The Symbol of Peace and Justice

Chapter 6 – Kicking Ass and Making Rivals

"Holy crap! It's Son vs Todoroki!" Kirishima gasped.

Kaminari clenched a sparkling fist. "This match is gonna be lit!"

"Don't forget about Yaoyorozu and Shoji," Asui croaked. "Neither of them are pushovers."

"Man, I'm getting goosebumps!" Hagakure chirped giddily.

"Everyone, please calm down!" Iida pleaded. "Give the combatants some breathing room!"

Iida's request wasn't heeded, and the enthusiasm in the room grew until it was almost palpable. Gohan, however, shut out the excited murmurs of his classmates and locked eyes with Todoroki. He didn't narrow his eyes or shoot the heterochromic boy a glare; he simply responded to the silent threat with a simple yet unwavering stare, letting his classmate know he wasn't to be trifled with. Gohan had no idea what he'd done to set Todoroki off, but he wasn't in the mood to stand for his juvenile crap.

All Might cleared his throat, and all the commotion in the room ceased. The legendary hero grinned. "If I could please get the four lucky fighters to follow me, I'll lead you to Battle Building B! As for the rest of you, please wait here!"

With one last furrowing of the brow from Todoroki, he set off after All Might, Shoji trailing behind him. Gohan waited for a moment before following them, Yaoyorozu at his side. He caught her confused look in the periphery of his vision, but was thankful when she chose to stay silent.

After the group had arrived next to a door outside the battle building, All Might handed each student a map, capture tape and transceiver. "Young Son, young Yaoyorozu, remember to adopt a villainous mindset for this exercise," he suggested sternly, beckoning them through the door. "Go all out, but don't go overboard like young Bakugo did. Should that happen, I won't hesitate to step in."

"Of course, sensei," Yaoyorozu replied, while Gohan nodded his affirmation.

The grin returned to All Might's face. "Excellent! Good luck to the both of you!"

The 'villain' pair were silent as they traversed down the corridors, studying their maps as they walked. It didn't take too long to reach their destination, which was a small, mostly unassuming room with a few pillars and barrels scattered about. The only noteworthy thing in the area was the large, black papier-mâché bomb they were supposed to protect.

Gohan stroked his chin as he pondered their predicament. "The only ways into the room are the door we just came through and the windows at the back," he observed. "In theory, we're in an easily defensible location… although I'm not letting my guard down."

"A smart approach," Yaoyorozu praised as she started doing some basic stretches. "I think we can safely rule out the windows as an entrance point, as I highly doubt our opponents can fly. That in itself is an incredibly rare ability, and if either of them possessed it, surely we'd already be aware of it."

Gohan couldn't help the tiny quirk of his lip, but it went as quickly as it came. "So that just leaves the door. Alternatively, we could just carry the bomb elsewhere, to throw the heroes off guard." A light chuckle slipped from his mouth at that remark. "I can't say I imagined I'd be roleplaying as a villain on only the second day of school. I don't suppose you have any pointers on how to be one of the bad guys?" When he didn't receive a response, he glanced over at his partner and saw that she was staring at him with a strangely focused expression. Startled, he stepped back a bit, instantly feeling self-conscious. "Y-Yaoyorozu? You okay?"

The dark-haired girl gasped at being caught in the act, but quickly composed herself and gave him a bashful smile. "Forgive me for getting us side-tracked, Son, but I have to ask. Is there a problem between you and Todoroki?"

Gohan paused momentarily, then sighed. He figured she'd ask sooner or later. At least she waited until they were alone. "Honestly? I don't have a clue," he admitted, scratching the back of his head. "That guy's been looking at me weird ever since yesterday. He clearly has some issue with me, but I don't know what it could be. I've never even spoken to him before."

Yaoyorozu seemed to ponder this information for a moment before her eyes suddenly lit up. "It's possible he sees you as a threat to his dominance, so he wants to prove himself your superior in combat. It's typical alpha male behaviour. I read about it in an encyclopedia."

Gohan blanched at her deduction. "Wh-what?! We're in high school, not the animal kingdom!" he exclaimed, almost toppling over out of sheer shock. "I'm not interested in any of that macho stuff!"

Yaoyorozu shrugged, unperturbed by his outburst. "It was just a thought. Doesn't mean I'm right. I do think it makes sense though, given what I know about Todoroki."

"Team B and Team C – you may begin!" All Might's voice boomed over the PA system.

Gohan wiped his brow, thankful for their teacher's interruption. It gave him a few brief moments to gather his bearings. "R-regardless of what Todoroki's problem with me is, I wouldn't put it past him to do something outrageous or try and go it solo. He doesn't seem like much of a team player."

"Yes, I got that impression as well," Yaoyorozu agreed. "Perhaps it would be wise for me to set up a barrier of some sort in the doorway? It won't hold for long, as both Todoroki and Shoji possess formidable firepower, but it would let us know when an attack is coming. It would also give us more time to shore up our defences and maybe set up some turrets or tripwires."

Gohan flashed the girl a smile. That Quirk of hers was something else. "Great idea! Go for it!"

Yaoyorozu returned the smile and set off for the door, only to stop in her tracks when a faint crackling sound was heard in the distance. Gohan also froze, turning his attention to the doorway where the foreign sound was rapidly raising its volume. His jaw then dropped when a miniature tidal wave of ice flooded the room, freezing everything in its path.

Seeing his partner recoil in shock, Gohan darted forward and scooped her into his arms, bridal style. Ignoring both her surprised yelp and how amazingly smooth her skin felt, he levitated into the air and out of range of the onrushing ice.

When she realised what had just happened, Yaoyorozu gasped. "S-Son! You're… flying!"

Gohan chucked nervously and gave a sheepish grin. "Heh, yeah, I guess I am. Umm… surprise?"

"I can't believe it," she mumbled breathlessly. "To think you were capable of this, too…" She then shook her head and her eyes hardened. "But that's not important. We need to quickly figure out a c-c-c-counterattack."

