Chapter 62: Ochako Uraraka: Origin
It began on another sunny day as one fifteen-year-old Ochako Uraraka stared up at the building before her. To someone her size, it was an intimidating thing. The gate alone for the school towered over just about anyone, as it looked like it was made for someone with a gigantification quirk. She blinked at the sight as she stared up at that gate before taking a deep breath, steadying herself as she prepared to walk in.
The last few weeks had been hectic for her. It had started when she took the UA entrance exams. She had been slightly confident in her abilities, mainly her quirk, which allowed her to remove gravity from anything her five fingers all touched. With this ability, she was able to make quick work of the exam, which was all the examinees fighting a horde of robots. Her quirk disabled them all with ease, allowing her to easily rack up points for the first half of the exam.
But it was the second half that got to her. As she took down a few more robots, a giant machine called the zero-pointer appeared. Its entrance caused a piece of rubble to go flying, ready to land on the girl, only for a long tongue to wrap around her stomach and pull her out of the way. The very motion shocked the girl, and after she found out where the tongue came from, that being a girl with long green hair. The two then teamed up as another examinee got stuck under rubble while the zero-pointer went on a rampage.
It was the saving of this other examinee that got her into UA. Turns out, the exam had a hidden rescue point system, and her and the tongue girl got a bunch of extra points for helping the examinee. Not only that, she had also just found out that All Might, the Number One Hero, was going to be one of her teachers. That fact was crazy, as she never expected to be taught by him.
As such, she was now walking into that massive school, ready for her first day of class...only to hear two voices screeching at each other as she reached the classroom door and opened it. Seeing the sight before her, she realized that one of them was familiar, as she remembered it as a kid with glasses that yelled during the exam over 'UA not giving all the information' or something like that. The other was a blonde spiky-haired kid that looked like cross between a pomeranian and an explosion.
"Take your feet off that desk right now!" exclaimed the glasses wearing kid while chopping the air.
"Oh yeah? And why should I, Four-Eyes?!" spat the blonde back.
In response, the glasses kid pushed up his frames and replied, "Since you seem to not have manners, let me start over. My name is Tenya Iida and I'm from the Soumei Private Academy."
"Soumei, huh? That means you're an elite snot." The blonde leaned up at this, growling under his breath, "So, think you're better than me, huh?"
"Better than you? I was just introducing-"
"You do!" the blonde screeched as an explosion popped off one of his hands before shining a big grin, "You elite piece of garbage. I'm gonna enjoy blowing you to smithereens."
iida gasped at this, "You'd threaten your own classmate?!"
"I'm not 'threatening', I'm showing you your place, trash!" The blonde roared as more explosions popped off his hands, "Want me to give a demonstration?!"
Ochako could only blink at the sight. It was like watching a rabid dog and screeching cat yell at each other. She wondered if she should try to break them up, only to feel something tap her foot. "Hmm?" She spun around and glanced down, only to let out an 'eek!' before backpedaling into the classroom. Below her was what looked like a giant caterpillar...only for her to realize it was a sleeping bag with a disheveled-looking man's head to pop out of the top of it.
The sight made her think only one sentence: 'Why do I get the feeling today is gonna be a weird one?'
The next day...
Turns out, she was right. Yesterday was weird. After being introduced to the talking sleeping bag their teacher, Ochako found herself doing some quirk exercises at the whim of the teacher. It wasn't a pleasant experience, as he did threaten them with expulsion, but she put her work in and got middle of the class. After that, she went back to the changing rooms, where she formally met the rest of the girls in the class. She quickly became friendly with Tsuyu Asui, or Tsu as she liked to be called, along with the others, as she was the one that helped her in the entrance exam.
If she was honest, the class seemed to be mostly friendly. Granted, there were a few outliers, mainly the one called Katsuki Bakugo, who snarled and growled at everyone. There was Shoto Todoroki, who just sat silently and non-responsive, but everyone else was nice. The only other outlier was one that was expelled, a small boy with grape-like hair that...well, Ochako felt she didn't need to know the name considered how he acted yesterday.
As such, she was now waiting at her desk as their homeroom teacher told them that heroics class was next, causing everyone to start whispering, wondering who the teacher could be. That is, till a booming voice rang out as it entered the room.
"I AM HERE! COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"
And there he was. All Might. The greatest hero of all, one that been the Number 1 hero on the charts for years. The class all cheered at the sight, Ochako included. Only Bakugo and Todoroki didn't show any excitement, just a vicious grin on the former.
"Welcome to Foundational Heroics, everyone! To start today, we will be doing..." The giant smiling hero pulled out a small card that had the word 'Battle' on it. "THE TRIAL...OF BATTLE!"
The word made Ochako's eyes shrink. She had gone into heroics for rescue, not battle. The idea seemed...well, it wasn't pleasant. Gulping at this, she watched as the teacher revealed the cases for everyone's hero costumes before leaving, Bakugo then grabbing his and pushing Iida out of the way before Iida could respond. The student then had the rest get their costumes in an orderly fashion, Ochako taking hers as she made her way to the locker room.
'Battle, huh?' she thought as she let out a long sigh. 'I want to be a great hero, so I hope I can do fighting good too.' Her mind went back to the class as she began to change, 'Just hope I get an opponent that I can fight. Hope I don't get that Bakugo guy.' She started to put on her costume at this, only to grimaced as she felt how tight it was, 'Or maybe I won't get to the grounds at all...here's hoping this goes well.'
A few minutes later...
'Just my luck.' her mind sighed as All Might revealed the first fight. It was her, paired with someone named Aoyama, going against Iida and...Bakugo. The very notion made her gulp in despair.
Now, she knew that this battle was not going to go well. After all, when she took a small glance at her other classmates, they were all grimacing in response. Just about everyone was wearing a frown, the sight not making things any better. This was followed by her watching Bakugo and Iida leave first, as they were chosen as the trial's villains, before leaving with her own partner.
Aoyama was...well, he was what she would call one note. She meant no offense, but she quickly noticed that the teen loved being flashy. Even when she asked him for a plan, all he could give her was the flashiest options he could think of, something she knew wouldn't work against Bakugo. As such, she decided to take over, telling him that they would have to go in together, as Aoyama would hang back and fire lasers at the enemy while she tried to grab the enemy and remove their gravity. He gave her an approving pose at this, agreeing to her plan with surprising ease before the two heard All Might exclaim in the speakers: "TIME IS UP! Heroes, begin your mission!"
