Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Edited By: StevenBodner and SparkerLightning

A/N: Please, feel free to fill in whatever songs you think are a part of the "Ass-Kicking Mix".

Chapter 147: Prom Night, Pt. 1

Satan City, the middle of March…

"Hyah!" Videl thrust her foot forward and slammed it into the sternum of a club-wielding bank robber. The weapon flew from the fool's hand and clattered onto the sidewalk behind him. Videl didn't let up, rushing forward and slamming him under the jaw with a furious palm thrust.

On the sidelines, behind a row of cop cars, Akai Tomato was dressed in a peppy cheerleader uniform and making a fool of herself. "GO, VIDEL, GO! GO, VIDEL, GO! TAKE OUT ALL THOSE ROBBERS AND LAND THE FINAL BLOW!"

The police captain sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "This is humiliating, Commissioner. Can't you behave for-"

The radio clipped to the captain's lapel buzzed and squawked out an updated bulletin. "ALL UNITS BE ADVISED! GREAT SAIYAMAN HAS BEEN SPOTTED ON HIS SAIYA-CYCLE, ROUNDING THE CORNER OF SATAN BOULEVARD AND MAIN. HE IS APPROACHING THE HOSTILE AREA."

Tomato smiled wide and called out. "You hear that, Videl?! Saiyaman is coming! Isn't it romantic?!"

Videl scowled. "Quit shipping me with a complete stranger!"

She turned and kicked a crook in the side of the head, sending them skidding across the concrete. Videl huffed to herself and charged another bank robber, burning fury in her eyes. "Damned meddling Saiyaman! I don't need him! He just needs to take off that stupid helmet, reveal who he is, and then screw off!"

Videl leapt into the area, stomping down on the crook's face and smashing them against the side of their getaway van. She picked up the robber and then shoulder-heaved him into the crook behind the wheel of the van, knocking them both out of the vehicle and into a heap on the other side. Videl cracked her knuckles and started to round the van. "Okay, morons! I wanna wrap this up before Saiyaman gets here! Now, I heard there were five of you, so-"

Videl rounded the van and gasped as the fifth robber immediately pulled the trigger. "Die, you stupid brat!"

*BANG!*

Videl fell to the ground with a dull, heavy flop. The police gathered all gasped in horror. Akai Tomato dropped her pom-poms with a gasp.

His bike screeching to a stop, the Great Saiyaman's jaw dropped in pure, agonized distress. He cried out in a voice that the fading Videl thought she recognized. As he approached, her eyes fluttered shut.

Satan City General Hospital…

Gohan, Erasa, and Sharpner pulled up to the E.R. wing of Satan City hospital in Sharpner's car. Sharpner pulled right up to the door and turned to Gohan. "Hey, you and Erasa head on in and see what's up. I'll be right behind you once I find a parking space."

Gohan nodded. "R-Right."

He turned and looked at Erasa in the back seat. She had been uncharacteristically quiet ever since Gohan had returned and told her what had happened. It took reasoning from both Gohan and Sharpner to convince her not to run out of school and straight to the hospital right there and then. But they eventually talked her down.

As Sharpner pulled up to the E.R. entrance, he noticed a massive crowd of people gathered around another car sitting in the driveway. Sharpner cocked his head. "What the…?"

His question was answered as the sliding doors to the emergency room whooshed open and Mr. Satan and Hiki Komori came marching out. Mr. Satan had the hood to his sweatshirt up, making it impossible to see his face. Miss Komori looked angry and frustrated. As the first reporter came forward, microphone at the ready, Miss Komori tripped him with her cane. The reporter fell to the ground and a domino effect occurred, sending all of the others crashing down as well.

Mr. Satan was loaded into the car and Miss Komori called out. "We will not be fielding questions at this time! Furthermore, any attempts to bother Videl in the midst of her recovery will be met with swift, legal action! You have been warned!"

As Miss Komori began to climb into the driver's seat, to speed her boss away from the gathering vultures, she briefly locked eyes with Gohan and Sharpner. The moment was brief, but Miss Komori simply nodded to the two of them and pointed toward the hospital. Then she was in her car and speeding away as several more obstinate tabloidists tried to run after on foot.

Totally overlooked, Gohan took advantage of the moment to hop out of the car. He grabbed Erasa's hand and helped her out of the backseat. "We'll wait for you in the lobby, Sharpner."

Sharpner nodded. "Gotcha.

Upstairs, the post-surgical recovery wing…

Videl was laying in her hospital bed, softly snoring in a deep doze. In spite of the pain, the hospital drugs were actually helping her get some of the best sleep of her recent years. And she was enjoying it well, even in spite of the heated argument of just a few moments ago.

But even a comfortable rest couldn't dull Videl's innate senses. She heard her hospital door slide upon in her mostly unconscious state and was up and alert before she heard it clatter shut.

The curtain surrounding her bed shifted just a little and the lovely, worried face of Erasa popped in. Erasa sighed. "She's not naked, guys."

The curtain was drawn back, but Sharpner and Gohan still kept their faces tightly covered.

In spite of the circumstances, Videl couldn't help but smile. She called out. "Guys, it's fine! I'm wearing a hospital johnny."

The two of them finally looked and there was Videl. She was indeed covered up by a standard hospital johnny. Her hair was undone and flowing down behind her back. An uneaten hospital lunch sat on her bedside table alongside a bottle of water and a half-drunk can of orange juice. One arm sat in her lap, the other was drawn up in a sling.

Most of Videl was covered, but her left shoulder was not. It was tightly wrapped in post-surgical bandage and gauze, with a small semi-circle of red already starting to seep through. Gohan caught sight of her medical chart on the end of her bed.

"POST-SURGICAL CARE. GSW TO LEFT SHOULDER. CLEAN AND DISINFECT AREA AND CHECK STITCHES EVERY 6 HRS."

Videl smiled beatifically at her friends. "You guys didn't have to come all of this way right after school. What about your career studies?"

Erasa flinched, but simply shook her head. "I called Miss Lazuli and she told me to take a couple days off."

Gohan shrugged. "Professor Carmine doesn't care."

Sharpner was already pulling two chairs forward for him and Gohan to sit in. "I can practice baseball any time."

Both boys sat down. Erasa, meanwhile, sat on the hospital bed next to the outlines of Videl's feet. A small, uncomfortable silence filled the room as no one really had any idea what to say.

In the face of overwhelming silence, Videl seemed to shrink. She gripped and ungripped a massive handful of her blanket, waiting for someone to speak. Finally, she spoke. "I'm glad none of you are yelling at me. Between my father and Hiki, I think I'm pretty scolded out for today, if you know what I mean."

Gohan silently swallowed a lump in his throat and looked from Videl to Erasa and back. In these few short weeks of "dating" these two at the same time, he'd pretty much gotten down how to read them both without having to ask many details. He knew that Erasa, even though she hadn't said anything, was at her wits end. A big part of her wanted to scold Videl silly. But Erasa simply closed her eyes for a moment and then turned to Videl. "Are you going to be out in time for prom?"

Videl gasped, her eyes going wide. "Oh crap! Prom! Wh-When is that?!"

Erasa crossed her arms. "It's next Friday. Do you think you'll be out in time?"

Videl breathed a sigh of relief. "Y-Yeah. I'm going to be discharged this Friday. So, that shouldn't be an issue. Thank God…"

Erasa nodded. "Do you have a dress and everything set up? If you do, it's not going to be too tight on your shoulder, is it?"

Videl shook her head. "Strapless. Can't stand dresses that loop over my shoulders. Feels weird."

Erasa smiled. "Good. Gohan has been nice enough to agree to take both of us while we figure this whole relationship thing out. It would be a shame to flake on him over something incredibly stupid like this."

Sharpner coughed into his fist. Gohan shuddered.

Videl seemed to not hear the shade that was thrown her way, nodding in agreement. "You're right. So I'll make sure that I'm taking it easy and not doing anything to exacerbate the problem. You can surely expect me to be there, Gohan~"

She beamed at him and, in-spite of himself, Gohan couldn't help but beam back. He loved her. He really, really did love her a lot. Sharpner smiled. "Man, and here I thought Stencil and I would be the strangest sight at the prom this year! I can't believe we're being outdone by a three-person-polycule~"

Videl gasped. "W-We're not a polycule! We're just trying to figure out what our relationships are!"

Erasa nodded. "This is a two-person dance, at the end of the day. We're just trying to sort out which two of us are dancing!"

