Chapter 7 - Wrong Side of the Bed
Gohan lightly touched down on the rooftops. Reaching down, he clicked the button on his wrist, the static energy covering him as his Saiya-Suit phased into existence on his person. He took in a deep breath of the cool air as he looked down at the city.
If he wanted to, though, he could have almost gotten away without the suit. The streets were rather devoid of life, given the early hour of the day. It was about half past five, most people were probably still at home sleeping. The sky was still mostly a dark blue, a tinge of dawn in the far distance, meaning that the streetlights of Satan City really stood out.
Gohan jumped down from his rooftop, landing on a lower building nearby. Okay, the streets weren't completely empty, but they were mostly. A couple people here and there, the occasional car, it was actually really peaceful. Which, while a breath of fresh air, meant he'd probably have nothing to do.
Making sure no one was looking up, Gohan leapt across the street, jumping from one building to the other. Scanning the next street over, there was just as much going on there. "Yup, easy morning" he thought, slightly regretful. Not that he liked crime, but this morning, he just wanted to find a distraction.
He shuddered slightly. He had been subject to terrible nightmares for a lot of his life. On occasion, he'd had what had seemed like normal nightmares about random things, when he was very young. Most of the time, however, he'd had bad dreams about some of the more traumatic events he had gone through, his time on Namek and fight against Cell being amongst the forefront of them. But almost never, had they been so memorable, or so alien. It was always something that, while unwelcome, was familiar. Not so enigmatic as this latest intruder had been.
He wondered briefly if it was a Saiyan thing, but then again, Vegeta had never seemed to mention any night terrors. Not necessarily a thing he would just bring up in a normal conversation, though, not the 'Prince of all Saiyans.' Any mention that he had a weakness, be it physical or mental, he took as a direct insult to his pride, which, ironically, just added to his list of weaknesses.
He chuckled. He remembered just how much Vegeta had berated him for the past near-decade. If he wanted to, he could probably go back and play circles around him, just to mess with him. And with his new strength, he wouldn't have to worry about Vegeta trying to blast him into oblivion for it. Well, he'd have to worry about it, but he wouldn't be in any danger.
He blinked, grinning as he realized the perfect stress relief. He knew all of Vegeta's buttons he could press, and while he didn't tend to play manipulator, he could kill two birds in one stone. Get back Vegeta for his jabs and insults over the years, and give himself a morning workout to help him shake off the bad night.
He closed his eyes and sharpened his senses, reaching over the city. Sensing no aggravated ki signatures, he supposed the city could go one morning without the help of a half-Saiyan superhero. Besides, most anything that happened on a regular basis could be handled by Videl, even if it was more difficult for her than it would be with him around. He had underestimated her in the past, though, after all she did survive a few rounds with Mercenary Tao before he arrived the other day. She was definitely not a normal human…
He let out a groan as he took to the air, remembering something else from the previous night that had kept him up. "Damn, she is way too good" he thought. He thought that she wasn't getting any sort of trail, just suspicions about him. But the way she talked to Saiyaman… It sent shivers down his back, like she knew a lot more than she even implied. He didn't like it.
"I really need to up my game" he realized. If she got solid proof, coupled with her dislike for his alter ego and her hatred of him keeping secrets from her, it was all over for him. Saiyaman was labeled as a trickster, and if Saiyaman was revealed to be him… He didn't really want to think about that, not right then, at least. He'd have plenty of time to check over his shoulder at school.
Once he had made his way upwards in the air, he smiled as he felt one of the other most powerful energies on the planet a ways away. Seems like he wasn't the only one getting an early start that morning. Aiming himself towards West City, he blasted through the dim morning sky.
The distance between the two cities was great, but the trip was quite short considering his flight speed. In moments, he had landed on the lawns of the Capsule Corporation. He could almost here Vegeta's grunting from outside. Walking around the living quarters, Gohan found the nearest door and entered the code Bulma had given out to all of her friends for access to the building. Stepping inside, he could indeed see the red glow coming down from the end of the hall.
Stepping lightly down the corridor, Gohan rounded the corner, right near the Gravity Chamber. He paused right outside the door, looking down at his watch. Clicking the button on his watch, the suit that he had been wearing disappeared, leaving his school attire behind. He felt Vegeta's ki still, and he had a feeling that he sensed him.
Smirking, he turned the crank on the door and pushed the hatch open. He felt the intense gravity begin to push on his frame, and he pushed up against it. "You know why I'm here, Vegeta, so what do you say we just-" Gohan stopped mid-sentence and froze. "WHAT IN THE KAMI-?!"
"Like what you see, brat?"
Gohan wheeled around on the spot, face glowing red enough to stand out in the dim red light of the Gravity Chamber. "Why are you, you-"
"Sometimes it's nice to get some training in with me, myself, and I" Vegeta said, the smirk evident in his voice. "A nice early rise and none of that constricting armor, just my pride and my glor-"
"OKAY!" Gohan yelled. He slapped a hand over his eyes. Would it be worth it to burn them out? Probably not, his brain would still retain the image. Squeezing his temples, he sighed. "You know what? You're obviously busy, so I'll just come back-"
*Zip*
"As you were saying?"
Hoping beyond hope that he was reading that noise correctly, he turned around hesitantly, hand still clamped over his eyes. Spreading his figures warily, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Vegeta clad in his training suit. Following his relief, however, he eyed the elder Saiyan in confusion. "Wait, how did you get dressed so fast?"
"I spent ninety-percent of my life in outfits like this, I know my way around them" Vegeta said, amused by Gohan's discomfort. "Now, why is the latest disgrace to the Saiyan lineage in my Gravity Chamber?"
Gohan frowned. "Okay, Prince, what's up your now-spandex-clad behind this time?" he asked. "I'm in peak condition, I just fought the most powerful being on the planet three times in one month, what's bothering you now?"
Vegeta scowled. "First off, you haven't fought me once" he said.
"Quite the hubris there, Vegeta" Gohan thought.
"But you know damn well what you're out there doing is an insult to our proud race" Vegeta said, shooting him a glare. "We are Saiyans, we seek true battles, we don't parade around in the uniforms of forest pixies fighting the salt of the planet."
"Well, look who's paying attention to Trunks' video game collection" Gohan chuckled.
"Where did you even get such a hideous outfit?" Vegeta asked.
"You wife made it for me" Gohan said. "She was happy to help."
Vegeta frowned. "Why on Earth would she do something that would be a direct affront to my kind…" he grouched.
"I'm out there helping people, which is more than I can say about you" Gohan said. Reaching up, he popped his neck. "But enough about you making fun of my awesome suit, you should know why you're here, right?"
"Hmph" Vegeta huffed, turning his back on Gohan, beginning to perform his exercises.
Surprised at this reaction, Gohan raised his eyebrows. "Er… Anyone home in there?" he asked. "Vegeta?"
"I thought I told you a few weeks ago, brat?" Vegeta grunted through his training. "You know that I can't hold a candle to you, short of my attaining Super Saiyan 3. You won't find a challenge here."
Gohan blinked. "Was this really Vegeta?" "Come on, you shouldn't sell yourself short, Vegeta, I'm sure that-"
"Save it" Vegeta cut him off, dropping his hands and turning around. His hair flared blonde, ascending to the level of Super Saiyan. All strain vanished from his body as the extra power negated the heightened gravity. "You're just like Kakarot, you know that?"
