"Kale, stop staring at me and look at the teacher," Gohan said.
Blushing, Kale nodded and forced herself to look away.
Videl glanced over at them but said nothing.
Beep, beep…
Just then, Videl's watch let out a sharp tone.
The sound immediately drew Gohan's and Kale's attention.
"Y-Yes, this is Videl!" Videl answered the call right there in class.
"There's been a robbery in the nearby town. Two suspects are escaping along Highway 81 toward the mountains," a voice on the other end reported.
Videl immediately stood up and ran out of the classroom.
As she passed the teacher, she called out, "I'll be back in a bit!"
"Be careful," the teacher replied with a nod.
Gohan stared blankly after her, completely puzzled.
Kale was just as confused.
She just walked out in the middle of class like that?
And she answered the phone during class too!
Was the teacher playing favorites?
"What's going on?" Gohan asked Erasa, who was sitting in front of him.
"Oh… Videl's thing is fighting for justice," Erasa said with a smile. "She's Mr. Satan's daughter, after all. Since she's so strong, the police ask her for help all the time."
"Huh? Really?" Gohan looked genuinely shocked.
"Hah, don't underestimate Videl," Sharpner added with a grin. "She's way stronger than I am. She's probably even on Mr. Satan's level."
Gohan pressed his lips together and said nothing.
On Mr. Satan's level?
That sounds dangerous.
Kale fell silent.
A bad feeling suddenly crept over her.
Why is Gohan paying so much attention to Videl?
"Great Saiyaman, the Golden Fighter, and Videl… Hard to believe a city this small has three different heroes running around in it," Sharpner said.
"Exactly, exactly," Erasa said with a laugh, turning around.
But Gohan was starting to worry.
Videl might be in real danger.
I have to go help her.
But if I run out right now, everyone will definitely get suspicious.
"Gohan-nii, what are you thinking?" Kale asked hurriedly.
"Kale, I'm going to go check on her in a bit," Gohan answered honestly. "I can't just leave her there if something goes wrong."
"I'm coming with you," Kale said at once, her heart tightening.
"No, Kale." Gohan gently shook his head. "If both of us leave together, it'll look way too suspicious."
"In that case… give me the watch. I'll go in your place," Kale said, still not reassured.
"It's fine. They're all normal people. I'll be okay," Gohan said, trying to comfort her.
Kale did not know what to say.
Of course I know he will be fine.
Those people could never hurt him.
The problem is… if something happens between him and Videl…
A minute later, Gohan suddenly stood up.
"Uh… sorry, may I use the bathroom?" he asked the teacher.
Kale immediately felt a sour twist in her chest.
Why are you in such a hurry?
Gohan rushed out of the classroom, made it up to the rooftop, and pressed the button on his watch.
"Transform!"
He shouted the word and shot up into the sky.
But after only a moment, he stopped in midair.
Where exactly is Highway 81?
Great. I'll just have to sense Videl's ki first.
…
Highway 81.
Two robbers were racing down the road in a hovering sedan.
Two police cars chased after them with sirens blaring.
The thug in the passenger seat aimed a rocket launcher at the police cars.
Whoosh!
A missile roared toward them.
The two officers turned pale with terror.
Boom!
The missile exploded, blowing both patrol cars wildly off balance.
"Hahaha, die!" the thug shouted excitedly.
Then the huge driver suddenly froze. Someone was standing in the road ahead.
Blocking their path was a young girl with a slender figure, holding a pair of handcuffs.
The brute brought the car to a stop, climbed out of the driver's seat, and sneered. "Move, sweetheart. You're in the way."
"If you don't want to get hurt, drop your weapons and surrender," Videl said with a snort, swinging the handcuffs in her hand.
"Heh. Hear that?" the brute said to his partner with a grin.
"Boss, I've seen that girl on TV," the thug said at once. "She's Mr. Satan's daughter. She calls herself a friend of justice."
"Hahaha, Mr. Satan's daughter? Now this is interesting." The brute immediately perked up. "Looks like I'll have to teach you how a real fight works."
"Don't underestimate her! She seems really strong!" the thug warned quickly.
"Coward. You think there's anyone stronger than me?" the brute sneered as he walked toward Videl. "Even Mr. Satan himself wouldn't be able to beat me."
