A/N: This is a tiny little 'deleted scene' that I removed from the previous chapter because it was just too long, but I really loved the idea, (plus I didn't get a chance to finish the next chapter) so I decided to include the scenes here. I hope you guys like them! A chance for the youngest Son to take the spotlight!

Next chapter, we'll be getting into the final portion of this arc – the USJ Incident.

Opening Song:

"Mokoku" by My First Story

The Ultra Mall of Asia was one of the biggest shopping malls in Japan. With three buildings interconnected by open air walkways, each with ten floors offering the best and latest services and products, the mall drew in a daily crowd of over 100,000 shoppers, tourists, students and families. The marketplace that surrounded it also benefited from the steady stream of shoppers, who, as they went about their business, would always stop to admire the shining jewel that stood just a few kilometers away.

UA High, one of the country's most prestigious Hero Academies. Its shining towers stood as a testament to Hero society and as a promise to the younger generations that their dreams could be achieved.

Chi-Chi stared out of the mall's massive windows, as she crossed the covered crosswalk from the first building into the second one, her eyes glassy and distant. In her mind's eye, she traveled back, for a brief moment, to a time when the store's old yellow paint was much more vibrant, the lights were brighter, the scents and sounds more intense and full of promise.

It had been the family's first trip outside of Mount Paozu with Gohan. As soon as he saw the massive buildings and the neon signs everywhere, the four-year-old was enchanted. And as they walked along the windowed halls of the shopping mall, he caught sight of it.

"Mommy, Daddy!" Gohan's high pitched voice shrieked, his tiny fists pumping in the air and his dark brown furry tail wiggling uncontrollably. In his excitement, he knocked the red cap with the replica Dragon Ball off his head.

Goku, patient as ever, laughed heartily at his son's excitement. Bending down on one knee, he picked the cap up off the ground, dusted it and placed it back on his son's head.

"Whoa, easy there, Gohan. Keep your cap on!"

"Look!" Gohan shouted, pointing out the window. "UA High! Isn't that where Uncle Toshi went to school?"

"Yep, sure is," Goku said, glancing up at the school. "And Shota and Nemuri and Hisashi and even grumpy ol' Vegeta. In fact, that's where Master Roshi used to teach before he retired."

"Did you go there too, Daddy?"

Goku's nose wrinkled and he tilted his head to the side, rubbing the back of his hair with an embarrassed smile.

"Eheeheeheehee!" he chortled. "Nah, I didn't get a chance to go to UA because Toshi and I were already living in America by the time I was in High School. Why? Is that where you want to go to school, Gohan?"

"Yeah!" Gohan cheered, running to his father's arms. "When I grow up big and strong, I'm gonna be a great Hero, just like Uncle Might!"

"That's the spirit, Gohan."

"Oh, no! Absolutely not!" Chi-Chi heard a much younger version of herself say. "Gohan will grow up to be a great scholar, not some battle-obsessed maniac prancing around in tights and capes."

Gohan's smile dropped instantly and his eyes watered. He looked back out of the window at the school, longingly.

"Aw, Chi-Chi," Goku said, his voice reasonable and apologetic. "But Gohan's got so much potential. I can feel it in my bones. This kid's gonna be the greatest Hero this world's ever known. I just know it!"

"Grow up, Goku! That is such an outdated concept. In case you haven't realized it yet, we already have a Symbol of Peace. In these times of peace, Gohan deserves an opportunity at a normal life. We should be encouraging him to aim for a good career so he can grow up to be successful and financially stable."

"But Mom, being a Hero is my dream-"

"Well, then it's time for you to wake up, Gohan." Chi-Chi said, taking hold of Gohan's wrist and leading him away from the window – away from his sights on UA High.

"But I can do it, Mom," Gohan cried. "I can be a Hero, too."

"A Hero?" she scoffed, throwing her nose up in the air. "Not a chance! Listen up, Gohan. There are two kinds of people in this world – the kind that live with their heads in the clouds and the kind of people who focus on reality and make something of themselves. You're going to grow up to be a decent man with a university degree and a respectable job, not some glorified thug. No more Hero nonsense, understood?"

