(Meanwhile)
Beaming across at the raven haired girl on the other side of the table, Gohan set his chopsticks down and folded his arms on the surface of it, "So you're a martial artist as well, huh?"
"Yeah. I've been learning how to fight ever since I was four years old. That was back when my dad was training for the next World Martial Arts Tournament and was still living in a small house with my mum," the raven haired girl said, fumbling about with her used kebab sticks before setting them and her plate aside. "He was a great man back then. Dad taught me all of the moves and techniques I needed to know and for the past several years I was the best student in his class. But… recently I stopped taking his group sessions and started training by myself."
"Hmm? Why's that?"
Videl shrugged and looked away with an off-handed gesture, "Let's just say that I've grown a little tired of his teaching practices and everyday shenanigans. It was all fun and games at first and I loved hanging out with my dad… but then he started acting all high-and-mighty the more famous he got, and I decided to follow my own training regimen. I wanted to expand my horizons and learn other forms of fighting that didn't involve his showboating… so that's what I did… and it's what I'm still doing."
"Oh." Puzzled by her rather off-put response, the spiky haired hybrid leaned forward, "Who is your dad, anyway?"
Glancing across at the boy to see his curious gaze staring back at her, the girl breathed a sigh and turned to face him fully, "You should know him. Hell, the entire world knows who he is and what he supposedly did." She then gave him a serious look, "My father's the 'great' Hercule Satan: the Champion of the World and the man who defeated the earth's greatest terror, Cell."
Gohan had the sense of mind to blink in surprise, "Really?"
Videl nodded and turned away irritably once more, "Yeah. The one and only." After that, her mind started to work and her displeasure started to sink in. "Great. Now this really nice boy I just met is gonna start fawning over me like everybody else I run into. Damn it…" She mentally bumped herself in the head for messing up what could have been something great.
However, after a minute of waiting for the praise and exclamations she was expecting to receive from the energetic adolescent, Videl then looked up in confusion when she got nothing. Eyes slowly panning over to the youngster, she saw he was still sitting there, in his seat, with the same innocent look he'd worn while he'd been listening to her for the past hour.
After a moment of silence, the raven haired girl recoiled, "W-What?"
"Oh. Nothing," Gohan answered quickly and smiled once again, "I just wanted to ask what other fighting styles you were interested in practicing. That's all."
"Huh?" Videl was baffled, "Y-You don't care that my dad is the world champion; the man who single-handedly defeated the greatest terror of our age?"
"Hmm?" the young demi-Saiyan pulled back a little before cheering up a second time, "Oh. Yeah. I think it's great that your dad is super famous and all, but I'm more interested in hearing about you and what you like."
"Uh… buh…" The girl was speechless, unable to form an articulate word in her mouth. After a few attempts, she then shook herself out of her reverie and stared back at the grinning youngster in disbelief, "B-But why? Surely I can't be as interesting as my dad. Don't you want to ask me about him and all the stuff he does?"
"Well… umm… how can I put this?" Gohan then regarded the girl with a bit more consideration and a sincere gaze. "I can tell from looking at you that you don't like how your dad acts and that you don't want to talk about him right now. If I'm being honest, I don't really want to talk about your dad either." He then tilted his head and sent her a disarmingly friendly smile, "I'd rather just listen to you and chat about stuff we're both interested in, you know… and get to know each other a little better."
After looking him in the eyes to determine whether or not the boy was messing with her, Videl stared back at him in amazement. "H-He really isn't interested in my dad at all." From his sincere remarks and cheerful statements, Videl could only blink and gulp. "Really? You just want to… talk about other things?"
"Yeah," Gohan nodded promptly and gave the girl a warm smile. "I think you're a really interesting person with a lot of different hobbies and interests. I don't live too close to the city and I don't go out to town very often. You're also one of the first kids I've met outside of my area who's as passionate about fighting as I am." He then grinned and leaned across the table, causing the girl to pull away a little. "I think its super cool that you want to learn more about martial arts outside of your father's classes. You must be super talented if you're able to train all by yourself."
Taken aback by Gohan's exclamations and how close his face suddenly became to hers, Videl was quick to process the youngster's words and look the kid square in the eyes. Noticing every intricate detail of his profile from her proximity with him, from his friendly smile, to his boyish nose, to his honest gaze and to his locks of wild black hair framing his face, the girl felt her breath unexpectedly catch in her throat and looked away momentarily.
Feeling her cheeks warm, Videl shuffled uncomfortably on the spot and smiled, "Th-Thanks."
"No problem."
Before either one of them could say anything else and continue on with their banter, the speakers in the food court blared into life once again and drew their focus upwards. "Attention all fighters; please report to your assigned platforms. The preliminary rounds will be starting in five minutes."
"Oh! Right! The fights!" Gohan exclaimed, quickly leaping to his feet and moving towards the exit. Stopping for but a moment, he turned back to the table and grinned across at Videl, "I have to get going now."
Stumped by the boy's sudden haste, the raven haired girl spluttered and stood up, "W-Wait. You're participating in this tournament?"
"Yeah," the half-Saiyan responded immediately without hesitation. "My friend Trunks and I signed up together and were given separate blocks for the first half of the tournament. Maybe after we get through the first round I'll be able to meet up with him in the quarter finals and have a match with him."
Videl had to resist the urge to stumble, "B-But… you're just a kid! And there are hundreds of other fighters out there." Massive ones too. That Doskoi sumo wrestler in particular was terrifyingly huge.
"Yeah… but that doesn't mean I can't try," Gohan replied, giving the girl a salute. "I'll see you later, yeah?"
At first appearing stunned, Videl slowly managed to pull herself out of her stupor and float back down to earth. Initially hesitant when figuring out a way to respond to the demi-Saiyan, the young fighter in training then gave the beaming boy a smile and a nod, before then raising her hand in a timid wave. "O-Okay. Good luck, Gohan."
With one final gesture of his own, the gutsy Z-fighter took off and vanished into the crowd, leaving Videl standing alone by the table.
Upon seeing him disappear, the girl remained there in silence for a few moments. Videl fingered her empty bottle of tea, looking down at it while thinking about the young man and everything they'd talked about. No doubt, Gohan was the nicest boy she'd ever come across and, whenever she'd seen him smile, it'd brought one to her lips as well. The hour they'd spent eating and chatting with one another had been the most fun she'd had on an outing in a long time.
And damn it, they didn't even exchange contact details! How was she going to find him again should he suddenly up and leave?
After thinking it over some more, Videl then made the unanimous decision as to what she was going to do next and, slapping her hand on the table, turned her gaze towards the exit.
"I'm going to watch him fight." Hell, what else had she come here to do? Sit in the food court the entire time and sulk? While this day was really all about her dad, the 'aliens' and the competition that'd been lined up for them, after meeting Gohan and getting to know him a little, Videl now had somebody else in this wacked up, acid trip of a tournament to support.
It didn't hurt that she was also very curious about him and really wanted to see what a boy of his disposition could do. Not just anybody their age signed up to fight in a tournament with over two hundred strong fighters also participating. For all she knew, he had some secret weapon he was hiding.
So, leaving her plate and bottle where it was, the girl quickly abandoned the table and dashed out towards the nearest balcony, disappearing into the crowd just as Gohan had minutes before.