"Hmph. Idiot." Videl smiled in contempt and casually tossed the handcuffs to the ground.
"Heh, heh, heh! Mr. Satan's daughter is pretty cute, though," the brute said. He towered over her by more than twenty centimeters.
Despite the size difference, Videl showed no fear at all. Her face was full of confidence.
"Hah!"
The brute lunged forward with both arms wide, trying to grab her.
Videl sprang lightly into the air, slipped past his grasp, and drove a kick up into his chin.
He crashed to the ground with a thud.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, the brute gave her a vicious grin, his eyes flashing with cruelty. "So you're not an ordinary girl after all."
"Hah!"
He threw a heavy punch at her.
Videl ducked under it and snapped an uppercut into his chin.
The brute went down flat on his back again.
"Boss… you okay?" the thug asked nervously.
"Of course I'm fine! Playtime's over!" the brute growled as he climbed back to his feet, rage burning in his eyes.
"You still want more?" Videl said coldly.
"Of course I do. Now the real fight starts!" the brute snarled.
By then, Gohan had already arrived overhead and was watching the three of them from above.
Seeing how fiercely Videl was holding her own, he let out a small sigh of relief.
That scared me for a second. She actually looks stronger than Mr. Satan.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Videl launched into another flurry of attacks.
The brute's face twisted out of shape under the blows, and he collapsed unconscious.
"Good. Get up! Still want to keep going?" Videl snorted as she walked over and kicked him a few times.
"Damn it!" the thug gritted his teeth, pulled out a pistol, and aimed it at Videl's back.
Whoosh!
Gohan dropped from the sky, chopped down on the thug's wrist, and knocked the pistol out of his hand.
The thug jumped in shock.
Where did this guy come from?
Videl turned in surprise as well and saw Gohan standing there.
Gohan picked up the fallen pistol, gave it a casual squeeze, and crushed it into pieces.
Videl's eyes widened.
What ridiculous strength.
"Y-You… who the hell are you?" the thug cried out, his whole mentality collapsing.
"I am the warrior of justice who will never let any villain escape!" Gohan declared as he struck a whole series of bizarre poses.
He and Kale had come up with those poses together the night before.
At the very least, Kale had thought they looked cool.
"I am Great Saiyaman!" Gohan announced, dropping into a half-crouch that looked far more awkward than heroic.
The thug fell silent.
"W-Wow… that's awful," Videl muttered, completely speechless.
"Resistance is useless. Videl, put the handcuffs on him," Gohan said, turning to her.
Videl bent down to pick up the cuffs, her mind still working through his identity.
The thug panicked, yanked out a smoke bomb, and threw it at Gohan's feet.
Then he leapt back into the car, started it, and sped off.
"Idiot! You think a smoke bomb is enough to fool me?" Gohan shot into the sky.
The moment Videl saw him fly, the shock in her eyes became impossible to miss.
He can fly too?
"Hahaha, moron!" the thug laughed into the rearview mirror when he saw no one behind him.
He was still laughing when he suddenly felt someone tapping at his shoulder.
The thug turned his head stiffly and found Gohan sitting right beside him.
His expression froze on the spot, and his eyes nearly bulged out of his skull.
"H-How did you get in here?" he stammered, beyond shocked.
Bang!
Gohan drove a punch into his head, nearly killing him on the spot.
Then he grabbed the now-unconscious thug and flew back to Videl.
"What should we do with these two?" Gohan asked. "Should I take them to the police station?"
"Just leave them here. I'll contact the police," Videl suggested.
"Okay." Gohan dumped the two robbers together in a heap.
"You're really strong. But are you trying to keep your real identity secret?" Videl asked, studying him carefully.
"Ah… uh… yes. Yes, exactly," Gohan answered, stumbling over his words.
"But Gohan, how did you sneak out of class?" Videl asked casually.
"I said I had to go to the bathroom and slipped out," Gohan said with a strained laugh. "So I should hurry back."
"Just as I thought!" Videl cried, as if she had discovered a whole new world. "You really are Son Gohan!"
"Oh no…" Gohan felt like he had just been struck by lightning.
How was I exposed this easily?
