Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ.

Chapter 12

"Hey, did you hear about that bank robbery? Pretty amazing, Huh?"

"Yeah, I was totally freaked out when I heard. I was right in the neighborhood. I could've gotten hurt."

"Right? Luckily the Gold fighter was there to stop it."

"It wasn't the Gold fighter, nobody's seen him for weeks."

"What? Then who stopped the robbery?"

"That's the amazing part! It was a girl from our school, Videl Satan."

"Wow! That's so cool! I mean I know she's the champs' daughter, but she's still just a second year."

"I know! She's so hardcore! Must be a family trait."

"I wonder why the Gold fighter wasn't there?"

"Who knows."

"I bet he's with Mr. Satan! Nobody's seen him in for a few weeks either. I bet he took the Gold fighter on some sort of epic training journey."

"Hey, yeah! That totally makes sense."

"And I bet they left Videl here to defend the city from bad guys."

Gohan overheard the conversation and smiled to himself. It stinks that I'm grounded, but at least somebody is keeping crime in check.

It had been 2 weeks since he and Zangya were grounded and his mom still wasn't letting up. The only thing Gohan was aloud out of the house for was school. Chichi had allowed 18 to come and visit Zangya a few times, which he thought was extremely unfair. He even had to ride the nimbus to school because he wasn't allowed to fly, yet Zangya gets to have a friend over? He guessed it was because he got to go to school and she needed something to do, so in a way it was fair but still…

Well, whatever. It'll be over soon and then I can go back to my normal routine.

The earlier conversation had reminded him of something else too. He had meant to keep tabs on Hercules training but, ever since his grounding, wasn't allowed to.

I wonder how that's going anyway?

Mt. Paozu: Hercules' flight training.

"Are you sure about this?" Hercule asked his flight instructor. He looked down from the edge of a cliff to the ground, too far down for him to think about.

"What did I tell you about asking questions!?" Piccolo chided.

"I know, It's just, well…"

"Look, It's the same principal as when a bird leaves the nest. They need a high place to start from and sometimes they just need a little push." Piccolo explained.

"Well… I guess that's true." The champ nodded. He could definitely see his reasoning.

"Right, then let's do this." The namekian grabbed Hercule and reeled his arm back like he was throwing a ball.

"W-wait a minute! I changed my mind." The mustachioed man was flailing in Piccolos grip. "I don't think this is a good ideAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Piccolo launched the man high in the sky. "JUST REMEMBER YOUR TRAINING!" he yelled helpfully.

Hercule screamed until he ceased flying up, and started to fall down. He tried to think about everything he had learned so far. "GYAAAH! OK, find the energy. Send it to my feet, and push!" Miraculously, as he tried this, he stopped falling. He was floating forward and wasn't heading for his death. He couldn't believe it!

"OH YEAH! I DID IT! I AM THE CHAMP BABY!"

"CAAAAAAAAAWWWWW!"

This sudden screech made Hercule stop his bragging. He looked up and saw that he was in the clutches of a giant pterodactyl that had snatched him from the air.

"Oh no."

"CAAAAAAAWWWWW!"

"HEEEEEEEELLLLLPPP!"

"Huh. What are the odds of that?" Said Piccolo from the cliff.

Gohans' School

"Well, I'm sure it's fine. Piccolo knows what he's doing." Gohan said, as he began taking out his things for class.

He pulled out his text book when, out of nowhere, a hand slammed down on his desk. Gohan jumped in surprise. He looked at the person in front of him. He was taller boy, with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes. He was leaning forward and had an angry expression on his face. Flanked by 2 other boys, each with short black hair, he stared Gohan down, trying to intimidate the younger boy.

"Hi!" Said Gohan. He was a little excited. Nobody had approached him since he started school. Was this possibly an opportunity to make a new friend.

"Are you Son Gohan?" The blonde boy snarled.

"Yup! I sure am. What are your names?"

The blonde sneered. "Hmph. Of course, a nerd like you wouldn't know me. I'm the captain of the boxing club. My names Sharpner. And you're the punk whose been moving in on my girl!"

The younger boy looked confused. His girl? What was this guy talking about?"

