A/N: I combined the first two chapters together and that's why chapter 6 became chapter 5. Sorry for any confusion!
It's been a while so I made up for it by making this chapter a little extra long (supposedly it will take about 45 minutes to read the whole thing. Sorry!).
I'll be leaving a pretty lengthy A/N, as well as responding to some reviews at the end of this chapter. Enjoy! Let's kick off with some awesome music!
Opening Song
"Reviver" – My First Story
It had been the story that finally broke the internet.
The world's first direct eye-witness account about the hero that social media had dubbed "The Dragon."
The story had been covered by the feisty HNA reporter, Kuri Shimamura, who had a knack for chasing down crazy stories like this. The super typhoon hadn't even fully left when she was already on her way to Okinawa to be the first to interview the eyewitnesses about how this mysterious hero engulfed in white light came down from the heavens and had saved the few people stranded in Okinawa.
Some said he stayed long after the typhoon hit to help look for survivors, others said he disappeared as soon as daylight broke, and some had even said he had stopped the super typhoon itself with an energy blast from his bare hands.
It wasn't the craziest thing that Taneo Tokuda had heard before. After twenty years of working alongside "Conspiracy Kuri", he had heard every bigfoot, alien, illuminati, hell-worshipping, tyrannical government planning, mind-control-vaccine-inducing conspiracy theory out there. But of all the crazy stories that Kuri had somehow convinced him of following her after, there was none other like the story of the Blur; that mysterious vigilante that appeared out of thin air and saved people, disappearing back into thin air before anyone could even get a look at his face. For some twelve years, Taneo had followed Kuri as her cameraman from city to city, region to region across Japan and sometimes even abroad, chasing this mysterious Blur.
Chasing the Blur had cost them everything; his reputation, his job and his marriage. But in the end… Kuri had been right. As much as he hated to admit it, she had been right. The Blur had been real. But they watched him die all those years ago, didn't they?
And now this mysterious new hero just pops out of thin air, same M.O., similar style of clothing, similar powers. So it was no surprise when Kuri had sent him a letter requesting to meet with him. It had been almost eight years since he last saw her, but he simply had no choice but to agree to meet her. If anything else, for old times' sake.
Gengoro Cafe.
"So this place is still standing after all these years, huh? Kuri always did like those damn lattes." Taneo sighed and entered the cafe.
The air was instantly filled with the scent of freshly brewed coffee and baked pastries. The soft jazz playing through the speakers mixed with the quiet conversations being held across the room. Taneo breathed it all in, feeling a rush of nostalgia swell within. He scanned through the small crowd until he spotted Kuri, sitting cross-legged in her usual spot, at the far end of the cafe. Her dark brown hair was tied into a ponytail that snaked elegantly down the side of her white collar shirt.
She was as beautiful as the day he had first met her, almost thirty years ago. Taneo cleared his throat as he approached her. Kuri looked up at him from her notebook and smiled in her mischievous way, putting her pen down.
"I had a feeling you'd like to meet up here," she said, taking a sip of her latte and leaning back against her folded navy blue jacket that she had draped over her chair.
"Some things never change," Taneo said with a shrug. He removed his beige hat and took a seat opposite to her in the table. "Ever since we were 15 year old's working for our school paper, you've been coming to the same old spot, reading the same old newspapers, writing in the same old notebooks, drinking the same old latte, chasing the same old conspiracies-"
"Not conspiracies," she corrected him. "Conspiracy."
Taneo heaved a heavy sigh.
"Hi," he said with a charming smile. "You look great, Kuri. How've you been?"
"Hey," Kuri smiled, closing the notebook and tucking it away in her bag. "Well, aside from losing my editor-in-chief gig, getting suspended for three months with no pay, 20% wage reduction, losing my late night TV Specials, getting demoted from a respected columnist to a 'reporter' who gets told what to report on… I'd say I've been doing okay."
Taneo gave her a side-look through his glasses.
"Well, you did use HNA Network's funds to pay an ¥ 800,000 loan from a loan shark because you were so sure that the Son Family was related to the Blur."
"Hey, eyewitnesses said that the Son kid was there on the day Advance Finance got attacked!" Kuri protested.
"And then you started stalkin' the poor family..."
"How else was I supposed to get an interview?"
"...so much so, that they skipped town and threatened to sue us."
Kuri slowly put her hands down.
"W-well, yeah. I'll admit, I was a bit… pushy."
"And then it turned out that the Son kid was only seven years old!"
"I was sure he had an older brother though…"
"And then, as if all of that weren't enough," Taneo said, lifting a finger sternly. "You sent my photo, my one good photo, the priceless original copy of the Blur shaking hands with All Might, the one you told me not to sell seven years ago when it would have made us millionaires, to a hospital, where it was never seen again."
Kuri flashed him an apologetic smile, a blush forming on her cheeks.
"Yeahhhh, I could've sworn I had another copy of it somewhere…" she said with a high-pitched voice and a sheepish giggle.
Taneo blinked at her, unimpressed.
"Well, for what it's worth, at least you were able to keep your job," Taneo said dryly. Kuri suppressed a nervous laugh.
"Oh, right, I never got to say sorry about that Tan."
Taneo waved his hand, finally dropping the stern look for a crooked smile. He sighed deeply.
"Nahh, don't be, I'm not that upset about it. Honestly, becoming a freelancer is the best thing that could've happened to me. I get to set my own schedule. No more sleepless nights, no more chasing storms or ghosts or conspiracies, no more death threats or running from wild animals or going into disaster zones. I get up at noon, take a few pictures of unsuspecting celebrities holding hands and then sell it to BuzzFeed or TMZ in my underwear from the comfort of home for 500 bucks a pop. Like I said, best thing that could've happened to me."
"Yeah, that sounds pretty boring," Kuri said, crossing her arms."You're too good to settle on being a glorified paparazzi, Tan! Why don't you leave all of it behind and come back with me? I could use a talented cameraman like you. If we work together again, I'm sure we can find…"
"...the story of the century?" Taneo finished for her, leaning back on his seat. "No offense, Kuri. You're a great reporter. I mean that sincerely. But you've been saying that since we were 15 years old. We're in our 40's now! I'm just tired of chasing ghosts around, you know?"
