I was only four years old when my father told me that story, about our creator and the great war that rages behind the scenes in this world of heroes. All of this happened shortly after I awakened my Quirk, Generate Silk.
Apparently, my father was a special exorcist, so he knew this story. When he told me about it, he asked me never to tell anyone unless I trusted them completely. Of course, I agreed. After all, my father was my greatest hero, even greater than All Might. And finding out that this same father is part of a secret organization that protects the world from supernatural forces that threaten our peace, who was I not to freak out?
From an early age, I wanted to be a hero, but with all this revelation, I knew I had to be something more—not just a hero, but an exorcist, just like him. That's how I decided to follow in his long, heavy footsteps and one day become the greatest exorcist in the world.
I woke up with a start, hearing my alarm clock do its job of, well, waking me up. I quickly glanced at the time, and upon seeing the time, I couldn't help but blurt out "damn!", and with unprecedented speed, I threw on my uniform and ran downstairs.
There, right on the table, sat a snack in a Tapaware container, along with a small note that read: "Good luck on your first day, son! PLUS ULTRA!!!" signed, obviously, by my father. Mentally thanking him, I quickly grabbed the snack, which was a grilled cheese sandwich, and ran outside, locking the house.
Luckily for me, I didn't live far from the train station, so I arrived shortly after the train was about to depart. Presenting my student ID to the guard to allow me to board, he was surprised, but soon broke into a happy smile and said, "Good luck out there, kid!" I quickly replied with a "Thanks!" before stepping inside.
Once inside, I placed my backpack on my lap and sat in an empty seat next to a lady in the corner. And as if everything had been premeditated, seconds after I sat down, the train began to move forward at breakneck speeds. I'm deeply grateful to whoever came up with the idea of using a magnetically lifted train inside a vacuum tube; it certainly made the journey much smoother and faster.
On the way, I couldn't help but glance out the window, seeing the town of Musutafu from below, and also a glimpse of my reflection in the glass. There, I saw my white hair with golden tips completely disheveled, and I tried to smooth it down and straighten it, making a sort of ponytail with a bun, finally making room for my glasses and my green eyes.
And as I adjusted, in the distance I saw where I was going. A gigantic H-shaped building on top of a hill, surrounded by a wall. The great UA University, the dream place for anyone who dreams of being a hero.
Categorized as one of, if not the largest in the entire country in this regard, it accommodates within itself 4 courses, the Department of Heroes, the Support Department, the Management Department and, finally, the one I decided to enter, the Department of General Education.
Since 40% of the vacancies for this department are made up of those who failed the test to enter the Hero Department, the other 60% are highly competitive among those who seek knowledge or who plan for something more, like me.
As my dream is to become someone like my father, I realized that it is not good to leave my studies behind, even if it is not my strongest point, and as one day I will have to go abroad, having this course in my repertoire I think would be very good.
Luckily, I passed the cutoff with a score of 745 out of 1000, although I barely made it.
And so, while I was thinking about this and a few other things, the train arrived in about 5 minutes, and soon I and many other people, including students who wore the same uniform as me, got out of their carriages, and we all walked towards this big step in our academic life.
Arriving at the gate, I couldn't help but walk past and be mesmerized by everything around me. A gigantic stone path stretched out, connecting the building's entrances, along with numerous other paths that led to various other locations on the sprawling campus. Furthermore, various trees were scattered throughout the campus, along with colorful flowers decorating everything, lending a mystical air to the entire scene.
And I knew it wasn't just me, but all the other students had been there too. We'd already come in here once to take the test, but there's something different about just walking in and feeling like you belong .
Swallowing deeply, I walked forward, seeing a few other students interacting with each other, all of them looking so excited and positive about the whole thing.
Soon, when I reached the crossroads on which leg I was going to go to, I immediately saw a map showing exactly where I was and where my classroom, 1-C, was. It was to the left, on the same leg as the Hero Department, except at the bottom.
I then began walking through the corridors, passing through several gigantic doors, made to accommodate the most varied people, including, mainly, mutants.
