Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

All Might POV

All Might and Izuku were working out on the abandoned beach. Well, Izuku was working out while All Might sat atop various objects which he told the teenager to move.

“Come, Young Midoriya! If you wish to control One For All, you must continue to train your body! Pull!” The young teenager strained to pull the large refrigerator that All Might was sitting on, sliding it over the sand gradually faster.

The older hero contemplated the massive steps Izuku had made over the past nine and a half months. The young man had exceeded every single expectation, his spirit and desire to be a hero exuding from every pore of his scrawny body. All Might was confident that Midoriya would be ready to receive One For All when he finished his training in a couple of weeks.

Suddenly, a thunderous sound echoed across the beach. Both All Might and Izuku whipped their heads around to locate the source of the sound. The older hero stood, squinting at a rapidly approaching round object shooting out of a purple flash of light.

“All Might, what is it?” Izuku looked up at his mentor, curious as to what the older man could see.

“I’m not sure, young Midoriya. It was moving exceptionally fast and appeared to be a sphere.” The object jetted over the pair in the night sky as both tracked its position with their eyes. “Young Midoriya, continue your training! I shall go find the object and uncover what is going on!” All Might struck a heroic pose, giving Izuku a thumbs up.

Izuku threw his mentor a salute and went back to dragging the trash off the beach. All Might turned away from his student to look into the distance after the flying object. A flex of his massive leg muscles launched him into the air, his sharp eyes still tracking the descending object. It was coming down somewhere close in the forested mountains of the Shizuoka Prefecture, relatively close to Mount Fuji.

Several miles outside of the city of Shizuoka, the object crashed into the ground, coming to a rest inside a hundred-yard diameter crater. The object was a large white sphere with a circular black panel on the front. White steam hissed out of a seam that ran around the sphere. All Might narrowed his eyes at the sphere, wondering what could be inside.

A hydraulic sound echoed across the barren landscape, followed by the front of the sphere opening forward. White steam erupted from the interior of the sphere, obscuring whatever was inside. All Might tensed, ready to confront whatever monster would leap from inside the sphere. The steam cleared, revealing a young man seated within the sphere.

The man had spiked black hair and a narrow, masculine face. He had a scarred, muscular torso under a torn martial arts top and tattered pants. A strange pink band covered the lower half of his torso and bound his arms behind his back. A smaller pink band covered his mouth.

All Might slid down into the crater, stopping just before the open sphere. He could recognize now that it was some sort of pod, almost like a spacecraft or escape pod. The figure inside the pod was obvious a humanoid male, likely human. All Might reckoned that the male was around Young Midoriya’s age, perhaps slightly older, yet he was built like a seasoned fighter with the scarring to match. One scar covered the boy’s left shoulder and upper part of his left pectoral, an ugly scar that spoke of massive trauma. 

All Might reached into the pod to check the pulse of the boy, his fingers just brushing against the boy’s skin when the boy lashed out with a front kick to the older man’s chest. All Might stumbled back, more surprised than injured, and his eyes snapped up to see the boy step out of the sphere. The pink band constricting his arms seemed to have no impact on his ability to balance himself on the edge of the pod, aided by a brown tail, similar to a monkey’s tail, which lashed angrily behind the boy. Now that he was standing, All Might could see that the boy was only around a foot shooter than the older hero, a rarity in Japan.

“Young man, do not fear for I am here!” All Might gave his winning smile to the boy, hoping it would calm the situation down. Unfortunately, the boy hopped down from the ship and shifted his feet into a more aggressive stance. “Young man, I only want to help you!” All Might gestured toward the bonds holding the young man.

The boy narrowed his eyes at the hero but reluctantly allowed him to come closer. All Might tentatively reached out and began to tug on the pink band covering the boy’s mouth. The hero frowned at the unexpectedly tough material. Another tug pulled the material away from the boy’s mouth, though it refused to come loose entirely. A hiss of pain came from the boy’s exposed mouth.

“One more tug should do it, young man. Hold still!” All Might pulled the band away from the boy’s mouth until he could get a hold of the band with both hands. The Number One Hero yanked on the band, forced to exert his full strength on the substance before finally ripping it apart. The boy gave a shout of pain, revealing elongated canines, as the band disintegrated. “Are you alright?”

“Who the hell are you?” All Might was taken aback by the vicious tone of voice and the harsh rasp of the boy’s voice.

“I am All Might! What is your name and how did you come to be here?” The boy frowned at the name.

“My name is Gohan. Son Gohan. What sort of name is All Might?” All Might frowned. Not to be arrogant, but who hadn’t heard of the Number One Hero All Might?

“I’m the Number One Hero, son. All Might, the Symbol of Peace.” 

Gohan blinked and furrowed his brow.

“Number One Hero? Symbol of Peace? What kind of titles are those? Are there multiple heroes running around or something?” 

It was All Might’s turn to furrow his brow. Superheroes had been around for several generations now so it didn’t make any sense for someone, especially a young person, to have not heard of the profession. The teen shifted uncomfortably, causing All Might to realize he hadn’t removed the larger pink band yet.

“Young Son, where are you from?” As he asked, the large hero reached down and ripped off the large band. Like the smaller one, the band disintegrated as soon as it was broken.

“I’m from East District 439, near Mount Paozu. How close am I to West City?” All Might looked thoughtfully into the distance.

“I’ve never heard of that city before. Nor that mountain. What nation are they in?” 

Gohan looked up curiously. “Nation? What is that, another name for a District?”

 All Might blinked. “No, nations are political bodies ruled by governments. We are presently in the nation of Japan.” Gohan narrowed his eyes in confusion. “What is the last thing you remember, young Gohan?”

Gohan thought for a moment.

“I remember training on Frieza Planet 442, heading home in the pod, then… nothing. I woke up here.” The black-haired boy turned back towards the pod, his head tilted. “What happened? This didn’t feel like I hit a gravity well or a cosmic disturbance. It was too smooth to be anything random or even natural.” He looked around, eyes flicking around the landscape before landing on All Might. “All Might, right? Can you explain exactly where we are?”

All Might nodded and explained that they were currently in a deserted area outside of the city of Shizuoka in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. He pointed out the most recognizable landmark in the area: Mount Fuji. 

Gohan gazed at the famous mountain with no recognition, something that baffled All Might. Everyone in the world knew about Mount Fuji, even if they had never seen it. And the boy spoke perfect Japanese with a slight rural accent, all without seeming to have to think about his words. This would only happen to a native speaker or a speaker with many years of experience. There were no signs of amnesia outside of his lack of knowledge of basic aspects of the world. 

All Might was well aware of the fact that, although he was by no means an idiot, he was not the smartest man in the world. But he did know one of the smartest beings on the planet, as well as some of the best investigative minds. Perhaps they would be able to help him figure out this mystery boy. 

“Young Son, I am unsure how I can help you. However, I believe that I know of someone who can help! Will you come with me and meet them?” All Might held out his hand to Gohan, his vibrant smile on full display. Gohan looked into All Might’s eyes before sighing.

“Alright. I’ll follow you to them. Where are they?” All Might pointed to the northeast again. 

“They are in Musutafu, a couple hours away by train. If you’ll consent to being carried by me, I can get us there in just a few minutes.” A deadpan stare was his answer.

“Just go. I’ll follow you.” With that, the teen turned back to the pod and tossed something at it. A plume of smoke surrounded the pod and a small pill-shaped object was left on the ground in place of the pod. Gohan picked it up and floated up to eye-level with All Might. 

'Does this boy have multiple Quirks? He miniaturized the pod as well as flight. But how is that possible? Was he an experiment by All For One who escaped? That might explain his lack of knowledge! I must get him to Principal Nezu and immediately if that is the case!’ 

All Might jumped into the air towards Musutafu, expecting to need to slow down for the young man to catch up to his prodigious speed. A backwards flick of his eyes revealed the young man to be directly behind the Pro Hero. He smirked and used a New Hampshire Smash to propel himself forward at full speed, eager to see if the young man could keep up. All Might laughed with joy as he saw Gohan effortlessly keep pace with him.

“You are certainly skilled, young Son! Surely you could become an amazing hero yourself in the future!” Gohan smirked slightly, as if he just remembered an inside joke. Several minutes later, All Might called back to the young Saiyan.

“Young Son! I apologize, but we must take a small detour before I can introduce you to my associates!” All Might turned his head to look backward and was startled to see Gohan’s face inches from his own. 

“For what reason do we need to stop?” 

“Oh dear Kami!” All Might stammered in surprise at Gohan’s close proximity. “Oh, I have a student who is presently training on a nearby beach. I left him to his own devices when I went to find you, so I need to tell him it is time to go home!”

Gohan contemplated for a moment, resting his hand on his chin. All Might was fascinated by his complete comfort in the air. It seemed like the boy wasn’t bothered by gravity or his own orientation. Even the best flyer-type heroes were constantly aware of their orientation toward the ground while in flight, yet this boy was moving through the air as if he was standing firmly on the street.

“Fine. It would be cruel to leave him without his master for too long.” 

All Might grinned at the teenager and launched himself down toward Dagabah Beach.

“Young Midoriya, I am here! Again! With a new friend!” 

Izuku looked up from his exercises in confusion. 

“A new friend?” he said. “Is he from that sphere thing that fell out of the sky?” 

Gohan grinned, exposing a sharp canine. “You’re brighter than you look, kid. Good eye. Yep, that was my pod. I’m Gohan.” He turned to All Might, his lips dropping into a thin line. “There, we checked on your student. He’s still alive and it doesn’t look like there’s anything that will kill him on the beach except maybe tetanus.” 

All Might sighed. “Young Midoriya, you may go on home. We will pick up tomorrow, bright and early!” 

Izuku nodded tiredly, his eyes never leaving the other teen. Izuku’s eyes became wide as Gohan launched himself into the air, hovering several hundred feet over All Might and himself. 

“All Might, who is this guy? Does he have a flying Quirk?!” 

“I’m not sure yet, Young Midoriya,” All Might muttered. “But I must bring him to a friend at UA who may be able to help! I will see you tomorrow and explain things if I can!” With that, All Might threw himself into the air.

The unlikely pair landed on the roof of UA significantly later, All Might landing with a mighty ‘thud’ while Gohan landed with a much lighter step. All Might coughed heavily, ending in a spray of blood from between his clenched teeth. The massive, muscle-bound man erupted into steam, obscuring Gohan’s view briefly. 

“Ojii-san Are you ok?” 

The steam faded away, revealing an emaciated man in place of the muscular All Might. The skeletal man had blood dripping from between his teeth, his bones almost jutting out of his skin. Gohan rushed to his side.

“Where is the nearest medical facility that can treat you?” 

All Might shook his head furiously. 

“No, no.” Even his voice had changed. “This is my new normal, I’m afraid. Besides, my doctor is here, ironically enough.”

“And where is here?” Gohan asked, looking around. 

“UA High,” All Might stated proudly with a massive smile, even as blood dripped from his mouth. “My alma mater and the place where the smartest individual I know works.” The skeletal man stood up, wiping the blood from his chin. “Come on, I’ll show you who I want you to speak with.”

Gohan followed the hero into the school, All Might’s lanky and shriveled form moving quickly and purposefully. The hero politely knocked, displaying manners that seemed to be out of place from the gregarious personality he had displayed previously. Once the doors opened, both eyebrows shot up as high as they could go.

“Yes, All Might? How can I help you this evening?” 

The being who opened the door looked… unusual. It almost looked like a mouse or dog or maybe a very small bear. A large scar slashed vertically across the animal’s right eye, though the eye seemed to function perfectly fine. 

“Well sir, I assume you noticed the object that flew out of the sky this evening,” All Might asked.

“Of course,” the animal replied. “I even asked a few hero agencies close to the disturbance to check it out. They said it appeared to be an empty crater, however.” 

All Might and Gohan simultaneously reached up and rubbed the back of their heads. 

“That may have been my fault, Principal Nezu, sir,” All Might said with a sheepish grin. He gestured back to Gohan. “That’s actually why I’m here. This young man was that object, or at least was inside it.” 

Principal Nezu peered at Gohan, then he turned and gestured the pair inside. 

“Alright, All Might. Let’s hear what has occurred.”

All three stepped into the small suite of rooms. Principal Nezu quickly prepared a pot of tea and poured three cups. Struggling up on the couch, the small animal picked up his own cup and took a sip. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and looked directly into Gohan’s own eyes. 

“I’m listening.” 

The pair relayed the strange circumstances which had led Gohan’s ship to crash into the ground. Nezu looked concerned at implications that All Might laid out concerning All For One while Gohan just looked confused.

“Hold on, who is this All For One person? I already told you, I don’t remember anyone involved in me arriving here! You’re making a lot of connections with some shaky evidence.” 

“I would tend to agree,” Nezu said as he shook his head. “Although All For One is known for moving in these unusual methods, there is no concrete evidence in his involvement.” Nezu was interrupted by a jaw-cracking yawn from Gohan. The animal smiled indulgently. “Though I do believe that we should cover this in the morning. The mystery of how you arrived here can certainly wait for tomorrow. We have a room that you can sleep in for the night.” Nezu motioned for his visitors to leave. Both men stood up, bowed to the small principal and left.

Later That Night: Gohan POV

Gohan shifted on the long couch, his lanky form spilling over the edges. A tortured groan came from the young half-Sayian, his back creaking as he moved. It hadn’t been more than a couple of days since he had finished the harshest training he’d experienced since the Hyperbolic Time Chamber prior to the Cell Games. 

An amethyst light swirled into existence, throwing colored light across the walls of the staff lounge where the young Sayian was resting. Gohan leaped off the couch, throwing his thin blanket across the room as he settled into a ready stance. A tall male humanoid with lightly tanned skin, a red mohawk, and pointed ears, stepped out of the purple swirl of light. The figure was huge, well over seven feet and covered in muscles, and wore a gold-edged black tunic over loose green clothes. 

“Greetings, young Sayian. I am South Supreme Kai. I have come to tell you about why you are here.” 

Gohan narrowed his eyes and maintained his stance. From what little he understood of the Kai’s, they were usually reluctant to interfere with mortal affairs in any meaningful way. His understanding, based on his discussions and lessons with Piccolo, Dende and Mr. Popo, was that the Kai’s could not actively intervene in mortal matters unless someone broke a major law of nature like gaining immortality. 

“Please, take a seat. I am not here to harm you.” 

“Pull the other one, it has bells on,” Gohan scoffed. “Generally, involuntary dimensional transportation does not indicate a lack of hostility.” It was the ginger’s turn to narrow his eyes. Gohan’s lips quirked up into a slight smirk. “Yes, I figured out that I’m in a different dimension. It wasn’t a hard deduction.” The Supreme Kai continued his narrow-eyed stare at the young Sayian.

“Yes, you were transported between dimensions by me. You pose a danger to our universe, young Sayian, a danger that I was unwilling to allow to remain.” Gohan felt a foreign energy constrict his muscles as he began to move. “I did request that you take a seat. As a Supreme Kai, I am… unused to being disobeyed by foolish mortals.” 

“…. Fine,” Gohan growled, his tone far closer to his mentor’s than usual. “Let me free and we can have a civil conversation, Supreme Kai-sama.” 

The agitated teen strode back to the couch, his usually graceful steps more stiff than usual. The Kai conjured a chair and took his own seat, casually crossing his legs over each other. 

“Young Sayian, I will explain your exile and the conditions for your return. First, your exile is both your own doing and the doing of the Fate’s. The newest transformation that you were attempting created aftershocks in the World of the Kai’s, something that is rarely done and never taken lightly. 

I have been observing you closely since your fight with that Cell creature five years ago. I saw the rage and fury that you used to support your transformation. This history of beserk rage and cold-blooded violence prompted me to continue observing you, hoping that you would gain control over your transformation and continue your father’s tendency to meddle for the good of the universe.” Gohan leaned forward during this explanation, his onyx eyes giving away nothing of his emotional state. “As you could imagine, I was quite happy when you trained alongside your planet’s former Guardian to harness your power and removed the emotional component of your transformation. However, your continued pushing for more power continued to concern me. This urge for power, admittedly one that both species you belong to share, caused you to discover your latest transformation. One where the successful transformation caused aftershocks in the Spirit Realm!” The Supreme Kai took a deep breath, his now-reddish complexion fading back to its normal color and his fists unclenching. “I made a decision to not allow this threat to the universe in which I guard to remain.”

“You decided to transport me away from my home, my friends, family, my responsibilities, in hopes that I would NOT give into my rage and fury? That seems like a terrible decision.” Sparks began to leap off of Gohan’s body, his black hair beginning to wave in an ethereal wind. “Please, give me reasons to not rip out your spleen and waterboard you with the fluids until you send me back. My master taught me to have respect for the Kai’s, but he also taught to not take shit and think it’s gold.”

“First,” said the Kai as he subtly straightened his back, his neutral expression not shifting, “I am a god, boy. Show some respect. Secondly, I have determined a pair of methods in which you can be allowed back to our own dimension.” 

The light wind surrounding Gohan ebbed slightly while the sparks surrounding him remained flickering around his seated form. 

“How?” 

“First: Should you die a heroic death, one where you retain your body after death as your father and master did, you will be granted entrance back to your home dimension to live out your afterlife with your family and friends. Second: Should our dimension come under mortal threat that none but you would be able to defeat, you will be allowed to come back to defeat the threat and your exile will be reconsidered at that stage. Do you understand these conditions?” 

Gohan considered the options for a moment. A heroic death was almost a guarantee, given his proclivity for finding tyrants and toppling them. Eventually, that would catch up to him like it had for his father. However, it would mean that he would never see his family alive again and that was a gut-wrenching thought that he didn’t want to continue considering. But a threat that would require his specific power? That would be a hit-or-miss proposition, even with his dimensions’ track record. It could happen, and then he could die anyway, making it a moot point. Perhaps there was a choice ‘C’… 

“What about a third option? One where I can return while still alive and my universe is not under threat.” Gohan locked eyes with the Kai, determination in his eyes. “What if I can find the limits of my power? Push to the limit of my power and show that it is mastered, the emotional trigger no longer required just as I have shown with the Ascended Super Saiyan form? Would the Council of Kai’s permit me back in that instance?”

South Supreme Kai looked taken back at the knowledge that Gohan displayed concerning the Kai’s. Piccolo had told Gohan that few mortals had ever heard about the Council, outside of the individual Guardians for each planet. Obviously, the Kai had not been prepared for anyone to know about it. 

“Of course. If you show that you have reached the limits of your power and can control it without being consumed by the rage and fury which drives you, then the Council will consider your request.” Gohan got a suspicious vibe off of the way that the Kai said the word Council. He stood and bowed anyway.

“Thank you, Supreme Kai-sama.” 

The Kai stood, his conjured chair disappearing as he did so. As he began his gesture to open the portal back to their home dimension, he was interrupted. 

“Just one more request, Supreme Kai-sama. I would like to contact my old master and inform him about my present condition and whereabouts. Just so that they know what has happened to me and do not worry what has happened. After all,” a sly tone entering the boy’s voice “you wouldn’t want people like my father and master asking inconvenient questions in the Spirit World, would you?” 

The Supreme Kai threw a confused look at the boy.

“I don’t know what you mean, boy.” Gohan’s smirk had made its reappearance and the young Saiyan knew it irritated the Kai.

“I noticed that when you were explaining your reasons for exiling me, you only ever referred to you. You observed, you decided, you could not allow. The only time the Council of Supreme Kai’s was mentioned was after I brought it up. Then there was the inflection of your voice when you said the Council would consider my case when I offered my third option, like the Council didn’t matter. And finally, from what I remember from my lessons on the structure of the Kai’s decision-making system was that major, universe-level decisions on the level of the Supreme Kai were made by the Council of Kai’s. Not an individual Kai. So if you did what I suspect you did and made this decision on your own, you’d rather whispers didn’t get back to the Council. So I’ll play your game for the moment as long as you allow me to contact my master and explain what’s happening.” Gohan was standing with his back straight and eyes boring into the Kai. 

The Kai ground his teeth, but eventually relaxed and nodded, stepping through his amethyst portal to leave the room in darkness once more. Gohan could guess what he was thinking, that it didn’t matter if he contacted Piccolo. What could a former Guardian do against the word of one of the Five Supreme Kai? The young Saiyan grinned. Being underestimated was a familiar feeling for him.

End Chapter

Chapter Text

Chapter Two: 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, cleaning 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 is powerful enough to go against one of the Supreme Kai's." The young Saiyan gave his master a 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 backward 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 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 in 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 requisite 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 heroes 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.

Chapter Text

Six Months Later

Gohan stepped on the campus of UA for the first time since he met with Nezu half a year ago, still wearing the gym uniform that he borrowed when he first arrived, although the uniform was now somewhat ragged. A tattered backpack hung from his back, haphazardly filled with books of various sizes.

As he stepped on the campus, the skeletal form of All Might stepped out from behind a nearby tree and held up a long, thin hand. “Young Gohan!”

Gohan waved to the man, giving him a wide grin. “Toshinori-san! Good morning!” Over the past six months, Gohan got to know the Number One Hero fairly well as he helped train All Might’s successor. The man was very similar to Gohan’s father, open, honest and earnest in his desire to help people. Toshinori was also had a wealth of knowledge about the world, from anecdotes about his hero work to goofy stories about his time traveling America, a different nation across the ocean to the East. The older hero was always happy to spend time with Gohan, answering questions about hero work or about the world overall.

Toshinori waved Gohan over. “Come, young Gohan, I am to take you to your combat testing grounds!” He led Gohan onto the large campus, the large H-shaped building visible in the distance.

Gohan effortlessly kept pace with the lanky blonde, something that Toshinori appreciated after years of needing to slow down for his shorter colleagues. “So what kinds of tests are they having me do today, Toshinori-san? I know Nezu-kouchou said it would be a combat exam, but what sort of combat?” Gohan looked down, rubbing his chin. “Midoriya-san said that the standard entrance exam might be fighting against robots, though I was hoping for something a little more… intensive. Maybe if you saved some time, we can spar.”

The emaciated blonde glanced back at Gohan, reaching up to scratch his temple. ‘Perhaps…’ Toshinori’s greatest strength in a fight was his overwhelming speed, power, and experience. Proper technique has something that he had dropped to the wayside years ago when it was apparent that his power was so overwhelming that technique didn’t matter. Gohan, however, had demonstrated his own enormous amounts of power and he had techniques in spades. Toshinori also suspected that Gohan was holding back, something that slightly worried the hero. Gohan had caused minor tremors while training to hold back his punches. He couldn’t deny, though, that sparring with the younger man was a tantalizing thought, if only for the novelty of using his maximum power without the stakes of a villain attack.

The pair came up to a small group of people standing in front of UA’s main building. Four individuals stood in a fanned out line, quietly chatting amongst themselves. As Toshinori and Gohan reached them, the chatting ceased, and all eyes locked on the pair.

Gohan glanced over the four adults, noting their unusual outfits and relaxed postures. Two men stood in the middle, both thin and relatively tall with overlong hair. One had black lank hair arranged haphazardly across his shoulders, a gray layered scarf settled over a black jumpsuit. He had a bland expression across his face that contrasted with his eyes which, while drooping, were sharp enough to slice through steel.

The other man was blonde, his overlong hair swept up into a single long, spiky swoosh. He wore a black jacket and similar black pants while a speaker-like device hung around his neck. He had a wide grin across his face that belied the watchfulness that his posture radiated. A pair of black sunglasses hid his eyes and headphones adorned his ears. His place closer to the black-haired man showed that the two of them were close allies, if not close friends.

The woman standing by the black-haired man was tall, for a woman, and wore an exceptionally tight outfit that left little to the imagination. Her wild ebony hair framed her face and emphasized her smirking expression. A whip hung from her belt and she wore her sensuality like a cloak yet Gohan could tell that she could wield it like a sword. She was close to the black-haired man, but not as close as the blonde. Obviously all three were allies.

The last man was taller than the rest and had significantly more muscle than any of them. He wore a red spandex suit and had gray hair, his mouth set in a strong scowl that showcased two upward facing fangs. He was younger than the other three, his face less lined with stress than the other three. Obviously, they were colleagues, but he wasn’t part of the natural group that the other three formed.

If it came down to a battle, Gohan knew that he would have to exploit the divisions between the adults. Isolate the man in red first, then the woman. The men in the middle would need to be dealt with together.

Gohan opened his mouth to speak but stopped when the black-haired man’s scarf moved suddenly. The young Saiyan closed his mouth as Principal Nezu’s head popped out of the cloth.

“Young Gohan! Welcome to UA!”

Gohan blinked, tilted his head, and opened his mouth again. “Um… hello again, Nezu-kouchou. Is there a reason that you were hiding in a scarf?”

The spiky-haired blonde raised a fist to his mouth, muffling what sounded like laughter. Nezu outright laughed about the frank question. “It’s actually very comfortable! I’d recommend it, but I don’t believe you would fit. Too bad, really, Aizawa-sensei really is very comfortable.”

Gohan grinned at the white-furred mammal. He’d almost forgotten how much he enjoyed speaking with Nezu. “I’ll take your word for it, Nezu-kouchou. What is this combat exam you wanted me to take?”

Nezu grinned, his sharp teeth glinting in the morning sunlight as he used Aizawa’s scarf to rappel down from his perch. “Oh, I just couldn’t decide on a single test, so I decided on three tests!” He gestured to the blonde man to his left. “This is Yamada Hizashi-sensei, better known as the Voice Hero: Present Mic! He shall proctor the first test which is the standard entrance test for our hero course. Some of our faculty have expressed some misgivings as to my proposition for your position, so your testing shall help to put those misgivings to rest. Oh, and before I forget, these are your other proctors: Kayama Nemuri, otherwise known as the R-Rated Heroine: Midnight,” the woman cracked her whip against the ground, a massive grin adorning her face; “Aizawa Shouta, AKA the Erasure Hero: Eraserhead,” the black-haired man nodded, his expression radiating boredom and apathy; “and Sekijiro Kan, better known as the Blood Hero: Vlad King.” The red-clad man crossed his arms and nodded to Gohan and Toshinori.

Gohan raised an eyebrow but bowed at the waist. “It is nice to meet you, sensei’s. I am Son Gohan, age 16. This will be my first time in a formal school environment. Please take excellent care of me.” He then looked back to Nezu. “What will be my other tests?”

“You’ll find out,” Nezu said, “as we get to them. For now, please follow Yamada-sensei to the first location.”

Gohan shrugged and gestured for the blonde man to lead the way. “After you, Yamada-sensei.”

As they walked together, Present Mic peppered Gohan questions. “Where are you from? How did you meet Toshinori-san and Nezu-san? What do you think of the Hero Rankings?”

“I’m from an isolated part of the mountains, grew up in the middle of nowhere. I met Toshinori-san and Nezu-kouchou after an incident brought me to their attention. I don’t really think much of the Hero Rankings.”

Gohan’s last answer brought Present Mic up short. “What do you mean?”

“They don’t mean a lot, in the grand scheme of things. When Nezu-kouchou was introducing all of you, he mentioned your hero names.” Present Mic nodded, not knowing where this was going. “I’ve been helping train a kid who is taking the Entrance Exam tomorrow, and he’s a hero fanatic. Talks non-stop about heroes. He helped me look into the top heroes and most of them don’t impress me. I also had him help me look up the heroes who teach here, none of whom, outside of Toshinori-san, are in the top fifty hero rankings.”

Gohan impressed Present Mic with his eloquence and foresight to look up his future teachers but the hero wanted to know if his reasoning stood up to his eloquence. “Go on.”

Gohan shrugged. “Well, looking at most of the staff here, they have a spotless record of heroics and are well known for going above and beyond the call of duty. You have your radio show, but you rarely tout your own hero work on that show, emphasizing the deeds that police, firefighters, and EMTs do across the nation. Eraserhead maintains his patrols in the poorest parts of town, even when he has a full class load, while Midnight and Vlad King volunteer as Quirk Counselors to orphanages across the city. These are all things that I would consider when making the Hero Rankings, but they are just afterthoughts. Comparing just the four of you to those in the Top Fifty, I would place the four of you in the top twenty, if not higher. And heroes,” Present Mic could hear the contempt dripping from Gohan’s voice at that word, “like Endeavor would never make it on the list.”

