Chapter 15 - Perspective
"I regret every word from earlier…"
"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."
"Speak for yourself! I've never wet my pants before, but having a two story tall T-Rex nearly chomp me in half sure tested my resolve to my record!"
"And what was with that giant bear dude with the sword? I never heard you mention anything like THAT before we left."
Lime chuckled. "I'll admit, the bear dude caught me off guard" she said. "I've lived out here all my life, but that was a new one."
Sharpner gave her an exasperated look. "And two story tall T-Rexes?" he asked.
"Oh, don't worry about smallfry like that, they're skittish the moment they see energy at work" Lime said. "Gohan told me his dad used to chase them around for fun, they've developed a healthy fear of the stuff."
"Must be handy having such a reliable defense…" Videl muttered. She may have come to terms with the fact that she might not be one of the strongest people in the world anymore, but that didn't mean she needed to run into monsters like these to further grind her spot on the totem pole in.
Lime stretched, before flopping backwards hard on her bed. "Yeah, but it can take a lot outta me sometimes, you know? It doesn't feel that natural without a crapton of training."
Videl shifted and tried to make herself comfortable. "Well, thank you very much, Lime. I'm surprised you're doing so much for us, but I really appreciate it."
"Yeah, me too" Sharpner nodded in agreement.
The pair joined Lime in her room. The long hike across Mt. Paozu had taken a lot out of them, especially considering the situations they ran into, encountering the bear thief and the dinosaur ranking as probably the most stressful for the two city-borne teens.
Lime waved them off. "Like I said, we're simple folk out here. We don't overthink things like a lot of people out in the industrial world do. We see someone in need, and we help. Ma and Pa were more than happy to let you spend a night or two."
And honestly, the two couldn't have felt more welcome. Lime's mother and father, Lem and Tange they learned their names were, had been very welcoming on the two of them, her mother even making dinner for the two of them, while her father helped set up sleeping arrangements. Videl had clothes with her, having packed prior to prepare for not returning home for a while, but since Sharpner had none, Tange had given him a set of nightwear.
"Hopefully we won't have to bother you for more than a night" Videl said. "I can probably pull some strings to get someone out here to repair my jet copter tomorrow, and we can head home. Worst case scenario, we can probably get a ride back while they fix it."
Sharpner nodded. "Videl's got a lot of popularity back in Satan City" he told Lime. "Besides being Hercule's daughter, she's regularly out there helping the police with crimes. People love her."
"Besides the criminals I put away" Videl made that distinction.
Lime smiled and laid back. "Well it's good to hear some other kids doing some good out in the world" she said. "Most adults aren't up for that task."
"Yeah, well, I've always had boots to fill, a legacy to live up to" Videl said, her own face darkening. "At least, that's what I was raised believing" she sighed. "Now, I don't know why I thought I was obligated all this time…"
"Are you saying that-" Lime began to ask.
"No, I'd do it again in a heartbeat, helping people, being something like a hero? That's invaluable to me" Videl said. "But, this whole time, I got started knowing that I had a role to play, and now I know that it was as fake as it could possibly be." She laid down in her own spot, relaxing. "I don't know how a man can stand lying not only to the entire world, but to his own blood, for seven years."
"Mr. Satan always felt like a god who could stop anything and always save us" Sharpner said. "It's… kind of scary to realize that this whole time, the person we thought was so strong was lying to us, that he was so weak."
Videl sat back up and looked at Sharpner. "Okay, seriously, who are you and what have you done with Sharpner?" she asked. "You actually sounded intelligent there for a second."
Sharpner's eyes widened in pain. "Seriously Videl, just because I'm not always talking about it doesn't mean I don't know stuff" he huffed.
"Could have fooled me, you've played that ignorant jock card for so long, I was starting to get used to it" Videl shot back.
Growing used to it, Lime pulled her covers up as the two bickered in the background. "They really are a quirky little group" Lime thought with a smile. "I'm glad Gohan's finally meeting some new friends out there." The only friends she had ever really known him to have were herself, Icarus (who she still wasn't convinced wasn't just a giant puppy hiding in a dragon's skin), Dende, and a young man named Pigero, who she had only seen on a couple occasions. He was an adult, about 26 years old, so he didn't stop by much. She was surprised Gohan was friends with someone so much older than him that wasn't part of his dad's group, until she got the story about his training when he was a kid. It made sense, but sadly, it also made sense why he didn't stop around much for it. He had his own responsibilities, and being friends and hanging out with a kid almost a decade younger than you could be viewed as quite odd.
These two were a breath of fresh air for her half human buddy. Herself being the closest to a 'normal' friend he's ever had, meeting a couple other normal kids his age would be good for him.
Frowning slightly, she glanced back over at the pair, who were still arguing like an old married couple. "It's too bad that this basically gets rid of any sense of normalcy for him" she thought. She really didn't hold much against either of them. The Satan girl bothered her a bit at first, but that was mostly a 'sins of the father' deal. She understood why the entire gang let Hercule take the credit, but it never sat right with her that Gohan nearly died, and nearly lost an arm when he survived, only for the buffoon to mock him, his family, and his friends, for seven years on end.
Whether or not he came out and said it, she knew Gohan was relieved to have something close to a normal life for once. Being the leading hero of the planet, with his father's blood, and his mother's teachings, he didn't exactly get a lot of that. After all, his friends were a country girl that knew about his entire world (or at least a lot of it), a young man who may or may not have known (Lime wasn't sure exactly how much Pigero knew), an alien god of the planet, and a dragon. Everyone else was a superpowered warrior that his father had bonded with.
Not exactly a recipe for a normal life.
"There's no way out of it now" Lime frowned at the ceiling. "They're going to be a part of his world now, which was exactly what he was trying to avoid. I don't have a great read on the blonde kid, but Satan here doesn't seem like the kind that will just listen and store that information away. Whatever she does, she's not just going to sit around and live in her world when she knows about this one." She made a mental note to get away from the pair of them sometime tomorrow, if they haven't left by that point, and call Gohan. He was far from excellent at social confrontations. She almost snorted at the thought, the boy could compete with a future bug man who was about to annihilate the solar system while he had a busted arm, but he would struggle to find the words when someone had questions for him. "He wouldn't be Gohan if he wasn't weird like that."
"Lime?" a voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
Blinking, she looked away from the ceiling, and back over to the two guests, where Videl was giving her a quizzical look. "Is something up?" she was asked.
Lime realized her frown had devolved to a scowl while she pondered Gohan's predicament. Clearing her face, she shook her head. "No, sorry about that, it's nothing" she insisted, waving it off. "Anyways, we should probably get to sleep, it's getting a little late."