Suddenly, they both looked up as a tall, slender young man with a thin goatee and a backwards hat approached them with a camera hanging from his neck and a plate of food in his hands.
"Hey, is this guy bothering you, Boss?" he said.
Taneo's nose crinkled. "Are you seriously eating chili dogs for breakfast?" he said.
"No, Jinny, this is an old friend of mine," Kuri reassured him. "Tan and I go waaaay back. He was my old cameraman, before you came along."
"Yeah? Let me guess, now that we broke the internet with the story of the Dragon, you want back in? Well, that's not gonna happen. I'm the new cameraboy in town."
"Hey, new cameraboy, you're getting chili all over the lens," Taneo winked at him.
"Agh, dammit," Jin cursed, realizing that the camera hanging from his neck by a strap had been dangling all over his food plate. Turning around, he hurried away to clean the lens.
"Pheeeeeeew," Taneo whistled, leaning back on his seat. "He is quite the character."
"You see what I'm working with, here?" Kuri sighed. "Tan, I need you. We were the best news reporter team in Japan back in the day! I mean, who were the ones that broke the Blur story, remember? Back when everyone thought it was just another ghost story? And who were the ones that exposed the Army of Villains and the existence of All for One, back when everyone, including the President called it a crazy Conspiracy Theory? It was us! Conspiracy Kuri and Travel-marker Tan!"
"'Trouble-maker Tan'," Taneo corrected her. "Because I always took the blame when you messed up."
With a sad giggle, he looked down at his hands for a moment, as if reliving an old memory. Slowly, his smile became a thin line and his eyes fell.
After a quiet moment, he sighed and shook his head. Leaning over the table on his elbows, he picked himself up from his seat.
"Well, it was so nice to see you again, Kuri," he said as he put his hat back on. "We'll have to catch up another time. Thank you for the offer, but I'm not as young as I used to be. Being a boring old 'glorified paparazzi' is good enough for me."
"Tan…"
Taneo began to walk away but stopped, sighed and turned back around.
"Do you remember what the side-effect of my quirk was, Kuri? Photographic memory. For the 25 years that we worked together, my perfect memory was a blessing... until that day. I… I can still see them in my dreams, as clear as day; the Blur's deformed, lifeless body laying like a rag doll in a pool of his blood, the large hole in All Might's stomach, and that kid's white, haunted eyes…We both saw the Blur die that day almost eight years ago, Kuri. For your own good, please, bury the story already. We've lost enough because of it."
Kuri stared at her drink for a few moments, then looked up at him.
"I can't," she shook her head. "Not yet. Not when there's still so much of his story left to tell."
She reached into her bag and pulled out a photograph, handing it to Taneo. "It's not over yet, my friend."
"What's this?" Taneo adjusted his glasses and squinted at the photograph.
"This is the real reason I asked you here today, Tan. This is proof that the story's only just begun," Kuri gave him a confident smile and leaned forward, arms on the table as Taneo slowly sat back down in the chair. The photograph was grainy due to the poor lighting and harsh weather but it was clear enough to show a blur of white light, and even though the brilliant light shined too bright to see the figure's face, a muscular silhouette could be seen outlined within the sphere of light. The silhouette had spiky hair and a blue energy wave was shooting out of his hands in a stance that Taneo was all too familiar with.
"This was taken by someone in Okinawa during the typhoon." Kuri said. "I was lucky to have just enough spending funds from HNA to buy the rights to it."
"Is this… the so-called Dragon?"
"That's him!"
"He looks just like…"
"The Blur, right?"
"Yeah… But he's dead."
"Do you believe in ghosts, Tan?" Kuri asked him.
Chapter Six – You Say Run – The UA Entrance Exam
The floors of the training chamber trembled as Gohan gathered all of his energy.
Piccolo stood at the opposite side of the room, watching him as he gathered his ki.
"Focus," Piccolo said. Gohan nodded. "Gather the great storm within."
Gohan's shoulders rose and fell steadily. He cleared his mind of all anxiety, picturing in his mind the full power of his quirk, willing that power to travel from his core down to his palms. A familiar orb of energy formed in his right fist.
"Don't gather it all in one place," Piccolo gently corrected him. "For this attack, you need to feel the energy coursing through your body; let it engulf you."
Gohan's eyes remained tightly closed and beads of sweat started forming on his forehead. Slowly, the white aura began to snake from his fist up his arms and flowed down his torso, reaching his legs. In his mind, Gohan pictured a great storm cloud, gathering up energy to burst into rain. A flash of electricity, golden and pure, coursed through his body. Gohan jerked at the pain, but used it as fuel to power his quirk even more.
"That's it," Piccolo said. "You're almost there, Gohan, keep it up. Gather that energy! Turn the heat and the pain into power!"
The heat was building up. Gohan strained against his quirk and steam began to rise from his body. As the massive energy intensified, threatening to burst out, his aura began to swell, illuminating and enshrouding his body violently, setting off gusts of wind. More electricity coarsed through his body. The gathered power enveloping his body began to flicker from white to gold, ever so slightly. The energy flowing around him set off drafts of air that lifted Gohan's long hair into straight spikes. Gohan cried out as his muscles threatened to explode.
"That's it, that's the energy!" Piccolo shouted triumphantly over the rushing winds.
"Now raise up your fist and unleash your power!"
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH," Gohan screamed through gritted teeth. The immense power he was summoning felt like it was melting him from the inside, until he couldn't hold it any more. The next instant, all of the gathered power exploded in a rush of air that sent Piccolo's cape flying back. After a few moments, the energy and the wind subsided and Gohan fell on his knees to the ground, exhausted as the vestiges of that golden power left his body and his hair fell back down to its normal style.
"I… I can't," he panted, breathlessly. "It's too much power. I just can't hold it together yet."
"Can't? 'Can't' is nothing but a four letter word," Piccolo growled. "You have to pour every ounce of your soul into it. You have to balance the perfect storm of anger and serenity. The two most powerful emotions for your quirk will unlock this ultimate attack. You're almost there. Keep testing your limits and then go beyond. A true warrior never stops improving."
