Chapter 4 - Playtime
Gohan grimaced as Hercule stumbled through the rest of the class. "I should have just skipped today. Mom would have understood" he thought.
Standing up straight, he dropped his stance like the rest of the class had. "Out of all the schools, all the classes, and all the potential teachers, how come Hercule had to come here? Come on, can't I catch a break after the whole Buu thing?"
The skin on the back of his neck began crawling again, as he found Videl studying him again. He winced. "Crapbaskets, she noticed something."
He let out a breath of relief as Hercule finished up and regained the attention of the class. At least Videl wasn't mentally drilling a hole in the back of his head anymore. His stress returned when he realized that Hercule refused to do more than glance away from him while he addressed the class.
"Well, we've got s-some basis to w-work on" Hercule said. Surprisingly, his voice sounded even, which was more than he expected from what he had seen back in the Buu incident.
"Just please stop staring at me!"
"So, uh, yeah, we'll get into groups and, uh, start there" he continued. "G-get together in pairs and spar, I-I'll watch and rank you ac-ccordingly."
"What's up with the Champ?" one of Gohan's classmates muttered.
"He seems distracted. I don't blame him, he must have seen some stuff recently" another one said.
Bad news. His class noticed Hercule's weird attitude. Good news. They blamed it on something else entirely. Feeling a slight ball of tension leave, he let out a breath.
Videl's glare sharpened. What was up with Gohan today? First off, he, the resident nerd, puts on an extremely expert fighting stance. It was flawless or as close as could be, and what more, it looked so natural. This wasn't something he studied, it was a practiced pose.
Second up, he seemed to be rapidly fluctuating between moods. One moment, he appeared on edge, almost nervous, and the next moment, stress free? "What are you hiding, Son Gohan?" she obsessed.
Her dad was running the class, and he already knew her skill level. She probably didn't even need to find a partner to get evaluated. But why not participate with the class?
"Gohan" she said sharply, causing the young man to jump. "Good, he's still on edge." "Come on, you'll be my sparring partner."
Gohan stared at her like she was crazy for a second, before chuckling. "Really? Videl, I wouldn't be much help, I mean, you're an expert fighter. What could I do?"
"More than you're letting on, I'm sure" Videl smirked, seeing the amusement fade from his face. "Come on, Gohan, I saw your stance. You've got more to you than you're admitting to. Now get your butt over here!"
She said the last part with enough force that Gohan didn't even try to back out of it anymore. "Right where I want you" she thought satisfiedly. Either she proves that he knows how to fight, and thus prove that he hasn't been telling them everything, or she gets to kick his butt for all that he's withheld.
As the class began to disperse around them, Videl crouched down, bringing her fists up. She waited for a moment, and gohan didn't do anything. "Hey, smart guy, you're supposed to be sparring with me, remember? Come at me!"
Gohan's eyes widened slightly, and he raised his hands. "I'm not just going to attack you, Videl!" he protested.
Eyes narrowing, she growled. "What, because I'm a girl?" she asked threateningly.
"What?!" No, I-" Gohan tried to explain, babbling.
"Videl, wait!" she heard a deep voice say, and sighed internally.
She twisted sharply and shot a glare at her dad. "What, Dad?" she asked, just as much force behind it as it had against Gohan.
Hercule raised his hands in what was supposed to be a calming gesture. "Sweetie, it's just that I already know where you stand, you don't need to train against these guys. Why don't you, uh, let this guy train against someone more his level?"
What was that in her dad's voice. Was it… Pleading? Her frown deepened. Maybe her father was just thinking about the safety of the supposed 'nerd,' but he didn't know what she knew. If she was right about Gohan being the caped dork running, or flying, around the city, then he wouldn't hesitate to let her at him. After all, he had a very strong opinion about people that used the tricks Saiyaman used.
Her scowl became more pronounced. "Daddy, I'm not just going to sit to the side because I have 'special privileges' or whatever" she said firmly. "I'm in this class, and I'm going to participate."
"Ok, Videl, I understand" he father said soothingly. "But, I mean, why don't you choose someone closer to your skill level, like your friend Sharpner. He comes to my gym, after all, he definitely knows how to fight better than this scrawny guy."
Gohan flashed a small frown at Hercule, and Videl could have sworn she saw his adam's apple bob in a gulping motion. "Dad, did you really just say Sharpner would be a worthy opponent for me?" she snorted. "He knows something, but he's casual."
"Um, but wouldn't he be better than me, then?" Gohan added with a timid tone. "He practices on a regular basis, right?"
"And what about you, Gohan" Videl said, sharply wheeling on him. "There's something you're leaving out of that statement, right? He practices, sure, but what about you, huh?"
Gohan seemed to stumble back as she targeted him, and she smirked internally. "Come on, Gohan, answer the question, or I'll force the answer out of you."
Dropping back into her fighting stance, she saw Gohan's arms raise weakly. "Not gonna use that stance from earlier, huh? Worried it might reveal something about you?"
"V-Videl, please-" Hercule tried to say.
"Sorry, Dad, but my mind's made up" Videl said with finality, before lunging at Gohan.
Expecting to catching him off guard, Videl twisted, bringing her foot around in a round kick aimed at his shoulder. She briefly saw his eyes widen in surprise, before he leaned backwards, letting the kick sail harmlessly over his head.
Planting her foot on the ground, she launched a swift punch straight as his torso. In a surprising feat of agility, Gohan twisted to the side, moving in a fashion that her punch sailed past.
Videl pressed onwards, sending a flurry of quick punches straight at the team, every single time, just barely missing as he dodged to the side. The more she attacked, the smoother his movements seemed to get. No longer stumbling around, almost looking like he dodged by sheer luck, he began to sway while taking steps back, each movement fluid and calculated. Once or twice, the shocked look on his face was briefly replaced with the tiniest of smirks.
But she was getting annoyed. No, the more they fought, the more evidence she amassed that, at least, Gohan was hiding a lot. Behind his nerdy persona, he at least knew his way around a fight. The problem was that he wasn't fighting back. It was almost as if he was mocking her, avoiding every attack flung his way, but not even giving her the courtesy of throwing a punch of his own.
It was insulting.
"Damnit, fight back!" she growled fiercely.
Things were not going well for Gohan in the slightest. Sure, he may have had the edge in the fight, but that wasn't going to help him here.
