A/N: Phew! And we're finally back on track with the canon plot portion of the story! The Combat Trials! This is the culmination of our heroes' hard work the past three weeks. Let's see how they put everything they've learned to use.

It's massive. When it was all said and done, this first chapter was over twenty pages long, so I split up the chapter at the moment just before the first battle begins. I'm working hard to get the second half out as fast as possible. Should be up by tomorrow at the latest.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention it – I have some surprises for you all in the A/N at the end of the chapter! Let me know what you think okay? Because the AN will be so massive, any and all Review Responses for last chapter and this one will be posted in the next chapter.

Opening Song:
"The Beginning" by One OK Rock

"I've learned your secret, Gohan. You're the Dragon of Namek, aren't you?"

Gohan gasped. Melissa leaned in with a knowing chuckle, her deep sky blue eyes burning a hole through him. Gohan did his best to keep his composure, but he could feel cold beads of sweat forming along his hairline. He took a step back to place some distance between himself and the blonde who raised an amused eyebrow at him.

"What? Where did that come from?" Gohan laughed, nervously. How? How could she have figured it out? The last time he had changed into the Dragon was that Friday morning over a week ago, when he rescued Ochaco from that pervert, right? Melissa had been exercising with Midoriya in Dagoba Beach when Gohan threw the pervert into the sea… had she seen him then? No, she couldn't have. Gohan had made sure to use his full speed to get back to Ochaco. There was no way… wait!

"Hm. That's right," Melissa leaned back, placing a finger on her matte pink lips in feigned thought. "Your name isn't really 'The Dragon'. That's just the title that the people of Namek gave you, eh, Porunga?"

"You've got it all wrong," Gohan lied, lifting his hand up and backing away. Crap! This is bad! If I can't convince her I'm not the Dragon and she actually spreads the word, I'm done for! Everything that we've been working so hard to build will be ruined!

Melissa's hand shot forward and pressed the red button on Gohan's watch and a bright yellow light shot out, bathing over Gohan. Gohan glanced down at it in shock as the costume changer took off the clothes he was wearing a second ago and saved it onto Slot One.

Gohan yelped in surprise when he looked back down and saw that his clothes had completely disappeared, exposing the purple Namekian gi he always wore underneath his clothes in case an emergency came up and he needed to change into the Dragon quickly. The white cape unraveled and fell down to his ankles. The symbol of the Dragon Clan was large and visible on the top left corner of Gohan's gi.

"You were saying?" Melissa chuckled, crossing her arms victoriously.
"What the- how did you-?" Damn. I'm so busted!
"With this baby, you won't have to ever wear that outfit under your clothes anymore. Just press the red button again and you'll switch outfits instantly," Melissa instructed, her devilish grin softening into an amused and cheerful smile. When Gohan pressed the button, the watch once again showered him in a brilliant light, saving the Dragon outfit and returning the long-sleeve white shirt, black vest and brown pants that Gohan was wearing a moment ago.

Gohan stared at the watch, amazed. He slowly looked back up at Melissa, at a loss for words.
"But… how?"
"The watch uses a photovoltaic cell-powered nanoconductor to shoot out photonic superfluid-based lasers which are radically cooled to create-"

"Oh no, that's not what I–" Gohan rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I mean, WOW! That's amazing! But what I meant was, how did you find out that I was the Dragon?"

"Oh, that's easy. To be totally honest, I'm kind of a fangirl. I've seen the picture published by NHA a few months ago during the typhoon in Okinawa. When we got to Moori's village, I noticed that your Clan's symbol is the very same that the Dragon is wearing on his gi in that picture. So when Dende told me that your Clan name was Porunga, a name that belongs to the Dragon of Namekian Folklore, and that you've been doing a lot of good for Namek, I put two and two together."

Oh crap! She's not bluffing. She really does know! Gohan's eyes widened with realization. Of course she found out! She's the daughter of David Shield. How could I be so stupid to think I could take her straight to the Dragon Clan without her finding out that I was the Dragon?