Gohan forced himself to stand back up. He steadied his breathing and nodded. "Yes, sir," he said, bowing. "I will do my best to improve."
"Good. Now, the provisional license exam is tomorrow. Go see Dende and get healed up. Then get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow. And Gohan?"
"Yeah?"
"I hope you realize how proud we are of you. Look at how far you've made it in these ten months. You went from being an insecure, overly apologetic kid to a strong, noble young man. You're ready to take on your destiny to become the greatest Hero this world's ever known."
Gohan's eyes sparkled and he nodded.
"Just you wait, Piccolo. I will make sure that everyone sees the Symbol of the Dragon Clan as the symbol of a true Hero. I'm not about to start disappointing you now."
(...)
Gohan had heard about how busy the city was during the day of the Entrance Exams, but he had underestimated just how busy it was. He managed to cram through the entrance of one of the restaurants that offered unlimited portions at exorbitant prices.
"So, how much for the breakfast buffet?" Gohan asked the waitor.
"That'll be 6,000," the man said, rudely.
"6,000?!" Gohan exclaimed.
"Yeah, it's a UA Entrance Exam Special."
Special for whom? Gohan complained in his head.
"Oh well, sorry about this, Piccolo, but I'm starving," he said to himself as he took out the money card and handed it to the cashier. The cashier took his payment and called for a waiter to show him to his seat at a booth and soon after, the plates of food were steadily coming. He always had a freshly cooked bowl or a filled glass waiting for him.
Oh man, for being probably the busiest day of the year, the staff is really going above and beyond! I've got to give them an excellent tip.
As Gohan is eating, he heard a high pitched voice call out his name.
"Heyyyyy, Gohan!"
Gohan turned in his seat to see a tiny framed girl running towards him with a bright smile on her face. Gohan noticed that she was ill-prepared for the cold this morning. The only thing Ochaco was wearing were three T-shirts together. Her cheeks and nose glowed pink from the cold.
"Urara-chan! Hey!" Gohan waved, ignoring the tacky look.
"There you are!" Ochaco said, catching her breath. "I saw you earlier but there were so many people in line that I couldn't get through to you."
The girl looked around shyly.
"Umm, is it cool if I sit here?"
"Sorry, young lady, but we're at capacity," the waiter told her.
"No, she's with me," Gohan quickly told him. The waiter looked like he wanted to argue, but when Gohan took out his money card and handed it to him, he happily accepted the payment and left them alone.
"Sorry," Ochaco said, embarrassed. "If it's too much trouble..."
"Nah, go ahead. Take a seat," Gohan said, drinking the glass of water. Ochaco pulled a chair up and sat down with her small plate of Mochi.
"Woah, is that your breakfast though?"
"Yeah," Ochaco said, looking down at her small plate. "It's not much, but it's… nutritious."
Gohan stopped and looked up at her when she said that. In his mind's eye, he saw a flashback of his mother pouring the radish soup for him and Goten all those months ago.
'I'm sorry, honey. It's all we… it's… nutritious.' his mother had said back then when Goten complained about eating it for a second day in a row. Even though he hadn't said anything back then, Gohan knew the real reason why his mother had prepared the same food for several days straight.
It wasn't just nutritious. It was the only food they could afford.
"Urara-chan," Gohan said.
"Hmm?"
"If I ask you something, do you promise not to get offended? I swear it isn't anything indecent!"
"Oh? Well okay, sure, Gohan. What is it?"
"Well, the thing is, there was something about you that I couldn't help but notice."
Ochaco's pink cheeks reddened, and it wasn't because of the cold.
"O-Oh yeah?" She stammered. "What about me?"
"Well… it's your eyes. They're so..."
"Oh Gohan," Ochaco looked away, blushing. "You don't have to flatter me."
"...sickly."
Ochaco froze.
"O-oh. That's not what I thought you were going to say at all," she said.
"Ochaco," Gohan said, concerned. "When's the last time you ate?"
"Day before yesterday," Ochaco confessed. "I think. But I can go several days on just Mochi. It's just that…"
"You're poor, aren't you?" Gohan asked. Ugh, that sounded way worse out loud. Gohan bit himself. He brought his arms up defensively.
"Um. What I mean is that… you look like you need some help." Dammit, that sounds even worse!
Ochaco's gaze fell to the ground and she became silent.
Gohan sighed, feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over him.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "Please don't feel humiliated, I'm not trying to put you down or pry on your life. It's just that I'm concerned about you, that's all. I guess you can say that I can relate."
Ochaco shifted in her seat, smiled and looked up at him with shining eyes.
"You're so sweet, Gohan," she said. "Thanks for your concern; I know you mean well. The truth is my parents… well, we're not a wealthy family at all. They're already sacrificing a lot to give me a chance to reach my dreams as it is. So when I run out of money for food, or clothes or cellphone minutes, I just think that… well, maybe I can sacrifice a little, too, you know?"
"Ochaco," Gohan watched her.
"But that's why I'm going to give it my all at the Entrance Exams today," she said. "I'm going to become a Pro and sign with a good Agency and make plenty of money. And then I'll be able to help my parents live comfortable lives."
Wow, Gohan felt something stir in his chest. For a tiny girl, she has such a huge heart!
"Urara-chan, you are so cool!" Gohan said with a big smile.
"Heh, thanks. So now that you know everything there is to know about me, tell me. What's your story?" Ochaco said, eating the food that the waiter returned with. "I see how much you eat. Admit it, you're filthy rich, aren't ya?!"
"Ah, well about that," Gohan stammered. Ochaco leaned in with a child-like smile, interested.
"The truth is, I'm not really rich," he told her. "I'm just lucky to have so many people on my side, helping achieve my goal of becoming a hero. In fact, before my, uhhm, uncle, took me in, I was in a very similar situation as you. You see, I didn't always live in Namek. I was born in a little farm on Mount Paozu. My dad died when I was a little kid, so my mom had to raise me and my little brother all alone. Eventually, we lost the farm to a bank and we moved to Musutafu, where my mom had to pull two jobs just to feed us radish soups. It was… hard, but it helped me appreciate all of the good things in life that I have now."
