A/N: Welcome to the Season 2 Premiere of Path of the Dragon – The Story of Gohan! Arc 1 is about twelve chapters and covers the Sports Festival. With the new arc, we get a brand new set of Opening and Ending Songs. Please check them out if you have a chance! I hope you enjoy them!
Review Responses at the end, as usual!
Opening Song:
"Vandalize", by One OK Rock
The night's darkness hung over Namek City like a curtain, suspended above sky-reaching rooftops by the neon glow below. The street lights, business signs and all of the car headlights driving in and out of the pleasure districts lit the drizzling early summer night.
The giant four-story wide NHA News Network-sponsored television that hung on the side of the building that housed the Namek City branch of the network, was already on, broadcasting early morning news for the commuters who were coming back from work or heading home from their partying. As the broadcast shifted segments from covering the early summer day's rainy weather to the top news of the hour, the short-haired anchor with a stony-faced expression looked up at the camera.
"Up next, an update on the incident at the UA rescue training center where hero course students were attacked by a gang of villains three weeks ago."
The headline grabbed the attention of several passersby, who paused and leaned over the pedestrian handrail to watch the update. Footage of the destruction of the USJ as well as the increased police presence at the school flashed on the screen.
"According to new police reports, the criminal forces called themselves 'The League of Villains'," the anchor continued.
"Whaaat?" One of the pedestrians down below scoffed. "How cheesy!"
"Who gives a damn what they call themselves," another commented. "As long as Endeavor gets them all, I'd call it a win for the good guys!"
"Investigators have reportedly uncovered that this group has been plotting to kill UA Teacher and popular hero All Might since the Spring of this year. Police arrested 72 villains at the scene, and several hundreds more have been apprehended by Endeavor's Agency.
Additionally, the bodies of dozens of villains who appear to have been connected to the League of Villains have been uncovered in a charred pit in Hosu City, brutally butchered and burned to death, though it is unclear at this time if this was the work of vigilantes or rival gangs. The Police Force and local Hero Agency are working together to solve the mystery of this violent attack, and are warning all residents to exercise caution and avoid isolated areas at night.
Meanwhile, the search for the League of Villains' leader continues, as he managed to escape, and his whereabouts remain unknown."
A clear image from one of the USJ's cameras flashed on the screen, showing Tomura Shigaraki, whose face was covered by a severed pale hand. There were students within the shot of the picture, but their faces had been blurred out to protect their identity. Shigaraki's red shoe was on top of a female student's waist as he laughed maniacally.
"Authorities have only a surname to work with – Shigaraki. He is considered extremely dangerous and should not be approached if recognized. The Police Force is offering a generous reward for any information that might lead to his arrest. NHA's Kuri Shimamura caught up with Kelly Kinoshita, President of the Hero Public Safety Commision for comments."
The broadcast cut to footage of NHA's fiery pony-tailed reporter as she jogged over to the PSC President's limousine. The President, Kelly Kinoshita, was an older woman with pale blonde hair that was swept back into a mullet behind her head and away from her steely, soulless gray eyes. Tired stress lines ran down from the sides of her nose to the edge of her mouth and over her eyebrows. She glanced up from her limo's door just before she got in.
"Maddam President!" Kuri shouted, ignoring the tall, muscular bodyguards that were attempting to stop her from interviewing the woman and shoved the microphone in her face.
"Maddam President, Kuri Shimamura from NHA News Network. It's been three weeks since the USJ Incident and we've yet to hear of any arrests of the leadership of the League of Villains. Given that the leader, Shigaraki, has seemingly vanished into thin air, can the citizens of Japan truly feel safe knowing that such a menace is still out on the loose out there?"
Kinoshita's left eye twitched slightly at the suggestion that they weren't doing enough to catch the villain leaders.
"Look," she said into the microphone, staring daggers at Shimamura. "We're working hand in hand with the Police Force and several Hero Agencies at this point, and while it's true that we haven't caught this maniac yet, we've certainly delivered a crippling blow to the League's ranks."
"Some of our viewers expressed concerns that perhaps you're not affording this investigation the attention or resources it deserves. For example, rather than looking for Shigaraki, you have five full squads of the Police Force looking for the Dragon of Namek, a local hero who is only trying to help in areas that don't have Hero Agencies. Does the Hero Public Safety Commission have any comment on that?"
"Ohhh yes! I just knew you were going to bring up your little Dragon of Namek at some point. After all, you are that vigilante's number one fan, aren't you?" President Kinoshita growled, her eyebrows twitching. "But let's make one thing clear: Nobody has the right to take the law into their own hands. Your viewers are free to opine however they wish, but in the end, we are all doing the best we can with the limited sources we have to bring an end to the threat from all villains."
With that, she opened the door to the limousine and stepped in, slamming the door behind her. After a few moments, though, the black-tinted window rolled down and the president gave off a tired sigh.
"Look," she said. "We know that Japan is shocked by the boldness of these egregious attacks, but we're doing everything in our power to bring those responsible for this attack to justice. This isn't a time for division or doubts, but a time for solidarity and courage. As we move forward, we at the Hero Public Safety Commission along with the Pro Hero Association want to assure the nation that the worst is truly over-"
Without warning, a giant tentacle the size of a several buses landed across the road directly in front of the television screen, destroying the double lane road that led out of Namek City and smashing into the television, pulverizing it. The ground shook violently with the impact, knocking a large cloud of dust and debris into the air. With a terrifying hiss, a giant monstrous Octopus the size of a building slithered across the middle of the road, sending cars and debris flying everywhere. The pedestrians along the walking bridge ran for their lives in a panicked frenzy. The cars that didn't get demolished were swerving to get out of the way and the monster spun around, causing massive havoc with its tentacles.
The monster's beady eyes searched through the sea of pedestrians who were running in every direction now and swung its meaty tentacles wildly, striking the crowded buildings and skyscrapers, causing massive damage to the cityscape.
"V-Villain attack!"
"That's not a villain!" One of the pedestrians cried. "That's a monster!"
"Everybody RUUUUUN!"
Several police cars arrived at the scene and the officers that jumped out of the cruisers immediately opened fire on the creature, but the bullets only enraged the beast. It surged forward, plowing through the police cars and slid through the city, demolishing the sides of buildings until it reached Namek Station, which was packed at this hour. It eyed the bullet train with hungry eyes and surged towards it.
The people waiting at the station saw the monster barreling towards them and were thrown into panic-stricken hysteria, causing a massive stampede. One of the victims caught in the stampede was a Namekian father, who fought desperately against the surging crowd to pick up his young son, who stood there, paralyzed with fear. The monster lifted one of its tentacles and swung it out with lightning speed.
But just as the tentacle reached them, a purple-garbed scarlet blur appeared directly in front of the station. A hooded white cape swayed over the hero's shoulders and a traditional white Namekian scarf covered the bottom half of his face. The tentacle slapped against the teen's body with a wet thud and the teen grabbed it with one arm, squeezing down on one of its suction cups tightly. The monster howled in pain and surprise and tried its best to get away, but its tentacle wouldn't budge from the tailed teen's iron grip.
"Hey, what's kraken, Takoyaki butt?!" Gohan shouted with a confident smirk at the octopus as it continued to struggle under his one armed grip. "Why don't you try picking on someone your own size?"
With one swift movement, he yanked back on the tentacle and the beast lurched forward straight onto Gohan's incoming fist.
"Kaioken Times Three!" Gohan shouted. A deeper hue of scarlet energy shot out of his core, strengthening his muscles for a megaton punch. Gohan's fist became seven scarlet fists in a single instant, colliding with the sea creature's head. The blows were so powerful that it lifted the titanic creature up off the ground and sent it flying high into the sky, disappearing in the distance.
Gohan swiveled around quickly to see the Namekian father picking up his son, who stared at him in wide-eyed awe. Gohan winked at the boy and shot him a quick thumbs up.
Then he knelt down into a squat, and the air around him began to vibrate. The puddles of water beneath his brown namekian boots simmered, picking up into droplets that floated around him as he gathered a massive amount of energy. With a sudden burst, Gohan released all of the gathered ki, cratering the ground as he shot upwards like a rocket, fist clenched, flying straight towards the octopus that was still spinning wildly through the night sky. Gohan punched it one more time, sending it even higher into the heavens and far away from the mainland.
The octopus twisted in midair and tried to lash out at Gohan, but Gohan dodged the blows acrobatically and landed on one of the tentacles, running at full speed up the slimy appendage with his arms outstretched behind him and a wide smile on his face as he raced towards the Octopus's face.
