A/N Holy Whoa! I just watched the World Heroes Mission movie. What a finale! Watching Deku reach new heights brought tears to my eyes! I definitely recommend it!
So I got inspired to try to write another chapter. I want to give a great big thank you to everyone who's made it this far. I'll have a longer A/N addressing some new developments (i.e. character changes, etc.) in the story as well as Review Responses at the end, since I forgot to do them last chapter.
Opening Song:
"The Beginning," by One Ok Rock
705.3 meters.
That's how far Midoriya's ball flew into the air.
The heavy winds finally subsided, the ensuing clouds of dust began to settle around Midoriya, who stood in the middle of the field, his messy green hair swaying with the dust. After a few seconds, the test ball finally reemerged from the clouds, landing with a dull bounce on the red dirt and rolling away. As the dust settled, Midoriya fell to his haunches, leaning against his red boots.
"Ow," he whimpered, clutching his right wrist with his left hand.
The mighty Smash that he had just unleashed had left his index finger broken and deformed, a nasty purple bleeding bruise running from his knuckle up to his fingernail.
"Oof, yikes! That looks painful," Tsu cringed, her big green bio-luminescent eyes dashing over to Videl.
"Hey, Videl," she said, putting a finger on her chin. "Didn't you say one of your abilities was healing?"
"Sorry, Green," Videl shrugged. "I'm all out of Pink Star Power."
"I've got him," Melissa said, leaving the rest of their classmates behind and running up to the crouched boy. She pulled a clean shop rag from the large pocket of her blue gym pants and pulled the red hair-tie from her ponytail. Her blonde hair cascaded down around her shoulders.
"Let me see the finger, Izuku,"she told him with concern, holding a hand out to him. "I'll be gentle, I promise."
Izuku sucked air in through his teeth as Melissa carefully wrapped the rag around his broken finger and tied it with her hair-tie. "It hurts," he said. "But not as bad as before."
"That's good, hey – like my Papa always says, it's just a little life-lube, that's all. But try to keep it from moving, anyway. There we go," Melissa smiled up at him as she finished dressing the wound. "Just keep it wrapped until you get to the nurse's office, okay?"
"T-thanks," Midoriya stammered. Holy whoa! He thought, feeling heat rise in his belly. I can't believe I just touched hands with a girl!
"Sure thing!" Melissa said, straightening up on her heels. Her concerned expression loosened into an encouraging smile. "By the way, great throw! I mean it. You were able to maximize your Quirk while minimizing the strain on your body. Now that's efficiency!"
"Did you all see that? He still hurt himself, just like in the exam," Iida said as he watched from the sidelines next to Ochaco, Gohan and Bakugo. "Every time he uses his powers, he ends up hurting himself. This Quirk is very odd. It's almost like it's not even compatible with his body."
Gohan watched in silence, with his arms crossed, thinking.
It reminds me of what I went through the first few days I discovered my Quirk, He thought. Back then, my body wasn't used to regulating the enormous power from my gathered Dragon Ki and that power would sometimes spill over, making me weak and nauseous... Could this mean that Izuku is just barely discovering this power, too? Or could it be that he's too scared of hurting others, or even hurting himself? Either way, he's still standing. That's already an improvement!
"Nice throw, Midoriya!" he called out.
"N-No!" Bakugo barked in disbelief, gripping his hair with his fingers. "He beat my score?! Where the hell did that power come from? He's been powerless this whole time. If he had a Quirk, he would've gotten it when we were kids! This is impossible!"
Powerless this whole time? Gohan overheard him. So that's it! Midoriya really is just barely discovering his powers. That's why he's having such a hard time controlling his Quirk. Maybe there's something I can do to help him get a better grip on his power…?
He looked down at his hands. Where would he be if he had never met Piccolo or Nail, the men that took him under their wing and gave him a strong foundation for his powers? Would he be as lost as Izuku? Izuku definitely had a mighty power awakening from within, but he would need guidance to help mold it into the proper tool.
Gohan made a mental note to himself to talk to Midoriya later. His thoughts were interrupted by mocking laughter next to him. Videl approached, a fingerless-gloved fist on her hip.
"That's such a nice look for you, Bakugo," Videl grumbled, coming to stand beside Gohan. As she walked over, she twirled one of her black pigtails between the index finger and thumb of her other hand. "Are you shocked to find out that maybe, juuust maybe, you're not the alpha you thought you were? Maybe instead of Bomb Boy, we should start calling you 'Mouth-Wide-Open-Boy'. What do you think, Red?"
"Pffft," Kirishima snickered.
Realizing that his mouth was still open, Bakugo immediately closed it with a growl.
"Alright, alright," Aizawa cut in, getting everyone's attention. "Good effort, Midoriya, and to all of you. With that, we're finally finished with the Quirk Assessment Tests. Give me a minute to give you your results. I've ranked you all from best to worst."
After a few minutes, he returned with a remote in his hands.
"I'll just pull up the whole list. It's not worth going over each individual score."
Everyone gathered together in anticipation for the results.
This is it, Gohan's fists opened and closed excitedly. Although he had a pretty good idea of where his score would be – among the top, he was still excited to see how he scored compared to the rest of the class.
He noticed Izuku closing his eyes and bracing himself.
The only test he had scored well on was the Ball Throw. Would that have been enough to pass?
"Hey, Izuku," Gohan whispered. Izuku opened one worried eye and looked at him.
"Don't worry too much, okay? It's all going to be just fine." But Midoriya's mouth continued to tremble nervously.
Aizawa pressed a button on his remote. The tiny device hummed for a second and turned on, emitting a blue laser that materialized into a holographic chart in front of the class.
1. Son Gohan 11. Ochaco Uraraka
2. Momo Yaoyorozu 12. Koji Koda
3. Shoto Todoroki 13. Rikido Sato
4. Katsuki Bakugo 14. Tsuyu Asui
5. Videl Satan 15. Mina Ashido
6. Tenya Iida 16. Denki Kaminari
7. Fumikage Tokoyami 17. Kyoka Jiro
8. Mezo Shoji 18. Melissa Shield
9. Mashirao Ojiro 19. Toru Hagakure
10. Eijiro Kirishima 20. Izuku Midoriya
"Rice Bowl?" Bakugo asked, wrinkling his nose in amusement. "Who the hell is that?"
"It's pronounced Gohan," Gohan said with a chuckle.
"Pfffft! AHAHAHA!" Bakugo fell into a fit of mocking laughter. "Rice Bowl? Seriously? Your parents actually thought that would be a great name for a kid? Rice Bowl?"
"Actually, I was named after my Grandpa Gohan. He was a great Martial Artist in his day."
"Okay, whatever you say, Rice Bowl," Bakugo laughed, elated that he had discovered a new way of making fun of Gohan.
"Yooo! Numero Uno," Kirishima shouted, jumping behind Gohan and patting him on the back. "Congratulations, man!"
"Yeah, you were incredible, Muscles!" Mina shouted, her hands balling into excited fists. "It's no fair, you should have been in our test group so we could have a closer look at you in action!"
"Thanks! You guys didn't do so bad yourselves," Gohan said. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kaminari, who had begun to stalk Ochaco.
"...so how about it, cutie, wanna grab a bite to eat sometime?" he was asking smoothly, inching closer and closer to her. "What kind of stuff do you like?"
Ochaco's eyes widened.
