Ch.1: A Burning Sensation
The boy wandered further into the mountain, frost forming on his nose as he traveled further. The steep mountain held nothing to the imagination: it was large, treacherous and stupidly easy to fall off of. As he ascended, he fell further behind his comrades. They turned to face him. "Come on, Ryosuke! You're gonna make us fall behind!" One of the boys called to him.
Ryosuke stood up slowly, shaking. "S-Sorry, Aki. I d-didn't know how cold it was up h-here..." he mumbled. The blue-eyed boy looked at him with concern.
"Are you okay, Ryosuke? You're the only one without a quirk here, and if you die here, we'll all be in trouble." Aki joked. Ryosuke cracked a frozen smile. "I-I'll live. Besides, aren't we n-near the top?" He asked. Another boy looked back. "Aki, Ryosuke! Hurry the hell up!" He called.
"Itashi! Can you heat him up? Dude's freezing back here!" Aki called. Itashi grumbled. "Alright. Come here, dude." Ryosuke wobbled over to him and Itashi put his hand over his stomach. In a minute, Ryosuke felt his body begin to reheat. He smiled.
"Itashi, you saved my ass. Lucky you got a quirk like that." Itashi smirked. "Nice to be appreciated sometimes, eh? Thermal energy ain't nowhere near as flashy as some of the other quirks, but it serves its function well." Itashi motioned for them to follow.
They trudged along in the snow in silence before Ryosuke decided to speak up again. "What're we looking for again?" He asked. "There's supposedly some ancient statue at the top of the mountain. My sensei said that I oughta go find it and snap a photo. It's for my endurance training. If I can take this, I can take anything." Itashi explained. Aki nodded.
"It's also good for me. My quirk allows me to manipulate electromagnetic waves, and the reception up here is unbelievably strong. I can sense planes from up here!" He commented. They nodded and marched along in the deep snow.
"Man, I'm seriously pissed. Spring break is almost over, and I'm not about to go back to school and deal with that again." Itashi grumbled. "Dude, chill. We've only got like, 7 weeks left? We're practically finished!" Aki reassured him. "Whatever." "Guys! Check it!" Ryosuke pointed off to the distance.
"That statue thing! It's right there!" Running haphazardly and very awkwardly in their mountain gear, they stumbled to the foot of the statue. The group slowly looked up, realizing the form the statue took. "A Phoenix? At the top of a snow covered mountain?" Aki asked aloud. Itashi shrugged. "Whoever built this obviously hasn't ever seen grass. Anywhere in the world would literally be a better place for this damn thing. Still, I need that picture."
Itashi opened his backpack and pulled out a camera with a tripod. He set it up and the three boys went to stand beside the statue. They huddled to either side and smiled. "Aki, take the picture, will ya?" Itashi asked. Aki went to work, using his quirk to turn on the camera and snap the photo. A bright flash ensued, and the boys were blinded for a moment. They all went to the camera and observed their photo, smiling. "Well guys, we did it. We scaled a huge mountain at age 15. Not many people can attest to that." Aki said. Itashi looked at Ryosuke.
"And even fewer can say they did it without a quirk. Can't believe your parents even gave you the green light on this." "It's only because they knew you were going and they knew your quirk, man. Also, because they want alone time." "Yeah, living with you can get pretty annoying." Aki tiffed. "Shut up, dude!" "Yeah, man! Alright, let's get out of here before we-"
Itashi was suddenly cut off as the ground around them started to shake. "A-Avalanche! Guys, we g-gotta go!" Aki motioned for them to follow. But before they could move, a bright light shone from the statue, enveloping the boys' vision in red. A booming voice came from the Phoenix.
"WHO DARES AWAKEN ME FROM MY SLUMBER!?"
The voice demanded with fury. The boys froze, petrified and shaken to their cores. "I SENSE THE PRESENCE OF THREE YOUNG MEN! TWO STRONG...ONE WEAK." The voice boomed again. Ryosuke gasped.
"TELL ME, WEAK ONE, HOW YOU CAME TO BE AT THE FOOT OF MY STATUE."
"Well, I, uh, I c-came here with my friends. They told me that there was a special statue at the top of this mountain...seems they really undersold it." He mumbled.
"YOUR POWER...IT IS LACKING SEVERELY. YOU ARE THE WEAKEST PERSON TO EVEN ATTEMPT TO MAKE IT HERE, AND YET THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE YOU COULD NEVER REACH ME."
The statue stated flatly. "Well, uh, thanks, I guess? Who...are you, anyway?" With a cracking sound, the statue burst open, rocks shooting in all directions. In its place, a fiery Phoenix hovered over the ground, wings outstretched, in all its might.
