The Symbol of Peace and Justice

Chapter 12 – Weekend Wackiness

It was exactly two in the afternoon when Gohan found himself stepping foot on U.A.'s athletics field, the bright spring sun casting a pleasant warmth over his body. He had contemplated wearing his hero outfit for today, but ultimately decided against it, as he didn't want his training session with Midoriya to seem overly formal. Instead, he had donned a sleeveless dark blue gi with a red sash and wrist bands.

A quick scan of the area showed that no one was around, so he decided to do some stretches to loosen up. Muscle injuries were never fun.

"Son! We're here!"

At the sound of his name being called, Gohan looked over to the source of the voice, only for his eyes to widen. There was Midoriya running towards him, clad in a simple blue tracksuit, but beside him was none other than All Might himself. The demi-Saiyan knew Midoriya looked up to the Number One Hero, but just how had he roped the man into supervising their training?

Nevertheless, Gohan shook his head and smiled, glad that they were finally about to get started. "It's good to see you, Midoriya. You too, All Might-sensei," he greeted. "Although I have to admit, I'm surprised that you of all people showed up." Didn't he have hero business to attend to?

All Might let out a boisterous laugh as sat cross-legged on the ground. "I'll always try and make time for my students, young Son! What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't take an interest in their training?" He stroked his chin and his grin widened. "Besides, I'm genuinely curious to see how you go about this. Don't worry, I won't step in unless it's absolutely necessary."

Gohan nodded in understanding. "I'll try not to disappoint you," he said, trying to ignore the sudden bout of pressure that had surfaced. As confident as he was in his own ability, he couldn't help but feel slightly self-conscious in the presence of one of his idols.

"I'm ready when you are, Son," Midoriya stated.

Gohan took a deep breath to refocus, and turned his attention to the green-haired boy. "Okay then. Have you stretched?"

"Yep!"

"Good. Now, would you mind telling me a bit about your Quirk?" Gohan requested. "More specifically, how does it work?"

To Gohan's confusion, Midoriya froze on the spot and his eyes darted to All Might, who shot him a reassuring smile. This brief exchange between the pair only served to bewilder the demi-Saiyan further. Just what was all that about?

Before Gohan could ponder this further, Midoriya turned his attention back on him. "A-alright then. Umm… it's a s-strength enhancing Quirk that makes my b-body a lot stronger," he stammered.

"Okay. And how exactly do you bring out this power?" Gohan asked.

"It-it's a bit hard to explain," Midoriya began, a light blush forming on his cheeks. "I, umm, think really hard about the power inside me, and then try to draw it out all at once. So far I've only managed to draw it out in desperate situations, and the aftermath has been l-less than ideal…" he trailed off.

Gohan blinked. "I see." That explanation was a bit more jumbled than he would've liked, but he felt like he got the gist of it. "I was correct in thinking your Quirk works similarly to mine, in theory at least."

Midoriya's eyes widened, and even All Might looked surprised. "H-how do you mean?" the green-haired boy stuttered.

"Like you, I have a source of energy in my body – ki – that I can draw on to increase my strength," Gohan explained. "If I wanted to, I could use it to enhance the power of my punch. Observe."

He held out his right hand and channelled a surge of ki through it, bathing his arm in a fiery white aura that stunned his onlookers, with Midoriya leaping back in shock.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed.

Gohan smiled and punched the air beside him, the sheer force of the motion generating a gust of wind that flew into the distance, throwing up specks of dirt. "In addition to that, I can make my kicks stronger."

To demonstrate, he repeated the action with his left foot, coating it in a tangible barrier of white energy. He then sliced the air with a side thrust kick, creating yet another powerful gust of wind.

"However, I've found that focusing my ki on individual limbs is just limiting myself," he continued. "The best way to use my ki is to channel it through my entire body… like this."

Spreading his feet and bringing his clenched fists close to his body, Gohan closed his eyes and dove into the familiar pool of pulsating ki at his centre; he submerged himself in the soothing energy and allowed the gentle waves to wash over him, covering his very being like the warmest, most comfortable of blankets. Instantly, his body was set ablaze with a bright light, and a cloak of white flames sprang to life around him.

When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of Midoriya's bulging eyes and gaping jaw. Off to the side, All Might had a similarly stunned expression, although nowhere near as extreme.

"Th-th-this is in-t-tense!" Midoriya stuttered, struggling to articulate his words. "I can f-f-feel your power from here."

Gohan allowed his aura to subside. "This is what I want to teach you. As things stand, you're unable to draw on your power at will, and whenever you manage to do so, you go straight from zero to one hundred percent, which I assume your body isn't capable of handling just yet."

That broke Midoriya from his stupor. "D-do you really think you can help me learn to control my Quirk?" he whispered, his look of shock morphing into one of hope.

Gohan couldn't help but give his friend a reassuring smile. "I can't guarantee it, but I can promise you that I'll try my best."

A few tears slid down Midoriya's cheeks, which the green-haired boy wiped with his sleeve. "If-if you can h-help me, I-I don't know how I'll be able to repay you."

"Ahh, don't worry about that! We're friends, right?" Gohan said kindly.

"Of-of course," Midoriya agreed, having regained most of his composure. "I'm ready to start when you are."

"Let's get to it then. This training session will consist of two things: meditation and sparring," Gohan explained. "Meditation helped me a lot when I was learning how to use my Quirk, so hopefully it'll be the same for you. The goal will be to get you calm, composed and collected enough to draw upon a fraction of your power, and channel it through your entire body."

"I've never meditated before, but if you think it'll help, I'm willing to try," Midoriya declared, although the demi-Saiyan could detect some unease in his tone.

"Don't worry, it's not as hard or as boring as it seems," Gohan chirped, trying to lighten the mood. "As for the sparring, I'd like to get an idea of where you're currently at in terms of fighting prowess. Since your Quirk is a combat-oriented one, knowing how to fight properly will be a huge help when you're out doing hero work."

Midoriya gulped audibly. "O-okay."

Gohan's cheerfulness dimmed. That wasn't reassuring. He could understand Midoriya's hesitation to spar with him, given his recent showing against Nomu, but it was all for the green-haired boy's benefit. Perhaps it would help if he received approval for All Might? Midoriya did seem to look up to the man after all. "Is that alright with you, All Might-sensei?" he called out to their spectator.

"It is indeed, my boy!" All Might boomed enthusiastically. "I have the utmost faith in your ability to whip young Midoriya into shape!"

Gohan couldn't help but flush at the remark. He was never one to get a kick out of being praised by others, but being encouraged by a legendary hero like All Might did make him feel warm inside. Fortunately, Midoriya also seemed to take comfort in the boisterous man's words.

Pleased that his plan had worked, Gohan sat cross-legged on the floor and placed his hands in his lap. "Take a seat opposite me," he told the green-haired boy, who nodded before doing as he was told.

"Now what?" Midoriya asked.

"First, close your eyes. Then, steady your breathing; in through the nose, and out through the mouth," Gohan described. "Take any distracting thoughts you have and expel them with each exhale. The only thing you should be focusing on right now is trying to find the source of your power."

Midoriya opened his eyes, visibly confused. "How will I know where to look?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," Gohan admitted. "You'll have to find the power on your own. For me, whenever I use my ki, I reach deep into my centre, where there's a pool of energy to draw from."

"Umm… do you mean like the literal centre of your body?" Midoriya questioned, looking even more puzzled than before.

Gohan sighed. "It's hard to explain. Just… search deep within yourself. Try to remember what it feels like every time you use your Quirk, and search for that familiar feeling."

Midoriya nodded in understand and closed his eyes once more. It took four minutes for him to start fidgeting. Gohan chuckled to himself.

"Do I have to sit completely still?" the green-haired boy groaned.

