AN: This is a combination of Chapters 1 and 2 so that they make up the prologue in its entirety. Enjoy!
Go Beyond, Prince of All Saiyans!
Chapter One - Prologue
It was a lovely day in California, USA. In particular, Casino King Street was a very popular attraction as of late. The casino was heavily inspired by those seen in Las Vegas, Nevada with some distinctive features of its own like a golden statue reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty.
The casino was a sight to behold for both civilians and tourists, until an explosion toppled the statue.
Emerging from the smoke, two villains had just committed a daring robbery. The mastermind, a slim man in a red spandex costume and a pointy nose, rode above his accomplice who is a mint-colored six-armed monster.
Civilians surrounding the area flee in terror and confusion from the villains while the latter simply revel in their apparent victory.
"Ten million dollars just like that? I love this job!", cackled the red spandex villain. The two had planned this heist for months now and none of them expected light security.
"Up ahead!"
The villain is quickly alerted by his accomplice when he sees numerous police squad cars rapidly approach their position alongside SWAT vans. Without hesitation, police officers emerge from their vehicles and aim their weapons at the villains.
Two heroes join in to assist the officers, the electricity hero Electoplant and the Texas-born Cow Lady. Electoplant wastes no time in stepping in.
"Your scum and villainy ends here," the electric hero shouted as he charged his bolts of energy, "Stand down!".
Electoplant then released his hands forward to channel his electric attack towards the villains. Multiple yellow bolts darted towards their target to immobilize the large brute, buying the heroes a moment to strike.
The electric hero turned to his companion. "Cow lady, you're up!"
Grinning in anticipation, Cow Lady charged headstrong into the fray. In short notice, she morphed into an anthropomorphic cow. "Y'all are finished now!"
The villains quickly recovered from the attack as the red spandex fiend cackled.
"That's the best you got? Go ahead and try to stop us!"
He quickly released his arms forward as they both turned into rocket launchers. Firing one rocket from each arm, the projectiles struck the ground near both the heroes and the law enforcements. The heroes flew in the air from the impact of the explosive while some police officers were more injured.
The large brutish villain took advantage of their opponent's disarray to leap and latch onto a building on his left side, then landing in front of the flaming inferno that was left in his partner's wake. He then took another leap into the sky.
For the villains' next point of impact, there was a small traffic jam of cars and trucks alike under a large "casino" sign trying to stay away from the danger. At the front, there was a family of four who could do nothing but watch helplessly as the villains were about to land on them.
The daughter of the family clutched her frightened younger sister to give her some protection before their fate. The red spandex villain looked down and noticed the scene below.
"Don't stop, just crush them!" he callously shouted to his accomplice.
Right before they can crush the family, the larger villain feels a sharp impact in his midsection so deep that he can feel the pain go beyond his back like a spear. With a loud "BOOM" the villains were propelled several feet back from their contact.
The family in the car were puzzled at what just happened. Opening their eyes, they were surprised to see their savior.
At the front of their car was a young man with his back facing toward them and his right arm bent in a fixed angle with his fist clenched. He had a uniquely designed style of black spiky hair and wore a jersey-styled jacket with the words "Plus Ultra" with a Japanese Kanji fixated in the center of the back.
"Don't worry everyone. Everything's fine!" The young man said, then turned his body slightly to the left to face them with a grin. "Because I am here!"
The family gasped in relief and amazement to their savior. On the other hand, the red spandex villain stood atop his injured accomplice enraged.
"Oh really?" The villain said mockingly. "And who the hell do you think you are?!"
Confidently, the young hero faced the villains with his hands on his hips and his smile never leaving his face.
"Son Goku," He declared. "A hero from Japan who happened to be stopping by!"
The spandex villain scoffed at this "Goku". "I'll send you back there in a coffin!"
The larger villain now recovered from Goku's punch and lifted himself up with the support of his multiple arms. Meanwhile, the spandex villain shot two rockets from his arms directed at the young man.
Goku chuckled to himself and bent his arms in an X over his chest with his hands flat next to his face. Once the missiles were near, he swiftly released his arms to his sides. The wind from the pressure knocked the rockets out of course to end up colliding over the Japanese hero's head, his form undeterred.
"Oh I'm sorry!" He said sarcastically. "What were you saying…"
The young hero opened his eyes and was surprised to see that the villains had all of a sudden disappeared. Looking ahead, he could see that they were leaping away in retreat.
"Aww, running away already?" Goku groaned aloud.
"You're oblivious as ever Kakarot!" A loud voice from behind shouted.
Goku turned behind him to see six figures flying at tremendous speed in his direction.
Tien.
Chiaotzu.
Vegeta.
Krillin.
Yamcha.
And Piccolo.
They all went to America with him to begin their journey as heroes before they could come back to their home in Japan.
Relieved at the arrival of his friends, Goku levitated himself off the ground. "Come on guys, follow me! They can't have gotten far!"
He then flew alongside his friends as they pursued the villains.
"You're impossible Goku," Piccolo sternly said as his gigantic white cape flowed in the wind. "Your body always acts as a substitute for your brain!"
