A/N: Sorry this took longer than I originally thought. I've re-written this chapter probably five different times in the last couple of weeks, but I finally got a version that I think I'm happy with. Please enjoy and leave a review. Reviews really do motivate me to work on my stories.

Chapter Three Meetings? Meetings!

Gohan awoke on the couch in the center of the small staff lounge, stretching to work out the kinks that the tiny couch had left in his spine. The room was still wreathed in darkness, although the curtains were opened so he could see the city lights twinkling in the distance. He sat up, noticing a small note laying on the low table beside the couch. He snatched up the note, frowning at the unfamiliar handwriting and the strangely heavy paper.

'I will bring your master to meet with you for no more than one half of an Earth hour in twenty minutes.'

Gohan raised an eyebrow at the note. He honestly hadn't expected the Kai to uphold his end of the bargain. A welcome surprise, but a surprise, nonetheless.

The young Saiyan stood and walked to the small sink in one corner of the lounge, cleansing his face and neck before running a damp hand through his thick black hair. Gohan proceeded to fill a cup with water and poured it into the tea maker sitting on the counter, carrying the tea maker to the low-slung coffee table beside the couch. He waited a few moments for the tea to warm and steep before pouring himself a cup of tea, settling on the couch to await his visitors.

After a few moments of waiting, a violet disc opened up in the middle of the room. Two tall figures stepped out of the disc, one easily recognizable as the South Supreme Kai. The other was exceptionally tall with green skin and exposed pink muscles, sporting a purple gi with a pure white cloak. Gohan stood and bowed at the waist to the green-skinned man.

"Master Piccolo."

Piccolo nodded to his student before stepping over to stand beside him. "Supreme Kai said that you had something to explain."

Gohan nodded. "The South Supreme Kai has informed me that I have been sent into exile."

Piccolo jerked his head back like he had been slapped. "He said what? For what reason has the Council of Kai's done this?!" The green man stood up facing the Kai, who stood with a small smirk.

"We deemed him too dangerous for our dimension, Namekian." The smirking Kai waved a hand, paralyzing the Namekian before he could do anything. A second wave paralyzed Gohan as well. "I exiled the whelp because he decided to mess with powers beyond the kin of mortals. The only reason I even allowed this meeting was because it provided some amusement for me. I decided to be a benevolent Kai and allowed you to have contact with him one last time before he is forever lost to you." The Kai brought his significant power to bear on the pair, leveling his ki presence on them like a series of massive weights. After a few moments, a small flick of his hand unfroze both Gohan and Piccolo.

The green-skinned man glowered at the Kai, his ki spiking dangerously high. Gohan placed a hand on Piccolo's arm before his master lunged at the smirking Kai.

"Don't worry about it, master Piccolo. What's done is done. Neither of us are powerful enough to go against one of the Supreme Kai's." The young Saiyan gave his master hard look. "Besides, this world isn't so bad. Not a ton of planet-wide threats, so I'm really mostly in danger of getting bored after a while. Also, being a superhero is an actual job for the government here. Maybe I'll become a superhero." Gohan shrugged with a crooked grin.

Piccolo's expression darkened as he looked at his student. They stared at one another for a moment before Piccolo relaxed. "What do you want me to tell your mother and the others?"

"Something resembling the truth. I'm stuck somewhere, out of contact, I'm not in danger. Keep Vegeta in check, make sure Goten and Trunks are getting the mental training that they need to balance out their physical training. Give them what they need to hear, try to be there for my mother and Goten. They'll need you." Gohan reached out a hand to his mentor.

Piccolo grasped his forearm, patting the younger man on the shoulder. "I'm ready to return, Supreme Kai." Piccolo stepped back to be shoulder to shoulder with the Kai. The Kai opened another purple disc behind them and stepped backwards through it. Piccolo took one last look at his old student. "Be the best hero you can be. You are your father's son, my greatest student, and most importantly: Son Gohan." With that, the former Guardian of Earth stepped back through the disc.

Gohan took a deep breath and wiped at his eyes. He walked to the center of the staff room and sat in the Lotus position, cupping his hands in his lap. The Saiyan centered himself, his mind going blank as he brought his focus inward. Part of his normal routine, Gohan had reduced his need for sleep by utilizing intense and regular meditation. That training certainly helped him keep up with both his schoolwork and his training in the past, as well as helping him deal with a number of his emotional issues. This was certainly a good time to meditate on his emotions.

