Ryukyu Agency: Night…

The final few days of Goku, Ojiro, Sen, and Hiryu's internships passed without much fanfare. Goku and Sen recovered nicely from the events of the raid while Turtle Hermit, Ryukyu, and Nejire Chan worked to train all four of them.

After talking things over, the seven of them spent any free time they had compiling four tailor made notebooks chalk full of exercises, meals, tips, tricks, reading material, and schedules to continue their training after internships.

The logic behind this was that none of them wanted to feel useless. The next time they faced a villain like Piccolo, the four of them wanted to stand a chance. Currently, almost everyone, except Nejire and Goku, had gathered for their last meal together.

It was a huge spread of curry and rice which seemed about right when you factored in Goku. Speaking of Class 1-A's rep, he entered the kitchen dressed in a white tank top and black pants with slightly damp hair. He had just left the bathroom after a nice, long shower.

"Ah, a good shower after a hard day's work is just what the doctor ordered." Goku smiled as his fellow U.A. students. "Hey you three."

Ojiro smiled and nodded at his classmate. "Hey Goku."

"Where's Nejire?" Goku inquired,

"She said something about needing to make an emergency call." Hiryu informed. "She didn't say what, but it seemed urgent."

"I see." Goku nodded. "Hope everything…"

He stopped as everyone heard the news. "Thanks to the efforts of The Number Two Hero, Endeavor, Stain was stopped from killing the Pro Hero Native." Ryukyu grabbing the remote and increased the volume. "The police believe he relates to the League of Villains.

He may very well be part of it since confirmed leader, Tomura Shigaraki, rescued him before Endeavor could apprehend him. Additionally, his attack happened the same time three bioengineered creatures, dubbed Nomu, attacked Hosu.

That drew everyone's attention since the news confirmed that attack happened the same night all of them were at the warehouse with three other Nomu and Piccolo. It seemed likely that all incidents that night were connected in some way.

Sen had out his phone and spoke up when he found something. "I think someone posted a video correlating to that night."

Everyone crowded around him, so he played the video.

It started with a picture of Stain before blood covered the screen and a person spoke acting as a narrator. "The Hero Killer Stain. Real name, Chizome Akaguro." The video began flashing through pictures of Stain." As a child, he was greatly inspired by All Might's debut.

He enrolled in a private Hero high school but was dismayed by what he viewed as the educational system's skewed understanding of what it meant to be a Hero." An edited video of a black silhouette silently preaching around multiple white silhouettes played.

"Throughout his teenage years, Chizome advocated for a return to the early days of Heroes, but quickly realized that words had no power." An image of Stain's back was shown in a red background slowly becoming more and more armed as the narrator continued.

"For the next ten years, he trained in killing techniques to fulfill his self-appointed duty. During this time, his parents passed away in what police eventually ruled as a tragic accident." A city in the middle of the night was show. "His focus was on a return to the old days.

He believed Heroes should not seek compensation. That one should epitomize the idea of self-sacrifice." A video of Stain crouching on the corner of a building in the night was shown. "He believed that present day Pros were frauds.

Through his violent purges, he hoped society would eventually side with him." Then, the video showed him in Hosu. "These streets must run with the blood of hypocrites." Someone had recorded this moment. "HERO! I WILL RECLAIM THAT WORD!"

Everyone was shocked, yet Goku felt unnerved since this conviction was no different from his determination to help people. "COME ON! JUST TRY AND STOP ME YOU FAKES! There is only one man I'll let kill me. He is a true Hero... All Might is WORTHY!"

Knowing what this man did to people, feeling any form of connection with him disgusted the fighter. It was to the point that the killing intent across the screen didn't even register with him like it did everyone else. Now, it was over.

"Someone like that being at large is dangerous." Turtle Hermit noted.

The rest nodded in agreement. Goku was more focused on Stain's words than the impact they had. Endeavor did a lot of good, but he could be seen as a prime example especially after what Goku learned about him through Shoto.

"It can't be as bad as Stain depicted, right?" Goku reasoned. "Sure, there are Heroes like Endeavor or those who've done less than him; however, not every Hero is a sham. Ingenium was a shining example while Heroes like Ryukyu are out there to."

Uncle Might had faith in Hero society to, so that had to hold some weight.

Mashairao noticed how distracted Goku was compared to them. "Goku, are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Goku snapped out his thoughts. "I was just thinking about what he said."