"H-How did you know? My outfit shouldn't have given anything away," Gohan said, hanging his head.
"It was your voice, and the way you talk," Videl replied with a smile. "And you knew my name."
"How did it come to this?" Gohan muttered.
"Come on, get in the plane with me," Videl said.
Gohan climbed into the plane in a daze.
Videl piloted it into the sky, then turned to him and asked, "Why are you dressed like that, anyway?"
"Well… I just want to live like a normal person. If everyone knew I was this strong, things would get complicated," Gohan answered awkwardly.
"Oh? So are you the Golden Fighter too?" Videl asked.
"No! No, that's not me!" Gohan denied it in a panic.
"Really?" Videl looked at him suspiciously.
"Really!" Gohan nodded frantically.
She absolutely cannot find out about that.
"All right, then." Videl did not press further.
"You really can't tell anyone about this," Gohan said quickly.
"Then… does Kale know who you are?" Videl asked next.
"She… yeah, she does. Besides her, no one else knows," Gohan admitted honestly.
"Could she be the Golden Fighter?" Videl asked, glancing sideways at him.
"No… definitely not!" Gohan shook his head.
"Really?" Videl turned and looked at him again, smiling.
"Really. I swear," Gohan said, nodding once more.
"Hey, are you entering the World Martial Arts Tournament next month?" Videl asked with a smile.
"The World Martial Arts Tournament?" Gohan blinked.
That still exists?
I thought it had been canceled years ago.
I heard the last one ended with Dad and Piccolo settling things once and for all.
And Dad won.
"You didn't know?" Videl said with a smile. "The tournament to decide the world's martial arts champion is being held again. My father won the last one. The champion before that was some mysterious man named Son Goku. I've never met him."
"Ah…" Gohan laughed bitterly.
"He has the same family name as you, and that name's pretty rare now," Videl said, looking sideways at him. "So my guess is that he's your father, right?"
"Well… um… that…" Gohan's expression turned increasingly miserable.
This girl is amazing.
How does she figure everything out?
"I guessed right, didn't I?" Videl said with a grin. "So? Enter the World Martial Arts Tournament with me. The children of the last two champions fighting in the same tournament—that sounds fun."
"I… I don't want to enter. I'm not interested in that kind of thing," Gohan said, shaking his head.
I'm this strong. What would be the point of entering something like that?
"I'll tell all our classmates that Son Gohan is the Great Saiyaman if you don't," Videl said, smiling slyly.
"Huh? You can't do that!" Gohan yelped.
"You can just enter as Great Saiyaman. Nobody will recognize you that way," Videl suggested.
"But…" Gohan genuinely did not want to do it.
"So? Want everyone to know?" Videl threatened again.
"I… all right, I'll do it," Gohan said helplessly, nodding.
"Good. Then it's settled!" Videl said, pumping a fist excitedly. "Everyone else is way too weak. I really want a proper opponent for once."
Gohan scratched his head more miserably than ever.
This is getting worse and worse.
I guess I have no choice but to agree.
Whatever kind of opponent I face, I can win easily anyway.
I'll just coast through it.
"We should go back to class separately," Videl said as the school building came into view below them. "You're supposed to have snuck out by pretending to go to the bathroom."
"Ah… right." Gohan nodded.
He flew down from the plane and hovered in midair.
"Hey! You have to teach me how to fly later," Videl called out, leaning toward him from the cockpit. "It's not fair that you're the only one who can do that."
"Uh… sure, no problem," Gohan said with a nod. He dropped to the ground and pressed the button on his watch again.
Whoosh!
The transformation outfit vanished.
So even like that, she still figured me out.
Next time I become Great Saiyaman, I'll have to change my voice too.
After that, Gohan returned to the classroom and scratched his head awkwardly at the teacher.
"Sorry I took so long. I'm really sorry."
The teacher blinked, but did not say anything.
To be honest, if Gohan had not come back, the teacher probably would have forgotten he had even left.
"So what, did you crap your pants or something?" one of the students joked.
The whole classroom burst into laughter.
Gohan fell silent.
That's way too much.
"Stop laughing!" Kale barked, slamming a hand on the desk and glaring coldly at the whole class.
That only made them laugh harder.
Gohan had no answer to that.