"I'm not sure whether you mean that as a compliment or insult" Gohan admitted.
"Why not both?" Vegeta asked, shooting him his cocky grin. "Listen, try to give me a buildup speech if you want, but that doesn't change the facts. You're flat-out stronger than me, brat, I'd scarcely be your warm up at my maximum. That hasn't changed over the course of a couple weeks. It took Kakarot years in the afterlife to achieve Super Saiyan 3, I do not have such a fortunate opportunity."
Vegeta was actually turning down a sparring match with him. Just how much had changed during the conflict with Buu? "Well, you know, Vegeta, the more you push yourself, the more progress you'll make. And I'm sure I could push you more than a kata in this place could."
Vegeta huffed. "You aren't going to let this go, are you?" he said begrudgingly.
"Not at all" Gohan said.
Vegeta glared at Gohan for a brief moment. Gohan watched as his hand shot up, yellow crackling in his palm. Aiming a knife hand at him, Vegeta unleashed a powerful blast of thin straight at him. Recognizing Vegeta's Final Impact, Gohan swerved to the side, energy singing him as it soared by. He cringed as it neared the wall, dreading the connection, but was surprised when the blast dissipated with a harmless reverberating sound.
"The woman was sick of having to repair this room every other day. Following our conflict with Cell, she used some of Gero's blueprints to develop energy absorption nodes in the wall" Vegeta revealed. "We won't blow them apart, not with blasts, anyways."
Clenching his fist, Vegeta's aura furiously flared up, as bolts of energy ran across his frame. "I don't want to catch you holding back on me, brat" Vegeta said as he hit the level of ascended Super Saiyan.
Gohan nodded, dropping into fighting stance. He decided to start small, and leveled himself to Vegeta. As his own wispy white aura began to roll up his body, his nose twitched. He looked down, and started. "Crap!" he exclaimed, as a long burn trailed across his shirt. Reaching up, he pulled his shirt and vest off. "Man, how am I going to explain this today?!"
Vegeta's stance wavered. "What the hell are you going on about?" he asked.
"Everyone at school is going to see this and I don't have an explanation" Gohan facepalmed. "This is really, really ba-"
Gohan was sent skidding across the floor, side of his face stinging. He reached up and touched his cheek, and barely had time to roll to the side before Vegeta appeared above him, impaling his fist in the metallic floor. Jumping backwards, Gohan flipped to his feet, never expecting Vegeta to have come at him so suddenly. "What the heck is your-"
"I'll be damned if I let one of the only remaining members of the Saiyan warrior race act like a prissy earthling teenager!" Vegeta roared. "You asked for this, what are you waiting for, clown?! Act like a man!"
Gohan gritted his teeth. "You know what? Fine!" he spat. Reaching up, he ripped his shirt off and tossed it into the corner of the room. Taking off his Saiyaman Watch, he chucked it after his shirt. While the gravity in the room made it more dangerous, it was a durable piece of equipment, and his shirt cushioned the landing.
Facing Vegeta, he let out a shout as his power skyrocketed. The white energy around his body grew more violent, and his hair began waggling in their air, uplifted by his energy output.
He was a little sick of Vegeta's constant berating him. He understood that it was his way of making sure that they held onto their pride, but at some point, it was time for him to let go of his own a little.
Vanishing, Gohan reappeared across the room, hands on the gravity controls. Vegeta raised his eyebrows as Gohan smirked. He twisted the knob, raising the gravity from from the 300xG it had been at, all the way up to 999xG, the limits that the machine was set with.
Gohan felt the forces of gravity begin to tug on him, putting in active effort to stand upright. The effort he had to put out was nothing to Vegeta's, though. The Saiyan Prince's face went red from exertion, and he went splay-footed in an effort to keep his balance.
"Are you ready, Vegeta?" Gohan grunted. As powerful as he was, his frame was under a bit of strain from the force.
"Tch" Vegeta grunted, aura flaring back with a vengeance as the red lights of the Gravity Chamber dimmed, lighting the whole room in bloodlight.
Simultaneously, Gohan and Vegeta leapt at each other. Vegeta lashed a kick out at the younger demi-Saiyan. Reaching down, Gohan knocked the attack to the side with one arm, and struck upwards with his other elbow, striking Vegeta in the chin, sending him back. Vegeta flipped backwards and, displaying an amazing amount of strength, sprung back with a handstand and flew back at Gohan with shocking speed.
Vegeta launched a low uppercut, Gohan crossing his arms to reduce the impact. Lowering his arms, he prepared to counter, but was met with a wall of violent blue energy. The force of Vegeta's surprise blast sent him flying across the room.
Grunting, Gohan threw the blast aside and landed, feet crashing through the floor. Gohan thrust his hands forward and unleashed a wide stream of energy, blasting at Vegeta, who narrowly evaded the attack. Taking advantage of the motion, Gohan appeared beside Vegeta and landed a solid blow to Vegeta's chest. Vegeta spat, staggering backwards as he clutched his chest.
Gohan ducked down and swept his legs under Vegeta's. Not falling for it, Vegeta jumped over the sweep and struck downwards at Gohan's prone form. Gohan pushed off the ground, evading the spot and gaining some distance from Vegeta. Energy spiking, Gohan and Vegeta charged each other and began trading blows.
Vegeta pushed Gohan's final attack aside, and delivered a fierce headbutt to Gohan's head, flooring him. Gohan clutched the struck area, hissing as he felt a warm trickle from his broken skin. Looking up, he chuckled. "See, Vegeta, you don't give yourself enough credit" he said. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself back to his feet. He smiled, it was time to give him exactly what he wanted. And deep inside, the floodgates opened.
Gohan's power exploded outwards. The shimmering aura transformed into a vortex or blueish white power, reflecting off of his body. His expression grew more serious, and his strength expanded beyond his limits.
Gohan looked at Vegeta, smirking, all strain gone from his body. "Are you ready, Vegeta?" he asked.
Vegeta's eye twitched slightly, frowning as his own power increased. Contrary to Gohan's, though, the power increase wasn't as massive. Vegeta hit his ceiling.
Gohan skated backwards across the floor, crackling energy gathering in each hand. Vegeta clasped his own hands together, energy glowing between them. The gathered energy spiked, and Vegeta unleashed a storm of blasts towards Gohan.
Gohan smashed his hands together, launching a single large blast through the air. It crashed through each and every one of Vegeta's attacks. The sphere approached Vegeta at alarming speeds, smashing into his still outstretched hands and detonating, blasting Vegeta into the wall.
Sliding forward, Gohan grabbed Vegeta by the leg and pulled him out of the wall, tossing him across the room, where the Saiyan prince landed on all fours, panting heavily. Staggering back to his feet, he wiped a trail of blood from his mouth. "Looks like you aren't a coward after all" he chuckled.
"What did you expect? I fought Buu single handedly, after all" Gohan retorted.
Vegeta nodded, expression hardening. "So, this is your full strength?" he asked.
"More or less" Gohan smirked.
"It better be less" Vegeta spat. "I don't want to be subjected to anything less than your maximum!" Spreading his hands wide once more, he began gathering energy, however, this time much more violent, crackling yellow.
