Dragon Ball V: Chapter 4 (Patreon)

Light streamed through the trees, casting gentle rays all across the floor of the forest spreading across Mt. Paozu. I stood high above that same floor, skulking across a branch that was just big enough to carry my weight, watching and waiting.

Five or so meters below me, a single deer grazed silently. Its ears flicked in the breeze as it munched on some long grass, completely and utterly oblivious to my presence. Hopefully.

Just as I thought that, the beast raised its head, dark eyes scanning the treeline. I froze, heart pounding as it swiveled its head one way, then the other. After a moment, it’s ears flicked and it lowered its head again, resuming its meal.

I let out a silent breath, my fingers relaxing against the bark. Too close.

The deer went back to grazing, and I crept forward along the branch, keeping in view as I adjusted my weight to keep the tree from creaking. The thing was bigger than I was by quite a bit, but I knew that wouldn’t matter as long as I could get my hands on it.

A crunch under my foot made me freeze. I glanced down, staring at the beetle I had stepped on, before looking down at the deer... Which was staring right at me.

Dammit, I thought as it bolted, racing towards the treeline. I jumped out of the tree, propelling myself across the field in an instant as I reached out to grab it.

It juked to the left just in time. My fingers grazed its antlers as I passed it and rolled in the dirt. It bounded away and I kicked off, starting after it at a dead sprint.

It darted between the trees, leaping over brush as it galloped at full tilt. It had to be moving faster than a car, but I was keeping up. More than that, I was getting closer.

I poured energy into my legs and surged forward, closing that last little bit of gap. The deer felt me coming and tried to cut left, but I lunged the last few feet, grabbing hold of its antlers with both hands.

It bucked hard, nearly throwing me off, but I held fast, my feet dragging through the dirt as it kicked and twisted, trying to shake me loose. As I got purchase on the ground, I planted my feet and pulled, wrenching its head to the side and throwing it off balance.

We went down together. I hit the ground hard but kept my grip, twisting my body as I wrestled it onto its side. It kicked at me with its front legs and caught my shin but I held on, shifting my weight until I had it pinned.

“Sorry about this,” I murmured, wrapping my arm around its neck. It struggled against me, and my arms tensed. “Really.”

One sharp twist, and a thick crunch echoed through the trees. The deer tensed once beneath me, then went still. Its legs kicked weakly a few times, but then it released a sigh and went still as its heart stopped beating.

I leaned back on my knees, releasing a sigh and offering a small prayer to the animal. I’d hoped to kill it before it knew what was happening. Too bad.

“Nice work!”

I looked up to see Goku strolling through the brush, a massive grin on his face and Two deer sling over his shoulder. They were both bigger than mine, but he seemed impressed as he took in my kill.

“Wow! That’s a big one! We’re gonna be eating good tonight, that’s for sure!”

I grabbed my deer by the antlers and hauled it up, draping it over my shoulders the same way Goku carried his. It was heavy, but after months of training, it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.

“Thanks,” I offered, wiping a sweaty lock of hair out of my face. “It almost got away though.”

“Haha, yeah. I used to scare off dinner all the time when I was a kid.” Goku started walking, and I fell into step beside him. “I had to chase them all up and down the mountain. By the time I was done, I was so hungry I could eat two or three!”

I smiled at that, adjusting the deer on my shoulders as we walked. “How long did it take you to stop scaring them off?”

“Aw, I still do sometimes!” Goku laughed. “But chasing them down is half the fun, right?”

I hummed in agreement. Couldn’t argue with him there.

We made it back to the house and someone was there to greet us. An excited shout precluded Gohan’s arrival before he rounded the corner, a happy smile on his face which only grew larger as he saw us. “Daddy! Videl! You’re back!”

“Yep! And we brought plenty to eat,” Goku set his deer down and picked up his son, lifting him into the air. Gohan laughed brightly as he was tossed up, his tail swishing in delight. I smiled as I sat my own deer next to his, watching him bring Gohan close to his chest where the boy clung to his shoulders.

“Can we play?” The young half-Saiyan asked breathlessly, looking from his dad to me and then back again with excitement clear on his face.

Goku chuckled, ruffling Gohan’s hair. “I think Videl can play with you, but I gotta help your mom with dinner. These deer aren’t gonna cook themselves.”

Gohan’s expression fell until I stepped up and said, “How about tag?”

That cheered him up almost instantly. He squirmed out of his dad’s grip, slipping loose and landing on all fours. He climbed to his feet, a big grin splitting his face. “Okay! You’re it!”

With that, he ran off towards the back of the house, arms spread out like an airplane and his tail flagging behind him. I watched him go, giving him a few second head start, before sharing a grin with Goku and giving chase.

Tag was a great way to train with Gohan without actually training him. The boy’s constitution was weak when it came to fighting, but playing was a different story entirely. He didn’t even seem to realize how insanely fast we moved as we chased each other all across the yard and even a little bit into the woods beyond. He was just concerned with whether or not I was catching up to him, and when I was, he always managed to put on just a little bit more speed.

It was honestly kind of fun. Much more interesting than chasing that deer down.