Videl huffed, not completely buying it. "Yeah, you're probably right. I'm exhausted after today…" she admitted.
Sharpner let out a grunt in agreement. "I am pretty wiped" he offered up.
"Then it's lights out" Lime said, reaching over and flicking off the light, leaving the room to only be illuminated in the dim blue glow of the night sky. Laying down under her covers, she closed her eyes as the other two got themselves situated.
She didn't fall asleep for a long time. The blonde was snoring softly after half an hour, and Videl's own breathing was quite soft. She couldn't tell whether or not she had actually fallen asleep herself, but she wouldn't be able to blame her if she hadn't. In one day, her life had been flipping on its head.
Her mind eventually began slowing down, and she felt drowsiness lace her mind. She sent out one last thought to her best friend, laying in his own bed miles away, before her consciousness faded, and sleep took her from the world.
The following day passed by rather quickly for the group. When Videl woke, she stepped outside to place a call, getting a family friend who worked at the Satan City Capsule Mechanics story to plan a visit out there to pick them up and take a look at her jet copter to determine if it was salvageable.
The mechanic was able to make it out there relatively early that day. Half past noon, after Videl and Sharpner had eaten breakfast with the family, he had shown up. Taking a quick look at the vehicle, he'd figured that there was nothing he could do out there as it was. Taking it back to the shop was his only option, and he was more than willing to give the two kids from Satan City a life back home.
Once those two weren't anything more than a memory to the place, Lime moved back inside. She wanted to go check up on her friend right then, but her body wasn't quite recovered from yesterday. She used a bit more ki than she was used to putting out, and there wasn't much of a way around that. It also left her with some physical fatigue, which took out her willingness to walk the way. Although she'd be more or less defenseless either way.
It sucked. Not only could she not go to check on her friend in person, but the morning after a storm was so beautiful and now she couldn't go for a walk out there!
With a resigned sigh, she accepted her current state. With her two houseguests on, she didn't have to worry about them as she retreated inside to make a call. It didn't finish the third ring before the line was picked up on the other end.
"Hello?"
Lime sighed contentedly at hearing the voice sound fine. "Hey Gohan" she said.
"Lime? Is that you?" Gohan said, hints of surprise underlying his voice.
"Last I checked" she said, smiling. "It's good to hear your voice. You going okay?"
"Come on Lime, you know me" Gohan chuckled. "It'll take more than some reality rending demon to take me down."
"Reality…" Lime blinked and shook her head. "I'll find out what you meant by that later" she decided. "Are you feeling alright right now, Gohan?" she asked.
"Lime, yeah, I am, didn't you just ask me?" Gohan asked, chuckling.
Lime smiled. "I'm not talking physically. There's something you should probably know, and I want to make sure I'm not putting this on you at a bad time."
"Is everything okay over there Lime?" Gohan asked, his voice snapping to serious in an instant.
"I'm fine, I swear" Lime assured him. "This doesn't have a lotta do with me, so much as it is for you."
She swore she could see Gohan cock his head to the side in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
"Get comfy, Gohan, this might not be a short chat."
7 Days Later
"Yeah, Mom, I'm heading out now."
"Are you sure, sweetie? I don't want you to hurt yourself. You don't have to fly over today if you don't want to."
Gohan rolled his eyes. "I promise, Mom, I'm fine. Saiyan body and all, I'm perfectly good to go and I can't stand still."
"Gohan, I trust you, but promise me if you start to feel anything, you'll rest, okay?"
"Yeah, I promise Mom" Gohan swore. "I'm going to fly around for a little while to warm up and get some energy out before I head on over, if that's okay?"
"Just please don't take too long, Gohan."
Chi Chi had ended up staying at Capsule Corporation longer than she intended to. While she planned to come back the next day, Gohan assured her he was feeling fine enough to keep himself maintained. She strictly kept him from going out, but he was fine to take care of himself around the house.
A week later, however, and Gohan was getting a little stir crazy. His mom had told him that there was something he should come over to Capsule Corp for when he was feeling up for it. Truth be told, he had felt up to it for the past few days, but she wasn't about to let him out of bed rest without at least a full week's of recovery under his belt.
His body got the rest it needed. His mind, however…
"I'll do my best, Mom" Gohan swore. "I'll see you soon."
Goodbyes were said, and Gohan hung the phone up. Picking up the small bag of stuff he had prepared, he slipped his jacket on. His outfit for the occasion was simple, jeans and a loose white shirt, with a plain black jacket on over top. He also slipped his trusted Saiyaman watch on his wrist. He prefered to take it everywhere with him now, just in case he needed it.
And today, he was pretty sure he would.
He planned to stop by Satan City today as part of his warmup flight. He felt obligated to do so, considering what had gone down there with him. His stomach was slightly knotted from remembering just how much damage may have been caused. In the heat of the battle, he hadn't paid much heed to the city itself, but he could remember a few stray blasts and several bodies flying through several buildings.
Testing really quick, he hit the button on his watch. The familiar tingling static sensation crossed his body as his current outfit was replaced with his Saiyasuit. His vision darkened as everything came into place. He still didn't have a new helmet (something he would have to see if Bulma would be willing to replace for him) so instead, he made due with replacement headgear, donning a white bandana and a pair of sunglasses to conceal his head.
A look in the mirror satisfied him. The bandana was affixed firm enough that there shouldn't be risk of it coming off even when he flew at his higher speeds, and he was still disguised enough that no one would be able to recognize him.
Pressing the button again, he let his normal outfit reappear on his body. He didn't need to put on his Saiyasuit until he got near Satan City, after all. There was no need to disguise himself out here, basically everyone living on Mt. Paozu and the surrounding areas were no strangers to flying individuals, unlike city people.
City people…
As he walked through the door, his mind wandered to the conversation he had with Lime seven days prior…
The phone nearly slipped from Gohan's hands as his body went rigid. "Th-they were here?" he stuttered out.
"Arrived about an hour after I had come to check up on you" Lime broke to him. "Sorry to hit you with this, Gohan, but the cat's outta here."
Gohan groaned. "I knew they were in the city when things were going down, but I was hoping that they hadn't picked me out" he berated. After leaving himself with a moment to calm, he let out a sigh. "Do you know what they know?"
"Yup" Lime said. "And I let them in on a few things too, to try to make things easier for you…"
The knowledge of the fact that they knew that he had defeated Cell gave him a pulsing anxiety just thinking about it. They may not have coordinated with Hercule over the seven years following the Cell Games, but that was the truth the world was allowed to believe.
