"Nii-san!" said Gohan, eagerly. He ran up and hugged Zero on the legs, as that was the only thing he could reach.
"Hey, minion," joked Zero. He ruffled Gohan's hair affectionately.
The day Gohan was born, Goku had named Zero Gohan's godfather/older brother. Zero had taken the responsibility quite seriously, and as such whenever he visited made a point of training Gohan in how to fight while teaching him math and other subject.
Chichi's complaints on the matter were dropped after finding out that after Gohan started to equate learning with fighting (even if he didn't understand what it was just yet), his teachers had moved Gohan up by two grade levels alone.
It was a fact that she was slowly coming to terms with...Gohan was very much his father's son, but at least Izuku was training him to use his actual brain. Goku, by this point, was pretty much a lost cause in that regard.
"How long are you staying this time, nii-san?" asked Gohan, happily sitting on Zero's shoulders.
"Just a few days. I start a new school soon, so I thought I'd visit and check on you and my mom."
"Aunty Inko is so cool!" said Gohan happily. His mom was a lot happier having Inko around, and she was really nice. Plus she wasn't as strict about the homework, so long as he kept his grades up.
He didn't get why his mom Chichi didn't like fighting, especially with how strong his dad was.
Once they checked in with the adults, Izuku took Gohan out to the forest for a bit of training. Goku followed them, mostly because it meant some guy time with his son and a boy he considered a little brother.
"So what sort of school did you get into?" asked Gohan, as Zero had them go through the basic forms for a warm up. Gohan was getting pretty good at Aikido and Judo, since he and his dad practiced it regularly. Chichi hadn't liked it, but after realizing that Gohan wasn't learning to use any energy attacks kept her silence on the matter.
Having a healthy body was a good thing, after all. Besides, it was basic self-defense anyone could learn.
"I managed to secure a spot into UA, the hero school," said Zero. He moved onto the next set.
"Congratulations!" said Goku.
"Well, I did promise Mom before I accidentally found out our world has Dragonballs of our own."
Goku paused at that.
"Have you found the local Kami?"
"No, but it's not for lack of trying. I think whoever it is wiped out the records of their presence on top of destroying all the myths and legends of the Dragonballs," said Zero. "The only thing I can think of to explain why I haven't found even a hint of a story about them is that someone made a wish to rid the world of all evidence of them."
There was no way he was the ONLY person to figure out how to use the Dragonballs. SOMEONE would have written it down or mentioned it.
He was getting close to find them though. Space travel had ground to a halt when Quirks became available. Which meant it was unlikely anyone would find the Kami's palace, because they wouldn't have any eyes from the sky.
Bulma had shown him a picture of the palace from satellite picture, and he had been there once or twice.
He had his own stash of senzu beans from Korin, and he had a plant that he was cultivating on the side. He found it really relaxing, and Korin was all too happy to help him with gardening tips.
Everyone needed a hobby after all.
A few days later...
Zero...or rather "Izuku" walked into UA with a bored expression on his face. Honestly, he could care less about being a "hero" by modern standards. He had little need for the glory, fame or the money.
And really, five minutes in the presence of these 'children' made him want to leave. He got along better with Goku's band of brawlers than he did these teenagers.
His boredom was only alleviated by the fact that the teacher clearly wanted to bring them back down to earth by reminding them that heroes were more than just glory hounds.
Izuku fully approved of the measure, but breezed through the tests with a bored expression on his face.
"Well at least one of you has the right outlook for a hero," said Aizawa-sensei.
Izuku twitched.
"That implies I agree with the current mindset of a 'pro hero'. I actually can't stand most of them," said Izuku flatly.
That got the attention of the rest of the class.
"Can't stand them?" repeated Momo. "Why are you in this class then?"
"I made a promise to my mother to at least try to graduate from UA before she died...all at the hands of a Pro Hero."
Dead silence.
"Was your mother a villain?" asked Tenya tentatively.
"No. She was a civilian who wasn't even in the crossfire between the hero or the villain. She died from burns and smoke inhalation, all because the asshole pro hero let his quirk burn out of control and didn't care about the building he set on fire with his quirk."
Izuku made a pointed look at the red and white haired teen who had introduced himself as Todoroki Shouto.
The teen had a fair idea who the pro hero was.
The others wisely kept silent on the matter, though it was clear Midoriya held himself a world apart from the rest of them. It would make getting close to their classmate difficult.
Out of all the pro heroes, Izuku only really held respect for one. All Might might be larger than life, but he was genuine about wanting to help people and had held up the pro hero sect for decades without complaint.
It took him all of ten seconds to register something was very wrong with the pro hero. His ki felt all wrong, like he had sustained a nasty injury and was still recovering from it.
Since he had learned the rare art of patience, Izuku waited until after class to approach the Pro Hero.
Seeing him deflate into a scarecrow version of himself that coughed up blood, Izuku knew he couldn't let this stand.
"Well...that certainly explains why you took up teaching so abruptly, despite having zero experience with teenagers," said Izuku calmly.
All Might was clearly very startled at being busted, since he hadn't expected one of his new students to bust him so fast.
"How did you..."
"I'm fast," deadpanned Izuku. "Exactly what is the extent of the damage and how long have you had it?"