"Um, I think you might have me confused with someone else." Gohan thought the whole thing must be some weird mix up.

"I don't think so nerd boy. You're that brainy 1st year all the girls have been talking about. Including my Erasa!" The boy seemed exceptionally irate.

"Oh!" Gohan said, comprehension dawning. "I don't remember borrowing anything from you, but I know how hard doing your homework must be without one." Gohan dug in his bag. "Girl" must be some new slang for it. "Here it is, I knew I had an extra one. You can have it if you like." Gohan held out his hand to Sharpner and offered an orange eraser. "Go ahead, take it. I have more at home." He had a totally innocent look on his face. One of the guys at Sharpners side stifled a laugh.

"Oh, you think your funny, huh!?"

Gohan was confused with this sudden change of topic. "Well, I don't know. I do know a few good jokes if you want to hear them."

"Ok, wise guy. We'll see how funny you really are! Meet me in the boxing club room after school."

"Sorry, I can't. I'm grounded and my mom told me I'm not allowed to hang out after school. I have to go straight home."

Now, When Gohan pictured a bully, he thought of people like Frieza, or Cell. Monsters who enjoyed tormenting the helpless and would destroy entire planets for their own amusement. So, when this guy came up to Gohan, with the intent to put the kid in his place, the young half saiyan was oblivious to any ill intentions. He thought the challenge to fight was just a friendly invite to hang out and tell a few jokes after school.

That was nice of him. He thought.

"Don't worry." Sharpner smirked. "It'll only take a minute, then you can go home to your mommy." He mocked. He was going to teach this loser a lesson he'd never forget.

Gohan thought for a moment. "Well… Alright. I guess if it's only for a minute."

"Heh, perfect. See you then Geekhan."

"Sure thing, Sharpnerd." This made the blonde go red, but he continued out the door.

Alright! Already on nickname basis. Kid's in my age group sure are weird though. I thought 'nerd' and 'geek' were insults. Guess not.

The rest of the day went by like normal. Gohan paid attention in class and took detailed notes like usual. He was pretty excited that he was starting to make more friends.

Word had gotten around that Sharpner, the boxing clubs ace captain, had challenged a first year to a fight after school. When they found out the first year was Gohan, the reactions were split. The boys, especially the first years, were upset that Gohan had caught the attention of most of the female students. They really wanted to see Sharpner give the upstart a beating. The Girls themselves were also split on the matter. Most of the first years were solidly in Gohans camp. However, Sharpner had his own little fan club and they adored him no matter what. In their minds, if he was going to beat up some nerd, then he must have a good reason.

Whether they were for Sharpner or not, everyone in the Junior high division of the school was eager to see the fight. (Except Gohan, who still didn't know it was a fight.)

When the final bell rang, Gohan made his way to the boxing room. He had spent his free time coming up with jokes, the majority he had heard from his dad. He really wanted to impress his potential new friends. When he walked into the club room He was astounded, not just by how big the room was, but by how many people were in it. It seemed like the entire school was in the club. I guess boxing's really popular.

Gohan made his way to the center of the room where he saw the older blonde boy. He was in his boxing shorts and wearing gloves. Gohan figured he probably had practice after this.

"I see you showed up." Sneered the blonde.

"Yup!" Gohan responded. "I gotta say, I didn't think there would be this many members of the boxing club."

"You dolt! They aren't in the club. They came for the show." Sharpner bumped his gloves together.

Gohan gulped. A show? I didn't know I was supposed to do a whole comedy routine!

"Let's get started." The blonde started hopping up and down, which Gohan thought was odd.

"Alright, you asked for it." Gohan readied himself. "Why… DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD!?"

Everyone in the crowd was confused. Sharpner stopped moving. One of the boys, who accompanied Sharpner earlier, spoke up. "To get to the other side?"

"NO, BECAUSE IT WAS TO FAR TO FLY!" Gohan told the punch line while holding up a fist.

To his surprise nobody laughed.

Man, that always killed when dad told it. Did I say it right?

"Ok, How about this one? What's the difference between a jeweler and a jailer? One sells watches, the other watches cells!" Again crickets. The crowd didn't have a clue what was going on. Wasn't there supposed to be a fight?

