"You're really not here to ask Gohan out?" At the doorway, Chi-Chi eyed the beautiful girl in front of her suspiciously. Videl glared back and said impatiently, "I already told you, I'm not."
Son Gohan and Son Goten had just arrived home and happened to hear their conversation. The corner of Son Goten's mouth twitched. Videl, was it really a good idea to talk to your future mother-in-law like that?
"Sorry I'm late, Videl," Son Gohan said, scratching his head awkwardly. He'd been so excited yesterday that he'd forgotten their arrangement. Then he asked, "But how did you find out where I live?"
"That kind of thing is easy to find out at school," Videl replied irritably, making Son Gohan even more uncomfortable.
Son Goten stared at Videl for a few seconds, then blurted out, "Bro, is she your girlfriend?"
"How could I be?" Videl said angrily, her face red.
"Oh," Son Goten said, nodding as if he understood.
Back at the same place, Son Gohan began teaching Videl how to practice the Flight Technique. Son Goten sat on a large rock, looking bored as he watched Gohan show off by flying around with a girl.
"The most important thing when learning the Flight Technique is controlling your ki," Son Gohan explained to Videl bit by bit. But he'd forgotten that Videl didn't even know what ki was, let alone how to control it.
"Ki? What's ki?" Videl asked, looking bewildered. Son Gohan, who'd been showing off, was left awkwardly at a loss for words.
"Well, something like this." Unable to watch any longer, Son Goten sighed and opened his palm. A palm-sized, pale-blue energy blast shot out and, with a boom, flattened a modest hill.
"Right, just like that. I don't know what you call it," Son Gohan said with a satisfied nod.
"Magic trick," Videl said seriously.
The corner of Son Gohan's mouth twitched. "It's not a magic trick. We didn't use any props."
"How would I know? I don't understand this stuff you do that's like magic!" Videl said excitedly, leaving Son Gohan awkwardly unsure what to say. Then she asked dejectedly, "Is it really impossible without that?"
As Videl moved closer, Son Gohan seemed to catch the sweet fragrance of a young girl on her. He'd never been in a situation like this before, and his face flushed.
"Hey, if you two are going to kiss, could you at least spare a thought for how it makes everyone else feel?" Son Goten interrupted, propping his chin on one hand and staring at them with dead fish eyes. He finally understood: his big brother was the one getting picked up by the girl. Were Saiyans really that clueless about romance?
The two of them froze, then glanced at each other, so close they were almost touching. Blushing, they pulled apart. Son Gohan said, his face red, "Don't worry, Videl. Everyone has ki. It's just a matter of learning how to bring it out."
At that, Videl's worry turned to joy.
Son Goten raised an eyebrow. Looking across all the Dragon Ball works, the only one who'd ever taken the initiative with a girl was the original owner of this body. The corner of Son Goten's mouth twitched violently. His parents had married in a daze, and the funny thing was, Chi-Chi had told Son Goku, "You have to marry me," and he'd agreed because he'd mistaken "wife" for the name of some tasty food. As for Vegeta and Bulma, they'd basically had a child out of wedlock. By the time they realized what had happened, their son was already old enough to run errands.
"Ugh," Son Goten sighed. Saiyan romantic instincts were beyond help.
"But speaking of which, I wonder whether the Dragon Ball world I'm in is Dragon Ball Super or Dragon Ball GT. If it's GT, that's manageable—I've got more than ten years to keep a low profile and grow stronger. But if it's Super, then... forget it, I might as well go to bed. Gods of Destruction and all that." Son Goten watched Son Gohan teach Videl how to draw out her ki, thinking to himself.
Whatever, I'll just train on my own. Son Goten stood up and said to Son Gohan, "Bro, I'll go train by myself."
"Oh, okay." Son Gohan glanced at Son Goten, then turned his attention back to Videl.
Son Goten moved in a flash and left, stopping some distance away. With a whoosh, he transformed into a Super Saiyan and continued his daily training, doing one-finger push-ups—even with his entire body upside down.
"39,997, 39,998, 39,999, 40,000!" Son Goten was drenched in sweat. After reaching forty thousand, he switched to the index finger on his other hand.
The grueling training continued. Once Videl had mastered using ki, she began practicing the Flight Technique, while Son Goten continued his solitary training. The bottleneck keeping him from Super Saiyan 2 gradually began to loosen.
At last, one day, Videl mastered the Flight Technique and could soar freely through the air. Only then was Son Gohan able to focus seriously on his training. By that point, however, he'd fallen far behind Son Goten. Son Goten's power was already close to the level Son Gohan had reached seven years earlier. He was only one angry trigger away from breaking through to Super Saiyan 2.
"Boom."
"Boom."
"Boom."
After Videl left, Son Goten and Son Gohan continued training. The Z Fighters of the past were also working hard to prepare for the World Martial Arts Tournament: Vegeta, Krillin, Trunks, Son Gohan, Son Goten, and even Son Goku, who was still in the afterlife.
That idiot Satan sat on the couch with his legs crossed and a cigar in his mouth, as if he thought victory was already assured. Instead of training, he was enjoying glory he didn't deserve. When Videl brought up her concerns, he arrogantly replied, "Don't worry, Videl. No one in this world can beat your dad."
Satan's smug attitude showed no sign that he'd considered what might happen if the man who'd killed Cell ever decided to call him out. Fortunately for him, the one who'd defeated Cell was Son Gohan. If it had been Vegeta, whether Satan would still be alive was anyone's guess.
Videl stormed off, helpless in the face of a father like that.
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