Chapter 3
Gohan teleported directly to Capsule Corp. He needed advice on how to convince his mother, and he had no idea where to start. He figured the best place to start would be asking the only woman who was just as hard-headed as his mother.
He explained the situation to Bulma, and as he finished up, Bulma lit a cigarette and leaned back in her chair to think about it.
"I feel like youre making this more complicated than it is Gohan. It's not like youre being blackmailed by this girl. You either lie to her and tell her your mom said no, or you actually ask your mom." Bulma said with a shrug as Gohan's face fell flat. That was not the advice he was expecting.
"Well let's say this, it's actually something I want to do, so I've got to ask my mom. How do you think I should go about that?" Gohan asked, hoping for better advice.
Before she could even start a deep voice entered the room, "What kind of warrior needs permission from his mother! It's pathetic!" Vegeta's gravelly voice ridiculed as Gohan rolled his eyes.
"Me, mine. I know you haven't interacted with my mother lately, but she is terrifying when you go against her wishes!" Gohan exclaimed as the Saiyan Prince scoffed at the boy.
"I dont know why you even want to bother with that tournament of weaklings. If you want a good fight, you can just come to me and i'll knock some sense into that halfbreed head of yours." Vegeta taunted, looking for a decent fight himself.
Gohan glared, "Videl asked me to enter and I promised to at least ask my mother. I'll put you in the ground any day of the week." Gohan retorted as Vegeta chuckled.
"So it's a girl then? You want to enter because of a girl." Vegeta asked rhetorically as he began full on laughing. Before Gohan could make any reply, Vegeta stopped and scowled, "Just fuck her and get it over with."
Gohan's face contorted in disgust, "It isn't like that Vegeta, she's just a friend!" Gohan exclaimed as Vegeta turned to walk out of the room.
Goh gave an exasperated sigh as an otherworldly voice popped in, "Ooh, does Gohan have a girlfriend?" the voice taunted. Vegeta froze in place as he spun around, "And Vegeta, I wouldn't count the competition out just yet. Especially considering i'll be entering the tournament as well." the voice stated as Vegeta smirked.
"Dad? Is that really you?" Gohan asked as the voice let out a hearty chuckle.
"Yep it's me. I talked to Fortune Teller Baba, she told me I have a day saved up to come back to the living realm. When I heard King Kai say that you planned on entering the tournament, I decided that would be a great day to come back." Goku explained from Otherworld, where he spent the last seven years. "And don't worry about your mother. I'll explain it to her myself." Goku stated as Gohan smiled.
He could remember the last time his father had to explain the training for the Androids, and it ended with Goku knocking his wife through a wall by accident.
Gohan smiled at the memory as he looked up to where he imagined his father to be talking from, "That sounds good dad, but I think I got it from here now that I know youre coming back for a day." Gohan said happily, as Goku nodded in the afterlife.
"If you insist, still, don't be surprised if I pop into the conversation." Goku laughed as Gohan put his fingers to his forehead to prepare to teleport home. As Gohan disappeared, Vegeta stepped forward with his devilish smile. "Go ahead Vegeta, make a comment. I know you want to." Goku anticipated.
"It's good to hear from you Kakarot." Vegeta stated bittersweetly, throwing Bulma and Goku for a loop, "I've been waiting for a chance to settle the score. And if we have two months, you better get to training." Vegeta demanded as he turned back to head to the gravity room, "I'll be awfully disappointed if you've grown soft in your years in Otherworld."
Goku smirked confidently, "You wish Vegeta. I've got a trick or two up my sleeve." he responded as he bid Capsule Corp farewell.
Videl laid in bed that night. She had searched the whole park after Gohan disappeared and she was trying to work out exactly how he did it.
"Of course he had to do it on a Friday too, I can't ask him anything until Monday!" She exclaimed in annoyance as she sat up to stare out her bedroom into the night sky. He was unlike any other person she had ever met. Gentle natured, a soothing presence, but the look on his face when he was fighting Sharpener was so confident and calculating. There was something reassuring about it, where if you were in the heat of battle, one look from him would make you believe everything would be alright.
She shook her head and looked at the clock on her nightstand. '3:38AM' it read as she sighed. She's had longer days on less sleep, and it is the weekend. She decided to head down to her father's gym and get a workout in.
As she approached the doors to the gym, she heard noises coming from inside. Her father must have had the same thought. She poked her head in and saw her father surrounded by several of his students as they all went at him at the same time.
