The Symbol of Peace and Justice
Chapter 7 – High Society
Gohan frowned as he eyed the black sedan slaloming through the streets, its tires screeching along the gravel as wailing bystanders dove out of its path to avoid being run over. He darted to a nearby alleyway and scarfed down what was left of his breakfast in two giant bites, grumbling at the fact that because of some inconsiderate asshole, he couldn't take the time to savour the flavour of his bacon, egg and cheese bagel sandwich.
Just thinking about the injustice of it all soured his mood even further, and that displeasure was only exacerbated when his ki spiked, and the familiar golden aura of a Super Saiyan washed over him. With a pronounced scowl now marring his features, Gohan dashed out of his hiding spot and shot towards the speeding vehicle like a torpedo, easily catching up to its now immobile form and clamping down on its rear with a claw-like grip.
With its momentum halted, Gohan swung the car over his body onto its roof, denting the road below with the impact and effectively ending the joyride. Before anyone could begin to register his presence, he was out of the area in an instant, leaving behind a golden trail of energy that quickly evaporated.
He hated joyriders. He absolutely loathed the bastards. He hated villains too, but at least their motivations were straightforward, and he could understand why they chose to do evil. Joyriders, on the other hand, recklessly put the lives of innocent people going about their daily routines in danger, often for the sole purpose of sating their appetite for thrill-seeking. It was downright disgusting.
Gohan was broken from his musing when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Only one person ever sent him texts. Curious as to what Sato wanted, he swerved into another alleyway and whipped it out.
You'd better make it to school on time this morning. There's a pleasant surprise waiting for you at the gate that you don't want to miss.
Gohan raised an eyebrow at the odd message. He didn't know what Sato was on about, but his best friend was right about one thing: he needed to get to school.
Thus far he'd caught a man who jumped off the top of a building, knocked out an unsavoury-looking pink blob who was up to no good, saved a cat from a tree, and put out a fire inside a fire station. All in all, a solid morning's work for a teenage vigilante. The pro heroes could take it from here.
With that thought in mind, Gohan vanished from the alleyway in a golden blur, appearing in the district U.A. was located mere seconds later. He slipped inside an empty phonebooth, where he reverted to his base form, then proceeded to casually stroll down the sidewalk to his destination.
When he saw the commotion at the front of the school, however, his eyes instantly narrowed. So this was what Sato meant when he said there was a pleasant surprise waiting at the gates… a collection of reporters and journalists flocking together like a pack of vultures, no doubt here to hound the students about the latest addition to the faculty.
Well, whatever they wanted to know about All Might, they weren't going to get it from him. Not wanting to even dignify the media with his presence, Gohan walked around to the back of the school, where the coast was clear. From there, he simply leapt over the wall and calmly entered the building, avoiding the press entirely.
Upon entering his classroom, the first thing he saw was a smirking Sato, who immediately waved in his direction. "Did you enjoy the surprise, Son?" the large-lipped boy called out.
"Loved it," Gohan grumbled, a tick forming on his forehead as he walked to his seat.
"Okay, I'm gonna need some context here," Ashido chirped.
"Inside joke," Sato replied, chuckling.
Ashido turned to Gohan and stared at him expectantly, multiple other students doing the same. When the demi-Saiyan said nothing, she pouted cutely while her bottom lip quivered. She even adopted what he'd seen dubbed in literature as 'puppy dog eyes', causing him to sigh and admit defeat. "Let's just say, I'm not the biggest fan of the media," he revealed, much to the girl's surprise.
"Really? How come?"
Gohan rubbed his temples wearily, inwardly cursing Sato for bringing this on him. "I don't like how inconsiderate they are of peoples' privacy. That, and the fact that they're willing to print lies just to sell papers. It's unethical."
Ashido stroked her chin, looking contemplative. "Huh. Fair enough. I don't really follow the news, so I don't pay attention to any of that stuff."
"It's basically clickbait, but from people whose job it is to tell the truth," Sato elaborated, receiving a nod of understanding from the pink-skinned girl.
The conversation came to a halt when Aizawa strode into the room and took his place behind his desk, where he threw down a large stack of papers. "Hope you're all rested from yesterday's battle trial," he greeted abruptly, instantly catching the class' attention. "I saw the video footage and your results. Bakugo, stop acting like a child. You're wasting your talent."
"I know," Blasty grumbled.
"And you…" Aizawa continued, his attention turning to Midoriya, who sunk deeper into his seat. "Are you planning on destroying your arm each time you use your Quirk? I've said it before, so don't make me repeat myself a third time. Once you overcome your control issues, you'll be capable of so much more. Have a sense of urgency, Midoriya."
"Yes, sir!" the green-haired boy exclaimed spiritedly, making Gohan nod in approval.
Aizawa then shifted his beady eyes to the class' stoic ice user. "Todoroki, you have immense potential, but you won't get anywhere without the right attitude," he chided sternly. "I hope you learned a valuable lesson about the pitfalls of overconfidence."
"I did," Todoroki replied, his tone as frosty as always.