"You mean Stain?" Sen asked causing the rest to look at him in curiosity.

"Stain said society was filled with fake heroes, but what is a Hero today anyways? Was it like the people that we imagined in legends? These paragons of virtue who do good because it was good, or are Heroes just people seeking glory and money?" Goku questioned.

Goku wanted to be a Hero like his Uncle Might, but Stain's words had him questioning if Hero was the right word when referring to what he wanted to be. It was clear that Stain's presence had left a deep impact on him.

"I believe it's more complicated than that." Ryukyu spoke up causing him to glance towards her. "Humans are more complicated than just black and white. There are layers of gray between them. That concept applies to Heroes as well. Some of them are like what Stain depicted; people that do nothing but chase glory without even learning of the consequences of their actions."

"There are also people that help just because they want to or because it is their job." Turtle Hermit added. "While you should act in the interest of defending the people, everyone who calls themselves a Hero, no matter motive, still help people."

Ryukyu gave a small smile at that before continuing. "Sometimes it's not just the intent that matters, but also your actions. Action speaks louder than words after all."

"I see." Goku nodded. "Sorry, guess I was swept up by all of it."

"It's fine." Ryukyu retorted. "You may have the dream to stand as the next Symbol of Peace, but you're still a kid. Not to mention Stain projects quite the idealistic image."

"That does bring something to mind." Turtle Hermit stated. "His ideology might get other people swept up by it too."

"You mean the civilians?" Hiryu asked.

"Them and other Villains." Turtle Hermit stated grimly. "No matter Stain's relation to The League of Villains, they will use his image for their goals if they are smart. From what I've read on the USJ attack, they wished to destroy society's faith in heroes."

"Stain's ideology would be perfect for them." Sen realized. "They could use this to recruit other Villains that agree with Stain and potentially begin to turn the public away from Heroes."

"If that happened, it would be total anarchy." Goku concluded. "In a time like that, the Heroes only out for glory would abandon society."

The silence that permeated the room was deafening.

"Thinking about what-ifs won't help." Ryukyu sighed. "Still, this League seems to be more dangerous than ever. Even excluding what-ifs, this has just become bigger than any of us."

"Hm, considering everything, it only makes sense that I come out of retirement." Turtle Hermit informed causing everyone to gape at him. "Don't look surprised. This is my society to, and I refuse to let it fall."

Everyone stared at the old Hero in admiration. By all accounts, his fight was over, and he had the right to stay retired. The fact that he would discard that when something serious came about was honorable. In the end, no one knew if it would be enough.

Outside Nighteye Agency: Early Morning…

The last days of Momo's internship were about those before Stain. She went back to the regularly scheduled training. Once done for the day, Momo would review what she learned with the sidekicks or Mirio. Now, it was time for Momo to leave.

Nighteye, Bubble Girl, and Centipeder came to see her off. The reason why Togata wasn't seeing her off was because he was leaving at the same time as her. When they were ready to go, Momo said her farewells and walked with the Third year to the station.

"Got to admit, your internship was pretty eventful, huh?" Mirio commented.

"It was." Momo agreed. "Besides my encounter with the Hero Killer, I learned a great deal in the short week I was here."

"Don't forget that you managed to make Sir smile." Mirio reminded. "Completing that assessment means you'll be welcome back for Work Study's once you get your provisional license."

"I'll consider it." Momo reasoned. "Then again, I might go with a Hero that can better help me with my Quirk." She nodded. "Either way, I'll have time before I got to decide. For now, I'll be content to get back to UA."

"I hear that." Mirio agreed.

With that conversation over, the pair split off heading to different trains that would take them to their respective homes.

Outside Ryukyu Agency

All four students were standing outside Ryukyu's agency with Nejire since she also had to get back to UA. Ryukyu and Turtle Hermit stood before them proud to see how far they came but slightly disappointed that they had to go back.

"Guess this is it." Hiryu stated.

"For now, but I will say right now that all four of you will be welcome back here next year provided your willing." Ryukyu voiced genuinely. "You all did well throughout the week. I would gladly send an offer of internship to any of you if you're interested."

Hiryu smiled. "I'd gladly come back."

Sen and Ojiro nodding vigorously in agreement.