Videl had a strong sense of justice, and she could also be tempermental. He wouldn't put it past her to let the truth out, if he couldn't convince her otherwise, and if she hadn't already. Lies were something she couldn't stand. And judging by the description Lime had given her, she was pretty upset by revelation, how her whole world had been built on a lie. She might not consider the VERY likely panic the information might incite.
That information aside, his own secrecy was something he no longer had ahold of. His desire for a normal, human social life were basically out the window. He knew for a fact that Sharpner and Videl were in on him, and where those two went, Erasa was likely to be in as well. All the friends he had made since joining OSH knew exactly what kind of freak of nature he was.
He snorted vaguely at the thought. He liked to consider himself normal, moreso than a freak of nature. He was quite normal as a personality, and if you could ignore his status as one of the strongest single beings in the known universe, and the alien blood flowing through his veins, you wouldn't be able to tell.
Well, the tail too…
Flying through the air, Gohan twisted his neck behind him to look at the furry brown appendage trailing behind him, waggling in the breeze. He couldn't believe, that out of all the possible outcomes of the interdimensional war that had been thrown down, he ended up with his tail again.
"This is going to take some getting used to" he thought. This wasn't the first time he had a tail. Most of his early childhood involved one. However, he couldn't remember much of that time. Being kidnapped by his uncle and his training under Piccolo were about the earliest memories he could recall clearly, his tail being removed partway through the latter event.
He had been doing what Vegeta suggested, trying to numb his tail to the jarring stimulus of contact. It was painful work, but it was already slightly more immune than it was. He wasn't brought to complete incapacitation at a grip anymore, though he couldn't say much else. He was trying to get some motor control over it as well, but that was only going about as well. He could keep it from flicking around on its own too much if he kept focus on it, but he had yet to develop any conscious control of his own.
He shook his head after he passed over another village. He was letting his mind wander. He could worry about his new friend later. He knew that after today, he'd have to stop avoiding the three of them. They knew too much for him to just cut them off, as frightening as it was.
"Alright, here's what I know they know" Gohan thought, trying to clear his mind and organize the facts. "They know about ki, they know I defeated Cell, and they know I'm Saiyaman."
"I had to give them a reason for why I couldn't tell them, sorry Gohan"
Gohan grimmaced as he recalled what Lime had explained. "Right. They know that something happened at the Cell Games." The events that took place that day were something he wasn't proud of, to say the least. He wasn't sure if he'd ever want to tell anyone who wasn't there about it, besides his mom, who he was obligated to.
"Your fault..."
Gohan growled and shook his head, dispelling the dark thoughts. He didn't like thinking about the Cell Games for that exact reason. It was a thing of the past, and he was past it. Forcing it to the back of his mind, he took a few deep breaths, and tried to focus. "They also know something about how strong I am, but thankfully nothing too big." He was thankful for Lime, she was able to take a few of the bigger things off of his plate without letting them know exactly how deep the rabbit hole went. They knew he was strong, but they didn't know that he could obliterate the planet without needing to try if he ever wanted to.
"I can only hope they'll keep my secret identity a secret" he thought, almost smiling at the thought. Out of all his secrets, the first to come to mind that he wanted them to keep (besides the true savior of the planet, of course) was a tunic and some spandex covering him. Of course, both had to do with avoiding the spotlight. It wasn't a favorite place of his to be in. That was the point of an alias, so that if he needed to do some work in the public eye, it wouldn't reflect on his private life.
Speaking of said alter ego, the ever familiar skyline of Satan City began to appear on the skyline, which was his cue to don his costume. The static energy washed over him as the city neared, completely hidden within his superhero persona as he crossed the city boundary.
From his vantage point, quite a lot of Satan City was laid out before him, and he grimmaced at the sight. While thankfully, a rather large portion of the city underwent only minor damage, some shattered windows or the occasional collapsed wall, the same couldn't be said for the city center.
What was once a towering, bustling downtown metropolis was all but completely leveled. Very few buildings were left standing, even fewer were in any sort of stable condition. Most were reduced to mountains of rubble that had only begun to be cleared by the city's workers. Craters dotted the battlefield, seemingly as obvious as the ones on the moon.
"Well so much for keeping the city safe…" Gohan muttered. In all honesty, he was grateful that the damage had been as localized as it was. However, he would have prefered if that local damage didn't translate to complete obliteration.
It was about noon, so the city's workforce was there, working on clearing the area. "I can't imagine how long it's going to take to rebuild" he thought sadly. How many hundreds or thousands of people were now jobless.
Of course, the positives far outweighed the negative consequences of the fight. Sure, the metropolis had been leveled, but at least the entire universe wasn't under the influence of a psychotic reality rending demon made of pure darkness.
Gohan snorted. "What is my life, even?" he wondered amusedly. He was fairly certain even most animes didn't have situations as ridiculous as what he and the rest of the gang had gone through in the past couple decades.
A sharp cracking sound rang through the air, startling Gohan out of his thoughts. Turning, he attempted to pinpoint the origin of the noice. From his vantage point, it didn't take more than a moment before a rather large armored truck came in and out of view, flitting between buildings.
A wispy white aura wrapped gently around his body as he prepared to move…
Videl's eyes opened, blearily taking in her surroundings as she woke up. She tried, and failed, to stifle a yawn as she sat up.
The hotel room she was in was rather simple. Contrary to the belief of some her peers, extravagence wasn't necessarily her natural element. The bed didn't hurt her back, it had a television and radio, and there was enough space for her to stretch without knocking something over, that was enough for her.
It was also on the top floor nearest to the staircase leading to the roof, letting her make it to a scene quickly if need be.
She rubbed her eyes as she prepared to start another day. She had been out late last night on a particularly troublesome situation, which was why her eyes were opening at just past noon. She probably would have slept in longer, but she was woken up for some reason…
BANG BANG
Videl jolted briefly, before she scowled. The sound was very distinct. Gunfire, which meant one thing. She was on the job.
Dashing over to the window, she threw the curtains open and peered outside. A few streets away, the sounds continued, before drifting around a corner, she saw a heavyset truck skid into view. Her legs were already tensing to move. The sirens were distant, nowhere nearby. Even if the police got there first, it was going to be a tough target to take down.
Something else caught her eye. A flash of movement. She paused for a moment, looking for whatever had flickered in her vision.
The truck skidded to a stop, tires screeching, and gunfire stopping completely, which confused Videl, until she looked at the scene. Standing only a short distance before the now motionless armored truck, an excruciatingly familiar stood in the road, spandex, tunic and all.
Gohan dropped to the street, directly in the path of the truck, the air around him sparking with intensity. All for show, of course, he didn't want to kill them. He brought his hand up and took aim at the truck, prepared for a kiai if need be.
