Chapter 1 march and April
Author's Note: Somebody needs to stop me from making these man, I swear.
Anyways. A Self-Insert where a character is put into a teenage Bowser body and ends up in the My Hero Academia universe, with no information beyond the first season of the anime to keep things interesting.
Starts 2 months before the events of the Anime proper, namely the Sludge Villain Attack. MC is equivalent to a Teenage Bowser, but has no training. So more power than Baby Bowser, but doesn't have as much control, and has yet to learn how to use some of the crazier Bowser abilities. Basic strength, durability, fire breath.
Hope you all enjoy.
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I woke up when I slammed face-first into the concrete.
I do not recommend it.
The sound of cracking stone filled the air, dust rising up around me.
"Gah!" I shouted in pain, bouncing up, then landing face-first again. I groaned into the concrete, moaning at the agony all across the front of my body. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck.
"O-Owww."
I didn't move, my head feeling fuzzy. It was more than just the pain. My whole body felt… weird. Uncomfortable. I had this weight on my back. It was light, like a pillow resting on me, but it didn't go away no matter how I shifted my shoulders. Combined with that, my skin felt so strange.
I finally just lay there, trying to breath. Someone shouted in the background. I heard footsteps approaching and someone speaking at a frantic pace. It sounded like… Japanese? I didn't speak the language beyond some simple terms, but I could recognize it.
I peeked one eye open. I was in the middle of an empty courtyard, surrounded by apartment buildings. I was lying in a crater. God. I cratered the ground when I landed? No wonder I was so hurt.
An Asian woman was staring at me, jabbering into a phone. I couldn't understand her beyond some basic Japanese words.
"モンスターのいくつかの種類は,彼が空から落ちた,私は彼が救急車が必要だと思います! 大きなもの !"
I slowly closed my eyes, the feeling of my bones and muscles bruising filling me for a moment longer. Then I passed out from the agony.
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March
I woke up slowly, blinking my eyes. They felt so heavy. I stared upwards. The ceiling was made of some sort of ceramic tiles, separated by metal sections into neat squares. The air smelled like disinfectant and… I don't know. Blood? And vomit. The smell was so strong I could barely stand it.
I took another breath, trying to rise up. That was harder than I thought. It felt like there was some sort of, I don't know, a brace around my chest and back? For a horrific moment, I thought I was paralysed, but I managed to get myself up by moving at the waist. As I sat up, the TV across from me drew my attention when the sound of laughter came from it. I glanced at it, then did a double-take.
A massive man was sitting across from a brown haired reporter, laughing boisterously. Dude must have been 7 feet and built like… well, the man's muscles had their own muscles. He was HUGE. His hair was a bright blonde, with two sections rising up like horns. He wore a red and blue outfit with a white 'v' of sorts across his chest. His eyes were oddly dark in color, but his smile… That tipped me off more than anything.
Even though I couldn't read the Japanese being written on the screen, I recognized him.
"All Might?" I wondered to myself. I'd only watched Season 1 of My Hero Academia, but that was more than enough for me to recognize him on sight. Or at least, the actor playing him.
I'd heard they were making a live action play of the show. Made sense they would want to interview one of the actors for it. He looked REALLY good though. Like, the best fucking cosplay I'd ever seen. They must have grabbed the biggest Japanese bodybuilder in the world for it. And his hair looked so real, not gelled up at all.
I reached out with one hand towards one of the railings of my hospital bed. Then I stared at it as it entered my vision.
Yellow-orange scales… short claws on a four-fingered hand.
I stared at that hand. I slowly forced myself to close my fingers. The claws tightened, then slowly shut under my control. Now that I wasn't in as much pain, I could feel my body a bit more. I crossed my eyes. A large muzzle was jutting out from my face. I licked my teeth, feeling my teeth. They were all fangs. Panic began to fill me.
I couldn't really look down at my stomach and chest with the muzzle blocking me, but when I brought my hands to it, I felt a hard shell wrapping around me. I reached back and felt the other side. A big giant shell. Fuck me! Did I get turned into a ninja turtle!?
I grabbed the blankets wrapped around my legs and tossed them off, then gaped at my feet. They were big and round, like tree trunks. I wiggled my toes. My clawed toes.
In the back of my mind, I wondered about my bed. It seemed gigantic. I stared down at it. Yeah, it was huge. When I twisted around, which was an adventure with the fucking shell, I saw that it seemed to be made of some kind of special gel. There were holes in the gelatin material that were fading away. I poked at it, and found my claw entering the material. When I pulled it out, it began to quickly reform. There was a logo on the side of the bed. Detnerat™.
Someone came into the room. I looked up. A nurse stared at me. She was tall, thin, and Japanese. Her ears were also shaped like tiny rockets. As in, literal fucking rockets made of metal. We stared at each other, me at her weird as fuck ears. Then she yelped, spinning on her heel and rushing out the door.
"Sensei! Sensei, 彼は目を覚ましている!"
As she shouted, rushing through the halls, I thought about her ears. Then I looked up at the TV.
All Might grinned at me.
I didn't talk, just staring at the screen. I think I went into shock, because I didn't register anyone coming in to talk to me. I just sat like that as the news faded to the next images, ignoring the doctor asking me questions in Japanese.
My Hero Academia. Goddamn it. I should have watched more of the show.
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April
Fantasy and reality. The difference between them. It was something I thought about often over the next three weeks.
It's well known in my own world that I was a fan of writing fanfics, no pun intended. Self-Inserts as well. I like them, as they're fun to write. It's fun to imagine yourself fighting alongside your heroes, going through trials and tribulations and such.
That's the point though. It's fun to imagine that sort of thing.
Going through it is very different.
Once I came out of shock, I tried talking to the doctor taking care of me. He asked me some questions, and I explained in my broken as fuck Japanese that I was American, and spoke English. So he brought in a translator. And that guy barely understood what I was trying to convey.
I explained that I wasn't from around here. They tried looking me up, as a guy with my appearance would be easy to find, but no luck.
Ah. My appearance. Turns out, I wasn't a ninja turtle. I was a dragon turtle. As in, I looked like Bowser. BOWSER. From Mario. The OG Video Game BOSS. Well, sort of like him. In truth, I looked more like the younger version of that. I looked softer in the face than Bowser did, but my fangs, size, and horns were a lot bigger than Baby Bowsers. My hair was a thick red, but it was not as much of a mane as the big guy had.
No word on if I had any magical powers though. I remembered hearing once that Bowser was a 'star child' or something, and it was one of the reasons for the sheer amount of power he had sometimes, but that didn't seem to be a thing.
But I doubted I was as powerful as he was. Not yet at least.
I was also smaller.
Still a fucking big dude though. My full height was 7 and a half feet, 228 centimeters according to the rest of the world, and I was thick around with muscle layered in fat and scales. It was hard to get used to. I had always been a big dude, but this was ridiculous!
That was part of the problem. First, I didn't speak the language well, and that made it hard to get anything out of me. Second, I looked like a teenage monster. Third, no one could find out anything about me. No background, no id. The American embassy refused to have anything to do with me. The Japanese government wanted to ignore me.
It took three weeks before they finally decided to just put me somewhere I wouldn't be likely to cause trouble.
So I got put into the child services system. I allowed it. Because once I figured shit out, well. I lied about my age. I told everyone I was 14 years old. What with the prevalence of quirks, no one doubted it, especially when I sounded so dumb.
People always see those who don't speak the language as dumber than them.
I… had a lot to get used to. A new body, a new world, and a new culture. Some people get culture shock. This was next level.
Breathing fire, for example. God. Being strong enough to crush boulders, tough enough to withstand insane damage. It was cool, but it was also a huge shock to my brain. I woke up every morning, looked in the mirror, and didn't recognize myself.