Walking around there, I found several other students, just as lost as I was, and it was at that moment that I met someone curious.
It was a girl running through the corridors, and without either of us paying attention, we bumped into each other on a curve, causing her to fall on top of me and we both let out a scream.
When I opened my eyes, my vision was obscured by what I could only describe as… watermelons. Seriously. The size of those things was no joke, and I wondered if her Quirk had anything to do with this peculiarity. Plus, a forest scent was present. "How curious," I thought to myself.
When she saw what had happened, she quickly stood up, offering me help, which I accepted. Now standing, she began saying, "I'm sorry! I was in a hurry and didn't see where I was going!", making a 90° angle.
Her watermelons swayed with this repetitive motion, mesmerizing the gaze of those passing by, which wasn't the case now. Also, from this angle, I finally noticed her dark green hair, which looked more like a tangled bush, but fell in a cascade over her shoulders on both sides.
"I-It's okay!" I replied shyly, not used to… touching girls the way I had.
With that, she finally stopped and looked at me, allowing me to see her face and… Wow!
Look, I consider myself a chaste person to some extent, but that doesn't mean I can't see a beauty in front of me, and that is the case now. This girl not only had a model's body, but her face exuded an innocence that would make even nuns envious.
Her emerald eyes, behind round glasses, for some reason exuded uncertainty and nervousness, and her mouth trembled, as she looked from side to side in embarrassment, until she, in fright, seemed to get a shock and looked at me, saying.
"Do you know where 1-A is!?" She asked, lunging at me and grabbing me by the shoulders with a heavy grip. Good thing I wasn't a weakling.
It took me a moment to register the question, now aware of having such a person so close to me, until I said: "Yeah… next hallway, go up the stairs." Pointing with the thumb of my left hand behind me.
"Thank you so much!" she said, shooting after me like an arrow.
When I was finally alone in the hallway, I couldn't help but feel like there was something strange about that girl, but now she's gone, and I can't do anything about it.
"UAU is truly amazing," I thought, before continuing down a few more hallways and finally entering my classroom. This was where my long freshman year would begin. I could only hope nothing strange would happen.
Izumi Midoriya was having a very strange and tense day. Starting with the way people were looking at her.
She'd gotten this kind of look before at school, but her Quirkless status made it hard for anyone to approach her. She also always wore baggy clothes to hide her figure; after all, many girls called her various mean things to lower her morale, including being fat.
She admitted that she had a bit of belly fat, but that as she worked out, it started to diminish. If her father saw her, he would be proud of how she looks.
But besides the stares she was getting thanks to her tight UAU clothes, she had somehow gotten into 1-A, the first year of the Hero Department, and she was supposed to be excited, right?
Wrong!
Years of bullying and contempt had made her develop a kind of sixth sense, and ever since she received that letter from UAU, something was very strange, she could feel it.
And she thinks she's figured out why. When she finally reached the door to her classroom thanks to that boy back there, her senses went into overdrive. From inside, she could hear not only screams… but explosions.
She felt her body lock onto the door at that.
Swallowing hard, she slowly opened the doors, only for the one she feared most to be standing in front of her… Katsuki Bakugou… the one responsible for more than half of all the suffering she had experienced in her middle and high school years.
The two were raised together since childhood, and in the beginning, they were close, but when he awakened his Quirk, Explosion, and she didn't, the dynamic changed.
She can still feel some old wounds itching just from hearing that noise.
And now that same individual has not only moved up to the Hero Department, but is also in the same class as her.
Excellent.
And when he saw her standing in the locked doorway, she knew he was thinking the same thing.
His face lit up like a pepper, and throwing away that dark blue-haired boy from the entrance test, he approached furiously, stopping right in front of him, saying:
"What are you doing here, Deku!?" You could hear the hatred and resentment he had for her deep in his voice, especially for using that damn nickname.
She couldn't even respond. She was stuck there, unsure of how to act. Fortunately, a saving grace came in the form of that blue-haired boy, placing a hand on Katsuki's shoulder.