"I don't know." Goku admitted. "You, Nejire, and Roshi have been great; however,
I chose to come here because I felt it was what I needed to progress. In a year from now, I won't know what I'll need or where I'll be. If I am in a place where I need you…"

"…We'll be here." Ryukyu smiled at him. "Goku, I think you have the potential to surpass All Might. Like him, you should go where your gut tells you. If it's not here, then it's been an honor mentoring you this week."

Goku bowed his head. "Thank you for extending your offer."

Ojiro looked at his phone. "We should go; otherwise, we'll be late." He looked to the Class 1-B students. "I don't know about you, but out homeroom teacher wouldn't be pleased."

"Ours wouldn't either." Sen voiced with Hiryu nodding.

"You four should get going then and take care of yourselves." Roshi advised.

"We will." Goku voiced.

"We'll miss you four." Ryukyu added.

The four of them, and Nejire, headed off towards the station.

"Those boys will go onto be great Heroes." Roshi voiced.

"Yeah, they will." Ryukyu stated with a smile.

Train

All five of them took their seats and began to casually talk.

"So Nejire, you're part of the big three, right?" Hiryu asked.

"You bet!" Nejire replied enthusiastically. "The other two are guys I've been friends with since our first years. Believe it or not, we were quite the troublemakers in our first years." She giggled to herself. "We were pretty much at the bottom of the totem pole."

"Really?" Ojiro questioned shocked. "With how strong you are, I thought you'd be at the top like how Goku is."

"Not exactly." Nejire giggled more. "My quirk was problematic back then. I needed to have a lot of stamina to use it. My other two friends have slightly different problems though. Tamaki needed to be more confident in himself since his Quirk is awesome!"

"I can vouch for that." Goku voiced. "I got to see it a bit, and it's a good one."

"Mirio had the same problem as me." Nejire continued. "His Quirk has its side effects he needed to learn how to manage."

"I see." Sen voiced. "Ryukyu seems to think highly of you though."

"That's because she was the first person that actually helped me with my Quirk." Nejire replied. "She had offered me an internship back in my first year, and I was grateful for it. If it wasn't for her, I'd probably still be struggling right now."

"If I learned anything from the Big 3, it's that I really got to stay on the top of my game." Goku smiled. "If I don't, anyone in our year could very well take my place." He looked to his fellow Year 1 students. "If any of you want to try it, bring it on, but I won't give up."

The other boys took his words on as a challenge, but it was evident by their smiles that it was done in more of a friendly rivalry kind of way. From there, conversation flowed smoothly all the way to their stop.

U.A.: Class 1-A

The class was back together, and based on the conversations, it seemed internships were eventful all around. Eijiro and Hanta were laughing their butts off while Goku admittedly struggled not to do the same when he saw his rival's hair. Namely, it was the fact that Katsuki was sporting the neatly combed style of Best Jeanist. That was a look that just didn't work for him.

"What the heck Bakugo!?" Kirishima and Sero exclaimed while still laughing at him.

"Stop laughing." Katsuki demanded clearly embarrassed. "My hair's gotten used to this, and I can't get it back the right way. Did you not hear me? I'll kill you both."

"I'd like to see you try, pretty boy!" Hanta taunted.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?" Bakugo roared out which somehow caused his hair to naturally puff itself back to normal.

"Oh, there we go." Goku managed now able to better control himself. "Though, I hope that wasn't all Best Jeanist did for you."

"Just you wait until we fight again, Shield." Bakugo retorted. "I'll show you exactly what I learned."

"Whoa, he used Goku's name!" Sero and Kirishima exclaimed in shock while a lot of the class stared on in awe.

"Stop staring!" Bakugo roared. "It's nothing special!"

Eventually, Mina moved to speak with Ojiro and Kyoka. "Awesome! You two got to face actual Villains? I'm super jealous!"

"Well, I didn't fight." Jiro explained. "All I did was help people evacuate and provide logistical support."

"All I really did was launch another guy at a villain." Ojiro responded. "If anything, Goku got to fight him."

"Don't either of you sell yourselves short." Goku had decided to join in on their conversation. "If not for your contribution, I'd have been at Piccolo's mercy. Kyoka, you helped people who needed you in any way you could. Like Mina said, that's awesome."

"The compliments both offered them made Jiro and Mashairao a bit flustered.

"I basically spent the whole-time training and cleaning the ship deck." Tsuyu voiced. "Oh, there was this one day we captured some drug smugglers?"

Mina, Kyoka, and Ojiro looked at Tsu. "Ok, that's cool."

"What about you Ochaco?" Tsu asked. "How was your week?"