He had gotten a glance at what Elder Kai had done for his body beyond just power a week earlier, when he caught his brother, in his sleep. Beyond being more powerful, his body's reflexes had improved to an unimaginable level. He hardly even need to focus on the fight to engage in combat.
Which was the problem. It took every ounce of his willpower to avoid fighting for real, and he really didn't want to fight for real. He was already moving too fast for what he should be, even if he hadn't gotten to the point of being faster than the eye could see. If he knocked a blow to the side, he could send her too far off balance for his own good. And he didn't even want to think about what would happen if he fought back. Best case scenario, he prove himself to be better than Videl, which would open up a whole can of worms he didn't want. Worst case…
"Damnit, fight back!" Videl nearly shouted at him.
"Fight back?!" Gohan mentally facepalmed. Was she trying to provoke him into knocking her out cold. His body was already working against him as it was. Against Buu's Super form, he didn't have to worry about holding back, power-wise, or reflex-wise. Now, too late, he realized just how inexperienced he was with his new powers. It was worse than when he and his dad emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in a constant Super Saiyan state.
Videl sent a blow straight at his body, and he jumped straight back, landing three feet away, and tried to stumble for effect. He didn't have a moment to think of what to do next before Videl was on top of him again.
"She's great for a human" he realized as he ducked another swing. "Especially for one with no Ki control." Maybe far weaker than Krillin, Tien, or even Master Roshi, but still, good. In fact, she may be even stronger than her father. Hercule had slacked since the Cell Games, and there, he was shockingly powerful for a human without Ki control. Heck, by normal standards, he was still impressive. "I wonder what those two could do if they had been brought up with Ki control also…"
Entire body jolting, he barely stopped himself from knocking her next blow aside. He was growing distracted on his train of thought. He saw a knowing smirk cross Videl's face as he stopped. "Crap, she saw that" he swore internally. As she kicked up at him, Gohan began to raise his hands, before he caught himself and darted to the side.
"What's the matter, Gohan? Why don't you fight back?" she grunted as she kept it up, traces of a grin playing at her face.
"She's kinda cute when she smiles" he noted, knowing that the smile was caused by her getting closer to proving more about him. He blanched. "Wait, cute?"
His body ducked low underneath her next swing, his leg struck out and swept her legs out from underneath her. His eyes widened as she left the ground, falling backwards until she slammed to the grassy surface, air escaping her lungs in an audible gasp.
"Crap crap crap crap crap crap CRAP!" he panicked. Maybe not much of his power went into that kick, but it was enough. He saw just how quickly she was slammed into the ground. Running over to her side, he looked down at Videl. "Videl, are you okay?!" he asked worriedly.
Videl's eyes stared blankly for a second, not focusing on him. His heartbeat quickened, and he wondered just what he did. Then she blinked, and wheezed loudly, coughing as she shot up.
Gohan breathed a sigh of relief. "Videl, you're alright?" he asked.
Videl looked up at him. "Yeah, just had the wind knocked out of me" she said, before sending an evil smirk his way. "That was quite a move you pulled right there. Something tells me that you left out a detail about your fighting abilities."
Gohan froze, and then chuckled nervously. "Heh heh, yeah, I guess…"
Pushing herself back to her feet, she shot a glare at him. "Well?" she said expectantly.
Gohan scratched the back of his head. "Well, I used to train a lot, a long time ago, but I haven't really done any practice very much for quite a few years now. I thought I'd be a lot rustier than I was."
It wasn't a total lie. He barely trained for seven years after the Cell Games, and between that time and the present, he only got a bit of training in. It just happened to be super effective training. Being rusty though… Yeah, no playing around that one. That one was a blatant lie.
Videl's glare softened, becoming slightly less serious, and more sarcastic. "You think?" she said. "Really? I don't know what kind of training you had up in the mountains, but that wasn't rusty."
Gohan chuckled nervously, scratching his head again. "I travelled quite a bit too, so I got some different kinds of training."
He could fly around the world in a very short amount of time, and his trip to Namek definitely qualified as 'travel.' Space travel, but travel nonetheless.
"Uh-huh" Videl said. "Well who would have thought, mountain boy being my only rival in this class."
"R-rival?" Gohan said, surprised.
"Someone who could keep up with me, at least" Videl huffed. Bringing her hands up, she got back into a fighting stance. "Now, this time, fight back, don't just run away."
"She still wants to go?!" Gohan nearly fell back when he heard her. He dropped down slightly, gulping nervously as he looked at Videl, who looked like she was ready to go run a mile. Even after having the wind knocked out of her, she still was in top form. "Dende, please, I don't know if I can keep fighting without hurting her. I really need to-"
"Alright, you lot, that's enough" the booming voice of Hercule rang out.
"Dende, remind me to thank you later" he thought with relief, dropping the stance and standing up straight. Letting out the breath he was holding, he tried to avoid Videl's gaze as he walked with the rest of the class back to Hercule.
After waiting for them all to gather, Hercule nodded. "Alright, I'd say that's a pretty g-good show of your individual skills" he said. His voice was still slightly shaky, but at least he was more in control now. "Tomorrow, I'll have individual regimens set up for each of you, but for now, we're out of time. All you all, get out of here."
The class broke out into conversation as they were dismissed, the adreneline high from sparring keeping them in high spirits. Most of them were still hyped up from meeting the World Champ, in person.
Gohan turned around to make his way back to the locker rooms, when he heard one last thing. "Before you go, skinny kid, over here!"
Blinking, he turned around, and saw Hercule beckoning to him. "I guess he wants to talk" he realized. Trying to look bewildered, he made his way over to the Champ. However, he wasn't the only one.
"And what exactly do you want with Gohan, Dad?" Videl asked, looking curiously from her dad to him.
"I have a few special notes for him that I don't want to share in front of the class" Hercule rumbled. "Go on home, Videl, I'll be back in a while."
"Uh huh" Videl said, eyebrow raised at her father. It didn't take a genius to see her skepticism over Hercule's response. "Well, okay, I'll see you there, then."
Gohan didn't turn around to watch her leave, only needing to sense her Ki to make sure she made her way off the field. As he felt her and all the others go inside the building, he looked up at the Champ, dropping his timid act.