The Octopus swung its tentacle sharply to the side in an attempt to dislodge the young hero, but Gohan leaped off and side-flipped several times to the left, landing on another tentacle and continuing his run towards the beast's face, where he kicked it hard. The blow sent them hurling even farther into the night. As they parted through the clouds, Gohan reached up and drew back the hood that was covering his face, allowing the moonlight from the full moon to hit him directly in the eyes.
Gohan's tail unfurled from his waist and twitched, responding to the massive intake of blutz waves and he let out a mighty Oozaru roar as he exploded in size, turning into the skyscraper-sized behemoth in an instant. This time, though, his irises did not take on the wild red glow that he had gotten before. After his three weeks of Image training with Bardock, Gohan had gained much more control over the Oozaru transformation and as his control increased, he had been able to retain more of his features in this state, like his natural dark eyes.
The octopus wrapped its tentacles around the Oozaru's neck furiously, but the Oozaru responded by biting into them and tearing massive chunks off. The taste of ink and octopus meat exploded in Gohan's mouth as he continued to chew through the giant creature with his razor sharp fangs and mighty ape jaws.
As their ascension reached its peak, the two titanic beasts arched over and fell away from mainland Japan, fighting in midair. The dark waters of the Pacific Ocean rushed up at Gohan like a dark hammer and the next moment, they plunged into the icy cold depths, causing a massive wave in the wake of their dive.
In the water, the Octopus had a greater advantage over the Great Ape, and it wrapped its remaining six tentacles around the Oozaru's neck in an effort to pull him down deeper into the ocean to drown him. It lunged at Gohan's face, snapping the beak-like snout in its underbelly at him. It managed to clip Gohan in the cheek and Gohan howled in pain. The Oozaru grabbed ahold of the Octopus's head firmly with its hands, and his tail began to twitch violently, sending waves of water rushing back up to the ocean's surface.
A soft rumble revved up in his belly and started to speed up.
Vroom… Vrooom…. Vroooom….
Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!
VROOMVROOMVROOMROOM!
A blue fireball formed in the Oozaru's open mouth and as soon as the Octopus saw it, it immediately uncoiled its tentacles and slipped away from Gohan's grip. It swam away as fast as it could, leaving behind a trail of black ink in the dark waters.
Gohan tried to hold back, but it was too late to stop it now. The ki blast illuminated the waters, spitting out a blue beam of super-heated light. Gohan leaned back and aimed the blast at the heavens to avoid doing any harm to the ocean floor and the fiery blue blast shot out, dissipating into space with a whine.
The Oozaru leaped out of the waters and floated for a moment in mid-air above the watery surface, gasping for air. Gohan swatted his soaking wet furry arm over one of his ink-stained eyes, blinking repeatedly until he could see again. He rubbed a thumb across the bleeding bite mark on his cheek.
"Slimy jerk. You're lucky I'm not in the mood for seafood tonight! Stay down there, and don't ever think of coming back to the surface!" he shouted after the fleeing octopus.
As soon as the octopus disappeared from sight, Gohan closed his eyes to clear his mind. His giant tail wrapped around his waist and he focused on slowing his breathing and his racing heartbeat the way Bardock had taught him in the Image Training. Slowly, the long ape fur and the simian features receded and he shrunk back down to his normal height. The Namekian gi and the white cape had been torn to shreds due to his massive transformation, but luckily, Gohan still had a spare set of clothes in his costume changer. He tapped the green button on the side of the watch, and a light showered over him, clothing him in a clean purple gi and a new cape.
His stomach grumbled in protest, and Gohan clutched at the indigestion painfully.
"Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick," he said to himself, doubling over.
Although tapping into his Oozaru form granted him with an excessive boost in strength and stamina, maintaining it under control and then powering down from it took much more energy out of Gohan. His muscles ached in resentment to the rapidly changing size, and Gohan felt like he had just been hit by a train. The massive chunks of raw octopus he had just swallowed and compressed with his shrinking stomach didn't help either.
He shot a pained, wincing glance down at his watch.
1:30am.
I guess I can call it a night, Gohan thought. I can try to get in a good five hours of sleep before class. Besides, Dende's probably worried sick.
Gohan reached up instinctively to tap his Scouter to call Dende, but it wasn't there. During the USJ Incident, his scouter's communications relay had been damaged beyond repair, so until he could find a way to get it replaced, he'd have no other way of communicating with Dende short of a cellphone call.
He pulled his cellphone out from his belt to see that it had been soaked and crushed. Seven missed calls.
Ochaco had been trying to call him all weekend, but after his three week hiatus, crime had slowly begun to build back up in Namek City, and Gohan was determined to help out wherever he could, and he just hadn't had time to respond to her calls or texts. Andnow, after his soak in the ocean, his phone was unresponsive. Gohan would have to buy a new phone.
Again. Oh well, it can't be helped. Sorry, Ochaco! I'll make it up to you later.
Gohan turned his body to fly back to the city, but the sharp pain of a muscle cramp ran up his abdomen, forcing Gohan to wince in pain.
"Aaaargh! Well, there goes that idea," Gohan said to himself, scrunching his face with a pained groan. "I guess I need to rest up a little before I use any more ki."
Gohan raised his head up to the sky weakly and cupped his hands over his mouth.
"Hey! Flying Nimbus!" He shouted into the sky. Surely enough, the trusty cloud shot out, spiraling towards him and stopping right at his feet.
"There you are, Nimbus," Gohan said, laying down on the cushioned cloud and closing his eyes. "I appreciate the lift. Let's go home. And no spirals this time, please."
As he rested from his fight, the cloud shot out back towards Namek City and before long, they were back. But as they flew over one of the many pleasure districts in Namek City, just before they could reach home, Gohan felt a twitch from his tail again.
It was one of his newer powers he had been gifted with thanks to his Grandpa Bardock's Oozaru Quirk – his internal danger-detecting radar, Wild Sense. It was alerting him to a street fight that was taking place between a local gang and one of the newer Yakuza clans that was beginning to sweep into the city.
The Shie Hassaikai, Gohan sighed. They weren't a violent lot like the Triads that used to run the streets when he first got to Namek City several months ago. Instead, they had recurred to economic means to buy out portions of the city's pleasure district. In fact, this was the first criminal organization that seemed, well, organized!
But that foothold had led to clashes between them and the remnants of the Triads, as well as some other local gangs.
Gohan crawled to peek over the edge of the Nimbus Cloud and caught sight of the fight – three shirtless tattooed Triad thugs surrounded a single Hassaikai with blades drawn. The Hassaikai, whose black suede suit and bird mask was muddied by the rain and muck, backed away nervously from the dangerous men. There wasn't any more time to lose. Gohan covered the lower half of his face with the white scarf and lifted the hood over his head again.
"Sorry, Nimbus," Gohan said with a chuckle. "I guess home will have to wait just a little longer. I'll be right back!"
He picked himself up on his feet, ignoring the pain from his abdomen, and dove over the edge of the cloud, plummeting towards the street fight. His white cape flapped majestically behind him as he flipped forward into a somersault, landing on his feet in front of the cowering Hassaikai. His landing caused a shock wave that lifted up the three Triad thugs and sent them tumbling away.
"Get out of here!" Gohan barked at the Hassaikai, who was stumbling to get back up on his feet. "Run!"
The Yakuza man nodded and took off running in the opposite direction and as soon as he cleared the corner, Gohan turned back to face the groaning Triad thugs who were picking themselves up.
"W-what just happened?" One of them groaned.
"I happened!" Gohan shouted angrily at the leader of the group, a thin, wiry Namekian man with a body covered in golden cobra tattoos that wound across his dark green skin. "You Triad goons still haven't learned your lesson, have you? I won't let you run around and hurt people."
"Dragon," the leader said, rubbing his stomach with a moan. His green arm elongated an extra foot or two and reached for his blade, rising to his feet. "Come here, boy. I'll turn you into sushi!"
Gohan's upset stomach growled and he leaned down, grabbing at it in pain.
"Ugh! Please don't mention sushi right now. You're gonna make me puke," he begged as the man shouted and lunged at him with a knife, aiming at Gohan's eyes.
Gohan brought his hand up just as the man reached him. The knife struck Gohan's flesh – and bounced off harmlessly. The thug blinked in confusion at Gohan, who smirked up at him.
