The Symbol of Peace and Justice
Chapter 15 – Line in the Sand
A chill washed across the stadium, accompanied by a silence so quiet one would be able to hear the patter of a single raindrop. Then came the murmurs, starting from the crowd and spilling onto the battlefield, hushed whispers of concern abound.
"Well how about that, folks? It looks like Team Todoroki has eked out a victory at the last possible moment! We'll need to look over the footage to double-check everything's in order, but for now, Team Todoroki goes through to the final round in second place!" Present Mic declared, his statement spurring the crowd back to life. "Now, as I was saying before I was interrupted… ladies and gentlemen, let's have a round of applause for our sixteen finalists!"
As the spectators whistled and cheered in jubilation, all Gohan could focus on was the sad state Shoji's team was in. Fortunately, Yaoyorozu was on hand to set heaters around the frozen giant, while Iida was taking advantage of his height to lift Shoji's three teammates off his back and set them on the ground. Kaminari was off to the side, looking like he didn't know what to do with himself, and Todoroki was walking away from the scene.
Sato whistled. "Damn, that's rough."
"Poor Tsuyu, Tokoyami and Shoji… they were so close," Uraraka mumbled.
"Mineta too!" Midoriya interceded. "We can't forget about him!"
"Yeah, him too," Uraraka added, albeit unenthusiastically.
"We'll now have an hour's break for lunch, and then we'll continue with the rest of the afternoon's events!" Present Mic announced. "Hey, Eraser Head, let's go grab some food!"
"I'm going to sleep," Aizawa groused.
Sato clapped Gohan on the back. "Let's go eat. Knowing you, you must be famished after missing out on second breakfast and elevenses."
"In a minute," Gohan replied. "I'm going to help thaw out Shoji first."
"You're a good man, Son," Sato remarked, and with another pat on the back, he was off.
"Do you need me to come help?" Midoriya asked, his face a picture of concern.
Gohan smiled warmly. "Nah, bro, I'll be good. You just go and get some rest. You deserve it."
"Alright. I'll see you in a bit, Son," Midoriya responded, taking off after Sato.
Uraraka, who still looked rather glum, gave him a light wave and faint smile before following suit.
Now that he was alone, Gohan broke out into a light jog, but his progress quickly came to a halt when he spotted Todoroki heading his way. Surprised, he stood his ground and waited for the ice user to come to him. "Todoroki," he greeted curtly.
"Son," Todoroki replied in kind, his heterochromic gaze unflinching as he locked eyes with Gohan. "I need to speak with you. Meet me in the tunnel by the faculty and student entrance. Don't make me wait too long."
Before Gohan could process this request, Todoroki took off. Now properly stunned, the demi-Saiyan remained rooted to the spot for a few seconds, until the rumbling of his stomach broke him out of his stupor. Frowning, he ignored his stomach's protests and set off towards Shoji. Food, as well as whatever Todoroki wanted to talk about, could wait.
When Yaoyorozu heard his approach, she flashed him a tired smile. "Hello, Son. Congratulations on finishing first. I knew it'd be you in the end."
Gohan noticed that her jacket was unbuttoned, but he only registered the sight of her bra-clad torso for a fleeting millisecond before looking her right in the eyes, his expression serious. "Thanks. How's Shoji?"
"Honestly, not good," Yaoyorozu replied, letting out a sigh. "Todoroki certainly didn't pull any punches this time. The heaters I've made will melt the ice eventually, but I don't know how long it will take. I did consider making a hammer and trying to break the ice myself, but I'm worried I'll mess up and… well… you know," she trailed off.
Gohan frowned. "It was pretty low of Todoroki to just walk away without undoing his handiwork. The cavalry battle's over."
"Th-that guy's m-m-messed up, Son! Ev-ven more than y-you!" Mineta screeched through chattering teeth.
The midget was then made to yelp when a long, whip-like tongue smacked him on the back of the head. "Don't talk to Gohan like that," Tsuyu scolded, sounding surprisingly sleepy. "He's the only reason you came so close to making it to the final round."
Gohan sent his froglike friend a grateful smile that masked his concerns about her. "Thanks, Tsuyu. Are you okay? You don't sound too good."
"I'll be okay," Tsuyu admitted with a shrug. "Cold temperatures always make me sleepy, but I'll be back to normal soon."
"Alright," Gohan replied, relieved. He had no idea Tsuyu's physiology required her to hibernate. Just how would she make it through a dreadfully cold winter? In any case, now that his worries were assuaged, he turned back to Yaoyorozu. "Anyway, is it alright if I use my ki to melt the ice trapping Shoji? It should be really quick."
Yaoyorozu adopted a thoughtful expression. "As long as Shoji's okay with it. I'm sure he'd appreciate it though."
Gohan nodded his thanks and walked over to Shoji's frozen form. "Hey there, big guy. How you holding up?" he asked.
"I've been better," Shoji answered calmly, not a trace of discomfort in his tone.
Gohan winced. "Sorry. Stupid question. Just trying to break the ice… n-no pun intended!" His cheeks reddened in slight embarrassment, which was only magnified after a melodic giggle from Yaoyorozu and a dismissive snort from Mineta.
Fortunately, Shoji didn't seem to mind. "It's fine. And I'd appreciate the help. I trust you."
"Thank you," Gohan replied sincerely.
With permission now granted, he placed his left hand against the thick slab of ice encasing Shoji up to the waist and channelled a small amount of ki through his palm. His hand glowed an almost ethereal blue, and the chill that ran up to his wrist faded in an instant. Then, after a few seconds of contact, the ice started melting away, drawing a few stunned gasps from the onlookers.
Gohan shut them out and focused on his work, being extra careful not to discharge more ki than was necessary; he didn't want to accidentally burn Shoji. This was an exercise in patience, not speed.
After half a minute of this, the ice had melted enough for there to be a deep puddle of water at Shoji's feet, and another thirty seconds later, the hulking boy regained full use of his lower limbs. He then tried to take a step forward, but ended up toppling over.