Meanwhile, in otherworld, King Kai was rolling on the ground laughing.

"Hey, King kai, what's so funny?" Goku stopped his training to ask about the Kais' strange behavior.

"Oh, it's nothing Goku, I just heard a funny joke." The blue Kai replied.

Back on earth

Oh man, thought Gohan. I… I've never felt pressure like this. I can't give up! One last chance.

"What's the difference between a Piano and…"

"WHY ARE YOU TELLING CORNY DAD JOKES!?" Sharpner finally yelled.

"Um, well didn't you want me to come hear so you could see how funny I was?" Gohan was very confused now. Didn't they like his jokes?

"NO! I CALLED YOU HERE TO FIGHT! WHY WOULD I WANT TO HEAR YOUR LAME JOKES!?" Sharpner was furious that the kid was making a mockery of his challenge.

"Wait, why would you want to fight me? I offered you my eraser." Gohan said as if that act had sealed their bond for life.

"WHO CARES ABOUT SOME STUPID ERASER! I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU UP BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN TRYING TO MOVE IN ON MY GIRLFRIEND! I'M GOING TO TEACH YOU A LESSON!"

Gohan was rather disappointed. "So, you don't want to be friends?"

"NO!" The blonde tried to calm himself down. "Why would anyone want to be friends with a nerd like you?"

Gohans' eyes narrowed as he glared at the other boy. In that moment, he realized something. Space tyrants and bug men weren't the only kinds of bullies. "So, you're trying to beat me up for something I didn't even do? I don't know who your girlfriend is but I know that you're just a bully. But fine, I'm not going to fight you, but your welcomed to give me your best shot."

"Hah! your funeral." Sharpner dashed towards the boy, and many girls in Gohans' fan club screamed. Sharpner unleashed a fearsome volley of lightning fast punches. It was no wonder he was considered the ace of the boxing club. Too bad his fists hit nothing but air.

Gohan had his feet planted and was moving his head and torso just enough to avoid the boxers' punches. Every student watching was in awe at this display. Nobody had expected the shy, brainy kid to be able to move like that. It looked like he wasn't even trying, which he wasn't. Sure, he could have just stood there and taken the hits, it's not like they would hurt, but Gohan didn't want people to suspect anything weird about him. The only reason he didn't just leave was this guy needed to be taught a lesson.

Sharpner was getting tired and frustrated. He was the best fighter in the school! (Minus Videl.) How could this nerd be dodging his best combinations? He threw a wide hook at Gohans' chin in desperation. Gohan leaned back and, as the fist was passing, tapped the back of it. The force Gohan added to the momentum of the punch caused his opponent to spin around like a tornado. When the boy stopped spinning, he had a silly look on his face as he staggered around and finally, fell to the ground.

Gohan just shook his head. He hoped this would teach the blonde some humility. Although, he didn't think everyone would be too happy that he bested a so called "popular kid". He figured that he'd pretty much blown his shot at making new friends. But, as he turned around and walked through the exit, something unexpected happened. The Crowd erupted in cheers.

"Wow Son, that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

"Where'd you learn to fight like that!?"

"He should totally join the Boxing club!"

"Are you kidding! He belongs in the Karate club!"

"Wow, he's sooo dreamy!"

Gohan got mobbed by the crowd as they tried to convince him to join the various sports teams. Panicking, he ran.

More than one person had their eyes on the boy as he exited the room, but one blonde girl in particular eyed him with a keen interest. Gohans' quiet school life was about to come to an end.

Break

The next day, Gohans' experience at school changed. Normally he would walk through the halls and the boys would give him mean looks while the girls would giggle as he passed. Today, though, everyone came up and said hello to him. They asked him how he was doing and even invited him to eat lunch with them. A couple of the students even offered Gohan the latest volume of a popular manga, "Tiger Cube X". Apparently, it had a lot of martial arts and was based on the classic tale "Sojourn from the East." Gohan had never even heard of the manga, but he took it to be polite.

"It's the least we could do after what you did to that 3rd year." A kid with glasses said.

"Yeah, he was always harassing us during lunch because we were playing our 'Yu-Ki-Mo' card game." A kid with a buzz cut added.