"Bakugou! That kind of attitude is inappropriate! Especially towards a girl!" Only for the explosive blond to snap and complain back.
"Who do you think you are to tell me to do something, rich kid!? Especially against her !" He said, pointing at Izumi once again.
"I already told you, my name is Iida Tenya, and!—" Before he could finish speaking, Izumi felt a touch behind her, causing her to jump.
Behind her stood the round-faced girl with brown pixie-bob hair. If she 's not mistaken, her name is Uraraka Ochako.
"Am I… interrupting something?" she said, suddenly aware of her position.
"N-No! Thank you! Bye!" Izumi finally said, taking this chance to run away.
"Hey! This isn't over yet! Come back here, you nerd!" Bakugou said, but to the girl's delight…
"2 minutes and 34 seconds. You guys are so inefficient." Said a hoarse voice coming from… a giant yellow caterpillar in the center of the room!?
Getting up, it was revealed that the cocoon was nothing more than a portable bed, and from within a beggar revealed himself.
"Everyone put this on and go to Delta Field. I expect you to do this quickly so we don't waste any more time."
With that, he left, not giving the students a chance to question what was happening.
In their rush to get ready quickly, no one noticed that there was one less chair for the number of students.
As it was our first day, we were all directed to the auditorium to be properly introduced to the entire school and all the staff, as well as some explanations.
But strangely, one room was noticeably absent. The same one as that green-haired girl, 1-A.
I could hear many questioning why they were taking so long, but to everyone's surprise, when the last 1-K student entered, the principal began the presentation.
If I may say so myself, it was pretty boring and generic, except for the part where you see how many heroes work at the facility and are ready to give us the best future. That was cool.
When it was all over in the third period, we returned to the classroom, where we sat down and our homeroom teacher, Ms. Kaigo Tamago, welcomed us. From the looks of it, she seemed like a very kind person, with gray hair falling over her shoulders in a ponytail.
"Well, let's see here…" She said, starting to go through the list of students' names and randomly calling out students so they could introduce themselves in front of the others, such as Quirks, hobbies, dreams, and so on.
The first one was named Torappu Tsugu, and although he didn't speak much and his black hair covered his eyes, he had a certain determination.
Next, a girl named Amai Kisu appeared. She radiated positivity and energy, showering kisses all over the class. She gave off the classic gyaru vibe. She quickly explained that this was due to her Quirk, which brought good luck and increased physical abilities to whoever she kissed. Quite curious.
Then another boy came, this time a mutant who resembled a cat. His name was Nekkoka Fuun, and according to him, his Quirk brought bad luck to anyone he touched, and that he only resembled a black cat because of his family.
And so, more and more came forward, until, after 6 students: "Let's see… how about… Sora Shizuhai!"
With that, I rose from my chair and walked to the front of the room. I could feel 19 pairs of eyes watching me, making me a little nervous, but taking a deep breath, I began.
"Good morning everyone! As you can hear, I'm Sora Shizuhai. My Quirk involves expelling silk that I generate inside my body through my pores, allowing me to release it and, in some way, have some control."
"How interesting, Shizuhai-chan! And what hobbies do you have?" the teacher asked, giving me more encouragement to continue.
"Well, some of my hobbies are reading books, tending flowers, and... working out? I don't know if that counts," I said, a little doubtful, scratching my head. "Well, anyway, I'm from Musutafu, living with just my dad, and I plan to go abroad one day." I finished before bowing to the class and leaving.
Some eyes seemed to remain on me after I left, but most returned to the teacher. I could tell not everyone was paying attention.
"After him… How about… Hitoshi Shinso!" She said, pointing to a name, causing a boy with purple hair and tired eyes to stand up.
He walked to the front of the class and when he got there, he looked each of us in the eye, seemingly analyzing each one.
"I am Hitoshi Shinso, and I plan to become a hero." And then, with just that, return to his seat.
All the students just stared at him, and the teacher looked a little sad about it, but quickly moved on and continued, until finally all 19 students introduced themselves.
After that, there were about 2 more full classes left for lunch and following the schedule, now it would be English class with Yamada Hizashi, or as everyone knows him, Present Mic.