"Son." At the sound of his name, Gohan gulped, fully expecting Aizawa to go off at him about some attitude issues he didn't know he had, or about some hidden objective he'd completely overlooked. "Good job."
Gohan's jaw nearly dropped from the unexpected praise, but he quickly recovered from the shock and bowed his head. "Thank you, Aizawa-sensei."
"Now, let's move on to homeroom business," Aizawa remarked. "Sorry to spring this on you so suddenly, but… you need to pick a class president."
Several students shot out of their seats, either begging the teacher to pick them or proclaiming why they'd be the best suited for the job. Gohan hung back at his desk, pondering the positives and negatives of such a role. On one hand, whoever earned the title at a school as reputable as U.A. would have a big boost to their prestige when they finally started working as a pro hero. On the other hand, the job would probably entail a number of mundane tasks and housekeeping duties.
"Silence, please!" the commanding voice of Iida echoed through the room, instantly quelling the commotion. The bespectacled boy took a deep breath before continuing. "This is a task laden with responsibility, where you must pull not only your own weight, but everyone else's! Just because you'd like to do it doesn't mean you're qualified to do it! It is a holy office that requires the trust of those around you! The only true leader will emerge from a democratic choice reflecting the will of the people… which is why this must be settled by a vote!"
Amusingly enough, Iida's shaking arm was raised throughout his whole speech, showing that he too was just as keen on the title as his peers. While the others went off at him for it, Gohan chuckled to himself. He knew who he was voting for.
"We haven't known each other for that long," Asui commented, raising a valid point.
"Exactly! Everyone will just vote for themselves!" Kirishima added.
Iida pushed up his glasses. "And that's precisely why the person who earns the most votes will be the most suitable for the job, no?" He then turned to their teacher, who had just finished snuggling into his sleeping bag. "What do you think, Aizawa-sensei?"
"I don't care," Aizawa answered. "Just make sure you decide before homeroom is over."
"Thank you, sensei!" Iida exclaimed. He withdrew a stack of post-it notes from his jacket pocket and held it out towards the rest of the class. "I will hand each of you a slip of paper. You are to write down the name of your nominee, fold the paper over, then hand it to me. Once I have received everyone's votes, I will tally them up and post the results on the whiteboard."
Gohan nodded, agreeing with Iida's method. It was simple, efficient and effective. When he received his post-it note from Iida, he quickly scribbled the bespectacled boy's name on it and handed it back to him. If there was one person who perfectly encapsulated the role of class president, it was Iida.
When all the votes were collected, Iida counted them up and wrote the results on the whiteboard, eliciting numerous gasps from the class. Gohan, meanwhile, felt his eyes bulge. "W-what?!"
The reason for his shock was that he was tied for first place with Midoriya and Yaoyorozu, the three of them having picked up two votes apiece. Uraraka, Todoroki and Sato had zero votes to their names, while everyone else had one.
Gohan buried his head into his hands and groaned. This was far from the ideal outcome. He figured Sato had voted for him, probably as a practical joke of some sort, but who else put his name down? For that matter, why?
"W-well, that was unexpected," Iida stuttered, visibly struggling to compose himself. "It appears we are at a bit of an impasse. Sensei, any suggestions on how we could resolve this?"
Aizawa sighed, displeased at having his naptime interrupted. "Either do another round of voting with just the three nominees as options or have them decide amongst themselves who the class president and vice president will be. Just make sure to hurry it up."
Iida pursed his lips and glanced nervously at his watch. "Taking into account time constraints, as well as the possibility that another round of voting could lead to another tie, I firmly believe that the best resolution would be to have the three nominees step outside and converse in private as to who among them will take on the positions! Does anyone object to this method?" he questioned, his tone suitably businesslike.
When the class stayed silent, Iida responded with a firm nod. "Excellent. Could Son, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu please step outside the class? Whoever you choose to be president and vice president, I can confidently say that you will have my unequivocal support – and I'm sure that extends to our peers as well."
Gohan exhaled in resignation and rose to his feet, the other two nominees doing the same. Yaoyorozu was cool, calm and collected in her gait, while Midoriya was a jittery mess. This gave the demi-Saiyan some cause for concern as he followed the pair out of the room. Once outside, the two males looked at each other awkwardly while the only female present exuded an aura of absolute confidence.
As such, it was unsurprising that she took the initiative and stated her case first. "As someone who has been trained from an early age to assume a position of leadership, I firmly believe that I am a suitable candidate for the role of either class president or vice president."
"I have no problem with you being president," Gohan replied instantly.
"M-me neither," Midoriya added, flashing her a trembling thumbs up.
Yaoyorozu nodded in satisfaction before eyeing them both expectantly. When neither boy said a word, she huffed in something that sounded like disapproval. "Judging by your silence, I'm guessing neither of you want to be here?"
Gohan was the first to speak, not wanting her to think of him as a coward. "I actually voted for Iida," he revealed, giving the girl a shaky smile. "I thought he was the best suited for the role."
Midoriya blanched at the admission. "I-is that so? Heh, I actually voted for y-y-you, Son."