Goku chuckled at his Namekian friend as the seven heroes kept to the chase.
The villains were now running through the wide streets in the city, unaware of their pursuers flying behind them. The larger villain is the first to notice as he looks back while running.
"Hey, some weird people are following us!"
The red spandex looked behind as well and grunted furiously as there were now seven heroes as a folly to their plan.
"DAMN YOU HEROES," he bellowed as he shot two rockets from his left arm.
"Guys, two rockets at 12 o'clock!" Krillin shouted with worry.
"Don't worry!" Goku said as he brought out a small pill-like object from his pocket. After activation, he threw the capsule several feet in front of him which released several bubbles in the air.
Both rockets were caught in two of the bubbles and exploded, but were contained by the unique devices and left no damage in the street.
The spandex villain grunted in bewilderment and frustration. "You gotta be kidding me!"
The villains continued to charge down the street, with pedestrians panicking as they got away.
Piccolo was frustrated at how long they were taking to take down these villains. "At this rate, more people are going to get hurt. Someone hurry up and finish this!"
"That's the plan obviously!" replied Goku.
The massive villain used some of his arms to throw cars behind him to slow down the heroes, some of them with people still inside them. Some of the heroes quickly sped forward to catch them.
Krillin grabbed one as it nearly crushed a couple walking on the sidewalk while Tien grappled a truck before it could land on the side of a building.
The large villain then leapt up and started to climb a large building with the heroes flying upward to their level. The spandex villain was getting even more annoyed as his accomplice leapt off, jumping between buildings.
"You just don't give up do you?!" The villain shouted as he now fired a salvo of rockets at the confident heroes.
Goku then decided that it was time to give one of his friends a turn.
"Krillin," He said as he turned to the short bald hero. "It's your turn buddy!"
Krillin grinned with confidence. "Right ahead of you!"
Bringing his flattened hand upward, he quickly formed a large and yellow disc-like razor from his palm. This was a signature move he worked on for years.
"Destructo - agh!" He yelped as he felt a sudden brush to his side, interrupting his move. After collecting himself, he scowled in annoyance as he saw that it was Vegeta who rudely barged in.
"Hey! I had that Vegeta!" Krillin shouted.
The armored-spandex hero only smirked as he fixed his focus on the rockets.
"Oh, sure you did!" Vegeta said sardonically. With both hands, he then sent multiple projectiles of yellow energy which exploded on impact with the rockets.
Even with this success, Goku frowned. Not only did Vegeta interrupted Krillin just so he could get a shot, but his inattentive use of his power could also have gotten civilians in the crossfire in the building next to them which was thankfully unscathed.
Goku then sped ahead so that he could be flying next to Vegeta. "Hey Vegeta, don't forget that we're a team. And that means giving others a chance to prove themselves!"
"Don't get on my case Kakarot," Vegeta retorted. "I'm not going to give weaklings a shot if I can do it better!"
Before he can reply, Goku noticed that more rockets were fired but have been directed to the side and are now approaching Vegeta.
"Vegeta look out!" Goku shouted.
It was too late as the rockets impacted Vegeta and Goku, leaking a large cloud of smoke. The armored hero was unfazed by the attack but coughed up the smoke in his face as he stopped in the air.
As the smoke cleared, Vegeta saw that Goku not only was approaching the villains but his clothes were disintegrated to reveal the Gi that he was wearing inside. Goku's hero costume consisted of an orange tank top with a blue undershirt with a blue obi tied at his midsection and his classic styled shoes. His signature kanji was embedded across his back to honor his training
"Now let's finish this!" Goku shouted.
Having enough of running, the spandex villain shouted for his accomplice to turn around and take the fight to the heroes. With some hesitation, the brute spun and leapt in the air straight at Goku and roared for intimidation.
The spiky-haired hero only grinned as he began to spin forward.
"CALIFORNIA"
The large villain opened his mouth to reveal another set of teeth inside, intending to swallow the hero.
As he stopped spinning, Goku reeled his right fist and targeted the center of the brute's face.
"SMASH" he yelled as he pummeled the villain's face downward, sending them into a crater on the street. The spandex villain held on desperately as the impact on the ground sent a shockwave of air across the area.
Some civilians at the scene, even the injured heroes Electoplant and Cow Lady, saw that both villains were surely defeated as they lay immobile and weakened. The large villain had shrunk down to his normal form by the blow and even looked like a squashed bug from the top view.
After hearing a jovial set of laughter, everyone on the ground turns their heads up to see Goku atop a building with the sun shining above behind him taking a heroic stance. Much of the crowd were amazed at the sight and began to comment amongst themselves.
"Who's he?"
"I've never seen him before."
"Where did he and his friends come from?"
The rest of Goku's accomplices were on the ground examining the site and helping out those who were injured. Vegeta simply grumbled and looked away while Piccolo crossed his arms with his simple serious look. Krillin was the first to notice the pedestrians.
"We're exchange students from Japan visiting the states," Krillin answered with a grin. "As for my friend here, you can call him Goku."
"Goku?" the pedestrians and heroes questioned simultaneously.