As in all his radio and television appearances, thanks to the use of his Quirk, his voice was extremely loud, waking up anyone who was even slightly sleepy and drawing everyone's attention to himself. I wondered if the glass would crack with that sound.
Using the whiteboard, he quickly reviewed the basics with us to see if we understood them, and by the time it was all over, his class had come to a close. With that, he left completely to make way for another teacher, this time a physics teacher.
In all this time, something caught my attention. There were 20 desks, but only 19 students were present. Where was that last one? When we asked earlier, the teacher just looked sad and said, "You'll see."
And so, after this physics class, it was recess.
With every passing second, Izumi grew more tense. Something was wrong, very wrong, and it definitely wasn't some of the girls in her class who had seen her changing and pointed something out.
She knew she was ugly, but she didn't need to point it out, damn it! Leave me alone.
After changing into her uniform, she quickly arrived at the field the teacher had asked them to go to. There, it was just her, or rather, just her and her new teacher, Aizawa Shouta.
He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing, and after that, the other students arrived, each chatting animatedly with one another. Well, except, of course, Izumi.
Seeing this, Aizawa-sensei began: "5 minutes for everyone to arrive, it's not the worst time I've seen, but it can definitely be much better."
With that, Uraraka, who had somehow made it to the girl's side without her noticing, asked the teacher about the presentation and the instructions that would be given, only for the man to respond that this is a total waste of time, and that he only has 3 years to turn the 20 of them into the best heroes he can.
With that, he asked Bakugou to come forward and asked the explosive boy how far he had thrown a baseball, and he replied that it was around 67 meters. With that, Aizawa suggested that he use his Quirk for the throw.
With a shout of "Die!" the ball went flying at impressive speeds into the sky, and after a few seconds, he turned the screen of the device in his hands, showing that the ball had reached… 1.15 kilometers!?
Everyone was startled by this, but unfortunately for everyone, a pink girl said that it looked like a lot of fun. And then Aizawa started a speech.
"Fun? You think this is fun? How about this... I don't know if anyone noticed, but there are 21 of you here, but I said I would only teach 20 students to become future heroes. I will evaluate all of you, and anyone I deem lacking potential will be expelled from the course and demoted to 1-C."
After that, everyone seemed to freeze, with some counting the number of students there and, indeed, there were 21 students present. The same pink girl commented on how unfair this was, only for Aizawa to retort:
"Unfair? You think that's unfair? Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, villainous attacks, poverty, and racism—that's unfair. This is just a test, designed to push everyone to their limits, so we can make sure you're ready for anything."
After hearing all this, Izumi silently agreed with the teacher, it was really unfair how some people were treated in the world, and if she could do something to solve this problem, she would do her best.
With that, the first test was a 50m dash, and as if to mock her, fate placed her next to Bakugou and that rich kid. " Iida? That name sounds familiar," she thought, but she didn't have time to pursue that train of thought. With a noise that sounded like a gunshot, the three of them surged forward, but it was obvious, no matter how much she trained, she would never overtake the two in front of her. At least, she had crossed the finish line in 6.13 seconds, better than some others in her class and still above average.
After that, it was a grip test, and using the maximum of his strength, Izumi managed to lift around 62.6 kg.
Next, she had to jump into a sand pool, which she couldn't clear more than 10m (how could she do it, anyway?), but she made it to 6.1m. A great result, if you were to go by her opinion and see the other competitors.
She was doing well, especially in the lateral jump test, but everything changed when, once again, she found herself facing the ball throwing test.
She could never throw as far as others, so she knew she had to be innovative to overcome some of her… inabilities.
Arriving next to the girl with black hair in a ponytail and a bust a little smaller than hers, Izumi, stuttering, asked.
"G-Good morning—uh…" She froze, completely forgetting her name. She just responded with Yaoyorozu Momo, and she continued. "Uh— Could you make me a baseball bat?"
The rich girl just raised her eyebrows, curious about the request, but not seeing that it would hurt, she granted it.