As his mother led him away, the gates of UA High got further and further away, finally disappearing in the distance. Gohan lowered his head and sniffled, but nodded, falling in step with Chi-Chi.

"Yes, Mom…" He sobbed.

(…)

Mom… Mom!

"Mom!"

Chi-Chi was pulled back from her reminiscing by Goten's hand pulling on her arm.

"Hmm?" She dried her eyes quickly with her free arm, the other holding five shopping bags. "What is it, Goten?"

"It's All Might!" Goten giggled, pointing excitedly at a glass statue of the Symbol of Peace that had been erected across from the sky-high fountain.

"Hmm, that wasn't there the last time I came," Chi-Chi commented as Goten ran to the edge of the glass railing and pressed his face and hands against it, admiring the glass figure of All Might, hands against its hips, smiling widely at the passersby.

"Maybe they put it up because of the Sludge Villain he beat up, or the time he took down the Nutz Gang, or when he rescued the mayor's family from that giant hedgehog villain. Oh boy, it doesn't get better than All Might! He's the coolest in the universe!" Goten squealed, cheeks flushing into a rosy pink blush. He looked up at his mother.

"Mom?" Goten asked, his eyes wide with hope, his lips trembling with emotion. "Do you think I can be like him one day?"

Chi-Chi stared at her boy and allowed herself a giggle. He's just like his brother… just like his father, too.

"Trust me, Goten – you already are," she said to him, taking him by the wrist.

"I am?" Goten's smile widened.

"Yep," Chi-Chi nodded. Her eyebrows narrowed. "Always getting into fights and into trouble and then proudly smiling about it. Now, let's go."

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX – THE YOUNGEST SON

"Mom, I'm sooo booored!" Goten whined loudly, rubbing a hand over the bruise growing over his right eye. "We've been shopping around for hours. Can we go home already?"

Chi-Chi shot him a furious glare that cut Goten's protest short.

"Oh, you're bored, huh? Good!" Chi-Chi barked, taking Goten's hand and forcing him into step with her. "If you focused more on studying and getting good grades than on skipping school and getting into fights, then you wouldn't have gotten suspended from school and you wouldn't be 'sooo booored' shopping with Mom, right?"

"Ohh, I guess," Goten groaned and rubbed the bruise harder.

"Stop that!" Chi-Chi ordered forcefully, gripping Goten's tiny wrist and putting it down by his side. "You're going to make it worse."

"Ugh, but it itches!" Goten complained, his hand opening and closing anxiously, trying his best to resist the urge to scratch at it.

"It's a bruise, Goten. If you keep picking at it, it's going to get worse. You need to leave it alone so it can heal."

"Ohh, okay."

"What am I going to do with you, Goten?" Chi-Chi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes. She dropped down to be at the boy's height, doing her best to soften her voice. "This is the third fight you've gotten into this month! Miss Todoroki says that you and Trunks are always giving her a hard time."

"But Mom, Fuyumi didn't-"

"Miss Todoroki," Chi-Chi corrected him.

"Miss Todoroki didn't tell you the whole story. Tamashiro and Takuto were hitting Maru-kun just because he's smaller and Quirkless. What was I supposed to do, walk away? I had to do something!"

"But why fight? Why didn't you just call your teacher?"

"Miss Todoroki wasn't around, and even if she was, they would just wait until she left to start bullying again. Sometimes, to do what's right, you have to be ready to fight. That's what Gohan taught me – that a Hero has to be brave enough to do the right thing."

The sound of Gohan's name had a dampening effect on Chi-Chi's anger. Slowly, her fierce gaze softened.

"Look, Goten," she sighed. "Some day, when you're older-"

The polished floor rumbled, breaking their conversation. Chi-Chi gasped and looked around. Boom. Boom. Whatever it was, it was setting off violent vibrations that shook the mall floor. The glass statue of the Symbol of Peace was shaken off its pedestal and toppled over, shattering into a million pieces on the floor below.