"Here we go." Ochako whispered before taking a deep breath, steadying herself with closing her eyes. A second later, her eyes opened to show a determined glare, the two teens walking up to the building and going through the front door. She told her partner to be silent, and they slowly made their way to a nearby stairway. Going up one floor, they walked out and began to survey the area-
"There you are!" roared a voice, making the duo turn to see a certain spiky-haired explosive blonde.
And then, it began.
It was like a small, tiny explosion at the start. Something unseen and barely heard...but it was enough. The teen before them roared like an animal, his eyes sharp like a beast as he charged at the duo. The sight made Ochako yell out, "Stay back!" as Bakugo sprinted across the room.
Explosions littered behind him as he leapt at the two. He had crossed the room in an instant. The very sight made Ochako gasp, her determined glare gone as she saw his explosive hand going straight for her face. Her eyes went to Bakugo's face for a second and saw exactly what the exercise said she would be facing in future. It was the look of battle. Of violence.
"RAAAAAHHHHH!" Bakugo screeched as he thrust the palm right into Ochako's face, the girl ducking under it before swinging her own palm at the teen's face. But as she did this, Bakugo just ducked under it, his movements like a focused animal before slamming his second palm into her stomach.
"AUGH!" she yelped as the explosion instantly surged pain through her body. Every nerve sparked at this, only to feel a second palm smack her face.
BOOM!
"Mmph!" she muttered out, her scream muffled as the explosion consumed her face. Her whole head was already turning bloody from the blows, only for her to close her eyes and thrust bother her hands forward. But as she did this, though she could not see it, Bakugo just sidestepped the attack before grabbing the top of her head and slamming a knee into her stomach.
"Blugh!" she spat, liquid flying out of her mouth as the blow made her begin to black out. She tried to open her eyes at this, her whole body screaming in pain as she then felt another explosion hit her chest.
Three more explosions soon fired into her stomach, though she didn't feel a single one. She was already knocked out at this, Bakugo letting her go a split-second later as her body instantly fell over. Ochako Uraraka was down. Defeated in mere seconds in the first battle trail.
What followed was Bakugo turning to Aoyama, the teen shivering at the sight. The instant takedown had created a wave of fear that consumed the teen, making him unable to even try to summon his quirk.
"Worthless extras." Bakugo growled as he began to walk up to Aoyama, the teen now tearing up at the sight. And despite trying to fire a beam of light from his navel just a second later...it was pointless. Bakugo easily dodged it and got to the teen as well before giving him a beating.
By the time Ochako woke up in Recovery Girl's infirmary, the battle trials were over. She soon found out that her and Aoyama were the only ones to suffer true injuries in the trials, the rest getting off with just minor bruises. The old lady complained over and over how Bakugo was being too violent, and All Might should have stopped the fight sooner, but Ochako didn't listen.
Instead, she slowly got up from the bed, only to see Tsuyu was standing right beside the bed. The girl asked her if she was alright, and despite wanting to lie, Ochako told the truth. Turns out, the second day of UA was even worse than the first.
A little later, she returned to the main classroom, where some of the classmates greeted her before they did the final classes of the day. And as this happened, only one thought went through the girl's head.
'Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day.'
The Third Day of UA...
Ochako was wearing the biggest frown she could produce as she walked into the classroom that morning. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling today wasn't going to be good. It definitely didn't start well, as it began with her getting attacked by the press while trying to go to school. That was something she didn't expect so early in her path to become a hero, but it also didn't give a good first impression.
As such, she was one of the last to enter the classroom before sitting down, sighing in exhaustion as she took off her backpack. And as she pulled out a book, she noticed that her homeroom teacher had just entered the room.
"Eight seconds for you all to quiet down. Still too slow. Villains would have killed half of you at the very least." Aizawa growled as he walked up to the podium. "Stop being irrational."
'But we all literally just got here.' she thought as she watched the man let out a long yawn, showing he had literally just woken up.
Aizawa then pulled out a folder of papers out of his sleeping bag, grumbling as he stared down at the files before slowly saying, "Anyways, I took the liberty of watching the footage of your battle trials. Overall...they're pretty bad." Almost everyone flinched at this, some about to speak up while others shivered in their seats. However, the teacher continued to speak, "We'll start with the first fight."
Ochako wanted to shrink into her seat at this, doubly so when the teacher turned to glare at her and her partner, "Uraraka and Aoyama, both of you need to be more aware of your surroundings. You barely did anything in the trials, and that's why you lost. Heroes that don't act aren't heroes."
Ochako and Aoyama both shrunk back at this, the two not really wanting to respond. As such, Aizawa turned his head to the other side of the classroom, "Iida, you're too stiff. You keep up that act and you'll run out of energy before you get started. Stop it."
"I understand sir." Iida instantly replied.
"Right..." Aizawa grumbled before his eyes settled on the fourth student of that battle, "Bakugo." The blonde glared back at the teacher, "Stop acting like a child."
Everyone went wide-eyed at this, some whispering as Aizawa began to tell off the second battle's participants. And as he did this, Ochako could only think, 'That's it?! He tried to kill me and Aoyama! With what Tsu told me, if it hadn't been for All Might, I...I...'
But as she thought that, she watched Aizawa continue to berate everyone, even Todoroki, who instantly won his match. Seeing this, she shrunk in her seat again as a new thought went her head, 'Then again, maybe he's right. I couldn't do anything. I guess...I guess being a hero is harder than I thought.'
Two weeks later...
It is said that time will pass by so fast, you'll never see it coming. That was the same for Ochako Uraraka. Just as she had done the battle trial, school life passed her right by. First was a villain incident at the USJ, which All Might handled all by himself. This was followed by her finding out about FEAST, and meeting another teen named Izuku Midoriya. She had tried to become friends with him, though it was just the start of a friendship. Not only that, she had also found a new part of heroics to try: charity.
However, those two weeks were done now. They zoomed by for the girl, but now they felt like nothing compared to what was going to happen today.
