Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or My Hero Academia
Man, I hate GTA V. I just want that shit to die. Fucking hell. Just two more years and it would've been a DECADE of GTA V. Lord have mercy. Let that sink in. It's survived 3 console generations now, landing on the PS3/Xbox 360 before quickly moving to the PS4/Xbox One and it's still around to be re-released on the goddamned PS5/Xbox Series X/S. Fucking turn it in. I guess GTA V won't die until the little kids stop using mommy's credit cards to buy their shark cards, I suppose
"Actually, I'm not coming back." Goku's sombre yet placid voice floated telepathically through the recess of their minds.
"Goku?" The scarred visage of Yamcha wandered, lifting up his head to look up at the sky, "What do you mean you're not coming back, man?"
"Dad?" Little Gohan uttered in confusion.
"Me and Bulma were talkin' awhile back and we realized I'm the reason all the bad guys attack the earth, so If I don't come back to life on this earth, it'll be safe!" Despite taking all the blame for earth's invasions unto and essentially sacrificing himself, there wasn't a sad tone to be detected in Goku's voice. Even as all his friends and son stared up at the sky, utterly mystified at what he was implying, they understood that much from where they stood on Kami's Lookout, eclipsed by Shenron's massive presence.
The six-spotted monk gulped, "What do you mean "'this earth?'"
They sensed a laugh in his voice, "That's the best part! King Kai pulled some strings for me with the higher-order beings. For everything I've done for the earth, I'm being granted reincarnation in another world, BUT I get to keep my old body and all my old powers!"
"Wait, what?!" The green-faced turban-wearing warrior shouted, morbidly shocked, "You're being reincarnated as yourself?!"
"Yeah! I'll get to go through whole new adventures while retaining who I am! Isn't it great!?" Goku chirped cheerfully.
"This is absurd!" Vegeta's astonished face floated through his mind.
Goku's eyes softened, a smile crossing his lips, "Thanks for understanding, guys. I knew you would. Take care, everyone. Maybe we'll meet again someday in the next world."
"But we don't understand!" Trunks insisted frantically, but it was too late. The telepathic call vanished, taking with it Son Goku from their plane of existence.
A quiet ambience lulled the transmigrated Saiyan into a peaceful slumber, curled up like a snail atop the tiny green and white striped futon situated in the right corner of his small apartment. It didn't have much. The small space he snoozed in now acted as both his bedroom and living room in equal measure, possessing a low, round coffee table with two pillows placed on either side of the table. A sliding door to the far left of Goku's futon bared his clothes behind its barrier. On his other side sat a brown-coloured cubicle, like the ones one might find in an office. Inside said cubicle sat a monitor, a desktop, a mouse, and a blue pillow, things he had received for his fourteenth birthday.
A loose drop of lone water dripped harmlessly off of his tap into the sink right by the front door. A built-in stove complete with an oven rested on the other side of the sink. Above them were the unsurprisingly empty cupboards Goku made extra sure to clean out pretty much right after filling them. Below them rested some more compartments and a small fridge, humming to itself in the vast darkness.
Nightime glowed into the day as the moon turned over to the other side of the world, leaving room for the shining sun to flare in its place.
An infernal racket of repetition blared to life beside Goku, causing him to let out a wide yawn as he groggily searched for the monster trying to disturb his shuteye. Upon latching onto its vibrating metal, he hauled it straight against the wall. The sounds of shattering metal and glass erupting in his room were therapeutic at that point as he turned the blanket over his spiky head.
"Too early for school," He mumbled, his tail absentmindedly swinging about.
The bane of his existence; school. It made him grateful he had grown up in the wild in his past life. Every session bored him to sleep besides the one involving physical activity. Somehow, the teachers recommended he still opt for the best school in the country purely based on his insane athleticism and the bragging rights which came from having a student of their school enrol in the most prestigious school in the country. Being the strongest kid in school had its perks, he supposed. This society was even wackier than his previous one. The abnormal and supernatural had long since been normalized and unfortunately, far more regulated. One simply couldn't just use their abilities willy-nilly lest they run the risk of being fined or thrown in jail.