Fortunately, Gohan was perfectly placed to catch him before he could faceplant on the wet, rubbery floor. "Whoa! Easy there!"
The demi-Saiyan felt Shoji grip his shoulders and pull himself up to a standing position, after which Yaoyorozu placed a thick woollen blanket across his broad back.
"Thank you," Shoji wheezed.
"Don't mention it," Gohan replied with a warm smile.
"You truly are a spark of light in the darkness that encompasses our world, Son," Tokoyami mused sagely. "I can only hope that some of our less-noble classmates learn from your example."
"W-wow, that's some high praise," Gohan remarked sheepishly, turning towards the birdlike boy and scratching the back of his head. "Thanks, Tokoyami. It means a lot."
Tokoyami nodded in response, then muttered a quiet "thanks" to Yaoyorozu, who draped a thick blanket across him much like she had Shoji. Upon further inspection, it appeared she had done to same to both Tsuyu and Mineta, the latter of which was enthusiastically rubbing his nose along the woollen fabric and… sniffing it? Had Todoroki's ice dulled his sense of smell or something?
Gohan blinked twice at the strange sight, before averting his gaze to one that was far easier on the eyes. "Anyway, what on Earth happened back there?" he asked Yaoyorozu, who was side-eyeing the perverted midget with narrowed eyebrows.
However, it was Kaminari who answered first. "When Present Mic announced there was one minute left, Todoroki went apeshit and let out this huge wave of ice that completely trapped Shoj!" he exclaimed, emphasising his point with frantic gesturing.
"Prior to that, we were locked in a pretty even contest," Yaoyorozu elaborated sombrely, having shifted her attention away from Mineta. "Although they couldn't outrun us completely, nothing we were doing could get past their defences, and every time we got close enough to initiate combat, their team would combine their Quirks to hold us back."
"Even after Shoji got frozen, it still took Todoroki quite some effort to pry open Shoji's Dupli-Arm barrier," Iida praised, gently patting his defeated classmate on the back.
"All I had to do was hold out for just a few seconds longer," Shoji muttered.
"Please don't blame yourself, Shoji," Tokoyami cut in. "I'd argue you were the main reason our battle went down to the wire. You have nothing to be ashamed of, and I'm positive your exemplary performance won't go unnoticed."
"I agree!" Iida declared confidently.
"Me too," Yaoyorozu added.
"Fuck yeah, dude! You kicked ass!" Kaminari commended.
Even Tsuyu chimed in with some praise of her own, although it was slurred and unintelligible due to her drowsiness. Mineta had nothing to say, as he was still oddly enraptured by his blanket, so much so that he had stopped sniffing it, and was now rubbing it against his cheek with a look of absolute bliss.
Not wanting to dwell on the midget's weirdness any further, Gohan smiled warmly at his classmates. "I'll leave you guys to it then. I have some, ahh, business to take care of right now, so I guess I'll catch you all later?"
"Of course," Yaoyorozu replied, shooting him a bright smile.
After the others had given their own farewells – excluding Mineta, who was now tentatively licking his blanket – Gohan set off towards the location Todoroki had given him. He wasn't that keen on speaking to the ice user to begin with, but after hearing about his barbarism during the cavalry battle, his enthusiasm dipped even further.
A short walk later, he found Todoroki leaning against the wall at the specified destination, hands in his pockets and an emotionless expression etched on his face. Gohan situated himself on the opposite wall and crossed his arms. They were in a pretty secluded area, far away from the prying eyes and ears of their peers, who were using a different tunnel some ways down the path.
"You're late," Todoroki greeted, his demeanour as frosty as his Quirk.
Gohan's eye twitched. "You never specified a meeting time. Besides, I would've been here much sooner if I hadn't needed to unfreeze Shoji. You shouldn't have left him like that," he scolded.
"Yaoyorozu had it covered," Todoroki remarked uncaringly.
Gohan pursed his lips in annoyance, but bit back a protest. "You wanted to talk?"
"You're an enigma, Son, and the more I think about you, the more I find myself at a loss," Todoroki stated, much to Gohan's befuddlement.
"I'd say I was sorry, but I'm not sure what I'd be apologising for," he replied.
"I wouldn't want you to apologise. This is on me more than anything, since I'm the one who came up with my pledge in the first place," Todoroki continued.
"Pledge?" Gohan repeated, confused.
"Do you know what Quirk marriages are?" Todoroki queried.
"I'm aware of them," Gohan replied promptly.
In order to acclimatise himself to his new surroundings shortly after arriving here, he had read up on the entire history of Quirks and their evolution through the ages. One of the more twisted topics he delved into was Quirk marriages: a disgusting, archaic practice that had been largely phased out over time. Unfortunately, it was still prevalent among certain circles in the upper echelons of society.
Todoroki nodded. "Good. Then I'll spare you the details. I'm sure you're familiar with Endeavour, the number two hero... and my old man."
Gohan nodded. "I figured you were related based on your last name, but I didn't think you were his son. You don't have his fire powers." He'd never come across Endeavour himself as the Blur, but every now and then he'd overhead other heroes talking about how much they disliked the man's brutal way of handling matters. 'Like father, like son, huh?'
"I do have them, I just refuse to use them," Todoroki corrected coldly, his brow furrowing ever so slightly. "Which brings me back to the pledge I was talking about."
Gohan blinked, his earlier confusion only magnified. 'Why would Todoroki refuse to use his father's power? And what connection does that have to-' His eyes then widened in shock as the pieces fell into place. "Then the Quirk marriage…"
"You catch on quick," Todoroki praised. "To give you some context, Endeavour has always wanted the fame and glory that came with being the very best, but he could never have it because All Might was around. So, he came up with another plan: to surpass All Might through his child. That's how I was born."
Gohan exhaled audibly and shook his head, his thoughts turning sombre. "It can't have been easy, having all that pressure heaped on you when you were just a kid."