"Sorry to surprise you like that, Mr. S" he said.
Hercule blinked, looking down at him. "Oh, it's, uh, no problem at all, I just didn't expect to see you of all people here. Uh, what are you doing here?"
"My mom sent me to school so I could make some friends my age. Satan City was the closest place to where we live" Gohan explained.
"Oh, ok. So, uh, Gohan, was it? Can I call you that? Delivery Boy's a bit of a mouthful."
Gohan chuckled. "Yeah, I'm not a stickler for any of that stuff."
"Okay" Hercule said, visibly relaxing.
Gohan crossed his arms. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked casually.
"Oh, yeah, uh…" Hercule stammered, blinking rapidly as he tried to think.
"Why is it that this guy's brain short-circuits whenever he's around me or one of my friends, and conscious of it?" he wondered. Was energy still such a foreign concept to him, even after Cell and Buu?
"Oh, that's right" Hercule remembered. "I saw you fighting my daughter out there earlier. You;d better hope you didn't do anything to her, or else!"
Gohan almost wanted to chuckle at Hercule's tough attitude. "He must be a really protective parent, which is odd considering Videl's 'part-time job'" he thought.
He shook his head. "You were there, Hercule, you saw that I really didn't have a choice in whether I fought her or not. Don't worry, I'm trying to stay under the radar here." He rubbed his temple. "She seems to have a habit of getting in over her head without even realizing it. She's been trying to find out everything about me."
Hercule blanched. "Wait, you're the kid she's been hounding!?" he exclaimed.
"Yeah, it's been a bit of a bother, but I don't think she'll find me out" Gohan shrugged. "Although, she's giving my alter ego a bit of trouble out there. I can't help her without her trying to take my mask off."
"Mask?" Hercule asked, confused, before realization dawned on his face. "You're that caped hero that's been here recently too. Say-something, right?"
"Saiyaman, yeah" Gohan affirmed. "I like criminals about as much as your daughter does, and I'm trying to do my part. But between trying to unmask me and getting in over her head, it's a pretty tough deal." He gave Hercule a serious look. "She had a run-in with Mercenary Tao earlier today. It sounds like you two have history, from what he said?"
Paling slightly, Hercule stared wildly. "WHAT?!" he roared.
Gohan nodded, slightly taken aback by the sheer intensity of his voice. He definitely knew Tao. Maybe it was because of how powerful he was, but he never saw Tao as too threatening. Sure, dangerous to normal humans, but not a terrible threat. This must have been how someone like him was viewed through Hercule's eyes.
"Don't worry, I ran him out of town" Gohan assured the large man. "I doubt he'll be back in my lifetime."
Hercule visibly relaxed hearing that his daughter wouldn't be in any further trouble. "Oh, uh, well, thank you" he said. He glanced back up at Gohan. "Uh, I do have to wonder. If you don't want to be recognized by Videl, why don't you just do that glowey blonde thing you did on Cell? Wouldn't that disguise you?"
"Long story short, I lost that power" Gohan said. "I'm still just as strong, but I don't have the actual form like that. That's why I have my suit. Now, sorry, Mr. S, but if that's all, I really need to go, okay? I like to make rounds a bit before I head on home."
"Oh, yeah, sure thing Deliv-, er, Gohan" Hercule said. "Um, stay up on your training?"
Gohan chuckled at his 'Champion's attitude.' "Yeah, sure thing" he said, turning on the spot. He wished he could just fly off from the field, but there was no telling who might see him besides Hercule. Jogging off the field, he made his way to the doors.
"Oh, wait, I forgot, there's something I want to ask you!" Hercule suddenly called out.
Gohan came to a stop. Closing his eyes, he darted back to where Hercule was, moving faster than anyone could see. "Yeah? What's that?" he asked, slightly annoyed that he had waited until he was almost inside to call him back.
Hercule flinched heavily when Gohan appeared before him, falling over on his rear in shock. Trying to shake it off, he climbed back to his feet. "I wanted to see if, well, I could ask you a favor. You remember Buu, right?"
Gohan raised his eyebrows, and Hercule shirked back. "Erm, right, dumb question" he admitted. "Well, you see, Buu's getting really bored all cooped up in our house while we wait for your wish-thingy to go through. He's blowing through every form of entertainment I have for him, and this morning, he asked me to play with him by fighting him."
"You didn't agree, did you?" Gohan asked.
"No way, I am extremely painfully aware of how much stronger Buu is than me" Hercule said quickly. "But, he really wants to do, well, 'pow-pow' as he calls it. I was wondering if maybe, you'd be willing to fight with him, just to help out?"
Gohan blinked, not having expected this at all. "Hold up a minute, Champ, you're saying you want me to fight with the Good Buu that's living in your house?"
"Not to hurt him, he just wants to play, and that's how he likes to play" Hercule explained. "Look, you don't have to, but I'd make it worth your while. I'd pay you a million zeni for doing this for me and Buu."
"Gosh, a million zeni?" Gohan wondered. He wasn't all that interested in the money, but he knew that after everything had settled, his mom was a bit upset that none of them, besides Goten, earned any money to help support them. And runner-up in the Junior Division wasn't a giant check.
"Heck, if Buu wanted to fight anymore after this, for the next while, maybe it could be like a part time job for you?" Hercule asked. "You make Buu happy, I'll make you rich, how does that sound?"
Gohan shrugged. "I don't care much for riches, but my mom could really use some extra finances. You know what? Sure, why not? I can fly over in a bit to pick up Buu and make sure we aren't spotted, and go somewhere where we won't harm anyone."
"Well, that sounds just great" Hercule said. "Really, I appreciate it, and Buu sure does too. Or, well, he will, once he knows about it, because until then-"
"I get it" Gohan cut him off. "I'll head over when I can slip away, don't worry about it."
It didn't take long for Gohan to change back into his normal clothes and find a secluded corner to transform in. Donning his Saiyaman disguise, he took the skies, surveilling the entire city from above.
Videl was working hard, fighting a trio of heavy men that seemed to be robbing a convenience store. He made to help, but before he landed, she had the three of them taken care of.
"She's really something else." Even being trained her entire life, she just fought three men three times her size simultaneously and looked none the worse for wear. Pretty impressive all things considered.