Gohan’s reasoning hit Present Mic like a brick, almost tripping over an uneven brick on the walkway as he listened to the younger man. “That’s what you really think? Endeavor has one of the highest solve rates of any hero in the country, though I’ll admit that his attitude could use some work.”

Gohan paused on the walkway, turning to fully face the Voice Hero. “Endeavor only wants the title of being the strongest. From my experience, a hero is someone willing to sacrifice for the common good. That Toshinori is the Number One Hero is regardless of his strength, but instead, his heart and willingness to help anyone and everyone who needs it.”

Present Mic could tell that this was the end of the discussion for Gohan, so he barreled on with his questions. “Why do you want to be a hero, Listener-san?”

“My parents raised me to do everything I can to help the most people possible. Back home, that meant following in my father’s footsteps. Here, that means becoming a hero.”

Present Mic nodded to himself. “So, what’s your Quirk?”

“Don’t have one. I’m a martial artist, trained from a very young age.” Gohan glanced down at the shorter man’s surprised look. “Don’t worry, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. What can you tell me about this test?”

“Well, you’ll be facing various kinds of robots in an urban setting.” Present Mic pulled out a sheet of paper. “One type is worth a single point, another is worth two, and the third is worth three points. There is also a fourth robot worth zero points. You following me so far, Listener-san?”

Gohan nodded. “Yeah, I follow. Break the robots, get points. Simple. What’s the time limit?”

“Ten minutes from when I say go. The others will watch from the observation room.”

“Last question: Does the city need to be standing at the end of this?”

Present Mic blinked and looked up into the face of the younger man. “Yes. We have a lot of funding, but it isn’t unlimited. Besides, we use these training grounds for things other than the entrance exams and everyone else has to take the exam tomorrow.”

A smile played across Gohan’s face. “Good to know. Minimal collateral damage. See, that’s valuable information.”

Present Mic nodded, concern emanating from him.

They arrived at the gates of a training ground after a few minutes of quiet. Present Mic quietly spoke into a microphone attached to his sleeve before nodding and turning to face Gohan.

“All right, Listener-san, it’s almost time to go! Anything you need?”

Gohan shrugged off his backpack and handed it off to the older hero. “Just hold on to that. I need to return the books to the library when we finish up the testing.”

Present Mic took the bag and gestured towards the open gates. “If you’re ready, GET GOING, LISTENER-SAN!!!” The Voice Hero shouted the last part through his speaker, helpfully (but unknowingly) directed away from Gohan’s sensitive ears.

TEST NUMBER ONE

The tall Saiyan jogged through the gates, though it looked like a run to an outside observer. As Gohan entered the makeshift city, he saw four robots on the first street, three one-pointers and a pair of three-pointers. A negligent flick of his wrist and a small, invisible pulse of ki destroyed the one-pointers while he kicked through one three-pointer with enough force to launch shrapnel through the second large robot. Gohan raised an eyebrow at the robots.

“You know, I knew the robots would be fragile. I didn’t think they’d be that fragile, though…” He shrugged. “Whatever.” The Saiyan continued blitzing through the course, destroying every robot that came near him. After a while, Gohan began to just use the invisible ki pulses to destroy the robots, a bored expression on his face.

A sudden rumbling stopped him. He looked up as he heard something hit a building and saw what could only be the zero-point robot that Present Mic had spoken about. A grin spread across the fighter’s face. Gohan launched himself into the air, soaring high above the robot. He raised his hands over his head, placing one palm over the other just above his forehead. A yellow sphere of light emitted from Gohan’s palm, hovering just over his spiky black hair. “Masenkooooo…” Gohan thrusted his hands forward, aiming at the boxy head of the massive robot. “HA!!!!!”

A beam of yellow light screamed out of Gohan’s hand, blowing through the large robot and rocking the ground with an explosion that took out its tank-like treads. The robot teetered and fell, crashing into the ground in a cloud of dust.

Gohan flew down to a nearby roof and took a seat. His sharp eyes spotted a single one-pointer that he had somehow missed on his run through the city. A small yellow ki blast solved that problem, just in time for a loud buzzer sound to ring out along with Present Mic’s voice.

“AND THAT IS THE FINAL VILLIAN BOT! COME ON BACK TO THE BATTLEGROUND GATES, LISTENER-SAN!”

Gohan grinned and flew over to the gates, touching down beside the blonde Pro Hero.

“How’d I do?”

Present Mic just stared at him. “Listener-san, I thought you said you didn’t have a quirk!? What do you call flying and shooting beams of light from your hands!?”

“Manipulation of life energy, called ki. Anyone can use it, given enough effort and practice.” Gohan looked down the road, seeing the small group of adults coming up the road.

Present Mic grinned wildly, his mind racing. ‘This kid might just change the world with that kind of power and mindset.’

“How’d I do, Nezu-kouchou?”

The unusual creature had a grin full of sharp teeth. Aizawa kept his face blank but the other three Pros had wide grins on their faces.

“You did well, Young Gohan. Very well! You cleared the bots in record time and are the first to destroy the Zero Pointer robot in several years. If you were taking the standard first-year entrance exam, I would say that you were more than qualified to begin the heroics course!”

“Qualified? He shattered course in a way that most of our graduates couldn’t,” grunted Sekijiro. “I can only think of a few heroes, all in the top hundred or working as Underground Heroes, who could do something like that in the time you took. Including taking out the Zero Pointer with minimal effort.”

Gohan shrugged. “They were robots. They aren’t that big of a threat, really. If they were faster or used tactics, they might pose some kind of threat.” The young Saiyan looked over at Nezu. “So, what’s the next test, sensei?”

“Next is more… evasion-based. Aizawa-sensei,” Nezu gestured to the black-haired man beside him, “will administer this test. He will explain it on the way to your next exam site.” Aizawa began walking down the path without a word. Gohan rolled his eyes at Toshinori, getting a grin from the older hero, and followed the man.

The pair of black-haired men strode purposefully down the walkway, neither exchanging a single word. They finally arrived at another enormous gate, similar to the gate they had just left. At the entrance of the gate, Aizawa turned to face Gohan.

“This is your next test. Personally, I think this is a waste of everyone’s time.” Aizawa glared at Gohan, his black eyes turning ruby red as his hair floated. “If Nezu thinks you’re strong enough to blow through testing, then he should just get you into the licensure test. It is irrational to keep you tied down here at UA, even if you’re young. However, it is also illogical to treat you special, since you are just a student. Either way, I hate it.”

Gohan continued to meet Aizawa’s gaze evenly, obviously unimpressed by the attempted dominance display. “I’m not here to for popularity. I’m just to become a hero, like anyone else. Age rarely means anything important, it is maturity that is important.” The Saiyan teen looked up at the gate. “So what is this test?”

Aizawa’s eyes returned to normal, his hair falling back in its normal limp state. “This is a set of exercises and then a final large-scale exercise.” Aizawa produced a ball with a band around it. “How far can you throw a ball without your Quirk?”

Gohan blinked. “Without my Quirk? What do you mean?”

Aizawa narrowed his eyes, an edge coming to his voice. “Your Quirk. The one that allows you to move the way you do and manipulate energy.”

“Sensei, I don’t have a Quirk. I move the way I move and manipulate energy because of years of intensive training. I thought Nezu-kouchou told you about my circumstances…” Gohan furrowed the skin between his eyebrows. “I’m technically Quirkless. I’m… not from around here. I use energy called ki, life energy. I can’t just turn it off, I use it subconsciously in my muscles and bones.”

Aizawa turned his eyes red again, his hair floating. “Try to float like you did during the last test.”

Gohan shrugged, channeling his ki under his feet. The tall Saiyan floated above the concrete walkway. Aizawa’s eyes flickered back to black once again, a scowl on his face. He tossed the boy the striped ball.

“Throw this as far as you can.”

“Umm… ok.” Gohan looked down at the ball and back at Aizawa. He tossed the ball up and down in his hand for a moment, then turned to face away from Aizawa. Thinking back to the times that Yamcha taught him how to play baseball, Gohan set his feet and threw the ball as hard as he could. A windy backlash blew Aizawa’s limp hair back, his black eyes wide. “Um, you didn’t want that back, right?”

“No, we have plenty.” Aizawa looked down at a screen he pulled from his pocket. He showed Gohan the screen. It had the infinity symbol under the heading ‘Distance Traveled.’ “The rest of this segment of the test is a series of exercises that you would have done in middle school. First is a fifty-meter dash.”

As Gohan went through the various exercises, Aizawa was becoming more amazed by the minute. This kid could run fifty meters in a literal blink of an eye, launch himself across a soccer field without breaking a sweat, make literal afterimages during the repeated side steps, and broke the grip machine with two fingers.

“Gohan-san, why are you here as a student? In terms of sheer physical ability, you are head and shoulders ninety-nine percent of the heroes active in Japan today.”

Gohan raised an eyebrow at the question. “I’m here to learn, sensei. I’m powerful, but that’s not the only thing that makes a hero. Nezu-kouchou seemed to think I could learn about the legal and non-physical aspects of being a hero while lending some of my experience to students. One reason that he wants me as a teaching assistant, not an actual student.” Gohan rolled a shoulder, stretching the joint. “What’s this last part of the exam?”

“Simple.” Aizawa pushed open the gates they had been standing beside during the entire fitness test. “I give you a two-minute head start and then give chase. You must either evade me or capture me within ten minutes.” The older man tossed Gohan a roll of white tape. “Use this to show that you’ve captured me.”

“Fine,” Gohan said, slipping the tape into his pocket. “When do you want me to go in?”

Aizawa gave the younger man a wide toothy grin. “Now.”

TEST NUMBER TWO

Gohan blurred away, shooting through the open gate. He darted down several alleyways and jumped to the top of a nearby building. The young Saiyan waited for a couple of moments, listening to the silent urban landscape. His head jerked to one side as a gentle scuff sounded off the roof behind him. Gohan jumped to the side, dodging a spear of red liquid, a grin spreading across Gohan’s face.

“So that’s the deception that Aizawa-sensei likes so much, huh?” Gohan lunged at the red-clad figure that appeared in front of him. “I’m not just fighting him, I’m fighting all of you.”

“He likes his mind games,” the red-clad figure said as he dodged Gohan’s opening salvo, ducking under the last kick. The gray-haired man threw out his own punches, growling as he missed every attempt. “I am the Blood Hero: Vlad King! You’ll find that I’m a lot harder to put down than those robots from earlier!”

“I hope so.” Gohan flickered out of Vlad’s sight, but no immediate attack came at the Blood Hero. Vlad looked around, finally spotting Gohan standing cross-armed a few feet behind him. “Though this is getting a little boring if one of us doesn’t do something interesting soon.”

Vlad growled and began throwing rapid-fire punches, lashing out with short red spears at irregular intervals. Gohan dodged languidly, side stepping the spears while pushing aside the punches.

“I know that Midnight is standing on a roof two buildings over and Yamada-sensei is with Aizawa-sensei three streets over, ready for me to jump down into a nearby alley. So why did they send you out as the opener?”

Vlad grunted and sped up his punches, tossing in a few attempts at grappling at the same time. He waited for the boy to push aside another punch, then emitted a wave of red liquid that captured his opponent’s forearm. “Because I’m physically the strongest! Midnight-san! Now!”

The woman darted over from her rooftop, tearing a section of her sheer sleeve off to emit a purple smoke directed at Gohan. The Saiyan held his breath the moment she moved from her rooftop perch, surprising the Blood Hero by swinging him at the approaching woman. The sudden motion took him off his feet, Gohan using him as a flail against his comrade, smacking the slim brunette off the roof he occupied. The swing had the secondary effect of blowing Midnight’s sleeping gas away from him. “You should have considered if you were physically stronger than your opponent.”

A swift strike from the young Saiyan shattered the hardened liquid connecting Vlad to his arm, forcing the red-clad hero to catch himself before Gohan used a front kick to knock Vlad off the roof. He leapt across to the next roof where Midnight was trying to stand. Gohan wrapped a length of the white capture tape around Midnight’s wrist before she could stand up. A blast of a horn echoed across the arena, signaling that she was out of the fight.

Gohan backflipped off the roof, aiming for the woozy Vlad King laying on the fire escape. The young Saiyan checked him over for injuries, then wrapped another length of capture tape on his wrist. Another horn blast echoed in the distance.

“There’s two down, at least two to go. Sorry, senseis’, I gotta go. Talk later!” With that, Gohan jumped backwards, planting a foot on the rail of the fire escape to push off towards Yamada and Aizawa.

“How do you think he faired against Vlad and Midnight? He did really well against the robots, but people are a lot different.” Present Mic hunkered down beside Aizawa, the pair observing the rooftops for any sign of Gohan or their comrades jumping off to escape trouble. A pair of horn blasts caught their attention and Aizawa grimaced.

“He got the two of them. Those two had an excellent chance of taking him down, since he knew nothing about their Quirks. I’m going to go scout, see if I can find him.”

Aizawa jumped away, using his capture scarf to swing around the corner away from Present Mic.

A voice came from behind the Voice Hero. “Hey, how’s it going?”

“Pretty good. We’re just waiting for the kid to come by so we can surprise him,” Present Mic said with his eyes glued to the rooftops.

“Neat.” The voice had a laconic drawl to it.

“Yeah,” Present Mic said, “he’ll never see it com…ing… oh.”

An explosion launched the blonde hero out of the alley into the principal street. He coughed, the thick smoke choking him while he lay on the ground. The Voice Hero could hear an amused voice coming from the smoke.

“Looks like that even works on heroes. Good to know.”

Present Mic propped himself on his elbows, watching Gohan saunter out of the destroyed alley with a smirk playing across his lips.

“Aizawa-sensei, I hope you weren’t planning for me to do that to Yamada-sensei.” The younger man tilted his head out of the way of a gray scarf that came slicing down. “That would just be cold, using your best friend as bait. Not to mention it didn’t work, which has to just add salt to that wound.” He grabbed the scarf, pulling as he spun on his heels in a tight circle, whipping Aizawa around him to throw him into the prone Present Mic.

“Eraser Head, how do we keep getting into these situations?”

Aizawa groaned from his place on top of Present Mic. “Fifteen years of friendship and I still don’t know.” He looked down at his wrist, which sported a brand-new capture tape bracelet. “And we lost.” The black-haired hero laid his head back on Present Mic’s shoulder. “You pass, Son-san. Go back to the entrance to Nezu to get the information for your last test. I’m going to take a nap.”

Gohan chuckled and started walking towards the entrance. He had one last test to complete.

MEANWHILE, DURING TEST TWO

Toshinori and Nezu sat on a pair of chairs at the entrance of the urban battleground, a stand filled with screens in front of them. “Toshinori-kun, how has your successor been coming along with Young Gohan helping,” Nezu questioned, his eyes trained on the screen showing Gohan engaged in combat with Vlad King.

“He’s doing well,” Toshinori said while he continued to watch. “Young Gohan helped to change my original plan for Young Midoriya, adding some basic fight training that I was remiss in not including originally.”

Nezu hummed in acknowledgement, wincing at the last kick that knocked Vlad King off the roof. “I have some concerns in how he will be received by the upperclassmen. Aside from the Big Three, many of our hero course upperclassmen are rather… full of themselves. Presenting someone younger to be an authority figure will be a challenge for them to accept.”

Toshinori snorted, holding back a laugh as Gohan surprised Present Mic. “Have anyone who objects fight Young Gohan. If they have trouble accepting that age is only a number, they will not go far in our field. It might be better to have that attitude beat out them here rather than risk their deaths on the outside world.”

Nezu glanced over at Toshinori, a grin slowly spreading over his face. “I had a similar thought, especially after this display. I’ll wait until after his last test to make my decision.”

Toshinori coughed violently into a handkerchief, wiping away stray blood droplets. “What is his last test?” The grin that crossed the small mammal’s face unsettled him.

“How much hero work have you done today?”

Toshinori raised his eyebrows in surprise. “None. Every call this morning that I saw was already being taken care of effectively.” He looked back at the screen for a second, his eyebrows shooting up as two more blasts of the horn went off. “Wait. Why?”

“I’d like to have him fight you.”

Toshinori coughed in surprise, splattering his fist with speckles of blood.

“Me?!? Why me? Isn’t that a little much for an entrance exam?”

Nezu shrugged.

“One would think so, yes. However, his acceptance is not predicated upon defeating you. I would like for you to push him as far as you can in the allowed time-span. Let’s say five minutes, shall we?”

Toshinori stared at Nezu, his electric blue eyes glinting harshly in the daylight. The pair maintained eye contact for several seconds, expressions blank, before the emaciated blonde broke the stalemate, looking at the ground with a grimace. He raised his head to look back at the small principal.

“Fine. On one condition.”

Nezu raised an eyebrow and waited patiently. “Yes?”

“If he has a good enough display against me, you will pull some strings to have him take the provisional license exam coming up in April.”

Nezu stared into the intense eyes of his newest teacher, his expression blank. After a moment, a massive grin burst across his face. “Of course, Toshinori-kun. He has truly impressed you, hasn’t he? What is it that makes you trust him so much?”

Toshinori turned his face up to stare at the sky. “Have you ever been around a person whose sole motivation is to help others?”

Nezu tilted his head. “Among humans, no. Even you, the one who embodies the spirit of heroics, has other motivations, few that they may be. True selflessness is not a trait that I particularly associate with humans.”

Toshinori nodded. “True, humans have a habit of being fickle and complex, driven by many motivations. However, Young Gohan seems motivated entirely by his desire to help others. He has even helped me, reminding me that in my zeal to stop crimes, I am doing a disservice to the world and my fellow heroes.”

“How so?”

“As Gohan put it,” Toshinori drawled, his gaze still locked on the sky, “I was taking the entire burden of the world on my shoulders even though I know that I will not be there forever. I only have to access my powers for a few hours a day, therefore I have a responsibility to make sure I don’t waste that time with problems that others can deal handle. As the Number One Hero, if I waste my time with minor robberies and thugs, then I may not have the time to spare if something major happens that others cannot handle.” Toshinori sighed, looking down to see Gohan walking up the path toward them. “Even worse, I was creating a dependence upon me and projecting that dependence upon Young Midoriya. Even though he hasn’t taken my power yet, I can see the future weighing on him in a way that it did not weigh on me for many years into my service as a hero. If not for Young Gohan’s guidance, I would be fearful of Young Midoriya’s future wellbeing if that prediction came to pass. I now know that no matter what happens to me, there will be someone to be a rock for the world to rely upon.”

Nezu stared at the young Saiyan walking up the path to them, looking utterly unruffled even after engaging four powerful Pro Heroes. “Toshinori-kun, are you saying that Young Gohan is to be the new Symbol of Peace rather than your successor?”

The emaciated blonde shook his head, a smile flickering across his thin lips. “Oh no, Midoriya will be the next Symbol of Peace. I’m certain of that. I believe that Gohan shall be revered as the pinnacle of Justice and Hope, the true embodiment of heroics. He is a bright spotlight for future heroes to follow.”

Gohan strode up to the two older heroes sitting behind a set of screens. He met the intense blue eyes of Toshinori over the top of the screens while he walked, giving the emaciated man a grin as he approached, giving the emaciated blonde a confident grin.

“Young Gohan,” Nezu said with a wide grin. “You passed with flying colors! Although I expect Aizawa-kun to dock you points for not ending the encounter as soon as possible.”

Gohan shrugged. “If I ended it immediately, you never would have gotten to see my abilities, which defeats the purpose of the test. Besides, isn’t the unspoken part of this test checking if I can draw back my power enough to train students?” Nezu’s grin grew, signaling to Gohan that his guess had been correct. “So, what is this last test?”

Toshinori stood up from his seat to look Gohan in the eye, his form bulking to full-size. “A one-on-one battle with me! Five minutes, no boundaries, the only restrictions are no killing or permanent injuries!”

The young Saiyan felt his mouth stretch into a grin. While he was not as battle-crazy as his father, Gohan enjoyed testing his limits. And All Might was definitely THE challenge on Earth.

“All right, Toshinori-san, when and where?”

“We’re going out to where you first arrived! Seems fitting to have your last exam in the same place that you entered to our dimension! Meet me there in an hour!” Toshinori shrunk down to his skinny form, handing Gohan a folded stack of bills. “Go grab lunch and we’ll see you there.”

Gohan launched himself into the air, speeding out of the visual range of the two older Pro Heroes. Nezu glanced over at Toshinori.

“Did you ever discover exactly where he has been living since he arrived here? And how he has been making money?”

The emaciated blonde shook his head with a sigh. “No. Unfortunately, he always disappears at the end of his sessions with Young Midoriya. He always knows when I’m at the end of my time limit and makes sure he only disappears when I can’t follow. I’m sure he would answer if you asked, sir.”

Nezu shook his head. “I highly doubt it. I’ve only spoken to him a few times, while you have built a significant rapport with him. Perhaps if you ask him during your spar, he might be more inclined to answer.”

Toshinori nodded as he stood, stretching his long limbs across his emaciated torso. “I can try, Nezu-san.” The lanky blonde motioned towards the main building. “Shall we grab some lunch before this last test?”

Nezu nodded with a smile, hopping down from his chair. “Of course, old friend. Lunch Rush should have something nice for us today.”

Gohan looked around the cleared land surrounding the crater that his pod had created half a year ago. He could feel the miniscule ki of the many creatures that occupied the area along with the few humans who were walking the nearby trails. As much as Gohan would like to just let the animals stay where they were, they would be in danger from the aftermath of the upcoming spar, as were the humans nearby. A quick burst of intent-filled ki caused all the nearby wildlife to scatter. The humans walked a little faster, their ki spiking slightly in a fear response to Gohan’s negative intent.

Gohan took off his backpack and set it aside as he stretched. He shadowboxed, throwing kicks and punches in increasingly complex combinations. After several minutes of warming up, he could feel the dense ki of Toshinori approaching. It always fascinated Gohan, the ki of the Number One Hero, as it held a strange quality compared to everyone else. Gohan could get a general sense of what Quirk people held based on the feeling of their ki signatures, such as an intense heat from Endeavor the one time that the Number Two Hero had chased a villain near Dagobah Beach. Toshinori, though, felt as if there were multiple Quirks stacked on top of one another. The Quirk almost felt… clumped, like it was a collective instead of a distinct individual. It was none of the young Saiyan’s business, so he never pressed the issue with the older man and just continued to analyze the odd phenomena silently.

Toshinori landed in the center of the clearing, his muscular form clad in a tight red and white spandex suit while a blue cape flapped behind him. Nezu was riding his shoulder, clutching the cape tightly with one hand. The taller hero reached up to allow Nezu to step on his massive palm, bending down to place the small Headmaster on the ground. All Might stood, his trademarked grin splitting his face.

“Young Gohan! Are you prepared to battle for your last test? For I am here!”

Gohan gave the older man a wide grin. “How far do you want to push this? Usually I’d start slow, but I know you have a hard time limit.”

All Might laughed, his hands on his hips. “I want to see your full strength, Young Gohan! Nezu-sama will record us so that my colleagues can review your performance! Are you ready, sir?”

Nezu had somehow climbed up a nearby tree and wedge himself into a corner of several branches. He gave the pair a thumbs up with one hand while the other held a small video camera. “I am ready when you are!”

All Might looked over at Gohan and gave him a thumbs up. The teen grinned at him and balled his hands into fists. He had a look of concentration on his face before giving a loud shout. A burst of wind erupted from around Gohan, bending some smaller trees nearby with the force of the wind. The teen’s black hair waved in the wind, the color suddenly changing to a deep yellow-gold color while his eyes flickered to a teal color. All Might could feel the power emanating from Gohan until the teen reigned in his powerful aura.

“Is this far enough, All Might-sensei, or should I take it to the next level?” Gohan grinned at the look on All Might’s face in response to his transformation.

“Next level?” The massive blonde struck a heroic pose, his grin splitting his face. “That means I won’t need to hold back!”

Gohan concentrated again, focusing on the well of power within him. A shout of effort blew another gust of wind, this one bending every tree around the open field, as his golden hair grew longer and spikier. A golden aura surrounded Gohan while sparks flickered around his body, his hair moving in an ethereal wind while his muscles bulged. The teen took a fighting stance opposite of the Number One Hero. “I’m ready when you are, All Might.”

The large blonde hero shouted, “I am here… TO BATTLE! BEGIN!” With that, All Might sprinted at Gohan and threw a massive haymaker at the younger man. A burst of wind followed the lunging attack, battering Gohan even before the physical strike landed.

Gohan blocked the opening attack, maintaining his block through the lightning fast follow-ups. He shifted left, pushing the last punch away and forcing All Might off balance. He followed up with a straight punch to All Might’s cheek, knocking the larger blonde into the ground. Gohan pursued the larger blonde, not allowing him to recover his bearings before launching into a series of punches.

All Might took the punches for a moment before rolling to the side, dodging an axe kick that split the ground where he landed. “Young Gohan, you are truly a powerful fighter!” All Might drew on the memories of his time training with Gran Torino, tightening his stance and throwing less linear punches at his opponent. “How has Young Midoriya’s training been coming along?”

Gohan smiled as the large blonde suddenly changed up his fighting style, throwing punches with far less telegraphing. “It has been going well. Izuku has little to no talent for martial arts, but he has grit and work ethic. That is far more important!” The smaller blonde grunted as All Might landed a straight punch to his floating rib followed by a jab to his jaw.

The large blonde threw another haymaker at Gohan, his grin getting wider as the younger man dodged his punch. All Might paid for his lapse in concentration as Gohan kicked him in the head. The large blonde tanked the hit so he could land a shot in Gohan’s gut, launching the smaller blonde through several trees. “I noticed that his habit for overdoing his exercises has stopped! I take it I have you to thank for that?”

Gohan laughed as he got to his feet, trees falling around him. “Don’t tell me that’s your best shot, All Might? But now I know you can take a hit, at least!” That said, Gohan launched himself back into the fight, kicking All Might up into the air. The young Saiyan boots the larger blonde further skyward, using his speed to disappear and reappear behind the Number One Hero. Gohan slammed a hammer blow down on the rising hero, rocketing him down to the ground into a gigantic crater. “And yes, I stopped his habit of overworking. I literally trained him to where he couldn’t move for a day to get it through his head that it was doing more harm than good.”

All Might shook his head as he pushed himself out of the crater. That last shot had rattled his senses in a way that hadn’t happened in years. Not since his fight with All For One. The blonde hero looked up at his friend, floating with his arms crossed, and gave him a wide grin. “It’s time to declare that…” All Might disappeared mid-sentence, reappearing behind Gohan and hitting him with a massive fist. He launched Gohan at the ground, landing in the same crater All Might had just occupied. “I AM HERE!”

Nezu watched Gohan climb out of the hole to All Might and the blondes exchanged blows faster than the small mammal could see. Nezu had been around for quite a while and had been a new teacher at UA when All Might was a student. He could remember the spars between Gran Torino and a young Toshinori, the vicious affairs that they were, and this was on par with some of those battles. Nezu monitored a timer counting down in the recording's corner screen. The pair had been fighting for just over two minutes, both sides sending only probing strikes against the other. Nezu knew that the two fighters would get serious in the next exchange, so he wiggled his body a little more securely into the crook of his branch.

All Might and Gohan simultaneously threw identical punches, though only Gohan’s landed: the young Saiyan had taken advantage of his more compact build to duck under All Might’s punch while changing his own haymaker into a forward jab into the hero’s gut. All Might folded over the strike, using the momentum from the movement to attempt a grapple on Gohan. Gohan used a small ki blast to knock All Might backwards far enough to avoid being grappled, then spun into a roundhouse kick against the hero’s jaw. “So ask what you really want to ask, All Might-san.”