Todoroki snorted. "That's putting it mildly. That old bastard made it clear from the very beginning that we were nothing more than tools to him. My mother was a spare womb that just happened to have a powerful Quirk; he never cared for her like a husband would his wife, and being trapped in a loveless marriage with that psychopath eventually drove her insane. My older siblings were failed experiments, and he never let them forget it. I was the weapon he'd use to beat All Might, and he's been drilling that into my head since I first awakened my Quirk."
Gohan's heart went out to Todoroki. His own childhood was the stuff of nightmares, but at least he had a loving family and caring friends to support him every step of the way. He could only hope Todoroki got some of that from his siblings.
"But I refuse to be a tool for that son of a bitch," Todoroki continued. "That's why I promised myself I'd rise to the top using only my right side… my mother's ice Quirk. I want to prove to him that I can be the best without his help."
"And that's why my presence bothers you so much," Gohan concluded.
"Exactly," Todoroki affirmed. "You're strong, Son. Unimaginably so. It didn't properly register until I saw you breeze through both the obstacle course and cavalry battle without even trying, but it's clear that with just my ice powers, I wouldn't stand a chance against you."
Gohan scratched the back of his head. He was at a loss for words. No one had ever confided in him like this before. "Look, man, I sympathise with you, and I'm grateful you trusted me enough to tell me… but why are you telling me this?" he asked, hoping he wasn't being insensitive.
"Like I said, I'm at a loss on what to do," Todoroki repeated. "I was hoping that talking to you would clear things up."
Gohan pursed his lips in deep concentration. He did have an opinion on the matter, but he knew he had to choose his next words carefully. "Well, if you want my advice, I think you should forget about what your dad wants and use your fire Quirk – not for him, but for yourself." When Todoroki's eyes narrowed, the demi-Saiyan held out his hands in a placating manner. "J-just hear me out! The hero business is no joke, Todoroki. People's lives are in your hands every single day. Could you live with yourself knowing an innocent person died on your watch because you purposely limited yourself to using half your power?"
Todoroki's glare softened, and his heterochromic eyes closed for a few seconds before reopening. He didn't speak, but his silence said it all.
"You can't half-ass being a hero, especially if you have the power to make a difference," Gohan continued softly. "People like you and me… people who have been blessed with extraordinary abilities… it's our responsibility to use our powers for good, whether we like them or not. Whether you think of that as a blessing or a curse, that's just the way it is, man."
"Then I'll train myself to be so strong I won't ever need to use my left side," Todoroki declared confidently, clenching his right fist for emphasis.
Gohan winced. That wasn't the response he was expecting. "Don't be selfish, Todoroki. There's more at stake here than just your pride. Even in the short term, you might be able to get by using half your power to begin with, but eventually people who are giving it their all every day will catch up to you and surpass you. Don't underestimate our classmates."
In a rare display of emotion, Todoroki's face morphed into an expression of offended disbelief. "Pride? Pride?! This isn't about something as petty as pride!" he spat, his closed fist trembling. "You have no idea what Endeavour did to me! How he tore apart my family! This isn't about pride, but about sending a message that I can be the best without being that bastard's tool!"
He then took a deep breath, his brow creasing in disgust. "As for our classmates?" A sardonic chuckle slipped from his lips. "They're all jokes. You're the only one I have to be wary of, and I'll beat you eventually. It might not be this year, or even while we're at school, but it'll happen in time. You're strong, Son, but you lack my conviction."
Gohan resisted the urge to groan. This guy was just like Bakugo, only more civil and nowhere near as much of an asshole. But, despite his more pleasant demeanour and genuinely understandable grievances, Todoroki was still in the wrong. "In that case, I wish you luck in the next round. I hope you got something out of this conversation," he stated, unwilling to press the issue further.
"I did actually," Todoroki admitted as he walked off. "You helped me realise that my path was the right one, so thanks for that."
Once Todoroki's retreating figure vanished from view, Gohan breathed out a sigh of relief. The ice user was a stubborn guy, and it was clear his mind couldn't be changed by mere words. Prolonging their discussion any further would've been an exercise in futility, and the demi-Saiyan had far more pressing matters to concern himself with.
Todoroki would just have to be proven wrong – and Gohan was confident he would be if he let things run their natural course. After all, he wasn't simply paying his peers lip service when he spoke of their potential.
The abrupt rumbling of his stomach tore Gohan away from his thoughts. Grimacing in mild irritation, he picked up the pace and speed walked down the corridors, following the directions pointing him towards the toilets. Along the way he passed a few students he vaguely recognised from the cavalry battle, who unsurprisingly shot him curious stares, but he paid them no heed.
A short while later he reached his destination, and after confirming that the disabled stall was empty, entered it and locked the door behind him. As much as he detested taking advantage of a toilet that wasn't meant for him, the disabled stall had its own personal sink, and he had a feeling he'd need the privacy.
Situating himself behind the sink and exhaling in resignation, he withdrew his left hand from his pocket and unclenched the fist. The gruesome sight that subsequently met his eyes made him want to gag, but he reigned in his disgust by thinking happy thoughts… like food, saving people, his first time reading The Lord of the Rings, the arcade, Street Fighter OSTs, Yaoyorozu's bare ches- he shook that last one from his head. Now wasn't the time.
After refocusing his thoughts on food, namely the time Doctor Shuzenji took him to an all-you-can-eat buffet for his tenth birthday, he pursed his lips in grim determination and turned the tap on at full blast. He'd definitely made the right choice in opting to conceal himself from potential onlookers.
Whereas before his palm was laced with a grotesque combination of dirt, sweat and tiny tufts of purple hair, these contrasting elements had now blended together to form an unholy concoction that didn't look native to this planet. To make matters worse, it was lathered in an even thicker sheen of sweat that left his fingers glued together.
For a situation as dire as this, some solvent would've really come in handy, but such a material was well out of his reach. The only tools at his disposal were water, soap and his Saiyan strength… for all the good that would do.
