The city of Musutafu had changed.
Steel towers stretched into the clouds like blades piercing heaven, their surfaces alive with digital advertisements of new-generation heroes smiling confidently at the world below. But behind the neon lights, the streets still carried whispers — whispers of a disaster everyone wanted to forget.
The Chrono Fall.
Even now, no one could say what really happened that day. Only fragments remained — shattered clocks, distorted memories, and reports of "time breaks" swallowing entire districts.
Among the crowd heading toward U.A. High, one boy walked alone.
His black coat fluttered against the cold morning breeze, and his eyes — silver-gray, almost metallic — reflected nothing but silence.
Koku.
He didn't remember when he first heard his own name. It was there, etched in his mind, but everything before age twelve was blank. A hole in time.
"U.A. High… huh."
He looked up at the enormous gates ahead — the academy that once produced the world's strongest heroes. The name still carried weight, though now, many called it the last true hero school.
The loudspeaker cracked to life.
"Welcome to U.A. High Entrance Examination! All participants, please proceed to Exam Sector 7!"
Koku blended into the crowd of hopefuls — teenagers radiating excitement, tension, and ambition. Their quirks flared subtly, sparks of power leaking out from adrenaline.
He, on the other hand, walked with quiet focus.
Inside his pocket, a watch without hands ticked faintly — the only relic he had from "before."
Inside Exam Sector 7
A massive arena spread out like a futuristic war zone. Robotic villains prowled the area, their sensors glowing red. The goal was simple: destroy or disable as many as possible within 10 minutes.
"Contestants, prepare for battle!"
The signal flare exploded into the air — and chaos erupted.
Fire, electricity, wind — dozens of quirks flashed across the field. Students sprinted, attacked, dodged. The air filled with roars and explosions.
Koku stood still.
He didn't move when the robots charged. His heartbeat slowed… slower… until the world began to lose sound.
"Time… stop."
The words left his lips like frost in the air.
And then — silence.
Everything froze.
The fire midair stopped burning. Debris hung still. Screams turned into mute shapes. Even the wind halted.
Only Koku moved.
Silver light rippled around him as he stepped through the frozen battlefield. He could feel the weight of time pressing on his skin, heavy and sharp, like walking through water made of glass.
His eyes flickered to a girl trapped under a fallen steel beam — time frozen just before it crushed her.
Koku crouched, gripping the beam.
"Five seconds…"
He pushed. The beam slid away. He reached out his hand and dragged her body to safety — and then time snapped back into motion.
"W–What the—!? How did I—?!"
The girl gasped, realizing she was suddenly safe. Koku said nothing.
But deep down, pain shot through his skull — a stabbing migraine. His vision blurred.
Warning: Overlimit. Temporal strain detected.
The mechanical voice echoed in his head — the side effect of his Quirk, Chrono Breaker. Every use of time stop came with a cost.
He knelt briefly, clutching his temple. Blood trickled from his nose.
Still, a faint smile crossed his lips.
"Five seconds… just enough."
Across the observation deck, U.A. teachers watched the exam.
One of them — a woman with long silver hair tied neatly behind — leaned forward. Her eyes glowed faintly violet.
"That student… the time anomaly signature matches the data from the Chrono Fall."
"You're sure?" another teacher asked.
"Positive. His name is Koku. He shouldn't exist in this timeline."