The Symbol of Peace and Justice
Chapter 3 – First Steps
The bell chimed at Giuseppe's Bakery, and in walked a tall teenager dressed in brown khakis, sneakers, and a simple blue t-shirt. Upon stepping foot inside the building, the he was blasted with a burst of air-conditioned wind that made his spiky black hair rustle like swaying grass, and caused the lone bang in front of his forehead to sway from side to side.
Paying the air conditioner no heed, he strolled down the isles in a familiar manner, stacking an assortment of baked goods onto a tray. Once he had amassed a sizable amount of food, he carried it to the counter and placed it beside the register.
The pudgy man behind the counter quirked his bushy moustache in amusement, and started piling the food into a plastic bag. "I see your appetite is as monstrous as always, Gohan," he remarked with a chuckle.
Gohan's cheeks reddened and he scratched the back of his head. "You know how it is, Giuseppe. I have to keep my strength up."
"As any growing boy should," Giuseppe exclaimed, grinning at his customer. "But enough about that. How's my favourite customer going? Have you started high school yet?"
"Not yet," Gohan replied with a shake of the head. "I took the written portion of the entrance exam at school few days ago, but I still need to pass the practical exam tomorrow to get accepted into U.A."
Giuseppe whistled, impressed. "Those are some big goals you've set yourself, Gohan. But if anyone can reach them, it's you." He stared wistfully into space. "Maybe if I'd come to this country earlier, I could've gone to U.A. too instead of being stuck in this old place."
Gohan frowned as the atmosphere turned a tad sour. "Geez, Giuseppe, I don't know what to say…"
Then, much to the demi-Saiyan's shock, Giuseppe burst out into a fit of animated laugher. "I'm just messing with you, Gohan! I have no interest in being a hero." He fondly patted the giant oven behind him. "I'm already living my dream of being a baker, like my father before me, and his father before him, and his father before him…"
Gohan chuckled to himself as Giuseppe rambled on about his family history. Ever since he started going to school, he had been a frequent customer at Giuseppe's Bakery, as it was quite close to his apartment. Over time, he'd gotten to know the boisterous Italian owner quite well, and they eventually became good friends. Giuseppe was always supportive of Gohan's dream, and was just a joy to be around in general. Granted, part of that might have been due to Gohan being a steady source of income for him, but he was a nice man regardless.
"…all the way back to the Renaissance, when he was the personal baker of Leonardo da Vinci. Can you believe that?" Giuseppe finally finished, looking expectantly at the boy.
"With how enthusiastically you speak about it, I can't help but believe it," Gohan responded kindly, getting a chuckle out of the baker.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you, Gohan," Giuseppe commented good-naturedly, handing the boy three plastic bags filled with baked goods.
Gohan took the offered bags and bowed graciously. "Thanks. I'll see you around, Giuseppe."
The baker waved at his customer, who promptly left the building. After breathing in a mouthful fresh air, Gohan was about to head off home, until a faint commotion in the distance caught his attention. Frowning, he proceeded down the sidewalk towards the source of the noise, tracing it to an alley beside a theatre not too far away. Upon seeing what the disturbance was, his eyes narrowed dangerously.
A scruffy-looking man was holding a well-dressed family of three at gunpoint. The wife was scrambling to unhook a pearl necklace from her neck, while her husband was standing in front of her protectively, his hands raised in a placating gesture. Behind them, their young son was utterly terrified if the tears rolling down his cheeks were any indication.
Gohan sighed and placed his bags down by the road. He looked left and right, making sure there was no one in the vicinity. After confirming that the coast was clear, he transformed into a Super Saiyan and vanished from view at the very moment a gunshot sounded.
With the world around him moving in super slow motion, Gohan sped towards the scene of the crime, whereupon he saw a bullet sailing towards the husband. Keeping a cool head, he dashed in front of the projectile and swatted it to the side. He then darted in front of the armed assailant, smacked the pistol out of his hand, and flicked him in the chest with a pinkie finger.
After double checking to make sure no one else was harmed, Gohan breathed out a sigh of relief and flashed away from the alley, reappearing at the side of the road where he'd left his food. His hair faded to black as the world resumed moving at a normal speed.
As though a switch had been flipped, the criminal went flying back several metres before crashing into the ground, unconscious. At the same time, the handgun he was holding shattered into fragments, and the deflected bullet fired from it embedded itself harmlessly into the side of a building.
Before the rescued family could even begin to register what happened, Gohan was well on his way home, a half-eaten muffin in his hand.
Food always tasted better after a heroic deed.
After reaching his apartment, Gohan left the bag containing what was left of the baked goods on the kitchen counter and plopped down onto his bed. He then rested his hands behind his head and stared pensively at the ceiling.
Although he was never the bragging type, Gohan was confident in his strength and intellect, and fully expected to pass U.A.'s entrance exam no matter what it ended up being. However, he couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of nervousness at the thought of not knowing what to expect. U.A. had incredibly high standards, with only one in three hundred applicants being accepted each year. It was a downright brutal statistic, and he'd seen first-hand how distraught the older kids at his school were when they failed to get into U.A.
Gohan sighed and shook his head, hoping to clear those annoying thoughts from his mind. Dwelling on the negatives before an important exam would do him no favours. He had to clear his head.
Thankfully, he spotted his school uniform in the periphery of his vision, the drab grey outfit resting on a coat hanger in his wardrobe, and a content smile spread across his lips at the sight. Despite a somewhat rocky start, his time in public school had been mostly pleasant. It was also wholly unadventurous, which was a welcome change.
A few bullies had tried to corner Gohan on his first day at elementary school, but he responded to their threats with polite indifference. While they might have been intimidating to his peers, they couldn't begin to compare to some of the monstrous villains he'd faced in his time, who were living embodiments of terror. Thankfully, the bullies took his nonchalance as a sign that he wasn't to be trifled with and backed off. Of course, the incident in gym class when he'd accidentally thrown a dodgeball through a brick wall might have played a part.