"Yes," Gohan replied. "You're already capable of using your Quirk, but only at full power, and only under stress. The point of this training is to get you to call upon that power while being completely relaxed. That will be the first step to learning how to control your Quirk."

That explanation seemed to have done the trick, as Midoriya stilled his movements. "Okay. I'll try my best," he promised.

Gohan smiled warmly. "Don't worry if you don't get it right this time. If your Quirk is anything like ki, this step is going to be really difficult."

Midoriya didn't respond and got straight back to work – an action Gohan approved.

Not for the first time, he cursed his inability to sense the ki of people around him. Had such a thing been possible, he would've been able to keep better track of the green-haired boy's progress. Instead, he was stuck watching his friend's movements, and trying to follow the rhythm of his breathing.

It was pretty boring, if Gohan was being perfectly honest… not that he would admit that out loud, though. He was the one who volunteered to train Midoriya after all, and he didn't regret it for a second. He just wished that watching other people meditate wasn't such a painfully dreary activity. It wasn't like he could distract himself by undergoing his own meditation either; he needed to keep a close eye on his friend to see if he was messing up.

Midoriya lasted a solid nine minutes this time before he started fidgeting yet again. However, unlike before, he didn't voice his frustration.

"You're getting restless," Gohan observed. "I know it's hard, but you have to stay still. This is already difficult enough as is, and having a restless mind is only going to make it harder."

Midoriya let out a long sigh before refocusing and trying once more. Despite his persistence, Gohan knew the green-haired boy was reaching the end of his tether. He also knew from his own experiences that trying to brute force your way through an already frustrating mental exercise would only end in failure.

"Let's try for just fifteen more minutes," Gohan proposed. "After that, we can move on from meditation."

To his credit, Midoriya went the full fifteen minutes, and he probably would've gone longer had Gohan not decided to cut his meditation then and there. "Alright, that's enough for now," he announced.

Midoriya let out an audible sigh of relief before opening his eyes and stretching his limbs. "Whoa… my vision's all… weird," he mused, blinking a few times to try and adjust to the light.

Gohan chuckled. "That sounds about right. Anyway, how do you feel?"

"More relaxed, I have to admit," Midoriya said. "But I don't feel any closer to controlling my Quirk."

"That's normal too," Gohan revealed. "Remember, this is supposed to be hard. It could take you days, it could take you weeks, it could take you months – I don't know for sure. But trust me when I say it'll help."

"I trust you," Midoriya stated, getting a smile out of the demi-Saiyan.

"I'm glad to hear that… although I'm not sure if you'll feel the same way after this next bit," Gohan joked.

Midoriya gulped. "Sparring?"

"Sparring," Gohan confirmed. He took a few steps back and relaxed his posture. At the same time, he reduced his ki output to what he deemed reasonable for this purpose. "Now, I want you to come at me with all you've got."

"A-are you s-sure?" Midoriya stammered, unease written on his features.

"I'm sure," Gohan stated sternly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to fight back just yet."

Despite this, Midoriya still seemed hesitant. He glanced over at All Might, and Gohan saw the legendary hero give the green-haired boy a reassuring nod. That seemed to have done the trick, as Midoriya's features instantly hardened and he lashed out with a frantic assault.

His onyx eyes locked firmly onto his opponent's emerald ones, Gohan saw each and every blow coming at him in slow motion. He slipped his head under a clumsy cross, leaned out of range of a wild hook, and deflected a barrage of uncoordinated jabs with the subtlest brush of his palm. All the while, his eyes never left Midoriya's, nor did he stray even an inch from where he stood.

After being met with abject failure, Midoriya took a step back to gather his bearings, although he was clearly rattled if the gulp he gave was anything to go by. Then, after a second of contemplation, he lunged forward once more and engaged in a similarly futile onslaught.

Gohan frowned inwardly as he continued dodging Midoriya's attacks. The green-haired boy's fighting style was frenzied, untamed and altogether unnatural for someone of his build. On top of that, there were more holes in it than Swiss cheese, leaving the demi-Saiyan to wonder just where to begin.

Eventually, Gohan figured he'd just take it step by step, starting with highlighting the most obvious issue. It would probably be a hard pill for Midoriya to swallow, but it needed to be said. The hero business was cruel and unforgiving, and there were no second chances. He knew this firsthand, and he'd be damned if he let someone he considered a friend enter it unprepared.

With a plan now in mind, Gohan waited until Midoriya launched yet another aimless right hook, then took a slight step forward and planted his left palm against the point between his opponent's bicep and shoulder, giving it a small push. The green-haired boy's momentum instantly halted, and he let out a startled gasp.

He tried to retract his arm, but Gohan gave it a light squeeze and shook his head. "Wait," he ordered.

Midoriya's features twisted into a look of panic. "S-Son?"

"Do you know why you're in this position?" Gohan questioned.

Midoriya took a moment to think before responding. "You were too quick for me to hit."

"Well, yes, but that's not the main reason," Gohan corrected, drawing a grimace from the other boy. "You were telegraphing each of your punches, which made it really easy for me be proactive instead of reactive. After all, why would I go to the effort of blocking or dodging your punch, when I could just halt your momentum and stop you from throwing the punch in the first place?"

Midoriya's eyes widened. "I-I see."

"In addition to immobilising your arm, I was also able to get in real close," Gohan continued. "Do you know what's bad about that?

Midoriya gulped "It leaves me vulnerable to a counterattack."

"Exactly," Gohan confirmed with a nod. "From here, I have several options. I can counter with a punch to your face." His fist flew forward and stopped less than an inch from Midoriya's jaw.

"I can get you into a submission lock." He slid his hand towards Midoriya's wrist, gripped it, then twisted it around and placed his right hand beneath his captive's elbow. All it took was a small application of pressure to make the green-haired boy gasp in pain.

Gohan let go and returned Midoriya's arm to its previous position, this time keeping his left hand tightly secured around the boy's wrist. "I can also do a takedown."

Here, he swung his right arm into the crook of his target's elbow and followed through, swiftly taking Midoriya to the ground with an audible thud. Without letting go of the wrist, he reeled in the entire arm and trapped it under his armpit, then lashed out with a right-handed punch that stopped a hair away from the boy's face.

This sequence of moves took the wind out of Midoriya's sails, his bulging eyes darting from side to side while his lower lip quivered. Gohan felt a pang of pity for his friend and let go of his arm, then held out a hand and gave him a kind smile. "Sorry about that. I was trying to make a point and figured this would be the most effective way."

At least he didn't resort to Piccolo's approach, which was to punish every single mistake in a way that let him know exactly where he messed up, and why he shouldn't mess up again. He almost shuddered at the memory.

"P-point made," Midoriya stammered with a nervous chuckle, accepting the offered hand and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. After dusting off his tracksuit, he forced a shaky smile onto his face. "I appreciate that you're taking this training seriously, Son. I wouldn't want it any other way."

"That's the spirit," Gohan exclaimed with a wide grin. He let his friend catch his breath before steeling his features. "Now, I want you to keep what I said in mind and attack me again. Be warned, though, this time I'm going to fight back."

To punctuate this statement, Gohan assumed an unusual fighting stance, spreading his feet until they were shoulder width apart and letting his arms hang loosely by his sides. He clenched his fists and fixed his narrowed eyes onto his opponent's.

Midoriya gulped, but nodded in understanding. He took a few deep breaths to compose himself, then glanced over at All Might, who flashed him a thumbs up. Taking that as a signal, the green-haired boy attacked.

Gohan had just as easy of a time defending against this barrage of blows as he did the previous one, although he did notice Midoriya wasn't as wild with his strikes as before. He could clearly see that the green-haired boy was making a conscious effort to not telegraph his moves, which was pleasing to the eye… but it presented another set of problems that needed to be addressed.