"I AM PHOENIX! ETERNAL SERVANT OF JUSTICE! I HAVE WORKED WITH HUMANITY ON MANY OCCASIONS TO BRING JUSTICE ON VILLAINOUS PEOPLE WHO WOULD SEEK TO DESTROY THIS WORLD."
He boomed fiercely. The Phoenix seemed to stare directly at Ryosuke, as if analyzing him.
"YOU! WEAK ONE! YOU HAVE PROVEN YOURSELF CAPABLE! TELL ME...DO YOU STAND FOR JUSTICE?"
Ryosuke stood up a little taller, his hands trembling from both fear and frost. "I will uphold what is right and just until my last breath has been taken." He made a salute.
"HMM. INTERESTING. VERY WELL. YOUNG MAN, PREPARE YOURSELF!"
The Phoenix called. Ryosuke looked at him nervously. "W-What for..." at that moment, the Phoenix charged at him, head on. With amazing speed, Ryosuke and the Phoenix collided, and the Phoenix entered into his chest. "AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Ryosuke screamed. He felt his body begin to burn from within, power surging through him. However, this power was very straining on his body. Aki and Itashi watched as their friend began to float into the air, enveloped in fire. With one swift motion, Ryosuke recoiled and sent out a wave of flames in all directions, melting all the snow in a 30 foot radius. With no more left in him, Ryosuke passed out as his friends tried to save him.
Flashback: Last week
The three boys exited their small school on the corner block, all laughs and shouts. Spring break had finally arrived, and the three were more than ecstatic to get a break from school. The boys whooped and screamed shouts of joy on their walk home. "LET'S GO! WE. ARE. FREE!" Itashi yelled at the top of his lungs.
"WOO-HOO! SPRING BREAK IS HERE BABY!" Aki joined in. Ryosuke just smiled, taking it all in. The fresh air, the familiar scenery, the stores and shops, the bustling of mid-afternoon. Life was good. "Alright, guys. Let's settle down. What are we doing first?" He asked his friends.
They turned to him. "We're hitting up the arcade, that's what! I've gotta kick Aki's ass!" Itashi joked as he poked Aki, who shook his head with a grin. "Try me. But first, we should-" Aki was cut off as Itashi's phone rang. "Hang on, I'll get this." Itashi picked up his blue phone. "Hello? Oh, sensei! Y-Yes I just got off of school! Why? YOU WANT ME TO WHAT? What do you mean you're amping up my training?" He asked, with ahint of worry.
"I have to go where? And do what? I-Is that thing even real? It is? You sure? Fine, fine! I'll go get that picture. Yes, sensei, I'll have it by the end of the break. Okay, goodbye." Itashi hung up his phone and looked as if he wanted to slam it on the ground.
"COME ON! I WAS SUPPOSED TO GET A BREAK!" He shouted furiously.
"What happened?" Ryosuke asked. "Sensei says I gotta go climb a freakin' mountain, dude. There's some stupid statue at the top that I gotta get a snapshot of. Says it's for endurance and obedience training or whatever." He huffed. "Well, we'll come too. Might as well make sure you don't die, right?" Aki asked. Itashi looked at them, mystified. "Y-You'd do that...for me?" He asked. Aki smiled.
"Sure we would! Right, Ryosuke?" Ryosuke looked at him nervously. "I-I dunno, man. I mean...I don't even have a quirk." Aki slapped him on the back. "Yeah, but you're tough! Remember when you almost beat Itashi in a fight 2 years ago?" "Key word is 'almost'!" Itashi added. He nodded. "Yeah. You only won because you burned me while I was throwing you over my shoulder." He snickered.
"Shut up! Are you coming or not?!" Itashi demanded. He scratched his head, unsure of what to say.
"I'll check in with my parents and get back to you later on that. When would we be leaving anyway?" Ryosuke asked. "Like, in a few days. I wanna get this done fast so that I can still enjoy the break, y'know?" Itashi explained.
"Okay! We'll be ready by then! For now, let's hit the arcade!" Aki announced enthusiastically. The boys nodded. "Right! Let's go!" They continued down the street, venturing closer and closer into the heart of their town.
Later that night, Ryosuke entered his home on the edge of town. He opened the maple door and stepped into his modest home. The smell of fresh fruit filled his nose, and he smiled. "Hi mom! Hi dad! I'm home!" He called.
He went down a hallway and entered into the kitchen, where his mother had begun to cook and his father was reading the newspaper. "Hi, Ryosuke!" His mother called sweetly. "Feels good to be off school, eh kiddo?" His dad asked. He nodded. "Feels great!" He sat down and helped himself to an apple. Gnawing into it, he decided that now would be the best time to ask.