"That's true," Ochaco nodded. "That's what my daddy always tells me. As long as we are thankful for what we do have, we'll always have enough."
The waiter returned with even more food, and the two ate, talking about everything from their favorite heroes, to their favorite foods and hobbies. To his surprise, Ochaco was a lot more like him than he first thought. He found that he could relate to her struggles and goals, and if he was being honest, Gohan was starting to enjoy her company. To him, she wasn't some cute girl he wanted to hang out with. Ochaco was a genuinely good soul and he found her company wholesome.
The door to the restaurant opened as a family entered, and a cold breeze blew in, making them both shiver.
"I thought it was supposed to start warming up soon," Ochaco said, shivering.
"Honestly," Gohan said. He looked down at his thin jacket. Because of his constant training and his growing muscles, Gohan had either destroyed or outgrown most of his clothes. He looked down at his watch. 7:30AM. Still an hour before the exams start.
He looked back up and saw Ochaco rubbing her thin arms for warmth.
"Hey, Ochaco?"
She looked up at him from her plate.
"Yeah?"
"Do you want to go to the Mall with me?"
Ochaco's eyes widened and she started choking on her food.
"Urara-chan!" Gohan reached over and patted her back repeatedly until she swallowed the food.
Ochaco looked up, embarrassed, a large streak of red running over her nose.
"Um, you mean like a… a date… or something?"
"Hmm?" suddenly, it dawned on Gohan and he blushed at the corners of his cheeks.
"More like two friends hanging out, shopping for cold-weather clothes because if I'm being honest, I'm freezing!"
"Well, when you put it like that, I guess it would be okay," Ochaco finally looked up at him. "Why not? It sounds like fun."
After they finished eating, Gohan and Ochaco headed towards the mall closest to the school. Unsurprisingly, it was also packed, but they were able to make into one of the smaller clothing stores.
Ochaco picked out a burgundy colored hoodie, a scarf and a black and white track suit.
"Well, how do I look?" she asked Gohan, emerging from the changing room with her hoodie on. Gohan blinked twice.
"You look great," he said. "Check mine out."
Gohan disappeared into one of the changing rooms and came out sporting a lime-green tracksuit.
"That's the one, huh?" Ochaco teased.
"What do you mean? These threads are stylin'!"
"I'm just teasing. I think you look great… I mean the jacket... looks great on you… I mean, on your... body…" It was Ochaco's turn to look away. "Sorry, that came out wrong."
Gohan nodded, crossing his arms proudly.
"As I said – Stylin'."
With half an hour to spare, the two made it to UA. They marveled at the large building with endless windows as they crossed the walls and the huge entrance arch into the main plaza.
"This is it," Ochaco said, breathing in excitedly. "Our starting line!"
"Let's do our best, Plus Ultra!" Gohan told her.
Suddenly, the boy walking next to Ochaco took a nosedive towards the pavement. Ochaco caught him, activating her quirk and helping him up. All the green haired boy could do was stare in awe, as if this was the first time he ever seen a girl before.
"You okay, there, buddy?" Gohan asked. The boy didn't respond, his gaze darted in shock between Gohan and Ochaco.
"Oh, that. Yeah, I stopped you with my Quirk – Sorry for not asking first," Ochaco was saying. The guy just kept staring.
"Well, watch your step. It's pretty crowded today," Gohan patted his shoulders. The boy gulped and looked up at him. "Good luck in the exams!"
"Um… thanks," he squeaked nervously.
People had already stopped to stare at the encounter. Some even began to snicker and make fun of the green haired boy, so Gohan thought it was best to leave him be.
"Bye!" Ochaco said cheerfully before she hurried off to catch up with Gohan. The two entered into the building to the scent of books and candles. Ochaco took a deep breath in.
"Mmm, it smells like hopes and dreams," she said, dreamily. "It makes me want to read something."
"Yeah, isn't it the best feeling ever?" Gohan said as they made their way to the registration desk and formed in line behind the rest of the examinees.
"I'll be takin' you over here, little lady," said a masked man wearing red clothes and a cowboy hat, sitting at one of the registration tables.
Ochaco hurried over to him and he began asking her questions.
As Gohan watched her from his spot in line as she answered all of his questions with a huge, bubbly smile on her face.
"That's Snipe!" Someone behind him was whispering to someone else. "I heard he's a teacher at UA today. It would be so cool to have him as a teacher!"
"Of course he's a teacher, ya damn moron," someone growled. "Don't you know anything? Every Pro in this building today is a staff member. Quit gawking like an idiot, you're holding up the line."
Gohan turned to see who had said that, but the next available teacher called him to her table.
She was a gorgeous blonde with eyes so blue they were almost silvery. Her platinum blonde hair traveled down to her shoulders on her denim jacket. She gave him a warm smile as he arrived.
"Hey, there, my name's 18. Welcome to UA High."
"It's such a privilege to be here," Gohan said, excitedly.
"I bet," she looked up at him with a crooked smile from her registration form. She registered his name, mailing address, school records and contact information.
"Okay, last thing I need is a list of your abilities," she said. "What does your Quirk consist of?"
Gohan rubbed his chin.
"Well, I can use my life energy or ki for many different functions. I can focus it into the palms of my hands to create kinetic long range blasts as well as explosions of varying levels. I can also use my ki to fly at incredibly high speeds, and I lately I've been working on gathering my energy into a protective barrier."
18 nodded, typing everything down.
"Okay, last question. Why do you want to attend UA High. Why do you want to be a hero?"
Gohan thought about the question for a moment with his hands closed by his sides.
"I want to make a difference in people's lives. I want to show them that they're not alone, even in their darkest days. And I want to inspire people to help each other out, to show them that they, too, can become heroes."
"Ooh, All Might is going to love you," 18 said, typing away. When she was finished, she removed a white bracelet from the box on her desk.
"So, you're all done with registration," she said, snapping the bracelet on Gohan's left arm. "These are registration bracelets. They contain your Examinee info, and serve as your pass around UA for today as well as helps track your scores throughout both the written test and the practical. You're all set. I'm sending you to room 103 for your written exam. Good luck and Go Beyond! Plus Ultra!"