"W-what?!" he shouted, his antennae twitching.
"Hehehe, that almost tickled," Gohan chuckled. With one glowing finger, he had stopped the razor sharp knife. The blade hadn't even left a dent in his skin. The thug pulled back again and swung the knife around wildly, but Gohan simply swayed his finger back and forth, blocking the blade thrusts until the tip of the blade itself snapped. It clattered as it landed on the rainy ground between them.
"Gosh, that's too bad, huh?" Gohan said, staring down at the broken tip. He placed a hand on the thug's back and gently swung his arm forward onto the man's stomach. The power in his punch was enough to knock the wind out of the thug. Gohan then shot his index and middle fingers together at the man's pressure points in his bare chest. The Namekian thug gasped and stumbled backwards, collapsing on the wet road, unconscious.
The other thugs were starting to pick themselves up off the street, and Gohan dashed forward, striking one in the forehead with his fist and swinging around to drop his elbow down on the other thug on this collarbone, knocking them both out at once.
In less than fifteen seconds, it was over.
"Whoa! Check it out! It's the Dragon!" Someone from the street next to them called out. Gohan swiveled around to see a college-aged hostess with curled black hair and a dark violet mini-dress who was recording the fight on her cellphone.
Crap! Gotta get outta here! Gohan gasped. He dashed forward and grabbed the three thugs by their belt loops and carried them away to drop them off at the police station before anyone else could see him. As the scarlet blur took off into the sky with the three unconscious men in tow, the young woman pulled on her date's arm.
"Whoa! Did you see that?" she shouted, pointing her cell phone excitedly up at the scarlet streak that was left behind by Gohan's aura as he flew off in the direction of the police department.
"Yeah!" Her date, a businessman from Tokyo responded, squinting his eyes to get a better look. "What the heck was that just now?"
The hostess smirked and nodded, her black hair bouncing around her purple eyes.
"That's Porunga," she said proudly. "The Guardian Dragon of Namek."
"Whaaat?" The businessman said, wide-mouthed. "That boy is the famous Dragon of Namek?"
"That's right! That boy just saved that man's life, and he just stopped that rampaging monster on the other side of town!" the girl corrected, smiling up at the streak of scarlet light floating in the sky. "See? No matter what happens, he's always there when we need him. He's Namek's first Hero."
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX – SEASON TWO PREMIERE: WHAT MAKES A HERO
Ochaco Uraraka's stomach growled loudly, so audible that everyone in the train car she was in turned to give her a curious glance, including her two classmates who were wearing identical sets of gray suited school uniforms that she was wearing.
"Ughh," Ochaco groaned, rubbing her belly. Izuku Midoriya and Melissa Shield were standing beside her, and Melissa shot her a worried look, shifting her grip on the overhead bar to lean towards the shorter girl, concerned.
"Are you okay?" Melissa asked.
"Mhm," Ochaco nodded. "I'll be fine."
"If you're hungry, maybe you should try eating one of the sandwiches you brought?" Melissa suggested.
"I made those for Gohan," Ochaco responded. Her grip tightened on the bar and she went back to staring at her cellphone. Ten times, she had tried to call him throughout the weekend, but Gohan wasn't answering her calls. The only communication they'd had was a short, brusque text message on Saturday night, saying that he couldn't talk.
I made you some breakfast, Ochaco had texted him that morning. Can I see you this morning?
But Gohan never responded, nor did he show up to walk with her to school like he used to. Something was definitely off, and this distant behavior had all started right after they had shared their first kiss.
Melissa sighed.
"So… still nothing, huh?" She asked.
Ochaco shook her head and slipped her phone back into her pocket.
"I dunno. It's like he's avoiding me or something. Ever since we… you know…"
"Well, they do say it's all downhill after the first kiss," Melissa mused jokingly.
"Not helping!" Uraraka shouted sadly.
"S-sorry," Melissa apologized quickly. "Look, Gohan's probably just really busy with other stuff in Namek. He's helping Dende run the rehoming project, and he's also got a Dojo to train under, remember? Just give him a little space. He'll come around."
"I hope so," Ochaco said. "I'm sorry, I know this makes me look really desperate, but I really needed to talk to him. But all of my phone calls are going straight to voicemail and he's not responding to my texts."
Melissa nodded and rubbed her classmates shoulder soothingly.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I saw him on Sunday, but he barely even looked at me. He said he couldn't stick around and he just took off. I don't think he's avoiding us, he's just really busy-"
"Hey, look! It's the Dragon," Izuku said, pointing at the tiny television screen sitting on the top corner of the train car. Ochaco directed her attention to the screen, where the one-horned host Daikaku Miyagi was presenting the story to two of his colleagues, Miki Yoko and Kuri Shimamura.
"He's kind of an old-school hero, isn't he?" Miki was saying. "You know, that old trope where the hero saves the day and disappears without taking credit."
"If by that you mean, criminal, then yes," Miyagi countered.
"There's nothing wrong with helping people out. If anything, I'd say it's about time people started helping each other out more instead of relying only on 'Professional Heroes' to save the day," Kuri Shimamuri retorted, her ponytail shaking with the jerking movement of her head.
"He's no hero, he's a vigilante."
"Oh give me a break, Dai!"
"If you break the law, you're not a hero, Kuri. You're a criminal. Look at the way he pulverizes his poor victims mercilessly and then just flies away without a care in the world, knowing that he'll face no consequences. The rule of law doesn't apply to men like him. Sure, the Police Force are actively investigating him, but what good does it do if people like you are cheering him on from the rooftops?!" Miyagi shouted as the program transitioned to cellphone footage of the Dragon fighting some thugs at night and knocking them unconscious before flying away with them.
"Oh, man!" Izuku hummed. "They're really coming after this guy, aren't they?"
"Yeah," Ochaco nodded. "You know, he saved me once, a few months back. Some perv came outta nowhere and attacked me, and all of a sudden, this amazing guy in a violet martial arts gi and a white cape comes flying in out of nowhere and fights him off. It was like he had been watching over me the whole time."
"Whoa! You actually saw him?!" Midoriya asked, crouching forward and holding his hands into fists giddily in front of him. "What was he like? Did he tell you his name? Did you see his face at all? Oh, come on – tell me the details!"
"Oh yeah, I was fine, by the way. Thanks for asking," Ochaco said, her eyes dropping down into an annoyed squint. "Well, he didn't tell me his name. He said he was 'the indomitable spirit of Namek – the vengeful answer to all living things that cry out for peace."
Melissa turned away and covered her mouth to prevent a chortle from escaping.
Oh my god, Gohan! You actually came up with those cheesy lines?!
"So cool!" Izuku said with a dreamy smile. "I gotta write that down!"
"He knocked the perv out and flew away with him, but I never heard about it on the news. You guys, do you…," Ochaco started but bit back, glancing back up at the screen, which was broadcasting a loop of the cell phone footage of the Dragon beating up the three Triad thugs in a back alley.
"Do you think it's true?" She asked, looking back up at the screen. "Do you think he's actually hurting people?"
…
Because they had held out a little longer than normal in hopes that Gohan would show up, which of course, he never did, now Ochaco, Melissa and Izuku were racing against the clock to get to class. They thundered through the halls and Ochaco used her Quirk to make them even lighter, bursting through the classroom door and beating the morning bell by seconds.
"Made it!" Melissa huffed, straightening her messy hair.
"Talk about fashionably late! Welcome to class, students," Present Mic said from the front desk with a disapproving look. "Sit down, before I have to drop bass on you three!"
The students quickly rushed to their seats, and Ochaco was so relieved to see Gohan sitting in his seat behind hers. There was a wide smile on his face as he texted away furiously on his phone.
"Hey, Gohan!" Ochaco said, glancing down at him as she sat down. "I missed you this morning! How've you been? Are you feeling all better now?"
"Mhm!" Gohan said, eyes glued onto his cellphone. Ochaco stared at him for a couple of seconds and when it became apparent that he wasn't going to talk to her, she bit her lip and slid into her seat.
Well, at least now I know he's not allergic to texting… Ochaco sighed, sitting back as Mister Present Mic started the class. She felt that uncomfortable sinking feeling in her chest again. Had he really been ignoring her this entire time?
…
Aside from the Heroics and Homeroom classes, Gohan and his classmates still had to attend the more conventional core classes like English, Mathematics, Science and Modern Literature. Each class was taught by its respective Pro Hero that each had their own unique approach to the subject.