When it came to education, Gohan was a silent overachiever, topping all his classes with consummate ease. It turned out his mother's home tutoring had prepared him more than adequately for the rigours of public schooling, which he was thankful for. While he admired his father's strength, courage and compassion, Son Goku wasn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box.
Other than that, Gohan mostly kept to himself, associating only with Sato Rikido, who he'd come to consider his best friend. The two boys got along swimmingly, bonding over their love of food and shared interest in becoming heroes. Sato even made good on his promise to bake Gohan cakes, which catapulted him into the demi-Saiyan's good books. Their friendship remained strong through both elementary school and junior high, where they promised each other they would take on U.A. together.
The sudden buzzing of his phone alerted Gohan to the fact that he'd received a notification, so he whipped it out and checked the lock screen. It was an alert from one of the news apps he'd downloaded, letting him know that a new article had been published. His eyes narrowed at the title.
"Golden Blur strikes again – wealthy family saved from mugging," he read to himself before clicking on the article and skimming through it.
A small frown found its way to his face after finishing. While the article did make note of his heroism, it didn't exactly paint him in a positive light. A sigh slipped from his lips as he put his phone away and leaned into the mattress. Even though he was used to such treatment, it didn't mean he liked it.
While the general public had been firmly on his side ever since he first started masquerading as the Golden Blur several years ago, the media had never fully supported him. To them, he was nothing more than an attention seeker. A tease. Someone who was stringing the people along like puppets while skulking around in the shadows, plotting his own machinations.
It was all slander.
Gohan never had any ulterior motives. The only reason he became a vigilante in the first place was to circumvent the law about unlicensed Quirk use in public being illegal. While he definitely understood why such a law was necessary, he couldn't just sit back and let people get hurt when he had the means to stop it from happening. It simply wasn't in his nature. Thankfully, no one had even come close to catching him in the act thus far. Even his gender remained a mystery.
If he were being completely honest, he wasn't a fan of this whole cloak-and-dagger act. While he certainly appreciated the privacy to a degree, another aspect of being a hero was acting as a beacon of hope to the innocent masses; being someone young children could look up to and aspire to be like. He couldn't do such a thing while hiding behind the guise of a near-invisible vigilante.
That was why he needed to go to U.A. and get a pro hero license, which would allow him to fight crime without having to cower behind a mask. If he ever wanted to emulate All Might – the ideal definition of what a hero should be, in his opinion – he needed to graduate from what was essentially high school for superheroes.
A sudden rumbling broke Gohan from his musing, making him sigh in frustration. Tending to his needy Saiyan stomach was a monotonous task, especially now that he was living alone and didn't have constant access to his mother's delectable cooking. He didn't have the luxury of being surrounded by a forest teeming with game either, as was the case with his father as a child.
Grumbling to himself, he slid out of his bed and trudged towards the kitchen, hoping there was still a cake or two left in the fridge. Sato really knew his stuff when it came to baking.
Gohan woke up gasping for breath, rivulets of sweat rolling off him like rain and his blanket bunched up at his feet. After inhaling and exhaling deeply to gather his bearings, he glanced at the clock and groaned when it revealed that it was just past midnight.
He sank back into his slightly damn mattress and muttered a curse under his breath. "Not again…"
Unfortunately, waking up in the middle of a night was a rather common, albeit inconsistent occurrence that had been plaguing him ever since he arrived in this world. Sometimes it would happen at least once a week, while other times it would happen every couple of months. What was a constant, however, was that each time he was unceremoniously awoken from slumber, it was the direct consequence of a nightmare.
Sometimes the nightmares would build upon the horrific dream he'd just after moving into his apartment, and would detail Goku, Chi-Chi and Piccolo raising a faceless child without any trace that he had ever existed. Other times, the dreams would show his friends and family mocking him behind his back, throwing around words like 'coward', 'disappointment', 'crybaby' and 'failure' among others.
The first few times he'd experienced these kinds of dreams had hit him hard and almost brought him to tears, but the longer it went on, the more he got used to them and was able to shut them out. During the day, he simply chose to focus on what was happening in the present instead of dwelling on the past. It was a similar approach to the one he'd taken when he was thrown into the wilderness as a four-year-old by Piccolo and told to survive on his own for six months.
Shaking those thoughts from his head, Gohan took a quick shower, threw on some warm clothes, and climbed to the roof of the apartment building before taking off into the chilly night sky. It was another routine he had come up with over time to help take his mind off the nightmares, while allowing him to do something productive to boot.
Within a few minutes, Gohan had arrived at his destination and touched down on the hard gravel surface with a gentle tap of his feet. He took a deep breath and scanned his surroundings with a sorrowful gaze. Such sights were always tragic on the eyes.
Decaying buildings close to collapsing, cracked and crumbling roads rendered unusable, and abandoned cars rusting away were the first things that came into view. Looking deeper into the dilapidated city revealed crude graffiti intermixed with faint smudges of dried blood plastered all over the walls and alleyways.
It was a dark and tragic reminder of what humanity could stoop to without anyone there to enforce the law, and another example of why the world needed heroes.
Gohan walked further into the abandoned city, guided only by the faint light of the moon, and eventually came to halt in the epicentre of a gigantic crater. He stood ramrod straight and stared straight ahead unflinchingly, wondering not for the first time whether he was clutching at straws by coming here.
In the days following his arrival to this world, Gohan had made a habit of trying to find out just what had brought him here in the first place. That involved scouring the internet for answers of any sort, as well as exploring the planet for clues. It initially proved a fruitless endeavour, but he never gave up, and his persistence eventually led him to a weird message board populated by people who had a fascination for exploring scary or supposedly haunted places, and recording their experiences.