The five of them looked at Uraraka and noticed that she was a bit more combative. "I'd say it was very enlightening."

She stated as she got into proper fighting form and practiced a few punches.

"I think she found her fighting spirit." Ojiro figured.

"Yeah, that Battle Hero must have been something else." Kyoka agreed.

"After one week, she's like a totally different person." Kaminari noted. "Though, I don't think she changed nearly as much as six of us did."

Denki was referring to Shoto, Izuku, Tenya, Momo, Goku, and Mashairao

"Oh yeah, that green guy and the Hero Killer." Hanta commented.

"Glad you guys all made it back alive. Seriously." Eijiro stated.

"You were lucky Endeavor and Ryukyu showed up to save you guys." Yamcha added.

"So cool." Toru gushed. "Just what I'd expect from the Number 2 and Number 9 Hero."

"Yeah, that's right." Shoto looked down. "Endeavor saved us."

"As for me and Ojiro, it was actually Ryukyu, Turtle Hermit, and Nejire Chan who saved us." Goku smiled. "A Hero, Retired Hero, and one of our very own upper classmen."

"When you put it that way, we were really lucky to be in the presence of all three of them." Ojiro commented. "If we'd only had Ryukyu, I'm not certain whoever pulled Piccolo out would have still done it."

"Did you guys hear the news about the Hero Killer?" Mezo commented. "Everyone's been saying that he's somehow connected to the League of Villains."

"Can you imagine how frightening it'd have been if he were there the day they attacked the U.S.J.?" Toru questioned.

"He is scary, but have you guys seen that weird video about him?" Kaminari asked. "It's all over the internet."

"I didn't even know there was a video of him." Yamcha replied.

"It keeps getting taken down about as fast as it pops up." Goku explained. "A real blink and you miss it kind of thing."

Considering he and his fellow students had watched it with their mentors, it wasn't long until they noticed it.

"Yeah." Denki confirmed. "Stain's a pretty evil Villain, but like super tenacious. He's almost kind of cool. Don't you guys think?"

Izuku looked at the electric boy like he was insane. "Kaminari!"

Denki then remembered that four students had a life-or-death experience because of the Hero Killer. "Oh! Dude."

"No, it's okay." Iida replied which surprised everyone. "You're fine. It is true that he's quite a tenacious Villain. I understand why people might think he was cool, but instead of helping the world, his beliefs led him to cold blooded murder.

No matter his motives, killing cannot be condoned." Everyone was also surprised with how calm he was while speaking. "To keep anyone else from suffering like me, well… I promise, I will strive to be the perfect Hero!"

"Looks like he's back to normal." Goku smiled. "He's also right. No matter Stain's convictions, killing all those people doesn't justify him."

"Let's do it!" Izuku agreed.

"I think that's something we should all strive for." Goku declared.

Training Ground Gamma: Later…

All the standard courses went on normally, but when it was time for Foundational Hero Studies, something special was planned for today. Class 1-A met with All Might at Ground Gamma.

"I AM HERE!" All Might announced. "Hope you're ready to return to our lessons! Today, it's basic Hero training. Feels like I haven't seen you in a while. Welcome back! Now then, listen carefully for what's in store. We're going to be conducting a little race. Take everything you've learned from your internships and apply it to this rescue training."

Iida raised his hand. "If it's rescue training, shouldn't we be at the U.S.J. instead?"

"Ah, that facility specializes in disasters." All Might answered. "As I said earlier, this is a race, so prepare. You're about to step into Ground Gamma. Inside is an area full of factories that form an intricate labyrinth, so good luck finding your way around.

You'll be competing in four groups of five. Each person starts from a different location on the outskirts of the model city. I'll send a distress signal, and you do what you must to rescue me. Whoever finds me first wins but try to keep the property damage to a bare minimum."

He was mainly looking at Katsuki who didn't bother saying anything and merely grunted.

"Alright, first group, get to your places!" All Might instructed.

The first group competing was revealed to be Izuku, Tenya, Mashairao, Hanta, and Mina.

"Everyone in this group has really good mobility." Eijiro commented.

"I'd say Midoriya is at a disadvantage against those four." Kyoka voiced. "Moving around just isn't one of his strong suits."

"Considering how much I picked up from the Ryukyu agency, I wouldn't put it past Izuku to have learned something." Goku voiced.

"Is that your pick?" Kirishima asked.

