—Cityscape Practical Exam—
"Phew!" Renji exhaled and breathed in deeply. Just a few moments ago, he had rounded up a few of the larger robots and finished taking them out.
"Haha, I bet I have enough points to let at least two other people pass."
Casually walking past the malfunctioning robots, Renji heard a large rumble shaking the city.
His grin faded as the pavement beneath his feet trembled, dust shaking loose from the half-collapsed buildings around him.
He turned just in time to see two colossal silhouettes crash through the cityscape, their movements slow but devastating. Each step sent cracks spider-webbing through the ground, chunks of concrete collapsing into the streets below.
"Zero-Pointers," Renji muttered under his breath.
All around him, examinees screamed and bolted in every direction. Some ducked into alleys, others scrambled onto rooftops, anything to get distance from the mechanical titans.
The rules were fresh in their heads. These ones are just obstacles, not worth a single point.
Obviously, that didn't stop the panic.
Renji exhaled sharply, hands sliding into his pockets as he tilted his head back to study the towering machines. The air was filled with the shriek of twisting metal and the pounding rhythm of terrified footsteps.
"Guess the real test starts now."
—
On the other side of the city, a short, green-haired boy withzero points stared in disbelief as the ground shook beneath him.
"This can't be happening!" he stammered, legs wobbling as he tried to scramble away. Dozens of other examinees surged past him and fled down the cracked streets. "I-I'll just run! If I can grab a few points while I'm at it—!"
But his words fell apart as his eyes locked on the shadow overtaking the skyline.
The Zero-Pointer's massive frame crashed through a tower of steel and concrete as if it were mere paper.
Its sheer size blotted out the sun and the quake of its footsteps rattled Izuku's bones.
"LESS THAN TWO MINUTES LEFT!" Present Mic's voice thundered over the loudspeakers, somehow both exhilarating and cruel.
Izuku's heart pounded in his ears. His breaths came shallow and ragged. He was done. Completely and utterly done. All of All Might's help will be wasted, everything he gave me will be for nothing!
Suddenly, he heard a shrill voice yell out behind him.
A girl's voice.
He spun around and saw her, the brown-haired girl who had saved him earlier from tripping at the gate. She was pinned beneath the rubble, her body trapped as the Zero-Pointer's shadow loomed closer and closer.
He remembered her kind words, the way she had smiled when she reached out to stop his fall. It was just a small gesture, nothing more than common courtesy. But to him, it had felt like a lifeline. Someone believing him in a world where he had been ridiculed for most his life.
But now that same girl was about to be crushed before his eyes.
His chest tightened. Every rational thought screamed at him to turn and run, to save himself. He had no points, no power, and no chance of making it out of this alive.
But as the Zero-Pointer's massive foot lifted above her, blotting out the light, something deep inside him snapped.
Without realizing it, his legs were already moving.
With a guttural roar, he threw himself into the air, legs coiling with every ounce of strength left in him.
Then he rocketed towards the Zero-Pointer, cocking his arm back as he prepared his strongest attack.
"SMASHHHHHH!!!"
His fist connected with the robot's head in an explosion of force. The air itself seemed to shatter, a shockwave rippling through the street as the Zero-Pointer reeled backward.
—
In a single breath, the storm of motion collapsed into stillness.
"Holy shit!" Renji stared at the boy frozen mid-air who had shown a level of sacrifice no other attendee could.
Making his way up to one of the nearby buildings for a better look, Renji squinted at the boy's completely devastated arm. "Just how much force did he produce in one punch?"
"There's no way a body can withstand that kind of power." Renji muttered.
The sleeve had been ripped to shreds, and beneath it his skin was an angry red, blotched with swelling and bruises that spread from his shoulder down to his fist.
He leaned forward on the rooftop, gaze flicking between the shockwave still rippling outward and the green-haired boy's suspended form. "Is this guy trying to kill himself?"
For a moment, Renji almost forgot he was standing in his own still world. The sheer scale of what he'd just witnessed pressed against his chest like a weight.
"…No way he had that quirk before the Sludge incident, he would've had all his life to learn how to control his output."
His eyes shifted to the Zero-Pointer's frozen frame, its entire upper body warped inward from the impact. Even locked in stasis, the machine looked like it had been hit by a cannon.
Renji clicked his tongue. "Just who does this guy think he is?"
Sighing deeply, Renji cancelled his quirk and returned back to his side of the city.
—BOOM—
Given permission to continue raging out, the shockwave from the boy's punch rang throughout the city.
"Jeez." Renji said as he looked up at the other Zero-Pointer coming his way. "I can't let him steal all the spotlight.