Gohan's eyes widened. Yaoyorozu had clearly tried to hide it, but he knew what chattering teeth sounded like when he heard it. That, and the goosebumps that suddenly formed along her skin, showed him that she was freezing. He frowned at that and flared his ki a faint amount, letting it wash over his partner. When he felt her shaking stop, he let out a relieved sigh.

"Wh-what did you just do?" she whispered with some wonderment.

"I noticed you were cold, so I warmed you up with my ki – the energy I can manipulate with my Quirk," he explained. "As long as you're in contact with me, you won't feel the cold."

Yaoyorozu exhaled deeply. "Thank you, Son. Just let me catch my breath for a moment and I'll be able to whip up something warm to wear."

Gohan smiled. "Anytime. Now, about this… mess," he said, gesturing to the ice-covered room. "If you want, I can smash the ice to give us some stable footing to stand on."

Yaoyorozu shook her head. "That's not necessary. Todoroki probably thinks he's got us frozen, so we can take advantage of that and set up an ambush for him. If his ice is undisturbed, he'll be far less likely to believe his plan failed, and much easier to trick."

"Alright, let's go with that," Gohan remarked, impressed by the girl's quick-thinking. His idea was a lot simpler to execute, but he was immensely curious about the different ways she could apply her Quirk. "We don't have much time, though, so do you think you can carry out your plan before Todoroki makes it up here?"

"Of course," she stated confidently. To show that she had sufficiently recovered, she placed a hand over her exposed stomach. Gohan then watched with rapt attention as the area she was focusing on started to glow, and then opened his mouth in amazement as she pulled a large fur coat from her skin.

'Incredible,' he thought to himself. He'd seen what this Quirk could do from afar during the Quirk Apprehension Test, but to see it right up close was a whole other experience. It was mesmerising. Breathtaking, even.

Yaoyorozu then tilted her head towards him, and Gohan could swear there was a barely perceptible tinge of red on her cheeks. "Could you please put me down now?" she requested politely.

Gohan's sudden blush at those words, however, was far more pronounced, and there wasn't a thing he could do to hide it. "Oh! Ahh, s-sure, of course!"

He floated towards the ground and gently set Yaoyorozu on her feet, not letting go until he was positive she wouldn't fall. When he finally removed his hands, she wobbled slightly, but quickly righted herself and wrapped the coat she made around her body. She then plopped onto the ground and, much like before, placed a hand over her stomach. This time, the creation she concocted was a pair of blue ice skates, which she promptly placed over her boots.

"Would you like me to make you some?" she offered politely, to which Gohan shook his head.

"Thanks for the offer, but I prefer flying," he replied. He also didn't know how to use ice skates as he'd never gone skating before, but he wasn't going to admit that.

Yaoyorozu chuckled. "Oh yeah, you can do that. It's so surreal I almost forgot."

Gohan sheepishly averted his gaze and rubbed his arm. "Yeah…"

He felt a brief flash of unease at the thought of how his other classmates would react to seeing him fly, but let it pass him by. While he still hated being the centre of attention – it made him feel like some freak show at the local circus – he knew he had to get used to it if he wanted to be a pro hero with a face instead of just a vigilante skulking around in the shadows.

"What do you think we should go with? A tripwire, flashbang grenade, gas mine or something else entirely?" Yaoyorozu asked, breaking Gohan from his stupor. "If I had more time I could set a double or triple-layered trap, like a bucket of paint which would drop on Todoroki's head, but this will have to do for now."

Gohan raised an eyebrow, impressed at her versatility. "Go with the tripwire. We'll wait on either side of the door, so if Shoji comes too, we'll be prepared." At his partner's inquisitive look, he elaborated. "Whoever steps through the door first will activate the tripwire and be incapacitated. I'll quickly put my capture tape on them, and then join you in fighting off whoever's still standing."

Yaoyorozu nodded, pleased with the plan. "Let's get to work then."

Gohan didn't have anything to do at first other than watch Yaoyorozu set up a tripwire at the foot of the door. When she was done, she formed a dark grey bo staff using her Quirk and took her place at the right side of the entrance.

The demi-Saiyan situated himself on the opposite side of the doorway and eyed her curiously. "You know bojutsu?" he whispered.

"It's my preferred fighting style," she responded coolly.

Gohan chuckled under his breath. This girl was something else. Just where did her talents end?

His expression then turned serious when the distant clanging of footsteps reached his ears. He locked eyes with Yaoyorozu and nodded, receiving one in return which confirmed that she too had heard the noise. The pair then waited, their breathing shallow, as the footsteps drew closer and closer.

Upon reaching the outside of the doorway, the footsteps ceased. After a few moments of silence, Gohan clenched his fist, about to jump out and attack Todoroki, but a shake of the head from his partner brought that plan to a halt. He would trust her judgement.

Yaoyorozu's intuition was instantly proven correct when the familiar red and white hair of Todoroki appeared in the doorway. Not even a second later, he was toppling forward like a collapsing domino. Gohan would've found the sight amusing had he not noticed the subtle bending of Todoroki's body, his arms simultaneously moving to make the motion of a turning wheel.

An impressive feat, Gohan had to admit. To be able to execute a perfect forward the very instant his feet became caught in a trap spoke volumes about how good Todoroki's reaction speed was. Unfortunately, just having good reaction speed wasn't enough to save him.

Keeping his speed low enough to be trackable, Gohan waited until Todoroki was midway through his roll, then leapt forward and rammed his knee into the heterochromic boy's spine. Todoroki cried out in pain as his body flattened itself against the ground, but oddly enough said nothing when Gohan moved his arms behind his back and handcuffed him with capture tape.

He found this behaviour odd, but ultimately chalked it up to Todoroki's stoic, emotionless demeanour. Since he hadn't heard any further signs of conflict, he took that as a sign that Todoroki came alone. How unsurprisingly arrogant.