Gohan was too embarrassed to speak, simply blushing bright red and twiddling his thumbs. Looking back on everything, he wasn't sure how he managed to get to this point. In two relationships at once, loving two different girls at the same time. His mother would be furious if she knew he was involved with something like this. But Gohan didn't see any way out. He couldn't bring himself to hurt Erasa or Videl, so here he sat with a vain hope that one of them would make the decision.

Son Gohan lowered his head in shame and thought to himself. 'I'm a coward.'

Videl cleared her throat. "Okay. Enough of that talk. We're making Gohan feel weird."

Erasa nodded. "Agreed."

Sharpner chuckled. "Fine, fine. Whatever makes our boy feel better~"

Gohan fell into an embarrassed, almost sullen silence as Videl and Erasa continued on the subject of prom. He barely heard what they said, mostly talk of dresses and rides and post-dance plans. Gohan could feel the lump in his throat growing as he thought more and more about both of these women in his life. He clenched his hands tightly together. Then he looked up to say something and gasped. "V-Videl! What are you doing?!"

Sitting on her hospital bed, Videl was working her fingers beneath her bandages, gently feeling around at the freshly sutured wound beneath. She looked up at Gohan and shrugged her free shoulder. "Speculating."

Sharpner cocked his head. "Speculating on what?"

VIdel adopted a confident smile. "When I can get back to crime-fighting, of course!"

Gohan and Sharpner both flinched back in shock. On the bed, Erasa's smile immediately faded. She spoke under her breath. "...what?"

Videl nodded. "This doesn't feel too bad. Once the stitches are out, I could probably get by with kinesio tape holding everything together for a couple of months! That might limit my range of motion, but I won't fall out of practice! I can get stronger! I won't let anyone get the jump on me like I did this time!"

Ignorant of her friend's expressions, Videl continued to talk to herself. Meanwhile, Sharpner was totally stunned. Erasa looked drained and quite gobsmacked. And Gohan's face was all panicked. Videl continued to rant. "It's in 3 months! My big chance is in 3 months! I can't let something as stupid as a gunshot wound stop me! In 3 months, I'll finally be able to prove myself! It's so close!"

Gohan shuddered. Behind Videl, Erasa's face had shifted from genuine shock to something he had never seen from her before: genuine rage!

Erasa gripped a big handful of hospital blanket into each fist and spoke in a low, almost seething voice. "You selfish-."

Before Erasa could get any more of the thought out, Gohan cut in and spoke the first thing on his mind. "Don't you realize that you're already there?"

Sharpner, Erasa, and Videl's attention all turned to him. Gohan hadn't even realized that he had stood up. He briefly trembled, but then straightened himself. It was too late to sit back down now. Videl stammered. "Wh-What do… you mean by that?!"

Gohan was silent for a moment, struggling for the words. He had no explanation that he could reasonably offer Videl for what he was about to say, but he knew for a fact how genuinely true it was. So, with no real game plan, Gohan spoke again. "You told me back on New Year's that you go out and you put yourself in danger like this because you want to be stronger than your dad. You want to prove yourself to him. You want to take his belt. Right?"

Slowly, Videl nodded. "Y-Yeah… but-"

Gohan shook his head. "But nothing! You're stronger than him, Videl! You've been stronger than him since I met you! If you were to challenge your father for that belt right now, he wouldn't have an answer for it! You're stronger than him! Faster! More quick-witted, with better reaction timing! You're better than him, Videl!"

A whole gamut of emotions ran across Videl's face: confusion, flattery, embarrassment, shock, more confusion, rage. For the first time since Gohan had met her, she was entirely on the defensive. So defensive in fact, that she didn't have a response to give. Unsure of how to react, Sharpner gave a nervous chuckle. "Wh-What are you talking about, man?! Videl is tough, sure, but… like…"

Erasa broke in. "Mr. Satan killed that monster, Cell! You can't be saying that Videl could kill Cell, right?!"

Gohan shook his head. "No, I'm not. But that doesn't change the truth of the matter! You're stronger than him, Videl! You don't need to go out and run head-first into a wall of gunfire to prove that!"

Videl, Sharpner, and Erasa all looked at Gohan in total bafflement. Then for just a moment, all three of them recalled something that they had heard just a couple of months prior. They remembered what Lime said when they stopped for supplies in Chazke VIllage.

"And Gohan killed Cell, so we'd probably owe him a few free meals, I'd say!"

Erasa looked at the serious glint in Gohan's eyes and the thought echoed in her head. 'Gohan killed Cell.'

Sharpner looked at Gohan's physique that he always seemed so eager to hide from others and the thought echoed in Sharpner's head. 'Gohan killed Cell.'

Videl took in Gohan's entire demeanor, everything she had ever observed about her new friend and the thought echoed in her head. 'Gohan killed Cell.'

For a brief, unexplainable moment, they all believed that thought with certainty. And then, the thought was gone. Silently, each of the three teenagers passed it off as little more than a silly flight of fancy. The silence in the room was thick and seemed almost impenetrable.

Then, Erasa spoke up. "Look… the injury just happened. Maybe we should hold off on talking about this anymore until Videl is at least out of the hospital. Sound like a plan?"

Sharpner nodded. "Y-Yeah. Sounds like a good plan, eh Gohan?"

Gohan stood still for a moment, shoulders still squared. Then, he slumped over with a weary sigh. "Y-Yeah. Sounds like a plan…"

And then, without a word, he left the room. Sharpner frowned. "Poor guy's pretty shaken up…"

Videl, looking just a bit remorseful, nodded. "I've worried about him. That doesn't feel good. I swear, I almost thought I heard him call out to me as I was passing out. I…"

Suddenly, Videl fell very quiet. She got that all too familiar look on her face of the gears turning in her head. "No… Can't be…"

Erasa, meanwhile, had a look of realization spreading across her face as well. Much like Videl, she was also reflecting on Gohan's outburst just now. The tone of his voice. The emotion in his voice and the look on his face as he tried to convince Videl. Erasa thought on this for a long moment, and then her shoulders drooped just a little. "...oh."

1 week later, the night of the Orange Star High Prom…

Gohan sat in his nicest clothes, a powder blue suit and jacket with a white undershirt and a matching tie. He had honestly been sitting there in his kitchen for 2 hours, just staring at the clock. He was genuinely nervous as he sat there and watched the secondhand tick around over and over again. Something about tonight felt like he was about to come upon some real, final punctuation on all of this romantic, teenage stuff.

Goten and Chika had taken the time to give him some younger sibling encouragement, but now they were off hunting for spring beetles in the woods. His mother, his Aunt Launch, and his Grandma Gine had all taken the time to both poke fun at and compliment him, but now they were all gathered at Grandma Gine's house for evening coffee and binging the final season of a show they had all gotten into together.

Finally standing, Gohan walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway to his parents' room. He opened the door and walked in, sitting on the bed next to Goku's comatose body. Gohan sighed. "Man, Dad, I never figured you'd be the type of guy to grow a beard…"

Goku's shallow breathing form did indeed have a full, hearty beard. Gohan smiled at him for a moment, then sighed and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "I know you wouldn't have any helpful advice to offer. Romance isn't your thing after all, but… I still wish you were here right now. For the first time since Cell, I'm honestly scared, Dad…"

Gohan clenched his hands together again. "... I have to make a decision tonight. Every part of me is screaming that that's the case. But… I don't want either of them to hate me…"

Gohan waited for any sort of reply or sign that his father had heard him. But the bed remained still. Gohan bowed his head and stood up. "Good talk, Dad. I hope you're okay, wherever you are."

Out at the Ginyu Force's secret tree house…

Gohan stood, totally stunned, as the four members of the Ginyu Force swirled around him like a hurricane. Burter was eagerly taking a comb to his hair. Recoome was busy trying to tug creases out of his suit. Guldo was shining his shoes. And Jeice was looking for any other problems that the other three had missed.

Jeice shook his head. "Criminy, kid! It's the prom! At least try ya best to look less… frumpy…"

The fussing continued on for a solid 10 minutes until, finally, the four flamboyant warriors stepped back and admired their handiwork.

Burter cackled. "Looking sharp~"

Recoome nodded. "Yeah. That blue works on you."

Guldo smiled. "I spit-shined those shoes so well and could brush your teeth in them! I, uh, didn't actually spit on them though. So don't worry about that~"

Jeice smiled. "Excellent. Now ya ready to take those two feisty sheilas out for an evening they won't ever forget!"

At the mention of that, Gohan gave a noticeable flinch. All four of the Ginyu's stopped smiling.

Burter cocked his head. "Sssssomething wrong?"