Today was the UA Sports Festival, an event she had waited and wanted to do so much that she still couldn't believe it was happening to her. She couldn't wait to compete, some of her classmates remarking how her expressions changed as she told them how pumped she was for the festival. But she didn't care, as she knew what wanted. She wanted to win.
As such, she went into the race with her head held high, ready to take on all the competition in one fell swoop. She even had gotten her own cheering squad in the form of FEAST, though she knew they would be rooting her from the center and not the crowd at UA. She didn't mind that though, as it felt great to just have people believe in her.
And as these thoughts went through her head, she quickly found the festival's first event starting: An obstacle race. The event wasn't perfect for her, but it was enough. Using her quirk, she was able to avoid most obstacles and ended up in 15th place, not a perfect position, but one that showed she was not behind many in her class or Class 1-B. With that in mind, she found herself having to team up with others as the second event started: A calvary battle.
She was good with teaming up with others. Heck, she liked it, as she felt that being friendly with others would be a must when she became a hero. With this in mind, she found her options to be...lacking. For one, the person who got first in the race was given a million points, which was given to Katsuki Bakugo. The rest of the class all went up to him, begging to be part of his team, with the exception of Todoroki and Iida. Seeing this, she asked to be part of Todoroki's team, which he accepted after also recruiting a Mei Hatsume. She had gotten rejected by Bakugo, only to just go up to Todoroki with the bluntest statements Uraraka had ever heard, which Todoroki seemed fine with.
This was followed by the calvary battle itself, a pulse pounding event. In it, Todoroki kept himself at pace with Bakugo, only to find he could never grab the headband off the explosive teen. Bakugo, just like when she had faced him, was always one step ahead. In the battle, Bakugo easily beat every cavalry team except Todoroki's, the son of Endeavor soon seeing the opponent he was facing and deciding to just pick off other teams as Bakugo kept beating the others. In doing this, the team found itself at second place, just barely passing third and fourth, but still securing them a place in the final round.
But it was here that time began to slow down for the girl as she watched Midnight declare the final round to be a fighting tournament...only to announce her first opponent.
"Our first match will be...Ochako Uraraka vs Katsuki Bakugo!" the heroine exclaimed as she waved to the audience.
Uraraka felt her stomach drop at this.
'Oh no. Not again.' she thought as her eyes reflexively moved to her opponent. The blonde was growling, looking like an animal as he glanced around the stadium. It seemed like he was looking for something or someone, and the expression on his face showed he was not happy about doing it.
But what that was wasn't on Uraraka's mind. Instead, all she could think about was what happened last time she fought the teen. Memories tried to stir, as she could only remember part of the 'fight', which was basically just a beatdown. The very thought was almost too much alone, and that was before she even got in the ring.
She didn't remember what happened between being announced to fight Bakugo and going into the arena. The time had passed instantly, Ochako only knowing that she had to face him again. And as she did this, she slowly walked up to the ring in her gym clothes, nervous sweat already going down her face.
This was it.
This was the moment she had been waiting for. The moment to show the world what kind of hero she could be.
All she had to do was win. Win against what was probably the strongest member of their class.
And as she entered the ring, she saw her opponent just staring at her with the most vicious expression ever. It was like staring down an animal, a beast ready to go on a rampage. The very sight made her shiver all over, her body telling her to run.
But she knew she couldn't. Heroes don't run. They stand and fight their problems head-on.
As such, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath just as she heard Midnight ask, "You both ready?"
"Ready." Ochako replied as she opened her eyes, her eyes switching to the closest determined glare she could give.
"Just start the fight already." Bakugo hissed, explosions popping like crazy in his hands.
"Alright." Midnight nodded before raising her hand, "Let the first match of the final round...BEGIN!"
The heroine swung her hand down at this, only for Bakugo to instantly charge across the battlefield. Explosions appeared behind him as he got close, quickly swinging his right hand at the girl. But as he did this, Ochako dove to the side, dodging the sweeping blow as she began to touch the ground. Pebbles flew everywhere as Bakugo's explosions followed him, the blonde spinning around to follow Uraraka.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sound rang out as he kept chasing her, Ochako zipping left and right to dodge every blow. And as she did this, she touched more and more rubble, lifting every bit up as he continued to try and hit her.
"GET BACK HERE, YOU WORTHLESS TRASH!" he roared as he kept trying to the hit the girl. But as this happened, Ochako lifted the last bit she could before raising her arms in defensive position. This was followed by an explosion smacking her, knocking her across the arena.
"HA! You weaking extra! Just give up, you pathetic-" Bakugo yelled as he saw his blow push the girl, only to see her put her fingers together. Glancing up, he now saw a whole rain of rocks about to fall on top of him. And as they began to descend, he raised one hand up and unleashed an explosion.
KA-BOOM!
And in that one instance, it was over. The teen instantly destroyed her attack like it was nothing.
'No.'
She felt her eyes water up at this, ready to start flowing tears as she saw the teen shrug off her big technique. And then he glared at her with a look that could only be described as pure arrogance. With a small 'tch' coming out of his mouth, he began to speak, "Seriously? You thought something that weak would even touch me?!"
He raised both palms upward, explosions bigger than the blonde now blasting off of him as his eyes shrunk, his expression now going dark as he hissed, "Seems you need to be shown your place, you worthless extra."
Ochako felt it now. The feeling Aoyama had felt when he had watched Bakugo beat her before. The sight of pure hopelessness. Of facing true talent, one that was like an unclimbable wall to others, and realizing you don't stand a chance.
And as she saw this, her whole body shivering like a leaf, her eyes trying to form tears...she clenched her hands, closed her eyes, and took a deep, long breath. Exhaling a second later, she reopened her eyes and shifted into a fighting pose. She knew she had no chance, no ability to really fight him now, but that didn't matter.
She had to try.
But as she did this, something changed. Bakugo, who was showing an expression of pure arrogance...shifted. No longer was there confidence, but rather anger. True anger. Bakugo was angry.
"You...you weakling." he whispered as explosions began to pop constantly off his palms. "You're shivering in fear, yet you still think you can take me on. You're just like Deku..."