"Remember that name," Piccolo added. "Someday he'll be known to the entire world."
"Someday, he'll become our symbol of peace," he added as he watched Goku.
This was the seven heroes' first day for their exchange program and already they had begun to make a name for themselves. In time, they would learn enough until it was time for them to return to Japan.
In time, they would earn their place as heroes.
In the present, a young boy with green hair was watching the old broadcast on his mother's computer excitedly as she watched. Out of all the videos of Goku and the Z Fighters, this was his favorite one.
He held an action figure of Goku in his right hand and lit up brightly. Even though he watched this old broadcast nearly one thousand times, he was excited every time he watched it.
Izuku Midoriya is his name.
"Goku's the strongest in the universe!" Izuku shouted as he lifted his figure in the air triumphantly.
"When I get my quirk, I'm gonna be a hero just like him!"
Inko, Izuku's mother, always loved watching her son in high spirits even though his quirk had not manifested yet. The next day, both were to check with the doctor to see what his quirk was.
Internally, she hoped that it would be something satisfying enough for her son.
"Sorry kid, it's not gonna happen."
Izuku stared wide-eyed into blank space with his smile still fixed on his face even as the doctor told him the worst news he could have possibly received.
"W-What? What's wrong with him?" Inko asked the Doctor.
The doctor simply held up a clipboard, possibly to examine more of Izuku's medical information.
"You say you're a fourth-generation quirk user," The doctor inquired. "What powers do you and his father have?"
Inko used her quirk to lift her son's Goku figure to her hand while she looked despondently. "I can levitate small objects to my hand while my husband can breathe fire. They're useful quirks I guess."
"Well your son should've inherited a combination or at least one of them," The doctor said. "It's his X-rays that tell me otherwise."
The doctor then pressed a button to display Izuku's foot X-Rays to his left. Inko looked to her right to examine them.
"Once superpowers started to appear, researchers began to conclude that the likelihood of a person developing their quirk is linked to having one joint in their foot."
The doctor continued as he used a pointing stick to specify Izuku's X-Ray. "From what I'm seeing here, Izuku had two joints instead of one."
Inko let out a soft gasp as she placed a hand on her young son's shoulder.
"He'll be a part of the rest of the 20% of the population," The doctor concluded. "Which means he won't be developing his quirk anytime or if at all."
Inko rested on her living room couch to process everything the Doctor told her and Izuku.
She wanted to deny all of it, but there was nothing either of them could do but accept this reality. Izuku had always dreamed of becoming a hero ever since he learned about Goku himself as he was an inspiration throughout the whole world even.
"Izuku hasn't spoken since we came home. Hope he's okay." She thought to herself.
Ever since they came back, Izuku simply drifted into his room and left his door closed. She had never seen him so despondent.
Inko pulled up her phone, hopeful that at least something could distract her thoughts.
Right as she turned on her phone, a headline in all caps was strewn across her notification screen. She was puzzled as that normally wouldn't happen unless it involved very concerning news.
Right as she read the headline completely, she gasped in shock and nearly dropped her phone. As she realized that Izuku was probably looking at the computer, she quickly dashed to his room.
Collecting herself, she opened the door to his dark room with only his computer as the source of light. "Izuku honey, why don't you.."
Inko wordlessly gasped as she saw what was on the screen, pedestrians gathered in a nearly destroyed environment around the Z Fighters who looked very beaten up as if they had been in the biggest battle of their lives. Strangely, she couldn't see what they were gathering around.
"No matter how bad things get, Goku always puts a smile on his face." Izuku began shakily, with his back facing his mother as he sat down.
"Even when it looks like he's going to lose, he never gives up." He said before turning around.
Inko could not even hold her tears back as she saw her son turn around. The young boy kept his smile as he pointed at the screen with his own tears flowing down his face.
"Do you think … I can be a hero just like him?"
She could clearly see what happened. Son Goku is dead, the Symbol of Peace is no more.
Like what young Izuku said, a smile was still adorned through the heroes' face even though he was deceased. It would not be long before all of Japan knew what happened to the symbol of peace, the world soon to follow.
Now weeping, she raced to her son's side and embraced him to give him at least some comfort.
"I'm sorry Izuku," Inko said in sorrow. "I wish things were different."
Even being in his mother's arms, Izuku stared ahead as the news broadcast continued to show the tragic scene that will be remembered for ages to come.
It had been ten years since Izuku learned of Goku's death and the fact that he will never have a quirk.
Even then, he continued his ambitions to be a hero no matter what anyone said. Bakugo would continually pick on him with his own quirk, sometimes with the help of others.
Speaking of Bakugo, he learned earlier of Izuku's ambitions to attend U.A. High School. This had only made him even more of a laughing stock to him.
"Take a swan dive off the roof, maybe you'll get a quirk in your next life." Bakugo had told him earlier today.
Izuku was now heading home from school with his burnt-up hero notebook, courtesy of Bakugo's "well wishes". It was one of many of his studies on heroes and their quirks. He thought of the idea not too long after he was told of his circumstance, it was actually therapeutic and gave him more insight into the hero society.