All Might spun with the force of the hit, landing in a crouch on the ground. The smiling hero leaped back up at his opponent with a grunt, throwing a faster-than-lightning punch at Gohan. Gohan executed a picture-perfect block nudging the strike just left of the teen, opening All Might to a counterattack that knocked the large man back. All Might held his ribs with one hand while he fended off the follow-up strikes with his other hand. “All right. Where have you been living, Young Gohan?” A missed block allowed Gohan to land a side thrust kick to All Might’s stomach.

Gohan pressed his advantage, raining furious blows down on the hero. A quick bob left and a duck forced All Might to miss his own counterattack, the wind from his powerful blow ruffling Gohan’s spiky hair. The Saiyan warrior took advantage of the overreach and used a powerful axe kick to drive All Might into another crater in the ground. “Homeless? My home has been out here, in the forest.”

All Might grabbed a small boulder out of the ground where he landed, throwing it at Gohan. A yellow ki blast blew up the boulder, a second blast following to knock All Might back into the small crater. “I’m not an enormous fan of living in the city, too many people. Out here is more comfortable for me.”

All Might launched himself up at the younger man, landing a kick on Gohan’s shoulder. He caught the muscular blonde by the ankle before he could fly away from the hero, swinging him around and throwing him into the crater that All Might had previously occupied. “Ah! I understand, Young Gohan! I only ask that you keep myself or the school apprised of your living situation!”

Gohan nodded as he climbed out of the crater. He disappeared again, reappearing above All Might. The young Saiyan drove his heels down into the crown of an unsuspecting All Might’s skull, launching him down to the ground. The older hero caught himself, rolling to disperse the impact and coming back up on his fingertips and toes, ready to get back into the fight.

“TIME!” Nezu shouted from his perch. Gohan and All Might looked over at the principal, confused.

“Already? Hah!” All Might stood up and looked at Gohan. “Young Gohan, you are a fearsome opponent! Perhaps I need to spar with you more often! I believe that I have been remiss in keeping up with the more technical aspects of my martial training!”

Gohan laughed as he floated down to the ground beside All Might. “I’d like that. I noticed that you were getting better the longer we went. I wasn’t sure I would find anyone I could use as a proper sparring partner after the Kai left me here.”

“Why?” Nezu piped up as he came up to the pair. “There are many martial artists and powerful heroes across the planet here, you must have read about them or heard about them.”

Gohan shrugged. “Honestly? Most of the martial artists that I’ve found here are… rudimentary at bet. I investigated some rumors, but they were mostly just that: rumors. No one seems to have taken their art to the next level.”

“Perhaps,” Toshinori said, “you can do that after you are an established hero. Teach your art and show that there are higher heights to reach.”

Gohan smiled at the hero. “That’s not a terrible idea. Teaching Midoriya has been interesting, so it could be a wonderful side project. Thank you.” The Saiyan bowed to his elder before facing Nezu, his blonde hair and teal eyes fading back to their usual ebony. “So, Nezu-kouchou, did I pass my exams?”

Nezu gave him a smile full of sharp teeth before answering, one matched by the blinding smile of a newly buff All Might. “Oh, yes. You have most certainly earned your place at UA! UA will be your Hero Academia!”

Gohan grinned and momentarily basked in the glowing approval of his new boss and teacher/colleague.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

As students trickled into UA’s campus for the first day of the new school year, most were ignorant of the eyes that continuously watched them from the second they walked through the gates until the instant they left. Many of those eyes were mechanical, cameras, and sensors installed by Nezu to monitor the campus. Several dozen students had realized that there were eyes on them, a raw instinct prickling the back of their necks and an awareness that eyes were upon them. 

One set of eyes remained overlooked by everyone on campus. Hundreds of yards over UA, a singular figure floated in a cross-legged position, eyes closed. The figure wore a deep blue button-down shirt and black slacks while a brown monkey-like tail waved behind them. The figure sat in a meditation pose as yellowish energy surrounded their body, fluctuating gently as the wind blew over the figure. 

A chime shattered the silent atmosphere. The figure fished a phone from his pocket, holding it up to their ear. 

“It’s time, Young Gohan. Come to meet your students.”

The figure opened his eyes and muttered into the phone’s receiver. “Toshinori-san. I’ll be down in a moment.” With that, Gohan released his concentration on flying, dropping out of the sky with nary a whisper. He oriented his body to face the rapidly approaching ground, aiming for the roof of the central building. Just as he was about to slam face-first into the roof, the young Saiyan flipped over and halted his momentum completely, gently floating the last couple of inches down to the rooftop. A choking sound came from behind him, prompting the young Saiyan to turn and look. 

A man stood there, wearing a large-brimmed brown hat and a tan gas mask hung from his neck, a pale cigarette hanging from his lips. A red cloak covered most of his body, save for the gray knee-high boots. Obviously, this was one of the Pro Hero teachers, just not one that Gohan had met before.

“Boy, you’re crazier than a damned loon! The hell you thinking, dropping out the sky like that?!” 

“Good morning, sensei. It’s really not that dangerous when you know what you’re doing.” Gohan held out a hand to the older man. “My name is Son Gohan. I am the new teaching assistant.” 

The older man reached out from under his cloak, exposing a gun holstered on his hip, to shake hands. “Howdy, I’m Snipe. I’ve heard about you from Shouta and Hizashi, they think you’re hot shit. I look forward to seeing you in action down the line.” 

Gohan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at the implied praise. “Thank you. I’m supposed to meet Toshinori-san for the opening assembly soon. Can you direct me to the assembly hall?” 

Snipe nodded, dropping his cigarette and stepping on the lit end. “Here, Son. This way. I’m headed that way myself.” 

Gohan followed the oddly dressed hero (he thought Snipe resembled something that Midoriya had mentioned: cowpeople or something?) through the massive building. Snipe pointed out important locations that Gohan would need over the course of the school year: the library, the teacher’s workroom, two different teacher lounges, the rooms for the General Studies students. 

“Snipe-sensei?” The older hero paused his running commentary, tilting his masked head questioningly. “Who does physical training for the General Education students? I read in the handbook that it’s possible for General Education students to transfer to the Hero Course if they manage a strong enough showing in the Sports Festivals.” 

“True, though that’s not something that we advertise to the students. It’s more of a thing that students seek only if they’re motivated enough to switch courses.” 

Gohan frowned. 

“But what if someone doesn’t have a Quirk? Or if their Quirk doesn’t work on those robots you use for the tests? Doesn’t that discriminate against them to not even tell them they have a chance of making it to the Hero Course?” 

Snipe lowered his head a little, contemplating. 

“I’ll admit, it ain’t always sat right with some staff that the Entrance Exam was so heavily skewed to those with physical Quirks. Especially folk like Aizawa who had to use that Sports Festival loophole to become a Hero. But it’s one of those things we ain’t got much of a choice in, the Hero Commission regulates our Exam and the government.” The hero shrugged helplessly. “Unless something changes, that’s just the way it is. If you want to run an after-hours course for General Education students, that’s something you could do.”

“I think I will,” Gohan said. The pair continued down the hall, eventually reaching the back entrance of the auditorium where Toshinori stood waiting for them. 

“Young Gohan! Good morning! You were almost late. Not that I can say a lot about that particular fault.” 

Gohan chuckled. He remembered the many times over the past few months when Toshinori arrived late for lunch or a training session with Midoriya because of his hero work. “True, Toshinori-san. Snipe-sensei was just showing me around the school for a moment, pointing out the important places I will need to know about.” The young Saiyan peaked around the corner of the curtain that covered the area behind stage where he stood. There were over two hundred students sitting in the auditorium, softly chatting with one another while they waited. 

“Have you come up with your hero name yet, Young Gohan?” Toshinori spoke up as Gohan looked around the curtain. “Nezu requested that you have some idea by today.” 

“I have one or two ideas, but nothing solid.”

“Are you ready, Gohan-kun?” The young Saiyan looked back and saw Nezu standing beside Toshinori. Gohan bowed to the principal.

“Nezu-kouchou. What am I expected to say to the students?”

“Not a lot. Just a basic introduction where you talk about what you’ll be doing here at UA and about you as a person. Nothing special.” 

Gohan nodded, stepping back from the curtain to wait his turn. Various teachers walked past him as Nezu called their names, slowly leaving him alone behind the stage. He could hear the small principal speak about the expectations of the individual courses and the expectations of the staff. He heard his name called and knew that it was his cue. He strode out to the stage, a slight smile on his face to mask his nerves.

“Hello, students. As Principal Nezu said, I am Son Gohan and I will work primarily with the Hero Courses as a teaching assistant. I primarily focus on hand-to-hand combat, along with some specialty work in energy manipulation and emotional control. However, I would like to say that any General Studies, Support, or Business Course students would like to take part in combat training after school, I would be happy to provide that. Even if you have no previous experience in combat or exercising, I will be available to help you.” Gohan bowed to the students and stepped back to stand in line with the other teachers. All Might reached behind the line of teachers and gave Gohan a thumbs up. 

Nezu stepped back to the podium and told the students to follow their homeroom teachers back to their individual classrooms. The homeroom teachers on stage filed out to take charge of their homerooms, going backward from Class 3A to the last of the first year Business Course students. Gohan noticed a gap in the homerooms as the first years left. 

“Nezu-kouchou, where are Aizawa and Class 1A? I just realized that I haven’t seen them yet.” 

The inscrutable creature smiled up at Gohan. “Oh, Aizawa famously never comes to the orientation ceremony. He always takes his class for a Quirk Assessment test, something that Kan leaves off until the beginning of the second day. I would recommend beginning with Class 1B, allow Aizawa his time to bond with his class.” Nezu gestured for Gohan to follow him. “I wanted to ask you about your offer to give combat lessons to the non-Hero courses, specifically why you offered it.”

Gohan silently walked beside the small mammal, his gaze locked on the floor. Nezu allowed him time to collect his thoughts, the pair walking through the halls in silence. “I was speaking with Snipe-sensei this morning as I came down to the auditorium, learning more about the various courses you have available here. I mentioned the loophole that existed where a student from any course could attempt to transfer into the Hero Course if they made a good enough showing at the Sports Festival and Snipe said that it was something the staff didn’t advertise to the non-Hero Course students.” 

Nezu nodded. “Yes. In the past, disclosing this has often been seen as a way of falsely raising hope for students who have a minimal chance to make it into the Hero Course. Some teachers have argued for telling students who attempted to get in via the Hero Entrance Exam, but that has never gained enough traction to make a difference.” 

“That was the impression I had from talking to Snipe-sensei this morning. However, if that loophole still exists, it means that the school recognizes that there are aspects of the Entrance Exam that are unfair or that room for growth exists after failure. But it makes no sense to even offer that path if there is no one willing to give them combat training so they can actually make a good showing.” 

Nezu hummed, his tone carefully neutral. “And you would like to offer that training? What if one of them turns against society after your training?”

“And what if they don’t? What if one of them could become a hero to inspire others, someone who will save countless lives, but they never get there because no one gave them the skills with which to do so?” Gohan turned his fathomless black eyes on Nezu. The principal could feel the intensity of the gaze and had to repress his animalistic instinct to hide from the powerful gaze. “Even if they never become heroes, martial arts are a method of control for those who cannot control themselves or need balance.” Gohan’s eyes hardened. “And I will not stand to see innocents hurt. If one of my students uses my teachings to hurt innocents, I will stop them. Personally.” 

Nezu hid the shiver that went down his spine at Gohan’s declaration. After seeing his display against All Might and his teaching staff, the small animal was certain that anyone who crossed this young man would quickly, and briefly, regret it. He stopped in front of a classroom door. 

“Here is Class 1B’s classroom. I leave you to begin your first lesson, Young Gohan.”

The small mammal gave Gohan a wave and walked off down the hall. Gohan turned to face the sliding door of the classroom, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. It was time to go to work. 

Class 1B sat at their desks, chatting with one another quietly while their homeroom teacher, Vlad King, sat at his desk up front. Only a few students took notice of the door sliding open and a large figure standing in the opening. Vlad King glanced up, nodded, and stood, gaining the attention of his class. 

“Class, turn to the front. This is your teaching assistant, Son Gohan. He is in charge of your unarmed combat training, though he will help in other areas if necessary. Son-san, introduce yourself.” 

Gohan nodded to Vlad, turning to face the class. “Good morning. As your teacher said, my name is Son Gohan. As Vlad-sensei said, I will train you in unarmed combat, no matter if you are a beginner or have been training for years. I am also a specialist in energy control and emission, so I can also help with those who have emitter Quirks.” 

A boy in the back of the room with blades coming out of his cheeks spoke up, interrupting Gohan. “What’s your hero name? I’ve never seen you on any of the hero sites!” 

Gohan blinked and tilted his head. “That would be because I’m not a Pro Hero, Togaru-san. Not yet, anyway.” 

Another boy, a blonde in the center of the room, snorted. “Then why should we listen to you? We’re here to become heroes, trained by the best to be the best. And you’re just some nobody.” 

Vlad stood up to berate the boy but stopped at Gohan’s raised hand. Gohan could see that several students, mostly boys, agreed with the blonde boy while most of the girls looked scandalized that he was so disrespectful. “Your name is Monoma Neito, correct? Quirk: Copy?” 

The boy nodded, a cocky smirk firmly affixed to his face. 

“Very well. Everyone, go get dressed out in your PE uniforms and meet me at the athletic field in ten minutes.” Gohan nodded to Vlad. Vlad, fighting the urge to cackle at his class, nodded back and motioned for the students to follow him. Gohan, to the class’s confusion, disappeared the moment they looked away from him. 

Class 1B swaggered out to the athletic fields, everyone chatting about the new teacher. 

“Gotta say, he’s cute,” said a green-haired girl with sharp teeth. “And he looks pretty close to our age, maybe a year out of high school.” 

“He’s probably just a washout,” groused the bladed boy. “I ain’t come here to be taught by no scrubs.” 

A taller student with furry arms and glasses spoke up, irritation coloring his tone. “Whatever your opinion, Togaru-san, he is still our teacher and thus demands our respect. Your tone is entirely uncalled for.” 

The bladed boy raised his arm to swipe at the furred boy, only stopping at a firm look from Vlad King. “Hn. Whatever. This guy is just gonna be a waste of time. Mark my words.” With that, he walked faster to get away from the other students. 

Gohan was in the center of the athletic field, wearing a purple gi with a deep ‘V’ in front, a brown fuzzy belt, and red shoes. Vlad pointed the class towards him but stayed back to allow Gohan to run the class. The class stood in a semi-circle around Gohan, the silence of the field almost oppressively heavy. Finally, Togaru snapped. 

“What the fuck are we doing out here!?!” 

Gohan turned his head, looking over at the class. “All of you are going to fight me at the same time.” Several students flinched at the hard look in the young Saiyan’s black eyes, shying away from the tall man. Others immediately began protesting.

“Sir,” the furry young man protested, “that seems quite unfair! You would be at a massive disadvantage!” 

“Sensei, it’s the first day! Why would we fight with you?” An orange-haired girl piped up from the middle of the group. Several around her nodded in agreement. “Shouldn’t we be doing some kind of assessment for you to know where we are now?”

Gohan smiled at the young woman. “That is exactly what I intend. The best way to assess your combat capabilities is to demonstrate them. Also, several of your classmates seem to doubt my qualifications to teach you combat. I thought this might put their minds at ease.” 

Togaru, along with several others, looked excited. “Hell yes! Let’s go!” 

Gohan turned the rest of the way, facing the center of the semi-circle. “What are you waiting for?” He waited a few moments, his neutral expression transforming into a frown. “Well, if you won’t attack,” Gohan disappeared from the student’s sight and reappeared in the center of the group, “THEN I WILL!” 

Gohan spun in a tight circle, kicking the surrounding students into one another. Togaru reacted first, extending a blade from his hand as he threw a punch at the black-haired Saiyan. Gohan grabbed the boy’s hand and pulled him into an elbow to the stomach, flickering away before the boy could blink. 

Togaru, trying desperately to take a breath, watched as the man he called a waste of time tore through his class like paper. Nothing anyone did seemed to do anything to him. One guy, Juzo, tried to soften the ground and trap him, only to discover that the man could fucking fly! Another student, the weird religious girl, shot a bunch of vines at him. He walked out of the trap, a bored expression on his face, to flick her in the forehead and send her tumbling head-over-heels.

The orange-haired girl and the furry guy who berated him earlier gave the best showing so far, coordinating with one another to box in their teacher. 

Gohan languidly avoided every strike from the two students, a small smile on his face while he moved. The furry student suddenly bulked up and started moving faster, furiously clawing at Gohan. The half-Saiyan stopped his backward movement, standing his ground in the face of the berserker attack. The student (Jurota Shishida, if Gohan’s memory held true) pressed his attack, aiming for joints and other soft targets. 

Gohan remembered his father’s first meeting with Trunks and the impression he made on all the Z Fighters, blocking his sword with a single finger. Raising a single finger, he blocked the claws of his students effortlessly while giving no ground.

Itsuka Kendo knew that this entire exercise was futile with the opening move. She had grown up surrounded by some of the best martial artists in the world, and this man made them all look like amateurs. Every move was smooth and calculated, with no wasted motions that Kendo could pick out. Even when he just stood still to block Shishida-san’s attacks, she could tell that he was tracking every person on the field and ready for any attack. Kendo also knew from her strikes setting up Shishida’s attack that Son-sensei could just dodge everything she threw at him. Kendo stopped attacking and moved back toward Kan-sensei, bowing out of the exchange entirely. 

Gohan noticed Kendo moving back and disengaging, a point in her favor to his mind. If lives were not on the line, it was perfectly acceptable to retreat. He quickly put down the rampaging Shishida with a single chop to the back of his neck. Gohan looked around the field, seeing everyone either on the ground, incapacitated, or both. 

He stepped to the side as a fist came slamming down where his head had just been. A quick glance up revealed a group of dismembered body parts floating in the sky, the result of Togake Setsuna's Quirk: Lizard Tail Splitter. Setsuna launched her dismembered feet and hands at Gohan at high speeds, hoping to catch him off guard with her disconcerting Quirk. Gohan raised a hand and let loose an invisible pulse of ki, knocking her out of the sky. 

Kan laughed as he watched Gohan take apart his class like they were a bunch of toddlers. It made him feel better about his own performance against Gohan in the boy’s exams. Kendo gave him a curious look from where she had stepped back.

“Vlad-sensei, why isn’t Son-sensei a Pro Hero? He’s so powerful, even more than many of the Pros I’ve seen fight!” 

“Because he isn’t from here, Kendo-san. He’s also only two years older than your class.” 

Kendo’s mouth dropped open at that revelation. ‘How?! He’s easily the best martial artist I’ve ever seen!’ 

Gohan waved her and Kan over to the group, the young man walking to his original place in front of the group. He sat cross-legged, motioning for the students near him to do the same. “Everyone, gather around.” The students dragged themselves into a semicircle surrounding Gohan, sitting in the grass with moans and grumbles of pain. “So Neito-san, Togaru-san, did I quell your fears I am not qualified to teach you unarmed combat?”

Togaru grunted and nodded, his eyes never leaving Gohan. Monoma, still laying on the ground, raised an arm to give a thumbs up. “Yes, sir,” the blonde said.

“Good. Now, a little about me. I am seventeen years old, homeschooled, and I will take the Provisional License Exam next week. Like I said earlier, I specialize in unarmed combat and energy manipulation. While you are with me, I will teach you how to fight both with and without your Quirks. I will also teach you mediation as a part of that training. Questions?” A sea of hands raised. Gohan blinked and picked the orange-haired girl. “Yes, Kendo-san?”

“Sir, how long have you been practicing martial arts and what style do you practice?”

“I have been a fighter for around thirteen years, I began my training when I was four. As for my style, I created my personal style based on the styles of my mentors. I call it the Raging Demon Turtle Style.” The class, including Kan, gave him incredulous looks at his admission that he had been training since he was four. Kendo had stars in her eyes, admiration shining out that someone so powerful was using her beloved martial arts. 

Gohan answered the rest of the questions, most of them fairly tame. Finally, Monoma sat up and looked at him. 

“What’s your Quirk?” Everyone stopped and leaned in, curious as to the answer. 

“I use ki, the physical energy in every living thing. It reinforces my muscles, bones, and ligaments and boosts my strength to a high level. I also use energy attacks formed from ki, such as this.” Gohan formed a small yellow ball of ki over his hand, willing it to travel in a circle around the heads of the class. “While it looks harmless, it is highly destructive.” He pulled the ball back to his hand, tossing it over his shoulder to land on a large boulder protruding from the field a dozen yards away. The boulder exploded in a flash of light, the shock wave blowing back the hair of everyone in the class. 

The students were wide-eyed, staring at the casual display of destruction. 

“Holy shit…” As one, the class swiveled their heads to look at their homeroom teacher. Vlad blinked and noticed them looking at him, blushing in embarrassment. Gohan laughed, causing a cascade of laughter from the students surrounding him. 

“All right, now that Vlad-sensei has expressed his opinion, let’s get down to work. Everyone, I want you to spread out and get into the Lotus posed. If you don’t know what that pose is, it’s how I’m sitting.” The class, still chuckling, spread out on the grass and got into the requested pose. “All right, the first thing we will be meditating.” Gohan held up a hand to forestall the moaning. “I know meditation is a little boring, but it is important. All of you have powerful and potentially dangerous Quirks, therefore you have to emphasize control. Meditation will help you with that control by centering your minds. I want everyone to close their eyes and focus solely on your breathing.” 

The young half-Saiyan smoothly stood up and walked through the group of students. “Nothing else matters, not the sun on your skin or the breeze ruffling your hair. The only thing that is important is your breathing. The function of your lungs, your diaphragm moving to provide life.” Everyone followed his instructions, breathing quietly. It even focused Kan, even though he remained standing with his eyes on the students. “Now, I want you, without losing focus on your breathing, imagine a flame, just like a candle flame, just in front of your eyes.” Several people nodded, the rest too focused on their breathing to move. “Any stray thoughts that come through your mind, any worries or stress, feed into the flame. Don’t let it grow out of control, just allow it to cleanse your mind.” 

Togaru had something approaching a snarl on his face. ‘This is useless! How is this going to help in a fight?!’ He looked up as a long-fingered hand landed on his shoulder. 

“Togaru, this is only a first step,” Gohan said, a small grin on his face. The Saiyan crouched down to look the bladed student in the eye. “I know it doesn’t feel like it, but meditation can help you become a better fighter.” 

Tetsutetsu opened one eye to look at the talking pair and asked how Gohan knew it would help. 

“It might be hard to believe, but I have some mild… rage issues. It’s genetic from my father. His tribe can’t really help but revel in battle and gaining strength, pushing harder and harder to become the best of the best. My father’s tribe are warriors by nature, driven to fight by our intense emotions. But my master taught me to meditate, especially as I became more powerful and my emotional outbursts became more dangerous. Emotions grant power, but if they are uncontrolled, they can be your destruction.” 

Togaru stared into his teacher’s eyes, trying to discern if he was lying to him just to manipulate him. The man was the most calm adult that the blade boy had ever met, even while he was taking apart his class. Could this man really empathize with the desire for battle that burned in his heart? Nothing but honesty and earnestness shined back from Gohan’s ebony eyes. The boy nodded and closed his eyes again, resuming his meditation. 

After a half hour of meditation, Gohan clapped his hands once and whistled to get everyone’s attention. “Great job, everyone! I know meditation can be difficult to get used to, but I would like for each of you to find a time to meditate once a day for at least fifteen minutes. Even if that’s only focusing on the first step where you concentrate on breathing, try. If you’d like to join me, I usually meditate every morning around 6 here on campus before I do my morning exercises. That’s all for today, thank you.” The tall Saiyan bowed slightly to the class and nodded to Kan. 

The Blood Hero clapped his hands. “Line up! We’re going back to the room so you can have your regular classes!” 

Gohan watched Class 1B walk back to the building, a small smile on his face. Who knew that teaching could be fun?

The Next Day

Gohan sighed as he stood outside of Class 1A's classroom. He knew that Aizawa was considered one of the best Hero teachers in Japan, if not the world, but he wasn’t a fan of dealing with him. His emphasis on ‘rationality’ wore a little thin after a while. Gohan appreciated rationality, but being a someone who fought to save others was inherently irrational. It called for making people safe by self-sacrifice, something irrational to any normal person's standards. Gohan knocked on the door politely, waiting for Aizawa to answer.

“Come.” Aizawa's voice held it’s typical raspy quality. Gohan pushed open the door, stepping inside to look over his second class of first-years. 

“Good morning, class. You were not at the opening assembly, so you likely have not met me.” A gleam came to his eye as Gohan spotted Midoriya cowering behind a spiky-haired blonde boy, his large green eyes wide and terrified at the sight of the half-Saiyan. “I am Son Gohan. I will be your unarmed combat instructor. Now, get your gym uniforms on and meet me outside at the front lawn in ten minutes.” Midoriya sprinted out of the room, his classmates startled. Gohan raised an eyebrow at the group. “Well, what are you waiting for? You’re down to nine minutes and you will not enjoy the consequences of being late.” The class scrambled after Midoriya, save for a few who walked calmly.

“So what are the consequences,” Aizawa asked after the class was out of earshot. Gohan grinned. 

“A one-on-one spar with me.” 

Aizawa shivered at the thought. His grin got even bigger. “I like it.”

Midoriya POV

Midoriya sat quietly in his seat as Aizawa took attendance. He noticed that Aizawa seemed to be waiting for someone, but next was English with Mic-sensei, right? A gentle rapping came from the door, Aizawa looking up at the sound. A creepy grin inched its way across the teacher’s face as he called for the person to come in. A tall figure in a purple gi stepped into the room, a small smile on his face.

Midoriya's eyes became wide, and he slunk down in his seat, trying to hide. Sero leaned over and whispered to him.

“Dude, what's wrong? You look like you’ve seen someone who wants to kill you and it isn’t Bakugo.” 

Midoriya shivered and whispered back.

“He’s a demon.” With that, Midoriya shut up and tried to make himself as unobtrusive as possible, something he had a lot of practice at.

The tall man introduced himself and ordered them to get dressed out and go to the front lawn. Midoriya scrambled to get out of the door as soon as possible, knowing Gohan’s punishments for being late. His classmates eventually made it to the dressing room with him, giving the greenette curious looks.

“Midoriya, you appear to know this new teacher,” Iida stated. “How, if I may ask, do you know him?” 

Midoriya didn’t pause in his dressing, having already gotten his undershirt on. “He helped me train for the Entrance Exams.” 

The boys all turned to star at Midoriya.

“He trained you? Who is he?” Iida asked, curious. “I’ve never seen him in any of the pro-hero events.” 

Midoriya shuddered. “He isn’t a Pro yet. The man who was training with me recommended him to help train my hand-to-hand abilities. He’s a monster.” Midoriya finished getting dressed and rushed out of the room, shouting back that they only had five minutes left to get outside. 

Gohan POV

Gohan stood on the front lawn, arms crossed with a neutral expression. He watched as the class slowly came out to the front lawn. They just barely made it in the allotted time, save for two students. Gohan held up a hand for silence, watching the doors for the final two members of the class to make it outside. An angry black-haired girl, red-faced and with a furious expression, stomped out of the doors, dragging a smaller boy with purple balls on his head. Aizawa stepped forward, his expression blank even as his body language signaled otherwise. 

“Yaoyorozu, what happened?” 

The girl shuddered, her expression shifting from anger to embarrassment and shame as she dropped the boy and stepped away from him. “Mineta-san apparently hid in one of the unoccupied lockers in the girl’s changing room. I was the last girl to leave the locker room and heard him open the locker to leave.” The raven-haired girl wrapped her arms around herself. “He had his phone out and was pulling up his pants when he opened the locker!.” 