Finally, when her turn came, Izumi prepared inappropriately. She'd never played the sport before, after all, but she knew that to overcome some people, she had to use external means. After all, that's what heroes did with support equipment, right?
Aizawa just raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't stop the girl from trying.
Throwing the ball up, she prepared to hit it, only to miss miserably and fall to the ground. She could hear some students behind her laughing, but she didn't care. So, asking permission, Aizawa let her throw again, and this time she hit the ball, sending it arcing until it landed 162.3 meters away from the starting point. It certainly didn't compare to Bakugou's astronomical number or Uraraka's unfathomable infinity, but it was far better than some of the nearby students.
The last three were simpler in comparison, being just a resistance test, which she lasted about 20 minutes, touching her toes, which she managed (Thanks to her mother who, seeing her daughter's effort, helped her and signed her up for Yoga classes and gyms) and sit-ups.
In the end, Izumi was confident. She had definitely been better than many there, like the invisible girl or the grape boy (who constantly looked at her and the others strangely)... right? So why... was her name in 21st place?
There had to have been a mistake, right?
All the students around her looked at her with sadness and pity, as if just to mock her. She didn't want those looks, she never did.
Aizawa was saying something, but a high-pitched noise was heard in her ear. She couldn't hear anything, and her chest was hyperventilating. Perhaps sensing something was wrong with her, Aizawa approached her and shouted something to the students, who were staring in alarm.
In her vision, everything seemed distorted. The light that had previously illuminated her now blinded her, and the faces of the other students were no longer present, replaced by a black mass that she could only hear laughing.
She just wanted it all to be over, and for it all to be a dream. Until… nothing…
…
For those still present, seeing Aizawa faint had been like having a bucket of cold water thrown over their heads. Some students even tried to get close to her, but their teacher stopped them, and, speaking something into a sort of radio, some robots arrived and carried her away.
Everyone had just seen a girl who deserved to be here, who had achieved so much more than the others. But still, she was gone. Why? Why did this happen?
They didn't see her using her Quirk. Could that be the problem? And even though that doubt persisted, no one said anything, afraid of what might happen if they said something inappropriate.
Bakugou, meanwhile, remained silent. He might dislike that nerd, of course. But even so, she somehow outperformed some of the extras in that place, so how did her score come in last?
He might be a jerk, but he wasn't an idiot. He could sense something was wrong, and if that hadn't worried him before, seeing his teacher coldly knock out someone who needed help put his body on alert.
Especially when, behind him, heavy footsteps echoed across the open field.
Those who had the courage to look back, like a certain blonde with glasses, would see something in the form of Japan's number one hero. It was just a form, for the feeling he exuded wasn't the hero's usual calm and happiness. It was something rawer.
It was anger.
He walked past his students and stopped right in front of the teacher, who was only half his height. Anyone staring at No. 1 would probably back away. Except Aizawa, who remained standing there, completely neutral about the thing in front of him.
But the consequences of this interaction would only be revealed later. Now, a green-haired girl slept, shivering, in a hospital bed.
Her caregiver, Recovery Girl, watched over her gently, only imagining what Aizawa had put her through. She had also been told what sounded like the beginnings of a panic attack.
Honestly, if the doctor could, she would have knocked the black-haired man to the ground with how much she would have beaten him for handling the situation so poorly. What he did probably only delayed the consequences a little, and if not, it caused some problems for the girl.
Recovery Girl had already called the girl's mother, who was already on her way to, as she put it, "her baby."
She could see the girl's heartbeat was a little erratic thanks to the machine in front of her. She could only hope that everything would calm down and she would recover.
When she woke up, Izumi first wondered where she was. All she knew was that she was lying in bed, surrounded by closed curtains. She could hear voices talking on the other side, and even though she recognized one of them, she couldn't quite place it back where she'd heard it. Instead, her brain worked, trying its best to remember how she'd gotten there.
She first retraced her steps from the moment she woke up. She prepared to go to her new university. Once there, she got lost until she finally found her classroom. She encountered someone unpleasant, and then her professor made them take a series of tests.