Objects being jangled against a wooden surface penetrated the quiet morning air, quickly accompanied by a clicking sound. A swishing motion greeted his front door being opened, allowing a calm autumn breeze to blow inside, "It's cold out there." A feminine voice shivered. Cherry-blossomed coloured legs came into view as the female lifted each heel, in turn, to remove her shoes, kicking the door shut behind her, "Hey, Goku-chan!~" She greeted bubbly, a pout ballooning her cheek when the boy snuggled tighter into his blankets as if trying to bury himself from the world, "Really? You can be so mean sometimes."
No response.
A sigh, pink hands landing squarely on hips.
Goku heard her approach, the sounds of her socks-clad feet thudding nonchalantly off his carpeted flooring made very little noise. A soft weight dropped aside him before a hand attempted to pull the blanket from his person, "Get your lazy butt up, mister!" She said, straining in the exertion of trying to wrestle Goku's sheets from him.
"Don't wanna!" Goku's grip tightened, "School sucks."
"But we're going to U.A. today!" She stated, feeling Goku's hold slacken out of interest, allowing her to pull the sheets from him to reveal his white vest top and baby blue boxes clad muscled form. She tried stifling her unique purple tinge emerging across her face upon seeing the boy's bulging muscles uncovered and partly succeeded by frowning slightly. It wasn't the first time she had seen him half-naked, after all, "Oh, did that get your attention? We're taking the Hero Exam today."
"Oh?" Goku sat up, recognition lighting up his previously tiredly grumpy gaze, his unique porcupine styled hair popping back up, "Why didn't you say so, Mina?"
"I was trying to!" She whined. Beautiful pink hair a tone lighter than her skin framed a heart shape face. Two small, curvy horns grew out of her unkempt hair. Large, wide pitch-black eyes like that of a black hole glistened to the world with yellow irises. All in all, she looked very much like an alien living among earthlings dressed in the girls' sailor fuku uniform of their former school, a white collared dress shirt tucked into a black skirt emphasizing her curvaceous figure, ankle-high black socks and brown loafers fitted on her feet, "But noooooo, you had to be all like 'I'm not going to school'." She sassed, exaggerating Goku's voice for good effect.
Goku chuckled, scratching his cheek with an index finger in good-natured intent. His happy vibes were just too infectious for Mina to resist as her sulky frown softened to a gentle smile.
"Alright, that's enough fun, you. Get up and get ready," She said, placing her black-coloured handbag on her lap and removing a container with a delicious item within its plastic walls, a cheeky grin splitting her face when a strand of drool trailed from his lip, "Mom made you some okonomiyaki."
"Oh, boy! Really?" Goku replied excitably, hand shooting forward on reflex.
Mina held the container back and leaned away from the salivating boy, "Ah, ah, ah!" She rhymed, stopping Goku in his tracks. She levelled a finger at his person, "Not until you get changed, mister!"
"Aw, c'mon!"
"Nope!~"
"But I'm starving now!"
"Then you'll just have to get ready at Mach 5, won't you?~"
That crafty Mina. She always knew the quickest way to motivate him was to his stomach ever since they were little. Resigning himself to his fate with a groan, Goku tossed the rest of the covers off himself and stood, his tail swaying about. In a world where pink-skinned girls were the norm, Goku's tail never even got so much as a raised eyebrow, which he appreciated. He liked his tail. Granted, he had to manage it correctly to ensure he didn't accidentally go on a rampage as a Great Ape (which he knew about following Gohan's transformation during his first fight with Vegeta so long ago) but he had managed to avoid any slip-ups by closing his eyes come nighttime for the past fifteen years.
Mina grinned triumphantly to herself watching Goku trudge off to his bathroom off to the left of his living/bedroom, "Good monkey," She joked. Raising like the morning sun, Mina pirouetted in the spot like an elegant figure skater, energy radiating from her body in waves, "Alrighty!~" She walked over to Goku's kitchen and set his three shares of her mother's homemade okonomiyaki-pancakes on a plate. Already knowing that wouldn't be nearly enough to satisfy his enormous appetite she also removed a big box of cereal and a similarly big carbon of milk from her bag, dumping the contents of each in a massive salad bowl she found in Goku's kitchen compartment.
After that, she skipped over to Goku's gaming set up humming a merry tune to herself, sitting on her knees upon its cushy surfaces. She pressed the power button on the black, towering rectangular device; an image of her and Goku flashing up on the lock screen after a few seconds, her riding Goku's back while holding up a peace sign and the boy crossing his arms, each giving a sidelong grin at the camera.