Just as he was about to rejoin Yaoyorozu, he noticed a chilling sensation in his hands. His eyes snapped to where the pain was coming from, then bulged when they picked up a layer of ice slowly spreading up his fingers. Gohan growled. "What are you playing at, Todoroki? You know you lost, right?" However, the captured combatant didn't back down, making the demi-Saiyan sigh. "Alright then. You asked for it."

Ripping his hands away from Todoroki's body, Gohan disintegrated the ice encasing them with a quick flare of ki. He then pressed a finger to the back of Todoroki's neck and felt the heterochromic boy's body go limp before him.

Gohan then let out another sigh and rose to his feet, shaking some blood into his hands. That could've gone smoother.

"What happened?" an alarmed Yaoyorozu questioned.

"The cheeky jerk tried to freeze my hands after I'd already put the capture tape on him, so I knocked him out," he replied.

Yaoyorozu huffed and knelt down by Todoroki's prone form, inspecting him for wounds. Gohan wearily rubbed his temples. "I didn't hurt him. I just put him to sleep by hitting a pressure point on the nape of his neck," he explained. "He'll wake up on his own in about an hour or so with nothing more than a minor headache."

Yaoyorozu exhaled, relieved at the news. She stood up and stared at Todoroki's unconscious figure, frowning. "I never expected him to break the rules like that."

"Yeah, well, I didn't know what to expect from that guy to begin with," Gohan grumbled, crossing his arms. "I have to say I'm surprised he came alone, though. I didn't think he was so cocky to assume he could take both of us out on his own."

Yaoyorozu pursed her lips. "I'm guessing he thought freezing the building would be enough to immobilise us… although to be fair, I'm not sure how I would've countered his attack if you weren't there to fly me out of harm's way."

"I'm sure you would've figured something out," Gohan murmured, walking over to the windows at the back of the room and staring at the road below. "You think Shoji is out there, waiting for All Might to announce his team as the winners?"

"It's the most likely situation," Yaoyorozu replied, skating over to stand beside him. "Since he didn't have the appropriate footwear to walk on ice, Todoroki probably told him to stay outside. That said, if he doesn't receive any word that Todoroki's plan worked, he might try and come up here anyway."

Gohan nodded. That was a reasonable deduction. "We can either take the initiative and attack Shoji while he's not expecting it, or we can reinforce our defences here and wait for him to come to us," he suggested. "Or we can just split up and do both at once."

"We should split up," Yaoyorozu remarked. "Sun Tzu traditionally advised against using the pincer manoeuvre, as it would make your enemy to fight more ferociously since they don't have the option to retreat, but in this instance I think it would be best to cover all our bases."

Gohan chuckled, once again finding himself impressed at his partner's wealth of knowledge. The Art of War wasn't exactly common reading material. "It's a plan. So, do you want to go and confront Shoji, or would you rather stay up here and lay traps?" he asked her.

Yaoyorozu raised an eyebrow in his direction, then let out a light laugh. "While I appreciate the vote of confidence, I think it best we stick to what we specialise in," she answered, a hint of mirth in her voice.

"Just making sure," Gohan explained, grinning in return. He then pointed a thumb at Todoroki's unconscious figure. "What do you think we should do with him? We can leave him here, or I can take him with me as a bargaining chip."

"That depends on whether you think you need a bargaining chip," Yaoyorozu replied smoothly, turning around and making her way towards the door.

Gohan stared at the spot she'd just occupied, then looked away to hide his flushed cheeks. 'She's so cool!' he gushed inwardly before shaking those distracting thoughts from his head. He could dwell on them later.

Once he was fully focused, Gohan pried open the window and slipped outside. Seeing that no one was situated directly beneath him, he floated around the battle building, scanning the ground below for any sight of Shoji. It didn't take him long at all the find the multiple-armed boy, who was casually standing outside the building's main entrance with his arms crossed, his expression unreadable due to the facemask he always wore.

It was an amateur mistake, standing out in the open like that. Even if he was certain of his team's victory, he still had to remain vigilant until the very end. On the bright side, this allowed Gohan some time to properly formulate his plan of attack. So, with a finger on his chin, he tried to put himself in the shoes of an actual villain. If he was a bad guy, what would he do?

The answer came to him within seconds, and the corner of his lip quirked. He rubbed his hands gleefully, looking forward to what was to come. He'd always wanted to try monologuing, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Channelling a Piccolo-like glare to make himself look more dastardly, Gohan landed behind Shoji with a thud, his forceful descent making a small crack in the pavement. The 'hero' jumped and quickly swivelled around to face the source of the noise. When he saw what it was, his eyes bulged.

"Hello, Shoji," Gohan greeted, allowing some ice to seep into his tone.

"Son! Where did you come from?" Shoji exclaimed. To his credit, he wasn't showing any sign of distress, nor was he backing down.

"I've been watching you, Shoji. Rather bold of you to just stand around out in the open like that, not a care in the world for your poor partner," Gohan chided, crossing his arms for emphasis. "Not very heroic, don't you think?"

Shoji clenched his fists and sighed. "So Todoroki's plan was a bust, then? I knew I shouldn't have let him go off on his own."

"Even if you were there, you wouldn't have helped, "Gohan taunted, an uncharacteristic smirk spreading across his lips. "Shall I regale you with the tale of how Todoroki was taken out? It all started when-"

"Enough!" Shoji shouted, interrupting the demi-Saiyan mid-sentence. "I know what you're trying to do, Son, and I'm not falling for it. Let's just get this over with."

His piece said, Shoji's six arms extended out from his body, taking on the appearance of malformed butterfly wings. When combined with his massive size and impressive musculature, the multiple-armed boy's octopus-like appearance made him look incredibly imposing by student standards.

