My Life's Stranger Than Yours
A Deal is a Deal; Keep Your End of the Bargain
Nearly a week has passed since the explosive battles at Furinkan High and life returned to normal for our heroic duo. School went on as usual, they'd hang with friends, fight crime together, all was normal. Today however, a familiar scene was set as Satan City's first defender stood opposite a tall, burly, yellow clad young man once again.
"So…you're back for another round?" asked a tall, burly, yellow clad young man.
"Damn right. I've been training for this for a long time, and this time, I'm the one who's gonna take you down!" Videl proclaimed as she stepped forward.
"Big talk from such a small girl," snapped Ryoga.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm stronger than I look…and much stronger than last time!"
"Is that a fact?"
"Just watch!"
Extending her hands together, Videl's palms began to glow. Ryoga's eyes widened as he recognized her attack.
"Haaaaaaa-!"
In a brilliant flash of light, Videl let loose a large ball of energy that soared right at the eternally lost boy. Undeterred, he quickly countered with his own signature Ki Attack.
"Shishi Hokodan!"
To Ryoga's surprise, Videl's attack actually repelled his own. The two shots clashed until they eventually fizzled out.
"I see…so you weren't just blowing hot-air after all," Ryoga praised.
"That's not all," Videl boasted. "I'm gonna show you my new technique."
Cupping her hands together, Videl pulled them to her sides and began to chant as her palms once again glowed, this time a bright blue color.
"Ka…me…"
'Her chi is getting more intense…' Ryoga noted.
"Haaaa…me…" As Videl continued, the light in her hands got brighter.
"You have indeed gotten stronger, but the depths of your ki can't possibly compare to the endless well of energy I have."
Ryoga crossed his arms across his chest before bringing them down to his sides, his energy exploding in a scarlet burst.
"SHISHI HOKODAAAAAAAN!"
As Ryoga's blast flew skyward, the light in Videl's hand shone in bright contrast to the light emanating from the Nerima fighter. Instead of falling back down atop Ryoga however, the Lion Shot instead dropped at an angle, diving straight for the proto Z-Warrior. Her energy at it's maximum, Videl challenged the attack head on.
"HAAAAA-! Huh…?"
As Videl thrust her hands forward, expecting to release a bright beam of power, the light in her hands inexplicably flickered out, releasing only a small flash. As Ryoga's attack fell closer, Videl opted to go for the old reliable and fly to safety. As she leapt into takeoff, she realized she wasn't escaping the blast. Actually she wasn't even moving. As opposed to her usual avian ventures, Videl was merely floating inches above the ground, unable to move forward or backwards.
Worry beginning to set in, Videl could only cross her arms over her body and attempt to take the the blast. As her eyes landed on the imposing red wave, she could see the unwavering jaws of a ferocious lion pouncing right at her. Worry turned to fear as her iron defense quickly began to crumble under the intimidating aura emanating from Ryoga's chi. Finally, the blast made contact.
Videl could barely even scream as her every sense was assaulted by unbearably scorching heat and her body felt as if she was being buried alive under various tons of rock. As her conscious began to fade, she could barely make out the sound of condescending laughter echoing in her ears. The voice sounded similar to Ryoga, but steadily shifted becoming more twisted, darker…and somewhat familiar.
'Is this it…am I gonna die…again?'
Her answer came in the form of her name being called and a strange pressure welling up near her upper back.
'Videl…'
The young martial artist held her neck as the pressure seemed to increase.
'Videl…!'
'No…I won't lose again…! NOT LIKE THIS!'
Summoning the last of her energy, she channeled it into her right hand and, with no real target, threw a wild, unfocused punch hoping for the best. Surprisingly, she managed to hit something, though she wasn't sure what.
"Videl!"
"Huh…!?"
A startled Videl quickly blinked only to view a scene of a group of familiar faces from school with all eyes plastered on her and just ahead, a volleyball net with a hole in it, a certain blonde-boy with long hair unconscious on the ground with a bloody nose, and a volleyball rolling just around his head.
Quickly realizing the situation, Videl clamped both hands over her mouth as her face flared red in humiliation.