He blocked a kick and a punch from two of his students with his arms as he dodged a hook punch towards his face from a third student. He knocked the two students away as he grabbed the third and suplexed him into the mat.
The Champ hopped to his feet and and awaited the next volley of attacks when he noticed his daughter standing by the door. He stood to his full height, "Time out guys." He said as he let out a deep breath.
He walked over to his daughter with a smile, "Hey Sweet Pea! Couldn't sleep?" He asked with concern as she nodded in response.
"Figured I would come do a little training for the tournament. Didn't think you would be down here, you aren't normally up this early." Videl pointed out as Hercule let out a boisterous laugh.
"Well I just got back from a promotional tour for the tournament and figured I would get a little training in before bed. HAHAHAHA" He stated with his trademark laugh. "Was even thinking that I would talk the officials into switching up the final round this year. Make it more interesting for the fans, y'know?"
Videl looked beyond him and made a quick deduction, "Sounds like a plan. It won't save you from facing me though daddy." Videl challenged as her father let out a boisterous and sincere laugh.
"That's what I like to hear sweet pea! Keep that energy for the ring!" Mr. Satan belted out as he turned back to his students. Videl decided to exit the gym, her father knew her moves already, so she didnt want to try any new moves in front if him.
She wished she had gotten Gohan's address from him though. 'Then again, he said he lives in the 439 area of Mt. Paozu, how many people could live in that area anyway?' Videl thought to herself as she returned to her room to search the internet for the Mt. Paozu area.
When she arrived in her room, a figure drenched in a dark cloak stood with his face covered by shadow. He held a picture of Videl's mother and stood as still as a statue.
"HEY! PUT THAT DOWN!" Videl ordered as she dropped into her stance and prepared to pounce on the cloaked figure. As she leapt forward she stuck her foot out to aim a high kick at his head, only for her to pass completely through his body. When she landed off balance, she did her best to turn and see the figure, only to be met with what seemed like a hologram that was slowly fading away.
She looked back and forth but couldn't find the intruder anymore. She looked to the left and was met with darkness and then turned to the right and was met with the broad, bare chest sculpted like the greek gods. She looked up to meet Gohan's concerned eyes.
"Are you alright Videl? I felt your energy spike from my home." Gohan asked as Videl continued looking Gohan up and down. She saw his muscles in his Gi in the fight against Sharpener, but now against the soft light of early morning sunrise, she blushed at thoughts entering her head.
She shook her head and sighed, "I'm fine, I thought I saw someone in my room. But I can't find any evidence. My mind must be playing tricks." Videl explained as she looked at the spot the cloaked man stood. The framed picture of her mom was right back where she kept it, not even remotely askew.
Gohan scanned the room with his senses, trying to pick up a trace of foreign energy, but couldn't find any. Videl raised her head as she realized the weird phrasing Gohan used to explain his presence. She whipped around to meet his gaze, which was fairly serious for only a moment before he met her eyes with a contagious cheerful look.
"What do you mean you felt my energy spike? What does that even mean?" Videl asked incredulously as Gohan gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Well, the best way I can explain it is like a bat's echolocation. Living things are always sending out a pulse of their own energy as long as theyre alive. Through training your own energy, you can learn to sense other people's energy signals because your energy is bouncing of their energy and being sent back to you." Gohan explained as Videl nodded in a slight understanding.
"Okay, but maybe you can explain to me what you mean by energy?" Videl asked in slight annoyance as it seemed like Gohan just expected her to understand without context.
Gohan sighed, as he forgot her father made the other half of his career shaming and criticizing the martial artists of old as mere tricksters and magicians.
"You would know them as tricks I suppose. But despite what your father has declared, energy, also known as Ki, is life energy. Some martial artists learned how to control their own ki and turn it into a destructive technique." Gohan tried to keep it simple, but it seemed difficult without a demonstration.
"If it's not a trick, why can't my father, the strongest man in the world use it?" Videl asked accusingly as Gohan smirked.
"Well actually he does. While some martial artists have been able to make their ki a physical force, almost every martial artist has strengthened their ki enough to use it subconciously in a fight." Gohan stated, "Have you ever seen a fight where your father started moving faster than he normally does, especially after being worn out from the fight?" he asked as Videl thought.
"Well, yeah, but most people would just call that a second wind." Videl pointed out.
"It is and it isn't. He may not have known he was using it, but he called on his life force to give him a slight boost in energy. The same people might say it's the adrenaline the allows a parent to lift a car off their child, and it's the same thing, though not consciously used." Gohan explained with excitement as Videl seemed to be absorbing the information with an open mind.
