Fighting Spirits (1)

Hey guys!

I’ve been a bit blocked lately so I decided to start something new, since the idea was running around in my head anyway. Hope you enjoy the first chapter! And don’t forget to leave a comment!

PS: If anyone’s interested, I’m still looking for a new beta reader and it would help me out a lot. Thanks in advance.

Now on to the story!

Izzy

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Fighting Spirits

1

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Her movements were swift and effective, and the way she delivered every attack was calculated and full of grace. Sitting on a bench at the town park, Gohan watched the demonstration in silent awe. The dark-haired girl was only human and she obviously never heard about ki, but her talent for martial arts was undeniable.

She was currently leading a free self-defense class for kids under thirteen in the park, showing them how to best disable an attacker whose role was played by a gigantic and muscular man wearing protective gear. He still winced every time the young woman hit him and did not look like he enjoyed his job very much. She, herself, was wearing a white kimono with a black belt, and her raven hair was tied up in a ponytail.

The palm of her hand impacted with his chin with such force that the man rose from the grass and crashed a few feet away. The kids cheered while the girl shot them a cocky smirk before explaining her move to the class.

Gohan’s lips parted and blood rushed to his face. The way she fought was just so… captivating. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her, and hadn’t been able to for the whole duration of the class. Watching her effortlessly beat up that mountain of a man was making his heart react in a very odd way.

“Well, kids, I think my assistant has had enough for today,” she announced, to which the children groaned in disappointment. Gohan thought they demonstrated how he felt quite accurately.

The young woman chuckled. “Well, come back next Saturday for a new lesson,” she said, to which the kids cheered. Everyone packed up and left, bidding enthusiastic goodbyes to the girl.

Gohan stayed on his bench. The girl took off the top of her kimono, leaving her with white pants and a fitted tank top. She started stretching; Gohan looked away with a blush, as he didn’t want to seem like a creep.

He shot glances her way now and again. After stretching, the girl started doing tai chi, and this time Gohan wasn’t able to look away, entranced by her graceful movements. It reminded him of the time his mother taught him tai chi as a kid and how they would practice together. They still did that from time to time today, but Gohan had been too busy with his studies for the past years to join his mother and younger brother in their morning routine anymore. 

Watching the young woman, he realized that he missed doing tai chi with them. Gohan smiled to himself and decided to make more time to spend with his mother and brother.

She was so talented, that girl. It made him wonder how strong she could be if she learned about ki and had had proper training. She could easily learn how to fly and shoot ki-blasts, and she could even master ki-sensing. She might have ended up stronger than Krillin if she had been trained properly.

Watching her do tai chi was so relaxing. It was like her calm aura was spreading all around her, lessening any weight one may have in their chest. 

She blew a long breath as she straightened up and slowly lowered her hands in front of her in a final movement. Then she put her fist in her open palm and bowed. A few people around her clapped, as her skillful routine had attracted more than Gohan’s attention, and the young woman smiled. Gohan joined in, whole-heartedly applauding the impressive performance.

For the first time since he stumbled on her self-defense class and decided to sit and watch, her vibrant blue eyes stopped on him. Gohan felt his face burn up like a wildfire and he couldn’t look away as their gazes locked.

When the girl finally turned away, Gohan sucked in a sharp breath ━ he hadn’t realized he had been holding it.

He watched her pack her bag with a pang in his chest. Should he take this chance to go talk to her? He wasn’t sure why, but Gohan felt like if he let this girl go without doing anything he was going to regret it.

He stood and took a few tentative steps towards her. The young woman straightened up shouldering her sports bag, and turned her head to him when he entered her field of vision. Her cunning gaze made him stop in his tracks. He was losing his nerve.

“So, did you like my little show?” she asked him with a smirk.

“Y-Yeah. Very much so,” he heard himself say in reply. He swallowed as her blue eyes sucked him in. His face heated up some more. How could she have so much effect on him? “You’re, um… very talented.”

“Thanks.” She still had that cocky smirk on her face, as though she was thinking, “Yeah, I know.”

He cleared his throat. “Watching you reminded me that I should practice my tai chi more often.”

She seemed to pause, and then she looked him up and down. “You know tai chi?” She didn’t sound convinced.

Maybe it was the buttoned-up shirt and the tie he was wearing, not to mention his glasses. Gohan supposed he probably looked like someone who did nothing but have his nose buried in books. Which wasn’t too far from the truth nowadays, for that matter.

“Would you believe me if I told you I also know martial arts?”

Her eyebrows raised and she blinked at him. “You do? Seriously?”

He chuckled in amusement. Some tension was leaving his muscles. “What, is it that hard to believe?”