Gohan bowed respectfully and thanked her, moving on from the line. He was heading towards his assigned classroom for the written test when he felt a gentle poke on his ribs. He turned to see Ochaco, beaming proudly with her bracelet on.
"So… what classroom did you get sent to?" she asked.
"103 and you?"
Ochaco's smile fell only slightly.
"Oh," she said. "101 for me. I guess this means good-bye for now, huh?"
Gohan patted her shoulder.
"Good luck, Urara-chan. I'll wait for you after the exams."
"You will?" She smiled even wider.
Gohan shrugged.
"Sure thing. I'll be around."
"Okay," Ochaco backed away and waved at him. "See you later, then."
Gohan waved back, then turned and went to take his written exam.
For the next three hours, Gohan worked on his written test, which consisted of seemingly endless questions about Hero ethics, laws and hypothetical scenarios. All of those late nights studying with Mr. Popo paid off, since he knew the answer to just about every question on the test. After a short break, they were given something to eat from the cafeteria.
Then came the time for the Practical Exam. Combat. This is what I've been waiting for, Gohan thought to himself as he took his seat next to a pink-skinned girl with horns and a timid-looking boy with straight black hair that rained down the corners of his head.
"Hey, check out the hunk," the pink-skinned girl said when she saw Gohan coming towards him. The boy next to her looked away, annoyed.
"You have no filter, do you, Pinky?"
"Nope, not when it comes to cute boys or food," she said. When Gohan made it to his seat, the girl reached across the black-haired boy's desk to poke at Gohan's shoulder. "Hey, Muscles. Name's Mina Ashido from Musutafu Private School. Nice to meet ya!"
Gohan put his bag under his desk and nodded at the two with a smile.
"Nice to meet you both! I'm Gohan, from… Namek."
The two stared at him.
"Namek, huh?" Mina said. "You didn't commute all the way here, did ya?"
Gohan smiled.
"Nah," Gohan said. "I flew here using my Quirk."
"Oh, wow! A flight Quirk. That's so cool!" Mina said. "Okay, Muscles, well this here is E, he's also from my school. He's… a man of few words, to be honest, but he's starting to come out of his shell a little, aren't ya E?"
"My name is Eijiro Kirishima," he said, with an intense look in his scarlet red eyes. "Sorry, I'm not ignoring you, I'm just really pumped up for the Practical."
Gohan held up a hand.
"No worries, man."
The lights dimmed and floodlights came on, highlighting the figure in center stage.
"What's up, examinees. Are ya RRRRREADAHHHHH?"
It was Present Mic, the Voice Hero, who appeared on stage. He gave them a brief introduction to the School's history as well as a brief explanation of what to expect during the exam. During the presentation, Present Mic was rudely interrupted by a tall examinee that looked more like a teacher than a student.
"Get a load of this guy," Mina said, annoyed. "He's so bossy. I hope we don't end up in the same Practical."
"Way to jinx us, Pinky," Eijiro teased her dryly. "He'll probably end up being our class rep."
As those around him snickered and giggled, Gohan was paying special attention to what Present Mic's response. They were going to encounter an enemy worth zero points that would serve as an obstacle.
Eijiro leaned over to Gohan.
"Hmm, that's weird. Obstacles are great opportunities to show off how well we can control our quirks in an emergency, right? So why would it be worth zero points?"
Gohan's eyebrows furrowed and tapped his pencil against his cheek in thought.
"You're right. E," he said. "It doesn't make any sense to have an entire bot dedicated to being just an obstacle… unless..."
After the brief meeting, everyone was split up and assigned to different battle areas.
"Okay, fellas. Kill it out there!" Mina waved at them as she walked towards her gate. Eijiro and Gohan waved back as she left.
"She's got so much spirit," Gohan commented.
"Too much spirit," Kirishima corrected with a smile. "Anyway, I'm going to go to the front of the gates to get first dibs on bots. Coming?"
"Actually," Gohan said. "I'm going to hang back and look for someone. Good luck!"
"Alright man, suit yourself. Good luck!" Eijiro shrugged. Gohan peeled away and melted into the crowd, looking around. There were about a dozen testing sites for the practical so it was unlikely that he'd see her again until after the test. But maybe…
He scanned the crowd until he noticed the short girl wearing the black and white tracksuit. There she is!
"Hey, you," Gohan said, standing next to Ochaco. "How'd it go with the written exam?"
Ochaco turned and her eyes were blurry. She gave him a nervous thumbs up and Gohan noticed she was shaking.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"I'm really, really, really nervous, Gohan," Ochaco admitted. "I feel like I'm gonna puke."
"Don't be. You'll be fine," Gohan said. "I've been thinking about the design of the villain bots and I think I have an idea. Stick close to me and we'll do just fine."
Ochaco nodded, but the look of anxiety did not leave her face.
"Okay, close your eyes," Gohan said.
"Huh?"
"Just close your eyes and relax your breathing."
"Okay," Ochaco closed her eyes and began breathing deeply.
Gohan reached up to her and placing two fingers and his thumb against her skin, he gently, but firmly massaged her neck and shoulders.
"Oh yeah," he said, concerned. "No wonder you're so tense. You're all knotted up."
"Yeahhh," Ochaco moaned with a dreamy smile. "I'm definitely knotted up."
"Better?"
"Mmm yeah," Ochaco's eyes fluttered open. "Much, much better. You're really good at that!"
"A relaxed mind is a focused mind," Gohan said. "One of the many things my uncle taught me."
"Your uncle sounds like an interesting guy."
"Oh yeah," Gohan chuckled. "Definitely interesting."
"Okay," she said. "What's the plan?"
"So, I'm thinking if we combine our quirks, we'll be able to pull ahead of the pack and get the first points we can find. Present Mic said that the AI in the robots will send the points to our wristbands, but only the person that brings down the machines will actually get the points, right? So here's the plan…"
After discussing strategy with Ochaco, the two waited for the gates to open.
"Hey, look over there," somebody next to Gohan said, pointing at the green haired boy. "That's the guy that almost bit out front earlier."