"Really?" Gohan asked, genuinely caught off guard. He let out an embarrassed chuckle and scratched the back of his head. "Ahh, thanks for the vote of confidence, I guess…"
"N-no problem," Midoriya stammered.
Yaoyorozu shook her head and sighed. "How vexing. Well, since the two of you ended up nominated, would either of you care to reconsider?"
Gohan and Midoriya locked eyes, and the demi-Saiyan could immediately pick up on the pleading undertones being sent his way. For whatever reason, Midoriya was vehemently opposed to becoming the class vice president. It was actually kind of worrying.
Gohan didn't want the title either, but more so because he didn't care for it than anything. He wasn't interested in the added fame and prestige, nor did he want to lord over his peers from a position of power. All he wanted was to get a pro hero license and graduate so that he could save people without needing to masquerade as a vigilante.
He glanced at Yaoyorozu out of the corner of his eye, only to catch her staring at her watch while tapping her foot on the ground. It stung, knowing that part of the reason she was so irritated was because of his own indecision. For some reason, he really didn't want to disappoint this girl. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to reconsider his stance on taking up the mantle of vice president?
Accepting the job would allow him to spend more time with Yaoyorozu, who he found himself wanting to be around. A thought even flitted through his head of the pair of them huddled together in a spacious office, engaged in a riveting conversation about classroom management, and he found it to be a rather pleasant scenario. Becoming vice president would also let Midoriya off the hook, which was another appealing outcome. The green-haired boy had enough on his plate right now.
With a newfound vigour coursing through his body, Gohan steeled his resolve and let out a deep breath. "I'll be the vice president," he announced confidently.
Midoriya sighed in relief and wiped some sweat off his brow. "Thank you, Son. I doubt I'd be up to the task," he admitted sheepishly.
"I think you'd do just fine," Gohan reassured, smiling at his friend. "There's a reason you were nominated. You've got guts, Midoriya, and that goes a long way."
While Midoriya flushed at the praise and averted his gaze, Yaoyorozu turned to Gohan and gave him a small smile of her own. "I'm glad you decided to step up in the end, Son."
"Y-yeah! Me too!" Gohan responded, chuckling nervously while scratching the back of his head. Seeing her happy was a much nicer – and much prettier – sight than seeing her annoyed. He shuddered to think how she would've responded if he'd turned down the position.
That bit of business concluded, the trio walked back into class, where they were met by a room full of inquisitive gazes, none more prominent than the one belonging to their teacher. "Well, what have you decided?" Aizawa asked, having slipped out of his sleeping bag.
"I will be the class president, and Son will be the vice president," Yaoyorozu declared.
Aizawa nodded. "Good. Now take your seats. Class is about to start."
Gohan did just that, receiving complimentary thumbs up from Kirishima and Ashido, while Asui gave him an approving nod. Blasty shot him a glare which was subsequently ignored, whereas Todoroki didn't even acknowledge his presence. No skin off his back, though.
"It's only the third day of school and already you're popular enough to become class president," a smirking Sato jabbed after the demi-Saiyan had sat down.
"Vice president," Gohan corrected with a mock glare. "And I know you had a hand in that. Don't even try and deny it."
Sato shrugged. "You're taking this a lot better than I thought you would," he remarked, looking perturbed. "If I'd known you were actually cool with being class president, I would've voted for someone else."
"Not sorry to ruin your plans," Gohan fired back, just as the bell rang to signify the end of homeroom. Another image of him and Yaoyorozu flashed through his mind, this time showing the two of them giving a rousing speech to an auditorium full of willing listeners.
A smile slowly spread across his lips. If being class vice president turned out as well in real life as it did in his head, he'd have to send Sato a boxset of that Bake Off show he liked so much… or a simple thank you note, depending on whether his friend had played a prank of some kind at the time.
By the time lunch arrived, Gohan was famished. Four straight classes without any rest in between was torturous on the stomach, especially since his early-morning escapades left him with no time to have a proper breakfast. After piling his tray full of fried rice, fried chicken, bratwursts, sushi, pork dumplings and a large slice of chocolate cake, he was waved over by Asui, who was sitting alone at a table in the corner of the lunchroom.
Seeing no reason to decline, as he genuinely wanted to get to know his classmates better, Gohan took a seat opposite the froglike girl and smiled at her. "What's up, Asui?" he greeted.
"Call me Tsuyu," she requested, to his slight surprise. Such an informal manner of speaking was an oddity in this world, as most people referred to each other by their surnames. That took him a while to get used to when he first arrived here, because surnames themselves were a rarity when he came from.
"Okay, Tsuyu, but only if you call me Gohan," he shot back. Whether it was due to nostalgia or simply personal preference, he felt much more comfortable being called by his given name.
"Got it. By the way, how come Sato isn't with you."
"He didn't want to wait for me to get my food," Gohan answered, sheepishly gesturing towards his stacked tray. "Besides, he's off talking with Kirishima about the fight they had yesterday. He's still heated up over the outcome."
Tsuyu nodded. "Not surprising; their fight was pretty close. Speaking of yesterday, your ability to fly is pretty impressive," she stated bluntly.