Unfortunately for Midoriya, it seemed like the only way he knew to fight was to swing his arms wildly like some hulking, overly muscled brute. Even though he was actively trying to be more calculated with his attacks, his lack of practical experience fighting in such a way meant his punches ended up being too robotic, and his arm movements too stiff.

Nevertheless, Gohan let his friend continue his onslaught, all the while refraining from striking back. The longer this went on, the more jittery Midoriya became. The demi-Saiyan instantly picked up on the way his foe's eyes darted to his clenched fists, as well as the faint streaks of sweat trailing down his forehead.

This went on for a few more minutes, until Gohan finally took the initiative, and twisted his left wrist as though preparing to fire a punch of his own. As expected, Midoriya flinched, halting his attack and moving his arms into a guarding position in front of his face.

However, the attack he was defending against never came. Instead, Gohan took a tiny step forward and planted his right elbow into Midoriya's unprotected solar plexus, giving it a light push.

The green-haired boy gasped as his breath was taken from him, and staggered backwards in shock. Gohan capitalised on this by lunging forward and taking him to the ground with a leg sweep.

Feeling another tinge of pity for his friend, who was panting tiredly on the ground, Gohan decided to give him a few moments to recover. After about half a minute had passed, he stepped forward and held out his hand.

Midoriya reached for the offered appendage without hesitation and rose to his feet. To Gohan's delight, he couldn't spot even a flash of apprehension in the green-haired boy's emerald eyes, despite the battering he'd just taken. That was the right attitude to have.

"So, do you know where you went wrong?" Gohan asked.

Midoriya grimaced. "I fell for your feint."

"Yep. And do you know why you fell for my feint?" Gohan pressed.

Midoriya's face scrunched up in thought as he pondered his answer. "Is it because I'm not experienced enough?" he said after a few seconds.

"To a degree, but that's not the root of the problem," Gohan replied. "The longer the fight on, the more you lost focus. You noticed it yourself, right? After a while your eyes kept darting to my fists, as though anticipating me to attack at any moment."

"Yeah, I noticed," Midoriya admitted with a dejected sigh. "You said you were going to fight back, but when you didn't for a long time, I got worried. It kept me on edge."

Seeing his friend's distress, Gohan gave him a warm smile. "Don't be discouraged. That was all part of my plan." At Midoriya's confused expression, he continued. "I wasn't trying to trick you. I was trying to teach you about the importance of staying focused. I don't know if you could tell, but my eyes never once left yours."

Gohan didn't receive an answer, but Midoriya's gaping mouth told him all he needed to know.

"Even though it may not seem like it, if you keep your eyes locked on to your opponent's during a fight, you'll still be able to track all their movements in the periphery of your vision," he explained. "There's no need to move your head or avert your gaze; doing so will just leave blind spots in your field of view which skilled opponents will take advantage of.

"Another advantage to doing this is that it can be really unnerving, especially if you're fighting someone who isn't used to fighting. As I'm sure you can imagine, when someone's unnerved, they're far more likely to panic and make mistakes."

"N-no kidding," Midoriya stammered, blushing lightly.

Gohan chuckled. "That said, you do have a point. Experience does play a big part in fights, but you can only get experience with practice. The more you spar, the more your fighting sense and confidence will improve, and the easier you'll find it to react to things like feints. That's where I come in."

Midoriya froze for a second, then steeled his features, the determination almost wafting off him. "I'm ready to continue," he asserted.

Gohan nodded in approval. "Good. This time, I'm going to fight back for real, so be ready."

As he said this, he slid his left foot forward slightly and shifted some of his weight onto the leg. He then clenched his fists and moved his arms in front of his chest, tipped forward with his elbows a fist's distance from his body, and his left hand leading. Like before, he engaged in a staring contest with Midoriya, only this time it was reciprocated. His lip quirked.

With no prompting needed, Midoriya rushed forward and delivered three left-handed jabs, which Gohan easily weaved around. Immediately after the third head slip, he fired off a jab of his own, his knuckle grazing Midoriya's cheek as the green-haired boy wasn't agile enough to dodge it fully.

Not giving his sparring partner a moment to rest, Gohan launched a left thrust kick that collided with Midoriya's gut, knocking him back a few feet. However, the green-haired boy quickly recovered, and rushed forward once more with his right fist pulled back. Upon reaching his target, he unloaded a bevy of heavy crosses and hooks.

Gohan felt a frown forming as he seamlessly dodged this latest barrage of attacks. In his panic, Midoriya had fallen back into his old habits of wildly swinging his fists around like some overly muscled berserker. Still, the demi-Saiyan could sympathise with his friend. Bad technique took time to correct.

Hardening his features, Gohan switched up his strategy and blocked one of Midoriya's punches with his forearm. At the same time, his other hand lashed out and his fist drove into the green-haired boy's chest, startling him.

To his credit, Midoriya didn't let this deter him and pushed onwards, albeit with another wild swing that Gohan defended against in the exact same way. This went on a further four times before Midoriya staggered back and hunched over, panting exhaustedly.

Seeing an opportunity to press the attack, Gohan rushed forward and aimed a rising knee strike at Midoriya's face, which the green-haired boy just barely managed to block. His teeth gritted with exertion as he pushed against the bony appendage with trembling hands, and he was doing an impressive enough job, all things considered.

Unfortunately for Midoriya, as his hands were full, he had no way to defend against the right hook Gohan threw at his temple, and was subsequently sent tumbling to the ground. He lay there seething for a few seconds, before hopping back to his feet and trying to muster a counter attack.

Beyond impressed at Midoriya's never-say-die attitude, Gohan accepted his friend's wordless challenge and engaged him in a close quarters duel that was every bit as one-sided as their previous clashes. Every punch Midoriya attempted was blocked, while each strike Gohan launched hit its mark with the precision of a master archer. It was a bonafide demolition job – exactly as he intended it to be.

Gohan wasn't doing this to boost his ego, or a similarly trivial reason. It was a calculated risk on his part that could go one of two ways: by ruthlessly demonstrating how vast the gap was between them, he would either motivate Midoriya to try even harder to reach his level, or he would demoralise the boy to the point to the point that he gave up entirely.

However, given what he knew of his green-haired friend, Gohan was certain that he would respond appropriately. With this thought driving him, he landed a precise palm strike to Midoriya's chest, charged with the faintest trace of ki, then stepped back as the boy collapsed to his knees.

"Had enough?" he inquired calmly.

"No! I can keep going!" Midoriya shot back, rising to his full height and wiping the rivulets of sweat off his brow.

"Let's see it then," Gohan said, beckoning his sparring partner towards him with a wave of the hand.

With a fire burning in his eyes, Midoriya charged forward, displaying impressive speed belying his exhausted state. Unfortunately for him, his courage ultimately amounted to nothing; the second he came within range, Gohan landed a snap kick to his midsection that made him crumple like a piece of paper.

Before Midoriya could topple over, Gohan stepped forward and broke his fall with an arm across the chest. "Had enough now?" he asked, allowing a smile to grace his lips.

Midoriya exhaled deeply and looked up at Gohan through half-lidded eyes. "Yeah… I think I'm done," he mumbled.

Gohan chuckled and helped the green-haired boy stand up straight. "Your spirit is strong, but you need to know and respect your limits," he advised. "Overworking yourself won't do you any favours in the long run. You need to give your body enough time to rest."

Midoriya wobbled a bit as he tried to stay on his feet, but after a few seconds conceded to his body's demands and plopped to the ground, panting heavily. "Man, I'm exhausted," he wheezed. "I thought my stamina was good, but this… this is something else."