Honestly, Gohan felt relieved, relaxed even, at being able to fall back into some sense of normality after the crazy last few weeks they'd all gone through. Every now and then, his cellphone would vibrate and he would glance down at it, discreetly.
It was Dende. Nail had just filed the paperwork to mark the Dragon Clan as an official Hero Agency. Now the waiting game began to see if they would get approved by the city council, and then he could come out of the shadows as a full fledged hero – well, a sidekick, at least.
Gohan tapped the rubber eraser end of his pencil against his lip, leaning his right elbow against his school desk as he looked up and refocused on the lesson they were being taught, pushing the exciting thoughts to the back of his mind.
The gorgeous Nemuri Kayama, also known as the R-Rated Hero: Midnight was giving a lesson on Hero Laws. Aside from being an assistant Hero Studies teacher, she was the school's Modern Art and Hero History instructor as well.
As far as Gohan could tell, he, Shoto Todoroki and Momo Yaoyorozu were the only ones really paying attention to Miss Kayama. Her Hero Costume didn't help much, either. She wore a thinly veiled skin-tight nude-colored suit and a black laced corset that heavily accentuated her tantalizing curves. Her stilettos clicked with every step she took, giving her hips a tempting gyration as she strutted back and forth from the chalkboard at the front of the class.
Nearly all the males in the class were absolutely entranced by her beauty, except for Midoriya, who was furiously taking down notes and Bakugo, who seemed to be more entertained by the pencil he was twirling around in his fingers.
"So according to today's lesson on Japanese Hero law, only a Licensed Pro Hero can use their powers to restore law and order. Anything beyond that is against the law, and is severely punished," Miss Nemuri was saying in review of the lesson, strutting back and forth with her hands behind her back. "But I want to hear your opinions, class. Aside from the Law's interpretation of heroism, what makes an action heroic, as opposed to villainous? In essence, what makes a Hero?"
"Ugh, isn't it obvious?" Bakugo grumbled, letting the pencil drop loudly on his desk. "If the actions stop the villains, then they're heroic."
"Pragmatic," Nemuri nodded. "But what if the action meant to stop the Villain ends up hurting the innocent? Is the action still heroic?"
"Well, that's why all the extras should get the hell outta the way," Bakugo purred and looked away. "Or better yet, they should save themselves!"
"Yes, Miss Yaoyorozu?" Nemuri called, pointing to the back of the room.
"I believe that a Hero must analyze all possible outcomes before taking action," Momo said, lowering her hand. "Sometimes, it might be best to let a Villain escape. Engaging a villain in combat while endangering innocent lives is just reckless and stupid, not heroic."
Gohan raised his hand and was called on.
"I agree with Yaoyorozu, but I'd like to take it one step further. In my opinion, heroism is a point of view."
"A point of view, eh?" Nemuri tapped a slender finger against her cheek. "Care to elaborate on that?"
"Well, what if a thief is stealing bread to feed his starving family? And what if the hero chasing him is only using his title as an excuse to stoke his own ego and use his powers to hurt others? Which one of them is heroic? Surely, the father that brings home stolen bread is a hero to his family, but he's a villain to whomever he stole it from, right?
And what about the Hero? His actions save the store's goods and restored law and order, so they are deemed heroic, but they separate a desperate father from his starving family. Would his children see the Hero's actions as heroic? Would that not create resentment – possibly even a spiraling hatred that would lead to villainy?
So it's a point of view, right? There have been some heroes that act like villains, and if there's something I've learned living in Namek City, it's that even villains can turn their lives around and become heroes, in their own way." Piccolo. Nail. The former Demon Clan. All of them used to form part of All for One's Army of Villains, and yet had managed to turn their lives around to serve the community they loved.
"No, they can't," Shoto spoke up through gritted teeth from the back of the class.
"Something you'd like to share, Mister Todoroki?" Nemuri asked.
"I disagree with Gohan," Shoto said, bluntly. "A starving father stealing bread isn't the same as a murderous, power hungry villain that claims to have seen the error of his ways. Once a villain, always a villain."
Gohan turned to see Shoto's burning gaze glaring straight at him.
But wasn't Shoto's father a villain before? According to Piccolo, Vegeta had been a merc, a killer for hire before his days as the Flame Hero Endeavor. What was Shoto trying to say with his outburst?
"Again, I think it depends on who or what we call a villain," Gohan said, mulling over his words carefully. "Think about someone like the Dragon of Namek, for instance. He's saving our people, he's protecting our way of life, he's changing our Namek City for the better, and yet, he's still called a villain – why? Because he's acting outside of the law? So when he saves someone's life, although illegal, is that not heroic? If today, on my way home, I stumble across a victim being assaulted, and I were to use my powers to save them, I'd be the victim's hero, but wouldn't I be deemed a criminal for using my powers instead of calling a Pro or the police?"
"But the Dragon is putting people in danger, Gohan, especially when he gets into fights," Ochaco said, turning in her chair to face him. Her voice was calm and reasonable, her eyes seemed to be searching through his. "You heard the news about the three guys he beat up over the weekend, right? I mean, even if he is saving lives, what message does it send? That we can take the law into our own hands?"
"Hold on," Melissa Shield cut in, her blue eyes blazing. "Those thugs were trying to kill someone before the Dragon stepped in. And no matter what the media says, you can't pin all of that destruction on the Dragon. He saved the city from that monster attack and saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives, though that doesn't seem to get reported nearly as much as when he has to fight someone."
She turned to look at Gohan in the eyes, and gave him an encouraging smile.
"I think the Dragon is a real hero," she said with conviction. "I think what he's doing is changing things for the better, and one day the whole world will see it."
Gohan responded with a smile and a discreet nod.
"Maybe you're right, Ochaco," Gohan conceded. "Maybe he is a bit rough on the criminals that prey on the weak and the innocent. But I don't think he means to take the law into his own hands, necessarily. I think he's just a regular guy with incredible powers trying to do the right thing."
"Ochaco's right, though," Asui chimed in, placing a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "If someone is acting outside of the law, no matter how good their intentions are, it isn't right. Vigilantes are just villains in disguise."
That stung, but Gohan tried his best not to let his emotions show. Of course, other than Melissa Shield, nobody else in his class, not even Ochaco, knew that Gohan was the Dragon. How would his friends react if they knew that Gohan was in fact, the Dragon. Would they still see him as a friend, or as a criminal… or worse, a villain?
They don't understand yet, Gohan thought to himself. This society has become so complacent and reliant on its heroes, that even the mere act of helping other people in need without a "license" is considered a villainous act. Somebody has to shake them out of that apathy. Someone has to show them that sometimes, being a hero means acting, even if the rules say you can't, or shouldn't. I have these amazing gifts and I'm not going to wait for a piece of plastic to tell me I can help others when they need me…
"You all make interesting points," Nemuri nodded, brushing her chin with her thumb and bringing Gohan back from his thoughts. "But in the end, it is society's duty to uphold the law, and current law states that only Pro's can use their powers for heroism, as defined by the Law. Using your Quirks to engage in combat or rescue efforts without being a licensed Pro Hero goes against the Law and you will be severely punished for it."
She smiled warmly at Gohan.
"But I can tell you have deeply seeded convictions, Son. You might be onto something. Keep working hard, and someday you might even be able to change the world."
"Thank you, Miss Kayama. I will," Gohan nodded, his hand balling into a fist underneath his desk. I promise. I'm just getting started.
"The first thing you can do if you're trying to better the world," a muffled, lazy voice said from the door to the classroom, "is to better yourself, first. Ghandi said something like that once."
"MISTER AIZAWA!" The classroom shouted in unison.
Shota Aizawa was covered from head to toe in bandages, and the only thing that poked out comically was his unkempt long black hair and his irritated eyes.
"Mister Aizawa! It is so good to see you sir!" Iida shrieked happily, standing from his seat. "But shouldn't you be in the hospital, recovering?"
"Thank you, but I was getting jittery, so I just checked myself out." Aizawa said, nodding at Nemuri, who smiled knowingly at her old friend and former classmate. "All of my injuries have been treated, so laying in that hospital bed would do little more than just rack up my nerves, and my medical bills."
"Right," Midnight said, walking back towards the class. "As Mister Aizawa said, you all have to better yourselves, if you're going to make any meaningful change in this world. And what better way to prove your mettle than at the upcoming Sports Festival?"
"The Sports Festival," Gohan repeated to himself quietly.