After an hour of meditation, Gohan smoothly stood and began to run through the most basic kata of the Turtle School, slowly at first, then building up to a quarter speed. Once he finished running through the Ninety-Nine Apprentice Katas and the Fifty Journeyman Katas, the young Saiyan switched over to a style that was less familiar. Gohan ran through the katas, much more hesitant than with the Turtle Katas. He would change small movements and positions before retracing the kata from the beginning.

Gohan noticed the lanky blonde from yesterday was against the doorway, watching him go through the stuttering motions of the new kata. Once the young Saiyan reached a good stopping place, he straightened and turned to face his visitor.

"Yes, All Might-san?"

The lanky blonde grinned at the teen. "I was just curious about your fighting. I am not a martial artist myself, but I've been around enough heroes who utilize them to recognize an expert. And you, my boy, are certainly an expert. Though I can definitively say that I've never seen either of those styles before."

"One is an old style, passed down for centuries and taught to me by my father. The other is more of a… work in progress. The final step in becoming a Master, in the eyes of many Masters. Creation and contribution."

"Many heroes who teach at this very school do so in an attempt to accomplish those goals." All Might's grin stretched across his skeletal features. "Contributing to the next generation, creating new techniques and molding new minds."

Gohan continued to move about the room as he talked with All Might. He folded the blanket neatly, placing it on the end of the couch. He frowned and pinched his torn gi top, pulling it away from his torso. He sniffed it and crinkled his nose.

"You wouldn't happen to have a spare change of clothes, would you? I didn't really plan to need any more clothes until I reached home and that obviously hasn't happened."

"I thought you might want something like that before meeting with anyone else. I think it should fit, I guessed your general size." All Might pulled a hand from behind his back and tossed a folded set of blue cloth at the young man.

Gohan flashed the gaunt hero a grin and waved him out of the door. A few moments later, Gohan stepped outside the staff lounge in a blue tracksuit adorned with white lines. Gohan followed the hero back to the large office that he had been in the night before. The strange creature (Gohan was still unsure if he was a dog, a mouse, a cat, or some unnatural combination thereof) was sitting calmly behind a massive desk with a cup of tea in hand. A quick look around the room revealed another man sitting in the corner, wearing a trench coat.

"Ah, good morning, young man. Please, take a seat."

Gohan bowed respectfully to the strange creature before taking his seat. "Thank you, Nezu-san. What was it that you wanted to discuss with me?"

#

Principal Nezu POV

Nezu smiled into his cup of tea, his clever eyes taking in the young man sitting before him. The strange creature loved puzzles and mysteries, of all kinds, and this young man was an enigma wrapped in layers of mystery inside a puzzle. Everything from the torn clothing that he wore the previous evening to the graceful movements he exhibited with every step. His movements were similar to many of the trained pro heroes that Nezu had seen come and go over the years. No one moved with that sort of grace without a significant amount of training and experience fighting for their life.

"Young man, All Might said that you had a number of things that you needed to tell me. Things that are so… outlandish that I would be hard pressed to believe it." Nezu could tell that the young man was concealing a slight smile. His emotional control was on par with many pros that Nezu knew who held many years of experience.

"You know, this entire situation seems to be outlandish, if I'm to be honest, sir. I was just on my way home when I ended up here, entirely against my will."

"Please, have a cup of tea and tell me your tale," Nezu said with a nod, gently setting down his teacup and motioning to the teapot on his desk

Gohan gave a smile and poured himself a cup of tea, carefully cradling it in his large hands. He settled back in the chair and gave Nezu a smile that didn't quite reach his obsidian eyes.

"Well, to begin with, I would appreciate an introduction to everyone in the room. Some of what I have to say is sensitive and highly personal." As he spoke, Gohan turned in his seat to look at a man sitting in the corner of the room. "I sincerely hope that you didn't come here with the intention of restraining me. It's not likely to end well for you." Nezu gave a small smile and waved the man over.

"Young man, this is Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa. He is a close friend of both myself and All Might, as well as an excellent detective. He is certainly not here to arrest you or try to detain you, merely to help us verify the veracity of your claims."