"Yeah," he sighed. "You're right, Melissa. Of course you're right. I am the Dragon of Namek. I'm sorry I lied to you, but it's important to keep my identity a secret. If word were to get out-"

"Gohan," Melissa said, holding her hands behind her back, stepping closer to him. Gohan gulped and backed away again, his back hitting the alley wall. The taller blonde paused and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Hey! Hey! Come on, don't give me that look. I'm your biggest fan, remember? I promise your secret's safe with me."

Gohan looked back up at her.
"Really?"
"Yeah! I think it's great that there's a hero in Namek. Everything he's been doing – I mean, everything you've been doing in Namek has been giving hope to a lot of people. And I want in."

Gohan was taken aback.
"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" He asked, shaking his head.
"Come on, Gohan" Melissa grabbed his arm and tugged on it insistently. "Just look at this watch. I made that in the bathroom sink of my apartment in four hours with nothing but some spare parts, a tube of super glue and a couple cups of coffee. Think of all I can make for you with a fully loaded laboratory! And I'm talking way more than costume accessories!"

Gohan sighed.
"Look, Mel. It's not that I don't want your help, it's just that it's incredibly dangerous work, not to mention illegal."
"Yeah, well courage in danger is half the battle. A victory without danger-"
"Is a triumph without glory," Gohan finished, crossing his arms excitedly. A wide, childish grin lit up his face. "You read Corneille?"
"Yeah, he's one of my favorites!" Melissa nodded and smiled.
"Yeah," Gohan laughed. "Mine, too!"

"You see!" Melissa exclaimed, poking Gohan's crossed arms. "We're meant to be partners! Please!"

Gohan sighed and shook his head. The girl had a point. While Dende had been a huge help gathering intel, he probably could benefit from having someone by his side helping him on the technological front. Besides, if Melissa and Dende were to put there minds together, who knows what kind of new and amazing tech they might create!

"Okay," Gohan nodded. "You're in."
"YES!"
"Just promise me you'll follow my lead and do exactly as I say, okay?"

Melissa brought her hand up to her forehead in a military styled salute.
"Yessir!" She barked. "Don't worry, I'll be the Kato to your Britt Reid!"

Gohan blinked at her for a solid three seconds.
"I… actually don't get that reference…" he laughed, bashfully. "But I'll take it! Now what do you say we get back upstairs before Izuku starts getting the wrong idea about us?"

Melissa snorted.
"What wrong idea?" she scoffed, placing her hands on her hips and leaning closer to him. "I doubt I'm your type of girl, anyway…"

"You're right," Gohan said cheerfully, giving Melissa a friendly pat on the shoulder as he began to walk back to Izuku's apartment. "You're not."

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – COSTUMES AT LAST!

The day had finally come. Friday of the third week of school.

The tension in the classroom was palpable. Everyone knew that the day had come for them to face yet another major exam from Mister Aizawa. Today they would be facing the Combat Trials.

"Hey Gohan," Ochaco said, leaning back on her chair. Gohan looked up from the book he was reading.
"Hmm?"

"It's so weird that Mister Aizawa isn't here yet. Who do you think will be leading the Combat Trials today?"

They didn't have to wonder for long. Suddenly the door swung open and the enormous man stepped through. He was unmistakable. The twin golden locks of hair stood straight up, the golden spiked gauntlets, the blue cape that flapped wildly around the red bodysuit of his Silver Age costume. Gohan's heart leaped. The Symbol of Peace was here.

"I AM HERE! Coming through the door like a Hero!" All Might announced in his booming voice.

"Whoa!" Kirishima gasped excitedly. "I can't believe it's really All Might!"
Some of the other classmates were also visibly excited at seeing the legendary Number One Hero. Especially Izuku. Gohan had to admit, even he felt goosebumps at seeing All Might striding into the classroom confidently.

All Might seemed to bathe in the admiration of the class. He walked up to the teacher podium and placed his fists on his hips, smiling ear to ear.

"You have no idea how much I've been looking forward to our first class together, everyone!" All Might said. "You've all been working your fingers off to strengthen your Quirks as well as your resolve and your Team Chemistry! And now, you'll get an opportunity to show off the fruits of your labor! The Mock Combat Trials are here!"

