(Lunch)
Over the course of that bright and cheerful day, the class got to know a little bit more about their new teacher. Apparently this Mio woman was born and raised in Central City where, after graduating with solid marks from university, found a career as a musician with her school friends. Over a period of a few years the group went on many tours together, playing at small gigs across the entire country. But after several months of B-grade success, the group eventually decided to settle down to find some more stable work. All of her friends found apartments here in Satan City, where they all went out and acquired new jobs befitting their education. Since her entire time at university had been spent getting her Bachelor's Degree in Education, Mio found a job as a teacher at different schools, with her latest one being here at Orange Star High.
You could say her knowledge in life was quite substantial. Even so, a couple of the kids still thought it was a little bit funny that they were learning from a young woman who became a teacher as Plan B.
Anyway, after first and second periods blew past, the students then retired to the grounds for lunch. After packing up her books, Erasa rose up from her chair and turned to Gohan, with the intent of asking him if he wanted to come down to the canteen with her to grab something. But just before she could speak, Videl had already grabbed Gohan by the arm and had begun dragging him out of the room down to their lockers, leaving the blonde standing in place with no answer. When she saw all of the others start to leave, the bubbly blonde gathered up her gear and started to make her way out of the room to the lockers as well.
A few short minutes later, after informing Touya and the others that she was going down to the cafeteria to grab some food, Erasa wound up shuffling down the footpath towards the school's main eatery. Her head down and eyes focused on her feet, the teen ignored all of the other kids rushing past her left and right, as her body automatically made its way towards the serving counter. It was only when she was halfway down the footpath outside that she was suddenly set upon by a familiar face. The tap on her shoulder drew her gaze upwards to see Lime jogging past wearing a white button-up shirt, leg warmers and a red skirt.
"Come on, Erasa! Quit dragging your feet! You're gonna miss out on all the good stuff!" the brown haired girl laughed as she ran ahead at considerable speed.
Blinking a couple of times, the blonde realized she was being challenged to a race and quickly chased after her. Unfortunately, due to being less physically fit than the rest of her compatriots, her brisk run quickly transformed into a struggle up hill. "Geez. Hold on a second, will yah?" the girl panted while jogging towards the end of the road.
Just before reaching the veranda where a whole bunch of students could be seen standing and waiting in line to be served, the farm girl skidded to a stop and looked back with a wide grin. When she saw Erasa putter to a stop a couple yards early and stagger the rest of the way over, a tad bit out of breath, Lime was then about to spout some quip about her friend needing to get out more. It was only when she noticed the downtrodden look worn upon the blonde's face that had her stop short any remarks on the matter.
Seeing her friend's eyes focused on the ground without the usual energy she was used to seeing in her, Lime turned to her out of concern. "Hey. Are you okay?" Her question had Erasa's eyes shoot up in surprise. "You seem a little bit upset, girl."
Blanching at the comment, the blonde quickly straightened her back and waved her hands frantically. "No, no… I-I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She then gave the junior a nervous smile. "I'm just a little bit tired today. That's all."
Hearing her stammered response, Lime paused for a moment to process the validity of her answer. However, not really able to gauge too much from it, she decided to let it go for the time being and nodded in understanding. "Okay. If you say so." She then waited for Erasa to walk over before falling in step with her, the pair slowly making their way over to the line at a casual pace. "It's just that I've noticed you've been acting a little less… I don't know… you for the last couple of days. I'm just a little bit worried."
"Ah, it's probably just a lack of sleep," the blonde informed with a shrug, giving her friend a wry smile at the end. "That's how it is sometimes at the start of a new term. Getting back into the swing of schooling after a two month break can be a real shock to the system, yah know."
"I see," Lime murmured. Watching her friend turn to look ahead of them, the brown haired fighter raised an eyebrow at her. Somehow she was still unconvinced by the girl's reasoning for her shallow mood. But as much as she wanted to pry into her about it, she didn't want to run the risk of upsetting the girl further and simply focused on the there and now, which was lining up to grab an oriental roll for lunch.
While Lime and Erasa chatted with each other in the canteen lineup, Gohan had taken Videl over to the swimming pool so that she could see the area he would be practicing in the next season. The walk across the campus was quick, a lot faster than they were expecting considering the amount of people that stepped up to them for an exclusive with the champ's daughter and the mysterious new kid. Upon politely brushing by the mixed groups of youngsters, the pair of Z-fighters soon arrived at the arena where the fifty meter pool sat glistening under the sun.
As expected, the place was mostly empty, save for a couple of students having lunch at the bleachers and a couple more camping around the blocks. The sight of the sweeping field of water and the sky reflected against its transparent surface brought smiles to the couple's faces.