One such poster revealed that he'd heard a booming explosion in this exact city – a popular attraction for horror aficionados – late one evening, and when he went to check it out a few days later, there was a massive crater in the ground. Strangely enough, the explosion happened at the exact time he appeared out of thin air in the skies above Tokyo.
Gohan had experienced enough absurd occurrences in his life to realise that couldn't have been a coincidence. Unfortunately, that was the only thing he had to go on, and subsequent visits to this place had revealed nothing of note. Each time he came here, he ultimately found himself standing in the middle of the crater, staring longingly in the distance while waiting for a sign to let him know he was right.
That sign never showed, and each fruitless trip was more demoralising than the last.
Still, Gohan kept on coming. He wasn't raised to be a quitter, and he'd be damned if he started now. He knew this place was connected to his arrival in one way or another… he just didn't know exactly how.
In any case, he didn't plan on giving up, and hoped to one day find the answer he was looking for through sheer perseverance. In the meantime, he just had to make the best of his current predicament.
Gohan cut a sullen figure as he trudged down the street across from the train station the following morning, hands dug firmly in his pockets and a frown adorning his features. He avoided making eye contact with any bystanders, as he wasn't exactly in the mood to draw attention to himself or strike up a conversation.
"Yo! Son! Over here!"
At the sound of his name being called, Gohan traced the source of the noise to a grinning Sato, who was waving enthusiastically at him. The sight of his friend perked him up a bit and he returned the wave, but his mood remained gloomy.
"Damn, you look like crap," Sato observed after running up to the demi-Saiyan and falling in step beside him.
"I feel like crap," Gohan admitted.
Sato frowned. "Trouble sleeping again?"
"Unfortunately," Gohan replied. "I only got like three hours of sleep in the end."
Sato pursed his lips in concern. "That's not good. Think you'll be alright for the exam?"
"I think so," Gohan said resolutely, some steel finding its way into his voice. "I've waited all these years to finally get a crack at U.A., and there's no way I'm going to waste this opportunity."
Sato cracked a grin at that. "Good to hear. I knew you wouldn't give up so easily and leave me without a sidekick."
A small smile found its way to Gohan's face at the comment; he could always count on Sato to brighten his mood with a simple joke or two.
When he first started going to school, it took him a while to get used to normal adolescent social customs. He was self-aware enough to admit that being homeschooled in a secluded mountain region his entire life hadn't exactly made the most adept conversationalist. Thankfully, over time and with Sato's help, he got used to the concept of schoolyard banter, and even became quite fond of it.
He still wasn't the biggest fan of some of the crude language routinely used by his peers, but it didn't bother him as much as it used to. He inwardly chuckled at the thought of how his mother would react if she found out.
"Oh, hey, I forgot to mention…" Sato started, digging into his bag and pulling out a plastic container that made Gohan's eyes light up. "I was way too excited when I woke up this morning and made too much food for breakfast. You hungry?"
The rumbling of the demi-Saiyan's stomach answered the question for him, and Sato barked out a boisterous laugh while Gohan scratched the back of his head and averted his gaze. He was so tired when he woke up earlier today that he hastily slapped together an incredibly underwhelming breakfast, and now that lethargy had returned to bite him in the backside.
The two friends chatted cheerfully as they continued walking to U.A., Gohan happily munching on a handful of blueberry muffins along the way. Upon reaching their destination, the pair stopped in their tracks and stared at the sprawling educational institution with a sense of wonderment.
"You know, I've seen this place on TV a bunch of times, but somehow it just doesn't compare to being here in person," Sato remarked breathlessly.
"I know what you mean," Gohan added, equally as enthralled. "Our school looks like a dump by comparison."
"Our school is a dump by comparison," Sato corrected, earning a chuckle from the demi-Saiyan.
The main building of U.A. was made to look like the letter 'H', and its sides were blanketed entirely by windows, giving it a sleek and modern look. Leading up to the three marked doors at the base of the building was a set of marble stairs, which were preceded by a wide, orange-bricked pathway. Odd but mildly imposing stone statues flanked the pathway, while a row of white, blocky, U-shaped arches rested above it, adding to the overall grandeur of the place.
The grass encompassing the pathway, and by extension the U.A. building, was neatly trimmed and sparkled a vivid green. Adding to the look were majestic trees of varying shapes and sizes dotted all over the lawn, making for a pleasant ambience that was kept contained within the school grounds by a sturdy concrete wall of the same colour as the arches.
Similarly-aged students milled about the pathway, many of them displaying nervous tics as they approached the imposing trio of doors. While a curious Sato took in the scene around him, Gohan couldn't help but take note of the assortment of school uniforms on display.
"I see people from Correli, Endoru, Rodia, Mandaluru… there's even a guy from Soumei Junior High. That's one of the most prestigious private schools in the country," he exclaimed with a slight hint of intrigue. "Wow. I knew U.A. was popular, but I didn't think this many people would be applying."
Sato snorted. "Doesn't surprise me that you can tell who goes where, Son. You're such a dork sometimes," he teased, punctuating his joke with a gentle nudge of his elbow, which Gohan instinctually dodged, much to his friend's amusement. "You have a point, though; there's a lot of competition here. And their uniforms look so much nicer than ours. Hopefully that doesn't count against us."
Gohan looked down at the clothes he was wearing. His and Sato's school uniform consisted of grey slacks, a bland white shirt, a maroon jacket and a mustard-coloured tie. It wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing bit of clothing out there, but its looks never bothered him too much, which Sato claimed was down to his horrendous taste in fashion. Gohan vehemently disagreed, of course, but he didn't think it was worth the hassle arguing over it.
Still, unable to pass up the opportunity to get one over his friend, Gohan turned towards him with a raised eyebrow. "Sato, I think you should be more concerned about how much sugar you ingested beforehand, and whether you have enough mental fortitude to not pass out during the exam," he retorted in jest, making the taller boy pout. "Now come on. I don't want to be late."