It was enough to drive me to distraction.
I had one point I could focus on in this world. UA. Izuku Midoriya, and All Might.
In a place where I knew nothing, I had season 1 of the show. I grasped onto that as my future plan. When I got shoved into the child services system of this future Japan, while nervous social workers tried to avoid dealing with me, I had that goal. Get to UA high school.
I'd been told before that in a survival situation, you want to get to somewhere familiar. Well, America wasn't the same as the one in my world. I'd looked up a few things since getting here, using the internet. My family didn't exist of course. This world was a couple centuries after my own universe after all. Funny enough, neither did the Mario series. People did mention Gamera around me a couple times though.
The point was, I had only one thing that I knew for certain. Izuku Midoriya was going to meet All Might one day, and the events of the show would happen. It was familiar ground.
So, once I got over my shock, I made that my plan. Get to UA, and work there, building on my knowledge to make a foothold.
Besides, I preferred it to becoming a normal guy again. Because once I got over everything I realized something.
I had FUCKING SUPERPOWERS.
And the only way I'd be allowed to use them was with a hero license.
So, I got dropped off in front of an apartment in Musutafu, Japan… Man, Horikoshi really did like Star Wars. Man after my own heart. I looked up at the place. It was kind of beat up, but otherwise fine. The sort of place I'd seen in plenty of anime, a three floor apartment with blue railings and a red rooftop. I could imagine a slice-of-life anime taking place there.
"Bowsa-san," at the sound of the fake name I'd given Japan, I looked down at the thin man next to me. My social worker was a very normal looking guy by the name of Ranma Takahashi. He smiled up at me. "You, ready?" he said hesitantly.
"Yes, Ranma-san," I said with a fanged smile, which he returned with a nod.
Ranma was cool. Of the revolving door of social workers I'd met, he was the only one that spoke English and actually wanted to help me in any meaningful way. His dad had named him after Ranma Saotome, super-martial artist and part time girl. We'd kinda bonded over that. What can I say, I respect a man who has love for classic anime, and Ranma knew damn well how badass his namesake was.
"Right this way, Bowsa-san," he waved for me to follow. I hefted my backpack over my shoulder. It didn't have much. Two changes of clothes, a notebook, and some money I'd been saving. I followed the thin Japanese man slowly. He hummed to himself as he walked. A woman came out of her room as we walked past. She glanced at Ranma. Then at me. She did a double-take, then slipped back into her room with a panicked expression.
Ranma froze when he saw that. Then he sighed sadly. "Bowsa-san, I-"
"Don't worry about it," I sighed. "Let's move on."
He winced, probably thinking I was being brave or something. In truth, I didn't mind much. It wasn't like she'd thrown tomatoes at me or something. People are going to be scared of what they don't understand. All you can do is your best to prove them wrong.
I'd been 28 in my world. I was also an Arabian Muslim living in America. I'd learned to deal with people hating on me. At least in this world, it was because I looked scary on my own, instead of getting blamed for things I condemned.
Ranma didn't have that perspective though, so he was still down as we got to the small elevator built into the side of the building. He tapped on the button, waiting for a bit as I stood next to him.
"...Bowsa-san. If anyone, give you trouble? For how you look?" he spoke slowly, hesitantly. His English wasn't perfect, so I could tell he was working hard to convey what he was saying clearly. "Tell me. I take care of it, okay?"
I looked down at him. He glanced up at me, eyes narrowed. "Okay? You my… my resp-responsi-" he grumbled, struggling with the final word.
"Responsibility," I said softly. Goddamn it. I was touched. I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. Ranma-san."
He chuckled. The elevator doors opened, and he walked into the elevator. I stared at it nervously. Me and elevators had an interesting relationship these days. The first time I'd stepped into an elevator with a group, the damn thing refused to move. I weighed two tons or so now after all.
Ranma knew my worries though, and he waved for me to enter. "No, no, this one strong! Don't worry!"
I still felt hesitant, but I slowly walked in, feeling the thing shake under my giant boots. The doors closed behind me. The elevator shook. I winced, and Ranma smiled reassuringly. When the elevator began to rise, I let out a sigh of relief. We went up two floors, then exited without any incident..
He led me to a room at the end of the complex, taking out a key and opening the door. The really tall door. Actually, all the doors of this complex were pretty big, large enough for even my height. He led me inside.
I looked around a bit. There was a kitchen just inside the front entrance to my right, and a door leading to the bathroom on my left. Beyond that was a room to actually live in. It was mostly empty, with only a set of drawers, a table, mirror, and some chairs. I walked to the closet and opened it up to see a large gel futon resting inside.
"Bowsa-san," I turned to look at Ranma. "This, your home now. I visit once every two weeks, okay? To make sure you okay."
"Arigato, Ranma-san," I bowed just a bit. He bowed back.
"Of course. There food in fridge. Enough for you!" he joked.
I could feel some heat in my cheeks. Turns out even a teen Bowser eats a LOT. Thank god Japan was pretty used to mutation quirks and the big eaters that had them.
"I must go," he said sadly. "But here!"
He reached into his briefcase, and pulled out a laptop, to my surprise. He seemed amused by the look I gave him. "Old. But good."
"Ranma-san, I can't take that-"
"Bowsa," the lack of an honorific surprised me. He frowned. "Omiyage, ah, gift. Is important. To show, friend. And you need for school," he held out the laptop. "Take. Please."
"...Arigato," I took the laptop solemnly. He was right. It was old. But I couldn't help my smile at the sight of it in my hands. Because he'd gotten one big enough for me. "Damn man. Arigato."
"Ah. And no more cussing," he said with a sigh. "It make you sound like Yankee."
I flashed some fangs at that.
"Now. Rest. School tomorrow, okay?"
I nodded seriously. Yeah. School. After three weeks, I could get to work in earnest.
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When Ranma left, I opened up the laptop and went to one of those websites that teach you languages for free. Rosetta Stone, Duolingo, and Pimsleur weren't around in this world, not anymore, but an equivalent existed. I moved to lesson five, and played it. A stoic man started speaking.
"Listen to this Japanese conversation. Then, repeat!"
I listened carefully as I placed my clothes away, glancing at the mirror. I was wearing a giant black shirt with blue fire running along the bottom, made to fit guys as massive as me, and a pair of jean shorts around my waist, a pair of boots on my feet. I stared at myself for a second.
God. I was having a lot of trouble getting used to myself. Body dysmorphic disorder. The sensation that my body was wrong. I kept getting shivers up my spine whenever I remembered I was no longer an average height dark skinned human, a sensation that something was insanely bad about this. I can't explain what it felt like.
I pushed aside the thought. I pushed aside the question of why this had happened as well, what force in the universe had taken over my body.
I just got down to the floor, got myself in push-up position, and started working.
"Sumimasen," the laptop said.
"Sumimasen," I grunted.
"Ma."
"Ma."
"Sen."
"Sen." I mumbled, lowering myself up and down.
I had taken a look at the news. All Might was yet to become a teacher at UA. And the school year was just starting. It was tough to look up Deku, but Bakugo had made a rep for himself, enough that he had some fame in athletics in the school, and he wasn't going to graduate for another year. Which meant I had a year. One year to get good grades, workout, get used to this damn truck of a body, and get into UA. I'd need to work twice as hard as anyone else. Better get into it.
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The next day, I woke up and got ready for school. Which was… an odd experience. I hadn't been to school in nearly a decade, let alone mandatory school. Last time I had a class was college.
I drank four protein shakes for a light breakfast, shoved my laptop into my bag, and headed out in a school uniform sized for me, making sure to carry more protein powder for later.