"Your stamina is impressive," Gohan conceded as he sat down cross-legged opposite his friend, "but fighting uses up way more energy than running. Like with any physical activity, you'll get used to it if you keep at it."

"I guess," Midoriya muttered. He let out a deep breath and fixed his emerald eyes onto Gohan's onyx ones. "You really kicked my butt, Son."

Gohan let out a sheepish chuckle and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah… sorry about that."

"No, it's fine, I'm glad you did," Midoriya exclaimed, adopting a determined look on his freckled face. "It showed me just how far I still have to go."

Gohan couldn't help but grin at the admission. "I'm glad to hear it, because we have a lot of work to do."

"I'm all ears," Midoriya stated, giving the demi-Saiyan his full attention.

Gohan cleared his throat and got serious. "Alright then. The first thing I'd like to address is your fighting style."

"My f-fighting style?" Midoriya repeated, briefly glancing over at All Might, who looked uncharacteristically serious.

"Yes, your fighting style," Gohan affirmed, deciding to be blunt. "It doesn't suit you at all. You fight like you're a seven-foot tall mountain of muscle whose only approach is to overwhelm his enemies with brute strength. Now, while that can be effective if you have the build for it, or you're fighting someone a lot weaker than you, it'll leave you at a pretty major disadvantage if you're going up against someone equally as strong."

Midoriya blushed profusely, his eyes darting towards All Might yet again. This time, however, the legendary hero looked mildly sheepish.

Gohan eyed the pair oddly, before the connection finally dawned on him and he raised his eyebrows in amusement. 'Ahh. That explains it.'

"S-so, wh-what do you suggest?" Midoriya stammered.

Gohan stroked his chin. "Well, I can't exactly teach you martial arts, since I don't have a definitive style myself," he revealed. At his green-haired friend's astonished look, he smiled. "I know it seems weird, but that's just how it is. I've always just… done my own thing. With all the practice I did, fighting eventually became second nature, despite me never studying any existing school of martial arts."

"So… you're saying I should find my own style?" Midoriya asked.

"Exactly," Gohan exclaimed. "Maybe read up on a few martial arts styles, try them out… see what fits and what doesn't. You have a lot of options."

Midoriya looked a tad overwhelmed at the thought, but after a few seconds, his expression turned serious. "I'll do it," he declared firmly.

Gohan beamed. "Excellent! In the meantime, continue strengthening your body like you've already been doing, as that will both help you with whatever fighting style you end up learning, and make it easier to draw out more of your Quirk's power. Maybe look into getting some weighted clothing, too," he suggested as an afterthought. "I've never used it myself, but I know a few people who have, with excellent results."

"I'll look into it," Midoriya stated.

"Awesome! Well, that pretty much covers everything I wanted to go over today," Gohan announced. "How about we spend the rest of today's session meditating? Normally I'd ask you for another spar, but you look pretty beat up. No offense."

Midoriya chuckled. "None taken." He stretched his limbs and made himself more comfortable on the ground. "Meditation sounds good."

Gohan smiled and took a seat opposite his friend. "Let's get to it then. Remember my instructions from before: breathe in through the nose, and out through the mouth, clearing your mind of errant thoughts with every exhalation…"


Gohan's eyes shot open when a shrill beeping sound pierced his eardrums. He grimaced in discomfort before tracing the noise to the source, which ended up being an embarrassed-looking All Might.

"Whoops! Sorry about that, boys, but it appears I must take my leave! Duty calls!" the legendary hero announced, letting out a boisterous laugh as he leapt to his feet. "Excellent work today, young Son! You should be exceptionally proud of your efforts!"

Gohan flushed at the praise. "Thank you, All Might-sensei."

"The same goes for you, young Midoriya," All Might went on. "If you continue like this, I have no doubt that your training will eventually bear fruit!"

"Th-thank you, All Might," the green-haired boy stammered.

"With that, my lads, I am off! Cheerio!"

Gohan watched with an amused grin as All Might bounded away like he was jumping on a trampoline. His eyes then zeroed in on a bulge in the back of the hero's outfit, with what looked like a small book peeking out from a pocket.

His brow quirked. Was All Might taking notes the whole time?

"I guess that means we have to stop too," Midoriya said with a hint of sadness, interrupting his musing. "I was having fun."

Gohan smiled fondly at his friend. "You did great for your first day. Take tomorrow off, and we'll pick things up Tuesday after school, if we can get another teacher to supervise."

"Sounds like a plan!" Midoriya exclaimed.

Curious as to what time it was, Gohan took out his phone and pressed the 'home' button. When he saw that it was 3:30, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Oh crap!"

"S-Son! What's wrong?!" Midoriya stuttered, startled by the sudden freak-out.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Gohan reassured with a shaky smile. "I just realised I need to be somewhere really soon. See you tomorrow!"

Without waiting for a reply, Gohan flared his ki and launched himself into the air. When he was high above the city, just beneath the clouds, he powered up even further and rocketed towards his apartment in Tokyo with the force of a sonic boom.

The trip home was a short one, as was the resulting shower and dress-up session; super speed had its fair share of uses outside of fighting.

Still, despite the fact that he was making good time, all things considered, Gohan couldn't help but grumble as he slipped on a pair of jeans to go along with his slim fit white t-shirt. Ever since he'd had the misfortune of putting on jeans for the first time, he'd hated wearing the damn things.

He could stomach doing so for special occasions, as it was pretty much a requirement for most social outings – unless you wanted to stand out, which he didn't – but it was never an enjoyable experience. He always found them uncomfortable, and he loathed how much they restricted his mobility. He much preferred the simplicity, comfort and flexibility afforded by trackpants and gi pants.

When Gohan was done dressing up, he gave himself a brief lookover in the mirror and deemed his appearance adequate. He then slipped on his sneakers and leapt off his balcony, jetting off to Musutafu for the second time that afternoon.

He landed in a secluded alleyway less than a block away from the Cerollian Cinema with fifteen minutes to spare, and calmly strolled towards the building with his hands in his pockets. It was a quaint-looking place of impressive size, with red walls and a rotating electronic sign above the entrance. A sizable crowd had gathered outside the front door, but he couldn't see Ashido anywhere among them.

Figuring the best thing to do would be to wait, Gohan found a spot a few metres from the mass of excited moviegoers and leaned against the wall, then whipped out his phone and started browsing through a news app. It only took a few seconds of scrolling before he found an article title that caught his attention.

'Notorious vigilante blurs the line between heroism and villainy,' he read in his head, unable to refrain from rolling his eyes. 'Gee, I wonder who they're talking about.'

Gohan had read enough of these kinds of articles in the past to know exactly what this one would be about… and yet, he couldn't help but click on the link.

Five years on from their initial appearance, the Golden Blur continues to divide opinion – something that looks unlikely to change anytime soon.

Whenever criticism is levelled at the mysterious vigilante, their most ardent supporters continually cite how many dangerous criminals they've put behind bars, and use it as proof that the Blur is a force for good.

These claims do have some merit to them; the Blur has indeed been responsible for numerous arrests over the years, and there's no doubt their contributions are one of the reasons the crime level has dropped a whopping 40% since the Blur first graced us with their presence.

However, for all the good they've done, the Blur remains an unknown variable that can't be trusted – and one has to look no further than the medical history of the Blur's victims to come to this conclusion.

While licensed professional heroes often work with police to subdue and arrest villains, the unlicensed Blur's modus operandi is to incapacitate their targets with excessive blunt force trauma – usually to the point of unconsciousness – and leave them for the police to find and arrest.

This has led many to claim that someone incapable of showing restraint should never-

"What ya reading?"

Gohan jumped at the voice, inadvertently flinging his phone in the air. Eyes widening comically, his hand reached for the airborne device, just barely managing to pluck it out of the sky before it flew too far away.