The pair followed the rest of the crowd into the school, and then into a sizable auditorium large enough to comfortably fit all the examinees. They took a seat at the back row and waited for the room to fill up, which took a few minutes.
Suddenly, the lights cut out, leaving everyone basking in darkness. Confused murmurs reverberated through the auditorium, until one of the surrounding spotlights sprang to life and cast a bright glow on the centre of the stage. Several more spotlights soon followed, illuminating the stage entirely and revealing a tall man standing atop a small podium, posing flamboyantly to the crowd. Behind him, at the far end of the auditorium, was a gigantic monitor that projected a flashing U.A. symbol to the awestruck audience.
The man's upturned black jacket, leather pants and matching boots made him look like a rocker, and that image was only compounded by the studs adorning his collar and belt. A pair of orange sunglasses covered his eyes and a shock of spiky blond hair rose towards the ceiling like a tower. Fingerless black gloves were worn on his hands, and a thin moustache was situated above his beaming grin.
Gohan quickly recognised the man as Present Mic, a pro hero who doubled as a radio host. He took a particular interest in the boisterous hero because his hair was somewhat reminiscent of a Super Saiyan's, amusingly enough.
"For all you examinee listeners tuning in, welcome to my show today!" Present Mic bellowed enthusiastically, his voice amplified by a large speaker hanging around his neck. "Everybody say, 'hey!'"
Following his exuberant introduction, he cupped an ear towards his listeners as if expecting a response, but was ultimately met with stunned silence.
If this bothered Present Mic, he didn't let it show, and instead shrugged helplessly at his observers. "What a refined response. Then I'll quickly present to you the rundown on the practical exam!" He raised his right hand as though he was about to drop a microphone and his grin widened. "Are you ready?! YEAH!"
Yet again, the crowd responded with silence, and Gohan found himself feeling a bit sorry for Present Mic. Nevertheless, the pro hero appeared unfazed and persisted with his explanation.
"As it says in the application requirements, you guys will be conducting ten-minute mock urban battles!" he began, just as a matching diagram appeared on the monitor behind him, showing seven blocks marked from A to G. "You can bring whatever you want with you. After the presentation, you'll head to the specified battle centre, okay?!"
Another round of silence was heard, so Gohan took this time to look at the exam ticket he was assigned earlier, which revealed that he was to be in Battle Centre A.
"It looks like they won't let people from the same school be in the same test location," Sato observed, peering over at the demi-Saiyan's ticket. "I'm in Battle Centre C."
Gohan was a bit disheartened by that, but he quickly accepted the stipulation. After all, it wouldn't be a fair assessment of an individual's abilities if they were allowed to team up with a friend. He quirked a lip in Sato's direction. "In that case, you better not let me down."
"I was about to tell you the same thing, Son," Sato scoffed, a light smirk creeping up his face.
"Three different types of faux villains are stationed in each battle centre," Present Mic continued, interrupting the boys. Three blacked out yet familiar silhouettes appeared on the monitor, numbered from 1 to 3, and surrounding a small model of a city. "You earn points for each of them based on their level of difficulty. Your goal, dear listeners, is to use your Quirks to earn points by immobilising the faux villains."
As Present Mic spoke, the picture on the monitor morphed to show Super Mario – who Gohan recognised from his frequent trips to the arcade – walking around and stomping on the previously shown faux villains.
"Of course, attacking other examinees and any other unheroic actions are prohibited!" Present Mic warned, pointing a finger at the audience and wagging it as though scolding a small child.
"May I ask a question?" a stern voice inquired, belonging to a boy who had stood up and raised his hand. His beige uniform revealed him to be the Soumei Junior High student Gohan had seen earlier.
"Okay!" Present Mic replied as a spotlight shone on the boy, who Gohan could now see was tall and reasonably muscular. He had slick black hair and wore a pair of rectangular half-rim glasses which, when combined with his demeanour, gave him something of a disciplinarian appearance.
"On the printout, there are four types of villains," he stated firmly, prompting Gohan to take a glance at the sheet of paper on his desk. "If that is a misprint, then U.A., the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake. We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be moulded into exemplary heroes."
As he talked, his hands moved around in an almost robotic fashion, giving a certain emphasis to his words. He then pointed at another section of the audience and glared in that direction. "In addition, you over there with the curly hair! You've been muttering this whole time. It's distracting! If you're here on a pleasure trip, then you should leave immediately!"
Gohan heard a muffled "sorry" as a few snickers broke out in the audience, making him frown slightly. While he respected the bespectacled boy's drive, he could've gone about asking his question in a politer way, and he certainly didn't have to humiliate another student in the process. Even if they were all technically competing against one another, they were still learning to be heroes.
"Okay, okay, Examinee 7111," Present Mic began in a placating manner, drawing everyone's attention to himself once more. "Thanks for the great message! But the fourth faux villain variety gets you zero points! He's more of an obstacle! Have you all played Super Mario Brothers?"
At the mention of the retro video game, a fourth silhouette appeared on the monitor, only this one was of a colossal size. Upon reaching it, the figure of Mario bolted in the opposite direction.
"It's kind of like a thwomp!" Present Mic continued. "Only one at each site! A gimmick that'll rampage around in close quarters!"
"So, it's like a stage gimmick to be avoided," the Soumei student remarked, bowing low. "Thank you very much! Please excuse the interruption!" As soon as he sat down, the spotlight left him.
"This whole exam is basically like a video game," Sato whispered, stroking his chin. "That's cool."
"Yeah… cool, "Gohan added in a subdued tone, catching his friend's attention. "Notice how Present Mic never explicitly said we had to avoid the fourth villain. He just implied that we should."