"Ahh, thanks, Tsuyu," Gohan replied, biting into a chicken drumstick. "Sorry I wasn't around to see your match. I heard you did really well."
"Yeah, being a frog has its benefits," Tsuyu croaked. "I can't fly like you, but I can jump really high. How high can you jump?"
Gohan almost choked on a forkful of rice, caught off guard by the unusual question. Fortunately, he managed to keep his composure. "Well, I've never measured the distance myself, but I suppose I can jump pretty high."
"Interesting," Tsuyu remarked, a finger on her chin. "Super strength, super speed, flight, extraordinary stamina… I can't help but wonder what the limits of your Quirk are."
"I guess that's what we're at U.A. to find out, huh?" Gohan responded, letting out a nervous chuckle.
Their conversation came to an abrupt halt when an alarm blared across the room, followed by a female voice from the PA. "There has been a level three security breach. All students promptly evacuate outside," it instructed.
"Oh, looks like there's an emergency," Tsuyu commented nonchalantly, taking a sip of her tea.
Gohan, meanwhile, leapt to his feet in a flash. He gave what was left of his food a final, sorrowful look before holding a hand out to Tsuyu. "Come on! Let's go!"
The frog girl stared at the offered hand, then looked past Gohan and pointed. "Unless you want to act like a human battering ram, I don't think we're getting out of here."
Startled, Gohan swivelled his head to where Tsuyu was pointing, and his eyes bulged when saw a veritable tidal wave of students trying to barrel through the room's exit and failing spectacularly because of their overwhelming numbers. "Crap!" he yelled, suddenly overcome by a newfound sense of dread.
Some students were being crushed against the glass, others were damn near being trampled on, and a few were being squeezed on all sides. It was chaos, pure and simple, and people were liable to get hurt if they weren't already.
Gohan's body started shaking, and a faint white aura shrouded his figure. He was about to dash forward to try to quell the riot, but before he could act, he caught sight of Iida cartwheeling through the air before landing on the exit sign just above the door. Stunned, his aura receded, and he stared anxiously at his bespectacled classmate, hoping he had a plan to put an end to this madness.
"Everyone, please stop!" Iida shouted, his legs trembling but his voice as commanding as ever. Fortunately, his intervention was enough to stop the rampage, leaving the crowd of teenagers staring up at him in awe. "It's just the media! There's no reason to panic! You're all students of U.A., are you not? Let us act in a way befitting our status as the best of the best!"
When the commotion ceased, and the students started separating, Gohan let out a sigh of relief and released all the tension from his body. Iida had the makings of a true hero, and the demi-Saiyan was certain he'd make an outstanding class president. It was why he voted for him in the first place.
"Gohan, for a second there you were glowing white," Tsuyu revealed, her protuberant eyes wider than normal and her tone a tad more expressive.
Gohan slumped to his seat and sighed once more. "I was just flaring my energy," he explained, eyeing the rest of his food warily. That incident had killed a fair bit of his appetite. "Had Iida not intervened, I would've tried to stop the riot myself. I don't know how, but I would've done something."
"I figured you were the type," Tsuyu commented quietly. "I wasn't too worried, though. Whether it was you, or Iida, or another student, or a teacher… I knew someone was going to step in before things got out of hand."
In a rare moment of melancholy, Gohan dropped his guard. "I wish I could share your optimism, Tsuyu," he said, a sad smile forming on his face.
"What's wrong, Gohan?" Tsuyu whispered, now visibly concerned.
The demi-Saiyan shook his head, mentally scolding himself for his behaviour. "Don't worry about it," he answered, trying to assuage her worries. Just because he'd borne witness to how cruel and unforgiving the world was didn't mean he had to burden this poor girl with that knowledge. She'd no doubt experience it to some degree once she graduated and became a pro hero, so until then, he'd let her be happy.
"Okay, Gohan," Tsuyu replied, her tone reverting to its usual level. If she was affronted at being brushed off, she didn't show it. She simply went back to sipping her tea.
Gohan reached forward and plopped a pork dumpling into his mouth, chewing for a bit before swallowing. It was just as tasty as the rest of Lunch Rush's food. He held out the bowl of dumplings towards Tsuyu. "These are good. Want to try one?" he offered kindly.
Tsuyu hesitated for a few seconds, but eventually shrugged and reached for a dumpling. "Sure, why not."
Gohan smiled, glad that the mood between them was somewhat back to normal. Inwardly though, he was fuming. He didn't know whether to be relieved that the media was behind the alarm instead of a villain, or furious that they would stoop so low as to assault a school full of children. He knew how bloodthirsty they could be after all the slander they spewed against the Golden Blur, but he was used to it. He could take whatever vitriol they threw at him.
Innocent children, on the other hand, were a different matter entirely. What the media did was inexcusable, and he sincerely hoped there would be repercussions for their actions. He didn't have high hopes, as the slippery weasels always seemed to keep getting away with their thuggery, but it was a mildly comforting thought.