"OH YEAH!" Kirishima shouted, jumping up from his desk and pumping his fists in the air. "I can't wait for-"
"Hold on," Jiro interrupted. "Do you think it's a good idea to hold such a huge event out in the open so soon after the USJ Incident?"
"Yeah!" Kaminari shivered. "They still haven't caught Shigaraki yet. What's to say he won't show up with reinforcements and attack us again?"
"That's unlikely," Aizawa countered. "The League of Villains is on the run. Besides, the school is beefing up security with the help of the Endeavor Agency and the Shield Corporation."
"That's right," Melissa nodded. "Papa said he's sending over twenty-thousand Patrolbot Juniors to help with security."
"Such a prestigious event cannot just be canceled over the fear of a villain attack. In the past, everyone obsessed over the Olympics, and then the World Martial Arts Tournament," Aizawa continued. "Now, the Sports Festival is the most watched sporting event in the world. The school wants to send a clear message that we won't be intimidated by terrorists. Also, the Sports Fest is an opportunity for all UA students, not just the Hero Courses."
"That's right," Kaminari added excitedly. "For us Hero students, it's an opportunity to shine and hopefully get noticed by some top Hero Agencies."
"Yeah, no doubt you'll make an impression, Jam Brain," Jiro teased.
"Take this seriously, you guys," Aizawa said. He glanced over to Gohan. "For some of you, this is the opportunity to leave your mark. Your origin story begins here. Now's your chance to show the world just what kind of Hero you want to be. So make sure you give it your all – Plus Ultra Style!"
"YES SIR!" The classroom said excitedly.
…
The kind of hero I want to be, Gohan thought as he followed Ochaco to leave for Lunch Period. His journey had taken him so far, and now, another important step lay ahead of him. In his mind, he recalled the words that Piccolo had told him so long ago.
Your father believed, as I do, that if you had the power to make a difference in the world, you had obligation to do so.
For a while now, Gohan had been using his powers to save people and to fight crime, and it was the latter which had given him an unexpected rise in infamy. Was he making the right choice? Was that the kind of Hero he wanted to be remembered as? He had so much he needed to ask All Might and Piccolo…
"Hey!" Ochaco asked him with pleading eyes, noticing his blank expression. "So, I was thinking, it's been a while, and I've gotta make it up to you for burning the curry, so… Takoyaki at Lunch Rush, on me?"
Gohan felt his stomach turn at the sound of Takoyaki.
"Mmmh, maybe another time, Ochaco," he said, holding his stomach. "I… I've got something I gotta do right now, so I won't be able to join you guys for lunch. I'll see you later for heroics class?"
Ochaco's smile melted and her gaze fell to the floor.
"Oh, okay… I understand," she sighed sadly, turning to open the door to leave.
As soon as Ochaco opened the door to exit the classroom, a sea of voices rolled in, catching her off guard. She stood there, in front of the gathered crowd of students from the other classes, shaking nervously.
"Uh," Gohan was caught speechless. "H-Hi, everyone."
"U-um, why the heck are you all here?" Ochaco asked, eyes wide.
"And why are you blocking the doorway? Don't you realize that's a safety hazard?" Iida asked indignantly, shaking his hand up and down. "Do you students have some sort of business with our class?"
Bakugo shoved his way past Iida, marching straight towards the door.
"They're scouting the competition, idiots," he said, eyes focused on the exit. "We're the class that survived a real villain attack."
The sandy blonde stopped inches away from one of the students in the front of the group, staring icily into his eyes. The student, a long-eared bald boy from the support class, held his ground at first, but finally melted under Bakugo's fiery gaze. He flinched as Bakugo stepped up to him.
Bakugo smirked.
"Heh. Well, at least now you know what a future pro looks like. Now move it, extras!"
The group of students gasped at Bakugo's remark, but opened up a path for him to exit.
"H-he didn't mean that!" Gohan squeaked, quickly waving his hands in front of him apologetically.
"Yeah," Izuku chimed in with an awkward smile etched across his reddened face. "That darn Kacchan, always kidding around… oh I hope he doesn't explode anyone…"
Bakugo took a step forward when a new voice bounced off of the crowd.
"So this is Class 1A," a blue-haired boy with a haggard, tired appearance said as he made his way to the front of the group. "I heard you guys were impressive, but you just sound like an ass."
Katsuki didn't respond – he didn't even seem to acknowledge the newcomer.
He simply kept walking forward, hands stuffed in his pockets.
"Is everyone in the hero course this delusional, or just you?" The newcomer continued to taunt as Bakugo walked right past him. "How sad; to come here only to find a bunch of egomaniacs."
Ochaco gasped and Gohan's grip tightened around his messenger bag's strap and he felt heat travel up his neck. Egomaniacs? Is that what their classmates really thought about them? After everything that they'd been through in the last few weeks…
"Who the heck is this guy?" Kaminari asked, unnerved by the chill in the student's voice.
"Name's Hitoshi Shinso, from Class 1C – General Studies. I wanted to be in the hero course," the boy continued. "But like many here, I was forced to choose a different path. Such is life, I suppose. I didn't cut it the first time around, but I have another chance. If any of us do well in the Sports Festival, the teachers can decide to transfer us to the hero course, and they'll have to transfer people out to make room."
Shinso paused long enough for the insinuation to sink in. He gave the classroom a cocky smirk.
"That's preposterous," Iida said, waving a dismissive hand at his classmates. "Don't listen to this nonsense, everyone. Do you all really think Mister Aizawa would cast us aside after everything we've been through all over an afternoon of sports games? It isn't logical."
Even so, Izuku, Melissa, Tsu and Ochaco tensed at the insinuation. Sure, what Iida said made sense, but would their teacher really do that? After all, just about the only predictable thing about Mister Aizawa was that he was unpredictable.
"You don't have to believe me, if you don't want to. But I'm here to let you know that if you don't bring your best, I'll steal your spot from under you," the boy concluded with a shrug. "Consider this a declaration of war. That's all."
The tension in the air was palpable. There were so many things that Gohan wanted to respond at that moment, like how he had been rejected from the hero course at first, just like Shinso, or how they should be supporting each other after the school had been attacked.
"Hey, Shins-" Gohan said, taking a step forward. Suddenly, a boisterous angry voice erupted from behind the crowd and Gohan bit back on his tongue. Shinso slipped back into the crowd without even acknowledging him as another student with long strands of silvery hair pushed himself up on the shoulders of two students in front of him, elevating himself above the crowd.
"Hey you!" He vociferated so forcefully that his eyes became bloodshot. "I'm Tetsutetsu from Class 1B next door to you. We heard you fought some villains, and I came to see if that was true. But you're just a bunch of brats that think you're better than us!"
"Crap! This sucks! Everyone hates us now!" Mina shouted, pouting her lips.
"Come on, Bakugo! You gotta say something!" Kaminari pleaded, but Katsuki ignored him. Kaminari turned to Videl.
"Videl?" he begged. Videl rolled her eyes and huffed out an angry sigh.
"Fine," she said, stepping up to defend her class. "Yeah, we're better… Better looking, at least. Are all the guys in Class B this ugly, or just you, rust bait?"
"Oh yeahhh! Talk all you want, shorty," the silver-haired boy shouted back as Videl and Kirishima walked past him. "It'll just be more embarrassing when you're KO'd."
"The only embarrassing thing here are those eyelashes, crust-face," Videl responded over her shoulder, throwing the group of students around them into a jeering laugh. "And what's up with those teeth? I've seen jack-o-lanterns with better smiles."
"OOOOOOHHHHH!" The crowd bellowed, shoving Tetsutetsu playfully as he shrunk back under the roaring laughter. Kaminari, Jiro and Mina joined in on the laughter.
"My… teeth?" Tetsutetsu instinctively brought a hand up to cover his razor sharp shark-like teeth, but clenched his fists instead, growling angrily. An embarrassed blush formed over his cheeks.
"My teeth are not – Hey, come back here, Satan!" He shouted. "Don't ignore me!"
Just as the trio was getting past the last of the crowd of students, another student with white hair and circular glasses crashed into Bakugo. Despite his muscular build, the newcomer bounced back, falling onto the ground and dropping his folders. All of his papers spilled out and the boy's round glasses fell to the floor.
Bakugo growled and stared down at the fallen, purple-skinned student for a moment.
"Watch where you're going, damn nerd!" he growled through gritted teeth.