Renji slid the compact coilgun from his jacket, its familiar hum building as he pulled a sleek cartridge from his inner pocket.
Unlike the standard rounds, this one pulsed faintly, its casing lined with thin hexagonal ridges. He slotted it into the chamber as the weapon's coils flared with a sharper, hungrier light.
The Zero-Pointer thundered closer, tearing through a row of buildings like cardboard. Dust cascaded through the streets as its shadow threathened to swallow Renji whole.
"Let's see how you handle this…" he muttered.
—TCHHK—
The shot cracked like thunder. The round slammed into the machine's knee joint with pinpoint precision. For half a second, nothing happened. Then the casing ruptured.
A swarm of silver, wormlike bots erupted outward, wriggling through the seams of the plating like a flood of termites. They burrowed into the exposed machinery, crawling over wires and servos as sparks erupted in showers beneath the armor.
The Zero-Pointer bucked violently, its massive leg jerking at the intrusion. A chorus of metallic screeches filled the air as the swarm dug deeper, chewing through gears and cutting power lines with surgical precision.
With a final, shuddering groan, the leg gave out entirely. The Zero-Pointer collapsed forward and its colossal frame slammed into the street. The impact split the ground like an earthquake with clouds of dust rolling out as the buildings rattled.
Renji watched the swarm finish its work, the titanic machine spasming once before going still in a heap of smoking steel.
The bots crawled back out of the ruined joint, disintegrating into the air until they were all gone, leaving only the crippled carcass behind.
Renji blew out a low breath before the largest grin of the day stretched across his face and he laughed maniacally while lowering his coilgun. "No way! That was way too easy!"
His eyes drifted toward the other end of the city, where the echo of the other boy's suicidal punch still lingered. A smirk tugged at his lips.
"And no injuries to show for it," Renji finished, rolling his shoulder as if to prove the point. The grin lingered on his face, sharp and satisfied.
He glanced once more at the broken husk of the Zero-Pointer sprawled across the street. The thing must have been fun to build. Too bad it was laying in a broken heap on the ground, almost like the rest of debris in the city.
Renji slipped the coilgun back into his jacket, the last of the blue light fading from its frame. His pulse still buzzed from the rush, but his steps were casual as he started down the ruined street.
"TIME'S UP!" Present Mic's voice boomed from every speaker, echoing through the destroyed streets. "THE PRACTICAL EXAM IS OFFICIALLY OVER!"
All around, the chaos slowed to a crawl. The robots froze and their cores flickered a dim lgiht before going out completely.
The only sounds left were the ragged gasps of examinees, the crackle of settling debris, and the echo of collapsing buildings finally giving in to their wounds.
Renji slid his hands back into his pockets, his grin refusing to fade. "Figures. Just when things were getting fun."
He glanced once more toward the skyline, where smoke still curled around the giant craters carved by both his swarm and the green-haired boy's reckless strike.
"Well," he muttered, tilting his head with a satisfied chuckle, "guess they got more of a show than they bargained for."
With the battlefield falling silent, Renji turned on his heel and strolled casually down the fractured street.
—
—Outside the Practical Exam—
Renji watched all the nervous faces around him with a smirk. Out of all theses contestants, there would only be a few who passed the bar for admission.
I wonder how Hagakure did?
Being let out of the cityscape, Renji noticed the green-haired boy being wheeled away towards the clinic.
That guy would definitely be a problem if he actually learned how to control his power. Hell, Renji had seen tanks with less power than him. Although, now that he thought about it, it didn't make much sense.
Quirks generally didn't cause some sort of harm to their users. There's a reason the #2 hero can walk around with flames on his body and that explody boy can sustain making bombs on his hands.
Maybe he has some kind of way to store all his power for future use? Kind of like a battery.
That could be why he hadn't fought the Sludge villain. If he's not able to control his output then he probably would've leveled the block.
"Eh…" Renji muttered while walking back towards the storage room where the examinees put their stuff away. "I'll keep an eye on him."
A few minutes later, Renji and the rest of the examinees arrived at the main testing building and swiftly grabbed their items. Many of whom had dejected looks on their faces as they walked off campus, thinking about how few points they were able to get.
Adjusting the strap on his bag, Renji moved to get past the crowd of students before he was abruptly bumped by an invisible shoulder.
"Hey, Renji!" Hagakure beamed at him, walking side by side. "How do you think you did?"
Renji pretended to be deep in thought, closing his eyes and lifting his head back with a finger on his chin. "Well, if I had to guess…"
He snapped his head forward and a confident grin stretched across his face. "I got first place."