Gohan had seen much worse, however, and slipped into a stance of his own. He swivelled his body to the right and shifted his head in Shoji's direction, all the while moving his right arm until it was in front of his chest, bent 90 degrees at the elbow. His opened hand made a slight clawing motion, the palm facing the ground and the fingers pointing towards his opponent. His left arm was positioned in the exact same way, only it was located beside his hip, with the fingers pointing the same way his body was facing.

Knees bent the tiniest amount, Gohan started lightly bouncing up and down on the spot, his eyes boring into Shoji's. "Bring it."

After a few seconds of tense silence, Shoji lunged forward with his three right fists cocked back, and once he came within range, thrust them at his foe with an impressive speed belying his size.

The moment he saw the fists coming his way, Gohan dug his toes into the ground, and using his bent knees as a spring, launched himself into the air with his right fist extending into a rising uppercut. "Shoryuken!"

Gohan's knuckles crashed into the underside of Shoji's chin, lifting his hulking body a few metres off the ground and making it arc backwards. Not wanting to risk his classmate suffering severe injuries on his descent, the demi-Saiyan darted forward and caught him before he could collide with the hard concrete below, then gently set him on his back.

Since Gohan had held back a huge portion of his strength, Shoji was still conscious, but he was left dazed and panting exhaustedly, clearly in no shape to continue fighting. Without any resistance to hinder him, he took out his capture tape and wrapped it around one of his opponent's arms.

"The match is over! Team C are the victors!" All Might bellowed over the PA.

Gohan smiled kindly at his fallen foe and held out a hand. "Sorry about all those things I said. I was just trying to get in character."

With noticeable effort, Shoji accepted the offered arm and allowed himself to be pulled back to his feet. "No need to apologize, Son," he wheezed, trying to catch his breath. "We fought fair and square, and you beat me easily. Thanks for stopping me from hitting the ground, by the way."

"No worries," Gohan responded.

"Still, your strength is no joke," Shoji remarked, rubbing his chin. "I didn't even see the move you used on me. One second you're in front of me, then the next thing I know you're gone and I'm being hit by what feels like a sledgehammer."

Gohan gave a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah… sorry about that. Have you ever played Street Fighter?" At Shoji's shake of the head, he elaborated. "It's a fighting game I really like, and the Shoryuken is a move used by one of my favourite characters. I've always wanted to try using it myself, but I never had the chance up until now."

Shoji let out a light chuckle. "You're something else, Son."

Before the two could continue talking, the sound of booming footsteps heading towards them drew their attention. Tracing the source led the pair to a beaming All Might striding down the road, his pearly teeth sparkling in the sunlight.

"Spectacular effort, young Son! Truly spectacular!" the legendary hero commended, walking up to said boy and clapping him on the back. "When I saw what young Todoroki was up to I thought you and young Yaoyorozu were toast, but you've gone and proved me wrong! Truly a fabulous spectacle! And to think your Quirk was capable of flight, too? Believe me when I say neither I nor your classmates were expecting that!"

That caught Shoji off guard. "Wait, you can fly? So that's how you got all the way here…" he muttered, sounding impressed.

Gohan's cheeks turned a fierce shade of cherry and he averted his gaze. "Th-thanks, All Might-sensei."

Yaoyorozu suddenly skated out the door, dragging behind her a sled that a sleeping Todoroki was strapped to. Upon seeing Gohan standing with Shoji and All Might, an enchanting grin broke out on her face. "I knew you could do it, Son!" she commented, making him want to sink into the ground out of sheer embarrassment. All the praise he was getting – and was likely to get – was starting to overwhelm him.

"It only took him one attack, too," Shoji grumbled.

Yaoyorozu's eyes widened imperceptibly at the admission, but the grin didn't leave her face. "Is that so? Well, I honestly can't say I'm surprised."

"Indeed, indeed, but this is not the place to discuss such things, my dear pupils!" All Might interjected. "Follow me to the rest of your classmates, where we can have a proper debrief!"

Gohan paled. "Umm, All Might-sensei, would it be alright if I took Todoroki to the nurse myself?" he asked nervously. "I'm also worried about Midoriya and would like to go check up on him."

All Might simply laughed. "I'm thrilled to hear that you care so much about your classmates, and I will permit you to take young Todoroki to the nurse…" Gohan's spirits lifted. "But not before we have our debrief! Self-reflection and peer evaluation is just as important to learning as learning itself, you know?" And with that, Gohan's stomach dropped. He sighed inwardly, resigning himself to the idea that this wasn't something he was getting out of. Then again, perhaps it was better to get it out of the way.

All Might lifted Todoroki, who was now unstrapped from the sled, and slung him over his shoulder. He then set off towards the monitor room, beckoning the three still-conscious combatants to follow him.

It was silent as they walked. Shoji was still somewhat upset that he'd lost so easily – that much was obvious. Yaoyorozu, on the other hand, was acting rather strange. She seemed to be lost in her own world for one reason or another, and while he wanted to know what was troubling the girl, Gohan didn't want to bother her. Instead, he tried to mentally prepare himself for the fanfare that was inevitably going to be directed his way.

Before too long, the trio and their teacher reached their destination, and as soon as Gohan stepped a single foot into the monitor room, he was surrounded, and his senses were overwhelmed. Numerous voices assaulted him at once, and he could barely make out who was speaking.

"Dude, that was fucking incredible!" a male voice praised; probably Kaminari, as he was the only one other than Blasty who spoke with such casual vulgarity.

"Dazzling! Simply dazzling! Almost as dazzling as moi!" Aoyama – it could only be Aoyama – chirped.

A hand, most likely Kirishima's, clapped him on the back. "Bro, you went full on beast mode, and it was epic!"

"You actually used the Shoryuken?! I thought you were just kidding about that! You absolute madman!" Sato exclaimed giddily. His voice was easily recognisable.

"You have to take me flying sometime! Like, no joke, you have to do it! I'll pay you in milkshakes!" a girl, probably Ashido, spoke excitedly.

