My Father, the Mayor

As for why she couldn't have children, she didn't actually know.

But she remembered something from a long, long time ago.

Her boss had once told her about it.

To have children, a man and a woman had to sleep in the same bed.

Otherwise, having children was impossible.

The ape was so big, and she was so small. How could they possibly sleep in the same bed?

So there was no way they could have children.

"Boss..."

Remembering the past, the girl's expression dimmed.

Just then,

A voice called out from one of the helicopters.

"Mai, can you hear me? Mai, it's Dad! Dad's here to save you! Don't be afraid. I'll get you out of there!"

A graying man shouted anxiously into a megaphone.

"Dad?" The girl looked up at the helicopters in the sky.

Although she didn't know which helicopter the voice came from, warmth instantly flooded her body, easing her fear.

Although this man wasn't her biological father, he treated her as his own and loved her dearly.

Yes,

He was her adoptive father, the mayor.

"Did you hear that? My dad's here to save me," Mai told the ape.

The ape ignored her question, his face stubborn. "Do you really not want to be my wife?"

Mai shook her head firmly. "I don't. Please let me go, okay? If you let me go, I'll beg them to let you leave safely."

"No. Even if you don't want to, I'm taking you with me. You don't get a say." As he spoke, the ape tightened his grip on Mai and stood up.

His enormous body was as tall as an entire building.

When he stood, the whole building creaked and groaned, threatening to collapse.

The ape glared at the helicopters flying overhead.

"What annoying flies!"

Holding Mai in one hand, he swatted at the helicopters with the other.

His enormous palm swept toward them like a canopy covering the sky. Sensing danger, the helicopters quickly scattered.

Then the ape leaped down from the rooftop and strode away.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

He left deep footprints wherever he went, each booming step shaking the earth.

He even trampled several humans to death.

The helicopters overhead weren't about to let him leave with his hostage. They all immediately gave chase.

Seeing that these humans refused to take the hint, the ape's temper flared.

"Roar!"

He roared and lashed wildly at the helicopters. One unlucky aircraft took a hit to its tail and plummeted from the sky, trailing thick smoke.

"Oh no!"

At the sight, Videl paced anxiously atop a building.

Although she had learned the Flight Technique, she couldn't fly very fast. And with such a vast difference in strength, even if she caught up, she couldn't defeat that enormous ape.

"That's strange. Why isn't Trunks here yet? Did something hold him up on the way?"

Watching the helicopter plunge down, trailing thick smoke, Videl grew more and more anxious.

Just then, a figure wreathed in a blazing aura streaked into the battlefield from the distant sky.

Trunks had finally arrived.

"Phew, he's finally here." Videl breathed a sigh of relief.

With a flash, Trunks appeared beneath the stricken helicopter.

He held it up with both hands and brought it safely to the ground, then tore off its door with one hand before disappearing again.

The pilot jumped out and stared dumbfounded in the direction Trunks had gone, shocked beyond words.

Was that guy a human or a god?

At that moment, Videl took her microphone and issued a loud command:

"Attention, all response teams. Attention, all response teams. Our reinforcements have arrived. Please halt rescue operations. Please halt rescue operations and leave the situation entirely to him."

Videl knew that Son Gohan and Trunks were both super warriors, their abilities powerful beyond belief.

There was no point trying to help them. Staying out of their way was enough. Otherwise, they would only make the rescue more difficult and increase casualties.

The rescue teams obeyed her orders, moving aside instead of doggedly pursuing the ape.

Their original mission had only been to buy time anyway.

Following such a huge ape had left them terrified.

Moving like a streak of white light, Trunks instantly blocked the ape's path.

Seeing a human as tiny as a mouse dare to stand in his way, the charging ape's eyes flashed viciously. His enormous palm swung at Trunks as though swatting a fly.

"Don't!" Mai shouted.

But the ape wasn't about to listen to her. He struck without mercy.

A full-power strike! He would kill whoever stood in his way.

Boom!

An astonishing scene unfolded.

It was the enormous ape who went flying backward, his rear flipping into the air as he tumbled across the ground.

"H-how?" The ape, over a hundred meters tall, rolled over and sat up, staring in shock at Trunks, who hadn't budged from his spot in the sky.

This kid hadn't been crushed to death by his palm.

Instead, the bones in the ape's arm had been shattered.

How was that possible?

His palm alone was many times larger than that kid.

It made no sense. No sense at all. His dad had never told him about anything like this.

"Roar!"

A beast was a beast, after all, with limited intelligence.

The excruciating pain in his arm stirred his savage instincts, and he roared at Trunks.

Mai, who had been shaken dizzy and nearly passed out during all that tumbling, also stared at Trunks in disbelief.

This boy was unharmed, while the ape was the one who had been injured?

That was unbelievable.

The sight reminded her of Son Goku from many years ago.

Right, Son Goku.

This boy has a tail too.

Doesn't that make him the same kind of powerful fighter?

Hope instantly lit up Mai's eyes.

Standing high in the sky, Trunks looked at the rampaging ape and said coldly, "Roaring won't help you, big guy. You smell of blood. You've killed people, so I'm going to kill you too."

"Roar! Die! Die!" The ape had gone berserk. Paying no attention to those words, he charged at Trunks again.

Even so, he still held Mai tightly in his hand, refusing to let go. Who knew where such an obsession came from?

The enormous ape came charging, every step shaking the earth as dust billowed behind him.

Trunks pressed his index and middle fingers together, gathered energy, and thrust them forward.

A beam of energy shot from his fingertips, instantly blasting the ape's head apart.

With his head blown apart, the ape's legs buckled, and his body toppled forward.

Because he had been running, his momentum sent the hand gripping Mai whipping forward, as though he had hurled her with all his strength.

"Aaaah!"

Mai squeezed her eyes shut in terror and let out a piercing scream.

Trunks flashed forward and caught Mai in an instant.

"You can stop screaming now."

"Ah!" Mai opened her eyes and found herself lying in Trunks's arms. Her face immediately flushed red.

"You're safe now. I've already killed that ape," Trunks said.

"Th-thank you," Mai said, stealing a glance up at his face.

"No need to thank me. I only came to help my big sister." With that, Trunks flew toward Videl, carrying Mai in his arms.

He soon found Videl and set Mai down.

"Videl, mission accomplished. I didn't let you down," Trunks said with a smile.

Videl looked Mai over, confirming that she was unharmed, then smiled. "Thank you, Trunks. Without you, we wouldn't have known what to do."

"It was nothing."

"How about this? I'll treat you to a big meal, then apply to the police department for a cash reward for you."

"I know you probably don't need the money, but it's the only thing I can do for you as your big sister. Besides, this is money you've earned yourself."

"Okay, then I'm going to eat my fill," Trunks said with a smile.

"Um, well, could I come along for the meal? I'll pay," Mai stammered from beside them.