I ran there, taking the route Ranma had given me, jogging as best as I could and ignoring the looks I got as I booked it to the school. I crossed over bridges, ran past a massive amount of buildings, went through an alleyway or two, had a small problem with my spikes snagging on a dumpster as I ran past, and took a stop to drink some water.
All part of my training regimen. I was about 2 miles away, so running to school would be a good way to develop my cardio. I'd probably end up hefty no matter what, considering how Bowser looked, but I could at least make sure I could last a while in a fight.
I got to the school in question after 30 minutes of running, panting as I approached. There, I could see the students.
They were… so tiny. I mean, sometimes it's easy to forget how tiny kids are. These thirteen year olds were so baby faced. I slowed down as I approached my destination, looking them over.
It was interesting. The kids were a lot more colorful than in my world, for one thing. A few of them had mutation quirks after all, but a few also had hair of varying colors, from natural blonde to a bright magenta. One kid had a face like an insect, with mandibles. Another had wings poking out of his back.
But none were as big as me. I ended up creating a wide berth as I roamed through the crowd of kids. I was kind of amused at the sight of the youngin's separating for me.
Part of that might have been being the new 'kid' in town. The students were gathered in little groups, talking about the summer and bemoaning being in school again. Just wait until they had to pay rent and get crappy jobs. They'd miss this later.
I headed in through the doors, squeezing in and rushing to the office, where a beleaguered lady already dealing with a bunch of bullshit walked me through the motions as I tried my best to catch up using my broken Japanese. I replaced my giant boots with my indoor shoes and headed to class. Soon enough, I was standing in a class in front of a bunch of gawking pre-teens, a teacher asking me to introduce myself. I looked them over as the teacher, a guy with purple skin and hands with thumbs ending in spatulas, waved for me to speak.
God, this was going to make me sound stupid. I started speaking. "Kon'nichiwa," for some reason, the kids laughed at that. I continued anyways by pointing at my chest. "Bowser Koopa. Aete ure… uh…" I blanked on the last part. I frowned. "Ure…"
"Ureshīdesu!" the teacher said helpfully. The kids, on the other hand, started giggling. Predictable.
"Arigato, sensei," I said, holding back my annoyance at the brats currently giggling at me.
He nodded, but the damage was done. The Gaijin kid was now official. Should be fun.
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Class was interesting. I didn't catch most of it, but thankfully there were page numbers and such to help me out. I wrote down what I could in my shaky looking Kanji, writing it down in English as well. The kids were oddly disciplined, but that might have been the culture difference. And the teachers aim with chalk.
Which led to something odd that happened. While I was writing something down, the sound of a loud obnoxious roar came from me. And yet, I didn't make a sound.
"Koopa-san!" the teacher looked at me, shocked.
"Uh…" I cocked my head to the side, confused. "I didn't-"
One of the kids behind me started giggling. I looked over at him. He was a weedy little thing, about 5 foot nothing, but his throat looked like someone had installed a voice box in the front of it. The teacher glared at him.
"Keita-san…" he said. Then a piece of chalk was launched like it had been shot out of a gun, bouncing off the kids forehead.
"Gah!" he gasped, rubbing at his head. The teacher scolded him in Japanese while I blinked. Interesting quirk.
Oh, and I was getting hazed. More annoying than interesting, but whatever.
Soon enough though, lunch was on. I went out to the soccer field, crossing it to get to a nice tree I'd seen, mixed a protein shake, scarfed down some bread, and relaxed under the tree. I'd take my lunches to fuel up for now, but tomorrow I'd use the time to workout and study. For now, I was just happy to relax. I couldn't lean back against the tree, since my spikes would tear it apart, but I was still able to relax.
Up until a small rock hit me in the cheek.
It bounced off, landing on the ground between my legs. I blinked, surprised, then looked down at the rock. It hadn't hurt, but still.
I looked around curiously. That's when I saw two kids giggling a couple feet from me. One was the voicebox kid. Keita, I guess. The other was a fat kid with hair made of… dirt. Huh. He held up a hand, giggling along with his friend, and a portion of his hair fell off to float just above his palm, hardening into a stone about the size of a large fist. The rock went flying towards me.
Yeah, no.
I raised my hand and snapped my fist outward, grabbing the rock just in front of my face. With a little growl, I slowly lowered my fist. The fat kid scowled, and waved his hand. The rock shook in my fist.
"Oy, gaijin yankee-"
I squeezed down, crushing the rock in my fist, gravel falling down across my lap. The kid paled. His friend blinked.
I rose up to my feet. I think, until then, the kids hadn't quite cottoned on to just how big I was. They sat in the back of the class, for one, so they hadn't gotten a good look, and they'd approached while I was lazily relaxing in the grass. Not an intimidating image.
But then, I stood up. Towering over the pair of kids. They stared at me, horror in their eyes. I huffed. Fire left my lips, smoke curling up into the air.
"Gah!" the kid created a rock again from his hair, tossing it at me like a baseball. I didn't catch this one.
I just let it bounce off my chest. Then I started walking towards them. He tossed another rock at me. I snapped my jaws around it, fire exploding outward with the crunching of stones, and roared.
"GRAAAAAGH!"
"走れ!" the fat kid screeched, the pair spinning around and booked it, screaming. I sighed, spitting out pieces of stone.
"Ah, kids. Adorable little brats, the lot of them."
Probably not the last idiots I'd find myself interacting with, but the rest of my lunch was quiet at least.
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After school, I headed to my Japanese as a second language class. Hopefully, if I put enough work into it, I'd be able to get out of there before UA, but for now I'd need to put the work in. I slid open the door and blinked at the young girl I saw there.
She was cute. That was my first thought. About five feet if you ignored the tall horns poking out of her bright blonde hair. Her eyes were massive and blue, and she was clearly Caucasian rather than Japanese, though that might have been part of her mutation. Her feet were hooves. I felt jealous for a moment that she didn't have to wear shoes like me, but I guess she had better control over her hooves than I did of my claws. I was still ripping the floor sometimes.
We stared at each other for a moment. I waved. "Kon'nichiwa."
"Ah, oh, that is…. Good afternoon! Kon'nichiwas!" she said cheerily. In English. A very southern drawl kind of English, but English nonetheless.
"You speak English too?" then I thought about it. "Wait, that means 'good afternoon'? I thought it was good morning."
"Oh, no," she shook her head, though she still looked cheery and happy. "It means good afternoon! Ohayōgozaimasu means good morning!"
"Ah, fuck me," I grumbled.
She gasped. When I looked at her, her eyes were wide. "That's a bad word!"
"..." I almost laughed.
Seriously? Who let this adorable My Little Pony character into a school? But she was serious. Eh, I was cool with it. Let the kid keep her innocence then.
"I'm sorry. I'm just having a lot of trouble with my Japanese," I bowed. "Sorry."
"Oh, that's okay," she said with a smile. "I reckon I'm having trouble too. But I'm so happy you're here! It'll be nice to have someone to learn with!"
"Ain't that the truth," I said with a smile right back. I walked over and held out a hand. "I'm Bowser, by the by."
"I'm Pony!" she shook my hand. "Nice to meet you!"
Pony… really? Ah well. "Guess we'll be classmates now," I said, letting go of her hand to grab one of the plus-size chairs.
"Yes! Let's work hard, okay!?" she said brightly.
I smirked a bit. "Yeah. Let's kick some ass."
"...You like bad words a lot."
"It's part of my charm, just like adorableness is yours."
She blushed heavily. What a cute kid.
And that's how I ended my first day of school. Meeting Pony Tsunotori. Not a bad way to end it.
Just the start of my journey to becoming Japan's second most violent superhero.
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Author's Note: Hope you all enjoy, because this was FUN to write. I've been wanting to write this for a long ass time, so it feels good to finally get this story down at last.