Setting down on a low rooftop, he looked down at the scene. The men seemed to have been trying to brute force their way through, judging by the shattered glass littering the pavement. Glancing around, he didn't feel any other malicious Kis in the area. "A team of three? What these guys have in muscles, they lack in brain power…"
Videl glanced up, and saw him standing on the rooftop. "What's the matter, Saiyaman, just watching today?" she called.
"I step in where I'm needed, Miss Videl!" Gohan called back in his Saiyaman voice. "You required no help to best these three."
"Yeah?" Videl asked.
"I'm only in it to help, Videl, I don't care about credit" he pointed out.
"Uh huh" Videl said, grinning up at him. "Well, maybe you'll get some credit when I find out who you are, Saiyaman."
Gohan blinked. "She really has a nice smile". He grinned back. "Maybe I will. Of course, for that to happen, you would have to be capable of discovering who I am first" he said, slight tone of cockiness evident in his voice. Raising his hand, he waved to her. "Ciao, see you later!"
Chuckling slightly to himself at the look on Videl's face, having gone from cheerful to dumbfounded and a bit angry, he sprang upwards, dashing off of the rooftop, and into the air, before flying away from the scene.
"Looks like Videl's got the city handled today" he said as he flew through the air. As far as he could tell, there weren't any powerful energies in the city that day, save himself and Buu. Speaking of…
He righted himself in the air. "Buu's energy is a bit weird and hard to sense, but if I try a bit, I should at least be able to get a general direction" he reasoned. It was only at the tournament did he start feeling odd powers. Cell and Frieza, they just felt cold and ruthless, right down to their energy signatures. But it was normal Ki. But, when it came down to the island there, first, there was Spopovich and Yamu, who had a magical boost, giving them extremely odd Ki, but still human. Then there was Shin and Kibito. They were strong, but he couldn't sense their strength, only that they had some. It was strange. Then, Buu. Buu had the oddest energy out of them all. He felt empty, yet overflowing at the same time. What he sensed, he could be dealing with a lot more, or a lot less. Buu's power was slippery, impossible to read accurately.
But he was still a single entity, and while his power was strange, it had a specific location. His head snapped to the side. "Over this way" he muttered to himself. Maybe he wouldn't be able to pin down his exact location, but if he he flew that way, and then looked for the flashiest house around, it shouldn't be an issue.
Wind flicking outwards, Gohan flew off in the direction of the odd energy. Going through the clouds, Gohan passed over the city at a slow pace. He didn't go anywhere near his full speed. He didn't need to attract too much attention.
He let out a breath. Up here, he was just about worry-free. No one could see him, bother him, nothing. He could just relax. He hadn't had too much of that in his life, and he loved every moment he could get.
Of course, he was on his way to have a sparring match with the old terror of the universe, so maybe he wasn't completely worry-free. He frowned slightly. "I'll have to set up some rules with Buu, like no trying to turn me into candy" he realized. That was one of Buu's most dangerous abilities. Maybe his dad and Vegeta fused together had been powerful enough to not let it stop them, but he doubted he could still fight as a peanut-butter cup.
Sensing the energy somewhere below him, Gohan stopped in the air and began to descend. As he emerged from the clouds, he blinked. "Wow, Hercule really knows how to show off…"
Calling Hercule's place a 'house' would be similar to calling his dad a 'good fighter.' The house, no, mansion, was about the same size of the entire school of Orange Star, grounds and all. The property was surrounded by a tall stone wall, with a single imposing gate stationed out front of it.
All in all, it was the kind of place you see in the movies. Gohan searched the building, and looked over towards near the front of the house, on the ground floor. Dropping fast so that he wouldn't be seen, he set down lightly outside the window. Peering inside, sure enough, Majin Buu was sitting on the couch in there.
Lifting the window open, Gohan floated inside, pressing the button on his watch and dropping his Saiyasuit. The cape was cool, but it could easily get in the way in a tight space, and he wanted Buu to recognize him as well. His feet touched the floor with a light thump, and Buu turned towards him.
"Hey Buu, it's been a while" Gohan greeted.
"Oh, hi, you the one who Buu fought when Buu first got out of ball" Buu said, recognition dawning on his face. "And one who was on sky place when Buu came back. Buu sorry for blowing you up."
Gohan cringed slightly, remembering the burning sensation of the attack Buu used, the one that would have shot him out of the atmosphere without Supreme Kai's help. "Yeah, no problem, that's past."
"What you do here?" Buu asked, standing up to face him.
"Mr. Satan told me that you were in the mood to have a fight, earlier" Gohan said. "Since he was busy, he wanted me to come by and see if you wanted to have your match with me."
"You want to play Pow-Pow with Buu?" Buu asked hopefully.
"Sure, I'll play with you" Gohan smiled, watching Buu's childish face break out with happiness.
"Yipee!" Buu cheered. "Pow-Pow, Pow-Pow!" Raising his arms, he started bouncing towards Gohan.
Gohan hurriedly stuck his arms out. "Wait wait wait, hold on a second, Buu" he said. "We can't fight in here, we'll break all of Mr. Satan's things.
"Oh?" Buu asked, before Gohan's words registered. "Oh, uh-huh. Buu no want to hurt Hercule's things. But what we do? Hercule tell Buu that people scared of Buu, and Buu shouldn't leave house."
"We'll leave, we just have to be careful" Gohan said. "If we move fast, no one should see us, and we can go somewhere where we can 'play' safely."
"Ok, Buu can go fast, Buu can go very fast!" Buu said.
"Alright, then let's head out" Gohan said. "I shouldn't be away from my home for too long, anyways."
"Okay!" Buu said.
Turning around, Gohan began to climb out of the window. He froze, however, when he began to hear a faint sound, one that grew rapidly louder.
"That's Videl's jet copter!" Gohan panicked. "She can't find me here, otherwise it's all over!"
Hopping back from the window, Gohan got out of sight. "Buu, do you know where Videl lands?" he asked.
"Yes, Buu know. Buu always see Videl land yellow thing on front lawn" Buu told Gohan.
"Then we need to sneak out the back" Gohan said. "Come on, we need to hurry, Videl can't see me here."
"Oh, why no Videl can see you?" Buu asked.
"She doesn't know about me, about our big fight and everything. And I don't want to get in trouble if she catches me and have to tell her everything" Gohan said. "We need to go before she gets here."