"Those stretches of his do tell me something." Goku smiled. "You know what, he is my pick."

"I'm betting on Sero." Kirishima voiced.

"I got odds on Ojiro." Kaminari stated.

"I think you're all ignoring Iida." Yamcha voiced. "Speed is where it's at."

"Ashido is mobile, and that place is rather clustered." Toru voiced. "I think she's got this."

"Is everyone ready? BEGIN!" All Might announced as he sent the distress signal.

Hanta used his tape to lunge upwards and swing like he was in a jungle full of vines. Mina used her acid on her feet as a method to speedily slide over some pipes. Mashairao used his tail to propel himself forward and correct his course. Iida used his engine legs and perfect running form to speed himself along.

"Look at him go." Eijiro commented. "In a maze like this, it makes sense to be above everything."

"So that means Sero's at an advantage because he can take to the sky." Shoji voiced.

Then everyone, except Momo and Shoto, were surprised when Midoriya blitzed past him using his Quirk without injuring himself. Goku was impressed as he not only did that but expertly propelled himself through fast paced platforming and aerodynamic technique like Bakugo.

"Awesome!" Goku smiled. "Yeah, I got to ask Izuku if we can start training together!"

"Since when can he do that?" Denki questioned.

"The way he's propelling himself through the air…" The ice user pointed out.

"Amazing. Those jumps…" Uraraka now noticed it too. "He looks just like…"

"Please." Bakugo scoffed. "He's imitating me, but it's nowhere near what I can do. Especially now."

Everyone watched Midoriya get closer to All Might before he lost his footing and fell to the ground allowing Hanta to overtake him. He went onto win the race.

"And it's over!" All Might announced as he held a sash that said 'thanks for saving me' on it. "Thanks Hero, and congratulations!"

Sero put the sash on and celebrated his victory while everyone else who made it after him were in their own thoughts. Except for Tenya who was wondering if Midoriya was okay. Izuku was fine, but most likely analyzing his own performance to see what he needs to improve.

All Might mentioned how they improved and how they should keep training before telling group one to leave the field. Group two was getting into position, but not before he approached Izuku to silently request something from him.

Group two was Tsuyu, Yamcha, Mezo, Denki, and Momo. Once they were in place, the distress call was sent and the five were off. Kaminari was dead out of luck with his lack of mobility and speed. Yaoyorozu and Yamcha fared a bit better.

Momo could make roller skates to go faster and rope to scale any building while Yamcha was faster taking on the aspects of a wolf. Asui easily outclassed all of them. It was admittedly close, but Tsu managed to take the victory thanks to her Quirk being perfect for the terrain.

Group three came in shortly after, and the five competing were Katsuki, Kyoka, Koji, Toru, and Yuga. Once the distress signal was sent, it was clear cut. Hagakure and Koda couldn't even compete. Kyoka fared better with her increased cardo.

Aoyama's naval laser could propel himself forward giving him a leg up on the prior three. He paled in comparison to Bakugo's perfect aerodynamic form which Izuku mimicked earlier. Unlike him, Katsuki made no missteps and claimed victory.

Now came the final group. By process of elimination, it was Ochaco, Eijiro, Fumikage, Shoto, and Goku. The five students were all getting into their positions while the rest of the students decided to place their bets… for second place.

Everyone just knew Goku was going to win. A few bets were set on Todoroki, a few more were on Uraraka, but Tokoyami had the most. Kirishima was good in certain situations, but something like this was just not their game.

"And BEGIN!" All Might announced as the distress signal went out.

Ochaco used her Quirk to do some platforming, Eijiro used his to climb walls and land safely, Fumikage used Dark Shadow to get over the buildings, and Shoto used his ice to help him platform while using his fire to keep warm.

Goku showcased what his improved control achieved. His unease in the air was reduced, and while not nearly as fast as he planned to be, he was still faster than the Sports Festival. He easily took first. Tokoyami came second, Todoroki third, Uraraka fourth, and Kirishima fifth.

"While Goku was the one who came first, compared to what you all showed at the Sports Festival, I can see your improvements!" All Might declared. "Young Kirishima used his quirk more creatively for traversal!" Eijiro was proud.

"Young Tokoyami, while still very dependent on his Quirk, was just as creative with it while against its very weakness!" Fumikage nodded. "Young Uraraka was able to not get motion sick as quickly as she used to, and just look at that fiery glare!"