Gohan's eyes widened. "Vegeta, are you sure about this?"
His only answer from the Saiyan prince was his hands smashing together, forming an enormous ball of power. Realizing Vegeta was serious, Gohan reached up and clamped his hands above his head. "Maaaaaaseeeeeeeeenkoooooooo..." he chanted, his own power swelling before him. Feeling Vegeta's power spike, he unleashed it as quick as he could. "HAAAAAAAAA!" he screamed, unleashing the yellow energy blast.
"Final FLASH!" Vegeta bellowed, his own volatile blast exploding outwards, roaring as it closed the difference between them.
The two energy waves clashed brilliantly in the center, grinding to a standstill as sparks shot outwards. Gohan maintained his energy output, keeping his blast just as strong while Vegeta's steadily lost its ground. The heightened gravity was beginning to take its toll on Vegeta as his strength was sapped away.
"Come on, Vegeta, we both know you've got more than that!" Gohan roared over the spectacular clash. "You asked for my all, now give me yours!"
Gohan increased his power ever so lightly, beginning to truly push Vegeta's own attack aside. Vegeta growled, veins bulging, before his power suddenly skyrocketed. Not having expected the sudden massive surge in power, Gohan lost much of the ground he had gained in the struggle. His eyes widened. "Did that seriously do it? Did he ascend?" he wondered. He couldn't see Vegeta around the blast collision, but his power was much higher than it had been.
Deciding that it was time to end it, Gohan shouted as he opened the floodgates, and his attack nearly doubled in power. The Masenko shoved through the Final Flash, careening both attacks back at Vegeta. There was a massive explosion as both blasts detonated simultaneously, a force roughly similar to a nuclear bomb shaking the very air and tearing outwards.
The sounds of crumpling metal filled his ears as any sign of pressure from the atmosphere vanished completely. He lowered his hands and his power to see a scene of destruction that awaited his eyes. Vegeta had been punched into the wall, and lied in an almost cartoon hole in the shape of his body, directly in the wall. For some reason, his body was incredibly bulked up. Several of the massive tiles that made up the floor of the chamber were uplifted, revealing the circuitry beneath, and a massive crash sounded behind him as one of the large ceiling plates crashed to the surface below.
"I thought this place was immune to blasts!" Gohan exclaimed. The place as an absolute mess. It was like they had stepped into a war zone, although a war probably could have done less damage. He stared with a horrified fascination as Vegeta's body seemed to deflate, shrinking until he fell out of the wall. He was grateful to hear a slight groan of pain from his body.
His flaming white and blue aura faded away, and the power left his body. His forehead was bleeding lightly, his body was a little stiff and sore from the high gravity exertion, but it was nothing but slight compared to Vegeta's. His frame was more cuts and bruises than skin at the moment, and his arm appeared to be bent at an unnatural angle. He groaned. "Maybe I went a bit overboard…" he said.
"No… Good…" Vegeta groaned from the floor, somehow still conscious. He chuckled, head slowly twisting up to look at him with one eye, the other one swollen shut. "Not bad… For a brat…"
Gohan ran over, pulling Vegeta to his feet. "You said Bulma made the Gravity Chamber blast-proof" he said accusingly.
"Absorbs direct energy… Not detonations... Aftershocks..." Vegeta grunted, shaking Gohan's support away as he shakily stood. He glanced around. "She's going to be pissed…"
Gohan paled, being targeted by Bulma's rage was almost as bad as being the victim to his mom's. "What do we do?" he asked.
Vegeta grunted. "Healing pods…" he said. "Three rooms… To the right…"
Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Healing pods, wasn't that Saiyan tech?" A growl from Vegeta told him that it wasn't the time to question it. "Gotcha."
Gohan shoved a rather large panel out of the way, clearing the door and letting Vegeta stumble ahead. He looked around the room, and was grateful that he was able to find his shirt and watch hadn't been crushed by the damage. He walked over and gathered them up, putting them back on as he made to exit.
He was fastening his watch on more securely as he entered the room Vegeta had said the pods were in. He looked around as he got a bad flashback of Frieza's spaceship. There were ten large pods made of white metal lining the walls, each one covered by a glass dome. The nearest one to the door had something extra, an inside filled with blueish green energy and one middle-aged Saiyan.
Gohan adjusted his shirt, attempting to hide the scorch mark that it had received by Vegeta's initial attack. It wasn't hardly noticeable on his vest, which was already black, but his white undershirt, however, was a different story. Not being able to find a suitable angle, he removed his vest for a moment and flipped his shirt inside out, hiding the burnt part inside.
Deciding that it was good enough, he smoothed it back out and put his vest back on. What was visible from the inside was mostly covered by it. He looked up, watching Vegeta again. He appeared to be resting inside the pod, which made sense. There wasn't exactly anything to be done besides take a nap while waiting in a pod, from the looks of it.
"You pulled out some real power at the end there" he said, still surprised. Vegeta was at his limits as a Super Saiyan 2, yet found a way to tap into even more power. Still, he wasn't quite as strong as Super Saiyan 3, he hadn't gone that far.
His brow furrowed, and he remembered the moment following the conclusion of their fight. Vegeta had seemed extremely swollen, his muscle mass doubled, maybe nearly tripled. He thought back to the time he and his dad had spent training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, when his dad seemingly surpassed the Super Saiyan barrier for the first time. He had increased his power by a ton, but the added muscle mass reduced his speed. The second and third grade of Super Saiyan, they had increased power output, but the way they were handled caused additional strain on the body, and depending on how much extra power was used, the additional bulk it caused could severely impact speed.
He had never considered it, but perhaps Vegeta had increased the strength of an ascended Super Saiyan in the same manner, a Super Saiyan 2's power, increased to the second or third grade. It was actually a brilliant move by Vegeta, and he saved the power for a moment where his impacted movement speed wouldn't be an issue. That was Vegeta for you, for how hotheaded and superior he acted, he earned a lot of his bluster. Maybe not all of it, but a lot.
"Rest up, Vegeta" Gohan said, raising a hand in farewell. He'd come back to apologize to Bulma later, but for now, he should be getting back to Satan City, and besides, if he was caught in the initial explosion of her anger, then he'd probably end up needing a healing pod of his own.
A quick look at his watch told him that he had passed a good portion of time at the building, which surprised him. It felt like it had been twenty minutes tops since he arrived, but apparently, he had spent more than he realized, the time being well past six now. School still didn't start for over an hour, but for now, he should probably escape before Bulma caught wind of the damage they had caused. He would help, but he'd prefer to escape the initial outburst.
Making sure he was presentable, Gohan walked back down the halls, making his way out the way he came. He was surprised neither Bulma nor Trunks had gotten up to see the disturbance yet, but took it as a sign of good luck. Making a silent promise to come back and help fix the gravity chamber later on, he slipped out the front door and made his way back towards Satan City.
It would be longer than he realized before he'd be able to own up to his promise.
Satan City
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP
Videl's foot tore straight through the sandbag, spilling the contents all over the floor and sending a plume of dust into the air. Coughing, Videl waved her hands and shook away the dust. She groaned, they were beginning to run low on punching bags. They were rich, so it wasn't much of an issue, but it was still bothersome nonetheless.
Panting a little, Videl went to go grab the broom. The mess had to be cleaned up before she could go grab another bag. Tossing the bag to the corner, she began to sweep all the sand aside.