"Um, mom, dad, can I ask you something?" He watched as his parents' eyes met nervously, unsure of what would follow. "Yes? What is it?" "W-Well, Itashi has been training really hard to develop his quirk, a-and his sensei has given him instructions to go on a trek up Mount Akina, the small mountain a few miles north." His dad eyed him suspiciously. "What does this have to do with you, though?" He asked.
Ryosuke scratched his head. "Well, I don't wanna just leave him to do that alone, you know? It's kinda...dangerous. So, me and Aki were wondering if we could...go with him." "You want to go climb a mountain, on your own?" His mother asked, completely shocked. Ryosuke scratched his head. "Yeah." "Why?"
"I dunno, mom...I just...something about this...I wanna do it. How many people do you know that have climbed a mountain before?" He asked. "Son, you can't climb that mountain!" His father protested. Ryosuke seemed taken aback, shocked. He wasn't expecting such resistance to the idea. "Why?!"
"Because you can't protect yourself! You don't have a-" his mother stopped, and Ryosuke's eyes went wide. That was not a valid reason, no matter whose mouth it came from. "So that's why, huh? Because I'm not special like you?!" He demanded, furious.
"No, it's not that, it's just..." "Just what, mom? That because your second kid doesn't have a quirk, he's denied the ability to do anything remotely dangerous?" He shot back.
"Ryosuke, this is much more than a dangerous situation, this is life and death. You could freeze up there." His father tried to warn him. But Ryosuke had lost all reason the moment they decided to pick on him for something out of his control. "Then let me choose! Let me choose how I live my life! I'll prove to you, to everyone that I can be just as capable without a quirk!" He shouted.
His parents sighed, restless and unwilling to argue, seeing that they'd upset their son. "Fine. Go. But you better come back in one piece, or frostbite will be the least of your problems." His mother warned, her voice shaky. Ryosuke sighed. "Good. I'm leaving in a few days. For now, I'm just gonna go lie down." The boy trudged upstairs and slammed his door, still steaming after his mom's last comment. Ryosuke knew very well that he could protect himself.
Upon learning of his lack of ability, he'd enlisted in boxing and kickboxing classes to gain a fighting edge, and had even studied like mad to get good grades. His ambition to become a police officer had sprouted from wanting to serve justice in the same way a hero did, just on a much more capable scale. Of course, his parents were not like him. His mother possessed the ability of magical hair, which let her become a decent sidekick for many years in densely populated cities like Tokyo. His father, on the other hand, was a retired detective, who used his quirk to tell whether or not people were lying, by analyzing their brainwaves as he interrogated them.
He sighed. Not having a quirk basically made you the butt of everyone's joke and prone to mugging, bullying and public beat downs. Unfortunately, most people underestimated Ryosuke because of the fact that he was quirk-less, which made their loss against him in a fight all the more confusing to those who were watching. He sighed as he looked out his window, seeing the cherry trees beginning to blossom.
"I'll show everyone...I will uphold what is right and just until my last breath has been taken. I can help people in need! I can save people from danger! I can be a hero too!" He proclaimed to nobody in particular.
Present Day
Ryosuke slowly opened his eyes, adjusting to the light reflecting off of the completely white room. His mind was still fuzzy, and his thoughts were still clouded. "Where...where am I?" He asked in a small voice.
"It would appear that you've been taken to a hospital."
Ryosuke looked around, trying to figure out the origin of the voice.
"If you're looking for someone, you won't find them. I'm in your head, Ryosuke. Don't you remember what happened?" The voice asked. Ryosuke tried his hardest to remember.
"I was climbing Mount Akina with Aki and Itashi, and we were after this statue. We took a photo and then the ground started to shake. This Phoenix popped up and he...flew into me." He could barely string together the events, still in disbelief.
"That is correct. That Phoenix was me, Ryosuke. My power and your body have fused together. Right now, we are two distinct entities, sharing your body."
"We..fused?" He asked. "Yes. I don't think you know it, but I've changed your very genetic makeup. For a while, you'll feel different, as you'll need to adjust to the changes your body is undergoing."
"I see. So...can anyone else hear you?" "Only you. I'm sort of...watching you but also within you." "Oh." "I'm sure this is a lot to take in, not to mention the strain my power has placed on your body. You need rest." "Ya think?" He asked sarcastically. It was at that point that he heard muffled voices outside.
"He's in here? Unconscious, you say? When was the last time you checked on him?" The voice asked. "I-I'm awake! Whoever it is, come in!" Ryosuke called. The door opened, and Ryosuke saw a man in long, ragged clothes come in. "Ah, you must be Ryosuke." Ryosuke looked at the man, but he hadn't moved or said a word yet. Instead, he looked over the side of his hospital bed, to find a white bear standing beside him, fully dressed in a suit.