Gohan steadied his rising breath. All Might was right. All of the hard work that they'd put in for the past three weeks all lead down to this major exam. The time had finally come to show his progress.

"But one of the keys of being a hero is-" All Might lifted up a tiny black remote and swung it to his right dramatically. "Looking good!"

The remote beep, activating the were four panels on the wall. They opened up with a humming whir, revealing metal suitcases numbered from one to twenty.

"Woo-hoo!" Ochaco cheered. "Look, Gohan, our costumes are here!"
"Yeah!" Gohan beamed. "Finally!" The time had finally come for him to step into his father's original hero costume. He had been dreaming about this moment ever since he had enrolled at UA High.

Even though he loved his purple Namekian Gi and had completely embraced his Dragon of Namek persona, it would pale in comparison to this. This would be the public Hero he was going to be for the rest of his life.

"These were designed for you based on your Quirk Registration Form and the Costume Request you sent in. Now get yourselves suited up and then meet me at Training Ground Beta!"

Ochaco turned back to Gohan, bouncing with excitement.
"Oh, I can't believe I'll finally get to see what our costumes look like!"
"Yeah," Gohan agreed. "Same." Dad, if you're watching… I'm gonna do my best. I won't let you down!

(…)

Footsteps echoed down the dark hall that lead into Training Ground Beta, one of the faux cities that served as a training and testing ground for UA students. The city had been modeled after Shinjuku and captured every last detail of the real city, down to the blue metal trash cans. It was an exact replica of the bustling metropolis.

A particularly strong gust of wind blew down the breezeway, making Gohan's red cape sway dramatically as he exited the dark hallway to join the rest of his class and All Might in the middle of the highway.

All Might scanned through the crowd proudly.

"They say the clothes make the pro's, young ladies and gentlemen," he was saying with a wide smile. "Behold – You are the proof! Take this to heart. From now on, you're all Heroes in training!"

As Gohan stepped out of the tunnel, he was bathed with sunlight that illuminated his costume in its entirety. His costume consisted of a sleeveless fire and friction resistant green gi, a black body suit that hugged his body, covering his exposed skin, yet revealed his bulging muscles that ran up to his neck, white steel-toed boots and matching gloves that traveled up to his forearms, and a flowing red cape that clipped onto the shoulders of his costume. A red utility belt held his costume together at his waist, the golden buckle engraved with the symbol of the Dragon Clan – it had been a late gift from Melissa for allowing her to join him at the Lookout.

The costume was still just a little too big for him, but hopefully as time passed, Gohan would grow into it as he slowly became the man his father would have wanted him to be. But there was one final thing missing from the costume – a support item that Gohan had no intention of surrendering to any faceless costume company. His dad's scouter.

Gohan took the white device out of his pocket and activated it, placing it over his left ear. The green lens shot forward and the device beeped to life, illuminating Gohan's left eye with data on the environment, everyone's power level.

He was finally ready.

Gohan took a moment to look around the crowd, appreciating everyone's costumes and how they perfectly accentuated each student's personalities, from flashy and intimidating, like Bakugo's Grenade Gauntlets, down to the mysterious and practical, like Tokoyami's simple black cloak that draped over his shoulders, covering his body down to his ankles. Some of them had really unique costumes, like Yaoyorozu's red bodysuit, which exposed her midrift, or Kirishima's red… sleeves?

Of course, the costumes weren't just for show – each costume had a unique look and function. Momo's costume helped her to create larger constructs without being impeded by clothing, and Eijiro's hardening Quirk would've probably just ripped up any shirts he wore, anyway. Gohan felt his heartbeat rise with excitement. This was it. The moment they'd all been dreaming about. With their costumes on, the vision of being a hero became all the more clear.

Kaminari walked over to stand next to him, one hand in the pocket of his black pants, the other holding up a can of orange soda that he was drinking through a straw. A single radio antenna stuck out from somewhere within his golden hair.

"Hey, Denki!" Gohan waved. "How cool is this, huh?"

"You can say that again, dude. I love this school," Kaminari commented casually, admiring Momo's beauty. "Although, if I'm being honest, it's a bit… distracting."

