through my movements, huh? Impressive." He took some distance, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Let's see how you deal with multiple opponents!"


Piccolo stood over a battered and unconscious Gohan. The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile, "He's grown much stronger. It seems his little trip wasn't a complete waste of time." Absently, he raised his hand, restoring Gohan's tattered clothes to pristine condition.

Gohan stirred, eyes blinking open. He noticed Piccolo and smiled, nearly causing Piccolo to reciprocate. Piccolo growled at himself.

"So, how did I do?" Gohan asked. He pushed himself up, wincing slightly. He noticed his gi had been restored and beamed. "Thanks, Mr. Piccolo!"

Piccolo grunted, looking away. "You weren't awful. But you've still got a long way to go. We're going to get serious from now on, so expect to train from dawn to dusk!"

Gohan stood and wiped some dirt off his cheek. An eager grin crept up his face. "Yes, sir, Mr. Piccolo!"

Piccolo turned to leave but stopped after a few steps. He glanced back at Gohan then held a hand out to the ground. Shining light fashioned itself into a rectangle then dispersed, revealing a cozy bedroll.

Gohan's eyes brightened. "Is that for me?"

Piccolo grunted. "Tomorrow I'll begin teaching you how to meditate. You'll need to be well-rested."

Gohan ran forward and hugged one of Piccolo's legs. "Thanks so much, Mr. Piccolo!"

"Augh! Get off me, you little brat!"

Gohan let go, giggling and rubbing his head. Piccolo flared his cape as he walked away.


Videl threw swift punches under her father's watchful eye. Carefully bracing herself against the dojo's floor, she launched herself into a spinning kick. Her quick movements sent her hair splaying and sweat flying from her skin. She paused, taking a moment to catch her breath, face red as a cherry.

Hercule clapped awkwardly in his chair, trying to keep hold of his crutches. He would need to use them for a few days while his ankle healed. "Good work, Videl! Your form is great!" he said. The dojo was connected to their house. On weekdays it would be filled with students come to learn Martial Arts. Hercule wasn't a big name, yet, but many acknowledged his incredible strength.

Videl wiped some sweat from her face and grinned, holding up a peace sign at him. Her fingers had been wrapped up at the hospital. The burns had been a bit more serious than she thought and had started to blister, so she made up an excuse and showed a doctor. It didn't really hurt much, so she didn't make a big deal about it.

Hercule still didn't know about her encounter with Gohan, since she didn't think he'd believe her. But that was fine. Once they met that Master Roshi person, he could demonstrate, and her dad would have to believe her.

She retrieved a towel from a rack on the wall, wiping her face down. "Is mom going to be home, soon?" she wondered, taking a glance at the clock. It was five in the afternoon. Videl smiled, "Just a bit longer!" Once her mother, Galen, was home, Videl could ask her about going to West City.

Of course, it would be easy to convince her dad. A cute little frown and puppy dog eyes and he would melt like butter. Unfortunately, with his sprained ankle, he couldn't drive. Her mother would be much more difficult. She'd want to know why Videl wanted to go to Capsule Corporation and who this 'Gohan' boy was and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Videl sighed, then shook herself, "It doesn't matter how hard it is! I have to meet this Master Roshi person! I really really want to learn to fly!" she thought. A blush made its way onto her cheeks as she imagined soaring through the air like a bird. "That'd be so fun!"

"I'm home!" a voice called from further in the house. Videl quickly exited the dojo as Hercule struggled to get up. Videl dashed into the entranceway and hopped into her mother's arms.

"Welcome back, mommy!" Now she just had to convince her…


A/N: Okay, let's preemptively clear up some confusion.

Sacred Water: Rumoured to grant any who drink it incredible strength. It's actually just tap water. The strength comes from climbing korin's tower and taking the water from him.

Ultra Divine Water: Poisonous water that can bring out hidden potential. Few survive drinking it.

Divine Water: Something I made up. It is the base component for 'Ultra Divine Water'. It can be used to speed up the growth of Senzu beans. It may have other, undisclosed, uses.

So, what do you think of Gohan and Videl's meeting? Personally, I thought it was pretty cute. I'm having a lot of fun writing Videl, to be honest :)

If you haven't guessed it, I'm limiting the amount of senzu beans throughout the story severely. I feel like those beans are way too powerful and have the potential to turn any fight around. It takes away the tension to know that the Z-fighters can fall back on senzu beans when things get really tough. I'm not getting rid of the Dragonballs, though. They're too integral to the story as a whole and they're not as convenient to abuse, so don't worry.

According to the wiki, Videl's mother's name is 'Miguel'. I didn't actually look this up until after I had already thought up a name for her and, honestly, I prefer the one I came up with. So, yeah, in this fic her name is 'Galen'.

Thanks for reading! Also, thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I really appreciate it. Particularly, Storymaker3469 and NoFacedKhaleesi for reviewing every chapter so far. Thanks, guys!