Time had flown by, and Gohan had grown to sixteen years old in what felt like a blink of an eye—reaching high school age at last. Thanks to Chi-Chi's dedicated education and Gohan's naturally brilliant mind, he'd passed the entrance exams for Orange Star High School with perfect scores.
Orange Star City bustled with activity rivaling West City itself, and due to martial arts' growing popularity, it had gradually become a renowned cultural destination that people traveled to visit.
When Raditz visited Goku's family, it happened to be Gohan's first day of school.
Early that morning, Gohan departed for school on the Flying Nimbus, clearly excited about this new chapter in his life.
"You know, Gohan really is brilliant student material. He's been intelligent since childhood—completely different from Goku," Raditz observed, sitting in a chair with flower tea in hand as he playfully teased his brother.
"Hmph, Goku doesn't know anything! I even had to teach him about marriage," Chi-Chi said, taking Goku's arm with a smile. "Gohan must have inherited my intelligence genes."
"Hahaha, that's absolutely right," Goku admitted his shortcomings cheerfully.
They all understood that Goku possessed a pure heart—not because he was unintelligent, but because he'd never been exposed to certain aspects of life. When it came to combat intelligence, Goku ranked among the very best. Of course, in areas like mathematics and emotional matters, he was admittedly slower.
Goku himself didn't mind these limitations. In his view, protecting those around him and growing stronger represented life's true purpose. His character perfectly embodied the traditional hot-blooded, battle-focused Saiyan nature, while his kind heart remained his most unique trait.
Raditz sipped his hot tea thoughtfully. "However, Gohan's strength improvements couldn't have happened without your help, Goku. Now if you two fought seriously, the outcome would be uncertain."
"His Mystic state is incredibly powerful, and the physical burden is much lighter than mine. Gohan's potential has been enormous since childhood—I expected him to become this strong. A few days ago, his Super Saiyan God transformation shocked even me."
"Yeah, that kid is amazing," Raditz nodded before turning his attention to Goten. "Goten's going to be incredibly powerful in the future too."
Though Chi-Chi didn't fully understand the higher-level transformations and power scales of Saiyans, hearing her sons praised filled her with immense pride. Their family's circumstances had improved dramatically—she no longer had to struggle daily, Goku had learned to care for the family better than before, and both her sons showed tremendous promise. Life felt wonderfully fulfilling.
Seeing the harmonious family scene, Raditz couldn't help but smile as well, turning his gaze toward the window to watch distant white clouds drifting across the sky. Speaking of which, it was time for Gohan to meet her.
Gohan flew all the way on the Flying Nimbus before landing on the school's rooftop. He glanced around nervously, worried about being spotted and looking strange.
Suddenly, another figure descended from the sky, landing on the same building with incredible speed.
"Hey there! How's it going, student!" the man greeted Gohan without any surprise.
"You don't know me? I'm the school's physical education teacher. Class is starting soon—don't be late!" The middle-aged man then leaped down, landing gracefully below.
Many students on the ground greeted him warmly, completely unsurprised by his ability to fly.
Gohan stood stunned, his mouth twitching awkwardly. "Uncle Tien has popularized the flight technique so thoroughly that I was worried using it would cause trouble."
Over recent years, many people on Earth had become passionate about learning martial arts. Beyond ordinary fighting techniques, the Z-fighters' abilities had spread widely. Among these, flight proved most popular—everyone possessed some energy and had the foundation to learn basic levitation. Moves like the Kamehameha were different; without considerable talent, they were impossible to master or required decades of study.
Though flight was relatively simple, it still demanded physical fitness and understanding. Only a small percentage of people could actually learn it. For example, Videl could master it within days, demonstrating exceptional talent among Earthlings. Mr. Satan had studied with Tien for extended periods yet progressed slower than his own daughter.
With his concerns eliminated, Gohan still took the stairs down to report for registration.
After completing the paperwork, he followed a teacher into the classroom. The spacious room was filled with students his age. Before the instructor arrived, they discussed the latest topics animatedly, only casting curious glances when they noticed the new face on the platform.
"Ahem, everyone please quiet down. Today we have a new student joining our class," the teacher announced, looking at Gohan. "Please introduce yourself."
"Hello everyone, my name is Son Gohan. Please treat me well."
Facing his first day at a big city school and seeing so many classmates, Gohan felt genuinely nervous.
The teacher added helpfully, "Son Gohan scored perfect marks on all his entrance examinations—I hope everyone can learn from his example." Teachers always showed inexplicable favoritism toward excellent students. He smiled at Gohan. "Choose any seat you'd like."
"Over here! Over here!" Suddenly, a cute girl with short blonde hair stood up and waved enthusiastically. Finding Gohan quite handsome, she repeatedly invited him to sit beside her.
Gohan approached and took the seat, greeting them warmly. "Hello..."
"My name is Erasa, and this is Videl. Her father is the famous Mr. Satan."
"Mr. Satan?!" Gohan exclaimed in surprise.
He remembered several Earth martial artists who had interfered when he dealt with Cell seven years ago, including Mr. Satan. Come to think of it, he'd even saved Satan's life during that encounter.
Seeing Gohan's shocked expression, Erasa assumed he was intimidated and continued: "Although Mr. Satan was defeated while fighting Cell, he later trained under Master Tien and restored his reputation. Don't let appearances fool you—despite being a girl, Videl has already won several world championships, ranking second only to her father."
"I... I see!" Gohan stammered.
He held no prejudice against Satan. The man definitely possessed real skill. Combined with continuous improvement through training with Tien, earning additional honors was only natural. But Videl appeared so beautiful and delicate—nothing like a warrior—so her ability to win world-class championships truly surprised him.
Gohan studied Videl with curious eyes while she looked back at him. Their gazes met in the air, both suddenly startled. For an instant, shadows seemed to flash through both their minds, as if they'd encountered each other before.
The feeling vanished as quickly as it came. They exchanged light greetings while hiding the strange sensation in their hearts.