"Whoa, did you feel that, Mom?" Goten asked, glancing around the floor.

The other shoppers around them lifted their heads up, their shopping interrupted by both the explosions and a steady crescendo of panicked voices and stomping feet. The doors burst open and a sea of people poured into the mall, some of them holding onto bloody wounds, their clothes in tatters, covered in ash.

"It's a villain attack!" A woman screamed amid the pandemonium. "Run for your lives!"

"A villain attack?!" Goten's eyes lit up. He took off running from his mother's side and pressed his face against the window. "I wonder if All Might will be there!"

"Goten!" Chi-Chi yelled. "Get back here!"

Goten's eyes widened and his smile dropped. The bony, pale villain with a bald head unleashed a volley of ki blasts at the two heroes in front of him, who ducked just in time to avoid the attack. The ki blasts shot straight towards the mall. Goten took a step back, eyes glued onto the incoming orbs.

He turned, running back to his mother.

"Mamma!" Goten cried, reaching out for Chi-Chi's arms.

The next instant, the ki blasts hit the building just a few floors beneath them. The impact shook the floor violently and the sound of destruction was deafening. The floor tilted to its side as the entire building began to collapse.

"Maaaa!" Goten shrieked as he was tossed into the air.

"Goten!" Chi-Chi cried, reaching out to her boy.

Their hands met and she pulled him close to her body.

"Just hang on, Baby!"

But as the building came crashing down, debris rained down on them. Chi-Chi shielded Goten with her body when something large and hard came crashing down on top of her head. Chi-Chi's world suddenly became dark.

"Maaa! Maaa!"

Chi-Chi came to with a violent cough, spitting out blood and… water?

Her eyes flew open and she found herself lying on her side, pinned down by a giant pillar against the wet walls of the mall. The entire building had collapsed onto its side, and people were scrambling to climb to the door of the store. The main water pipe that fed the fountain had burst and had begun to flood the ground around Chi-Chi. Chi-Chi craned her neck as far away as she could to avoid breathing in the rising water and dug her nails against the heavy pillar, pushing with all of her might.

A flame of pain shot up Chi-Chi's ribs, causing her to cry out in agony. Something was definitely broken.

"Mamma!" Goten cried, running to her side. His tiny shoes kicked up water as he ran, his eyes wide and reddened with tears. "Get up, we have to get out of here!"

"I… can't!" Chi-Chi groaned, her voice straining. She tried to wiggle herself free and again, the blinding white-hot pain forced her to cry out. Goten threw his tiny body against the pillar and pushed with all of his might, but it was no use. The pillar refused to budge.

Goten took two steps back and glanced down at his bleeding palms. He glanced back at his mother, eyes full of fear, indecision and doubt. He glanced back down at his hands and balled them into fists.

"Mamma!" Goten cried. "Close your eyes!"

"Wait a minute, Goten. What are you doing?"

"Just… trust me!" Goten shouted. He put his hands together, wrist to wrist, in front of his chest. Wind picked up around them, causing the water to rise in droplets around Goten's navy blue school uniform. Light entrenched Goten's hands, spinning rapidly and forming into a glowing orb.

"Goten…" Chi-Chi stared, both frightened and in awe. "You… too?"

"I'm sorry I kept it a secret, Mamma. But I know you don't like Quirks, so…"

"But… When?"

Goten smiled sadly.

"A little after we moved in with Trunks. He has the same powers I do. He taught me how to control them. Don't worry, Mom. I'm gonna get you out of there!"

The orb intensified in speed and size, dispelling bright sparks of golden energy. The wind generated from the gathering ki blast blew through Goten's spiky hair wildly.

"HAAAAAA!" Goten shouted. The beam shot out of his hands, burrying itself into the stone pillar and leaving a smoldering black hole. Goten stared at the tiny hole. The ki blast had barely scorched the surface. He had to try again.