Goku's date of birth was jogged in as the passcode.
Mina would then proceed to play Tekken 7 for the next half an hour.
Tokyo's Anti-Hero
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ONE
A Walk in the Park
Thirty minutes later found the now fully dressed Goku and Mina ambling out of his front door on the second floor of a two-story apartment; Mina locking the door behind them.
"Ready?" She inquired brightly, looking the boy over. He was dressed in a simple dress shirt left untucked out of his grey slacks, the first three buttons of the shirt left undone to display his beefy physique, the perfect representation of a casual sloth. The girl certainly didn't mind the view. though. A pair of brown loafers fitted on his feet completed their school uniform for guys.
"I dunno," He shrugged, putting his arms atop his spiky head in carefree indifference, "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."
"Good enough!" The bubbly spirit said, taking an arm in hers and leading him down the steps of his apartment and onto the pavement of Tokyo's Kamurocho district.
From there, the two then proceed to make their way to a train station and board the first train they could find, shuffling inside its cramped interior and holding onto the handles among the other passengers.
"So, hey," Mina said, nudging Goku with her elbow, a smile lighting up her face, "Did you submit your hero costume form?"
It was a rhetorical question. Every student was tasked with submitting a form with details pertaining to a specific hero uniform they wanted to be designed for their specific personality and fighting styles ahead of time. Assuming they pass the exam they would then have their ideas blossom to life. Goku was no different in this case.
"Uh-huh." He nodded happily, a vision of his past life rolling in his mind, "I can't wait to get it."
"Awesome. Can you tell me what it is?"
"Nope."
"Aw, why not?~"
"It's a secret."
"You're mean."
"My bad, hahaha!"
"Humph. Fine. Don't expect me to tell you mine then."
The two rode the train for thirty minutes, getting off at U.A.'s province before making their trek to the acclaimed institute, making idle talk about what they could expect in the exam. Neither had any hope for the written portion of the assessment but they were confident about succeeding in the practical test. Really, their only hope of getting into U.A. rested solely on their performance in the practical examination.
All pleasant conversation between the two drew to a pause when their feet stopped before the academy.
"Well, we are," Mina said, feeling gooseflesh erupt across her pink skin.
U.A. was a massive establishment resembling more of a global corporation than an actual school for aspiring superheroes. Two large towers dotted with windows on every wall towered over the schoolyard and a gigantic sprawling landscape, connected by an outer pathway leading from one building to the next. Behind those laid two more towers similarly branched together by pathways. Besides the main monumental institute were comprehensively smaller buildings, more like squares in shape. Most likely, they were the auditoriums for gym and other such classes.
"Uh-huh." Goku nodded blankly, marvelling at the sprawling structure in childlike wonderment. U.A. truly exuded the feel of the absolute elites.
He felt Mina's grip on his arm tighten just then, "I'm getting kinda nervous now." She admitted.
Goku flashed her a reassuring grin, his limitless optimism radiating like a Ki aura, "Hey, don't worry about it. We'll be fine." He chuckled, exuding carefree nonchalance, "I mean, all we gotta do is ace the fighting exam and we'll be a sure-in!"
Mina giggled, "I knew you would say that!" She pecked him on the cheek, "Thanks, Goku-chan."
"Anytime, Mina," Goku said, softly running his thumb over his cheek.
They walked toward the gates on the beautifully bricked pathway, a delicate breeze of leaf petals the colour of Mina's hair swaying all around them and providing a calming atmosphere despite the trepidation the onrushing students heading into U.A.'s walls felt. The diverse array of different uniforms swarming all around the two ignited Goku's competitive spirit, a smirk adorning his features.
"A lotta competition." He noted of the assortment of uniforms in their line of sight, from the traditional military uniforms some were wearing in black, navy blue or dark green, to jumpers and dress shirts or even a fancy-looking beige vast top with a white dress shirt, there was no shortage of variety on show where the guys where concerned. Most girls usually wore the typical sailor fuku like Mina, distinguished by the colour of their collars, neckties, and skirts.