Gohan flinched again. He looked at the four of them, nervously quiet. Then he cleared his throat. "W-Well…"

Jeice sighed and rolled his eyes, stepping forward and seizing Gohan by the arm. "He's nervous, lads! And standing here and talkin' about it ain't gonna help 'im! I'll see him off, you three start popping popcorn for movie night!"

Burter and Guldo simultaneously cheered. "MOVIE NIGHT!"

The two of them turned and ran off, rushing to an air popper in the corner of the room and setting it up.

Recoome lingered for a moment, taking a long look at Gohan. Then he smiled. "Best of luck, little guy~!"

Then he was off as well. With the other three distracted, Jeice gave Gohan's arm another hard tug and pulled him out into the full-moonlit night.

Once they were far enough from the treehouse, Gohan groaned and scratched the back of his head. "Th-Thanks for the save, Jeice. I didn't actually know what I was going to say…"

Jeice rolled his eyes again, blowing a raspberry. "Coulda fooled me, mate."

The two of them continued to walk, farther and farther until the sounds of Burter, Recoome, and Guldo fooling around were just distant whispers on the wind. Then Jeice stopped, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now then, stop for a minute."

Gohan came to a halt, turning and looking at Jeice. Jeice looked back with an expression that Gohan had never really seen before. To most, it would appear to be a stoic and almost standoffish stance… but something about Jeice's eyes was different. Gohan could quite place it on the Red Magma's face.

Jeice sighed. "You know, I'm a lot older than I look. I was 16 years old when I joined the Cold Force. Only 20 when Lord Frieza took power. Now, I'm nearing 60 and stuck on Earth in a treehouse with me mates. Like some snot-nose on his first year in college…"

Gohan nodded. "I know. I'm… sorry. I'll find a way to get you guys a ship soon, I promise. You've all helped me so much, and-"

Jeice closed his eyes. "I'm almost starting to think this spinning, blue shit ball is a nice place to live. It's embarrassin'..."

Gohan fell silent. Jeice sighed. "But my feelings are neither here nor there. Tonight is about you, mate. The four of us have helped you grow a bit and we all feel just a bit of fondness toward ya. Like a little brother or nephew of somethin'. So seeing you out of sorts like this is kind of sad."

Gohan's eyes fell to the ground. "I-I wouldn't call it out of sorts. I'm just… I feel like I'm at a crossroads, ya know?"

Jeice chuckled. "Polycule not working out?"

Gohan turned bright red. "Wh-What's with everyone?! It's 'harem' this and 'polycule' that! It's nothing like that! It's just… we're…"

Jeice held up a hand. "Mate. Calm down. It's a joke."

Gohan sighed. "O-Oh. Sorry…"

Jeice shook his head. "No. I get that you're flustered. Multi-person relationships can be a good thing. Sometimes, people are just built for polyamory. They thrive off of it. They have enough love in them to share it with everyone in that weird, advanced way that goes beyond mere friendship. But no offense mate, you ain't built for that and I don't think there's a force in the universe that could change it…"

Gohan didn't speak, he merely nodded. Jeice smiled. "You're an innocent guy that's been forced into a tight spot. 'I love this girl, but this other girl loves me. And I don't know if this girl I love loves me and I love this girl that loves me for loving me.' And probably a billion even deeper layers of complexity, right?"

Gohan spoke very quietly. "... something like that…"

Jeice closed his eyes with a smile. "God, all teenagers think they've got love figured out from their first taste of it, aye?"

Gohan blushed. "Like you didn't?! I imagine Brihe was your high school sweetheart, right?!"

Jeice laughed out loud. "Mate~! Brihe and I met on an online chat room discussing Galactic Baseball~! I was 32 and she was 34~!"

Gohan recoiled back, his eyes wide with shock. Jeice shook his head. "Highschool sweethearts he says. Oh man~"

Gohan frowned. "S-So, you're saying neither of these will probably last anyway… is that it?"

Jeice shook his head again. "No, mate! You might have met the love of your life in high school, you might have passed by her in your baby pram, you might even be decades from seeing her face from the first time! Love isn't something you can plan for, and it's not something you can control! Love isn't a box to check on life's big grocery list! Love is sudden! Love is sporadic! Love is that flair you feel surge in your heart when you set eyes on a girl and all you can think is the word 'YES'!"

The Brenchian marched forward and slapped both hands down on Gohan's shoulders. "Love isn't a worry, love is a thrill. So, all I'm telling you, my friend, is to stop kicking yourself in the arse over every stupid detail and lean into it. You won't find it, it will find you~"

Gohan took a moment to consider what he was just told, and then a small smile spread on his face.

Jeice smiled a big, toothy grin. "I got one more present for ya~"

Gohan nodded. "O-Okay…"

Jeice reached into the pockets of his TAITANS hoodie and pulled out two small, plastic cases. Inside each was a small arrangement of flowers carefully banded with ribbon. He pressed them into Gohan's hands and gave a small snicker at the confused look on the boy's face. "Corsages, mate. It's something you give your date to an event like this. You take their hand, tie the corsage around their wrist, and with that comes the promise that you'll treat them right for the evening. That means that you act the gentleman… unless they end up wanting something a bit less gentlemanly, of course."

Jeice gave him a pat on the shoulder. "But, even then, behave. You'll never get to be a scholar with a brat running around during your school years~"

Gohan nodded and Jeice walked away, shooting the boy a thumbs-up. "Have a fun evening, mate~"

Gohan smiled. But then, as he stood there and considered what Jeice had just said, that smile gave way to a flustered grimace. "W-Wait! What did you mean by that?! What do you think we're going to be doing this evening?!"

Jeice shrugged and then began to sprint back to the Ginyu Force treehouse. "That's none of my business~!"

1 hour later, outside the gate to Mr. Satan's mansion…

Gohan took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "Okay. C'mon, Gohan. You can do this…"

Giving his cheeks a couple of sharp slaps for good measure, Gohan started the walk up the winding drive that led to Mr. Satan's mansion. Taking it slowly, Gohan took the time to observe the manicured shrubbery up close. On the right side of the drive, all of the bushes were trimmed to resemble Mr. Satan in various martial arts poses. On the left side were shrubs cut to look like what Gohan could only presume were famous rivals of his. He didn't recognize many of the people on the left, but could pick out a couple of faces from watching martial arts exhibitions on the television with his father.

Gohan stopped at one and cocked his head. "Lord Puma, was it? N-No… Jaguar? Yeah! Lord Jaguar!"

Gohan remembered Goku scolding this one's form, something about his fist form carrying too much resentment, or something. He moved on up the walk and eventually came upon one that he immediately recalled the name of. "Spopovich. He's a wrestler that tried to take part in the last Tenkaichi Budokai. The one that made Mr. Satan the world champ."

Nodding, Gohan moved up and kept walking up the drive. Eventually, he came upon the only shrub sculpture he could really say he knew. There was Cell, sculpted in horrific glory, recoiling from the fierce strike of Mr. Satan's Dynamite Kick. Gohan stared at the shrub silently for a long, long time. Then he burst into a fit of giggles.

After enjoying a nice, hearty laugh, Gohan sighed. "I don't hope much bad for anybody, but I really hope you can see what a joke the world thinks you are in Hell. You don't deserve a single bit less than that, Cell~"

And then, perhaps just for his own amusement, Gohan took a furtive look around, and then blasted the leafy nose right off of Cell's face with a quick finger beam.

Almost at the same time he did that, a pair of headlights washed over Gohan. With a yelp, he turned and looked toward whatever was approaching him, only breathing a sigh of relief once he saw Erasa's freshly styled hair poking up behind the steering wheel. She came to a stop.

"Hey, Gohan~! I didn't know you were already in Satan City. I would have met you somewhere and picked you up!"

The car came to a stop. Erasa shut it off and then quickly hopped out. Her prom dress was lovely, a sparkling violet number with a white sash around her waist. She wore a sparkling, but elegant golden pendant around her neck and three golden bracelets on each wrist. Over her shoulder hung an elegant, white bag with golden trim. Her hair had been done up in a stylish Monroe bob. Gohan stared at her for a moment.

Erasa smiled. "Like what you see, tiger?"

Gohan gave a nervous, curt nod. Erasa chuckled and spun on the spike of one of her matching, purple heels. She folded her hands behind her back and smiled. "I love the blue on you. It compliments my purple really nicely~"

Gohan smiled. "Y-Yeah. Blue is half of purple, after all. Heh~"

Erasa dropped her keys into her bag. "Mr. Satan won't mind if I leave my car here. Let's enjoy a nice, evening walk together~"

And they did. Gohan walked right next to his girlfriend all the way up the drive, even going so far as to reach out and take gentle hold of her hand. Erasa sighed, a happy sigh with a small hint of sadness. "I really don't ever want tonight to end, ya know?"