Anyways, yeah. Bowser SI in the MHA universe. Oddly enough, I think this works. Bowser in the games is POWERFUL. Seriously, the only reason he doesn't kick mad amounts of ass is that Mario is lucky enough to be even more ridiculous. Bowser has lore folks. You'd be amazed by how detailed that lore is. It's dope af though.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! The next one is up on my Patreon and is available to my 5 dollar tier and up, so you can head there to read it if you like, while the third chapter will be up soon as well. In the meantime, let me know what you thought, and I hope you have a great day!
Chapter 2: July 21, end of First Semester
Four months. I'd been in middle school for four months. Funny that.
First, the boring part. School was both harder and easier than it had been the first time around. I had the huge hurdle of learning all the subjects in a new language, with a new culture and history. But I still had the advantage of being an adult in a middle school.
More than that, I was determined. I had a new body, in a new world. The only freedom I could see was at UA. Not just because it was a place I was familiar with, but it was also a place that could do two things. Teach me to control and function in this new body. And give me the freedom to use it as I wished.
The law prohibited people from using their quirks for anything in public except self-defense. That made sense in some ways. But the idea of it chafed me. I was fucking BOWSER now. I wasn't going to go villain, but I wanted to actually be allowed to use my powers. What's the point of having superpowers if you can't use them?
Oh, and helping people or whatever.
So yeah, I put everything I had into my school work. I studied Japanese constantly, forcing myself to speak it as much as I could with native speakers while studying it and reading it constantly. I refreshed my memory of math and science stuff I'd forgotten, and some I hadn't known, which could have been because it was the future or because Japan takes schooling seriously.
And finally, history. Which was fun. Because to the average kid, history in this world was often boring. To me, it was reading comic books and manga again.
From All Might, to Crimson Riot, to Captain Celebrity, and all the villains they had fought over the decades. History was my easiest subject, without a doubt. Japanese Literature was a little harder, but not by much.
Once I got past the language barrier. Which, holy shit learning new languages is hard.
And I hung out a bunch with Pony.
She was a damn treasure man. I felt like I had a brand new little sister. We hung out at lunch, and we found a shared love for classic anime and manga, as well as old school Metal Heroes like Kamen Rider. She was a big fan of slice of life stuff as well, which wasn't really my bag, but I did enjoy talking to her about it.
We spent a lot of lunches under my tree in the grass, talking about our favorite characters, stories, and adventures.
But the first semester was done. Japanese schools worked on a three-term system by the way. April to July, September to December 20, then early January to March.
So I had a hard time limit to deal with all the stuff I'd need to. Because, you see, about two months in, a certain green-haired dork with balls of steel had his origin story.
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May, 2 months into the First Semester
"-the Sludge villain had the abilities to take over the bodies of others, forcing them to use their quirks for his benefit, and found a child with a powerful quirk that he used to devastate the area, even endangering the life of a fellow student who recklessly ran into the battle. Luckily, the young man whose body was controlled managed to hold on until All Might arrived on the scene, rescuing both children and defeating the villain! Reconstruction is already beginning-"
"Bowser-kun?" Pony asked, drawing my attention from the laptop I'd been using to study with until a news alert distracted me. She seemed worried. "Are you okay?"
"Oh! Uh, yeah, yeah. I'm just watching this news report from earlier. Some kids got saved by All Might," I said, turning my laptop around to show her.
"Ohhh!" Pony took the laptop, eyes glittering happily. "That's awesome! And so close by!"
Yeah, real close. And yet, we'd heard nothing. Goddamnit, if I'd walked home I might have been able to see it!
"All Might," Pony said with a smile. "He really is strong."
"Yeah, no kidding," I smiled just a bit. Living in this world had really highlighted just how much All Might meant to the people of the world. It was like Superman was real. I mean, I knew he was a Superman Expy in my world, but… well. He was the Number 1 hero for a reason. The pillar of hero society. Not because of fame or good PR or something. He wasn't Homelander.
He was a hero to people for genuine reasons. Because he really wanted to help. It was pretty inspiring.
"I want to be a hero too!" Pony cheered, pumping her fists.
"You do?" I was surprised. She'd never said anything like that before.
"Yep!" she held her fists under her eyes, smiling. "My mom is a hero in America! I always wanted to help people like her! That's why I'm going to go to UA!"
Well well. What a coincidence. "That's kinda awesome. I always wanted to be a hero too," technically true, if less superheroic than in this world. "I guess we're both shooting for UA."
"We are!? That's amazing!" Pony smiled. Then again, she tended to smile a lot. She was a sweet and cheery girl. If a bit naive. But she was a teenager, they're allowed. "We should train together!"
"That would be dope," I scratched my chin, claws digging against my scales. "I was planning to do some more hardcore training in the woods or something. Don't suppose you know a place I can break things for free?"
I was laughing while I said that.
Pony was not. "Oh, yes! You can come to my family's farm!"
"The what now?"
My fellow American nodded. "I told you, my mom is a hero. She got a farm when we moved here, on account of us needing some room to run around with our quirks when we train."
She clicked her hooves for emphasis. "I reckon she wouldn't mind if we visited. But you should be nice, okay?"
"Nice? What do you mean?"
"Bowser-kun…" she placed her hands on her hips as she sat there, raising an eyebrow. "I know you are the one who tossed Keita and his friends in the dumpster and locked them in it."
I guess the fact I'd crushed the lid to the dumpster shut had been a good clue, though the teachers hadn't approached me about it.
"...I'm nice to people who deserve it."
She sighed, but I think she was still amused.
Pony and I made plans to train together. But all the while, a single thought filled me.
Deku trained with All Might for ten months. Which meant I'd been right about the timeline.
10 months to get into UA for me and now Pony, because like hell was I not helping my friend get into the school. Perfect.
------
July 21
Also, bullying in super-Japan was way more common than I expected. That and peeping. Keita, the kid with the rock hair and his two other idiot friends had been staring into the girls locker room through a peephole when I'd come jogging around the corner in my gym clothes. One of his friends had the power to fatten up his fists, while the other could spit chips of wood.
So when the response of his friends to me telling them to stop being assholes was for the duo to try and threaten me, Keita was the only one that tried to run.
After I locked them in the dumpster though, it had been yet another reminder I needed to train for real.
I did my best, but there was only so much a jobless dude with superstrength could do. Weightlifting without some serious hardware was a waste of time, since I could lift a van over my head. I jogged every single day, so my cardio was getting really good, even if I kept almost toppling when I turned tight corners. Pushups and pullups were okay, and I was practicing fighting on my own, but I needed the chance to really stress my powers, find and break my limits.
And also use my fire breath without ending up in a house fire. Again.
Thank god for Pony Tsunotori.
I woke up that first day of summer break and headed out to meet Pony with a bag of some essentials, including a shitty brush I used to scrub my shell. I really needed something more heavy duty soon, something that could reach the tough spots. I wasn't built for flexibility.
I jogged over to Pony's house, a small sensible place close to the school. I stood outside her gate and pressed the doorbell, waiting for a bit. As I did, a housewife looking lady down the street stared at me. When I waved at her, she hesitantly waved back, looking just a bit terrified.
Mr. Charm, that's me.
The intercom buzzed on. "Bowser-kun, is that you?"
"That or someone is really good at cosplay," I replied.
Pony giggled. "Okay, I'll be right there! Come on in!"
The door let out a little alarm sound and I pushed it open, walking up the pathway to the front door of the house. As I approached, it opened up. And someone who was not Pony was behind it.
"Well, lil' Pony tol' me you were a big 'un, but this is something else!" the tall blonde in front of me said with a smirk. She was a little taller than Pony, but had the same shade of blonde hair. She was wearing a red tank top under a blue flannel shirt she'd left unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of jean shorts, her outfit displaying her buxom figure, the deep tan to her skin, and the muscles of an athlete. She had horns poking out of her head, but they were shaped differently from Pony's, with a curved appearance that reminded me of those of a bull.