Regardless, the whole incident with the false alarm soured Gohan's mood, and it didn't improve for the rest of the school day. He made sure Tsuyu wasn't aware of it during lunchtime, keeping her occupied with casual conversation about the most mundane topics. Blunt demeanour aside, the frog girl was a fascinating person to talk to, and he was glad for the chance to get better acquainted with her.
The rest of his classes passed by without too much fuss, including Basic Hero Training, which was a simple theory lesson with no practical work. This caused a couple of students to grumble about the class being boring, but All Might responded to their complaints with his trademark grin, letting them know that training their minds was just as important as training their bodies. Gohan didn't mind the change of pace. Even an activity as monotonous as copying notes from a whiteboard made for an ample distraction from what happened at lunchtime.
What really made him calm down, however, was doing double duty as the Golden Blur later that afternoon. Stopping crimes both big and small was always a cathartic experience and an excellent stress reliever, and often made for a pleasant night's sleep.
Gohan even woke up earlier than usual the following morning to continue his vigilantism, and by the time school began, he was as bright and chipper as a chipmunk. It was also here that he realised, much to his embarrassment, that he'd spend the latter half of yesterday so wrapped up in his brooding, he'd completely forgotten to approach Midoriya and ask about training him. He resolved to ask at lunchtime, and even set an alarm on his phone to go off as a reminder.
However, to the entire class' surprise, Aizawa told them during homeroom that they only had twenty minutes of lunch before they had to return to the classroom, as they were going on a field trip. This elicited a chorus of excited chattering among Gohan's peers, while he grumbled to himself at being forced to alter his plans. Since he only had twenty minutes to eat his fill, that took precedence over asking Midoriya about training… so he resolved to do it afterwards.
And so, at exactly 12:50 p.m., the students of Class 1A found themselves back in their seats, staring expectantly at Aizawa, who was situated behind his desk. "Today's Basic Hero Training will be taught by three instructors: me, All Might and one other person," the teacher explained, drawing a few raised eyebrows.
Sero raised his hand and spoke before being prompted. "Excuse me, sensei. What will we be doing?"
Aizawa held out a badge that said 'RESCUE' to the class. "Disasters, floods, shipwrecks and everything in between – it's rescue training," he elaborated.
A few of the more boisterous students announced their approval, while Sato turned to Gohan and grinned. "I wonder who the third person they got to teach us is. Maybe they roped the Golden Blur into showing up. He's a pro at saving people."
"Somehow, I seriously doubt that," Gohan muttered. "Besides, how do you know the Blur is a he?"
"How do you know the Blur isn't?" Sato fired back challengingly.
"Whatever the gender, the Blur's a badass!" Kirishima chimed in, having overheard the conversation.
"I d-don't approve of the Blur's decision to stay hidden, b-but I respect what they're doing," Midoriya added nervously.
"I bet the Blur's made out of lighting," Kaminari boasted. "It'd explain why they're so fast they've never been seen."
Yaoyorozu huffed. "Regardless of whether the Golden Blur is saving people or not, he or she should abide by the law and show his or her face to the public," she rebuked, giving her peers a disapproving look. "You can never be sure what motivations people like that have."
"Who needs the law when you're a total badass?!" Blasty screamed, his clenched fist crackling with tiny explosions. "People that cool should be able to make their own rules!"
Yaoyorozu crossed her arms and frowned at the blond. "The government says otherwise."
"Well maybe the government needs to get off their fat asses and get their shit together," Blasty exclaimed, scowling ferociously. "The Golden Blur's been making fools out of those stuffy pricks for the past five years!"
"Rules exist to be followed!" Iida interjected sternly. "If people with power did whatever they wanted, there would be anarchy! ANARCHY!"
While this argument was taking place, an ashen-faced Gohan was sinking deeper and deeper into his seat. When he woke up this morning, the last thing he expected was for his class to be debating about his alter ego. Just what had Sato started? For that matter, why had Sato started it?!
"Silence!" Aizawa bellowed, instantly getting the class to quieten down. They'd never heard him raise his voice before, so it was a real shock to the system. The man didn't normally sound like it, but he could be downright terrifying if he wanted to. "That is not an appropriate topic of discussion inside this classroom. You are at U.A. to learn how to be heroes, not vigilantes. If you want to discuss vigilantes, do so outside of school grounds."
Aizawa then sighed and took a sip from a juice box. "You're all going to give me a headache, and it's only just past midday," he groused. "Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, it's up to you whether you want to wear your costumes or not, as some of your hero outfits may not be suitable for this kind of activity." Right on cue, the class' costume cases slid out of the wall. "The training will take place off-campus, so we're taking a bus. That is all. Start getting ready, then meet me at the front of the school."
With that, Aizawa left the room, leaving his students to their business. For a few seconds, no one moved, many people still shaken up by their teacher's outburst. Todoroki was the first to leave his seat, collecting his costume case and swiftly exiting the room. Yaoyorozu was next, her pretty face marred by an uncharacteristically serious expression. This started a chain reaction, and before too long everyone was out of their seat.
Having taken longer than the others to gather his bearings, Gohan shakily rose to his feet and glared at Sato, who was the only other person in the room. "What the hell were you thinking, bringing up such a controversial criminal in class?" he pressed. "You do realise we're in a prestigious hero school, right?"