He shortly entered a tunnel not too far from his home. No one in his school knew prior to today that he wanted to attend U.A., the most prestigious hero academy in all of Japan. Their reaction was just what he expected, ridicule from left and right.
It didn't matter to him anyway.
"There's no backing out now," Izuku thought to himself. "I gotta believe in myself no matter what everyone thinks of me!".
He then did a small fist pump and forced a smile that looked more of a grimace to reassure himself. "I won't accept defeat! Not today, not ever!".
Before he was even halfway through the tunnel, a strange liquidy sound distracted Izuku's thoughts. He turned around and gasped in horror at the monstrosity that stood before him.
The creature looked like a living embodiment of sludge in a very distorted form. He had two large yellow and red eyes with big sharp teeth that assisted with his intimidating figure.
"You'll make a perfect host for me kid!" The sludge villain said in sadistic glee.
Izuku knew that he had to run. Surely there was someone out there.
He didn't get too far before the sludge villain caught him. Izuku then felt a strange liquid substance entering his mouth. He wanted to scream, but could not as it was feeble.
"Don't bother fighting back, kid," the villain said assuredly. "Just relax, it'll be all over soon".
No matter how hard he clawed at the liquid, Izuku couldn't breathe as the bottom half of his face was now covered in the slimy substance. It was clear that it would all be over for him shortly.
The young boy then felt weaker and weaker as the seconds went by, his life force slowly and painfully draining. As if the day couldn't get any worse.
Izuku took one last look at his notebook that was on the ground, his prototype idea for his hero costume for a dream that was now an impossibility
"No way, this can't be the end," He said to himself as tears welled up. "This can't be the end, somebody help me!".
The villain noticed that his soon-to-be host is now faltering. "This is the end of the line kid, accept it!"
"The only end it is for is you, villain. Now that I'm here." A rough voice declared from behind.
The sludge villain quickly turned around and exclaimed in shock at the challenger who approached him. Izuku could only see the man as a silhouette out of the corner of his eye, but now the villain was intimidated.
In a desperate attempt to fend the man off, the sludge villain swept one free hand straight at the man only for him to quickly duck and dash forward.
Now panicking, the villain used his other hand in a feeble attempt to hold his attacker back. Izuku saw the man reel back his fist and let out a yell.
"SMASH" yelled the man as his fist met the villain's hand. The force from the punch was enough to dissipate, releasing Izuku from his grasp.
The young boy was slowly losing consciousness from his life force being drained and could only see the shadow of his savior before passing out.
"Come on, wake up!"
Izuku groggily tried to open his eyes. He recognized the voice of the man who saved him but could not clearly see him yet.
"You're not dead, get up!" The voice commanded once more.
Regaining his senses, Izuku now fully opened his eyes to see the man looking down on him. He quickly screamed in surprise as he realized who saved him.
It was Vegeta, the current number one hero. He was not currently wearing his signature outfit but wore a collared shirt with a white undershirt as well as casual jeans and shoes.
"There, it's about time you got up."
"I finally managed to catch that conniving villain," Vegeta continued holding a previously discarded soda bottle that held the now helpless villain. "Not that you were any help."
Izuku said nothing and stared at the hero in bewilderment. Who would have thought that the most powerful hero besides the late Goku would save him?
Vegeta kept his stern look. The young boy thought he looked far more intimidating in person than what he saw on TV.
He then groped around his pockets. "I gotta get an autograph from him before he goes!"
Izuku then frantically searched around him before he finally found his notebook, still intact. Opening to an empty page, he quickly presented it before his second favorite hero.
"Please sign my notebook sir," he requested with a shaking voice. "It would mean a lot to me!"
The hero kept his arms crossed and scoffed as he turned around. Upon realizing his intent to leave, Izuku quickly let out a surprised sigh.
"Wait, you're leaving already?" Izuku still had many questions for him. Although Goku was his favorite hero, Vegeta was still an inspirational figure to him.
"Heroes must always prepare themselves for the danger ahead," Vegeta said with his back facing Izuku. "Not parade themselves as entertainers!"
Izuku sighed to himself for not remembering. Vegeta was one of the more serious heroes who would give nothing but his all. His slightly unapproachable personality contributed to his fearsome status to villains and heroes alike.
"Go home kid, and don't get into more trouble on the way," Vegeta ordered as he took off in the air.
Up in the sky, Vegeta was relieved that he left before things could get any more awkward. He was well aware of his reputation amongst civilians who would stare in awe at his power, though it very much annoyed him.
It was not that he didn't care or was ungrateful, it was that the reverence tended to be overbearing towards him. He always preferred to leave as soon as the job was done.
Now, all there was to do was turn the villain over to the authorities.
Vegeta used the advantage of his flight to scout out the nearest police station before he suddenly noticed a tugging at his leg. Looking down, he exclaimed in shock as he saw who came for the ride.
It was the young fanboy from earlier, and he was now latching onto his leg for dear life as the force from his flight nearly pulled back his entire face.
"What the?! What do you think you're doing?!" Vegeta scolded in puzzlement.
