"I'm entering too!" Trunks shouted, clenching his fists with excitement. "Gohan-niichan, let Goten enter as well! Let's see which of us is truly stronger and settle it at the World Martial Arts Tournament!"
Gohan covered his face. I remember now.
Dad mentioned that he and Uncle Vegeta had a major battle during this period in his previous life.
Now, Goten and Trunks are set for a showdown of their own.
It seems I'm the only one left in the lurch.
I have to go beat Mr. Satan...
My future father-in-law.
That hardly seems appropriate, does it?
And now, Uncle Vegeta is training Trunks—on the surface to surpass me, but in reality, he wants to leave Goten in the dust.
"I'll talk to Dad about it," Gohan nodded.
"Hmph." The corners of Vegeta's mouth curled up into a brilliant, confident smirk.
Kakarot, I've been waiting for this day for a long time.
Just you wait, Kakarot! I will definitely defeat you!
And I'll make sure Trunks defeats Son Goten.
"Go back and tell Kakarot to be prepared. I'm not the same man I was before," Vegeta said, his smile revealing a flash of white teeth.
"Has Uncle Vegeta unlocked a new transformation?" Gohan asked, surprised.
Vegeta gave a confident chuckle but didn't answer. However, the expression on his face made the answer perfectly clear.
"Is it a color-swapped transformation?" Gohan asked, suddenly intrigued.
Vegeta: "..."
"Can I see it first?" Gohan grinned.
Vegeta's face darkened as he shot Gohan a fierce glare. If I let you see it now and you go back and tell Kakarot, where's the mystery in that?
"By the way, Uncle Vegeta, why don't you wear an outfit like this too? That way, no one will recognize you," Gohan said, quickly changing the subject while gesturing to his Great Saiyaman suit.
"I'm not wearing that! I'm not afraid of being recognized!" Vegeta snapped.
"Alright then, I'm off." Gohan waved and flew out the window with Videl in his arms.
Whoosh!
Gohan carried Videl high into the sky.
"Gohan, is that spiky-haired uncle really going to enter the World Martial Arts Tournament?" Videl asked.
"Most likely," Gohan nodded.
"I remember him being wiped into the ground by that green uncle back then... it was brutal," Videl sighed. "That scene... it haunted my dreams for nearly a year. I was so scared I didn't even dare get up to use the bathroom at night... I just had to hold it!"
Gohan: "..."
Poor Uncle Vegeta.
"You didn't wet the bed, did you?" Gohan asked casually.
"Yah!" Videl's face turned bright red instantly. "How can you ask a girl something like that?!"
"Well..." Gohan scratched his head.
Videl looked away guiltily. A nine-year-old girl wetting the bed is something Gohan must never find out about! It's too embarrassing!
"Where are we going now? Back to your place?" Videl asked.
"It's still early. Let's head over to Uncle Krillin's and tell him about the tournament. We'll see if he wants to join," Gohan replied after a moment's thought.
"Uncle Krillin? Who's that?" Videl asked.
"He was at the Cell Games too; you've probably seen him," Gohan said with a smile.
"Okay!" Videl agreed.
Whoosh!
Gohan accelerated his flight.
"Slow down, Gohan! I can barely keep my eyes open!" Videl cried, the wind stinging her eyes.
"Here, wear these." Gohan thoughtfully took off his glasses and placed them on Videl.
She immediately felt much better.
Before long, Gohan and Videl landed on Master Roshi's island and told Krillin and the others about the World Martial Arts Tournament.
"The World Martial Arts Tournament? I think we'll pass," Krillin said, shaking his head. He then took a long, hard look at Videl.
Gohan's doing alright for himself. Where did he find such a pretty girlfriend?
Videl was also studying Krillin, feeling like she'd seen him somewhere before but couldn't quite place him. Then, her gaze shifted to Android 18.
I have an impression of this woman too.
Wait... isn't she the one Cell spat out?
Is she Cell's child?
Videl's imagination was running wild. However, she knew it would be rude to ask such a thing to her face.
"That's Uncle Krillin. He used to be bald, but he's grown his hair out now," Gohan whispered to Videl.
A look of realization dawned on Videl's face as the image of bald Krillin from her memories overlapped with the man in front of her. That made sense.
"Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta are all entering... I don't stand a chance of winning," Krillin said, declining the invitation. Why go just to get beaten up?
"The top five all get prize money," Videl said with a smile.
"How much is the prize money?" Android 18 asked, her interest suddenly piqued.
"Ten million for the champion, five million for the runner-up, three million for third place, two million for fourth, and one million for fifth," Videl listed them off.
