Super Dragon Ball: Paradise Hysteria

A Minor Setback

"You're Videl, right?" a tall and bulky man with a bald head and a traditional martial arts uniform asked without moving his focused glare an inch away from the Sigma Force.

"Y-Yeah..." Videl nodded after Yamcha helped her stand up on her own. The teen let her gaze drift away as she realized that all the distress, all the pent-up wrath just flat out vanished from her heart and now all she could feel was hope and inspiration to fight on. Now that she saw the lined up and unwavering backs of all these amazing people, ready to fend off whatever incursion was to plague Planet Earth, Videl felt like everything was going to be alright.

"Nice work holding your own this far," Tenshinhan said bluntly. "I've heard from Kami Upa that you are studying martial arts. After all this is done, it would be my honor to give you a crash course alongside my students."

"The honor would be all mine, sir!" Videl tried bowing though her sides still ached from the mean beating she took earlier. Wincing, she pressed her hand to ease the aching from a little pressure. It was then that Videl's eyes met with a platinum blonde who stood beside Krillin. "Y-You're... An Artificial Human."

"Huh?" Lazuli turned back with a confused look. "What are you on about, kid? We've seen each other during that oaf's failed wedding, didn't we? What are you getting freaked out about now?"

"W-Well... Back then, you had your hair done and wore an evening dress. Now that I see you in casual clothes, it finally reminded me of all the stories about the two Artificial Humans plaguing the world and hunting down civilians," Videl admitted. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't worry, Videl-chan," Krillin snickered with a thumb up. "Lazuli's on our side now. Honestly, you should get used to fighting alongside people you once fought against. It's kind of our thing. Tenshinhan, Yamcha, Piccolo, even me up to a point, we've all started out at each other's throats. Just leave this thing to us now. You've got a search to complete, don't you? We could use a little of Chayote's crankiness right about now..."

"Right," Videl nodded and turned to Trunks, who still laid on his knees with a mean expression and teary eyes. Because of his radiant, reignited Super Saiyan aura, his tears went up, completely defying gravity. "Trunks, let's go. We need to find the 7th Dragon Ball."

"What!? But I've finally become a Super Saiyan! My place is here on the battlefield! I've got to fight! I'm not done fighting yet!" Trunks stood up with an uneasy sway to his dizzy steps.

"Good. Because there's a bunch of Ghost Warriors all over Planet Earth," Yamcha gave the rash kid a winking smirk. "We've got this, kid. Go finish what you've been up to all this time."

"We hate to ask you to do this, Videl-chan, we know you've been through a lot, but... Please, we're kind of short on hands," Krillin clapped his hands together and winked his right eye with a pleading request.

"Got it, I wouldn't have it any other way. Collecting the Dragon Balls is my rite of passage as a martial artist! It's my responsibility to prove to Chayote-san that I'm capable enough on my own," Videl nodded in agreement. "Trunks?" she turned to her companion.

"Okay..." Trunks sighed and let go of his Super Saiyan luster. "Let's go."

"Oh... Before we go, do any of you know if my dad and Navy are okay?" Videl wondered.

"Yeah, don't worry, we all got an invitation from Bulma to the election evening at Capsule Corps. From what I've heard, ever since the election campaign ended, Satan... Erm... Hercule, his staff, and Navy all moved to Capsule Corps, helping to prepare them for the big evening," Krillin waved it off.

"I see, that's a relief to hear!" Videl exhaled a full chest of air, forcing the boulder that was crushing it to roll right off. Now that she knew all this, Videl could breathe freely again without that despairing pressure weighing her down.