'It might be easier to teach her ki control than I thought.' He thought with high hopes.
Videl mulled the idea over for a minute, "If he can't consciously use this energy, does that mean he isn't as strong as those who can? That's impossible, isn't it?" Videl asked as Gohan shrugged.
"It's awfully presumptuous to believe that you've reached the top of the chain just because you were named the champ, isn't it? My father's teacher literally entered the tournament in disguise the same years that my father entered just to try and teach his students that there will always be someone stronger out there." Gohan retorted as Videl thought about it.
It did make sense. After all, history taught them of great existensial threats continuously arising. The Red Ribbon Army, King Piccolo, the aliens that attacked East City when she was a little girl, and then Cell.
"Alright, let's say I believe you. If youre such an expert on ki control, show me." Videl demanded as Gohan chuckled, he supposed that was inevitable, and he did promise to train her.
Gohan nodded, "Fine by me, just take my hand." he said as he held his hand out to his classmate. Both of the teenagers held a blush as she took his hand and Gohan put two fingers to his forehead. In seconds, they appeared on a misty mountain range overlooking a forest as the sun rose.
Videl let go of Gohan's hand as she stepped forward and marvelled at the view of this wondrous landscape. "H-how'd we get here?" Her voice trembled as she looked over at Gohan who smiled at her.
"It's a trick, isn't it?" Gohan answered facetiously as Videl glared at him before it melted into a smile. Despite the amazing feat he had just performed, she was enamored by the landscape.
"Alright Gohan, it's pretty cool, but is that the demonstration, or is there more?" Videl asked in a challenging tone, causing Gohan to smirk.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is, if you'd sit." Gohan stated as he motioned to a spot on the ground across from where he was lowering himself to the ground.
Videl sat as Gohan held out his hands parallel to each other. "Hold your hands out like this." Gohan ordered as Videl quirked an eyebrow at him. Gohan noticed and smiled, "I'm not only going to prove that I can do it, but that anyone can do it. Now hold your hands out." Gohan asked as Videl followed his orders.
"Good, now close your eyes and relax yourself as you search for the core of your energy. Your ki flows throughout your entire body, but there is a source that it flows from." Gohan explained as Videl closed her eyes and started breathing deeply.
She had no clue how long it took, but she began to feel something flowing through her body, as if it had always been there but she was trained to forget. "Once you feel it, you can slowly move it around your body. Regulate how it moves within you. Send more energy to your arms or legs." Gohan stated as he felt her energy spread through her body fairly evenly.
Videl moved it around and pushed it from one end of her body to the other. Eventually it seemed to spread throughout her entire body and she felt her entire body begin to surge in strength. Gohan felt this as well and smiled.
"I'd say now is a good time for a break." Gohan stated as Videl opened her eyes in shock.
"What do you mean, it's only been an hour or two, hasn't it?" Videl asked as Gohan smiled mysteriously. She looked at her surroundings and realised that the sun was high in the sky, indicating early afternoon. "What? How?" she asked as Gohan helped her to her feet.
"Meditation is incredibly powerful. Especially done properly, it will restore your energy, or in your case unlock it, and help you feel more powerful. While it may feel like an hour or two, it could be 6 or 7. In your case, eight hours." Gohan explained as Videl's eyes bulged out in surprise.
"I've been here for eight hours! My father must be having a fit right about now!!" Videl yelled as she rushed to grab her phone and call to let her dad know she was alright, expecting hundreds of calls from him, only to find there wasn't a single call or text.
She felt a little hurt, but she thought that maybe he was just busy training for the tournament.
After a quick lunch, the two teenagers returned to that same spot as Gohan led Videl back into a medititative state.
"Now that your ki is more efficiently flowing through you, tell it to exit your finger tips and form a ball." Gohan instructed, as a ball of energy formed between his hands. "Like so."
Videl looked on in amazement. The ball of energy that formed was so bright and she felt an actual heat coming from it. She couldn't believe it was real, but there it was in front of her.
She sat back and followed his instruction, hoping to recreate the results faster than eight hours.
Time began passing as she grew increasingly frustrated. She opened her eyes to see the sun beginning to set and she let a sigh out.
She stood up, "I'm beat Gohan, I can't do this the same way you can." She said in a defeated tone as Gohan frowned.
"Nonsense, you were actually very close!" Gohan attempted to reassure his friend as she raised a hand to stop him.
"I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I dont have any more time tonight. I need to get home, we've been at it all day." Videl stated as Gohan looked at the slowly setting sun.