"Yeah, no kidding," Mina agreed. It was actually a little daunting just how many alternative uniforms she could see to theirs, "They don't call U.A. the best school in Japan for nothing." She breathed in leisurely, eyes closed, and refuelled her exhilaration, "Oh, well!~ That just means we gotta work harder to beat these guys!"
"That's the spirit! I'm getting pumped!" The wild-haired boy declared, excitement glistening in his gaze like fireflies. He had been the undisputed strongest kid in their old school just relying on his reborn powers. There was no challenge and as such he grew almost disillusioned with his new life, feeling like they would be no one to challenge him until he established himself as a licensed fighter.
But perhaps, maybe here in U.A.'s acclaimed grounds, he could find someone to stir his Saiyan blood once again, to give him that sense of purpose. After all, U.A. was renowned for producing some of the most top-rated heroes in the world. Heroes like All Might and Endeavour, Japan's most powerful and most recognizable heroes had been produced here at U.A. If U.A. could breed two heroes of their calibre then surely Goku could fulfil his existence here.
He shared a smile with Mina before the two purposely walked underneath the huge sign emblazoned with a golden U.A. insignia to their destiny.
3 Hours Later
"Man, that sucked," Goku idly commented, walking out of a classroom with his hands atop his porcupine-styled hair. He proceeded to zone out and completely drop asleep during the written exam. Paying attention to lectures and memorising anything that didn't have anything to do with fighting was never his strong suit.
"Tell me about it…" Mina replied, shoulders slumped over as she followed Goku out of the classroom, "I'm pretty sure I didn't get a single question right!" She clenched a fist in exasperation, "Oh man, why do they make these things so darn tough. It's just so mean."
The tailed boy chuckled, "Guess that just means we have our work cut out for us in the practical exam, then!"
Mina's eyes gleamed in resolve, "Right! It's not over yet!" She looped an arm around Goku's and began dragging him off to the auditorium where the briefing for the second portion of the exams was to be held, "We so got this practical exam."
"You got it."
The two made their trek through the campus, cutting through one of the orange-bricked pathways connecting both buildings and arriving at a huge assembly hall. They found their seats in the back row according to the instructions they had been given before taking the written exam. Curiously, the pair each found a laminated card faced down in front of their seats on the table's surface.
"What's this?" Mina inquired, inquisitively prying the card off the desk to see her own ID, the words Battle Centre F written beside it, "Battle Centre F?"
"Guess we'll find out." Goku shrugged, idly popping his up and glancing over the similarly printed title, only his was Battle Centre A, not F like Mina's, curiously enough.
Mina nodded her agreement.
A few moments later after everyone was seated, the lights slowly started to dim around the students until they faded out of view altogether, accentuating the ones now illuminating the stage where a lanky, blonde spiky-haired man stood emphatically with hair pointed skyward like that of a tower, a fist raised as though he was holding a mic and a strange stereo-like device hanging around his neck. Along with his orange-tinted shades, his tight black leather jacket complementing his black trousers and boots really lent him a punk rocker vibe.
"Welcome aspiring U.A. students!" He roared, an enthusiastic voice only being amplified by the speaker covering his neck as he reared his head back, yelling with all his passion, "And can I get a hey!?"
He was greeted with stunned silence.
If this deterred him in any way, he didn't let it show, "I said can I get a HEY!?"
A ball of tumbleweed rolled across the barren plains of a deserted city aided by the whistling winds.
"Tough crowd." Present Mic said, the lack of reaction rolling off his back like water on a duck's back.
"What a weirdo," Goku commented.
"No kidding," Mina agreed, a blank look on her face.
"Keeping it mellow, eh? That's fine, I'll just skip straight to the main show!" Present Mic yelled, "Let's talk about how this practical exam is going to go down!" He did an emphatic pose toward the crowd, "Are you readyyyyyyy!?" Another void of silence engulfed the hall, "Like your applications said, you rocking boys and girls will be contesting fifteen minutes mock battles in super urban settings!"
The screen behind him with the U.A emblem then flashed to show their location with the letters A to F appearing above it in colourful squares. "Feast your eyes, my friends! After I drop the mic you'll head to your specified battle centre, sound good?"
"Oh, I get it. They're splitting us up so we can't help each other," Goku surmised, looking over his and Mina's cards in turn.
"Aw, man! And I was really looking forward to teaming up with you, too." Mina whined, comical tears streaming down her face.