"After the lesson you taught him, I bet he wont mess with us nerds anymore."

Gohan was overwhelmed. He had never received this much attention before. Part of him was actually enjoying it. He was glad that he stood up to Sharpner. He knew being popular wasn't the most important thing in the world, but he was getting tired of everyone keeping their distance from him. Of course, what happened later made him wish he could just disappear.

It was the end of fifth period and the bell had rung to go to the next class. He was packing up his things when a blonde girl walked into the classroom and sat on top of his desk.

"Hey there, cutie." The girl winked at him.

Gohan wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Um…hey?"

"Oh right, sorry. The names Erasa."

"Oh…" So, Sharpner was saying 'Erasa' not 'eraser'. That made way more sense. Gohan had been wondering about that. "I guess your angry about what happened yesterday." Gohan could guess she was here to yell at him for making her boyfriend look stupid. But her reply surprised him.

"No, not really. Sharpner and I were never going out. We've known each other since we were, like, really little. He just likes to be a drama queen about everything." She explained.

Gohan relaxed a little. At least this girl wasn't going to cause a scene.

"Besides, even if he was my BF, I wouldn't be mad at you. You saved my life after all."

"What? When did I save your life?" Gohan couldn't remember seeing this girl before. What was she talking about?

"Don't play dumb." Then she leaned closer and whispered in Gohans' ear. "I know you're the Gold fighter."

Gohans' eyes bulged out. "Wh-what!? I'm not the Gold fighter!" He was definitely in panic mode.

"Don't worry, your secrets safe with me." She winked at him again.

"Look," Gohan started, trying to remain calm. "I'm not the Gold fighter. I mean isn't he supposed to have gold hair and blue eyes? That doesn't sound like me at all." He tried to convince her but she wasn't buying.

"Yeah, that threw me off at first, but I know of a few ways people can change their appearance. Hair dye or a wig would work for the hair, the eyes could be colored contact lenses. I've seen him up close, and you and he have the exact same face. Not to mention you were enrolled in the intergalactic tournament. The very tournament where the Gold fighter helped Mr. Satan fight those aliens."

"Hey, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not the Gold fighter!" Gohan was vehemently trying to persuade this girl to leave him be. He started cramming his stuff in his bag so he could leave.

"You know, yesterday actually clinched it for me." She put a finger to her chin. "There isn't a kid alive that could put the moves on Sharpner like you did. Even Videl isn't that good. But what really did it for me was the look in your eyes."

She stared seriously at Gohan. "You had that same look when you rescued me and my friends from that gang of thugs. It's like you channeled justice or something like that."

Gohan tried one more time. "Look, I'm sorry but I'm really not the…"

"Deny it all you want but I know it's you. And if you run away from me now, I'll just tell everyone you're the Gold fighter. I doubt that's what you want, right?"

Gohan sagged his shoulders in defeat. "What do you want?"

"An interview." She said simply.

"What?" Gohan asked in disbelief. "Why would you want to interview me? You already say you know I'm the Gold fighter."

"Yes, but there is so much more to the story." Erasa said excitedly. "Like where did you come from? How did you get your powers? Why the blonde hair and blue eyes? I want to know everything. I promise I will not reveal anything I learn without your permission."

"But why? You said if I give you the interview the you won't tell anyone. So what's the point of knowing all that stuff if you aren't going to tell anyone?"

"Come on Gohan, you're a smart boy." She grinned. "You should know that knowledge is power. What people know, or don't know, can make all the difference in the world. Information is the greatest power on earth. That's why militaries invest so much in the intelligence field."

Gohan gave her a strange look. "So, are you planning on taking over the world or something?"

This made her laugh. "Of course not, I just like to be well informed is all. And don't forget, you do me this little favor and I'll never bother you again, probably. So, what do you say? Can I have my interview?"

Gohan thought a long time about this. She was staring at him waiting patiently. "Sorry, I can't. We have class now." He got up and congratulated himself on a good excuse.

"No prob, we can do it after school." She countered

"Sorry, no can do. I've been grounded and I have to go straight home." Once again, Gohan patted himself on the back for a well-executed excuse.