"He practically wet himself in the lecture hall."
"Dude, what a loser. One less rival to worry about, I guess."
"He's out."
Gohan felt something move in his chest. When he was a little boy, considered quirkless, he was also teased and bullied by his classmates. If only those classmates could see him now. If only that green haired kid could see his own potential. Right now, he just looked frightened and unprepared.
Gohan sighed.
"Hey, Green Hair," Gohan called out. The boy looked up at him and suddenly Gohan became the center of attention. "Don't listen to them, man," he told the quaking boy. "Just give it your best, alright? You're here for a reason, aren't you? I'm sure there are people counting on you right now to achieve your dreams. Don't let them down, okay?"
Gohan saw as the look of fear left the boy's face and was slowly replaced by a look of determination.
"Right," he said.
"By the way, what's your name?"
"Oh, my name is Izuku Midoriya. It's nice to meet you."
The kid was starting to relax a bit. Good.
"Cool. I'm Gohan. And don't worry about these other guys. Show them what you've got."
"I will try," Midoriya nodded.
"Plus Ultra," Gohan raised a fist up and Midoriya nodded.
"AAAAAND STAAAAAAART!" Present Mic announced suddenly. Everyone looked around confused, waiting for a countdown.
Ochaco looked up at Gohan, confused.
"Did he just say…?"
"Yep, time to move! Ready?" Gohan said, reaching his hand out to her. Ochaco nodded and caught his hand, activating her Quirk on both of them. Now weightless, Gohan wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Hold on tight," he said and she nodded again, wrapping her arms around his chest. Here goes nothing!
Gohan and Ochaco blasted off, leaving everyone else behind in the dust.
"RUN! RUN! RUN!" Present Mic was shouting in frustration. "There are no countdowns in real life!"
The pack seemed to get it, because they surged forward.
Gohan and Ochaco flew through the gates and landed in what had been modeled to look like a town square. Gohan's eyes scanned the shadowy alleyways and Ochaco stood behind him, back to back.
Out of the corner of his eye, something moved.
"Gohan," Ochaco said, nervously.
"I see him!" Gohan called, forming an orb of energy in his hand. "He's mine!"
The three point bot surged forward. Gohan leaped forward to meet it in midair, unleashing a devastating blast of energy. The ki blast tore through the bot like a knife on butter. It collapsed on the floor in a charred mess. The wristband on Gohan's wrist beeped, crediting him with the three points.
Gohan turned back around to see that Ochaco had headed off a few steps ahead and was now being surrounded by three two-pointers. They moved in with their scorpion like tails, slashing at Ochaco, but she leaped forward, narrowly being missed by the swinging appendage of one of the bots. She slid to a stop right in front of it and touched it, activating her quirk. Now weightless, Ochaco easily picked it up and flung it into the air.
She quickly moved to the next two. The bots regrouped and before she could reach them, one of the bots leaped just out of range. The whip-like tail swung down, intent on crushing Ochaco, but suddenly Gohan was there in front of her. He caught the bot's tail and, using all of his strength, bent it backwards and pulled, hard. The tail ripped right out, and Gohan swung it around like a baseball bat to tear the third bots tail off. Defenseless, the bots could do nothing as Ochaco tapped her fingers on both of them, sending them into the air with a weightless hurl to join the third bot in the air.
"And release," Ochaco said, straining. All of the bots fell from the sky and Gohan kicked them so they wouldn't land anywhere near Ochaco. When the bots hit the ground, they all exploded, and Ochaco's wristlock chirped, giving her 6 points.
"I got them! Gohan! I got some points!" She yelled happily.
"Attagirl," Gohan yelled back as he used a three-pointer like a hammer to crush a one-pointer. The space separating Gohan and Ochaco was littered with bots that Gohan had destroyed.
48 Villain Points. Making progress, Gohan thought.
"Wow!" Ochaco gasped, amazed at Gohan's speed and power. "You took down all of those bots in less than a minute?!"
Gohan flew over to her with a wide smile.
"Oops, sorry, I didn't mean to hog them all for myself."
He extended a hand to her and she used her quirk on them again, as they had planned. Weightless and thanks to Gohan's amazing speed, they covered ground fast.
By now the rest of the examinees had caught up and were beginning to fight over the remaining bots in the town square. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the green haired boy looking as lost as ever. Gohan quickly looked around and spotted a one-pointer coming after him. He hovered to the ground and set Ochaco down on the ground.
"Give me a sec, I'll be right back," he told her and few towards the bot was chasing them.
"Hey, Izuku," he called out. Midoriya looked up at him nervously. "Here's one for ya. Get his point!"
Gohan ran towards the bot and flipped over it, somersaulting and delivering a hard kick that sent the bot rolling straight towards Midoriya. Midoriya screamed, but couldn't move out of the way.
"Hey, come on! Destroy it before you get hurt!" He yelled but the kid just stood still.
Oh, crap! Not good! Gohan thought. He formed a simple ki blast in his hand and shot it out. It connected with the bot and it exploded to burning pieces.
"Oops! Sorry about that!" Gohan called. "I shouldv'e asked first, if you needed some help. Later!"
When he found Ochaco, she had another three bots floating in the air.
"That's it, Urara-chan! You've got this!"
Ochacho clasped her hands together.
"And, release," she said, tiredly. The bots all fell to the ground and exploded. For a moment she fell forward with her hands on her knees. The girl was beginning to strain her Quirk.
"Okay," she said, breathlessly. "That should be at least 28 points. We should probably move over to the outskirts of the city," Ochaco suggested. "Everyone seems to be gunning for the square so if we go to the little streets far from the center, I'm sure we'll find more bots there."
"Good thinking," Gohan nodded. Together they peeled away from the pack and went off on their own. Ochaco had been right.
The majority of people were focused on fighting in big groups and in wide open spaces. But out here, the streets were narrow, so less people had traveled here. That left plenty of room for targets. Gohan and Ochaco landed and immediately, they were met with a dozen or so three-pointers. As Ochaco would activate her Quirk on a bot, she would either throw up high in the air or use it as a battering ram to knock out other bots.