Buu didn't ask any more questions, and instead began to waddle down the hall. Gohan grimaced, but figured that even at this pace, Buu should be outside a bit before Videl made it in.
Running ahead as fast as he could without knocking anything over, Gohan found the door that lead out back and opened it gently. Ushering Buu through, he stepped outside and closed it. His heart stopped as he heard the creak of the front door opening.
Making sure it was completely shut, Gohan turned around to face Buu. "As fast as you can, fly straight up into the sky" he said. "Otherwise, we can't play together."
That was the ticket. In a split second, Buu had vanished into the sky, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust in his wake. Backing away from the door, his body went into overdrive. In a split second, Videl had come into view, and at the same moment, Gohan might as well have used Instant Transmission to appear next to Buu.
Buu looked down at Gohan as he appeared. "It all okay? We can go play now?"
Gohan nodded. "Yeah, it's all good. Come on, I think we've got some areas around where I live that would be perfect. I'd better let my mom know, anyways. Come on, just follow me."
"Okay!" Buu said happily.
High above the clouds, flying towards his little place in the 439 mountain district, Gohan was struck with a sense of irony about the situation. The last time he had been in a similar position, he had been running from Buu, Supreme Kai with him, and Buu had caught them in the blink of an eye. Now, He had to limit himself (not as much as he had to with the others, but still) to not flying at his full speed, just so that Buu wouldn't lose him. Only in his Super and Kid states did he seem to be able sense energy, so he wouldn't be able to follow him if he lost sight of him.
"Thinking back, I can't believe how fast things have changed" Gohan realized. Approximately two weeks ago, Buu was the terror of the universe, and far outmatched him in every area. Now? He was guiding him to a place for a friendly spar. "How odd."
"Oh?" Goten asked, hopping onto the back of the couch, looking out the window.
Chi-Chi, who had been sitting with Goten, looked at her youngest son curiously. "What is it, Goten?" she asked.
Goten stared out the window for a moment, before looking back. "It's my big brother, he's coming back" he said.
"Of course he is, sweetie, school's done by now for him" Chi-Chi said.
"But, I also feel Buu with him" Goten added.
Chi-Chi looked puzzled. "Buu? As in that pink monster?" she asked.
Goten nodded, while Chi-Chi huffed. "Don't be silly, Goten, why would he be coming here?"
Looking back out the window, Goten answered. "I dunno, ask Gohan."
There was a very distinguishable whistling sound as his big brother and Buu set down out front of the house. Jumping down off the couch, Goten ran through the house, racing for the front door. Throwing it open, he darted forward from the doorway, tackling Gohan to the ground.
"Gohan, you're home!" Goten cheered. "That's awesome, now you can come play with me and we can train and, oh yeah, why's Buu here?"
Gohan raised his hands. "Whoa, slow down a bit there, Goten, I can't answer you if you say everything at once" he laughed. "Well, about Buu being here, he was getting bored and wanted a fight. I was just coming to let Mom know before we head out."
"You're going to fight Buu again?" Goten asked. "But that won't even be fun, you pounded the really mean Buu into the ground."
"Yeah, but I'm not fighting for me, or for the fate of the world this time, squirt" Gohan chuckled. "I'll take it easy and help Buu let some energy out."
"We play here?" Buu asked.
"No no, not right here, Buu" Gohan said. "I'm just talking to my mom real fast, then we'll go to the place where we can play, alright?"
"Okay, please hurry, Buu want to play very much!" Buu requested.
"Right, sure thing, Buu" Gohan nodded, turning around. "Come on, squirt, I'm heading in."
"Okay!" Goten chirped.
Walking up to the doorway, still hanging open, the two half-Saiyans walked inside. "Hey, Mom!" Gohan called.
"Gohan?" Chi-Chi answered. There was the faint sound of couch springs releasing as Chi-Chi got up and walked into the entry room. "Oh, good, you're home, so Goten wasn't wrong. Now, what's this I hear about Buu being here?"
"That's actually what I came to talk to you about-" Gohan admitted, before Chi-Chi jumped ahead.
"If that oaf thinks that that giant child is coming to stay with us, he's sorely-" Chi-Chi began to spout off, before Gohan waved her down.
"No no, Mom, you've got it all wrong" he said. "Buu doesn't need a new place, he was just getting bored, so I was going to take some time to spar with him."
His mom gave him a serious look. "Gohan, you just got done fighting that monster a couple weeks ago. You shouldn't be going back to that again so soon."
Gohan sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I know how you feel, Mom, but Buu's been doing his best to behave and show that he's better. We can at least help him get through 6 months all cooped up. Besides, Hercule said that he would pay us a million zeni to help Buu out."
"A million, huh?" Chi-Chi asked. She sighed. "I suppose that would be a good thing, considering how none of you besides Goten won anything in the tournament…" Gohan cringed slightly. "And Saiyans will be Saiyans… Alright, Gohan, go ahead, have fun with Buu, but don't be out too long, and don't do anything reckless. And I don't care if you have to threaten to blast him, make sure that that buffoon pays up. Apparently 18 still hasn't received payment for something he promised her."
Gohan nodded. "Thanks, Mom, I'll be back in a while" he said.
Giving his mom a brief hug, he turned around and walked for the door. On his way, he passed Goten, who was on the phone.
"Alright, just hurry" he said, before hanging up. He turned around with a giant smile on his face.
"Who you talking to, squirt?" Gohan asked.
"Oh, just Trunks" Goten said. "We were just talking a bit."
"Neat" Gohan commented. "Well, see you later, Goten. I'll be back."
"Okay!" Goten said happily, waving at his brother as he walked out the door. Running into the kitchen, Goten floated up to the window level, high enough to see Gohan walk up to Buu, and the two took back off a moment later.
Landing on the floor, he dashed back into the living room where his mom was settling back down on the couch. "It's nice that Gohan is trying to help the family, it would just be better if he didn't have to fight to do it" she commented. Looking at her son, she raised her eyebrows. "You Saiyans and your battle-lust, I guess it can't be helped."
"That's not what you've been saying my whole life" Goten thought. Even he was smart enough to know better than to say it aloud. Mom really had been different ever since the fight with Buu when he was still evil.
"Yeah, maybe" Goten said. "I'm going to go take a shower, Mommy."