"What's distracting – the costumes?"

"No, the test."

Gohan laughed and shook his head.
"I don't get it. They're just costumes."
"Seriously? You are either a saint, or batting for the other team," Kaminari said, annoyed.

"Ummm…" Gohan rubbed the left side of his forehead, confused.

"Oh forget I said anything, you cherub!" Kaminari said, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Anyway, your partner's Mina Ashido. Her Acid Quirk shoots out of her hands, right? I doubt her costume would be too revealing-"

"Heya, boys! Looking great!" Mina waved cheerfully as she exited the tunnel next to Hagakure, wearing a purple and green sleeveless bodysuit that accented every single curve in her body.

"Thanks, Mina! Your costume's great, too!" Gohan called out. "You too, Toru!"

"Heh. I take it back." Kaminari wrapped an arm around Gohan's neck and jabbing a finger into his sides. "You my friend, are one lucky bastard. Whoa, check out Videl over there." he said, motioning towards Videl with his eyes. "Geez, even though she has such a naughty last name, she sure dresses up like a nun for some reason."

Gohan scanned through the crowd, but he couldn't spot her.

"Where? I don't see her."

"Over there, next to Kirishima. She's the shorty with the cape."

Gohan clicked the zoom button on his scouter and the image magnified over the green screen. He scanned through the group until his gaze landed on a student wearing a teal martial arts gi very similar to his. Videl's exposed skin was completely covered by a light purple bodysuit and a long pink cape flowed from her shoulders down to her waist. She held a matching pink helmet with a blue visor and a pink heart engraved on it, under her arm. Her hair, which she normally kept in functional pigtails, was now braided into a bun to make it easier to wear her helmet. With the hair out of the way, it really made her large blue eyes sparkle.

"Wow," Gohan said without thinking. "She actually kind of rocks the short hair look…"

"Really?" Kaminari looked at him skeptically. "All the skin and curves from our girls, and Videl's the one that caught your eye? Have some standards, dude. Oh, why am I even trying? You're the class choir boy."

Gohan was still staring at Videl when her head suddenly snapped up, and she shot him a furious stare.

Oh crap! Busted! I totally forgot she can sense emotions around her!

Kaminari raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's with you?" he asked.

"Ugh, I always knew you were a pig, Kaminari," Jiro said from behind them, folding her arms over her black leather jacket in disgust. "But I actually thought you were a decent guy, Gohan. Didn't think you'd turn out to be another creep, too."

Gohan stared at them, confused.
"Me? N-no, that's not what's happening here!" He said, flustered. "I can explain!"

"Explain what?" Ochaco asked innocently, her voice sounding muffled and electronic because of the pink helmet she wore.

"Uraraka!" Gohan said, excitedly. He had been looking forward to seeing what kind of costume she came up with. Her costume consisted of a black and pink bodysuit similar to the one Gohan and Videl were wearing underneath their gi's. Matching light pink pieces of armor protected her wrists, neck and waist. Her armored high-heeled boots reached up to her knees, making her appear just a little taller.

"Gohan! Love your costume!" she chirped. "Especially the cape!"

"Thanks," Gohan said, feeling heat rise behind his neck. "I'm so glad you like it. It used to belong to… well, it's a long story. I'll tell you some other time. But look at you! You look great! Love the color scheme. It's so… you."

"Oh? Thanks!" Ochaco held her arms shyly. "But to be honest, I probably should have been more specific with what I wanted. This bodysuit is skin tight! Not really my style…"

"Really?" Gohan asked. "I don't think it's too revealing-"

Ochaco spun around briefly on her heel and Gohan caught an eyeful of curves he had never even noticed before.

"Oh…" he swallowed, biting his lip involuntarily. The heat building up in his neck exploded into a blush on the bridge of his nose. So that's what Kaminari meant by distracting… But no. I'm not going to objectify her like that. Ochaco's true beauty comes from within. With his cheeks still burning, Gohanpeeled his eyes away from her body and forced himself to concentrate on what he already did like about Ochaco – her smile, the tiny permanent pink blushes on her cheeks, that cute round chin and of course, those big beautiful brown eyes. Ochaco didn't need to show any skin or curves to capture his heart. She already had it.