It hadn't been the most restful night for Videl. Her brain was working too fast for something like sleep to be easy. The longer she had to sit next to Gohan without having solid proof of his secrets, the more it drove her crazy. She was Videl Satan, the truth seeker. Yet somehow, almost a month into the school year, this mysterious youth continued to evade her. She was sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that Gohan was the one, that he was Saiyaman, yet the lack of anything substantial was becoming more frustrating.
It was Gohan. Saiyaman's reaction to her insinuations yesterday were all the proof that she needed to be sure of that much. What she didn't know is how she went from here. She was still upset that she missed her glimpse at his face yesterday. She had been too focused on that fatcat to look while his helmet was still chipped. Hell, for that matter, how did he fix it with his bare hands?
Videl finished sweeping up her mess, setting the broom to the side then making to grab the next sandbag. Hefting it on her shoulder, she made her way back over towards the center of the room, where she could hang it. With a large heave, she slung the bag on the hook and stepped back. She was tempted to keep going, but part of her knew that she had blown off enough steam for the morning.
Getting in one last solid blow, sinking her fist into the bag, she was satisfied and made her way out of the room. "Gohan had better be at school today" she thought. The more time she spent around him, the more she could study, especially during gym. That first class her father had taught had been suspicious enough. Gohan was clearly stronger than he let on. Perhaps that was her way in.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the ground suddenly trembled violently. Her whole world began rocking, shocking the young dark-haired Satan as she fought to maintain her balance.
The tremor only lasted a moment, and she recovered quickly, looking around confusedly. The last time Satan City had had an earthquake was when that Bibidi guy had shown the image of the man who had fought Buu back when he was still less aware.
This time, though, it had felt different. She waved her hand in the air. Either she was crazy, or the tremor seemed to start in the air, not the ground. She was sure that it was just the disorientation talking, but it was still an odd sensation.
Shaking off the effects of the tremor, Videl continued to walk down the hall, stretched her arms as she went, keeping limber after her workout. She turned the corner to walk into the kitchen, looking for something to eat. After looking through the fridge, she decided to just grab some milk and pour a bowl of cereal. Standing up from the fridge, she turned around to set it on the table, and started. Across the room from her, Buu was standing, looking out the window. She gave herself a moment. Seeing Buu around the house was still something she was getting used to.
"Hey Buu, I didn't see you there" Videl said cheerily. "How's it going?"
Buu didn't answer, or even move for that matter. Videl saw no sign that Buu had even heard her. A part of her wondered if Buu was asleep, but she hadn't seen Buu sleep even once during the whole time he had been staying with them. She wasn't sure how his alien physiology worked, maybe he didn't even need sleep.
She got confirmation that he was conscious when she heard a small whimper, which really caught her attention. "Since when does Buu whimper?" she wondered. He was probably one of the more powerful beings on the planet under her dad, but that sound was unmistakably one of fear.
Brow furrowing, Videl set the jug of milk on the table. "Buu, are you alright?" Videl asked, approaching the large pink alien.
Buu seemed to react that time, looking back at Videl. "Buu feel Buu" he said. "Buu shouldn't be able to feel Buu."
"Buu shouldn't be able to feel Buu?" Videl wondered. Buu's loose grasp of the language they spoke was becoming more of a problem. "Maybe he's feeling a stomachache?" she wondered. It wouldn't surprise here, an entire class of preschoolers could consume less candy than he did on a regular basis.
"Bad Buu…" Buu muttered.
Deciding that she wasn't sure what to do to help her father's alien friend, she shrugged, figuring that it would pass. Hell, maybe it would teach him a little restraint for the future. Sitting back at the table, she poured her bowl of cereal and began to eat hurriedly. She had learned to eat as fast as she could, as her meals had been interrupted on several occasions by calls to work. She still paced herself as to not upset her stomach, however.
Several mouthfuls of the hearty cereal later, she heard another pair of heavy feet approach, as well as the pitter patter of smaller paws, as her dad and Bee entered the kitchen. Looking up, she waved good morning to her dad, not wanting to speak with her mouth full. Reaching down, she pet Bee as he ran past her.
"Good morning, Pumpkin!" Hercule said cheerfully as he came in.
Finishing her mouthful, Videl stood up and walked over. "Morning, dad" Videl smiled, reaching up and hugging her father. Releasing her brief embrace, she sat back down and continued her breakfast.
Hercule unravelled the paper he was carrying and sat down across the table from his daughter. "So how did you sleep last night, Videl" Hercule asked.
Videl shrugged as she swallowed another bite. "Okay, I guess" she said. "I didn't sleep much, but I'm okay."
"Now, now, Videl, you know very well that it's impossible to function one-hundred percent without rest" Hercule waggled his finger. "I should know, as World Champ, I need a great knowledge of body conditioning!"
Videl rolled her eyes. "I know, Dad, but I'm fine, honestly" she said. "Sometimes I stay up late because I'm thinking about a case, is all."
"Videl, you don't need to carry the entire force on your back" Hercule laughed. "Even if you're strong enough for it."
"Half the men on the force would be dead and there would be about twice as many unstopped crimes without me, so I kinda do" Videl countered, taking another bite. "I know you're worried about how much time I spend at my job sometimes, but I have a legacy to live up to. If I'm gonna save to world too, I've got to start small."
"Hah hah! That's my girl!" Hercule chuckled. "You're… Er… Following in your old man's footsteps, yeah!"
Videl rolled her eyes. "You would think with the amount of times you've said that, you could say it without stuttering over it" she playfully jabbed.
Hercule chuckled a bit more and brought up his paper, essentially giving up. Videl shrugged and drank the last few dregs of milk in her bowl. Carrying the now empty bowl over to the sink, she rinsed it out and dropped it. "I'm going to go get ready for morning patrol, Dad" she said.
"Alright, pumpkin, but don't shrug off everything I said before" Hercule chuckled. "I'm proud of you, but you don't need to do everything."
"No, I don't" Videl thought with a twinge of annoyance. "Saiyaman will swoop in no matter if I'm there or not." She put a smile on her face. "Don't worry, Dad, I won't do everything" she said.
"Heh, alright Videl" Hercule chuckled. "I'll be at your school in a couple hours, so just make sure you don't get caught up."
"Okay" Videl agreed to put an end to it.. As she was about to make her way out, she remembered something. "Oh, Dad?"
"Yeah?" Hercule asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I think Buu's not feeling too well" Videl said. "We was acting odd and saying 'Buu feels Buu.' I figured he had a stomachache or something."
At that moment, something odd happened. Her dad's expression changed from one of questioning to one of shock and, if she didn't know him any better, fear? "B-Buu feel Buu, huh? Well, um, y-yeah, probably just a stomachache. I'll, well, give him some pepto-bismol or something before we go, yeah."
Her father's odd behavior was not lost on Videl, but she was too focused on getting out the door to respond. Giving a quick wave, Videl ran upstairs to grab her backpack and jetcopter capsule. Both in hand, Videl ran out the back door and tossed the latter onto the ground, jumping in and starting it up. Once the engine was purring, Videl took to the skies.