"Here's how it's going down boys and girls!" Present Mic roared, before indicating to three numbered silhouettes appearing on the widescreen next. "Okay, okay, let's check out your targets. There are three types of faux-villains in every battle centre. You'll earn points based on their level of difficulty so you better choose wisely. Your goal in this trial is to use your quirks to raise your score by swatting aside these foes like a mid-song guitar solo." The screen then played a pixel Present Mic strolling through a 2-D town before encountering a faux-villain and stomping it out of existence, a'la Super Mario, "But check it, attacking other students or doing any other unheroic actions is a big no-no, you dig?" He wagged his finger as if chiding a child.
A tall, muscular student shot forth from the sea of seated applicants just then, holding his arm up.
"Uh-oh! Looks like we have a caller calling in with a complaint!" Present Mic yelled, pointing dramatically at the student and gesturing a spotlight on him, "Hit me!"
A crop of short raven hair styled in a smart haircut sat atop the boy's head. His rigid posture bore the uniform of a distinguished middle school, a posh sleeveless beige vest top over a dress shirt with a red bow tie folded around the collar and grey slacks. All in all, he exuded the aura of an aristocratic.
He held up a sheet of paper with purpose, "Excuse me, I was led to believe there would be four faux-villains on the official U.A. printout." He said, expression set in a stern look of resolve as he gestured to the aforementioned four villains printed on his sheet. "With all due respects, if this is a mistake on an official U.A. material then it is shameful! We are exemplary students who expect the best from Japan's most renowned school." Here, he turned to face a green-haired boy Goku saw from his high vantage point, shooting him a contemptuous glare, "Additionally, you there, with the unkempt hair!"
The boy squeaked at suddenly being called out.
"You've been muttering this whole time. Stop that! You're a distraction to the rest of us." He reprimanded, earning a swift sorry from the boy as laughter erupted around them.
"What a meanie," Mina frowned, "He didn't have to show up the poor guy like that." Goku nodded his agreement.
"Alright, alright! Thanks for calling in, listener!" Present Mic roared, gesturing to a new silhouette villain appearing underneath the one-pointer, "That last one is worth zero points! He's just an obstacle we'll be throwing in your way. There's one in every Battle Centre. You can take him on but there's kinda no point!" A clip played a scene of Pixel Mic encountering the zero-pointer and turning tail.
"Ah! I see. Apologies for the intrusion." The bespectacled boy said, bowing and sitting back down as the light around him faded.
"Alright, alright, boys and girls! Kick your tails into gear and start making your way to your assigned battle centre!"
xXx
(Battle Centre A)
xXx
Goku and a whole heap of other students rode a bus assigned to the Battle Centre A, stepping off it in front of the massive sprawling gates barricading entry to the small City-like zone of their chosen destination. Before getting on the bus, they had been given the appropriate time to change out of their uniforms and into gym outfits of their own choosing.
Never one for fashion, Goku donned a plain white vest with navy blue Gi pants, a sash and simple karate shoes. Simplicity was best in his mind.
As awestruck mutters began to break out among the assembled students pertaining to the sheer insanity of U.A. funding such a gigantic battleground, Goku began to stretch in preparation of what was to come, "This looks exciting." He smirked, hardly containing his exhilaration as he bent down to extend his legs in turn.
He hadn't had many chances to truly cut loose since being reborn in this strange new world for the last fifteen years. Occasionally, he fought the odd delinquent or street thug here and there who thought it was a good idea to mess with him or even animals in the woods when he went out to hunt game to satisfy his Saiyan appetite but other than that, he had been starved of decent action.
He was chomping at the bit to unleash his power, Saiyan blood boiling at the prospect of a good challenge.
"Are you ready?" Present Mic roared over the coms in his trademark vehemence.
The gates began to slowly unveil as the city's light shone before Goku's resolute gaze, "Here we go!" He set himself in a stance.
"What are you waiting for!? There's no countdown in this scenario! Get hassling!" Present Mic declared, catching everyone off guard.
"There isn't?" Goku cocked his head aside, watching the group of assembled participants surge ahead of him into the battle centre's walls. He shrugged, "Guess there isn't." He suddenly moved, ferociously cratering the ground as he shot forth like a rocket.