"Anything sweet... Wait, who are you again?" She took a defensive step back.
"So what if I didn't make it to the top ten?" Mina chortled happily. "At least I scored higher than Kaminari."
That comment got Denki's attention and he turned to glare at Mina. Ochaco used to opportunity to slip away, jogging over to stand next to Gohan. Kaminari pouted and turned back to the his pink-skinned classmate.
"Hey, I did my best! Give me a break!" Kaminari shouted, annoyed that his move had been ruined. His eyes flashed and his lips formed into a mischievous smirk, as he set his sights on a new target, the curvy Momo Yaoyorozu. "Talk all you want, but at least I didn't finish in last place."
He pointed a finger over at Midoriya, whose eyes were still glued onto the results.
"Oh, no, Midoriya came in last place," Ochaco whispered, clasping her hands sadly in front of her. "I feel so bad for him, Gohan. He tried so hard to pass each test, but after all that... to just get sent home... it's just not fair."
Gohan watched Izuku's head lower in defeat.
"Sent home?" Gohan's eyebrow raised. He turned back to Ochaco and a few of the other students who had ranked near the bottom of the chart and they also looked dejected.
"Wait, you all haven't figured it out, yet?" Gohan asked, his eyebrows arching upwards.
"Huh, figured what out?"
Aizawa clicked the remote and the chart disappeared.
"Aaaand I was lying, no one's going home." he said. A mischievous smile crept across his face. "That was just a rational deception to make sure you gave it your all in the tests."
"SAY WHHAAAAAAT?" The class exploded in relief and disbelief. For a comical moment, Gohan could have sworn he saw Izuku's spirit leave his body.
Momo, having rejected Kaminari's flirtatious advances, joined up with Gohan, Ochaco, Iida, Midoriya and Melissa. She placed a hand on her hip, a bead of sweat forming on her cheek.
"I'm surprised the rest of you didn't figure that out," she glanced up at Gohan and Melissa. "Sorry, I guess we should have said something, huh, guys?"
"Yeah," Melissa looked down with a blush, clasping her hands together shyly. "It's a Quirk Assessment Test... and I'm... well... I'm Quirkless. There's no way I could've competed against any of you, especially you, Gohan. You were amazing."
The class gasped at the revelation.
Quirkless...? Gohan thought. Just like...
...I was... Midoriya was also thinking.
"Melissa," Mina was the first to respond. She brushed a caring hand on Melissa's back. "You're... really?"
"Yeah," Melissa said, digging a hole on the sandy ground with the tip of her tan gym boot. "I'm the first Quirkless UA Student ever."
"Well... that's… awesome!" Gohan cheered. Melissa looked up at him, confused.
"I mean it," Gohan smiled. "No powers, and you still ranked higher than some of us – no offense, Midoriya."
Izuku waved with a nervous smile and a large bead of sweat forming on the back of his head, his spirit returning to him after the near-death experience of almost getting expelled on the first day.
Momo approached Melissa and took her by the hand.
"Being Quirkless isn't something you need to be embarrassed by, Melissa," she said sweetly. "All that means is you have a perspective that none of us do. It makes you special."
Iida ran up to Melissa, impulsed by the sudden brotherly urge to commend and encourage his classmate.
"It's the truth, Melissa!" he yelled. "You are quite literally one-in-a-million. You're making UA History, and we are proud- no, honored to have you here with us!"
"I agree," Midoriya said. "In a class full of superpowers, to make it this far on brainpower and effort alone is incredible. You're really awesome, Melissa!"
Melissa looked up at her classmates, her eyes warm and teary.
"Thank you all so much. You have no idea how much your support means to me."
Bakugo leaned on his side, hands in his pockets.
"Jeez, are you nerds done kissin' each other's asses, already?"
"Oh, shut it, Bakugo," Videl snapped, waving her hand dismissively in his face. "You're talking pretty big for a guy that finished in fourth place."
"Kiss my ass, Satan, ya uncute pigtailed loser!" Bakugo yelled, his anger once again ignited. "Have you looked at the score, or do you need to get your eyes checked? Because I blasted you straight back to hell where you belong!"
"Wait, a minute!" Sato ran up to Videl. "Videl, are you actually related to the Mister Satan?"
Videl peeled her burning gaze from Bakugo and turned to the towering muscular teen with short spiky brown hair that had ran up to her. All eyes had turned to Videl. She smiled and clasped her hands behind her head, leaning back slightly.
"Yup, he's my pops," she said.
"Who is Mister Satan?" Gohan asked innocently.
"You mean you've never heard of Hercule Satan?" Sato lisped, sweating heavily with excitement as he clasped his hands together. "Oh man, where do I even start? He's the All Time World Martial Arts Champion that took down a major group of villains a few years ago all by himself!"
"That's right," Midoriya jumped in, wincing from the pain of his broken finger, that fanboy enthusiasm of his, glossing over his eyes with excitement.
"He defeated the old Red Ribbon Army, the Yakuza, and the Rabbit Gang! He even expelled the old Demon Clan out of Orange Star City about seven or eight years ago. His dojo has dozens of students, including some who have gone on to become Pro Heroes. Lately, there are rumors going around that he's The Dragon of Namek, himself – what with the white cape and all. He's so cool."
"Oh, is that right?" Gohan said, unable to contain a knowing smile. He opened his mouth to set the record straight – that the Demon Clan had not been dismantled by any one man, but rather had been reformed from within by kind and wise men like Grand Elder Moori, Nail and Piccolo, and that this Mister Satan most certainly was not the Dragon, but when he saw Videl's proud smile, he stopped himself.
First of all, all that would do is antagonize Videl and ruin her image of her father. Besides, the old Demon Clan was long gone now, buried and reborn as the Dragon Clan. Secondly, he would risk revealing his secret vigilante identity.
The best thing to do in this scenario was play dumb.
"Wow, he sounds like a great man," he said, instead. "No wonder you're so powerful, Videl!"
Videl's blue eyes shifted over to him and narrowed into a glare.
"Something you wanna say, Gohan?" She asked, annoyed. "In case you haven't figured it out yet, I can see people's emotions with my Star Sight. I can tell when someone's being sarcastic to me."
Oh crap, Gohan gasped. Busted!
"N-no," he stammered. "I-"
"Hey, Pigtails, get it right. His name... is Rice Bowl!" Bakugo barked before falling into another fit of laughter.
"Is the spelling of my name really all that funny to you?" Gohan asked, genuinely confused. From the corner of his eye, he saw Videl shake her head and drop her attention from him. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's priceless!" Bakugo laughed.
"Well... okay…" Gohan shrugged, unaffected by Bakugo's strange sense of humor.
"Don't mind him, Gohan," Ochaco said. "I like it. It's so nice that you get to honor your grandpa Gohan by carrying his name. Plus, I like 'Rice Bowl.' I think it's kinda cute!"
"Yeah," Kaminari muttered to himself with a depressed sigh. "Of course she does."
"Alright, alright. Settle down," Aizawa said again, finally cutting all conversations off. "Midoriya?"
"Yes, sir?" Midoriya jumped, perking up immediately.
Aizawa stared at him for a long second.
"Good effort today," he said at last. "You're not getting expelled, but you did finish at the bottom of your class."
Midoriya winced at his bluntness.
"However," Aizawa said. "You do show great promise. So keep moving forward, alright? That goes for all of you, especially you in the bottom ten."
