Videl's Saiyan-Sized Appetite || C5: Conflicted (Patreon)

‘I can’t fucking believe it.’

Hot, steamy water washed over Videl as she stood beneath the showerhead, droplets of water trailing down her chubby frame and into the drain below.  She rubbed away the sweat and dirt that built up from hours of sparring, the heat soothing her bruises and relaxing her muscles after so much tension.

‘All this time, I’ve been trying to lose weight to keep myself fit, so all of this training doesn’t go to waste…’

She lathered shampoo into her messy hair, which had been steadily growing out again after she cut it so many months ago.  Maybe she’d put it back in pigtails again, who knows.

‘And now I have Gohan telling me that it’s actually a good thing, that my fat is basically a big old ki battery that lets me get way stronger in less time.’

She really couldn’t fathom the notion, how gaining weight could somehow prove healthier for her…  or, at the very least, make her stronger.  It wasn’t like she was bulking up with muscle, it’s just plain flab!

‘Not just that, but he thinks the fat’s cute!?’  Videl’s cheeks turned a deep red at the blazing heat that flashed across her face once more.  How long had he been holding that comment back anyways, since apparently her efforts to hide her added heft were about as effective as a bandaid on a gunshot wound.

The shower was one of the best places for thinking, since it let Videl just unwind and process information in a soothing way.  Even then, she found her mind jumbled and conflicted over the new thoughts and ideas floating around.
 Did she keep trying to lose the weight and risk getting weaker for all her work, or did she just let herself keep slowly growing as she had been?  Both options felt equally sensible at this point, when she took a step back to really analyze all the information she was given.

A deeper, more extreme third option was tugging at the back of her mind, however, as she rinsed herself off and watched the soap spiral down the drain…
‘What…  what if I gain weight faster?’

It felt wrong to even think about it, let alone seriously humor the thought.  But…  if Gohan was right, and all of this fat she already had was giving her an advantage, how far fetched was it to assume she could cheat the system even more..?
 As long as she kept training and exercising and just upped her food intake, surely it would work out the same way as it already had been right?  No way had she found the sweet spot for her gain right off the bat!

The handle squeaked and the water came to a stop as Videl turned the faucet off, resting her palm against the shower wall and staring forward.  She hadn’t exactly gotten this far in life by playing it safe…
 She’d thrust herself into training and exercise as a young teen, pushing her limits in spars against older and stronger boys for years.  She’d put herself on the front lines of the Satan City police force, facing all kinds of life-threatening danger.  She’d willingly stepped into the life of a half-alien and his group of superhuman friends..!

Somehow, putting on weight a little quicker felt far less risky, when she really stacked it up against everything else…

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Next Time || Chapter 6: Exponential Growth