As he got no response, the Saiyan attempted to pry the boy off while he was flying. "I thought you were weird enough but this is now crazy! Get off me this instant!"
"No wait, you're flying!" The green-haired boy yelped in fright. "If I let go, I'll die!"
Vegeta quickly stopped prying him off as he realized that the boy was right. If he wanted him out of his sight, he had to find somewhere on lower ground.
The fanboy then continued as the water in his eyes flew past his face. "I just have a lot of questions I wanna ask you!"
Vegeta forcibly suppressed a groan while he continued. "Personally you're one of my all-time favorite heroes Vegeta! Please!"
"Just keep your eyes and mouth shut," Vegeta growled. "I'll find us somewhere to land!"
Finally, the young boy obeyed the Saiyan heroes' command and buried his face in his leg.
Vegeta nearly sighed in relief before he felt a sharp pain in his side. He cursed himself for being unaware.
"Damnit, not now!".
Izuku kept holding onto Vegeta's leg until they did a soft crash land atop a building. Upon regaining himself, he panted heavily as now his eyes and lips were feeling dry from the unexpected flight.
"My whole life flashed before my eyes," he said exhaustingly.
He was able to hear that Vegeta now stood up and started to walk away given the sound of his footsteps.
"You're lucky I even brought you all this way. Now get out of my sight, the door's right there."
Quickly composing himself, Izuku now felt his heart pounding that his one chance for his dreams was leaving his grasp. "Wait, not yet! One second!"
Even with his back facing him, the young boy could see Vegeta's back tense in annoyance. "No! I've wasted enough time with you already!"
"I have to know!" Izuku cried out.
"Know what?!" Vegeta yelled as his patience was now clearly gone, getting closer to the rooftop's railing. "If your question is so important, speak up boy!"
Izuku then hesitated as he started to remember the words that had nearly brought him down, trembling nervously.
"Sorry kid, it's not gonna happen."
"I'm sorry Izuku. I wish things were different."
"Defenceless Deku. This school's already crappy, you really wanna embarrass it more by failing so hard?"
"I'm just a normal kid," he finally said. "I wasn't born with any powers."
These words were enough to make the battle-hardened hero stop in his place.
"Could I ever hope to become a hero, even if I don't have a quirk?"
Vegeta silently stood, a full meter away from the railing and flying away.
"COULD I EVER HOPE TO BE SOMEONE LIKE YOU?"
Vegeta then slowly turned to the young boy who was now stiff and closed his eyes as he awaited his answer. The Saiyan prince felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity, as he had not heard this question in nearly a lifetime.
Izuku stood still as he anxiously awaited his answer from Vegeta, it had not even been a minute since he asked but it felt like hours up on the rooftop. He had even shut his eyes sealed intensely. Residents below them mind their business and lay oblivious to the scene above them.
"You're telling me you have no powers?" Vegeta finally answered.
Midoriya then quickly relaxed his shoulders and kept his eyes down while twiddling his thumbs. There was so much he wanted to tell the number one hero though he had so little time. He decided to start from the beginning, "Since I was a little kid, I thought that the coolest thing you could do is save people."
"It wasn't long after the doctor told me about my setback until my classmates started to make fun of me," he added. "They would keep telling me that I'm a weakling by their standards."
Even though he had gotten used to it over time, Izuku still felt the pain from his peers. Very little showed sympathy to him and he didn't know them for very long.
"That won't stop me though, it only keeps reminding me to prove them wrong," Midoriya continued. He then felt confidence welling up inside him. Opening up his ambitions, besides his obvious circumstances, to his second favorite hero gave him a sense of remedy. "I want to be the hero with a fearless smile everyone looks up to."
The aspiring boy then looked up at Vegeta. "Just like-"
Izuku's monologuing was interrupted by Vegeta's sudden collapse to the ground with only his knees keeping him up. The young boy yelped as he saw the hero let out loud coughs, "What happened? Are you sick or something?"
Vegeta then composed himself and shakily looked up at the young boy, "I assure you that I'm all ri-"
The hero's futile attempt at reassurance was met with blood trickling down his mouth with only made Midoriya scream even more. Izuku then fumbled around his pockets for his phone which hopefully hadn't fallen out earlier, "Just stay there, I'll get some help! I'll call an ambulance!"
Izuku then found his phone in his left pocket. He was just about to insert his password until Vegeta shouted after wiping his mouth with his forearm, "Just calm yourself, I'll be fine! And keep your voice down before someone gets suspicious!"
The young boy then clamped his mouth shut as he set his phone back in his pocket. Vegeta then sat down with his back against the railing, his legs bent and arms hanging on top of them.
"What I'm about to show you is something only those closest to me know," Vegeta said. "Don't even think about spreading the word."
Izuku then saw the number one hero lift the left side of his shirt and gasped in horror at the sight. A giant mark of impact and lines of scars nearly engulfed the entirety of Vegeta's left side of his chest with an ugly mixture of purple and red. Midoriya could see that the stitches were still there.
"A sight to behold right?" Vegeta continued. "It's been ten years since I received this wound, and there's nothing more that can be done about it."