The man extended a hand to Gohan. The two men were similar in coloring, tan skin with dark features. The major difference between the two men, other than age, was the sheer size of the younger man. Nezu was accustomed to large men filled with muscle, most male pro heroes were heavily muscled after all, but this Gohan seemed to be different. His muscles were compact and dense, cords of muscle readily apparent even while the boy sat still and was wearing a long-sleeved gym uniform. Every animal instinct in Nezu was screaming at him that this was an alpha predator.

"Detective."

Gohan nodded to the older man as Tsukauchi took a seat beside him. Nezu hid a small smile at the acceptance of the detective. Gohan had no way of knowing that Tsukauchi's Quirk was invaluable to proving the truth of things. He was the True Man, and his Quirk was virtually inescapable. If this boy lied, a flash of silver would warn Nezu without alarming his visitor.

"Now, if you will regale us with your tale, young man. I assure you, we are all ears." Nezu wiggled his round ears to punctuate his remark and lower the tension in the room. Gohan leaned back and rubbed one hand under his chin, looking out over Nezu's shoulder at the slowly waking city outside UA's walls.

"I am not from this dimension," Gohan said slowly. Nezu flicked his eyes to Tsukauchi, whose eyes remained black, confirmed the insane statement that came from the young man. "In more than one way, I am an alien to this world. My father hails from a world called Vegeta, a planet far from here. In my dimension, he was sent to Earth as a baby in order to wipe out all life and sell the planet to the highest bidder." Nezu twitched at the thought of a child being capable of wiping out a planet's population. "Luckily for everyone involved, my father fell and hit his head as a toddler which caused him to lose his memory. He became a protector of Earth, fighting many beings, and groups that were determined to harm people. He raised me to do the same. When death finally took him six years ago, I took up his place as the protector of our home."

"But you were a child," All Might interrupted. "You're not much more than a child now!"

"My first fight was when my uncle kidnapped me and I broke out of his ship," Gohan said with a shrug, "I believe I was four? Although I wasn't trained until a little later, when my father's greatest enemy kidnapped me and trained me for six months. I've been involved in every major attack on our planet by forces who would destroy it since then." Tea spilled across Nezu's desk, the animal's features frozen. "My life has been… interesting, to say the least. Are you ok, Principal Nezu?"

"Yes, yes. Just taken aback, that is all. Please, continue." The small animal waved away Gohan's concern.

"Alright," Gohan said quietly. "Well, I continued to train myself, knowing that eventually there would be a threat that would require more strength than I held when I took up the mantle. Though much of my training took the form of meditation and bringing out the maximum amount of control over the power that I held at the time rather than gaining more raw power." Gohan turned to face All Might. "I imagine that much of your own training is in that field, correct?"

Nezu did not bother to hide his wide grin. This boy could be the person that he had been hunting for over the past five years, since All Might received his injury.

"He has turned to that point of view slowly, yes," Nezu said, "though it has taken him a number of years to get to that point. But tell us, young Gohan, what brought you here?"

Gohan turned back to face the principal.

"That's where I was heading with that line of thought. I continued training and found a new depth to my power, one that was potentially damaging to my home." Tsukauchi leaned forward at this, ignoring Nezu's dismissive wave.

"What do you mean, a new depth to your power? And how was it potentially dangerous?" The detective continued meeting the eyes of the young Sayian, one hand in a fist under Tsukauchi's chin.

"I mean," Gohan said, seemingly unperturbed by the intense stare of the detective, "that I dug deeper into myself and found more power. The amount of power that I wield is not without tradeoffs or physical manifestations. My newfound strength threatened to shake apart the planet with its raw power." Nezu could tell that Gohan was aware of the alarm that his words caused in the detective and All Might. The small creature allowed him to continue his tale, knowing there would be more to come. "Knowing that I could not continue to train my power and risk my home, but I couldn't avoid training that power which would potentially be necessary to defend my home in the future, I left to find a deserted planet on which I could train."

Nezu grinned at the boy. This was truly fated, this young man's arrival here. Someone with the power to defend all and the intelligence to mitigate damage while maximizing power. Now there was only one thing that the small creature truly needed to know and that was if the boy knew how to communicate effectively. The small creature waved Gohan to continue his story.