The boy scrambled to his feet and tried to protest his innocence, even as he tried to keep his pants from falling down. Aizawa gave him a ruby-eyed glower, which only scared the boy for a moment. From the group of students, there were several shouts of anger and sounds from Quirks activating. He opened his mouth to protest again when a massive weight slammed into him. 

Gohan strode forward, his eyes seeming to flicker between their normal black and a strange teal color as they locked on the short teen. The entire class held their breath as he passed, afraid to draw even an iota of his attention. 

Mineta couldn’t move, he couldn’t even think of moving as Gohan moved towards him with a predator’s grace. The purple ball boy felt like he was prey, watching an apex predator stalking towards him. 

As Gohan got within a few steps of Mineta, the boy fainted, collapsing on the ground. Gohan grimaced at the wet spot staining the outside of Mineta's gym pants. 

“Aizawa-sensei, please take this… sex offender to Nezu-kouchou. If he stays here, I may hurt him.” 

Aizawa wrapped the boy up in his capture scarf and dragged him away, Gohan taking a deep breath, calming breath. 

“Alright, class, after that, I think we need what we’re about to do.” He turned to face the rest of the class, taking in their confused expressions. “Everyone, sit on the grass in the Lotus position. We will start with the art of meditation.”

A blonde boy physically growled at Gohan, small explosions popping off in his hands. “What the fuck? I thought you said you were our combat instructor, not some meditation shit!” 

The boy launched himself at Gohan, leading with a massively telegraphed right hook and minor explosions crackling in his left hand. Gohan sighed and stepped into the swing, grabbing the boy by the face, and planted him in the ground headfirst. The young Saiyan looked up at the rest of the class, his dark eyes glinting with unspoken emotion. “Lesson one: If you are going to attack someone stronger than you, have a damn good reason. Your pride isn’t that reason.” The class, as one, nodded with wide eyes. 

Gohan pulled the exploding boy out of the ground and laid him down on the grass before he shifted into the Lotus position. “Sit in the Lotus position, like this.” Slowly, the group settled down on the grass. Gohan walked them through the same exercises that he led 1-B through the day before, emphasizing their breathing and finding their centers. The blonde boy (Bakugo, if Midoriya’s descriptions were accurate) woke up around ten minutes into the exercises, grumbling even as he got into the same position as the rest of the class. 

After a half-hour of meditation, with Gohan walking through the class and gently refocusing those who had wandering minds, Gohan clapped his hands. “Good job, class! Now, who can tell me why I started you with meditation?”

A tall girl with long black hair raised her hand. Gohan nodded to her. “You began us with meditation to help us calm down after the stress of Mineta.” 

Gohan nodded. “That is one reason, yes. After a significant amount of stress, meditation helps to calm your mind and body. Especially when you have a significant power dependent upon your emotional state of mind. Now that we’ve calmed down,” Gohan looked over at the explosive blonde sulking on the edge of the group, “Do you have questions about what sorts of things you’ll be learning with me.” 

Every hand in the room rose and Gohan smiled as he picked on the first person. Since most of the questions were like Class 1B’s, he could answer on autopilot while he compiled his mental list of exercises to run the classes through later in the week. Maybe this teaching stuff really was his thing?

Chapter Text

Gohan stretched as he stood beside the UA bus. The testing center for the Provisional Licensing Exam was massive, easily the size of Capsule Corporation, and looked very impressive. He heard a quiet whistle, turning to see Snipe waving him over.

“Yes, Snipe-Sensei?”

“How are those bracers fitting ya? Nezu said that ya ain’t need to wear ‘em, we all trust yer restraint.”
Gohan shrugged, looking down at the bulky red bracers covering his forearms. They were super-dense weights, weighing several tons each. He could feel similar weights on his legs. He based them on a design that Bulma created for training, created to prevent Gohan from using his full power and speed. They partially leveled the playing field for others, keeping his speed equal to All Might while capping his maximum strength at around thirty percent. He could, however, drop the weights at a moment’s notice if necessary, just in case.

“They fit fine. I designed them myself, after all. I just want a more level playing field for this exam. I wish I could just make them the size of my wristbands, but I couldn’t find a metal dense enough to provide that kind of weight.”

Snipe shrugged after a moment's consideration. “Yer choice. Did ya ever get around to makin’ an actual hero costume?”

“No, I never got around to it. It’s been a busy couple of weeks, doing basic combat training for the first years and advanced combat training with the second years.” Gohan looked down at his gi. It was similar in design to his father’s gi, but the exterior was purple and the undershirt was red. His shoes were green, much like the slippers he used to wear while training under Piccolo. “This is just one of my regular sets of training clothes. I’m sure I’ll think of something for a costume, eventually. Maybe.”

Snipe shrugged. “Well, kid, that’s ya own choice. Let’s go.”

They walked into the testing facility, where a couple thousand potential heroes milled about in their small cliques. A large balcony rose over the heads of the test takers, a dozen men and women in suits standing at attention. One woman stood behind a raised podium, dressed in a pink pantsuit. The woman was short and stocky with a broad face, her wispy pink hair piled high on her head. She tapped the microphone in front of her, causing a high-pitched feedback squeal.

“Good afternoon, potential heroes! I hope you are all doing well today! Welcome to the Provisional License Exam for the Spring of 2285. My name is Amaku Akui* and I will be the head proctor for today. I hope that as many of you pass as possible!” She winked at the crowd, causing several students to gag in revulsion. Amaku waved a fat hand to the side, a set of walls sliding down to reveal one hundred platforms spread across a half-mile stretch of land. “This exam will be a little different from past years. We at the HPSC have noticed an increase in the number of less-than-desirable hero candidates passing the Provisional Licensing Exams and have constructed this exam to address that issue. We would like to see candidates who can protect our citizens as steadfastly as our Number Two Hero, Endeavor.”

Dozens of people in suits began wandering through the crowd, handing out forms to the competitors.

“These are release forms that say the Hero Public Safety Committee is not liable for injuries sustained in the normal course of this exam. That includes, but is not limited to, burns, lacerations, bruises, and amputation of limbs. You will need to sign to be allowed to take the exam.” Akui smiled sweetly, though a small amount of bloodlust lurked behind the smile.
“The format for this segment is simple. A battle royale on each platform, the last hero standing will move on. Each platform has forty contestants.”

Gohan furrowed his brow. ‘That feels a little overtly martial for a hero test… Aren’t heroes supposed to be public servants who save civilians, not soldiers?’ Absently, Gohan signed the form passed to him, stepping forward to get onto his assigned platform. A simpering throat-clearing drew his attention back to the podium.

“The elimination methods are equally simple. If you are rendered unconscious, knocked off the platform with no way back,
injured past a certain point, or cause excessive damage to a fellow competitor, you are eliminated. Each platform will allow one person to move on, therefore fifty will move on to the second stage. The battles will occur simultaneously and will last for a maximum of twenty minutes. May the odds be ever in your favor.”

Gohan narrowed his eyes at the plump woman. His instincts were crawling about this woman, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly was wrong. He mounted the platform, still puzzling over what made this woman so distrustful. ‘She said that they wanted people like Endeavor. Why not try to encourage candidates to be like All Might, since he’s the current Number One Hero?’

———————————————————Scene Break—————————————————————

Hijiri Yuudai stretched as he looked at the competitors on the platform with him, scoffing at them. Hijiri may only go to Ketsubutsu Academy, but his flame Quirk was powerful enough to catch the attention of the Number Two Hero, Endeavor!
The Flame Hero emailed Hijiri the day before the Exam about a new person on the Hero Scene. No one knew his name or his Quirk, but he was a TA/student at UA. Hijiri didn’t know how that worked, but it didn’t matter. Endeavor made Hijiri a guarantee that the Ketsubutsu student would get a contract as a sidekick with the Endeavor Hero Agency if he could knock out this unknown student. Hijiri grinned as he finished his stretches, his excitement causing the flames on his head to flare bright blue.

“Hey, you! Flamehead!”

Hijiri looked around for the source of the voice. A small girl in a loose yellow jumpsuit and red boots sauntered across the platform, her yellow eyes contrasting with jet black hair.

“Me,” Hijiri said, his head tilting to the side.

“Yes, you Flamehead. I know we’re competitors, but what do you say about a little team-up in the opening round? Knock out the UA scrub before we get down to beating each other up.” The girl put her hands on her hips, a confident smirk stretched across her face. “Those UA types are a little too stuck up for my taste. I always enjoy getting to put them in their place. I’m Izumi Japana from Seijin High School, by the way.”

Hijiri shrugged. “Hijiri Yuudai, Ketsubutsu Academy. I’m fine with a team-up, but the minute he’s down, I’m coming for you.”

A buzzer went off in the background and the HPSC representative’s voice came over the intercom. “BEGIN!”

Hijiri and Izumi launched themselves forward, pushing past a girl whose head was a giant snake and a giant boy reaching for a girl in a Seiai Academy uniform. Their target was just standing in his original starting position, arms crossed and watching the chaotic battles going around him. Before they reached him, a firework shot between them, exploding just in front of the sprinting pair. Hijiri and Izumi pulled back from their sprint just in time to avoid a second firework exploding. A multicolored blur zipped past them with a cheeky laugh and another explosion of colorful light.

“Sorry, slowpokes! That sitting duck is mine!”

Hijiri ground his teeth as the blur darted to his target, throwing a burst of Catherine Wheel fireworks in his face. The flame-haired hero-hopeful threw himself into the fray with a shout of frustration and anger, much like his idol Endeavor. No one was going to take his prey and his chance at the Pros!

———————————————————Scene Break—————————————————————

Gohan frowned, ignoring the melee happening all around him while he thought about the odd behavior of the HPSC representative. A firework interrupted his thoughts, exploding just in front of him.

The young Saiyan refocused on the melee just in time to see a girl in multicolored spandex emerge from the firework with a punch. Reflexes born from dozens of battles and years of endless training knocked the punch to the side and retaliated with a left cross. The girl let out a cry of surprise and pain as the punch knocked her off the platform and into a nearby wall. Gohan winced at the sound of impact. He meant to hold back more on that strike.

A flash of flames licked the air where Gohan had been standing moments before. Hijiri shouted in wordless anger as the black-haired man dodged his fireball. A flood of water appeared behind Hijiri’s target, forcing him forward into a second fireball. Hijiri’s shout of triumph transformed into a scream of anger as his enemy came out of the fireball unscathed.

“Time for your light to go out, kid!” The girl in yellow spandex summoned a globe of water that sealed itself over the UA student’s head. “You can’t do anything if you can’t breathe! UA isn’t the only great Hero School in Japan, ya know, and I’m gonna prove it by beating your ass!”

Gohan blurred out of her sight. She looked around wildly, trying to find him. The young Saiyan warrior picked her up by the scruff of her costume and threw her off the edge of the platform. As she fell, the water globe surrounding his head lost its form. He turned just in time to see a third fireball flying at him. He ducked and spun left, avoiding a follow-up fireball.

“Your attacks are a little repetitive, aren’t they? Is your quirk just throwing fireballs? Or is it actually fire creation?” His only answer was another scream of rage, followed by a gout of flame. “Oh, that’s warm.”

The Saiyan dodged around the streams of fire, swerving between contestants who panicked at the sudden flames. After a few minutes of weaving between contestants and redirecting mis-aimed attacks, Gohan completely circled the fire user and stood on the edge of the platform.

“Stand still so I can hit you,” Hijiri screamed, sweat pouring down his body. “I have to eliminate you!”

Gohan shrugged and stood still, his arms spread wide. “This feels counterproductive, but sure. Take your best shot.”

Hijiri roared as he sent a stream of flames at his target, the heat bloom washing over every competitor on the platform. The sudden heat staggered the other hero hopefuls on the platform and the flame user yelled in triumph. That yell trailed off as the smoke cleared, revealing Gohan standing with his arms still wide open.

Gohan noted, as the flames cleared, that of the forty contestants on his platform, twenty-five were still standing. The young Saiyan floated up and backward off the platform. He grabbed the edge of the platform and ripped it off the spire that held it, tilting it ninety degrees so most of the competitors just slid off. He placed the platform back on the spire, frowning at the four students who held on.

Hijiri panted from the exertion of holding on to the platform. He had melted handholds into the surface of the platform, burning his hands badly. He stood up shakily to face Gohan. Another student with a Gigantification quirk loomed high over everyone else, a third made a dozen copies of herself while the last student pointed at Gohan.

“ATTACK!”

Gohan rushed the attacking students, targeting the gigantic student first. Although the student stood forty feet tall, Gohan grabbed the girl’s boot and swung her around like an oversized baseball bat. He hit the human copier with the first swing, the second swing missing the fire user and smacking the other student off the platform. Gohan gently tossed the giant student off the edge of the platform, keeping his eyes on the fire user.

“So, is there a reason for this animosity? As far as I know, I’ve never met you. Somehow, I don’t think it’s a hate boner for UA, you haven’t gone on a rant about beating UA like the last one. But you seem to be specifically targeting me, which is strange.”

Hijiri ground his teeth, his eyes flashing with anger. “My name is Hijiri Yuudai and my mission is to make sure you don’t move on!”

He threw a brace of fireballs around Gohan, trapping him into a single lane while Hijiri rushed in. The fire user sprayed a stream of fire down the lane, expecting to either launch Gohan off the edge of the platform or force him into submission. What he did not expect was Gohan walking through the flames like they weren’t there.

“Sorry about this.” Gohan picked Hijiri up by the back of his costume and dropped him off the edge of the platform, wincing at the crash of the boy hitting the ground. A buzzer went off over the top of the platform. “Still don’t know what your issue is with me, but that’s not my problem.”

“Applicant 442 moves on to the next round! Please move to the anteroom on the left-hand side of the room!” The loudspeaker drew some attention from the other contestants. Many other platforms were just beginning the first stages of their major battles.

Hijiri glared up at Gohan as the man hopped down from the platform. The flame user had failed his mentor and just destroyed his chances of signing on as a sidekick for Endeavor. All because of him!

———————————————————Scene Break—————————————————————

Gohan sat in a Lotus position by a wall, floating several feet off the ground while he meditated. He flinched as a squeal of feedback suddenly erupted from the speaker over his head.

“Congratulations to all of our applicants who made it past the first screening! We of the Hero Public Safety Commission want to make sure that only the best of our applicants are entrusted with the safety of our beloved citizenry. For the next stage, please proceed to the double doors at the end of the hall.” The voice of the HPSC representative was just as sugary and insincere as before.

Gohan followed the other hero hopefuls through the double doors, his eyes flicking around in case of threats. Small booths covered the room, each set up with bright lights and a person in a suit sitting in a chair with a small clipboard. The sickeningly sweet voice of the HPSC representative came back over the speaker.

“Dealing with the media is a major part of the hero's life, so it is the media who will grade you on the second stage of the Provisional License Exam. They will interview you and your ability to interact with them will determine if you pass or fail this segment of the Provisional License Exam.” Gohan blinked at the instructions. Why would this be part of the exam? He still wasn’t terribly familiar with this new world, but surely an official license for heroism wouldn’t involve public relations as a major component.

“Please locate the booth with your name on it. You have five minutes. If you cannot locate and sit in your booth at the end of the five-minute period, you will fail this portion of the exam.” The applicants began running around, checking the nameplates on the front of the booths in a panic.

Shaking his head, Gohan put his questions to the back of his mind. He walked out and looked at the nameplates on the booths in front of him, then stepped to the side to see the nameplates on the booths in the second and third rows. ‘Ah! The booths are in syllabic order, but the order is vertical instead of horizontal.’ The simple switch had caused chaos with the examinees.

Gohan walked to his assigned booth. He sat in the remarkably comfortable chair, giving the reporter a bland smile. The timer went off, and the reporter leaned forward, locking eyes with Gohan.

“So, first off, what’s your hero name?”

“Saiyaman, ma’am.”

“That’s an unusual name,” the reporter said. “What does it mean and how did you pick it?”

“Well,” Gohan said as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, “I just thought it sounded like something my little brother would like. It really doesn’t mean anything to society at large.” The reporter narrowed her eyes slightly but moved on to her next question.

“How old are you?”

“Sixteen. Seventeen next month.”

“I don’t recognize you from last year’s UA Sports Festival. What Hero Course did you transfer in from?”

Gohan scratched the back of his head. “My mother actually homeschooled me for my entire life. I already passed my high school exit exams and I’m doing coursework with Nezu-kouchou in the meantime.”

The reporter raised an eyebrow. “Wow, you’ve already done your exams and you’re taking private lessons with Principal Nezu? You must be quite the student.” She blinked and sat back. “But if you’ve just gotten to UA, how did you get to take the Provisional License Exam? Most students have at least a year under their belts before they can attempt the exam for the first time.”

Gohan shrugged. “Because of my unique circumstances, the UA staff tested me privately and deemed me ready to take the exam.”

“And what are those circumstances?”

“Unique,” Gohan said with a smile that flashed a hint of his elongated canine. “Please move on.”

“A little over six months ago, an event happened near Shizuoka province. An incident which left a gigantic crater in the ground. According to public records and a couple of sources in the HPSC, you just sort of appeared out of the blue the very next week.”

Gohan blinked and cocked his head to the side. “Was there a question in there? I don’t see how that applies to this interview or this exam.”

The reporter said, pointing her pen at Gohan. “There are some rumors going around that the crater which suddenly appeared in the forest outside of Shizuoka was from an experiment gone wrong or a villain attack. Citizens who were nearby said they heard a crash and saw All Might flash past a few minutes later. When officials arrived on-site, they found a crater and no sign of the Number One Hero.”

Gohan maintained his confused gaze, even as he began swearing internally. The reporter continued, waving her pen around in emphasis.

“You turned up in the public records just days after the mysterious crater incident. The principal of UA, Nezu, covered it up the same day that you appeared in the records. That is pretty suspicious, since you weren’t in the records before the incident, according to some high-level sources. So, one of two things is happening here: either you are a government experiment who has escaped and Nezu is helping you to cover it up.”

Gohan blinked at the random turn. ‘Is that the insane option? Is there a sane option?’

“Or you are a villain who has somehow gotten dirt on Nezu and possibly All Might so that they would help you infiltrate hero society with a provisional license!” The reporter sat back, a satisfied smirk on her face. “If you want to pass this test, you’ll give me the scoop on exactly what’s going on.”

‘So, no. There wasn’t a sane option. I can work with this.’ Gohan leaned back in his own chair and gestured to the reporter. “Let me get this straight. You think that I’m either a secret escaped experiment or a villain. And Nezu and/or All Might are helping me because they either want to help or because I’m blackmailing them with something?”

“Yes.”

“And your plan is to blackmail me into telling you what is going on.”

“I wouldn’t say blackmail, but you’re on the right track.”

“Alright,” Gohan said as he shifted in the chair. “What makes you think that’s a good plan? If Nezu, the government, or any number of other entities were running an experiment that either succeeded or failed, wouldn’t it put your life in danger to do something like blackmail?”

The reporter paled, but doggedly stared at Gohan.

“Or if it’s your second theory and I’m a villain who got Nezu on my side for this, what would stop me from killing you and everyone else in the building and walking away? This plan doesn’t seem well-conceived to me…” Gohan smirked, showing off an elongated canine.

The reporter squeaked and dropped her pen. Her pale skin become paper white as her mouth opened and closed without sound for a moment. After a few seconds, she seemed to regain her voice. “N-n-never mind. I think this is good. Y-you pass.” She marked a card and handed it to him. “Give that to the judges. Have a good day.”

Gohan watched the reporter walk quickly away from his booth. He didn’t enjoy that sort of manipulation, but it was infinitely preferable to certain groups getting knowledge of his origins. Dimensional travel was usually reserved for the Supreme Kais, but the possibility of someone finding a method of their own was always available once they knew the option existed. Luckily, that reporter wasn’t great at blackmail. Or all that bright.

———————————————————Scene Break—————————————————————

A judge walked by and stepped into the booth, taking the card from Gohan. They directed the young Saiyan to the front of the building where the proctor and Endeavour were standing. The Flame Hero glared at Gohan, his bulky arms crossed.

“This is the last stage, boy.” Endeavor pointed at a simulation of a street in front of him. Rubble and debris covered the street, with human shaped dummies littering the ground. A figure in red stood at the midpoint of the road, hands on hips. “Your task is to resolve the situation in as little time as possible. The government and society task heroes with stopping villains as quickly as possible, so catch the perpetrator.”

“What about the civilians?” Gohan’s eyes were flickering around the simulation.

“Do what you like with them. Resolving the incident is the object, which means you must defeat the villain.” Endeavor nodded to the official beside him. “Begin.”

A gust of wind extinguished Endeavor’s flames as Gohan blurred away. His red bracers were now sitting on the ground beside the Flame Hero and the young Saiyan stood at the end of the simulation street, the civilians laid out on one side and the ‘villain’ tied up on the other side. White energy was flaring out from Gohan as he stared down at Endeavor with a condescending smirk.

“Situation resolved.”

Endeavor ground his teeth but nodded. “You pass. Collect your provisional license card from the processing area.”

———————————————————Scene Break—————————————————————

As Gohan walked away, the head proctor waddled over to Endeavor. The young Saiyan could clearly hear her whispered shouts, as if he were standing beside her.

“I thought you were going to fail him! We have questions that require continued access to him!”

Endeavor growled at the squat woman, his flames flaring briefly until she took a step back. “I may dislike him, but he accomplished the exercise in under a second. That’s damned impressive and someone we need on the streets instead of in a lab. Find someone else to do your damn dirty work. I have work to do, I’m not your damned dog. NEXT!”

Gohan raised an eyebrow at that, never pausing his stride. ‘Why does Endeavor dislike me? This is the first time I’ve run into him, as far as I know. I should probably let Nezu-kouchou know about this when I get back to campus.’

Gohan stood by Snipe, waiting for the UA bus to take them back to campus, when Gohan’s watch beeped. The young Saiyan looked down at his watch in confusion for a moment. “Right! I’m supposed to help with some rescue training this afternoon! Aizawa and Thirteen asked just in case All Might forgot about his time limit again.” He looked at Snipe. “Is it ok if I make my own way back? I can get to the USJ in a couple minutes.”

Snipe shrugged. “Sure. You’re at least provisionally licensed now, so there isn’t anything stopping you. Make sure you keep that card with you! They’ll charge you for a copy if you lose it.”

Gohan grinned, turning to bound into the sky. “Thanks, Snipe-sensei! I’ll see you back at school!” With that, the young Saiyan sped up out of Snipe’s sight. Hopefully, helping with one of the hero classes would be a good way to unwind after that really weird test.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: The USJ!

Gohan stared at his new license as he flew away from Snipe-san, relying on his ki sense to warn him of any dangers nearby. He couldn’t believe that this dimension was actually going to pay him to do the things that he was already going to do. It felt a little strange, really.

As he neared UA, Gohan could sense far more people gathered around Aizawa-san and Thirteen-san than just Class 1-A. The young Saiyan frowned and focused on the ki signals surrounding the three teachers. He could identify the life signs of the 1-A students, except for Iida, who was moving back towards campus at a high speed. However, three signatures were unusual, like there were several people occupying the same space. One, in particular, seemed like it was four or five people overlapping. And that person was standing right in front of Toshinori-san!

Gohan flared his aura and flew faster, pulling up in front of the USJ’s doors a few moments later. The doors were standing ajar and Gohan could see a group of students huddled together over a prone Thirteen.

“What happened?” Gohan yelled as he flew into the complex. He could see the torn back of Thirteen’s suit, but nothing else was clear.

“Son-sensei! One villain has a warping Quirk and hurt Thirteen-sensei really badly!” Uraraka pointed down the stairs to a group of students and All Might. Gohan turned to Shoji, who had his extra limbs flared out like a satellite dish.

“Shoji, do you have a fix on where everyone is in the USJ?”

“Yes, sensei. I know where they are. Most are doing alright, from what I can tell.”

“Good,” Gohan said. “When All Might gets up here, he’s going to need directions to retrieve the other students. Good job, Shoji-san.”
Shoji nodded, his face inscrutable behind the half-mask.

“But Son-sensei, why would All Might need directions? Isn’t he busy with that big villain?” Uraraka asked, tilting her head.
Gohan didn’t answer, having spotted Aizawa being carried by Midoriya and Asui at the bottom of the stairs. He disappeared from beside Uraraka, re-appearing beside Midoriya. Midoriya let out a quick yelp as all three students jumped.

“Aizawa-san! Midoriya-san, what happened to Aizawa-san?” Gohan kept his eyes trained on the injured teacher even as he asked the question.

“That big villain back there, the hand guy called it Nomu, was beating on Aizawa-sensei! Aizawa-sensei used his Quirk to save Asui, but Nomu just beat him again!” Midoriya looked up at Gohan, tears in his eyes. “And All Might-sensei is fighting that thing, but I hit it at full power and Nomu didn’t budge! He needs help!”

“Get Aizawa-sensei up the stairs, Midoriya-san. I’ll go help All Might-sensei.” Gohan ruffled Midoriya’s hair briefly as he gave the boy a quick grin. “The other teachers should be here soon. I can feel Tenya getting close to the main building.”

Midoriya nodded, and the pair of students made their way to the stairs. A sudden rumble in the ground and a plume of dust and smoke rose over the fountain area in the center of the complex.

“Son-sensei!” Midoriya cried.

“Go! I’ll deal with it, don’t worry.” Gohan sprinted forward to the center of the complex, trusting Midoriya to prioritize getting the wounded Aizawa out of danger. He appeared in the open courtyard in time to see All Might struggling in the grip of a massive black-skinned creature that was half in a shadowy warp gate. Suddenly, ice covered one side of the creature. Gohan’s head whipped around to see Todoroki standing at the edge of the courtyard, frost spreading out from his right foot.
All Might tore out of the large beaked creature’s grip, ripping the frozen arm off and leaping back out of the portal. The creature remained in the portal, blank eyes staring into nothing. Two villains stood by the fountain, watching the interaction. One had blue hair was scratching his neck furiously, and the other was a mass of shadows with glowing yellow eyes.

An explosion boomed as Bakugo and Kirishima appeared from behind the villains. Bakugo tackled the shadowy villain to the ground while Kirishima missed a swipe at his target, dodging a retaliatory swipe as he darting back to stand by Gohan after his failed effort.

“Gotcha, you warping fucktard!” Bakugo growled, a manic grin playing across his face. “You can only turn part of your body into that mist shit, so you protect the rest of you by covering it up.” He kept one palm pressed to the villain’s metal bracer, occasionally letting off crackling pops from his palm.

“Damn it,” Kirishima groused from behind Gohan. “I almost had the other guy.”

“So I heard you people are here to kill All Might,” Todoroki said in an emotionless tone, walking up to stand by Gohan. “I think you overestimated yourselves.”
The blue-haired villain started scratching harder at his neck, glaring at Bakugo through the hand covering his face.

“Today’s kids are really something… our League of Villains should be ashamed. You’re still at full health AND you’ve taken down my escape route. Nomu, take out the explosive brat. We need our escape route back.”

Gohan lunged in front of Bakugo, gently pushing him out of the way while planting his foot in the back of the warper. He nudged the striking arm of the Nomu to the side, launching it into the back wall as he kicked the warper in the ribs and knocking him behind the blue-haired villain.

“Students, please move to the upper lobby. All Might, make sure they get there.” Gohan’s eyes never left the blue-haired villain, his mouth set in a firm line.

“Young Gohan, they are here for me,” All Might shouted with a worried expression. “I will take care of them!”

“All Might-sensei, focus on your students,” Gohan said calmly. “I can handle this. Get these four upstairs and go get the ones from the other disaster zones.” He tilted his head out of the way of the Nomu’s fist, grabbing the arm as it passed and throwing the enormous creature over his shoulder in a single smooth motion. The Nomu smashed through the ship in the Flood Zone, splashing into the water on the other side. Bakugo and Todoroki’s shouts of protest at being sent away died in their throats at the casual display of strength.