Izuku's heart fell to his stomach at this realization. Vegeta was seen as invincible to the public eye, rarely losing a fight. Who could have been so powerful to cause an injury of this scale?
Vegeta then resumed, "I'm lucky to even breathe right now. Three hours is all I can do before I have to recuperate in the shadows."
"Three hours?" Izuku thought to himself. In his pastime, he would always read reports of the number one hero resolving conflicts in very little time. Now he could see the full reason why.
"That was ten years ago?" Midoriya wondered aloud. "How come no one knows about this?"
"A great amount of effort was kept into making my condition a secret," Vegeta sighed. The hero then looked up to face the young boy, "So you must understand, this is to give the people hope since I'm the Symbol of Peace."
The news from Vegeta had Izuku disheartened. The common folk, and who knows about the other heroes, did not know that the greatest hero of the current age had a great burden to carry with him.
"If you dream of becoming a hero, you must always be prepared to sacrifice your life so that others may live," Vegeta said as he lifted his shirt down. "No longer do we live in a world where evil can be defeated conventionally."
"Which now leads back to your question," Vegeta said after a pause. "Can you become a hero without a quirk?"
Izuku felt his heart racing as he awaited the full answer to his question. Not even his mother gave him what he needed in his most vulnerable moment. Maybe today was different, maybe today he will know for sure.
"No."
The young boy felt a sharp ping in his chest as he was told the grave news. He didn't even have the care to cry anymore as these words were cemented in him like stone. Vegeta then stood up and made his way to the door that leads to the building's stairwell as he felt that enough had been said. Izuku still stood stiff and stared into blank space as the hero said a few final words to him before leaving.
"Take my advice," Vegeta said. "Lower your expectations, and disappointment won't follow."
All Izuku heard was the door to the stairway close, leaving him alone on the rooftop to his thoughts.
Vegeta fought back a few more coughs as he descended the stairs, not even having the energy to take flight after having the difficult conversation with the young boy.
"The boy has ambition, but is blind to reality," the Saiyan hero thought to himself. This was not the first time someone had told him such aspirations besides not having a superpower. It was a painful memory to look back upon.
Internally fighting back at these thoughts, Vegeta refocused on turning in the sludge villain to the authorities. He then checked his left pocket. Empty. The hero then checked his right pocket, empty also.
The Saiyan hero began to fumble around until his fears have been realized: somehow, he had dropped the soda bottle containing the sludge villain while he was flying. A distant boom only confirmed his carelessness.
Katsuki Bakugo struggled to breathe as the slimy villain kept him in his grasp. He had been walking with two of his classmates earlier at the Tatooine Shopping District until the monstrosity appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Most of the residents, even Bakugo's classmates, had fled the scene while the villain wrecked the shopping center.
Barely visible through the fire and smoke, the muscular hero Death Arms and two of his sidekicks raced to the scene. Enraged at the sight, the hero led the charge.
"How dare you take a child hostage?!" bellowed Death Arms. The sludge villain replied by slamming his enlarged hand on the ground, blowing the heroes back.
"You heroes take one step and I'll swallow this sucker whole!" The sludge villain shouted.
Enraged and terrified, Bakugo wrangled himself until his mouth was free. Both of his arms were still bound to the villain which aligned with the monster's arms.
"You picked the wrong guy to mess with!" Bakugo cried out.
In a feeble attempt to escape, the hot-headed blonde used his enclosed hands to shoot out explosive sparks. "I'm gonna send you back to the sewer you came from!"
Bakugo's attack only caused further damage to the shopping area that was engulfed in even more flames. The sludge villain simply laughed at the scene.
"Nice try kid," The villain mocked. "This'll be a neat quirk for me to use once I take control of your body!"
The blonde only panicked even more as his entire body began to be engulfed by the gooey substance. The villain then sadistically laughed as he moved the young boy closer to his face as his enlarged mouth engulfed him.
Unable to breathe, Bakugo felt tears welling in his eyes as he was being suffocated. This couldn't happen to him, he was studying to enter U.A. to become a hero. He could barely keep his eyes open as he was losing consciousness.
Suddenly, he could barely hear the sludge villain cry out in pain and momentarily wry his face free. Coughing up the air, Bakugo was bewildered to see who had arrived.
"KACCHAN!" a familiar voice cried out.
It was Deku, and he had just thrown his bag at the villain's face in an attempt to rescue him. He was now clawing at the villain so that he can grab the blond free from the monster's grasp.
"What the hell?" Bakugo said in bafflement. "Why are you here?!"
"I couldn't just let you die Kacchan!" Deku cried out. He let out a smile, which Bakugo thought was stupid looking, with tears in his eyes. The blonde was even more confused as to why his quirkless classmate would bother saving him, all he was doing was getting himself killed.
Meanwhile, the Sludge villain had recuperated and was very angry. He engulfed Bakugo once more and enlarged his hand to squash the young boy like a bug bellowing, "NOW YOU'VE DONE IT, YOU'RE DEAD KID!"