The need did not come to pass. The truck's brakes were slammed on, the air filling with the smell of burnt rubber as it came screeching to a halt ten feet away. He let the charge in his hand fizzle out, and dropped it to his side. "Thank you for stopping, citizens!" he announced roughly, having to readjust to his hero voice. "Now, do you plan to come out quietly, or will things have to get rough?"
He was surprised by the speed of the response. Immediately, several guns flew from the windows of the vehicle and clattered to the pavement. Soon after, four men emerged and fell to the ground, laying low. "Please, don't hurt us, we'll go easy!" the driver begged, without any disagreement from his men.
Behind his glasses, Gohan quirked an eyebrow. "Well that was easy" he muttered to himself. He almost felt disappointed, it always gave him a sense of childish euphoria to catch bullets that were aimed at him. The sirens in the distance were drawing nearer by the moment. The entire situation couldn't have taken more than thirty second to resolve, and these guys looked like they had meant business.
He reached up behind his head and scratched. "I'm not sure I get this, but it's over" he figured. He waggled a finger at the four laying on the road, pleading looks adorned on their faces. "Let this serve as a lesson for you in the future to live morally, lest the consequences catch you!" he announced in his heroic voice. "Those consequences have a habit of calling upon me for assistance!"
"Just when I thought your lines couldn't get any cheesier, you raise the bar" a new voice barked over the ambience.
Gohan flinched at the sound, body going rigid. "Oh crap…" He turned around slowly, the familiar blue eyes of the city's favorite teenaged crime fighter glaring back. "Miss Videl, hello" he greeted, his normally stable hero voice shaky.
Videl crossed her arms, her figure relaxed. "Go- Saiyaman" she caught herself.
If anything, the catch didn't help Gohan feel any better about the situation. The confirmation he just heard was as if ice slithered through his veins. He swallowed hard. "Uh, wh-what can I do for you today, Videl?" he asked.
Videl took a glance over his shoulder. "The force is here" she noted. She wasn't wrong, Gohan could hear the tires very clearly approaching. Looking back at him, Gohan felt shrunken under her gaze. "Leave these guys to them, and come with me. I think we need to talk." Her voice wasn't as cold as he might have feared, but she didn't sound happy.
Gohan glanced behind him. The police were already slowing down as they neared the scene, and he knew that the ruffians on the ground weren't going anywhere. He sighed as he looked at the ground in front of him. "Where do you want to meet? I'll see you there" he offered.
"Satan City Park" Videl answered immediately.
Gohan knew the place well. After all, he had smuggled a dragon through the area just over a week ago. "Alright, I'll head over there immediately" he said.
Videl gave him a curt nod, before she began pulling out her own capsule. He didn't bother waiting around for her, his feet leaving the ground as he flew into the air, towards the large sprawl of nature within the urban jungle…
"Oh man, oh man, not good, why are there more people like him here?"
Hidden in the shadows of an ally, out of view as a hoard of police officers arrested the men on the ground, a figure was quivering, hidden beneath a rather large coat, watching as the caped figure took off into the sky.
He shrunk back, trying to make himself less visible than he was. "I can't let them find me, there's no telling what they'll do… they probably blame me, the big guy did, I could feel his anger…"
He fiddled with a cord hanging from something within his hood. "M-Maybe I should find somewhere else, I don't want to go back home the hard way…"
Taking another step back, he yelped as the air around him distorted and he tripped. The yelp attracted the attention of some officers at the edge of the crime scene, but by the time they looked over, he had fallen through the distortion, and vanished without a trace.
Gohan had removed his Saiyasuit behind a tree when he landed in the park, not wanting to draw attention to himself, before stepping out towards what could be considered the commons area of the park. A large fountain and several benches dotted the area, but no one was really out here. He couldn't blame them, most of the city had to be terrified following the battle last week. Responsibilities, sure, but not lounging out and about.
Of course, he wasn't exactly lounging either. He wasn't sure if it was physically possible to be this tense and do anything remotely close to being considered lounging. He thought he had prepared himself, but it wasn't quite the truth.
To be honest, he had never really had many friends before, and the ones he did have, he didn't keep many secrets from. In fact, the only time he had remotely felt a similar queasy feeling before was…
When he had to tell his mom about what happened at the Cell Games. On one hand, this wasn't NEARLY as intense as telling your mom that your father and her husband died because of a mistake you made. On the other, he hadn't had his father's emotional support for this one, unlike he had before.
He wasn't entirely sure he was ready for it yet.
"Gohan."
Of course, at this point, it probably didn't matter how ready he was for it.
Turning around, he visibly tensed as he saw Videl walking down the path towards him. "Here it goes…" he thought dejectedly. "Hey Videl" he waved meekly.
Videl stopped about five feet away from him, eyes narrowed, and Gohan felt himself being scrutinized. It made him feel fidgety, but at the same time, he didn't feel like he could move. A moment passed, and Videl huffed. "You can relax, you know, I'm not here to attack you" she said.
He took in her words, but his body didn't loosen. His tail twitched inside of his jeans, and he felt lucky that that wasn't on display. He wasn't sure if he was ready to open that can of worms yet…
"I-I know" he stuttered out. "I just…" he trailed off, trying to gather his thoughts. "She… Lime told me about you guys coming over… and what you know…"
If Videl was surprised by that information, she didn't let it on. "Oh?" she asked, her voice neutral.
Gohan swallowed hard. "Y-yeah…" he muttered. "So you… well I… I mean-"
"Oh for Kami's sake, Gohan…" Videl sighed, pinching her nose. "What's wrong? You act like you're expecting to get jumped."
Not knowing how to respond, Gohan stayed quiet, but to his surprise, Videl didn't seem all that aggravated. A moment passed, and Videl rolled her eyes. "Look, would it make it any easier if I told you I'm not about to judge you for any of it?"
Gohan blinked. "Wait, you-"
"Well, I guess that's not entirely accurate" Videl corrected herself, much to Gohan's dismay. "Let me rephrase. I'm not judging you right now. I want to hear from you before I do anything of the sort."
"That's… better than I expected" Gohan thought. He let out a sigh, before a realization struck him. "Aw crapbaskets" he muttered.
Videl looked at him. "What?" she asked.
"Videl, I… I was supposed to meet my mom over in West City" he offered weakly. "I only stopped by the check on the city after… well, you know…"
"Actually, I don't know, I don't have a clue what I saw that day besides you and a bunch on monsters" Videl said, crossing her arms. "And how do I know you're not just trying to weasel out of this?"
Gohan winced slightly. "I… I don't know-"
"Call her."