"Yeahhh," she said, rubbing the back of her head shyly. Her voice pulled Gohan back from his thoughts. "Like I said, it's not really my style. I'll change it as soon as the test is over… unless, you think it's fine just the way it is…?"

Gohan gulped again.

"Oh, it's up to you. But I… I like it," he said honestly, letting his gaze fall to the grass.

"Yeah? Okay," Ochaco said with a sweet smile. "I'll just live with it for a little while, then. You know, in case it grows on me or something."

The sound of Kaminari finishing his soda broke their moment. He crushed the can in his hand and began to walk away.

"Yeah, this school is the best," he said. He patted Gohan's shoulder without stopping. "Good luck on the trials, you two. And congratulations to you, my friend. You truly are one lucky bastard."

"Thanks… I think?" Gohan said, watching him leave. Finally, they were alone.

"So," Ochaco said, holding her hands again, looking away. "Have you seen Tsu, Midoriya or Melissa?"

Gohan began to shake his head when they heard footsteps running towards them.

"We are here!" Melissa called, running out of the tunnel. Midoriya was right behind her. "Uncle Might! It's really you!"

"HMM? AHHH! It's Melissa and Young Midoriya! Excellent!" All Might said with one of his powerful laughs. Melissa leaped forward and jumped into All Might's meaty arms, laughing as he embraced her in a tight hug. "Oh, Melissa, it's been far too long. It's so good to see you two, wearing your costumes like true heroes-" he suddenly paused.

Gohan looked over towards Melissa and Midoriya to see what had caught All Might's attention, and then he noticed it, too.

Melissa was wearing a mostly dark blue body suit. Her shoulders and the top of her chest were a vibrant red. Golden accents outlined her biceps horizontally and ran straight through her chest, separating the costume between the red and dark blue colors. Melissa proudly crossed her golden accented red gloves over the golden M on her chest. The Power Pole hung in a red sheath on her back. Her eyeglasses were gone, and Melissa had tied her hair into a ponytail behind her.

For all intents and purposes, she was wearing a near exact replica of All Might's Golden Age costume.

Midoriya, for his part, wore the green outfit that his mother had gotten for him. Two long stalks of cloth swayed on top of his hooded mask, looking more like long rabbit ears than what they were intended to be – replicas of All Might's signature bangs. A red utility belt ran across his waist, meeting in the form of an M that resembled the one in Melissa's chest. He wore red boots, red knee and elbow guards, and red gloves that Melissa had helped design for him. A malachite-colored mouth guard hung from his neck with a large permanent smile painted on it.

Clearly, both students were paying homage to the Number One Hero.

All Might held a hand to his mouth, cringing.

"Oh, you guys are so obvious!" he hissed through his teeth.

"Oooh! Look at Midoriya's bunny ears! I love them!" Ochaco squealed, holding her fists close to her face, dropping into a cutesy little voice. "Oh my goodness, they're sooooo cute!"

For a second, Gohan felt like he had gotten punched in the gut.

"Yeah," he breathed, trying to hide his jealousy from Ochaco. "Cute."

"Ahem. Anyway, like I was saying," All Might continued. "Now that we're all here, we can begin the test, so listen up! You'll be fighting each other this time. No more bots, no more tricks. You'll be split up between two groups – heroes versus villains. The scenario is this: The villains have hidden a powerful weapon somewhere in one of these buildings and it's up to the heroes to either apprehend the villains or capture the weapon. The heroes will have fifteen minutes to achieve either of these tasks, or they'll lose the match. Pretty straightforward, right?"

"Ugh, this is so nerve-wracking!" Ochaco said, hugging her elbows. "I've never actually been in a fight with another person before."

Gohan glanced over and poked her tiny shoulder lightly.

"Hey, come on, Urara-chan. Don't start doubting yourself now. Who was the one that helped me beat up the muggers outside of Mrs Yakimono's a few months ago? Or how about the Patrolbot Juniors, or that weird pervert the other day that you and the Dragon beat up? And don't even get me started on all of the bots in the entrance exam."