Gohan cocked his head. "Why's that?"

Erasa looked up at him and, for a moment, Gohan could read sadness on her face. Seeing his reaction, Erasa quickly forced it all away. She came to a stop and, because Gohan was holding her hand, he stopped too. The two of them looked at one another for a moment and Erasa smiled. "I know I say it a lot, but I love you."

Gohan nodded. "You're my girlfriend. I love you too."

Erasa nodded. "I-I know that. But I really want to hammer the point home. I love you. I'll always love you. I don't think I could have found a better man, a better person, if I tried. You're an excellent person, Son Gohan."

As she spoke, Erasa could hear the sadness starting to build in her voice again. She prayed deep down that Gohan couldn't. She didn't want any sadness in this moment, something her intuition screamed was a moment of finality. With the full moon casting a light behind them, Erasa reached up and placed her hands on the sides of Gohan's face, stroking her thumbs behind his ears. And then, she pulled him down to her and pressed her lips to his, enjoying a real, passionate kiss.

To Gohan, the moment really did seem to last forever.

To Erasa, it was over too soon.

She let his face go and he rose back up. Erasa swallowed a lump in her throat. "Promise we'll always care about each other?"

Gohan was quiet for a moment. Then he smiled. "What are you trying to imply? I'll always love you, Erasa. No matter what~"

He stroked his hand down the side of her face and Erasa shivered. Then, Gohan turned and started walking again. "Let's go get Videl! I was nervous about tonight, at first… but I think I'm finally ready to get this going!"

Erasa nodded, but as Gohan started to walk she hung back. She clasped her hands in front and watched him march on. Something an air of finality had definitely just occurred. She could feel it. Erasa took a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut, and sighed. Then, putting on a small but genuine smile, she followed. "Hold on, now! Don't make me run! You know I don't like to run!"

As the two came up to the front door of the mansion, the sullen mood had passed. The two of them were laughing and genuinely enjoying themselves once again. Gohan sighed, wiping a tear from the outer corner of his eye. "So, where is Sharpner anyway?"

Erasa smiled. "He had to go pick up Stencil. They're going to meet us there."

Gohan nodded and reached out, pressing the door chime. "Right. So, let's pick up Videl…"

The bell chimed the entire way through and Gohan and Videl waited. Eventually, they heard a familiar wooden tapping approaching forward and the door opened. Miss Komori stood on the other side, a weary glaze of fatigue greased over her face. But she still put on a welcoming smile for such familiar house guests. "Hey, Erasa. Hey, Gohan. Videl is upstairs…"

Erasa nodded. "Is she about ready?"

Miss Komori cringed. "She says she's getting there, but she didn't look any more ready 5 minutes ago than she did 20 minutes ago. So…"

Erasa nodded. "Right. I'll help her out. Won't take more than ten or so~"

Gohan sheepishly nodded. "R-Right! I'll come help too!"

Miss Komori gasped. "GOHAN!"

Erasa turned and shook her head. "Gohan. You might wanna wait down here. Unless… you're after an eyeful~?"

Miss Komori gasped again, dropping her cane. "ERASA!"

Suddenly realizing his faux pas, Gohan sat on the bottom stair step and half-whispered, half-mumbled. "G-Go ahead. I'll… I'll wait…"

Erasa giggled. "Oh, Gohan, you're so cute~"

And then, without further delay, Erasa practically went skipping up the stairs. Gohan and Hiki Komori looked at one another. Miss Komori wiped a bead of sweat off the side of her face with a handkerchief and nervously chuckled. "W-Would you like something to drink?"

30 minutes later…

Gohan's bottle of cranberry juice was empty next to his right foot. Gohan's left leg was shaking with nervous anxiety. He turned and looked up the stairs. "What's taking them? I hope everything is okay…"

He turned around and clasped his hands together in his lap, tapping his thumbs together over and over and over and over and over. Gohan took a deep breath in through his nose and then hissed it out between his teeth. "... should I?"

Gohan thought it over a bit more, taking another breath. He picked up his empty juice bottle and tucked it into his pocket. Then, he turned and began to ascend the stairs. "... I'll call out before I go in. Yeah. I'll call out and if they say don't come in, I'll turn around and walk right back down the stairs. Right back down the stairs. Right back-"

"SELFISH ASSHOLE!"

Gohan halted in his tracks, blinked twice, and then ran as fast as he could to Videl's room. The sonic boom that followed knocked over every table in the hallway and, without thinking, Gohan nearly ripped Videl's bedroom door off the hinges. Luckily for him, neither woman in the room noticed. Rather than looking toward Gohan, Videl and Erasa were glaring right into each other's eyes. They had paused for only a moment before starting to yell at each other once again.

Gohan tried to take stock of the situation. Erasa was angry and physically aggressive. Videl was angry and physically defensive. And gripped tightly in Erasa's hand, waving like a sparkling party favor, was what Gohan had come to recognize as Videl's Crime Watch, the thing she wore on her wrist that warned her of active crimes occurring in Satan City.

Erasa snapped at Videl, slapping her free hand against her friend's vanity table to punctuate each sentence. "YOU WANT TO WEAR THIS STUPID THING?! TO OUR PROM?! WITH YOUR INJURED SHOULDER?! REALLY VIDEL?! FUCKING REALLY?!"

Videl shouted back. "Don't you cuss at me in my own room?! Who do you think you are, huh?! I get enough of this crap from my Dad and Hiki! I don't need it from you, Erasa!"

Erasa snarled. "You need it from somebody! Maybe you'll listen then! You're injured! Your shoulder is so wrapped up in gauze you can't even put on a dress by yourself! Why do you need this damn Crime Watch, Videl?!"

Videl shouted back with such an incredulous response, it genuinely threw Erasa off guard. "IN CASE A CRIME HAPPENS, YOU IDIOT!"

Erasa flinched, anger giving way to a very real hurt. "... idiot?"

Videl grimaced. "Y-Yeah! Idiot! That's you! Just some airhead blonde with no real responsibility! 'Oh, I wanna be a lawyer'! Like you'd actually be doing that if your dad wasn't making you!"

Erasa's face turned bright red. "H-How could you say something like that to me?!"

Videl's eyes went wide. For just a moment, all of the anger faded from Videl's head and heart and she heard the raw, wet hurt in Erasa's voice. Videl raised her good arm. "W-Wait! Erasa, I'm-"

Erasa spat right back at her. "AT LEAST I'M NOT TRYING TO GET MYSELF KILLED CUZ I MISS MY MOM!"

And then the room fell deathly silent. The first prickling tears were building in Erasa's eyes. Videl's eyes were still wide, but the warmth and compassion were draining from them like blood from a deeply drawn gash. Gohan gingerly stepped forward, his arms raised in case a fight broke out. Erasa, realizing what she just said, spoke in a small voice. "Videl…"

Videl seethed. "Out."

Erasa flinched. Videl stood from her chair, her fist gripped into a tight fist. "Get out. Now! Get out of my room! Now! NOW!"

Videl grabbed a hairbrush from the vanity and tossed it, missing Erasa by a mile and embedding it into the drywall next to her bookshelf. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM AND OUT OF MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW YOU STUPID, STUPID, STUPID BITCH! GET OUT! OUT!"

Erasa was shaking. "V-Videl. Wait! I…I'm-"

Videl snapped. "I never should have been your friend! I shouldn't have jumped into that pool! I hate you! I should have let you drown!"

Erasa's arms dropped to her sides. She opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, but no words came out. Once again, the room was silent. But now there was a different sort of tension. Erasa's face hardened and VIdel's softened in turn. Then, Erasa spoke. "...you didn't save me anyway. Mr. Satan did."

Erasa then turned and walked away. "My boyfriend and I will be going now. Good luck with trying to live up to your Dad, Videl."

Gohan tried to say something, but Erasa simply shouldered her way past him. She didn't say another word, the sound of her footsteps fading as she marched down the hallway. Gohan stood in open-mouthed shock. Then he heard the sound of a chair scrape and turned to see Videl sat at her vanity, her face buried in her hands. Gohan reached out to her. "Videl-"

Videl screamed from inside her hands. "I TOLD YOU TWO TO LEAVE!"