Submerging his hand beneath the rushing water, he allowed himself a moment to relax as the cool sensation washed over his sticky skin. A few seconds of rinsing later, he shut off the sink and squirted a sizeable volume of liquid soap on his hand, then started scrubbing. Vigorously.
As he worked on removing the taint, his teeth gritting in exertion, he kept count of the numerous footsteps going in and out of the bathroom. A few did stop outside the disabled stall, no doubt wondering what was happening in there, but eventually they went on with their business, much to his relief.
After about two minutes of scrubbing he turned the sink back on, rinsed his hand for a second time, and brought it close to his face for an inspection. The skin was red from being rubbed so hard and most of it was unblemished, but his eagle eyes still managed to pick up on faint traces of purple here and there. Furthermore, while his fingers were no longer glued together, they just didn't feel… right. It was a strange, unnatural sensation, almost like they'd been dipped in a tar pit.
Before he could voice his frustration, a disgustingly loud splash came from the stall directly beside his own. Eyes widening in alarm, his left hand flew to pinch his nose, but it was too late; his Saiyan sense of smell had already allowed the sickening stench of fresh excrement to reach his unprepared nostrils.
"Now that's a shit worthy of a hero!" a giddy voice boasted proudly, its owner not caring that he wasn't alone in the toilet.
Gohan shut his eyes tight and allowed a grimace to settle on his face. He would've taken a deep breath, but seeing as that was highly inadvisable in this instance, he settled for clearing his mind instead. As revolting as his current circumstances were, he'd been through much worse. He could do this.
With memories of his previous triumphs spurring him on, he opened his eyes and got back to work. Despite his newfound drive though, the object of his ire remained at the forefront on his thoughts. "Damn you, Mineta, you little twerp…" he seethed under his breath.
Almost five minutes later, Gohan found himself walking into a packed cafeteria, a frustrated frown resting on his features. However, upon taking a whiff of the heavenly scent within, his eyes glazed over and his mind momentarily went blank.
The first divine aroma that assaulted his nostrils was that of bacon, its smoky goodness tickling his olfactory system in all the right places. It stood out among its peers like a king among lords, overwhelming his Saiyan senses to the point that he could practically picture the crackling of oil and sizzling of finely cut slices of delight.
Its competitors weren't to be outdone though, for narrowly trailing behind the bacon was the serene smell of barbecued meat. Producing a similarly smoky scent, it exuded a wispy fragrance that tantalisingly teased the aromatic herbs and spices that went into its concoction. It was almost enough to make Gohan's mouth water.
Next up was the exquisite combination of fried chicken and baked pastries, melding together like two estranged lovers. The greasy poultry radiated a strong, salty, but still very much pleasant scent; one powerful enough to elicit comforting mental images of biting through its crunchy exterior to taste the juicy goodness inside.
The delectable smell of baked pastries, on the other hand, provided a different sort of comfort. It reminded Gohan of home… of coming back from long, gruelling training sessions with his father and Piccolo to find a scrumptious pie – usually apple – cooling on the windowsill. The whole scene was like something out of a picture book, and the memory was vivid enough to allow a drop of drool to form at the tip of his lips.
Now truly lost in a blissful daze, Gohan's enhanced senses expanded further around the cafeteria and allowed him to recognise the other delicacies on display. First there was potato chips, then cookies, then chocolate, then cakes, then- his eyes shot open when something unwanted entered his field of focus.
His onyx orbs zeroing in on the sudden threat, Gohan immediately identified a small, unrecognisable projectile shooting towards his head at high speed. Furrowing his brow in both shock and fear for his peers' safety, the world around him slowed to a crawl and his right fist clenched until only his index finger was left pointing.
Then, with a swiftness untraceable to the human eye, he aimed his finger gun at the incoming object and sent forth an invisible, intensely concentrated kiai that completely disintegrated it. Paying no heed to the resultant breeze that rushed through the room, he traced the path of the bullet to a nearby table, and when he saw who was seated at it, the only thing he could do was mutter a curse under his breath.
As it turned out, the one responsible for his predicament was none other than Sato Rikido. The large-lipped boy had a jar of olives in his hand and was diligently devouring them with a fork. On the edge of his plate, right beside a gargantuan burger, was a small stack of olive pits.
Gohan's lip curled in disgust as the puzzle pieces slotted together, and the urge to facepalm was strong. However, he suppressed it and marched over to his best friend's table, ready to give the dumbass a piece of his mind.
Before he could voice his displeasure, however, his attention was diverted by a boisterous voice he knew all too well. "Well, if it isn't the man of the hour!" Kirishima greeted enthusiastically.
Gohan's eyes snapped to the redhead, who was sitting on one of the seats opposite Sato's and giving him a sharklike grin. This side of the table was also occupied by Shoji, Ashido and Tsuyu. A glance back at Sato showed that he wasn't alone either; he was seated beside Midoriya, who was next to Uraraka. On Sato's other side was an empty chair, but the plate in front of it brimming with food suggested that it too was occupied.
Turning back to Kirishima, Gohan raised a brow. "Man of the hour?"
"Man of the hour!" the redhead reaffirmed. "Take a seat, bro! We missed you!"
Gohan gave the table a more thorough scan, but the only seat not currently sat in was the vacant one beside Sato. "Is that one taken?" he asked.
"Yeah. By you," Sato answered, speaking up for the first time. He set down an empty jar of olives and smirked at the demi-Saiyan. "Now sit your ass down and dig in. The food's free. I even went to the liberty of filling up your plate."
Gohan felt a surge of appreciation for his best friend, but it quickly evaporated when he remembered the olive pit incident. "Gee that's awfully nice of you," he muttered, his voice dripping with as much sarcasm as he could muster.
"What can I say? I'm a nice guy!" Sato boasted, taking a long swig of soda from a plastic cup.