"I did," she whispered.

"Exactly!" Gohan said. "You're amazing, Ochaco, and I'm not just saying that because you're my best friend. I mean it – you've faced off against impossible odds and always managed to come out on top. So don't start doubting yourself now, okay? You're just getting started and I'll be rooting for you every step of the way."

Ochaco's lip wavered a bit and her eyes sparkled brightly as she smiled up at Gohan, feeling the fear and apprehension melting away. Her hands formed into emotional fists under her chin.

"Thank you, Gohan!" she said, throwing her arms over him in a sweet hug. "I promise I'm gonna do my best and make you proud!"

"Hell yeah!" Mina squealed, hugging Gohan and Ochaco. "Group hug! Let me in on it!"

"Me too!" Gohan heard, feeling invisible arms wrap around his neck as Hagakure joined in happily.

"Don't forget me!" Melissa squealed, throwing her long, slender arms over Gohan, Mina, Toru and Ochaco. "Get in here, Deku!"

"Nah, I'm good-" Izuku started to say shyly before Melissa grabbed his wrist and pulled him into their group hug.

Bakugo watched them from a distance and his eye twitched slightly.

"I'm gonna enjoy stomping those nerds into the ground," he growled to himself.

"Ohh! This is getting me all revved up!" All Might roared, shaking with excitement and even Gohan found it hard to contain his own elation. "You all look so cool! Now, shall we get started, newbies?"

(…)

The class watched on silently as All Might reached into two boxes of Lots. All teams had been numbered and the Hero and Villain teams would be assigned randomly. The first team would indicate the Heroes and the second would play the villains in the little scenario that All Might had concocted. Gohan and Mina were Team E. Gohan held his breath as All Might pulled out the two balls that would determine the first match.

"I declare that the first teams to fight will be…" All Might pulled out the two balls and showed them to the class. "These guys!"

Gohan gasped. It was Team A vs Team D.

Izuku and Videl vs. Bakugo and Iida.

Gohan turned to look back at Izuku, who had paled visibly.

Of course he has to fight Bakugo in the first round, Gohan thought, worriedly. It's not that he doubted Midoriya's ability to win. In fact, he trusted in Izuku's ability to think fast and outside of the box. But Izuku might be banking all of his success on Full Cowling, even after only having used it once, and briefly, at that.

Oh, Izuku, Gohan thought. Be really careful. That new technique may not be the solution you might think it is… at least, not just yet…

Bakugo looked over at Izuku with a disgusting, ravenous smile on his face.

"Hey, Deku," he snarled. "It's you and me. I'm gonna stomp you into the ground, you damn nerd."

Bakugo looked over at Videl who was standing next to Kirishima.

"Pigtails, same goes for you. I'm gonna get you back for costing me that damned maze match."

Videl scoffed and rolled her eyes at him.

"Settle down, Young Bakugo," All Might warned. "We have to get the rest of the matches figured out."

"Whatever," Bakugo huffed, his eyes still glued on Videl.

"Don't worry too much about him, Babe" Kirishima told her, putting an arm around her neck. "He's strong, but I'm sure you can take him."

"Tch. Trust me, I know I can take him," Videl said, her grip tightening on her helmet, returning the same burning gaze to Bakugo. Kirishima gave her an amused smile. Honestly, he loved to see his new girlfriend's competitive edge come out. It was one of the many things that drove him crazy about her. She was always up for a challenge, just like he was. In the three weeks since he had met her, he had begun to understand that her cranky attitude and constant shouting were just her way of expressing her competitiveness and bottled emotions.

"Alright!" All Might continued. "Here are the following four matches! Match Two will be… Team B's Shoto Todoroki and Mezo Shoji! Versus… Team C!"

Momo and Melissa gasped.

"That's us!" Melissa shouted excitedly. "Oh boy, I'm so pumped!"

"Yeah, that's not necessarily something to be excited about," Momo said, bringing her knuckles up to her lips, nervously. She shot a glance at the boy standing at the edge of the crowd. "Todoroki…" she whispered.

"Match Three!" All Might shouted, bringing up two more balls. "Team G vs Team F!"