"Cow Lady?" I said, blinking. "The California Cowgirl?"
"Ah, shucks, you know who I am?" she said in that strong Texan accent, chuckling as she crossed her arms.
"Well, yeah. You kick serious ass," I said without thinking.
The older woman's eyes glittered.
Cow Lady was fairly popular in my home state of Cali, with a dedicated history of service. Plus, she wore a skimpy costume, which tends to be popular for obvious reasons. But mostly, she was a hero who had saved lives. All around an admirable person. Funny enough, she'd been one of the heroes to see All Might in action when he first showed up in America.
"Ya really know the way to gals heart," the blonde held out a hand for me to shake. "Tsunotori Tauren. Nice to meet ya, Bowser-kun!"
I took her hand, wondering why I felt so odd. As we shook, I suddenly realized what was going on.
She wasn't intimidated by me in any way. Almost everyone I'd met, no matter how friendly they ended up being, was at least a bit afraid of me. People with mutation quirks that made them look just as monstrous as I was didn't act that way. Same with Pony. And now, Tauren.
Then again, how could I scare her? She'd likely taken down guys three times my size and power.
The confident blonde waved me inside. "Come on, Pony is just grabbing her bag. Is that all yer bringing to the farm?"
"Yep," I hefted my small backpack. "Don't have much. I pack light even then. Nothing but books and a couple changes of clothes."
"Man afta my own heart!" she said. "Pony! Yer friend is here!"
"Coming, mama!" Pony said from a room in the back of the one story home. I looked around the living room Tauren had led me into. There was a plate of fruit in the center of a table, a nice couch, and a kitchen nearby.
"So," Tauren raised an eyebrow at me. "...What're yer intentions fer my daughter?"
There was a chill that went up my spine along the inside of my shell. She was smiling, but I felt like… I don't know, like her aura had changed or something.
"To train to become heroes together?" I said hesitantly.
"Oh? And did you know her momma was a hero?" she asked pointedly.
Ah. That made more sense. She wasn't worried about dating. She was worried about a naive daughter getting used by an asshole who would use her to get ahead in his chosen profession.
"No ma'am," I said, calming down a little. "I only found out a couple months after we became friends. And I wouldn't have cared anyways. Pony's awesome. I think we would have been friends even if we didn't both want to be heroes."
Tauren eyed me for a long moment, seemingly trying to read my emotions. I let her, not reacting much. Finally she sighed. "Yer an odd kid. Most would freak out a bit more if their friend's mom was eyeing them this way."
"I've been told something like that before."
"I'm sure ya have, fella," she cocked her head to the side.
"Momma, Bowser-kun!" the girl of the hour rushed into the room, smiling. Her bags were hanging from her shoulders as she smiled. She was wearing a blue shirt and some jeans, her hooves poking out the denim. "I'm ready!"
"So are we," Tauren said, rising up and hugging her daughter. "Good thing I brought the truck. I reckon yer big friend'll need to sit in the back."
"That's a safe assessment," I said with a chuckle. Pony surprised me by giving me a hug, which I returned. She really was a My Little Pony at heart. "But I'm ready."
------
I did indeed sit in the back. But that was fine. Because I retreated into my shell and fell asleep.
It probably made for a funny image. Two horned girls in the front seat of a pickup truck with a giant spiked shell resting in the back, strapped down by some rope. But it was oddly comfy. I just poked my head out every once in a while to eye the countryside, then right back to my warm shell.
We reached our destination after a few hours. I was awoken when someone knocked on my shell. I poked my head out to see Pony.
"Heya, pardner! We're here!"
I sat up and looked around. We were indeed. It looked like an American farm set into the middle of the Japanese countryside. I could see a typical red barn, but the house looked Japanese in design. There was a rice field on one side, and in the distance I could see a large clear dome that looked like a super futuristic greenhouse. Oh, and a rock quarry! Off to the right of the farm, poking up in the distance.
"Damn, this place is picturesque," I hopped off the back, the truck letting out a squeal of relief. "You guys own this place?"
"Got it when we moved out here," Tauren said proudly, walking by with a piece of straw in her mouth. "Ya'll wanna eat before we get to training?"
I was about to say no, when-
Gruuuuuuuagh.
Pony giggled, hiding her mouth behind her hand. Tauren smirked. I sighed, glaring at my belly as it finished it's all too cliche roar.
Damn you, Bowser belly.
"Yeah. That might be good."
------
Thank god for the massive meals that farmers make. We had steak, eggs, salad, buckets of rice, a good mix of foods.
Thankfully, Tauren and Pony were big eaters as well, if not as much as me, and they didn't mind my bottomless stomach. Pony had a lot of foods with Keratin in them, for her horns, while Tauren avoided the meatier foods. Long story short, we ate a lot. As Tauren said, 'Best compliment to a chef is an empty table!'
Once done though, we headed to the rock quarry.
"Do you think they ever filmed Super Sentai or Kamen Rider out here?" I asked Pony as we stared up at a cliff face.
"That would be AMAZING," she said thoughtfully.
"They didn't," Tauren said. The older woman laughed at the crestfallen looks we gave her.
Can't help it man. How cool would it have been if our training took place in a place where Red Rangers and Kamen Riders had beaten the shit out of monsters?
"So, what are you guys going to do for training?" Pony's mom asked, raising her arms over her head and stretching.
"Well, first I want to figure out how strong I am," I mused. "So my part is just dumb rock throwing for now. How about you, Pony?"
"I'm going to practice controlling my horns in flight!"
Oh right, she could do that. Pony's powers were pretty damn awesome. She could launch her horns out and replace them with new ones, giving her dope long range abilities. And since she could control them…
"Wait, how many can you control?" I asked.
"Two," Pony clenched her fist. "I want to learn how to fly with them!"
The image of Pony using her horns like ice skates made me smile. "That could be awesome."
"Well, you better get started," Tauren said, walking over to the cliff and leaning against it. "Ya don't get stronga by jawin bout it."
Ain't that the truth.
I noticed a boulder nearby. I walked over to it. It was big as I was, brown, and made of, I don't know, granite? I raised my fist upwards. Three clawed fingers and a thumb clenched up, covered in smooth scales. Well. My next action would have ended in a cracked knuckle back in my home universe.
I did a jab.
CRUNCH.
My fist bounced off the side, and the boulder had a small crater at the point of impact. "Oh… damn," I gaped. I'd barely tried! And my fist felt fine.
Feeling more enthusiasm, I reared back, one foot rising from the floor, then hit the boulder with a full on cross.
"Ragh!" I felt the boulder under my fist, right up until it shattered apart. The whole thing exploded outwards, chunks bouncing across the ground.
"Woooo!" Tauren clapped her hands, chuckling. "That's a hell of a hit!"
"Good job!" Pony cheered.
I think I was more stoked than they were, to be honest. But in my defense, I wasn't born and raised in a world where super-strength could be something even a store cashier could have. So forgive me for the slasher smile that grew on my face.
"Awesome!"
I turned around and punched another boulder, the rock smashing into pieces, then went to the next one, embedded the fingers of one of my hands into the surface, and hefted it into the air. With one hand.
"This is amazing!" I grinned up at the giant rock I was holding over my head.
"Wow, you've really never gotten to use your powers before, have you?" Tauren said thoughtfully. "You never went through Quirk counseling?"
"Not in a long time," I said. Technically that was true. It had been a month or so, and that had been the bare minimum for the Japanese government to have a record of my powers.
I looked over at Pony. "What do you think? Pull?"
She didn't seem to know what I meant for a second, confusion on her face before her face cleared. "Yeah! Pull!"
