This whole situation was more awkward than Videl thought. When they got into Gohan's house, Son Goku, 17, 18 and Eschalot were already there, the already small place was completely was cramped.
Goku, 17 and 18 were occupying the couches while Eschalot was sitting on the ground next to 18. Erasa immediately pulled a chair and sat next to 17 while Sharpner sat on the ground and the remaining two, Gohan and Videl, pulled chairs as well.
Eschalot started the talk, "We are here to scold you brother! How could you do that?" Videl thought the little girl looked cute but for some reason she was frozen stiff. Even though it didn't affect her mind, her body didn't want to move besides her hands which shook like leaves but it was probably due to Son Goku.
With his usual nonchalant voice 17 said, "But let's order some food first. I am sure you are hungry aren't you Gohan?" and without even waiting for an approval he called someplace and started to order, "Yeah get us 30- No, 50 pizza. Yes, 50. Anything works just as much meat as possible. No, large size. 154. As soon as possible yes."
Then he turned to the high schoolers, "That is our part, what do you guys want to eat?"
Sharpner talked without thinking, "You four are going to eat 50 pizza? Isn't that a bit much?" and Videl saw 18's facial expression change a bit to ridicule.
She talked, "For the two of them." while looking the father and the daughter. Son Goku didn't look particularly ashamed but Eschalot's face turned a bit red.
Showing initiative Gohan said, "We'll take 10 I guess." which 17 relayed on the phone.
Son Goku started to talk for the first time since they came, "How have you been Gohan, I see you came from training. Will 10 pizza be enough for you? I am sure you are hungry aren't you." he asked. These questions seemed a little pointed to Videl, she didn't know their purpose, how would 10 pizza not be enough?
However Gohan just sheepishly replied to his father despite being very angry with him for weeks, "Yes father, I believe it'll be enough to share with my friend as well."
A hearty laugh came from Goku, "Share 10 pizzas? You are young and you keep training every day and night! You should be eating far more." with a domineering voice. Videl didn't know why but compared to the last time, it was far more tense. Why were these four here? What was the 'bad thing' Eschalot was talking about?
But seeing Goku and Eachalot eat made her forget about all her questions and thoughts. Watching a middle aged man and a girl whose age wasn't in two digits yet eat food like their stomachs had a black hole in them was mortifying.
Ever since she broke the human limits, she could eat a lot as well, three to four times as much as a healthy adult male without getting stomach aches but that 6 years old girl was eating multiple times her. Where was that food even going?
By the time she finished her second pizza, the parent and the child were done with their tenth and by the time Gohan finished eating his fifth, they were done with their twenty fifth.
True to their word, 17 and 18 didn't touch a single piece of food, they just drank a bit of water, Videl noted.
After everyone finished, Goku leaned forward and said in a slightly serious way, "Gohan, today we came here because apparently you had exams this week at school."
Gohan said absentmindedly, "Yeah we did, they were pretty trivial." his caused an immediate reaction on Eschalot who shouted, "Then why did you flunk them?"
Videl looked at Gohan with shock, who looked lost. From the few times she asked him for help during lessons he was supposed be far above what they were studying but it was unlikely that Goku was lying, Gohan tried to reply, "I have been distracted the last few weeks, next time I'll-" but he got cut short.
Son Goku started to talk calmly, "I respect whatever route you pick for your life but don't leave anything half done. If you want to become a fighter, go discuss that with your mother and drop out of school. If you want to become a scholar, actually study."
The teen boy was slowly crumbling in front of Videl and she couldn't do anything about it, while he said, "Was the route you picked for your life hiding everything from me while everyone else knew?" she wanted to stop him.
With an understanding face that didn't show any anger Goku talked, "I picked the route that I thought was the best for you. I didn't want you to go through what the people who knew went through."
Finally snapping Gohan shouted, "Fine, don't tell me anything. I'll fix my results as soon as possible, can you please leave so I can study?"
Without another word, Sharpner and Erasa quickly said their goodbyes and left, and as Son Goku started to get up, 17, 18 and Eschalot got up as well. While they were leaving, Son Goku said, "I love you son!" before leaving and Eschalot shouted, "Love you brother!" as well.
Videl said, "I should leave as well, see you tomorrow." to Gohan and got out. The moment she was sure the door was closed, she ran towards Son Goku who was near the end of the corridor and shouted, "Mr. Son can I please talk to you?"
As if he expected her to come, Goku signaled the other three to go and said, "Sure Videl. What about the rooftop?" and started walking towards a set of stairs going up.
Following him Videl found herself on the cold and windy rooftop. She could see the entire city, all the flickering lights and the moving cars. The buildings, the parks, the statues. All that looked so small from this height. She could only say, "Wow..." in an impressed way.