She cracked an awkward smile and scratched her cheek. “Sorry. You don’t really look like someone who can fight at first glance.”

“In my defense, neither do you.”

She smirked at that. “Heh. Good point.”

Was he grinning? His cheeks felt really stretched out. He must be grinning.

“Are you good?” she asked, a curious glint in her eyes. “I’m always looking for new sparring partners, but I rarely find anyone who can be a real challenge to me.”

“I may be a bit rusty,” he answered honestly, though he hid the fact that even rusty his level was still ways above any human on this planet. “But I think I could prove to be a challenge to you.”

This could be his chance to see her again. Gohan may not understand why he felt this way, but he did know he didn’t want this encounter to be their only one.

Her eyes lit up in excitement and defiance. She put down her bag, took a few steps back and dropped into a fighting stance. “Only one way to find out.”

While he wasn’t a fan of the idea of fighting her, Gohan knew it was his best chance to keep seeing this girl. However, he had something else in mind before getting to the friendly spar.

“Well, that’s not very fair. I didn’t even stretch while you got plenty of exercises done.” Not that he needed to for something like this, but it was part of his plan. “How about we do a tai chi routine together first?”

The girl straightened up and nodded. “Sounds good. Take the lead. I want to see what you can do.”

“Okay.”

Gohan untightened his tie and took it off, putting it aside on the grass. Next, he took off his shoes and socks, undid the first few buttons of his shirt, and rolled up his sleeves. Finally, he removed his glasses and put them by his shoes and tie.

He gave the girl a sideways glance. “Ready?”

She blinked, then shook her head sharply and nodded in acquiescence. Gohan raised an eyebrow at her, confused by her reaction ━ was that a blush on her cheeks? And then he simply shrugged it off and got started. He blew a long breath and began the routine. The young woman replicated his every move perfectly, and he felt their energy flow together in complete harmony. 

He was completely relaxed when they were done. They bowed to each other, and once again a few people around them, not the same ones as before, applauded the synchronized performance. The young woman gave him a sideways smile.

“If you’re as good a fighter as you are at tai chi, I might finally get a decent spar with you.”

He cracked a half-smile. “Guess you’re going to find out.”

They stood some distance apart and got down to their fighting stances. Gohan focused on his ki and lowered it as much as he could. He had to be extra careful or this friendly spar could end with a trip to the hospital.

She rushed him, going on the offensive, and Gohan stepped to the side to dodge and gave her outstretched arm a light push to make her lose her balance. The girl hopped on one foot, did a half spin and caught herself; Gohan used the opening in her defense to push his palm onto her stomach, throwing her back a few steps. 

She sucked in a sharp breath, rubbing her abdomen, while Gohan calmly dropped in his stance once more.

She smirked. “You’re good. I have a feeling I won’t need to hold back with you.” She got down to her own fighting stance.

He chuckled, almost cockily. “Maybe, yeah.”

She attacked again, and Gohan could feel an increase in her speed and the force of her hits as he blocked them. He smirked. So she was getting serious. She was a strong one, this girl, that was for sure; he could feel it with every impact of her attacks as he parried them. 

He wondered how old she was, and since when she had been training in martial arts, because surely she must have spend years to hone her skills and get to this level. She looked about his age, then again he couldn’t be sure because they were at that period where they could pass off as teens just as well as young adults in their mid-twenties.

As he kept dodging and blocking every one of her attempts at hitting him, Gohan decided to strike up a conversation.

“I forgot to ask you your name,” he pointed out.

She let out a yell as she leaped and tried to throw a roundhouse kick at him, but Gohan blocked it yet again, her leg impacting with his forearm. She dropped back on her feet and attacked him with a punch this time; Gohan caught it in his palm, and she immediately followed up with her other fist, which he caught as well.

“I’m Gohan,” he said.

She struggled against his hold, her eyes narrowing to slits as she observed him carefully.

“I’m… Videl,” she gritted out, still trying to break free. Then her knee went up, aiming at his chin, and Gohan had to let her go to dodge by taking a step back, while she used the momentum to do lean back, leaning onto her hands before doing a flip and landing on her feet.

He smiled at her as he dropped in his fighting stance. “Nice to meet you, Videl.”

“Pleasure is all mine,” she replied with a smirk, getting down in her own stance. “You’re incredibly strong. You might be the strongest fighter I’ve ever faced ━ and I was a semi-finalist at the last world tournament.”

He blinked at the information. “How old are you, exactly?”

She didn’t reply and rushed him once more instead. Gohan dodged everything she threw at him this time, not bothering to pretend he needed to block her attacks.