The onrushing students baulked when a fierce gust of wind blew past them, reflexively shielding their stunned gazes at Goku's rapidly shrinking form.
"Whoa! Dude's fast!" A blonde boy with a distinctive lightning bolt styled into his bright, spiky blond hair gaped.
Another blonde boy, this one's hair being a pale yellow, scowled furiously, "Damn it! I'm not gonna let that Sonic the Hedgehog reject get ahead of me!" He bellowed, accelerating after Goku with explosive fire blasting from his gloved palms.
A green robot with a turret gun and a number 2 emblem emblazoned on its side rolled out in front of Goku, "That must be one of the bad guys," He concluded, licking his lips. The poor robot was given a swift demise when Goku drove a flying kick into its one eye, shattering it upon impact. "Alright. That's one." He abruptly dematerialized with his inhuman speed.
The Battle Centre quickly looked as if Sonic the Hedgehog had come to life and was blazing a trail of destruction wherever he could go as Goku sped around its walls, leaving nothing but a long trail of blue of whence he trod. From a bird's eye view, Goku's lengthy aura trail resembled the snacks Pacman ate in his video game. The tailed boy's pure speed alone was enough to mass several points as he effortlessly found and obliterated scores of robotic enemies by charging blissfully through them.
"Let's see here," Goku mused to himself, slowing to a visible speed and doing some basic maths on his fingers. "Think that was the twentieth guy I beat." He wasn't quite sure. He had lost count after five.
A sudden curse echoing to his far-left brought his engine to a curious halt. Inquisitively, he glanced down the street to see a paled purple-haired lad surrounded by four robots, and from the expression on his face, looked to be in a spot of bother, "Looks like he could do with a hand." He surmised, having long since known not all superpowers were built for the purpose of combat like his and Mina's, "Better go help him." He blurred, generating several afterimages in the wake of his ferocious speed.
One minute the boy was facing his bloody elimination and the next he was seeing circuits and scrap metal from the very things about to remove him from the contest scattering before his gaze, the sounds of crushing metal penetrating his ears, "Huh?" He uttered, blinking. A perpetually bored look formed on his face when the distinctive hair of the tailed kid who had exploded ahead of the running pack appeared in front of him, "Oh, you're that fast kid. Thanks for the save."
"Name's Son Goku. Thought you could do with a hand," Goku explained with a cheeky grin. Now that he could see him up close he could see the deep bags under the boy's bags, 'He looks like he barely gets any sleep."
"Shinsō Hitoshi," He said, caressing his wild, spiky hair in tired annoyance, "And yeah, my quirk isn't suited for combat." He was basically thrown to the wolves given everything.
"I figured," Goku chuckled, sympathetically eyeing the boy before turning and throwing a hand over his shoulder in bidding, "See ya, Shinso-san! Good luck with the rest of the exam." Never one for formal manners in his past life, he had grown up on them in this one. Before he had moved into his own apartment, he was raised in an orphanage for thirteen years being surrounded by kind adults who taught him to be well-mannered. It was just as well, too, considering Japan was a polite country by nature. Everyone referred to each other by their surnames and with honorifics. (Likewise, the concept of everyone having surnames in this world where previously in his past life, Goku's old family were one of the rare few who had last names, took some getting used to, too.) Not referring to someone by an honorific of "san", "kun" or "chan" depending on the individual one was speaking to before a bond was formed was considered rude. Goku and Mina were past that stage, but she still called him "Goku-chan" just out of habit.
"You too, Son-san. Doubt you'll need it, though."
Goku giggled and surged away from the boy, his one good deed done for the day, "Wait a sec! Shinso-san's probably not the only guy here with a weak quirk." He thought aloud, an idea blossoming in his head like a flower, "If I can find anyone else with a weak quirk, I'm bound to run into more bad guys to fight!" He laughed. Sometimes his genius frightened even him.
For the next several minutes, Goku locked onto the weakest Ki-signatures he could feel and headed straight to them. Just as he surmised, the ones he flashed to were cornered by faux-villains and in need of aid, aid Goku was more than happy to supply if it meant taking out more villains. Along the way, he also spotted a few applicants trapped underneath piles of broken rubble and nonchalantly aided them too. While he doubted there would be any brownie points for freeing applicants, Goku would've been cold-hearted to just leave them there and that was one thing he wasn't. While lacking the natural heroic traits a natural hero needed, Goku still had a good heart.