Downtown was usually a mess of crime, so she tended to start her patrols over in that area and work her way outwards through the city. She was considering stopping at a coffee place down not too far from her house on her way to patrol when a flash of color distracted her. She blinked as she traced a familiar green and red object streaking through the air. "Saiyaman!" she thought, pressing down on the gas and giving chase. She never often found Saiyaman in the air while she was flying, and she wasn't going to let the opportunity go to waste.
The city below her became unfocused as she chased the masked crimefighter. She smirked as she began to see Saiyaman drawing closer. She floored it, giving it all she had. Then Saiyaman's head turned…
One moment, Saiyaman was barely fifty feet in front of her, and the next moment, he just seemed to have vanished! Videl slowed to a stop, almost fast enough to give her whiplash. "No way!" Videl said, a hint of anger in her voice. "People can't just do that!" She knew Saiyaman was fast and could fly, but he didn't have any sort of cloaking powers to her knowledge. So how did he just vanish?
She wheeled around in the air, doing a 360 to check the skies. No sign of anyone, Saiyaman or otherwise, up here. Videl huffed. "That guy's good at getting away, I'll give him that" she admitted. She then smirked. "But your real identity can't stay hidden forever. I'll see you at school, Gohan."
Gohan chuckled quietly as he stood back up. As Videl began to fly off, he jumped backwards off of the top of her jet copter and floated down towards the rooftops. "She's tenacious, I'll give her that" he said. But as long as he moved smart, with his abilities, she wouldn't ever be able to catch him. He'd have to mess up pretty bad to end up in her clutches!
Settling down on the nearest roof, he let out a breath and looked skyward. The day was still pretty heavy overcast, but it was beginning to get brighter out, even through the cloud layer. A brief glance at his watch put him at a little past seven in the morning. "Perfect, I have time for a good patrol and still be able to make it to school on time!"
His ears picked up the sharp, telltale sound of tires screeching. Wasting no time, Gohan shot off of the rooftop towards the sound, blitzing past buildings on either side of him as he began to pick out the sounds of sirens in the distance.
A rather large armored truck was racing down the highway. Gohan picked up on three ki signatures located within, and pick up on a sense pressure in each. As he descended for a closer look, he could make out several lumpy sacks piled in the rear, as well as the barrel of a gun poking out of a window.
"Okay, that pretty much takes any chance of this being anything innocent out of the equation" Gohan decided. Ki surging, Gohan darted down through the air and settled down in front of the truck, flying backwards just ahead of him.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you men to pull over" he announced loudly, in his heroic voice.
Getting the response he had expected, yet hoped against, one of the occupants of the truck leaned out side and took aim at him. The bullets flew at him at rapid speeds, rapid for a normal human, that is. Reaching out, Gohan let the ki flow into his palm, catching each bullet and allowing to to disintegrate into nothingness just as fast. Focusing it to a sharper point, Gohan let loose a razor-sharp blast, penetrating the truck's front tires.
As the vehicle began to spin out, Gohan dashed forward and grabbed onto it, keeping it from hitting anything or anyone. He let go as the doors flew open and the three men inside jumped out, weapons aimed at him.
"Really now, boys?" Gohan asked, chuckling. "You've seen what I can do to bullets, do you think you're going to do anything I can't handle?"
The man who had been driving chuckled. "Even you can't catch bullets from three different directions, Saiyaman" he said in a gruff voice. "You're still human, unless you've got a third arm up your ass somewhere."
"If only they knew" Gohan thought. "I'll give you mean one more chance to stand down on your own before I take you out myself" he warned.
The second man sneered. "Tough words" he said, cocking his gun. "For a dead man!"
It all happened in slow motion. Gohan could see the muscles in their fingers tense as they retracted to pull the trigger. In an instant before any of them could let one bullet fly, all three weapons were in his hands, and with some supercharged ki, melted into a puddle on the ground.
Gohan flashed a smile. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Traces of fear entered all of their eyes. "W-wait now, don't you-!"
"It looks like it's all here" the commander of the squad nodded. "Everything except their weapons."
Gohan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, sorry about that. I was just taking them out of play."
The chief wiped his forehead. "I don't know how you melted down heavy artillery like that out here, and something tells me I don't want to know. Although judging by the security footage and the reports, it may have been best that they were disposed of before my men got involved."
"I'm just doing my duty to make the city a better place, sir" Gohan said.
The commander shrugged. "Hey, trick or no, it's doing something here, so I'll take what I can get."
He still wasn't comfortable with the abilities he and his friends and family worked so hard to achieve being written off as tricks, but he was getting used to hearing it by now. He simply shrugged. Sensing a very familiar energy rapidly approaching, he gave a quick wave to the commander and took to the sky, getting far away from the scene before Videl had a chance to see him.
He looked at his watch. "Give me about seven more of those, and I might just be occupied until school starts up" he said. "It only took a couple minutes to deal with that. Things are just way too easy nowadays."
He changed course, looping up around a skyscraper and depositing himself on the roof. Making sure there were no security cameras up here, he removed his helmet and took a breath of fresh air, letting the rest of his head feel the cool air, especially welcome after time in his helmet.
He sat there, legs dangling off the rooftop, helmet resting in his lap as he surveyed the streets below. He was focused on stopping anything bad that might happen, but it was also nice to just relax above the stress of the streets. He took a deep breath, letting in the fresh air, and let it out…
Rrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmm…
A powerful shockwave crashed through the area, shaking the building and striking Gohan with surprising force. Momentarily losing his balance, he placed his arms down to steady himself. In doing so, however, his helmet rolled from his lap, falling towards the street below.
He didn't notice the sudden lack of the object in his lap for a moment, however, focused on recovering from the shockwave. His eyes widened as he realize it wasn't there. "Crap!" ho shouted, looking down below. Before he was able to find it, a sharp, swift sound of metal and glass shattering carried up from the street to his perch.
He froze, chills running down his back. Narrowing his eyes, he was barely able to make out shards of orange and black littering the street. He quickly pulled back, shielding himself from view. "Oh… crap…" he breathed.
His tunic and cape were good and all, but the only thing that really disguised him was his helmet! His Saiyaman disguise was next to useless without it. "I can't fight crime" he realized with a start. "I can, but anyone would find me out in a second! Especially Videl! I'd be labelled a freak in no time, I'll never be able to fit in!"
His mind drifted to Bulma. "Maybe she can make me another" he thought. "Then I'll be able to-"
A sudden vision of a totaled gravity chamber floated to the front of his mind, and he cringed. "On second thought… maybe not…"
He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Okay, let's see hear, don't focus on the problem, focus on the solution" he told himself. His eyes drifted to the bang hanging in front of his face. His black bang. "You know, I never thought I'd miss being able to go Super Saiyan." The rage-induced form always left him feeling angry, as was the basis for the state, but if nothing else, it would have been useful in helping him survive the day. He could always play The Phantom card, using his high speed to deal with situations and get out before he was even visible. But, there were also several situations where he couldn't maintain speed the entire time.
He groaned as the obvious solution came to mind. Drop his Saiyaman act for the day and make some placeholder helmet when he got home. He pulled a face. Videl was called out for crimes at least every day, and more than occasionally two or three times a day. And more of those situations were carrying heavier artillery than he prefered. Hell, what had amounted to simple pawn shop robbery (yes, the evidence in the truck had been several bags full of antiques from a local pawn shop) had been met with a few automatic weapons.