"Uhhhhmmm…oops?"
THWUMP!
[Moments later]
A shameful Videl sat impatiently outside the health office, awaiting for the verdict on Sharpner's condition. Moments later, Gohan, who'd been kind enough to escort the injured athlete, exited the room and turned to Videl with a look of relief on his face.
"Well?"
"Good news is, the bleeding stopped and Sharpner is going to be just fine," he informed.
"And the bad news?"
"You kind of left a nasty mark," Gohan quipped.
Videl sighed. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but that's not going to save me from the verbal thrashing my Dad's gonna give me when I get home tonight. This is the first time I've gotten busted for hurting someone in class since Middle School."
Looking up, Videl saw Gohan looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Ancient history," she dismissed.
"If you say so. Then we should probably talk about current events then," he replied.
"Such as?"
"Videl, be honest…what's wrong?"
"Wrong with what?"
"This isn't the first time you've zoned out this week, and just in general you've been looking kind of…" Gohan trailed off.
"Kind of what?" Videl narrowed an eye.
"I don't know…distracted? It just…looks like something's been bothering you."
"I'm fine Gohan," Videl refuted. "Just…still feeling the aftereffects from-."
"Your fight with Ryoga?"
Videl's expression softened as she leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. "Yeah…."
"And what are those aftereffects?" Gohan inquired.
With an exasperated sigh, she slid down the wall taking a seat on the floor. Gohan took a seat beside her and asked, "Let me guess, you're still kind of upset you lost that fight?"
"Yeah but…."
"Don't let it get to you, I mean, no one can win them all. Even Dad's taken losses in his time," Gohan beamed.
"I know that Gohan. The problem isn't just because I lost, it's because of how easily overpowered I was."
"Videl…"
"I know what you're going to say Gohan: I shouldn't feel bad because I'm still new at this, right?"
"Well…" Gohan sheepishly shrugged.
"Honestly, I don't think I'd mind too much if I were fighting someone much older than us or something, cause yeah, of course they'd have more experience than me with this energy business, but Ryoga's someone who could be a classmate and can already blow up a building if he wanted too…and unless I missed something, he's not half-alien like you or the boys."
Gohan couldn't resist chuckling before Videl continued. "I get that there are people way more powerful than me out there, but for one of them to be just some random punk, really feels like a slap in the face."
"Wait…Ryoga never hit you in the face," Gohan pointed out.
A now snickering Videl replied by slugging Gohan in the arm. "Pffft…shut…up! You know what I mean." Her expression quickly fell again as she sighed. "It feels like every time I make any kind of progress I just get immediately outmatched. I wonder if there's any point to learn this stuff anymore."
Gohan had no response as Videl buried her head into her knees looking severely distraught.
"Videl, I'm going to be completely honest and say that I'm probably not the best one to talk to you about this," he replied with a stern look. "While I can empathize with consistently feeling outmatched, I can't say I've ever felt like I could never measure up to those who outclassed me…at least, not for very long."
"Then who should I talk to?" Videl rather irritably responded.
Gohan closed his eyes in consideration. "Hmmmm…I think your best bet would be Krillin."
"Why Krillin?"
"Well…he is the only human in our group who still fights…well, him and Tien, but nobody knows where Tien's gone off to ever since we beat Buu." Gohan shrugged. "Besides, since Eighteen isn't fully human either, I think he knows what it's like to…well…be…underpowered in comparison?" he stammered.
'Thanks for trying to break it gently Gohan,' she semi-sarcastically thought. Videl took a moment to consider then nodded her approval. "Alright, I guess it wouldn't hurt," she shrugged. As soon as she finished, the bell rang signaling the end of P.E.
"Guess we better get changed," stated Gohan as he stood up. As he helped Videl to her feet, he asked, "You're going after school, right? Do you want me to go with you?"
Videl shrugged. "You can if you want, but I kind of want to figure this thing out on my own."
Gohan nodded. "I understand."
As the two made their way to the locker rooms, a single thought crossed Gohan's mind. 'I wish I could help you more than this Videl, but I hope you can find what you're looking for."
