>>5954886Nicely done!---
You shake your head. "From what is known of Towa, her MO involves recording the data from fights with Earth's best defenders, so if she was behind this, there would need to be a fight, one that would push Gohan and her new creation to their limits. And say Gohan did get instantly KO'd by a new creation of hers, there's still the matter of him getting brutalized within an inch of his life when he was down. Pains me to admit it, but for a demon out to prove her superiority, it's rare for Towa to go out of her way solely to be sadistic. If her aim was to field test something, she would give it the directive to kill and prepare for it to be killed in turn, anything else wouldn't advance her goals."
Peppa crosses her arms. "So if she was responsible, Gohan would just be dead? ...that's a cold comfort."
You nod. "Small blessings. Still, he was able to get a Senzu Bean despite his injuries, right?"
"Yeah, sure, but he's been asleep for a while now!" she shouts, and then the girl starts to hyperventilate as she recalls her brother's condition. "And he has all that scarring on him, and, and-" she's heaving.
You hold your hands up, "Okay, okay, let's calm down, he's gonna be fine, he just needs some rest is all! Now just breathe in, and out. Like that, do it with me."
Peppa's nostrils flare, but she slows her breathing, getting to a more comfortable tempo. Then, she takes out a pen-looking device, and inhales from it. She sighs out a puff of black air. "Thaaat's better!"
You smile and nod, then your legs give out. "Oh, down I go," you mutter as you topple from your perch, and after some thrashing about in your coat, you get back up and put your hat back on. Using all the authority an Inspector can muster, you inquire, “Young lady, are you smoking!?”
“No.” She inhales again.
“Then what is that you’re doing there?”
She explains as easily as she exhales, “It’s called vaping, it’s the new thing and has no drawbacks and/or health issues whatsoever.”
“Is there science behind that?”
She shrugs. “Everyone at school is doing it and they’re just fantastic~”
“If everyone at school jumped off a bridge-”
“Pff! Cough!” Before you can get any further with the moralizing, Peppa sputters, and her body quivers as she coughs into her fist. "Sorry, sorry."
You quirk your brow as you observe the girl before you. Her eyes are dark, naturally black but not reflecting any light.
She smiles up at you. "It helps me vent."
You're about to ask if she just vented up a lung, when one of your stubby torso arms holds up a notepad with a message saying: "ASK MORE PERTINENT QUESTIONS."
You scowl, but let it go for now. "I see. Well, in the interest of you not needing to vent more, let's talk about something light! So, you said Gohan-" Her face drops at the mention of his name, "You said he had new girlfriendS? Plural? What's that about?"
She clicks her tongue. "Yep, four of them."