"Two minutes remaining boys and girls! Better step it up into gear! Now's your last chance to amass any points!" Present Mic's voice cheerfully echoed from the speakers dotted around the Battle Centre.
"Think I've done enough to pass," Goku mused to himself, sauntering nonchalantly across the ruined streets of Battle Centre A and absentmindedly smashing a 3-pointer into metallic pieces. All that was left to do was await the final whistle signalling the end of the exam.
An abrupt tremor rocked the area, causing Goku to involuntarily flinch out of surprise, "What's that?" He wondered, cocking his head when he found a gigantic shadow slowly beginning to eclipse everything in view. He turned to the source, eyes widening in amazement at the behemoth monstrosity towering above them, "Awesome! They brought out the big guns, huh?!" He smirked. The colossus army-green faux-villain looked like the grotesque combination of all three robots he had been casually obliterating, 'Come to think of it, this is probably that obstacle the weird guy was talkin' about."
Goku stared up at the behemoth, a sheen of avid delight gleaming in his eyes even as the hordes of panicking applicants swarmed past him in desperation to put distance between themselves and the ominous zero-pointer. Those that he had helped looked back at him as though he was a psychopath standing his ground in defiance against the titanic robotic being.
"Son-san?" Shinso queried, glancing back to the still form of his recent saviour.
"Don't worry about me, Shinso-san." Goku assured, never taking his eyes off his prey as he wet his lips, "Just get to safety. I gotta date with this guy."
Shinso nodded after a moment's hesitation, "Alright." Considering how effortlessly the boy had dispatched all four faux villains that had cornered him, Shinso couldn't really tell him he didn't stand a chance against the colossal mammoth man-made creature. He also didn't know Goku well enough either to risk stopping him from potentially doing something suicidal, even if he had saved him.
Goku was about to step forward to engage the rampaging giant until a belligerent and vulgar bellow stopped him in his tracks, "Get outta my way, you shitty Sonic the Hedgehog reject!" Looking over his shoulder at the impertinence, Goku found a pale blond-haired boy rocketing toward him via the explosions drumming from his hands, wearing an intense scowl upon his face, a black singlet, camouflaged combat pants and thick army boots on his feet.
"You mean me?" Goku said, pointing dumbly at himself.
"Who else?!" The boy raged, flying past him.
Goku had to assume he was a naturally surly individual to be screeching profanities when they hadn't even met. The boy's belligerence would've reminded him of Vegeta in a strange way if not for the vulgarity. The Saiyan prince had far too much class to ever curse needlessly like that.
"I'm not gonna let you upstage me!" He exclaimed, impressively powering himself skyward as though wielding a jetpack, propelling himself straight at the head of the behemoth faux-villain, "Take this!" He cupped his palms together reminiscent of a Kamehameha, then pushed his arms outward, unleashing the fiery, combustible flames of his explosive power in his enemy's face, "DIE!"
Goku whistled appreciatively, "He's not bad. Sucks about the attitude problem, though. He might make for a worthy opponent." Just then, as if fate wanted to prove him wrong, the zero-pointer cleared the smoke away from its metal visage with a wave of its massive arm and painfully clamped down on the boy, trapping him within its steely clutches, "...Or not."
Goku soared, rising high above the clouds before eviscerating the zero-pointer's arm with a blisteringly quick knife-handed strike, freeing the enraged snarling boy and holding him underneath his muscular arm like a bag of potatoes amidst his aggressive protests. The blond soon found himself silenced when the levitating boy lifted his hand, bellowing out an utterance of "Kiai" and absolutely eradicating the titanic robot as though it were made of paper mache, a crater forming in its countenance before it flew back and disintegrated into flames.
"No fucking way…" The blond murmured breathlessly, his earlier rage simply zapped out of him. He was stunned, witnessing the destruction wrought by the spiky-haired teenager's psychic-like invisible blast. He was so numb to everything else after that he didn't even feel Goku gently lowering their descent nor did he notice Goku prop him on the ground on his knees.
"Sorry about that." Goku apologized, caressing the back of his neck, "You okay?" The boy didn't respond, still in a trance at the devastation he caused, "Uh, okay then."