Sato chuckled lightly. "Well, if the fourth villain is anything like the video games, anyone attacking it must have a rock for a brain." At Gohan's lack of response, he raised an amused eyebrow. "You're not seriously considering attacking this thing, are you?"
That caught Gohan off guard. "What? No! Of course not!" he sputtered. "I could do without the extra attention, thank you very much. I just hope there isn't anyone thick-headed enough to actually try and pull that off."
"Finally, I'll give you listeners a present – our school motto!" Present Mic explained sagely, spreading his hands to address the entire audience. "The hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said, 'a true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes.' Go beyond! Plus Ultra!" Those two words then flashed across the screen behind him in blindingly bright colours. "Now, everyone, good luck suffering!" the pro hero added as a concerning afterthought.
As he waited outside the giant steel gate that led to his battle centre, Gohan occupied himself by stretching out his joints. Lowering himself near the ground in a deep thigh stretch, he took the time to scout his competition. One of the things Piccolo had taught him was to always be observant of his surroundings, and if he could, to always approach a fight with a plan in hand.
As his onyx eyes scanned through the large crowd of examinees around him, he paused on a muscular boy with spiky blond hair, clad in cargo shorts and a black singlet, who was shuffling his feet irritably and muttering unintelligible words under his breath. His fists clenched and unclenched over and over, and Gohan could've sworn he heard a faint crackling coming from them.
As though sensing a pair of foreign eyes on him, the boy swivelled his head in Gohan's direction, and his already menacing glare turned even harsher. "What the fuck are you looking at, you gym teacher wannabe?" he spat venomously.
Gohan was so taken aback by the sudden insult that he almost fell on his backside, but had enough composure to stay on his feet and stare at the angry boy with wide eyes. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me, you goddamn dork!" the blond all but screamed. "I don't know what you're playing at with that retarded outfit, but if you're here to try coach me through the exam, you can just piss off! I don't need your shitty help!"
Gohan frowned as he glanced down at his green tracksuit, then narrowed his eyes at the infuriated boy. He could accept Sato making fun of his clothing because he knew his friend was mostly joking, but he didn't take too kindly to rude strangers doing it too. "That was unnecessarily harsh, and your crude language is uncalled for," he retorted firmly. "I'm here to take the practical exam, just like you."
The blond snorted mockingly. "Is that so? Could've fooled me. Well then, I have some friendly advice for you." His vicious scowl morphed into a bloodthirsty grin. "Unless you want me to torch your sorry ass, stay the hell out of my way! And if you like looking at me so much, take a fucking picture! It'll last longer! Freaking pervert."
Gohan's frown deepened as the volatile boy turned away, and he ignored the dumbfounded stares of the onlooking students who had caught on to the spectacle, choosing instead to try and comprehend what had just happened.
Whoever this guy was, he had a severe attitude problem. His aggressive tone partly reminded Gohan of Vegeta, but his crude manner of speaking was something even the battle-hardened Saiyan price rarely resorted to. How in the world was someone like that fit enough to try and become a hero? It was downright baffling.
Before he could ponder this further, Present Mic's booming voice sounded from atop a tall tower. "Okay, start!"
The gates swung open, and Gohan and the volatile blond dashed away from the crowd, which had remained unmoving. Present Mic addressed the examinees once more, but the demi-Saiyan paid the pro hero no heed as he moved further into the cityscape.
He kept his speed low enough to keep pace with the blond who ran beside him, as it was unnecessary to reveal all his cards straight away. However, that that seemed to annoy the other boy even more, as he cast a brief glare in Gohan's direction before altering his path and sprinting down another road.
Now that he was alone, Gohan halted his run and listened to the environment, trying to pinpoint the location of any faux villains. As though the heavens had been paying attention, a nearby brick wall shattered like feeble glass, and two large green robots with bludgeons for arms jumped out, aiming to clobber him into the ground.
Gohan was briefly taken aback by the size of the robots, but was agile enough to hop over their heavy swings, which left small craters in the road. When he was above the mechanical monstrosities, he slammed his sneaker-clad feet into their heads, driving their bodies into the concrete.
After landing, he checked the robots' crackling carcasses, and saw that the number 2 was painted on their metallic torsos. He nodded approvingly. Four points right off the bat was a good start.
By now, a handful of other examinees had caught up to him, and were staring uneasily at the downed robots. Gohan simply ignored them and continued running down the road; if they wanted to hang around and waste time, that was on them.
As he ran, he heard the clanging of metal coming from behind him, and turned around to see a short green robot rolling towards him on a single wheel, its red eye gleaming dangerously in his direction. At the same time, another robot of the same make leapt down at him from a building, intending to squish him like a grape.
Seeing an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, Gohan lifted his hands and caught the falling robot with ease. He then spun it like a discus and hurled it towards the onrushing robot, and watched with satisfaction as the two machines exploded upon collision.
At the same time, several other explosions were heard across the city, letting Gohan know that the other examinees had joined in on the destruction. A quick glance at his watch told him that only a minute had passed. He still had plenty of time.
Before he could be on his way, the ground beneath him split in half, forcing him to hop out of the way lest he want to fall into the abyss. From the resulting hole crawled another green robot that was slightly larger than the two-pointers he'd taken out earlier, and looked a lot deadlier. Aside from its sturdier frame and thicker forearms, it also had two turrets atop its shoulders, adding to its intimidating appearance.
The red marking on its side revealed this robot to be the three-pointer. To Gohan, it somewhat resembled a mecha tank he had seen in an anime a while back. Maybe that was where the makers got their inspiration from?
Suddenly, the turrets pointed in his direction and spewed forth a handful of homing rockets, making Gohan raise an eyebrow in curiosity. He had expected blunt objects and non-lethal pellets to be among the weapons used by the robots, but actual rockets were a different proposition entirely. He then shrugged; they probably contained sleeping gas, or other debilitating vapours.