Kale was just about to lose her temper when Gohan stepped over and gently patted her hand, signaling for her not to make a scene.
They're just joking.
There's no need to get angry.
Videl had returned to the classroom before him. She turned and looked first at Gohan, then at Kale, but said nothing.
Kale, however, kept looking back and forth between Gohan and Videl, suspicion written all over her face.
"Gohan-nii, did you run into Videl?" Kale asked quietly.
Gohan nodded, then scratched his head in frustration.
"What happened, Gohan-nii?" Kale asked.
"I'll tell you after class," Gohan said in a low voice. "And after school, let's go see Bulma again."
"Okay. I'll go with whatever you say, Gohan-nii," Kale replied without objection.
…
Universe 7, Galactic Patrol Headquarters.
Merus's room.
Merus personally poured Ken a glass of water and handed it over.
"Ken, long time no see," Merus greeted him warmly. "I didn't expect you to come all the way here just to visit me."
"It's been six years, right?" Ken said with a sigh. "Time really does fly. Another six years gone in the blink of an eye."
"Yeah, yeah." Merus nodded. "Though for Angels like us, six years is barely a moment."
"So, how's it been, Merus?" Ken asked with a smile, patting him on the shoulder. "Your level's gone up in the last six years, right?"
"My main level hasn't risen. Only the numbers after the decimal point have gone up," Merus replied, lowering his head.
Do you really have to ask so directly?
You're obviously here to show off your own level.
"What are you at now?" Ken asked.
"51.8…" Merus answered, feeling stabbed right through the heart.
We're both Angels. We were both Angels in training.
So why is your level climbing that fast?
Once I hit level 51, every bit of progress after that became ridiculously slow.
"Honestly, I think what you're missing is a real breakthrough," Ken said thoughtfully.
"A breakthrough? What kind of breakthrough?" Merus asked, startled.
"That's something you'll have to discover for yourself. Once you truly grasp it one day, everything will suddenly make sense," Ken said with a smile.
Merus nodded thoughtfully.
"By the way, do you want to know what level I'm at now?" Ken asked.
Merus immediately shook his head.
Absolutely not.
I don't need another stab to the heart.
I already know your level is high.
Seven years ago, you were already at level 71.
If you came here asking about my level, then yours has obviously gone up again.
What Merus could not understand was this: hadn't Ken been stuck at level 71 before?
How did he manage to start climbing again?
"I think I'd better tell you anyway," Ken said with a smile.
Merus fell silent.
And I'm supposed to just sit here and get stabbed in the heart?
"Maybe… maybe don't," Merus said, looking close to tears.
"All right, then I won't say it. I'd hate to discourage you," Ken said with a nod.
Merus said nothing.
Honestly, saying that was almost worse than just telling me outright.
"I only came by to chat for a bit," Ken said. "After that, how about coming with me to Zeno-sama's palace?"
"What are you going to Zeno-sama's palace for?" Merus asked, looking at Ken strangely.
"To challenge the two Guards, of course," Ken said with a smile. "Last time wasn't enough. This time I want a proper round."
Merus quietly wiped away sweat.
A short silence followed.
"You're going to fight the Right Guard again?" Merus asked with a helpless laugh.
"Not the Right Guard. Both Guards." Ken held up two fingers and corrected him seriously. "I've heard their super fusion is pretty impressive. I want to see what the fused version can do."
"Fusion?" Merus froze, visibly shaken. "I've heard the two of them can reach level 79 with that technique."
"It's fine." Ken looked completely unconcerned.
Merus did not feel like speaking anymore.
With how calm you look, are you seriously telling me you've already reached level 80?
At this rate, you're about to turn into my father.
Sure, my father was born at level 80.
But you reached that level in a little over forty years.
And here I am, an Angel who started at the same time as you.
What a miserable feeling.
"Don't get discouraged, Merus." Ken patted him on the shoulder in comfort. "At least you're not the weakest among us Angels in training. Bier still exists."
Merus fell silent again.
"Bier should've improved over the years too, right?" Ken asked.
"No idea. I haven't been in touch with Bier for a long time either," Merus said, shaking his head.
"Then call and ask. It's not exactly a big deal," Ken suggested.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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