"So Koda and Sato are going to be our villains, huh?" Kaminari said to Jiro.

"Yeah, we're so screwed," Jiro complained. "Might as well forfeit now and save ourselves the embarrassment."

"Hey, I'll be a good partner!" Kaminari whined. "Have a little faith, would ya?"

"Yeah, right."

"The penultimate match will be between… Team H and Team J. That's Fumikage Tokoyami and Tsuyu Asui versus Eijiro Kirishima and Ochaco Uraraka!"

"Uh-oh," Ochaco said, nervously. "I'm going up against Tsu and Tokoyami? What a combo."

"This might not be so bad!" Tsu said happily. "I'm looking forward to seeing some of your new moves, Ochaco-chan!"

"Mhm," Ochaco nodded. "Actually, I have been working on something…"

"Hell yeah!" Kirishima whooped. "In that case, Uraraka, you take on Tsu. Leave the big guy to me." They all turned to see the cloaked teen with the raven head.

Tokoyami slowly turned his beaked face towards Kirishima, making a noise that sounded like growl mixed with laughter. The motion was so subtle and so slow that Kirishima actually started to sweat.

"What, uh, what's he looking at?" Kirishima asked, unnerved by the bizarre behavior.

"Tell me," Tokoyami said finally, his black feathers ruffling. He crossed his arms under the cloak. "Have your scars hardened? Or do you harden over the scars?"

Kirishima's smile instantly eroded and he gulped, turning back towards All Might.

Videl leaned over to her red-haired boyfriend.

"Kick his emo ass, Red," she whispered.

"Y-yeah," Kirishima laughed nervously. "Sure thing."

Gohan let out a breath he had been holding.

All Might didn't even need to pull out any more of the balls. Gohan knew exactly who he was facing.

"Well," Mina said with a sigh. "At least we're not fighting someone like Bakugo or Todoroki."

"Ditto!" Hagakure said, placing her gloved hands over her slim, invisible hips. "But don't think we'll be pushovers just because you've got Mister Muscles with you. My partner's actually been itching to get a piece of him, isn't that right, Ojiro?"

Gohan glanced over at the tailed Martial Artist walking towards him. He was wearing a simple emerald green manchu-style gi with yellow sleeves. A red sash was tied to his waist, holding the robe together. The large symbol of his Martial Arts school was embroidered in gold and green kanji across his torso.

"Sorry about her directness," Ojiro apologized, bowing respectfully. "Toru's right, though. I'm really looking forward to seeing if the rumors are true?"

"What rumors?" Gohan asked.

"They say that the Demon Clan makes some of the greatest warriors in Japan."

"Dragon Clan," Gohan corrected with a smile.

"Sure," Ojiro said with a nod. "Well, the truth is, there's a little history between my school and your clan. A bit of a rivalry, actually."

"Wow, really?" Gohan cocked his head.

"You weren't aware of this?" Ojiro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, the Clan's changed. We've left a lot of our past… well, in the past."

"I see," Ojiro examined Gohan for a moment. "Okay, well I think it's only fair that you should know, Gohan, you're not the first person I've fought that can manipulate life energy."

"Really? Now I'm really excited to see what you've got, Ojiro." Gohan said, reading the Kanji on Ojiro's green gi. "Your school… Tsurusenryu, is it? The Crane School?"

Ojiro smiled and nodded, holding his hands behind his back as he began to walk way.

"See you around, Gohan," Ojiro said, walking away.

"Yeah," Gohan sighed. "Lookin' forward to it, Ojiro."

(…)

All Might had the rest of the teams gather inside a monitor room in a separate building as the villain team went inside to prepare for the Heroes' arrival. Gohan felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck as he watched the monitor, arms crossed. Uraraka stood next to him, looking up at the monitor as Izuku came into frame.

"Come on, Deku," Melissa whispered next to All Might, holding her hands together nervously. All Might himself kept his composure with his trademark smile, but deep down he could barely contain his bursting emotions. This was going to be the first time since the Entrance Exams, that he was going to get a chance to watch Izuku in action.