"Do you also have some bird in you?" an unfamiliar voice asked quietly.

"Cut it out, everyone! Can't you see you're overwhelming him!" Iida commanded, his authoritative tone unmistakable.

At that, the students around Gohan separated, all of them looking varying degrees of embarrassed. He let out a few deep breaths, resolving to thank Iida later for his intervention. Things were getting way too uncomfortable back there.

"Sorry about that, Son," Kirishima mumbled, his cheeks as crimson as his hair. "We were just so excited and didn't- holy crap! You really did KO Todoroki!"

"Ooh," the class chorused in wonderment, all eyes now on a bemused All Might, who was placing an unconscious Todoroki on a stretcher.

The Number One Hero coughed into his hand and grinned. "An-anyway, since you're all paying attention now, let me ask you: who should be awarded the MVP for this match?"

Everyone other than Blasty and Koda raised their hands, startling the teacher. Once he regained his composure, he pointed at Jiro.

"Son, obviously," the purple-haired girl replied.

"And why is that?" All Might pressed.

Jiro rolled her eyes but answered nonetheless. "He saved Yaoyorozu from being frozen, knocked out Todoroki with one finger and oneshot Shoji."

All Might nodded. "Your observations are indeed correct, young Jiro! Does anyone have anything to add, or perhaps disagree with?"

"Son easily took care of Todoroki and Shoji, and didn't break a sweat doing so," Asui added. "It was clear he could've kept going even if he had more opponents to fight."

"Astutely put, young Asui! Anyone else?"

Iida raised his hand. "Son showed how versatile he is with his Quirk and was even cognisant enough to stop Shoji's head from hitting the ground when they fought. He also displayed impressive reaction speed when he pounced on and immobilised Todoroki, who looked like he was about to recover from the trap that was set for him."

"Well said, my boy! Anyone else?" When no one volunteered, the All Might chuckled. "My dear pupils, each and every compliment you just gave young Son is one hundred percent correct! But you're giving young Yaoyorozu far too little credit!"

Said girl's mouth hung open in shock. "Sensei?"

"While you may not have been the flashiest fighter on the field, your contributions cannot be overlooked!" All Might exclaimed, giving her a thumbs up. "You showed you were capable of quickly thinking up plans on the spot, such as when you discouraged young Son from breaking young Todoroki's ice, so that you could incorporate it into a trap of your own making. That is a sign of exceptional leadership!"

Yaoyorozu flushed at the unexpected praise being sent her way, while Gohan smiled. She deserved every bit of it.

"Furthermore," All Might continued, "while your partner's use of his Quirk was highly impressive, you exhibited more versatility with yours! You created equipment to help you cope with the cold, threw together several traps, and even made a sled with which to transport your fallen classmate after the battle had finished! A stupendous display, young lady!"

"Thank you, All Might-sensei," Yaoyorou responded, bowing her head.

The Number One Hero clenched his shaking fist excitedly. "Having said all that, I cannot ignore young Son's efforts either, which have already been spoken about in length! Given how influential he was in the end, it's only right to award him the MVP… although it wasn't a clear-cut decision by any means! Still, congratulations are in order! Superb effort, young man!"

While the rest of the class gave him a light round of applause, Gohan bowed to his teacher. "Thank you, sensei. It means a lot." Truly, it did. He didn't care about a superficial title that ultimately amounted to nothing, but having one of his biggest idols acknowledge him warmed his heart, and helped reaffirm that he made the right choice in aspiring to become a pro hero.

While the rest of the class was conversing among themselves, All Might walked over to Gohan and presented Todoroki's stretcher. "Here you go, my boy. You're free to take young Todoroki to the nurse's office. If any teacher asks you what you're doing, just show them this out of class pass," he explained, handing the demi-Saiyan a slip of paper. "Had you not done what you did, I would've called the match off due to young Todoroki breaking the rules." He then scratched his chin. "I can't exactly say I condone you taking matters into your own hands and knocking him out, but at least you kept it as harmless as possible. Excellent technique, too. Next time, however, leave it to the teachers, okay?"

Gohan gulped, but nodded nonetheless. "I'll keep that in mind, sir."

All Might grinned. "Of that I have no doubt. In the meantime, I'll be sure to have a word with young Todoroki about his behaviour when he wakes up."

Wiping away the single single bead of sweat trailing down his temple, Gohan made way for the exit, but a hand on his shoulder halted his progress. "Hey hotshot, where do you think you're off to?" the familiar voice of his best friend inquired.

"I'm taking Todoroki to the nurse, then I'm going to check on Midoriya," Gohan revealed.

Sato huffed. "Well hurry your ass up so you can make it back in time for my match. It's going to blow yours out of the water."

Gohan chuckled. "In that case, don't disappoint me."

With that, he departed the room, but not before seeing Yaoyorozu shoot him a strange, almost despondent look that he didn't have a clue how to interpret. The thought made him frown, and it continued bugging him all the way to the nurse's office. Fortunately, he wasn't stopped along the way by any roaming teacher. While he did have a note from All Might, he still wasn't keen on having to awkwardly explain why he was lugging around his unconscious classmate.

A black sign above a closed door alerted Gohan that he'd reached his destination, so he went ahead and knocked. Seconds later, the door opened up to reveal a tiny old lady with grey hair, and a pink and purple visor on her head, who was wearing doctor's coat. This could only be Recovery Girl, unfittingly dubbed the Youthful Heroine.

"About time you got here," she remarked, stepping aside to allow her visitor entrance. "I was wondering what was taking All Might so long."

"Debriefing," Gohan clarified, wheeling Todoroki's stretcher into the room.

"I figured that was the case," Recovery Girl mused. "That All Might sure does like to waffle on more than is necessary. Anyway, put those muscles of yours to good use and place Todoroki on the bed beside Midoriya's."