“But…” All Might sighed. “Of course, Young Gohan. Come, students, let’s allow your new teacher to show these villains why they should have stayed away from UA.” All Might led the students up the stairs, directing Kirishima and Bakugo to help with the injured Aizawa. He turned back briefly at the foot of the stairs. “Young Gohan, be careful. The young villain has a rather powerful Quirk, judging by his threats against the warper.”

Gohan continued to stare down at the blue-haired villain, not showing that he heard All Might’s warning. “Why did you come here? You had to know that this wouldn’t end well.”

“Shigaraki Tomura,” the warper under Gohan’s foot croaked, “it may be time to retreat.” A black cloud of smoke flared out from under Gohan’s foot. The warper stood up and moved beside Shigaraki, both staring at Gohan floating over the portal.

“Why didn’t you fall into the portal?” Shigaraki shouted. He scratched his neck with increasing force, his breathing speeding up as he glared at Gohan floating over the portal. “What cheats do you have enabled?! How much did you grind for this raid?! WHAT KINDS OF GUIDEBOOKS DID YOU BUY!!??”

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about.” Gohan blinked at the villain. “What do you mean by grinding? That sounds like something Master Roshi would say…”

“KUROGIRI! GET THE NOMU AND KILL HIM!!”

The warper closed the ineffective gate under Gohan, opening a portal beside Shigaraki. The black-skinned Nomu lumbered out of the gate along with a rush of water.
“NOMU! KILL HIM!”

Nomu surged forward, throwing a massive haymaker. Gohan tilted his torso just enough to dodge the attack, keeping his lower body still. He continued to dodge blow after blow, never moving his legs. Gohan kept his eyes on Shigaraki as he dodged, maintaining a small smile as the young man scratched his neck harder and harder. After a few moments of dodging, Shigaraki screamed in frustration, running at Gohan.

“WHY CAN’T MY NOMU HIT YOU!?! YOU CHEATING MOTHERFUCKER!!” Shigaraki alternated strikes with the Nomu, trying desperately to hit Gohan or cause. Kurogiri opened portals randomly around Gohan, sending Shigaraki’s hand out at increasingly odd angles. “What kind of mods have you enabled to let you do this!?”

After a couple of minutes of dodging, Gohan dropped his guard and shrugged.

“Alright, I’ll let him hit me.” He stood still, allowing the Nomu to land a solid strike to his chest. The powerful strike launched Gohan into the back wall, a cloud of debris covering the immediate area.

“TAKE THAT, YOU CHEATING FUCK! YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED OUT OF MY WAY!” Shigaraki turned to the Nomu, glee obvious in every line of his body. “NOW GO KILL…”

“Huh,” Gohan’s voice came from the dust cloud. Shigaraki’s head snapped over to look at the Saiyan. “That thing really does hit like All Might. I think he bruised a rib.” Gohan walked out of the dust cloud, rubbing his side, while Shigaraki grew redder in the face. “Nope, sorry, that was just a rock under my shirt.”
Something seemed to crack in Shigaraki and one eye suddenly went red. “NOMU! KILL EVERY KID IN THIS BUILDING!”

Before the Nomu could move, a dark and oppressive energy enveloped the area. The energy drove Shigaraki to his knees as the cement cracked all around him. A quick glance around showed Kurogiri and the Nomu drove to the floor by the oppressive feeling.

“What did you just say?” Gohan said in a velvety soft voice.

“Ki… kill… kill every k… kid in the b… b… building,” Shigaraki stuttered out, his voice cracking in fear.

Bright gold light blinded everyone as it erupted from Gohan. Blinking away the spots from his vision, Shigaraki started at the sight of his opponent revealed in swirling dust and smoke. Bright yellow hair waved in an origin-less breeze and blue crackles of lightning danced across his skin. Teal, pupil-less eyes bored into Shigaraki’s own eyes before Gohan spoke.

“When you were just trying to kill me or All Might, I was angry, but that is the life we chose. However, you have just threatened my students, who are no threat to you. That was a mistake.” Gohan disappeared from view, appearing behind Shigaraki. He leaned forward and talked quietly in Shigaraki’s ear. “I have some prior experience with ending threats. Let me show you how hilariously outclassed you are.”

Gohan reached over to the Nomu, grasping it by the skull. He threw the massive creature in the air, launching himself after it. A quick vertical spin flowed into a falling axe kick, rocketing the Nomu down into the fountain. The Nomu created a massive crater, bouncing up as Gohan appeared underneath it. A brilliant yellow beam of light enveloped the Nomu’s body, leaving the head intact but vaporizing the body and the ceiling above. The Nomu’s head landed on the ground with a soft slap.

“How…” Shigaraki murmured, his eyes wide under the hand mask. “How did you CHEAT!? HOW COULD YOU?!!!?” The villain leader lunged out, handed aimed at Gohan’s chest. ‘If I can get him just once, I can win! Nothing can stand up to my Decay! This cheating fuck can’t beat me! Sensei said I was ready!!’

Gohan grabbed the villain by the wrist in a single swift movement, stopping his forward momentum cold. As Shigaraki swung his other hand to attack Gohan’s face, Kurogiri’s black mist engulfed the hand and redirected it. The pale hand darted out from a small portal behind Gohan, aiming for his spine. As the first finger brushed against Gohan’s back, a furry brown tail wrapped around Shigaraki’s wrist and jerked to the side sharply at the same time Gohan’s hand squeezed. Two sharp pops echoed over deafening silence until Shigaraki’s scream ripped apart the silence.

“ARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Kurogiri flared his smoke body around his young master, blanketing Shigaraki and Gohan in inky darkness. Gohan jumped back out of the smoke cloud as it snapped closed.

“Damn it,” Gohan cursed as the smoke dissipated. A pair of gunshots went off behind him, and he could feel a slight twinge from the impact of the bullets. “I’m an ally,” he called over his shoulder. “Try not to shoot me!” The young Saiyan continued to stare at the empty space where Shigaraki had been.

‘This isn’t over. Something is about to shift and cause a problem. I just wish I could pinpoint what it is.’

Chapter Text

Questions and Rescues

Gohan sat in an interview room, surrounded by white walls and a one-way mirror. A blank-faced man wearing a detective badge sat on the other side of a table, staring at Gohan.

"Son Gohan. No family, no place of residence outside of UA. Currently a teacher's assistant at UA and you just got your provisional Hero License. Officially listed as having an unknown Quirk relating to energy manipulation. Are these facts correct?" The detective kept staring at Gohan, his expression never changing.

"Essentially. Is there a reason that I'm here instead of with the UA staff or my students?" Gohan's own expression was carefully blank, though a certain tension filled the room.

"You killed someone," the detective said. "That's something the police take an interest in, even IF you have a provisional Hero license. We can't just have people, particularly heroes, killing people."

"So I should have just allowed that thing to continue to rampage, possibly killing my students or coworkers?" Gohan leaned forward, his black eyes hard.

"No, but surely there could have been a different way to take down the villain without killing him. Your scores at the Provisional License Exam indicate that you are exceptional in villain capture. Why not show off that ability here?"

Gohan sighed. "This was a threat against my students and coworkers. The other villains boasted that it was designed to hold up against All Might and told it to murder every student in the complex. I felt justified in my use of force to preserve the lives of twenty children and three staff members."

"Alright, well, I have a few questions," the detective said with the same blank expression. "First: How did you know there was an issue at the USJ? You were supposed to be coming back on the bus with Snipe from the Provisional License Exam, correct?"

"I didn't know about the issue. I dislike vehicular travel and I can fly, so I wanted to skip the bus ride to get back to work. Class 1-A was in the USJ today, like 1-B will do tomorrow, so I went straight to the USJ instead of stopping at the main building."

"How did you arrive so quickly? A suspicious person might say that you had foreknowledge of an attack."

"A fool might say something similar," Gohan said with a glare. "I arrived quickly because I'm a fast flier and I was already en route to UA after the conclusion of the exam. Next question."

The detective held up a conciliatory hand. "Very well. Student reports show you immediately sent the students and All Might away from the main villains when you arrived in the central area. Why would you send away the Number One Hero and three capable Hero students? Are you so arrogant to believe that you could handle a situation that All Might couldn't?" The detective leaned forward, his expression finally changing into a snarl.

"When I arrived, All Might had just escaped the grasp of the black-skinned creature with the help of Todoroki-san. I noticed his injuries and determined that it would be better for him to find and rescue the other students from around the USJ than to continue the fight with the creature."

"And you are qualified to make this decision?"

"Qualified enough for All Might to listen, apparently. You'd have to ask him why he followed my directions."

The detective reined himself in, sitting up straight in his chair. "Yes, yes. Let's move to your encounter with the creature."

"Shigaraki called it a Nomu. According to Midoriya, the Nomu had some sort of shock-absorption capabilities."

"And he knew that how?"

"He punched it. Midoriya's Quirk-enhanced strength was enough to create a whirlpool from just a finger flick. A full-strength punch should have been enough to grievously injure the Nomu, at the very least. He said it did nothing even though the wind pressure caused damage on the sides of the USJ dome several dozen meters past the Nomu itself."

The detective leaned forward again, shuffling through a sheaf of pictures in a folder. He laid a picture of Midoriya on the table. "Midoriya Izuku. Registered Quirk: Superpower. He only registered this power a couple of months ago. Did you know him before that?"

"Some," Gohan said with a shrug. "I helped train him for the UA Entrance Exams, since his mentor isn't the best at teaching the basics," Gohan chuckled. "Physically, he's still got a long way to go, but he has the heart of a hero."

"Yes, I've heard that," the detective said without a smile. "But how could a Quirkless suddenly develop a Quirk at 15? Everyone knows you get your Quirk at 4."

"You make being Quirkless sound like such a bad thing," Gohan said, his tone suddenly cold. The detective's face contorted into a snarl.

"Of course it's a bad thing! Those freaks have no place in our more evolved society!"

It was Gohan's turn to snarl. "Watch your tongue." An oppressive weight fell over the room, causing the detective to choke on his saliva. "If you have more pertinent questions, I will happily answer them. If not, I'll leave to check on my students."

The detective blinked and tried to catch his breath, eventually sputtering out, "You can't just leave! You killed someone! I have more questions for you to answer before"

"I seem to recall having lessons on self-defense laws, particularly in regard to those holding any form of Hero license. I defended myself and my students, that is all. If that makes me a villain," Gohan paused and flexed his aura as the detective blanched, "who exactly is going to stop me?"

The detective sat, white-faced, as Gohan walked out of the room. Once the Sayian left the room, the detective gasped for a breath. "Someone has to tell the Commission! He's too dangerous to leave unchecked." He scrambled out of the room, ripping the door open and running into a tall man wearing a trench coat.

"Who are you?" the tall man asked. "You aren't one of my detectives. What division are you from?"

"I'm from Central, special attachment to the HPSC. Move aside, I need to speak to my superiors immediately!"

Tsukauchi stepped aside, narrowed eyes following the other detective. He slipped his phone out of his pocket, placing it to his ear. "Principal Nezu, we may have a problem."

Gohan stepped out of the police building and took off into the sky. He needed to blow off some steam after the interrogation by the mysterious HPSC detective. An explosion under Gohan drew his attention. He flew down quickly, noting that he ended up flying over Hosu. As he landed in front of a burning building, Gohan noticed a figure in silver armor arriving on the scene.

"Hero-san! I'm Sayiaman, a new Provisional Hero," Gohan said to the hero as he approached. "How can I help?"

"Ingenium," the armored hero said without looking at Gohan. "Any idea what actually happened? I heard the explosion and rushed over. My sidekicks are en route, but no one has any information yet."

"Same. I heard the explosion when I was flying by and came over." Gohan focused for a moment to feel for ki signatures nearby. "There are five people still inside. Three are moving around and are uninjured. Two are injured."

Ingenium stared at Gohan. "How do you know that? You know what, never mind. It sounds like the three who are uninjured either caused the explosion or were involved in some way. What else can you do?"

Gohan cleared a hole in the destroyed building's front in a blur of speed. "Super strength, speed, flight, energy-based attacks."

"Well, alright. Let's go, Sayiaman. Try to keep up." Ingenium's engines roared to life as one of his sidekicks arrived behind him. Ingenium shouted to his sidekick. "Bigshot, make sure there are no other injuries from the explosion! Send Enigma to cover the rear exit of the building just in case victims try to escape the back or the villain is present! Anyone else should help with any wounded!"

"Roger, boss!" Bigshot ran towards a hastily assembled first aid station, shouting Ingenium's instructions to the other sidekicks nearby. Ingenium launched himself forward to the building, Gohan close behind.

Gohan blew open a door with an invisible blast of ki before he and Ingenium got to the building. The pair rushed inside, fire licking the walls around them. Ingenium shouted for anyone who was conscious to call out while Gohan lifted a fallen column into place to brace the ceiling.

"Ingenium-san, there are three civilians just through that door," Gohan said, pointing to a doorway that hadn't caught on fire yet. "I think they're ok, but it's hard to tell specifically. There are two more deeper in the building."

The older hero revved his engines and burst through the door, seeing the three civilians Gohan mentioned huddled in a corner. Ingenium knelt down in front of them, noting that one was a child and the others were older, likely parents. "Alright, guys, lets get out of here! Any of you having difficulty walking or have any major injuries?" All three shook their heads, scared looks on their faces. The armored hero guided the civilians out of the building, handing them off to his sidekicks before running back into the building.

Gohan had placed the last support pillar back into place as Ingenium dashed back into the main room.

"Sayiaman, where are the last two?"

Gohan concentrated for a moment. "Two floors up, one in the center of the main room and one is running up the stairs?"

"Up?" Ingenium questioned. "Why would anyone be moving higher in the building?" He shook his helmeted head briefly. "Nevermind, questions for later. Let's move!"

Ingenium ran up the stairs to the civilian running upstairs while Gohan ran to the civilian who was stationary. Ingenium grabbed the civilian and prepared to run with him outside. The civilian twisted, dropping his backpack, and started swinging at Ingenium, yelling for him to get away from him.

"You get away from me, you Quirked bastard!" Ingenium flinched at the civilian fighting, but held on as he began to run him out of the building. "I don't give consent to be rescued by you! Leave me alone!"

As the armored speed hero ran out of the building, he radioed his sidekicks.

"Something is going on here. Keep an eye of the civilian that I'm bringing out, he was acting oddly. Sayiaman, have you gotten to the stationary civilian?"

While Ingenium ran up the stairs for the other civilian, Gohan sped to the civilian sitting in the middle of the floor, hovering to put less stress on the crumbling building. As he came near her, he noticed a series of wires scattered around the ground leading to the woman. They were laid out in a wheel spoke pattern originating from her, crossing the room in a way that anyone running inside would hit them.

"Ma'am, I'm here to help," Gohan called across the room. "If you're injured, please hold still. I will be there in a moment!" An uncomfortable feeling twisted in Gohan's gut. Something was wrong. "Ma'am, can you hear me?"

The woman turned, her eyes wild. "Hero! You're finally here! Come help me!"

"Of course. Can you tell me how you got here?" Gohan focused his senses outward while his eyes were on the woman. No one was in the building now that Ingenium evacuated the person on the stairs. Who put this woman here and why did she have wires running to her?

"Come closer, I want to leave! Hurry up!" The woman stared into Gohan's eyes, an unrecognizable emotion roiling behind them. As Gohan reached the woman, a terrifying light blazed in her eyes. "NOW DIE, YOU QUIRKED BASTARD! HUMAN PURITY FOREVER!" She grabbed at a cord on a vest she wore. The vest was hidden by her sweater, but Gohan could see wires peeking out. Gohan lunged out, ripping the vest off the woman and tossing it away from the pair. Just before the explosion, Gohan turned and covered the woman, protecting her from the blast.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!

Ingenium's head whipped around as the explosion went off. "Sayiaman!" The hero's voice was cut off as Gohan jumped out of the window with a woman in his arms. "Sayiaman!" Ingenium shouted as he ran over. "Are you injured? What happened?"

" This woman had explosives strapped to her," Gohan said, "and I think she was the one who strapped them to her."

The woman tried to thrash around in Gohan's arms. "You Quirked bastard, let me go! Why the fuck didn't you die?!"

Ingenium gave Gohan a flat look. "You think she strapped a bomb to her chest? I'm fairly certain she tried to blow you up." He looked back at the woman. "Ma'am, stop struggling. The police have some questions for you."

The woman continued to struggle and scream as the police took her out of Gohan's arms.

"Ingenium, why would that woman try to blow herself up? I don't get it. What's the point of it?"

Ingenium sighed. "I really don't know. From her comments, I would guess that she is part of a terrorist organization that hates people with Quirks. I don't really get it, either. I've heard some rumors about a new Quirkist terrorism group, but I always figured it was going the opposite direction."

Gohan tilted his head in confusion. Ingenium sighed again and ran a hand through his hair.

"There are a disturbing number of groups that think Quirkless people are relics of the past who should be destroyed. They have a tendency to lash out, a few have gone into human smuggling of Quirkless people out of Japan to nations that still deal in slavery. This group, however, seems to be different. They appear to hate people with Quirks and Quirks in general." Ingenium put a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "I'm not sure what will happen with this investigation, but that's something for the more investigation focused agencies to work on. Come on, we have paperwork to do, even though you aren't part of my agency."

Gohan sighed and nodded, following the older hero back to an office building nearby. Something didn't sit right with him about the entire situation. Between the weird interactions he had at the Provisional Licensing Exam, the mysterious detective after the USJ, and these new people trying to blow themselves up. It sounded like a mystery to be solved. Gohan just had to find somewhere to start.

Chapter Text

Midoriya sat in homeroom, thinking about what happened in the USJ as he stared at his recently healed finger. 

‘Even though I managed to contain some of the damage to my fingers in the Flood Zone, I was basically useless when I tried to help All Might afterwards,’ Midoriya said. ‘I have to get stronger. Even if it means that I have to go back to him for training.’ Midoriya gave a full-body shudder. The door slid open suddenly, startling Midoriya out of his thoughts. A bandaged Aizawa stood in the doorway.

“Good morning.” 

The class freaked out, shouting that the teacher was being too hardcore. Just before Aizawa stepped into the room, a hand dropped down on his shoulder. 

“Aizawa-san, you were supposed to go to Recovery Girl’s office, not the classroom,” Gohan said from behind the older man. Aizawa scoffed.

“I can teach homeroom fine. The old lady is just worrying over nothing.”

“Yeah, no,” Gohan said. He gently poked Aizawa in the ribs. Aizawa dropped to the ground in pain, groaning. “That’s what I thought. Class President, look after the class for a couple minutes while I take Aizawa-san back to Recovery Girl. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Of course!” Iida said as he leaped to his feet. “Class, remain seated and quiet until Son-sensei returns!”

“Iida-san, you’re the only one standing or making noise,” Yayorozu pointed out. Iida hung his head at the admonishment and quickly sat down. Gohan chuckled as he helped Aizawa up and steered him out of the room.

A few moments later, Gohan opened the door of Class 1A again to see them chatting quietly with each other. “Good morning, everyone. Aizawa-sensei is fine, but he wanted me to give you a reminder that your battles are far from over.” 

Everyone in the class froze. Some subtly began to shift into a ready position, preparing for whatever might come next. 

“Something called the UA Sports Festival is coming up?” Gohan said with a questioning tone. “I’ve read about it, but I don’t really know why it’s important. Can someone explain?”

Midoriya perked up at the question. “The UA Sports Festival is the premiere sports competition in Japan! All of the UA students compete in a series of events on national  TV to showcase their skills!”

“For Hero students, it is exceptionally important,” Iida said. “Many of the nation’s top heroes will be there as scouts, looking for new talent to nurture and help!”

“A ton of Hero agencies look for UA students to hire as sidekicks once we graduate,” Kaminari said with excited waves of his arms, “so the Festival gives you the chance to impress them! You can get a lot of opportunities through it!” 

“And a lot of sidekicks never make it solo, so they’re stuck there,” Jiro said, jabbing Kaminari with her earjacks as his excited flailing came a little too close to hitting her. 

Gohan grinned at them. “Sounds like some of the martial arts tournaments that my father and my mentor competed in when I was a kid. Alright, then, I can be found on the grounds every morning for unarmed training in addition to your normal training if you would like. If you would like any advice, please ask one of the teachers here and they will be happy to help.” The tall Saiyan looked over at the closed door. “It seems like Present Mic is here for your English lesson.”

Midoriya trembled for a moment until he remembered his resolve from before. He straightened in his seat and raised his hand. Gohan stepped over to him as Present Mic opened the door. 

“Gohan-sensei, can I get some extra training with my Quirk? I need to master One… uh, Superpower so it doesn’t hurt me! You said you can help with Emitter quirks, right!”

Gohan looked at the desperation in Midoriya’s eyes and nodded. He turned to Present Mic. “Can I take Midoriya for some training? As well as Yayorozu, Kaminari, and Hagakure?” 

“Sure, Listener! Little Listeners, Gohan-kun will take care of you! He’s also going to make sure that you catch up on anything that you miss while you’re gone!” Present Mic gave Gohan a mock-serious look. “Poor Shouta keeps grumbling that you don’t have enough to do yet, so I’m doing my part!”

Gohan laughed as he ushered the four students out of the room. “As long as he stays in Recovery Girl’s office, he can grumble all he wants. If I don’t have them back by the end of the period, let Cementoss know where we are.”

----------------------------------A few moments later----------------------------------------

Gohan led the four students to a nearby gym after they all changed into their gym uniforms. Hagakure was the first to break.

“Ne, ne, Gohan-sensei? Why did you pick the four of us? Midoriya was the only one who asked and none of our Quirks are even sort of related!” 

Gohan smiled at the invisible girl. “True, your Quirks aren’t necessarily related, but all of you have a certain characteristic that I’d like to address early. Before I say anything, though, we’re waiting on a few others from 1B.” As Gohan finished speaking, four students in the blue UA uniforms walked onto the field. “Ah, there they are.”

“Gohan-sensei, for what reason have we four been summoned?” Yanagi Reiko asked as she approached the waiting 1A students. Kuroiro Shihai, Kinoko Komori, and Yui Kodai walked beside her. “We are happy to comply, however the nature of this summons is unexpected and unusual.”

“That does seem to be the question of the morning, doesn’t it?” Gohan said with a slight smile. “Well, I asked the eight of you out here because you have a new challenge on the horizon and I’d like to make sure you’re all ready. Can anyone guess why I’ve asked you eight specifically to come out for extra training?”

The students looked around, confused. After a few moments, a light bulb seemed to go off over Yayorozu’s head. “None of us have prior martial combat training! Hagakure-san focuses on her stealth while myself and Kaminari-san completely focus on our Quirks in combat. Midoriya-san’s Quirk has an intense backlash that keeps him from using his power effectively. I would assume that our comrades from 1B are similar in that they focus on their Quirks instead of their bodies.” The young woman looked back at Gohan in expectation. “Am I correct?”

Gohan nodded. “In essence, yes. Most of your peers have some kind of martial training or a Quirk that directly impacts their personal combat potential. Most of you have long-range Quirks that are effectively useless if your opponent is closer than three meters away or use your Quirks in a way that keeps your opponents at a distance. That’s a valid strategy, but you need to have something in case your opponent can close the distance. Therefore, we’re going to be doing some physical training until this Sports Festival thing that I keep hearing about!” 

Midoriya paled even as a hopeful look came to his face. “Are we going to learn your personal martial arts style?!”

“Unfortunately, my personal style isn’t quite ready to be taught,” Gohan said. “Also, you’ll be getting general combat training in my regular class. What you’re going to be doing here is physical conditioning and special training.” Gohan reached into his pocket, pulling out a capsule. He clicked the cap and tossed it on the ground, the contents appearing in a puff of white smoke. A small pile of cloth bands and eight large turtle shells appeared on the ground before the Saiyan. “Each of you, take one of these shells and put it on your backs. Take two wristbands and two ankle bands as well.” 

The students looked between each other, confused. Midoriya was the only one who stepped forward to take his equipment. Slowly, the others stepped forward to take their own equipment. They strapped on the bands and hitched the turtle shells on their backs with grunts. After everyone finished putting on the equipment, they stood in a line in front of Gohan. 

“Gohan-sensei,” Yayorozu said. “What are these supposed to be?”

“Those are the training equipment that you eight will be using the most. Hold on a second.” Gohan pulled a slim tablet out of his pocket, fiddling with it for a second. A single beep echoed across the field before all of the students but Midoriya were driven to the ground by the bands. “Crapbaskets! Sorry, sorry, I have the setting too high. Give me a second to adjust the algorithm.” The Saiyan continued to fiddle with the controller for a moment. After a couple moments, the students could get off the ground again, though they still felt like they were swimming through concrete. 

“Gohan-sensei,” Yanagi gasped out. “What foul spell have you cast to cause this?” 

“What she said,” Hagakure said, her breath coming out in short pants. “What the hell, sensei?”

“Sorry, that wasn’t supposed to happen,” Gohan said as he rubbed the back of his head. “These are gravity manipulation bands that I designed for training. They slightly increase gravity in localized areas to add resistance, like training with weights but a little less damaging to bones. The shells are just regular weights with a gravity manipulation . I had the bands calibrated to Midoriya when I tested the gear about two months.” 

A breeze swept across the field, its’ gentle whisper making the only noise on the training field. Each of the students turned to look at Midoriya with a flat expression. 

“Midoriya-san, no offense, but what the hell are you,” Kaminari asked before he flopped to the ground. “I couldn’t move an inch with whatever the hell that was pressing down on me!”

“Indeed, that is impressive,” Yayorozu said, an appraising look on her face as she stared at Midoriya while Yui and Reiko nodded behind her. “You have done this sort of training before?”

“Yeah,” Midoriya said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Gohan-sensei worked with my trainer before UA and helped with my physical conditioning. He taught me how to do the basics like punching and stuff, too.” 

“Gohan-sensei, how much weight are we currently carrying?” Yayorozu asked. She didn’t seem to struggle to stay standing like Hagakure and Reiko but sweat was starting to bead on her forehead. 

“The bands are the equivalent of between five and ten pounds, depending on your body type and weight. The shell is around twelve percent of your body weight. Your first task is to run five laps around the training grounds.” 

All eight students groaned as they began sluggishly jogging around the edge of the field. Gohan grinned as he put them to work. ‘This must be how Mr. Piccolo felt when he was training me. I like it.’

-------------------------------------A while later--------------------------------------------

Iida, Asui, and Uraraka sat in the lunchroom, keeping one eye on the door as they waited for Midoriya to come back into the building. He and the other students that left with Gohan-sensei were still missing. All three students dropped their jaws as Midoriya, Kaminari, Yayorozu, and Hagakure stumbled in, closely followed by four Class B students. 

“Ribbit, Midoriya-chan, what happened,” Asui asked as the group dragged themselves into the lunchroom. “You look like you got into a fight with the ground and lost.”

“That’s how I feel right now,” Midoriya groaned. “Gohan-sensei is a taskmaster.” 

The other students groaned with him, their bellies growling with hunger. Lunch Rush came up to the group bearing a loaded tray of food. “Young Gohan-san sent a message earlier that you would need some food when you finally arrived. How was your training, kids?”

The students groaned as they relieved Lunch Rush of his burden. They sat at the nearest available table to devour the food. Their friends crowded around the table, throwing dozens of questions at the exhausted students. 

“What did Gohan-sensei do to you?”

“What kind of training did you do?”

“Did Gohan-sensei tell you why he picked your group?”

Finally, the most important question was posed by Kendo, who had rushed over in concern for her classmates. “Why do all of you have a giant turtle shell on your backs?”

Having shoved the last piece of katsudon in his mouth, Midoriya leaned back with a sigh. “Gohan-sensei is helping train us because all of us either have very little combat training or don’t have a direct combat application to our Quirks. We did a bunch of things today, mostly body weight exercises and basic kata.”

“BUT WE HAD TO DO THEM WITH THESE GRAVITY WEIGHTS ON US!!!!!!” Hagakure cried, dramatically face planting on the table.