Bakugo then saw Death Arms, Kamui Woods, and his sidekicks rush in to try to save Deku before he got crushed. They weren't even close enough when the villain's hand was meters away from the green-haired boy.
A loud BOOM nearly shattered the blonde's eardrums as he felt something snatch him away from the gooey substance and throw him onto the ground. Bakugo coughed the slimy liquid up from his mouth as he laid next to Deku's kneeling form. He was about to question his classmate about what happened until he looked up and nearly dropped his jaw.
The number one hero, Vegeta, stood there with his palm opened in front of him at a 90-degree angle. The blonde realized that he had pushed the villain back as well as tearing him away from the monster's grasp all in the same moment.
Both Bakugo and Deku stayed there awestruck at the sight of the hero. Even the other civilians and pro heroes stood speechless at their observation. On the other hand, the sludge villain could barely move as he was terrified himself.
"V-V-Vegeta!" The slimy villain cried out, grasping his hands together. "I surrender! You can take me in! I'll change my ways, I swear!"
"Heh, taking you in is more than what you deserve." The hero scoffed in reply. Bakugo and Deku then saw Vegeta lift and curl his right hand near his head, with a blue ball of energy forming. The blonde smiled with glee as the hero declared, "Few have escaped from my grasp and lived, and those who have didn't last long."
Widening his eyes in terror as he knew what was to come of him, the villain turned around to flee from the unstoppable hero. Unfortunately for the monstrosity, Vegeta reacted faster and threw the ball of energy with an underhand.
The sphered projectile quickly struck the sludge villain as he didn't get too far and hurled him upwards, still spinning. The monster cried out in fear and pain as he was shot upwards into the sky until the onlookers saw the ball from Vegeta's attack explode far above.
Vegeta still stood tall as he kept his chin to the sky. Silence filled the civilians and pro heroes alike even as rain started to lightly come down on them. It wasn't long until the others took notice and began to cheer on the number one hero.
Both Bakugo and Deku laid there exhausted until the other pro heroes arrived to help with the damages. The two boys were taken to the side as the police and fire department arrived to assist the heroes as well as to keep the press at bay.
Neither of them said a word to each other, and neither wanted to make the first move.
"You're a tough kid aren't you?"
The two boys were distracted from their thoughts when the group of pro heroes from earlier arrived to check upon them. The hero who spoke to them was a sidekick who wore a simple caped costume with an odd-looking beaked mask as his distinguishing feature.
Bakugo and Deku looked at each other, confused.
"Me?" The two boys asked in unison.
"You!" The sidekick replied, pointing at the blonde. Deku looked wide-eyed at Bakugo while the latter raised his eyebrow.
"What about me?" Bakugo grumbled.
"You kept your ground when that big villain got you," Mt Lady responded. "I'd say that's pretty tough for a kid your age."
"And that nifty quirk you got there!" Death Arms praised. "If you go pro, hit up my agency first!"
The hot-headed blonde stared dumbfounded at the praise he was receiving. As far as he remembered, he didn't do anything notable against the villain. All he was able to do was feebly cry out for help and attempt to free himself in vain.
"Now as for you. You're not very bright are you?" Kamui Woods questioned sternly.
Bakugo quickly realized that the new hero was talking to Deku who receded in anxiety. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the other heroes did not think the same out of his quirkless classmate as they eyed him irritably.
"Yeah what the hell were you thinking?!" Death Arms interrogated. "What was going through your head when you thought throwing your backpack at that villain was a good idea?"
Bakugo could see that Deku was now backing himself in embarrassment. Even though he agreed it was stupid, the blonde couldn't help but feel something off in his gut. Whatever it was, he couldn't point out what it was.
"Which was more than what you imbeciles have done," a gruff voice called out.
The two boys and the heroes looked in surprise to see that the retort came from none other than Vegeta who kept his arms folded and kept his back facing them. The group of heroes looked at each other nervously, hoping at least one of them can make sense of what the senior hero is saying.
Kamui Woods decided to speak up. "But Vegeta, what he did was dangerous! He could've gotten him and the other boy killed!"
"Which wouldn't have happened if any of you did what was necessary!" Vegeta shouted as he turned to them with a giant frown on his face. The blonde's heart began to race as the police and fire department, as well as some of the press, took notice of this lecturing.
Vegeta then started to walk his way to the group in his threatening manner who barely resisted the urge to step back. Despite his short stature compared to the rest of the heroes, his aggressive personality and astounding power served as his most intimidating factors.
The senior hero stopped just a hair's breadth away from the wooded hero where the latter was sweating bullets. Vegeta continued with his scolding, "What excuses could you possibly make?!"
Death Arms stepped closer with a nervous chuckle, "H-Hey boss, take it easy on him. He's new."
This did not deter Vegeta as he turned to the taller hero instantly, "Then let this be a lesson to all of you!"
"True heroes put the people they save above their own lives!" The older hero addressed. "Pathetic that I have to remind you lot."
Bakugo could see that the group of heroes has now grown despondent from Vegeta's lecture with some, mainly Kamui Woods, hanging their heads in shame. The blonde internally felt that the number one hero was correct in his points but still felt something off.