"Right." Izuku nodded with a determined look in his eyes. "I'll keep working harder."
"Good. Head on up to the Nurse's office." Aizawa said. He pulled out a tiny bottle and dripped its contents into his reddened eyes. "The rest of you, listen up. Your test results today should serve as a direct indication of where you are in regards to controlling your powers. Mastering your Quirks in creative ways is vital to becoming a Pro Hero, as is learning how to work well with one another to achieve your goals. For that reason, we have scheduled for another big test, similar to this one, in three weeks' time."
"THREE WEEKS?!" Some in the class gasped in horror.
"That test will be designed to see how well you control your Quirks, as well as how proficient you are at working together. To prepare yourselves for that test, I've paired you all up randomly. Your Foundational Hero Studies Homework, as well as your school lessons until then will help you form a strong bond with your partner and to help each other work on your Quirks and grow stronger. At the end of the three weeks, you will put your hard work to the test in Mock Combat Trials. So don't waste the precious time you do have. Soak up every lesson you get until then and continue to work, to grow and to go beyond."
Gohan felt his heart pounding against his chest with that speech, and with the prospect of getting to train together closely with one of his classmates.
"That's it, we're done for the day, class," Aizawa waved, picking up his yellow sleeping bag. "Hit the showers and return to the classrooms to pick up a syllabus, and the number of your designated training partner, as well as your textbooks before you leave today."
(...)
"Combat Trials, huh?" Gohan said to Ochaco as they reached the top of the concrete steps that led to Gym Gamma. The two stopped just before they separated to head to the boys and girls shower rooms. "I wonder who our partners are going to be?"
"I've got my fingers crossed," Ochaco flashed him a sweet smile, holding her crossed fingers up.
"On who?" Gohan teased. "Kaminari?"
Ochaco shuddered.
"Ew, no! On you, silly!" she gave Gohan a playful punch in the arm. "You are still planning on helping me train with my Quirk, right?"
"Of course!" Gohan nodded. "Even if we don't get to be partners for the Combat Trial, we can still make some time to meet for some training together. How does that sound?"
"It sounds perfect, Gohan."
The two peeled away and headed to their respective shower rooms.
"Yo, Videl," Kirishima jogged, catching up to the shorter girl.
Videl planted her hands on her hips.
"Hey, Red. What do you want?" She said, bluntly. Her piercing eyes blazed with annoyance.
"Ahem, Kirishima," he corrected without dropping his nervous smile. "Man, that was so much fun, today, huh? A bit nerve-wracking, but such a thrill."
"I... suppose," Videl raised an eyebrow. "Though it could've gone way smoother if I hadn't been stuck with that asshole Bakugo."
"Aw, don't mind him. He's just mad that someone actually stood up to him. You're pretty badass, Videl!" Kirishima quickly stammered.
"Yeah, you can say that again," Kaminari joined in, wrapping his arm around the back of Kirishima's neck. "You've got power, skills and looks, Gorgeous. Talk about the whole package! So... you wanna grab a bite to eat sometime? What kind of stuff do you like?"
"Oyyy," Kirishima hissed through his teeth, jabbing Kaminari's ribs. "Again with that tired line?"
"Eh, sure, why not?" Videl shrugged. "But you're paying."
"Of course he is," Kaminari was all smiles.
As she walked with the two boys towards the entrance of Gym Gamma, Videl turned to see the boy passing by her. Bakugo's dark red eyes met hers and for a moment, he seemed to be taken aback. The moment didn't last.
"Tch," Bakugo bared his teeth and walked away, with a mutter under his breath. "She's so uncute."
"He's such an asshole," Videl growled to herself.
(...)
And that's how the first day of school ended.
The class showered in Gym Gamma and headed back to the main building to pick up their course syllabus before heading back home. Aizawa had placed small welcome bags on top of each desk that included their workbooks, notes on how to improve each of their quirks, miscellaneous school supplies, different forms for things like the Hero Costume Clothing Allowance, and some UA High Pins.
Before leaving, they checked the chart that Aizawa had made to find out who their partners for the Combat Trial would be.
Izuku Midoriya & Videl Satan (Team A)
Shoto Todoroki & Mezo Shoji (Team B)
Momo Yaoyorozu & Melissa Shield (Team C)
Katsuki Bakugo & Tenya Ida (Team D)
Son Gohan & Mina Ashido (Team E)
Rikido Sato & Koji Koda (Team F)
Denki Kaminari & Kyoka Jiro (Team G)
Fumikage Tokoyami & Tsuyu Asui (Team H)
Mashirao Ojiro & Toru Hagakure (Team I)
Eijiro Kirishima & Ochaco Uraraka (Team J)
"Woo-Hoo!" Mina cheered. "You mean I get to spend all of my afternoons with Muscles?!"
She snaked her pink arms over Gohan's long white sleeve, leaning onto him.
"We're gonna have so much fun together, aren't we, hun?"
"Yeah, it'll be fun," Gohan laughed nervously. Too close!
"You'll have me all to yourself, but don't try anything naughty, alright?" She waved a finger at him and winked.
Tokoyami picked up on that last part and perked up with a nervous sweat drop.
"C-Contain yourself, Gohan!"
"Huh, what did I do?"
Ochaco watched them from the corner of the room.
Well... they certainly get along well, she thought. She looked down and silently crammed her things into her backpack.
"Everybody shut up!" Bakugo howled. The entire class quieted down as the boy turned around, his eyes completely whitened out. He looked like a predator who had just cornered its prey. He glared at Videl with a pointed smile.
"You're in for it now, pigtails!" He growled. "With some luck, you'll be fighting me. And I'm going to pound you and Deku into dust!"
"Deku?" Videl scoffed, arms crossed over her untucked white school shirt. "Who the hell is that?"
(...)
"Wow, my bag's a lot heavier now that I've got all this stuff in it," Ochaco said, rubbing her neck underneath the strap of her pink backpack.
"Don't you have an anti-gravity Quirk, Ochaco?" Iida asked as he walked alongside them towards the main exit.
"Yeah, but I've used it so much today that I'm pretty sure I'd hurl on you guys if I activate it."
"Oh, well in that case, never mind," Iida shuddered.
"Here," Gohan said, extending a hand. "Let me."
He took her bag and swung it over his shoulder.
"Aww, thanks Gohan," Ochaco croaked, tiredly. "You're so sweet. I owe you one."
"Don't mention it," he said with a smile. Ochaco was tired, but it was obvious that something else was wrong. There was something different in her tone. She must be upset that we didn't get to be partners, he deduced.
"Ochaco-"
Suddenly, he felt a vibration in his pocket. It was the scouter. Dende only contacted him through the scouter when it was an emergency and The Dragon was needed somewhere.
"You guys go on ahead," he told them. "I'll be right behind you."
"Of course," Iida said.
"Okay..." Ochaco nodded.
Gohan forced himself to stop thinking about Ochaco for a moment. This call had to be important. He walked over to the corner of the building and discreetly pulled out the scouter, attaching it to his right ear and pressing the communicator button. The device came to life with a snap-hiss, the green lens emerged from the white shell, positioning itself over his right eye.
Dende's face appeared on the right side of the lens.
"Dragon," Dende said, perking up when he saw Gohan. Even though the connection was encrypted and secure, Dende had insisted on using call-signs whenever they communicated with the scouter, just in case someone was able to hack into the audio connection and listen in.