"Alright, Goten" Chi-Chi smiled.
Nodding his acknowledgement, Goten walked through the living room and down the hall. The bathroom was coming up on his right, and he kept walking.
Right past it. He took a left and walked into his room. Quietly closing the door behind him, Goten ran up to the window, a wide grin stealing across his face. Throwing the window opened, he looked at the sky, opposite of the direction that Gohan flew off in. Far in the distance, there was the faint feeling of someone flying this way.
"There you are, Trunks" Goten chuckled. Climbing onto the windowsill, Goten jumped out and took off, floating into the air, keeping his level as low as possible for flying so that no one would catch him.
Satan City
Videl sighed as she flopped down on her bed, tired from her long day. First, she had a run in with a dangerous cyborg man that was impossibly strong and had some sort of laser cannon hidden inside of his arm. She was nearly taken down right then, before Saiyaman saved her from whatever it was, by running him out of the city in the weirdest fashion possible. Who's ever heard of flying away on a pillar they threw?
After that was taken care of, she got to return to school just in time for the final period of the day, which just happened to be her own personal dose of "bring your father to school day." People thought that it would be cool even for her, because he was the World Champ. Dead wrong. Live with any celebrity for all your life, they just become another face to you. And the fact that he insisted on babying her so much, ugh.
She wasn't sure how much she had for her case against Gohan now, but he definitely wasn't just the basic nerd from the wilderness like he appeared. He was fast, strong, and skilled, at the very least. Just how much luck was involved in his P.E. stunts was really starting to come into question...
She rubbed the small of her back, which still felt vaguely sore. That was quite a trip that Gohan had pulled on her. To flip her into the air as he did, it took a lot of strength. She may be light, but she had a lot of skill herself. It wasn't easy to take her as he did.
Then, before she had been allowed to rest for the day, she got a call out to deal with some thugs robbing a convenience store. They weren't much of a problem for her, but what really irked her was Saiyaman's cockieness as he showed up. He just hung over the fight, and then mocked her when she said she'd find him out. Sure, maybe she did that quite a few times now, but that was no cause for that kind of attitude. After all, she earned her respect in this city, right? Oh, as soon as she found a hard clue as to who he was…
She blinked. Sitting up straighter, exhaustion suddenly gone. "Wait a minute" she said, jumping off the bed and running over to the computer. Besides Saiyaman himself, there was one person that knew his identity.
"You, you're, you're his… You're Goku's son!"
Tao had known just who Saiyaman was. And he had inadvertently helped her, by giving her a clue. "Goku… I could have sworn that I've heard that name before" she tried to remember where from.
Pulling up a search engine, she typed it in. "Maybe there'll be something online" she thought.
Typing in 'goku' to the search box, she hit the button. Only a moment had to pass before results came up, and her eyes widened.
Goku.
Son Goku.
The Son Goku!
That was the only recorded 'Goku' she could find, and now, she recalled exactly why she thought she remembered the name.
"Son Goku, a living legend, youngest person to ever win the World Martial Arts Tournament" Videl spoke in awe. Saiyaman, if he was really the child of this legendary fighter, made perfect sense. As a child, Goku was one of the most astonishing contenders to ever appear in the Tournament circuit, and this was before the Junior Division existed. Goku fought among the adults, and came runner up several times when he was just a kid. He won for real when he became 18.
And beyond just being an amazing contender in the tournaments, it was said that Goku singlehandedly ended the tyranny of King Piccolo, a threat to the world that had been almost as dire as Cell himself.
His dad had called Goku a trickster, but trickster or not, that didn't change the fact that he was a living legend. Saiyaman, child of Son Go-
Her brow furrowed. Son Goku. Family names may not be commonly used, but that only narrowed the possibility that it was someone she knew.
"Son Goku, let me take a guess at the name of your child" she smirked to herself. "Son Gohan, perhaps?"
It all clicked together. She had her suspicions, and this all but confirmed them. Gohan was obviously hiding a lot about himself. He was much stronger and faster than he let on, and somehow made a massive commute that would take some of the fastest vehicles on the market over an hour, twice a day. He made it an effort to conceal everything about him, just so that no possible strings could be linked to him.
And he didn't even notice when Tao let out that particular key piece of info about him. "Hah hah" she laughed triumphantly. "I've got everything but a piece of hard evidence to prove Gohan is Saiyaman. I just need something solid on him…"
Goku hadn't been seen since his victory in the 23rd, which meant there was no record that he even had a child. She lacked that vital piece of info. She leaned back, deep in thought.
"If I confront him directly, he probably won't crack" she mused. "What I need is to do is catch him in a situation where he'll slip up. I've just got to think of something that would do that for me…"
She either needed to unmask Saiyaman, cause him to trip up, or trick Gohan into doing something Saiyaman would be capable of. For as long as she thought about it, she hadn't come up with a decent idea. There were some situations where he might be in a tight enough spot for her to get her hands on him, but she couldn't think of a good, controlled way to trigger one of those events.
She growled. "I know it's him" she insisted. "But how do I prove it?"
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her head. She sat completely upright. "That's it!" she realized, grinning evilly. "Saiyaman might seem invulnerable, but I bet his helmet isn't. I might not be able to unmask him by pulling it off of him, but if his helmet can be damaged…"
She hopped to her feet. "Gohan, you'd better watch out. I'm going to prove who you are if it's the last thing I do!"
"Now, where's Buu at?"
Mountains
"Alright, Buu, this spot ought to be good" Gohan called back, descending with Buu trailing behind him.
The two of them set down lightly. The spot Gohan had chosen was a rather large protrusion, a large ridge down the side of a mountain. It was far enough away from his house that, hopefully, and stray blasts or debris wouldn't hurt anyone.
"Yay, playtime, playtime, Pow Pow!" Buu cheered.
"Just one second more, Buu" Gohan said, to this displeasure of the Majin.
"What you want now?" Buu pouted.
"We can play in just a second, but just a couple little rules" Gohan said. "First off, you need to make sure to not hurt the planet. You got that?"
"Oh ho!" Buu nodded.
"Just hold back enough or direct your attacks so that no major damage happens" Gohan clarified. "Buu, the other thing is that you can't turn me into candy. In a real fight for your life, that's an amazing power, but let's avoid it against me. It's not fair, do you get that?"