Come on, Young Midoriya. All Might thought. Show us what you've got.

Closing Song:

"1,000,000 Times" by My First Story

A/N – Okayyyy, so as we can see, there will be some creative liberties taken here. I'm changing up Ojiro just a little bit to explore his Quirk and his history. I love him, but my boy is a little… too vanilla? At least for my taste. So I wanted to add a few things to him that I think could work. Can't say much more without spoiling, but I'm super excited to show you guys in about four or five chapters!

I know, I've changed so many characters by now, blending them with elements of the DB Universe. So much so that it may be exhausting.But it's my hope that these changes will be interesting and will help make the story a little more unique to the other Xover Fics.

Any time I change a character, it's going to serve a purpose in the story, particularly in Gohan's Hero Journey. So I really hope you guys like it. And of course, I expect there will be questions regarding this change, but I promise, I intend to answer them in the chapter where they fight.

Thank you so much for your trust!

As for the fights themselves, they arenot all going to pan out exactly like the canon version… like, at all! I hope you like it!

Now, onto the surprise I promised.

So here's the thing. I had planned to include episodes of Bardock and Goku to tell their stories, as well as extending this story to cover Goten, Trunks and Pan's stories once Gohan's Hero Journey ends… but that's just too massive and it just wouldn't be appropriate to "market" this fic as a Gohan-centric story only to then focus on other characters for an extended period of time.

So I've decided that they're going to have their own fics. Same rules apply, as they're all taking place within the same MHA universe as this fic is. So today, I am officially announcing brand new spinoff fics, entitled:

"Legend of the Dragon: The Story of Bardock"

"Father of the Dragon: The Story of Goku"

and "Children of the Dragon: The Story of Pan and Mizuko."

It's important to note that these fics won't even be close to being as long as Path of the Dragon, which is currently outlined to have over 130 chapters at the moment. These will be much, much shorter, typically following a "trilogy" arc.

The reason for why they will be so short is that even though they take place in this bizzare AU MHA/DBZ world I'm building, they will, for the most part, take place outside the main MHA timeline. So there will be a lot of elements of MHA, like the places, the villains, and the heroes, but they won't happen during the main story. So without further ado...

THE PREVIEWS ARE HERE!

"Legend of the Dragon: The Story of Bardock" focuses on Bardock's journey as he finds himself several centuries into the future away from his time. The world as Bardock knew it, ended with a brilliant flash. When he woke up, he was several centuries into the future. It's now 1986, and the world is in turmoil as All for One's influence casts a deep shadow over all of Hero Society. Out of place and out of time, Bardock finds himself in the company of five people who share the same extraordinary powers he has; Fasha, Shugesh, Leek, Borgos and Gine. They are all Saiyans, lost in time, just like him.

But one of the Saiyans, the kind and beautiful Gine, has been gifted and cursed with a great and terrifying power – the mysterious One for All. As ghosts from Bardock's past and Gine's present learn about such power, they will try to take it by force. Bardock and his crew must do all that they can to protect the seventh wielder of One for All.

Chapter One will be published in early 2022.

"Father of the Dragon: The Story of Goku" focuses on Goku's Hero Journey and will be a direct continuation of Legend of the Dragon: The Story of Bardock. Without going into too many details that will spoil The Story of Bardock, this story is going to be about the Rise of Goku and his friend Toshinori Yagi, the Eighth Wielder of One for All, as they take on the vast criminal empire of All for One. Its ending will be a direct leadup to Path of the Dragon: The Story of Gohan.

Chapter One will be published in summer of 2023 to avoid spoilers and overworking myself lol

"Children of the Dragon: The Story of Pan and Mizuko" will be the sequel to Path of the Dragon and will deal with next generation of heroes, including obviously, Gohan and Ochaco's children, as well as a few others that… will be revealed when the time is right. It will also follow the Hero Journeys of Trunks and Goten.

Chapter One will be published some time in the very distant future, as this happens after Path of the Dragon… so probably around 2026, if I'm still around? So yeah, super excited. I hope you guys will enjoy those stories as much as I do outlining them. Thank you all so much for the never-ending support! You guys are the best!