“To be fair, they really do help, Hagakure,” Midoriya said with a commiserating grin. “Gohan-sensei made me use them before and they helped build up my strength a lot faster.” The others at the table groaned. Kendo stepped up to Midoriya.

“So you’ve already done training with Gohan-sensei?” Sparkles appeared in her eyes. “How did you get that chance?! He’s one of the best martial artists that I’ve ever seen! And my dad trains top tournament contenders every year!”

A deep voice came from behind Kendo. “His trainer and I became friends a little while back. He asked me to help get Midoriya up to scruff for his Quirk. Unfortunately, I only had a limited amount of time to work with him.” Kendo jumped and whipped around, her hand expanding in a reflexive chop. Gohan chuckled at her as he leaned back to allow her strike to pass. “If you want to practice your own martial art, I am on campus at six every morning for meditation practice.” 

Kendo blushed at her failed attack. “I would be honored. I have to ask, why haven’t you participated in any of the tournaments? You would easily sweep the competition in every tournament I’ve ever seen.” 

Gohan’s grin turned slightly sad. “Honestly, it wouldn’t be a lot of fun for me. Yes, I could sweep the competition, but there would be no challenge to make it interesting for me or fair to the competition. It would be like asking a chess grand master to play in a park tournament.” 

Kendo nodded slowly, though the curious expression stayed. “But why not compete when you were younger? No one gets that good without a lot of experience.”

“Experience comes from more than just tournaments, Kendo-san.” Kendo noticed that Gohan’s face tightened as he spoke. A flash of something moved faster than the younger martial artist could see, but it was something dark. “Now, these young heroes need to eat their fill. They have another training session in an hour and should probably leave time to digest their food.” His students groaned around the food in their mouths. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over the course of the next two weeks, Gohan continued to train his eight new students in the afternoon, taking over their Heroics Practical time to focus on physical training. A week into this training, Gohan introduced a new skill into the mix. 

“Gohan-sensei, why did you increase our resistances today?” Hagakure panted as she jogged past him. “I feel like I’m going to die!” Yanagi and Kuroiro voiced their own complaints as they continued their own laps. 

“Because you got used to the last setting,” Gohan called to the three. “You were moving like the weights weren’t there when we trained yesterday. You’re all getting stronger.” The Saiyan flickered away from his spot, appearing in front of Kinoko as she ran. He threw a telegraphed punch at her. “DODGE!” 

“Wha…?” Kinoko flinched and raised her arms to block the blow. She was knocked on her back by the blow. “Gohan-sensei! What was that?!”

Gohan leaned down, a hand extended to help her up. “That would have been a deathblow from a villain. It’s time to learn one of the most valuable skills I can ever teach you: dodging.” After he helped Yayorozu up, Gohan flickered away again. He appeared in front of Midoriya this time, swinging a leg at the teenager’s face. “DODGE!”

Midoriya yelped as he tucked and rolled under the swung leg, pushing himself to run faster away from Gohan. “HA! Finally got it,” Midoriya yelled over his shoulder with a half-proud and half-panicked look on his face. Gohan appeared in his face again.

“Good job. Level 2 starts now.” 

“…What?” Fear reflected in Midoriya’s green eyes as a bead of light gathered in Gohan’s hand. 

“Now I know why Mr. Piccolo enjoyed training me,” Gohan said with a grin as Midoriya tumbled backwards from the ki blast. “Keep running, everyone, and keep an eye on your surroundings. Never know when you need to DODGE!” All of his students instinctively ducked and rolled as he shouted, much to Gohan’s joy. “I should have taken up teaching sooner.”

All the joy that Gohan felt couldn’t quite overtake the darkness he felt coming. Something was going to happen soon. He just couldn’t quite figure out what it was. Hopefully, it will reveal itself soon. Until then, Gohan would enjoy the small things in his life.

Chapter Text

Gohan sat in the waiting room of a normal-looking office building, his leg crossed. Dressed in his purple gi, Gohan stared at a slim smartphone in his hand as the sound of cheering echoed around the waiting room. A young blue-skinned woman walked over to Gohan, leaning down to speak quietly to him.

“Hey, Sayiaman, do you want to go ahead and knock on the door? Sir Nighteye is inside his office.”

“I’m fine, ma’am,” Gohan said a gentle smile. “I’m only going to wait another ten minutes before I leave, so whether I meet with Sir Nighteye or not is entirely up to him. He requested this meeting, not me.”

“If you’re sure…” She considered Gohan for a moment before straightening up. “I’ll just go remind him that he has a visitor waiting for him.” She walked quickly to the office door around the corner, the clacking of her heels echoing in stark contrast to the cheering coming from Gohan’s phone. She tapped a little harder than necessary on Nighteye’s door.

“Enter,” Sir Nighteye said. He looked up as the door opened. “Bubblegirl? What do you need?”

“Sir, you need meet your appointment,” Bubblegirl said in a strained tone. “I know you’re trying to prove some kind of point, but it’s not working. Sayiaman is in the lobby waiting for you. He’s already said that he’s going to leave in another ten minutes.”

“What?” Sir Nighteye said, standing up quickly and knocking his chair askew. “What do you mean, he’s going to leave?!”

Bubblegirl blinked at him, then frowned. “He’s been waiting for half an hour, Sir. He’s been patient. I know I would have left by now if you’d left me waiting like this.”

Sir Nighteye’s hands balled up into fists and he slammed a fist into his desk. “Dammit.” He stared down at the desk for a moment. “Fine. You said he’s in the lobby?”

Bubblegirl nodded, wide-eyed at Sir Nighteye’s outburst. “Yes, Sir.”

Sir Nighteye swept out of his office, stopping briefly to slick back one piece of hair that had fallen out of place. He stalked down the hall, frowning heavily. He reached the lobby, stopping briefly to hear Present Mic’s voice crowing about something. Sir Nighteye resumed his walk to Gohan, his frown deepening as he saw the young man on a smartphone, watching videos.

“Son-san. I was expecting you to come back to my office and knock, not wait in the lobby.”

Gohan sighed and put his phone away. “And I did not want to be here today. My students are competing in their first Sports Festival today and I should be there to support their efforts. You requested me to be here, Sir Nighteye-san.” Gohan stood as he spoke, turning to look up into Sir Nighteye eyes.

Sir Nighteye narrowed his eyes. “It was recommended that I request you. Nezu-san told me that you had a run-in with a group of Quirkless terrorists a couple of weeks ago. I read the incident report from Ingenium, but I wished to ask you about your experiences in the incident. Your report was… lacking in some ways.”

Gohan blinked and tilted his head. “If that’s all you want, I can certainly tell you anything I know, though I don’t know a lot. However, I don’t understand why you want me in particular or why Nezu-kouchou was so insistent that I come to this meeting.”

The young man followed Sir Nighteye back to the office.

Sir Nighteye sat behind his desk as Bubblegirl closed the door and Gohan took a seat in front of the desk. “Nezu told me that you had a direct interaction with one of the Quirkless suspects. I need to know as much as possible about anything she might have told you.”

Gohan sat with Sir Nighteye for a while, relaying as much as he could remember about the incident. Sir Nighteye stayed silent while Gohan spoke, hand taking notes while his eyes remained fixated on the younger hero. When Gohan finished, Sir Nighteye sat back in his seat and tented his fingers in front of his nose.

“And you’re sure that’s all you remember?”

“That’s everything, Nighteye-san. What I don’t know is why Nezu-kouchou believed I should come here to discuss this when all of the information I gave you was in the report he had me file.”

Sir Nighteye sighed. “Principal Nezu has some concept that you will be able to aid in the investigation. He is rarely explicit in his reasoning and I’m not sure how you could help in the larger case.”

“Well,” Gohan said, “what exactly is the larger case? I know about the incident I was involved in, but Ingenium mentioned this was becoming a pattern.”

Sir Nighteye sighed. “Around six months ago, there was an uptick in violence committed by Quirkless individuals. Normally, the number of Quirkless people who commit violence is statistically insignificant, less than a hundred cases per year in the whole of Japan. It makes sense, given that most Quirkless people are elderly and they only make up around twenty percent of our population. In the last six months, however, there have been over three hundred acts of violence committed by people who claim to be Quirkless.” He handed Gohan a tablet from his desktop.

Gohan furrowed his brow at the information, quickly scrolling through the pages of text on the tablet. “From what little I know about being Quirkless, most try to stay below the radar. It doesn’t make a lot of sense for a upswing in violence from a group that wants to stay hidden. Did anything else change six months ago? A new law, any major incidents? Anything that might account for the change?”

“No, nothing. There were some rumors of a proposal for a law to strike down some of the laws protecting Quirkless people, but that ended up being just a rumor. It wasn’t even a rumor of a law, just a rumor of a proposal for a bill that might become a law.”

Gohan’s brow furrowed further. “Based on my grandfather’s lessons, just rumors might be enough to push people forward.”

Sir Nighteye conceded the point. “No one knows who might have proposed the legislation,” the older hero said while shuffling through papers on his desk, “though the rumors came through some groups associated with the Hearts and Minds Party. As I said, those rumors were the only thing that the rise in violence could have coincided with. But would that have caused that much shift?”

“Possibly, especially if it exacerbated existing issues under the surface. What did the perpetrators say when they were caught? Could they be connected to each other in any way?”

“No, nothing seems to connect any of them. Only a few suspects live near one another, none appear to have any friends or family in common outside of the standard deviation for Japan. At least, any outside of the norm for a list this large.” Sir Nighteye rubbed the bridge of his nose. “The worst part is the lack of resources. The HPSC isn’t willing to assign any more heroes to this case and the police are almost as reluctant to help. I only have three officers from different departments who are willing to help with this investigation.”

“Why are they so reluctant?” Gohan mused absently as he continued to scroll through the incidents. The crimes ranged from simple assaults to large scale terrorist incidents, happening completely at random.

“Quirkism, mostly. Most people would rather pretend that Quirkless people don’t exist and do not care if they’re injured. Unfortunately, it’s an attitude which has infiltrated the upper ranks of both the police and the HPSC. With that attitude, they refuse to lend more resources to a bunch of “relics killing themselves”. Their words, not my own.”

Gohan grunted, but kept looking at the tablet. Something this wide-spread couldn’t be spontaneous. Someone or something was organizing everything. A thought occurred to him.

“Have you checked their online stuff? I think it’s called… social media? Tweet-tik or something? Maybe they used one of those sites to coordinate with each other?” Gohan looked up at Sir Nighteye. The older hero blinked at him a couple times, then banged his head into the table.

“BUBBLEGIRL!” Sir Nighteye’s voice was slightly muffled the desk.

The young heroine rushed in, the door banging against the wall behind her. “Sir! What’s wrong!?”

He raised his head to look at her. “We may possibly have a new lead on our cold case. Go through all of the social media of the suspects.”

“A-all of them?” Bubblegirl’s eyes widened. “Sir, that’s over three hundred people! That is a ton of data to go through!”

“It’s only one account per person, correct? Just search for any key words that relate to terrorism,” Sir Nighteye said. Gohan raised an eyebrow at him.

“Even I know that most people have at least four accounts on different platforms,” Gohan said as he pulled out his phone. “All Might made me get a HeroSocial account after my licensing exam and some of the UA students convinced me to set up a PhotoNow account. But most of my students have at least three accounts on every platform they have and most of those use four platforms. Just a basic search would involve looking at over a thousand accounts, more than likely. But a group this organized couldn’t be found with just a simple search. Even if the police were reluctant to help, they should have run this sort of search.”

Sir Nighteye looked at Gohan impassively, his eyes hidden by a glare on his glasses. “Bubblegirl. Please notify Mirio and Centipeder that they are to be assigned to assist you in your search as their own caseloads permit. I’m sure Sayiaman will pitch in as necessary as well.”

Bubblegirl nodded, throwing a relieved smile at Gohan. “I’ll let them know, Sir, and get started on the names. Is there anyone I should start with?”

“No, start where your instincts point you. You know that I am less than useful when it comes to social media. Thank you.” Bubblegirl giggled a little to herself before leaving the office, tossing Gohan a thankful wave on her way out.

“Thank you, Saiyaman-san. Now,” Sir Nighteye said as Bubblegirl left the room, leaning forward. “I have a few additional questions about a somewhat related matter.”

“Alright, so long as this goes quickly. If I hurry, I can make it back to the Sports Festival for the third round.”

“Of course. I have reviewed both these reports and the reports available from the USJ incident extensively. Something stuck out.” Sir Nighteye looked directly into Gohan’s eyes. “You have inherited the power of All Might.”

Gohan blinked. “What?”

Sir Nighteye narrowed his eyes. “I said: You have inherited the power of All Might. It is obvious.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not quite following here.” Gohan said with a tilt of his head. “I’ve inherited what now?”

“All Might’s Quirk! One For All! The super strength, the speed, your sudden appearance in the Provisional Licensing Exam! Even the fact that Endeavor seems to actively dislike you lends credence to my conclusion!” Sir Nighteye stood, hands slamming on the desk between them. “It all makes sense!”

Gohan stared at Sir Nighteye. “I think you’re going to have to break this down more. I don’t have All Might’s Quirk. I didn’t even know you could hand off Quirks like that.”

Sir Nighteye froze as he processed Gohan’s words. “But, but, your strength! Your speed! Your closeness with All Might and special position at UA! They’re so similar to All Might’s, you must have inherited his power!”

“Sir Nighteye, I have already said that I don’t have Toshinori-san’s power.” Gohan squinted at the older hero. “Do I need to call Recovery Girl? Does Bubble Girl know that you are having these delusions?”

“I… What? No! This isn’t a delusion! See, even your casual use of his name reveals your closeness!” Sir Nighteye spluttered, eyes wide and panicked. He lunged across the desk at Gohan as the younger man pulled out his phone. “NO!”

Gohan pulled back from Sir Nighteye’s lunge, pushing back with his chair to avoid grabbing hands. “Sir Nighteye, I’m going to call Toshinori-san. You seem to be under the assumption that I have something to do with his power deteriorating, so maybe he can clear this up.” He placed the phone on his ear. “Toshinori-san? Sir Nighteye is accusing me of having your Quirk.” Gohan snatched a seal thrown by Sir Nighteye at his phone and glared. “I know, I told him I have no clue what he’s talking about. Yes, I can give him the phone.” Gohan crushed the seal to dust as he handed Sir Nighteye the phone, maintaining his glare.

Sir Nighteye looked flustered as Gohan handed him the phone. “I- Toshinori-sama! No, I- Well, yes, but…! Yes. Yes. Are you sure, sir?” Sir Nighteye shook his head and sighed. “Yes, sir. I understand. You want to speak with Gohan again? Alright, here you go.” He handed the phone back to Gohan, head hung low as he retook his seat.

“Thank you, Toshinori-san. Are my students doing well? Good! Hopefully, I’ll be out there soon, maybe I’ll catch the end of the second stage! Yes, I can meet you on the top deck of the stadium when I get there. Good bye, sir.” Gohan hung up his phone, the slight smile on his face fading as he looked at Sir Nighteye. “I really do need to leave, if there is nothing else about the case.”

Sir Nighteye waved his hand, eyes vacant and distant. “Yes, there is nothing else at the moment. I will let you know if something else comes up soon.”

Gohan shrugged and left the room. If he hurried, he could get to the stadium in time to see his students compete.

**************************************************************************

Gohan pushed himself to fly faster than he had allowed himself to go since the USJ incident. ‘There! That’s the stadium!’ He dropped out of the air, catching himself just before hitting the concrete upper deck of the stadium.

“Good afternoon, Toshinori-san!”

The skinny giant jumped and spewed blood as he screamed in surprise. “Young Gohan! Please don’t sneak up on me like that. My heart can only take so much.”

Gohan winced as he saw Toshinori clutch his chest and wipe away the blood on his lips. “Sorry. I didn’t think it would scare you so much.”

Toshinori waved him off. “It’s fine.” His eyes narrowed, the usual cheerful gleam in his eyes gone sharpening. “Now, what did Nighteye tell you about my Quirk?”

“Not much,” Gohan said, shrinking a little under Toshinori’s sharp look. “He said it was named One For All and he thought you passed it to me, somehow. What did he mean, anyway?”

Toshinori stared at Gohan for a few moments before relaxing. “Well, I’ve trusted you with my successor. I guess I can trust you with my secret.” Toshinori spent the next several minutes explaining One For All. Unlike his discussions with Midoriya, the older hero told Gohan as much as possible about his Quirk and the circumstances around its’ legacy. “Can I trust that you will aid Young Midoriya as he continues to grow, protecting him if I fall to All For One?”

“Of course,” Gohan said. “He’s a good kid, all of them are. He won’t stand alone against that monster, you have my word as a martial artist. I won’t leave you alone to fight, either. If you fight that bastard again, I’ll be at your side to make sure he stays down.”

“Good,” Toshinori said, smiling and turned back to looking over the field. “I’m certain that you would tip the scales on any future confrontations. Although, I believe you two have been keeping some secrets from me this time.”

“Oh?” Gohan said with a tilt of his head.

“Last I checked in with Young Midoriya, he had very little control over One For All. You missed the last event, but he seemed to control his Quirk fairly well. He hasn’t broken a single bone yet.” Toshinori turned his head to see a grin spread across Gohan’s face.

“Oh, that. Yeah, he just needed a little control. Luckily, I have a lot of experience in controlling internal energies that can destroy you.” Gohan’s grin widened as he watched the chaos unfold below. “All he really needed was a push in the right direction.” His sharp eyes picked out one student wreathed in crackling green energy darting back and forth. “What are they even doing for this round?”

“Capture the Flag. They got into groups of four or five with their points pooled together for a group flag. They have another minute to get the highest score, but Young Midoriya’s group has an extra limitation: their flag is an automatic pass for every other team. The dangers of coming first, according to Nezu.”

“Ah. Sounds like fun,” Gohan said. “I’m a little surprised that Bakugou-kun isn’t going for Midoriya-kun at the moment.”

“Young Monoma made… poor decisions. He pressed what Class 1A would call ‘The Midoriya Button.’”

“You shouldn’t press that button. It’s not a great button.”

“Indeed.” A voice came from behind the pair. Both men jumped, one buffing up and the other summoning a ball of light into his hand. “Be at ease, gentlemen.” Nezu smiled up at the two men as they relaxed. “I assume your business with Sir Nighteye is concluded?”

“Yes, sir,” Gohan said. “I’m going to continue working with his agency on the case.”

“Good. Now, I have another proposition to make for you. There are whispers and mutterings from the school board and the HPSC about your fitness to be on staff at UA, due to your own youth and Provisional License. I would like to assuage those fears and put the more dangerous mutterings on notice.”

Gohan backed up a little from the grin on Nezu’s face. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

“How would you like another match with All Might?”

Chapter Text

“Ladies, gentlemen, and the vast spectrum between, give a cheer for all of our amazing participants!” Present Mic screamed out over the stadium sound system. “Thank you, students, for all of your hard work! Unfortunately, there is limited space in our final stage, so only the top four teams will move on! Audience and participants alike, please direct your attention to the screens!”

A blimp floated out over the center of the field, screens on all four sides for the audience. Another screen rose up from the center of the field for the students to see. The screens flickered to life and showed four faces with name banners below them.

“In fourth place, the dark-horse Team Shinso: Shinsou Hitoshi, Ojiro Mashirao, Shoda Nirengeki, and Aoyama Yuga!” A tall lavender-haired boy, standing slightly apart from three other boys who looked angry and bewildered, grinned. Ojiro and a short, pudgy student from 1B maintained their glares at him while Aoyama grinned at the crowd, waving his arms. Another four faces appeared on screen, sliding the first four to one corner.

“In third place, the explosive Team Bakugou: Bakugou Katsuki, Kirishima Eijiro, Ashido Mina, and Sero Hanta!” Kirishima, Ashido, and Sero cheered together while Bakugou stared daggers at Midoriya across the field. More faces appeared on screen.

“In second place, the legacy team of Team Todoroki: Todoroki Shoto, Iida Tenya, Yayorozu Momo, and Kaminari Denki!” Yayorozu and Iida waved to the crowd, smiling, while Kaminari jumped around, excitedly cheering. Todoroki stared at Midoriya with a furrowed brow. Four final faces appeared in the center of the screen.

“And finally! Your first place winners! The ducking and weaving machine of TEAM MIDORIYA: Midoriya Izuku, Uraraka Ochaco, Tokoyami Fumikage, and Hatsume Mei!” Midoriya and Uraraka cheered together, waving at the crowd, while Tokoyami waved gently. A girl with pink dreadlocks waved frantically at the crowds, her yellow eyes locked on the top boxes lining the upper walls of the stadium and a massive grin split her face.

“Give one last round of applause for all of our participants today! They’ve really gone PLUS ULTRA today, haven’t they?!” Wild applause and cheers erupted from around the stadium. “Now for the reveal of our final stage, we have our beautiful Mistress of Ceremonies, The 18 Plus Hero, MIDNIGHT!” The crowd cheered even harder as Midnight stepped out to the center of the field.

“Thank you! Thank you! Truly you all embody the Springtime of Youth! I hope you’ve enjoyed the first two events and I know you’ll enjoy the next one!” Midnight paused for more cheering and applause, giving the students who didn’t pass to the final round an opportunity to leave the field. “Now, let’s check our Wheel of Chaos to see what our final event will be!”

A giant wheel appeared on the screen behind Midnight, split into sections. Some sections named normal games like King of the Hill or 1 V 1 Dodgeball while others had stranger events like Foam Sword Fights and Extreme Janken.

“Spin! That! Wheel!” The wheel spun around and around, the words blurring from the speed. It began to slow until it finally slowed to a stop on Extreme Janken. “There we are, folks! Extreme Janken for our final round!”

Half-hearted cheers rang out around the stadium until the wheel began to crack behind Midnight. She grinned wildly at the crowd as the wheel fell apart, revealing a massive sign reading ‘1 V 1 Fighting Tournament’.

“DID YOU ACTUALLY THINK WE’D DO ANYTHING EXCEPT A 1 ON 1 TOURNAMENT FOR THE FINAL ROUND!!!?!” Present Mic screamed over the intercom. “LET’S GET READY TO RRRUUUUUMMMMMMBBBBBBLLLLEEEEEEEEE!!!!”

Midoriya stood in the center of the field, surrounded by his teammates. His eyes were glued to the screen, chewing on his thumbnail while he waited for the pairings to appear. A large bracket system appeared, but each bracket was covered in question marks. Midoriya blinked and shared a baffled look with Uraraka.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering why the brackets have question marks, right?”Midnight said with a grin and a crack of her whip. “Well, like all heroes, our students must be prepared for the unexpected and ready for all comers! So our students won’t know who they will fight until 5 minutes before each match! Everything will be randomized through the entire tournament, so you never know what matchup will happen!” The crowd sat quietly for a moment, processing the news before the entire stadium exploded into noise. The screen on the wall slid back down into the ground. “Please feel free to avail yourselves of our concessions and facilities during the upcoming break as our students rest and recover from these hard-fought two rounds!”

“One last thing, folks!” Present Mic cut in from the booth. “This is a special announcement from Principal Nezu himself! A special exhibition match between UA’s newest staff member, Saiyaman, and an unnamed hero will happen after the award ceremony! Don’t touch that dial!”

Chapter Text

“What an amazing round from our two competitors! This train needs to keep moving, however, so let’s get to spinning that wheel again, Midnight!” Present Mic’s chipper voice rang out over the arena, startling Midnight.

“Right! Let’s spin that wheel again and see who will be fighting next!” The screen rose out of the ring again, running through names and images in a blur. “Next we have Aoyama Yuga! Annnndddddd…… Yaoyorozu Momo! Students, please proceed to the ring! You have five minutes! Back to you, Mic!” Midnight cracked her whip again and walked off the stage.

“Excellent!” Present Mic yelled. “Let's get some insights on our next two fighters. Yaoyorozu Momo is Class 1-A’s vice president and our first Recommendation student of this stage! Aizawa, care to fill in our audience about the difference between Recommendation students and those who come through our Heroics Exam?” A sigh came through the speakers, heavy and long.

“Not particularly, but I guess I don’t get a choice.”

“Nope! So lay it on us, Aizawa-man!”

“Fine. Recommended students are, just like the title implies, recommended by someone of good standing. The recommendation has to come from a hero in good standing and who graduated from UA themselves. Each hero who graduates from UA gets a single recommendation to use over the course of their careers. No, I will not disclose who recommended Yaoyorozu. If you want to know that, ask her.”

“Cool story, bro, but what makes them so special? These cool cats don’t have to take the same exam as the rest of the students, right?”

“Correct,” Aizawa said. “They usually fall into three categories: highly skilled and have extensive training with their Quirks, have such a powerful or unique Quirk that they would either dominate a regular exam or wouldn’t be suited for it, or have strong connections in the Hero world. Recommended students tend to be stronger or more powerful than the average student. This isn’t always the case, but it is often enough to make a trend.”

“AWESOME! What can you tell us about Yaoyorozu’s Quirk then?” The screen in the center flicked on, displaying her face and the name of her Quirk.

“Yayrozu’s Quirk is named Creation and it allows her to create objects using the lipids in her body as fuel. Her only limitation is knowledge. To make anything, she must know exactly what things are made of down to a molecular level.”

“Sounds like a Quirk made for a smart cookie! So she can make anything?” Present Mic questioned.

“Anything living,” Aizawa corrected. “She can’t make, for instance, a live virus or a live tree.”

“SUPER! What about Aoyama? We’ve seen his Quirk in action a couple times today, some sort of laser that comes from his torso!”

“Aoyama has a powerful Quirk, no doubt. His Navel Laser has enormous potential, but it has a short duration. If Aoyama can hit Yaoyorozu, it may end the fight. But it comes down to who can follow through with their main weapon. Creativity or weapon?” Aizawa sighed into the microphone. “I guess we’ll have to see. Oh look, the competitors have made it to the field.”

Yaoyorozu and Aoyama stepped out onto the platform. Physically, they were a study in contrasts. Aoyama was slim and blonde, his hair immaculately styled. Yaoyorozu, on the other hand, was statuesque and dark-haired, her figure on display from her open PE jacket. Her long hair was in a tight braided bun, threaded with golden string that shimmered in the sunlight.

Aoyama played to the crowd, waving and sparkling his heart out. ‘This is what I’ve always wanted! To be a star and dazzle everyone!’

Yaoyorozu, on the other hand, was demure and focused as she stepped up. ‘This is what I’ve trained for. Gohan-sensei believes in me, my friends believe in me. Now all I have to do is believe in myself.’ Her dark eyes hardened. “I will win this,” she whispered to herself.

“Ladies and gentlepeople, please welcome the Queen of Creation, the VP of Class 1-A, Yaoyorozu Momo!” Present Mic yelled over the intercom, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. “Opposite to her, we have the Sparkling Prince, Aoyama Yuga!”

Midnight raised her whip between the two students, looking back and forth between them. “Are you both ready? Andddd…. FIGHT!” Midnight jumped out of the way.

Aoyama smirked and thrust his hips forward, firing his Navel Laser. “Mon ami, I shall win this with a sparkle!” Yaoyorozu’s expression never changed as a rainbow of sparkles came from her own navel, revealing a mirror. The laser impacted the mirror, reflecting back at Aoyama while pushing her back a few feet. The Frenchman had just enough time to shout in surprise before the laser hit him in the chest. The impact threw him back several feet, landing on his back in a heap as smoke rose from his chest.

“Are you alright?” Yaoyorozu asked. “I’m not sure how powerful your attack was intended to be.”

“Je vais bien (I’m ok),” Aoyama groaned. He waved a hand at Midnight from his spot on the ground. “Madame Midnight, I am fini (finished). That attack damaged the lens on my belt.” Midnight quickly walked over to check on the downed boy, confirming the damage to his belt, before raising her whip.

“Winner: Yaoyorozu Momo!”

The crowd cheered for Yaoyorozu, who waved with a stunned look in her eyes. ‘I really won.’ Her eyes began to tear up as her face split into a grin. ‘I really did it.’ Midnight gestured for Yaoyorozu to leave the ring while she helped Aoyama to his feet.