"How long are you grounded for?" She wasn't giving up that easy.

"Who can say?" Gohan shrugged. "My mom is very strict." For once, Gohan was grateful that his mom provided him with such a solid excuse.

"That's alright. I can wait."

They stared each other down. Gohan broke first.

"Well, I don't really have much of a choice, do I?"

"None whatsoever." Erasa replied cheerfully.

"Fine, I'll do the interview. Now can I go?" Gohan wasn't used to losing. He didn't care for it much.

"Yup!" she wiggled her fingers at him as a goodbye. Then she hopped off the desk to leave

What an evil woman!

End chapter.

Omake

Piccolo landed outside the Son house and walked towards Gohans' window. He knew the kid was grounded, and he didn't want to risk the wrath of Chichi, but he wanted to update him with Hercules' flight training.

He tapped on the window but there was no answer. He tapped again a little louder. "Hey Gohan, It's me, Piccolo." Still no answer. He opened the window and peered inside. He saw that the room was empty, aside from Gohans' book bag, sitting open on the bed. Piccolo figured that his pupil was home and would likely be back in his room soon, so he climbed through the window and waited for him to come back.

He looked around and saw something sticking out of the book bag that caught his eye. He reached out and picked it up. It was a picture book. "Huh, I didn't think Gohan was into this kinda thing." He flipped through the pages. "I gotta admit, the artwork is pretty cool." He sat down and started reading.

20 minutes later…

"Heh, this Fife character's pretty Bad-A. I hope he shows up more later."

40 minutes later…

"HAHAHA! YES! I love how they let him kill his rival while somehow making it moral! Good for you Fife! Woku had it coming!"

An hour later…

*Sob* "To save that little runt he…" *Sniff* "He sacrificed himself." *cry* "That was so beautiful! Good job Fife. You're one of the good guys now. Man! How are they making me feel this much!?"

From that day forward, Piccolo got every new copy of the manga Tiger Cube X.

Omake 2

"Alright ladies, today I'm going to teach you how to make Chichis' famous chili." Chichi had Zangya and 18 lined up, wearing aprons and bandanas.

18 raised her hand.

"Yes, 18?" The Son matron asked.

"Why are we doing this?" Chichi had somehow managed to get both women into these outfits and 18 still wasn't sure how.

"Look, I'm fine with you coming over to see Zangya, but since she's grounded, I thought we could do something constructive. So, I'm taking you girls under my wing." Chichi waved a wooden spoon as she spoke.

"Right. So, why am I doing this?" 18 rephrased her question.

Chichi scowled. "Listen! If you want to be alone for the rest of your life, without a husband your welcomed to leave. I'm just trying to make sure you girls are prepared for when you meet yourself a nice man. It's important for a wife to know her way around the kitchen after all." Chichi finished with a smile.

18 rolled her eyes. "Oh, puh-lease. That way of thinking is so outdated. Who would want to spend all their time slaving away for some guy? Sounds like a waste of time to me. Chichi, you need to step into the 700s."

Chichi narrowed her eyes.

*SMACK* *SMACK*

Chichi folded her arms as she grinned evilly. Both Zangya and 18 were crouched down, rubbing the tops of their heads.

"OW! Geez, what is that spoon made of?" said 18, nursing a bump on her head.

"I didn't even say anything. Why did I get hit?" Zangya said meekly as tears streamed down her face from the pain.

"Right. Any other questions? Comments, concerns? No? good!" Chichis' evil grin was replaced with a gentle smile. "Now, the first step to make a good chili…"

One chili recipe later

*BOOOOOM*

Chichi looked around at her kitchen walls, now covered in meat and tomato sauce. She looked at the two perpetrators of the mess. The 2 girls had their hands behind their backs and were looking down.

Chichi sighed.

"Well, that was a decent first attempt. Now let's try it again, maybe this time we don't use the senzu beans, ok Zangya?"

End omakes.

A/N: Next chapter coming soon. The Jade emperor approaches!

I hope you liked the omakes. I've been thinking of them for a while. Piccolo seems like the type that would appreciate a good manga/anime. Thanks again for reading and reviewing. I'll keep trying to update as fast as I can.