Gohan blinked. "Call her?" he asked.
Videl nodded. "Call your mom and see about this" she said. "She'll know what you're talking about if you're not just making up another story."
Gohan scratched the back of his head. "I, uh, don't have a phone" he admitted, chuckling nervously.
Reaching into her pocket, Videl pulled out her own, unlocked it, and handed it to him. "Then use mine" she said. It was quite obvious she wasn't going to take no for an answer.
Resigned to it, Gohan accepted the phone, and dialed the ten digit number that had talking to less than an hour ago. The phone ringed thrice before a voice answered on the other end.
"Bulma Briefs speaking, who is this?"
"She doesn't recognize the number" Gohan realized. "Uh, hey Bulma, it's Gohan."
"Gohan? Oh, hey, what's up kid? Who's phone are you on, I don't recognize it."
Gohan glanced up at Videl. "A friend's" he answered.
"Gotcha" Bulma responded. "Anyways, is something up? Chi Chi told me you were coming by here any time now."
"Yeah, about that…" Gohan started. "Uh, something came up. Can I talk to my mom real fast, Bulma?"
"Sure thing kiddo, one sec. HEY CHI CHI, GOHAN'S ON THE LINE!"
Gohan flinched as Bulma's loud voice came booming through the phone's tiny speaker. Videl raised an eyebrow, being able to hear the voice as well, though not necessarily make it out. "Is everything alright?" she wondered.
"Yeah, everything's fine" Gohan assured.
"She'll be here in just a second, Gohan" Bulma's voice came through again, quieter this time.
"Alright, thanks Bulma" Gohan said graciously. "If I can't make it over right now, I'll get there as soon as I can."
"No problem. Besides, it's less for me and more for somebody else that we wanted you over."
"Someone else?" Gohan asked. "Who?"
"I guess you'll have to see when you make it" Bulma said. He swore he could hear the smile in her voice.
Gohan huffed. "Alright, fine, be that way" he muttered.
"Hey, is Bulma the name of your aunt or something?" Videl asked.
Gohan looked up. "Uh, no, just a family friend. My mom's been over at her place for a bit" he explained.
"Oh" Videl said. It was obvious she was trying to be conversational, but it seemed forced and awkward. "Bulma in West City…" Videl muttered, her brow knitting together.
"Gohan" a voice more familiar to Gohan came through.
Gohan returned his attention to the phone. "Hey Mom" Gohan greeted.
"What's going on? Bulma said you were calling on a friend's phone? I thought you were coming over to Capsule Corp" Chi Chi asked.
"Uh, I was, but I wanted to stop in Satan City to make sure everything was okay from, well, last week" Gohan said ever so sheepishly. "And, uh, one of my friends cornered me while I was there."
"I don't see what the big deal is Gohan, what are you saying" Chi Chi asked. "If you're asking to hang out with a friend today, I'd really prefer you make your way over here and put it off."
"Well, it's not so much hanging out…" Gohan sighed, glancing at Videl again. "My, uh, my friend, she found out."
"Found out?" a confused voice asked.
"Yeah, about the Cell Games, and Saiyaman, and all that stuff."
"Oh… OH" Chi Chi's voice perked in realization.
"She wants answers now, Mom" Gohan said. "But I don't want to blow you off if-"
"I think you should stay there, Gohan" Chi Chi said calmly.
Gohan blinked, stopping for a second. "Wait, what?"
"You started school to make friends, Gohan, there's no point in it if you push away the ones you make by not telling them" Chi Chi pointed out.
"I know… it just feels a bit too soon…" Gohan mumbled.
"Plus how are you going to marry this girl if you keep lying to her?"
Gohan's face flashed a shade of red stop signs would be jealous of. "MOM!" he yelled.
Chi Chi laughed on the other end. "Tell your friends, Gohan, if they're real friends, they'll stick by you. You can come by tonight or tomorrow if you need to."
Cooling his face, Gohan nodded, not that his mom could see. "Right, okay Mom, I will" he said.
"I love you, sweety" Chi Chi said.
"Love you too, Mom" Gohan said back, before the line was hung up.
He reached out and handed the phone back to Videl. "So, what's up?" Videl asked, accepting her device back.
"She, uh, wants me to stay and cover things" Gohan admitted.
Triumph bled through Videl's smirk. "I'm liking your mom more already" she said.
Gohan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "So, do you want to call Sharpner and Erasa over?" he asked, not wanting to have to do this multiple times if he didn't have to. He also figured they might have wanted answers just as much as she did, which is why he was surprised when she shook her head. "No?"
"Their families are keeping them close right now" Videl explained. "Sharpner didn't exactly tell them where he was going, and kind of freaked them out." She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, his family doesn't really care as long as he can take care of himself usually, but he didn't consider what happened that day."
"But-"
Videl waved him off. "I'll let them know later" she said, giving him a serious look. "So, are you going to finally be honest with me, or what?"
Gohan flinched, anger flickering briefly in his chest. "I didn't lie so much as I didn't let you in on everything" he muttered.
"Pretty big thing to leave out of your résumé" Videl said.
Gohan's brow furrowed. "Sure Videl, yeah. Tell you what, the next time you're the superpowered kid from the mountains trying to make even a single friend in the heart of the city that most calls those same powers you've trained your entire life to get 'tricks', and shuns them, you can tell me exactly what I should or shouldn't have done!" He wasn't sure where his snappish reaction came from, but he regretted it as he saw Videl recoil from the harshness of his short rant.
He wanted to say something to diffuse the situation before it escalated (Dende knows Videl had a temper) but he wasn't sure what to say. After all, it's not like what he said was untrue. "Videl, I-"
Videl raised a hand, stopping him in his tracks. "So that's the reason?" she asked, not making eye contact.
Gohan swallowed. As much as he wanted to say whatever was necessary to keep things calm…
"Yes" Gohan answered truthfully. "Maybe not the entire reason, but most of it."
"And the rest?" Videl asked, eyes still at the ground.
Biting the inside of his lip, Gohan huffed. "Well, for starters, we wanted our privacy. We didn't want to be swarmed for the rest of our lives just for winning a fight. Your dad… he may not have killed Cell, but if he hadn't been there, Cell probably would have won."
This had certainly caught Videl's attention. "What?" she asked. "How the heck did he contribute?" She gestured at Gohan. "If that flying and energy stuff is all real, and my dad didn't have any of it, he would have been smoked by Cell." An image from the broadcast, seven years prior, flashed through her mind. "Didn't he literally bitchslap my dad into a cliffside?"
Gohan laughed nervously. "Well, yeah, he did…" he admitted.