Crisis averted, he turned his eyes to whoever had startled him, only to see a pink-skinned girl grinning devilishly in his direction. "Ashido! Hey!" he greeted, his hand instinctively moving to scratch the back of his head.

Ashido looked thoroughly amused. "Nice catch. Sorry if I startled you."

"Ahh, don't worry about it. I should've been more alert," Gohan responded, letting out a nervous chuckle. "I was just too wrapped up in some lame news article to pay attention to my surroundings."

Ashido stepped away and clasped her hands behind her back, swinging gently from side to side. "Then I guess it's a good thing I came when I did."

"Yeah…" Now that he had sufficiently gathered his bearings, Gohan was able to get a proper look at his classmate. She was wearing a black t-shirt with a large picture of something that bore an uncanny resemblance to Freeza's third form plastered across the front. Complimenting her top was a pair of denim short shorts and white sneakers.

Gohan's gaze paused on Ashido's long, smooth legs, and he could make out the noticeable ripple of lean yet powerful thigh and calf muscles, denoting both her athleticism and how well she took care of her body.

He swallowed thickly and forcibly tore his eyes away to meet Ashido's own. "You look nice," he blurted out.

The girl giggled, her cheeks turning a darker tint of pink. "Thank you, Son. Right back at you."

Gohan flushed. "So, umm, what movie are we seeing?" he asked, hoping to change the subject before things got too awkward.

Ashido's eyes widened. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. We're seeing Blur: The Origin."

Gohan went rigid. Were his ears playing tricks on him? "I'm sorry, what?"

"I said we're seeing Blur: The Origin."

"Blur… the Origin?" he repeated with some trepidation. "You don't mean the Golden Blur, do you?"

"That's the one!" Ashido chirped.

"But… wait… what? The Blur's getting a movie? How? No one knows anything about the Blur!" Gohan stammered. Was this really happening?

"Well, yeah, but that's part of the fun of it," Ashido replied cheerfully.

Gohan wearily rubbed his temples. This really was happening. "I get that, I guess. But still… an actual movie?"

"The movie's just the icing on the cake," Ashido commented, smiling. "Golden Blur fever is at an all-time high right now."

"In what way?" Gohan asked slowly, trying to suppress the sinking feeling in his gut.

Ashido looked genuinely surprised. "You really didn't know?" At the shake of his head, she smiled kindly. "The Blur is a big deal these days, Son, especially on the internet. Fan pages on social media, twitter accounts about Blur sightings, conspiracy theory videos, fan art, fanfiction, literal fan sites with hundreds of thousands of visitors… you name it."

Gohan couldn't believe it. "Fan art?! Fanfiction?!" While he tried to appear calm on the outside, his mind was racing. "But… no one knows what the Blur looks like!"

"Doesn't stop people from getting creative," Ashido remarked with a wistful sigh.

Gohan took in a deep breath, trying to mask just how stunned he was at these revelations. He'd already come too close to letting his emotions get the better of him – something he couldn't afford to do when discussing his alter ego. "Huh. I had no idea."

"I'll say. Do you not like the Blur or something?" Ashido questioned.

"On the contrary, I'm a massive fan of their work," Gohan admitted. It felt weird to talk about himself in third person. "I was just never interested in the fandom side of things. I figured, if the Blur wants to be left alone, his or her privacy should be respected."

Ashido stroked her chin, seemingly pondering his words. "Wow. I never thought of it that way. I get where you're coming from, but at the end of the day, it's all just fun and games," she reasoned. "The people making this kind of stuff all love the Blur. They just want to show their appreciation in the only way they can. I'm sure the Blur wouldn't mind."

"I… guess you're right," Gohan conceded after some thought.

Now that he thought about it, he could definitely see where these people were coming from. He was still weirded out by the whole thing, but Ashido raised a fair point. Plus, it did feel nice to be appreciated – and not in a creepy way, like that weird fan club he discovered with Sato. He still wouldn't be going anywhere near fan art or fanfiction of the Blur, but he was no longer overly bothered with its existence.

With that thought in mind, Gohan smiled. "No, you're definitely right. A bit of harmless, innocent fun never hurt anyone."

He could've sworn he saw Ashido's lip quirk at the mention of the word, 'innocent', but it was so subtle he wasn't sure whether he was just imagining it. "I'm glad I was able to change your mind," she remarked, sounding rather pleased with herself. "Anyway, should we go in?"

"Sure," Gohan replied.

He followed his friend into the cinema's lobby, which was just as crowded as outside. The vast majority of people milling about looked to be his age or younger, with a scarce few middle-aged folks scattered throughout. His eyes then landed on the snack bar, which was situated at the side of the room, and his stomach let out a mighty rumble.

Gohan's cheeks turned the shade of Ashido's skin, with said girl giggling at the scene. "Geez, Son. Hungry much?" she teased.

"A bit," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "I, uhh, just realised I forgot to eat before I came here." Fortunately, it didn't look like anyone else heard him, as the sound was muffled by the sheer abundance of cinemagoers in the area.

Ashido pouted. "You poor thing. Whatever will you do?"

"Go to the snack bar, of course," Gohan replied. "Come on, let's go while there isn't anyone in line."

He led Ashido to the counter, behind which stood an acne-ridden teenage boy. "What can I get you?" the cinema employee asked, his voice breaking as he spoke.

"What's the largest popcorn size you have?" Gohan inquired.

The cinema employee blinked. "That would be a garbage bag."

Gohan scratched his cheek in thought. While that would be an adequate amount of popcorn for him, he really didn't want to be lugging around a literal garbage bag full of food. That would attract way too much unnecessary attention, as well as embarrass Ashido by association. "What's your second largest size?"

"That would be jumbo dumbo size," the cinema employee answered. He reached beneath the counter and pulled out what looked like a cardboard bucket the length of his wrist, which he then placed on the counter.

Gohan grinned. "Perfect! I'll take two!" He turned to Ashido. "What size do you want?"

The girl looked startled at the sudden question, but recovered quickly and shook her head. "Oh, I'm good, thanks. I already ate."

Gohan's smile dipped. "You sure? I mean, you already supplied the tickets, so I'd feel bad if I didn't contribute something too."

Ashido's features softened. "It's okay, Son. Really."

Gohan pursed his lips. "At least let me buy you a drink."

After a few seconds of silent contemplation, Ashido sighed dramatically and shot him a fond smile. "Alright, fine. I'll have a creamy soda, medium size."

Gohan beamed. "Awesome. One medium creamy soda and the largest Coke you have," he told the cinema employee, who huffed in what looked like mild irritation as he attended to their order.

A minute later, he placed the food and drink on the counter. "That'll be two thousand and seven hundred yen," he declared.

Gohan handed over the required amount and picked up his two popcorn buckets, stacking one on top of the other. Seeing as his hands were occupied, Ashido picked up their drinks. Afterwards, they left the snack bar and returned to the main area of the lobby.

"You really love your food, don't ya?" she quizzed.

"Always have," Gohan admitted with a light chuckle. "I've also only ever been to the cinema twice, so this is all still a novel experience for me."

Ashido gasped. "Seriously?! Only twice? Have you been living under a rock or something?"

"Almost, but not quite," Gohan replied. "Both times were for Sato's birthday. The first time he invited our entire class, which was… interesting, to say the least." He shuddered at the memory. "The second time it was just me and some of his cousins."

"What did you see?" Ashido asked.

"Well, the first time we saw this kids' film in 3D, about some child spy infiltrating a virtual game world to save his sister." At the girl's disbelieving face, Gohan nodded. "It's as bad as it sounds. The second time was really fun, though. We saw All Might in New York."

