Goku watched Videl walk away and shook his head helplessly.
He turned toward the contestants' waiting area and found Gohan sitting there calmly, as if he had no reaction to everything that had just happened.
"Gohan!"
"Huh? Dad?"
Only then did Gohan come back to his senses.
Goku frowned.
"What's wrong with you? Videl was beaten that badly just now, and you didn't even look at her?"
Gohan scratched his head in confusion.
"She surrendered, didn't she?"
"And you were there, Dad, so she was definitely fine."
Goku sighed and pulled Gohan into a corner.
"Listen, Gohan. Videl is a good girl. She has feelings for you—"
"She's very good to me. I know."
"That's not what I mean…"
Gohan still looked puzzled.
"Dad, are you talking about how she often trains with me and helps me with schoolwork?"
"That's not the point…"
Goku felt a headache coming on.
How was he supposed to explain this to his painfully dense son?
"I mean…"
"Do you think Videl is special?"
Gohan thought seriously for a moment.
"Mm. She is special."
"For an Earthling, her combat power improves very quickly. Also—"
Listen to this.
Was that really how someone described a girl?
Goku held his forehead and shouted—
"Stop!"
Gohan froze.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm asking you…"
"When you saw her hurt, did your heart feel uncomfortable?"
Gohan blinked.
"Yes. Like seeing any friend get hurt."
"But the Martial Arts Tournament doesn't kill people."
"And you gave her a Senzu Bean, Dad, so she definitely wouldn't die."
"That's why I wasn't worried about her."
"Oh, right…"
"Dad, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Goku took a deep breath.
He was nearly angered to death by his own son.
Gohan was already this old.
How did he still not understand something so basic?
Had something gone wrong in his upbringing?
After a moment of thought, Goku decided to spell it out directly.
Otherwise, this foolish son of his would remain clueless for who knew how long.
Goku lowered his voice.
"Gohan."
"Videl likes you."
"Can't you tell?"
"Huh?"
Gohan's eyes widened, and his face instantly turned bright red.
"N-No way!"
"We're just classmates and friends!"
Goku smiled helplessly and asked back—
"You silly kid…"
"If she didn't like you, why would she keep coming to train with you?"
Gohan: "Uh…"
Goku patted Gohan on the shoulder.
"People only live once."
"If you don't take action on some things, you'll miss them."
"And once you miss certain things, you might regret it for the rest of your life."
"You need to understand…"
"Life doesn't give you a restart button."
At this point, Goku paused briefly.
Then he silently thought—
Except for me.
Gohan looked at Goku and suddenly felt that his words made a lot of sense.
But Goku noticed that Gohan's eyes still didn't show much expectation toward love.
There was more curiosity, like he was trying to learn new knowledge.
So Goku patted his shoulder again and continued—
"Son, listen carefully."
"If you have a good impression of Videl, then you need to cherish it properly."
"You're not a little kid anymore."
"When it comes to feelings, don't hesitate so much."
"And don't be so shy."
"Everyone faces these things when they grow up."
"You can't expect the girl to take the initiative every time, right?"
Listening to Goku's teaching, Gohan lowered his head.
His voice became very small.
"But Dad…"
"I don't know how to face this kind of thing."
"And right now, I still need to prepare for the match…"
Goku wrapped an arm around his son's shoulder and continued—
"Compared to lifelong matters, the tournament isn't important."
"Don't dodge the real issue."
"When we go back, ask your mother or Aunt Bulma to tell you what your dad was like when he was younger."
"Looking like this…"
"You're really embarrassing me."
Gohan looked at Goku, then lowered his head by himself.
He looked exactly like a student with poor grades.
Seeing Gohan lower his head with a guilty expression, Goku continued—
"Alright, don't just stand there."
"I'm not scolding you. That would be meaningless."
"Videl was just injured."
"This is exactly when she needs your concern."
"I'll help delay your match for a while."
"Go!"
Goku patted Gohan.
Only then did Gohan raise his head.
"Then… what should I say to her?"
Goku frowned.
Getting Gohan to show concern and warmth…
He really might not know how.
However, at this point, Goku already understood quite a few methods for pursuing women.
Even a method suitable for Gohan came to him easily.
Goku lowered his voice.
"Can't you bring her a cup of water?"
"Or get her some snacks?"
"If you don't know how to chat with girls, that's simple too."
"Give her something practical first."
Gohan's eyes clearly brightened.
"Oh, right!"
"I understand!"
After saying that, Son Gohan ran toward Videl in the audience.
Seeing that his son at least had decent execution, Goku finally revealed a faint smile of relief.
He called after him—
"Remember!"
"Be gentler when dealing with girls!"
"I know…"
…
"The next match is contestant Kibito versus contestant Son Gohan!"
"Both contestants, please come onto the stage immediately!"
The referee raised the microphone and announced loudly.
At that moment—
Goku appeared beside the referee in a flash and lowered his voice.
"Please, referee, wait a few minutes."
"Gohan has something to deal with right now."
"It'll only take a few minutes."
The referee was about to refuse, but Piccolo suddenly appeared on the other side.
"Do as he says."
Seeing Piccolo's cold gaze, the referee shivered.
"O-Okay…"
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Goku added—
"By the way, you can have Krillin go on stage first to liven up the atmosphere."
The referee immediately looked toward Krillin.
Krillin nodded at them.
So the referee loudly announced—
"Earlier, contestant Spopovich attacked far too viciously, causing contestant Videl to suffer serious injuries."
"Such behavior goes against the spirit of the Martial Arts Tournament."
"Therefore, we would like to invite contestant Krillin onto the stage to explain the spirit of martial arts and clarify the tournament rules for everyone!"
The audience immediately broke into a wave of discussion.
"True. That big guy was way too brutal toward a young girl!"
"Exactly! He almost beat that girl to death!"
"A man attacking a woman that viciously is too cruel."
"Right, right. That guy is probably mentally twisted…"
Krillin walked onto the stage.
Although he wasn't as good at showboating as Mr. Satan, stalling for a few minutes was still easy for him.
He took the microphone and began loudly explaining the martial philosophy Master Roshi had once taught him.
"Everyone, I'm Krillin."
"The reason we become martial artists and continue training to become stronger…"
"Is not to bully others or enjoy fighting."
"It is to strengthen our bodies."
"To protect our families."
"To protect what matters…"
While Krillin bought time on stage—
Piccolo pulled Goku and Vegeta into a corner.
"That man named Kibito is Supreme Kai's attendant."
"And that contestant Shin…"
"He is Supreme Kai himself."
"Above King Kai, there is Grand Kai."
"And above Grand Kai, standing at the highest point, is Supreme Kai…"
Hearing Piccolo's explanation, Vegeta crossed his arms and glanced over in secret.
No wonder.
I kept feeling his combat strength wasn't that high, yet there was something unusual about him.
So that's what it was…
Piccolo said seriously—
"Supreme Kai told me earlier that he came here for something important."
"No matter what happens later, you must not act recklessly."
"Relax."
"It won't endanger Gohan's life."
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