He stood up. Videl was strong and fast enough to take care of herself, but she was still a normal human, and normal humans weren't bulletproof in the slightest. If he stayed away, he risked her getting hurt or possibly worse. If he went, he was almost sure to be found out by Videl and any other witnesses present (way too many of these crimes happened in heavily populated areas).
He wiped his forehead. "Wow, of all the bad luck, my helmet had to go and fall… You know what? I need to get it reinforced next time. Musuka was able to crack it with a pistol. I don't need this happening again, this is way more stressful than it should be."
He stood up. With all his heart, he hoped that there would be no major calls today. He had only known Videl for a few weeks, but from what he had heard, she could handle quite a lot. She also tended to be overconfident in her abilities, and it made him wonder how she had survived some of her jobs with the close scraps they've had just since he arrived.
With a dejected sigh, he reached down and pressed the button on his watch. The brief surge of static fizzled across his body, and his Saiyaman suit disappeared. He took a cautious glance over the side of the rooftop and was glad to see that there were no signs of the orange shards of his helmet remaining on the street. They had disappeared with his tunic, which he was thankful for. One less piece of the mess to clean up.
He raised his hand, feeling the ki flow beneath his skin. If he didn't have his disguise, that meant he'd have to be really careful about moving. He couldn't help but think to the first time he made a move without a disguise. When they called him "The Phantom", he had almost been made right then because the cameras at the bank still caught a few images of him.
"I'll just have to keep my speed up" Gohan determined. "Move too fast for anything to catch a sight of me."
He took a brief glance at his watch. There was still a good fifteen minutes until class started. "Looks like I might be getting to school early for a change" he chuckled. "It's the end of the world."
Not realizing the irony at the moment, Gohan's energy spiked, and he vanished off of the rooftop. Having been caught up in the heat of the moment, worrying about his helmet, he also forgot about something else.
What was that tremor?
Orange Star High
Skidding to a halt fast enough to leave scorch marks on the rooftop, Gohan landed on the top of his school. He had been fortunate enough that the roof was devoid of others. There had been a few occasions where he had had to wait around or find another spot to land because people had been up there.
Hiking his backpack more firmly upon his shoulders, he opened to door and strode down into the building. He was surprised at how much activity there was in the halls, having never really been here at this time.
He melted into the crowd, making his way down the hall. He wasn't sure what he was gonna do. Sure, there wasn't much time, but he wasn't the type to just sit still. He had all his homework done, so he didn't have any work he could wrap up. Maybe…
"Hey, Gohan!"
Gohan looked up, hearing his name. Glancing around, he saw Erasa waving at him, Sharpner right next to her. Cracking a grin, he walked on over. "Hey Erasa, hey Sharpner" he greeted.
"What's up, Brains?" Sharpner nodded.
"Well look who's here on time for a change" Erasa said, giggling lightly.
Gohan chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Well, what can I say, I got out of the house early today." "A couple hours early, I guess."
Sharpner snorted. "Surprised it took you this long to do that" he said. "I mean, you're late half the time, wouldn't you want to leave earlier?"
Gohan shrugged. "I guess I never really thought about it too hard. It's far enough as it is, I guess."
At this, Sharpner chuckled. "You're telling me. You've got a stronger will than me to make a commute like that every day to be stuck in a classroom for seven hours."
"What can I say?" Gohan asked. "I guess I'm just that-"
"Dedicated to your education" Erasa finished.
"Oh yeah, I guess I've said that before" Gohan realized, blushing slightly at his error.
"You drop the bomb that you do a couple hundred mile commute then brush it off like that, you're gonna leave a lasting impression, Brains" Sharpner pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess so" Gohand admitted.
Erasa giggled at his flustered expression. "We were about to go grab some breakfast before class started, want to join us?"
"Breakfast?" Gohan asked. Normally, he'd be jumping at the chance for food, especially considering he had left his home without any that morning. But, he wasn't feeling too hungry. "I guess I could join you guys."
"Awesome, come on then" Erasa said, turning and walking down the hall. Sharpner followed her briefly after, with Gohan trailing behind Sharpner.
They made their way to the cafeteria, which was rather empty compared to the lunchtime rush. As they walked through the line, Gohan found himself appreciating his packed lunches more and more. He wasn't sure how normal humans could survive on portions so tiny!
Gohan got a small omelet (or so it was called. It was just an egg folded over some strange smelling cheese). Sharpner got a small carton of cereal, and Erasa got a yogurt parfait. 'Food' in hand, the trio went to sit down at a table.
Gohan cut a small piece off of his food and chewed. At once, he had clarity on the jokes that were always made about cafeteria food. The egg was rather bland, and the cheese almost tasted of plastic. What little appetite he had evaporated with that bite. He pushed his plate away a bit as Erasa struck up a conversation.
"So, Gohan, Sharpner and Videl told me something interesting about you" she said, smiling.
Gohan raised his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked.
"How come you never mentioned you were a fighter?" Erasa asked. "I heard that you gave Videl a run for her money, and she's the Champ's daughter!"
"Well, I'm not really a fighter…" Gohan lied. "I did some training with my dad when I was younger, but I was never a real big fan of it." That part wasn't a lie. As much as it ticked off Vegeta, his Saiyan half didn't do much to keep him from preferring the pacifist's life.
"Your dad must be one hell of a teacher then" Sharpner chuckled. "You had the whole field watching you two, Videl could barely touch you out there!"
"I couldn't do much to her either" Gohan pointed out.
"Come on, that sweep at the end was beautiful" Sharpner complimented. "I'm top of my group at the Satan Dojo, and that even caught me off guard."
"So much for not showing off" Gohan mentally facepalmed. "I mean, muscle memory, and everything…" he chuckled nervously.
"I swear, if you got your training when you were younger, it would have been something if you had been in the Junior Division at the WMAT with Videl" Sharpner continued.
"Did someone mention me?" a voice sounded from behind them.
Erasa looked around Gohan and Sharpner. "Oh, hey there, V!" she waved. Gohan and Sharpner turned to greet Videl as she came and sat down with them.
"Good morning, guys" Videl yawned, sitting down and getting settled.
"Hee hee, wow, both you and Gohan are on time today. What's up with that?" Erasa giggled.
"Well, there was a crime this morning, but by the time I got there, Saiyadork had already taken care of it" Videl said, glancing at Gohan as she talked, seemingly searching for a reaction, and appearing disappointed when his face remained passive. "It looked to be a calm morning, so I came in. Simple as that."
"Oh, makes sense" Sharpner commented.
Videl nodded. "So, did I hear someone mention my name when I was coming in?" she asked.
"Yeah, I did" Sharpner said. "Gohan was telling us about how he had gotten his training in when he was younger with his dad. I just thought it would have been something special if he had been in the Junior Division with you back when he was freshly trained."
Videl looked to Gohan. "So your father was the one who trained you, huh?" she asked.
"Why don't they stop talking about my fighting abilities?!" Gohan screamed internally. "There are other topics of conversation!" "Yeah, my dad trained me when I was younger. Where he lived, he had to learn to fight early on because of bandits and other things like that. He wanted to make sure we could defend ourselves."
"He must have been one hell of a teacher if this is what you're left with after not fighting at all" Videl commented, unknowingly echoing Sharpner. "Who was your father, Gohan?"