"Would you mind helping me up?" The bear asked in a curiously friendly tone. Still weak, Ryosuke lifted the bear up onto the side of the bed with surprising ease. "Thank you very much!" "I'm sorry to ask, but...who are you?" The boy asked with a hint of concern. "Oh, yes! How rude of me! I am Principal Nezu!" The bear announced.
"Principal? Of what school?" "Why, U.A. of course!" Ryosuke pupils dilated, and he gasped. This was the principal of the top hero school in the country, even the world? "B-But then, who's he?" He pointed to the man. "Mr. Aizawa is a good friend of mine, also a teacher at U.A." Nezu explained.
"I see. So, what does this have to do with me?" "You're joking, right?" Aizawa spoke up, the bags under his eyes growing larger every minute. Once realizing Ryosuke was completely oblivious, he sighed. "I don't know how you came to find it, or why it chose you, but...you're in possession of a very strong quirk now." He stated flatly.
Nezu nodded. "The Phoenix is a sort of quirk which has been around for a long time, likely even before quirks themselves existed. It's incredibly rare, only having been on record a mere 5 times before you. However, the beholders of the Phoenix all had one thing in common." Nezu informed. "What would that one thing be?" Ryosuke asked curiously.
"They were all vigilantes." Aizawa warned with a hard glare and a harsh tone. "V-Vigilantes?" "Yes. Through reasons we have yet to discover, each of the wielders of the Phoenix were harsher and less merciful towards villains, taking matters outside of the law and into their own hands. So, we're hoping that because we've found out about it, we can hopefully correct this issue." Nezu explained without a hint of negativity.
"Listen, kid. Your quirk is special. Really special." Aizawa kept his words concise and blunt. "Why?" "Because while all quirks fall into one of three categories...yours falls into two. All of them if you count the physical change your body undergoes." "What? That's impossible!" Ryosuke protested.
"But it isn't. Your quirk is both an Emitter and an Augmenting type. You're capable of wielding fire, while also greatly improving your physical strength and speed, and there have been records of the previous wielder...flying." An uncontrollable smile spread across the teenager's face. "That's awesome!"
"Awesome? Sure. Life threatening? Doubly so. You're dangerous, kid. That's why we came here. If we can train you to be a hero under the law, you can help society in a better way." Aizawa told him. "Wait...you're going to train me?"
Nezu seemed to chuckle at this. "I don't know about you, but if the head of the most prestigious school came himself to meet me and I didn't get an acceptance letter, I'd be devastated, wouldn't you?" He asked. At this point, Ryosuke's head finally clicked, all the pieces coming together. "I-I'm going to U.A.?" He asked in disbelief. The two nodded.
"Entrance exams just happened, so the timing is really bad. You'll have to replace someone's spot, but that's a sacrifice we're willing to make. I'll be teaching you personally." Aizawa started with a hint of annoyance. "Yes. So, we will see you in 6 weeks." Nezu hopped off the side of the bed. "W-Wait?!" Ryosuke called. They turned to him. "Yes?" "If U.A Is in Tokyo, don't me and my family have to move?" He asked.
"We've worked out an agreement with your parents. You will stay in Tokyo on your own, since you'll be of legal age by the time school starts again. We will provide you with a small apartment to live in and a monthly sum with which you can buy your basic necessities." Nezu explained to him. "Seems like a lot of money just wasted on one kid..."
"You're gonna become a Pro Hero, kid. Your service should more than make up for it. Let's go, Nezu. We should get back to Tokyo before dark." Aizawa led them both out of the room with a curt goodbye and a pawed wave from Nezu before they left.
Ryosuke leaned back in his bed. "I'm no longer quirk-less, and I'm going to U.A. I'm no longer quirk-less, and I'm going to U.A." The more he said it, the wider his smile became. Filled with excitement and anxiety, he exhaled deeply, tired and completely overwhelmed by the influx of information he'd received.
"You'll make a fine hero, Ryosuke." "And you'll help me with that, but I'm warning you now, we aren't doing any shady crap, alright? The justice system is a system for a reason." He warned. "I am not in the mood to argue and you are too young and immature to have a properly formulated opinion. We can debate this matter at a later date. For now, Ryosuke, do yourself a favor and rest up. You have 7 weeks to get a general idea of how your quirk works before being flung into U.A."
"Right. Thanks...Phoenix." He said as he shut his eyes. "You're welcome." But the boy was already fast asleep, burnt out completely.
A.N: No freakin' way! I can't believe I pushed myself to do this! Sorry if this chapter is a little crazy and dialogue-heavy, but I figured that if I keep the time Ryosuke was quirk-less short, it'd leave more time for exposition in the rest of the chapter. The following chapters are really important, and I'd love to hear first impressions. Anything I should change? Keep? I know that this may not be the best, but I'd love to hear any thoughts, so leave a review!
Until we meet again, reader!