Steadily, their scores began to rise, but there just seemed no end to the bots. Gohan found himself constantly distracted because he couldn't let Ochaco out of his sight. In a crazy move, one of the bots was able to sidestep Ochaco and swing back, hitting her in the face.
"Ow!" Ochaco cried, falling onto her back. The bot mercilessly pursued her with its foot raised like a fang ready to bite down. Ochaco curled into a ball on the ground.
Gohan glanced around but there was just no way to fight them one on one. The bots were swarming around them at this point. There was only one way to clear through.
"Urara-chan," Gohan yelled. "Stay down!"
Ochaco looked back at him and immediately dug her head under her hands. Gohan gathered as much energy as he could, channeling it all straight from his core and holding his arms out in opposite directions. His body floated just slightly and began to spin in midair.
"DOUBLE MASENKO- HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Brilliant golden energy shot up from his outstretched palms. The twin beams eviscerated all of the bots immediately, as Gohan spun around in midair.
When he was done, all of the bots crashed around them, completely trashed.
Gohan slowly descended to the ground and quickly ran over to Ochaco.
"Urara-chan, are you hurt?"
There were tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Not too bad, but my arm hurts so bad!" She lifted her arm and a pool of red flowed down to her elbow.
"Okay," Gohan said, mostly to himself. "It doesn't look broken, so that's good. Just give me a second, I'll bandage it for you."
Gohan quickly took off his green jacket and ripped the sleeves off. His warm air came out in puffs in the chilly morning.
"Hold still, okay," he said, giving her a compassionate look. "This is going to sting a little."
He used one sleeve to clean the blood and the rocks that had sliced and torn their way into Ochaco's tiny arm. Ochaco squealed with pain, but she bit her jacket collar, trying not to scream out loud.
"I'm sorry," Gohan said. "I know it hurts, but I had to clean it. Painful part's over now."
Ochaco just nodded with large tears in her eyes.
Quickly, Gohan wrapped the other sleeve around her arm and knotted it. As he was doing so, a bot suddenly came flying towards them, its metal claws extended, aiming straight at Gohan's back.
"Gohan! Watch out!" Ochaco yelled. Gohan turned, just in time to see a blue blur tear through it. Gohan and Ochaco stared at the space where the bot had just been a second ago.
The examinee that had just destroyed the bot stood from its smoldering ruins. His glasses shined in the sunlight and he gave them a disapproving look.
"You two, don't you know that this is an individual test?"
He turned his judgmental look at Gohan.
"You should be more focused on scoring points for the exam, not with the ladies."
"It's not against the rules to help each other," Gohan said, standing and helping Ochaco to her feet.
"Yeah," Ochaco said, dusting herself off and wiping her tears. "You just helped us out, didn't you?"
"I did no such thing," Glasses said. "The only thing I did was increase my score by 3 points."
"In any case," Gohan said. "You saved our necks. Thank you."
Glasses' features softened a bit.
"Right, well… don't just stand there. We still have five minutes left in the exam. Good luck!"
Glasses' legs whined like engines and he sped off into the distance.
"Well, he's certainly a character, isn't he?" Ochaco commented.
"No doubt," Gohan nodded. "Okay, it looks like we wiped out all the bots in this area so let's try going back to-"
Suddenly he turned towards something Ochaco didn't see.
"Do you hear that?" he asked. Ochaco poised herself in the direction that Gohan was indicating, but shook her head.
"Besides explosions, I don't hear anything," she said.
"Someone's calling for help," Gohan said, his eyebrows furrowed. "Ochaco."
"Right behind you," she nodded. "Lead the way."
Help Meeeee! Please my friends help meeeeee!
"I can hear him," Gohan was saying as he flew, his arm wrapped around Ochaco's waist. "He's close."
"Hmmm," Ochaco was scanning the debris. "I don't see or hear anybody."
Please my little friends send someone to help me.
Gohan heard it so close.
"Okay, this is going to sound weird but I… I think it's in my head," Gohan said, touching down on the ground.
"Oh, no really?" Ochaco said worriedly, putting the back of her hand against his face to feel his temperature. "Did you hit your head hard on something?"
"I don't think I did," Gohan shook his head. If I can hear the voice in my head, can the voice hear me?
Hey! Can you hear me! He thought.
Are you my friend? The voice responded. Where are you?
Gohan was so confused but he refused to leave the voice in need behind.
I'm here to help you, he thought. Where are you?
See those red beams? One of the bots brought them down on top of me. I'm stuck!
Are you hurt?
Not too badly.
Okay, hang on, we're coming to get you out!
Gohan turned to Ochaco, he was staring at him, holding her good hand over her mouth, suppressing a laugh.
"What?" Gohan asked.
"Pffft.. You were making really funny monkey sounds a second ago, Gohan," she chortled.
"I… was?" Gohan turned back to the red beams. What kind of Quirk could this examinee have? And how the heck can I hear him in my head?
"Urara-chan, I think he's under those collapsed beams. Think you can give me a hand with them?" he asked her.
"Okay, but there's so many of them!"
Indeed it looked like an entire structure had fallen on top of the voice. Gohan and Ochaco lifted as many beams as they could, but there were just so many of them.
"Two minutes remaining!" Present Mic said.
Gohan ran his fingers through his hair. They didn't have enough time to rescue someone alone. What if Ochaco didn't pass because she had been following him around this entire time? Looking up, he saw three examinees running up through the smoke towards them.
"He's down here, somewhere," a girl with an earphone jack quirk was saying. She looked up at Gohan and Ochaco. "Oh, good, someone else heard him, too."
"Good going, Kyoka!" Kirishima said, calling out to the voice below. "Don't worry, pal. We're here to help. Gohan!"
"E!" Gohan said, relieved. "He said he's under these beams somewhere."
"I didn't hear any voice," Kyoka said. "But I can hear him tapping on the beams, so we know he's conscious, at least."
"Well then let's stop standing around and let's get him out of there!" Kirishima yelled. He slammed his fists together and his skin became as hard as steel and his fingers as sharp as knives. He plunged into the beams and started cutting them to shreds, making it easier to pick up.
"Tokoyami!" Kyoka barked.