And the last thing that came to his mind was… her in last place.
The memories finally flooded her mind, and she suddenly felt the urge to vomit, but without a suitable environment, she tried to swallow it. She knew it was bad practice, but it was important not to show weakness.
She tried to take deep breaths, slowly calming herself. When she finally put everything in place and her brain finally felt the right connections, she finally allowed herself to get angry.
Clutching the bed sheets tightly, she closed her eyes, reliving that scene over and over in her mind. She'd done her best, even surpassing some, but she was already marked for departure, obviously. Aizawa hadn't done it to be a competition, and the last one had to go. He'd done it only to make those he wanted try harder, with that threat. Meanwhile, the one he didn't like would be used as a scapegoat.
The more she thought about it, the more a flame inside her seemed to want to ignite, the more she burned with anger and the more she wanted to destroy everything, until… nothing.
The flame was completely extinguished when Izumi felt a hug on her body, and opening her eyes, she saw her mother, Midoriya Inko, crying with her daughter in her arms.
And Izumi? She just stood there, not knowing how to react.
When the last bell rang, my classmates and I could finally relax and party, celebrating that our first day of school had finally come to an end.
Everyone had already created a chat group with all our numbers there. According to Amai-san herself, this was a way for us all to better interact with each other and have contact information if we needed help.
I also ended up becoming friends with the boy sitting to my left and the one sitting behind me. They were Kurei Chizu and Hitobi Rokke. They had, respectively, the ability to create maps by casting superfine waves and locate anyone they'd touched in the last 24 hours.
They both want to be police officers, thinking that using their skills as heroes wouldn't be very useful. I neither disagreed nor agreed with them. If that's what they wanted, who was I?
Other than that, the day wasn't very busy. The teachers just explained what each subject would be about and what we'd see in the first semester.
It was so peaceful that most people had already forgotten about the empty bench next to me, including me.
From our room, when the bell rang, we could see the sun setting from our window, already in the twilight of the day. It was around 5:30 pm when we started to leave.
Grabbing my things, I walked alongside Chizu and Rokke until we finally reached the train station a little further ahead. They lived somewhere else, quite close by, actually, and since I was already on the way, the three of us walked together.
Getting on the train, I sat down on a bench, not paying much attention to my surroundings. Quickly, I took off my glasses and grabbed my cell phone to call my father. I told him the first day was over, and I was now heading home. My father, laughing, asked me to explain at home, since he was a bit busy right now.
Hearing the noise on the other side, I wondered what it was.
Nodding, I hung up the phone, and before I knew it, the train had already begun moving at breakneck speeds. Honestly, it was so comfortable and so advanced that it was extremely difficult to feel the rocking.
It was really interesting to know how it all worked, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say some magician from some faction did it. But no, it was just pure and complex "science," or as exorcists like to call it, the "magic of those who can't use magic."
Even though I disagreed with this statement, I had to say that these devices were truly incredible for the general population. They took away a lot of the hassle of getting from point A to B on foot, and they were accessible to most people, especially students.
I even wonder how previous generations managed without it. Sure, some magicians can teleport, along with some members of other races, but what I'm talking about is the human world.
But even so, this line of thought doesn't even manage to conclude properly, with the train already stopping at my station and allowing me to get off.
"Finally," breathing in fresh air, I started toward the exit, but something caught my eye. Amidst the crowd getting on and off the train, I saw someone who caught my eye. It was the same girl from this morning, walking through the crowd, being pulled along by an older, smaller woman with the same hair color, presumably her mother, but that wasn't what intrigued me. It was the "aura" she gave off.
Something had happened, I could feel it from her negative feelings leaking out. And if I could have sworn, I would have said I'd seen a dragon. But when I blinked, neither she, nor her mother, nor the dragon were there anymore.
Only two deductions came to my mind when I saw that raw, powerful magical power emanating from her body. Either she was a dragon, or partially a dragon, or she had a Sacred Gear with that element.
But whatever it was, I knew.
I had to tell the church about this. Either to recruit her or, at worst..
Eliminate her.