"Buu get it. Buu no turn Gohan to candy, or cookie, or pudding" Buu promised.
"Good" Gohan nodded. "Well, whenever you're ready, Buu, come at me."
"Pow Pow!" Buu cheered, pumping his fists in the air. Crouching low, Buu got into his own fighting stance.
In a normal fight, one would wait for the other to make a move, and be cautious. Buu was playing, and he rushed Gohan right off the bat.
A large yellow gloved hand came swinging down at Gohan. Reacting fast, Gohan lifted a hand in retaliation and caught Buu's punch. Twisting around, he pulled Buu's arm over his shoulder, before lashing a kick backwards, landing straight in Buu's soft gut.
Letting go of his hand, Gohan turned back around and delivered a backhand to the side of Buu's head, sending the Majin tumbling into the side of the mountain. Before the dust had even settled, Gohan stuck his arms forward and unleashed a quick barrage of ki blasts, scattering debris everywhere.
Gohan lowered his arms, letting the dust settle around Buu, who became rapidly visible. Buu stumbled back to his feet, much of his body burnt from the blasts, and chunks of his flesh missing. But even as he stood up, the burns faded, and his body regenerated its lost parts.
Even after what would have been a dire condition for anyone else, Buu was grinning like he was having the time of his life. "You strong, you really really strong!"
"Why thank you, Buu" Gohan said, lunging forward again, this time landing an uppercut into the bottom of Buu's head, knocking him upwards. Leaping after him, he was surprised when Buu tilted forward and slammed his head into his own. Reeling slightly, Gohan spun around and landed a in Buu's side.
Like he was shot out of a cannon, Buu went flying away from the force of the kick. Dashing after him, Gohan flew ahead before spiking Buu to the ground. Electricity crackling around him, he clenched his fists and dove at Buu, unleashing a flurry of blows that pummeled the Majin deep into the ground.
Buu's fists came at him from either side. Retreating back into the air, the two attacks clashed with each other, and Buu pushed his hands to the ground, shooting him into the air straight at Gohan. Buu curled up, making himself like a cannonball, though not to the extent his other incarnations were capable of. Gohan braced himself in the air as the bubblegum-like body of Buu crashed into his own. Twisting, Gohan threw Buu off to the side, before shooting a long, narrow burst of ki at him. The blast pushed into Buu, detonating.
Buu rolled back through the air, eventually coming to a stop. And he was still grinning like a madman. "More, more, more!" Buu chanted.
Gohan chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. "You know, you're still just a little crazy" he said.
Buu laughed. "Now Buu go big power" he said, cupping his hands to his side.
As the pink energy began to form in his hands, Gohan backed away slightly. "Buu can still use the Kamehameha?" he wondered. He knew that after Buu had absorbed him, he had used a Kamehameha Wave against his dad and Vegeta, but he didn't know that he could still use it even without him inside of him.
"Woooooo!" Buu shouted as he thrust the energy forward, the large wave of pink light blasting forward.
"Hrk" Gohan grunted, powering up even further. Charging his energy to his hand, he delivered a powerful backhand to the energy wave, sending it spiraling off into the sky, before it detonated, lighting up the entire area in the pink light.
Gohan's eyes grew wide. "Geez, Buu isn't kidding around! I thought he'd be a lot weaker now, but he's still got a lot of power! If I hadn't sent that one away, it might have flattened the mountain." Turning back to face the Majin, he darted forward. "Maybe I should focus on the fight, keeping Buu entertained. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it, but still."
Buu met his first punch with one of his own. Gohan slammed his elbow into Buu's gut, just as a kick came from below, forcing Gohan above Buu, who took the chance to fly up and headbutt Gohan in the stomach. As Buu was there, Gohan flipped backwards, foot connecting with Buu once again and sending him reeling as Gohan recovered.
He flew forward to meet Buu, flying up and lashing a few fast kicks at Buu once more before bringing his hands together and spiking Buu towards the ground. Flying ahead, he met Buu before he hit, and sent him flying parallel to the terrain.
As he spun through the air, Gohan slammed a quick combo of punches into his body, and then kicked upwards, before flying ahead and stopping Buu with a chop to the back of the neck. Buu floated slowly, turning up to face Gohan.
"Wow… You really, yawn" Buu said tiredly.
Gohan blinked. Was Buu, falling asleep on him? "Before when he was evil, he was already a bit lazy" he remembered. "I guess he doesn't have much stamina anymore. Still, I didn't expect him to be done already."
"Didja' have fun, Buu?" Gohan asked.
Buu nodded. "Yes, Buu have lots of-"
The pair's conversation was cut off by a loud, eardrum rattling roar. Gohan flinched slightly at the loud sound. "What was that?" he asked. It sounded familiar, yet he couldn't place his finger on it.
He became dimly aware of a ki signature moving towards them fast. Not a large one, but it was definitely coming for them.
A sudden flock of birds flew up from the trees in alarm, drawing Gohan's attention just as a massive purple creature came flying up at them. Grabbing Buu by the arm, he pulled the two of them out of the way as the creature flew past.
It turned in the air to face them, wearing an angry face. It was a dragon, large wingspan, purple scales with a cream-colored underbelly, and several horns sticking out of its head.
"Wait a minute…" Gohan said. "Icarus, is that you?"
The dragon's snarl subsided slightly as it heard the name. Cocking its head to the side, it studied Gohan.
Gohan laughed. "Icarus, it's me! It's Gohan!"
Hearing Gohan's name now, the dragon's face went from angry and curious to happy and excited. Once again, it flew towards them, tackling Gohan to the ground, and he didn't try to fight it this time. He was too busy laughing as the large dragon tried to lick him to death.
"Alright, alright, Icarus, hey there" he laughed whenever it was safe to open his mouth. "It great to see you too. Man, you've gotten so big, how long has it been?"
Icarus was much larger that he was the last time Gohan had seen him, some time just after the Cell Games. While he still acted like one, he no longer looked like a giant puppy dog. His body had elongated, becoming almost ten feet long, with each wing being around eight feet. His legs were quite a bit larger too, standing straight on all fours, he was a bit taller than Gohan was. His horns had grown out too, each one being around six inches long, the two on the top of his head being closer to eighteen. His muzzle now looked more like a dragon's and less like a beak.