A screeching horn blared all throughout the Battle Centres.
"Anddddd that's it. That's a rap!"
"Cool. Guess we're done." Goku said, oblivious to the gawking eyes on his person. He perked up when the other boy stood, the bangs of his hair shadowing his eyes, "Hey, you alright now?" Again, he didn't respond. He just trudged away with his head held down. "Guess not."
xXx
(One Week Later – Goku's apartment)
xXx
"Here it is. The moment of truth." Goku breezily commented having collected an envelope that had just been delivered to his front door before he sat leg-crossed on a pillow at his table. U.A.'s signature insignia being emblazoned on a rosy red stamp on the back of the letter just added to the legitimacy. Holding his breath, Goku tore up the weighty letter, a metal disk no bigger than a cup holder falling out and thudding onto his desk.
"Looks fancy," Goku grinned.
An azure glow then shot forth from the disk, projecting a holographic scene of an overly buffed man donning a full yellow suit standing behind a red curtain as though he were hosting a game show. Two huge bangs resembling rabbit ears protruded from his golden locks and a wide smile sheened brightly on his chiselled face. Engulfing pitch-black sclera deep enough to hide his strikingly blue pupils embellished his heroic features.
Of course, Goku knew who this man was. He would have to go back to living in the mountains to not know. This was All Might – Japan's mightiest hero and the most recognizable student to ever graduate from U.A.'s famed halls. Where other kids like his friends Mina and Kirishima admired All Might and wished to emulate him, Goku just wanted to fight him, his achievements only boiling his Saiyan blood.
"I. Am. Here!" He began in a rising, booming heroic tone that encapsulated just what he was all about, finishing with a spirited bellow, "In holographic form!"
"Hehe. He sounds like my good friend Vegeta." Goku noted.
"Young Son, It saddens me to admit you performed the worst on the written portion of the exam." All Might acknowledged, his gallant voice taking on a sombre tone. Goku had the decency to look sheepish. He had never been the most academically gifted even in his second life with people around him to educate him, "But fear not, young one! For your sterling performance in the practical exam has more than made up for your less than stellar performance in the written exam, amassing a total of ninety villain points and seventy rescue points for a grand total of one hundred and sixty points! A U.A. record! You've beaten mine in a landslide!"
Goku stared puzzlingly at the hologram of Japan's favourite icon, "There were rescue points?" He blinked. This was news to him. He only went out of his way to save a few of the less gifted applicants because he figured it meant more action for him in the long haul. He had no idea he was being graded on it.
Hologram All Might nodded as if acknowledging his unknown inquiry, "And how can the Hero Course turn down such a promising young prospect who would go out of his way to help others even at the cost to himself. Such selfless acts embody the essence of a hero."
Goku nodded in vacant disinterest.
"Young Son, welcome to U.A.'s Hero Course!" All Might lauded, holding his bulky arms either side of him and lifting up his head as though worshipping god, "And I, for one, look forward to guiding you on the path of a hero, as I will be a teacher at this year's U.A.!"
"Oh, cool, All Might's gonna be a teacher," Goku grinned. Mina was going to be happy.
All Might struck a dramatic pose, flexing his right bicep toward the camera and the other one above his head, "Always remember, GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!"
Goku laughed, falling back against his matted flooring, eagle-spread, "What a weirdo." He said, no malice evident in his tone. He was one step closer to gaining a license to kick some ass without it being illegal and he was pleased with that. If he had to play dress up and play hero to do it, then so be it. That was just how it was in this wacky land. He perked up when he felt a buzz in his pocket, "Probably Mina." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a smartphone, seeing a notification with Mina's name on it on screen.
He punched in his date of birth as the passcode and read the message.
Hey, I got in!~😍 What about u?
Goku's reply was swift and succinct.
"Me too."
Mina's reply came nearly as fast as his.
Awesome! We're both on our way 2 being pros.🔥
"Can't wait."
Hey, did you know All Might's going to be teaching at U.A. this year?🔥
"Yeah, he told me, too. I'm gettin' excited."
Figures you'd say that.😙😏
"😅"
Hey, we should go out and celebrate us getting into U.A.! I could go 4 tempura. U down?
"Sure, but only if you're paying.😏"
Don't be mean.😡
Goku chuckled as he made plans to rendezvous with Mina.