"After training my new power to a relatively stable level, I started back to my home planet. As I was going, a purple portal opened in my path and transported me into a new place. It also knocked out the power to my ship, so I got to crash instead of being able to land normally. I was unclear as to how or why I ended up here until late last night, when I received a late night visitor."

All Might and Tsukauchi shifted at that, concern evident to Nezu. The small mammal was also concerned that someone could come here, in the center of a high-security facility, without anyone knowing but his curiosity overrode that concern for the moment. Particularly since nothing obviously destructive happened overnight.

"What do you mean, a late night visitor?" All Might apparently could not override his concern. Though knowing the hero's personality, that was normal for him. Gohan rolled his eyes, a motion that was so at odds with his stone-like demeanor that it almost caused Nezu to burst into laughter. The small creature could tell that the apparent break in his stone-like mask was calculated, made to put those in his company at ease rather than a true expression of emotion.

"If you wait for a moment, I'll get to it." All Might opened his mouth to reply, only to close it again at a withering glance from Tsukauchi. "Thank you. As I said, I had a visitor last night. He told me that I was in a new dimension, that he had sent me here, and that I was essentially exiled by him." Tsukauchi leaned forward.

"Who is this person? Under what authority can he exile you and for what reason?" Gohan flashed a flat grin at the detective.

"The authority of the gods, unfortunately. He is the South Supreme Kai, one of the High Gods of my universe. As for what offense I caused, it was essentially scaring the gods. My new power could be felt by the gods and it apparently scared them, considering that I might have a history with rage issues."

"Rage issues," Nezu stated with a raised eyebrow. Gohan rubbed the back of his head with one hand, his blank expression giving way momentarily to a sheepish one. Nezu could tell that the feeling was genuine, though the break was still done with calculation.

"Yeah… the first time I access new levels of power, it's usually through a feeling of rage and/or trauma. And I tend to be lost in that rage when I reach the new power, though it has become a much colder rage than it used to be." Gohan shrugged, lowering his arm.

Nezu could feel the concern radiating from All Might like a furnace. The brawny hero was always one to wear his heart on his sleeve, something that made him an excellent hero but a terrible investigator. Nezu was unsure if his concern was due to the fact that the young man required rage and mental trauma as a trigger (a potentially dangerous thing) or because he obviously had experienced that trauma before. Nezu now knew why Gohan had a sturdy emotional mask. It was a necessity if his power was heightened by strong emotions like rage and he had experienced enough combat to cause mental trauma.

"That tendency towards uncontrolled emotion linked to power caused him some concern, so the Kai took it upon himself to remove me from the equation. He told me that I can come back if I can reach the limits of my power and prove that I can control them safely, if I die a heroic death, or if there is a threat to my home universe which the gods cannot handle. Outside of those three options, I'm stuck here unless I can devise some way to slip back without his notice."

Nezu nodded and looked over at Tsukauchi.

"Sir," the detective began, "I haven't had any indications that he has lied during this conversation. As outrageous as his tale is, it is the truth."
Nezu let a small smile curl on his face.

"Son-san, what have you gleaned about where you are?"

"Many things, Nezu-san," Gohan said, his mask firmly in place. "Things about yourself, things about your world. Though I'm sure there is much I still don't know. About where I am, I know that this is a center of learning for heroes, considering your title, and that it is one of the premier facilities for that purpose. If it wasn't, then the Number One Hero wouldn't have made it a priority to bring the visitor straight here. I also gleaned that heroes are government workers, or at least associated with the government in some fashion. If they weren't, there wouldn't be an obviously well-funded school with close cooperation with the police force. Heroes are obviously the pinnacle of society, the ones held up to the masses to be considered both example and savior. On my Earth, martial artists are often held up in much the same way, particularly after a Tenkaichi Budokai tournament." Gohan cut his eyes to meet Nezu's.

"Though there is plenty that I have gleaned about you, Nezu-san." Gohan stood and motioned towards the framed documents and photos scattered across the wall and the bookcases littering the room. "You are well read and highly educated, however you pride yourself on your students over your own achievements. Your degrees but sit high, out of your reach and convenient eyeline. Photos of your students, primarily ones from yearbooks and school festivals, sit lower on the wall. They would seem to be of lower status if the office belonged to someone like All Might or even the detective, but they are, in reality, precisely where you would be able to see them every time that you move about your office."