He brought his hands together again, gathering another energy blast and shooting it in the same area. Again, the blast chipped away at the pillar and fizzled out.

"No!" Goten yelled, his hands closing and opening, eyes wild. "No! No! NO! Why isn't it working? Why am I not strong enough?!"

Goten threw himself at the pillar again, teeth gritted, pushing so hard that his face flushed red. But the pillar still wasn't moving.

The water was now covering half of Chi-Chi's nose and she had to struggle to breathe.

"Help!" Goten cried out, tears flowing down his cheeks. "Someone! My mamma is stuck! Please help!"

But none of the other shoppers listened. Everyone kept climbing for their lives.

A man in a gray suit ran past them and Goten grabbed onto the legs of his pants.

"Mister!" Goten sobbed, pointing back at Chi-Chi. "Please help us!"

"Sorry, kid," the man shouted back, shaking Goten off his leg and running for the exit. "The Rescue Heroes will save her. The rest of us have to get out of here while we still can!"

"Goten!" Chi-Chi called. "Goten, listen to me."

Goten's tearful eyes turned to her, full of despair.

"He's right. You have to run, Goten," she said, doing her best to hide the panic in her voice. "Find a Hero that will take you back to Capsule Corp, okay?"

"No! It's not okay!" Goten sobbed, pushing on the pillar. "I'm not leaving you here!"

"Promise me that you'll be a good boy, Goten," Chi-Chi cried, her voice breaking. Tears streamed down the eye she had above water. "Stop getting into trouble all the time, and work harder at school. Make sure you're good to Bulma, you hear?"

Goten slammed his forehead against the pillar and slid to his knees next to his mother.

"I'm so sorry, Mom," he sobbed, tears running down his cheeks and nose. He slammed his head on the pillar hard enough to break skin and draw blood. "If only I was stronger!"

He placed both hands on the pillar, and pushed with all of his might. Suddenly a pink aura flashed throughout its entire mass. The pillar shifted, began to move, began to lift.

Goten watched in awe as a brown-haired girl wearing a wet, tattered UA High school uniform lifted the pillar with herculean strength and held it over her head. Water scurried down the pillar, raining down on Goten, Chi-Chi and their angelic savior.

"Midoriya!" The young lady called over her shoulder. "Over here!"

A skinny, freckled boy with messy green hair hurried towards them, leaping over the debris around them to reach Chi-Chi.

"Good job, Uraraka!" He called back at the girl, who tossed the pillar aside like a small pebble.

"Release!" The girl sighed, bringing her hands together. The pink aura disappeared and the pillar fell to the floor, smashing into several pieces.

Izuku slid through the knee-high water and helped Chi-Chi sit up. She cried and clutched at her side, eyes shut tightly.

"Easy there," Izuku said, taking Chi-Chi's hand. "Everything's going to be okay now. We're heroes. We're going to get you out of here!"

"Mamma!" Goten cried, burying his sobbing face into Chi-Chi's chest

"M-Midoriya?" Chi-Chi murmured, running a hand across Goten's wet hair. "Is that right?"

Izuku blinked at her a few times, glancing between Chi-Chi and Ochaco.

"I'm Izuku Midoriya," he said with a smile. "And this is Ochaco Uraraka. We're here to save you."

"Izuku… Ochaco…" Chi-Chi groaned. She smiled knowingly and tried to say something, but her head rolled and she held a hand to her forehead, steadying herself so she wouldn't collapse. Another explosion rocked the building.

"Uraraka, get these two to one of the evacuation sites outside," Izuku instructed, taking off running. "I'm gonna go see if there's more people trapped down here!"

"Got it!" Ochaco nodded.

"Wait, Mister Midoriya!" Goten called, stopping Izuku in his tracks. Izuku slowly turned back towards the shivering little boy who looked down at his twiddling thumbs, cheeks burning with a red blush.

"Yeah?" Izuku asked, walking back towards the child. "What is it, little guy?"

Goten looked up at him, eyes spilling with fresh tears.

"Can I ever hope to be someone like you?!"