“What a fantastic, but short match!” Present Mic said. “I guess durability is just as important as power after all!”

“Quite. Aoyama’s Naval Laser is powerful, without a doubt. But power is only good when it can hit something,” Aizawa said, his attention more focused than earlier. “Heroes also need to be able to take more than one hit in a fight. Even though the laser was deflected, the kinetic force was transferred through the mirror to Yaoyorozu’s body. If she couldn’t take the blow, it would have injured her anyway and made her counter pointless.”

“Let’s talk about that mirror trick for a moment! That was an inspired bit of improvisation on Yaoyorozu’s part, considering she only had five minutes to think of it and then, I remind you listeners, had to remember the molecular composition of glass.”

“Very true. I was initially worried about whether Yaoyorozu could use her impressive intelligence under pressure, but those worries have been put to rest. I believe our newest staff hire has been helping with those kinds of issues.” Aizawa said with a faint pleased note in his voice. “However, we are still under some time constraints. Midnight, next two matches, please.”

The screen rose from the center of the ring, the names and faces of the remaining contestants flickering across it. “Alright, everyone! Let’s see who is fighting next!” Midnight said with a wave of her whip. “SPIN! THAT! WHEEL!” The spinning names sped up for a second, then slowed to a stop.

“And our next matchup is decided!” Present Mic declared. “Our next fighters are…. Bakugo Katsuki and Kaminari Denki! Heroes, please report to the ring! Aizawa, give us the rundown on our next two competitors! Let’s start with Bakugo Katsuki, who was the first place finisher in the Heroics exam this year and earned his place to give the Athletics pledge this year through the Entrance Exam!”

“Bakugou Katsuki, Quirk: Explosion. It’s essentially what it says, Bakugo can create explosions using a substance secreted in his sweat. Bakugo is talented, that much is obvious from his performance so far in this competition, but hot-headed. Kaminari will have a tough time if he hasn’t stepped up his training in the last month.”

“Awesome! That leads us to our next contestant! What can you tell us about the electrifying Kaminari Denki?”

“Kaminari Denki, Quirk: Electrification. He can generate electricity to cover his entire body, as well as branch off in a wide range attack. His Quirk is powerful, but it can be a danger in team matches. In a one-on-one situation like this, however, it could turn a battle quickly.”

“An awesome analysis from the Class 1-A Homeroom Teacher! If you didn’t know, now you know! Our competitors have reached the ring, so let’s get ready for a heck of a battle!”

Bakugo stretched one arm across his chest as he stepped into the ring. ‘Gohan-sensei said to control my anger, don’t let it control me. The fuck is that supposed to mean? I get mad, I wreck the fuck out of whatever made me mad.’ “You ready, Pika-dolt?”

Kaminari had a grin on his face as he stretched opposite of Bakugo, even as he internally panicked. ‘Oh god, oh man, oh geez, I am so freaking screwed right now! Why did I have to pull Bakugou on the first freakin’ round??’ Kaminari stretched one arm over his head, taking the chance to wipe nervous sweat off his brow. ‘How the heck do I beat him?! He’s a freakin’ monster and doesn’t give a crap if he hurts me!’ Gohan’s voice came unbidden to Kaminari’s brain, something from the two weeks of training hell.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Flashback

“Kaminari, your power is uniquely suited to close quarters combat. Please channel your power into your arms.” Gohan-sensei said, looking at Kaminari.

“Umm, what do you mean?” Kaminari questioned. “I make electricity that goes everywhere, why would I be good at fighting up close?” He scratched his head, squinting up at Gohan.

“From what I can see about your Quirk, you generate your own electricity, correct?”

“Yeah, but I use it to attack stuff around me, not to, like, actually punch people! I like being a little further away from danger,” Kaminari said, waving his hands frantically in front of him.

Gohan-sensei leaned down to look him in the eyes. “Please. Gather. Your. Power.” Kaminari felt locked into place, falling into Gohan-sensei’s fathomless eyes. His arm sparked to life as he reflexively channeled electricity down them. “Good,” the older teen said. “Midoriya, please come spar with Kaminari.”

“Wait, what?” Kaminari questioned as Midoriya jogged up to the pair. “Hold on, isn’t this going to hurt if I actually hit Midoriya with electricity?!” Midoriya got into the basic fighting stance they had spent the past four days drilling into their heads.

“Well, yeah,” Midoriya said. “But it probably won’t kill me and Recovery Girl is right over there.” Kaminari stared at the small green-haired boy uncomprehendingly. He robotically moved into a similar stance, arms still crackling with electricity.

“Fight,” Gohan-sensei said as he watched on. Kaminari leaped forward, swinging his electrified fist in a massive haymaker. The electricity in his arm focused down into his fist, creating a bright corona of light around it just before he landed the blow on a braced Midoriya. He was thrown back from the impact with a bright flash and crackle. “And hold. Kaminari, how did that feel?”

“It felt like I just plugged a fork into an electrical socket, then shot it at Midoriya! Hey, Midori, are you ok?” Midoriya gave a quick thumbs up as he popped up from the floor.

“But what did the channeling of the power feel like?” Gohan clarified. “Was it easy to hold or did you struggle to funnel it down to your fist?”

“I…” Kaminari started, staring at his fist in wonder. “I didn’t even realize that I had moved my power out of my arm. It didn’t take any effort. And,” he said as he raised his head to stare at Gohan-sensei, “I used my power without frying out my brain. I can actually do it.” Tears started welling up in his eyes as he grinned widely. “I can actually fight and not be deadweight in the field!”

Flashback End

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‘No! Gohan-sensei showed me that I can do this! I’m not just a back-line hero, I can be a fighter too!’ Kaminari’s grin got smaller, but more genuine as he slid into the stance Gohan drilled into him. “Bring it on, Bakugo!” His arms began to spark as Midnight stepped between the two fighters.

“Both fighters ready? FIGHT!”

Bakugou leaped forward as Midnight moved out of the way, igniting explosions to speed up his leap. ‘Pikadolt will dodge left; he’s a fucking coward, he’ll never get close. He’ll try to use that stupid AoE attack if I let him get out of range.’ Bakugou swung with his right, aiming for Kaminari’s face.

Kaminari blocked the punch with a hastily raised forearm, his electricity concentrating into his lower arm. The discharge of electricity threw Bakugou backwards. “I’m not a weakling any more! Come on, I’m ready for you!”

Bakugou shook out his hand, igniting a couple of sparks in the process. “So you figured out the most basic-ass usage of your Quirk, huh? Only took ten years to get it in gear.” He grinned wildly. “Good. I was starting to think I wouldn’t have any fun today!” Bakugou shot forward again, zig-zagging around the stage with explosions. He lunged at Kaminari’s left side, stopping himself with a blast just before he could be blocked. A second blast propelled Bakugou over his opponent, allowing him to punch down on Kaminari’s collarbone. Kaminari buckled, going down to one knee.

“FUCK!” He screamed. Kaminari grabbed his injury with his off-hand, his dominant arm hanging limply.

Bakugou took another swipe at him with a glowing hand, aiming for the same arm he targeted before. “Got ya now, Pikadolt!” Kaminari squeezed his eyes shut against the bright light from Bakugou’s attack.

“Well, shit.” Lightning exploded out from Kaminari just as Bakugou’s explosion collided with his shoulder. The explosion from both attacks launched the pair in opposite directions as a dust cloud covered the stage.

“Midnight, what’s happening down there?” Present Mic called from the sound booth. Midnight coughed and waved her whip around to disperse the dust. She looked around for the two boys.

“It seems like both competitors have blown each other out of the ring!” A groan came from one side of the ring where the dust cloud hadn’t dispersed yet. “Wait, one of them might have stayed in!” Another groan came from the other side of the ring. “BOTH ARE STILL IN THE RING! THE MATCH IS STILL GOING!” The dust cloud completely dispersed, showing both Bakugou and Kaminari laying on opposite edges of the ring.

“Fucking AoE bullshit…” Bakugou groaned, trying to stand up and failing. He had several electrical burns across his arms and chest, spider webbing out from where his palm impacted Kaminari’s shoulder. “Fuck!” He cradled his burned hand, gently blowing on his knuckles.

“Wheyyyyyy….” Kaminari groaned as he laid on the ground, arms and legs outstretched. His eyes were staring vacantly up at the sky. Midnight walked over, kneeling beside him.

“Kaminari is no longer able to compete! Winner: Bakugou!” The crowd cheered for Bakugou as Cementoss helped him up. Midnight helped Kaminari up and ushered him off the stage into the care of a group of medical robots.

“What a phenomenal match!” Present Mic screamed, revving up the crowd into more cheers. “Let’s get some post-match analysis from my main man in the booth: Aizawa! What did you think of that match?”

“It was short, but unexpected. Kaminari has certainly improved his skills over the training period prior to the Sports Festival, that much is obvious. Both he and Yaoyorozu were part of a small group that our new hire focused on over the last month and that extra focus has borne fruit in this tournament, even though Kaminari lost. Bakugou won this exchange only because of the downside of Kaminari’s larger attacks. Kaminari did well to harness his electricity into a close-combat application, but he still defaulted to a debilitating attack when he was against the wall. Bakugou also did well adapting to a wrinkle in his original battle plan, which speaks well to his future as a hero, but he initially underestimated his opponent. Both boys showed enormous promise for the future, but have a lot of work to reach the level of pro heroes.”

 “Great analysis, Aizawa-man! Now, let’s see what our next match will be! Midnight, let it roll!”

The screen rose out of the ground and Midnight walked back to the center of stage. Midnight cracked her whip to get everyone’s attention.

“Alright, let’s spin the wheel!” The screen came to life, showing the images and names of the remaining competitors circulating on it. They slowed to reveal the matchup. “And we have… Todoroki Shoto and Shoda Nirengeki!” The two faces strongly contrasted one another. Todoroki’s picture was stoic and flat, no emotion in his gaze. Shoda’s image, on the other hand, had the beginnings of a smile on his face, like he’d mistimed when the camera would take the picture. “Gentlemen, make your way to the ring! Back to you, Present Mic!”

“Thanks, Midnight!” Present Mic called. He turned to face Aizawa before continuing. “Now, let’s go over these two competitors! Todoroki Shoto, son of the Number Two hero, Endeavor! His Quirk: Half Hot Half Cold! Most of what we have seen so far in this competition has been the ice part of this young man’s power.” Images flickered on the screens around the arena of Todoroki launching waves of ice at the various enemies and robots pitted against him. “I don’t believe I’ve seen him use his hot side, though. Have you, Aizawa?”

“No.”

“Maybe your Quirk is actually Brevity, huh? Anyway, maybe we’ll get to see Todoroki heat it up out here in the next round! What do you think, Aizawa?”

“Todoroki is a powerful student, he has proven that in the competition today. I believe that this part of the competition will push him to showcase more than he has shown previously.” Aizawa sighed. “If he continues to rely solely on his ice, he won’t make it all the way through UA regardless of how powerful it is.”

“Ice cold! What about his opponent? Class 1B’s Vice Rep, Shoda Nirengeki! Quirk: Twin Impact! This powerful Quirk allows Shoda to double up on his hits, even triggering them remotely! That should make a splash in this competition! That’s twice the number of chances to do damage!” A banging sound came from the booth. “Aizawa, I keep telling you, that desk isn’t going to break no matter how hard you bang your head into it!”

“I know.”

“Anyway, any hints about what kind of strategies Shoda may attempt here?”

“If he can use his Quirk creatively, he can do what is needed to pass on. Todoroki is a tough opponent for any student, but he is far from unbeatable.”

“Awesome word of confidence, Aizawa-man! Let’s get back down to the ring where our competitors are waiting! Midnight?”

“Thank you, gentlemen!” Midnight said as she waved her whip around. “Todoroki Shoto, Shoda Nirengeki, are you both ready to compete?!” She pointed to each boy as she said their names. They both nodded.

Todoroki didn’t bother getting into a fighting stance, his arms relaxed by his side. He stared at Shoda without concern, his expression cold and motionless.

Shoda, on the other hand, took up a boxing stance. In contrast to Todoroki’s tall and lean form, Shoda was short and fairly round with ice-blue hair. He bounced on the balls of his feet, moving side-to-side slightly as he raised his fist up. The chubby boy knew that he would have to get out of the way of the first attack quickly.

“BEGIN!” Midnight jumped out of the way just as Todoroki sent a massive spike of ice at his opponent with a twist of his foot. A glacier erupted from the stage, thrusting toward the crowd until it hit an invisible barrier around the stands. Todoroki turned on the same foot to head off the ring but was stopped by a punch to the back of his ribs. He staggered to the side, swinging an arm to the side to release another wave of ice. A second impact, stronger than the first, to the same spot forced Todoroki to hunch over, aborting the second attack.

“GAH!” Saliva bursted from Todoroki’s mouth from the second blow, spraying the ground in front of him. “How…?”

“You shouldn’t count me out just because you have a good first attack, you know,” said a voice to Todoroki’s left. He whipped his head around to see Shoda bouncing on his toes, launching a punch aimed for Todoroki’s jaw. The bi-colored teen managed to turn his head enough to weaken the blow, spinning with the impact to launch his own attack. His attack was interrupted by a second impact against his face, throwing him back to land several feet away. Shoda pressed the attack, dashing forward with more agility than his figure suggested.

Todoroki created an ice structure to block his opponent’s rush. Shoda punched the structure, to no avail. But a moment later, the ice launched itself across the arena at Todoroki with a smirking Shoda behind it. The structure clipped Todoroki’s left shoulder as he threw himself sideways, spinning him around onto his back. Even as he hit the ground, the tall teen created a sheet of ice between him and Shoda to keep him out of melee range. Shoda frowned at the chunk of ice as it hit the ground on the other side of Todoroki. The formerly symmetrical structure was now lopsided, like it started melting suddenly.

“Your Quirk. It must cause a secondary impact from your strikes.” Todoroki said as he clambered to his feet, wiping a small bit of blood from his lip with his good arm. His other arm was hanging limply at his side. His eyes were blazing with anger. “I underestimated you, but as long as you don’t hit me directly, your Quirk is not going to help you. Allow me to show my mother’s strength. Ice Age.” A wave of frost flowed from Todoroki’s hand, then the stage froze . Midnight and Shoda were caught and encased in massive spiraling structures of ice that curled up from the stage and the surrounding grass. Everything within ten meters of the ring was covered in a coating of ice and snow.

“ARE YOU OK IN THERE, MIDNIGHT?!” Present Mic yelled from the booth. When no reply was forthcoming, he leaned out of the window built into the front of the booth and pursed his lips for a whistle. No sound could be heard by the crowd, but the ice around Midnight’s head and shoulders cracked and shattered. She took a huge breath.

“I’m OK now, thanks Mic!” She locked a glare on Todoroki with her limited head movement. “Todoroki, if you don’t melt this ice in the next five seconds, you’ll be disqualified and possibly expelled. This was overkill and highly inappropriate.”

Todoroki blinked slowly, the frost covering his right side beginning to turn his skin a bluish hue. Steam rose from his left side, melting the frost and returning his skin to a more normal tone. He placed his hand on the pillars of ice containing Midnight and Shoda, melting them in short order. “I apologize, Midnight-sensei.” He turned to Shoda. “And to you, Shoda-san. My reaction was unnecessarily violent.” He gave a short bow to the shivering boy, then walked off the stage. Midnight raised her whip.

“Winner: TODOROKI SHOTO!” The audience cheered and clapped for the exciting match.

“What an exciting match,” Present Mic yelled. “It looked like Todoroki was on the ropes for a while, but that last attack was just cold! Aizawa, any post-match commentary?”

“Shoda-san did a good job of keeping his eye on the ball. He didn’t underestimate his opponent, he used his environment to his advantage, and was focused on ending the match as quickly as possible. If he can continue to develop his fighting style, I believe that he will be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.”

“High praise from Aizawa there! What about our winner, Todoroki?”

“Todoroki should have won the match almost immediately, but he wasn’t focused. He underestimated his opponent and used significantly more force than necessary. All heroes, especially ones with powers that cause large-scale property damage, know that control is the most important aspect of Quirk use.”

Present Mic winced and hit the broadcast button, muting the microphones for a moment. “Ain’t that a little harsh, Shota? He is just a first-year, after all.”

Aizawa glared back at him. “No, it’s not. If he can’t control his power, then he doesn’t deserve to be in the Hero Course, no matter who his father is.”

Present Mic turned back on the microphones after a moment of staring at Aizawa. “That’s the end of the post-match commentary! Midnight, spin that wheel again!”

Midnight cracked her whip to gain the crowd’s attention. “Everyone, direct your attention to the screen on the blimp above to see our new matches!” The screens on each side of the blimp flickered to life and cycled through names and pictures to find the next pair of competitors. It slowed to a halt on a brown-haired girl with pink cheeks and a raven-headed boy. “For our penultimate match, we have Uraraka Ochako and Tokoyami Fumikage! Students, begin heading down to the ring! It’ll take a few minutes to thaw the ring and the grounds, so everyone else feel free to take advantage of our Business Course stalls stationed around the stadium!” The crowd cheered for the upcoming match.

“Great idea, Midnight!” Present Mic yelled. “Remember, everyone, we have all kinds of merchandise from every hero who graduated from UA as well as the first run of merchandise for our third-years, all designed and created by our wonderful students in the Business Course! We’ll be back in twenty minutes for more action!”

Chapter Text

Midnight stepped back into the center of the ring, the giant screens on the overhead blimp lighting up due to the ice still covering the ringside screens. “Who will it be this time!” She shouted. The crowd cheered as the screen showed spinning images. After a few moments, the images slowed to a stop. On one side had the image of a brown-haired girl with pink cheeks and the other had the image of a raven-headed boy. “Uraraka Ochako and Tokoyami Fumikage! Come down and get ready for your match!”

“ALRIGHT, MY MAIN ERASER-MAN! WHILE THE TEAM GETS THE RING READY, WHY DON’T YOU HIT US WITH SOME MORE QUIRK ANalysis!” Mic grinned unrepentantly at Aizawa’s glowing red eyes.

“You’re too damn loud. Fine. Uraraka Ochako. Quirk: Zero Gravity. She can negate the gravity of anything she touches with all five fingers. She’s talented, but she wants to focus on Rescue Heroics. That’s a sensible choice, given the obvious utility of her Quirk in disaster scenarios. Tokoyami shouldn’t underestimate her, though. She won’t go down easily.”

“ALL RIght!” Present Mic screamed again, his enhanced volume dropping off at another Quirk glare from Aizawa. “What about our other groovy competitor?”

“Tokoyami Fumikage. Quirk: Dark Shadow. He can manifest a sentient shadow creature from his body that he uses for combat and utility. Dark Shadow has its own personality, making it a wild card in a fight.”

“Such boring commentary!” Mic boomed again, giving Aizawa a thumbs-up. “Everyone make sure you’re getting hydrated out here! We’ll be back in half an hour, make sure to visit our merch stands run by the Business Course! Now with Class 3-A and 3-B Hero Class plushies!”

—————————————————

Uraraka stood at the edge of the tunnel, nervously chewing on a nail as she watched a pair of third-years melt Todoroki’s ice while Cementoss-sensei reshaped the ring back to normal. ‘Am I going to be good enough for this?’ She shook her head violently and set her jaw. ‘Yes! Of course! I’m here at UA, I’ve worked hard, and I will win!’ She gulped. ‘This is my first step to making money for Mom and Dad. I just gotta think like Deku and be smart. Tokoyami is strong, but he’s not invincible.’

She started when she heard Present Mic begin his introduction and the spotlight trained on her in the tunnel. Uraraka could hear her friends cheering for her up in 1-A’s section and she thought of her parents watching at home. She started off at a jog, waving to the crowd with a nervous grin. She could just hear Present Mic’s commentary over the crowd.

“Welcome back, all you wonderful listeners! The ring has been fixed and the ice has been thawed, so let’s hear it for our competitors! Out of the left tunnel comes Uraraka Ochako, our Mistress of Gravity! Careful, she’ll send you over the moon!” She laughed with the crowd at his joke, though more out of nervous energy than anything else.

“Out of the right tunnel comes Tokoyami Fumikage, our Dark Knight! His Quirk, Dark Shadow, makes this team hard to beat!” Tokoyami calmly stepped into the ring, Dark Shadow emerging from his stomach to twine around him.

Midnight stepped between the pair and raised her arms. “Are you both ready?” Both students nodded, their eyes locked. “FIGHT!”

Dark Shadow lunged at Uraraka, covering the distance in a flash. Uraraka dived to the ground at the last second, slapping the Quirk across her shadowy beak as she went. Dark Shadow glowed pink for a moment as she flinched from the contact, but she continued her attack unabated. Her enlarged claw smashed into the stage, cracking the tiles and just barely missing Uraraka’s legs.

“Clever strategy,” Tokoyami said, “waiting for the last second to dodge to get a chance to counter. However, it is for naught. Dark Shadow is immune to any sort of gravitational effects, for she is a shadow rather than flesh and bone.” As he spoke, Uraraka transitioned her dive into a forward roll, popping up right in front of Tokoyami. “I guessed that,” she said as she thrust a palm into Tokoyami’s chest. Her Quirk activated with another pink flash. “But you’re not, right? And Dark Shadow doesn’t have any mass to keep you anchored down!”

Tokoyami yelped in surprise as he floated up and away from the ring. Dark Shadow swung back around, slashing to drive Uraraka away. Her attacks clawed up large chunks of concrete from the stage, limiting her opponent’s movement.

Even as Dark Shadow thrashed around and forced Uraraka into constant dodging, the pink-cheeked girl kept one eye on Tokoyami’s flight. She ran back and forth across the stage, utilizing every piece of advice Gohan-sensei had given about dodging attacks as she dove, ducked, slid, and fell around the ring to escape Dark Shadow’s claws. After one of Dark Shadow’s swipes came a little too close for comfort, she muttered, “Close enough.”

Meanwhile, Tokoyami gently tumbled through the air as Dark Shadow chased Uraraka across the stage. He crossed his arms and sighed. “Though in the harsh light of day, we revel in the dark.” As he finished a rotation through the air, he noticed Uraraka bringing her hands together. “Revelry in the dark.”

Gravity reasserted itself and Tokoyami dropped like a stone. He yelped and closed his eyes as he neared the edge of the stage, cursing his lack of preparedness and awareness. His fall jerked to a stop as claws grasped around his chest and legs. Tokoyami opened his eyes. Dark Shadow loomed over him, checking him over frantically. The Quirk had saved him from bouncing off the edge of the concrete stage and falling out of bounds, holding him above the grass with one wing while the other was embedded in the stage to hold both of them up.

“Are you OK, Fumi?!”

“Yes, Dark One. You saved me from the clutches of darkness, thank you.” He turned his head to check where Uraraka was, then looked up and blanched. Dark Shadow blinked and turned to look as well.

“RELEASE! GRAVITY STOMP!” Uraraka dropped down from several feet up, ankles locked together in a double-foot stomp. Her heels landed on his stomach, her weight and momentum knocking him loose from Dark Shadow’s grasp and into the grass. She landed in a roll beside him and flopped down on her back, breathing hard.

“TOKOYAMI IS OUT OF BOUNDS! WINNER: URARAKA!” Midnight yelled, raising her whip. Uraraka raised her fists from the ground in victory, still laying on the ground.

“Woo! I’m awesome!” She turned to Tokoyami as she sat up. “Are you ok? That kick was going pretty hard, according to Deku.”

Tokoyami looked over at her. “It caused injury, but I do not believe it is a ruinous one.” He sat up, Dark Shadow hovering over him again. He winced and clutched his ribs. “That was indeed a mighty blow. Did you attend Gohan-sensei’s optional lessons to learn from his experience?”

“Yeah!” Uraraka said with a wide grin. “I wasn’t planning on going, but then I got to spar with Deku in class and he wiped the floor with me! Gohan-sensei showed me some moves and I looked up a couple suggestions Deku gave me for new moves. Guess it worked out! I’m really glad that Gohan-sensei focused so much on dodging, though! Dark Shadow, you were awesome! It took everything I had to stay in the ring.”

“Too bright,” Tokoyami said, shading his eyes. “I must endeavor to improve myself, then. This match has shown that I cannot rely solely on the protection of Dark Shadow to defeat my opponents. She is formidable, but I must also become formidable myself.”

“Tokoyami, Uraraka, are you both OK?” Midnight jumped down from the stage and stepped over to the pair still sitting on the ground.

“Oh!” Uraraka looked up with a jump at the teacher’s voice. “No, we’re fine!” Her pink cheeks reddened further as she looked around, noticing that everyone was staring at her and Tokoyami. She jumped up and pulled Tokoyami to his feet, dragging him behind her. Midnight laughed as the pair left, jumping back up on stage.

“Mic, take it away for that post-match analysis while the computer warms up for the final wheel spin!”

“Fantastic! I’m sorry for the wait, fans, I just couldn’t interrupt that phenomenal moment between our two competitors!” Present Mic called over the mic. “Now, on to our analysis! Eraser, let’s hear what you thought about this amazing match!”

“I commend both Uraraka and Tokoyami for taking this match and each other seriously. However, Uraraka exploited a significant weakness in Tokoyami’s fighting style: being stationary.”

“Can you elaborate on that, my man?” Present Mic questioned. “Tokoyami has a powerful and sentient Quirk that fights for him! Why’s it bad that he’s not moving around everyone?”

“Quirks aren’t everything,” Aizawa said simply. “And Uraraka just proved it. On paper, she had no significant chance of winning. As you said, Dark Shadow is a powerful Quirk and exceptionally versatile in every way that would make Uraraka’s Quirk useless. Her Quirk is not particularly combat-oriented and has a limited range. Yet she still won.” He shook his head. “Tokoyami allowed himself to become complacent while Uraraka clearly did not. I know that she has been attending the supplemental martial art classes put on by our newest staff member and I believe this shows that those classes are paying off.”

“Whoa, my man! That’s high praise from you!”

“It is well-deserved. Tokoyami did his best, but I believe that Uraraka, ultimately, was more prepared for this fight than him. I can only hope that he will learn from this experience moving forward. Announce the next fight already. We only have one group left at this stage.”

“MIDNIGHT, SPIN THAT WHEEL!” Present Mic yelled. Midnight gave Mic a reproachful look, exaggerated for the crowd.

“Mic, I already spun it! Keep up with the times, old man!”

“OH, MY HEART! SHE HIT ME WHERE IT HURTS! AIZAWA-MAN, AVENGE ME!”

“No.”

“BETRAYAL!” Mic dramatically draped himself over Aizawa’s lap as the cameras panned across the announcer booth. He yelped as Aizawa pushed him off to the floor. “ALRIGHT,” he yelled as he popped back up, “WHO’S FIGHTING? AH! ALRIGHT! NEXT UP, WE HAVE THE PINK DANCING QUEEN, ASHIDO MINA! WATCH OUT, SHE FLOATS LIKE A BUTTERFLY BUT SHE’S GOT A MEAN STING! AND ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE HAVE THE UNBREAKABLE! THE UNSHAKEABLE! KIRISHIMA EJIRO! AIZAWA-MAN, GIVE US A PRE-FIGHT ANALYSIS!” Aizawa gave a long-suffering sigh.

“Ashido Mina. Quirk: Acid. She can secrete acid from her pores, controlling the pH and viscosity of the substance. Kirishima Ejiro. Quirk: Hardening. He can make his skin as hard as stone. This is a basic confrontation between agility and constitution. Can Ashido keep out of Kirishima’s reach longer than he can resist her acid?”

“BORING, BUT INFORMATIVE! EXACTLY WHAT WE’VE COME TO EXPECT FROM YOU!” Mic ignored Aizawa’s grumbling as he turned back to look at the stage. “NOW HERE COME OUR COMPETITORS!”