Gohan rolled his eyes and took a seat. He'd pay Sato back for his revolting behaviour later. Right now, sating his ravenous appetite was a far more pressing concern.
His demeanour brightened considerably when he surveyed the contents of his plate. There was a big bowl of rice, a fermented cucumber with two hardboiled eggs at its base, a beef burrito, a giant piece of fried fish, four pork chops, a quarter of a roast chicken, a slab of Caesar salad, egg rolls, a handful of potato wedges, and a whole apple pie.
"Gohan, you're drooling," Tsuyu observed.
The demi-Saiyan's cheeks flushed a vivid red, and he quickly wiped his mouth with his hand. "Th-thanks for telling me," he mumbled sheepishly.
The others, Shoji and Sato excluded, laughed at his predicament, which only served to embarrass him even further. Shoji remained silent, while Sato snorted like the pig he was. He even looked the part, gorging himself on his burger like he hadn't eaten in weeks.
The sight was enough to make his stomach rumble like a tractor, drawing another round of laughs, but his time Gohan paid them no need. Picking up his chopsticks, he mumbled a quiet "itadakimasu" and dove into his meal with the fervour of a starved Saiyan. Unsurprisingly, the sight of him inhaling his food like one of Thirteen's black holes earning a few stunned stares from the surrounding tables, but at this point, he was too famished to care.
"Hey, did any of you guys feel a weird chill like two minutes ago?" Kirishima asked. "It came out of nowhere and then disappeared straight away."
"Ooh! I did!" Ashido answered. "You know that feeling when you're standing underneath an air conditioner and it suddenly comes on and the cool air hits you? That's what it felt like."
Kirishima looked up at the ceiling and frowned. "I know the feeling you're talking about, but I don't see an air conditioner up there, so it can't be that."
"Maybe it's someone's Quirk?" Midoriya suggested.
"That's also possible, but why would someone use their Quirk for something like that?" Ashido mused.
"Some people are just dicks," Kirishima replied. "Maybe some jealous asshole took a look at all the badassery on this table, got jealous, and decided to annoy us."
"Or maybe it's someone who got through to the next round and is trying to psych us out with mind games," Uraraka remarked.
Kirishima grinned. "That'd be even better! It'd show they're taking us seriously!"
"Damn straight!" Uraraka exclaimed, leaning forward to give the redhead a high five.
"You're pretty fired up about the sports festival, huh?" Ashido observed with a light smile, causing the brown-haired girl's cheeks to turn a darker hue of red.
"M-maybe just a bit…"
"Hey, I didn't say there was anything wrong with that!" Ashido continued placatingly. "I think it's great that you're so into this! Ooh, it'd be awesome if we faced off in the next round! Show everyone what us girls are made of!"
Uraraka beamed. "I'd like that."
"Speaking of which, you okay over there, Tsuyu?" Ashido asked, looking over at the frog girl. "You haven't said anything in a while."
Tsuyu shrugged. "I'm still a bit tired from being frozen, but I'll recover."
Ashido pouted and reached over to gently stroke Tsuyu's hand. "Someone as nice as you doesn't deserve this. If I come up against Todoroki in the next round, I'm going to beat his ass for being such a jerk!"
"Then you'd better get in line, 'cause I call dibs!" Kirishima proclaimed, clenching his fist. "I'm all for being competitive, but that guy took it too far!"
"Is that so? Well then you'd better not drop out in the first round," Ashido teased.
"Oh, don't you worry about that! I'm gonna make it all the way to the final!" Kirishima declared.
"Where you'll promptly lose to Gohan, who won't even break a sweat," Tsuyu commented casually.
The egg Gohan was about to devour whole slipped from his grasp and rolled across his plate. "Huh? What? Did you need something?" he stammered, his eyes darting from one amused classmate to another. Having been so engrossed in his food, he was only half paying attention to his friends' conversation.
Ashido and Uraraka giggled. "Tsuyu reckons you're going to whoop Kirishima's ass in the final! Which is totally not going to happen, because I'm gonna reach the final instead!" the pink-skinned girl chirped.
Gohan gave a sheepish smile and scratched the back of his head. "Oh. Umm… well, I appreciate your confidence in me, Tsuyu, but anything can happen in a fight."
"True, but I'm still certain that you'll win," Tsuyu replied.
Kirishima, who had been rendered slack-jawed by the frog girl's burn, shook his head and let out a wry chuckle. "That was cold, Asui. You sure know how to cut a guy deep."
Tsuyu's protuberant eyes drooped ever so slightly. "That wasn't my intention. I was just being honest."
Kirishima waved off her apologies with a grin. "Hey, it's cool. I wasn't expecting to win the sports festival this year anyway. I'm still gonna give it my all though."
"We all are," Midoriya confessed, his green eyes blazing with an unflinching determination Gohan had seen numerous times throughout their training sessions.
Unsurprisingly, the others around the table projected a similar aura. Even Tsuyu and Shoji, who had been eliminated in the previous round, looked thoroughly motivated and keen to avenge their loss.
It made Gohan feel more than a bit guilty; no matter how strong they got, they'd never be able to hold a candle to his freakish Saiyan strength. Still, he was happy his friends weren't deterred. Stroking his chin in silent contemplation, he wondered if there was a way to allow his peers to have a proper crack at the sports festival. Perhaps next time the event came around, he could feign being sick so he wouldn't have to participate? He had faith that he could pull it off, but doing so without arousing the ever-paranoid Aizawa's suspicions might be problematic...
Gohan was broken from his musing by Uraraka's voice. "Son?"
"Hmm?" he inquired, turning to face the girl.
She poked her index fingers together. "I've been meaning to ask. What exactly is the deal between Sato and werewolves?"
Kirishima looked confused. "Huh."
Uraraka chuckled. "During the cavalry battle, Sato had this weird grudge against that furry guy from Class 1-B. I asked Son what his deal was, and he said he'd explain later."
"Heh, now you got me curious," Kirishima confessed.