The question caught Midoriya off guard. A lump formed in his throat and he bit his lower lip hard to keep the swell of emotion from overcoming him.

"I want to be a Hero that saves people with a smile like All Might, but I wasn't strong enough to help my Mom or my big brother when they needed my help the most. My Quirk isn't… I'm… just not strong enough…" He looked down, his voice cutting off.

Izuku sighed and kneeled down on one knee in front of the crying boy.

"What's your name, little guy?"

"I'm Goten."

"Goten… Let me tell you something that All Might once told me – being a Hero isn't just about being super strong or having a flashy Quirk or winning fights. Being a Hero is about having courage, faith and a mighty heart."

Goten stared at Izuku. The tears dried up and a new spark of hope lit in his eyes.

Izuku reached into his pocket and produced an All Might pin. Reaching out, he fastened it onto Goten's shirt with a smile.

"Take it from someone who's been there before," Izuku said. "Work hard on improving yourself and your Quirk, do your best at school, help others around you as much as you can, and never stop smiling. Do these things and then one day, you too, can be a Hero."

Goten's eyes shimmered.

"Thank you so much, Mister Midoriya. I won't give up. I will become a Hero one day. I promise!"

Izuku smiled and nodded, standing back up to his feet.

Chi-Chi watched the entire exchange in silence.

She glanced from Izuku to Ochaco. They were just kids, no older than Gohan. Yet, here they were, risking their lives to save people they'd never even met.

In that moment, Chi-Chi fully understood what it meant to be a true Hero.

"Time to go, cutie," Ochaco called, reaching out to take Goten's hand. "Hold onto Mommy, okay?"

"Okay," Goten said. A bright red blush exploded over his cheeks when Ochaco caressed his cheek, activating her Quirk on them. The three lifted off away from the wreckage and out of a window.

Goten looked below them and watched in awe as Midoriya punched through a wall and ran out, holding a puppy in his arms. His eyes flicked back up to the titanic battle behind them. A familiar figure wearing a High school uniform was fighting a giant villain, swinging at him toe to toe, keeping him from advancing on the civilians.

A familiar aura emanated from that spiky haired fighter and Goten did his best to get a sense of his ki signature the way that Trunks had taught him to. But before he could do so, they touched down at the evacuation center.

"These two need to see a medic, quickly!" Ochaco called and a pair of paramedics rushed to help Chi-Chi onto a stretcher.

"Thank you!" Chi-Chi cried, reaching out to the girl that had just saved them. "Thank you so much!"

"It's okay, ma'am," Ochaco smiled and gave Chi-Chi's hand a warm squeeze. "We're heroes. It's what we do."

"Chi-Chi," Chi-Chi said with a tearful smile.

"Hmm?" Ochaco looked over at her.

"My name is Chi-Chi."

(…)

Three Days Later…

"You want to join the Junior Division League of the Martial Arts Tournament?" Chi-Chi growled, her left arm still bandaged in a cast. "Not a chance!"

"But Mom!" Goten protested, holding the Tournament flyer against his chest. "It's affiliated with Masegaki Elementary School and UA High, plus I wouldn't be alone – Trunks is in the Junior Division, too. And since the Tournament will be held during this year's Sports Festival at UA High, it could help jump start my career as a Hero."

"Being a Hero is not a career," Chi-Chi groaned. "It's a death wish!"

"Why?" Goten shouted, his hands tightening on the flyer. "Why don't you want me to become a Hero? Why do you always try to take our dreams away?"

"Goten, you don't know…" Chi-Chi felt her voice break. She tightened her grip on her boy's shoulders. Gulping back her emotions, she forced herself to regain her composure. "You don't know the danger that comes with that lifestyle – I do. I've watched so many of our loved ones get seriously hurt or worse all because of that silly dream. Do you really think I want to get a phone call from a hospital someday because you've been beaten to a pulp by some villain? I want you to grow up and have a long, happy life!"