"Then what could my dad have actually done?" Videl asked, pressing the matter.
Gohan rubbed his temple. "Well, it's not about any sort of damage he did to Cell himself" Gohan said. "But, if it hadn't been for him, honestly, I wouldn't have found it in myself to take Cell out."
This was only met with a scowl from Videl. "You're kidding, right? How could you not want to take that monster out after what he did?"
Gohan raised his hands in what he hoped was a placating manner. "No, it's not that" he said hurriedly. He scratched the side of his head. "This is gonna be tricky to explain to someone who doesn't really have much knowledge about ki…"
"Try me" Videl said. "I'll tell you if you're speaking gibberish."
"Uh, okay" Gohan said slowly. "Well, I guess… I've always had this potential power inside me. I was never acutely aware of it, but basically, whenever I would get really angry, I would end up bringing out this huge amount of energy more than what I could normally use… Does that make sense?"
Videl's face had been gradually losing its icy demeanor, and actually looked interested in what Gohan had been saying. "I think so… kind of like adrenaline? Something you can't really make happen on your own, but comes out in a do or die sort of situation?"
"Sort of, yeah, I guess that's a good comparison" Gohan nodded. "Though potential power is more unique from person to person than that."
"So what does my dad have to do with that then?" Videl asked.
Gohan thought for a moment before he answered again. "Well… you see, we had allies join us in the fight against Cell. One of them was a robot, named Android 16. He was powerful, but really a peaceful guy, even though he had been built for evil purposes." He lowered his hands as he recalled that particular moment. "Earlier in the fight, 16 had tried to take Cell out himself, but Cell retaliated and destroyed most of his body, except his head, which was still working because he was mechanical."
"Okay…" Videl said, urging him to continue.
"Well, 16 needed to get to me. He knew about my potential, which is what my dad was betting on when he had me take on Cell." He sighed a bit. "I was holding back subconsciously, every time I let my anger take over and my potential surface, I sort of lose myself in the moment. Truth be told, I didn't want to kill Cell" he admitted. "I wanted him to go peacefully so destroying him wasn't necessary. I was keeping myself from doing it, in a way."
"Your dad managed to cross the battlefield, which could have killed him very easily, to get close enough to me and Cell to where he could let 16 talk to me." He paused. "16 told me that it was fine to let myself cave with a monster like Cell, before Cell killed him."
Videl looked awkward at the revelation. "Killed him… but he was a robot, right?"
Gohan narrowed his eyes, annoyed by the nonchalance, but understanding it. "16 was a robot, but that didn't necessarily make it any better. If anything, it was worse for it. He was still conscious, intelligent, but being a robot simply meant that he didn't have a soul. When he was killed, he didn't go on to the afterlife, he just stopped existing" he explained.
"Oh…" Videl said, sounding a little guilty. "Sorry about that, I, I didn't know." Her brow furrowed a bit. "Afterlife? So there really is an afterlife? It's not just a religious thing?"
Gohan nodded. "Yeah, it's a realm called Otherworld. Souls of the departed go there, and depending on the individual, go to different places. Some even get a spirit body like the one they had alive, rather than staying in spiritual form. There's the planets of the Kais, HFIL, and generally just a lot of open realm for people to wander."
"Kais? HFIL?" Videl asked. "What are those."
"Oops" Gohan chuckled. "Sorry. Uh, Kais are basically like gods that watch over the universe from Otherworld, and HFIL is just the local name that was made for Hell."
Videl raised her eyebrows. "Gods of the universe?" she asked. "And what does HFIL even mean then?"
"Uh… well, it stands for Home For Infinite Losers" Gohan said.
Videl snorted amusedly. "No, for real Gohan" she said.
"I'm not joking" Gohan said. "They have a sense of humor out there."
Studying him for a minute, Videl remained quiet. "...I believe you" she let on.
Gohan blinked. "You do?"
Videl nodded. "Besides being pretty good at telling when I'm being lied to, you're a pretty terrible liar yourself, Gohan" she said, smirking at his pout. "It's what let me know there was something you were hiding." She dropped her smirk. "Though, I didn't really expect this much beneath the surface…"
Gohan smiled meekly. "Sorry…" he offered.
Videl shrugged. "You had your reasons. Valid ones at that. I can't be too mad at you for hiding exactly who you are, especially with the way the world is right now." Her face contorted into a slight scowl. "Still, I don't think running within throwing distance of you was worthy of him having the entire planet bowing to his feet."
"Videl, Cell wasn't the only one there, he had made his Cell Juniors… er, those little blue Cell clones, to fight my friends. He could have been killed en route without the ability to do anything about it. That was pretty brave of him."
"Considering how he thought everything there was a trick and not real, I doubt he was soldiering through it bravely" Videl said darkly. "Sure, it had some merit, but that's not enough to keep me from being pissed at him." She had no intention of returning home anytime soon. "Anyways, you were saying before we got sidetracked, what other reasons did you have for not saying anything?" She believed he had a good enough reason already, but she wanted to hear everything.
Gohan scratched his head. "Well, those are the two big things. We wanted our privacy and we felt like your dad had done enough that he could take it to save us." He chuckled a bit. "The last part might sound a bit… judgy…"
"I'm all ears" Videl said.
Gohan opened his hand, palm facing upwards. "Lime told me she told you the basics about ki" he said, allowing a small ball of soft, warm energy to float within, captivating Videl. "This stuff is really powerful, and anyone can harness it with enough time and patience." He flicked his hand, dispersing the energy. "The world today is… it isn't how it was a few decades back. When my dad was a kid, the abnormal was normal. There was also a… well, there was a certain difference in the world back then. Nowadays, a lot of people are more disbelieving, and mostly look out for themselves, not just the villains either."
"If people learned about energy nowadays, now that it's been forgotten, pushed to the back of the history books, this generation, it could end badly for the world. Human technology isn't far enough along for this knowledge."
"Technology?" Videl asked. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Gohan thought for a moment. "Maybe technology isn't the right word, but think about it this way. If someone is in a bad place, or has a really bad day, they might take it out on others. Getting into fights, or in extreme places, shootings. Now imagine if ki was something widespread. That same person who wants to take his bad day out on somebody else could level a city block, or at least an entire building, people and all. Most things on this planet aren't durable enough to handle ki even at lower levels."
Videl blinked as what Gohan was saying sunk in. "I think I get it…" she mused. "We can detect bombs, but we can't really stop something like what happened a week ago."
Gohan flinched. "Uh, well… that was an extreme case, like, extreme doesn't even begin to cover it" he said. "But, uh, yeah, you're on the right track."