Ashido's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ooh, I've heard of that one. Didn't it get critically panned and end up being a commercial flop?"

Gohan grinned. "Oh, don't get me wrong, it was an absolutely terrible movie, but it's one of those 'so bad it's good' movies. Sometimes, those kinds of movies are the most entertaining to watch."

"Hey, no arguments here," Ashido stated. "I've seen my fair share of crappy movies and enjoyed them for what they were. They're their own kind of fun."

"Nice to know we're on the same page," Gohan remarked.

Ashido laughed. "Agreed. Anyway, should we go in? I reckon the cinema's going to be packed, so it's best to get to our seats early."

"Sounds good," Gohan agreed. "By the way, where are we sitting?"

"The back of course," Ashido replied with a cheeky grin. "Best seats in the house."

Gohan chuckled. "Why? Because all the cool kids sit there?"

"You know it!" Ashido chirped. "Come on, let's go."

The girl led him further into the cinema, where an usher scanned their tickets and directed them to their designated room. Upon entering, they took their seats at the very back and waited for the place to fill up.

Gohan placed one of his popcorn buckets at his feet, while resting the other one in his lap. He chucked a few pieces of the food into his mouth and bit down, finding the taste quite enjoyable, if a bit salty. The crunching sound the popcorn made between his teeth was also oddly satisfying for some reason.

He tilted the bucket towards Ashido. "You sure you don't want any?"

The girl scrunched her face for a few moments, as if at war with herself, before eventually sighing in resignation. "Oh, alright then." She grabbed a handful of popcorn and started eating the pieces one by one. "Happy now?" she asked with a mock glare.

"Immensely," Gohan replied, grinning cheekily. "Sharing is caring after all."

Ashido choked at the comment, but was able to right herself after a sip of soda. "Sh-shut up, you dork," she stuttered, although he could detect the humour in her tone.

Gohan laughed and leaned back into his seat. He gobbled down a few more pieces of popcorn, but didn't go overboard; he wanted to have enough to last him the whole movie. He had a feeling he'd need it.

Soon enough, the cinema started to fill up, with people pouring into the room in droves. True to Ashido's prediction, it looked like it would be a full house.

"Whoa, is that Bakugo?" the pink-skinned girl suddenly remarked.

"What?" Gohan exclaimed. He looked over to where his friend was pointing, and lo and behold, there was Class 1-A's resident hothead wading through the seats near the middle, his disposition every bit as cheerful as normal. The demi-Saiyan groaned and sunk deeper into his seat, hiding his face behind his bucket. "Damn it, you're right! Ugh… I don't want to have to deal with that jerk's crap right now."

To Gohan's utter astonishment, Ashido plucked out a piece of popcorn and hurled it at the object of his ire. He watched, gobsmacked, as the tiny morsel of food sailed through the air like a homing missile and smashed into Blasty's temple.

The volatile blond let out an uncharacteristic yelp, before his face contorted into a look of pure, unfiltered rage as his head swivelled towards the audience. To his credit, he didn't raise his voice or make a scene, but if looks could kill, he'd probably be on trial for murder.

To Ashido's credit, she was as swift as she was sneaky, and managed to move her head next to Gohan's the moment her missile hit its mark. Fortunately, his giant bucket of popcorn was big enough to hide them both from view.

"Why did you do that?" he asked with wide eyes, still flabbergasted that he had witnessed such a thing.

Ashido giggled. "Because it was funny, and don't tell me you didn't think so too." She then pouted. "I gotta say, though, I'm a bit disappointed with his reaction. I was hoping he'd flip out and lose his shit."

Gohan snorted, unable to suppress a smile. "Okay, I'll admit, it was pretty funny… but still, what if he'd seen us?"

Ashido shrugged, shooting him a mischievous grin. "Who knows. The point is, he didn't see us, so we're all good."

Gohan sighed, chuckling softly to himself. That was one way of looking at it. He peeked his head out from his hiding spot, and was pleased to note that Blasty was nowhere to be seen. Letting out a sigh of relief, he sat up straight and refocused his attention on the screen, which had just started playing movie trailers.

Once the trailers were done and the opening credits rolled, the screen transitioned to show a meteor flying through space until it crash-landed on Earth, creating a colossal crater. Once the dust from the collision cleared, the camera panned up to reveal a giant mansion.

Gohan's brow furrowed as the scene played out in front of his eyes. This all looked oddly familiar…

Shortly after the crash, a well-dressed man and woman ran out of the mansion and surveyed the wreckage, where they discovered a crying baby that looked exactly like a human. After the woman bemoaned her inability to bear children, she and her husband decided to adopt the child, naming him Sora.

Gohan let out a long, deep sigh. No wonder it looked familiar. Could the filmmakers have been any more blatant?

What came next was a montage showing Sora growing up like any normal kid from a wealthy family would. However, despite being well-loved by his adoptive parents, he never really fit in with the rich and privileged, which resulted in him being heavily bullied at school.

The montage ended when it showed a teenage Sora chasing after a school bus as his peers laughed at him from the vehicle, with the bus driver himself also getting in on the action. The futile chase went on for a few minutes, until a bolt of lightning struck Sora and knocked him unconscious.

Numerous gasps rang out through the audience, and even Gohan was caught off guard. However, his shock quickly turned to disbelief as the gears in his head started turning. They wouldn't go that far… would they?

As it turned out, they did.

After Sora awoke from a three-month-long coma, he discovered that he had been granted superpowers, and was now able to run really fast while leaving a golden blur in his wake. He also discovered that his parents had been murdered by muggers.

This tragic incident had a profound effect on young Sora, culminating in him deciding to become a vigilante in order to get revenge on his parents' killers.

Gohan groaned as he grabbed a handful of popcorn and started eating. A quick glance at Ashido out of the corner of his eyes showed that she was deeply entranced by what was happening onscreen. 'Well, at least she's enjoying herself.'


After the movie finished, Gohan and Ashido hung back for a bit while the over moviegoers cleared out, as they didn't want to risk running into Blasty among the crowd. When the coast was clear, and they eventually exited the cinema, they found a spot by the building where they could chat without being disturbed.

"So… what did you think?" Ashido inquired, looking at Gohan expectantly.

The demi-Saiyan sighed. "That was the stupidest movie I've ever seen."

"Well, yeah, it was pretty stupid, but it wasn't that bad!" Ashido remarked with a light chuckle.

"It was full of clichés, it recycled plot points from every major superhero film ever made, and the story was just dreadful," Gohan asserted harshly. "If the Golden Blur ever saw this movie, I'm sure he or she would be insulted."

Ashido's eyes widened. "Ouch. And here I was thinking you enjoyed bad movies."

"This wasn't one of those 'so bad it's good' movies," Gohan corrected. "This was one of those 'so bad it's trash' movies." He then sighed and smiled at his friend. "Anyway, sorry if I'm being too negative. I'm genuinely grateful that you asked me to come see this with you. The movie may have been bad, but I had a fun time." That wasn't a lie; he definitely enjoyed the experience.

"Naww, you're gonna make me blush!" Ashido muttered shyly, averting her gaze. "I had a fun time too. You're a pretty interesting guy, Son."

"I'm flattered," Gohan mumbled, slightly embarrassed at the praise. That wasn't a compliment he'd ever received before.

"Hey, since it's not too late, do you want to hang out for a bit?" Ashido asked out of the blue, her voice quieter than usual.

"Sure," Gohan answered. He didn't have anything else planned, so spending more time with the pink-skinned girl sounded good. "But I don't know what we could do. I'm not that familiar with the city, aside from a couple of food places."

"Why don't we go to the amusement park?" Ashido suggested, now sounding more like her normal peppy self.

Gohan quirked a brow. "You mean Mega Mountain? The one a few blocks down from school?"