The student quickly picked up his glasses and placed them back on his face, pushing them up the bridge of his nose. He stared at Bakugo, not moving as the taller student strode past him.
The boy's purple-skinned fist tightened, but he didn't say anything as the couple behind Bakugo walked past him.
"Hey, sorry about that, man," Kirishima laughed apologetically, motioning at Bakugo with his chin. "Don't mind him, that's just how he is with everybody."
Kirishima reached down to help him up, but Videl pulled on his arm.
"C'mon, Red!" Videl pleaded, rubbing her stomach with her free hand. "I'm starving here!"
"Right. Well… catch you later, man!" Kirishima said with a wave and the couple walked off.
The newcomer stared at the backs of the three students as they walked down the hall.
Melissa watched indignantly as Bakugo, Kirishima and Videl walked away without helping him, and she marched out towards him purposefully with her arms crossed. Izuku saw her walking towards him and hurried to help her gather the student's papers.
"M-Mel?" the guy stammered once he saw her, flustered by the beautiful blonde's proximity. He quickly smoothed his stark white hair back into a mullet behind his ears. Two chin-length bangs framed the sides of his clenched jaws. "Um – I mean, thanks! Both of you. Mondays, am I right?"
Mel? Izuku thought, feeling a twinge of jealousy running up his belly. Melissa giggled and helped the boy get back up on his feet.
"Jeez, I'm really sorry about that," Melissa apologized, handing the stack of papers back to him, biting her lower lip. "Bakugo's the biggest jerk in the universe."
"Yeah, that's Kacchan for you," Izuku said. "Best to just steer clear of him."
"No, no, it's my fault," the boy said with a dismissive chortle, smoothing down his gray school jacket and straightening his glasses. He stood to his full height and to Izuku's surprise, he actually had a tall, muscular build to him. His red irises glinted mischievously. "I should've avoided the crowd on my way to class."
Melissa gave him a teasing smirk and crossed her arms.
"Uh-huh. Speaking of which, Class 1H is that way," she said, pointing down the opposite end of the long hallway that forked off in two directions.
"Oh yeah? Hmmm. Maybe I just wanted to come see you first," he shrugged, returning the smirk. "I heard some of the other classes were going to try to intimidate Class 1A, so I thought you could use some backup."
"My Hero," Melissa teased. Izuku coughed into his hands uncomfortably, breaking the moment between the two brainy students.
"Oh, right! Sorry about that. Deku, this is Fujisake Kaburagara," Melissa said, placing a hand on the vice rep's muscular shoulder. "He's the awesome Vice Rep of Class 1H. He's practically a genius; he actually helped me and Hatsume design your gauntlets."
There was a noticeable bubbly high-pitch squeak to Melissa's voice as she swiveled around to introduce Midoriya to the Vice Rep. "And this is Dek- erm, Izuku Midoriya. He's a really good friend of mine from Class A."
"Hi, it's super n-nice to meet you," Izuku said shyly, scratching the back of his neck. So this was the famous Vice Rep that Melissa was always raving about. The one she claimed who had a little crush on her… "Fujisa-"
"Please, just call me Fu. Nice to meet you, too, Midoriya," Fu nodded. "But don't let this gorgeous blonde beauty fool you. She's the real genius out of all of us."
"Oh, stop it. You don't have to flatter me that much," Melissa's hands tightened around the straps of her backpack and a blush formed over her cheeks. Her glasses glossed over with the lights above and a stupefied smile crept over her face. The two students held their gaze for a moment.
Well, I guess he's not the only one with a crush… Izuku thought with a defeated sigh.
Out of the corner of his eye, Fu caught a glimpse of Gohan, the spiky haired Saiyan making his way through the crowd of irritated students. His jaw clenched.
There he was. Son Gohan, the Dragon of Namek.
So close and yet so far… I just need to find a way to get him alone. No witnesses. A few seconds is all I'll need, and then it'll all be over…
But with this many students around, there was no way he would be able to get him alone without raising suspicion. He would have to wait for another opportunity to present itself.
"Oh, and about Katsuki Bakugo, heyyy no worries," Fu said, feigning a cheerful laugh and a smile. "Ehh, you know how it is. Accidents can happen at any time."
As Gohan worked his way through the group of students, he suddenly felt the cold chill of Wild Sense trickle up his spine. He stopped in his tracks and glanced around the sea of faces, looking for the threat, but he couldn't locate it.
Well, everyone here pretty much hates us, so… maybe that's what it is, Gohan thought to himself.
Ochaco noticed that something had dazed Gohan, so she pulled ahead in front of him, and grabbed his hand firmly in hers.
"Hey, are you okay?" she asked him, concerned.
"Yeah," Gohan nodded quickly. "Just a little crowded, that's all."
Ochaco smiled up at him, pulling on his hand. A sparkling burst of pink light shot out from her fingers and enveloped them both. Suddenly, Gohan and Ochaco were floating upwards and away from the crowd.
"Son, Uraraka!" Iida yelled from the entrance of their classroom. "There is to be no flying in the hallways!"
But Ochaco pulled Gohan closer to her and away from the crowd. Her fingers interlaced with his.
"Fly away with me," she said with a smile. "Let's get some fresh air."
…
Outside of the main buildings, in a discreet corner of the wooded park behind the school, the two levitating students slowly touched down.
With the first week of May came a warm wave of life, and flocks of birds were beginning to gather around the Cherry Blossom trees that highlighted the path along the park. The beautiful pink petals had already blossomed, and with the coming of the summer warmth, their colors glowed vibrantly. Some of them had fallen, to be whisked away by the warm summer breeze.
The seasons were clearly changing.
Ochaco's hair was bobbing up and down comically, making her and Gohan giggle. Gohan himself was growing a second, smaller spike of hair next to the large bang that was already protruding outward. The more and more time passed, the closer he was beginning to resemble his father, both in his physical appearance and his strength.
"Release," Ochaco said, bringing her hands together and suspending her Quirk. Gohan felt his weight return to normal and the two turned to look at each other.
"Um… Ochaco?" Gohan asked with a half smile. "Lunch Rush is that way – unless you want to get something from the market?"
"Yeah, I know," Ochaco said. She kicked a pebble with the tip of her pink shoe. "But before you left, I wanted to get something off my chest, first. I know you've got somewhere to be, but I really need you to hear this. Please?"
"Oh, okay. Sure," Gohan said. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Um…" Ochaco squeaked. She brought her arms together and held her elbows, wiggling nervously. "Well, you know, about… us; and about what happened on Friday night, when we… when we kissed, and what that means for us moving forward."
"Ohh, I see," Gohan said, rubbing the back of his neck. "What about it?"
His words cut through Ochaco like a knife.
'What about it?' Didn't it mean anything to him? She thought.
"Well…" Ochaco squeaked. "I mean, I haven't stopped thinking about it… in a good way, though! I was just so worried about you. The doctors had told us that you were going to die if you didn't wake up. And for those three weeks, I felt so lonely. And I realized how much you mean to me. And then outta nowhere, you showed up at my doorstep. A-And having you there with me, so close, safe and alive, I… I just lost my mind for a second. I just really wanted to show you how much I cared."
"Really?" Gohan breathed.
"Yeahhh," Ochaco's heart was beating so fast that it made her head spin, so she centered herself by gripping her hands on her green school skirt before continuing. "Because you're such a sweet and wonderful guy and I really care about you. You're my best friend, and I obviously want to make and share tons of good memories and times with you, and… and… and…"
She trailed off and lowered her sight to the grass below.
"And Gohan?" She sobbed. She looked up and Gohan noticed that her large brown eyes had filled with large tears and her hands were shaking, gripping down on her skirt. "It's so scary for me to tell you this but… I think I'm in love with you! And I wish so much that we can share something this beautiful between us. I really, really, really do. But it scares me to think that you might not see me the same way that I see you, too. So when you stopped responding to me, when you started being distant… I felt so alone again, and I was so scared that I'd chased you away…"
"Huh? Chased me away…?" Gohan's head lowered and his spiky bangs covered his eyes. His shoulders began to tremble and the short chortles of laughter escaped from his covered mouth. "What in the world are you talking about, Ochaco?"
"Gohan?" Ochaco asked, bringing her hands together, her lower lip trembling. Was he laughing at her feelings? Had she just opened herself up, only to be mocked? Ochaco felt her heart sink down to her stomach.