'Deku?' she mentally asked as she heard those words before-
"DIE!" Bakugo screamed as he charged at her, Ochako's stance breaking as the explosive teen instantly zipped across the arena. She tried to raise her arms to defend herself at this, but it was too late. An explosion hit her face a split-second later...and she was out like a light.
'I feel like a truck ran me over.' she thought as she slowly stumbled out of Recovery Girl's office. The heroine had approved her to leave, having healed most her injuries, though the fatigue was definitely there. It also didn't help that she truly felt like she had failed.
She had always wanted to win the UA sports festival. It was one of her biggest dreams besides space and being a hero. To be on that podium and showing the world who she could be. The very thought seemed like a dream come true, like something straight out of the movies and into real life.
Instead, she had received a one-sided beatdown on live television. And it wasn't pretty. Her fight made her look pathetic, as one Katsuki Bakugo tore into her, and he made it look easy. She couldn't even touch him. He just went in, destroyed what little she could do, beat the snot out of her, and did with a grin on his face. Heck, the beatdown was basically worse that when she fought him back at the battle trials since she couldn't even remember this one.
And now, she was left with nothing but failure. Again. Just like last time, the path of a hero beat her up and spit her out. 'Guess that's just how things work out.' she thought as she slowly made her way down a hallway. The sports festival was already over, the award ceremony having just finished about half an hour ago and Ochako was the last in line to leave. It seemed that the girl recovered slower than others...or just had less energy.
It was here that tears began to fall down her face as she remembered what had just happened. No matter what she did, she still couldn't get to where she wanted. She still failed to get on the path of the hero. She just kept falling short, and she could feel her heart clench at that thought as water began to hit the floor below her.
That is, till she heard a voice behind her say, "Young Uraraka."
Blinking at the voice, her ears hearing those words...and yet, they sounded off. Like she had heard the voice before, but she hadn't. She glanced back, only to see someone she had never seen before. The man was tall, yet lanky, his body looking like a scarecrow in human form. His hair was golden, slightly pointed, and his eyes were dark. They had a calm, yet direct expression in those eyes, and his presence...it felt like a monolith, no, a symbol was standing behind her.
The girl fully spun around at this, staring up at the man as he walked up to her. He showed her a long serious frown, his eyes staring straight at her, as if to look into her very soul. And then, his mouth began to move as he said, "Do you have a moment? I wish to speak with you."
Chapter 63: Ochako Uraraka: The Path of a Hero
THUD!
"Ow!"
That was the sound of one Ochako Uraraka as her body smacked a wall before slumping over, the teen letting out a small groan as her behind hit the floor. She moaned as she began rubbing the back of her head, only for her ears to hear a long sigh coming from across the room. Glancing up, she stared at the figure before her. It was a very short, very old man in a light gray suit with a yellow-colored cape, boots, gauntlets and belt. He was also wearing a black domino mask, and was leaning on a wooden cane.
The old man rubbed his chin as he stared at the girl now getting up from the previous blow. "Still nothing, eh?" he asked as he watched her continue to rub her head.
"Yeah..." Uraraka replied as she stopped rubbing, "Sorry, Gran Torino. I still can't activate it."
"It's fine kiddo." Gran responded as he walked up to her, "We've been going at it for two days now and there's still nothing. You sure that blonde buffoon gave you his quirk?"
The girl stayed silent at the question, not a bit of her body moving in response. The question made her think back, back to when this all had started. It had been over a week ago, just after the UA sports festival had ended.
A few days ago...
Ochako wasn't sure what to think as she sat down in that room. Just a few minutes ago, a tall blonde scarecrow-looking man had asked her to follow him, stating he had an offer for her. She didn't know why she decided to follow this person she had never seen before despite him feeling very familiar, but she went along with it anyways. There was just...just this presence with the man, like she was looking up at a living legend, filled with and strength beyond any normal mortal.
That is, till they entered a small room with chairs and nothing else. And as they sat down, Ochako watched the man give her a long, deep stare, as if he was looking into her very soul. It was a judgmental glare filled with power, strength, knowledge and precision. The very act felt like it was going to pierce her mind, body and soul. And yet, as she watched him stare, she couldn't help but feel...hope. As if the very symbol of good itself was looking at her as well.
And with a long, deep breath, the man spoke up, "My apologies, young Uraraka. I...wanted to make sure."
"Make sure?" Ochako parroted back, "What do you mean?"
The man leaned back, his posture straightening before replying, "I wanted to make sure you were the one I was looking for."
"Looking for?" Ochako responded while blinking at the man, only for the question that had been bouncing around her mind to finally come out of her mouth, "Say, who are you?"
The man just smiled in response, only for a puff of smoke to consume him. And within a split-second, Ochako let out the biggest gasp as she watched this thin, sickly scarecrow of a man turn into the Symbol of Peace, All Might.
And now, she was doing an internship with All Might's former teacher, Gran Torino. To be honest, her first impression with the old man had not gone well. It had started with her finding what looked like an abandoned building, only to open the front door and find an old geezer laying on the floor, covered in 'blood'. The sight made her let out a scream, waking the old man up, which was followed with her finding out the 'blood' was actually ketchup. (It made her really want to beat up the old man)
After that, Gran introduced himself and had her try to summon her new quirk: One for All.
It turned out, when All Might had asked to meet her in the isolated room, it was to ask her to be his successor. Now, she didn't believe for a moment she was worthy of such a thing, instantly questioning him why he would he even consider her. But then he began to talk, telling her how he had watched her defy the odds over and over. In particular, how she tried to fight Bakugo, someone that no one else in the tournament even remotely tried to fight. He just went in and instantly beat them, and then insulted them for even getting in the ring with him.
But she hadn't done that. She tried her best, and though she failed, he told her the one thing that mattered: "You went against all the odds. Even though you failed, you didn't stand there like the others. You tried against something you knew you couldn't beat."
She felt the statement was wrong, as she felt most of her class would do the same. However, she had also been knocked out since that fight, and missed the rest of the tournament. Turns out, Bakugo beat everyone to a pulp with ease, even Todoroki, the one most believed would win the whole festival. Bakugo had just charged through the student's ice attacks and tore into him, the fight almost ending instantly.
Only Ochako had actually tried against Bakugo, and in response, All Might believed she was the heroic spirit he was looking for. Even when she asked: "But why me? I'm...I'm just a teen with a gravity quirk. I can barely fight." the hero just shook his head before shining his signature smile.