Gohan flinched. Videl went back to sulking. Gohan turned to leave, but then stopped. Quickly, he reached into his pocket, grabbing a small plastic case and setting it down next to Videl. Gohan then turned and left without another word.

15 minutes down the road, on the way to Orange Star High…

The car ride away from the Satan Residence was a sullen, silent affair. Erasa was in the driver's seat, not so much watching as glaring at the road. Gohan was in the passenger seat, quiet and not so sure what to do with himself.

The quiet was eventually broken by the buzzing of Erasa's phone. Gohan looked down and saw a picture of Videl's face with a message next to it. He tried to read it, but didn't have enough time. Erasa's hand shot down like a lightning bolt, gripping the phone tight and then throwing it out of her side of the car. The phone cracked against the asphalt and broke into several pieces, landing on the road shoulder and quickly being left in the glow of the taillights.

The silent car ride continued on for another moment, then Erasa groaned. "That was really stupid…"

Gohan reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Erasa…"

Erasa shook her head. "Now I have to buy a new phone. God, I really am stupid…"

Gohan's voice became quite serious. "Erasa, please quit calling yourself stupid. You're not stupid. You're just… not. Okay?"

A red traffic light flashed overhead. Erasa hit the brake, coming to a stop. She began to shake. "Yes I am. I am stupid. A real idiot. A moron. A dumb blonde who can't think a real, thought-out thought to save her life…"

Gohan frowned. Erasa looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "H-How could I say that to my best friend, Gohan?! How could I do that…?"

Erasa began to sob, hiccuping and roughly scrubbing the back of her hand over her face. "D-Damn it…"

As Erasa continued to cry, Gohan's eyes shifted down. His hand was still placed onto her shoulder blade. Gently, he started to rub her back as he tried to think of something, anything, to say. But the words just weren't forthcoming. Gohan closed his eyes and sighed, genuinely wishing that his father was here to help him now. Son Goku didn't know a thing about romance, but he always knew what to say to make his friends' tears stop.

Then Gohan had an idea of his own. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another plastic case, the other corsage. Gohan looked at the little wristband flower arrangement and thought back to what Jeice said. He mumbled to himself. "... treat them right for the evening."

Erasa raised her hand. "Huh?"

At the same time, Gohan gently grabbed Erasa's hand, pulling out the corsage and buttoning it on. Erasa looked at it, tears shimmering in her eyes. Once it was properly in place, Gohan wrapped his arms around Erasa, pulling her into a firm hug. "Everything will be okay, I promise. My entire life, I've watched my friends and family fight and share harsh words. But that's never been able to permanently rift them. I don't think it will here, either."

Gohan pulled back and smiled at Erasa. "So… let's just go to prom and have a nice time. And then, when Videl eventually comes around and shows up, we'll make sure she has a nice time too. Right?"

Erasa stared at Gohan in silence for a short moment. Then, a small smile spread on her lips. She sniffled and wiped her eyes as the traffic signal turned green. "...I love you, Gohan."

Gohan nodded and smiled. "Love you too."

Back at the Satan residence…

Videl stared down at her phone. She read over each of the dozen unread and unanswered apologies she had texted to Erasa. Then, for the eighth time in the past 5 minutes, she pressed the call button. Once again, the phone rang straight to voicemail. Videl opened her mouth to apologize again, to beg for forgiveness from her best and closest friend. She pictured the look of genuine hurt on Erasa's face… then hung up the call without saying a word.

Videl set her phone down and just… stared into space. Behind her, she heard a familiar wooden clacking and then an even more familiar voice. "Videl, are you okay? Your father wanted me to check on-"

Videl interrupted without meaning to. "Miss Komori, please close my door and go away."

Miss Komori opened her mouth to say something, but then obeyed with a simple, silent nod. As VIdel listened to the sound of Miss Komori's cane getting farther and farther away, she picked up her phone and sent another text.

"i'm so sorry erasa"

"please txt me or call me"

"please"

"i love you"

"please text me"

"erasa"

No read. No reply.

Videl sat there and thought about what her friends said to her: Gohan telling her that she had nothing left to prove against her father and Erasa bringing up her mother. She clenched her injured shoulder, thinking about just how much Miguel would be fretting over her if she were here right now. She looked down at her phone again. No read. No reply. No call-back.

And then Videl started to cry.

Just simple, salty tears at first. But then, something much harsher than that. She sobbed. Harsh, braying, hoarse sobs that shook her entire body. Videl screamed and cried harder than she had in years, almost as hard as when her father told her that her mother was dead. And then, to her shock and horror, even harder than that. Videl screamed and cried until her face became purple, curled up in a ball in her chair and feeling more terrible in that one moment than she possibly ever had before.

A shrill beeping rang out and Videl looked up, her eyes puffy and irritated red. She saw the Crime Watch beeping away in front of her mirror. She looked from the watch to her own, miserable reflection and then her face twisted into a mask of self-loathing rage. Videl grabbed the Crime Watch, hefting it into the air and slamming it down onto her vanity table hard enough that it immediately stopped making a sound.

She took several, heavy and desperate breaths, rubbing her hands over her raw, aching face. Her breath was whistling in and out of her lungs, she coughed a few times and then shakily stood.

Videl wiped her face with a hand towel and then busily got back to work. The pain in her shoulder was intense, but she didn't care. She leaned into it. Clenching it extra hard until it felt like someone was holding an open flame to the stitches. And the entire time she was doing that, Videl was also getting herself ready once more. The prom dress was readjusted. Her make-up was reapplied. She reached for her hairbrush, not recalling that it was embedded into the wall, and instead picked up some kind of plastic case.

Looking down, Videl observed the case. It was a corsage. A tag was attached to it written in a penmanship she knew for a fact wasn't Gohan's. But the tag still read "For Videl". Popping the plastic case open, Videl pulled the corsage out and started down at it, long and hard. She snapped it across the wrist of her disabled arm, right in the same spot she normally snapped the Crime Watch. Then swept her hand across the table and scooped the pieces of the broken accessory right into her tableside wastebasket. "No more. It's not worth it."

Videl grabbed her phone and marched out of her room, foregoing the hairbrush entirely. "I can't fly my Capsule Plane with a messed-up shoulder, but I can take my motor scooter. I'll only be about 20 minutes behind them at this rate…"

The signs of distress having mostly left her face, Videl looked to be fully confident once more. She gripped her fist tight. "I'll fix this."

Videl hopped onto her scooter, not bothering to tell her father or Miss Komori that she was leaving, pulled her helmet and goggles over her head and sped off into the night. The wind was blowing the skirt of her dress, rippling and wrinkling it at the same time. But Videl didn't care a bit. She only had one real thought in her head, and that thought was Erasa.

Videl rounded a corner, bound and determined to fix this. And then, the built-in Bluetooth headset in her helmet began to chime. She quickly pressed the answer button. "ERASA?!"

"No."

Videl grimaced. She didn't have time for this person. "Not now, Tomato. I'm off for the night and indefinitely afterward. I appreciate you humoring me all this time, but-"

Akai Tomato spoke again, not a hint of humor in her voice. "Videl, we have a big problem. I need you here. Now please. There are lives at stake."

Videl flinched. "B-But…"

Tomato sounded genuinely apologetic. "I was always prepared for you to eventually quit crime-fighting, Videl. I'm so sorry that I have to ask you here against your will. But, if you don't come…they're children, Videl. Little kids. We-"

All at once, the determination in Videl's eyes shifted. She gripped the bars of her motor scooter tightly and grimaced, thinking once more of Erasa and Gohan… even Sharpner and Stencil at the prom. She whispered. "I'm sorry…"

Tomato sounded panicked. "V-Videl?!"

Videl revved her scooter. "Tell me where I need to be, Tomato. I'm coming."

At Orange Star High School…

Erasa and Gohan pulled up to the school and Erasa reduced her car back into a Capsule. Gohan waited and offered her his hand. She took it with a smile and the two of them started walking toward the gym. Gohan looked around. "So, where's Sharpner and Stencil? I've been waiting to meet her for so long."

Erasa snickered. "Her?"

Gohan nodded. "Y-Yeah. What's so funny?"

Then Sharpner called out. "Yo! Gohan! Erasa!"

They both turned and saw Sharpner approach from the left, dressed in a flashy white suit and golden tie with his hair pulled back.. Next to him, arm locked around Sharpner's, was an equally-as-buff young man with a golden tan and a buzzed, white-blond hairstyle. He had a matching suit to Sharpner's and two gold earrings in his right ear and a smile on his face. "Erasa! Hey, hon~"

Erasa waved. "Hey Stencil! How's it going?"