"It is impressive isn't it..." Son Goku said before asking, "So what did you want to ask me?"
It took a small while for Videl to collect her courage to ask him, "I wanted to know why you divorced from your wife sir. That seems to be a major problem Gohan has with you."
Goku laughed a bit before saying, "I didn't divorce from Chichi, to be divorced, you first need to be married by law." a shocking revolution.
This lead her to ask, "So Gohan and siblings were born out of a wedlock?" that was the only reasonable conclusion she could reach to from what information he gave her.
With a nostalgic expression on his face he said, "Not a wedlock either, the marriage oaths between me and Chichi were witnessed by God. Though we now live in a world without Gods, we are still married and I hope to grow old with her."
Not wanting to ask the meanings of 'witnessed by God' or 'world without Gods' knowing the eccentricities of people who broke the human limit, she asked something else instead, "So why are you apart?"
He sighed while looking at the night sky which was exceptionally clear at this place, "It is just going to be until Eschalot is a bit older. There are differences between our philosophies for raising children. Neither of them wrong." and "Also I have a responsibility to look after Lapis and Lazuli. Their lives were ruined because of me." he added at the end.
Perhaps stepping out of line Videl asked, "Is it due to Mrs. Chichi not wanting her children to learn how to fight?" that was the explanation that made sense to her.
With a nod Goku confirmed her theory, "For people like me or Chichi 'fighting' doesn't have the same definition it does for you. It isn't a sport, it is to the death. I understand why she doesn't want her kids to live this life."
"So why do you?" Videl asked. If fighting meant death to him, he shouldn't want his kids to fight but apparently he was teaching how to, to her 6 years old daughter.
He replied, "Because it doesn't just mean death to me. It means growth, it means overcoming challenges, it means freedom. And someone has to fight. Other options are even worse."
She asked about something else that was bothering her, "If you are that passionate about fighting why were you completely MIA for about 10 years after the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament? Why didn't you fight Cell for example, you are really strong, maybe even stronger than my father?"
Goku smiled and said, "I had other fights, other challenges to overcome. I have been fighting all that time. To make you understand why I am so passionate about fighting, let me show you a memory, but be warned and ready yourself. This is going to change you forever."
Videl didn't know how he was going to do it, but she said, "Bring it on!" with a thumbs up. No way a single memory was going to change her. Goku's hand slowly moved towards her forehead and her eyes went dark.
Infinity. That was what was in front of her eyes. In this memory she was looking at the sky through Son Goku's eyes just a few moment ago to the skyline above the Satan Star. There were countless stars in the sky. Even the places she thought were dark had stars she just couldn't see. Day and night were the same with the only difference being sun and moon. They were as bright as each other. It was possible to count each star and see the planets orbiting them. The more she focused the more details she could see. She could 'feel' the life on some of those planets. This is was the infinity of the universe and it was beautiful.
Suddenly her eyes snapped back to reality and she looked at the sky again to see the infinite stars covering the air dome she lived under but it was so dark and so dim. She wanted to see it again.
When she looked at Goku she got horrified right before she begged him to show it again. He talked, "That is how I constantly see the night sky, that is what the world is to me and this is the world I want Eschalot to see."
"So when you get stronger, you understand the universe better. I was so blind until today." Videl said, almost in a trance.
With hurry Goku snapped his finger in front of her, "Wake up, you must stay strong. If you are sober in the first few moments you see it, you are going to be fine."
Videl asked him, "When I looked at space through your memory, I felt a sense of familiarity. Have you... Have you been to space?"
A roar of laughter came from Goku, "Of course, last few years I spent about as much time in random planets as I did on Earth. Ask your father for some stories."
Epiphany after epiphany came to Videl. The universe was much bigger and people could get much stronger than she thought. She was like an ant looking at a toy house thinking it was the peak of human engineering.
If Son Goku didn't warn her, she would really go crazy from training but still, she wanted to see that sight again regardless. She was going to ask her father about space, about other planets, other civilizations. She wanted to learn, set her sight higher up.
She had to apologize to Gohan as well, training with him wasn't going to be enough for her, she had to aim higher so she had to train harder.
After Son Goku left, she sat on that rooftop, thinking about her future. She didn't live in the world she thought she did. Her hopes of winning the next tournament were already gone, the gap was too big but she was going to fight regardless, if she could move one step closer to Goku while fighting against him, who knew how clearer the sky would get.
Her father wasn't at home when she came. 'He is probably talking with Goku.' she thought. She didn't have to worry anymore, she understood why her father did what he did. Despite all she learned today, she had a clear mind before sleeping.