"Young Uraraka, you have the heroic spirit in spades. I've been searching for some time, and out of all the hero students here, you are the one that tries to defy the odds the most."
The statement made the girl tear up, only for the hero to then ask her to inherit his quirk, One For All. This was followed by several questions, which he mostly answered, as they were all about how he had a quirk that could passed down to another person. He then showed her his injuries, (The sight making her want to slightly throw up) and then asked her the question. And though she felt she should say 'no', her mind went back to the fight she had just done with Bakugo. How she lost and was beaten with ease...and how that could paint a picture for the future.
And with a deep breath, she nodded and said, "Yes, I'll do it."
Her response made the hero give the biggest grin...and then gave her a strand of hair. To eat.
It wasn't pleasant.
But despite all that, including eating the hair, (Which she really wanted to vomit out but didn't) and despite wanting to go even further as a hero...the new quirk had given her nothing.
No matter what she tried, she couldn't get One For All to activate. No lightning, no strength enhancement, no change to her own quirk, nothing. Not even a single spark would appear. It was like the quirk wasn't even there.
Now, she knew she had the quirk. After eating the hair, she felt something roar inside her a day or so later. It was something strange, yet immensely powerful. It was a like a smashing tide of power swirling inside her body when it first appeared within her, only to suddenly calm down. Like a maestro stopping the trumpets, trombones and cymbals of an orchestra, only to switch to one tiny flute.
And though she felt that quirk, that power now roaring inside of her...she then found a new problem. The quirk stopped roaring. It stopped responding altogether. It was like a wall appeared between her and the quirk, and there was no key or climbing equipment to get around it.
As such, she was now sitting at a table in Gran Torino's 'office', sighing as the two waited for some food to finish in the microwave. Seeing the frown on her face, Gran spoke up, "Hey." She glanced up at him, the old man showing a small smile, "Don't be so depressed. I know I spent the past two days smacking you around and...well, that probably doesn't help your mood, but there's no need for the doom and gloom garbage." His grin got slightly bigger, "We'll figure it out. I promise."
She slumped down in the chair at that, her mind going back to the UA festival again. Despite suddenly becoming some successor to the greatest hero on the planet, she couldn't help but think back to that failure. That loss against something she knew she couldn't beat. As such, she muttered out, "But what if I don't figure it out?"
"You'll figure it out." Gran instantly responded, making her glance up at him. She saw a stiff glare on his face, though there was also a bit of a smirk as well. It was...confidence. Pure confidence.
"Why are you so sure I will?" She asked before realizing what she was asking.
His smirk turned into a grin as he replied, "Simple. Its cuz you got the heroic spirit, just like that blonde buffoon Yagi." His grin turned into a neutral smile at this, "Let me tell you something I once told Yagi back when I was training him. You see, the idiot was like you at times, constantly depressed...but he needed to be. Because that was part of how everything works when you're trying to be a hero."
Ochako tilted her head at this, "It's okay for a hero to be depressed?" She couldn't believe that. She loved seeing the smiles the heroes would bring to others.
"That's right." Gran nodded, the girl leaning back in response. "After all, that's just another part of being a hero."
"What do you mean?"
Gran closed his eyes, taking a solid breath before opening his eyes and saying, "The path of a hero will have you go to your lowest point, but that's not what matters. What matters is what you do to pick yourself up and move forward. That...that is true start of the path of a hero."
The old man put his cane on the table, his face now showing a wistful look as he added, "Once that happens, you'll figure out how to be a true hero. I guarantee it."
A few days later...
'In the end, I still couldn't get it.' Ochako thought as she slumped down in her desk. The internships were now over, the girl sighing as she stared down at her hands. She could now see tiny sparks in them, signifying she could summon something of the quirk...but it wasn't enough. It was only a tiny pulse, a little bit of lightning, but nothing else. 'Guess it still won't work for me.'
That was all she really knew the past few days of the internships with Gran Torino. After giving her that advice, he had her go on patrol with him. Seeing how Ochako wasn't ready to summon her new quirk, he decided to have her patrol another district he knew would have less crime for now. As such, the two ended up dodging the hero killer incident, though she learned all about it through her phone later. This was later shown when she got back to school and tried to console Iida, who she saw was in rough shape after the incident. As for the rest of the internship, Gran mainly had her do exercises, and pushed her to try new things. Overall, she felt she learned a lot...but it was still almost too much for her.
But now she was back in class, and after her homeroom teacher came in and grumbled about how the internships were all messed up and told the class that they have better learned something, he had All Might come in. The hero had them go to a new part of the school where he set a rescue training exercise for the class, most of the students cheering at the idea. It was basically an obstacle course with the objective of rescuing a civilian, this one being All Might, at the end of the course.
Ochako watched as the first few did the exercise, all competing on who could get to their heroics teacher first. And as the first group got done, Ochako stepped up to be part of the second group. She found herself with Momo, Tsuyu, Kirishima and Bakugo. The girl began to do stretches as they all stepped up to the starting line, Ochako and Tsuyu smiling and nodding to each other.
That is, till Bakugo hissed out, "Just stay here and watch a real hero save the day, you worthless losers. In fact, don't even try, weaklings."
"Hey Bakubro, there's no need-" Kirishima whispered before-
Boom!
"Ack!" the teen yelped as Bakugo popped a small explosion into Kirishima's face.
"Bakugo!" Ochako barked, only for the teen to glare back at her. Normally she would glare back, but as she saw the expression on his face, she flinched. The sight was one of pure rage mixed with true anger, and his eyes were like a rabid animal's.
"Shut it Round Cheeks, or I'll kill you, you Deku wannabe." His voice went low half-way through, as if it was coated with venom before he glared back at the obstacle course. Ochako opened her mouth to respond, only to feel someone grab her shoulder. Turning to the sensation, she saw Tsuyu, who shook her head, silently telling her it wasn't worth it.
"Yeah...right. Thanks Tsu." She whispered, Tsuyu nodding back before hearing the signal from All Might.
"GO!"