Reaching up, he scratched Icarus behind the head, causing the dragon to thump his back leg on the ground. "Still a giant softie" he laughed. He wondered for a moment why Icarus was there, and why he had tried to attack them, but he realized why he might of. "Oh, did we spook you with out fight?" he asked. "Sorry, Icarus, I tried to pick somewhere secluded, I didn't know you'd be here."
The giant lick that followed was all that needed to get to know that Icarus forgave him. "Alright boy, come on, let me up" he said.
Icarus stood up, letting Gohan get up on his own. Gohan smiled as he pet Icarus again. It had really been a long time since he had seen him, after all. He noticed Buu was still floating in the air where he had left him. "One minute, Icarus" he said, floating back into the air.
Coming level to Buu, he stared in shock as he heard snores coming from the Majin. Snores! He was sleeping in the air! How did he even stay afloat?
Gohan shook his head in disbelief. "Buu, you are an enigma" he said, before grabbing him and leading him to the ground. "I guess we really are done for today, then."
Icarus cocked his head to the side as he looked at the thing Gohan was dragging. He let out a low growl as they got close.
"It's okay, Icarus, he's a friend" Gohan assured him. Icarus stopped growling.
Hefting the hefty Majin over his shoulder, Gohan looked around. "Let's see, home is that way, I think" he said as he tried to direct himself. "Yeah, alright."
Lifting into the air, he pointed himself in the right direction, then looked down. "Hey, Icarus, want to come with? It's been awhile since you've been over to our house.
Eyes shining brightly, Icarus let out a sound that was halfway between a bark and a roar, and spread his wings wide.
"I'll take that as a yes" Gohan grinned. Turning around in the air, he flew off, and with a rush of wind, Icarus had lifted off right behind him.
Gohan had to fly slow so that Icarus could keep up. The dragon was strong, but nowhere near as fast as him. Some time later, however, Gohan's home came into view.
Setting down, he dropped Buu to the ground. While he hit with a thud, he figured the Majin wouldn't even notice, and could care less, considering his state of being unconscious. Gohan turned back to the dragon behind him.
"Hey, Icarus, I'll be out in a minute, I just have to let my mom know about where I am, alright?" he asked. "Okay."
Opening the door, Gohan walked in. "Hey, Mom!" he called out. "I'm back!"
"Gohan?" Chi-Chi asked from the other room, walking into sight. She frowned upon seeing him. "You've been gone for quite some time, young man. What took you so long?"
"Sorry, Mom" Gohan said sheepishly. "I was fighting with Buu, then when that was done, an old friend found me."
"An old friend?" Chi-Chi asked.
Gohan grinned. "Yeah, I saw Icarus."
"Oh, the dragon" she said. "Well, that's nice, honey, but you have to catch up on your work after putting it off all day. Come on, go up to your room."
"Uh…" Gohan said, scratching his head. "But Mom, I told Icarus I'd be right back out to be with him, and I still have to take Buu home."
"Your schooling comes first, Gohan" Chi-Chi said, a dangerous edge in her voice. "You know better. Icarus can wait. Buu can fly himself home."
"But-" Gohan tried to say.
"No buts except yours at your desk" Chi-Chi commanded.
Gohan realized he was fighting a losing battle. "How is it that the most powerful fighter in the universe is under the will of his human mother?" he groaned internally. "Fine, Mom…" he muttered dejectedly.
"You can still play with the dragon, after you complete your work" Chi-Chi said.
"Okay…" Gohan said, walking to his room, frown on his face.
Closing the door behind him as he sat inside, he sighed and flopped on his bed. "Moms…" he complained.
"Roouh?" a soft sound came from his window.
Craning his neck, Gohan looked over, and saw the giant purple head of the dragon looking in at him. Smiling, he got up and walked over. "Hey, buddy, I won't be able to come right back out. Sorry, but I'll be able to soon."
Icarus' face fell slightly, although he looked happy that Gohan would be able to come out soon, anyways. Gohan chuckled and petted Icarus' snout. "Hey, actually, do you think you could do me a favor?" he asked. "Buu's gonna need to get home before someone notices he's gone. Do you think you could fly him home, and make sure no one sees him?"
Icarus licked Gohan's face again, smiling. Hopping down from the window, he gently picked Buu up in his mouth, and deposited him on his back. He looked up at Gohan expectantly.
"Right, you need to know where to go" Gohan realized. Glancing back at the door hesitantly, he floated out of the window for a brief moment. "Head that way" he said, pointing in the direction of Satan City. "Look for a giant house with a gold statue out front. You should be able to smell Buu there, so that should make it easier. Just make sure you keep Buu himself out of sight, okay?"
Icarus nodded, happy and determined. Spreading his wings, he took off into the afternoon sky.
"Hurry back, Icarus, then we can play!" Gohan called as the dragon flew off, hoping to motivate his friend to fly faster.
Before he could be caught, he flew back inside his window. He let out a sigh. "Well, if he's gonna hurry back, then I guess I should hurry up."
Reaching into his bag, he pulled out his homework from the day and laid it out on his desk. Grabbing a pen, he sat down and went to work.
?
"Um, Trunks, I feel like we're staying too long."
"Come on, Goten, don't be a baby. You want to beat your brother, right?"
"Yeah, but they're going to notice if we're here too much longer, though."
"Please, we have a long time yet before it's going to be noticeable."
"Are you sure."
"Goten, it's me. Of course I'm sure."
"Alright then."
And that's that for this chapter. A lot of filler content, but I'm setting up for the next few chapters. We've already got Videl now completely set on Gohan's trail, but that's not all. Not to spoil too much, but Icarus is going to have a pretty big role in the next chapter. And what's with Goten and Trunks?
And I almost forgot the reviews.
ICHeart - Gohan isn't really a killer, Tao wasn't really a threat once he was scared.
lancecomwar - Tao is evil, but he's not completely blackhearted like Babidi. If everyone with some evil intent wasn't wished back, the population would have been about halved
Skyreal - I do have quite a few plans besides just highschool stuff
0 Jordinio 0 - I was planning on keeping it K+ undtil some actual T content was in, but eh, I guess there's no real point in waiting
Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review (any authors in the house now how good a review feels), and until next time, cya!