Ochako, who had finished vomiting a minute ago, had that fighting spirit face on her. "Young Todoroki's ice is just as amazing as it was before, but now he isn't freezing himself in the process anymore!" Shoto looked indifferent. "Now, keep on improving for the upcoming final exams!"

"Yes sir!" All five of them replied in unison before they left.

"Goku is strong, and there's no doubt in my mind he could help propel Izuku to new heights." All Might contemplated as he stared after his surrogate nephew. "Maybe I should ask him to train with his classmate outside of class?

If I did, how would I frame it? Should I come clean to him? Let Goku understand the truth of One for All, so he will truly push Izuku? Should I just suggest it without truly involving him? Hm, this will require thought."

Men's Changing Room

The guys were getting out of their Hero costumes and into their school uniform.

"Training like today is exactly what we need to get back into the swing of things." Goku commented happily.

"It's the first class in a while that had me glistening." Yuga started.

"Man, I really got to work on my mobility." Eijiro stated.

"You could also compensate by improving other skills." Fumikage added.

"Still wish I could use my Quirk for speed." Denki complained. "I'm jealous of guys like you and Sero."

"Hey Denki, you won't believe what I just found." Yamcha voiced. "It's the jackpot. Someone put a hole in this wall. A previous generation has given us a gift."

The boys who were close enough to hear what he said were surprised.

"For real?" Denki joined him. "Oh, it's real, and it's on the wall connecting us to the girl's locker room."

"What makes you think I would let this happen?" Goku voiced as he sped over and placed his clothed back right over the hole. "As your representative, I'm disappointed this was your first choice. Now, get dressed and get out."

"Oh, come on." Denki/Yamcha complained.

"I don't want to hear it." Goku crossed his arms. "Don't even think this hole will still be here because first thing I'm doing, after this, is telling a teacher about this. They'll have it patched before the next time we come in here."

"Goku, be cool." Denki tried. "Isn't there someone over there you wouldn't mind seeing?"

"I don't need that." Goku retorted. "Now, you two can either change and leave willingly, or I'll drag you out right now without giving you the courtesy." They got the message and hurriedly complied. "Good choice."

Goku stayed on the wall the entire time until he felt something poke his back. He briefly took his back off the hole and saw one of Kyoka's earphone jack's slightly sticking through the hole. It wiggled for a moment before the fighter figured out what she wanted.

He lightly placed two fingers on the jack and wiggled it as a method of hand shake. "Cover up your end of it for now, and rest assured I will be telling the first teacher I see about this."

After everyone, including Denki and Yamcha, left the locker room, Goku followed.

Corridors

Goku received a verbal thanks from the girls until he was left alone with Momo. "Thanks for that, Goku."

"It's no problem." Goku smiled. "My father taught me that women should be respected. Given I have an older sister, I know I'd like there to be someone in her grade looking out for her like I do the girls of our class."

"Your family taught you well." Momo gave a slight blush as she decided to ask something. "Goku, if it's not too much trouble, could I see you in private after school?"

"Sure." Goku nodded. "Where do you want to meet?"

"Why don't we meet back here?" Momo offered. "After school, I've passed by here a few times, and it's usually empty."

"Alright, I'll be here." Goku agreed.

"That's great." Momo smiled before walking off.

Even though Goku still didn't understand why he perceived Momo so differently, it didn't change the fact that he liked hanging out with her. While he certainly did like hanging out with Izuku, Ochaco, and Tenya, there was just something different about Momo.

Depending on how this talk she seemed to want went, he might get to ask her about all of this. This time, she might not leave him unanswered which was still unsatisfying. Either way, he walked to class hopeful for what after school brought him.

Afterschool

Afternoon classes were just as regular as the morning classes. Once those were all finished, school was out. While everyone else in class 1-A left to do their own thing, Izuku left for the teacher's lounge while Goku went off to meet with Momo.

She had sped out of class faster than anyone else, so he assumed it wouldn't do to keep her waiting. He eventually made it back to the locker rooms and noted Momo had been right as this corridor was vacant save her and now him.

"Hey Momo." Goku greeted. "Sorry if I kept you waiting, but…"

"It's alright Goku." Momo interrupted. "All that matters is that you arrived at all."

"If you say so." Goku smiled. "Anyways, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Goku, you are unlike any other guy I've met." Momo voiced. "You're impressive, humble, and strong. In truth, you're something else."