Gohan scratched the back of his head nervously. "My dad? He was, well, my dad, I guess. Pretty strong and brave, and a really good guy to be around."
"That's not what I meant" Videl corrected. "What's your dad's name?"
"W-what? Why would you want to know his name?" Gohan asked.
"Humor me" Videl said. "You said he's been travelling for the past several years, he's bound to have a name out there. I just want to know if I've heard of him."
"Hey, yeah, who knows, maybe your dad might have been at one of the tournaments back in the day, if he's a good fighter like you say" Sharpner said.
Gohan began to feel the pressure. He couldn't exactly turn them down, and he couldn't help but get the feeling that Videl would know full well who Son Goku was. After all, her father was a very big figure in the WMAT circuit, and considering how much he had railed on so-called 'tricksters' in the past…
There wasn't any real way out, so it was time to bite the bullet and hope that she didn't know. He took a breath. "Well, my dad's name is-"
RIIIIIIIIIIIIING
"Saved by the bell?" Gohan wondered. "I'll take it!" "Oh, well, it looks like we'd better hurry to class then" Gohan said. "We'll finish this later, I guess!"
"But it's just one name!" Videl said, but Gohan moved out of the cafeteria at a very high speed, grabbing his bag and disappearing into the crowd. "...Unbelievable" she muttered after a brief pause.
Sharpner raised his eyebrows, and Erasa looked questioningly at Videl. "You know, with the way he goes on about his dad, you'd think it wouldn't be so hard to just say his name" Sharpner said.
"I wasn't following that too much, but that was really weird" Erasa commented.
Videl, disappointed though she was, had a glimmer of triumph in her eyes. Gohan's reaction was even further assurance that he had something to hide. Whether or not her suspicions about him being Saiyaman were correct or not (which she was sure they were), he had something she was going to get to the bottom of.
The trio stood up, Erasa and Sharpner dumping their plates as they made for class. Class was about to start, as Gohan was so keen on. Grabbing their bags, they walked forth, blending in and vanishing into the stampede of students.
"And Son Gohan."
"Present, ma'am."
His teacher glanced up at him. "Ah, so you are here today. I noticed you were gone yesterday, do you have a note?"
Gohan shook his head. "I don't have a note, I was at home for personal reasons. You can call my mother if you need to make sure."
"Hmm" his teacher huffed. "You've been a trustworthy student, so I will take your word for it. Miss again without a note, however, and I will call home."
Gohan nodded. "Understood, ma'am" he answered.
She gave a curt nod. "Good. Now, class, today we will be moving on to…"
Gohan sat back and rubbed his eyes. Probably another day of something he learned between training for the Androids. It would be nice to be able to learn something besides social skills.
He perked up slightly when he heard about the topic. Mrs. Jayce had mentioned the Red Ribbon Army. He knew most of the story behind them from his dad, but it was still interesting nonetheless.
Mrs. Jayce cleared her throat. "Now, most kids of this generation haven't heard much about the Red Ribbon Army. This is not a bad thing, as most of my generation were living in constant fear of being the next target of the group."
A couple seats beside him, Sharpner raised his hand. "Yes, Sharpner?"
He lowered his hand. "You said you guys lived in fear of being a target. What were they? A rogue faction or something?"
"I believe to be considered rogue, you have to have served a side first" Mrs Jayce said. "The Red Ribbon Army was an independent organization from their conception. Their main goal was seemingly world domination, they raised entire villages, towns, and even some cities to work towards their goal."
"Now I remember" Gohan thought. "They were aiming for world domination, but the commander of the army wanted to use the Dragon Balls to wish to be taller!" He snickered at the thought, attracting him a dirty look from his teacher.
"While some of us find the idea amusing, believe me, the threat was very real" she continued. "The army was among the most technologically advanced group for the time, which is why they were able to fight against the Royal Army, even with the disadvantage in size. In fact, the only other organization to even compare to the army at the time was Capsule Corporation."
Gohan heard a few low whistles around the room, and he could see where they were coming from. For as advanced as Capsule Corp was today, it must have been considered borderline insurmountable that long ago. Even now, they were the leading technological department of the world. The Red Ribbon Army had only been so close behind them because of a single mind. "Gero…" Gohan remembered.
Mrs Jayce took a second to flip on a projector. "The entire army beared their notable insignia" she said, turning on the image. The light flashed on, and a large image of the red ribbon, embroiled with two Rs, appeared on the wall. "Seeing this symbol anywhere was to be feared. They had a ruthless reputation, and were a global threat. Until one day, when the first reports came in."
Gohan leaned forward to listen. "While it sounded impossible then and still quite unlikely today, a single child went in and challenged the entire army, taking them head-on to end their bid for domination. This child, while more famous for his later defeat of the great Demon King, Piccolo, was Son Goku."
At the mention of Son Goku, Videl started. She already had a hair of knowledge about the Red Ribbon Army, having heard of it prior, that t was a powerful force until it was disbanded one day, but she had no idea that Son Goku was involved.
On a guess, she glanced sideways, looking st Gohan. Sure enough, his attention was more rapt on the teacher than it had been in the past week.
Her dad had defeated monsters like Cell and Buu, but the more she heard about Son Goku, the more impressed she became. Trickster or no, the man had been a World Tournament Champion, was the one who slayed Demon King Piccolo, and now she learned that he tackled an extremely dangerous military force on the level of the Red Ribbon Army? Why did Gohan hide something like that? She could understand from personal experience not wanting to constantly be in the limelight because you had a famous father, but she would hazard a guess that it would be a damn sight better than the treatment most students gave the 'nerd.'
"Son Goku was apparently a specific target of the Red Ribbon Army for unknown reasons. However, he is one of the few to fight back."
"He was a target because of the Dragon Balls" Gohan thought. "The Army was trying to collect them too."
"He began fighting them almost 30 years ago, and was very effective in taking care of them. Son Goku's origins are unknown, but it is assumed he knew many techniques that assisted him, as well as, from what was witnessed, a powerful fighting sense and survival instinct."
"Not to mention a love for a good challenge" Gohan chuckled inwardly.
"It is unknown exactly when the army fell, but sometime within a year of the first attack on the army, activity from them seemingly ceased permanently" Mrs Jayce finished. "Now, open up your history books to page 253 to learn more about them, and discuss what you learned amongst yourselves."
A quiet bustle followed her finishing, while Gohan and his friends turned inwards. Erasa was the first to talk. "Boy, am I glad I wasn't around back then" she said. "I mean, she said that even King Furry's army couldn't put them down."
"That's some pretty scary power" Sharpner agreed. "What I can't get past is that Goku kid who supposedly took them all down himself. How does a kid do that?!"
"I don't know, maybe he got some really good training and tools" Gohan shrugged, knowing full well a lot of it was his natural Saiyan abilities.
Videl looked up, phone in her hands. "I don't know if some training and gear would have been enough, guys. According to this site, with what's known about Son Goku and the Red Ribbon Army's fall, that would place Son Goku at just 12 years old. Heck, I was just past most of the kids in the Junior Division when I was 12."