Bakugo was distracted from his thoughts when he saw that Vegeta was now glaring at him. The hot-headed boy nearly trembled himself when his idol stared down on him as if he was a misbehaving child.
"Now as for you," Vegeta growled. "That 'nifty quirk' of yours only made it harder for everyone to rescue you in the first place! You're lucky no one was killed because of your insolence, both of you!"
While Deku trembled, even more, Bakugo looked away as he could barely control his fluctuating emotions. This was the first time he had met his second favorite hero and here he was chewing him out right in front of Deku and the other pro heroes. This was just the inspiration he needed after not being able to defeat a villain himself.
"Want to know what you all have in common?" The senior pro hero asked the entire group interrogatively. "A waste of my time."
Vegeta then instantly took off into the air with a sonic boom and sped away into the air. The now numerous eyes looked upon the shamed group of heroes who could barely process being disapproved by the number one hero.
As an awkward silence filled the street, Bakugo huffed inwardly as he started to make his way home.
"This day can't get any worse can it?" Izuku thought to himself.
His second encounter with Vegeta ended on an even sourer note after he failed to save Kacchan. The green-haired boy also felt a sense of guilt for getting his blonde classmate and the other pro heroes into trouble by the senior hero. He felt that all the fault lied with him.
Izuku's attempt at being a "hero" only solidified Vegeta's words. This was a world that needed modern solutions to solve current problems, and the young boy knew that his ambitions were now bygone.
Even then, he felt satisfied that he tried. Trying to save Kacchan even though he bullies him ever since finding out about his quirkless status. Trying to show a fearless smile in the face of danger. Trying to be like his idols.
Now it was time to head home. It took no guesses that his mother was worried that not only was he late but of his two encounters with the now-destroyed sludge villain. After that, it was another day of school and another day of being laughed at. Perhaps it was time to cancel his plans to attend U.A., surely-
"You, the boy from earlier," A familiar gruff voice called from behind.
Izuku was distracted from his thoughts when he turned around and screeched at the sight. It was Vegeta, and he somehow found him walking home.
"Vegeta?" Midoriya questioned. "Where did you come from? Did you follow me home?"
"... Yes," Vegeta answered hesitantly. "Don't take this the wrong way, I was simply-"
Sudden coughing and wheezing interrupted Vegeta's sentence which only made Izuku shriek even more. After clutching the side of his chest and taking a few breaths, the number one hero spoke once more, "Young man, I simply wanted to elaborate with you away from prying eyes."
The young boy raised his brow in confusion. What could the most powerful hero in the world have else to say to him?
"Is it about earlier?" Izuku awkwardly inquired. "I wasn't any help."
"I still stand by what I said," Vegeta said with arms crossed. "That hot-head only made a fool of himself and those pathetic excuses of heroes should be grateful they didn't lose their licenses for their hesitancy. And your recklessness didn't help either."
Izuku shrunk to the last words, it only confirmed that he messed up big time with his idol. He could barely look him in the eye as the hero looked at him with a serious glare. The young boy then felt the need to apologize, "Y-Y-Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean-"
"No need, for I am to blame too," Vegeta interrupted with a heavy sigh.
The green-haired boy widened his eyes in surprise. "W-What are you talking about?"
Vegeta sighed before he explained himself, "No one had noticed, but I was there watching as well. I stood there hesitating on what to do before I saw you rush in with no means to defeat that villain."
The senior hero then relaxed his arms as he continued, "That, is what spurred me to action. Even the greatest heroes show these signs: their bodies moving before they have a chance to think."
"I also thought of your story that you told me about how you wanted to be a hero without a quirk.
Izuku then felt something open up in his chest as he heard these words. It took him back to the day when the doctor told him that he will never get a quirk. It took him back to the day Goku left this world.
"Which then brings me back to your question for my true answer," Vegeta said as he turned his body slightly. "Can you become a hero without a quirk?"
The young boy felt his eyes were starting to sting. He realized that tears were now beginning to flow down his eyes. Izuku clutched the straps of his backpack and shut his eyes as he awaited the answer.
"Yes, you can become a hero."
Izuku dropped to his knees as his tears now dropped to the hard cement. This was the answer. This was the answer that he needed his mother to tell him. This was the answer that gave him his remedy. This was the story of how the Prince of All Saiyans trained him to become the world's greatest hero.
AN: And to be continued. I'm very much happy that I've finally gotten to work on this idea that I've had for a good while now.
For the beginning, I wanted to add in the Two Heroes intro to give Goku some good action before... well you know. But don't worry too much about that, Goku may be gone but this is certainly not the last time you'll see him.
And last but certainly not least, I just wanted to thank Lord Wolffe's "Apotheosis" and TheGodfather93's "The Symbol of Peace and Justice" fics for inspiring me to pursue fanfiction as one of my hobbies. Me being excited with these awesome stories was motivating enough for me to write down my own ideas and publish them for readers like you to enjoy.
I'd love to read what you all thought of this opening chapter! Whether the feedback is appraisal or criticism, I'm striving to improve in any way I can!
Anyway, that's all for now. Until next time!