Hagakure laughed and skipped slowly along the pavement. "Sure, sure. And I'm All Might."
Renji's smile dropped at her words, frowning slightly. "I'm serious, I really did get first place. I know I did."
She paused at that, turning her head to stare into Renji's eyes. "Huh, you're really that confident?"
He nodded and stopped at the crosswalk, grabbing Hagakure by her turtleneck so she didn't trip onto the street.
"Woah!" She yelped, adjusting her footing. "I was almost a goner!"
Renji looked to where he thought her eyes would be. "How about you? Do you think you passed?"
Hagakure crossed her arms as she responded. "The written exam was pretty hard, even if I did study all of last night. I really thought I did enough but turns out I still got a lot of work to do."
Grunting, Renji nodded alongside her. He wouldn't put her down by saying that the exam was a breeze, that would just be mean.
"The bots were really tough too!" She continued to complain, a pout forming on her face. "Luckily I found the—"
"Off-switches?" Renji cut her off, crossing the street.
"Yeah! Did you use them too?" Hagakure exclaimed, already starting to become used to Renji's antics.
"Nah," Renji said, rubbing the back of his head. "I used a different way to shut them down."
"Ooo~" Hagakure said, teasing him a little. "How mysterious and dramatically vague."
The two laughed together for a while and walked down toward the commercial district of Musutafu.
Before long, a comfortable silence settled between the two. Even though they had just met a few hours ago, to the average person, it would look like they had known each other their entire lives.
Hagakure shifted nervously, the faint scuff of her shoes giving away her hesitation.
Renji glanced at the floating clothes beside him and smirked. "Spit it out already. What do you have to say?"
She gasped lightly, caught off guard. "W-What? I wasn't…okay, fine!"
Her invisible arms folded tightly against her chest. "I was just gonna ask if… y'know… you had any plans after this."
Renji raised a brow. "Plans? Besides grabbing food and sleeping for twelve hours straight? Not really."
"Perfect!" she exclaimed, her voice lifting with excitement. "Then you should come with me to the arcade! There's one just down the street, and after a crazy exam like that, I think we earned a little fun!"
Renji blinked, then chuckled under his breath. "An arcade, huh? That's what you had to work yourself up over? Thought you were about to confess a murder or something."
"Hey!" Hagakure protested with a playful stomp. "It's not easy asking someone you just met to hang out, okay?"
Renji tilted his head, pretending to consider. "Hmmm… arcade, huh? Guess I could spare some time."
"Really?!" she nearly squealed, her invisible outline bouncing with joy.
Renji stuffed his hands into his pockets, lips curving into his usual confident grin. "Sure. Just don't cry when I wipe the floor with you in every game."
"Oh-ho-ho, you're on!" Hagakure declared, practically skipping ahead to lead the way. "Get ready to lose, first-place boy!"
Renji shook his head with a quiet laugh and followed after her, the weight of the exam already fading into the background.
—
[Hours Later]
—Café, Musutafu—
The pair had bounced from arcade to arcade and eventually stumbled upon a restaurant featuring some delicious ramen. After a long meal, the two found themselves sitting at a small café near Musutafu Station.
"What a day!" Hagakure stretched back in her seat while Renji sat calmly across from her, sipping on his drink.
She leaned forward, clasping her hands together on the table. "I can't believe you actually beat me at air hockey and dance battle. I was supposed to win at least one of those!"
Renji smirked over the rim of his cup. "You weren't bad. Just not me."
Hagakure let out a dramatic groan. "Ugh, you're insufferable. At least I got you on the claw machine."
Renji glanced at the small plush she'd proudly carried out of the arcade and shrugged. "Pure luck."
"Skill!" she corrected quickly, laughing.
Their laughter faded into a more comfortable quiet. The café's low chatter and clinking cups filled the space between them until Renji set down his drink and stood.
"I've got some stuff to take care of here in Musutafu," he said casually, brushing his jacket off. "So I'll walk you to the station first."
"Oh?" Hagakure tilted her head. "What kind of stuff?"
"Nothing important," Renji replied with a small shrug, already moving toward the door. "Just errands. Don't worry about it."
She hummed, clearly curious but not pressing further as she hopped up to follow him. "Well, at least you're being a gentleman about it."
"Don't get used to it," Renji shot back with a grin.
Hagakure giggled, jogging a step ahead. "Too late!"
The two stepped out into the evening air, the glow of Musutafu's streetlights stretching across the pavement as they made their way toward the station side by side.
—
—Musutafu Station—
After exchanging contact info, Renji waved goodbye as the train zoomed back towards Tokyo.