"That's the one!"

"I'd love to, but unfortunately it's closed for repairs right now," Gohan revealed with a sad smile.

As though a switch had been flipped, Ashido's smile turned upside down. "What? Why?"

"A large group of criminals took over the park yesterday and tried to ransom it back to its billionaire owner," Gohan explained, remembering back to when he'd overheard the police talking about it. "They were eventually caught, but by then they'd already managed to do a fair amount of damage to the park, which is why it's currently under repair."

"Seriously?! Aww man, that blows!" Ashido moaned, angrily crossing her arms. "Was anyone badly hurt?"

"Only the bad guys," Gohan said. "Fortunately, there were no innocent casualties." He made doubly sure of that.

"Well, at least something good came out of it," Ashido grumbled. "Still, that really sucks. This week has been super full-on, and I was really looking forward to going to Mega Mountain with you."

"I know, I'm annoyed too. You'd think with the amount of heroes around here, criminals would think twice before breaking the law," Gohan muttered, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly. "But hey, at least the park will be up and running again eventually. We could go and visit when it gets fixed."

"Yeah, you're right," Ashido conceded with a shrug of her shoulders. "Better late than never, I guess."

Gohan smiled. "Glad to hear it. In the meantime, why don't we go for a walk? Musutafu's a big place. There has to be something fun to do around here."

Ashido instantly perked up. "That sounds good too. I like exploring," she stated excitedly.

Pleased to have brightened her mood, Gohan proceeded down the sidewalk, with Ashido quickly falling into step beside him. As they walked, he couldn't help but keep shooting brief glances at the girl.

Eventually, she caught wind of this and gave him a cheeky grin. "See something you like, Son?"

Gohan flushed at being called out on his gawking. "Sorry. It's just, I've been meaning to ask you something for a while now."

"Oh? And what's that?" Ashido inquired, suddenly getting serious.

"What exactly is that a picture of on your shirt?" Gohan blurted out.

The girl stared at him in shock for a few seconds, before eventually breaking out into a wide grin. "That's it? That's what you wanted to ask."

"Yeah…" Gohan replied slowly. Did he say something wrong?

"It's a xenomorph from the Alien movie franchise," Ashido explained kindly. "You heard of it?"

"Can't say I have," Gohan admitted, intrigued. Now that he thought about it, it was quite fitting that Freeza resembled a movie character.

Unaware of his internal musing, Ashido froze at the revelation and looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "Whaaaat?! Dude, you're missing out!"

Gohan chuckled. "Sato tells me that about a lot of things. I'm guessing it's about aliens?"

"Gee, what gave it away?" Ashido deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "Seriously though, you have got to see at least the first movie. It's an epic horror story of a crew on a broken-down spaceship being hunted by a terrifying alien they unknowingly brought onboard."

"Ahh, that explains it," Gohan remarked. "I've never really been big on horror movies."

Ashido smirked. "What's wrong, Son? Too scary for you?"

Gohan laughed. "The opposite, actually. They don't scare me at all, so most of the time I find them boring."

He wasn't boasting; he was being completely honest. No movie monster he had ever seen on TV could invoke a fraction of the terror he felt when fighting for his life against Freeza and Cell. Those two were legitimate nightmare fuel, which was only exacerbated by the fact that they were real, tangible threats. Even though they were both currently dead, the haunting memories of his conflicts against them always managed to claw a way back into his consciousness every now and again.

Ashido blinked at him, looking contemplative. "I believe you. You don't strike me as the kind of guy who would lie just to make himself sound cool… not that you'd need to." She coughed into her hand and shrugged, while Gohan blushed lightly. Did he hear that right?

"Well, whatever. If horror isn't your thing, you'll probably like the sequel, Aliens," the girl continued. "It's about a team of space marines who attack a planet full of the aliens from the first movie. It's got a lot of gore, action and epic set pieces – the kind of stuff action junkies will get a kick out of."

Gohan stroked his chin. While he was never the biggest fan of action movies centred around gunplay – he much preferred martial arts – the space setting piqued his curiosity. "Is it good?" he questioned.

"Both Alien and Aliens are classics in their own right," Ashido said. She then sighed and stared wistfully into the distance. "Sadly, the series went downhill after that. Alien 3 was pretty bad, but the movies that came after were just…" She gagged, which was enough to get the point across.

Gohan nodded. "Alright, I'll add Aliens to the list. And why not, maybe I'll check out Alien too, since you rate it so highly."

This snapped Ashido out of her funk. "You have a list?" she asked, sounding intrigued.

"Sure do," Gohan admitted with a chuckle. "I had to make one eventually, with how much Sato kept bugging me to see some of the movies or TV shows he liked. That guy is freakishly persistent when he wants something."

Ashido's mouth morphed into an excited grin. "I'll hold you to it then. Better yet, you could come over to my place and we could watch it together."

Gohan faltered in his step, but recovered straight away. He'd never been to a girl's house before, and the prospect of going there set off a few alarm bells in his head. Then again, maybe it wouldn't be that weird. He and Ashido were friends after all. "That could be fun," he remarked.

"Damn straight!" Ashido chirped with a spirited fist pump, causing him to smile at her enthusiasm. How could he refuse her after that kind of reaction?

As the two teenagers continued walking, a comfortable silence between them, Gohan momentarily lost himself in his thoughts. It had been a rough week, to put it mildly. The incident at the U.S.J. had screwed with his mind and left him in a sorrier state than he had been in years, to the point that he didn't know how long it would take him to get over it.

But this past day had been an invigorating breath of fresh air that left him feeling rejuvenated, and with each step he took, he could feel some of his spark returning. The harrowing fact that a group of vile villains had managed to harness the power of ki would continue bothering him until they were all behind bars, but that was something he could worry about later.

For now, he was content.

In deciding to train Midoriya, he had found another goal to strive towards, as well as another activity to help take his mind off his problems. The fact that he was helping a promising hero overcome a pretty debilitating impairment was an added bonus.

In accepting Ashido's invitation, he realised there were people outside of his small circle of friends who cared enough about him to willingly offer to spend time with him. Knowing that the pink-skinned girl deemed him 'interesting' was also a bit of an ego booster… not that he cared about such things.

"Hey! How about we go to a karaoke bar?" Ashido suddenly asked, pointing at a building across the road.

And with that, the colour drained from Gohan's face. "I'm… not entirely comfortable with the idea of singing karaoke," he mumbled sheepishly.

Ashido chuckled. "That's alright, Son. I can understand not wanting to put yourself out there like that." She stroked her chin. "Well, if karaoke's not your thing, we could go to the nightclub next door. They allow minors entry until eight-thirty."

"I don't know how to dance either," Gohan admitted, flashing the girl an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I don't exactly get out much, so this is all new to me."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Ashido reassured in a gentle tone of voice. "We're here to have fun, remember? I don't want you to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable just for my sake."

"Thanks for understanding, Ashido. You're a good friend," Gohan said softly, his smile brightening a bit.

"R-right! Of course!" the girl stammered, quickly looking away. "Umm… in that case, do you want to go get a coffee? There's this nice café nearby that I often go to."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Coffee? Isn't it a bit late for that?"

"It's never too late for coffee!" Ashido exclaimed fiercely, as though offended by the mere thought.

"I'm sure any medical professional would disagree," Gohan retorted, chuckling at the sight.

"Bahh, those guys need to loosen up a bit," Ashido asserted with a dismissive wave. "Anyway, you in?"

"Do they sell tea there?" Gohan asked. "Coffee's not really my thing."

"No, but they sell cakes," Ashido responded, her lip quirking. "You like cakes, right?"

Gohan's eyes lit up. "Why didn't you say so earlier? Lead the way!"