Keeping that in mind, he dashed forward and weaved past the rockets. Then, when he came within range of the three-pointer, he rammed his right fist into its torso with such force it drilled a hole clean through. However, the robot wasn't out of commission yet, and clasped its hands above its head in preparation for a double hammerfist.
Not wanting to let the machine get that far, Gohan thrust his other hand into its torso, and then ripped the robot in half like a flimsy piece of paper. It was child's play.
After finishing off his latest adversary, Gohan moved towards where he heard the most commotion, and found himself in a large open space brimming with action. Smoking robot corpses of various shapes and sizes were strewn across the road, while examinees darted to and fro in hurried panic. Among them was an extremely short boy with grape-like hair, who was sprinting through the area while bawling his eyes out. As he fled, the was hurling small balls he had plucked from his head at a pack of robots running after him.
The strange balls were slowing the robots down slightly, but the boy's efforts to escape were rendered useless when his foot struck a crack in the ground and sent him tumbling face-first into the pavement. The unfortunate fall allowed the robots that were chasing him to quickly catch up to his downed from, whereupon they started circling him ominously.
Body moving on autopilot, Gohan vanished from view and reappeared before the distraught boy. He then planted one hand on the ground and spun his body as though it were a top, his outstretched legs whirring like a destructive pair of helicopter rotors and hewing through the encroaching robots with ease.
When they were all in pieces, Gohan landed on his feet and held out a hand to the grape-haired boy. "Are you alright?"
The sniffling boy raised a trembling hand and clasped it around Gohan's, and was easily pulled feet. "Th-thank you. You s-s-saved me," he stammered.
Gohan smiled warmly. "Glad I could be of help. I know this place is really chaotic right now, but try and stay safe, okay?"
The boy wiped his nose and nodded. "O-okay."
"Great!" Gohan exclaimed with a wide grin. "I have to go now, but maybe I'll see you around later. Good luck!"
With a quick wave, which was promptly returned, Gohan turned around and sped towards another part of the city. As he ran, a frown found its way to his face. The sheer brutality of the faux villains meant this was an incredibly dangerous exam, and it was only natural that people would get hurt as a result… and yet, the purpose of the exam was to rack up as many points as possibly by immobilising the robots.
Now that he thought about it deeper, it didn't make much sense that a practical exam for U.A. of all places wouldn't have a component that involved saving people. After all, was that not the main reason for heroism becoming a legitimate profession? Was U.A. not the school that stood on a pedestal as the definitive example of what an institution for budding heroes should be?
Gohan's eyes took on a determined sheen. A hidden layer to a seemingly straightforward practical exam like this was quite sneaky of the prestigious U.A., but he could definitely see the benefit of it, as it was a clever way to help separate those who wanted to be proper heroes from the glory hunters.
Of course, he could always be wrong, and this conclusion could just be a result of overthinking things… but somehow, Gohan doubted that. He grinned with a newfound enthusiasm. Now he had another reason to go out of his way to help people.
The next few minutes passed by in a blur for Gohan, as it consisted mainly of him zipping from one area to another, swiftly disposing of any robots he came across. Along the way, he made sure to stop and check if anyone needed help, whether it was from being trapped under rubble, cornered by the robots, or in too much pain to move. He'd even discarded his tracksuit jacket, having kindly donated it to a vivacious girl with an orange ponytail, whose own outfit was almost in tatters and at risk of leaving her body exposed.
Now, clad only in his green trackpants and a form-fitting white singlet, he found himself side by side with the angry blond boy from earlier. The two males glared heatedly at each other as they carved through a veritable army of robots with practiced ease, and despite his normally tranquil nature, Gohan found himself really wanting to outshine this guy.
"Stop stealing my kills, you cheap Spirit Squad bastard!" the volatile boy growled as he smacked away a robot with an explosive backhand. "Go get your own!"
"Maybe you should take your own advice, Blasty McSplode!" Gohan fired back, cleaving through several robots with a devastating hurricane kick – a move he'd picked up from Street Fighter. "I was here first!"
The blond swore under his breath and doubled his efforts, a flurry of large explosions bursting from his outstretched hands and blowing away numerous mechanical menaces. Gohan didn't like the guy, but he had to admit that as far as Quirks went, he had won the genetic lottery. He wasn't sure as to the specifics of how it worked, but the ability to generate explosions from the body was incredibly versatile.
As such, he felt it was only appropriate to dub him 'Blasty McSplode', a name which came to him in the heat of the moment. Inwardly, he was quite proud of himself for thinking it up.
A sudden tremor running through the ground made both boys come to a screeching halt. Their eyes met briefly before they both turned away and started surveying their immediate surroundings, trying to pinpoint where the tremor had come from, and what had caused it.
Another rumble ran through the ground, and then a third, and before Gohan knew it the city was shaking as though hit by an earthquake. Several buildings in the distance crumbled like a stack of dominos, giving birth to multiple plumes of smoke that quickly polluted the atmosphere. A multitude of screams sounded throughout the area as a monstrous silhouette of gigantic proportions appeared within the smoke cloud.
Gohan and Blasty McSplode remained unflinching, and stared into the smoke with no visible hints of trepidation. In doing so, they saw the hidden being take a mighty step forward, splitting the ground once more and blowing away the smoke clouding its terrifying form. Another round of screams reverberated through the ruined city, this time higher in both volume and intensity.
Gohan's eyes widened imperceptibly, while Blasty McSplode spat out a crude curse beside him. The source of the chaos was a monolithic robot that towered over even the tallest building in the cityscape.
Quickly identifying it as the zero-pointer Present Mic had warned them about, Gohan could now see that the robotic behemoth was an abominable amalgamation of the three faux villains they'd been facing up until now, and one that was swelled to an unbelievable size.
"Less than two minutes left!" boomed Present Mic's voice through speakers scattered across the city.