"Oh, thanks Momo." Goku felt warm upon being complimented by her, so he decided to return the favor. "You're really smart, quite impressive yourself, and, even though you have your doubts, you can be rather determined."

"Thanks, Goku." Momo blushed. "Listen, the reason I'm bringing this up is because I've done a lot of thinking about what happened during the Sports Festival. I reflected on that and what was happening prior between us. Ultimately, it took a run in with Stain before I figured things out."

"Does that mean you can finally tell me why I'm confused around you?" Goku asked genuinely. "I've tried asking Melissa, but she shoots me those knowing sister eyes before telling me I'll know eventually."

"I believe you're confused by me because you have feelings for me just as I've come to have feelings for you." Momo voiced as her face went scarlet.

Something seemed to click for Goku. "I have feelings for you…" Those words sounded right, and upon hearing them, what he's been doing matched the numerous talks he's had with his family. "That could be it." He noticed something. "It must be since I feel a lot less confused."

"You do have feelings for me?" Momo asked.

"Maybe." Goku voiced. "Honestly, you're the only person whose ever made me confused and uncertain. Spending time with you and the thought of being alone with you feels more special even in comparison to the time I spend my friends. What happens now?"

"I have no idea." Momo voiced genuinely. "I'm kind of shocked I got this far with you. Even though you're a mess with your emotions regarding me, I kind of expected it. What do you want to happen?"

"Well, you seem to innately know feelings more than I do." Goku smiled. "All I know is what I've been told, so I think it feels right to let you determine things between us. I trust you to decide what's right."

"I think what's right is that we figure this out together." Momo stated. "Goku, what is it that you want?"

"What I want?" Goku thought about that. "I want to spend more time with you, get to know more about you, and help you become the Hero you seem to want to be."

"I want the same." Momo smiled. "I'm not quite certain how dates would go right now, all things considered, so I think something better is your idea about training together. We can become stronger together and study. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great to me." Goku stated.

Momo wanted to seal their words with something and ultimately decided on a hug. Goku was surprised at first, but he ended up hugging her back. If this were to happen more, Goku wasn't going to complain.


Before I get to the explanations about this chapter, I would like to say I made a slight change to last chapter under Across Japan. It's nothing major. I just have two versions of Dragon Ball characters make a small appearance. If you want to go back and read that small section, you can, but all that's revealed is a red headed man meeting with a three eyed guy at a cafe.


OG Dragon Ball did have an arc for Goku to follow. He went from that boy on Mount Paozu to a man on Mount Paozu with a wife, friends, and being the strongest man on the planet. Besides what changed externally, you could argue that not much conflict arose internally. I think the biggest change we do see is that Goku ended being more about giving his enemies a chance to come back. I bring this up because, given how this Goku was raised, I believe there would be internal conflict.

How is shapes him, weather his ideals he's displayed thus far remain or are changed, is something worth exploring. Beyond all that, I'm not particularly certain how you guys will take how Goku and Momo's relationship is starting here, but to me it feels realistic. According to Dragon Ball, as it is now, Goku somehow never kissed Chi Chi. Before you guys bring up after he awoke from the heart virus, go see the sub rather than the dub.

Even then it doesn't matter because the story seems to have just retconned that... in spite of them having two kids which involves a certain act that usually includes kissing. I digress. From what we seem to have, it's clear low class Saiyans aren't meant to understand romantic relationships. That's how I've portrayed Goku here. Despite being raised by and having numerous talks with his family, he doesn't understand these feelings he's having.

Momo is a smart person who understands that. It's kind of like how people justify a relationship between Bulma and Goku. Of course, there's a lot of history there, but one of the big things people bring up is that Bulma would be better at understanding Goku. Rather than trying to fit him into a mold as Chi Chi does, a lot of people see Bulma as understanding that Goku is Goku.

While I don't see Momo as smart as Bulma, I do think she's smart enough to understand that she's having feelings for a guy that doesn't seem to truly understand his feelings. As for how their relationship is, there's the prior explanation and the fact that this is still new to Momo even if she understands more than Goku. They're going to take things slow and progress at their own pace.


Monster King: Thanks you.

3bodyjaa: thanks

ArguableReader: Yep.

Guest: Okay, what do you think Goku's Hero Name should be? Before you say it should just be his name, that's a boring choice I feel Goku wouldn't choose. Before you say Great Sayaman, do you want me to potentially rip away a name his future daughter or son could use?