"I'm sorry I made you feel like I was ignoring you, Ochaco." Gohan said in between laughs. Then he straightened up and smiled at her. "I wasn't trying to avoid you at all. My phone broke, that's all. I, uh, went swimming and dropped it in the water. I just bought a new one this morning. The truth is, we have a lot going on back at the Lookout. Nail is applying to make the Dragon Clan an official Hero Agency. Can you imagine that? Namek will finally have its very own Hero Agency, for the first time! So we've been super busy, that's all. I swear I wasn't trying to give you the cold shoulder or anything."
"Ohhhh," Ochaco hummed, feeling embarrassed that she had jumped to conclusions with something so trivial. She wiped her tears and did her best to put on a smile. "Wow! That's wonderful!"
"Yeah! Exciting! Good things are coming for us, Ochaco. I just know it!" Gohan said with a smile. "By the way, wasn't it obvious?"
"Huh?"
"When you kissed me, that was me, kissing you back. I think I'm in love with you, too."
And just like that, Ochaco's heart dropped back down into her stomach again.
"…Ochaco…?" Gohan asked.
"Hmm?" Ochaco said. Her mouth had become a blushing tight-lipped line.
"Do you…?" Gohan gulped. He quickly cleared his throat and gave off a nervous chuckle. "Sorry."
"Mhmmm?" Ochaco hummed, her hands tightening excitedly on her green skirt.
"If that's true; if that's how you really feel then… do you… would you, like to be… my- uhh," Gohan stammered, choking on the words. His face was now completely red, and neither teen was prepared for the giant muscular blonde teacher who jumped out from behind them from out of nowhere.
"AAAAH-HAHAHAHA! Young Gohan is here!" A powerful laugh spooked the two teens, who jumped up in surprise. All Might appeared directly behind Ochaco, wearing a white collared long-sleeve with a red tie and navy blue pants. His two golden bangs swayed in the air as he arrived. Izuku was jogging right behind him, trying to keep up.
"All Might!" Gohan shouted. "What are you doing here?"
"Getting ready to grab some grub with Young Midoriya! Care to join us, Gohan?" All Might responded happily, holding up a bento box wrapped in an orange bandanna with the face of a smiling Puar. "We'll get you up to speed on what you've missed so far these past three weeks."
"PFFFFT! That's adorable!" Ochaco squealed, seeing All Might's Puar-themed bento box.
"Well, duty calls, I guess," Gohan sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Um… You know what? I'll just ask you later. See you back in class after lunch?"
"Mhm, mhm!" Ochaco nodded happily and waved at him. Then she clasped her hands together behind her back and her face glowed with a sweet smile that made Gohan's heart leap.
"Take your time and do your best, Gohan. And thank you for answering my question. Don't worry, kay? I'll wait for you. No matter how long it takes," she said with a sweet wink. "Promise."
Gohan's eyes shined and he felt his chest flutter at the unspoken promise between them.
"Eh! Eh! Are we interrupting something important, Young Son? Perhaps we should leave them alone for a few more minutes, Young Midoriya. What do you say?" All Might teased rather indiscreetly, shooting Midoriya a mischievous grin and pointing at Gohan and Ochaco with his large thumb.
Gohan laughed it off with a shake of his head and turned to leave with them.
"No, seriously," All Might continued to tease as they walked away. "We can even hide and cheer from the bushes, if you'd like."
Ochaco laughed to herself and shook her head. She watched them until Gohan and Izuku turned the corner and disappeared, and for some reason, the world had become just a little bit brighter and just a little bit warmer for her. She giggled in pure giddy bliss and clasped her hands together, frolicking in circles dreamily before skipping away with the biggest smile in her face.
Yes, she would keep her promise to him for as long as Gohan needed.
Once he was ready, she'd be there waiting for him.
"What's her deal?" An upperclassman commented as she stared at Ochaco's little dance.
"First Years," another upperclassman responded with an uninterested shrug. "Bunch of weirdos."
Ending Song:
"ChiLD -error-," by My First Story
"Gohan, what's wrong?" Izuku asked, pulling Gohan away from his thoughts. "How come you're not touching your food?"
"Ugh, got a bit of a stomach ache," Gohan moaned, holding his stomach.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Izuku said, staring at him with wide eyes. "…is it because of Ochaco?"
"NO IT IS NOT!" Gohan said, his cheeks brightening up. "Well, not entirely, anyway."
"Sorry," Izuku apologized with a smile, lifting up a black ceramic bowl from his lunch tray. "Here. You should probably stay away from the rice. Have my miso soup instead. It'll make you feel better."
Gohan moaned, but took the soup.
"Thanks, Izuku," he said with a grateful smile and the two boys exchanged their lunches.
All Might poured two cups of hot green tea and served it to the boys, plopping down on the large couch on the opposite side of the table.
"Hear you go, Young Gohan," he said, placing the steaming cup of tea in front of Gohan. The fresh scent of the steaming hot tea filled the air and helped ease a bit of Gohan's stomach ache. "This'll help, too. Besides, what I'm about to reveal is important and I need your undivided attention."
"Thank you, sir," Gohan nodded and took a long gulp from the tea, closing his eyes to enjoy the biting warmth running down his throat. "Mmmmh. Yeah, that really hits the spot."
PUUUUUUUUUFFFFFF!
In the blink of an eye, All Might's muscular body erupted in a cloud of smoke and in its wake, the giant, muscular body disappeared, replaced by a decrepit, skeletal man with sunken dark eyes and a bony body. Gohan spat his tea out in disbelief.
"WHAT THE HECK?!" He shouted, jumping from his seat. "A-A-All Might?! What just happened to your body?!"
"Holy whoa!" Izuku shouted nervously, waving his arms in front of him. "All Might, is it really okay for him to see you like this?!"
"Wait! You knew about this, Izuku?" Gohan asked. "Why didn't you tell me about it?!"
"Because I… actually, um, I… forgot?" Izuku stammered.
"Calm down, both of you, please," All Might said, motioning for the panicked boys to sit back down. "Gohan, I know this is a lot to take in, so I'm going to start at the very beginning. Please, listen to my story – the story of One for All, and our family. Afterwards, if you have any questions, I'll be happy to BLEHHHH!"
A fountain of blood poured out of his mouth and both boys shouted in sheer terror.
"AAAAHHHHHHH!"
And now for the preview!
As Class 1A prepares themselves to take on the grueling challenges at the Sports Festival, we'll get an opportunity to dive a little deeper into Gohan's past, or rather – his parents' past. We've already gotten a glimpse into Goku's backstory, but what about Chi-Chi? Where did she came from? What's her lineage? And what exactly has she been up to this entire time? Find out, next time:
Chapter Thirty-Seven – Episode of Chi-Chi!
Goten will finally get a taste of what Turtle Hermit Martial Arts is all about, and Gohan finds out he's got a secret stalker, lurking behind him in the hallways. Who could it be? Don't miss it!
Go beyond – Plus Ultra!
A/N: Well, we meet once again, fam.
Thank you so much for joining me in the Season Premiere of Season Two. I know it's a bit underwhelming, since not a lot happens, but believe me, we've got an action-packed, adventure-filled season coming up, and I can't wait to get into it and share with all of you.
I want to give a sincere shout-out to everyone who's helped us blast past 200 favs and 200 follows over the course of this month, as well as to everyone who has reviewed and yes, even to those who lurk. Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!
As long as you're enjoying the story, that's enough to keep me happy and inspired.
Unlike with S1, S2 is completely outlined, so the previews will be returning, as I have a blueprint for all thirty-five chapters in S2. Let's make this one the best one yet! Well, thank you once again. I'm sending you all the love and positive vibes I can muster! Stay warm, everyone!
Thank you all so much!
Now, onto the Review Responses!
X3runner chapter 35 . Nov 25
Nuce wrap up chapter it summarized everything very well
Thank you so much, X3! I'm so happy you liked it. Just wait until we get into the meats and potatoes of this season. I think we're in for a fun ride! Thanks for your review!
ArguableReader chapter 35 . Nov 26
Endeavor and Vegeta, are one and the same?
Yes, that's right! They have very similar stories and motivations, so I decided to combine them into one character.
I've been slowly building him up throughout some of the chapters in Season One, giving hints of his backstory. So far, we've learned that he's a former UA Alumni who dropped out and became a merc for hire, though later on he became a Hero who has a license to kill villains. Shoto, Fuyumi, Toya and Natsu are the children he had with Rei, and Trunks is the son he has with Bulma. It's a very tangled web that will be explored, along with his journey towards redemption, in the Endeavor/Internship Arc, which takes place right after the Sports Festival Arc.