Turning back and stepping out of the train station, Renji's smile faded from his face and dulled back to a neutral expression.
Walking down the street, Renji couldn't help but sigh, thinking about how much work he would have to do in the following weeks.
I still need to find a good house in Musutafu. Preferabbly close to U.A.
The amount of times Renji had considered buying a home here were endless. But now, he actually had a good reason to do so.
With his thoughts rolling around his head, Renji found himself at the plaza near the station. The streets here were quieter, the chatter of people walking around fading into the distance. He slowed his steps as his eyes fell on the stone archway ahead.
—
—Musutafu Memorial—
The plaza opened into a circular space where a wide monument stood. Its polished stone surface bore the etched names of every victim lost in the station bombing years ago. Candles and flowers were neatly arranged at its base, some fresh, others long since wilted.
Renji exhaled slowly, his earlier grin completely gone.
He walked forward until he stood at the edge of the monument, gazing at the rows of carved names. His hazel eyes lingered on a section near the middle.
He reached up, brushing his fingers lightly against one of the names. The cold stone chilled his skin.
"…Still feels like yesterday," he muttered under his breath.
The faint hum of the city carried on behind him. Distant cars, murmured conversations, the occasional rattle of the departing trains, but here at the memorial, time seemed to stand still.
Renji lowered his hand and stepped back, shoving it into his pocket. "Guess I'll be seeing you around here more often."
For a moment longer, he stayed in silence, letting the weight of the place settle over him.
"Aunt Emi was right." Renji sighed deeply, gaze pointed down and a hand rubbing at his forehead.
Sighing once again, he turned away from the monument and headed back toward the station.
Just as he was leaving, a middle-aged man passed by him, moving toward the monument where Renji was just a moment ago.
Renji's breath hitched in response and he froze, heart hammering violently in his chest.
Turning slowly, Renji's eyes bored in the back of the man's head. The stranger's gait was casual, unremarkable, but to Renji, every movement stood out like a flare.
No way.
The man stopped in front of the memorial, bowing his head in silence. His hair, flecked with strands of gray, caught the dim glow of the streetlights.
Renji's hands curled into fists at his sides. The air around him seemed heavier, the low hum of the city muted beneath the pounding in his ears.
"…How fucking dare you." He whispered, hand slipping into his jacket pocket where his trusty gun lay in wait for the perfect moment.
Standing before him was the man Renji had dreamed of killing ever since he had read up on everything he could find about the Musutafu Bombing Incident.
Takuma Honoji, the leader of Blaze Front, sat kneeling at the base of the monument depicting the people he had killed.
Just why is he here? Renji thought as he tightened his grip. How?
Renji's teeth gnashed as his vision tunneled.
Every fiber of his being screamed at him to pull the trigger right then and there. To end it. To finally put down the monster who had taken so much.
His thumb brushed the safety, muscle memory urging him to draw, raise, fire.
Takuma knelt there in perfect stillness, a ghost among the candles and wilted flowers. The bastard had the audacity to bow his head, as if the act could erase what he'd done.
Renji's breath came ragged, his chest rising and falling like he'd sprinted a mile.
His hand trembled against the grip of his weapon, the air heavy with the metallic tang of adrenaline.
No one else on the street seemed to notice. Just another tired man paying respects. Just another evening in Musutafu.
Renji's fingers twitched on the grip, every nerve lit with fury.
His breathing slowed into that steady rhythm he'd practiced a thousand times. The world shrank to one point, the back of Takuma's skull.
One squeeze. That's all it would take.
"Renji!"
The voice cut through his focus like a blade. His chest jolted, the hand on the gun stiffening.
He spun halfway just as Emi bounded toward him, waving like she'd just spotted an old friend on the street.
Behind her, Ryuga Yamamoto trailed with a smile, hands shoved into his pockets.
"What are you still doing out here?" Emi asked brightly, tilting her head. "You look like you just saw a ghost."
Renji's heart slammed against his ribs, panic and fury tangling together. He flicked his gaze back—
Takuma was gone. The space in front of the memorial lay empty, candles flickering in the faint night breeze.
"…Tch." Renji forced his hand away from his jacket, shoving it into his pocket before Emi could notice. His jaw clenched so tight it hurt. "Nothing. Just passing through."
As if he would let Takuma escape. While Renji talked to Emi, he used his quirk in quick bursts, searching for Takuma before he could get too far.
Found you.
Renji forced a small smile for Emi's sake, though it felt more like a grimace stretched across his face.
"Long day," he muttered, waving vaguely toward the station. "Think I'll head back soon."