[In the Girls' Locker Room]
As Videl pulled her usual large shirt back on, she was pulled aside by her busty blonde friend.
"Hey Videl, spill it. What happened back there on the field?" Erasa asked.
"Nothing, I just…got distracted and hit the ball back harder than I thought," she replied.
"I get that, but I could swear it looked like your hand was glowing."
Videl's eyes widened at Erasa's words. 'Wait…did I…did I shoot the ball at Sharpner?...literally?'
Before Videl could dwell too long on the situation, a shriek could be heard from the other side of the room. Dashing towards the source, Videl and Erasa pushed their way through a huddle of other girls.
"What's going on over here?" Videl demanded.
"Look what I found!" exclaimed a brunette girl. Turning towards the onlookers, she outstretched her hands to reveal a small purple kitten, meowing fiercely and thrashing about wildly.
'Wait…is that…' "Shampoo?"
At the sound of her name, the kitten ceased its actions and turned to Videl before letting out a happy 'Mroow!'
"Videl, you know this kitty?" Erasa asked.
"Kind of…?"
Shampoo finally managed to free herself from the brunette girl's grasp before running into the showers.
"Oh, wait kitty!" the girl called chasing after her. Upon entering the showers, she came across Shampoo BARELY managing to spin the water on and in a blinding burst of steam, the purple-furred kitten was replaced by a bouncy, purple-haired young girl.
"Whaaaaa-!?" the onlooking students all yelped in surprise as a naked, human Shampoo stepped through the steam.
'Who is that girl?'
'Where did she come from?'
'Where'd the kitty go?'
Ignoring the other girls' protests, Shampoo merely turned to Videl and greeted her with a bow. "Nihao Fly Girl!"
"Shampoo, what are you doing here?" Videl asked.
"You know her?" asked Erasa to Videl.
Cutting the blonde off, Shampoo answered. "Great-Grandmother ask Shampoo to get Fly Girl from school. She wish for you to keep your end of agreement."
"My end of…?" Videl's eyes perked up as she recalled what Cologne wanted. "Oh yeah, I remember." 'Funny coincidence since I was going to Kame House anyway.' "I'll drop by once school ends."
Satisfied with Videl's response, Shampoo pulled a capsule out of seemingly nowhere and spiked it on the ground. When the smoke cleared, Shampoo was fully clothed and her signature bike had appeared. As she mounted her bike, Shampoo quickly added. "Shampoo see you at Cat Café at 3. You no want keep Great Grandmother waiting," before riding off leaving many of the viewing students confused.
'Who was that girl?'
'What was wrong with her voice?'
'Videl knows her? How?'
'How'd she get her boobs that big?'
'Wait, where'd the cat go?'
Videl crossed her arms as Shampoo rode through the halls, grasping the attention of the various faculty. 'Looks like today's going to be a wild one.'
[Later]
The final bell had rang and all the students poured out of the building. Gohan and Videl on the other hand, were united on the roof, as usual. The latter telling the former tales of a certain earlier encounter.
"I remember Erasa told me that someone found a purple kitten in the girl's room…who'd have guessed it was Shampoo…"
"Regardless, it looks like I won't be going to Kame House alone after all, so if you still want to come with…"
Gohan giggled. "I appreciate the approval, but I decline. You said you wanted to figure things out on your own, and I intend to let you. But…if you directly ask me for help…"
"…You'll be there, love you too. Got it," Videl finished.
"We've done this too often haven't we?"
"Maybe a little." Planting a quick peck on Gohan's cheek, Videl leapt off the roof before taking off towards Nerima.
[Meanwhile]
"Man…when is it ever this quiet around town?" Ranma thought as he dashed along the fences. "We ain't seen hide or hair of Ryoga since his fight with Videl and nothin's really happened since then."
"Well I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying the peace," Akane replied. "I do wish Videl would call or something. She looked pretty messed up after that fight and I want to make sure if she's okay."
"So what's stoppin' you from goin' to visit her?" asked Ranma.
"Nothing I just…don't want to bother her. She's been through quite a lot this past couple of weeks and I figured she may want some time alone." Akane added defensively.