Her speed increased with every second. Gohan raised his eyebrows; the girl’s determination didn’t deter for one moment; it seemed to get fiercer with every failed attack, even.

He jumped back to dodge a kick. 

“Aw, man, I can’t even touch you,” she said, panting with her hands on her knees. “How can you be so fast?”

“Speed was always my strong point.” 

“I’m nineteen, by the way,” she finally answered. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. 

So she is my age, Gohan thought. Well, the age on my ID, that is.

She seemed ready for a break, so Gohan relaxed his stance and moved closer to her.

“Where did you learn how to fight?” Videl asked. She sat on the grass by her sports bag and got out two water bottles, handing one out to him. He smiled as he gratefully accepted the drink and sat down beside her.

“It’s a long story,” he replied as he twisted the cap. “The way I got into martial arts wasn’t quite conventional, to say the least.”

Videl pulled back the water bottle and wiped her mouth with the back of her wrist. She quirked her eyebrows at him. “Care to develop on that?”

Gohan gave her a mysterious smile. “Maybe after we get to know each other better.”

“Heh. Fair enough.”

“What about you? You really impressed me.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be good at my job if I didn’t. I’m a professional martial artist. I placed third at the last world tournament.” She frowned as her eyes glazed over, no doubt thinking back of that day. “I only lost because I was careless. I should’ve won that year, but I got overconfident and lost by ring out at the semi-finals. I’m not making that mistake again this year.”

His gaze raised to the sky, a thoughtful expression taking up his features. “Yeah, I know the feeling.”

“You? Getting overconfident, you mean? I find that hard to believe.”

He looked over at her and gave her a half-smile, the light in his eyes subdued. “You’d be surprised.”

Their gazes locked, and Gohan found himself getting lost in the deep blue of her big, bright eyes. They were so beautiful. He was getting breathless.

“Your book sure doesn’t match your cover, you know that?” she said in a playful tone, breaking the eye contact and letting out a chuckle.

“Some of it does match, though.” He adverted his gaze and scratched his cheek, his face feeling a little hot. “I mean, I may know how to fight, but I’m also a scholar.”

She chuckled again. Gohan glanced her way and his face got warmer. She had such a pretty smile.

“Yeah, that does match the way you look more,” she agreed. “So, what do you study? Gohan, was it?”

“Science. I’m currently working on my thesis on bioengineering. I’ve also studied physics and astrophysics, and I’m thinking of starting cybernetics and biology next. I also work at Capsule Corp, but I only got the job because I know Bulma personally.”

Videl stared at him blankly. He gave an awkward chuckle. He was used to that kind of reaction by now, but they always made him feel embarrassed and self-conscious. Even without his alien genes, Gohan would always stick out like a sore thumb among normal people. He had been homeschool for all of his childhood, then went straight to university to study for his first PhD from age fifteen. He was always the youngest among his peers, and though he was a generally likable person, Gohan just didn’t fit in with the others, be it at school or at his job.

The only times he felt like he belonged was when he hung out with Goten and/or Trunks, who were demi-Saiyans like him. And even then, Gohan still didn’t quite fit in because, unlike him, the boys loved fighting more than anything.

“Are you some kind of genius? How old are you anyway?”

“We’re the same age.” He scratched the back of his head and lowered his gaze, feeling a little flustered. “I’m just really good at studying.”

“But wait, you said you’ve already studied physics and astrophysics, right? Do you mean that you already have a PhD? At nineteen?”

“I’m really really good at studying…” he said meekly.

“No kidding… And you’re a martial arts expert too? And you also have a job? Where do you find the time to do all of it?”

“Well, I don’t train much anymore, so that gives me more time for the rest.”

She frowned at that and crossed her arms. “I guess you had to sacrifice some things to advance in your academic career.”

Not really a sacrifice to me, Gohan mused. He wasn’t given a choice when he got into martial arts, after all; he had been pretty much thrown into it by force, and that had been okay at the time because he had the potential to be useful in battle and the Earth was in danger. Now, the world was in peace and had been so for the past decade, so Gohan didn’t see the point to keep training nor did he feel like to. He didn’t stop altogether though, since Goten and Trunks both loved fighting and sparring was their favorite way to spend their time. It helped him stay in shape, but he was still a bit rusty, especially compared to his level back when he had faced Cell.

“So you’re a professional martial artist, then? That must be exciting,” he said, changing the subject.

She smirked. “Yeah, I love it. I hesitated a lot before going pro, but in the end what I love most is to fight strong opponents.”

He gave her a sideways smile. She sounds like Dad. She’s probably more Saiyan-like than I ever was.