With that, all five charged into the obstacle course. Ochako instantly turned off her own gravity, allowing her to quickly leap into the air. Soon flipping around a maze of pipes and mounds, the girl with two quirks soon took the lead. Right behind her was Tsuyu, who hopped around just like a frog, her body allowing her to easily cross any chasm and wall.
But as the two got about halfway across the area, the duo heard a loud banging sound. Glancing back, Ochako gasped as she saw a giant metal pipe coming straight for her. Ducking under this, the pipe flew over the girl, only for another shape to appear. It was Bakugo, the explosive teen catching up to the two. They turned to see the teen's expression on his face, only to see a look that could only be described as a rabid animal.
"Out of my way, losers!" He roared as blasted two giant explosions from his hands, the blasts instantly smacking the metal pipe below him.
BANG!
The metal pipe flew off its handles at this, Ochako gasping as she saw spin into her. "Eep!" she yelped before she tried to duck again, only for the pipe to smack her side. "Aaaaah!" She cried a split-second later, the girl instantly falling.
"Ochako!" Tsuyu yelled before spinning around and firing her long tongue at the girl. She quickly caught the teen, instantly trying to pull her back before Uraraka landed in the hard concrete below. And as this happened, the two other students behind them appeared, both diving to help catch Uraraka.
And as this happened, the rest of class watching a monitor all gasped at the exchange. They knew Bakugo was reckless, but to do something like this. Not only that, Bakugo landed in front of All Might just a few moments later. There, the teen shined the biggest grin he could. He had gotten to the hero first, just like he deserved. But as he did this, he saw the expression on the hero's face. It was not one of pride or even recognition. It was...disgust.
"Young Bakugo, what did you just do? Why did you attack a fellow student in a rescue exercise?" All Might asked in a low, deep tone.
Bakugo raised an eyebrow at this, genuine confusion on his face, "I didn't attack someone! I was getting to the person in trouble first, just like a true hero!"
"Attacking fellow students is not being a true hero, young Bakugo."
"I didn't attack them! I was just making sure I get here first!" Bakugo barked back, only to feel a sudden shift. It was like a wave of pressure hit his whole body, making him shiver as he watched the hero walk up to him.
"And you believe that makes you a hero?" All Might replied before stopping right in front of the teen, "Why is that?!"
"Cuz I was doing what you would do!" Bakugo screeched, explosions popping off his hands before pointing at the hero, repeating what he had done in the battle trial before pointing at himself, "I was being the best of the class! I was showing them that I'm better than them, just like you show all the other heroes!"
And as that statement hit All Might's ears, his expression hardened, his body language stiffening as he glared down at the teen. His signature grin was gone, now replaced with a frown as he leaned down and said in a gravely voice, "I don't lord over my status to anyone, young Bakugo. I am a hero and nothing more."
"Wha-"
"You will get a failing grade for this, young Bakugo."
"WHAT?!" Bakugo screamed, "But I did nothing wrong!"
"You did everything wrong." All Might instantly responded, Bakugo opening his mouth again, only for the hero to flash his palm at the boy, "Don't bother. You failed, and that's final."
And as steam began to rise out of the teen, All Might turned to see the other four all arrive at the same time. They had altogether helped Ochako get there, the sight making the hero smile and nod. "Good work. You all pass."
They all grinned at this, Ochako trying to as he began to help them back to the start of the course before having another group go. In the end, only Bakugo failed, the teen growling and hissing the entire time as the rest of the class stayed away from him, including Kirishima.
And as the exercise ended, All Might took Ochako aside as he had the rest of the class go clean up in the locker rooms. As he did this, the hero asked the girl, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Ochako replied while staring down at the floor and rubbing her arm, "Sorry I uh...messed up the obstacle course."
"It's fine. It's not your fault." the hero sighed as he said his next words, "That young Bakugo...he needs some a few extra lessons."
"No kidding." Ochako muttered before looking up at All Might. She saw that his grin had returned, and he was smiling as hard as he could.
"So young Uraraka, did Gran help you out?"
She did a small nod, "He did. I um...still can't summon One For All, but he helped in other areas."
"I see." The hero patted her shoulder at this, "Then don't worry about it. You'll be fine."
"But-"
All Might shook his head, "Don't worry. All For One will activate for you when it wants to. Until then, just continue your studies."
Uraraka blinked at the statement, only to nod. She couldn't think of any words to say, but the presence of the hero was enough. A minute later, she headed off to the locker room, ready to go back to class.
The Present...
The past few days had been a wreck for the teen. It had started when Katsuki Bakugo had left Class 1-A. She wasn't sure why he left, as the rescue exercise had happened days ago. Basically, the principal called for him one day, and suddenly her teacher got really angry with the class. Like, he went full on aggressive teaching mode, pushing all the students to their limits and more. Every day was torture, as he had them do multiple hero exercises a day that would make the third years fall apart, and then he had the third years join in helping...which was mainly them attacking the class while they did the exercises.
All in all, it was a rough time to be Ochako Uraraka. She still couldn't summon her new quirk, her homeroom teacher had gone full hostile mode, and now she was about to do something she wasn't completely good at: Hanging out with friends.
Now, she had done that plenty before in previous school years, but this was still a new class for her. Not only that, today was going to be all girls, as no guy could come due to just about any reason. Thankfully, she knew she wasn't the only one that was going to be nervous today. After all, a girl that wasn't a hero student would be joining them: Himiko Toga.
She had met the girl a week or so ago, but hadn't really talked to her much. To be honest, the only reason she knew her was because of Izuku, who had also declined the hangout today. He said he had to go do something today, and Himiko insisted that he would have to go do it.
As such, she was now sitting on a bench at the local mall, waiting for the group to arrive. She had not expected to be there first, but considering all who were going to be joining today, with the exception of Tsuyu, she could see her other classmates being late. Thankfully, it wasn't going to be a problem as she glanced up and saw most of today's group walk up to her.
In front of Tsuyu, the frog girl showing her usual blank expression while Jirou walked up beside her. The punk girl had her head slightly turned as she walked, as she was talking to the third companion of the group, Himiko Toga. The blonde was slowly replying to the girl's questions, her eyes shifting back and forth as she looked like she was muttering every response.
"Hey girls!" Ochako cheered as she waved to the trio, all walking to her in response and saying their usual hellos. As they got there, Ochako turned to Jirou, "Where's Mina and Toru?"
