This was... Son Gohan?
Videl's cheek pressed against the back of Gohan's fist, feeling its hard, powerful strength deliberately restrained to be gentle as wind when touching her. Anyone who could control force to this extent possessed truly extraordinary power.
Her pupils trembled as she took in Gohan's serious expression, suddenly realizing Erasa had been right—Gohan really was... quite handsome. She caught his scent like warm sunlight, her cheeks growing hot.
Gohan opened his palm, letting the bullet fall with a metallic clang that made the robber's expression change drastically.
"Where the hell did you come from, bastard?!" The enraged criminal's eyes blazed with fury, his mouth twitching angrily as his sinister face trembled with rage.
"I came from the sky," Gohan replied simply, pointing toward the Flying Nimbus. He opened his fingers and fired a ki blast—brilliant light flashed as the armored vehicle exploded instantly!
Dusty smoke filled the air while red flames illuminated the robber's face. Though the surroundings grew scorching hot, the bandit leader's heart turned ice cold.
He was terrified—genuinely frightened to his core. These people could catch bullets barehanded and create explosions from thin air. How was any of this possible? Since martial arts had become popular and major masters began accepting public students, powerful fighters seemed everywhere, making their criminal profession increasingly difficult. They'd wanted to learn martial arts themselves, but with their evil deeds, no legitimate school would accept them.
Being a robber was getting harder these days!
Seeing Gohan's piercing gaze, the bandit leader's throat constricted. He raised his pistol with trembling hands before slamming the butt against his own head. After a dull impact, his limbs went limp as he lost consciousness again.
The police finally snapped to attention. "Quick! Quick! Arrest them all!"
Officers who'd been a beat behind hurriedly apprehended the criminals and loaded them into patrol cars. They didn't forget to thank both Videl and Gohan before departing.
Once alone, Gohan looked at the stunned girl. "Are you all right, Videl?"
"I'm... I'm fine... Gohan, you just—"
"Ah, that was... um..." Gohan grew flustered, realizing he'd forgotten his civilian identity in the excitement. Though he'd used minimal force, it must have seemed incredible to ordinary observers!
This was Videl's first time witnessing such a powerful ki blast. At the dojo, the techniques demonstrated by Masters Chiaotzu and Tien weren't small-scale, but the destruction they caused was nowhere near this magnitude. The power to obliterate an armored vehicle was truly terrifying!
In reality, Tien could easily destroy planets with his strength. When teaching, he deliberately reduced his power for demonstration purposes, causing Videl to misunderstand and develop admiration for Gohan's display. Recalling that imposing figure who'd descended from the sky, Videl's cheeks turned pink.
Gohan couldn't help blushing when he saw Videl's sparkling, luminous eyes. He sighed inwardly that this girl looked completely different from Mr. Satan—very... cute.
"Gohan, come with me!" Videl noticed the gathering crowd and threw out a capsule containing a two-person aircraft before pulling Gohan away.
"Videl, where are you taking me?"
"Just follow me," she said, ignoring his questions while pushing him into the plane. She climbed into the cockpit and lifted off from the ground.
"Flying Nimbus, thank you for today! Head home by yourself!"
Gohan still remembered to address his cloud, which had wisely moved aside already.
The aircraft soared through the air, heading straight for the mountains outside Orange Star City.
While piloting, Videl asked, "Gohan, you never mentioned knowing martial arts—and being so powerful at that."
"I didn't think it was important," Gohan replied weakly.
In his view, this was genuinely the case. Everyone around him since childhood—his father, Uncle Raditz, Uncle Piccolo, Uncle Vegeta—possessed world-destroying power, yet none had ever boasted about their abilities to ordinary people.
Because regular folks couldn't comprehend their level.
"I'm not satisfied with that answer," Videl frowned. "Let me try a different question—who taught you these abilities?"
"My dad and other family members."
"So you grew up in a martial arts household too. Haha, that's similar to me. I've studied fighting under my father since childhood, later becoming Master Tien's student for strict training. Though I usually keep a low profile and don't tell others, I'll share a secret—I passed Master Chiaotzu's test and won that year's championship. Even my father isn't my match anymore."
"Wow... that's really impressive." Gohan could tell Videl's talent exceeded Satan's. With dedicated training, her strength would eventually rank among Earth's finest.
"Gohan, you should know that Masters Chiaotzu and Tien are legendary martial artists who've saved Earth. Under their guidance, I learned special techniques like ki blasts... though mine aren't as powerful as yours."
The prominent martial arts masters from the Cell Games had long since become idolized role models. Videl grew increasingly animated, even discussing the legendary Turtle Hermit who'd trained Goku, Krillin, and others.
In popular stories, Master Roshi's image appeared gloriously heroic, but Gohan knew the old man's true character intimately. When serious, he deserved the title of generational master—but most of the time, he was simply a perverted old fool.
"Master Roshi is my idol, along with that long-haired martial artist who defeated Cell! Oh, that kid was incredibly strong back then!" Videl's excitement caused the plane to sway from side to side, bouncing through the air.
She finally stabilized their flight before taking a deep breath.
"Unfortunately, aside from Master Tien, Master Chiaotzu, Master Krillin, And Master Yamcha, the other martial artists have vanished. No matter how hard I search, I can't find them. Before starting high school, I heard they were spotted together at some hotel attending a wedding. I think they must be training in extremely remote locations."
Stars practically twinkled in Videl's eyes as she spoke.
Gohan immediately remembered—that had been Android 17's wedding a few years ago! Their group had become quite famous after the Cell Games, remaining popular even seven years later. The Saiyans avoided publicity while focusing on training, and finding Uncle Piccolo was nearly impossible.
"Gohan, I actually want to ask you to help me train!" The aircraft hovered above the forest before landing slowly as Videl finally voiced her true thoughts.
She'd been impressed by Gohan's tremendous power and wanted to enhance her own ki abilities.
"Me?" Gohan looked startled.
"Yes! I can see your ki exceeds Master Tien's. You must know special techniques! Please teach me." Videl made her request with complete sincerity, her cheeks flushed.
"If you refuse, I'll tell my teacher you bullied me. Even if your ki blasts are powerful, in terms of overall strength, you definitely can't match Master Tien."
To Gohan, this wasn't threatening—just adorable. Teaching Videl would be somewhat troublesome, but seeing her determined posture, she'd clearly keep pestering him until he agreed.
"Okay," Gohan said, scratching his head with a smile.