I launched the boulder upwards. At the peak of its arc, two horns zoomed into the sky and hit the boulder, sending it up just a bit higher, before they flew around to drive down on top of it, smashing the boulder into the ground.
"Nice!" I looked over at Pony, who had her fists clenched as she stared into the sky with eyes filled with concentration. "Here, again!"
"Wait, Bowser-"
I tossed another rock into the air, this one a little larger, straight above me, then looked at Pony.
"I… I still need to rest a bit before I can control them. My stamina needs work, sugah," Pony said nervously.
"..." I stared at her. Then up at the falling boulder. It came down just in front of me, smashing into the ground… and my right toe.
"..." I inhaled. Then screamed. "FUCKSHITBITCHDAMNCOCKSUCKER! AHHH!"
I bounced up and down, wincing. Technically it wasn't that bad, but a boulder landing on your toe after 2 months of not feeling any pain was a shock to the system.
"Pony was right, you do have a potty mouth," Tauren said idly. She frowned. "You okay?"
I hissed, shaking my right foot. "Yeah. Just not used to things hurting."
"Never had to test your durability, huh?" Tauren asked.
"Well, that's why I'm here, right?" my foot was no longer hurting, I shrugged. "Okay. Let's get this done!"
"Yeah, let's do it!" Pony cheered.
Ah, for the enthusiasm of youth. With a grin and an idle backfist to a boulder that sent gravel bouncing on the floor, I got to work.
I started by grabbing rocks of various sizes and tossing them upwards, while Pony shot at them with her horns, switching between controlling them and just aiming on her own. It was pretty good training. I finally got to throw things that were close to my weight class, and Pony got to practice not just her aim and her control, but her stamina. Which was better than she gave herself credit for.
We did that for around thirty minutes, until my arms started to get tired. Then I gave Pony different targets.
"Okay, Pony. Call it!"
"Pull!" she yelled.
I breathed inwards, focusing my power in my lungs. A warmth filled my chest. My cheeks billowed. And I let it out.
Fwoosh!
A ball of fire burst from my lungs, an orb of liquid red flame the size of a basketball flying up into the air.
"Wha!" Pony let out a small scream of shock, but still fired off two horns. They sliced through the flames, lighting up as they passed through fast enough to disperse the fire. "Bowser-kun, that was mean!"
"Hey, you never know when someone will surprise you!" I grinned down at the pouting teen. "Plus, it helps me practice with my fire."
"I just didn't know you could do fireballs," she pouted, waving her arms up and down in frustration. "I thought you could only do streams of it!"
"Well, you know. I can do fireballs," I smirked at her, then decided to point something out. "Pony. In a fight. A real fight. You are never going to know everything the bad guy is capable of or willing to do."
She froze, staring at me.
"It's fine to be surprised by an unexpected target out here. But when we become heroes, we'll ALWAYS be on the backfoot. Our basic powers are going to end up public knowledge. And the bad guys will work constantly to try to overcome us. They'll all be a surprise to us. Maybe some dumb guy with a power we don't expect. Or a smart guy who has planned specifically to take us on."
Pony cocked her head to the side, pressing a finger to her cheek. "That makes sense. Like in Power Rangers."
"Exactly that," Tauren said, walking over to us. She cocked her hip and placed a hand on it. "It's a good lesson, dahling. I can't tell you how often some vahmint would pop up with something he made just for me. You gotta learn to roll with the punches in this business."
There was a sad look on her face. "Some of us… well. If you can avoid learning that lesson the ways I did, I'd like that, okay?"
She was rubbing a small section of her collar towards the end. There, resting just over her throat, a small scar could be seen.
"Okay, momma," Pony said, clenching her fists. "All right! Let's go again!"
I threw a boulder. Just as she fired her horns, I blasted another fireball, forcing her to divert one of her horns to intercept it.
We shared a grin, then got back to work. Tauren watched us.
From the corner of my eye, I could still see her touching that scar…
Chapter 3: August 23
In a forest near the Tsunotori property, the sounds of horns and turtle shells clashing could be heard.
A pair of horns slammed into my stomach, pushed by the force of a full-on charge. The blonde-haired bull that had hit me kept pushing, sending me through a tree. I roared and raised my arms up, bringing them back down.
The massive bull shrank in an instant, becoming Tauren. In her much more slim human form, she front-flipped just as my arms came down, easily dodging my attack. Still in the air, she transformed again, bashing her head into mine. She was growling, eye to eye with me, a challenge in her eyes.
"NICE!" I grinned in Cow Lady's face. "Pony!"
A small storm of pointed horns came shooting out of the woods, right at Cow Lady. The transformed hero, still face to face with me, wouldn't be able to escape, not while she was still in mid-air!
Yeah right. She was way too smart for that to work.
She shifted forms again, grabbing my head and using my body as a fulcrum to twist around my body, using me like a shield. Two of the horns curved around to follow her, but Cow Lady, still grabbing my head, did a judo throw while transforming, using the sudden shift in weight to send me onto my back, allowing the horns to hit me. As the horns shattered against me, she laughed.
"Nice try, kiddos!"
"Oh come on!" I wiggled on my back, breathing a bit of fire in frustration. My back spikes had stabbed into the ground!
I pulled my limbs and head into my shell. If I wanted to free myself…
I spun around on my back. The Shell Spin, one of Bowser's most famous moves, was one of a few of my goals for this whole training trip. It was tougher to do than you'd think… Like, INSANELY tougher. I was literally forcing my body to move in a high-speed twist without any sort of momentum. But the trick was all in how you used your muscles from the inside of the shell.
I thought so, at least. Because it was hit or miss so far.
So I spun and spun and spun, hearing the sound of grinding rock, Pony shouting and horns whistling through the air, while Cow Lady roared. Every once in a while. I would stop mid-spin. Goddamn it! What was the means of propulsion for my own body!
I finally stopped on my own, and poked my head out…
"Ah, crap!"
Well, I'd gotten my spikes unstuck. But I'd also dug a ten-foot hole.
I could hear laughing up top. Yeah, I didn't blame them.
I clambered out of the hole, driving my claws into the rock to create hand and footholds. As I climbed out, Tauren and Pony were smiling at me.
"Still getting the hang of that, eh sugah?" Tauren asked cheerily, still in her full bull form.
Wasn't that the truth. I could still remember the first time I'd managed to at least start spinning.
------
Two Weeks Ago
"I just don't get where yer even getting the idea you can do this, sugah," Tauren asked as I stretched, twisting my hips from side to side. Pony floated sat atop on one of her horns nearby, panting as she tried to keep herself over the floor while watching me.
"Is it from Gamera?" Pony asked me, face strained as she continued to float next to her mom.
"Kinda?" I said hesitantly, cracking my head to the side. "But I don't think I can control my spin by fire power. Pretty sure that way bigger turtle uses magic or something."
Ah, shit. I hoped Bowser didn't use magic as well… Well, nothing to it but to try.
"I'm going to start by just going for it, okay?" I told Tauren. "Just… please stop me in case I go bouncing out of control."
She nodded seriously. "Don't worry, sugah. Whole point of this is for ya to go wild. I'll stop it if I have ta."
Good enough. I took a deep breath.
"Ganbatte, Bowser-kun!" Pony called. Then she wavered, almost falling from the horn she was floating on. "Oop, oop, oop!" she caught her balance. "SAFE!"
I grinned at her. Adorable.
Then I got serious. Okay. Let's go.
I kneeled down, arms to my right. Then, in a single furious motion, I spun around, pulling my arms and legs into my shell!
And went bouncing along the ground haphazardly, rolling on the ground like a tossed coin before finally smashing into the wall of the quarry.
"..." I poked my head out of my shell sourly. "Well… this isn't going to work."