Trotting out into the open with a wide smile on her face, Videl slipped her hands behind her back as she looked over the pool with delight and admiration. "Man. This is going to be so much different from the arenas we're used to competing in. On the canvas and out there on the field, it's always wild and chaotic… where our skills, strengths, and strategies are tested against another's."
"But out here, it's precise, straight-forward, and relies entirely on finesse and technique," Gohan finished, earning a quick look from his girlfriend. "That's based on my experience anyway." He then saw her take a step towards him and felt her elbow him in the abdominals.
"I was going to say fitness and speed, but I guess that works too," the crime fighter exclaimed while placing her hands on her hips. She then nodded up at him. "Think you can handle it?"
"What? The swimming, the competition or the crowds?"
"All three… in that order."
"Well, considering I can swim faster than a giant trout and have fought in front of a live audience many times before, if I take a few lessons to refine my techniques, I'm sure I'll be able to give them something to remember me by," Gohan replied, smiling brightly down at the girl as she tilted her head at him. "I just need to control my strength."
"You'd better," Videl said, looking at his handsome face with a smile. "Your body can cut through half a kilometer of water like a torpedo with a single push. If you use too much power your head will go through the end wall." The girl then brought up her left fist and jabbed him in the arm, earning a look from the teen. "This club might actually be good for you. You won't just be making friends and participating in competitions, but you'll also be able to focus on suppressing your strength outside of fighting."
Gohan's grin widened. "I think you're right."
"Oh, I know I'm right," the tomboy replied with a cocky smile, turning to face him confidently with her eyes narrowed on his dashing façade. "The way you're going in your training, you need all the help you can get if you plan on competing evenly with the other kids. You don't want the same thing happening to you as the crap that happened last week."
The boy chuckled while scratching the back of his head. "People aren't going to forget about that, are they?"
"What? You chucking a discus over the bleachers and punching a hole through the backboard with nothing but a basketball? Nah, I'm sure everyone will forget about that in a couple of weeks."
The boy gave her a grin. "You're just humoring me now, aren't you?" He was then playfully pushed in the chest by the shorthaired girl, who leered at him smugly.
"Of course I am, you big lug," Videl giggled, until her expression hardened once again. "But seriously, you and I are going to need to put a lid on all of that superhuman stuff. It's a lot easier for me because I've spent most of my life being a normal human. You on the other hand were blasting holes through mountains since the age of four."
His own expression steeling, yet keeping his smile in play, the half-Saiyan gave his girlfriend an understanding nod. "Don't worry. I promise you that I'll do this right. You have my word."
"You're damn right I do," Videl said, smiling proudly as she then raised a finger and waved it at him warningly. "And you better not screw this up otherwise you're going to be in serious trouble."
"Really? I'm going to be in trouble?" the half-Saiyan asked with a mischievous glint flashing in his eye. It was a sight that was completely missed by his classmate, who continued to regard him with amusement. "Me?"
"That's right mister. And if you don't shape up before the competitions, I'm going to-EEK!" Videl suddenly shrieked when, without warning, her boyfriend swooped down and picked her up, hoisting her onto his shoulder like a sack of flour. "GOHAN! WHAT ARE YOU-?!"
"Who's in trouble now, huh?" Gohan laughed, holding the girl by the waist and preventing her from escaping. "It's certainly not me. That's for sure." The area soon became filled with shrieks of laughter and giggles as the raven haired girl was quite literally treated like a ragdoll by her stronger crush.
"Hey! Put me down, you ass! Come on! Where do you…" the girl continued to laugh, not knowing what he had in store for her. However, when the boy began to walk, the raven haired teen's eyes widened when she realized where they were going and began slapping his back. "Oh no. No. No, no, no, no, no, no- Gohan! No. Don't you dare-"
"What's the matter, Videl? I thought you said I was the one that was going to be in trouble?"
"You will be in a minute if you don't put me down right now! Gohan!" Videl exclaimed, her face paling when she felt him mount the starting block at the very edge of the pool and take her waist in both hands. "Gohan! I'm warning you! If you even think about doing-AAAAAH!" All of a sudden, the girl was thrown backwards and sent into a fit of laughter when her boyfriend held her by the ankles and dangled her above the water's surface. "You jerk! I'm so going to get you for this!" she cackled hysterically.
Gohan laughed as well as he suspended his girlfriend over the pool. "What are you gonna do now, Videl? Huh?"
Laughing at the top of her lungs, the raven haired girl attempted to fight back, but all she could do was flail uselessly. As the two of them messed around, with the demi-Saiyan reframing from dropping his girlfriend in the water, the pair's antics quickly drew the attention of all the students who were in the area. Though the sight of the champ's daughter giggling like a school girl baffled most of the kids there, what was even more shocking to them was who they saw was fooling around with her.