All Might looked around the office as if it was his first visit, not a place that he had been in many times over the past several years. Tsukauchi was rubbing his chin, hiding a grin from the young man Nezu was interviewing.

"You also feel a responsibility to safeguard civilization, something that you remind yourself every time you look outside your window at the city below," The young Saiyan said as he turned and looked at the cityscape through the windows behind Nezu. "The view, besides being aesthetically pleasing, reminds you that their prosperity is dependent upon the abilities of the students who leave your halls. It also is useful to impress and intimidate any student unfortunate enough to require a trip to your office as well as any government official who sees it as a proper status symbol for a being of your social stature." Gohan turned his eyes onto Nezu, black eyes meeting one another. "Do you want me to go on or did I pass your test?"

"Heheheheh," Nezu quietly chuckled, a massively unsettling grin splitting his face. "You pass with flying colors, young man! I was expecting you to pick up on the first bit, but your deductions are on par with many of our top heroes and detectives! Detective Tsukauchi, what did you think?"

The detective was silent for a moment. "I do have one question for you. To you, what makes a hero?"

Gohan took a deep breath and let it out. "A hero, huh? That's been a word that has been thrown about a lot on my world. I've been called a hero, though I dispute the validity of that." The young Saiyan looked up at the ceiling before moving on. "I would say that the purpose of a hero, in the popular sense of the term, is to protect through strength. Those on my world that are considered heroes by the population are generally those who are willing to show their strength to the masses and help them feel safe. Even if the hero takes advantage of that fame for profit and glory, the people still feel safe when they are around. That is a definition of a hero for many." Gohan trailed off, seemingly lost in thought.

All Might shifted uncomfortably. Nezu could tell that the older hero was thinking about the Number Two Hero, Endeavor.

"Others would say that a hero is someone who always is on the side of justice and truth, someone whose heart is pure. Someone who was willing to see the good in all people and ready to give anyone the chance to change into the best version of themselves, no matter how many times you have to fight them and win. A compassionate person with the strength to back it up." Gohan had a small smile dancing across his lips. "Most of my father's friends would agree with this definition. Even I would have agreed with this definition a few years ago. It describes the man who was my hero for most of my life, my own father."

Nezu leaned forward, black eyes boring into Gohan. Everything that he had said coincided with the two major perceptions of heroes in the world. One side said that solely strength was paramount to heroes, the other saying it was compassion back with strength. "And you, young Gohan. I can't help but notice you said 'others' and 'some people'. Never 'I believe'."

The young Saiyan gave him a crooked smile. "I didn't, did I? Well, my master forced me to pick up meditation, as I mentioned before. I've spent a lot of the last six years meditating, thinking, contemplating. I was called a hero by my family friends because I helped destroy a great evil, even though I lost myself to my own rage and caused the death of my father. My father was called a hero because he fought threat after threat, even when his actions and desire for a good fight caused some of those threats. I've come to realize that a hero is not the person who fights the good fight or is the strongest. A hero is the person who does what is necessary to protect those they love, even at the cost of their own lives, even if it can put them at odds with the people they love. Sometimes that takes the form of overwhelming power, other times it takes the place of teaching someone to stand on their own two feet."

Nezu shrewdly kept his mouth shut, impressed with the young man's deep and sophisticated introspection about the question. Some instinct told him that it wasn't time to interject just yet, an instinct that caused him to shoot All Might a look to prevent him from speaking.

"My master taught me to stand on my own two feet, but he had the power to protect me when I was too young or too weak to protect myself, and then gave me the guidance to become my own person. He's a hero. My mother gave up her kingdom for love and was essentially a single mother for much of my life, yet she made sure to teach me how to use my mind. Most said she pushed too hard, but she just wanted to make sure that I had the option of standing on my own feet against the best minds in the universe instead of just thinking with my fists. She's a hero. My father sacrificed himself, multiple times, because that's what it took to save the world. He wasn't the best teacher or the best father, but he was certainly a hero." Gohan looked over at Tsukauchi. "What makes a hero? Strength and fortitude, balanced by compassion."