I exited my shell and ignored the sound of Tauren giggling. Try again.
I went for a run this time, leaping into the air, shoving myself back into my shell in mid-air as I spun around. It worked! I went spinning across the ground, skating at high-speed, zooming-!
'Wait, how do I stop?'
As that thought filled my mind, I smashed into a boulder, bouncing off, then into another, then the quarry wall, screaming while bounding like a damn pinball!
"Help me, for the love of god, I don't know how to stop!"
"Bowser!" Tauren shouted, turning into a bull and chasing after me as I bounced around, Pony falling to the ground in a panic.
"AHHHHH!"
------
Tauren continued to tease me as I thought on my first attempts at shell spin, a wide grin on her face. "Or were ya planning ta tunnel to the bottom of the earth as some kind of crazy strategy, sugah?"
"My plans are beyond your understanding," I said as fake wisely as I could. "So. Did we win?"
"Not this time!" Pony said happily. "Momma is strong…"
"Ah, yer gonna be way stronger than I am one day, dahling!" Tauren wrapped an arm around Pony, pulling her into a hug. "I wish I had a power half as useful as yours will be."
She wasn't wrong. Pony's quirk was insanely versatile in the right hands. It was comparable to Wing Hero: Hawk's power. Long range attacks that could also be controlled and moved around at will. That was pretty badass in the right hands. She could hit people from any angle, catch and save people, block attacks, and fly if she could control it well enough (though she had a lot of problems with the last part thus far).
As I was thinking about that, Tauren grabbed my hand, surprising me. "Come on, kiddos. Grocery shopping."
"What, now?" I asked, surprised. "I thought we could-"
"Keep training? No, us gals need a break," Tauren rolled her eyes at me. "Not all of us have more energy than a nuke."
"Ah…" She was right. Tauren and Pony we both sweating, and Pony, for all her cheer, did look exhausted. I was kinda feeling it too, but not quite as much. I wasn't sure why. I just kind of… loved fighting. It was sort of worrying, the amount of energy I felt in a battle.
"Well, before we go, I need to do something," I announced. "I keep forgetting to test it but… You said the closest neighbor was three miles away, right?"
"Yeah?" Tauren asked, confused.
"Okay… Cover your ears."
Pony and Tauren shared a look. Then they did like I asked.
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs until it felt like they were going to explode. I clenched my fist, flexed my chest, and-
"RrrraaaAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The roar I let loose exploded forth like a small explosion, echoing into the air, sending birds flying up out of the trees and silencing the animals of the forest. I stopped after a long moment. And smiled.
"Awesome."
"I am so glad you warned us," Pony said quietly. "That was loud."
"Probably useful if I do it right next to someone's ear," I said with a smile. "It's nothing like Present Mic," or Black Canary. "But I'll still scare the pants off people if I need to."
"Showoff," Tauren said with a sigh. "Come on, kiddos. We need to get some food."
"Yes ma'am," Pony and I said in unison.
As we walked out of that forest, I thought about the last four weeks or so I'd been spending with the Tsunotori family.
It was weird, in some ways. After so long being on my own, in a body and world I didn't understand, with a language I didn't understand, living with them was a breath of fresh air. There was room enough for me out in the outskirts of the cities to feel a little less like a freak of nature.
And Pony and Tauren were awesome. They didn't have to take me in, but they treated me like family.
I thought back to last night.
------
"Why does he always talk about his evil plans?" Tauren asked, sounding frustrated. "No actual bad guy does that!"
Pony giggled as on the screen in front of us, Greed continued to explain his powers
"Are you complaining that fictional heroes from ancient anime acted unrealistically?" I asked idly while lifting an ostrich drumstick to my lips and shoving it into my lips, pulling it out out as a clean bone.
"No, I just wish they did it more in real life," she sighed. "You know, half my work would be easier if bad guys would explain things like this. Take a lot of detective work out of my job."
"They have to do it in movies though," I leaned back in my chair and sighed. "If villains didn't explain how they managed to figure things out, how their plan makes sense, it would all seem way too magical to the audience. We'd be all, 'wait, he really managed to plan for the hero to act like this? How did he know the hero would be there?' So they have to explain it just so that we don't assume the guy is psychic."
"And it's fun!" Pony said. "When they talk all dramatic and evil, and you just know the good guy is going to win anyways!"
"I should do something like that," I chuckled. "Talk like an over the top wrestling heel in a fight when I become a hero."
"What, for publicity?" Tauren asked thoughtfully. "I think Gang Orca does something like that. Acts all big and tough for his image. Don't let that fool ya though," she gave me a smug grin. "He's a big ol' softie. Loves kids."
"Gang Orca?"
"Oh, he's the number 10 hero," Pony said. That triggered my memory. Dude was half-whale. And badass. "I haven't met him yet though."
"You think I should do that?" I asked Pony seriously. "I mean, I'd love to be a hero, but I don't think I'll be able to pull the classic hero thing like All Might does."
It had been on my mind for a bit. Because, well… I was Bowser.
When I first got to this world, I had two things I latched onto. A goal (to get to UA) and a, I don't know, a comparison? I couldn't exactly call the original Bowser an idol. A measuring stick, that was it.
But UA as a goal, and the hero course specifically, meant, well, becoming a hero. And the longer I spent here, the more I knew I couldn't quite be the kind of hero that others would be. A huge portion of heroism in this world was public perception. And I just was not the cuddly type. I think I've got a friendly personality.
But my new form just didn't fit the whole hero thing, especially when even I… well, I still felt like reeling back whenever I saw myself in the mirror when I didn't prepare.
And Bowser was a good hammy type of guy.
"As long as you stay a hero," Pony said seriously, though her eyes were glittering a bit. "No stealing from banks!"
"I'm more likely to have a bank steal from me," I snarked. Still… it was an interesting thought. Having a persona when I became a hero.
Still, something felt wrong.
------
Thinking back on that night led to that thought again. That something felt wrong. Like I'd missed something fundamental.
"Bowser-kun, come on!"
I looked up to see that Pony and Tauren had outsped me. I quickly rushed after them and brushed aside the thought for now.
------
We headed into town, a place called Theed. There was a port village of sorts that people of the surrounding farms used to get materials and sell their harvest, so we'd gone there a few times. I kinda liked the place. It was still fairly open and big, and had a very old school farm town feel. Hell, guys even rode horses around the place. Which was weird, considering some were dressed like cowboys. In Japan.
I think Cow Lady had an effect on the local fashion, because she was pretty popular out there. Where we walked a few people would wave, smile, and all around just be happy she was there. I never got a scared look, because I was following Pony and Tauren, and if they liked me, clearly I was good people.
We entered a marketplace and started roaming around, eventually separating from Tauren. It's the law of shopping with parents. You have a 70 percent higher chance to get separated while shopping with older family members, that's just science.
So Pony and I grabbed some ice cream, sent a text to her mom, and headed outside to wait. Across from the market was city hall, a nicely made marble building about as big as a large house, where tourists were visiting.
I took a bite of my ice cream sandwich as I watched people walk around. The place may not have been a busy burg like Tokyo, but there were a few dozen people living normal lives.
And on top of that, there was something I was used to now. People that looked weird. Hypocritical of me to say I'm sure, but it was true. Quirks led to a whole stream of odd appearances, most of them unique in some way. It was wild. And kinda wonderful.
"Thanks for inviting me out here, Pony," I looked down at my tiny blonde friend. "This was awesome."
"You're welcome! I'm really glad you came," Pony's wide crystal-blue eyes glittered with happiness. "It's good to have a friend who wants to be a hero like me."
"..." I took another bite, thinking quietly.
"What's wrong?" Pony asked after I was quiet for a while.
"Hm? Oh, well I…" I thought for a bit longer. "I'm sort of just worried about UA, to be honest."