It was only when Gohan pulled Videl back and allowed her to straddle his chest that the pair was interrupted by the timely arrival of the swimming team captain. Looking over to the side, the two martial artists saw an athletic male about the same height as the demi-Saiyan with auburn hair, wearing a track suit and a white shirt underneath the jacket, stop beside them and smile in their direction.
"I see you two are having fun."
"Oh. Uh…" Stammering, Gohan quickly set his girlfriend to her feet and turned to face the male student, at the same time both he and Videl couldn't hide the shades of red that came over their faces. "Y-Yeah." Clearing his throat, the nervous warrior stepped towards the swimmer with his head held high. "Makoto, right?"
"Yep. Captain of Orange Star High's swimming team and the state champion in backstroke," the young man replied, extending his hand to the fit looking boy in the yellow jacket. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I take it you must be Gohan, the new kid?"
"Yeah." The teen nodded, reaching forward and shaking hands with the head of the institute's competitive swimmers. "The teacher at the front office told me to come and see you as soon as possible. That was immediately after I put the paperwork through with the principal."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that you'll be joining our troop for this year, Gohan-kun," the young man said, before relinquishing the Saiyan's hand and taking a step back. "Our team has been in a bit of a rut for the past couple of seasons. But with your help, I'm sure we'll be able to change that streak and start raking in some wins." He then turned his attention to the girl standing behind the new guy and smiled in her direction. "Ah… and you must be Videl Satan?"
A smile appeared on the tomboy's face as she nodded back to him, "Nice to meet you, Makoto."
Makoto bowed at her address, before then turning his attention to his team's newest recruit. "So… I understand you both came over to check the place out?" When he saw Gohan nod and his girlfriend loop her arms around his, the swimming team's captain smiled and waved for the pair to follow. "Come on. I'll show you around the lockers and get you up to speed with our planned schedule."
Arm in arm, Videl and her boyfriend followed the swimming team captain into the main building of the arena. For the rest of lunch period the pair spent exploring the place with Makoto acting as their tour guide, giving his club's newest protégé a rundown of their regiment while also making sure to cover all of the essential areas in that part of the campus. Not a second was wasted in silence.
Meanwhile, over on the baseball field, as a mixed crowd of male students were kicking a soccer ball in the background, Touya and Sharpener had taken up position over by the plates and were messing around with a bat and ball. With the glasses-wearing athlete posted by the fence, the kid swung the metallic pole back and forth all cool-style. At the same time, the gutsy sportsman chanted some sort of nonsense that only those in the area could hear.
It was this little introduction he had going on that prompted his blonde haired friend to stare at him with a deadpanned expression.
"Number twenty three is up to bat," Touya exclaimed in an announcer's tone of voice as he gripped the stick with two hands and took a stance. "He's batting… four-twelve this year. He's undefeated at the plate and is looking to claim another big win as he prepares to score yet another homerun for the Satan City Demons." And his excited piece of dialogue just kept on going and going.
Deciding he'd had enough of hearing his friend's delusions of grandeur, Sharpener decided to switch out the baseball he was planning on throwing and picked up the net ball he had lying down next to it. With Touya's back turned as he warmed up his swing, the blonde quietly jogged over to him before, with a mighty heave, he chucked the bigger ball straight into his back.
The sphere smacked Touya in the shoulder blade and knocked him to the ground, earning a yelp from the teenager as he rolled clumsily onto his ass. His partner then ambled up to him with a cheeky grin, hands on his hips and a laugh escaping his throat.
"Stop talking to yourself man. You look like an idiot."
"Oh, you blonde jerk," Touya groaned, collecting up the netball as he steadily rose to his feet. "You think you're pretty funny, don't you? Come on… let's see what you've got." Tossing it between his hands as he straightened to full height, the glasses-wearing sportsman then took another stance and, bouncing the ball between his legs, started to circle the jock.
The pair danced around each other for a few seconds. After several seconds of face-off, the blonde then took off running in some random direction, with Touya in hot pursuit.
"Get back here!" the brown haired boy shouted, only to hear Sharpener's laughter echoing back towards him as he advanced. The instant he fell within range, Touya took the netball up in two hands and threw it into the retreating jock's back, knocking the sportsman flat onto his face.
The two boys continued their little game of dodge-ball, in which they spent the next several minutes chucking the ball at each other and knocking the stuffing out of their opponent. They continued this for the rest of lunch and when the bell finally rang, both Sharpener and Touya left the field covered in both dirt and bruises.
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