"No idea. I thought they'd beat us since Yaomomo didn't want to come." Jirou replied.
"Who's Yaomomo?" Himiko chimed in.
"Another girl in our class, kero." Tsuyu bluntly responded.
"Oh. What is she-"
"Hey girls!" exclaimed another voice, making them all turn to see Mina and Toru walking up to them. The pink-skinned girl was shining the biggest grin she could as she strode up to Himiko and slung an arm around her. The motion made Himiko shiver, the girl now wanting to shrink as she stared at the beaming grin on Mina's face. "You ready to have some fun?"
"Um...uh..."
"You're scaring her, kero." Tsuyu cut in as she removed Mina's arm from Himiko, "Sorry about her."
"Oh come on, I'm just being friendly." Mina chuckled before patting Tsuyu's shoulder, "Sides, we need to get to know our new friend more before we take her shopping."
"Shopping?" Himiko responded, only to see Mina's grin somehow get wider.
"Oh yeah. Shopping."
And before Himiko could react, she soon found herself in what could only be described as a 'shopping montage'. The girls quickly took her to every clothing store in the mall, having her try out just about everything. Even the more conservative members of the group had to admit that Himiko looked good in just about everything, making the montage go even longer than Himiko thought possible. And as hour after hour passed, the group soon took a break to have some supper at the mall's food court.
It was here that they began to talk about their classes, Himiko asking how they were compared to how depressed they were yesterday at FEAST. Turns out, they were still depressed about class, only for Himiko to admit something.
"Truth is, I don't get the hero stuff."
"What do you mean?" Mina asked as she took a sip of her drink.
"Well uh..." Himiko glanced away while taking a tiny bit of a burger, "I know Izuku wants to be a hero and everything, but I don't get it. Like, every hero I've ever known are nothing but fakes."
"Fakes?" Ochako responded, only to see Himiko nod.
"Yeah. The ones I know don't really help anyone. Its why I don't wanna be one."
The group all shared a glance at this, even Toru, as frowns appeared on every face before Tsuyu turned to Himiko, "I'm sorry you feel that way, kero. I know that some heroes aren't the best, but I'm sorry they were bad to you."
"It's okay. I just...I just wish I understood why people want to be them." Himiko sighed as she put down her food, "That's why I figured out what I want to do."
"Oh? And what's that?" Jirou asked next.
"I want to be a nurse, like Inko."
And as she said this, she saw smiles all appear on the girls' faces. The sight made her go wide-eyed, as she saw what they truly were. They were genuine. No lies or deception, just true and kind smiles. It made her want to cry, tears now trying to form in her eyes before she rubbed them a second.
"That's wonderful, kero."
"Yeah! That's a great goal!" Toru added as her clothes did a bunch of poses.
Ochako did a small nod, "Yeah. I'm glad you figured something out."
"T-t-thanks." Himiko replied while still rubbing her eyes.
"What made you want to become a nurse, kero?"
Himiko turned to Tsuyu at this, her face showing a semi-frown as she replied, "Well you see, when Izuku and Inko helped me out with my...quirk issues, I knew I had to repay them. But no matter what I do, I can't seem to help them. All I do is...well, just mess up everything. It scares me how much I mess up." She glanced down at her food again, "But after trying to help them and failing, I realized something. Both of them love helping others...so I decided I want that path too. Sure, I'm scared that I'll mess up just like I have been when trying to help them, but I still want to do it."
The girls all nodded at this, Tsuyu replying, "That's great, kero."
"Thanks."
'Scared you'll mess up, but you keep trying, huh?' Ochako thought as she repeated in her head what Himiko just said. And as those words went through her mind, a click went off in her head. With that, Ochako rose up from her seat, the girls all turning to her. Her face slightly flushing at this, she slowly said, "I'll...be right back."
They all watched her spin around and run off, soon connecting the dots as she went to the nearby mall bathroom before going into a new conversation. As for Uraraka, she quickly raced into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. She stared at her reflection, seeing the anxiety and hesitation on her face.
But as she did this, she remembered what Gran Torino had told her.
"The path of a hero will have you go to your lowest point, but that's not what matters. What matters is what you do to pick yourself up and move forward. That...that is true start of the path of a hero."
"The true path..." she whispered as she stared at her reflection, only to add, "My path."
As those two words left her mouth, it happened. A jolt in her body, like a gear turning to start a system as she felt something new. She knew it was inside her, she knew it the day after eating that hair. But she could never truly feel it. Never feel what it was, or what it meant. But now...it was there. Inside, almost consuming her, but enough.
And one second later, her eyes went wide as she stared at that mirror. Before her was Ochako Uraraka, but her whole body was consumed in lightning. Her form tingled and sparked, the sight making her rapidly blink as she glanced down at her hands, seeing the energy charge around them. Looking back at the mirror, she saw the flow hit her hair, making it look wavy, yet it was still her hair.
"So...so that's what I was missing. I was scared, and I still didn't think I deserve the power. I kept trying and failing...but I need to accept that's going to happen." She stared at her hands again, only for the lightning to start calming down. Her whole body shook at this, nerves of pain now sparking as she felt her body try to withstand the power she had just summoned. But despite the pain, she shined a small smile as she whispered, "I couldn't believe in myself. That's my lowest point." She clenched her right hand into a fist before raising it up at the mirror, lightning now sparking around it. Her grin began to grow as she added, "And now...I move forward."
A few minutes later...
"Hey!" Ochako called out as she walked up to the group, the girls all turning to her. "Sorry about that."
"Its cool." Jirou replied as she twirled one of her earlobes, "We were just talking about bailing for the rest of the day."
Toru's clothes began to shift into what looked like a pose, "Yup! Time to go home!"
Mina let out a small yawn, "No kidding. The mall can really tire a girl out!"
"You said it sister!" Toru laughed before hugging Mina, the two now giggling up a storm.
And as this happened, Ochako turned to Himiko, who was talking to Tsuyu. Both turned to her a second later, Uraraka smiling at the duo before her eyes stared at Himiko, "So, did you have fun today?"
Himiko rapidly nodded in response, her eyes almost tearing up as she replied, "Yes!" She turned to the rest of the group and did a small bow, "Thank you all so much!"