"Hey Guardian," Gohan said in a lowered voice. "What's up, is something wrong?"
"No, no. Sorry for contacting you through the scouter. I tried calling you on your cell but you never picked up..."
Gohan gasped.
"Oh crap!" he hissed, digging in his pocket for his phone. "I turned it off at the beginning of class and forgot about it!"
"No worries, man. Listen, I have a favor to ask. There are some supplies I need for a special project back at the Lookout, but unfortunately, I can't make the trip. I have a meeting to attend to here in Namek and it's probably going to take the rest of the evening."
"Oh, I see," Gohan nodded. "So what's the project."
Dende sighed.
"Well, it's a little complicated to explain in detail over a call, but essentially, it will be a high-tech, time-bending training chamber unlike anything you've ever seen before. One that will let you train to your heart's content without the danger of your energy spilling out. One year in there will be like a day in the real world. I call it the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."
"Oh, wow!" Gohan gasped. "That's insane! Is something like that even possible?"
"Well, that's what we're going to find out. We have some theories we're going to test, and Bulma Brief from Capsule Corporation is going to help. But in order to build it, we need some parts from Capsule Corp. in West City, and since West City is only an hour train ride from you and five from us, well I figured you could get us the parts... I mean, if it's not too much to ask for. I could request them by mail, but that could take days and I'd really prefer to get started as soon as possible."
"Sure, I can go," Gohan said. "I'll be home a little later, then. Tell Uncle You-Know-Who not to wait up for me."
"Okay man," Dende laughed. "Thanks. Just tell them Dende sent you and they should have the parts ready. See you soon."
Gohan ended the call and slipped the scouter back into his pocket. A part of him felt bad. West City was an hour train ride in the opposite direction of Musutafu. That would mean he would not get to walk his new friends home.
Feeling a bit bummed, he caught up to Iida and Ochaco. Melissa and Midoriya had joined in by now, since they were also heading to Musutafu.
"There you are," Ochaco brightened up a bit when she saw him. "You ready to go?"
"Yeah, about that," Gohan rubbed his neck. "Rain check. I have to go to West City to pick something up. I'll have to catch up with you all another time."
"Ohh, really?" Ochaco said, her eyes sinking to the ground.
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Gohan said.
"So you're visiting the City of Tomorrow, eh?" Iida said. "Be careful out there, Gohan. I heard it's a completely different world over there."
"West City," Midoriya repeated in thought. "That's one of Endeavor's Hero districts."
"You wouldn't happen to be headed to Capsule Corp, would you, Gohan?" Melissa asked.
"Yes, that's right," Gohan said.
"Aha! I knew it!" Melissa clapped her hands together. "Well, do me a favor and say hi to my Aunt Bulma for me, will ya?"
"BULMA BRIEF IS YOUR AUNT?" Midoriya yelped. "But I thought you were from I-Island!"
"I am," Melissa said, passing a finger over a lock of her blonde hair. "My papa's David Shield and my mama's Tights, the eldest of the Brief sisters. They married in America, but they separated just after I was born. Papa stayed in I-Island for work and Mama is teaching the Support Class here in UA."
"Your family is so cool, Melissa!" Izuku's eyes sparkled, unable to contain his fanboyish joy. "You've got to tell me all about them! I'm such a huge fan of your dad's!"
Gohan waved at them.
"Well, at least you'll have a lot to talk about on the ride home, Melissa. Something tells me Midoriya won't rest until he gets every last detail of your family out of you."
He turned to Ochaco.
"Sorry, Urara-chan, I guess you'll have to carry your bag home after all."
"Yeah, it sounds like it," Ochaco smiled sadly, holding her hands together. "Are you sure you can't come? I was hoping to treat you to some Takoyaki and getting to hang out with you... you know... alone. There's something I wanted to talk to you about."
Gohan sighed. Ochaco was like a puppy, looking up at him with those big brown eyes as her fingers tightened around her skirt. Although he was exhausted and wouldn't have the stamina to fly to West City, he always had the Nimbus.
"You know what?" Gohan straightened up, swinging her backpack over his shoulder. "Yeah, count me in. Some Takoyaki sounds great after today."
"What?" Iida asked incredulously, holding his hands up. "Just like that? Weren't you saying you needed to go run errands in West City?"
Chapter Eleven – Fated Encounters in the City of Tomorrow
It was about a forty-five minute train ride from UA High to Musutafu. Midoriya and Melissa sat together near the end of the train car. Midoriya leaned in, wide-eyed like an excited child, talking to Melissa about her parents. Gohan exchanged an amused grin with Iida as they watched Midoriya's face brighten.
"Well, someone's certainly a huge fan of the Shield's," Iida commented, looking up from his course syllabus.
"Even though he's geeking out, it's nice to see him start to come out of his shell a bit, even if he is completely smothering her," Gohan smirked. "I'd trade places with her, but..."
With a jerk of his head, he motioned towards the sleeping girl on his shoulder.
The steady rumble of the train ride had made Ochaco nod off, leaning against Gohan's shoulder. Gohan looked down at the short girl, who snored softly, her mouth comically opened where her cheek met Gohan's arm.
She's exhausted, Gohan noted. Aizawa had pushed them all to the edge of their limits, and Ochaco had given it her all. He gave her a proud smile. This girl is way tougher than she looks!
The train stopped at the next station briefly, where Melissa got off and several more passengers, including an elderly woman boarded. A young girl staring at her phone rudely pushed past the elderly woman to steal the seat that had been vacated by Melissa. Gohan watched the elderly woman sigh and hold onto the passenger bar with one hand, securing her groceries with the other.
"Hey, Iida," Gohan whispered, careful not to wake Ochaco. Iida looked up from his syllabus.
"Yeah?"
"It's your turn."
"What are you talking about?"
Gohan tenderly cupped Ochaco's chin and cheek with his hand and gently guided her head over to Iida's shoulder. Ochaco shuffled in her seat.
"Mhm, some Mochi would be nice," she muttered in her sleep, but didn't wake up, snuggling down on Iida's shoulder.
After draping his gray school jacket over Uraraka's shoulders, Gohan picked up their backpacks and swung them over his shoulder.
"Here you go, ma'am," he motioned towards the seat. "Please, sit and rest your feet a moment."
The elderly woman gave him a tired, grateful smile.
"Why thank you, young man," she said, taking the seat.
Iida smirked.
"Very noble, Gohan," he said with an approving nod. "It's important to set a great example of what UA High represents."
Gohan grabbed the passenger bar sheepishly.
"Don't mention it," he said.
"Well, as long as one of us is up..." Iida put the syllabus back in his bag and reshuffled in his seat, warming his hands under his armpits and closing his eyes himself. "Mind waking me up when we get to Musutafu?"
"Sure, no worries," Gohan nodded.
Iida rested his head against the window of the train. With that, Gohan was left alone with his thoughts. He thought about everything that had happened on his first day of school.
It certainly was unconventional, and to some degree, nerve-racking, but it wasn't anything Gohan couldn't handle. He was used to this type of pressure and it wasn't about to stop him.
He had to stand tall, like a Namekian Ajisa Tree. No matter how hard the winds blew, the tree would bend and adapt, but never break. He allowed himself a smirk. I'm just a farm boy from Mount Paozu, but ever since Piccolo took me under his wing, I've begun to feel more Namekian than anything...