Sato scratched his chin and guiltily averted his gaze. "In my defence, I had no idea everyone would lose their minds like that. People loved the Blur back in junior high."
Gohan shot his friend an unamused look. "Obviously people loved the Blur back in junior high. Our school was full of delinquents, so a badass vigilante who took the law into their own hands was like a hero to them. Meanwhile, most of our teachers were so jaded from teaching there that they didn't care what their students talked about so long as they were behaving themselves."
"Fair point," Sato mused with a wry chuckle, grabbing his costume case. "But, no point in dwelling on it now. Come on, Son. You may not care about missing the bus because you're faster than Speedy Gonzalez on meth, but I sure as hell ain't."
Gohan wearily rubbed his temples and followed after his best friend, his own costume case in hand. Some days he wondered just what he'd gotten himself into by choosing to associate with Sato Rikido. Surely there were less stressful people his age to hang out with.
After getting changed into their hero outfits, the pair made their way to the front of the school, where they found Iida barking orders at the class, trying to shepherd everyone into forming two orderly lines by the bus.
"Isn't that your job, Mr Vice President?" Sato asked, bemused.
"I don't know what my job is," Gohan admitted. "But if Iida wants to pick up the slack for now, I don't mind."
Sato eyed him suspiciously. "If you don't know what your job is, why were you so happy to accept it?"
Gohan's eyes widened imperceptibly, but he caught himself before it became more obvious. His reasons for accepting the job were not reasons he was keen on sharing. Channelling the genuine frustration he'd been feeling mere moments before, he narrowed his eyes at Sato. "That's for me to know and you to find out," he taunted, feeling no shame in resorting to such a playground-level insult. "Now go and get your ass on the bus. I need to talk to Midoriya about something."
Sato pouted. "Fine, be that way. Don't be surprised if I don't save you a seat."
Ignoring Sato's parting jibe, Gohan walked over to Midoriya, who was adjusting his gym outfit, and tapped him on the shoulder. The green-haired boy yelped at the sudden contact before turning around. "S-Son! You startled me! D-do you need something?"
Gohan had the decency to shoot Midoriya a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that. You got a minute?"
Midoriya was caught off guard by the question but quickly found his composure. "Sure. What's up?"
Gohan beckoned the puzzled boy over to where they wouldn't be overheard and faced him with a serious expression. "Do you want to train together sometime?" he asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.
Midoriya's eyes widened. "Training? You mean like working out at the gym?"
Gohan shook his head. "Not that kind of training. I want to help you learn to control your Quirk."
To the demi-Saiyan's surprise, Midoriya's jaw dropped, and the green-haired boy took a cautious step back. "Wh-wh-what?! Why?" he stammered.
Gohan blanched. That wasn't the response he was expecting. "Because you're my friend, and because it's the right thing to do," he explained gently.
"But… how do you know you can help?" Midoriya questioned, his voice wavering.
"I don't, but I'm willing to try. Is that not what a hero does?" Gohan pressed. He let out a tired sigh. "Look, I've spent my whole life training martial arts and learning to manipulate the energy inside me. I'd like to think I know a thing or two that can help you do the same, since our Quirks are kind of similar. What do you have to lose?"
Midoriya let out a deep breath, and after a few moments of contemplation, smiled shakily in return. "Alright. I'll take you up on your offer. Thank you, by the way. I really appreciate it."
Gohan gave a relieved smile of his own, glad that his friend had finally relented. "Anytime. Now let's get on the bus. I can see Iida glaring at us from the window."
Upon entering the bus, Gohan picked up on the fact that there were three empty seats. The first was near the front of the vehicle, at the end of a bench occupied by Tsuyu, Kirishima and Hagakure. The other two were towards the middle and the back, next to Todoroki and Sato respectively.
While Midoriya took a seat beside Tsuyu, Gohan walked over to where Sato was located. When he went to sit down, however, his best friend lifted his feet and placed them on the spare seat.
Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" he inquired slowly.
"I'm a big boy. I need the extra room."
Gohan glanced over to where Todoroki was sitting, then turned back to Sato and frowned. "You're really doing this."
"Yep," Sato chirped.
Gohan narrowed his eyes. "What are you, twelve years old?"
"I might be," Sato responded in an infuriatingly cheerful voice.
Gohan let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes. "Fine. But next time we spar, I'm not holding back."
"Like that'll change anything," Sato retorted haughtily.
Not dignifying his friend with another look, Gohan turned around and strolled over to where the class' resident ice user was seated. "Todoroki," he greeted curtly.
The heterochromic boy acknowledged him with a casual glance. "Son."
"Mind if I sit here?" Gohan asked.
Todoroki shrugged. "If you must."
"Thanks," Gohan replied, lowering himself onto the aisle seat. So far, their interactions had been quite civil, which he was immensely thankful for.
When the bus started moving, the demi-Saiyan observed Todoroki out of the corner of his eye, unable to decipher any emotion coming off the ice user as he sat ramrod straight with his eyes closed. It was like sitting next to a robot. 'Roboroki,' he mused with a barely suppressed chuckle.