Erasa and Stencil hugged and shared a laugh. Stencil sighed. "It's going well. Great, even. I landed a job as a lifeguard on the Papaya Island beach for the summer, girl, can you believe that~?"

Erasa smiled. "Wow! Nice!"

Stencil looked past her and smiled. "And you must be Gohan, right? My darling Sharpie has told me all about you~"

Gohan was stunned, but quickly remembered his manners. He gave a nervous chuckle and held out a hand. "N-Nice to meet you!"

Stencil giggled and gave Gohan a firm handshake. "Sharpie is right, you're such an adorable, little dork~"

Gohan flinched and then Stencil pulled him into a big hug. "I love meeting my boo's friends~"

Things remained awkward for just a moment more, but then Gohan sighed and smiled. "Nice to meet you too. Sharpener never says anything but good things."

Sharpner rolled his eyes. "It's my boyfriend, dude! Of course I don't!"

Stencil gave an airy, little sigh. "So, where's Videl? I wanna see what that cute little thing is wearing this evening~"

At the mention of Videl, Erasa's face visibly hardened. She glanced away, glaring at the ground, and mumbled under her breath. "Maybe someone's robbing a bank somewhere…"

Erasa turned and immediately began marching toward the gym. Gohan, Sharpner, and Stencil watched her go, then the two of them turned toward Gohan. Sharpner sighed. "They have a fight?"

Gohan nodded. "Y-Yeah. A bad one…"

Stencil frowned. "Oh, man. That's the worst…"

Sharpner scratched the back of his head. "First prom is off to a fantastic start…"

Over on the far side of Satan City…

Videl's motor scooter came to a stop next to a curb and she dismounted, leaving her helmet sitting on the seat and looking up at the construction site looming overhead. She frowned. "Of course, they'd pick this place…"

Walking with a grimace, Videl quickly approached the familiar building, picturing the pitch for the finished design in her mind. Two towers jutting into the sky with a massive, gaudy championship belt looped around them: the new headquarters of the Satan Agency, her father's production and talent management operation.

Videl kept up a brisk pace, glaring up out of the corner of her eye at the mostly finished towers. It would only be a few weeks before they opened, just in time to coincide with the next World Martial Arts Tournament. Videl's shoulder ached and she cringed in pain as a lightning bolt ran across her stitches. "Ugh…"

Rounding the corner, Videl came upon the familiar sight of police cars gathered up. A few dozen cops were running back and forth, some to the radio set-up and some to the conspicuous school bus that was tipped over in the middle of the street. Catching sight of Akai Tomato, Videl immediately marched up. "Any new updates?"

Tomato's face was dead serious. For once, she was fully dressed in her uniform. She was nervous shifting the papers on a report. "It's… it's terrible. Sixteen students for a nearby elementary school were coming home late from a field trip. The thugs holed up in there ran the bus off the road and then took all of them hostage. Wh-Who does that?!"

Videl frowned. "Criminals, Tomato. Criminals."

Tomato nodded, picking up a coffee cup in a trembling hand and taking a sip. Videl looked at the bus. "The teacher? Is the teacher safe?"

Tomato sighed. "The teacher in charge of this was a substitute. They were grievously injured and rushed to the hospital. Only the kids were taken…"

Videl scowled. "Think the teacher is in on it?"

Tomato shook her head. "No. I had records pulled and, from everything I read on the report, this Miss Son Gine is an upstanding citizen and an excellent educator. She just happened to be lucky enough to take a personal day today."

Videl nodded. "Okay."

She took a deep, deep breath and sent it hissing out between her teeth. "Their demands? Have they changed?"

Tomato shook her head. "N-No, Videl. They haven't changed demands since this entire mess started. But… I don't think-"

Videl started walking toward the construction site. "Doesn't matter what you think. Sorry. If these creeps are asking to exchange all those kids just to have me as a hostage, then they can have me."

Tomato called after her. "B-But, Videl! Wait!"

Videl turned to Tomato, her eyes locking with the mostly incompetent cop. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine. Our duty is to save these kids, right?"

Tomato shrank back. Suddenly, a look of genuine shame darkened her face. "A-After this is all resolved… I think I'm going to have to forbid you from fighting crime anymore."

VIdel smiled. "Perfect coincidence, cuz I was going to quit anyway. Now, get those bastards out here and let's get this over with."

Minutes passed. The wind blew harshly and Videl shuddered, another lightning bolt of pain setting her shoulder ablaze. Then, the doors to the base of the new Satan Agency opened. Two thugs emerged, carrying a massive crate with a dull banging ringing out from within.

Videl scowled. "Really? You assholes are so cowardly you have to store scared kids in a box?"

The shorter of the criminals smirked. "Oh, does that make the little princess mad?"

The other one chuckled, a nasty smile spread across his face. "Oh, she looks really mad!"

Videl rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You have me. Open the crate and let them out. Now!"

The shorter one's smirk faded. "Gah. You never tone it down, huh? You arrogant little snot. You think you're in charge?! You don't even have both arms!"

Videl briefly glanced down at her arm, buttoned up in the sling. Then she looked back to the two thugs in front of her. Something about all of this felt off. Something felt tense. Unordinary. Videl scowled. "Still have one. Wanna see me use it? I could punch those stupid bandanas off your foreheads!"

The bigger one groaned. "I don't like the sound of that. So, here!"

He reached into his pocket and produced a pair of zip-cuffs, tossing them to Videl. "Why don't you make me feel a bit safer?"

Videl rolled her eyes in disgust. "You're both pathetic."

But she quickly complied, pulling her injured arm out of the sling and sliding it into the restraint. Videl pulled the zips tight with her teeth and let her arms hang uselessly in front. "Happy now? Wanna poke my eyes out, maybe?"

The shorter one sneered, marching forward and shoving Videl toward the building. "Don't tempt me."

The larger one cackled and dropped the crate on the ground. "Here's your present, pigs!"

As the two criminals and Videl disappeared into the building, Tomato motioned to the crate. "Open it! Now! Get them out of there!"

Two officers rushed forward, grabbing onto the corners of the crate and yanking it open with desperate strength. The wooden side of the crate fell to the ground with a thud and Tomato went pale. "N-No… NO!"

Inside the crate was a belt sander, the sandpaper removed, with a ball peen hammer jammed into the gearing. Every couple of seconds, the hammer struck against the side of the wooden wall, sounding almost perfectly like a little fist trying to knock for help. Tomato cried out. "WE WERE TRICKED!"

Inside the building…

Videl marched willingly along as her two captors continued to talk about nothing. She looked out of the corner of her eye at each of them, trying to take in what was supplying this miserable, uneasy feeling she was having. These two were full of energy, chatting about future criminal plans and puffing their chest out… and yet they each had these massive, black bags right under their eyes. It looked as if neither had slept in weeks. Some kind of substance, maybe?

Videl sneered. "Hitting up drugs, eh? Is that where you boneheads got this miserable, child-kidnapping plot from? Something snorted or injected?"

The larger one snorted a laugh. "Hah! Drugs? We don't need drugs, little lady. We got powers now! No drug could match that~"

Videl was unfazed. "Meaning?"

This time, the shorter one rushed forward, turning and glaring right into Videl's eyes. He ripped the bandana from his head, revealing a massive glowing "M" branded right onto the flesh. He snarled. "MEANING WE GOT A NEW BOSS NOW! MEANING WE'RE THROUGH ANSWERING TO A STUCK-UP LITTLE CUNT LIKE YOU WHENEVER WE PULL JOBS!"

VIdel was droll. "Scary. That misplaced tramp stamp hurt when you had it put on?"

The shorter one cackled. "You think you're so smart, huh? That you showed up here and got to play the hero and did good, huh? Well, let me burst your bubble, princess! We-"

Videl cut him off. "Didn't actually give the kids to the police? Yeah. No shit. Why else would you bring out a big container like that? Moron."

Both criminals flinched back. Videl narrowed her eyes. "I know what this is all about, ya know? You want me as a hostage, there's really only one reason you'd want that and not to just blow my brains out. You wanna bait my dad, right?"

The shorter one scowled, motioning to his partner. "Duct tape. Now. I'm sick of her voice."

Videl smirked. "You want me and those kids as hostages, right? The kids to attack my father professionally. Me to attack him personally. You want to force him to come here for some reason, right?"

The shorter one growled. "Tape! TAPE!"

The larger one was fumbling through his vest pockets. "I-I'm trying!"