I caught Gohan within thirty seconds, tapping him on the shoulder before darting away as he squealed and changed direction. I played with him a little bit, letting him catch up and almost touch me before suddenly jerking one way or the other. He just laughed harder every time I dodged him, changing up his tactics every so often.. We looped around the house twice, almost crashing into Chi-Chi as she stepped out with a basket of vegetables soaking in water.

“Hey, you two! Watch where you’re running!” She called after us.

“Sorry Miss Chi-Chi!”

“Sorry Mom!”

It took around two hours to really tire him out, which was perfect as around that time, a delicious aroma began emanating from the house. A minute later, Goku interrupted us to tell us dinner was ready, and a little after that, we were washed up and sitting at the table.

That was how our day usually went. Living with the Son family was like living with any other, though with a lot more food put away at the table, and even more training.

Chi-Chi had warmed up to me pretty much the same day I showed up. She was unhappy that Goku had just offered to take a random kid into her house, of course, but she didn’t turn me away and didn’t turn that anger on me. I suspected she was just happy to have another girl around the house, even if that girl was as “training crazy” as her husband.

Only a few months after I showed up, Goku and I were training outside when a Capsules Corp jet landed in the backyard. Bulma hopped out, waving enthusiastically as she walked toward us.

“Hey, you two! I’ve got a delivery for you!”

“All right!” Goku cheered, catching a capsule as she tossed it to him. “That was fast!”

Bulma grinned proudly. “Well, the ship you gave me really helped speed things along. It would have taken a lot longer if I was just making it all by myself!”

I peered at the capsule in Goku’s hand. It had a yellow label on it but other than that, it looked just like any other capsule. “Can we use it right now?”

“Of course!” Bulma nodded. “Go ahead and give it a try. But maybe somewhere a little further away. I don’t think Chi-Chi would like it if you put it right on front of the house.”

Goku, who had been about to open the capsule right then and there, grinned sheepishly. “Heh That’s probably a good idea. Come on, let’s go around back.”

Bulma waved, heading towards the house. “You two have fun. I’m going to go say hi to Chi-Chi.”

Goku and I headed into the woods, putting some distance between us and the house before he stopped in a clearing. “This good?”

I looked around, nodding. “Should be big enough.”

Goku clicked the capsule and tossed it. Smoke billowed outward with a sharp pop, and when it cleared, a cylindrical structure sat in the middle of the clearing. It was maybe the size of a small house, rounded at the top with a heavy-looking door on the front and panels lining the sides. It looked a lot different from the one she made in the show, but I supposed that made sense. She only had Kami’s ship to base this one off of.

We stepped inside and were met with a wide open room with paneled walls. The main console for the whole thing was set up against the far wall, rather than in the middle of the room, allowing us more space to move around and train.

“It’s bigger on the inside, huh?” Goku looked around before his eyes locked onto the console.

I walked past him, heading for the console. The thing was surprisingly user-friendly for something built by a super-genius. Even without a manual, I could sort of figure out what all of the brightly colored buttons did at a glance. Especially the massive red button that had the words “EMERGENCY STOP” written on it in big, bold letters.

A screen sat at the center of the console, showing the current gravity in the room. It was set at 1.0Gs out of 50.0.

Doubt we’d be able to reach a hundred anytime soon anyway, I thought. I pressed a button on the keypad, and the entire room began to vibrate as hidden machines in the walls whirred to life. The reading stayed the same, but blinking to indicate it was ready to be changed.

“Best to start off low and work our way up,” Goku said from behind me, mirroring my thoughts. I tapped the up arrow, quickly noting that the gravity went up by increments of .10. I cranked it up to 1.3Gs, and then hit SET.

It went into effect immediately, a heavy weight settling around my shoulders and then my entire body like a weighted blanket. It was actually a little bit startling, just how quickly the air itself changed.

“Woah...” Goku said, rolling his shoulders and bouncing on his toes. I swung my arms back and forth. It felt like I was moving through syrup or something similarly thick, a layer of resistance meeting me in every direction as gravity tried to pull me down to the floor. I could already feel my muscles burning.

This is gonna be intense, I thought, throwing a few punches and then a kick, almost ending up on my rear in the process.

“Careful,” he said, barely affected by the weight pouring down around us. “Take it slow.”

I nodded, righting myself and widening my stance to compensate. I did a lap around the chamber, starting with a slow walk and progressing into a jog. Normally, I could sprint around Mt. Paozu without break, but just three laps under the new pressure left a sheen of sweat on my forehead.

Goku, on the other hand, seemed more than comfortable in the new circumstances. As expected.

“How about a little more?” he asked after a few minutes.

I considered it. My body was already protesting, but it wasn’t unbearable. “Just a little should be okay.”

He reached over and hit the up arrow twice. 1.5Gs. The weight intensified and I grit my teeth, legs trembling for just a moment before I caught myself.

Goku noticed and tilted his head. “Too much?”

“No,” I managed, shaking my head. “Just... give me a second.”

I dropped into a squat, held it for five seconds, then pushed back up. My thighs burned like fire. I did it again. And again. By the fifth rep, my knees were shaking.

Okay, maybe that’s enough squats for now.

“One thing’s for sure,” I groaned as I rose to full height. “We’re gonna get a lot stronger with this thing.”

Goku’s answering grin told me everything I needed to know about how he felt about that. Raditz wasn’t going to know what hit him.

None of them were, really.