Still, the awkward atmosphere between them was uncomfortable, and Gohan couldn't stand it. "Hey, sorry for knocking you out the other day," he whispered, hoping to address the most pressing issue. "I hope there are no hard feelings between us."
"You did what you had to do to win. I can respect that," was Todoroki's brusque reply.
Gohan was shocked to hear that but smiled lightly nonetheless. "Thanks."
He didn't receive a response, but that was fine by him. Progress was progress. He was still dying to know what grudge Todoroki held against him in the first place and why, but he wasn't willing to push his luck. He'd ask that question another time.
A more immediate matter was the response his classmates had to his alter ego. Since that whole fiasco had taken place, he'd had some time to digest what happened and try and make sense of it. To his astonishment, Blasty was actually supportive of the Golden Blur, and he didn't know what to make of that revelation.
Yaoyorozu, on the other hand, wasn't a fan. That stung him. He could somewhat empathise with her point of view, as he was legitimately breaking the law… but it was all so he could help people! Had he not gone down that route, there was no chance in hell he could've saved all the people he did. It wasn't his fault the laws of today were so stupidly archaic, nor was he to blame for the politicians being unwilling to adapt to what was essentially a glitch in the system.
There wasn't a single moment in which he regretted becoming a vigilante, and nothing was ever going to change that.
"-both flashiness and power, but if you're looking for pure brokenness, it's gotta be Son."
At the sound of his name being spoken, Gohan snapped to attention. "Huh?"
"I bet Gohan will be the most popular one out of those three," Tsuyu commented casually. "Todoroki's too boring, while Bakugo's always mad."
"What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch?!" Blasty shrieked, jumping out of his seat and pointing at the frog girl, a series of miniature explosions dancing around his hand. "I'm going to be the most badass hero out there! People will worship me!"
"See?" Tsuyu chirped cheekily, unaffected by his insults.
Kaminari, who was sitting on the bench opposite Tsuyu's, chuckled. "We've only known each other for half a week, so it's amazing that everyone already knows Bakugo's personality is like crap steeped in sewage," he teased.
A furious Blasty turned his anger on the lightning user. "What the fuck is with that vocabulary, you greaser bastard? I'll kill you!"
"Bakugo, cut it out with the cursing!" Iida scolded. "You're embarrassing the rest of the class! Have you no shame?"
"You'd know all about shame, wouldn't you, you presidential reject?!" Blasty countered cruelly, making Iida look aghast.
"How vulgar," Yaoyorozu muttered in disgust while Uraraka, who was seated beside her, laughed.
Meanwhile, Gohan had slipped further down his seat in a feeble attempt to hide from view. He wanted no part in this conversation.
Fortunately, Aizawa stepped in before things could get too out of hand. "We're here. Settle down," he announced from the front of the bus.
"Yes, sir!" the class replied, albeit with a few begrudging voices.
With the peace restored for now, Aizawa led the students off the bus once it came to a stop. When everyone had gathered outside, they were greeted by a pudgy figure cloaked from head to toe in a puffy spacesuit, standing in front of a gigantic dome. Gohan instantly recognised this person as Thirteen, the Space Hero – a search and rescue specialist who he'd run into a few times as the Golden Blur.
From their excited reactions upon seeing him, Gohan gathered that Midoriya and Uraraka were big fans of Thirteen. He also liked the mysterious pro hero and respected her deeply for her dedication to saving lives.
"Welcome, everyone. I've been waiting for you," Thirteen greeted with a wave. "Let's hurry up and get started."
The class followed her into the dome, where they were treated to the breathtaking sight of six distinct natural environments scattered about a gargantuan room.
The right side of the room held a large lake with a ship resting in the middle, and a humongous water slide off to the side. Directly above and below the lake were two transparent domes: one depicting a city set ablaze and the other showing a city assaulted by fierce winds and rainfall.
The left side of the room housed two more cities: the one in the bottom left a precarious ruin, and the one immediately above it destroyed by a devastating landslide. To complete the picture was a monolithic mountain range in the top left part of the room, its jagged peaks serving as a perilous warning to any who sought to scale it.
All in all, Gohan was astonished at the fact that someone had managed to fit such a spectacle into a single manmade structure. It was a downright extraordinary feat.
"A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, etcetera…" a familiar voice spoke from the side, its commanding yet comforting presence washing over the students of Class 1A. Caught off guard, the teenagers turned their attention to the source, where they spotted a grinning, spandex-clad All Might striding towards them and planting himself beside Thirteen. "It's a practical training area that Thirteen here made to simulate all sorts of accidents and disasters. We call it..."
"The Unforeseen Simulation Joint!" Thirteen finished with dramatic flair.
"Or U.S.J. for short," All Might added, joining in with a pose of his own. "Now, my young pupils, before we begin, who can tell me what Thirteen's Quirk does?"
A few students raised their hands, but Midoriya's shot up the quickest, so All Might pointed in his direction.
"Thirteen's Quirk is called Black Hole," Midoriya explained. "She can create a vortex that sucks up everything around it and turns it into dust. It's perfect for removing wreckage during disasters and is one of the reasons she's so highly regarded by the public."