"Speaking of, what DID happen last week" Videl questioned. "No one seems to know, they're calling it a terrorist attack, but I'm fairly certain that terrorist groups don't have monsters like those. Didn't you say you killed Cell back then? Why was he here this time? And why-"
"Hold up!" Gohan said, raising his hands before she could ask more questions. "There was really something crazy last week, but I'll try to summarize it" he said.
Tapping a foot, he snapped. "Alright, I think I know how to explain it" he said. "But it's still going to sound really weird."
"So basically, that afterlife I told you about, a demon came into power that day. He was insanely strong and had this unique power to where he could control space. He broke down the walls between dimensions, between our mortal world, and Otherworld. Specifically, down in HFIL, a lot of the villains that my dad and his friends have fought came back to get their revenge."
Videl blinked. "Wait, you're telling me that everyone there was a dead person that someone you know has killed before?" she asked.
Gohan nodded. "Yeah, I told you, it sounds weird. A lot of them wanted revenge, and I was the closest target, so they attacked me. I tried to hold them off as best as I could, but it was tricky."
"Considering the state of downtown, I bet it was tricky…" Videl muttered.
"Considering that quite a few of them who appeared could destroy the planet if they put their minds to it, I'd say I still did a pretty good job" Gohan countered, before clapping a hand over his mouth.
Jaw dropping, Videl stared at Gohan. "Destroy the planet?" she asked, her voice ripe with disbelief. Her eyes widened as she sized up Gohan, making him feel uncomfortable. "Gohan… were you exaggerating?"
"Stupid stupid stupid" Gohan berated himself mentally. He sighed. "I did promise to be truthful…"
"No, I wasn't" Gohan admitted. "A lot of the villains that my dad or I defeated had enough power that they could shatter a planet if they wanted to."
"How strong does that make you?" Videl asked, still in a state of shock.
Gohan flinched at the question, really not wanting to have answer that. "I, uh… well, if I wanted to, destroying Earth would be… effortless" he admitted. Gauging the amount of surprise she was showing, he was glad he didn't go in depth. "No need to let her know that that could also apply to the solar system at this point" he figured.
"B-But I never would!" Gohan said hurriedly. "I love this planet, and the people on it! And, uh, besides, I can't breath in space with ki, so, I'd be killing myself too if I did that, heh heh…"
Videl appeared to shake off her initial shock and set her face back to stone. "This ki stuff… it's really that powerful?" she asked. "Is that why you had me let Tao go a while back?"
Gohan nodded. "Yeah, he's not really a threat to us nowadays at all, but he's powerful enough that you wouldn't be able to contain him. He could probably take out the majority of the city before you could get something that could take him out" he explained. "That's just how it is."
"I see…" Videl murmured, not looking happy about that.
Gohan felt the strange urge to comfort her, but shrugged it off. He knew she wouldn't appreciate the gesture. "Is there, well, anything else you were wondering Videl?" he asked. The conversation had been going on for a while, but really, they had only talked about a couple things.
"Well, there was something I wanted to know more about" Videl said, locking eyes with Gohan. "My dad never really told me much, so I want to know. What exactly all happened at the Cell Games?"
Videl remembered Lime telling her that Gohan wouldn't want her spilling the beans about the Cell Games and that he'd have to tell her himself. She understood that. But what she didn't expect was for Gohan to suddenly acquire a thousand yard stare and for the color to seep from his face. Her heartbeat quickened for a minute, not having expected such a reaction.
"I… Sorry Videl, but I can't… not that" Gohan said shakily. "It's just… I really don't like talking about it, or even really thinking about it. It… it wasn't a good time for me" he ended weakly.
"What in the seven levels of Hell… HFIL, I guess, happened there?" Videl wondered with some level of alarm. As a detective, she wanted all the information, and as the daughter of the man who stole the credit for that fateful day, she wanted it even moreso. But some small part of her wondered if she really wanted to learn about it.
She decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to push the issue. "Got it" she said. While she may have been mad about what she had learned of the world over the past week, most of that wasn't directed at Gohan himself. Hearing his reasons, and seeing him like this, the last thing she wanted was to lose him has a friend, especially after hearing all of this.
Anxious to not to let the situation dwell on whatever had happened to the true savior of the world, Videl tried to think about what else she had wanted to hear from him. Connecting a few dots of what she had learned in her head, she realized something. "I guess I understand your Saiyaman persona more now" she said. "It gave you that privacy you wanted, and if people thought you were just some special superhero, then they wouldn't look deep into your abilities." It was two of the reasons the world ended up the way it currently was, and it made sense considering what she now knew.
"Yeah, that's pretty much it" Gohan said, looking like he had tried to shake off whatever had been on his mind just then. He chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Also, I kind of really liked the idea of being like one of those superheroes in the comics" he admitted.
"Why am I not surprised" Videl snorted at the geekish addition. "Well if Superman had a cheesier voice and the cheesiest possible poses, I'd say you nailed it."
Watching him sputter about how not cheesy it was was a reaction anyone could have predicted, but getting said reaction didn't stop Videl from laughing. It was kind of… no, extremely startling to learn that her classmate could turn the planet, the very earth she was standing on, into space dust without trying, as he put it. But at the same time, the power he held didn't make him a different person.
He was the delivery boy, the one who slayed Cell. He was Saiyaman, the oddball vigilante. And he was Gohan, the quiet, shy nerd, very smart and caring. Just because he hid his power didn't change him. If anything, Videl couldn't help but hold Gohan in a higher respect the more she learned about him, and respect wasn't something one earned easily from her. He had the power to, from the sound of it, take over the world if he wanted to, but instead he protected it, and didn't even want the credit, just to keep the planet safe.
It took a special soul to do that. She wasn't sure she knew anyone else who would be so selfless with that much power, so human as a superhuman.
And it did make her wonder something…
"You can go if you want, Gohan" Videl offered.
Gohan stopped his soft ranting about how his poses were hard work and how they were cool, and looked at her. "What? That's it?" he asked, genuine confusion etched into his face. "I thought we would have been here for hours."
A frown fell onto her face. "Does he really think I planned to nag him that much?" she wondered.
Flashbacks of countless times of hounding after his Saiyaman persona, and no small amount of himself, flew through her mind. "I guess it wasn't baseless…"
"I believe everything you've told me" she let him know. "Including that you were supposed to be visiting your mom in West City today. I don't want to keep you from there longer than necessary."
Gohan stared for a moment, before giving her a genuine smile. "Wow, thanks Videl" he said. "I… I really am sorry about having lied to you, I was ready to tell you more if you wanted to."