"Me too! Let's hear it!" Ashido chimed in.
The next thing Gohan knew, six pairs of inquisitive eyes locked on to him, making him recoil slightly from the shock. Scratching the back of his head, he looked over at his best friend. "Is it alright with you if I tell the story?"
Sato simply shrugged and continued gobbling down his enormous burger, which on closer inspection looked to be filled with every ingredient imaginable. There was salami, ham, bacon, roast beef, chicken strips, tomato, lettuce, cheddar cheese, feta cheese, olives, cucumber, pickles, carrot strips, spinach and onion. As if that wasn't enough, the sesame seed bun smelled like it had been lathered in hummus and garlic sauce. Gohan resisted the urge to lick his lips. That burger looked good.
"Son?" Uraraka pressed.
"Huh? Oh, right, sorry," he apologised, turning back to his eager audience and feeling slightly embarrassed at having spaced out. "Anyway, have any of you seen the Twilight movies?"
From the silence and confused looks he received, he assumed that meant a resounding no. Before he could proceed with his story though, the corner of Ashido's lip twitched, and her hand slowly rose into the air. Gohan raised a curious eyebrow, only to receive a bright blush in return.
Smiling lightly at the girl, he continued. "Alright. So, back in junior high, the girls in our year group went through a phase where they were obsessed with the Twilight films: these old American movies about vampires and werewolves."
"Shapeshifters, not werewolves," Sato corrected, his mouth bulging with food.
Gohan rolled his eyes. "Right. That. Anyway, they were particularly obsessed with one of the were- shapeshifters – a super buff guy called Jacob. That annoyed Sato to no end, since it meant the girls were interested in Jacob instead of him… not that they were ever interested in him to begin with."
"Oi!" Sato protested, as a round of chuckles rang out across the table.
Gohan let out a chuckle of his own. "Sato didn't get what all the fuss was about, since Jacob wasn't as ripped as he was – his words, not mine – so he invited me for a sleepover one weekend and made us marathon all five Twilight movies."
Ashido reached over with a pout and patted Gohan on the hand. "You poor thing."
"That bad?" Kirishima asked with a raised brow.
"Worse," Gohan replied, his expression stony.
"And did you figure out what all the fuss was about?" Uraraka wondered.
"Nope!" Sato answered, setting down an empty plate and wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Shit movies, filled with shit characters, with a shit story to top off the shit cake. The only good thing in them was this big ass battle scene in the last movie, but it all turned out to be a dream. Who the hell pulls that kind of crap?"
"That is pretty low," Kirishima agreed with a frown.
"You bet your ass it is," Sato grumbled, looking disgusted at the mere memory. "Man, what a waste of a weekend that was."
"You have only yourself to blame, since you're the one who suggested you marathon the whole series," Tsuyu remarked, putting a finger to her chin. "You could've stopped at any time, but you chose to watch all five movies, I assume one after the other."
"We had seven pizza breaks in between, but yeah, I still haven't forgiven him for that," Gohan revealed, shooting his best friend a cheeky grin and receiving a raised middle finger in response. "Anyway, this was all just a phase. Eventually the girls got over both Jacob and the Twilight movies, and life went back to normal… meaning they went right back to ignoring Sato completely."
This drew another round of laughs, making Gohan feel pretty proud of himself. It also sated the vindictive side of him that only ever came out when he wanted to get back at Sato for one of his crappy pranks or vulgar jokes.
"I bet they didn't ignore you though, am I right? You damn stallion, you!" Kirishima teased, distracting Gohan from his jubilant thoughts and drawing a vibrant blush from the boy.
"N-not exactly!" he stammered, averting his gaze from Kirishima's sharklike grin and biting into his burrito.
Sato snorted, a devious smirk spreading across his large lips. "Ignore him? Bro, they didn't even know he existed!"
Midoriya looked surprised. "Son wasn't popular?"
"Son was the exact opposite of popular!" Sato exclaimed. "Not because he did anything bad, but because he actively went out of his way to avoid people."
"And what's wrong with that?" Ashido asked, her eyes narrowed and her arms crossed in front of her chest.
Sato was taken aback by the unexpected outburst. "W-well, nothing's wrong, it's just… funny!" He fiddled with the collar of his jacket and pointed a thumb at Gohan, who was shovelling rice into his mouth with chopsticks, trying to divert attention away from himself. "I mean, look at the guy! He could've landed any chick he wanted if he just tried talking to them, but he chose to spend his time outside of class sitting under a tree reading books!"
"I think it's quite admirable that Gohan chose to focus on his studies instead of chasing girls," Tsuyu commented, with Ashido nodding in agreement.
"He read comic books," Sato deadpanned.
"Which may as well count as studying, since we live in a society full of heroes," Tsuyu amended.
Sato raised an eyebrow in the frog girl's direction. "You can't be serious, can you?"
"I can, and I am," Tsuyu replied casually.
Sato looked like he was about to say something else, but Kirishima beat him to it. "I like the way you think, Asui!" he bellowed. "Some of the most badass heroes of all time are comic book characters!"
The frog girl nodded sagely. "Yep. Also, call me Tsuyu."
"I-I get that! I like comic books too! Not as much as manga, but… bahh, forget it!" Sato spat, throwing his hands up in defeat. "You win this round, Son. One-on-one, you'd be toast, but I can't do shit when I'm outnumbered this badly."
Gohan snickered. "You know what else I win, Sato?" At the befuddled look he received, the demi-Saiyan smirked. "Our sparring matches."
"Oh snap!" Kirishima squealed, while Ashido and Uraraka burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, bro, but he got you good! It's so simple, yet so effective!"
A now flushing Sato huffed in disgust and muttered something under his breath, before whipping out his phone and furiously tapping away at it. Were Gohan to harbour a guess as to why, it'd be that Sato was searching up pranks or insults to use against him in retaliation. He had a penchant for that kind of pettiness, since he'd done it before to mixed results.