As he silently meditated on these things, he felt a tug on his pant legs. He looked down to see two boys, one older than the other. The older boy had on a black elementary school uniform, his black hair combed over to the side. The smaller boy had blue overalls over a white shirt. A green hat in the shape of a frog head covered his dark brown hair.
"Sorry to bother you, mister," the older boy said. "You're from UA High, right?"
"Hi there," Gohan grinned. "Yes, I'm in the Hero Course. My name is Gohan."
"I'm Asuko. And this is Haruto, my little brother. He wanted to ask you a question. Go ahead little guy."
The child looked at Gohan shyly, as if searching for the courage to ask him his question.
"Is it... hard?" The kid finally asked. "Getting into UA High?."
Gohan sighed, thinking of everything he had been through just to get into the school.
"It's definitely a lot of work," he said. "But it's worth it."
"Can... can I be like you, someday?" Haruto asked, looking up at Gohan with those precious large hazel eyes.
"He really wants to be a Pro Hero," Asuko explained. "But Haruto's Quirk hasn't developed yet. I tell him all the time that being a good brother is just as important as being a Hero, but he still says that's his dream – becoming a Pro Hero. We were wondering if you had any advice for him that would help him reach his dreams."
Gohan felt a tug at his heart. Being a good brother is as important as being a hero...
He smiled and squatted down to be at the smaller boy's eye level. He reached into his pocket and took out one of the UA High pins that he had received as part of the welcome bag.
"If you've got the determination to reach your dreams," he told them, "and the discipline to work hard, especially on the days you don't want to, you can be anything you want."
He gave them the pin and the boy's eyes widened with excitement.
"Wow! Thanks mister!" The older boy said, handing the pin to his little brother. "We will work hard and be like you some day. That's a promise! Right, Haruto?"
"Right," the little boy gave him a toothy smile. "Thank you mister."
Gohan smiled warmly at the two boys.
"Come on, little guy," Asuko said, putting an arm around his little brother's shoulders. "Let's go show Mom and Dad! Say thank you, again."
"Thank you," the boy said. Gohan waved as the two boys turned around and walked away, disappearing among the crowd of passengers.
Gohan slowly stood up and grabbed onto the passenger bar. His grip tightening on the bar, he lowered his head in silence and kept his back turned to his classmates the rest of the train ride.
(...)
The train finally arrived at the station in Musutafu. As the doors opened, the warm, familiar scent of the busy market flooded Gohan. He breathed it all in, the mouth-watering smell of the food stands, the bustling conversations of the passersby, the honking and roaring engines of the cars rushing by.
Home.
Gohan allowed himself a tired smile as he opened the plastic flap that covered the hidden food stall, letting the other three students in. Mrs Yakimono's Food Stall, the hidden jewel of Musutafu.
Mrs Yakimono was surprised, but elated to have UA High Students eating at her stall, even if one of them was Son "the-bottomless-pit" Gohan.
The food was delicious, as usual and the students ate until they were full. As they ate, they talked about everything, from their Quirks, to their favorite Heroes, as well as their aspirations for the future.
Tenya Iida was the youngest of the Iida Family. They were a family of heroes with Engine Quirks that worked in several cities. The most known of the Iida's was Tenya's older brother, Tensei, the Hero known as Ingenium. Tenya aspired to become a great hero so that they could work as a team together.
As for Izuku Midoriya, he was clearly an All Might fanboy. His powers had apparently just started to develop and he had been training the past ten months to strengthen his body to adapt to his enormous power, but even though his Quirk damaged his body again and again, he was determined to master his power. He wanted to become a Hero who saved others with a smile, just like All Might.
Ochaco was next. She told them the story of how she had grown up in poverty, but she had always been encouraged to pursue her dreams of becoming a Hero. Seeing how hard her parents worked to help her achieve her dreams gave Ochaco the drive to become a great Hero, that way she could make lots of money and help her parents live comfortable lives. She aspired to be a rescue Hero, like the Android Heroes Thirteen and Eighteen.
Gohan smiled at seeing her determined face as she told Iida and Midoriya her story. After all, this was the very first place where they had spent time together, and she had told him her story. That was two months ago. And in that time, he had seen time and again how Ochaco had pushed herself to new heights. She's so cool, he thought to himself.
Her large brown eyes shifted to him and Gohan realized he had been staring at her. For a moment, they held each other's gazes, but then he quickly looked away. Ochaco's eyes darted away, too, her pink cheeks blushing, slightly.
(…)
The four students finished eating and after a few minutes of relaxing, they got up to leave. Even though Ochaco insisted on paying for their meal, Gohan secretly swapped out the money card at the last minute and paid for it all himself.
As they exited, the cold evening wind rushed in. It was actually unexpectedly cold this evening, so Gohan insisted in giving the shivering Ochaco his jacket. Despite her initial protests, he draped the jacket over her shoulders like a blanket and they all left the food market area together.
Izuku took the opportunity to ask Gohan a dozen questions about his Quirk. His eyes widened.
"So you can fly and have super strength?" Izuku asked, amazed.
"Yeah, I can also shoot beams of energy from almost every part of my body," Gohan said.
"Wait, I've got to write all of that down!"
Izuku swung his bag around and pulled out a composition notebook and a pen. As he flipped through the pages, Gohan caught a glimpse of several heroes, both Pro and classmates. He even had a page for Bakugo. Each page had a crude drawing of their costumes, support items and powers.
He got to a page about Gohan and began to scribble down everything Gohan had just said.
As he did so, Ochaco turned to face the group of classmates. Her hands wrapped around Gohan's jacket, shyly.
"Umm, do you guys mind if Gohan walks me to my apartment from here?"
Iida turned to look at Midoriya, who was still busy writing in his composition notebook.
"I don't mind at all," he said, turning to Gohan. "Well, good night, my friends. Thank you so much for the divine Takoyaki, as well as the company. We shall see each other tomorrow. Remember to get a good rest and get to class early. The proverbial early bird gets the worm."
"No problem," Ochaco waved.
"Sure thing, Iida" Gohan nodded with a grin.
Midoriya was still entranced by his notebook.
"Midoriya," Iida said, catching his attention.
"Oops, sorry!" Midoriya instantly closed the notebook.
"Don't write too much, or you'll strain the finger," Iida told him sternly, hand chopping the air. "Soak it in warm water before bed."
"Okay, I will. Thanks for the advice, Iida."
Iida nodded.
He squatted into a running position, the engines in his calves whining as he prepared to leave.
"Friends, see you all-" he blasted off. "Tomorrow!"
The trio were left staring at him in the dust.
"I've got to get going, too, you guys," Midoriya said. "My apartment's not too much further from here."
"Alright, Izuku," Gohan said. "Good night."
"Good night, you guys!" Midoriya waved.
"Night!" Ochaco called back.
They watched as the green haired boy walked off, reading the notes he had just taken on Gohan's Quirk, until he rounded a corner and disappeared.
"C'mon," Gohan said, turning to Ochaco. "Let's get you home before you catch a cold or something."
"You're the one who insisted on not wearing a jacket, Gohan," Ochaco giggled, gripping the lapels of Gohan's gray jacket around her shoulders.
"I don't want you to get sick, okay?" Gohan protested. He folded his arms. "It would be extremely bad luck to miss your second day of school because of a cold. Besides, this is nothing. I used to train in the middle of blizzards with my uncle."
Ochaco stared up at him for a moment.