Sparing a worried glance at his sleeping friend, Gohan did as he was told. Once he was done, he quickly glanced around the room, taking in his surroundings. It was quite a small area, with pale blue floors and a similarly-coloured wall. A few diplomas and medical diagrams were hanging above Recovery Girl's desk, which contained a desktop computer situated beside multiple folders. Three basic beds were placed alongside each other, separated by white medical curtains.

All in all, it looked rather cosy for what it was supposed to be, but it still wasn't a place Gohan wanted to find himself in. He'd had an aversion to doctors' offices ever since waking up in one after his unceremonious arrival to this world.

"Hmm, you really did a number on this boy, yet there's no sign of physical trauma," Recovery Girl observed, prodding Todoroki's body with a bony finger while Gohan looked away sheepishly. "You're as impressive as my brother says you are."

That caught him off guard. "Brother? What do you mea- wait, you're Dr Shuzenji's sister!" he exclaimed once he'd connected the dots, his eyes widening at the revelation.

Recovery Girl let out a light chuckle. "Shuzenji Chiyo at your service, but you may call me Dr Shuzenji… or Recovery Girl, whichever you prefer."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Gohan stated, bowing graciously.

"And you," the smiling old lady replied. "Just don't make a habit of it like Midoriya here."

Gohan frowned and scanned over the green-haired boy, who looked to be resting peacefully despite the bandages covering his right arm and the IV drip in his left. "How is he?"

"He'll be fine with some bed rest," Recovery Girl explained. "His injuries right now are mostly superficial."

Gohan pursed his lips. He got the feeling Recovery Girl wasn't being entirely truthful, but he didn't hold it against her. Doctor-patient confidentiality was a serious thing, and he knew better than most the value of privacy. He just hoped Midoriya's diagnostics weren't overly concerning.

A buzzing off to the side drew his attention, coming from Recovery Girl's phone. She took one look at it and then huffed, unamused. "The principal needs to see me. Be a dear and look after these two until I get back, will you?" she asked sweetly. "I shouldn't be gone too long."

Gohan smiled. "Of course. That's not a problem at all."

"Good boy," Recovery Girl said. She opened a drawer on her desk and took out a large jar of sweets, which she placed beside her computer. "Help yourself to some gummy candies while you wait."

Gohan nodded his affirmation, then watched the elderly nurse exit the room. Once he was alone, he took a seat at her chair and stared sombrely at his green-haired friend's unconscious form. "Well, you didn't take my advice in the end," he chided gently, chewing on a gummy bear. "Still, I have to give you credit. Your willingness to put your body on the line is beyond reckless, but it says a lot about how much you're willing to sacrifice for the sake of your dream. For that, you have my respect."

Midoriya didn't stir, which was to be expected given his condition. Gohan's frown deepened. The freckled boy's Quirk was eerily similar to the Kaio-ken technique his father once used. Both powers gave the user a temporary strength boost of immense proportions but were ultimately harmful on the body.

Goku eventually overcame these drawbacks through intense training, but Midoriya was eons away from the elder Son's level. The risk of him causing himself irreparable damage before he could master his Quirk was all too real, and all too terrifying. It was an awfully unfair predicament, and Gohan would hate for his friend's dream to be dashed because of some self-inflicted freak accident.

The only resolution he could come up with was to take Midoriya under his wing and train him to control his abilities. Gohan readily accepted that he was a complete novice as a martial arts instructor, but he couldn't just sit back and watch his friend destroy himself – not when he had an inkling of how to help. After all, was that not what constituted a hero?

"It's not often you see a look so determined on the face of one so young."

Gohan almost jumped out of the chair at the sudden voice and snapped his head to the source to see Shuzenji Chiyo standing in the doorway, staring at him with a pensive expression. "R-Recovery Girl! I didn't hear you come in!"

"What troubles you, child?" the kind old lady questioned. "It has to be something serious if you've managed to scarf down half my jar of gummy candy."

Gohan's eyes bulged at her statement, and upon confirming it to be true, felt a crimson tint taint his cheeks. "S-sorry about that. I… ahh… guess I stopped paying attention to what I was doing." How embarrassing. He had no idea he was that lost in his thoughts.

"The candies aren't important," Recovery Girl reassured, dismissing his worries with a wave of the hand. "What's important is you, young man. Are you okay?"

Gohan let out a deep exhale and gave the nurse his most confident smile. "I am, Recovery Girl. I'm just worried about Midoriya."

Recovery Girl matched his smile with one of her own. "You have a kind heart, Gohan, and I'm positive you'll go on to accomplish great things. In the meantime, if there's ever anything that's troubling you, my door is always open."

"Thank you, Recovery Girl. I'll keep that in mind," Gohan replied, genuinely grateful for the offer. It seemed like kindness ran in the family.

"Good. Run along now, child," the nurse ordered, shooing him away with her hands. "I'm sure your teacher is wondering where you are. And thanks for watching over these two."

"I'm glad to have been of help," Gohan admitted, standing up from the chair and walking towards the door. Before leaving the room, however, he cast one final glance at Midoriya, his onyx eyes brimming with conviction. 'Rest up, pal. You're going to need it.'

His business in the nurse's office now finished, Gohan double-timed it back to where his class was. He had honestly lost track of the time, so hopefully Sato hadn't fought yet. He could do without all the whining that would surely be sent his way if he missed his best friend's match.

No one noticed his entrance into the monitor room, as they were too transfixed on the fight being displayed on the screen. To his surprise, the monitor showed Sato brawling with Kirishima in the room with the bomb. Close by were Koda and Sero, the pair somehow bound together with large white tape. Seeing them wriggling around on the floor, unable to separate, made Gohan scratch his head. How in the world did that happen?

Wanting to get a better view of the action, he planted himself beside Yaoyorozu, the dark-haired girl acknowledging his arrival with a quirk of her brow. Gohan saw this and suppressed the urge to gulp, worried about whether she was still in the same weird mood from before.