"But Mom, helping people is what makes me happy. I know it's hard work, but I can do it. I promise, I'll stop getting into fights and skipping school. I'm going to work hard, just like Mister Midoriya. I can do it! I can be a Hero too, Mom!"

Chi-Chi paused, staring into the boy's eyes.

Gohan's words from so many years ago echoed in her mind.

"I can do it, Mom. I can be a Hero, too!"

Now, this miniature version of Goku stared back at her with the same intensity. It was at this moment that Chi-Chi realized that despite her best intentions, she had held her children back by discouraging them from chasing their dreams. She thought back on the conversation she had with Inko.

"This is my boy's dream," Inko had said about her son. "And even if I don't understand it a hundred percent, I'm going to support him a thousand percent. I owe him that much. Sometimes, all a child needs in order to succeed is to be told that he can reach his dreams, no matter what."

Chi-Chi sighed and brushed a hand over her boy's spiky bangs.

"Okay," she relented. "If this is your dream, then I'll support you a thousand percent."

Goten's eyes widened with glee.

"YES! Oh, wait 'till I tell Trunks! He's going to want to start training right away!"

"But Goten," Chi-Chi said, choking back tears. "Promise me that you'll be careful. I already lost your Dad and… and Gohan. If something were to happen to you…"

Goten smiled and wrapped his arms around his mother's neck.

"I'll be careful, Mom," he said, pressing his cheek against hers. "And I'll make you proud, too. You'll see – I'll be the greatest Hero ever."

"Ohh, you're just like your father," Chi-Chi sighed. She looked up and kissed him tenderly in the cheek. "But if you're going to be a Hero, first you need to learn how to defend yourself properly."

"Okay, but who's gonna train me?" Goten asked, scratching the back of his head.

Chi-Chi shot him a proud, sideways glance, nose turned up.

"No way," Goten said in awe. "You know Martial Arts, Mom?"

"That's right, Mister," Chi-Chi said, crossing her arms. "I'm going to teach you the style of Martial Arts that was taught to me by my Dad. The Turtle Hermit Way. But I won't be teaching you alone. It's time you met another Hero – one who helped All Might and your Dad save the world – The Turtle Hermit Hero: Gran Torino. But you can call him Master Roshi."

"Awesome," Goten could only whisper. "So awesome."

Ending Song:
"Let Me Hear," by Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Gohan was stirred awake by the soft volume coming from the hospital TV. His bruised, swollen eyes fluttered open and he craned his neck in an effort to watch the news. Footage of the carnage was being replayed during the current news segment, coupled with swift condemnation of the government.

UA High, for its part, seemed to be shielding the students that participated. All Might claimed that he had been out on morning patrol with the students involved in the brawl with the two villains that morning, and therefore, had acted in self defense under All Might's Hero License. Everyone seemed content with buying that story.

The news flashed the total number of victims killed in the attack – 74, including several rescue Heroes and two sidekicks. Thousands had been severely injured and the entire city had been brought to its knees. Such senseless loss of life made Gohan's blood boil.

His thoughts shifted to Yamu's words before he unleashed the ki bomb.

This is a Declaration of War!

So the attack had been meant as a warning of worse things to come. But at the same time, the League of Villains had received a message in return.

Not everyone would cower in fear or hide behind society roles.

At one time, he thought the Dragon of Namek would have to take on the League alone, but now he realized that wasn't true, either.

No, the Z-Fighters would fight back. Gohan could only hope that in time, their courage would inspire others to act heroically when the time came.

His stomach growled, pulling him away from his thoughts. Gohan did his best to sit up on the bed. He needed to get out of here and check up on the others, but the sudden motion caused him to wince. His tired muscles still ached from overusing Kaioken, but at least the violent contortions had seized.

Suddenly, the TV screen shut off and Gohan froze.

He wasn't in here alone, he realized.

"Son Gohan, you're a slippery little salmon, aren't ya?" Reporter Kuri Shimamura asked him, in an amused tone, rising from her chair beside his bed. "Or should I say, slippery little Dragon?"