"What?" Gohan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You're such a mystery, Rice Bowl."
"Oh, no, don't tell me you're starting that, too?" Gohan rolled his eyes sarcastically.
The two shared a laugh as they walked into the apartment complex.
"You wanna know what I'm thinking, Gohan?" Ochaco smirked to herself.
"Sure," Gohan said. "What's on your mind?"
She giggled.
"I was just remembering the day I met you. We got mugged just around the corner from here, remember? We kicked their butts!"
"They didn't stand a chance against us," Gohan laughed, his breath a visible puff in the frigid night air.
"Do you think you can teach me some of your moves? I feel like I'm going to need them for the upcoming Combat Trials."
"Don't worry about that. Your Quirk has so much offensive potential. You'll see. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be a mini Battle Hero." He shivered and slid his hands into his pockets. Ochaco noticed it and smirked up at him.
"Hey, hey! I thought you were used to training in blizzards," she teased.
"Yeah, I am," Gohan said in protest. It was actually much, much colder than he'd anticipated, but that's why he'd insisted on draping his jacket over the girl's shoulders.
As they rounded the corner, Gohan suddenly felt a warmth slide into his hand, interlacing between his fingers. He looked down in surprise. Ochaco had wrapped her tiny arm around his, taking his freezing hand in her warm one.
"Ochaco…?"
She leaned her head against his shoulder as they kept walking.
"It's cold, okay?" she whispered. "At least let me do this for you."
"But…" he licked his suddenly dry lips. "Is this okay? What if someone you know see us like this? Won't they think that you and I…"
Ochaco suddenly glared up at him.
"Whoa," Gohan's neck craned away. "What's with that face?"
"So you're fine with Ashido throwing herself all over you, but not your best friend?"
"Uh-" Gohan froze. A bright red blush formed over his nose. "N-no. I prefer this."
"Good," Ochaco smiled sweetly. "Now hush, and come here. Get warm."
Gohan swallowed and nodded, doing his best to ignore the deafening sound of his heartbeat beating a hundred miles per hour against his eardrums.
His cold fingers closed around Ochaco's, her warmth slowly coursing up his hand. He embraced her arm, tangled in his, as the two huddled together, walking the rest of the way to Ochaco's apartment.
(…)
It had been almost an hour since he had watched Ochaco close the door to her apartment, but his hand still tingled. Gohan looked down at it as he sat cross-legged on the Nimbus Cloud. His heart leaped every time he thought about her hand sliding into his. He shook his head with a blush.
Ochaco was a sweet and caring friend who was just worried about him catching a cold. Just because she held his hand, did not mean that she felt any sort of way towards him… right?
Gohan looked up from his hand and pushed those thoughts aside for a moment as he was greeted with the glow of West City. He had finally arrived.
West City, The City of Tomorrow, the shining futuristic metropolis just south of Tokyo.
Iida was right. It was an entirely different world out here. The houses here were domed and futuristic. The bustling streets were lined with hovering cars and moving sidewalks. The Highway lanes were enclosed within tubes to ensure that the flying vehicles got to their destinations safely, without coming into contact with pedestrians.
The streets themselves were exceptionally clean. From what he'd gathered, the city owed its luxurious futuristic style to the efforts of Capsule Corp, a revolutionary engineering and robotics company that had poured its scientific and technological advances back into the city. Some of Capsule Corp's inventions, like the famous Capsules, had begun to make their way across Japan and even into the international markets.
To outsiders, West City was a promise of a bright future, where science paved the way towards prosperity. Gohan took a moment to marvel at the sleek skyscrapers as he flew straight towards the biggest buildings at the heart of West City.
Capsule Corporation.
The domed building resembled a space ship, with many blue windows dotting its stark white exterior. They seemed to be holding a special event of some sort, because Gohan could see attendees dotting the gigantic back patio.
Crap, Gohan thought. This is what I get for not coming straight here when Dende asked me to… oh, well. I'll just have to be discreet.
He leaped off Nimbus while he was still a block away and walked the rest of the way to the building, crossing a beautiful white picket fence and some palm trees. As he got to the front door, he caught sight of an older man with lavender hair, a thick white mustache, and a pair of thick framed glasses. The old man was taking a long drag from his cigarette as Gohan walked up to him.
"Good evening, sir," Gohan said. The old man looked up at him and straightened up.
"Why, hello there, young man," he said, cheerfully. "Welcome to Capsule Corps. How can I help you?"
"I'm here to see Bulma Brief about some parts for Dende," Gohan said.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the old man's mustache twitched apologetically. "My daughter's currently holding a conference and it could be a while until she's finished. You're welcome to join the party, of course, though, if you're in a hurry, I'm sure I can find the supplies you came for."
Gohan rubbed his hands against his shoulders.
"Whoa, you're the Doctor Brief?!"
Brief let out a grandfatherly laugh.
"Oh, that was a long time ago. These days, I mostly go by Mister Brief. Doctor Brief would by my daughter Bulma."
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you," Gohan said. "To be honest, I really wanted to talk to Bulma, but if she's busy, I can just take the parts and can back another time," Gohan said.
"Alrighty then," the old man nodded, putting out his cigarette and motioning for Gohan to follow him. "This way, please."
He motioned towards the door and it hissed open with a beep, allowing them both in. Gohan was immediately inundated by the smell of rubber, lubricant and… new shoes? He couldn't quite put a finger on what the smell was, but it was unique.
"So you're picking up the parts for Dende's Hyperbolic Time Machine, are you?" Brief said, twirling the cigarette in his finger. "An impressive endeavor, for sure. That young man has brilliant ideas. I'm sure he can accomplish anything he puts his mind to."
"Yes sir," Gohan said. "It all sounds very sci-fi, but if Dende and Bulma think it's possible, I believe them."
"Such is the spirit of human ingenuity," Brief smiled. "Everything is possible, as long as you want it bad enough. But please, make yourself comfortable in our lounge. The parts you're picking up should be in our lab and I'm afraid you lack the credentials to gain access."
"Oh, okay, Sure, where is the lounge?"
"Go straight down that hallway, take a left and go straight past two red doors. The third red door will be an elevator that will take you to the third floor. Once you get off the elevator, take another left. You'll pass by the dining hall and take a right, past the kitchen you'll take another left and the third door on the right will be the lounge. I'll be with you shortly."
"O-oh okay," Gohan nodded slowly. With that, Brief left him, walking towards a wall that opened up like a door to him and sealed shut. Gohan gulped as he began making his way across the maze.
It didn't take long for him to get lost. The elevator door opened and Gohan stepped out into the near identical looking third floor.
"Let's see here," Gohan held a hand to his cheek. "It's an elevator… and then a… left…"
He looked up and there were three different halls to his left.
"Oh boy... well let's go with option number one," he said to himself.
Gohan walked down the first hall and rounded the corner. As soon as he had disappeared, a door from where he had just been standing opened up and out from it ran a young boy with lavender hair wearing an Endeavor onesie, the blue and red fabric flying in the air as he leaped out.
"Make way for the Hero who's never lost a fight," Trunks roared in the deepest voice he could muster. "The Flame Hero Endeavor!"
A second boy, wearing an All Might onesie flew out from the same door. The golden hood that imitated All Might's signature hair flopped wildly on his head.
"AAAAHAHAHA!" Goten yelled, fists on his hips. "I am here! All Might! The number one hero in the universe!"