"Krillin, enter! I'm entering too!" 18 exclaimed, her excitement palpable.
"O-okay," Krillin nodded.
"I want to enter too..." Master Roshi added wistfully.
Gohan: "..."
"Gohan, don't tell the Demon King Piccolo! Otherwise, my chances of making the top five will drop even further," Krillin urged.
"I can't do that; he's my Uncle Piccolo," Gohan refused flatly.
Krillin: "..."
There was a brief silence.
"But Gohan, is it trendy for high schoolers to wear outfits like that on dates now?" Krillin asked.
Gohan wiped a bit of sweat from his brow.
"She's your high school classmate, right?" Krillin asked.
"Ah! This is Videl!" Gohan introduced her.
"That name sounds familiar," Krillin muttered, rubbing his hair.
"We have to go now," Gohan said, waving goodbye as he flew back into the sky with Videl.
On the way, Videl couldn't contain her curiosity any longer and asked about Android 18.
"I remember that woman being spat out by Cell. She isn't Cell's kid, is she?" Videl asked with concern. "Did your Uncle Krillin really marry her? I saw they even have a child!"
Gohan: "..."
Gohan broke into a sweat. Videl, your imagination is truly something else.
"No..." Gohan shook his head. "18 is an Android. Both she and Cell were created by Dr. Gero. Cell only reached his full power after absorbing her."
"An Android? What's that?" Videl didn't quite understand.
"You can think of it as a robot," Gohan replied.
"What?! Your Uncle Krillin had a child with a robot? Can robots even have babies?" Videl was even more shocked.
"18 isn't a full robot; she was modified from a human body," Gohan explained. "How should I put it... it's like injecting a body with a serum or gene therapy to enhance its strength. At her core, she's still human."
"Oh, I see. That gave me a fright! I thought she was Cell's offspring," Videl said, patting her chest with a sigh of relief.
Then, she realized Gohan was carrying her even higher into the sky.
"Gohan, where are we going now?" Videl asked, momentarily confused.
"To the Lookout. I need to tell Uncle Piccolo about the tournament," Gohan smiled.
"The Lookout?" Videl blinked.
"It's where God lives," Gohan said.
"Where God lives?" Videl was stunned. "Does God really exist in this world?"
"He does. His name is Dende, and he's a friend of mine," Gohan said.
"What?! God is your friend?" Videl was flabbergasted.
Gohan nodded, then added, "Actually, Uncle Piccolo used to be God too."
"You mean the green-skinned uncle?" Videl asked.
"Y-yes..." Gohan gave a strained smile and nodded. Calling him 'green-skinned uncle' is certainly descriptive. I wonder if Uncle Piccolo would be mad if he heard that?
"He used to be God? No wonder he's so strong," Videl said, her horizons broadening. Then she asked, "By the way, where was that place we went during the fight with Cell?"
"That was the Sacred World of the Kai," Gohan answered.
"The Supreme Kai? Is he a god too?" Videl asked.
"They say the Supreme Kai is the greatest god in our universe. Compared to him, the Guardian of Earth is several levels lower," Gohan explained.
"Eh?! So that place we visited before was the planet where the greatest god in the universe lives?" Videl's eyes widened, her shock growing with every word.
Gohan nodded again and pointed toward the Lookout floating high in the sky. "Look, that's the Lookout."
"It's like a city in the clouds," Videl marveled. Then she asked curiously, "Is that entire palace really held up by just one pole?"
"That... that's the Power Pole," Gohan scratched his head. "My dad was the first person to ever reach the Lookout. He met God and even trained under him."
"No wonder your father is so strong," Videl sighed deeply. "And eventually, Uncle Goku surpassed God, didn't he?"
"He did," Gohan nodded.
As they chatted, Gohan and Videl stepped onto the Lookout, where they met Dende, Piccolo, and Mr. Popo.
"Uncle Piccolo!" Gohan greeted him warmly.
"Hello, Uncle Piccolo," Videl followed Gohan's lead and greeted him politely.
"Is that Videl? You've grown so much!" Piccolo recognized her instantly.
"Uncle Piccolo knows me?" Videl blushed, feeling a bit shy.
"I've known about you two for a long time," Piccolo smiled.
"Videl, this is Dende, the Guardian of Earth," Gohan introduced Dende.
"Hello... nice to meet you," Videl bowed quickly.
"Hello, Gohan's girlfriend," Dende said with a smile.
Videl's face turned even redder. Am I really pulling off this 'girlfriend' role that well?
Gohan told Piccolo about the World Martial Arts Tournament.
"So Vegeta has finally reached his limit and wants to settle things with Goku?" Piccolo laughed.