“What was your other choice? What did you hesitate with?”

“Joining the police,” she replied. “I used to help them fight crime in Satan City during my high school years, back when I lived there, and I helped get the crime rate to go down, thankfully. I wouldn’t have been comfortable leaving for another city if it hadn’t.”

He raised his eyebrows at that. “Wow. That’s amazing.”

“Crime here in West City doesn’t seem as bad as to how it used to be in Satan City, and the police seem to handle themselves just fine here too. Fighting bad guys was fun and all, not to mention gratifying, but compared to fighting martial art experts ━ it’s just not the same level.”

He nodded in understanding. “Makes sense.”

“I’ve got a match lined up in a month, for that matter. It’s against a student of the Tenshinhan School of Martial Arts.”

Gohan’s lips parted and he stared at her. “Seriously?”

She tilted her head. “You’ve heard of it?”

“I… No, I didn’t know he started a martial arts school… But Tenshinhan was one of my dad’s best friends. I haven’t seen him in years though…”

“Huh. Small world.” She leaned back into her palms, her gaze rising to the sky. “Tenshinhan is a former world champion, so I can’t underestimate my opponent. I’ve learned from my past mistakes and I’m not going to get too confident again.” She looked over at him and her face hardened with determination. “Losing is not an option.”

And once again, as their gazes locked, Gohan felt himself drown in the deep ocean of her blue eyes. His face heated up.

“Say…” she started, her voice low, barely above a whisper. “Would you be my new trainer?”

He pulled his head back and raised his eyebrows at the unexpected request. “Huh?”

“I’d pay you, of course.” Her eyes were lighting up at the thought; she was getting excited about it, he could tell. “You’re the strongest guy I’ve ever fought, and I’m sure you’d have a lot to teach me.”

“Well… I mean, I’m kinda a little bit swamped at the moment…” He winced as he said that. Sure, it was the truth, but he was basically turning away the chance to see this girl on a regular basis, something he would very much like to.

Her face fell and she lowered her head. “Oh. Right. That’s a shame…”

“Well, um… Maybe an hour a day? I think I could fit you in somewhere in my schedule… If you don’t mind odd hours, that is.”

Her lips broke into a broad smile. “Not at all! I’m available any time ━ it’s my career, after all.”

“Alright then, I guess I’m hired?”

She leaned forward and took his hand into both of hers. “Thank you so much, Gohan, I really appreciate it.”

He blushed deeply. Gosh, she sure is pretty.

“Y-You’re, um… You’re welcome,” he mumbled awkwardly. His gaze dropped to her hands, still holding one of his. They were strong yet soft ━ her hands. The contact was making his skin tingle. “I could use the extra paycheck anyway to help out my mom. I may be on a scholarship but we still got bills.”

She pulled back and let out an amused chuckle. “Scholarship, huh? It figures.”

He scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward smile, his cheeks still red.

He believed that Videl would benefit greatly from his experience, especially if her next challenger was a student of Tenshinhan’s. Come to think of it, it was very likely that Tenshinhan would have taught his students about ki- control, so Videl would have been at a great disadvantage in a fight against someone like that.

He should teach her about ki then, shouldn’t he? If she was to have a real shot at winning her upcoming fight, she had to be on the same level as her opponent at the very least.

Well, learning how to control one’s ki was a martial arts method after all, so even though Mr. Satan had the world convinced that anything ki-related was fake, Videl seemed like a smart enough person to see the truth when confronted with it. He was sure she would be open to the idea. He would just need to show her to prove to her that it was real anyway, right?

“So, when are you free tomorrow for our first session?” she asked.

He tilted his head and looked sideways, taking a moment to think about it. “My first class starts at ten, so I have time early in the morning.”

“Great. Does eight sound okay to you?”

He nodded his head. “Eight it is.”

She asked for his number then, and Gohan blushed slightly as he saved it in her phone. When he handed it back to her, Videl called him so that he could save her number too.

He looked at the time on the screen of his phone and grimaced. “Dang, I gotta go. Bulma asked me to stop by today to help out.”

He put his shoes back on and stood; Videl followed suit. His heart picked up as she smiled up at him.

“Well, it was really nice meeting you, Gohan.”

“Right back at you,” he replied, putting his tie around his collar and doing the knot absent-mindedly. He was drowning in her deep blue eyes again.

“I’m looking forward to learning from you.”

He nodded his head, put his glasses back on his nose, and started walking away. He looked at her over his shoulder and raised his hand in salute. “See you tomorrow.”

She waved back at him with a bright smile. He blushed more, then turned away to look ahead of him as he picked up the pace.

He smiled to himself.

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