Flight Technique

"V-Videl," Videl answered dazedly, looking up at Son Gohan.

Son Gohan stared down at the woman, dumbfounded.

He had never expected Videl to become a police officer in this timeline.

The contrast was just too jarring.

Someone with the same name? Almost impossible.

Now that he knew her name, that face looked more familiar by the second.

Who else could she be but Videl?

Had his canon love interest with the twin ponytails finally appeared?

Son Gohan fell briefly silent. He stood high in the air, staring at Videl for a while without a word, his thoughts unreadable.

Videl, meanwhile, was shocked that Son Gohan really could fly.

How could a person possibly fly?

Before this, if anyone had told her that humans could fly without wings, she would have scoffed and burst out laughing.

But now the proof was right before her eyes, battering her understanding of the world.

"This is a magic trick, right?"

Videl still found it hard to believe.

"No, it's called the Flight Technique."

Son Gohan flew a lap around the rooftop, then landed again as he spoke.

"The Flight Technique? What's that?" Videl asked, baffled.

"It's a martial arts technique," Son Gohan said.

"Martial arts? How could there be a martial arts technique like that? Impossible," Videl protested.

She was a martial artist herself, and a skilled one at that. Otherwise, she could never have become captain of the East City Police Department's First Squad.

Her father, Mr. Satan, had even been the World Martial Arts Tournament champion long ago.

As far as she was concerned, she knew martial arts.

And there was absolutely no martial arts technique that let people fly.

Son Gohan said, "Heh, don't judge the world by the limits of your own knowledge. Like you said, the world is vast. Earth is really just a drop in the ocean, so what's so remarkable about a martial arts technique that lets you fly? It's just one way of using ki."

Videl fell silent at his words.

Son Gohan was right.

The world was boundless, filled with countless wonders that defied explanation.

She didn't even have to look far.

The Androids that had ravaged Earth for over a decade were among the technological creations she couldn't understand.

They were just two tiny artificial people. How could they possess such world-destroying power?

She had seen reports about the Androids on television.

Those two Androids could fire energy blasts like rockets from their hands. Those blasts could flatten an entire city in an instant. It was terrifying.

Thinking of the Androids filled Videl's heart with profound sorrow.

A few years ago, her father, Mr. Satan, the World Martial Arts Tournament champion, had refused to believe the Androids were really that powerful.

He had always insisted it was magic, a trick meant to deceive people.

So he had decided to teach the two Androids a lesson.

The outcome was all too predictable.

Mr. Satan never returned. The Androids had reduced him to ashes.

It was a horrible end.

Seeing that he had left Videl speechless, Son Gohan said, "All right, you'd better get back to work. I'm leaving."

"Ah!" Videl snapped out of her thoughts at his words.

"Wait, hold on a second," she said hurriedly.

"What is it?" Son Gohan asked, puzzled.

Videl hesitated, then said, "Could you teach me how to fly? I want to learn."

Remembering how she had thought he was about to kill himself and landed her plane to talk him down, Son Gohan nodded. "Sure. Come find me at Capsule Corporation in West City at this time tomorrow."

It was only the Flight Technique, not some closely guarded secret. Teaching her would take little effort.

As he spoke, Son Gohan rose into the air.

"What's your name?" Videl shouted.

"Son Gohan." His voice drifted back from afar, his figure already streaking into the distance like a meteor.

He was unbelievably fast.

Videl stared in the direction Son Gohan had disappeared, unable to collect herself for a long time.

Everything she had seen and heard today was simply too extraordinary. It had overturned the worldview she had built over twenty-one years.

And this man named Son Gohan had actually agreed to teach her that so-called Flight Technique.

She was happy-so incredibly happy.

Videl couldn't help growing excited.

The thought that she would get to learn a martial arts technique for flying tomorrow made it impossible to calm down.

Then Videl carefully walked to the edge of the building, craned her neck, and glanced down.

Yikes. That's terrifying.

Her vision swam, and her legs went weak.

She stumbled backward and returned to the Jet Plane, her face still shaken. After resting a while, she flew away.

Elsewhere.

An aura surged around Son Gohan as he raced through the clouds, moving fast enough to produce sonic booms.

Before long, he arrived above Mount Paozu and descended.

Son Gohan pushed open the front door and entered the familiar house. Looking around at everything he knew so well, he sighed helplessly, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes.

This place was so familiar.

This house held almost his entire childhood.

Dad, Mom, Grandpa Ox-King...

All those memories seemed so distant, yet it also felt as though everything had happened yesterday.

Sometimes, he even felt as though they were still beside him, as though they had never left.

It was a feeling he couldn't explain or put into words, yet it was precious beyond measure.

Son Gohan sat blankly on the sofa for a long time, then opened the door and went outside.

He followed the mountain path another hundred meters or so up Mount Paozu, then stopped before two graves.

These were the graves of Chi-Chi and Ox-King.

Son Gohan took out a capsule, pressed it, and tossed it onto the ground.

Two bunches of white chrysanthemums appeared out of thin air, along with some fruit and other offerings.

Son Gohan carefully placed everything before the graves, then sat down on the bare ground in front of them.

"Mom, Grandpa, I've come to see you."

"I'm doing well now. You don't have to worry about me."

"I've killed the Androids. I suppose that means I've avenged you..."

Son Gohan sat there, talking to himself for a long time.

Ox-King and Chi-Chi had died during the days he lay unconscious after losing his arm.

Their deaths had fallen just beyond the one-year limit, so Shenron had been unable to revive either of them this time.

He didn't know whether they were still in Other World or had already been reincarnated.

Son Gohan thought he should find time to visit Other World and ask King Yemma.

If there was a way to bring them back, all the better.

After sitting before the graves a little longer, Son Gohan stood up and flew back to Capsule Corporation.

He told Bulma that Trunks wouldn't be returning for the next few days. Bulma nodded without saying anything and kept her head down over her research.

The next day, a Jet Plane descended from the sky and stopped outside Capsule Corporation's entrance.

Videl jumped out of the plane, turned it back into a capsule, and slipped it into her pocket. Then she looked around, taking in her surroundings.

Videl had clearly made a special effort with her appearance today.

Her black hair was tied into two ponytails that fell naturally over her shoulders, and she wore light, carefully applied makeup.

She wasn't wearing her police uniform today. Instead, she wore a fitted white shirt and slim-fitting jeans.

The white shirt was tucked into her jeans, accentuating her stunning figure and long legs.

On her feet was a pair of white sneakers.

She had gone for a casual look.

Capsule Corporation was famous worldwide. Almost everyone on Earth knew its name.

Though it had suffered devastating losses during the Android crisis and no longer enjoyed its former glory.

It now had barely any employees left.

Even so, who among humanity's survivors didn't have a few capsules on them?

You could say Capsule Corporation had declined and lost its former splendor, but you couldn't deny its influence or its contributions to the entire world.

Capsule Corporation stood in a league of its own on Earth, an undisputed top-tier company.

No one could shake its position on the planet.

As Videl surveyed Capsule Corporation, she wondered what connection Son Gohan had to it.

Just as she was worrying about how to find Son Gohan, Bulma pulled up on a motorcycle and stopped outside Capsule Corporation's entrance as well.