"Quickly, All Might!" Trunks shouted, holding his palm out like Endeavor. "There are bad guys in the lounge! Let's go kick their butts!"
"Let's go get 'em… because I really need to pee!" Goten yelled and the two boys disappeared, running towards the lounge as Gohan emerged from the hallway he'd just taken. Along the way to the lounge, the boys almost collided with the four women who were working as party attendants.
"Damm- I mean, darn it," Mitsuki Bakugo barked, steadying her tray of drinks.
"Whoops, careful there, babies," Inko Midoriya laughed, holding Mistuki's back and preventing her from falling.
"That was a close call," Miruku Uraraka sighed with relief.
"BOYS!" Chi-Chi exploded. "What did I tell you about running around the kitchen during service hours?! Go play in the lounge!"
"But mom!" Goten whined.
"Mom?" Trunks cried in his Endeavor voice. "Who is this 'Mom'? Come, All Might. We must make haste to the battlefield. Chaaaaarge!"
The boys disappeared, running towards the lounge.
Chi-Chi breathed out a tired sigh.
"Those brats could use a good ass whoopin'," Mitsuki growled, straightening up.
"Boys will be boys," Inko shook her head dismissively. "Let them have their fun."
"Well, at least we were able to save the deserts," Miruku smiled sweetly.
Chi-Chi gave herself a recomposing deep breath in and out, then she straightened up.
"Okay, we've got some deserts to serve. Ready, ladies?"
The four of them exited through the door that led outside just as Gohan came walking through the hall.
"No, that wasn't it," he was saying to himself. "Let's try this one…"
(…)
"I AM HERE!" Goten shouted, leaping onto the lounge couch.
"Bad guys, everywhere!" Trunks shouted, leaping into a roll. "Pew! Pew! Pew! Hellfire storm!" He thrust his hand out. "Duck, All Might!"
"Okie dokie," Goten dove, covering his head as Trunks pretended to shoot fireballs at invisible enemies.
"Oh no! Endeavor!" Goten called. "Watch out behind you! I got him. CAROLINA SMAAAAASH!"
As Goten thrust his fist forward, a powerful blast of energy shot out, completely obliterating the expensive decorative vase. It smashed against the wall, leaving a large burning black hole.
"Oh… crap!" Goten cried, the golden hood of his All Might onesie falling off his head.
"Now you've done it, Goten!" Trunks barked angrily. "If you're gonna keep destroying things, I'm not gonna teach you how to use your powers anymore, okay? You're supposed to keep it a secret!"
They suddenly heard footsteps approaching.
"Oh crap! Someone's coming!" Trunks grabbed Goten and dragged him towards a pantry closet. "Hide!"
The closet door slammed shut as Gohan walked into the lounge.
"This is definitely…" Gohan turned to see the smoldering scorch mark on the wall. "...the lounge…?"
"Ah, there you are, Dende," Brief said as he entered the lounge carrying a suitcase filled with capsules.
"Oh no," Gohan said with a shy smile. "My name's not… well, never mind. Thank you so much for these."
He took the case and turned around to leave
He motioned towards the black hole in the wall.
"Is, um, everything okay here?" he asked.
"Oh, yes, yes, that's probably just the doing of my grandson and his little friend. You know how it is with boys their age, with developing Quirks and a desire to become Heroes."
"Yeah," Gohan gave him a tired smile. "I know what you mean."
Inside the closet, the two boys had hidden behind stacks of paper towels and water bottles.
"Who is that?" Goten whispered at Trunks, who immediately shushed him. Trunks peeked through a crack in the door, but could only see the back of Gohan's school jacket.
"It's grandpa and… some weirdo in a suit. I dunno who he is, but he's butt-ugly, kinda like you."
"Hey!"
"SHHHHH! Just stay real quiet if you don't wanna get in trouble. It sounds like they're leaving soon."
Goten gave Trunks a thumbs up and the boys tucked themselves back behind their makeshift hiding spot.
"Well, I really must be going," Gohan was saying, feeling the full weight of exhaustion of the entire day on his shoulders. "But thank you so much for letting me in at such a late hour. We'll be sure to put these to good use. Maybe you and Bulma can visit us at the Lookout in Namek sometime to see the progress."
"Hmm, I might just take you up on that offer," Brief stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Oh, but before you leave, we prepared a snack for you, as I'm sure it will be a very long ride back to Namek from here."
From behind him, Chi-Chi emerged from the kitchen, carrying a plate with a cupcake on it intended for Mr. Brief's guest.
She sighed, tiredly as she walked up to the young man facing away from her.
"Oops!"
Miruku squealed as she tripped on one of the pieces of the broken vase and fell, spilling all of the cupcakes she was carrying all over the floor.
"Oh no!" she panicked, gripping her dress tightely. "I'm so sorry about that!"
"Heh, nice wipe-out, clumsy," Mitsuki laughed jokingly.
Chi-Chi kneeled down to help Miruku pick up the cupcakes at the same time that Gohan began to walk by.
"Hey, cutie," Mitsuki winked at Gohan, shoving the plate in front of him and getting really close. "Want a little sugar on your way out?"
Gohan gulped.
"S-sure," he said, taking one of the cupcakes that Mitsuki offered him. "Um… thanks." he said, quickly making his way out. He entered the elevator that would lead him back down to the ground floor, the door closing behind him with a hiss.
When all the cupcakes were picked up, Chi-Chi entered the lounge and saw the giant burning black hole on the wall.
"GOTENNNNNNNN!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Ending Song
"1,000,000 Times," by My First Story
The clouds above stirred and the Flying Nimbus emerged, flying towards Gohan, who was waiting patiently for it.
"There you are, Nimbus," Gohan patted the cloud, throwing his backpack and the suitcase on top of it. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you! Let's go home, okay?"
Before he could get on Nimbus to leave, he heard a high-pitched squeal coming from an alley nearby. At first, he thought it had been the squeal of one of the hovercraft, but then he heard it again a little more clearly.
"Somebody please! Help me!"
Gohan's eyes narrowed.
"Someone's in trouble!" he turned to the Nimbus. "Keep those safe, will ya pal? I'll be right back." The nimbus turned and disappeared into the night sky, carrying the suitcase and backpack.
Gohan took off, flying at full speed towards the sound of the screams. He spun in midair and his school clothes tore off, revealing a light purple Namekian gi underneath and a white cape. He tucked the scarf over his face and placed the scouter over his ear. The scouter activated, the green lens bursting out and covering his right eye, igniting with data.
Gohan's sudden burst of energy reeled against what little stamina he had left in his ki reserves. Already, he was beginning to feel the cold sweat of exhaustion from the full day of using his Quirk to its limit. But he wasn't about to just leave someone who needed help just because he was tired.
The scouter beeped, marking an outline of five individuals surrounding a woman on the ground right around the corner.
Just before he could get to the woman who was being mugged, a burning red blur shot past him at incredible speed. The red blur shot out a magnificent blast of fire that blinded Gohan momentarily. Gohan stopped himself mid-flight to shield his eyes and when his vision finally returned, all of the muggers were on the ground. A single figure stood among them.
"So the stories are true," the figure said with a booming, deep voice, crossing its arms. "But coming here was a foolish mistake. If only you'd stayed in Namek, you wouldn't have had to go down today."
Gohan could only see the silhouette that blazed against the magnificent burning aura. He couldn't see the figure's face, but he didn't have to. The flaming aura emanating from his body gave him away.