"You're nervous about getting in?"
"Sort of, but that's not it. It's more that, on some level I think I'm worried about if I'm going for the right reasons," I finished my ice cream, one of my claws rubbing against my scaled lips. Claws and scales. "Pony… I went through something recently. Something life changing. In a way that I can barely understand."
I walked over to the wall of the market and sat in front of it, Pony walking over to me. Even while sitting, I still was able to meet her eyes. I avoided that. I was still staring at my own feet. Feet I still kept wanting to freak out over whenever I saw them.
"After everything that happened… UA is sort of all I could latch onto. All I could think of to try and find my way to something familiar. I think because of that, I'm sort of feeling like I'm, I don't know, like I'm trying to go for the wrong reasons."
I raised a clawed hand, clenching and unclenching it. "Being a hero is a wonderful goal. It's important. But I'm not going to UA to become a hero. I'm going there because I can't think of anything else. Now though, a huge part of me does want to become a hero."
I scratched my chin. "I'm kinda going through a lot. The last two months are making me think about how I'm going about this. Am I trying to be a hero because I actually want to help people, or because it's just the only thing I can think of doing-"
"Stop," Pony walked closer, raising a hand and placing it on top of my head. She smiled. "You big dummy."
"Um…"
She chuckled, shaking her head. "Does it matter?"
"Uh…" I stared at her.
"If you want to be a hero. Then go to school and learn," she rubbed my hair, fingers brushing through scarlet spikes. "The reason doesn't matter. You don't have to go for just one reason, ya know?"
I rubbed my cheek. "I guess. It's just… You and your mom. You both want to become heroes to help people. I'd love to help people, but the main reason is just-"
"I want to make my momma proud," Pony cut me off. "I want to be like the heroes I see in anime! I want to be on TV in America one day," she released my head and raised her hands. "There are soooo many reasons I want to be a hero! But as long as you keep the important one in mind, it's okay if some of them are selfish, right?" Pony held up a finger and giggled. "It's okay to help people. But it's okay if helping people means something good happens for us too, right? None of us are perfect, Bowser-kun. We're all just trying our best."
I stared at her. Huh. Yeah. Yeah, she was right. I may be going into UA because I was hoping to find something familiar I could tie myself to in this life I'd found. But as long as I did work to be a hero. As long as I really did want to help people, did it matter what else I got out of it?
Before I could say anything else, a loud scream from nearby. Pony and I looked over to somewhere down the street, where the pier could be seen. As were some running people.
And a huge amount of vines following them. The green leafery was speeding along the concrete, stretching out to grab people and lift them into the air, wrapping them in thin and thick vines alike.
"The hell is going on?" I asked as I rose to my feet.
"Bowser, Pony!" Tauren came rushing out of the store, her eyes hard. "A villain is attacking! Stay here, I'm going in!"
"We can help!" Pony and I said in unison, stepping forward, before Tauren snapped a hand to the side.
"No!" Tauren glared at us. "No. You guys will get your chance one day. But I can handle this. Just stay here."
She shifted into bull form, then ran forward, steam leaving her lips as she booked it towards the vines.
"Good luck, momma!" Pony called, worry in her eyes.
"Damn it," I grunted. Still. She was right. Legally, we couldn't fight unless we had a license to. Made sense. Can't have some random civilians trying to help cops in a shootout, no matter how well equipped. "I guess we should get to cover."
"Yeah," Pony said, still looking out at her mom, then turning to look around. "I guess we should… Oh no!"
She went running before I could say anything. Towards city hall.
"Pony!?" I looked at her, then at City Hall. Tourists were rushing into it, likely hoping for some sort of safety. And I saw what Pony had.
The vines had reached the building, and were digging into it. Plants, with time, can slice through concrete. Quirk-enhanced plants can do much more than that. And they were wrapping around the stone and marble of city hall, slicing through it and sending rubble down. But the people inside had yet to notice, since the plants were only now chopping through.
They were sitting in a building that was about to fall apart.
"Fuck!"
My feet started moving.
"Get out of there!" Pony shouted, two horns flying out as she booked it. She grabbed one of them, using it to accelerate her body into the air, while another moved ahead towards those inside. "Everyone, the building is going to fall!"
No one running inside could hear her. Not with everyone else also screaming and shouting as the sounds of explosions went off in the distance. They didn't notice a teenage girl trying to help...
I stopped running. I opened my mouth.
And I let loose.
RRRRUUUUUUAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
My voice echoed through the square. The whole place fell silent except for the roar of a dragon turtle.
"Get out of there!" Pony hadn't stopped moving, while those inside froze. She flew up into City Hall falling down just in front of the steps. "The vines are breaking the building! Come on!"
The people inside, dozens of them, started booking it out of there. Pony sent her horns inside, two of them pushing against the wheelchair of an eldery woman to get her out.
I got to the door with her and started yelling.
"Come on, come on! This damn thing is coming down!"
The whole building began to crack and shatter as vines ripped through the floor and ceiling. Tourists and City Hall employees ran for it.
"Get the fuck out, go damn you!" I roared as a chunk of building came down inside, smashing into a glass case holding a model of the town. "Come on!"
"Ahhhh!" a woman screamed as a horn carried her out to safety.
A vine reached down towards the entrance.
"Back off!" I joined those words with a blast of flame, wilting the vines. "Is everybody out!"
"I think so-" Pony began to say.
Then I saw her. A woman coming from deeper in the building. She was carrying a kid, both crying and covered in dust. She must have been visiting someone deeper inside. She had eyebrows and hair made of some kind of cloth. Her kid, a young boy, was crying.
An ominous crack filled the air. The roof began to fall. They were still running, but-
And I was inside.
The woman screamed. I reached out my claws as I got to the center of the room, my hands wrapping around the pair. Shadows fell across my body. I got the two under me, covering them as best as I could. And the whole building fell on top of us as the kid cried against my chest.
------
The sound of the world cracking filled the air as hundreds of tons of stone and marble shattered apart. Dust flew upwards, clouds of stone billowing outwards.
"Bowser!" Pony screamed as her friend disappeared. The last thing she saw before the building crashed was his spiked shell and grit fangs. Then she was forced back a step by the dust that exploded from the crashing building.
"Bowser!" she rushed back in, coughing on the stone dust, desperation in her voice. She felt tears fill her eyes. "Please! Are you okay!?"
"-oh no-"
"-he ran in-"
"-kid shouldn't have-"
"-get help!"
Pony ignored the people behind her, rushing forward. That's when a muffled voice came out of the building.
"...Hey! Can someone get this fucking building off of us!"
Pony fell to her knees, crying. "Bowser-kun..." she rubbed at her cheeks, smiling to herself. "You have to stop saying bad words."
Even as she said that though, she was grinning happily.
------
I looked at the rubble around me and groaned, looking at the people in my arms. The woman was staring at me, eyes wide. "You okay?"
"Y-Yes," she said, clutching her kid close.
"Good," I smirked. "Because I think we'll have to wait for a bit. I don't want to shift the rubble while we're like this. So we'll just sit here for a bit, okay?"
"Y-Yes," she said.
I continued to smirk. I had to. I didn't want her to know how precarious this really was. Because I was holding the building up. And if I moved, well, the rubble might crush the fragile folk beneath me.
So I sat there, on my knees, holding hundreds of tons on my back with a woman and kid under me, and waited.
"...Don't suppose you guys have motivational music?" I asked the woman. "On your phone?"
"N-No," she squeaked, while her kid stared up at me.
"Well, reach into my pocket please," I said with a smile. "Might as well make this fun, right?"
As she did what I asked and I continued to hold up all that weight, I winked at the kid. Waiting and keeping them distracted. Best I could do right then.
Glamorous life, this.