"You made it back just in time to see the end of your friend's match," she remarked quietly.

"Better late than never," Gohan responded, a hint of caution in his tone. Fortunately, Yaoyorozu sounded like she was back to normal. "What did I miss?"

"In the match after ours, Asui and Tokoyami beat Jiro and Kaminari rather easily," she explained, keeping her voice low so as to not disturb their classmates. "Ashido and Aoyama then fought Hagakure and Ojiro, and it could've gone either way. Hagakure's team squeaked out a victory in the end when she slipped away from battle and managed to get a hand on the bomb."

Gohan nodded, pleased that there weren't any major incidents like when Midoriya fought. "So… what on Earth happened here? Why are Koda and Sero tied together?"

Yaoyorozu crossed her arms, looking a tad disapproving. "Neither team had a proper plan, so they ended up meeting in the bomb room. While Sato and Kirishima started fighting, Koda charged wildly at Sero, who fired off a huge wad of tape in his defence. I couldn't catch exactly what happened, but they ended up crashing into one another and rolling around for a bit, which somehow led to them being bound together." She let out a sigh. "It was baffling. Even All Might-sensei didn't know what to make of it."

"Huh," Gohan commented, sharing the girl's sentiments. He made a mental note to ask All Might if he could see a replay of the matches he'd missed, because this sounded too comical to pass up.

On the monitor, the brawl between Sato and Kirishima was drawing to a close, and much to Gohan's displeasure, his best friend was on the losing end. Sato's movements were becoming sluggish, and Kirishima was expertly capitalising on the openings provided, his hardened fists striking three times for every hit he received.

"What's wrong with Sato?" Yaoyorozu asked, her eyes narrowed in concentration. "He was fighting evenly all this time, but his level just dropped without warning."

Everyone's eyes turned to Gohan, who scratched the back of his head and gave a nervous chuckle. "Sato's Quirk is called Sugar Rush. The more sugar he ingests, the stronger he becomes." A frown then found its way to his face when his best friend was sent flying after a thrust kick by Kirishima hit its mark. "Unfortunately, his Quirk has limits. The more sugar he converts into strength, the more his cognitive functions drop, leading to him becoming progressively sleepier."

"A most interesting Quirk, and one with a lot of potential!" All Might boomed. "If young Sato can build up his tolerance to drowsiness, there's no telling how strong he can become!"

Gohan agreed with his teacher. He and Sato had sparred a few times in the past, but because Quirk usage in public without a license was technically against the law, the large-lipped boy hadn't been able to work on his conditioning. Hopefully that would change now that they were at U.A. Gohan wanted to see his friend go far.

Unfortunately, that progress was yet to show itself. The monitor showed Kirishima ducking under a wild swing from Sato, then leaping forward and nailing the large-lipped boy with a flying knee to the chest. Sato hunched over, coughing, giving his opponent the opportunity to knock him to the ground with a double hammerfist strike to the back.

The last combatant still standing, Kirishima wrapped his capture tape around Sato's arm, then walked over to where the bomb was and placed a hand on it. A sharp-toothed grin splitting his face, the redhead flashed the only camera in the room a peace sign.

"Tch. Always one for the theatrics," Ashido grumbled, although she was beaming at his victory.

"Team I wins!" All Might shouted into his microphone, rushing out of the room afterwards.

"Well, that was pretty fun," Kaminari commented, grinning. "Not as exciting as the first two matches, but a good way to finish off an awesome class."

"No thanks to you," Jiro scolded, causing Kaminari to pout. This elicited a few chuckles from their classmates.

Not understanding the context behind the joke, Gohan was about to ask Yaoyorozu to elaborate, but his words caught in his throat when he saw a downcast expression marring her pretty face. His stomach dropped. "You alright?"

Yaoyorozu's eyes shifted from side to side. "I need to ask you something, but I don't want the others to hear. Please follow me," she requested.

Gohan gulped, but listened nonetheless, following the girl to a corner of the room where they would be free from the prying ears of their peers. "What's wrong?"

Yaoyorozu sighed. "Son, were you capable of easily defeating both Todoroki and Shoji on your own?" she questioned, her tone even.

Gohan's eyes widened, but he kept his nerve. He didn't see a reason to lie. "Yes."

Yaoyorozu nodded. "I figured as much when I heard you took out Shoji with one attack. If you were that strong to begin with, why didn't you go it alone?"

Gohan scratched the back of his head and exhaled deeply, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. So that was what was worrying her. "I didn't go it alone because that wouldn't have been fair on you," he answered, giving the girl a warm smile. "This was a team exercise, and you deserved the chance to learn and show off your skills as much as I did. I'm not so selfish as to want to hog the glory for myself." He also wanted to see what she was capable of to sate his own curiosity, but he kept that part to himself.

It took her a few moments to comprehend his reasoning, but when she did, her face lit up into a gorgeous grin that made Gohan's heart race. "Thank you, Son."

"An-anytime," he responded, unable to keep his voice from cracking.

The pair then rejoined the rest of the class, just as All Might stepped into the room with Sato, Kirishima, Sero and Koda trailing behind him. The losing team looked dismayed, while Kirishima was beaming. Sero was also happy, but his smile wasn't anywhere near as pronounced as his partner's.

All Might ushered the four students to the front of the room and stood beside them, his hands on his hips. "We're running out of time, so I'll try and hurry this up. For being the last man standing, and for his impressive combat skills, I would like to award young Kirishima the MVP for this match!" he announced.

A light round of applause rang out, and the redhead flushed at the praise. "Gee, thanks, everyone!" he mumbled, his voice uncharacteristically muted.

"However, this was by no means a flawless performance," All Might continued, making Kirishima deflate slightly. "Neither team showed much critical thinking, and neither team took the time to form even a rudimentary plan! Being a hero requires you to adapt to any situation, as rushing in blind will only make things harder on both yourself and the people you're trying to save!