A mental calculation of the robots he'd defeated revealed to Gohan that he had accrued a good amount of points, and given what he'd seen from his fellow examinees, he was certain it was enough to pass the exam. Despite a small part of him briefly wondering about how strong the titanic zero-pointer was, he knew there was no real benefit to attacking the thing. Now that the majority of one to three-pointers were taken out, a far more pressing concern was making sure everyone else could escape the city unharmed.
With that plan in mind, Gohan turned around and set off towards where he'd heard the screaming students. However, upon realising that Blasty McSplode was nowhere to be seen, he stopped in his tracks and looked the other way. A sickening feeling welled up in the pit of his stomach, and his suspicions were confirmed when he saw the short-tempered boy sprinting towards the zero-pointer with reckless abandon.
"Blasty, wait!" he cried out with an outstretched arm, but his warning went unheeded. Instead, the blond propelled himself into the air by using his hands as makeshift jetpacks, and rocketed towards the zero-pointer's metallic facepiece while spewing a string of curses.
Gohan could only watch with horrified bemusement as Blasty McSplode's explosive onslaught failed to dent the colossal robot, and then had to facepalm when it caught the blond in a crushing grip and started squeezing. "Of course it had to be him," he muttered to himself with a resigned shake of the head. "That absolute dumbass."
With a groan of annoyance, Gohan took to the sky and reappeared before the behemoth with a burst of blinding speed. He severed the robot's arm with a simple knifehand strike, then made sure to grab Blasty McSplode by the scruff of his singlet before the volatile boy could plummet to the ground. Ignoring the vile swear words being screamed into his ear, Gohan thrust an open palm towards the torso of the zero-pointer and let loose a debilitating kiai wave.
The mechanical monstrosity's upper half instantly disintegrated, and the wind generated from the cataclysmic attack shattered the numerous windows of the buildings behind it. With its central processor now eviscerated, the bottom half of the robot's body toppled to the road below with a thunderous crash.
Hovering backwards to avoid the newly-formed plumes of smoke, Gohan lowered himself to the ground and let go of Blasty McSplode, who instantly fell on his backside and didn't get back up.
Alarmed at the reaction, Gohan held out a hand to the rescued boy and gave him a shaky smile. "You okay?"
Blasty McSplode didn't respond to Gohan's question. Instead, he stared wide-eyed into the distance, his mouth set in a firm frown. A few seconds passed in which nothing was said, and the demi-Saiyan grew concerned. However, before anything could come of this, the blond slapped away the offered hand and sprang to his feet. Without even looking back or saying a word to his rescuer, he briskly strode away.
Surprised at the abrupt dismissal, Gohan retracted his hand and scratched the back of his head with it. "I guess that's as good of a thanks as I'm ever going to get from that guy," he mused dryly.
"Time's up!" roared the seemingly omnipresent voice of Present Mic, drawing a series of relieved sighs from the examinees.
Never a fan of being the centre of attention, Gohan did his best to ignore the stunned stares of his peers as he set off for the exit at a quickened pace. While he by no means regretted his decision to save Blasty McSplode from the zero-pointer, he couldn't help but feel a slight surge of annoyance at the blond for his recklessness.
A part of him hoped to never see the blond again, as he didn't fancy having to deal with his unpleasant attitude… but something told him that wasn't likely to happen.
Fifteen minutes after the practical exam ended, Gohan met up with Sato at the front gate of U.A. One look at the wide grin on his friend's face told the demi-Saiyan all he needed to know. "I'm guessing you did well?"
"Aced it!" Sato beamed, giving Gohan a thumbs up. "You?"
Gohan chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "I'm pretty sure I did enough to pass."
Sato eyed the him suspiciously and stroked his chin. "I don't doubt that… but something tells me there's more to this story."
Gohan averted his gaze and whistled a jaunty tune. "Maybe."
Sato let out a hearty laugh. "Knew it! I can read you like a book, Son. You're not as discreet as you think you are." He leaned closer and grin widened. "Come on then! Let's hear it!"
"Another time," Gohan responded, making his friend pout. "I'm too tired right now."
"Ahh, that blows," Sato groaned, gently kicking the concrete. "I was going to ask if you wanted to check out the arcade near here, since we have the rest of the day off."
"Sorry, Sato," Gohan apologised, shaking his head sadly. "Right now, I just want to go home and catch up on sleep. We can go to the arcade tomorrow."
"Hey, don't worry about it!" Sato exclaimed, perking up again. He clapped Gohan on the back. "Get as much rest as you need, bro! It'll be a week before we get our U.A. acceptance letters, so we have plenty of time to hang out!"
Gohan smiled warmly. "Thanks for understanding. I really appreciate it."
With a parting fist bump, the two friends went their separate ways: Sato to the Musutafu arcade, and Gohan to his dreary Tokyo apartment.
The following week passed by in a pleasant blur for Gohan, and exactly seven days after the practical exam, he found himself staring excitedly at a small envelope that had been delivered to him earlier that morning. A shaky thumb traced over the famous U.A. symbol left by the stamp before stopping at the flap.
Gohan frowned. He knew he had done extremely well in the exam, so why did he feel a tinge of nervousness? His frown deepened and he shook his head, trying to compose himself. There was absolutely no reason to worry, and if Piccolo found out he was stressing out over something so trivial, he'd feel compelled to hurl his student into another mountain. It wouldn't hurt, but it'd definitely be a wakeup call.
The sudden reminder of his mentor's unorthodox teaching methods brought a smile to Gohan's face, but with it came an uncomfortable sensation of longing that he he'd become so adept at suppressing. Focusing on positive thoughts, he ripped open the envelope from U.A., and watched with a curious gaze as a small disk slid out onto the dining table.
In a most surprising event, a holographic projection of All Might in a striped yellow suit sprang to life, startling Gohan to such a degree that it made his jaw drop.