Tsukauchi remained silent, his dark eyes never wavered from looking into the eyes of the younger man. He then smiled and leaned back into his chair. "Nezu, I support your recommendation."

Gohan and All Might looked from Tsukauchi to Principal Nezu, both tilting their heads to the side in a comically identical manner. The small mammal stood on his chair, bracing his paws on the desk as he leaned forward.

"Young Gohan-san, I want to offer you a unique opportunity here at my school. I believe that you have the heart of a hero, but in our society, you require the qualifications to be a hero as well. However, it would do you a grave disservice to be simply placed among our hero classes like a regular student, with your maturity, experience, and age. Instead, I would like for you to become a teacher assistant!"

"What kind of assistant," Gohan asked. "I'm not really sure how much different the things that I learned back home are from how things are here."

"Essentially, you will be working alongside the teachers during certain classes while taking online coursework to fill in any academic gaps. Our written final exams should give us a good idea of what academic coursework you will need. I would like for you to work with our Heroics Course."

"When would I be taking those exams? For that matter, when does school begin here? I'm not opposed to helping students, but what exactly would I be doing?"

Nezu waved a negligent hand. "Our entrance exams are in six months, which is when I would like for you to take your own exams. I would like for you to take a short combat exam the day before the entrance exams, however, so that our staff can gauge your personal combat abilities. A small spar, that's all. It would help to assuage some of our more stubborn staff of your qualifications."

"Sir, if I could get the texts used in the coursework and have use of your lounge for one more night, I can go and prepare for what you wish for me to do. I would also like to have the intro texts for teaching. I have little experience as a teacher and I would hate for my students to suffer for my ineptness." Gohan stood and bowed to the small creature.

"Of course, Gohan-san." Nezu wrote something on a small piece of paper, handing it to the tall teen. "Give that to the librarian and she will give you the relevant texts on a tablet."

Gohan nodded and stepped around the chairs to leave, but All Might's skeletal hand was in his way.

"Young Gohan-san, can I ask you to help my young protege, whom you met at the beach? While he will inherit my power before attending, he doesn't have the requiste body strength to handle even the lowest portion of my power at the moment. He also does not have any sort of combat training to help him use the power. Unfortunately, with my strength and his present… frailness, I cannot properly spar with him. Using my powered form, I would not be able to land a single blow without killing the boy but my present form is also not suited for any kind of sustained combat. It would give you a chance to gain some experience in teaching combat to others before you have a class full of them. I believe it would also help him to overcome some of his shyness in a more controlled setting than school, interacting with you. I would ask that you keep the fact that you and I will be faculty a secret, though. No one is supposed to know about me coming to UA and I'm guessing that Nezu-sama doesn't want to let the cat out of the bag in regard to you either."

Nezu's grin settled into a smile. All Might's request would help Nezu's plans more than the hulking hero knew, right down to the request for Gohan to keep quiet about coming to help at UA. Gohan nodded to the hero.

"Then I will take my leave. Good day, Detective-san, Principal-san, All Might-san." The young Saiyan gave each person a small bow and left the large office.

Nezu took a seat, waving for All Might to do the same. The gaunt man sank into the chair Gohan had previously occupied, staring at Nezu.

"What game are you playing, sir?"

"The same game that I am always playing: keeping our society safe." Nezu turned his chair back around, hiding a toothy grin. "I have seen a lot of heroes coming through these halls, both great ones and not-so-great ones. Lately, many of our graduates have been falling into the 'not-so-great' category. One reason, among many, is that our heroes-in-training have focused too much on using their Quirks in combat instead of their bodies and minds. They see the glory and power of their Quirks and being heroes and our current teachers are too busy trying to bring them up to snuff to break them of that before they go into the field. A fine example of that mindset is when you first met young Midoryia, All Might."

"True," said the Number One hero slowly, nodding. "Young Midoryia's friend almost died even though there were four heros at the scene. All because they believed their Quirks were unsuited for the situation and had no alternate skills to fall back upon. What are you thinking that he could teach, Nezu-sama?"

Nezu's grin full of teeth widened as he outlined his plan for both Gohan and the hero society. Plans that would either see his students thrive… or fail horribly.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of A Saiyan At UA! Please take care of yourself, wash your hands, and socially distance! Please leave a review.