VIdel sighed and rolled her head, making her neck pop and crack. "But, of course, I came in here knowing that. I just didn't say anything for two reasons. One, I figured you'd start killing kids if I didn't just obediently come along. And two…"

The shorter one walked around behind Videl, shoving his friend. "WHERE'S THE FRIGGIN' TAPE?!"

The larger one snapped back. "I DON'T KNOW!"

Videl spoke calmly. "It's in your pants pocket, dipstick."

Both criminals flinched. The larger one reached into his pocket and pulled out a roll of duct tape. "Oh~ I… I didn't think of that. Heheh~"

Videl sighed. "Reason Number Two is that I've had a stressful evening and I kinda need this. Not gonna lie."

Both criminals looked confused. The shorter one cocked his head. "Wha-"

With a sharp, plastic snap, Videl broke the zip-cuffs holding her wrists together and both of her fists shot up, busting the criminals under their jaws and sending them flying into the air. VIdel turned and kicked the bigger one in the crotch, making him wheeze and double over. She slid across his back like the hood of a car and kicked the shorter one square in the face, thrusting him backwards into a steel beam and ringing his bell. Then, with her good arm, Videl grabbed a sack of concrete and swung it upward, nailing the larger one between the legs a second time. He fell to his knees with a high-pitched squeal and Videl heaved the concrete sack into the air, slamming it down onto the top of his head and making it explode into a haze of powder. The shorter one tried to push himself up off the ground, but Videl finished her attack by curb-stomping his head directly into the floor.

With both of her captors dispatched, Videl reached up and ripped the bandages from her shoulder, giving it a few testing rotations and sighed. "Definitely going to pop some stitches. But… whatever."

She started walking toward the stairs, reaching into the pocket sewn onto her dress and pulling out her phone and wireless earbuds. Videl popped her left bud in and switched to her music app, selecting her playlist labeled "Ass-Kicking Mix". Videl stomped her foot down onto the first step leading up. "Throwing down in my prom dress. I wonder how many of these bozos there are? Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes…"

On the building's second floor…

Videl stepped onto the second floor, music beating against her left eardrum. Without looking, she dodged the swing of a wrench from behind and grabbed her attacker by the arm, fling him forward into two other waiting thugs and sending them to the ground in a heap. As all three started to get up, Videl was already right on top of them.

She stomped one's head through the floor, kicked another across the jaw, and then slammed her heel down on top of the head of the third. A furious roar echoed through the building and VIdel saw two more crooks barreling towards her. Videl responded in kind by running toward the two of them.

One of the thugs reared his fist back and shot it forward, but Videl was unfazed. She leapt up, using the fist as a foothold and launching herself over both of her attackers. Both of them turned in time to see Videl's foot shooting toward them like a cruise missile. One kick cracked into the jaw of the would-be attacker, sending him crashing toward and down the stairwell. The other snarled, pulling out a knife and going for a stab.

Videl raised her hand, sliding it down the length of her attacker's arm until she reached the handle of the knife. Videl gripped it, crushing the fool's finger and making him yelp. Then, with all of the strength she could muster, she lifted him up with her bum arm and heaved him into a window, shattering it out and sending him to the ground below.

Videl sighed, looking at the damage she had done and observing. All of the attackers left on the second floor had the exact same "M" stamped on their foreheads. She scowled. "What is this shit, a cult?"

Then Videl winced. She felt a warm, viscous trickle sliding down her shoulder and across her chest. She didn't look. "My next check-up is going to be awkward…"

On the building's third floor…

VIdel burst onto the scene on the third floor and immediately fell to her knees, sliding under the furious swing of a baseball bat. The bat shattered against the wall and Videl shot up, shattering the jaw of its former wielder with a well-placed uppercut. The unconscious thug stumbled back and fell onto one of them fellows, pinning the criminal to the ground long enough for Videl to stomp on the side of his head.

A larger thug came charging, but Videl steeled herself. She charged toward him and then went flying into an extremely low drop kick, shattering both of the brute's ankles and sending him tumbling over her like an avalanching boulder. He went rolling and rolling, smashing into several of his compatriots rushing down from the upper floor. A dozen more flowed down behind them and Videl cracked her knuckles. "Okay then…"

Videl rushed into the crowd, fists flying and adrenaline pumping. She dodged a punch from one, staring in shock as the rail-thin crook managed to shatter through concrete with his bare fist, and then kicked her attacker out of a nearby window. Videl continued her charge.

She caught a kick flying toward her head and smashed her elbow into the attacking knee, snapping it right down the center. A wail of pain started, but Videl quickly silenced it with a punch. And then she was on to the next foe. More and more waves of opponents came rushing in, but Videl was steamrolling through them with cold efficiency.

A female thug came up from behind, thrusting her fingers harshly into Videl's bad shoulder and ripping at her stitches. Videl hissed, but responded with a hearty thrusting kick into the woman's gut, sending her crashing back into a pile of sawhorses. Two more were immediately on her, both swinging mallets. Videl scoffed and shoved their hands, sending the mallets off-course and making the two idiots whack each other. They both hit the ground with a thud and the third was immediately on Videl, swinging a hacksaw. Videl ducked the attack, grabbing a bag of sawdust and busting it across the face with it.

Without missing a beat, Videl reached down for a handful of sawdust and jammed it into her now steadily bleeding wound. It hurt like hell, but it also staunched the bleeding enough that she could continue up the stairs once more.

On the building's fourth floor…

Videl came shooting out of the stairwell, nailing a bastard in the face with the bottom of her shoe. From the right, another one lunged and wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her into a choking headlock. Videl growled under her breath and, straining with every muscle in her back, pulled her latest captor up off of his feet and slammed him down right onto his head.

She sprang up and ran forward into the next oncoming crowd, punching one in the face hard enough to shatter bone, smashing another's teeth out with her knee, and then grabbing those two fools and tossing them into the group behind them. The respite was only brief as most got to their feet, grabbed whatever was in reach, and charged at her with the roar of a pack of jaguars.

Videl ducked a wrench and shattered someone's cheek. Sidestepped a hacksaw and smashed an ankle. Barely avoided a screwdriver going into her eye and responded with a headbutt that made the skin beneath her hairline split just a bit. Videl felt a trickle of blood run down her face and sighed with relief when it avoided her eyes, then she lunged into the group with a primal shout. A claw hammer came crashing towards her head, but stopped short as its wielder had all of his ribs splintered by a kick to the right side.

At the beginning of this fabricated hostage situation, the crowd of crooks was quite confident in the powers granted to them by their mysterious new master. Now, as they watched with teenage girl with merciless blue eyes and the shadow of a devil on her heels plow through them with no effort at all, the rank-and-file of them began to turn tail and run screaming.

This was no girl, this was a denizen of Hell in a trendy prom dress!

As they started to run, however, several of the thugs stopped in place and began to scream, clutching their heads as their new brand began to flash and burn. Hearing the message loud and clear, the crooks turned to face their own final overture, taking on blows that, unbeknownst to their deliverer, even the great Mr. Satan would bow and kowtow to.

Videl grabbed and broke two wrists, flipped some amorphous blob over her shoulder, drove her knee into something soft and her fist into something hard. Before she realized what was going on, she was flipping through the air and slamming her foot down onto the back of someone's head.

All of the grief Videl felt in her daily life. Her every little anxiety. Every emotion that she hid behind a layer of indifference and two more layers of sarcasm and wit. It was all coming out all at once. Blood was running down her face and her arm. Something was streaming from her eyes, might have been blood or might have not. Nothing mattered right now! Nothing but what was in front of her! Videl was unloosed and fully-fight-blind!

Two more fists came flying into her field of view and she shot her feet forward, twisting in the air and sending whatever was attached to those fists flying. Another kick collided and then another after that, that one accompanied by a yelp of pain. She sprang up, flying over several dark shapes below her and grabbed a light fixture, tearing it from the ceiling and heaving down onto them below. (mom on her deathbed)

A flash of white came from the left blind-spot and Videl fist went through it, plowing into lips, then teeth, then gums. Then, before she realized what she was doing, Videl yanked the piece of wood hanging off of her arm (a door?) and smashed it into several others off to the right. She lunged forward, grabbing one by the shirt and smashing her head into a shuddering nose. Tossed that one to the ground and immediately her knee was in someone's gut. Foe down, suddenly up and flying through the air, smashing into his unsuspecting friend. (dad always upset alone)

A gleam of metal. Videl ducked an axe. Lots of hair fluttering in the air (hiki brushing my hair hiki being my friend) followed by a scream of pure rage and shouts of terror that her brain would never be able to attach images to. The music was still beating in her left ear. KEEP GOING!