Ashido laughed. "Come on then, you goofball," she beckoned, setting off down the sidewalk.

A short walk later, the two teenagers made it to the café: a small, homely establishment that seemed to be quite popular, if the number of people visiting it were anything to go by. There was a pleasant atmosphere in the air, accentuated by some relaxing jazz music playing in the background.

Upon entering the café, Ashido ordered something called a caramelatte, while Gohan requested a simple slice of cheesecake. After paying for their purchases, the pair sat down at a small wooden table to wait.

"You were right. This is a nice place," Gohan commented as he scanned his surroundings with a trained eye.

"Yeah, it's pretty chill here," Ashido remarked, a wide grin splitting her lips. "So, are you excited for the sports festival? I bet you're gonna kick major ass in it."

Gohan's cheerfulness dropped a notch as Aizawa's words from earlier in the week came to the forefront of his thoughts. He'd already decided to take part, as he didn't want to send the wrong message to his classmates, but he hadn't really thought about how that made him feel.

His onyx orbs latched on to Ashido's bright yellow irises, and he saw that her grin hadn't dimmed in the slightest. She, like Yaoyorozu, had a lot of faith in his abilities, and fully expected him to shine at the sports festival.

He pursed his lips and scratched his cheek. Maybe taking part wouldn't be so bad after all? He doubted there'd be anyone strong enough to trouble him, but the prospect of getting a first-hand look at what his peers were capable of was an intriguing, and potentially entertaining one.

Plus, if he ever wanted to inspire people like All Might did, he needed to get his name out there at some point. Now that he thought about it deeper, it would be nice to receive some recognition as Son Gohan – not the Golden Blur.

"Son?" Ashido asked softly, a hint of concern in her voice.

"I… I'm not overly excited about it, but I guess I am kinda looking forward to it," Gohan finally admitted, a light smile settling on his face.

Ashido let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Phew! Good to know! I thought I'd broken you for a second there."

Gohan chuckled. "Almost, but not quite."

Before Ashido could respond, a waitress carrying a tray came to their table and placed a large foam cup in front of the pink-skinned girl. "A caramelatte for the lady," she chirped, before setting a small plate in front of Gohan. "And a slice of cheesecake for the gentleman. Enjoy your date, you two!"

The demi-Saiyan had failed to properly register the waitress' words, as he was too busy staring in stunned surprise at what she had given him.

"Son? Are you alright?" Ashido questioned hesitatingly.

Gohan shook his head to refocus. "I… I don't know. Did they mix up my order?" He jabbed his fork into the pitiful morsel of food that lay before him and lifted the whole thing off the plate. "Are the cakes supposed to be this tiny?"

Ashido snorted in mirth. "Yeah, that's pretty standard. Were you expecting a big ass box or something?"

"N-no!" Gohan replied, a faint blush on his cheeks. "But given how much this thing cost, I was expecting something a little more… substantial."

Ashido's expression softened. "Is that a problem?"

Gohan shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. Just my stomach making a meal of things." He paused, then chuckled at the unintentional pun. "Like I said earlier, I don't get out much, so it's nice learning about the ways of the world, and the wonders of capitalism."

"Y-yeah! Exactly!" Ashido responded, taking a long sip of her coffee. "Is your cake good at least?"

Gohan cut off a small piece with his fork and took a bite. "It's decent. Not the best cheesecake I've had, but by no means the worst." A fond smile then broke out across his face. "You know, if Sato knew I was eating a cake he didn't make, he'd probably accuse me of treason."

"Really? You guys must be pretty close then, huh?" Ashido asked, interlocking her fingers and resting them underneath her chin.

"You don't know the half of it," Gohan mumbled as he went in for another bite.

"So enlighten me," Ashido requested, her eyes brimming with curiosity as she gave him her full attention. "Tell me a bit about yourself, Son. I don't know about you, but I'm in no rush to leave."

Gohan put down his fork and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Alright then. Umm… where do I begin… well, this might come as a surprise to you, but I don't really have a favourite food…"


Not even the chilly evening winds could keep the grin off Gohan's face as he jetted home later that night, a fiery white aura cloaking his speeding figure. He'd spent the past two hours at the café with Ashido, just talking with the girl about all manner of random things, and he had a blast doing so.

She had asked him a lot of questions – nothing too personal, but enough for her to get a good idea of what kind of person he was. Gohan, in turn, had found out a few facts about his pink-skinned classmate, such as her likes and dislikes, as well as her goals and aspirations. However, she was the one who left the café with the most amount of information.

Gohan was initially hesitant to open up to Ashido, finding her curiosity a tad weird and mildly overwhelming. But, after realising that she was genuinely interested in getting to know him better, and actually seemed to care about what he was saying, he allowed himself to relax and properly engage in a pleasant, meaningful conversation.

After leaving the café, he had walked Ashido to the train station and bid her farewell, but not before agreeing to go to Mega Mountain with her when it reopened. Having never been to said amusement park as a guest before, it was something he was looking forward to immensely.

After crossing the city limits of Tokyo, Gohan scratched his chin in thought. Perhaps he ought to ask his other friends to tag along, as well as a couple of classmates who he got along with, like Kirishima? He figured it could be a good bonding experience, as well as a welcome reprieve from all the crap going on at school. Heavens knew they needed it.

Before he could ponder this further, a booming explosion somewhere on the ground drew his attention. Eyes widening in alarm, he screeched to a halt and frantically sought out the source of the disturbance, quickly zeroing in on a nearby oil refinery that had been set ablaze.

Brow furrowing in concentration, he transformed in an instant and dropped to the ground with a thud, before rocketing towards the burning building with practiced ease. As the world shifted into slow motion and the distant fumes started tickling his nostrils, he hoped with all his heart that no innocent soul had been harmed in the fire.

These kinds of incidents were the ones he loathed the most.

The brainless villains he dealt with on a regular basis had simple, nefarious motives, and as such were easy to dispose of. But when Mother Nature was the culprit, or human error the cause… things became unpredictable, and the safety of innocent lives couldn't be guaranteed.

This was the unglamorous side of the hero business – the side that was glossed over in newspapers and gossip magazines in favour of grand battles against criminal masterminds. Those were the kinds of stories the general public loved to sink their teeth into… the kinds of stories that sold.

As the haunting cacophony of horrified screams pierced his ears, Gohan steeled his resolve and accelerated towards the petrified voices.

He'd been in this situation enough times to know there was a high chance of tragedy, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try his absolute best to save as many lives as he could.

As painful as it was to think about the consequences of failure, this was the path he had chosen in life – and he didn't regret it for a second.


AN: When you think about it, despite being super strong by MHA standards, All Might is a pretty crap fighter. He's basically a brawler with limited technique who overwhelms his opponents with his admittedly impressive strength and busted Quirk. That's not to say there's anything wrong with that approach, as it clearly works for him given the reputation he's been able to build, but it's something I could help but notice.

Gohan in this fic isn't some martial arts genius or battle fanatic like his father, but he's had enough training and fought in enough conflicts to recognise that Izuku's doing himself no favours by trying to mimic All Might's fighting style. By the time this problem was addressed in the manga, Izuku had already done some pretty nasty damage to himself.

To All Might's credit, for as bad a teacher as he was in the early part of MHA, he did a phenomenal job strengthening Izuku's body and setting the foundations for him to be a powerful fighter… but he never took the next step. That's where Gohan comes in. How is that going to impact the story going forward? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. All I'm going to say is that I'll try to make Izuku's progression as natural as possible.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and if you have the time, do consider leaving a review. Your feedback thus far has been immensely appreciated, so please keep it coming, as it's the main thing that helps me improve as a writer. Next chapter is the start of the sports festival, so that should be interesting.

Until then!