"Excellently put, young Midoriya," All Might complimented, flashing the boy a thumbs up. He turned to his fellow pro hero and smiled. "Is there anything you'd like to add, Thirteen? Or did young Midoriya cover it all?"
Thirteen shook her head. "While Midoriya's description of my Quirk was accurate, he forgot to mention one very important thing." The class leaned in attentively. "While my Quirk is best known for saving people, it can just as easily kill them as well."
This drew a round of startled gasps from the teenagers, while Gohan nodded sombrely. This was an important lesson that had to be learned, uncomfortable though it may be for some of his classmates to hear.
"I too run that risk every time I do battle with a villain," All Might noted, his normally boisterous tone now uncharacteristically grave. "If I don't pull my punches, I could easily break bones or cause fatal injuries. If I'm not careful with my shockwaves, I could cause severe collateral damage to the environment or hurt innocent bystanders in the crossfire." He let out a weary sigh and clenched his fist. "My Quirk, like many of yours, has the power to kill."
Aizawa was the next to speak, having come to stand beside the two other heroes. "Naturally, in this society of superhumans, Quirks are stringently regulated, and their usage is governed by the law." Gohan suppressed the urge to gulp. "However, you must always be aware that because you possess such tremendous power, one wrong move can result in tragedy. During my Quirk Apprehension Test, you discovered the true potential of your respective powers. During All Might's battle trial, you experienced the danger of using those powers against others. Consider this lesson to be a fresh start."
Thirteen stepped forward. "In this class, you will learn to use your powers to save people's lives. You don't have powers so that you can harm others; you have powers so that you can help others. If there's just one thing you end up taking away from today's lesson, please let it be that."
A small smile spread across Gohan's lips while his peers burst into a light round of applause. The three teachers had teamed up to give a simple yet rousing speech that hit hard, but not unkindly so. The demi-Saiyan felt a surge of adrenaline course through him, and he was eager to get started. While fighting had never been his biggest hobby, saving people was something he could do all day.
Without warning, the room suddenly darkened. His senses now on high alert, Gohan caught wind of a disturbance in the water fountain at the centre of the dome. He narrowed his eyes at the unusual sight, then recoiled in shock when a swirling vortex of black and purple morphed into existence.
Picking up on his reaction, the three pro heroes snapped to attention and immediately shifted their attention to the vortex, which had now erupted into a number of ghostly tendrils that spread across the room like a plague from the netherworld. A pale face covered by a dismembered hand then emerged from the darkness, earning a gasp from the normally stoic Aizawa.
All Might gritted his teeth. "Thirteen, protect the students! Aizawa and I will handle this!"
Just as the legendary hero bellowed his orders, the figure the pale face belonged to stepped out of the vortex, followed by an army of similarly imposing beings. There were mutants with deformed limbs, hideous creatures that wouldn't be out of place in a horror story, and nightmarish monstrosities that looked like they were spawned by Satan himself.
Gohan's blood instantly ran cold at the sight and he clenched his fists hard enough to draw blood. He'd been around enough villains in his time to know exactly what was happening. 'But… why?'
"What's going on? Is this another test like the entrance exam?" a puzzled Kirishima inquired, squinting as he tried to get a better look.
"Stay back!" Aizawa demanded harshly, slipping on the yellow goggles hanging around his neck. "Those are villains."
The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees, and Gohan subconsciously moved to the front of the group. For a brief moment, he locked eyes with a hulking black behemoth who had an exposed brain and razor-sharp teeth. This barbaric-looking beast projected a different, far more threatening aura than any other villain present, and the demi-Saiyan instinctively knew he had to keep an eye on it.
"Do not fear, my prodigious young charges," All Might soothed, sparing a warm glance at his pupils and giving them a bright smile. "You have nothing to fear as long as I am here, for everything will be All Might!"
'That you can be sure of,' Gohan added inwardly, his eyes momentarily flashing teal.
AN: How many of you were expecting to see All Might at the U.S.J. when the class arrived? I thought it would be a nice touch to have Gohan's vigilantism lead to All Might not having to overexert himself by fighting crime before class. Hopefully it took a lot of people by surprise. I'd initially planned on including the entirely of the U.S.J. trip in this chapter, but it was getting way too long so I had to split it up. Sorry about the cliffhanger.
As always, I'd like to thank everyone who favourited, followed and reviewed up until now. If you have the time, please consider letting me know what you thought of this chapter. One of the most daunting things about writing a story is having so much cool shit planned for later on, like towards the middle and end of the story, but knowing there are numerous chapters you have to write before you can get to that point. That can get pretty overwhelming. It's why I'm so grateful for all the support I've received thus far, as it's an excellent motivator.
Anyway, I hope you all had a pleasant start to 2019. I ushered in the new year by getting together with a few friends, ordering pizza, having a few drinks, playing Broforce, and watching Mayweather vs Nasukawa make a mockery out of boxing. Fun times.
PS: This story now has a Spanish translation courtesy of the wonderfully named Fox McCloude.