As the laughter of his friends died down, Gohan mentally patted himself on the back for a job well done. He'd be the first to admit that using their difference in strength as a verbal jab was a low-hanging fruit, but sometimes those fruits were the ripest of the lot. Besides, his classmates seemed to get a kick out of it, and it wasn't like Sato didn't have it coming.
"Anyway, let's get back on track!" Kirishima sang giddily. "What about you, Shoji? Surely you were popular with the ladies, you big, sexy hunk of man meat?" he questioned, playfully punching the hulking boy in one of his muscular arms.
"I once made a girl cry by showing her my mouth," Shoji admitted nonchalantly, making everyone at the table drop what they were doing and stare at him in shock.
Kirishima chuckled nervously and backed off from the Dupli-Arm user. "W-well, at least you left an impression on her! That's something, right?"
Shoji shrugged. "Not really something to be proud of though, is it?"
The jubilant atmosphere around the table tapered off after that, its occupants choosing to engage in more muted conversations among one another. Gohan, on the other hand, saw fit to continue his meal. He did feel genuinely bad for Shoji though. No one deserved to be ostracised just because the genetic lottery decided to be an asshole to them. Hopefully in a school full of aspiring heroes, people would be more accepting of such quirks. Normal was overrated anyway.
Having scarfed down most of his lunch in record time, he was in the process of wolfing down every morsel of meat on a chicken drumstick, when a commotion in the centre of the cafeteria caught his attention. Curious, he followed his friends' gazes, and spotted a scowling Kendo Itsuka dragging a screeching Mineta by the ear.
"Assault! Assault! Help! She's assaulting me!" the midget whined, his pleas falling on deaf ears.
From what Gohan could gather, Mineta was being dragged away from the trio of Yaoyorozu, Jiro and Kaminari. Yaoyorozu looked thoroughly confused by the whole affair, while an infuriated Jiro berated a cowering Kaminari.
"What do you think happened there?" Kirishima wondered.
"Something perverted, no doubt," Tsuyu replied.
Whatever it was, Gohan didn't care. As far as he was concerned, the less he saw of Mineta, the better. Still, he couldn't help but allow a slight smirk to form at the sight of the little bastard being chastised. God knew he deserved it. With that pleasant thought in mind, he polished off the last of his drumstick and rose from his seat, plate in hand.
"Where are you off to?" Sato asked.
"To get seconds," Gohan answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
By the time lunch was done, Gohan ended up having three Saiyan-sized helpings. It had been a long, long time since he had the chance to consume a colossal amount of food entirely for free, so he tried to make the absolute most out of the opportunity he'd been blessed with. Now, with everything said and done, he could confidently admit that his attempt had been a resounding success.
It was also the main reason he wore a bright smile as he followed his fellow competitors into the stadium, where Midnight was patiently waiting on the stage in the centre. Beside him walked his ever-faithful, ever-infuriating tagalong of a best friend, as well as Kirishima and Ashido, who were visibly pumped for the spectacle. Midoriya and Uraraka trailed a few metres behind them, the pair engaged in a hushed conversation that Gohan had no desire to intrude upon.
"Now that lunch is over, it's finally time to reveal the final event of the day!" Present Mic boomed over the loudspeaker, much to the elation of the raucous crowd. "But before that, there's good news for those of you who didn't make it to the finals! Since this is still a sports festival at the end of the day, we've prepared a handful of recreational events for you to participate in! After that, the sixteen competitors from the four teams who passed the cavalry battle will duke it out tournament style, one-on-one!"
"Knew it," Sato boasted, more to the people around him than himself.
"Just like last year, eh?" Kirishima commented, clenching his trembling fists excitedly. "Oh man, I'm already getting fired up! I'm gonna be standing on the same stage I watch on TV every year!"
"Which means you'll have to try extra hard not to embarrass yourself," Ashido teased, getting a chuckle out of the redhead.
"Yes, yes, I know you guys are excited, but we still need to draw lots to determine the bracket," Midnight announced as the competitors came to a halt before her penetrating gaze. Once the students had stopped chatting and given her their full attention, she held out large yellow box with the word 'LOTS' written on the side. "As soon as the bracket is determined, we'll have the recreational activities, and then the tournament. The sixteen finalists can choose whether to get in on the fun, or rest up and save their strength for the fights. Now, from the first place team-"
"Umm, excuse me! I'd like to withdraw!" Ojiro interrupted with a raised hand, causing a chorus of stunned gasps to ring out across the stadium.
"Ojiro, why?" Midoriya questioned.
"Are you really going to pass up the chance to show off in front of the pros?!" Iida added.
Ojiro lowered his hand, looking distinctly dejected. "The truth is, I don't remember anything from the cavalry battle until the last few seconds… I think it was because of that guy's Quirk. I know that this is a great chance that anyone would be lucky to get, and that it'd be foolish to throw it away… but I can't in good conscience bring myself to compete any further. All the other finalists got here by giving it their all, while I had to be carried to victory without even knowing what was going on."
"You're thinking too hard about this!" Hagakure protested. "As long as you try your best, it should be fine!"
"You don't understand!" Ojiro fired back with a cracked voice, wiping his eyes with his fingers. The poor guy sounded genuinely devastated. "I'm talking about my pride here! It may not mean much to you, but to me, it's everything!"
"Ojiro…" Hagakure whispered sadly. "I-I had no idea…"
Gohan remained silent as he watched the sombre moment with a frown. Having associated with martial artists his entire life, he knew exactly where his classmate was coming from. He didn't necessarily subscribe to the ideal that pride alone should be main factor dictating one's actions, but he understood it and respected it… to a degree. Besides, it wasn't like the sports festival was a matter of life or death.
"I'd like to withdraw for the same reason," the pudgy blue-haired boy from the same team announced, albeit in a far calmer manner. "Regardless of ability, don't you think it goes against the spirit of the sports festival if those who didn't do anything got to go through to the final round?"