All Might stared at him. His gut instinct as a hero told him to trust the boy. He couldn't explain it, but something in the teen before him made him think of a fellow pro hero, one who was in it for the right reasons.
Which was ridiculous, because child heroes were banned for a reason. Apprentices were strictly regulated, and he had never heard of one like Midoriya.
All Might sighed.
"Five years. I took a hit that nearly killed me. I'm living on borrowed time."
Izuku gave him an impassive stare.
"And the extent of the damage?" asked Izuku seriously.
"Bad. They had to take out parts of my internal organs, and even then the remainder are heavily damaged."
Izuku hummed to himself.
"The nurse has a specialized healing quirk, one that works almost immediately right?"
"Recovery Girl can't fix this," said All Might. "She was part of the team that saved my life."
"Actually I was thinking of her observing," replied Izuku. "I might have something that can help, but I'd rather not get bitched out later by the nurse for something 'untested' by modern standards. The other option won't be available for at least another nine months."
Worse case scenario he tracked down the Dragonballs again. It had been three months since he made that wish, after all.
All Might was clearly dubious. Then again it wasn't like the modern heroes knew of the senzu beans after all.
The next morning, before six...
Recovery Girl looked at the innocent little bean incredulous.
"I assure you, a placebo effect won't help him," she informed the teen.
Izuku rolled his eyes.
"Which is why I'm giving you one first to prove their effectiveness before handing one to him. I know for a fact they work."
All Might, or rather Toshinori Yagi, watched as Recovery Girl downed the bean. Her grimace paid testament to the taste, but the second it hit her stomach the reaction was immediate.
Recovery Girl looked like she had lost a decade on her and she was filled with energy.
"What on earth are those?" she said intently.
"Senzu beans. They take forever to grow, but once they're matured enough to use, they're a godsend for fighters," said Izuku without hesitation. He dropped one in Toshinori's hand. "They don't really taste good, but their effects are more than worth it."
Toshinori looked at the innocent seeming bean. Then, with some trepidation, he ate it.
Within seconds he was coughing up blood again...however he could tell the difference immediately. It felt like parts of his body were regenerating, as his pain was subsiding to noticeable levels. It wasn't perfect, since the injury was a bit too old, but the fact his body was being restored to a level he thought would never come again on top of the major energy boost was amazing.
Once he got over his coughing fit, Recovery Girl immediately checked his physical condition. Her expression said volumes.
"This could revolutionize the medical industry," said Recovery Girl.
"Fair warning, it also fills you up for a few days so don't be alarmed if you don't eat anything for a day or two," said Izuku helpfully. "And I'd be willing to part with three of the beans, but I won't tell you the source because it would just cause trouble."
"Fair enough," said Recovery Girl. The idea of these beans in the hands of the villains was bad enough. It made sense he'd protect the source.
Toshinori was still in shock his condition had reversed itself so drastically without any warning.
"What do I owe you?" asked Toshinori.
Izuku pulled his hood back up.
"Nothing. You're one of the few pro heroes I still moderately respect, especially after what Endeavor's arrogance did to my mother. I wasn't about to sit still and let you continue to suffer after learning of your condition. Besides, I know a few guys who'd love to have a fight with you in your All Might state," said Izuku unconcerned.
Goku would probably love every minute of it, even All Might had no clue how to use ki.
Unnoticed by Izuku, Toshinori had a speculative look on his face.
Which was why he went to have a look at the boy's profile. Nezu was all to happy to hand it over when he found out why Toshinori wanted it.
Toshinori had to wince when he read how Izuku's quirk was crippled at a very young age.
Izuku made no sign he noticed All Might and his rather creepy stalking. To be fair, he was pretty sure the man was trying to find a way to repay him for giving his life back. He could already tell the difference...there was a vigor and life to the hero that had been missing their first class. Most of the students had chalked it up to first class jitters by this point.
He was about to head home when he got the call.
"Yo. Yeah, I got it. Seven fine?" said Izuku unconcerned. "I know, I know. Put on a good showing. You better have the coin or else."
He hung up, without caring All Might heard the entire conversation. It wasn't like it mattered anyway...he was being paid to put on a good show and remind people who the top dog was without utterly humiliating the competition.
A bunch of out of town idiots had arrived and the owners wanted them to know the pecking order sooner rather than later. Several of them foreigners, likely from the recent batch of exchange heroes looking for a quick fight where they could let loose.
Izuku went to eat something, then used his quirk to travel between. All Might missed him completely, which wasn't surprising.
Pulling his hood up and his visor on, Izuku stepped back and let Zero out to play.
"Where's the new meat?" he asked.
"Ready for you," said the bouncer. "Have fun."
Zero gave him a one-handed wave, before walking in.
"Him? He's just a brat!" sneered the idiot.
The owner had set the more eager fighters on them first, but Zero was the real prize. No one had been able to beat him in two years.
Zero walked onto the stage and waited, clearly unconcerned about his opponent. The man was weaker than Bulma, for crying out loud.
The hero made a wild swing, thinking Zero to be an easy mark. Instead what he got was a swift and painful landing on his ass as Zero tripped him without care.
Zero easily dodged and weaved around the heroes, not even bothering to use his quirk. They were in slow motion to him, after all the training he had one.
In the end he walked out with 250,000 yen more than he had walking in. A good payday for some easy work.