"That said, do not be dismayed, my young charges!" the legendary hero added, his tone softening and his eyes crinkling. "You are at U.A. to learn how to be exceptional heroes, and this is only your first official day of classes! You still have three years of study ahead of you – three years to learn the ins and outs of the trade before you step out into the world as-"

All Might's speech was cut short by the shrill beeping of his watch, the man blanching at the interruption. "Whoops! Looks like I ran out of time after all!" he chuckled nervously, a few streaks of sweat shining on his forehead. "Excellent work today, children! Go get changed and then head to your next class! See you all tomorrow"

With that, All Might was out of the room in a flash, leaving in his wake a trail of smoke that the students of Class 1-A stared at in confusion. Gohan was equally as baffled, but he eventually chalked All Might's odd behaviour down to being part of the parcel of being a world-renowned hero. Many of the superheroes in old comic books had some kind of quirky trait they used as a coping mechanism, so perhaps it was the same with real-life heroes.

Iida suddenly cleared his throat, catching the class' attention. "You heard All Might-sensei! Let us proceed to our next class! You wouldn't want to be tardy on the second day of school, would you?" he pressed, his tone accusatory.

A few students groused their dissent, but everyone did as Iida asked and shuffled out of the monitor room. Gohan noticed Sato trudging along near the back, his steps heavy and a glum look adorning his face.

The demi-Saiyan walked over to his friend and patted him on the back. "You'll do better next time, bro."

"So you made it back in time to see me get my ass kicked, huh?" Sato grumbled, making Gohan frown.

"Remember what All Might said: the school year has only just started," he reassured. "You still have three years to master your Quirk."

Sato sighed. "Yeah, I get that, but still… I was doing so well until the sleepiness kicked in. Kirishima's a badass and all, but he's not you. It's just disheartening, you know?"

"I know, bud. I know." Although it was a thing of the past, Gohan knew that feeling all too well.


The last class of the day was Japanese, which was taught by the cowboy-esque pro hero, Snipe, and it passed by without much fuss as it was unable to replicate the excitement of All Might's Basic Hero Training. Todoroki walked in partway through the lesson, carrying with him a note from Recovery Nurse explaining his absence.

Gohan was a tad hesitant at the prospect of having to deal with the heterochromic boy so soon after what happened in their match, but to his surprise – and relief – Todoroki left him alone. He didn't even acknowledge his presence. It was still sightly concerning, and the demi-Saiyan knew he'd need to have a proper talk with Todoroki at some point, but that was a problem for Future Gohan to deal with.

When the final bell of the day rang, Todoroki quietly packed up his things and left, with Blasty following suit, much to Gohan's surprise. The short-tempered explosion user had been strangely subdued ever since All Might's class, but Gohan didn't mind that one bit. Whatever was said between him and Midoriya left Blasty visibly rattled.

In any case, with the two most disruptive presences now gone, the rest of Class 1-A took to chatting amongst themselves, no one in a rush to leave. Gohan also decided to hang back, although mainly because he was waiting for Midoriya to return.

When Midoriya did return, however, he was instantly swarmed by Sato, Kirishima, Ashido, Asui, Sero and Aoyama, and subsequently bombarded with a barrage of questions that left him flustered. Gohan saw this and chuckled, remembering when the exact same thing happened to him.

To his credit, Midoriya didn't look overwhelmed like he had been, so Gohan decided to sit back and let the green-haired boy have his moment. He'd bring up the training tomorrow, after things had calmed down a bit. This decision was further justified when Midoriya inquired about Blasty's absence, then rushed out of the room when Uraraka revealed where the blond had gone.

Gohan felt a small pang of worry for his friend, but quickly shot it down. Whatever Midoriya wanted to discuss with Blasty was his business, so he'd leave him to it. They were still on school grounds. Midoriya would be fine.

He then caught a large, unblinking eye staring in his direction, quickly recognising that it belonged to Asui. "Oh, Son's still here," she remarked casually.

This caused the group that had accosted Midoriya to swivel their heads in Gohan's direction, startling him. "Umm… hi?" he greeted.

"Dude, why didn't you speak up and let us know you were here?" Kirishima asked, his sharklike grin out in full force. "We thought you'd already left!"

"Yeah, we have some questions for you!" Ashido chirped, sending alarm bells ringing in Gohan's head.

He recoiled slightly as the hastily-formed posse began inching towards him, resisting the urge to groan when he saw the smug smirk Sato was wearing. When the group reached his table, they huddled around him like a pack of vultures, the excitement on their faces palpable.

Seeing that he was surrounded, Gohan let out a resigned sigh and smiled. He couldn't blame them for being curious. Perhaps it was time to open up a bit. "So, what do you guys want to know?"


AN: I'd initially planned on fitting both Gohan's match and the USJ trip into this chapter, but I severely underestimated how long the fight would take. While I could've had Gohan blitz both Todoroki and Shoji, I wanted to take the time to show how competent Momo is, what Gohan thinks of her abilities, and how they work together. In the end, I'm happy with how it all turned out, and I look forward to building on their relationship in the future.

Anyway, I'd like to once again thank everyone who favourite, followed and reviewed up until now. The amount of attention this fic has received is beyond anything I ever imagined, and thinking about how far it could still go is actually kind of scary. Still, knowing that so many people are reading and enjoying my work genuinely warms my heart, and motivates me to keep writing. Further reviews would also be very much appreciated.

The end of December is always something of an uncomfortable time for me, as it's yet another reminder of how old I'm becoming. I turned 25 earlier this month, meaning I'm going to be 26 next year. I'm now on the wrong side of my 20s. That's a fucking frightening though, because I sure as hell don't feel it. I can still remember high school like it was yesterday. Man, those were some fun times. The good old days, so to speak.

But enough rambling from a cranky old man. Happy new year, everyone. I hope your 2019 is full of joy, happiness and non-crappiness. See you all next chapter.