He had finally been caught.
"No," he whispered.
"We finally meet, Dragon of Namek." Endeavor said. "Now… prepare to face Destiny."
I'm Nail. Time for the preview!
So the brat picked a fight with the number two hero and needs to figure out a way to escape. Good luck with that.
Also, Ochaco's training begins and the punk can't keep his hands to himself. Time for her to train like a Saiyan! The girl's got some moves of her own!
Wait, what are those two doing- Gohan! Have you lost your mind?
Next time! Chapter Twelve – The Power Within Hearts.
Don't miss it!
Trivia: Gohan's name, as most may already know, means Cooked Rice in Japanese.
I couldn't find a name for Uraraka's mom, so I gave her the name 'Miruku" for two reasons:
1 - it means Milk in Japanese, keeping in line with Ochaco's name which references Tea
2 - In the Latin version of DB and DBZ, ChiChi's name is Milk, and since the two will be close friends and maybe even related by law, I thought it would be fun to give her that name. We'll see more of Miruku soon!
A/N: Hi, everyone! Thank you for making it through this mega long chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Just wanted to use this space to give a few details about this story. As you've noticed, some of the major events from the Anime have been pushed down a little further down the line.
That's because there's so much original content I want to post in between the 'canon' stuff, so I don't want to make it seem like it all happened in a matter of hours.
The entirety of this story will be well over 100 chapters and will span all three years of UA High. So, like I said, some of the events that we've seen are going to be pushed further down a bit, but I will do my best to always give you a sense of continuity.
I'm excited to let you know that I've added some major DBZ villains into the timeline as well. They'll be getting their own saga and will help the students grow in their own way. Speaking of the students, you'll notice I've made some changes to the students, some subtle, others not so much.
I wanted to include Melissa not so much as a ship item, but because she will be connected with one of the major DBZ Villains. But, even though she's Quirkless, I wanted to give her some neat support items that she would have created, including a reimagined Power Pole. We'll see more of her later.
Same with Videl. I always wanted her to have a Quirk, and I figured, since she is a celebrity, I wanted her to have a super star themed Quirk. I based the "Star Power" emotion spectrum off of emotions that professional athletes and stars feel, like Passion, Anger, Sadness, Joy and Praise. And the orange star is homage to her hometown, Orange Star City.
I'm not intending on making her super OP, but her Quirk will come into play when she gets her arc.
I will do my best to try to post more often. Unfortunately, it's taking about two weeks to update and at that rate, I'm gonna be writing this story for over five years! Aint nobody got time for that!
So I will do my absolute best to update more. I really will try.
If you haven't seen the new MHA movie, please go see it. It's soooo goooood!
With that out of the way, here are the Review Resposes from the previous two chapters:
Chapter 9
xeno Gohan – Yes, I really wanted to show Gohan flexing on the class! Even though Gohan brushes it off at first, his rivalry with Bakugo is just gonna keep growing until it reaches a melting point not too far into the future.
Just a nobody – Thank you so much for your support!
ElChico 64 – Yeah, Videl is another one that Bakugo is going to butt heads with, especially since she is not afraid to put him in his place! Also, yes, Jiro hears all hehe Thank you for the well wishes. I really appreciate it.
Guest – regarding Gohan's hair, his cell saga hair was my definite favorite. I'm planning on having him grow it out until it reaches that length. Right now he has one bang, but by the end of the three years, he will have all three bangs and he'll finish the story with Cell Saga hair.
The long hair that he cut was meant to look like his long hair during the Saiyan Saga, with the white bandana.
ArandomGuest – Thank you sooo much for that valuable input. My problem is I have so many ideas, but I suck at writing. I will continue to try to improve in the areas you mentioned. Thank you so much again for your support! It means a lot to me.
X3Runner – Great idea about Eraserhead! I definitely have some ideas to have the students draw closer to their teachers, especially their homeroom dad, Aizawa! Great idea! If I end up using it I will definitely credit you!
ZenRaven – Hi there, yeah I totally understand if you don't like the GoChako pairing. It's really one of those rare ships that not everybody will get into. I will say, originally, I was going to make the relationship be between Gohan and Itsuka, but that's been done before, and they stuff I had planned for them just didn't click. In the end, my Gohan kept going back to Ochaco, and since there's only one other story that exists with a Gohan x Ochaco ship, I decided to go for it.
But that is just one part of the story. The true story will focus on Gohan and his Hero Journey. Thanks again, for all your support!
Guests 1 & 2 – thank you both for your continued support. I appreciate you both!
Chapter Ten Reviews
12450ogmdm – Yessss they're so cute together! This ship must set sail! =)
X3Runner – Hey! Yes, Videl's powers will definitely come in handy soon as she will use them to help Gohan reach a new height, though not yet Super Saiyan, it will be a new height beyond Base Form. As for the girls, yes! They're going to help in coming up with support items. At first, Gohan starts wearing his Saiyaman clothes, but then he will move onto wearing armor. The armor I chose for him will look like Turles' armor (colored dark green, but no shoulder pads, like Bardock Time Breaker armor) with the white cape flowing behind him and he will have the full black body suit underneath that covers his entire body. No exposed skin, but the suit is skin tight already. Even if the armor gets cracked or destroyed, he will still have the body suit underneath so it covers his nakedness. The cape is weighted and acts like Piccolo's cape, where he can remove it to boost his power level. And the last item in that armor set is a green scouter.
Again, great ideas! I love them!
ElChico 64 – Thank you so much! I'm so happy that you enjoyed the chapter! And yeah, the thing about Goku will be answered in a later chapter. But to answer your question, there is no Otherworld or afterlife in this story. And the super saiyan will appear, but just a little bit after the USJ incident hehe Again, thanks for the good wishes!
Xeno Gohan – Hey bro! I'm sorry that the meeting couldn't happen, unfortunately Bulma was held up this time, but at least now we know that Gohan's family is in good hands. But it's not over yet! Bulma will have a central role in the upcoming Endeavor arc, which will happen much much sooner than in canon – right after the Sports Fest. We're not too far away from that now. And then after than, Bulma will become one of the most important women in Gohan's (and Izuku's) life.
JustinCase – I hope this chapter answered a lot of your questions. About Uraraka's new moves, that will be coming next chapter. Regarding Videl's power, I'd like to think her aura changes depending on what power she's using. That will be kind of interesting. Thanks for your review!
Guest – Yeahhhh they're enemies for now so that's not going to happen anytime soon. Haha thanks for the review, friend!
Guest – You were so freakin' close with Bulma! But I went with her blonde sister Tights. She's just so cool. We're going to see more of her, similar to how we saw more of Nail in this story. As for grandpa gohan, sorry he died a long time ago. So sorry to disappoint. But Gohan will have plenty of good people to show him the way.
JediGamerx – Thank you! I'm really trying to keep it as fresh and original as possible. Big fan of your xover story, too!
Guest – Sorry about that. I write between 1 and 4am, when I get a little free time and unfortunately that does mean I make some grammatical mistakes from time to time but I will try my best to catch those. I'm so glad you like the ship. They're just so cute together.
And don't worry, the rating will stay T forever. Not saying they won't have some good, intimate romantic moments together, like we all did when we were teens, but it will not spill into graphic smut territory.
That's all for reviews. Thank you all so much for making it this far again. Until next time, my dear friends. Stay safe!