"12?! No way" Sharpner shook his head. "Either that site or the history books have it wrong. Even if Son Goku could kill anyone he came across with a flick of his hand, how does a tween take out a worldwide military faction? That's insane! There's whole interworking networks and offshoots you'd have to destroy or disband, there's no way he could have done all that solo. He wouldn't have the knowledge for it."
"He didn't disband it entirely" Gohan thought bitterly to the scientist that had caused his family so much torment. His expression darkened slightly. Perhaps things would have been different if his dad had taken them on when he was older, but then again, knowing how much he spared his foes, he suspected Gero would still have escaped to carry out his plans for the Androids.
In his brooding, Gohan failed to notice Videl glancing his way. "What's on his mind? He almost seems angry about all of this" she wondered. She pulled a small face of her own. "His dad probably brags as much about taking down this Red Ribbon Army as much as my dad brags about Cell. I know I feel like I'll scream every time someone brings up the Cell Games."
"I just wish that Dad could have finished the job" Gohan thought, hands clenching. "If he had taken out Gero way back then, we could have been a family all this time. Trunks wouldn't have had to come from the future, and we wouldn't have had to have trained all that time, and Cell wouldn't have been around at all!" He knew he could hardly fault his father for that. After all, that quality of him was why they had allies in the likes of Piccolo and Vegeta, who had become their close friends (Piccolo more so than Vegeta). Still, knowing how a simple action could have changed the course of their life for the better was still an infuriating thought, and his ki began to rumble slightly beneath his skin.
Conversation around him abruptly halted. Videl looked around. "Hey, do you guys feel that?" she asked.
Gohan looked up, and realized just how intense the energy inside of him was. He took a deep breath and evened out his ki, stopping the vibrating feelings his body was exuding. He blinked, however, when he realized the sensation had not stopped.
"Students, under your desk!" Mrs Jayce announced hurriedly. "It seems as if we are having an earthquake!"
All the class slid out of their chairs and took cover underneath the hard tabletops as the tremors grew stronger. Various shouts of panic were heard over the tumult as the foundations of the school shook, and Gohan became worried that they were on the second floor. Not for his own safety, but for that of his classmates.
But it slowly crept up on him that there were bigger things to worry about.
As the tremors grew, Gohan began to feel chills running down his spine. This was no ordinary earthquake, he knew that much. He could feel the vibrations in the air, as if the very fabric of reality was shivering, and the tremors felt on their plane were byproducts. Each shake grew stronger than the last, crashing into him like waves in the ocean.
And abruptly, it stopped. At once, every last tremor ceased, and the only sign that there had been any to begin with was the scattered papers and covered students.
Hesitantly, everyone came out from under the desks, most of them hands placed on the surface so they could move under them quickly if need be. Mrs Jayce emerged from her cover under the desk. She looked around the room. "Is everyone okay?" she asked, taking a headcount.
Once everyone had affirmed that they were alright, she let out a sigh of relief. "Goodness, that was quite the jump, now wasn't it?" she said, laughing and trying to make light of the situation..
Some of the others laughed nervously, trying to get over the fright of the situation. The school had been rocking violently during the event, and it lasted for almost a minute. Gohan looked around, expression worried. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this…" he thought. Everything felt alright now, but there was still an air of danger…
The calm before the storm.
He picked it up on the edge of his senses before it began striking him full on. All around him, everyone, across the planet, the world's energy began to warp and distort. Gohan placed his hands on the desk to steady himself, the sensation making him feel very disoriented. He noticed that whatever the heck was going on, this one wasn't as noticeable. No, the only reason he could sense it himself was because he had a very sharp sense of energy.
Similarly to the tremors, the distortion of the planet's energy stopped all at once, but now, it felt different. What filled him with a sense of dread were large cold pockets he felt all around the world, blank spaces in the planet's energy.
He glanced around the room, directing his senses in different directions as he tried to get a read on the situation. Sweat beaded on his forehead as the foreboding grew. It took three calls of his name to force him back into reality.
"GOHAN!"
Gohan blinked, coming aware of his surroundings once more, and saw Erasa, Sharpner, and Videl are staring at him, their faces displaying confusion and worry. "What is up with you?" Sharpner asked. "The quake's over, Brains."
"You look really pale" Erasa commented.
Videl looked at him slightly more analytic than the other two. "Is something wrong, Gohan?"
Gohan shook his head. "No, no" he said, clearing his throat. "I just… need to breath. Give me a second."
He stood up from his seat, walking over to the windows and cracking one open. The cool, fresh air hit him blissfully, and he inhaled deeply, trying to clear his mind. He could feel the back of his neck tingling, and he knew Videl was looking at him intently. "Sweet Kami above, how can she establish her presence so well without any ki control?!" he moaned internally. "No one better ever teach her to actually use her ki, I don't know if I'd be able to take it."
He clapped his hands up to his eyes. Everything he did was suspicious to that girl, and yet he had no idea why he cared so much. It's not like she had anything real to go off of. Yet she managed to be so intimidating that she was always distracting him. And this time, she was a little too distracting for the demi-Saiyan.
He lowered his hand with a sigh, ready to turn around, only to spike his ki immediately, defenses barely up in time for the blast of energy that struck the school. A wall of fire filled his vision as he pushed back with all his might, not letting it reach his classmates. The floor beneath him crumbled, as did the entire side of the wall, and he fell, disappearing with the falling rubble from sight.
He heard several screams, and prayed that he was fast enough as he reached down and clicked the button on his watch.
So, do you guys remember in my last update where I said I was hoping to get back in the swing of things and get some serious writing done this summer? Sorry about that…
To be honest, as much as I love writing, the words just don't seem to come to me as easy anymore. Granted, the last half of this chapter came a lot easier than the first half, so maybe I can still work back up to it.
Anyways, to the story itself. Gohan's sparring session with Vegeta served a twofold purpose. To change the upcoming story, and to warm up my fight writing. Because it's about to get real worked out.
At this point, it should be obvious what the major reality rending and blast engulfing the side of the school mean, but I won't spoil anything. Suffice to say, there is a very large battle coming, with multiple on each side.
It's going to be a little while before that update, though. As much as this story has been neglected, you know nothing about my other works. I have to at least give some attention to one of my other stories before I can justify coming back here for the next chapter. Let your imaginations run with this one, guys, because it's gonna be a bit.
Werewingwolfxx - GT (don't hurt me).
Faux Fox - yeah, I plan to integrate a lot of the future into the story, such as Krillin being on the force. They had to start from somewhere, after all, and I do enjoy linking things like that. And Icarus was something I wanted to do to be at least a little different than the average retelling of that particular event.
inFamousSlyMonkey - to be fair, she's seen Saiyaman do more than just get shot before. And Krillin does hold back whenever he can, we see in Super he even gets hurt by bullets keeping his power down.
Tsukimine12 - I don't know, he could show up, or things might be completely different. Who can tell?
Jalen johnson - yeah, it was a bit bad of me to leave things hanging around there, but my current motivation for Joined Worlds is pretty low. As I become more experienced as a writer, I can tell how much of a mary sue that story was.
Blackblizzard13 - All I can say, is that this is going to be a very different telling of that story than you'll be used to.
Zfj - Thanks, it's always heartening to see an author of works I've enjoyed myself enjoying my stories
That's about all for now, guys. Hopefully, my productivity will kick back up soon, and chapter 9 will be up before any of you know it. Either way, I'll see you all later!