"You're right, you need some rest. What if you came back tomorrow to try again?" Gohan offered as Videl smiled. He seemed determined to not give up on her, and she wasn't one to give up so easily anyway.
"If you'd like to come pick me up again, then absolutely. Now," she held her hand out this time, a blush covered her cheeks, " if you could take me home please." she requested as Gohan grabbed her hand and the two teleported back to her room.
Videl scanned the room, making sure the cloaked figure from earlier wasn't around. Curious as to who exactly it was, and why they were here. Gohan noticed this and put his hands on her shoulders. "Youre okay, I checked the whole house. Everything feels the same now as it did earlier." He said with his trademark gentle smile.
Videl nodded as she sat at her desk, "If there was someone here, they seemed interested in my mom's picture." Videl stated looking at the picture, "Almost like they knew who she was. Does that sound crazy?" Videl asked as Gohan shook his head.
"No, the world is vast. It's always possible that she knew people you never had the opportunity to meet." Gohan stated as he looked at the picture, "You look exactly like her, excluding the dark eyes, the resemblance is spot on." Gohan complimented as she smiled at that.
"That's what everyone says. I think it's the dark eyes that throws me from seeing it." Videl smiled sadly as she laid her head down, suddenly feeling exhausted from the long day of training. "I'll see you tomorrow Gohan." Videl said through a yawn as she fell asleep.
Gohan was shocked to see her so casually fall asleep at that desk, but he brushed it off, assuming it wasn't the first time. He took another look at her picture of her mom before teleporting home.
Over the course of the next few weeks, Gohan and Videl would train together to work on her ki control. It didn't take quite as long as Gohan thought it would. She seemed to take to it like a duck to water.
There was less than 2 weeks until the tournament, and Videl felt ready for the tournament, more than ever.
She looked across at her unexpected mentor and frowned. Despite the last month and a half, she didn't want it to end. But she had to step away and work on some new solo techniques so that she could surprise him, should the two of them battle in the tournament.
She just wasn't sure how to tell him. Gohan sat in a meditative state, so at peace with the world around him. Videl could feel some of his power radiating from him, but she also felt like he may just be holding back and only allowing her to feel it enough where she feels evenly matched with him.
Gohan could feel turmoil within his friend and opened one eye to see her standing awkwardly a slight distance away. Gohan had trouble denying that he started to feel an emotional attraction to his friend. But he was able to use his meditation to keep those feelings at bay.
Unfortunately, feeling any negative emotion coming from Videl distracted him severely, "Something on your mind Videl?" He asked, worried that she had some sort of bad news.
"Er-Well, yeah. I can't come over to train anymore." Videl stated as Gohan fell to the ground in surprise. He wasn't expecting bad news like that.
"What? Why is that?" Gohan asked sadly as Videl rushed to his side, not expecting him to fall out of the air.
Videl smiled, "It's nothing to do with you or your training. It's just that, I hope for a chance to fight you in the tournament." Videl explained as Gohan quirked a confused eyebrow at her. She could see the cogs in his brain working.
Gohan let out a sigh in realization, "I get it. You dont want me to be able to anticipate your attacks because of all our training together. But does that mean you have to stop coming out this way?" Gohan asked hopefully as Videl blushed. Was he actually admitting that he enjoyed her company?
She gave a sly grin, "What's the matter Gohan? You gonna miss me?" She said, her grin turning into a smirk as she noticed that Gohan blushed heavily.
She laughed and leaned in, "Maybe we'll hangout again before the tournament." She said sweetly and gave a small peck on his cheek as she stood up to walk away, hiding an immense blush as she couldn't believe what she just did.
Without another word, she took off into the afternoon sky, leaving a dumbfounded Gohan, holding his cheek gently as he realized a heavy word applied to how he felt. He blushed at the notion.
End Chapter
A/N: Okay, so I know I rushed that, but I couldn't write an extra chapter or 2 to show them falling slowly in love over the course of that month and a half, could I? ... okay, maybe I will in a separate story, that ties into this one.
Regardless, the next chapter will be arrivals at the tournament.
If you haven't figured it out yet, this is an AU where Gohan never stopped training, but did slow down a bit. I would still classify him as the strongest in the universe, even above Vegeta with his non-stop training, but Gohan isn't in top form. He may edge out in raw strength, but his actual combat skills are rusty.
I apologize for the tardiness of this chapter, I haven't had much time to write chapter 4. Busy with work and home life. I am finally on a decent swing with chapter 4, and a good amount into it.
Anyway, please Read and Review.