"You guys are so manly! So freaking manly!" Kirishima wept, spilling actual tears.
Midnight's face took on a dark countenance that was a stark contract to her usual bubbly demeanour. "Youthful talk like that… tickles me in all the right ways! Shoda Nirengeki! Ojiro Mashirao! I hereby accept your withdrawals!" she declared, a beaming grin breaking out as she cracked her whip for emphasis.
The two boys breathed out sighs of relief, although Ojiro's was mixed in with choked sobs. Fortunately, he wasn't left to wallow in sorrow alone, as Hagakure was comfortingly rubbing his back with her invisible hand. That was awfully nice of her. Curious as to the whereabouts of their third teammate, Gohan's onyx eyes scanned the crowd of students for the distinctive pink hair of Hatsume Mei, and quickly found her towards the back. She wore a bright grin on her goggles-clad face, not looking at all bothered like her two resigned teammates.
He scratched the back of his head, not sure what he was expecting out of that girl. Still, he was interested in seeing what she was capable of. If her willingness to team up with him in the previous event was anything to go by, she had a lot of guts.
He was about to start searching for the final member of their team when Midnight cleared her throat, drawing his attention.
"With two spots left open, the fifth-placed team will have to decide amongst themselves who will fill in for Shoda and Ojiro!" she revealed.
However, Kendo was quick to speak up. "If that's the case, then rather than us, who barely did anything during the cavalry battle, it should be them," she suggested, pointing to Tetsutetsu's team, who were visibly caught off guard. "They fought to the very end and spent the entire cavalry battle near the top of the leaderboard. If anyone deserves to go through, it's these guys. Right, girls?"
A round of nods from her teammates solidified her decision.
Now that did not come as surprise to Gohan. If there was one thing he learnt about Kendo, it was that she was a very fair and noble person. While he was a bit sad he wouldn't get to see her fight in the tournament, his respect for her rose tremendously.
"What the heck?! They're manly as hell, too!" Kirishima blubbered beside him. "Damn it, I'm starting to feel demasculinised!"
"What does that mean?" Ashido asked.
"It means he's lost his balls!" Sato snickered.
Ashido blinked. "Huh. I didn't know he had any to begin with."
Sato burst into a fit of laughter, while Gohan stifled his. Even Kirishima let out a snort through his loud sobs. Ashido, meanwhile, looked pretty pleased with herself.
Back over with Midnight, Tetsutetsu and the vine-haired girl, Shiozaki, had been elected to take part in the final round. While Tetsutetsu's inclusion didn't surprise Gohan, he thought Honenuki would've gotten in instead of Shiozaki; that guy's Quirk was no joke. Then again, maybe Shiozaki had a secret weapon hidden up her sleeve?
"With that of the way, we can finally get back to standard proceedings!" Midnight announced with a crack of her whip. "Can I please get a member of the winning team, Team Son, to come up here and draw a number!"
Gohan locked eyes with each of his teammates and received nods from two of them; Sato simply flipped him the bird, which was subsequently met with an eye-roll. Ignoring the hushed whispers that sprung up around him, he strolled over to Midnight and reached into her box.
"Nervous?" she asked, her blue eyes glinting with mischief.
Gohan just smiled as he pulled out a ball and opened it up.
Once everyone had drawn lots, Midnight cracked her whip in the direction of the largest monitor in the stadium and sixteen names flashed onto the screen.
Bakugo Katsuki vs Iida Tenya
Kaminari Denki vs Uraraka Ochako
Yaoyorozu Momo vs Todoroki Shoto
Midoriya Izuku vs Hatsume Mei
Sato Rikido vs Kirishima Eijiro
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu vs Sero Hanta
Shiozaki Ibara vs Ashido Mina
Shinso Hitoshi vs Son Gohan
AN: Well, I'm back. I'd hoped to have this posted much earlier, but the last few months have been an absolute mess, and I simply haven't had the motivation to write. As much as I love this story and want to see it through to the end, trying to sort out the mountain of shit in my personal life takes precedence over an unpaid hobby I do for fun in my spare time. I hope you guys understand. Like I said in the past, I don't plan on abandoning this fic until I complete it, since I've already put so much time and effort into it, and if for some reason I'm completely incapable of continuing it, I'll post a chapter update saying so.
With that out of the way, let's move on. I know a lot of people were hoping to get straight to the fights, but I simply couldn't pass up the chance to show more of Gohan bonding with his friends. This fic's two main genres are Adventure and Friendship, and the intermission between the cavalry battle and 1v1 fights gave me the perfect setting for some slice of life. If you're big on action though, don't worry; the next few chapters are going to be full of it.
Two parts of this chapter were based on true stories. The first was the Twilight thing, which actually happened to me back in high school. I decided to include it because it's exactly the kind of cringeworthy thing my version of Sato would do. The second was Sato's burger being as massive as it was, which I suppose could also count as a life hack.
If you go to Subway and want to get the absolute most value for money, fill up your sub with as many salads as possible. You can even ask the server for extra salad if you want. It won't cost you anything extra, and the resulting sub will be far larger and more filling than if you just went with two or three of your favourite salads. I started doing this in university to save money on food, and still do it whenever I go to Subway, because why the hell not.
Anyway, I've rambled enough. Be sure to leave your predictions on the outcomes of the fights if you'd like, as well as your thoughts on the chapter if you have the time. I'll give a shout out to anyone who can figure out exactly what I have planned. I'm fairly confident no one will, but it's still fun reading what people think might happen.
Before I wrap this up, I'd like to give a huge thanks to everyone who's favourited, followed and reviewed this fic thus far. Your continuous support means the world to me. I'd also like to give a special thanks to HerooftheNorth on DeviantArt for their drawings of Gohan in various MHA-related scenarios, some of which are based on scenes from this story, and some of which are what-ifs. Your drawings are great, and I'm genuinely honoured that you like the story enough to do fanart for it.
Until next time!