"Well..." Gohan didn't know how to respond.
"Fine, I'm in," Piccolo agreed readily.
"What about you, Dende? Why don't you enter too?" Gohan asked.
"I'll pass. I'm not a combat-type Namekian," Dende shook his head.
"Gohan, why are you wearing such a strange outfit?" Piccolo couldn't help but ask.
"Don't you think it looks cool, Uncle Piccolo?" Gohan laughed.
"As long as you like it," Piccolo said, wiping away a bit of sweat.
After leaving the Lookout, Gohan took Videl back home.
For the past few days, Goku had been focusing on training Goten. For Goku, now that his "main account" was well-leveled, he could focus on his "alt account." And this little one's talent... if trained well, he might even surpass the original.
When Gohan got home, he immediately told his father about the tournament.
"So the day has finally come, Vegeta?" Goku laughed, looking completely unfazed.
"According to Uncle Vegeta, he has a new transformation," Gohan said, scratching his head.
"Seven years have passed. If Vegeta didn't have a new form, he wouldn't be Vegeta," Goku nodded, unconcerned.
After all, it had been a long time. And Vegeta was a reincarnator. After seven years of hard training, he was bound to have something new. Goku was actually looking forward to it. He wondered what color Vegeta would turn this time.
"Even if Uncle Vegeta has a new form, it shouldn't be a match for your Super Saiyan 5, right, Dad?" Gohan asked with a smile.
"We won't know until we fight," Goku said, not wanting to make any assumptions.
"How about you, Goten? Confident you can beat Trunks?" Gohan ruffled his brother's hair.
" I'll do my best! Dad, big brother!" Goten nodded vigorously, clenching his small fists, his tail curling up behind him.
"Dad, Goten can already turn Super Saiyan 4, right?" Gohan asked his father.
Goku nodded.
Gohan: "..."
I really need to train harder.
Goten is only seven and he's already mastered Super Saiyan 4.
Give him a little more time, and he might even reach Super Saiyan 5 like Dad.
"Then... Trunks might already be able to turn Super Saiyan Blue," Gohan mused.
"Probably," Goku nodded slightly. "After seven years, with Trunks' talent, reaching Super Saiyan Blue shouldn't be a problem!"
"We'll finally know whether Super Saiyan 4 or Super Saiyan Blue is stronger," Gohan said excitedly, clenching his fists.
Goku grinned as well.
"Dad, Goten and Trunks have similar base power levels, right?" Gohan asked.
"Yeah, pretty much," Goku confirmed.
"But... if they use Super Saiyan 4 and Super Saiyan Blue at the World Martial Arts Tournament... won't they shatter the entire ring?" Gohan felt a headache coming on.
"As long as they control themselves and keep the range of their energy output small, it should be fine," Goku pondered.
"Since I'm entering the tournament, I'm going to skip school starting tomorrow. I want to stay home and train hard," Gohan said, taking a deep breath.
"You... go tell your mother about that," Goku said, and immediately made himself scarce.
Gohan: "..."
Dad, at least say something to help me! How am I supposed to tell Mom?
Will she even agree?
I finally gave her hope that I was going to be a good student. Now, after only two days of school, I'm coming back to enter a tournament. And I brought a girlfriend home to boot.
Gohan had no choice but to bite the bullet and tell his mother, Chi-Chi, about the tournament.
Chi-Chi's face darkened instantly. Gohan really has become a bad boy!
The first day of school, he brings home a girlfriend. The second day, he says he's quitting school to enter a martial arts tournament.
Chi-Chi shot a fierce glare at Videl. Has our Gohan been led astray by this girl?
"Auntie, the champion of the World Martial Arts Tournament gets ten million Zeni in prize money, and the runner-up gets five million," Videl quickly added as she saw Gohan's mother fuming.
Upon hearing this, Chi-Chi's eyes sparkled with delight.
"Ten million Zeni!" Chi-Chi cried out, making an instant decision. "Gohan, enter! You and Goku can bring home fifteen million, right?"
Gohan: "..."
Videl: "..."
Gohan's mom is a real money-grubber.
Is fifteen million really that much? Our family has plenty!
If you let Gohan marry me, my family's money is your family's money!
Wait... I'm getting ahead of myself... how embarrassing...
Videl blushed, feeling ashamed of her own thoughts.
"Alright, it's settled!" Chi-Chi declared. "You and Goku better bring me back that fifteen million!"
"Mom, you can't say it like that. We haven't even won yet," Gohan said, his head spinning.
"At least one of you two better take first place!" Chi-Chi huffed.
To be continued…
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