As soon as the words left Akane's mouth, their attention was grabbed by a swift moving shadow overhead. "What the…?" Looking up, Akane's eye widened as she recognized a human shaped figure soaring above. 'No way is that…!?' "Videl!?"
"Speak of the devil, am I right?" joked Ranma.
The flying crime fighter continued on her way, not hearing Akane's startled exclamation. "Where do you think she's going?" Akane asked.
"Who knows, but it probably ain't any of our business."
"…I guess…" 'Still…
"Look, if you wanna see what she's up to, I ain't gonna stop ya. Just sayin, you may wanna leave her be for a bit longer."
Akane remained still as Ranma continued strolling on the fences. 'I'm getting' kinda hungry…think I'm feelin' noodles today.'
[Shortly later]
Videl finally landed at the Cat Café, pausing to take a breath before entering. "Now that I think about it, it's actually been a while since I last came here, hasn't it?" Videl briefly thought back to when Akane first brought her over and introduced her to Cologne. The resulting fight with Shampoo, and the long days of working as a weighted down waitress.
'It's definitely been a wild ride, but where have I been going all this time?' Videl quickly shook her head, clearing her thoughts. 'You can have a mental crisis later. Right now, it's time to uphold your end of the deal."
"Oh Shampoo! At last you've returned!"
Videl quickly sidestepped Mousse's attempted embrace. "Put your glasses on," Videl simply stated.
Complying with the request, Mousse quickly changed to shifty host mode. "Oh, it' you again. I must say it's been quite some time since you've last paid us a visit."
"I already outlined that Mousse, they don't need to read it again," Videl dismissed.
"Regardless, Cologne is expecting you."
"And she's glad at how quickly you arrived." The two teens looked to a nearby table to see Cologne seated on it.
"Hey Cologne," Videl greeted.
"Glad you received my message. I trust you already know what this summons is for?"
Videl nodded. "Uh huh. If you're ready, we can hop in my jet and I can take you to Kame House now."
"Excellent. We'll depart once Shampoo returns from her deliveries-!"
"Nihao!"
"Perfect timing."
Almost on cue, Shampoo strode through the curtain and was immediately launched upon by Mouuse. "Oh Shampoo you've re-QUAAAACK!"
As the now duck Mousse flapped about, Shampoo immediately darted over to Cologne, discarding her spray bottle. "Fly Girl take us to meat old Master now?" she asked.
Videl simply nodded as she pulled out her jet capsule.
"Well then, let's not waste time and get mov-!"
"Yo Old Ghoul! You got room in the lunch rush for one more!?" called a familiar male voice. The three women turned towards the entrance to see Ranma stroll in.
"Ranma?"
"Videl?"
"RANMA!"
"Gyaaagh-!?"
Before Ranma could ask Videl his obvious question, Shampoo wasted no time in attaching herself to Ranma, knocking him back through the entrance on the ground.
"Would you get offa me!?"
"You come date with Shampoo, no?"
"No, I came for some ramen!"
Shampoo's expression fell. "Shampoo like make food for Ranma, but she, go with Grandmother and Fly Girl on important trip."
Ranma raised an eyebrow as he lightly pushed Shampoo off him. "What important trip?"
"Fly Girl take Shampoo and Great Grandmother to meet with Legendary Martial Arts Master."
Ranma's expression illuminated at Shampoo's answer. Grabbing onto her shoulders, he exclaimed, "Wait, seriously?" Shampoo nodded. "It wouldn't happen to be the Turtle Guy that trained Gohan's old man, would it?"
"Shampoo…think so," she replied.
Ranma's eyebrows raised before narrowing into a mischievous smirk. "Well…it is a shame that I can't go out with you right now, but do you think I'd at least be able to join you girls on your trip?"
"You want come with Shampoo and Great-Grandmother!?" Shampoo excitedly asked.
"Of course, if it's alright with…!"
Ranma was cut off as he and Shampoo were unexpectantly splashed with water, and Ranma immediately let out a shrill scream.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa…!"
[]
"What the-!?"