Emi tilted her head, clearly picking up on his flat tone. "Already? C'mon, it's not even that late—"
"I'll catch up with you two later," Renji cut in smoothly, already stepping back a pace.
He shoved his hands in his pockets, hiding the tremor in them. "Seriously. Go enjoy your taiyaki or whatever. I'm wiped."
Emi tilted her head but shrugged. "Fine, fine. Don't blame me if you regret missing out!"
Ryuga hadn't said a word, but his sharp eyes lingered on Renji a second too long. For a moment, Renji thought the older man might call him out, drag the truth out of him right there. But Ryuga just gave a small nod and followed Emi down the street.
The instant they turned the corner, Renji's whole demeanor shifted. His grin, his casual air, it all dropped away. He exhaled sharply, then tapped into his quirk.
The world dulled, shifting into a view only Renji had access to. In that frozen silence, he tracked an unsuspecting man that stood out like a beacon.
Takuma.
Renji's hazel eyes narrowed. He was slipping into the alleys, trying to vanish into Musutafu's veins like smoke.
"Not this time," Renji hissed under his breath.
He adjusted the strap on his bag and ducked into the shadows, his body melting into the city's maze. Every burst of his quirk showed him each turn Takuma took, another frozen snapshot of his quarry.
Takuma had no idea death was stalking his heels.
—
Takuma Honoji walked through the alleys of Musutafu quietly, wondering what he should do that night.
Maybe I'll go for a drink. He remembered passing by a fancy looking bar earlier with large lights and numerous people funneling in and out of it.
His lips curled faintly, almost nostalgic. Nights like that used to be simple. Before the fire.
He tugged at the cuff of his sleeve, adjusting it out of habit, then kept moving deeper into the backstreets. The air smelled of oil, cigarettes, and concrete cooling under the night breeze.
Behind him, the sound of a bottle rolling across the pavement echoed faintly.
Takuma stilled, head tilting slightly. His gaze flicked over his shoulder, but the alley was empty. Just shadows and the hum of a distant train.
With a low grunt, he started forward again, but slower this time.
Unaware that every step he took was mirrored.
From behind him, Renji crouched low, hazel eyes burning holes into the man's silhouette. Each burst of his quirk froze the world into still frames, Takuma's every move caught like a photograph.
His quarry was walking blind through the city, and Renji could practically taste the vengeance.
The coilgun's weight pressed against his side, a constant reminder.
You won't escape me again.
Takuma lit a cigarette, the flame briefly illuminating his face. Smoke curled lazily into the air as he exhaled.
To any passerby, he was just another middle-aged man in a tired coat.
To Renji, he was a monster wrapped in human skin.
Hearing another strange noise behind him, the older man turned only to be knocked back with a punch before he could react.
"Argh!" He shouted out, stumbling onto the floor, tasting blood on his lip.
Takuma looked up to see a young boy who could't have been older than 16 staring down with a deep fire in his eyes.
Shuffling back from the threat, Takuma flung his hand across the ground of the dirty alleyway, lighting it up with faint letters that burst into flames.
However, it did little to stop the boy as he took out a small canister from his pocket and threw it through the fire.
Suddenly, the once raging fire collapsed into the canister like a controlled vortex, filling the container and leaving not a smudge on the ground.
Before Takuma could react, Renji raised his boot and stomped down on his ankle. The crack was sharp, wet, and immediate. Takuma's scream tore through the alley, echoing off the walls.
Renji didn't hesitate, he pinned the other leg and crushed it beneath his heel. Another sickening snap followed.
Takuma collapsed fully, writhing. Every attempt at using his quirk led to the flames being sucked into the canister on the ground. His body shook as he tried to drag himself back, but his legs were mangled, useless.
Renji crouched low, eyes burning into him. "You don't get to run. Not anymore."
Takuma's chest heaved, every breath rattling through clenched teeth. The alley stank of smoke and blood, his blood, as he lay sprawled with his legs mangled beyond repair.
For a moment, there was only silence, broken by the drip of water from a rusted gutter overhead.
Renji crouched lower, eyes locked on him with a predator's focus. His shadow stretched long across Takuma's trembling form.
Takuma's lips curled into a weak snarl. "Wh–Who the hell are you? Why… why are you doing this?"
Renji didn't answer at first. Instead, he reached in his jacket and drew the coilgun. The quiet hum of the chamber echoed in the narrow space as he cocked it, the sound final and merciless.
He leveled the weapon at Takuma's head.
For several long seconds, he said nothing. Just stared, hazel eyes burning hotter than any flame Takuma could summon.
Finally, he leaned closer, their faces inches apart, and his voice cut through the night like a blade.
"I'm a hero."