In other words, it's right around the corner, so don't miss it! Thanks for your review.
JustinCase chapter 35 . Nov 26
Yusss good recap chapter, Eclipse. It felt nostalgic seeing things through Deku's POV. And was that a Majin Buu reference at the end? And the fusion between Gohan and Deku? It has to be, Since Deku said this is the story of how he and Gohan became the Greatest Hero (Singular!) unless that was a typo. Good chapter, am looking forward to S2
JustinCase chapter 34 . Nov 26
YES I'm so hyped, mah boy finally went SUPER SAIYAN?! Even if it was just for a second, they way it was built up with all of the flashbacks was fuckin perfect!
And the moments where Gohan Goku and Bardock were fishing and spending time together was so wholesome and it makes sense that Bardock still misses Gine, and now the question is, will Gohan listen to his Grandpa's advice about how love is a liability? Though the way it ended, with the Gohan and Ochako's first kiss, I'd say probably fuckin not right? Which leads me to think that either hell prove Bardock wrong, or something really bad is going to happen to them. Maybe a foreshadowing of things to come?
I'm getting ahead of myself though. I guess we'll have to wait and see. It's was a good ending to the First Season and I'm looking forward to the next season with the teases being the Yakuza, Stain and was that a fuckin CELL reference?! I need that 2nd Season NAO!
And the part where Shoto starts to hate Gohan is setting up their rivalry for the Sports Festival. I can't wait for it!
Hehehe that's very perceptive.. I'm gonna say 'no comment' on the possible singularity of the World's Greatest Hero. You'll have to find out when we get there hehe
I'm so glad you liked the taste of Super Saiyan. Get ready for some more of that pie in this season! As well as… well, that's probably enough teasing. Suffice to say that there's so many Saiyans popping up that a bargain sale is in the near future hehehe
And for your last question… I think the cat's already outta the bag for that one, yeah? ;)
Thanks so much for your reviews! I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story and I can't wait for you to see what we've got coming up next!
Elchico 64 chapter 34 . Nov 27
Hey, Eclipse! The final chapter of the first season was veeeeeery good, it was amazing how you put every quote, every challenge, all the events put together, it was nostalgic I give you that!
And finally the SUPER SAIYAN, LET'S GOOOOOO. So emocional and dramatic, it wasn't what I expected but I don't have complaints. Poor Todoroki, he just want the respect from Vegeta deep inside his heart, even is just the same character development of the original story.
Oh, and the sweer Ochako and Gohan moment, it was soooo cute, finally the first kiss. It was about damn time. And how Melissa and the other tried to turn off the fire it was hilarious!
Already want so see what happens next with Dabi and Stein, and how will react Ochako when Kendo and Gohan meets in the Sport Festival! Want some drama and cliché things XD
You really put all the effort and creativity to write an awesome story like this one. Keep up and soon you will have the next arc complete!
PS: The third chapter of Expelled from Misery is mostly at 50%. Don't want to promise at date or anything, but it should be done by December. With the hard part done, it shouldn't take long! Is the most important, after all! And with the Xover with our fics hehe ;)
See ya, take care pal!
Yeah! I took inspiration from the way Gohan achieved Ssj for the first time in canon, by imagining all of the horrible things that would happen to the people he loves if he doesn't achieve this power. But, with my own twist, of course!
And yeah, poor Todoroki. He has a lot of issues he has to settle with his father. Believe it or not, there's just one more element to this story that makes it all the more darker than in canon. It will be revealed during the Sports Fest.
Yeah, it seems like Gohan's relationship with Ochaco is lifting off! But they have no idea what kinds of trials they're about to face as friends and as a couple. And the introduction of Kendo into the mix will definitely add some telenovela effects! Hahahaha just kidding. But definitely, we have more drama coming our way! Can't wait for you all to see it and maaaan I so loved your Christmas Special for EfM! I haven't enjoyed a chapter like that in such a looong time! And I definitely can't wait to get Chapter Four, when it comes out!
Thank you again my friend! I hope you're having a good time with friends and family in these days!
Brandon Dupere chapter 35 . Nov 29
J'ai enfin fini de lire le chapitre trente quatre et je dous dire que... putain, Bardock n'y est pas aller de main morte mais Gohan en avait bien besoin pour s'améliorer. Aussi, j'ai aimé le moment où Gohan et Ochako se sont retrouvés, même si j'avais imaginé au départ qu'elle allait l'embrasser dès le départ à cause de l'émotion, c'était absolument adorable. J'ai aussi également hâte qu'on arrive à un moment où Yurin rencontrera Himiko, car deux fille ayant toutes les deux l'air d'être complètement taré feras sans doute des étincelles. J'aime aussi le teaser pour i-island, ça me rend impatient d'arriver à ce chapitre.
Merci beaucoup pour votre commentaire Brandon ! Et il ne fait aucun doute que lorsque la Ligue des méchants rencontrera Stain's Cause, plus précisément Yurin et Toga, des étincelles jailliront à coup sûr ! Et juste après avoir posté ce chapitre, je vais tristement lire le dernier chapitre de votre histoire. C'est un moment doux-amer, mais que j'attendais avec impatience.
Et je suis content que tu aies aimé le moment d'Ochaco avec Gohan. Au départ, j'avais prévu de terminer la saison 1 avec eux dans une relation officielle, mais j'ai décidé de m'en abstenir. J'ai le moment idéal pour que cela se produise ! hé hé
Et oui, Bardock veut que Gohan soit parfaitement préparé à affronter All for One, la menace qui a emporté tant de leurs proches dans le passé, donc même s'il a été un peu dur dans sa formation, cela a bien appris à Gohan !
Merci pour vos commentaires, comme toujours ! Et je vous verrai dans votre épilogue momentanément !
yeosherman3 chapter 35 . Nov 30
Awesome recap. :3 can't wait for more. And damn, Gohan gone super saiyan. :3 imagine if that future happened, bye bye Earth, All For One is so fucked in the head if he did so.
Thanks, Yeo! Yessss finally our boy hit the Golden Form of Legend, even if it was for only a few seconds. This season will focus on him achieving this great power again – and going one step beyond! I'm really excited for you to see what we have in story. I will do my best to deliver!
Guest chapter 34 . Dec 3
The chapter is hype, also gohan and ochaco moments are really cute looking forward for that next chapter
Thanks so much Guest! I'm so happy you liked it! Gohan and Ochaco are my favorite anime couple at the moment, just wish we had more content about them together. I hope you enjoyed this premier! Stay tuned for some awesome things to come!
Hmm chapter 33 . Dec 3
Class 1A helping Gohan's love life? Count me in
Yeahhh especially Mina and Toru and even Melissa, to a point. They really want Gohan and Ochaco to be happy together. There's a hilarious episode I have planned where a misunderstanding leads the girls into an adventure to 'bring back' the couple together. It'll be more like an OVA. But that's around the next season. I'll work it out. Thanks for your reviews, as always, Hmm!
Brandon Dupere chapter 2 . Dec 8
Salut Eclipse, j'ignore si tu as reçu les notifications mais je t'ai envoyé deux massages par mp. Et aussi je voulais te faire savoir que ma fic est terminée.
Salut Brandon ! Je suis vraiment content pour toi pour une telle réalisation, et en même temps un peu nostalgique et un peu triste, car c'est une histoire tellement amusante à lire. Un chapitre restant, maintenant. Je sais qu'à l'avenir, vous prévoyez de continuer, alors j'attends cela avec impatience ainsi que les retombées dont vous et moi parlions.
Félicitations, encore une fois, pour cette formidable réalisation, Brandon. Je suis vraiment fier de toi!
Guest chapter 4 . Dec 10
Im loving the 1st chapters so far. The characters here have so much depth and personality that this could pass as an authentic well written light novels series. Kudos to you author!
Thank you so much for that compliment, Guest! Those were some of the fondest memories I have, writing those first few chapters, when the future was an endless possibility. I feel like my writing went downhill as soon as I had to reign the story in the direction of My Hero Academia canon, but it is what it is. All I can do is continue to try and improve with every chapter, and learn from the mistakes in the previous chapters.
And who knows, maybe when I get more free time, perhaps I can even go back and polish some of the S1 chapters, as well. Thank you so much for checking out my story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter (when you get to this review! Hehehe)
That's it for the Review Responses! Thank you all, once again! See you next time! STAY WARM!