Videl and Cologne hastily darted outside to find female Ranma frantically running in circles with cat Shampoo attached to her face. Just beyond the two cursed fighters was a fuming Akane with a crushed bottle in her hand.
"Akane?"
At the sound of Videl's voice, Akane instantly simmered down and replied with a confused greeting. "Videl? You're here?"
"Yeah, cause Cologne asked me to come over," Videl replied.
"Hmph…guess my intuition was right."
"Pardon?"
"Ranma and I saw you flying when you came back into town and while we didn't follow after you or anything, I figured here would probably be the best place to find you. I just wanted to see how you were doing after that battle with Ryoga."
Videl gave a dismissive shrug before warmly smiling at her friend. "I'm fine, for the most part. Just been feeling a bit more winded than usual."
"Whaaaa…!"
Videl was interrupted by the still shrieking Ranma who'd yet to get Shampoo off her face.
"So…what's the deal with…?" Videl pointed to the manic martial artist.
"Son-in-Law has a feline phobia," Cologne replied.
Videl did a double take. "Wait, seriously!?"
"It's a long story with all the blame going to his father, but you can talk about later, right now…" Cologne produced a kettle and tossed it's contents over the redhead and kitten changing them back to normal…leaving Shampoo's bountiful chest in a blinded Ranma's face, causing them to crash into a nearby wall and fall on the ground in a heap.
Akane viewed the scene with a shaking fist while Videl could only give an embarrassed sideways glance.
"Aiyaaa…why Ranma have to smash Shampoo back against wall…?" she strained as she stood up.
"Ummmm…phrasing!?" Videl exclaimed.
Cologne tossed Shampoo her clothes. "If he wants to come with us, wake him up now, I'd prefer not to delay this trip any longer."
"Where are you guys even going?" Akane asked rather irritably.
"I'm keeping my part of our deal and taking Cologne to meet with Master Roshi."
The youngest Tendo quickly eased up. "Wait, that's where Ranma wanted to go?"
Videl raised an eyebrow. "What did you think they were talking about? Eloping, or something?"
Akane could only sheepishly shrink as Ranma began to come too. "Whazza happun?"
"Get up boy, we're departing soon!" Cologne exclaimed.
"Depadee wha-?"
"You heard her Ranma," Akane said while lifting him up. "We're going to meet a Legendary Master today!"
Shampoo crossed her arms. "Why Akane come with? This supposed to be substitute date for Ranma and Shampoo."
"It's fine with me if Akane wants to come along," Videl dismissed as she uncapped her jet. "We've got a little catching up to do anyway."
Akane shot Shampoo a triumphant smile as she stepped to the yellow vehicle. Shampoo could only huff and pout.
[Moments later]
After a small hassle in regards to seating, the odd quintet were all loaded up in Videl's jet, Ranma sitting shotgun with the other girls in the back, Cologne playing peacekeeper between Akane and Shampoo.
"Is everyone ready?" Videl asked. Not waiting for an answer, Videl powered up the ignition and the aircraft began to ascend.
"Aiyaaaaa!" exclaimed a marveled Shampoo.
"Here we go!"
Fwoosh!
[Some moments later]
"How long have we been flying over the ocean?" a bored Ranma deadpanned.
"Don't worry, we're almost there…I think…" Videl replied.
"What do you mean 'you think'?" snapped Cologne.
"I just don't visit here too often so I'm still just a little iffy on location, but I'm sure enough we're heading in the right direction."
"How Fly Girl so sure?" Shampoo challenged.
"Because we're here now!"
"Huh?"
"Look!"
Sure enough, the aircraft was approaching a small island with only a single small house with the words 'KAME HOUSE' emblazoned on it.
"That's the place?" asked a less than impressed Ranma.
"Yup. I'll take us down."
As the jet descended closer to its destination, the group could see that there were people out on the beach, specifically a short man sitting on the porch steps of the house and a little girl riding on a turtle's shell.
"Who's that?" asked Akane.
"Who's the kid?" added Ranma.
"Is short man Legendary Master?" added an intrigued Shampoo?
Videl's eyes lit up as she stuck her head out of the side of the aircraft. "Hey Krillin! Marron!"