They all smiled back, Tsuyu patting Himiko's shoulder, "Of course, kero. We were happy to hang out with you."
"Yeah!" Mina added while thrusting out a thumbs up.
"You're all too kind." Himiko added before letting out a small sigh, "Still, wish Izuku could have come. He needs this as much as I do."
Mina did a small wave, "Eh, we'll invite him next time when we have some more boys to hang out with us."
"Totally." Jirou chimed in, "Sides, nothing wrong with a girls' day out."
"Yup!" Toru cheered.
Himiko's face switched back to a big smile, unable to contain her happiness in the moment. She had never felt this way, this much happiness in her life before. It felt...wonderful. Like a new lease on life.
But as she thought that, Mina snapped her fingers and said, "Say Himi, why don't we send something to Izuku?" She reached into her backpack and pulled out what looked like a long stick, "I got my selfie-stick. Let's send him a pic!"
Himiko just blinked at the sight, Tsuyu instantly picking up what this meant, "You don't know what a selfie is, do you kero? Or do you not have a phone?"
The teen turned to the frog-girl, only to show her a guilty-looking frown, "Um...no to both."
"I figured, kero." Tsuyu bluntly replied before turning to Ochako, "You got Midoriya's number, right?"
"Um...yeah." Uraraka responded, all the girls turning to her. Seeing this, she added, "He gave it to me to inform me when FEAST would be rooting for our class in the UA Sports Festival."
"Huh. Too bad that ended in disaster." Jirou commented as all the girls but Himiko frowned at the memories of the event.
But before Himiko could ask why they were reacting that way, Ashido grabbed Himiko's shoulder and shined a big grin, "Eh, let's not think about that. Ocha! Hand over your phone and we'll take a pic of us to remember how awesome today was!"
The girls all shared a glance before Ochako gave Mina her phone. Setting it up on the selfie stick, the group huddled up next, Mina struggling to get Jirou to agree. She reluctantly stayed on the outer part of the group as they all smiled, (Though Tsuyu's was hard to tell) and then took a picture. Taking the phone off the stick a moment later, they all stared at the pic and giggled, Ochako soon sending it to Izuku at Himiko's request, along with the message 'Hope you had a good day like us!'.
With that, they began their trek out of the mall. There was nothing but smiles and laughter as they left, Himiko now thinking back to what wonderful memories she had made today. And as she left, she thought only about one thing: 'I want to do this again. Here's hoping Izuku can hang out with us as well.'
Her mind went to when he had left earlier that day, the smile on his face as he left. She could see the pain on his expression, but she knew he was happy with what he was doing. Still, it made her think: 'Hope Izuku got that pic. Maybe it'll help cheer him up.'
Bzzt!
Bzzt! Bzzt!
'Huh?'
That was the singular thought of one Izuku Midoriya. He thought this because he felt something in his pocket, the teen now stirring as he felt the phone stop vibrating.
'Wha...who's...'
His mind began to swirl, memories forming in his head as his brain went back to what had just happened to him. It was like a jumbled mess, a sea filled with murky mud, dripping and slowing the mind down. He could barely concentrate, as it felt like...like he was barely alive.
'That's right.' he thought, 'Kacchan...he...he...'
And then it hit him. The memories slammed into his brain. 'Weak.' That was all he could think of. 'Kacchan is right. I'm so...so...weak. Just...a Deku.'
Nothing had changed in his mind. Nothing at all. He had tried so hard, but Bakugo had shown him that Izuku Midoriya was still nothing in this world. The very thought made him want to cry, for tears to pour out of his eyes, and ask only one question: Why? Why was I born so weak?
But as that question entered his head, he felt something. Something odd. This entire time since he felt that vibration from his phone in his pocket, he had kept his eyes closed. And as he did this, he found he wasn't in the position he thought he was. It felt like his body was in some kind of strange shape. His hands were holding onto something, and his legs were folded, both touching what felt like...webbing. Webbing that his hands were hanging onto.
'What the...why am I-' he began to think as he tried to open his eyes. His pupils felt heavy, as if they were just now waking from a deep deep slumber. And as he tried to motion them to reveal themselves to the world, his mind began to turn again. Gears shifted in his brain as he started to remember what he was doing.
"That's right! I gotta call Mister Nezu about Kacchan and...and...and..."
Then he felt it. His whole body shivered, clenching up only a second later. It was like a jolt tingling through his whole body, wrapping around him like...like something warm. Very warm...and powerful.
His eyes slowly opened, trying to look at the world around him...only to stop. His whole form froze up, his arms, legs and head all staying perfectly still. The only thing that moved was his eyes, as they kept getting wider and wider. In fact, they were so wide that if you could see his face, they would look like they were about to pop out of his skull.
He wasn't sure how long he stayed frozen like that. It could have been hours or mere minutes. But it all stopped when he opened his mouth and whispered. "What in the world..."
In front of the teen was a window off of a skyscraper, one that was perfectly reflecting the teen in the now night sky. It took him a second to realize he was upside-down, hanging onto a webline, but that wasn't the strange part. It was what the teen was now wearing...and it was something he had never ever seen before.
Reflected in the window before him, Izuku saw he was not in his civilian clothes, nor his Spider-Man costume. Instead, he was in something new. The clothing was a pure black suit, one that covered him from head to toe, all of it as jet black as you could see. There were only two things on the suit that weren't that color, the eye lens, which were white like snow...and a giant white eight-legged spider on the chest.
The sight made the teen just stare at the reflection before him before glancing up at his upside-down body, seeing that it was what he thought it was. He was in an almost pure black Spider-Man costume he had never seen before. Izuku let go of the webline at this, flipping right side up before placing his hands and feet on the side of the building. His spider powers now suspending him there, he continued to stare at his reflection before releasing one of the hands and looking it over.
And as he did this, he flexed his fingers on that free hand, only to see the suit suddenly react. Tiny black veins vibrated all over his hand, calming down a second later. He glanced back at the reflection again at this, staring at the giant spider on the chest of the costume, only to see it shake and vibrate as well for just a second before settling down. But the teen didn't say a word, he didn't produce a single thought. All he could do was stare...and say one single word.
"Whoa..."