The third examinee, a slender boy with a bird head, nodded and lifted his black cloak.
"Dark Shadow, go!"
A black and purple shadow monster snaked out from Tokoyami's chest.
"Leave it to me!" It said. With the four of them digging, they were finally able to reach the voice down below. To their surprise, it was a gentle giant -looking examinee with Pink skin and huge, soft eyes.
"You alright, big guy?" Gohan asked, reaching out his hand.
The examinee nodded quickly.
I took down all the bots with me.
At least you got the points, Gohan thought.
The boy's eyes widened.
Wait, you can hear my real voice?
"Yes, I can hear you," Gohan said aloud. Everyone was staring at him. He shook his head. There was less than a minute remaining now. "Come on, let's get you up. Are you hurt?"
The boy quickly shook his head no.
With the beams removed, two of the bots that hadn't yet been destroyed broke free and attacked the group.
"They're mine!" Kyoka shouted. Her earphone jacks connected to her boots and her heartbeat came out in amplified sound waves. The waves were so intense they pulverized the two bots, adding to Kyoka's points.
"Alright," Gohan said. "We should stay together for the next thirty seconds. If we can just-"
Suddenly Kyoka held her hand up.
"Muscles, shut up!"
"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Gohan said.
Kyoka turned to give him a stern look.
"I can hear something coming – something big!"
Everyone formed into a circle.
Slowly the ground began to quake.
"Is that an earthquake?" Ochaco shouted, holding onto Gohan.
Gohan's eyes scanned the area. There's only about thirty seconds left. What could possibly…?
The ground exploded with great force and opened up. What looked like one of the buildings turned out to be the head of a giant robot. The robot began to roll on it's tank-like feet towards them at a high spped.
"What the crap?!" Kirishima yelled. "Are they trying to kill us?"
"Gargantuan fiend!" Tokoyami commented.
"We need to get out of here!" Kyoka yelled. "Come on, move it!"
"She's right, everybody grab onto me!" Gohan yelled. Everyone jumped onto Gohan by his arms and legs, and Ochaco held onto his waist. Gohan put everything he had into his quirk.
"Hold on, everybody!"
And with that, Gohan shot into the air as the Zero Pointer's tank-like feet rolled over where they had just been. The six flew around the bot's feet, narrowly missing it and flew towards a safe distance in the opposite direction of the Zero Pointer, effectively dodging the biggest obstacle in the test. Gohan gently put everyone on the ground.
Ochaco couldn't hold in the nausea from overusing her quirk and flying around with Gohan anymore. Turning around and finding a discreet place, she emptied her stomach out.
"Well, that was really something, wasn't it?" Eijiro was saying.
Kyoka looked off into the distance and suddenly her earphone jack flew up.
"Oh no," she said. "There's someone trapped under the Robot's foot! They're going to get crushed!"
Gohan looked up and in the distance, he saw the girl who was trapped under the rubble. The robot was practically on top of her now.
"I'll get her!" Gohan took off running and shot into the sky. A faint aura formed around his body as he went faster. Faster. FASTER!
Just before he reached the blonde girl that was trapped, a green blur shot up past him like a rocket. Everyone stared as Izuku Midoriya flew through the air straight towards the face of the robot.
SMAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSHHHHH!
Ending Song
"Re:Make" by One Ok Rock
Here's the preview!
Midoriya showed true strength and courage by taking out the Zero Point Bot and saving the blonde girl. So why is Ochaco so sad? The results may come sooner than you think, but you may just be surprised to find out who actually made it in. Find out! Next time: "Chapter 7 – Gohan's… a nerd?! UA Test Results are in!"
Don't miss it! Go Beyond – Plus Ultra!
A/N: Phew! Finally done. Just wanted to note that Kuri Shimamura is the reporter lady with the ponytail and the blue pantsuit, known in the anime as… Female Reporter! XD So I gave her a name that combines both of her voice actresses. She's going to play a role in Gohan's Hero Journey.
Okay, here are my responses to some reviews from our Guests.
To all the guests/users who enjoyed the story so far – thank you! You give me the inspiration to keep going forward, despite the flaws in my writing!
X3Runner – thanks! I do intend on giving him a few rage moments, mostly in the heat of battle. And no special poses for this Hero hehe As for the ships… thanks for the suggestions, although it's not that kind of ship haha :)
Atomic God, Spike 338, Hamza, bizzare coyote, Cristopher, Imnotaweeb, MajinMonster (SHOUTOUT!) and Ryou Kenji – Thank you so much! I love reading your reviews.
Para todos los que leen este cuento en espanol, (Terry y Zerfec) muchisimas gracias por todo el apoyo! Los aprecio muchisimo y espero que les pueda dar un cuento que les encante. Saludos!
Guest – This is regarding to retconning Gohan's age. I did make a mistake, because I thought he was 16 in the Buu Saga when Gohan first enrolled into High School. I may have to bring it down to 15, since that is High School age in Japan.
N1cok – Thank you for your constructive criticism! I appreciate it. And About the defibrilator, I probably should have made it more clear that there were thousands of evacuees, many of them wounded/dead/dying so there wouldn't be enough defibs to go around. A little further down in the story, there's going to be about a chapter dedicated to presenting what exactly happened on that fateful day seven years ago.
JustinCase – You know, you're probably right. But I'm trying to showcase his training with Piccolo side by side with his training with All Might, and later again with his internship Pro Hero. So we'll see some of the things he went through side by side with what he's learning now.
ItzIna – yep massively AU is right. I wanted to have complete creative freedom on how to build this story. I hope you end up liking it.
Finally, I want to thank everyone for their ship ideas. Itsuka Kendo, Momo, Jirou, Mina, Melissa Shield and everyone else that was suggested are great choices. But I'm sticking to a ship I haven't seen in any of the xover fics yet.
If you're absolutely curious and you absolutely want to know, you can look up the concept art for Pan for the upcoming Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie. Why? Pan looks just like a combo of Gohan and his love interest in this story.
Okay, that's all for now! I'm sorry if I missed anything. Just let me know! I hope you liked this chapter, even though it was super long! I'll see you next chapter!