"Never fear, for I am here!" All Might bellowed, his booming voice carrying with it a charisma that was present even through the projection. "As a new teacher at U.A., I felt it appropriate to personally congratulate you, young Son, on your exemplary performance in the practical exam a week ago!"
By now Gohan had recovered sufficiently to pay rapt attention to the message, but the news that All Might of all people was going to be a teacher at U.A. was almost enough to floor him. However, he managed to keep his wits about him, and the monumental revelation caused a bright grin to slide onto his face.
"As you've probably noticed, there was a hidden component to the practical exam!" All Might continued, a sparkling smile adorning his proud features. "You see, we weren't just watching to see who could take down the most villains and amass the most points! While that was indeed a factor in who passed and who didn't, we were also keeping track of each examinee's rescue points!"
Gohan's grin widened. 'I knew it!'
"A hero course that rejects those who do the right thing… is no hero course at all!" the Number One Hero roared, spiritedly clenching his fist. "Another fundamental way for U.A. to evaluate its prospective students is to see which ones go out of their way to help others, even in a competitive setting! After all, the main reason we strive to be heroes is to help those in need!
"You, young Son, have set a U.A. record with your spectacular score in the practical exam, narrowly beating my own, might I add," All Might remarked with a chuckle. "With 56 villain points and a whopping 90 rescue points, you have cemented your place at the very pinnacle of the first-year rankings!"
Gohan's eyes bulged at the information. He knew had done well in the exam, but hearing that he had set the U.A. record in the process came as a massive shock.
"However, while you should take immense pride in your wonderful achievement, you mustn't allow yourself to get complacent!" All Might added, wagging his finger. "The school year is yet to begin, and when it does, you'll have many more trials and tribulations to face; ones that make the entrance exam look like child's play! However, from what I've seen, I have no doubt that you will continue to shine, and I look forward to helping you on your journey to become a splendid hero!"
With one final thumbs up from the legendary hero, the projection cut out, and Gohan was left staring at a blank wall. His heart was beating like a drum from the excitement, so he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.
He didn't know what to expect from U.A.'s acceptance letter, but seeing All Might welcome him personally was a most pleasant surprise. The Number One Hero's words resonated with him, and reaffirmed his belief that he made the right choice in aspiring to become a pro hero.
The Golden Blur was great, but there was only so much good he could do as a vigilante who kept his identity a secret. No… he needed to become a proper hero, and going to U.A. was the best way to make that happen.
Gohan leaned back in his chair and let a serene smile cross his lips. He wondered what Piccolo and his parents would say if they found out he was going to become a professional hero.
Piccolo probably wouldn't show any outward emotion, but Gohan had no doubt his mentor would be sending him proud smiles when he thought he wasn't looking. He'd already managed to catch the Namekian in the act a few times, and his reflexes had only gotten better since then.
His father would be overjoyed that he'd kept up his training, and would undoubtedly support his career path because it involved fighting. Heck, he might even consider becoming a pro hero himself if it meant he got to fight strong opponents. The prospect of Son Goku donning a Piccolo-esque cape and Vegeta's Saiyan armour while posing like All Might was a hilarious one, and Gohan couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.
His mother would likely be aghast that such a dangerous profession existed, but once she got over her shock, she would be happy for him… probably more so because he'd get to study at the top educational institution in the country than anything, but it still counted.
Gohan sighed sombrely. Try as he might, there were times when he couldn't help but contemplate what his friends and family were up to. How were they coping with him being gone? How long did it take them to get over his disappearance, if they even did at all? What were they doing right now? He was out there most nights trying to find a way back… but were they doing the same?
He loved his friends and family deeply, and he had no doubt they were doing everything in their power to try and get him back home. But even he couldn't deny that it had been five years since he'd arrived in this world, and he was no closer to finding a way back now than when he started. That was cause for concern.
What if there wasn't a way back, and he was stuck in this world forever?
The sudden vibrating of his phone provided a welcome distraction, and he quickly grabbed it while blinking a few times to clear away the faint wetness in his eyes. His spirits lifted slightly after seeing that he'd received a text message from Sato.
I got in, and I know you did too, so come round mine in the next 30 minutes to celebrate! I got a bunch of cakes baking in the oven, and I still owe you an ass kicking in Fatal Fury 2 for the crap you pulled last time we played! Don't be late!
Gohan couldn't help but laugh at his friend's bluntness, nor could he stop the rumbling of his stomach at the mention of cakes. With his mood now sufficiently brightened, he stood up from his chair and went to get dressed.
Today was indeed a worthy occasion to celebrate.
AN: Well, we're finally at U.A. I hope you all enjoyed Gohan's first meeting with Bakugo – that was something I've been looking forward to writing ever since I first decided to do this crossover. Next chapter should also be a lot of fun, as it will have Gohan meeting the rest of Class 1-A, so I hope you guys are looking forward to it.
An interesting challenge I had with this chapter was trying to write a version of Gohan that was still very much the Gohan we all know from the manga/anime… but also a Gohan who had a vastly different upbringing. Instead of spending his adolescence under Chi-Chi's watchful eye, he spent his teenage years in a dingy, run-down school, with no parental supervision. While he would still grow up with the same values instilled in him by his friends and family back in the Dragon Ball world, the influence of people like Sato, his teachers and the other students at the school would play a part in shaping his personality. Hopefully I managed to pull it off well.
Moving on, I should also mention that I've been absolutely floored by how much positive attention this story has received. Those of you who have favourited, followed, and especially those of you who have left reviews… I can't thank you guys enough. I'm thrilled to know that there are so many people out there enjoying my writing, and I'll try to do my absolute best to keep on delivering.
As always, any further reviews would be very much appreciated, as they give me the best motivation to keep on writing. So, if you have the time and want to let me know what you think of the story, please consider doing so.
Until next time!