Ashido came out of the tunnel, waving to the cheering crowd. She could see several signs being held up with her name on them, making her jump up and down in excitement. She jumped on stage and burst into a spontaneous break dance, amping up the crowd even further as she spun on her back and popped up into a handstand.

“AND LOOK AT HER GO! SHE DEFINITELY KNOWS HOW TO GET THE CROWD ROLLING!”

“Keep moving, Mic. You’re taking too long.”

Kirishima jogged out of his tunnel, grinning and waving to the audience. He didn’t pay attention to anyone in the audience, keeping his eyes locked on Ashido and the stage. He clambered up and moved to the middle of the ring, standing next to Midnight and across from his opponent.

“Are we ready?!” Midnight yelled into the mic, amping up the crowd. They went wild, screaming for both competitors. “Let’s get this fight rolling! BEGIN!” Midnight jumped back, narrowly avoiding the rushing Kirishima and a spray of acid from Ashido. “NOT WHILE I’M STILL IN THE WAY!”

“Sorry, Ms. Midnight/Sorry, teach!” Kirishima and Ashido yelled simultaneously.

Kirishima dodged the acid spray, a few drops catching his shoulder, and threw out a strong right hook at Ashido’s torso. She twisted out of the way, sliding away on trails of acid coming from her feet. Kirishima chased her, dropping his hardened form to keep up with the fleet-footed teen.

“You aren’t getting away that easily!”

Ashido laughed, sliding backwards around the ring and blowing him a kiss. “Who said I wanted to get away?” She pirouetted around Kirishima’s lunging punch, spraying acid as she spun and laughing at his blush. He hissed as the acid hit his quickly-hardened skin, but lashed out with a side-kick that caught Ashido in the ribs. She coughed and slid away from him, holding her side. “Good shot, Ei! Guess going to Gohan-sensei’s after-school lessons is working out for you, huh?”

“Yeah, he’s great! He really helped me figure out how to fight without just punching things!” Kirishima crouched down and dug his hardened fingers into one of the concrete tiles on the ring. “Like using my environment to my advantage!” The teen ripped up half of the tile and held it like a shield as he ran at Ashido.

“What the fuck, Ei!?” She yelled as another jet of acid flew out of her hands, melting the concrete. Her eyes widened as Kirishima punched through the cloud of acid, a craggy fist coming for her face. Ashido kicked off backwards toward the center of the ring, sliding on another acid trail to avoid the hit. She couldn’t quite dodge fast enough, the blow clipping her shoulder and spinning her off the acid trail. Kirishima caught up to her and started throwing out punches. His attacks were crisp and accurate, a far cry from the frantic brawler he was at the Entrance Exams and the first Combat Trial. Ashido flailed for a second until she could get her feet under her, taking a couple of hits to the shoulder and upper chest. “You got a lot better, Ei! But so did I!” Ashido lashed out with a kick at Kirishima’s head, showing off her flexibility.

“What?” Kirishima caught the striking leg and yanked it down to pin her foot to his chest. He yelped in surprise when Ashido pushed herself up on her foot in his chest, wrapping her other leg around his head and twisting towards the ground. Her shifting weight threw Kirishima off balance, knocking him to the ground. He tried to shift her off, but she flexed her thighs and locked him into place. “Joke’s on you, Mina! You put me in a good place to keep punching!” He raised his fists in preparation to keep pummeling her.

“Or you’re in a great place to get a face full of acid!” Ashido retorted as she continued to twist her torso around and put a hand up over his face. She let a couple drops of acid fall on his forehead, landing with a gentle hiss. “I’d give up, E. I really don’t want to find out how strong of an acid it’d take to get through your armor.”

Kirishima struggled for a couple more moments, trying to wiggle out of her hold, before he relaxed. “Alright, I give. Let me up.”

“Not until Teach calls the match! I remember Aizawa’s lessons on tricking opponents too, you know!”

Midnight laughed as she sashayed over to the pair. “Ashido Mina is the winner!” As the crowd cheered, the 18+ hero loudly whispered to the tangled pair. “Ashido-chan, if you want some advice on how to keep him all tied up, I’d be happy to give you some lessons. We could always use another 18+ heroine in the next generation.” She laughed at Kirishima blushing brightly and Ashido laughed as she let him out of her grip.

“I’ll give it some thought, Midnight-sensei!” The pink girl waved to the cheering crowd for a moment before helping Kirishima to his feet and raising his hand with hers. The crowd cheered harder.

“ISN’T THAT A GREAT SHOW OF SPORTSMANSHIP!? AIZAWA-MAN, WHat did you think of that last match?” Mic’s Quirk died off mid-sentence as he turned to Aizawa with a grin.

“You’re too loud.” The perpetually tired teacher glared at his coworker for a moment, Present Mic grinning happily and unrepentantly back. “Both sides played to their strengths, but they were each able to adjust to changes in their opponent. Both of them did well. Ashido adjusted faster, however, which is why she won. Now leave me alone until it’s time for the next round.” Aizawa rolled out of his chair onto the floor and curled up into his sleeping bag.

“YOU HEARD IT HERE, FOLKS! GREAT JOB, ALL OF YOU IN THE FIRST ROUND!” Present Mic shut off his Quirk. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re now finished with the opening series of fights in our final round of this years’ Sports Festival! We want to give you the opportunity to walk around, check out some of our Business Class merchandise booths, and get refreshments at any of our Lunch Rush food kiosks! We’ll resume the battles in about half an hour!”

Chapter Text

“WELCOME BACK, LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND THAT TECHNICOLOR RAINBOW IN BETWEEN! WE THANK YOU FOR WATCHING OUR FIRST YEAR’S GIVE THEIR ALL IN THE SPORTS FESTIVAL, BUT UA HAS EVEN MORE WAITING FOR YOU!” Present Mic was standing in the announcer box as he continued to scream into the microphone. “AS A SPECIAL TREAT, WE ARE HOLDING A SPECIAL EXHIBITION MATCH BETWEEN OUR TWO NEWEST HEROICS TEACHERS! PLEASE GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO OUR YOUNGEST-EVER STAFF MEMBER! HE WOWED THE HPSC AT THE EXAMS AND WAS INSTRUMENTAL TO KEEPING OUR FIRST YEARS SAFE DURING THE ATTACK ON UA A FEW WEEKS AGO! PROVISIONAL HERO: SAIYAMAN!”

Gohan stepped out into the light from the contestant tunnel, revealing his new costume that Midnight-san forced him into designing. She said that it would come in handy. ‘I have a sneaking suspicion that Nezu had a hand in that, as well as how fast it was made.’ His costume was a replica of the gi Piccolo created for him before the Cell Games with a slight tweak in color schemes. The purple gi was a stronger fabric weave than his training clothes, according to Power Loader-san, and should stand up to prolonged contact with his power longer. He wore the large shoulder pads and cape, both combined weighing using the same technology as his bracers. The only real change that he made was changing the color of his cape and shoes to red. In homage to his father and his mentor, Gohan included their symbols to his chest, though his own symbol was emblazoned on the back of his cape. In the weeks since the Provisional License exam, the young Sayian continued tinkering on the weighted bracers to keep his power contained, shrinking them down to resemble large red wristbands and adding the technology to his shoes as well. The combined weight kept Gohan at close to half of his current power while in his base form. Making the jump to Super Sayian or higher would reduce the effect by half in each stage, giving access to three-quarters of his maximum strength at the first level, seven-eighths as an Ascended Sayian, and fifteen-sixteenths of his total maximum strength. At least in theory, he hadn’t fully tested past his first transformation. His expression was blank and focused as he emerged from the tunnel on his walk to the stage.

“RAISE YOUR HANDS AND WELCOME: ALL MIGHT!!”

Gohan could hear the crowd shout and scream for All Might as he continued to walk. All Might came from the opposite direction, waving to his legions of fans. He was in his colorful Golden Age costume, just like when he’d given out the medals to the winners of the Festival. Gohan heard several student sections of the crowd cheering, his enhanced hearing picking out a number of his morning meditation students calling his name in particular. Several sections were waving impromptu flags saying All Might and Gohan-sensei. Both heroes stepped up onto the platform, eyeing one other. After a moment, Gohan grinned widely to match All Might’s smile.

“Young Gohan,” All Might boomed with his signature smile affixed to his face. “Are you ready to give this fight your all and impress the world?”

“Sure, but do you think the stadium can handle it if we go all out?” Gohan said, stretching one arm over his head and twisting his torso, his cape swishing around him as he moved. “If I remember correctly, we broke one of the gyms last month when you asked for an example spar for the third years.”

All Might laughed, rubbing the back of his head. “That’s fair. We should still do our best!” A small drone suddenly zipped down between them, Nezu’s face flickering to light on the built-in screen.

“I admit, I was quite pleased with the data from the destruction of Gym Gamma Four. I believe Majima and myself have created a workable shield for the audience to contain your battle. I am unsure if it would withstand either of you at full strength, but it should do well if you both keep your strength to around fifty percent.”

“Ah!” All Might exclaimed, covering up for the small jump when the drone began speaking. “Of course, Principal! You have thought of everything! Well, shall we begin, Young Gohan?” Gohan nodded, his grin never dropping from his face. The drone flew up into a small bay under the overhead screens, Nezu’s face flickering onto the large screens facing each side of the stadium.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,” the Principal said with a grin across his sharp-toothed snout. “As a precaution, it is recommended that you move out of the lower ring of the stadium. UA has taken significant measures to prevent possible backlash from All Might or Saiyaman impacting the audience, but it remains a recommended precaution.” Mutters came from the crowd, but the vast majority eventually moved to the second tier of seating after a few moments. “All Might, Saiyaman? Are you ready to begin?” At nods from both competitors, the principal called out. “Fight!”

Gohan dashed forward with a feinted charge, drawing a lightning-fast punch from All MIght towards his open chest. The punch breezed over Gohan’s shoulder as he ducked down and spun into a powerful kick to All Might’s side, knocking the powerful hero off-balance.

The giant of a man twisted with the blow, trying to keep his feet under him with quick footwork while launching a quick jab combination to ward off his younger opponent. Finally getting solid footing again, All Might rubbed his side. “Good feint, Young Gohan,” he said with his trademark smile. “I’m glad you can show off a few new tricks, or at least help me remember some old ones!”

“No problem, Toshinori-kun!” Gohan replied, his own grin stretching wider across his face. He leaped forward again, fist cocked back for another round of attacks. All Might laughed and leaped at the same time, covering the relatively short distance again in the blink of the audiences’ eyes. Their fists clashed between them, the shockwave from the impact shaking the stadium. Civilians, students, and heroes alike were forced to grab onto nearby seats or people to stay standing.

“Is that all you’ve got, you zygote!” All Might called, grunting as he pushed against Gohan’s fist.

“We can always take it up a notch,” Gohan yelled back with his teeth bared in a feral grin. The pair broke apart, then lunged forward again to send a barrage of punches at each other. Each fist was met by their counterpart, creating shockwaves that forced the stadium to rumble again and again. A final punch left the two titans in the middle of the ring, grinding their fists against one another in an effort to overpower the other, matching grins on their faces.

Gohan’s grin became sharper as he allowed the force behind his punch falter for a moment, letting All Might’s body move forward and compromise his footing. The young demi-Sayian used the force of his friend’s punch to spin him around into another roundhouse kick to All Might’s upper rib cage, carefully avoiding the network of scar tissue on his lower side.

All Might cried out as the blow knocked him off-balance yet again, the force throwing him across the ring. He shoved a massive hand into the ring, tearing up the concrete tile to slow his flight so he could land in bounds. The large man rose to his feet, rubbing his side. “That was certainly a good trick, Young Gohan,” All Might said with a chuckle. “Before you appeared, it’d been so long since I’ve fought a battle where I couldn’t win on physical strength alone, I’d almost forgotten the power of a well-executed strategy. I must thank you for reminding me of my early lessons.” He cracked his neck and his famous grin turned predatory. “I believe this is the conclusion of our warm-ups, however.”

“I thought you’d never say it,” Gohan said with a matching grin. He set his feet into a wider stance, tensing his muscles with a grunt. A white aura erupted around him, cracking the tiles under his feet. The audience could feel a pressure in the air and see wind begin whipping around the young hero. All Might similarly shuffled his own stance, bouncing on the balls of his feet while evening out his breathing. He brought up his fist in a classic peekaboo boxer stance, throwing a couple of quick jabs to keep his muscles loose.

A breeze swept through the stadium, carrying a small pile of leaves between the pair. As soon as the last leaf passed between them, they disappeared from the sight of all but a few heroes in the audience. Shockwaves erupted from their invisible clashes, their forms briefly appearing as they clashed with each other.

Class 1-A crowded to the edge of their box, watching their teachers fight with wide eyes. Kaminari, Mina, and Ejiro were almost leaning out of the box, only kept from falling out while the stadium was shaking by the more sensible members of the class keeping a hand on their jackets. Even Bakugou’s eyes were riveted to the battle from his spot leaning against the back wall, his practiced expression of disinterest gone.

“Did you guys know that Gohan-sensei could go one-on-one with All Might-sensei?” Mina asked, yellow eyes wide and a grin across her face. The two heroes were moving around the arena so quickly, the hero students could only catch sight of them mid-clash as they stopped moving. “Like, seriously. I know Gohan-sensei is a badass and junk, but All Might-sensei is freakin’ All Might! Gohan-sensei is holding his own against the greatest hero in the world!”

“He isn’t holding his own,” Ojiro said quietly. Mina whipped her head around to stare at him. “He’s still holding back.”

“Well, yeah! All Might’s holding back too, he can literally change the weather with one punch! But Gohan-sensei’s keeping up with him!” Kaminari piped up.

“You both are misunderstanding what I’m saying,” Ojiro replied with a shake of his head. “They’re both holding back on power, obviously. But on a technical level, Gohan-sensei is holding back to match All Might’s skill level.” The rest of 1A stared at Ojiro. The only ones who seemed unsurprised by the commentary were Bakugou and Midoriya. “Gohan-sensei is the best martial artist I’ve ever encountered, without a doubt. I grew up in a dojo and I’ve both watched and fought in competitions across Japan since I could understand what martial arts were. If it was just a matter of technique, even All Might-sensei wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“But All Might-sensei is the most powerful hero in the world-” A crash and shudder in the ground interrupted Mina mid-sentence, drawing everyone’s attention back to the battle. Gohan floated just under the screens over the stadium and All Might was climbing out of a hole in the center of the arena.

“That was underhanded!” All Might called up to Gohan, working his jaw. His signature grin spread back across his face as he stared up at the young man.

“Expect the unexpected, right? You said it’s been a while since you fought on even ground with someone! Let’s see some of those tricks that helped you rise up to the top!” Gohan called back with a matching grin. “I think it’s time to kick it up another notch!”

In response, All Might jumped up and rammed his fist into Gohan’s face, launching him back towards the ground. The young Sayian flew down, but managed to stop himself before he hit the ground, darting to one side and dodging a follow-up stomp from his older friend. He retaliated with a cross-punch, knocking All Might to the side. He flew back into the sky and flared his aura even stronger, maximizing his base form to the fullest. His muscles bulged for a moment before compacting down, the process repeated two or three times before he let out a shout of effort. After he finished, Gohan pulled his shoulder pads off and dropped them down to the ground. The pads destroyed a section of the stage as they crashed into the ground. A wild smile spread across All Might’s face at the sight.

“Now we can truly begin to battle! I acknowledge that you are no longer a fledgling, but truly a full hero! Now, let’s show these young zygotes what TRUE fists of justice can accomplish!” All Might’s own muscles bulged more and his wide grin turned feral. A punch launched a blast of air at Gohan just before the older hero launched himself in the air once more. Gohan flew over the blast of air, managing to go straight into a double-fisted hammer blow to the top of his skull.

The attack drove the young Sayian deep into the ring, All Might launching himself down with another air punch to drive both heels into Gohan’s stomach. The second attack drove Gohan deeper into the ring. Gohan responded with a swift kick up into All Might’s ass, knocking him out of the hole.

“An underhanded, yet highly effective attack!” All Might called down, rubbing his sore rump. Gohan floated out of the hole, flicking pieces of rubble off his shoulders.

“I learned from some of the best. In a battle, anything goes!” Gohan leaped forward with a wild haymaker.

“The Fists of Justice can keep up with anything!” All Might shouted as he lunged with a right cross, keeping his left fist tucked in close to his body to hide a hook. He wouldn’t be fooled with the wild punch, knowing it hid something.

 Gohan smirked and ducked down, slipping around the cross and met the hidden hook punch with his own, creating another small shockwave. He allowed the force from the hook to spin him so he could flow into a spinning back fist strike at All Might’s temple. The strike landed, staggering the giant fighter for a moment, and Gohan took advantage of the loss of composure. A quick jab to the lower abdomen and a knee to All Might’s thigh dropped him to one knee.

“Sorry, Toshinori-san, but that’s the end!” Gohan lashed out with a heel strike to the hero’s temple. All Might’s hand snapped up, grabbing Gohan’s wrist and stopping him cold. He lashed out with his good leg, kicking a nerve cluster in Gohan’s thigh, dropping the younger man to a similar state. He grinned at his young friend.

“Age and treachery, Young Gohan,” All Might said. The older hero whipped Gohan around by his wrist, yanking him off the ground and slamming him into the ground. The young Sayian let out a wheeze and a yelp as All Might swung him again, slamming him into the ground on either side over and over again. On the final slam, he was left embedded in the hole as All Might loomed over him. “Age and treachery, puny hero.”

“Oww…” Gohan groaned. “I think that reference hurt me more than the attack.” All Might raised an eyebrow. Gohan never struck him as a movie person. Then it clicked in the old hero’s mind.

“Young Midoriya?”

“Midoriya, yeah,” Gohan said with a nod.

“DID YOU SEE THAT!?!” Kaminari screamed, eyes bulging. “How the hell are we supposed to follow that? They’re literally moving faster that we can see and keep knocking each other through the ring! Gohan-sensei’s cape wrecked the fucking ring by itself!”

“It’s manly as hell,” Kirishima crowed, waving his hardened fists in the air. “They’re the coolest!” He turned to Kaminari. “Dude, doesn’t this get you fired up??”

“No, man!” The lightning-quirk user waved his hands in front of him. “It’s scary! It was terrifying just training with Gohan-sensei, seeing him fight is worse!”

“Pikachu, we’re watching two of the most powerful heroes in the world go fist-to-fist,” Bakugou said with a wild grin. He wanted in on the training Gohan was giving Pikachu and the other scrubs, but knew that he had to wait until after the upcoming internships. “Shut up and fuckin’ watch, maybe you’ll learn something.” He cut a glance at Midoriya. The green-haired boy was leaning against the wall of the box, eyes bright and a massive grin across his face. Midoriya’s hands were miming writing as he stared, not seeming to notice the damage his battered hands had accumulated through the course of the tournament. The nerd had improved exponentially under Gohan-sensei and Bakugou couldn’t wait to see how it’d help his own path to the top.

“If you’d like to concede, this would seem to be the moment,” All Might said with a cocky grin. Gohan suddenly shot out of the crater, taking out the older hero’s legs with a leg sweep. A follow-up snap kick knocked All Might across the stage, slowed by the older hero stabbing a hand down into the ground and carving a second trench into the tiles. The top hero looked up to see Gohan already in his face, swinging a round kick at his face. All Might slammed his forehead forward into the coming kick, instinctively summoning more One For All to reinforce his neck and skull. The two clashed in another shockwave of power that shattered the concrete below them, grinding shin against forehead.

“You know,” All Might grunted out, “we both owe Cementoss something nice to make up for all the damage we’ve done to his work today.”

“Heh, winner doesn’t have to pay.” Gohan pushed forward, then jumped back at the same moment as All Might.

After they disengaged, both of them immediately launched back to engage in another flurry of exchanged blows. Punches and kicks flew at one another faster than the audience could see, each blow landing with a thunderous crash. The intensity of their blows continued to fragment the stage into large chunks, shaking the stadium more and more. The grins on both heroes' faces matched in their intensity and wildness. A final exchange of blows ended with All Might on the ground, Gohan standing over him with a ki ball in hand.

“Do you yield?” Gohan asked formally, though his grin never dropped.

“I yield, Young Gohan.” He looked around the stadium. “I believe if we kept going, one of us would be more injured than necessary for such a spar. Recovery Girl has enough reason to abuse my shins, I don’t need to give her more chances. Also, I believe we did a little more damage than we intended.”

Gohan blinked and looked around for himself. The arena had several craters, entire sections of the stage were reduced to rubble, and the lowest walls of the stadium had deep cracks running through them. Thinking back, each time he and All Might had attacked while on the ground, they cracked a section of the stage. He blushed slightly at the extent of the damage from their spar. Nezu’s small drone flew back down, hovering over All Might’s face.

“Well done, both of you. Quite a show for our audience.” The drone bobbled up and down in an almost happy motion. A wave of sound crashed into the pair as the barrier around the arena fell. Cheers and screams of approval filled the air. “If either of you need to see Recovery Girl, make sure to do so before returning to the Teachers’ Box.” Gohan reached down, pulling All Might upright as the drone flew away. The large hero kept a hold of Gohan’s hand and raised it high, eliciting more thunderous applause.

“Be proud, Young Gohan. I know I am and I am sure your teacher will be as well.”

“I am,” Gohan replied, eyes locked on the cheering student section with a soft smile. A pair of handmade banners waved in front of the Class 1A and 1B boxes. One read: GOHAN-SENSEI – PLUS ULTRA! and the other: ALL MIGHT-SENSEI – PLUS ULTRA! More banners were scattered around the other class boxes, but the most prominent ones were in front of the first-year Heroics, third-year Heroics, and the first-year General Education classes. All Might noticed where Gohan’s gaze went and his own smile softened.

“It is something, isn’t it? Your influence is not to be denied among our students.” The large hero patted Gohan’s shoulder, letting go of his upraised hand. “You are a beacon of light for them to follow. A new generation will follow your example as a splendid hero.” Gohan opened his mouth to respond, but snapped his head to one side suddenly. All Might looked curiously in the same direction. Gohan burst into motion, ripping his wrist out of All Might’s grasp and throwing himself down the contestant tunnel as quickly as possible. “Gohan!” The massive hero leaped after him, grabbing Nezu’s drone as he went. “Principal, I believe Young Gohan felt something happening. Route any available heroes to follow us.”

“Of course,” Nezu said. All Might could hear the animalistic hero tapping on his keyboard furiously and getting on the

Gohan flew down the halls of the stadium quickly, making sure to stay in the upper parts of the hall to avoid accidentally flying through any bystanders. He could feel the tainted ki signal of the warper from the USJ, but it was flitting around too quickly to get a lock on it. It stopped in five locations and suddenly vanished out of Gohan’s range. The young Sayian was headed for the first location where he felt the signal appear. Gohan stopped where he felt the signal, the unnatural feeling lingering even after the source had moved on. It was a locked door next to the infirmary, where several students were currently laid up after the end of the third round. Recovery Girl stepped out into the hall as he stopped, her syringe cane held at the ready. “Recovery Girl-san, did anyone run past here recently?”

“No,” the Youthful Heroine said, her eyes scanning the hallway. “I was expecting you and All Might to come here, though, so I wasn’t actively monitoring the hall.”

Gohan nodded and opened the door roughly. It was a small storage closet, filled with cleaning supplies and utensils. On the floor of the closet sat a square metal box with a large padlock on the front. The box wasn’t large, maybe three feet wide and two feet long, and it had a hinged top. All Might skidded to a stop just behind Gohan. The young Sayian concentrated for a moment, hand outstretched, and the box levitated up and out of the closet. “Recovery Girl, can you evacuate the infirmary?” He looked up as the box gently set down in the hallway. “I hope this isn’t what I think it is, but just to be safe.” He refocused on the box and squatted down next to it, missing the confirming glance the nurse gave Nezu’s drone before she went back into the infirmary. The drone flew down next to him.

“How did you know where to find this?” Nezu asked as flickering lasers danced across the box.

“I felt the presence of the warper from the USJ moving around the stadium. I was hoping to catch him, but he moved too quickly and his signal was too corrupted to get a good fix for long-distance tracking,” Gohan explained as he examined the box. “I can’t see any obvious signs of traps on the box itself.”

“My scans are not registering anything either,” Nezu said. “How quickly can you get to the other places the warper went in the stadium?”

“Give me a second,” Gohan said. He stood and seemed to disappear, flickering back into view with another box of the same size. Nezu began scanning the new box as Gohan disappeared again, coming back with three more boxes stacked on top of each other. He placed them next to the other boxes. “I’m hoping I’m wrong, but these look really similar to the bombs used by those Quirkless terrorists I helped Ingenium with a few weeks ago. I’m going to take this one,” he picked up the first box, “and check somewhere safe.”

“Young Gohan, are you sure you should…” All Might started, stopping when Gohan dropped his bracers and vanished. “Where did he go?”

Gohan flew out of the stadium, his speed great enough that no one caught a glimpse of him or the box clutched to his side. He leveled out a couple thousand feet up. “Now, let’s see this thing.” He ripped the lock off the top and flipped open the lid, confident in his own durability if the rough treatment detonated anything. There were a dozen small blocks of a paper-wrapped substance with red lights flashing on top of them situated in the center of the box. Along the edges of the box were cardboard boxes filled with nails and ball bearings. In the center of the box, on top of the blocks, was a digital clock reading 08:00 and it was counting down. “Crapbaskets.” The young Saiyan tossed the box up in the air and vaporized it with a bright flash of ki. He concentrated for a moment, locking on to All Might’s strange signal. “I think I got Dad’s Instant Transmission down. I really don’t want to end up in another toilet like the last two times.”

All Might jumped as Gohan reappeared beside him. “Jumping…! Don’t give me a heart attack like that, Young Gohan!”

Nezu’s drone flew up to Gohan’s eye level. “What did you learn?”

“They’re bombs on a timer.” The Saiyan moved to the nearest box and ripped off the lid, revealing the blocks of explosives. “If you can disarm one for us to use as evidence, it would be helpful, sir.”

“Easily done, Saiyaman,” Nezu said from behind Gohan and All Might. They both turned to see Kan and Present Mic running behind him, Nezu sitting on Kan’s shoulder. The Blood Hero let his boss down to the ground, allowing the chimera to walk to the bomb. “If you can take off the remaining lids so that we may ensure there are no other clues before you take care of them?”

Gohan and All Might quickly ripped off the lids of the other bombs, revealing the same setup for each bomb. Kan noticed that one bomb had a scrap of paper tucked between boxes of shrapnel in one bomb, quickly taking a photo of it and pulling it out. A fast search of the remaining boxes turned up nothing else unique, so Gohan stacked three of them up and disappeared again. Nezu stayed with the box that held the piece of paper inside, hoping that there might be further forensic clues inside if he could disarm it without damaging the box.

Gohan reappeared behind Present Mic, making the Voice Hero jump when he spoke. “All three are taken care of.”

“Thank you, Saiyaman,” Nezu said distractedly, poking at the wiring harness revealed by prying up the clock face. “Yamada-kun, I believe you, Saiyaman, and All Might should go back outside to conclude the Festival. It would be untoward for the audience to realize there was a thwarted threat to them, it would certainly tarnish our reputation as a school further.” The principal pulled a wire and blinked as the clock shut down and the red lights clicked off. “That was… disappointing. The bomb appears to be disarmed now. I will continue going through it, see what I might discern from their methodology and materials.”

“Yes sir,” Mic said with a nod and a sigh of relief. He turned to All Might and Gohan. “We can play this off if we’re quick about it. You’ve only been gone for a few minutes, I can spin it as a new hero unused to that much attention needing a couple minutes to compose himself.”

Gohan winced, but nodded. All Might was nonplussed, his excuses for needing to leave to conceal his thinner form were similarly thin fictions. Nezu gave a happy hum as Present Mic guided his fellow heroes to the nearest contestant tunnel. Gohan’s last look at the principal was of him holding up a computer chip to the light and examining it while making a chirping noise.