[]
As Turtle swam ashore, Marron on his shell, the child quickly dismounted the amphibious reptile and ran to her father in a giggly fit.
"There you guys are," Krillin greeted picking his daughter up. "So, how was the ride?"
Marron replied with even more giggles before the pair heard a familiar voice call out to them.
"Krillin! Marron!"
"Hey Daddy, look!"
Marron pointed up as a familiar yellow vehicle descended on the sand.
"Is that Videl?" Krillin chuckled.
His warm, inviting expression was quickly replaced with a look of confusion as not only did their friend step out of the plane, but also a slew of unfamiliar faces.
"Hey you two!" Kneeling down, Videl was quickly met with an embrace by a pair of tiny arms as Marron ran up and practically threw herself into Videl. "Glad to see you're doing o
"Well Videl, this is a surprise," Krillin greeted.
"Yeah I know. Sorry to drop in unannounced like this but…" Videl paused as the Nerima fighters began surveying the island.
"So this is the famous Kame House…" noted Cologne.
"I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this…" added Akane.
"Least the place looks alright, can't say the same for the location." Commented Ranma.
"Shampoo think beach house be nice place for honeymoon!"
A weary Marron ran behind her father as the Nerima gang approached, but Videl flashed the child an encouraging smile. "Don't worry they're friends of mine."
"Uh Videl, we don't mind if you ever wanna visit but next time you wanna bring a group of friends along, you should give us a heads up first,"
"I was actually coming to visit anyway, but decided to bring them along for another reason," she explained. "It's kind of a long story, but to make it short, they're here to see Master Roshi."
"Master Roshi?" Before Krillin could ask another question, Cologne hopped forward, greeting Krillin with a bow.
"Good afternoon."
"Uhhh…hello," Krillin respectfully replied.
"My name is…"
"Hey!"
KTHRAASSH!
Cologne's introduction was interrupted by the sound of a woman's voice, followed by a familiar crash of something getting launched through the roof of a house.
"Déjà vu?" joked Ranma.
"Déjà vu." The two girls confirmed.
"Daaaaaaaaaagh…! Oooomph!"
A few seconds later, the figure that was knocked out the house finally landed in the sand right in between Cologne and Krillin, revealing it to be a bald, elderly man in shorts and a Hawaiian styled shirt.
"Who's the geezer?" Ranma stated, while peering into the dusty crater.
In the next instance, the door to the house opened and all eyes turned to see a tall, blonde woman in a denim top and white pants, and she looked rather steamed.
"I warned you what would happen if you tried that again old man," she began as she came down the stairs. "Now you…" the woman paused as her eyes fell from Krillin and Marron over to Videl and Cologne.
"Videl? What are you doing here?" she greeted in a rather reserved tone.
"Hey Eighteen," Videl waved.
Just behind her however, a single thought crossed the minds of both Anything-Goes heirs and their Amazonian acquaintance(s).
'Who is she!?'
(Surprise, surprise, I actually managed to release a chapter BEFORE the end of the month. Kinda fitting that this chapter introduces Kame House to the Ranma crew since Roshi made it into FighterZ. Tangent time here, but to be frank, I was NOT expecting the old guy to make it cause he couldn't fly and unlike other games, FighterZ didn't seem to be taking liberties with it's characters' capabilities (in other words, no jetpack since Roshi never used one in the show or book) but low and behold he's in…but as expected, in the same way Videl can't reflect in that game, he can't super dash. It'll be interesting to see how he plays out, but I'm still crossing my fingers for a Season 4 that gives us the rest of GT, specifically Pan(my most wanted character at this point. I just want Gohan's whole family), Baby, and Majuub (everyone's expecting Omega Shenron this season, myself included). Okay, tangent over. This chapter was pure setup, but given how action packed the last couple of chapters were, I think its warranted. Next time, Ranma and friends get properly acquainted, not only with Roshi, but with his houseguests as well. Maybe, just maybe, they'll even find out why Cologne wanted to meet him so badly, although, those who were paying attention in the early chapters around Cologne's introduction may be able to figure it out. Until next time.)