Rolling on the ground. Wrench colliding with her ribs. Blocking a punch. Breaking a jaw. Yelps of terror.

"KILL HER! SHE'S A BRAT!".

Screaming. Pain. Face exploded against her fist. Lights strobing.

"MASTER BABIDI!"

Master Babidi?! Stupid name. Doesn't matter. Ten more. Blink. Ten more. Blink. Ten more. Blink. Eight more. Blink. Three more. Running! RUNNING FROM ME! RUN FASTER!

Boot to the back of the head. (sharpner)

Kick hard enough to break an arm. (gohan)

A punch to the eyes and a splintering crack. (erasa)

Even more. Videl roars! (i don't want to disappoint you)

Screaming. (please don't go to prom without me)

Videl was doubled over, heaving breaths in and out in a slow, steady rhythm. Normally, doubling over like this would have her hair hanging entirely over her face, obscuring her vision. But she could see perfectly clearly now. She reached up and felt the damage. The ax had taken off quite a bit. She groaned. "... dammit. Stuck with a pixie cut…"

She enjoyed a small chuckle and then cringed in pure agony at the horrid feeling on her left side. Those ribs were shattered, for sure. Videl could feel heat behind her. She turned and stared dully at the flames erupting from the light fixture she had ripped down. She looked closely and, thankfully, the morons she threw it at had managed to crawl out from underneath it before being set totally ablaze. At that same moment, she scanned the room, hardly believing that the other end of it was so close. Heaps of battered and broken thugs, crooks, and criminals littered the ground. Most of them were barely able to twitch.

Videl coughed and tasted something warm and metallic flying out of her mouth. She rubbed her index finger across her teeth and it came back an uninterrupted line of red.

She had a throbbing headache. The music in her left ear had stopped. She pulled out her wireless earbud and found it flashing the same shade of red as on her finger. "Damn. Forgot to charge them earlier…"

Her cheeks felt wet. Videl rubbed her palm across both and it came back damp, but perfectly clear. Had she been crying? Why would she do something like that at a time like this? Looking to her side, Videl saw her reflection in a nearby window. Covered in blood. Visibly exhausted. Her prom dress was essentially ruined. She closed her eyes and heard Erasa scolding her. And Gohan. And Sharpner. And Hiki. And her father. And even her mother.

Then Videl's eyes snapped open and she ambled toward the stairwell. "Fifth floor is the last before it splits into the two towers. I hope they're up there…"

Videl began her slow ascent, not noticing the sound of metallic footsteps creeping up behind her.

On the fifth floor of the building…

Videl stepped into the room, wishing that she was asleep, or dead, or at the very least wearing her boots rather than these stupid dress heels. And, to her relief, she had found what she was looking for: sixteen sobbing kindergarteners, all with their wrists bound in front with rope.

Videl waved, putting on her softest voice. "H-Hey guys~! Don't worry~! I'm… I'm here to rescue you…~"

All of the kids looked toward her fearfully, Videl approaching them calmly, silently wishing that she could make the blood stop running out of her. She probably looked terrifying to these poor, scared little guys.

"The police sent me~. I'm a good guy~. And don't worry, the bad guys are all taken care of~"

She lurched forward, trying to maintain some form of stride that would make them trust in her. "You don't have anything to be afraid of any more~!"

A little girl with dark blue hair and light blue eyes whimpered. "A-Are you sure?"

Videl nodded, smiling wide and hoping that her teeth weren't blood red. "Yeah~! No more bad guys~!"

A little boy with a shaggy, brown pompadour sat up. "Y-You beat up the Robot Monster and the Spider Head?!"

Videl halted her approach. "Huh? 'Robot Monster' and 'Spider Head'?"

Suddenly, Videl's ears pricked up. She was now quite aware of the footsteps approaching her from behind. Turning on a dime, Videl faced her approaching foes and took on her firmest fighting stance. A voice with an almost electronic static to it spoke. "Oh my! The girl seems to still have a fight in her! Fascinating!"

Another voice with a metallic echo, lower to the ground, spoke. "She would certainly make a great assassin, Tao Pai Pai. Perhaps we should have Master Babidi brainwash her to act as a servant as well."

Videl squinted her eyes. "Tao Pai Pai…? From the 23rd Tournament?"

The two interlopers stepped out from the shadows and Videl gasped in shock. On the right side was a fully robotic skeleton, dressed in a bright pink chang pao. Atop this robot's head sat a clear, glass dome containing a human brain. And, branded on that brain, was the same "M" mark as she had seen on everyone downstairs.

Next to him was a large, spider-shaped robot with a divot recessed in the middle. Sitting in the recessed crater was a semi-decayed, heavily-scarred head with two tufts of gray hair sticking out of either side of its head and a pair of sunglasses seemingly bolted to its face. Right above those glasses sat yet another "M" brand. Videl cringed. "What the hell…?"

Tao Pai Pai growled with displeasure. "No, Shen, unless Master Babidi himself requests otherwise, I think this girl shall simply remain what she was meant to be from the moment of her arrival. A hostage, and nothing more!"

Videl scowled. "You think you have it in you to take me on?! Then bring-"

Quick as a flash, Tao Pai Pai cleared the space between himself and Videl and slammed his palm into her stomach, unleashing an overwhelming burst of electrical current into Videl's body and forcing her to immediately blackout. Swimming in her own mind, Videl heard her last in a slurred blur. "Go awaken those fools, Shen. I will take care of restraining this one."

Back at Orange Star High School…

Laughing out loud, Gohan, Erasa, Sharpner, and Stencil all piled off of the dance floor and over to the refreshment table. Erasa stirred the punch bowl with the ladle, took a quick sniff to make sure no one had spiked it, and then poured four cups for herself and her friends. Sharpner ate a hotdog in two bites and Gohan was eating a handful of cookies two at a time.

All four friends drank down their punch and then walked over to the table for more. Once that was acquired, they found a nice empty spot on the bleachers and sat down for a quick rest. Stencil chuckled. "This is so much more fun than my prom. Right Sharpner?"

Sharpner nodded. "Yeah. Your prom was pretty lame."

The blonde looked around, his eyes focusing over on the exit. He frowned. "I wish she'd get here already. I'm starting to get really worried."

Stencil nodded, looking pretty bummed at Videl's absence. "Was the fight really that bad?"

Gohan turned to Erasa. "Was it…?"

Erasa's face flashed with anger. She was making a valiant attempt to keep up her fury. But eventually, her face fell and she looked quite sad as well. "I would have called her by now if I didn't break my phone…"

Gohan sighed. "I have been trying to call her. No response."

Erasa crossed her arms and her eyes fell to the floor. "... I hope she doesn't hate me. I don't think I could go on if she hated me…"

The mood was grave. Everyone was suddenly down. Stencil sighed and combed his fingers through his hair. "Are you positive that you and Videl aren't a thing, Erasa?"

Erasa flinched. "Wh-What?"

He adopted a cheeky smile. "Gohan. Blink twice if you're just acting as a beard. It's okay, hon, you're in a safe space~"

Silence for a moment, and then all four of them burst out into a laughing fit. The joyous laughter carried on for several minutes, eventually ending with everyone downing their punch for a second time. Gohan sighed. "We need to all stop worrying. If Videl doesn't show up, we'll just head to her place after this. Apologize. Play Street Fighter or something…"

For that moment, everyone seemed to be more at ease. But then, the gym doors flung open and Monty Cash rushed in with a frantic look on his face. "EVERYONE TURN ON THE NEWS ON YOUR PHONES!"

The room came to a dead halt. Everyone stared at Monty for a few, silent moments, and then they pulled their phones out and turned on the Z-TV app. Going along with the crowd, Erasa pulled out her phone and motioned for her companions to gather 'round.

At first, no one knew what they were meant to be looking at. Then, a new image flashed onto the screen and the dreadful realization hit everyone all at once. Standing front and center on the thumbnail to this new news update was the robotic Tao Pai Pai. And next to him, bound to a steel girder with several twists of rope, was the unconscious form of Videl.

There are some attempts to reassure that Videl will be here at any time. But then, someone calls out to turn on Z-TV right now. The screen in the Gym is turned to the news and everyone is shocked by the image that pops up. It's Tao Pai Pai and Shen. And they are demanding Mr. Satan's presence right away, otherwise he might stand to lose all he has left. They both move and the chapter ends on the sight of Videl hanging by her wrists from a steel beam