"I already told you I know you had your reasons" Videl huffed. Miming swinging a gavel, she gave him a serious look. "I told you I wouldn't judge you until afterwards, well, I judge you not guilty."
Gohan chuckled. "Who's cheesy now?" he asked.
"Still nothing compared to taking the whole cake" Videl countered.
Gohan pouted again briefly, before letting his smile come back on. "Seriously though, thanks Videl… Are… are we still friends?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes. "Considering the amount of secrets, whether I understand or not, I don't think I'd be this civil if I didn't think so" she pointed out.
Gohan's smile grew even bigger. "Awesome" he said. "Are, are you going to tell Sharpner and Erasa everything?" he asked.
"I planned to, unless you've got something you'd rather them not know" Videl said. "But I'm assuming you don't?"
Gohan winced slightly. "Uh… can you leave out the bit about the Cell Games? I… I'd rather that get addressed in my own time."
"Oh, right." "Yeah, I can do that" Videl said. She was fidgeting a bit, there was still one more thing she wanted to ask, but she wasn't sure how to bring it up…
"Okay, thanks Videl" he said. "Uh, I've said that a lot just now, huh?" he chuckled. "Uh, yeah, I'm going to head off now. I'm… I'm really thankful, for you being so cool about this Videl."
Videl simply nodded. She felt a slight breeze run through the area, and saw Gohan's feet life off the ground ever so slightly…
"Wait!" she said suddenly, cursing how demanding that came out. "I mean… one more thing."
Gohan cocked his head at her. "What is it?" he asked.
"Of all the things, I've got to say, I never saw myself doing this."
"Gohan, I… Will you train me?" she asked. There was no point in beating around it, and she didn't have time to find a better lead in.
"Train?" Gohan asked.
Videl nodded. "Yeah. To use ki and everything" she said, taking a deep breath. "I want to protect the city. I make it my job. And, after seeing you, I think that maybe if I could do what you could do, I could protect it even better, and maybe even do more than just here."
Gohan's eyes widened as she explained herself. The fact that he was silent following her question didn't feel to great to her…
"Videl… I… I don't know..." he said slowly. "I'm not sure if… I'll think about it."
After that hastily stuttered response, he was gone before she could even react. It wasn't like his normal flight, but rather, he simply vanished. She may not have had a handle on what all was entailed in ki abilities yet, but she was pretty sure that he just moved faster than she could see.
"Add 'faster than light' to the list, right below 'planet buster'" she thought.
She couldn't help but feel rather irked by the way their meeting had ended. It certainly wasn't the answer she wanted. Sure, an "I'll think about it" is better than a flat "no", but the jittery answer didn't soothe her much. "I wonder why he was so weird about the question."
She sighed. She was still processing a lot of what she learned about her friend, and what she had learned about her father to boot. She still wasn't anywhere near okay with him, but maybe… maybe she was slightly less pissed than she had been.
She considered pulling out her phone to call up Erasa and Sharpner, but she decided against it. She'd tell them later, after she was done processing the meeting. She made her way out of the park. She was sure that after a Saiyaman sighting that crime wouldn't dare show itself for the rest of the day.
It was something, she realized as she was leaving the park, that she had forgotten to tell Gohan. Something her father had done that was probably the only reason she wasn't ready to rant and rave at the slightest mention of him. As far as the city was concerned, Hercule had been out of commision that day, the day of the 'terrorist attack'. Maybe it was a little late, and hidden under an alternate persona…
But Gohan was regarded as a savior to the people of Satan City.
Sky
On his way to West City, much earlier than he had planned on being, Gohan was frustrated.
"Why, out of everything, did she have to ask that?" he wondered.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Videl. Rather, he was sure she'd be amazing if she knew how to control her energy. Unlike most of his fears of the general population learning about ki, he had no issues with her.
The problem wasn't that he thought she'd abuse it. The problem was the world it was a part of.
"Warriors who control their energy are inevitably drawn to the biggest fights" Gohan remembered.
He trusted that she would handle her energy responsibly if she learned how to use it.
But he wasn't sure he could trust her to stay alive the next time a new foe made its way to Earth.
AAAAAAAAAAAAND finito!
Sorry about the wait. I have a very full plate helping out around the house. I'm substituting having a job for basically running the household, and it ain't easy. But I hope that this chapter is worth the two month wait.
Not too different from the last chapter, but at last, the fated meeting between Gohan and Videl after Janemba flipped both the mortal, spirit, and Gohan's world on their heads.
I hope that my time skip (is unbeatable) didn't come on too abruptly, but I figured it was finally time we get a move on from that single day that's taken up the last several chapters, and that was exactly what we needed.
Also, I'm trying to avoid an "ow the edge" with it, but realistically speaking, it makes sense for Gohan to have some form of PTSD from the Cell Games, which is why he's on edge whenever it's the topic of discussion. We know he blamed himself, even if his father didn't. Don't worry, I'm not going to turn this into an angst fic, but it's something I feel should at least exist.
Also… you're not getting anything out of me about that teaser after the crime was stopped. Let's just say, it's something that I've been very excited to do, mostly because I've never seen anyone else do it. What is that? Well, you're going to have to find out down the line!
Tsukimine12 - yeah, glad to hear it. Not everyone loves the flawed character, but I don't think that perfect characters are very entertaining, heh
Romanovascap - yeah, don't worry, I plan to make sure that those two have at least some relevance (hopefully more than "some"). Expanding on minor characters is a lovely thing, and the gang shouldn't just be Gohan and Videl with some cameos
Oracle-sama - well, you haven't seen the last of her, don't worry. Also, sorry for not being as fast as I wanted .
Iwik - got something to let Videl know just how out of depth she is, but Lime was certainly making a point to avoid it
Nitewolf423 - I can promise you that if Super finds its way into the story, it's not gonna be for a while
inFamousSlyMonkey - Vegeta's still got his pride, but he accepted his spot below the top in the Buu fight. He hasn't given up, but he knows where he stands. It isn't gonna stop the prince of all Saiyans though, never!
Guest - I have some plans for Trunks, I don't plan to rehash any arcs verbatim
BarryManiHigh - well, Lime never said anything about Goku to them, so I'm not sure what you're getting at. She also doesn't know that Buu has any connection the them
Sharingankakashi007 - not that covered, but yeah, Murphy's Law came in like a bolt of lightning
Blazetato - I've got to say, I've always been more partial to the close friendship than romance between the two, but I understand you. I'm glad that you love the story anyhow!
Anyways, that's all for now. I'm really excited to write the upcoming arc, hopefully I can make it good. Still a few more chapters before we really get there though.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, feel free to drop a review if you did (they're liquified motivation man!) and I'll see you all in the next update! Cya!